Cage used the wet cloth to clean the blood off himself. "We're going to need thirty men."

Humphrey's dark eyes were wide as he stared at his king. "Pardon me, your Majesty. Thirty men?"

"Thirty one to be more precise." Cage stopped his motion and glanced at the Palace Master. "For the royal guard."

"Oh. That many?"

"Yeah. Twenty of them were loyal to Fherras and I frightened another eleven of them off when they realized they weren't even close to the skill needed for this position. To qualify, they had to touch me with their swords."

"Is that why..." The old man gestured towards Cage with his pen.

"Oh, no. Most of this isn't mine. I gave a pass to anyone who managed to cut my shirt, but a few of them did a better job and actually nicked me. I nicked most of them back. Don't worry. I didn't kill or seriously injure anyone."

"I would hope not," Humphrey said, sounding alarmed. "Your Majesty, you cannot--"

"I know my skill, Humphrey. Nothing was going to happen to me. Furthermore..." He let out a long breath. "I think it's time for you to know a few things. I'm sure the rumors were that I was dead or out on some drunken binge over the past eight years. Or maybe you've heard the other rumor."

The man's face darkened and his frame stiffened. "I have heard rumors that you were cursed."

Cage nodded and leaned back in his chair. He'd called Humphrey to his rooms, so the probability of being overheard was minimal.

"That's the truth, Humphrey. I was cursed. For over seven years I was stuck in my castle in Darkwood for fear I would kill someone." His voice cracked. "Someone else."

It spoke of the things the Palace Master had seen in his lifetime that he didn't cower or stammer. Instead, he waited, his eyes filled with determination.

"Joey, Lord William, Squire Dustin... What did Fherras tell the world when they didn't return? When they were never found?"

"The matter was quite ignored, your Majesty," Humphrey whispered.

"Well, I killed them. Because my curse... Well, my curse was meant to cut me off from anyone I ever cared about. I cared about them, so I killed them. I turned into a monster quite literally. Claws, fangs, lack of control, everything."

"But now?" For the first time there was a slight tremor in his voice.

"Now, I broke the curse. Not by myself, but with the help of a woman who happened to stumble into my castle. A woman who saw beyond my mask and my flaws and dared to love me for who I was. A woman whom..." The words no longer came easy because every time he thought of Kat, the images of death and war flooded his vision. But he knew. He knew he'd loved her. "I loved with all my heart," he whispered.

He could say nothing more after that. He forced his memory, but it put up a resistance enforced by Cecille's magic. A magic he assumed was meant to protect him for he had to face her as enemies.

"What happened to her?" Humphrey's voice was barely a whisper as well, and from the tone, Cage guessed he believed he'd ended up killing her as well.

"She turned out to be the heir of Endir. And she's coming for me."

"Well," the old man said after a few seconds of stunned silence. "This certainly complicates things."

"It does. But I wanted to make something else apparent to you. The curse... Even if it's now broken, magic hasn't left my body. It's the force that keeps me alive, the only reason I'm not dead. Which means..." He leaned forward in his chair and closed his eyes, driving his magic to heal his minor wounds.

He heard Humphrey take in a sharp breath as the cuts closed before his very eyes. When Cage looked up at him, he was pale but fortunately still there. He hadn't scurried away like Edmund.

"I know Fherras made sure everyone in Iride was terrified by magic. I won't lie. Living with it is not easy. It tends to consume a lot of who you are. It becomes the most important part of you, what everyone first sees. But it's not evil. Not inherently."

Humphrey tilted his head and took a step closer, the initial shock replaced by curiosity. "But it's not natural."

Cage nodded. "It's not, and men are not meant to have it. But when the fairies started their war, they dragged men right in the middle of it. No human who has magic had a choice in the matter. You're not born with it." At least he didn't think so.

"I see. I also see the difficulty this poses for your reign if the information gets out."

"The information must get out, Humphrey. Kat has magic, too. You know Endir's policy as well as I do. They won't shy away from using magic against us. And I'll use mine against them if I have to."

"Oh gods." Without asking for permission, the old man dropped on the chair across from Cage's. "I remember the war well. I was a young squire back then, but I was in the Grand Palace when the Witch King burst in using his magical powers. We were all terrified. We were convinced the building would collapse on top of us. Our king... Your grandfather, he also had magic and the clash of it was so destructive."

"I'm sure it was. That's why my goal is for Kat to never get this far. I want to talk to her, to try to persuade her that any issues between our two kingdoms may be solved peacefully."

"But... Did she not care for you as well? Why would she wage war upon us?"

It wasn't only about him. It was about her own home country, but Cage didn't want to get into that. There were so many things that didn't make sense, that shouldn't have happened. But with the fairies fighting their own war behind the scenes, what was natural for humans no longer applied.

"It's more complicated than that. The fairy that cursed me and the one who gave her magic are rivals. They made sure to turn us against each other."

"You don't seem to be against her."

He wasn't, but he could sense that he could turn with ease if he didn't fight Cecille's magic every second of every day. "I don't want a war."

"Then maybe we won't have one," Humphrey said.

"I unfortunately doubt that."

There was a knock on the door. Humphrey jumped to his feet just as Cage allowed entrance. One of the recently confirmed royal guards stepped inside and knocked his heels together.

"A message for you, your Majesty."

Thinking that he'd have to learn the names of all his guards to address them properly, Cage stood from his chair and reached out his hand. Given the timing, he could easily guess who the message was from.

The guard faltered a moment, taking in Cage's now clean arms. Humphry let out a shuddering breath behind him, but Cage didn't think it was necessarily a problem.

"You're looking for my wounds?" He grinned. "There's a nice story about that. But I'll have to let you all know when the time is right. Until then, feel free to assume that I'm a witch."

The guard let out a strangled laugh and passed the tiny slip of paper to Cage. "I must warn your Majesty that the message is somewhat... Disturbing. But we thought you should know either way."

"That's okay. I'm disturbing myself." He waved his hand in dismissal and the guard bowed and let himself out.

"You shouldn't say things like that, your Majesty."

"Let them get used to the idea before I confirm that their gossip is in fact true and I am a disturbing witch," Cage said, opening the note. As he expected there was nothing more than what first appeared to be a senseless phrase.

A pox on the phony king of Iride.

"Gee, thanks, Trix," he mumbled.

"Is it disturbing?"

Cage passed it to Humphrey who stared at it with wide eyes. 

"Wha--?"

"It's from Trix and I'm already used to his inappropriate sense of humor. It matches my own. I bet he spent the whole of five seconds considering how much the guards would scratch their heads at it. But it was disruptive enough to be brought to my attention."

"What do you think it means?'

Cage let out a heavy sigh. "It means you have a coronation to plan, my old friend."

"I can't--"

"Oh yes, you can. You don't need my input. Just make it decent and snappy. I can't afford to be the phony king for much longer. I'll look over your plans once they are ready, but I'm sure I'll approve everything your mind can cook up."

"Your Majesty, this is a huge responsibility! I was merely a squire when King Fherras was crowned."

"And I was a toddler, so we're both in way over our heads. I'm sure you'll find some old fart of a priest who's aware of what must be done."

"Kale!"

Cage couldn't help but laugh. Humphrey reminded him of William and it was refreshing to feel as if he wasn't alone.

There was another knock on the door and Cage allowed entrance. This time, it was another royal guard looking even more confused than the last one.

"Your Majesty, we apologize for the interruption, but commander Malcom has returned and told us you would want these... um, paintings, right away."

It was about damn time. "He was right. I do want these paintings right away. Please." He moved out of the way so that three more soldiers could step inside with three large frames covered by sheets. "You can lay them on the sofa for now. I'll think of where to place them later."

The soldiers obeyed, saluted, and were out. The weight on Cage's shoulders seemed to lift a tiny amount and he couldn't keep the smile off his face.

"What's so important about these paintings?" Humphrey asked.

"Are you ready to be shocked once more today?" Cage moved to the sofa and pulled the sheet off the center painting.

It was of a handsome man with wavy brown hair and joyful dark eyes. Humphrey came closer, confusion apparent on his face.

"Is that a painting of...?" He let the words trail off as he studied the masterful craftsmanship.

Joey grinned. "Nice to see you again, Humphrey. Damn, you got old."

Humphrey let out a scream of shock and fell to the floor.

⚜⚜⚜

Who here almost forgot that Cage actually has humor? It was about time to remind you that he can be fun and funny. And now he has a coronation to plan!

But this chapter was meant to bring forth a few more details and set the scene for events to come. Fortunately, Cage is no longer alone. He has Joey back! Who missed Joey? And of course, the other paintings, which I'm also sure you've missed!

Next chapter, we're going to be checking on Jazz and Jinx and see what they've been up to.

I hope you're enjoying the story! All thoughts are greatly appreciated.