Chapter 182
Vorbuk followed King Luke inside his tent. The prince following him in closely as to not get caught alone with the knights outside. Currently inside the enemies location they had to be cautious not to be caught off guard.
"Sit." King Luke motioned to one of the chairs inside his tent. Sitting down next to a table. On the table were stacks of paperwork along with some books. It was obviously some of his work for the preparations for the fight against the table. Luke slammed the books closed while cleaning up the papers so that nothing could be seen by them.
If they acted against him and tried to pry it would only force King Luke to act against them instantly. Vorbuk was not a fool enough to pry into things he should not while directly in front of the king himself. Vorbuk sat down on the chair the king motioned towards while prince Leo stood behind him. Prince Leo would not sit down. He was busy keeping himself prepared in case a fight broke out without a warning.
"What do you intend by coming here and throwing my daughter out like this to get my attention? You are very bold indeed." King Luke sneered.
Perhaps I should just kill this man now? King Luke thought. It was something he was tempted to do the moment his daughter was brought up. The king could not act rashly while knowing it was possible his daughter was inside that temple.
"Your majesty, the princess is very worried about you. Following orders from a god like Chynir will only lead you to one ending. I know that.. She knows that.. I am sure you know that as well. Very clearly in fact. Anyone who has met him and knows him can not be blind enough to think that following that god is a good idea." Vorbuk started to talk about the god as he tapped his finger on the table slowly.
"Yes, I am aware." The king was well aware of the weight on his shoulders by following the god.
"Do you really intend to not let go of this fight? Even at the cost of your life? Your daughter does not wish for this to continue. You're lucky already that the vampire has not ripped you apart himself when you woke him up." Vorbuk wanted to understand the king. He wanted to try and see things the way King Luke did but no matter how much he tried he could not.
"You don't have a child so you will never understand. I would give anything as long as he does not touch that child.. even if that price is my life." King Luke was resolute in his choice.
"Things do not have to go this way." Vorbuk gazed at the broken expression in the king's eyes. He could see the pain. The heavy weight that the king carried on his shoulders was not just that of a ruler but also that of a father who cherished his only child.
"I accepted to speak with you for her sake." King Luke smiled and shook his head slowly. A heavy sigh escaping him. "I will not change my decision. This will not end peacefully. You are still young and naive to the ways of the world."
"You have no intention on changing your opinion? If you pull back things could end much more peacefully then-" Vorbuk was cut off by the king.
"Naive!" King Luke shouted instantly before continuing after calming his heart. "Even if I fall in battle at the end of all this.. I will at least leave you with a piece of advice here and now."
"Advice?" Prince Leo and Vorbuk spoke in unison as both felt confused by the king's sudden remark.
"Even if you take my place as king and defeat me on the battlefield you should always remember this," King Luke's gaze was intense as he thought deeply before speaking. "No matter how righteous you think your choice is someone else will always have their own opinion. There will always be choices you must make, things you must do, no matter how wrong they feel to you. You can not save everyone!"
"What do you mean?" Vorbuk asked. He could not understand what the king was trying to explain to him. Why is the king telling him he could not save everyone? That thought had never crossed his mind. Vorbuk had no intention to save everyone. The reason he came to speak to King Luke was because he knew how horrible the death of the king would be for the princess. He wanted to understand the king.
"You," King Luke could not stop himself from releasing a pained yet brief chuckle as he spoke. "came to speak to me because of my daughter right?"
"... Yes." Vorbuk confirmed the king's intuition.
"That is also why I have not killed you yet and allowed this conversation to happen. If my daughter is in your hands then we both know that I can not attack you blindly here."
Vorbuk nodded in silence as Prince Leo watched them and listened.
"You must also have intention to take the throne from me, correct? You aren't asking me to simply give up the fight but the throne itself?" The king pressed him further.
"... Correct." Vorbuk did not deny it. It was a fact that he was not simply wanting the king to change sides. He intended to steal the throne for himself.
King Luke followed the god Chynir so far. It was impossible to allow him to continue sitting on the throne even if he decided to change sides. That was because King Luke had driven his own kingdom under the ruling of Chynir for so long that it was near impossible for the king to suddenly drive his own people in a new direction.
If the king suddenly changed over night it would only cause his own people to question him. The entire palace would need to be cleaned out from the roots. From the servants to the nobles that worked for the palace things would need to change. The current king changing everything would only drive his own kingdom to question him. It was dangerous and impossible for him to do safely. They both understood that the king could not undo what he'd done thus far.
"The only method for you would be to take me as a royal hostage. To imprison me for the rest of my life as a hostage of war." King Luke knew his fate.
"I am aware." Vorbuk replied while hearing the prince behind him swallowing. The prince was feeling nervous from this conversation.
"Here is my advice as a ruler of a kingdom." King Luke leaned forward as he spoke. "If you took me hostage do you really think you could hold the loyalty of the people for long? Even if you hold hope for your enemies and even if they are willing to change. Not everyone can be saved if you want to protect what is precious to you."
King Luke stood up and motioned towards the tent's entrance. "Now, please go back."
Vorbuk knew the conversation with King Luke was a dead end. Standing up he and the prince headed out of the tent. He could hear the king behind him as he left leaving him with a few more words.
"If I fail here I hope you can at least keep her safe. When I am no longer around I fear that god will no longer care about his deal with me to allow her to remain safe. Falling on the battlefield will mean she looses the only thing holding him back from killing her when she stands before him."
"I will never allow anyone to touch those I cherish." Vorbuk turned his head a bit to look back at the King. A smile slowly slipping onto his face as he tried to reassure the king. Not as a friend, enemy, nor acquaintance but as a father that Vorbuk knew cared deeply for his daughter. "Even if they are a god."