The Barbarian's Serendipity

[KAWAI]

"Get him out of here," King Zaffuto said to the warriors who had been standing still, scared shitless of the faceless name to whom they could finally put a face. 

They were unsure what their chances of survival were for them, and frankly, King Zaffuto Hinata didn't give two shits about it. He had promised his best friend that he would come out and greet the people of Kawai and he had done just that. 

He had let them see him for the first time in so many years. He had given them the reassurance that he was not dead and that Lord Sadako wasn't running the kingdom on his behalf because he didn't exist anymore.

"Everyone, dismissed. Take care of yourselves," the lycan king said before he made his way back to his chambers, leaving behind his best friend who was watching his back reiterate back to the shadows like they hadn't had an agreement earlier. 

Then again, Zaffuto had kept his end of the bargain. He had shown up for the people of Kawai and at least this time, they knew that their king was alive and well. 

He also knew that the lycans wouldn't shut up about him, and word would spread about the ruthless king actually being alive. It would give hope to the lycans and it would revive fear among the wolves and the other creatures. 

His reappearance would undoubtedly make his targets start thinking irrationally, and screw up, just enough for King Zaffuto to find the bastard who had dared to murder his queen and take his heir. 

Forgiveness was, after all, something Zaffuto had buried the day that he had watched his beautiful Liana burning in the pyre.

"Go on, keep up with your duties," Lord Sadako said to the lycans who were waiting for him to dismiss them. They looked at him with so many questions and Sadako knew they wished for answers.

Was Sadako the one to give those answers? 

Was he the one who was to explain to them that their king may have been back, but the man was back for his son, who Sadako had found, though he wasn't sure if he could divulge the truth, because Zaffuto could potentially turn the realm inside out looking for his son? 

There were so many complications, but that was alright, because if there was one thing Sadako was sure of, was the fact that the lycan king had been strategizing for twenty-five years. 

He had been asking Sadako about the werewolf alphas and keeping up with the changes in the race that had taken the most valuable people to him. He had never once missed an update and it was just a matter of time before he knew where his son was.

"Yes sire," the lycans said, looking hopefully at the empty staircase that had once had their king. 

Zaffuto may have been alive, but they all had to admit that his brutality was going to be taken up a notch higher, which meant that aimless walking would land them in mass graves anytime soon. 

Oh, the horrors and comfort that came with the reappearance of the ghost.

'Are you okay, brother?' Sadako asked Zaffuto in the mind link that they shared. 

Sadako had seen the king falter at the sight of the little children and women. 

He had seen his best friend's eyes squint narrowly for a moment as if he was fighting back tears. He had seen his best friend in a manner that no one in the realm could ever see him and Sadako was worried for him.

"Yeah. Go live life, Sadako. You don't have to take care of me anymore, brother," Zaffuto said and Sadako just sighed he had expected King Zaffuto to pull away too soon, so he didn't press on. 

Instead, the lycan enforcer just shut the mind link before he went to check on the lycans in the kingdom. 

As he walked around, Lord Sadako could hear the whispers and the excitement, thanks to the king's return to life. He could see the vibrance slowly return to the faces of the lycans. 

Sure they knew the king wouldn't hesitate to kill them, but even then, no one would ever fuck with the lycan anymore.

'At least something good came out of my sulking,' Sadako smiled to himself as he kept walking around. 

Surely the day would be better eventually right?

*****

News about the king's showing spread like wildfire. In the few minutes that Zaffuto had made himself known, word had already spread across the realm that the deadly king had risen again. 

The dark king had come back to life and the man was leading his people. 

The fact that Zaffuto had been feared even though he had never been seen by may, was still a shock that many would reel from. 

However, now that the truth was floating out there, the people who had heard of the incident twenty-five years ago were suddenly taken back to the time when there was peace until a werewolf ruined it all for everyone. 

The lycan king's decree had been sent out and the bounty had been set for anyone who knew where the prince was. Babies had been checked for years but nothing has ever been found.

"The lycan king is alive," Igor whispered disbelievingly like he was worried that the dark king's shadow was behind him or even staring at him from a distance. 

King Zaffuto was the kind of danger that even barbarians like Igor Konstantin were scared of. 

"Hasn't he always been alive?" Tamiko asked as he turned on Igor's lap in Tamiko's complete shelter. They had been here since they had come from the alpha's office and now that there was something more intriguing, they both were curious. 

Hell, Tamiko had always heard of the rumors of the King Zaffuto. 

He had hoped to meet the king and ask him for help in avenging himself and now that the king was alive and had shown himself to his people, maybe this was the perfect chance for Tamiko to make the journey back to Kawai, right?

It was a wonderful idea, up until the part where despite being away for twenty-five years, King Zaffuto had showed up for exactly five minutes and walked away without even saying goodbyes. He had been a strange one.

"Not exactly, my dusha. Ever since the tragedy all those years ago, our king locked himself up in his chambers and never once left there. If he decided to make a show today of all the days, then the tornado is finally here. 

"Things are about to take a whole new turn and it would be a miracle if the world didn't collapse because the devil himself is back," Igor explained softly to Tamiko. 

He was stroking his erasthai's hair and loved the feeling of it, but that was also how Igor also knew that there was more to Tamiko the outcast that Alpha Ashton wasn't willing to tell the world. 

And maybe that was also why he wasn't shocked when the heavily-armed Grealor warriors, led by alpha Ashton himself, had come to Tamiko's.

"I guess you heard that the big bad Zaffuto is alive and kicking, huh, Ashton?" Igor teased.