They came to another set of double doors. Unlike the previous ones they had encountered before, these doors were a golden brown with intricate designs carved into the wood. Without a doubt, the king was behind these doors.

Aston carefully set the princess down next to the wall, careful not to irritate her legs any further. Once she was propped up against the wall, he began casting a healing spell. It would take far too long to completely heal her legs, so he settled once the wounds began to close. The scars would take several moons to heal, but he doubted she would mind at a time like this. With a nod to each other, they made their way to the doors.

It took both of their strength to pry the doors open. Beyond was a dimly lit staircase. Unlike the rest of the palace, brown stairs sat behind a regal red carpet. It was as if these doors led to a separate building set in another era. Gwyneth wondered if this was part of the original palace, with the rest being built around it later.

Rising up the stairs led to a balcony. The two eagerly ran towards the rails to overlook Zetheria. Looking down, they must have been at least twenty stories high. It would be impossible for anyone at ground level to see them.

"Good evening," a raspy voice interrupted their view. Turning behind them to where the voice came from, a wall protruded between the corridor leading to the staircase and this new room to the right. Both rooms were neither indoors nor outdoors.

Perhaps what was more interesting than this bizarre layout was the person they were speaking to. They wore long robes that covered most of their metallic limbs. Their hair was long and silver; perhaps longer than Gwyneth's own hair. Beneath a strand of hair revealed another patch of metallic silver surrounding their left eye. The eye itself was an extraordinary blue with a pitch-black pupil. Yet, it did not resemble a human eye. He sat upon a brown throne that showed years of aging.

"Your Majesty," Gwyneth greeted stiffly. She would not afford him a bow nor curtsy.

"To whom do I have the pleasure of speaking?" His slow voice could barely be heard despite the utter silence they stood in. It was as if he were remembering how to talk after a long slumber.

"I am Princess Gwyneth of Aeceria."

"And I'm Aston, the hero of Halcyone," Aston introduced, mocking a bow.

"Hero, huh?" The king chuckled though it sounded more like a plea for help than anything. "Are you from this... militia I keep hearing about?"

"No." Aston shook his head. "I'm here to stop you because—"

Gwyneth held up her hand stopping him before he could continue. Instead of putting words in the king's mouth, she would hear his own. "What are your plans for Zetheria? For Halcyone?"

The king paused. "It doesn't matter what I say, does it? You've come this far; you're going to kill me regardless." He paused again, swallowing before taking a deep breath. "Very well. Zetheria was built on cursed land; a place where the elements cannot touch. My plan was to borrow elemental energy from the other kingdoms. The Fae — they told me this was possible by increasing the elemental output of each kingdom. From there, we could harvest it into Zetheria and restore the land to what it once was millennia ago."

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"So, the increase in elemental activity was your doing?" Gwyneth asked though she wasn't entirely surprised.

"Correct. I was a fool to trust them. Fae and humans never mixed. I don't know why I thought this would be any different. They had half their minds to destroy Halcyone! I managed to destroy the device before the consequences became irreversible, but it is only a matter of time before they repair it and try their scheme again." He sighed. "Do me a favor: After you kill me, please put an end to these cunning Fae. Halcyone won't know peace otherwise."

Gwyneth was speechless. This was not at all how she envisioned Halcyone's great evil. He was misguided and committed crimes beyond belief, yet he was not irredeemable. Throughout their conversation, he showed guilt and regret. If she had to guess, he even saw his death as atonement.

But there was still one question that lingered.

"Why did you confiscate Zetheria's technology?" Gwyneth asked. "It would be a far more practical solution, not to mention it was the intended solution, yes?"

The king shook his head sighing as he gasped for a breath of air. "Technology begets power and misery. It didn't take long for the Zetherians to use technology for their own personal gain, taking advantage of and even endangering their neighbors. Had I not done what I did, there would be no Zetheria left to speak of."

"Your people are suffering." Aston clenched his fists. "They're at the mercy of the militia! Almighty, even the militia is at the mercy of the militia! Your people might be alive, but they're not living. They live to exist — to salvage any crumb they can find in this god-forsaken kingdom, yet you do nothing! Why?"

The king sighed. "I had convinced myself that once I carried out my plan, Zetheria would be saved. Until then, there is nothing that can be done."

"But your plan has failed! What are you going to do now?"

"What comes next is not for me to decide. You came here to kill me, little one. So, kill me. Become Zetheria's new king and lead her to a better future." He relaxed his position on his throne and slowed his breathing. He had lived far longer than any human had any right to live. He realized now why humans possessed such short lifespans; that they may not make the same mistakes he had.

"Don't." Gwyneth grabbed Aston's arm holding him back. "Defeating evil could mean many things. It doesn't necessarily mean we have to kill him. It could be that we spare his life and free Zetheria another way. Or perhaps the Fae we encountered could be the evil the prophecy spoke of. You don't need to kill him. Killing him would be wrong, I'm certain."

"You can let go now; I thought just as much," Aston grumbled as he pulled his arm out of her grip.

"You're not... going to kill me?" The king's eyes widened — the azure one as much as it could.

"No. You can spend the rest of your miserable life atoning for your crimes."

The king bowed his head down, eyes fixated on his own lap. Gwyneth and Aston were pondering how to go about the next part of their plan when he spoke; "If you will not, then..."

A long thin blade swept in between the two, nicking Aston's cheek in the process. Without thinking, Aston summoned a ball of fire to defend himself. In an instant, the king was incinerated. His metallic body possessed circuits and wires invisible to the other two. And without putting up any sort of defense, it was a clean shot.

Gwyneth covered her mouth as she dropped to her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks. "He... He didn't have to..."

"It's what he wanted." Aston clenched his fists. A foolish king until the very end.

"Was this really the way...?" Gwyneth asked, glancing up at Aston who seemed to tower above her from her position on the floor. "Is this really what the prophecy foretold?"

Aston shook his head. "No. To fulfill the prophecy, we'll need to rebuild Zetheria. I'm sure of it."

"We never did get his name..." Gwyneth pushed herself off the ground and walked over to the pile of ashes. "Do you think it could have been Ares?"

"Maybe," Aston answered following her gaze in the process. "He did seem to oppose the technology that Ballard gave them."

"Right..." Gwyneth averted her gaze, taking everything in. "We should tell the others."