BoI I

"King Phantom, greetings," An adenoidal voice coming from a man came echoing inside the fort, where the king was seated on his throne while reading a lot of papers and even having a lot of scratched papers everywhere.

He had obviously been working hard and it seemed like he had been working hard for the things that he was still planning for the island that only he knew. He hadn't shared anything with them yet, and it seemed like he was still not done with what plan he was brewing.

They couldn't just simply ask what he was planning, it was rude for someone lower than the king to ask the plans for them because that would come to him as his people do not trust him any bit. So to avoid upsetting the king, they were just waiting for him until he told them what kind of plan he was preparing for the future.

The man got no answer from the king. He didn't even raise his head to acknowledge him so he shrugged and continued, "I came here to update you about the new batch of men whom we are going to train to be part of the naval armies, and more men as volunteers despite not knowing what you're planning. When do you plan on meeting them, Your Highness, so I can brief them?"

From drawing something on the blank paper, he looked up and met his eyes. The King seemed tired from all that he was doing and making himself busy with whatever was in his mind. He seemed very much troubled and frustrated with whatever it was, but he was not calling his adviser, nor any of his confidantes, to ask for help. He was just planning it on his own without asking for the council's viewpoint on the matter.

They were skeptical about what he was doing, but they were not exactly having a hard time about that, they trusted the king. After all, he was the son of the greatest leader of all time the island had ever had. They were expecting a lot from this current king, he was also smart like his father, and the people believed that he would also skyrocket the reputation of the island to one of the scariest, most powerful islands among the islands around.

"Did you choose according to the qualities I have given you to follow?" the king asked, stopping for a moment as he put the quill at the side where the inkwell was completely given his attention to the man.

The man, Yerevan, was his dogsbody, the one whom he trusted more than any other servants he had. Yerevan had already proved his loyalty to him, and he had helped him a lot with the tasks of being the king and continuing all of his father's left loads when he died ten years ago.

He was his friend before, and they were training to be naval armies at that time as it was his dream before, thinking that his father would lead the whole island until he was gray and old. But an unexpected disease got him which forced him to take over on leading the whole beloved Island of Jussey at the age of thirty-two years old.

"Yes, Your Majesty. I chose along with the five leaders of the naval armies and they also had chosen which part of the island they would serve. The five leaders just need to know when you would allow them to start training so they could commence. As soon as possible, as per their request. Also, there were a lot of volunteers, as you have asked me to get. The volunteers were all men and there was no force used to get them, just exactly as you wanted it, King Phantom," Yerevan replied and reported.

King Phantom hummed and nodded in pleasure. "Perfect. Those who passed to serve in the naval armies can start there as soon as tomorrow for their training. While give me a week to meet the volunteers who trusted me for this. Also, if you may tell Nordman and the other leaders of the naval armies to pick someone from the group of the new batch that they need to teach to become the next leader. They are not young anymore, and time is continuously passing so they had to have proxies and choose someone whom they could trust to pass their position to."

"Consider it done, Your Highness. Any more things you want me to tell the others and the community?" the servant asked to make sure that he would be relaying everything that the king wanted to say to the whole people of the Island of Jussey so it would just be one announcement for all.

As the servant, he was also the one who was acting like the spokesperson of the king. He relayed everything that the king wanted to say to his people, and he also received everything that the people wanted to say or request from the king, by that, it wouldn't all be too troublesome for the king.

"Oh, please call General Erico, if he isn't that busy. I want to discuss things with him. Before you go, I want to ask about the goods, when are they arriving?" The king went back to drawing something on the paper, and however Yerevan squinted, he couldn't make out what he was drawing.

He was just sure that there were a lot of lines, whether horizontal, vertical, or diagonal, but since he was just starting yet, he couldn't actually see what he was aiming for at the moment.

"As far as I heard from General Erico, the goods are already being transported here. It would take two to three days for the shipment to be delivered, that's also if there would not be anyone from the nearby islands who would bomb and sabotage us. But General Erico makes sure that the goods will remain unharmed as he has naval armies sent to watch over our ships."

"Excellent. That's all I want to hear and I want to say for now. Thank you, Yerevan. You may take your leave."

The man bowed his head politely and thanked the king as well as he took his leave, completely leaving the king on his own. He walked out and his expression changed completely to being blank and serious, contradicting his previous friendly and smiling face to the king earlier.

Well, he was known for being serious and strict, and the only one whom he was getting along with and the only person who was putting up with his attitude was the king himself. It was kind of different this time, though.

"How was it?" One guard of the castle asked as soon as the door closed behind him and the man waiting outside the door walked with him out of the castle, obviously trying to get something from him. What was it? Only the two of them knew. "Did you get something from him? What is he– Ow!"

"Greetings, Her Highness, and to our little Prince Pyro," Yerevan greeted after he nudged the guard on his abdomen.

He bowed and walked toward the Prince, the son of the king, Prince Pyro, who was currently five years old but the community could already see that he would grow handsome and a great king-potential. They were elated to know that there would be another king in the next generation who would lead them, and they were certain this kid would be so good for them just like his father and grandfather, basically the kings on the line of his family.

"Yerevan," the Queen, Queen Andromeda, acknowledged the man, smiling at him. She was holding the young prince on his wrist. "Is King Phantom inside? What is he doing?"

"He is rather always busy, Her Majesty. But you are his family, you can always barge in and ask what he is doing…" He glanced at the sun outside then continued, "especially that it's time for lunch. A family stays together when they eat meals together, that's what I heard from one of the elders in our community."

"Is that so? I've also heard a lot about that from the other women in the island and read it in the books you've recommended to me, and following those brings fortune to the family. Am I right? If that is the case, then, let me fetch the king and we'll be at our own table. You may go and have your lunch, too. Have a good day, Yerevan," she replied with a smile on her face as she bowed at them and walked past them to go straight to the king's study room where he usually received visitors and discussed important things with his people.

When the queen and the prince finally came out of their sight as they entered the king's place. Yerevan looked around and scanned the place if there were any more people around them that might walk to them and here that he was conversing with a guard secretly, but when he found none, he faced him and made eye to eye contact to know that he was dead serious over what they were doing.

"Listen here, you cannot just openly ask me about the king's plan. I will tell you when I want to. I will say it voluntarily without anyone possibly walking in on us or overhearing us. I will tell you, on my own accord, when I get something, do you understand that, mate? If this happens again, I will make sure to get you out of this place as soon as you mess with me. I don't want you to be the reason why I would be stripped of my place as the king's advisor, you have to put that in your little head and pea-sized brain."

Instead of getting scared or backing off, the guard even grinned at him. It was obvious that the guard was twice his frail size, or even thrice. Yerevan was just so small physically, but he was powerful in position and mind. But despite that, the guard could just simply carry him and throw him from the second floor of the castle and let everyone see the happenings.

"Oh, I'm so scared, little servant. Go and do it. It's not like I will be the only one who would be punished if you do. Getting rid of me means getting rid of yourself, too. And oh, I'm not the one who would strip you of your position, you would."

"You sucker-" He was not able to continue what he would say and his anger was thrown in the pit of his stomach when a series of steps from afar echoed in the hallway, and he couldn't let himself be seen hitting a guard without any context, so he kept his hand to himself and decided to just resort it with a threatening glower.

"To answer your question, there's none. The king is too secretive about his plans yet, I will tell you once I get something. You don't get to pressure me. You should know who you are talking to, Mirel. I'm letting this go for now, but if you get into my nerves again, you will see what you're looking for."

"With pleasure, greatest servant," the guard, Mirel, replied in a mocking voice, and Yerevan chose not to say anything to that anymore and just turned his heels and continued walking away from the irritating guard.

To say that the great servant was living with two identities was the best explanation for this behavior. There were a lot of things that they were planning for the Island of Jussey, and whether good or bad, they didn't know exactly if they would even succeed in all of them. Nevertheless, they were working hard, as much as the king was working so hard for the improvement of the island.

When there's a hero, there is also an enemy. That's for sure.