Chapter 7: A servant's stance for Justice

That same day, Maia goes to Radeon in the throne room, wanting to speak with him in private, to which Radeon consented and listened to her concern. "Your majesty, I am worried about his Majesty, the king. He is… I believe he is unwell, as I… we servants have noticed that the king has not eaten properly and his health is deteriorating… Majesty…" Maia said concerned, looking down not to look into his eyes, and the servants also were worried about him, as a couple of other servants joined with Maia to discuss their concerns with Radeon about the King's health, while Radeon governed the kingdom as his brother was not well. "I understand… don't worry I will go check up on him". Radeon smiled and told the servants not to not say a word of this to anyone, as he didn't want word getting out into the Kingdom that the King is not well, otherwise, it will drop the morale of the people of the Kingdom that their King was in ill state.

That afternoon, Radeon goes to see the king. Radeon walks in the door and stands in front of Leon concerned, "What do you want, Radeon?" the king said sternly, sitting on his couch in the dark corner of the room still, both arms rested on each side of the couch. Radeon takes a deep breath, looking away for a moment, then turning slowly to face his unwell brother, "you haven't been yourself for a while…" Radeon said crossing his arms, in a low calm tone of voice. "Servants mumbling….perhaps…" Leon responded as he questioned with a low husky tone of voice as he looked outside. "you want to tell me what's going on?" Radeon asked concerned for his brother's wellbeing. "You wouldn't understand, Radeon…." Leon responded passively. Radeon sighs, as Radeon sits across from Leon, as he grabbed a chair to sit across from him, when suddenly, Leon glances at Radeon, "perhaps you were planning to conspire against me?" Leon smirked in mockery, as his depression was sending him into madness.

"Stop this stupidity, Leon, as if I could conspire against the King, when I swore an oath to protect and guide you all the days of my life, considering that father appointed me directly to be your counsellor and advisor of the King, being you, I wouldn't see any benefit of conspiring against you…." Radeon said sternly to Leon.

Meanwhile, Maia, Kusava and their servant friends were outside the bedroom, as they were worried about the king. When Maia heard what Leon told Radeon, Maia, she was just about ready to stomp in the room, however her friend Kusava held her back. Radeon got up in anger at the comments Leon had just said, as it disrespected his honour, and slapped Leon across his face, breathing heavily in frustration, "you accuse me of treason….Leon….What has gotten into you?!" Radeon grunted at him in frustration and concerned. Leon laughs in frustration, not telling the reason why he went a little crazy since they got back from their recent battle / war. "You lay a hand on the King, Radeon?" Leon said and questioned sternly, yet laughing in mockery, accusing Radeon "Are you accusing me of treason, your Majesty….." Radeon frowned and said sternly in a serious yet almost challenging tone of voice as to challenge his brother, suddenly, Maia gets a loose from Kusava's grip, walks in and stomps in the bedroom where the king was, everyone grasps as she walked in the room slamming the doors open, including Radeon, as she grabs some water in a glass and throws the water on the king's face, "Maia!" her servant friends grasp and cry, "aaanddd.. she's dead…" Kusava says in a sarcastic manner, his arms half folded across his waist, his finger on his lip. "the only one doing a conspiracy around here is you. You have been stuck in this room for 6 months straight feeling sorry for yourself in a pity party." Maia said sternly but passionately, getting to the root cause of the problem, which pricked the king at the heart, Leon looked at her intensely, "you disrespect your King, servant!" Leon grunted, glaring at her, Leon replied harshly.

"we hate seeing you like this, your Majesty…. where is our King!? He should be out here ruling the kingdom, being the strength of the people, but instead he is in here like a turtle in a shell not knowing what to do, like a lost child....." Maia said with concern and sorrow in her voice….

"Yep….. She's definitely gone now….." Kusava said sarcastically, nodding his head. Suddenly, Leon got up from the couch in anger, as he felt that the servant was showing him pity, which made him feel weak in front of the other servants, and walks towards her, raised his hand to slap her, suddenly, Kusava ran in and pulled her away, simultaneously Radeon caught Leon's hand and arm in a tight grip, "Do not touch the servants, Leon." Radeon said sternly in a serious tone of voice, Radeon's eyes glaring and glowing in deep blue reflecting his powers….looking intensely into Leon's eyes, as Radeon's eyes glowed bright blue in power. There is a moment of silence between the two powerful brothers for a moment, then Leon grasped…as Radeon let him go, Leon looked at his hands and trembled, thinking what he was just about to do, he looks up at everyone and shouts, "Get out, all of you, I said get out!!!" the king yelled and grunted.

They leave the king in his bed chamber. "he needed to hear that, it will wake him up a little" Radeon said softly to Maia. Maia Bowed her head towards Radeon, "He just needs time to process what you told him." Radeon said softly smiling at her, "thank you, for protecting me, your highness…." Maia said as she bowed softly to Radeon to show him her respect and honour, Radeon smiled at Maia and her friends, shaking his head at them, "off you go now, the servants have a day off tomorrow, I will make an announcement shortly to tell the servants to take a week off until this is sorted with the king." Radeon said to Maia and he did what he promised. Maia and her friends leave the presence of Radeon from the wide hallways of bed chambers and head off home for the day. "Maia, are you trying to get yourself and us killed?!" Kusava and her friends yelled at her, Maia never responded as she looked at them softly as they head home for the day, knowing they had a week off.

That week gave the king time to think and to start coming back to his senses a little. Noticing that the servants were not around, his mother came to visit him in his room that same week when the servants were not around. "mother, I don't want you to see me like this…." The king said sadly to his mother, "You know, something reminds me that I have seen this once before in my lifetime." She said smiling at him. She went on to tell him a story of what had happened with his farther when he took over a nation for the first time and something happened like what happened to the king and sent his farther too into a depression because of his enemies' children. "Some of the servants are offspring of the nation's your farther won, they chose to serve him because of his mercy, they were too young to remember what happened, but most of our servants and some of the people are from the battle your farther won…" his mother smiled at him, realising his farther had the same condition, "how did… farther overcome this…. Battle depression?" He asked softly, looking for some hope. "well, he had so many women!!" She joked, "surprisingly, Mother, this isn't helping!" he said in sarcasm, looking away blushing somewhat. She laughed, "only joking my son, your father overcame his depression by putting what was behind him, and moving forward, so he can lead his kingdom. Then shortly after, you and Radeon where born." She smiled gently, kissing her son on the head, to re assure him everything was going to be alright. At that, she left. Smiling gently at his mother as she walked off softly.

About a week later, One day as Leon is on the throne, a young girl is brought before him to be judged as she was caught stealing from the King's inventory on the outskirts of the Kingdom and she was caught by the guards to be tried before the King.

"I hear you stole from me, what do you say about these charges laid against you by my guards?" King Leon said to her with a soft tone of voice with authority in his tone of voice.

"I never stole nothing!" the young woman responded with contempt as she was scared but she never let it show, as she covered herself as her dress was falling off her shoulder.

Leon took a deep breath, "you know what the penalty is for lying to the King yet stealing on top that, requires the death penalty." Leon responded sternly.

"I told you I never stole anything!" the young woman further defended. "How do you explain the large amount of food that was in your stole away horse?" Leon responded showing her evidence.

The young woman grasped as the evidence was against her. The young woman fell to her knees before the King, before his throne, as she was guilty for the two charges.

Leon got off his throne and walked towards the woman and drew his sword and was about to pass his judgement as the penalty of death to this young woman, as he had his sword drawn ready to kill her, when all of the sudden, one of the King's maiden servants jumped in front of the woman, when Leon stopped at the last moment, "Servant! This has nothing to do with you, get out of the way!" Leon grunted at her.

Maia, the servant girl, stood in front of the young woman, and bowed before the King, "Your Majesty, I beg your thousand pardons, sire, however I wish to beg for your mercy upon this young woman." This young servant said in all humbleness. "Why…?" the King asked her.

"Your Majesty, this woman has four young children to feed, and she only needed food for her children and the children have no father… I beg you my lord, to spare this woman." This servant girl begged.

"She deserves the death penalty for stealing from the King…" Leon responded, "Then… take my life instead of hers, and let her live for her children…." She said, however when she said this, everyone in the room grasped and the servants and guards all screamed no in defence of this servant in respect and honour for her.

Leon looked up and looked around at this servant's friends wanting to spare her life. "Your friends… seem to love and respect you…." Leon said in a soft husky tone of voice as he looked at her. He didn't want to come off as a cruel King, so he decided to listen to the request of his servant, considering that he wanted to win the hearts of the people… Leon took a deep breath, "alright…. I will spare the life of this woman, for the sake of her children as per your request….however…. on the condition that you have offered me your life for hers …." Leon grinned and said, as he turned his back on her to walk back to his throne, everyone grasped in the room, "take your friend and escort her out of the palace …. warn her to not steal from me again, or else next time, I would not be lenient, even if you are here present…. Leave us!" Leon commanded her.