Meanwhile, At The Entrance To The King's Chamber ;
While the first and second kings were waiting for their brothers in a long corridor, the third king finally arrived. He was filled with excitement at the sight of his siblings.
"Brothers, it has been too long," he exclaimed as he approached them.
After embracing each other, the second king spoke up. "Brother, we have something important to tell you about the wanted people."
The third king's eyes widened in surprise when he saw his niece standing before him. He had thought she had been kidnapped. "What are you doing here? I thought you had been taken."
"There has been a big misunderstanding," the second king explained. "My son told me everything. He made a mistake because of the pain he was going through and gave you the wrong information."
"What do you mean?" the third king asked, confused.
"The wanted people are not criminals," the second king continued. "They are the very people who saved us. Someone got into my son's head and changed the letters."
"So you are all okay?" the third king asked, relieved.
"Yes, we are fine," the second king assured him. "But your wife did not come to meet us. Or…"
"I know," the third king interrupted. "She is safe and protected by my best paladins in the palace. I did not bring her here because something strange is going on and I do not understand what it is. The war started without my order."
"So what do we do now?" the second king asked.
"Follow me," the third king instructed.
He turned to the two knights behind him and ordered, "You two, take down the advert and inform the troops that the wanted people are no longer our enemies."
"Sire, what about the tournament?" one of the knights asked.
"According to the rules, we can't stop the tournament, unfortunately, we have to wait for it to end." the third king replied. "Until then, increase the troops, keep the people calm, and strengthen our defenses in the neighborhoods."
"Yes, sir," both knights responded.
As they entered the king's chamber for a private meeting with their other brothers, something unexpected happened. A man stood with his back turned to them, his hands tied together as he watched the battle in the Colosseum through a large window. When he turned his head, they realized that it was Miron.
At the large table behind Miron, the fourth and fifth kings were already seated, waiting for their brothers to arrive. As the other kings entered the room, Miron turned to greet them.
"Welcome, kings of the independent lands," he said with a sly smile. "Why don't you take a seat and join us? The most exciting part of the tournament is about to begin."
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The third king stepped forward and confronted Miron. "Miron, I should have known it was you," he said sternly. "Only a rebel would go this far. Do yourself a favor and stop your insolence here or I will be forced to take action."
"Or you'll kill me, old man?" Miron taunted.
"I will do unthinkable things to you," the third king threatened.
With a nonchalant grin, Miron pointed to Paladin Rose who was standing in the corner. Her hands and arms were bound with spirits. "If I were you, I would not do anything or call your servants," he warned. "Otherwise this beautiful knight will cease to breathe."
The third king did not want to go near Rose because of Miron's instability. He was furious with Miron for seeing one of his beloved paladins in such a state. "Rose," he said through gritted teeth. "Release her at once, Miron."
"Of course," Miron replied with a smirk. "I will release her when I get what I want. But for now, sit down and listen, will you?"
The kings had no choice but to listen to Miron's demands. When the third king, their elder brother, reluctantly took a seat, the other kings followed his lead and sat in silence.
"It is easier to get somewhere when good people obey," Miron said smugly.
"Enough with the games," the third king said impatiently. "Get to the point. What do you want?"
"That's why I don't work with old people," Miron replied with a sneer. "Isn't that right, Prince Arthur? If only everyone was as helpful as you."
The prince, unable to control his emotions, spoke up. "You lied to me," he said angrily. "You tricked me. You said you could turn my friends alive and I believed you."
"Oh no," Miron said with mock innocence. "I didn't deceive you. I just didn't tell you how it was going to happen. But I can still bring them back half-dead if that's what you want."
Miron's taunting words were cut short by the third king. "Enough of this nonsense," he said firmly. "We are sitting here listening to you. Leave the child alone and tell me what you want."
"As you know," Miron began, "two of our epics were recently defeated by a couple of novices somehow. So I want an edict for the epics to ensure that this does not happen again."
"What kind of edict is that?" the third king asked skeptically.
"An edict that allows every lineage and people in the kingdoms to take orders from both the king and the epics," Miron explained. "This way we can restore order and prevent ridiculous people from interfering this time."
"You must be out of your mind," the third king said incredulously.
Miron stood in front of the window, watching the battle unfold. He spoke with clarity and conviction. "My mind is as clear as it's ever been."
Surprised by Miron's words, the second king asked curiously: "For whom do you want these edicts, Miron? You said yourself that the first two Epics have already been defeated."
Miron replied confidently, "Don't worry about that. There will always be someone to carry out the plans."
The third king glanced around the table before speaking his mind. "You can persuade the fourth and fifth king, but we will not authorise such a thing."
The fourth king, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke up. "Brothers, we have not been united for a long time, but we must put aside our feelings and unite for strength."
The first king joined the conversation. "Brother, what they are doing goes against everything our father taught us. We are not like them."
The fourth king retorted, "Our father died because he was weak."
"No," the first king countered. "He died protecting us. You know that."
"History does not remember the good or the bad," the fourth king said coldly. "Only remembers the strong."
The third king spoke up again on behalf of his brothers. "Miron, we will not do this. To put our people in such danger goes against everything we have fought for. If the unsung heroes out there are fighting for us and for the people, then it is our duty to stand with them against people like you."
Miron's expression darkened. "That's not what I wanted to hear." He was about to use his powers to harm Rose when the King called out for him to stop.
Suddenly the door opened and two people appeared with their eyes spreading fear around. Everyone in the room was surprised by what was coming.