An hour later, the goblins pulled us out of the room and made us sit in front of King Wredlar. His high priestess, Ygnalianne, made us drink a potion---the truth potion that only allowed the drinker to speak the truth.

The potion was notoriously hard to make and the ingredients were very hard to find. Ygnalianne's vial must be one of the few left in the world.

We each took a sip. It was the only way to make the goblins trust us.

The potion didn't stink, but the taste was horrible. It tasted like dirt and mud and saltwater, all mixed up in one vial of disgusting goop. I wanted to spit it out, but it would be disrespectful, and the goblins demanded respect.

After King Wredlar was sure that all of us had gulped down the potion, he scanned over our little band of four and spoke.

"The potion of Drefgarna'sonne commands you to speak. I order you, mercenary, to tell us your story," he commanded.

Ryan tried to shake his head and clamped his mouth shut, but the potion was one of the most powerful substances in the Seven Kingdoms. He had no way to resist, and to his horror (I could see it in his face), he started to speak.

"I'm Ryan Tyler, born in the the Kingdom of Birdsonnia, current resident of Arcadia and a mercenary. My mother, a circus acrobat, moved to Arcadia when I was just three years old to meet my long-lost father.

"It was a ruse by a gang of assassins who had learnt of my talents. I was a gifted gymnast, lion tamer and skilled with knife-throwing, because the knife thrower and lion tamer taught me. They killed my mother and trained me to become an assassin who could wield a dagger, throwing knives, a whip, a crossbow...even a sword called a katana from a faraway place in the Eastern Kingdoms named Japan. Only later did I know who they were working for and why they trained me. They wanted me to assassinate the former Queen of Arcadia, Queen Rhianna's mother.

"I was enraged. They killed my mother, kidnapped me, forced me to learn skills I didn't want to and forced me to practice on victims they'd caught---random people nobody important would miss.

"I refused to do their dirty work for them. I escaped and became a thief, but selling items for money through other people took too much time and I was cheated out of my money too many times, so I took the task upon myself, smuggling riches across the cities and kingdoms. But I absolutely refused to smuggle people.

"When I found out that the boss of the assassins was King Terran, it was too late. I went all over the kingdom looking for Queen Rhianna so that I could help overthrow King Terran. He needs to pay for my mother's death and my non-existent childhood that I deserved."

The whole room went silent.

I never knew.

Ryan went through so much---so much pain and suffering, and even losing his childhood---all because of King Terran. How many more have suffered because of the king?

I gave a silent thank-you to Ryan.

You just gave me a new purpose to take back my kingdom, I thought, looking at Ryan.

I might not be the best ruler in the future, but at least I won't be as bad as King Terran.

Yet another reason why he should never sit on a throne, let alone my kingdom's.

Reject my existence, King Terran, I thought. Turn the army against their own rightful ruler.

But you will never crush my spirit, or my peoples'.

(A/N: For this part only, the story will be written from Tara's point of view)

Tara's POV

I started breathing harder as King Wredlar looked at me. I was next, I could feel it. I knew from Mum and Dad that the potion affects everyone, including kitsunes, so I told them my story. Better to talk willingly than to be forced to.

"I am Tara Ishikawa, a half-kitsune, half-siren abomination, as so many call me. Mum was a kitsune named Kimi Ishikawa. Her first name means 'beauty of the century', and it wasn't wrong. She was the most gorgeous kitsune in Japan, and kitsunes are known for their beauty.

"One day, she fell into the ocean after being pushed off a cliff by a jealous kitsune and was rescued by Dad. They told me it was love at first sight---powerful, forbidden love. They married each other, despite everyone else's protests, and in two years, I was born.

"I spent the first few hundred years of my life being ridiculed for my fish tail, my fox ears, my generally strange fusion appearance. I hated those bullies, and I still do.

"I learnt to make illusions by singing, combining siren magic with kitsune magic. My spells were strong, though they still wore off after two or three days. I used them to hide my true appearance until people figured out what I actually was. Then they joined the bullying and teased and tricked and hit me.

"Eventually, I ran away from home, but on the way, I was apprehended by bandits, and exhausted from travel---so much that I couldn't even speak, let alone sing.

"Sir Frederick saved me, which is why I am bound to him until his death, and followed him to the Queen of Arcadia, Rhianna."

I finished my story and glared at King Wredlar, who just nodded thoughtfully.

I hope you're satisfied, Mr Greedy Goblin, I thought. If not, too bad, because I got nothing else to tell you. I hope you choke on frogs' eyeballs, you scumbag.

Rhianna's POV

Sir Frederick gazed in front of him, eyes betraying no emotion, just like his facial expression. I wasn't taught how to do that, and I would like to learn. It would be useful as a queen.

When King Wredlar told him to start, he spoke in a monotone emotionlessly.

"I was born in a small village close to Citadel, Arcadia's capital city. I lived a normal life like all the other boys and girls, until Ma decided to send me to the castle to be a squire. I studied and practiced hard, and in the end, I was made a knight and given the job of protecting the princess.

"When the former queen died, I was exiled into the Fifth Kingdom of Rydonnis, and I rescued Tara. After that, I heard rumours that the then Princess Rhianna was in Arcadia, and I decided to look for her. Obviously, I found her."

I should've thought of that, I thought. He told his whole story with very little details. But then, of course, Sir Frederick is a trained knight and I'm only trained in combat, not strategy.

King Wredlar seemed to notice this, too, and narrowed his eyes at Sir Frederick, making his eyes into slits.

"Son of Guldermarr, you dare omit the part where you were born of an Africana Kingdom human female and a traitorous goblin?" he said.

Wait, what? His father was a goblin?

I'm shocked by the news, but even more worried because of King Wredlar's reaction.

We're dead.