King Mogich was the spitting image of his father, the narrow eyes, the short bulky build. Only youth marked the difference between the diseased King Gans and his son. But the presence of youth did not dispel wisdom, the young King was a man who saw with more than just the eyes, he could paradigm, see different perspectives and in so doing also act in ways that spoke of wisdom beyond his age.

Mairek stood beneath the King's gaze, eyes whose lids were pressed closed allowed for a narrow slit of vision, and from there did green eyes peer at Mairek. The King sat on his silver throne, silver crown forged to resemble antlers upon his head. The Chief Red priest stood beside the throne, daring all who covet his position beside the King with a haughty raise of his chin. The Priest's red robes were a sharp contrast to the King's dark green tunic. Beside Mairek stood the Princess Tari, hands clasped behind her and chin raised to mimic that of the Red Priest. She gave off an air of defiance, as if she was only there to honor her brother's summons and nothing else. She openly avoided to look in Mairek's direction. Flanking the throne room hallways were countless delegates to the throne, servants of major positions and Generals of the Green Army. The situation was dire, the King was going to address something that had baffled the whole of Talisi.

Mairek had not only killed five men, but also deposited the heads of said men in Princess Tari's chamber. The Princess had been outraged, Mairek's deed had not painted her in a good light. The Palace talked, and many viewed her as someone who was against the Champion of the Talisi, so against him to the point of contemplating and initiating murder. All were eager to know the King's position on the whole matter. Who was he going to punish, his sister the Princess or the Champion of the Talisi?

Silence engulfed the throne room as if to cough or stir would be a great sin. Everyone awaited the word of the King, the King who lounged in his throne, silently observing.

"Mairek." King Mogich started.

"Yes my King."

"These five men you killed, they came to kill you under Princess Tari's orders?"

"Yes."

"And you killed them all?"

"Yes."

Silence.

"How did you do it?" King Mogich asked.

Heads turned to stare at Mairek and the young Talisi wondered at the aim of the Talisi King. Did he want an in-depth analysis?

"I'm not certain of what you're asking of me." Mairek said.

"Well, I'm asking you to address everyone on how exactly you killed five assassins on your own. Assassins who are bigger and more trained in the art of murder compared to you." King Mogich said.

After a moment of pondering, Mairek decided to be honest. "I moved faster than they could, or rather, I moved faster than the time allotted them. I was unarmed at first but I expertly maneuvered the reach of their blades and picked up my half spear. From there I only needed to drive the spear into specific vital points made available by their desperation to put an end to me. The first I struck in the neck, the second through the left eye, the third I drove the spear through the nose, that didn't finish him but it disoriented him. The fourth I sliced at the tendon behind the knee, then drove the spear point up through his thigh, cutting an artery. The fifth tried to run, I took him down from behind. Then I went back and finished the third." He gave the account in a manner similar to that which a merchant's attendant might give regarding the nature of stock.

King Mogich nodded. "Then you beheaded them?"

Mairek nodded, realized that wasn't behavior fit to address a King, then spoke. "Yes my King, with one of their swords. That was the hard part."

"And what did you do with the heads?" King Mogich pressed.

"I took them to the one who'd hired them to kill me." Mairek said.

"And who would that be?"

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Mairek pointed at Princess Tari. "The Princess Tari."

Murmurs arose within the Throne room.

"Tari, do you have anything to say to this?" King Mogich asked.

Tari, composed as if this was her hundredth summons on account of murder, spoke without stuttering, the perfect embodiment of a woman raised and nurtured within Palace grounds, aware of Palace politics and the intricate art of using eloquence to weave through it all. "Brother, not only did this Talisi soldier play a role in killing father, he is also a liar set on soiling our name and heritage. He is not to be believed, if I indeed hired Assassins to kill him, how then did he learn of this? He spends all his time in that hole of room, never leaving, how then did he learn of my supposed ploy to kill him?"

Mogich turned to Mairek and motioned for him to answer.

Mairek sighed. "I heard you. I saw you. I tasted you, I felt you. It's so hard to describe how I perceive things but I was aware when you paid in gold for my head."

King Mogich nodded as if Mairek made perfect sense. "So you somehow felt she'd done this?"

"In a sense, yes." Mairek said.

King Mogich stood up from his throne and pointed at two soldiers. "General Lijo." A lanky man with a thick white mustache stepped free of those crowding the throne room.

"My liege." He spoke in a melodious voice.

"General Irow." The King continued. A short burly man with leathery skin broke free of the crowd and saluted King Mogich with a fist to the breast. "Kindly depart the throne room, walk until you're free of the palace, hold a conversation for five minutes that is totally random. Then come back." The two Generals obliged their King, swift matching strides led them out of the throne room. When the two Generals were clear of the throne room, King Mogich told Mairek."You will say what they've spoken of."

"I will do you one better." Mairek said and closed his eyes, he allowed it all to flow through him, the cries of a child, the melody of a bard, the conversation between two secret lovers. All that happened by the repercussions of time was availed to him, and through the sea of endless information he picked out the two generals as they hastily made their way outside the palace. "I will speak what they say as they speak."

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The two generals walked in silence. Across the archway, down the path that curved through a garden of daffodils. They made their way past the kitchen quarters and came to a halt beside the gate leading out of the palace. They stood in silence before Irow broke it.

"Now what the hell are we going to talk about, Lijo?" Irow asked in a husky deep voice.

"I don't know." The taller of the two said. They stared at each other for a while. "But we've been ordered to talk so talk we must."

"I'm sorry about your son." Irow said.

"Why? He went to war and didn't return, it is the by product of war to deal death." Lijo said.

"But he was there upon the Ganidan plain, he was part of the first victory against Binoria, he is in Tabrimas among the valiant." Irow said.

Lijo turned fully to face the short general. "Tabrimas," He scoffed. "The realm of the valiant, tell me, Irow, what good is valiance if its wage is similar to that of war? No, don't answer. Let me expound. If a man sees a woman being assaulted upon an empty road by several bandits, and he saves her through some miracle of luck and his being adept at the sword. Does that count as an act of valor?"

"It does." Irow answered. "He is then worthy of *Tabrimas.*"

"Say he doesn't die from his act of valor, and proceeds to live a full life where his valiance is a sharp contrast to his animosity, to his greed. Say, he claims the lives of dozens of women, killing them by ripping them open. When he dies, will his one act of valor mean that he is going to Tabrimas despite his deeds of cruelty that followed that of valor?"

Irow blinked several times as if to see clearly. After a moment he spoke. "I guess he won't go to Tabrimas." He concluded.

"Then the purpose of Tabrimas is limited upon a time frame, such that an act of valor must be accompanied by death in order to secure one's self in the realm of the valiant." Lijo moved closer to Irow. "Then that means that Tabrimas is a shit hole, a fallacy forged of those who want their men to die for them. If my son is indeed in the realm of the valiant then he is among fools and I pity him."

"You speak from a place of grief." Irow intoned.

"No, I speak from a place of vengeance. If that so called champion of the Talisi can hear me now, if he can relay my words then the King shall know what my desires are." Lijo spoke, each word laced with bitterness.

"Careful, Lijo." Irow counseled. "You're teetering on insubordination."

"We've been given leave to speak freely so I shall." Lijo pressed on. "The King shouldn't take the victory over Binoria as a finality. No, his father died, daughters lost brothers, fathers lost sons and so did mothers. Talisi has wounds that are festering and the only ointment to ease the pain is to act."

"You suggest we wage war against Binoria?" Irow wondered.

"Yes. They are weak, they barely have an army, they barely have a leader. A woman leads them now, and we have Mairek, a weapon in our arsenal. We can crush them. Repay the pain they served us for centuries in kind."

Irow nodded. "You speak from a place of grief."

"I do," Lijo agreed. "I do."

A span of moments passed, each general seemingly lost in thought. "Do you think the Princess did it? Do you think she hired killers to kill the Champion?" Irow asked.

"I hope she did."

"Expound."

"She acted from a place of grief and that is totally understandable for I seek to do the same. And in her action we are made more aware of that who is among us who is separate from us."

"Killed five men in a narrow room."

"Imagine what he can do with an army to command."

"We'd be invincible."

"We'd be avenged."

They stared at each other before turning on their heels and returning to the throne room. They entered and found all eyes trained on them, the Princess still standing before the throne, beside Mairek. The King eyed them, his eyes searching.

King Mogich spoke. "Come forward." The two generals came to stand two paces closer to the throne than Mairek and Tari. "Did you speak of the death of your son, Lijo, Tabrimas being a place of fools and your desire to see us go to war against Binoria, concluding with your pleasure at Tari's attempt on Mairek's life for it made us aware of he who is among us but is separate from us?"

General Lijo's mouth hang open, Irow's too.

"Did you speak of this?" Mogich repeated.

"We did." The two generals spoke in unison.

King Mogich turned to Tari. "I here by bound you in servitude to Mairek, that will be your punishment, to serve him in any way that he may require."

Tari's ebony skin had a deathly pale cast to it. She stood, not looking at her brother but at Mairek whose aloof air spoke of how little he cared about her punishment.

King Mogich turned to Mairek. "You will have four official bodyguards to follow you wherever you go and offer whatever protection they can master."

"But your highness." Mairek started. "I need no one."

King Mogich smiled. "But we need you."

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