He stood in front of an opened window staring out into the vast sky. The wind caressed his face as the smell of trees and ocean lingered in his nose. He scanned the surrounding area and smiled. It would all be his soon. Everything that his eyes looked upon would be under his control once his plan was complete. Only a few more days and everything would be in place the only thing missing were the bride and his best man. The smile on his face widened as plans for his coronation played out in his head. He would have to keep that dumb princess alive for moment, maybe until she at least gave him an heir. That would give him more of hold on the throne once the princess was no longer in the picture. He figured a year would be enough time to get her pregnant, but how longer to keep her alive after was what puzzled him. A knock came to the door and interrupted his train of thought. With a sigh he looked back at the door.

"Enter if you must."

Three soldiers came in as he sat down in a chair next to the window. They each took a knee before him and took turns kissing his shoe then stood back up.

"Sire, we were able to capture all the men except for four of them."

He rolled his eyes and scoffed. The fools probably gave up searching for all of them and brought back the ones they thought were expendable. He would have them publicly whipped in front of the other soldiers as examples of not following orders through, but first

"Who is missing?"

The men looked at each other, none of them wanted to give the report, but knew it was worse to not to answer his question. After a brief silence, one of them spoke.

"A Gidens, Jensek, and... the captain himself, Vestin."

Jayel balled up his fist at the mention of Vestin's name. A low growl excepted his throat, and he dug his nails into the palm of his hand. The color in his face became a crimson red as he held the urge to lunge forward and strangle men before him. Of all the men that could have eluded him. He stared at them and watched as the pile of sweat built upon their foreheads. He grit his teeth as he relaxed his fist.

"Have you taken care of all the other men?"

"Yes, Sire, they have all been stabbed in the heart or hung at the neck while being burned."

Some of them received a soldier's death and died with honor, as heroes. The one who showed them such mercy would pay for it, but he still smiled upon hearing that they were dead. He couldn't have men that didn't follow orders correctly walking free. It was Vestin's fault they all died, and he would show him the consequences of betraying his trust.

"Good, but the ones who were stabbed through the heart, take their heads, and use the bodies as decoration at the entrance of the city near the Eastern gate. Let it be a warning to those who wish to join that pathetic captain and his petty rebellion."

"There is something else, Sire."

The smile on his face disappeared once more and he cut his eyes at the men standing before him. He got up out of his seat and slowly made his to the one closest to him.

"What is it?"

Shaking slightly the man swallowed hard and clenched his teeth tightly.

"We only captured one of them, but it seems that a few of the soldiers that helped the nurse escape with the princess that night is still alive. The ones that the queen informed us of."

Jayel screwed up his face and waved off the report then began to walk back to his chair.

"There is no need for concern, they are old by now, what can an old man on their deathbed do?"

The men looked at each other and wondered if they should tell Jayel who the man was. The man told them if he mentioned who he was, the one they called 'Sire' would want to see him. If this was not true then they would have to kill him, something none of the men wanted to do. They had just finished killing off several of their comrades and to kill an old man, who is a legend, seemed immoral, but to hide any information from Jayel was suicide.

"I am not sure, Sire, he has had contact with both Vestin and the princess. We have the man in a cell in case you want to question him about the princess."

Jayel smiled as if a lightbulb went off in his head. Of course, if this old bag of bones was in Ay Su he would know of the princess. What she likes and doesn't like. Her mood swings and most of all how to get her to come to him. He could also use his connection to Vestin to lore him back to Serenity. If this man is the key to both his problems he had to use it wisely. He walked over to the window and looked up at the sky. It must have been a sign from the Ancestors. They understood what he was doing and why it had to be done. He had received their blessings, it was the only thing that made sense. This had to be the reason why everything was going so well for him as of late. Except for the queen and her temper tantrum, of course, but that was a minor setback and one that was in the process of being fixed. He looked back at the men and smiled, he could use the drug they had recently been testing on this man and slowly make him his puppet.

"Yes, this will work perfectly, good work. I will question him later. For now we must show him that we mean no harm. Give him a bath and feed him. Oh and take him out of the cell path him in my guest rooms. I need him alive and in good health, he is after all, our honored guest, gentlemen. For my next plan to be a success we need him in high spirits."

The men stood up straight, placed their hands over their chest then bowed their heads.

"Yes Sire."

The men excused themselves from the room and Jayel was left to his thoughts. He stared out the window laughing hysterically. His grip tightened as he held onto the window frame and leaned forward.

"Soon I will have you, princess. I will make them all see the true meaning behind the word king. With you at my side my plan will be set in full swing. Then slowly as time goes on, I will be rid of you and hold all the power for myself," he pulled himself back in the window and frowned as an unpleasant thought skip through, "I will still have to get her to give me heirs for the throne...sigh...which of course means I will have to bed the wretched creature. Well, if she has a body like that of her birth mother or even her stepmother anything is possible."

A knock at the door silenced him and he turned to see one of the king's personal assistants enter the room.

"Sire, the King asks for your presence."

Fixing his shirt and smoothing his hair back he cleared his throat.

"Of course lead the way."

They walked towards the king's quarters and the servant opened the door. The smell of sweet wine and flowers floated out towards him. All eyes snapped up and stared at Jayel as he entered the room and he bowed his head deeply as he waited for the king to address him.

"There you are. What took you so long? I must know how mother is doing?"

Jayel looked up and saw the frail frame dashing toward him as if someone tied a sting to a stick and flung it about like a puppet.

"I see you are a bit lively today, Your Majesty."

The young king bounced forward and smiled a bit.

"Well I have a bit more energy than I did yesterday and I heard from one of the servants that my mother was in an accident."

He placed his arms behind his back and gripped his hand tightly. Unfortunately he had no control over the servants directly under the king and to punish them for anything without the king's permission was a risk he couldn't afford to take. Sick or not the young man before him held too much power for him to understand how to control and it was driven by emotions.

"Calm down your majesty. She just fell and bumped her head. She is resting safely in her room. I can assure you that everything is being done to make sure she recovers quickly."

The king's shoulders relaxed as he made his way to a chair and plopped down into it, a sigh of relief escaped him. Some nurses ran to his side to check on him and he waved them all off.

"I am fine. It is a good thing my mother is doing well, it is far too soon for mother to join the Ancestors. The people still need their Queen Mother. I cannot rule my people without the feminine touch of such a strong woman. Make sure to update me on her condition regularly."

Jayel forced a smile as he watched the pampered young man be fed some fruit and then his face cleaned.

"I couldn't agree more, Your Majesty. I will do my best to give more information on your mother's condition. Was that all you needed from me?"

The king paused the maid that was about to put another piece of fruit in his mouth and looked over at Jayel.

"No, why are you in such a hurry to leave? As my second you should be reporting to me daily about what is taking place in my kingdom. Have I made a mistake in giving you such a title? If this is too much for you to handle, please let me know and I shall try to find another who is more competent."

Jayel bit the inside of his lip and smiled. His nails dug into the back of his hand as he listened to the boyish man speak down to him. Until the princess came to claim the throne physically the sick fool was still king and he was the hidden king that kept him sitting there. Dealing with a queen who is beside themselves is one thing, but a man of royal blood was different. His insides boiled with rage as he thought of the years he had to suffer as the idiotic kings friend in order for him to gain his trust. Bedding the poor saps mother was an easy feat and less tiresome than dealing with him. He had to endure it and reminded himself that everything would be over soon.

"Not at all your majesty. I have just been busy trying to make sure that your mother is well taken care of as well as prepare for your sister's arrival. I'm sure you saw her address the nation with her bold speech not long ago. It is only a matter of time before she is a guest of the castle."

The king sat up and nodded his head. He had seen the speech his sister had given. Her angelic voice still rang in his ears.

"Ah yes, the missing sister from father's first wife, I take it when she comes my role as king may be forfeited?"

Jayel's eyes narrowed a bit and he hesitated before speaking.

"Well tradition states the first born is heir to the throne. With her going missing the throne became yours, Your Majesty, by default, but upon her returning it has yet to be decided what will happen to. The counsel has not yet give me any updates as to what will transpire upon her return. Maybe concerns of her being the late king's blood relation are still running high. With the queen being injured affairs such as these have taken longer to determine. Hopefully, we can reach a decision peacefully."

The King nodded his head as he listened to Jayel's honeyed up words floating in one ear and dancing out the other. He wasn't as stupid as he led people to believe. His illness hindered his ability to govern over his people the way a true king should leaving him to have his Second handle many, if not all, political affairs in his name. His days were number the day he was diagnosed with his illness. In time the counsel would have found one of his other siblings, the twins, to come back and take the throne in his place. Banished or not, they still held his father's blood and even if it would cause more trouble than having Jayel in charge, it still meant that a proper heir had taken the throne. The fact that a new puppet had stepped forward so quickly for masters to sink their teeth into was a miracle the greedy lot had long prayed to the Ancestors for. He had no intention of fighting his sister for the throne, in fact, if it were her, he would renounce his claim immediately, but he didn't plan on handing her over to monsters that waited so eagerly for her arrival. He looked up at Jayel and motioned for him to come closer.

"When she comes you will inform me immediately. I want to have a word with her in private. Sibling bonding I believe they call it."

Jayel held his breath as the stench of the king floated up to him. Completely revolting to be one of his status and have no consideration for cleanliness. How could one bathe themselves only once a week and stand the smell of their body rotting he wouldn't ever understand. His eyes watered and he forced another smile.

"Yes, Your Majesty. As soon as I am informed of her stepping foot into Serenity I will have her escorted to your room."

The king waved him off and he stood up. He walked towards the bathroom and lifted his arms to be undressed.

"Good. That is all for now, it is time for my bath, you may leave. Oh and Jayel, one more thing, next time you wish to publicly murder perfectly good soldiers, try to make sure that you seek my counsel first."

The stench was now in his mouth and it took every fiber of Jayel's being to keep himself from being sick. The look of shock and nausea crossed his face as the king's words danced in his head.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I will remember that next time traitors mix with our ranks."

The king turned around to face him and smiled a bit. Perhaps the title that he had bestowed to his dear friend was in fact going to his head. He did give him freedoms that most Seconds never received. It was high time he remembered his place in the castle.

"Did those men betray the throne? Or did they betray you? Remember, you are the King's Second, not the King."

"The mission I sent them on was of high importance for the throne, Your Majesty."

"What mission did I, the King, send them on?"

Jayel looked at the eyes of the skinny man smiling down on him. The sure pleasure of mocking him was clear on his face. He had to tread carefully now, the last time he saw that look he watch the king torture a man just because he made a comment about his face looking pale.

"None, Your Majesty."

The king turned his back to Jayel and walked to the doors of his bathroom as two maids opened them. He peeked back at Jayel then said, "Exactly," and walked into the bathroom and maids shut the doors behind him as they have Jayel dirty looks.

"Good day, Your Majesty."

Jayel looked around the room as the other servants cleaned up around him. He excused himself from the room and began walking down the hall. His pace quickened as he neared the queen's room. He flung the door open and began to yell at the top of his lungs as he made his way to a chair next to the window. He dropped himself into the chair like a child would throw themselves on the floor.

"Those noisy little sluts; he is no better. Talking down to me as if I were dirt beneath his shoe, he will regret his tone with me today that I can assure you, my queen. Son or not, king or not, he must learn what it means to cross me the way he has today. Humiliated in front of servants like that. He never use to question my actions. I have to be more careful with how I handle things from now on."

He looked over at the motionless body lying on the bed. The only thing letting you know she was still alive was the sight of her chest moving to let you know she was breathing. For two months he was able to keep the young King in the dark about his mother's accident. Two months he was able to keep everything under control and not have to be questioned about his actions. When did the king gain such confidence and who was in his ear that made him question what he was doing?

"It must have been the new hires. I will have to teach them all how to keep a tight lip around here. Gossip will not be tolerated, right, my queen. I may not be able to touch those that are directly under the king, but for the ones who are not they will be punished for their betrayal."

Jayel got up from out of the chair and walked over to her bed. He stared at her face; her beautiful skin bare of all makeup and her hair shined like a starry night. His hand traced her braid that laid over her shoulder and down in front of her.

"I see they've brushed your hair today. I will have them do this more often. We must keep you well maintained even if you still sleep. Your beauty should be protected."

His hand stopped at her hand and he held it in his. He lifted it to his lips and looked at her peaceful face. The feelings inside him churned like a raging storm. Secretly he knew why he was so obsessed with the queen, but he couldn't let his emotions get the better of him. If he wanted the throne he had to be willing to throw away everything for his plan to succeed. Yet, the day she jumped from that window his heart sank to his stomach as he watched her hit the ground. The Ancestors must have been with her that day for her to survive such a fall and he thanked them for it every chance he could. Only he couldn't understand why she hadn't regained consciousness.

"Why do you still slumber? Is your dream that much more captivating than reality? Who do you dream of while you sleep?"

He sat on the bed beside her and his body stiffened at a thought that passed through his mind. What if she never woke up and he lost her? How would he get his revenge if she were dead? You can't get revenge on the dead. She too had to pay for taking him for granted. For not treasuring all that he had done for her. No, she only took him for a foolish pawn that she could make us of. He shook his head and leaned forward and kissed the queen's lips. He sat up and then looked out the window while he held her hand.

"I guess when you wake we can always talk more about it."

Getting up he walked to the door and then turned back to face the queen a smile on his face.

"I must go now, though, I have a guest I need to attend to. You may know him actually; he was a soldier from your husband's army...I will be sure to treat him well so rest easy, my queen."

He then walked out the roomand went to find where they were keeping his new found friend and his ticket tonot only Loraz, but to Vestin as well.