Prince Thelmus was having a headache, as he had just finished addressing his fiancée; Princess Freulle. She kept complaining about Lady Wickshire's maid bullying her till he dismissed her softly after gifting her some rare jewellery. He needed to help his mother escape. He had heard news of Northern Lan's capital. It had withstood its first hit, but the second hit will surely be from the Jade Hand. He couldn't care less about Northern Lan, as it was now a dead land.

He entered his chambers and dismissed all his aides. He needed to have a good sleep. He wanted to be alone for a while; this was not done, but the aides obeyed after a moment of hesitation. He did not bother to take off his coat or shoes, he just collapsed in bed and closed his eyes. Soon, he felt as though he was being watched and opened his eyes, only to see a paper hit his face. It was rolled up in a mini scroll, so he unfolded it to read the words.

'Want to be king? Your balcony. Midnight.'; it read. He looked round for a while but saw no one. He laid back down but could neither sleep nor close his eyes. Those words, who wrote it? He wondered.

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The day passed with him doing nothing but waiting. By the time night came, he was surprised to be still wide awake. Midnight crawled close, and when it arrived, he stepped out unto the balcony to meet a shadow.

"Who...?" he started to say,"

"Your father dies and we make you king," the shadow said.

"What?" he was frozen by those words.

"Or do you feel love for your old man?" the shadow asked.

"How will you do this?" the prince swallowed; not from fear, but excitement.

"I am but a messenger. Your father is as good as dead, but your help will make things smoother," the shadow said.

"What do I do?" the prince asked.

"This war is a great distraction. You must find a way to draw it out," the shadow said.

"I can't do that. I can barely walk around free in my own kingdom. How will I draw out a war?" the prince frowned. Who were these people sending the message; were they even capable?

"I know what you are thinking. Why would we come to you? Are we even capable? Trust me, we already have ways to make this war last longer. You only have to do as told. I assure you, there is no one on This-side that can threaten us," the man said.

"Even Lady Wickshire?" the prince's gaze darkened.

"You will have a front-row seat as we deal with her," the man said and vanished.