Someone Else's Kingdom, BOOK II - Scene LXX

A messenger entered and handed a sealed letter to King Mizmeam. Mizmeam broke the seal and began to read the contents. The messenger also brought a large box, which he placed on the table. As Mizmeam carefully and seriously read the letter he walked over to the table, and ordered his aide to open the box. The aide carefully tilted open the lid. Beneath it sat the large, severed head of King Brijsk. The lid was swiftly closed again. Mizmeam ordered everyone out of the room, except for Maleeva. She came over and peered into the box herself, making an effort to disguise her disgust response.

"Kaspria states that Brijsk offered a treasonous compact," articulated King Mizmeam. "That he's paused the war effort in the Northern Kingdom, and was advising Kaspria to do the same. In an effort to 'bring peace' and solicit an agreement with the Tunidans. Kaspria ordered his men to have him killed as he made his journey back from the Eastern Kingdom."

"That's surprisingly decisive - on his part," noted Maleeva, shocked that the once weak king had manoeuvred so independently, and so barbarically.

"It indeed is," replied Mizmeam, equally confounded. "It was a good decision, though."

"So, what now?"

"We'll have to send forces north to take the reins up there for a start. It shouldn't be too difficult, providing we're quick enough to fill the void."

"Perhaps I should go?" noted Maleeva, her natural instinct to fill the role immediately restrained by thoughts of Seaspell, who still lay ailing in the room next door.

"It would be sensible," advised Mizmeam. Though he too felt the sense of conflict.

"We need to make preparations."

Maleeva peered into the box again as she said this, before turning to leave the room. However, as she turned to go she stopped for a moment. Something else was on her mind, and the spur to action focused her sense of purpose and vision. "Brijsk is not the only traitor," she stated, damply, "Your Tunidan captive - yesterday, he made overtures to me to the same effect. Urging we make peace with his enemy king. He even suggested violence to yourself if I should free him."

King Mizmeam was doubly shocked by the words. Even more so than by the crucial deeds of King Kaspria. He genuinely liked the tall Tunidan guard, and that, coupled with the belated and offhand way that Maleeva had told him this news, left him momentarily dumb.

"He should be executed before I leave," she advised.

As the king paused, straining to ponder why she hadn't told him this earlier, the silence was suddenly broken by cries and commotion from the next room. Drua Maleeva raced out in response, her mastery of the political domain once again shattered by a motherly heart. As she reached the scene she found Seaspell sat up in bed, awake, but delirious.

"We need to conquer them," he screamed, as if still lost in night terrors, "To stop them leaving."

Maleeva wrapped her arms around him, relieved to find him conscious and speaking.

"We need to stop them."

King Mizmeam followed quickly behind, likewise grateful to see his heir and grandson freed from oblivion.

"The waking prince now has a kingdom," he grinned. He then looked over to Coulema Galina, who was stood watching from across the room. The chains of shame still round his wrists and ankles. The king looked at him briefly with discomfort, then gave a grim instruction to one of his guards. His men headed over to the proud Tunidan and escorted him from the room.