the birth of a plan

Sam was used to waiting.

He waited for his plans to slowly come together. He waited for days to turn into years until he reached adulthood. He waited on the Crones every time he bartered for their information.

But he was terribly impatient when it came to the days he did not see Kiera. He noticed it after their first meeting at the banquet. He yearned for their next meeting even before Kiera had walked away. Maybe he did not know he was in love then, but he did after the next couple of run-ins they had. Each time they met and parted, he was left with a feeling of loneliness. The feeling only intensified when they began courting.

How can I get her to stay with me? To choose me as her Mate?

He hated to admit it, but Kiera was still unsure of their relationship. She was careful when they kissed, even with their romantic tryst the other day, she made sure never to cross a line. Whatever the Mating ritual entails, she would probably never tell him unless she decides to make him her Mate.

Does she love me? Is she even close to loving me at all?

Those thoughts frequently came into his mind during the time he did not see her. Like weeds in between bricks of cobblestone, the thoughts popped into his head at completely random times. It was rather annoying, as he was already trying to deal with the aftermath of his father's latest announcement.

Dark times. The words made him want to scoff every time he thought about them.

At times like these, he wondered if the previous reigning Kings were turning in their coffins, appalled that such a moron held the fate of the kingdom in his hands.

'I wonder if Solomon would have fared better if it had been my uncle Siegmund that won the fight over the royal succession.'

The thought was foolish, and as soon as he thought it, he inwardly bristled. He wouldn't have been born if his uncle had won. His father would be six feet under the ground in that case, with the rest of the royal family. Losing the throne meant death, everyone born under the crown knew that. It was a game that would always undoubtedly be played. Regardless of the person's feelings, as soon as another royal was born, their name will be tossed into the hat as another player of the bloody game.

Sam had always hated it, but he never sought out a way to change it. Why would he? He was content with how things are currently. He was fine with being taken for a fool. He did not want fame or glory as he worked tirelessly to keep his country from falling apart under the weight of his family's greed for wealth.

No, he had been content with doing his work in the shadows, pulling the strings while his other brothers continued prancing about, pretending their bid for the throne was righteous and a god-given right.

He had planned to get rid of his older brothers once his father abdicated the throne. He was going to send off his younger siblings, imprisoning them in a foreign land. He had wanted to build a new Solomon without the royal family, but that dream was dashed after he reached adulthood. He had been naive then, thinking the royal family would mean the end of the aristocracy. There would always be a person that vies for power.

If Solomon needs a King, then that person might as well be him.

Sam first came to that conclusion when he was nineteen, at a party put on by his sister Rosalind. He was disgusted by the luxurious tower of sparkling wine that burst from the fountain. He had just spent the last couple of days at a western village, assessing the damage done by the drought that had ravaged the villagers. There he had seen bodies piled high, children and adults alike.

What was the royal family doing during such a time? Parading in all their gold and treasures in banquet after banquet. It made him sick.

He had looked up into the glittering crystal chandeliers until his vision became fazed and he could not clearly see the party taking place anymore. All the dancing people, the jewel-encrusted dresses that swayed around and around the ballroom floor as the woman hung on their partner's arms. All the laughing, the snide remarks behind their upturned noses.

He did not want to see it anymore.

The next day, he said the words that he thought he would never say aloud.

"I'm thinking it would be better if I became King."

Kepler's face had been frozen with shock, the young man had not yet gotten his monocle and he had been pouring over Sam's finished paperwork for revision. Sam was watching him, sitting back in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Are you being serious?" Kepler put down the quill in his hand, looking back at him.

"I am." He paused to let Kepler regain his lost composure before continuing. "If I asked you to, would you help me by becoming my aide?"

Kepler accepted the offered position as the useless Third Prince's aide, and together, they started planning the downfall of the royal family and the rising of a new monarch. A hopefully better monarch.

It wasn't until a few months prior to the ending of the Golden Rose Treaty that Lucy approached Sam with a new plan.

"I think it is about time you put your plan into motion."

"It's too soon Lucy. I would like to at least wait another two years more."

Lucy blew out another puff of grey smoke. Her usual thin, wooden pipe balanced precariously on her fingertips.

"I know you need total certainty before you make your first move, but the people need solidity. You have worked hard these past years to improve the commoners' general welfare, but the aristocrats are also benefiting from the uptick in wealth. They are becoming more brazen, doing illegal dealings in broad daylight."

Sam was aware of the arising problems. His limitations to what he could do behind the scenes and in the shadows.

"Publically you cannot do anything about it, but as the new King you would have power over the Knights, you can mobilize them, and use them to their fullest potential. Henrie and his people are trained men, yes, but they aren't public figures of authority. They cannot punish the nobles."

"During the peace talks, you will have an advantage. Your family will be focused on defending against the other Kingdoms, they won't be defending against attacks from the inside. You won't have such a golden opportunity in two years."

Satisfied with what she had to say, she refrained from speaking anymore.

"Ruminate on this, Sam. Let me know what it is that you end up deciding in that big head of yours."

Sam did, he thought about the Golden Rose Treaty, a treaty with the continent's four kingdoms: Exatra in the East, Westhold in the West, Solomon in the North, and the Beast Kingdom in the South. All four Kingdoms would soon gather in Solomon for the peace talks.

It was a rare chance that only comes once in a lifetime. He might be looked down upon by the other Kingdoms because he has chosen to strike during a time of peace but that won't matter much in the end. Just as long as he did what he needed to do.

All that should matter to the other three Kingdoms would be the treaty, who cared which of King Gerrod's sons inherited the throne? All Sam needed to do to placate the other Kings is to promise peace and maybe a trove of treasure or two.

He knew the Beast King would be content with the kept promise of keeping the other nation's people out of the Forest. King William and his people have always kept to themselves at Wolfcyre Forest, as they were people shrouded in nothing but mystery. It always amazed him how the Beasts could stay in the South for so many centuries.

The Beasts. They are people that only lived in the vast South, a sprawling kingdom of mountains and forests, full of strong monsters and various other unknown dangers. Wolfcrye Forest was named after the wolves that could be heard howling from deep inside the land. It was a hauntingly beautiful place that no one but the Beasts dared to live in. Upon reading about the Forest, Sam only read various recorded accounts about known adventurers that attempted to venture deep into the South, only to never return.

He thought he should get ahead like his older brothers, and try to garner favor with the Beast people. If he played his cards right he might win over the mighty Lion Lord, a powerful ally. Borrowing even one of his Beast Generals would prove useful in his fight for the throne.

Little did he know that he would end up totally enamored with one of the twelve Beast Generals.