Monarch's Rebirth: Chapter 5

ALEXANDER'S POV

It was a moonlit night with the sky clear of clouds. Security was light at night with most guards falling into slumber. It made looking for Vincent much easier.

Lukas' palace has three floors and countless rooms. It would be impossible to run through them all and sometimes end up in the wrong room full of people. At last, I reached the first floor where I assumed he would be.

I walked around to find the kitchen where the lights were turned on. The only person who would be awake at this hour would be the kitchen workers.

I snuck behind the doorway and tried to peek in to see who was in there.

Luck be with me! Vincent was right there!

He was talking to a servant dressed in apparel. They were heavily engaged in their conversation.

I waited for the other servant to leave, hoping to strike Vincent as soon as he walks through the doorway.

They were talking loudly, I could pick up hints of their conversation. But it was arbitrary, not something that would give me any clue.

Both of them went quiet and I heard a door closing, followed by footsteps coming closer to the doorway I was hiding behind.

A shadow slowly dawned over the doorway. I held my breath and got ready to strike him down.

I twirled around him while holding him in a choke hold, tightening my grip as much as I can. Vincent protested against me but it was futile.

In a few moments, he was out cold.

He was still breathing–a good sign. I picked him up on my shoulder and began dragging him away, keeping my footsteps light and quick.

I hopped through a window and landed safely on the ground. The drop was much higher than expected but I managed to keep my footing and kept running into the forest.

Though the moon was glimmering, it wasn't enough to light up the thick forest. I set Vincent aside, leaning him against a tree and picking up a stick–Turning it into a quick torch.

As I waited for Vincent to wake up, I take out a dagger from my back pocket and squat down, maintaining eye contact with him.

A few minutes passed but no sign of him waking up. Did I go too hard on him?

Vincent's eyes shot open as he lets out a loud grunt "Ow! My head…! Who are you!?"

"Lower your voice," I held my finger to my lip and shushed. "I am Alexander, Son of Arnold Damian."

"What do you want from me!? I can report you, you know!?"

"I said lower your voice!" I hissed back. "You were planning an assassination of Artorius and I've come for answers."

"I have nothing to do with this! It's all that old good-for-nothing king! I am tired of this job and will do anything to find a change."

My mind went blank when he called him "Good-for-nothing". How terrible of a king is he?

"W-why don't you just defect to the Faunus kingdom?" I asked out of curiosity.

"There is no better job than the king's personal assistant. If I try to defect to the Faunus Kingdom, my family will not have a source of living!"

An idea came to my mind as he continued telling me his issues.

A sly smirk breaks from my lips as the idea became clearer. "I have a plan for you,"

"Please help me! I will provide as much assistance as possible!" Vincent began to smile as he begged

"Remember, if you lie, I know where your family lives,"

Vincent scoffed and laughed. "Really now? I won't fall for such a blatant bluff!"

"There is a nice village in the Tenebris empire. Inside the Audun Kingdom. The village of Tappe. A mother and her two children live peacefully. A boy and a girl. The father works far from the kingdom and visits them every month for a week. Does this story seem familiar to you?"

I could see the colour of his skin slowly disappear "H-how did you figure that out!? Impossible!"

"I have people all over the kingdom. Just because I am the son of a count does not mean I have any less authority."

Vincent sighs as he realises how powerless he is "Believe me, young master Alexander. I will never betray you if you help me out of here.

"Tell me everything you have planned."

"I'll be glad!"

He begins to tell everything about Lukas' plan to overthrow the Faunus kingdom. He wishes to assassinate Alexander and take the throne as he has no heir to the throne or a will that gives the crown to someone else

Hearing the plan, I decide to give Vincent one final warning before dismissing him. I ran away in the opposite direction, towards the wall that I'd have to scale over.

Even after knowing everything, I still cannot get my mind off of the assassination. Will Artorius be okay?

ARTORIUS' POV

These were professional assassins. I can barely fend them off with a simple knife. This knife isn't meant for fighting to begin with!

It was harder to fight because using magic will destroy the area. Earth will break the floor, fire might set ablaze a huge disaster. It was not worth the risk.

I was backed into a corner while they surrounded me from the front. I had no choice but to carefully use fire in this situation.

I cast a large fireball and scared the assassins. I make it even larger and hotter so that I can get the attention of the guards.

The fire became bigger and warmer, slowly becoming a blue flame.

"S-stop! You're going to kill everyone!" One of the assassins shouted in fear, his face being brightly lit up by the blue flame.

"Not so tough now are you?" I laughed and looked at him.

"Run! He's gone insane!"

I disperse the fireball into the sky. It exploded with a loud bang, lighting up the dark sky as if the sun had risen.

It was never my idea to use it on them, I wanted to send a signal for the guards to see.

I shoot out gusts of strong wind to blow them off their feet. They all lose their balance and tumble to the ground, unable to get up in time.

Just then, I hear metallic footsteps rushing over.

"Who was behind that explosion!?" A guard shouted out through the dense mist.

"It was I, Artorius. King of Faunus Kingdom." I spoke up.

The guard got close enough to where I can see him. He became frozen as soon as he heard my name and saw me.

"Y-your majesty!? What happened here?" He stuttered as he spoke.

"A group of assassins tried to kill me. Unfortunate for them."

The guard bows down in shame "I apologize for this! I'll make sure to work harder to protect you and the kingdom!"

I wave my hand away as more guards came to check out the sight. "Take them away, interrogate them and get answers."

"As you command, sire!"

The guards handcuff the assassins and take them away. The fog slowly clears which means the fog was done on purpose. The assassins set up the fog using an artifact.

I began my slow climb up the slanted road back to my palace. I could see the palace clearly, lit up by the many lights outside. Shining in the dark like a lighthouse.

When I entered I expected it to be quiet and peaceful but the lights were on and everyone was panicking around.

Maids rushed from one doorway to another and servants ran up the stairs, shouting at each other in a panicked mess.

I grabbed a maid by her shoulder and halted her. "What's happening? Why is everyone so stressed!?"

"Master Artorius is nowhere to be seen!" The maid exclaimed, still not realising.

"Oh no! Where was he last seen!"

"In his- wait a minute."

She became flustered and hid her surprised expression behind her hands.

I smile and walk past her "I'm going back to my room. Don't let anyone disturb me unless it's Felix."

"As you say, your majesty."

The servants who were searching for me on the second floor found me and sighed a breath of relief. The palace slowly calmed down as more and more staff were notified.

I enter my room and sit on the edge of my bed, taking a deep breath and falling back onto my bed.

Slowly I unbutton my shirt and throw it aside before rolling to my pillow and closing my eyes.

I lay down and think about who could have sent them after me. There was only one answer that came to my mind. Lukas, king of Aberdeen Kingdom.

This was a speculation but I'm sure Felix would agree with me.

Before I could react, the doors to my room flung open and Felix looked at me with a fearful expression on his face.

"Oh, I apologise for the intrusion," He bowed as he stood at the door.

I sit upright on my bed "It's fine, what's the problem?"

Felix stood back up and walked closer "I just wanted to check up on you, young master."

"Well as you can see, I'm not injured.

"Well, I would like to talk with you." He furrowed his eyebrows and looked me in the eyes.

"What may it be?"

"Who do you think planned this assassination?" He asked without beating around the bush.

I sigh and hold my chin "There's only one person I can think of,"

"Lukas," Felix finishes my sentence.

"Exactly."

As I suspected, Felix and I had the same speculation. But we had no proof to back up our speculations.

Felix sits down on a chair and leans forward.

"So, how do we figure this out?" Felix asks, hoping to find ideas.

I was quite empty-minded, especially after having alcohol. "There's no way to catch him,"

Felix seemed displeased "So what should we do?"

"Move on from this incident and let's not take it any further."

His lips fumbled but he did not speak.

There was nothing we could do about this. Interrogating the assassins won't be an easy task. I doubt they will say the truth.

I looked at Felix with a determined gaze "Strengthen the military. We should be ready for the worst."

"As you say. I will tell Wilhelm about it."

Felix gets back up and walks out of my room, closing the door behind him. I turned off my lights and lay back down, thinking of the person named Wilhelm.

I close my eyes and roll to my side. There was nothing to do other than wait for the interrogation to finish. After that, we can make plans on what to do.

LUKAS' POV

As I was getting ready to go to sleep I was called by Vincent for the report about the assassination. I felt confident that he would be dead which is why I walked in with a grin on my face.

I walked into my office where Vincent was waiting. He looked restless and nervous.

"I apologise for calling you back so late, your majesty," Vincent rushed as he spoke. "But the assassins have brought news."

My eyes caught some dirt on his clothes. "Is everything alright? I see you have dirt on your clothes."

He quickly wipes away the dirt "I'm fine, your majesty," He reassures me. "I'm not sure where this dirt came from either."

I walk over to my seat and sit down comfortably. "Tell me about the news,"

Vincent takes a deep breath and takes out a letter from inside his jacket. He slides it across the table to me, already opened.

As I began reading, he summarized what was written.

"They failed. Nine of them have been captured and one escaped. This is what he left me with."

My jaw dropped as I read the letter. "Impossible..."

"They could not beat him even after outnumbering him. The assassin said he was strong. He had astonishing skills in fighting and magic." Vincent continued.

"Damn it! What should we do now?"

He clears his throat before speaking again "Taking the throne directly will not work. It's clear to me that he is no more a drunk ruler who is driving his kingdom to ruins. He's back to his original self."

"What are you trying to imply?" I cocked a brow.

"There is only one way to take the throne,"

Though he was indirect, we both knew what he was talking about. There was no other way.

I sigh, seeing there is no other option.

"It will be a civil war. The emperor will not be happy about this."

No matter what I do, the only answer to my problem is violence. I hoped it would not come to this. Taking the crown of the Faunus Kingdom by force is not ideal.

I wave my hand away at Vincent. "Keep training the soldiers. Tell Idris about what we have discussed so far."

"As you say, sire."

Vincent swiftly leaves my room, leaving me alone to think of our next move.

***

I slowly sit down at the edge of my bed, looking out of my window at the starry night sky.

"Still not asleep?" Siena says in a sluggish voice.

I looked back at her, noticing her soft gaze staring at me as they blink in and out of consciousness

"You're getting old… Take care of yourself." She murmured as her arms wrapped around my waist.

"My work is important. A king cannot sleep until his entire kingdom is asleep."

She tightened her grip and crawled closer. "The kingdom is asleep. Only you are awake."

"You are awake as well,"

"Because you never come to sleep on time!" She raised her voice "Give up the crown and let Alyssa become the ruler. You are too old for this!"

She's right. I've grown far too old for this.

But I cannot stop my ambition from blinding me. I must take the crown that my ancestors were promised since the dawn of time.

"After my work is finished, I will" I whispered back.

Siena let go of my waist and rolled back to her side. "You never listen... No matter how much we try, you never listen."

Soon after, she fell asleep. I lay down and look up at the ceiling, reminiscing about the past.

One day I may rest at ease.

ARTORIUS' POV:

The sun was blistering. It was only spring but the weather was not pleasant.

"Young master. The horses are ready." Felix says as I squint, trying to get used to the bright sun.

"L-let's go then."

The horse that I had was a beautiful white stallion. It looked strong. It was as white as milk and the name fit as well. Blizzard was its name.

Felix on the other hand had a grey and white spotted horse. It was similar to Blizzard in height and build.

Felix hopped on and waited for me to get on as well.

I walked up to the horse which became alert. It began screeching and becoming restless.

"Huh, strange. Blizzard only allows you to ride him. Now he isn't even letting you ride him." Felix looked at me with a worried expression.

I tried to smile it off "S-strange, right?"

I walk in front of the horse and gently pat his head and brush his mane. The horse became calmer as I gently caressed his head.

"Easy boy, easy. It's me." I whisper while holding my head against his.

The horse grunts and tilts his head down. I had managed to fool it for now.

"Where did you learn to tame a horse? I don't remember anyone from the palace teaching you." Felix questioned me in awe.

"I just saw horse trainers do this," I replied.

In the past, I had gone to derby races before. One time I had access to see the horses before the race. That's when I learnt how horses were tamed and calmed before a race.

I slowly start to trot forward. This was the first time I had ever taken control of a horse. But it somehow came naturally to me.

I sped up a bit more and slowly understood how to control and ride a horse. Felix followed me and we trot away from the palace.

As we walked through the city, we go through the bazaar. It was a busy day, as usual. People bought from the stalls that were set up next to the road every day with freshly grown food and items that may interest the people.

I noticed many workers fixing the road–filling up the holes with sand before paving it with stone on top. A gentle smile glowed on my face as I saw the kingdom become lively once again.

We got closer to the gate where I found more people working on the wall. They were nearly done with it, taking the wall back to its former glory.

The gates opened and we trot outside. A strong breeze blew across the vast land. I look around to see the flat but bumpy terrain with mills and farms scattered around it. A mountain range in the distance that was snow-capped even in spring.

This was the first time I had taken notice of this world's beauty and opportunities. The surface may have been explored but the depths and the mountains are still left untouched.

It was just the beginning of my adventures!