56

"I can assure you that he will be an asset to winning this war." An old woman stood with King Sloan in the empty throne room. Her voice was soft as she spoke.

King Sloan looked to her skeptically as his hand stroke his beard. "I hardly see his significance. He's a damn, stubborn fool, and he betrayed me."

"Of course you don't see it," she said. "He couldn't be more like you."

"What are you talking about?"

"You cannot hide from your past, King Sloan. Melinda was not your first choice, and young Lucas was not your first heir."

King Sloan watched the old woman carefully as she spoke. His heart raced in his chest as his secret was revealed to him.

"That woman bore you a son. A king."

"I will have you banished for these lies," the king hissed at the woman. He felt his stomach knot up inside.

"You know the words I speak are true, King Sloan. She came to me when she found out she was pregnant. I hid her from prying eyes. I kept her secret and cared for her and her unborn child. Your son. I watched her give birth to that baby, and I watched her die."

King Sloan was quiet as the woman spoke. He felt himself grow weak as she told him what had happened so many years ago; the story he did not know.

"I brought Mido to Esmon as an orphaned child where a young couple agreed to raise him as their own. Not a single soul knows of this, my lord. I have kept quiet all these years, but I cannot stand idly by and watch you banish your own son. He is the key to winning this war, whether you realize it or not."

King Sloan hesitated. When he finally spoke, his voice was quiet and uneven. "I fail to see how my bastard son is the key to ending this war."

"I suspect you shall recognize the mark he bares on his leg. An unknown mark to him, but a symbol he carries with him. You will know what to do from there."

"I don't have time for myths and legends," King Sloan said loudly.

"Then you will watch your kingdom fall."

"Get out of my city," he muttered to the old woman.

The woman bowed to the king. "For the sake of this kingdom, I hope you will take a chance on your son. You need him, King Sloan. Don't let him disappear."

Two Libronian soldiers guided the woman out of the throne room, letting the doors close behind them. King Sloan stood alone in the empty room, staring at the closed doors in shock. He considered the information the woman had given him. It certainly was a possibility. A possibility he had never considered, but nonetheless, it seemed she could have been telling the truth. King Sloan swallowed as he turned his gaze to the window to his right, looking out over the kingdom. Mido and Calliope were somewhere out there; perhaps it wasn't too late.

King Sloan turned as his wife entered the room. She looked to him concerned and made her way to the center of the room where he stood motionless.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," she said.

King Sloan felt his heart beat erratically in his chest. He pinched his lips, squeezed his eyes shut, and turned away from his wife, ashamed. He felt her hand on his arm.

"What's wrong?" she asked quietly.

King Sloan sighed. He could not keep this information from his wife, but that didn't make saying it any easier.

"There's something I need to tell you," he began, hesitant.

Melinda was quiet as she waited for him to continue.

"I have another son," he said softly. "A son I did not know about. With a woman I met before you."

Melinda blinked as she took in this surprising information. "And?"

"It's Mido."

Melinda felt her heart stop. "Mido?"

King Sloan nodded.

Melinda was quiet for a moment, searching her husband's face before she spoke again. "Does he know?"

"No. In fact, I banished him."

"You banished him?" Melinda's voice was louder this time. "Why?"

"He betrayed me."

"How the hell did he betray you?"

King Sloan sighed. "I told him that Calliope could not stay in Librona any more. There is nothing I can do now to protect her. She murdered King Rowan. Asmar is without a leader and they will stop at nothing to get their revenge. Mido, of course, would not see her alone in the world, so he left."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because there is a chance that Mido could help end this war."

"How?"

King Sloan shook his head. He had a hunch, but he couldn't bring himself to believe it. He needed to see for himself first. "I don't know," he said. "A woman who cared for him after his mother died giving birth came to me and told me. There is a mark on his leg that will give us the answers we need."

King Sloan and Melinda stood quietly together in the dark corner of the throne room, their voices hushed as they spoke.

"I don't agree with your decision in banishing him," his wife said to him firmly. Her forehead creased with concern as she met her husband's gaze.

"It had to be done," King Sloan said, determined to stand his ground. "I cannot keep pulling strings for those I favor. The law applies to Mido as much as anyone else."

"He could be your son," Melinda hissed to him. Her heart caught in her throat as she said the words out loud. "He's your best knight," she added. "Your greatest asset; possibly the key to winning this war, and you just threw him out."

"He betrayed me."

Melinda's hard gaze softened for a moment. "He needs to know this, Sloan."

"It might not even be true. It could be a set up."

"But you were with his mother."

"We only have the word of an old woman."

"She watched that woman die giving birth to your son. She could have dropped him off on your steps, but she didn't. She did what was best for the both of you. But now it's time. You owe it to him."

King Sloan lowered his eyes and turned away from his wife. "It doesn't matter now, Melinda," He said softly. He hesitated a moment before turning back to her. "What matters is getting you and the girls out of here and somewhere safe. I do not trust our walls to hold up to a rogue nation. You will be safest outside of the kingdom."

"I don't want to leave our home. I won't leave you."

"You will, and that is an order," he commanded. "I need you and the girls to be safe. You are my life."

"What about Lucas? He cannot stay here alone to rule in your absence."

"He has my advisors to help guide him, and I will not be gone long. I need to be with my army."

Melinda felt herself grow frantic at the thought of her young son at the throne. What if her husband never returned? "Sloan, he is too young for these duties. I won't see him end up like King Rowan."

"You have my word, Melinda," he said, taking her hands in his. "He will not end up like Rowan. Get out of here before it is too late."

King Sloan called to his trusted soldiers and delivered his orders to protect the royal family. Melinda followed their men to gather the girls, looking over her shoulder at her husband. "Be safe," she said before she disappeared around the corner.

The king didn't waste a moment to prepare himself for the trip back to Asmar. He called to his troops, readying his soldiers to aid in the battle that raged on across the mountains. With his family on their way to safety and Calliope out of their kingdom, there was nothing left for Asmar. Feeling confident that Lucas had control of the kingdom, he kicked his horse forward and led his army out of Alryn once more and toward Asmar.