I don’t remember much of the ride to the gates. I remember Lucious waiting for me by our horses, telling me that the army was already waiting for us at the gates. As I got onto my horse, I looked over to Lucious to see an image that’ll be etched into my mind forever. He rode a strong, charcoal stallion with glowing red eyes. Its hairs had maroon tips and edges, resembling flames. His armor was light, black paddings along the arms, legs, and torso, outlined in gold. His helmet, however, was unique. Resembling a Spartans helmet, the black helmet had a black visor that covered where the face would be revealed, gold outlined the helmet, and the hairs on the helmet was black but outlined with the light blue from his suit before, resembling blue flames. My horse didn’t look special, a milk chocolate brown with even darker brown hairs on its back and tail. She was strong for sure, since she was carrying me with all this armor, and my giant helmet. I just kept thinking about my mom and the fact that I’m in another world. I still haven’t wrapped my head around that yet. The next thing I knew, I was outside the gates and looking at this rebel army in front of me. The commander of the army was going on and on about something, but I was not even listening to him. Lucious seemed very frustrated at this man, as he was shouting back at him something along the lines of, “You should beg for forgiveness and give up this rebellion.” That might’ve actually been what he said. Lucious brings me back to the present, and asks,
“What should we do now, Your Grace? He doesn’t seem to want to listen to reason.”
I take a look around, seeing that tensions are high, and dismount while responding,
“I wasn’t paying attention at all. It’s been a crazy few hours, so I’m going to go talk to him and see if we can’t resolve this without any deaths.”
“But Your Grace, that’s unnecessarily dangerous. Not to mention that these ungrateful ingrates don’t deserve your time of day! We should just eliminate them like usual.”
Fully dismounted, and flinging the hammer onto my back, I reassure him,
“Yeah, well, things are going to be different from here on out. Besides, I’ll be fine. I’ll have you there if anything’s to happen.”
Puzzled, Lucious dismounts and walks ahead of me, shouting that we want to try to sue for peace and demands a parlay. The commander nods and walks forward with his number two, as we walk to them to meet in the middle. As we meet halfway to each other, Lucious snaps his fingers and has 4 chairs created from the dirt beneath, molding into the shapes that would best suit the comfort of everyone. I wave my hand at him, telling him,
“That won’t be necessary. This should be quick.”
Once again puzzled, Lucious snaps his fingers again to have the chairs melt back into the earth that it came from. Coming face-to-face with the rebels, the first thing that caught my eye was the commanders’ companion. He wore no armor just a suit. His all-white suit matched his slicked back white hair and light blue eyes. He looked just like Lucious, but smaller. He looked to be around 5 foot-something. The commander, however, looked to be a seasoned warrior. The crows’ feet stood out on his face; he had a thick black beard from ear to ear and had a large scar going from the corner of his helmet to the tip of his nose. With one eye whitened out, and the other light blue, I couldn’t help but notice that they all looked alike. But maybe I’m just being racist since this is a brand-new world. His Spartan helmet had a crack where his scar was. The rest of the helmet looked just like Lucious’s except it didn’t have a visor. Unlike his companion, he wore armor. His black chest plate, lined in gold, fit perfectly with his muscularly physique, just as the black leg padding did. Wearing a golden cloak buttoned with a light blue star, he stood about the same height as I. Which, I can only assume, is roughly 6 foot-something. I seem to be the same height as my old body, but I can’t tell for sure. He had one hand on his long sword, that was on the left side of his waist. The commander takes his helmet off to show off his black buzzcut head and tanned skin. Holding it on the right side of his torso, he looks at Lucious and asks,
“What is the meaning of this son, did you not get the message beforehand?”
I KNEW I WASN’T RACIST! This is Lucious’s father, and the white suited young man next to him must be his brother.
“Sir Judas, His Grace has requested to speak with you in hopes to coming to a peaceful resolution.”
Sir Judas was taken back by the proposition of peace. It seems Octavia hasn’t tried this before. New body, new me, I suppose. The white suited young man speaks up,
“Listen up big brother, we all know that “Supreme Emperor” is nothing but a pawn for all those people at court. He hasn’t done a single thing in his life to even be called a ruler. I’m surprised he isn’t fat with how much of the kingdom’s food he eats. The common people are tired of all the politicians getting what they want and tearing this country apart, and frankly, so are we. We thought you’d understand since you were one of us, but I guess you’re just another lapdog of the Empire!”
Okay, ouch. This kid was definitely hitting it where it hurts. Sir Judas raised his voice,
“QUIET COMMODUS! Show some respect! We are here to try to broker peace, there is no need for further blood to spill if it is not necessary. So…Your Grace… what is it that you would propose?”
Slightly nervous, I set my hammer down on the ground to help ease the tension.
“What are your concerns and demands? I want to try to fix this, truly.”
Sir Judas and Commodus look at each other surprised. Suspiciously, Sir Judas looks back to me and replies,
“Well, first things first: the common people need better food and shelter. It looks like everyone, except people in power, are poorer than dirt.”
“Okay, done. What else?”
Pure shock struck the face of everyone around me. Hesitantly, Sir Judas continues,
“Uh… The Centurions are the personal army for the emperor, we are not the executioner’s squad. We don’t have a voice anymore in the council and are used as the dogs of the empire. That needs to stop.”
“Okay, done. What else you got?”
“Uh…Um…That was about it.”
“PFFT! That was it? I can make it happen; don’t you worry. And I’ll bring you on as an advisor and apart of the council.”
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Sir Judas was left speechless. Slightly frustrated, Commodus asks,
“Oh yeah? And how do we know you’ll even do this? What if you’re just saying this so you can kill us in our sleep or something? Where’s the proof that this’ll actually happen?”
I think for a moment, and then look over to Lucious and ask,
“How long do you think it’ll take to achieve these goals?”
Caught off guard by the whole situation, Lucious replies,
“Uh…Your Grace…I’m not sure the council will approve of such- “
“I asked you how long it’ll take.”
“Of… of course Your Grace… It should take us approximately 3 months for the effects to be noticeable.”
“Perfect! Give me a pen and paper.”
As Lucious waives his had, he makes a pen and paper out from his pocket. He, then, snaps his fingers to make a table appear from the ground. Writing down what I say, I tell them,
“If, after 3 months’ time, there are not any noticeable changes towards the demands you gave me. Or if this isn’t achieved in 6 months, then I will relinquish the throne and give it back to the people. Does this sound agreeable?”
In an uproar, Lucious objects,
“Your Grace, you cannot do- “
“Oh? Who are you to say what I can and cannot do with my power? There are people in need because of our actions and this is the result of said actions. It’s only fair that we do right by them.”
“Yes…yes Your Grace. I did not mean to offend.”
“No offense was taken Lucious.”
Stepping forward, Sir Judas asks,
“Well, that’s all fine and dandy, but if this is the be official, then it needs to be sealed with your ring and signed by you as well. Otherwise, it’s just all talk.”
Lucious, also stepping forward, speaks up,
“Yes, of course. But if we are to sign this officially, then we must talk about the mutants you let loose. They have been outlawed for a reason.”
“Mutants? What mutants? I would never…”
His voice trailing off, as he looks over to Commodus with fury on his face.
“Is THAT why you wanted to meet with that man last month? To get mutants?!”
A mixture of fear and nervousness flooded Commodus’s face as he tries to defend himself,
“Heh…Heh… Well, I thought we might’ve needed the extra power to show them we mean business… I didn’t know they were outlawed?”
“YOU FOOLISH BOY! “
With a devious smirk on his face, Commodus showed us his palms. A bright flash of white light blinded us all for a moment. As our vison returned, Commodus was gone. Slamming the table out of anger, Sir Judas roars,
“THAT BASTARD! I knew I should’ve thrown him to the wolves when his mother left him on my doorstep!”
Nervously laughing, I ask,
“You mean figuratively, right?”
He looks into my eyes, giving me the answer to my question without saying a word. Lucious asks,
“What about our little “Peace Treaty” then? That is a grave crime that was committed under your watch and, apparently, permission.”
Standing up right, he puts his helmet on the dirt table. He slams his right fist onto the left side of this chest-plate and answers,
“I will take full responsibility for his actions and rebellion. If you were to execute me to restore peace, I will not resist. I will tell the Centurions to stand down and repledge loyalty to you.”
Scratching my head, I couldn’t exactly let my first action be executing a man with legit concerns.
“Look Sir Judas, I’m not going to kill you. In fact, this is the perfect balance to our problems. I will still sign this document stating that I will fix these issues. However, we will add in that you must bring Commodus to justice in that same time frame, or this deal is null and void and that you must resign due to your inability to capture one single man. Seal!”
As Lucious brings me the wax seal, I add in the parts I mentioned and sign it while Sir Judas replies,
“Of course, Your Grace. That is a most generous offer, and I won’t let you down!”
“Great! Now let this be the first step to fixing this disease-ridden empire.”
Stamping my ring into the hot wax, revealing a fighting lamb emblem engraved into it, I give the document to Sir Judas to sign and then to Lucious to hold. Snapping his fingers to get rid of the dirt table, Sir Judas puts his helmet back on and tells us,
“I will let the men know of this development. I thank you for your generosity.”
Picking up my hammer and swinging over my shoulder, I respond,
“Don’t mention it. Just come see me in a few hours after you’re done. We have a lot to discuss, I assume.”
Nodding in affirmation, he turns to go back to his men as Lucious and I do the same. Concern was all over Lucious’s face. I asked him what’s wrong.
“Your Grace, if I may speak plainly?”
“You may.”
“The council will not like this. And honestly, I don’t think it was wise to let Sir Judas go with such a slap on the wrist. Especially after the damage he caused. It is not too late to pass down the harsh judgment that was needed. We could tell the council we were not sound of mind due to the party as of last night.”
“Oh, no. I was sound of mind. Yes, he caused destruction but if what he says is true, then we have caused much worse. Let me handle the council. Once we reach the palace, call for a meeting. I have much to fill everyone in on and the changes that’ll be in effect. It’s a new day, Lucious. A new era is about to begin, and you have front row seats to it all.”
As we mount our horses, Lucious tells the army to return home as the battle will not happen. Confusion and shock filled the faces of various soldiers as they all turned toward the gate to go back home. I look up at the giant wall in front of me. Black stone reached several stories high as they were connected by two large black doors. Each with 12 golden nobs perfectly symmetrical with each other, and a golden fighting lamb in the center of each door. The doors opened slowly, with a roar, as the army and I rode through its gates as a crack of thunder echoed throughout the cloudy sky.
----------------------------------------
The rain poured heavily as a mysterious cloaked figure stood in an alleyway, waiting for someone. The neon lights from the lively street shined very little light into this alleyway, that was filled with garbage bags and cans. The smell of the delicious food scurried the rats out of the darkness and into the active street ahead. The commotion of the people around was able to disguise anyone from speaking. Deeper in the alleyway, a man called out to the cloaked figure,
“Fate whispers to the warrior.”
The mystery continues the quote,
“A storm is coming.”
The man replies, his voice closer than before,
“And the warrior whispers back.”
The mysterious figure walks toward the voice, showing his face in the shimmer of moonlight in the alleyway, revealing his light blue eyes through the moonlight. He finished the quote,
“I am the storm.”
The man asks the blue-eyed man,
“What happened Commodus? I thought this was supposed to go smoothly?”
Commodus looks behind him, to make sure nobody else is around, and replies,
“I didn’t think Emperor Octavia was going to come up with such a reasonable plan, you know Father has a good heart. I thought you said he was supposed to be out of the picture. What happened with the poison?”
“I don’t know. But he should be dead. Something isn’t right. He didn’t seem like himself. He was almost a completely different person. I’ll have to check with Talia to see what went wrong. Our backer will not be pleased.”
“You know what happens when you fail or defy them. I mean, look at the Imperium Republic.”
“Yes, yes, I know. I’ll think of something. You must continue to stir up the people. As long as the people are against him, all the promises in the world won’t save them from our wrath.”
“So, the plan is still on then?”
“Of course, we have no choice. With the way this empire is, and the backer at our throats, we don’t have much choice. I’ll try to be in touch when I can, but don’t be surprised if you don’t hear from me for a while.”
“Alright, stay safe brother.”
“And you as well.”
The two men grip each other’s forearms as they look into each other’s light blue eyes. Turning and walking away in opposite directions of each other, the mysterious man Commodus was talking to has his hood flown back from a gust of wind. His light blue eyes looked around to make sure nobody saw his face. Flipping the hood back on his head, the man lets out a heavy sigh and attempts to convince himself,
“It’ll be okay. It’s for the greater good.”