Another week, another day to look over the problems that we will eventually have to deal with. Three days ago, I’ve given the green light to kick-start the production of our naval capacity. Though in reality, it will take months, maybe longer if more problems stack up on our doorstep. We are not even ready to trade with the outside world, yet we are in desperate need of their resources. That will take time, however, none of us knows how to get to the other nations safely or navigate the sea properly. Hopefully, someone figures it out sooner rather than later.

  I sit on the throne, looking at Thorgan and Max as they talk about their grievances and whatever issues have recently decided to pop up. ‘The Cinari working in the mines are growing more agitated. They are starting to demand better work conditions and more food, as well as some resources to survive the winter.’ Thorgan announces.

  An agreeable statement, they deserve better commendations, but food will be difficult. We are all struggling; they are just getting what everyone else is having. Though if they are starting to amp up because of it, we will face issues sooner than I imagine.

  Max rolls her eyes as she crosses her arms, ‘really? They want resources to survive the winter? They gave us nothing, and our species lived through hundreds of winters. They can do the same.’

  Thorgan glares at Max, clearly irritated at her snarky reply. ‘They are not like us, Max. The Cinari will struggle and most likely die, and if you’ve forgotten, we need their labour.’

  ‘But we don’t need them once we win this war.’ She argues back, ‘the Cinari under our rule are only alive because we allow it. If I’m in charge, I’ll give them nothing. If they can survive with nothing through the winter, maybe I’ll consider them the right to live in my new kingdom.’

  ‘Our kingdom,’ I correct her. ‘Thorgan is right, we need their labour and letting them die this early is a waste. I’ll ensure they’ll get some winter clothing and blankets to keep them warm at night.’

  That is the best I can do; it is best not to give Max any more justifications than I do desire to help the Cinari. But to do that, I need to be pragmatic in a way that the Cinari living will serve our interests.

  ‘For a time, you are right, but we all know that this can’t last forever.’

  I’ll agree with her on that. In a nihilistic sense, the Cinari are on borrowed time. However, I like to think there is a way for their slavery, everyone's slavery, to come to an end.

  Max takes a step forward towards my throne, looking at her nails while she speaks to me. ‘We are also dealing with a few Cinari raiding our eastern border. Other than that, there is nothing more to report.’

  I stop her from leaving the throne room, ‘wait, raid? Why wasn’t I notified about this before?’

  She pauses, thinking up a response that satisfies her and to frustrate me. I know the inner workings of the South, how much food we have before we all starve, what we can and cannot build with the raw supplies we have at hand. But I don’t have a clue what the army is doing, how they are planning and where they are stationed. Compared to everyone, she leaves me with nothing but the hope that she is not scheming behind my back. Or perhaps it is nothing, and she is only trying to keep me on my toes. For all I know, there might not even be a raid at all.

  ‘Just a few farmers,’ Max continues. ‘They think they can fight us with their pitchforks and axes. I’ve already sent some soldiers to deal with them; tomorrow, I’ll head out to see the results or clean up the mess if they can't deal with them.’

  It is hard to tell if she is lying to me or not, but in the end, I have to take her word for it. Even if we may be dealing with something far more serious.

  I rub my eyes, tired from today’s meeting. ‘Okay, in that case…’

  Two guards march through the door as they carry a Cinari to the middle of my throne room. ‘We found him near the mountains with a few others, but he has a message for you.’ One of them says before they throw him down.

  He has blond shoulder-length hair, and he is skinny, yet he seems to be fit enough to be a soldier. The guards take a step back with one hand resting on their weapons as they eye their prisoner.

  The Cinari raises his hands above his head. ‘I’m unarmed!’ He cries, ‘I come to talk to whoever is in charge. My name is Simon Brinks. I, uh, come here because I am a diplomat and I need to talk with you.’

  Everyone looks at each other, confused at what he means. Why would the Cinari send a diplomat just now? Is this some sort of trick employed by the Cinari to trick us?

  Max has other ideas, as she pulls her dagger out and rests it on his neck. ‘Give me a reason not to cut your throat open. Why are you really here?’

  Simon freezes, his hands shaking in the air as he doesn’t remove the knife from his sight. ‘Well, I came here because you are going to engage with the other nations on diplomatic matters. In the upcoming weeks or even months. The representatives of the Dragonna, the Nesthon States, and maybe even…’ Max presses the blade against his neck a bit harder, drawing blood. He gulps, knowing he shouldn’t waste time. ‘They are coming, because they want to know if you are a part of the Cinaris Empire.’

  I raise a brow, ‘why would they care if we are part of your Empire or not? Most importantly, why should we see ourselves as one of you? We are at war.’

  ‘Because, if they don’t think you are, they will invade the South and take it for themselves.’

  The room stands in silence, some people silent because of the implication that we will have to face another enemy. But to me, it means the world sees us as a threat, an enemy that needs to be put down. That will mean trade isn’t possible… it will mean we will all starve soon.

  ‘But…’ Simon continues, ‘we can prevent that from happening.’

  ‘There is a catch, isn’t there?’ Thorgan interjects.

  Simon nods, ‘well, you have to say you are part of the Cinaris Empire.’

  Thorgan snarls at the thought of declaring himself a Cinari. Max, in a rage, yanks Simon’s hair back to further expose his throat. ‘How dare you! How dare you come here to say that to us!’

  Simon stutters, shaking in terror as Max raises her dagger above her head. ‘Listen, please!’

  ‘Enough!’ I intervene, knowing there is much more to the conflict than he has already shared. ‘Why do we have to say we are part of something that caused us untold suffering? Why should we call ourselves Cinari?’

  I can see why we might need to pretend to be Cinari, but it is his response that will determine the intentions of their arrival. This can simply be a ploy to keep their Empire safe from the rest of the world, to cover themselves from the shame of our freedom.

  ‘Because that will prevent them from invading the South. You can still fight against us; I won’t stop you. It’s just that others invading the South and taking it for themselves will be bad for both sides.’

  Max scoffs at his response. ‘So, you came to warn us because it will benefit your Empire?’

  ‘It is beneficial for all of us!’ Simon cries out as Max presses her dagger deeper into his flesh, drawing blood. ‘Neither side wants to deal with another war on this island. You need me alive, I can help you negotiate with them.’

  ‘I’m sure we can survive without you.’ Max chuckles, mocking his pleas.

  ‘You can’t, there are laws, legislation the world follows! I know them all, I won’t just broker peace deals, I can even start trade negotiations.’

  He knows something, that is for certain. While I doubt his claims, he did travel all the way and risk his life to get to him. There is a grain of truth, and he is a valuable asset, even if we have to call ourselves something horrid.

  ‘Alright, you can live.’ I say aloud. Every Dog stares at me in confusion, ‘you know the world’s laws, you’ll be useful.’

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  Thorgan slams his staff to the ground in protest, ‘Alex, this man is just saying anything to save his own skin.’

  ‘The old man is right,’ Max chimes in. ‘Let’s just kill this pest and be done with it.’

  ‘And what if he is right? Don’t get me wrong, I don’t trust him as the next person. But if his claims are true, we should use it to our advantage. We need to deal with the food shortage, and if the world is determining if we should be invaded, we need him to prevent that.’

  Max frowns at the Cinari, her eyes full of rage and disgust at the creature before her. She wants to kill him, slit his throat and walk away. But something changes in her. Max kicks Simon in the stomach and pushes him to the ground. Returning her knife to her dress.

  ‘We'd better,’ she says before walking out of the throne room.

  It is a surprise to see her spare him, though maybe she only did it just to see if he is right.

  Simon stays on his knees, thanking me over and over again for sparing his life. Though really, I don’t trust him, not yet, at least. However, if he is a diplomat, perhaps we can have a deal with the Cinari to sue for peace.

  ‘Simon, I want this to be very clear. Neither of us trusts you, nor do we believe you are telling us the truth. From now on, you’ll be sent to the dungeons until we figure out what is going on.’

  Simon nods in agreement, ‘I understand completely, thank you, sire.’

  I gesture to the guards to take him away. The meeting is now over, and I don’t desire to continue the process any longer.

  Thorgan walks up to me, though more calm than before. ‘Do you believe him?’

  ‘No,’ I admit. I want to believe he is what he claims, but the Cinari sending a diplomat this late in the war is strange. They never did it before, so why now? ‘But, there is more to his story, and no fool would risk it all getting to me. I don’t want to kill him if he is telling the truth.’

  Thorgan thinks to himself, looking back at his interaction and his sudden outburst. ‘Question him; if he is telling the truth, he can be a lot more than just a diplomat.’

  ‘Like what?’

  ‘He can represent his own people in our court. Someone with his presence here can calm the Cinari under our control. Right now they are starting to worry me and we need to do something about it now.’ He sighs, coming to terms with the fact that Simon might simply be a fraud. ‘But if he isn’t one, well…’

  ‘We make him one.’ I butt in, ‘as you said, we need to calm the Cinari down. Him being a member of the court can help us. Make them think they are being heard. Perhaps that will make things settle for a time.’

  However, it can go both ways. If he isn’t a diplomat, then trade with the outside world will be impossible, but he will be a necessary puppet to calm the Cinari down and to show them that they have some form of representation. I need to talk to him soon to figure out what I will do with him.

  ‘Thank you, Thorgan, I’ll see you soon.’

  ‘Likewise, and stay safe.’

  Ever since I was given the position, I never gave myself the chance to admire the art of the palace. Most of it is now destroyed, but some of it still remains intact. The pillars are made of pure magic crystals, carved elegantly as if it was stone. Someone took the time to make that, to shape something that is, to my knowledge, unshapable. The floor is made of green marble, a material I am very unfamiliar with, as this is the only place where I have ever seen it used.

  Yet it now feels out of place, as our flags hang on the walls proudly displaying our freedom. Like an overbearing presence strangling the last remains of what used to be present here. A force so violently and rapidly taking over. Yet it needs to be done. For all of its beauty and all of its glamour, it represents the worst aspects of their Empire. The paintings that used to be here displayed their victories over lesser peoples; they show why they are the rulers and protectors of the world. Protectors that will require the servitude of my people. To the average Cinari, it is the universal truth, a fact they can back up with their sky demons and their machines of unimaginable power.

  Yet to everyone, it just comes off as belligerent arrogance. The unfortunate reality is, for us to live together in harmony, we will need to have the Cinari question their place in this world. They are not the world’s protectors, because they harmed us, nor are they rulers. They are inherently like us, people who are born in a world that is indifferent to our existence.

  But through all of that, there is a change, a change for something better in the future. I believe the average Cinari grew up with this attitude because they were taught it, just like how I was told as a slave that servitude is a luxury. If I can learn that there is more to life than servitude, they can also learn that we are all equals and all of us are deserving of freedom. A life we should all aspire to.

  Max approaches me, this time wearing her silver armour. ‘Heading out now?’ I ask her.

  ‘It gives me space away from that diplomat.’ Max fixes her gauntlets to herself. ‘What are you planning to do with him?’

  ‘Most likely make him a representative of his people.’ I admit to her, knowing that lying will only cause further issues if he does eventually become one.

  Max nods in agreement, ‘he’ll be a useful Vern.’

  It weirds me out that she agrees on sparing his life. There has to be something going on behind the scenes, or perhaps she does see him as a practical tool to be used to control the Cinari. I’m not too sure about it.

  ‘Him being a Vern won’t be necessary; he will represent his people and have a place in our court.’

  ‘No, he won’t!’ Max spits back, ‘he will stay in his cell and rot there for all I care after telling us what we need to know.’

  ‘That won’t happen.’ I cut her off as I take a step towards her. ‘We need every advantage we can get. By having him in our court, we can settle the Cinari down.’

  She growls, ‘and you will make us look weak. Do you really think anyone will accept this? Once they find out that you are giving more rights to our enemy, every Dog here will dethrone you.’

  ‘No, not when they figure out what you are really doing out east.’

  Max crosses her arms with a smug expression, pretending that she doesn’t know what I am saying. ‘Really, for expecting my men and seeing how they are dealing with a few farmers?’

  ‘Don’t lie to me, Max, we both know you are not dealing with farmers. You are dealing with soldiers, and you are not handling the situation well.’

  I guess what she might be dealing with, even if I am completely wrong and in the dark. However, I am on the mark as Max’s smug expression changes to a scolding frown.

  ‘What do you know?’ She questions me.

  I straighten myself to appear taller. ‘Enough to ruin your reputation. If the people see you as an incompetent military Commander who lies to me for their own selfish gain. Well… it won’t be out of the ordinary before your own men question your legitimacy.’

  Refusing to speak, she leaves the palace after shouldering me. I think I can safely say that I have some leverage against her for once. Something to keep her calm and in place so she doesn’t do anything stupid, well, anything that won’t cause me harm.

  ‘Wait!’ I call out to her. ‘Whatever it is you are dealing with. Make sure it is quick and decisive. The last thing we need to deal with is an uprising. We are not equipped to deal with one.’

  Max chuckles before heading off for good. ‘So why keep them alive?’