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Cyrus

I cannot start a war.

My father once told me that I had the makings of a great ruler. As I stare at the maps, I can’t help but wonder if he only said that because I was his son. Not because he meant it. Would a great ruler have put their kingdom in such a predicament? I never should have touched Annalise, but I did. And now I am facing the consequences. I want more than anything to go to war against Elias. But I know nothing of his kingdom and nothing of what it will bring to my own, especially when he was able to sneak around my kingdom without us noticing.

My gaze shifts to Ciel’s sleeping form next to me. I don’t let him out of my sight these days. I only trust a handful of people to watch over him. And two of them are tracking the direction of Elias’s escape. One is in this room. It’s killing me to think I have another child on the way. I don’t know how Annalise survived with Ciel, and I don’t know how this child will take to her body. I once again failed. I ignored her body and her scent and let myself lose control because of my emotions. And because of that, I got her pregnant again. And I am once again nowhere near to guide her through that pregnancy. She is at the mercy of another.

I know nothing of Elias. I don’t know his strengths, weaknesses, temperament, or even his kingdom. He silently entered my kingdom and studied it with calculated precision. And because I let my guard down, he took something precious to me. Now, the docks have been destroyed, and my kingdom is in disarray.

I can’t even chase after her. He won the battle.

I suck in a deep breath, turning to face my war council. My gaze shifts to Felix, who watches me knowingly, giving me a nod of confidence before I speak.

“Our kingdom has been attacked. There was a massacre within the palace and within my private estate; the docks have been burned, and the future queen has been taken. I opened my kingdom and my home to this king from afar in hopes of creating unity between our lands. I was wrong. And you have suffered dearly for it. I will be naming my son, Ciel, the rightful heir to my throne. I want this to be kept a secret until I have either died or this war has ended. Annalise will be my Queen upon her return, and if she dies in the hands of the enemy, she will be placed within the history books as the first human queen of my kingdom.”

I inhale a deep breath, smiling as I look out the window. This is going to be a difficult path for all of us. But I am done being a child. I am a king. And it is time for me to be firm in my decisions and begin acting like it.

I look upon the faces of my war council.

“We’re going to war.”

I turn to face the map, my gaze hovering over the landscape that awaits across the sea. Yes, Elias may have won the battle. But he's about he's about to lose the war.

It’s going to be a fucking massacre.