Dawning Skye

614 Risks Versus Rewards

**CONTENT WARNING: LANGUAGE**

When King Lawrence had returned to Ruscovic, the first thing he did was make sure that his children were alright. They had been crying on and off about Shasta since she had left them with Maevis and Nicolas. The only times that they seemed alright were when they slept, and when the reindeer would nuzzle them for comfort.

As soon as they saw fellow Ruscos, the reindeer had left them, and the royal family had traveled inconspicuously the rest of the way to Ukrai, their capital. It had taken over a month, but they had finally reached the palace. After Victor and Ana were tucked in, and had several guards and nannies posted about for security; Lawrence called a meeting with his Senate.

Lawrence understood that unlike Alcon, Ruscovic’s political structure limited the power that a king or queen held outside of wartime. But that it also took the Senate’s concession to declare a war, which he knew they most likely wouldn’t be willing to do. Not against Alcon, who’s commerce was more important to them than a Fae Queen they hadn’t even met.

Even knowing this, Lawrence still tried to convince his Senators to declare war against Alcon. They argued that no one had been notified of King Magnus’ death, and that they felt it would be a mistake to do anything without first confirming it. Then, and only then, would they agree to ‘discuss the current direction of the kingdom, as well as who and what benefited the kingdom the most’.

Being no fool, Lawrence assumed that his oldest brother already had a few of his Senators bought and paid for. But he didn’t expect what they had said when he brought up that Shasta was missing..

They cited that the original plan entailed Shasta remaining behind after the wedding, and serving as the Vice Commander of the RMC until Skye and Tidas had returned. The senators said that if the king really did die, then Shasta’s presence was needed, and that was most likely the reason she had yet to join them. Frustrated, he had snapped at them..

“Which is it, Senators? Are you taking what I said as true, and My Father is dead, or not? And if he did die, then what? You simply Ignore the fact that my brother caused it? Ignore the fact that he planned to kidnap my children and wife, to force my hand however he chooses to break it?!”

In a stony voice, a Senator replied; “If that is in the best interest of Our kingdom, then yes. We are Not Alcon. Their kingdom’s issues are Not ours. I know that is hard for you to remember sometimes, considering you married into your crown, and weren’t born here. But-”

.....

“That has Nothing to do with this, and you Know it!” Lawrence coldly yelled; “Alcon is a Major contributor to our economy. If they fall, then our economy will take a Massive hit on our food and medical supplies-”

“We know that!” another senator interjected; “That’s exactly why the situation pertaining to Queen Shasta will have to wait!”

Lawrence took a breath before continuing; “Saving Shasta and protecting our kingdom are connected through a common interest: stopping Marco from ruling. He’s dangerous in more ways than you know, and will run his kingdom into the ground...and drag all others with it in the process.”

“That is yet to be seen!” a random Senator called out.

“That is true! Only time will tell if your brother will be a good ruler. He was favored by your father over your other brother, yes? So why do you doubt your father’s judgment now?”

Lawrence was trying his best to remain calm, but his sarcastic attitude poked out; “Well Senator, I think if my Father knew that my brother was eventually going to kill him: I doubt he would’ve shown him so much favor..”

While the older man floundered, Lawrence continued; “My brother MURDERED our Father to get to where he wanted.. He may be a profitable ruler, but trust me when I say that he will also be a tyrant. And, just curious, but what do you think he’ll do to us if we don’t do everything he asks?”

“If he values his allies, nothing! Only time-”

“You say only time will tell with my brother, but what of the time that I’ve spent with him? Does my knowledge count for nothing?!” Lawrence shouted, interrupting the Senator.

“You are his brother, of course your opinions are skewed. Being a bad brother does not mean that he will be a bad king. We shall wait and see how the political climate shifts in Alcon before we make any decisions,” a Senator commented.

“How does that make sense? You don’t sit in a house and watch a fire spread! You get out while you can!”

“What does that have to do with anything?!” another yelled, not understanding his analogy.

Lawrence glanced around as he spoke; “Alcon is smoking right now, and I want to get my wife out before it’s engulfed in flames..”

“My Father’s death will cause a ripple effect throughout the entire continent. My brother won’t honor the deal my Father made with the Highlanders. Sync will definitely want to take advantage of the chaos, and who do you think they’ll come after once Alcon has fallen? My brother is Not a person who will put his people before his own interests..”

“Alcon will burn, then what advantage is there for our kingdom? But my wife is different. She has strong ties to the Fae Nation, as well as her standing rank as Alcon’s RMC Vice Commander. Not to mention how pathetic it will look if you Choose to abandon your new Queen. We have Every Right to declare war against my brother-”

“She’s no Queen of ours! Only Prince Victor’s future wife, or Princess Ana can be the next Queen!” an elderly Senator yelled.

“That’s right!” another called out; “We will Not sacrifice Rusco lives for a violent, possibly Traitorous Fae whore!”

“HOLD YOUR TONGUE, SIR!” came a very familiar voice from the entrance.

Victor strode into the room like the prince he was, and came to stand at his father’s side. In complete shock at his appearance, Lawrence didn’t even get a word out before his son ripped into the Senators..

“I am a young child, but even I know better than to slander a Queen, which my stepmother Is now. Both by her marriage to my Father, and by our family’s acceptance of her. So if you hold any respect for our family, then please refrain from insulting it, Senator Kolesnyk..”

Once the Senator looked thoroughly ashamed, Victor turned on the rest of them; “I grew up, very proud to be the Prince of Ruscovic. My Mother’s family motto always made me think of our home and people.. It is: ‘Character Is Key’..”

“Our kingdom is cold and hard, but the people make it warm, and our love for it makes our world a bit softer for everyone. Alcon has Always been kind and generous with us, and now they need our intervention. Will you truly sit there, and do Nothing?!”

“The day that we decide to abandon our caring nature is the day that we lose the thing that makes us, us....We lose the key to our happiness.”

Quite a few of the Senators began to talk about how the Prince’s words were beyond that of his age, and that they should hear his opinion in more detail. The few that had been actively speaking out against Lawrence’s war request had instantly returned to their defensive mindsets. Before they lost the room..

“While we respect your words, my Prince, this discussion does not involve you. And quite frankly, your words show just how na?ve you are to the ways of the world..”

Senator Kolesnyk postured as he spoke; “Alcon is our ally, and we depend upon their aid. Especially during the winter months.. To shun the Supposed new king before he’s had a chance to rule would be beyond negligent on our part. We represent the whole of the kingdom, and make our decisions based on that. Not the whims of a single family.”

“Despite that family being the ruling one? The ones that Know the new king?” Lawrence snipped, earning him a quick glare from his son.

The Senator smirked; “Yes, Your Highness. A whim is a whim..”

Victor looked like he was about to show his age, and snap at the old Senator, so Lawrence quickly finished his proposal, then ushered his son out. Victor wasn’t happy about being written off as a simple child by the Senators, but relaxed after his father had praised both his intelligence, and his guts.

“I only did it so they would agree to let you bring our Mother home, but I failed,” he’d commented afterwards with a solemn expression.

Seeing his son’s face fall had felt like a gut-check to Lawrence. He was a king, yet he couldn’t even ride off on his own to go save his wife alone. The thought nearly shattered him, but the specific words his mind had used led to an idea..

Suddenly, his Father’s features lit up as Victor was struggling to keep his tears back. A ray of hope filled his heart as his father regained his usual determined grin, then said; “Protect your sister while I’m gone. It might take a while, so make sure to keep those crooked Senators on their toes for me, Aye?”

As understanding hit him, a wide smile stretched across Victor’s face as he replied; “Aye sir! I’ll do my best, and make you proud!”

Lawrence’s smile softened; “Oh, my sweet laddie...You’ve already done that. Your Mom would be very proud of you, too.”

They hugged a final time before Lawrence took his son back to his quarters. He whispered to Ana as she slept, and promised to bring Shasta home. After kissing her forehead, Lawrence hugged his son a final time, then left.

Once STRICT instructions were left with the guards and nursemaids, the king headed off to the Mage Department of Ruscovic. A friend of both Lawrence, and his late wife walked up to him with a wide grin as he greeted his king; “King Law! What are you doin’ down here? Alcon too boring for you? Or-”

“We can rib each other later, Anton. I need as many mages as you can spare, but they have to be volunteers,” Lawrence replied in a slightly curt tone.

“Oh? Volunteers, hmm? What mess did you make this time?”

“Not me, my brother,” Lawrence replied before giving Anton a shortened version of Alcon’s issues.

The man was short, but probably the bulkiest he’d ever seen. If Lawrence were being honest, he might even give General Zas a run for his money when it came to pure strength. He scratched at his bushy black beard as he listened to his king, then automatically volunteered when he’d finished.

“But where are we going? Why do you need my men?” Anton inquired, intrigued by his king’s need for discretion.

Lawrence smirked; “I decided something: fuck the Senate. We’re gonna go and rescue my wife..”

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