Maximus
Maximus sat on his throne yelling at the messenger. He demanded to know where she was. The king held onto the armrests as if his life depended on it, spit flew out of his mouth and sweat dripped down his back as the stress and heat combined.
The messenger stood there, not knowing how to respond. His shoulders hunched over, his lips quivered, and his tiny legs involuntarily shook. Maximus continued to demand an answer. The messenger finally responded and said that she was in an undisclosed location only known to members of the People’s Lord.
Maximus scoffed and sighed. First, they took away his cassis belli to go to war, and now they took his wife. “When did this happen?” he asked.
“A couple of hours ago,” the messenger’s voice became calmer but was still far from a tranquil tone. “They sent an ultimatum.” He pulled out the letter to read it word for word. “Your wife shall be released and returned safely under the following conditions: abdicate the throne and declare the People’s Lord to be temporary interim president until elections can be held, instruct all armies and earls to lay down their arms, and provide no resistance to the incoming administration, the royal family shall leave the country on a ship to the Expert’s Commonwealth where they will be supervised at all times, and agree that if you break any of these conditions then your wife shall be murdered and the rest of the family shall be put on trial for their crimes against the Dymish and Borzor people of Qar.”
Maximus didn’t respond, instead biting his hand as he stared at the letter. He should have the lettered torn up, burned, and shat on before sending it back to the messenger. He tried to tame his thoughts on what he would do to the People’s Lord when he got his hands on him or them, but for now, he had to say something to the messenger.
“Do you have contact with the People’s Lord?” Maximus asked. The messenger hesitated. “Well?!”
“I do not, Your Majesty.”
“Very well,” Maximus responded. “I suppose we’ll have to make it public.”
Maximus told the messenger to pull out a pen and paper and write down what he said in poster form. Posters were messages sent out by the crown for nearly everything. From announcing royal visits, putting out bounties, or, in this case, declaring an organization as a terrorist group. The messenger asked if it was wise to go public in case of retaliation, but Maximus told him to watch his mouth and continue to write. Maximus laid out what the People’s Lord had done to Titus and Claudia and offered money in exchange for information that would lead to the arrest or murder of the People’s Lord members. Lastly, he said he addressed the People’s Lord's ultimatum. “I would slice my knees off before kneeling to these so-called men.”
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The messenger left, and Maximus immediately withdrew to his chambers to write a private letter to Romulus. He shoved passed the guard at his door and ran to his desk. He rummaged through the many personal belongings to find a piece of paper. His desk wasn’t messy, the maids made sure of that, but no matter how organized his desk was, there were too many things to provide a clean surface.
The room was bright from all the open windows, but at night, the room appeared as if it was haunted due to its size and the purple paint on the walls. The bed had three blankets, six pillows, and sheets sourced from the finest silks. The bathroom sat at the other end with one of the only plumbing systems in the city. It came from an Expert’s Commonwealth design, which the previous kings secretly imported. The only caveat was that it was so expensive that only a handful of families in Qar possessed one.
Maximus placed a small amount of ink in the compact ladle over a candle and began to write his letter.
Dear Romulus,
I write to you urgently. If you have not heard by now, I regret to inform you that your mother has been kidnapped. The People’s Lord claims responsibility and has demanded that I abdicate the throne, and our family leave the country in exchange for your mother’s well-being. Those bastards think that we would listen to their demands. I am sending this as an order to you and the general staff that you will be recalled to Gatherstorm to set up an operation to find and get back Claudia.
I have complete faith in you to get back the one we love so much. For the sake of the country, the crown, and most importantly our family.
Love,
Your father, King Maximus Qar. Originator of the name, king of the Dymish and Borzor people, and servant to the reunification of the continent and Mydrazan
Maximus folded the letter and placed it into an unassuming envelope. The pink ink in the ladle had liquefied and grabbed the ladle. He hastily poured it onto the envelope and pressed the seal into the ink. The seal portrayed the Griffin Crown, with only members of the royal family possessing such a seal. Therefore, when Romulus received the letter, he would tear it open immediately.