Aldric didn’t believe in luck.
Only
power
.
Power won him the throne.
Power crushed his enemies.
And power would keep him on top—so long as he played the game
better than anyone else
.
The nobles were cowed. For now.
But Aldric wasn’t foolish enough to think that fear alone would keep them
loyal
.
He needed something stronger.
Something that would bind them to him—
permanently.
A Kingdom to Secure
The morning sun filtered through the high windows of the war chamber, casting long shadows across the map spread before Aldric.
The kingdom was his.
Officially.
But maps were
liars
.
A border drawn in ink was meaningless without men to
enforce
it.
Lands he had "claimed" were still
restless
. Cities still whispered of Cedric, the deposed king. And the outer provinces, ruled by lords who had sworn
begrudging allegiance
, were waiting for the first opportunity to
rebel
.
Aldric tapped his fingers against the table, thinking.
"We need more troops," Elya said, standing across from him.
Aldric nodded. "Agreed. But we also need
coin
."
War had drained the treasury. A single misstep and the entire kingdom would
collapse under its own weight
.
He turned to Verren, his steward. "Who has gold to spare?"
Verren hesitated. "The merchants, mostly."
Aldric
smiled
. "Then let’s pay them a visit."
A Meeting with the Merchants
The Merchant Council was the
real
power behind the kingdom’s economy.
A collection of self-made men who valued
profit
above all else.
They didn’t care who sat on the throne—so long as
business thrived
.
Aldric strode into the council chamber, flanked by Elya and two guards.
The merchants sat around a massive oak table, their silks and jewelry displaying
obscene wealth
.
Lord Auren, the head of the council, folded his hands. "Your Majesty. To what do we owe this visit?"
Aldric didn’t waste time.
"I need gold."
Auren chuckled. "Gold, you say? And what do we receive in return?"
Aldric met his gaze.
"You get to keep your heads."
Silence.
Auren’s smirk faltered. "Surely, Your Majesty jests."
Aldric leaned forward. "Does it
look
like I’m jesting?"
The merchants shifted uncomfortably.
Elya spoke next. "The kingdom’s stability benefits you as much as it benefits us. Or would you prefer trade routes overrun by bandits? Cities in
chaos
?"
Auren exhaled slowly. "And how much do you require?"
"Enough to raise two more battalions," Aldric said. "And to rebuild the eastern roads."
Murmurs among the merchants.
Auren’s eyes
narrowed
. "That is... a considerable sum."
Aldric smiled. "A
wise investment
."
Auren studied him, then sighed. "We will provide the funds."
Aldric nodded. "Good."
Because had they refused, he would have simply
taken it by force
.
The Cost of Betrayal
That night, as Aldric returned to the palace, a messenger intercepted him.
A breathless young man, dirt on his boots, fear in his eyes.
He fell to one knee. "Your Majesty... urgent news."
Aldric gestured for him to continue.
"It’s about Lord Davos."
Aldric’s expression hardened.
Lord Davos ruled one of the
border provinces
—a man who had sworn loyalty after Cedric’s fall but had always been...
uncertain
.
"What about him?"
The messenger swallowed. "He’s... raising an army."
Silence.
Then, Elya stepped forward. "How reliable is this information?"
"Very," the messenger said. "Our spies saw it firsthand."
Aldric exhaled.
Tavian had been a
coward
.
Davos was
not
.
If he was gathering an army, it meant he was preparing for
war
.
Aldric turned to Elya. "How many men does he have?"
"Five thousand, at most."
Aldric’s jaw tightened. He had more troops, but if other lords joined Davos, this could spiral into a
civil war
.
And civil war was
unacceptable
.
He needed to end this
quickly
.
Aldric looked at Elya. "Ready the troops. We march at dawn."
The Battlefield
Davos had
fortified
his city, thinking it would be enough.
It wasn’t.
Aldric’s army arrived in force—banners flying, steel
gleaming
.
He gave Davos
one chance
to surrender.
Davos refused.
So Aldric
burned the city.
It wasn’t a battle. It was
a massacre
.
By nightfall, Davos was dragged before him, bloodied and defeated.
The once-proud lord knelt in the mud, breathing heavily. "You’re... a monster."
Aldric looked down at him. "And yet, I’m the one who
won
."
With a single motion, he had Davos executed.
No
trials
.
No
mercy
.
Just
a message
.
By the next morning, the other nobles
understood
.
There would be
no more rebellion
.
Victory was supposed to feel
satisfying
.
Instead, Aldric felt only
exhaustion
.
He stood on the balcony of the royal palace, staring down at the city below. The people were
quiet
, the air thick with the unspoken understanding that their king had crushed yet another
enemy
.
Davos had been a fool.
Aldric had given him a chance—one chance—to bend the knee. He had refused. Now, his lands were
ash
, his name a
warning
.
And yet... Aldric knew this was far from
over
.
The Consequences of Power
Elya entered the chamber, her expression
grim
.
"The other nobles are afraid," she said. "But fear only lasts so long. If they sense any weakness—"
"They’ll strike," Aldric finished.
Elya nodded.
Aldric clenched his jaw. He had spent
years
fighting for this throne. But ruling a kingdom was proving to be
a different kind of war
.
One that required a
different kind of strategy
.
"Any signs of another rebellion?" he asked.
"Not yet," Elya said. "But we received a message from the kingdom of Valtor."
Aldric raised an eyebrow. "Valtor?"
"They request an audience. Their king wants to discuss... an alliance."
An alliance?
Aldric didn’t trust it.
Valtor had remained
neutral
during the war. Their king, Edric the Silver-Tongued, was known for his
cunning
. If he was reaching out now, it meant he
wanted something
.
Aldric’s fingers drummed against the armrest of his chair.
"Summon the council," he said. "I want every detail about Valtor on my desk by midnight."
Elya hesitated. "And if Edric proves... untrustworthy?"
Aldric smiled coldly. "Then I’ll remind him why I’m the one sitting on this throne."
A Dangerous Proposition
Three days later, King Edric arrived in Aldric’s court.
He was
older
, dressed in fine silks, his silver beard neatly trimmed. Unlike the trembling nobles who bowed before Aldric, Edric carried himself with
confidence
—as if they were equals.
They weren’t.
"King Aldric," Edric said, offering a respectful nod. "I must say, you’ve done well for yourself."
Aldric didn’t bother with pleasantries. "Why are you here?"
Edric chuckled. "Straight to the point. I admire that." He folded his hands. "I come with an offer. A proposal that would benefit us both."
𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺
Aldric leaned forward. "Speak."
Edric’s gaze sharpened. "A marriage."
Silence filled the throne room.
Aldric’s fingers tightened around the hilt of his sword.
"You want me to marry one of your daughters?"
Edric nodded. "A union between our houses would solidify peace. Your rule is still young. There are... those who would see you fall. I can ensure that doesn’t happen."
Aldric
laughed
.
Not out of amusement, but because he saw the
trap
.
A marriage meant
ties
.
Ties meant
obligations
.
And Aldric bowed to
no one
.
Still, he didn’t dismiss the offer outright.
Instead, he studied Edric. "And what do you get out of this?"
Edric smiled. "Protection. Trade. Influence."
In other words—
leverage
.
Elya stepped forward. "This is a bold request."
Edric nodded. "Bold times call for bold actions."
Aldric tapped his fingers against the throne.
Marrying into Edric’s family could
stabilize
his rule. But it could also be a
shackle
.
And Aldric
hated shackles
.
After a long pause, he said, "I’ll consider it."
Edric’s smile never faltered. "That’s all I ask."
The Price of Trust
That night, Aldric sat in his chambers, deep in thought.
Elya poured a goblet of wine, watching him carefully.
"You don’t trust him," she said.
Aldric took a sip. "Should I?"
Elya shook her head. "No. But... the offer has merit."
Aldric exhaled. "I didn’t fight this hard to be
tied down
."
"Then don’t be," Elya said. "Accept the proposal, gain what you can from it... and when the time comes, cut the rope."
Aldric smirked.
That was why he valued Elya. She understood the game.
The only question was—
who would outplay whom?