A knock wrapped on Robert’s office door. A tall, grizzly looking man in a clean white and red striped robe stepped through the doorway and approached the desk. The sword cinched around his waist wobbled as he walked. He bowed deeply before his king, “General Jordy of the Gascoigne Household, at your service, sir.”

  “General,” he stuck his hand out for a firm handshake, “it’s a pleasure to meet you. Please take a seat,” The man did as he was told.

  His eyes were gray and cold. This man had clearly seen the worst of humanity, as well as his own king. He no doubt had a lot of work to do to gain his trust.

  “May I ask why you called me here this evening, sire?” He eyed the series of unmarked maps sprawled out under the plate of food his boss was making his way through.

  “Of course, I apologize if it is later than your normal working hours,” he said between bites, “but I just wanted to speak with you about a few things.”

  “By all means, my lord.”

  “Thank you.” He finished chewing then swallowed and pointed to a spot on an unmarked map. It was the northeast most point in the kingdom that happened to boarder three separate nations. “Tell me about this region.”

  “That is the Valcoren Pit. It has been hotly contested for hundreds of years due to its abundant resources. While it is currently under our control, thanks to our victory in peacekeeping efforts after the war, it will no doubt fall to another’s demesne before long. We are cursed with its ownership once more.”

  “You feel your troops that incapable of holding the line?”

  “Not at all, Sire. Parish the thought.” His cold look barely betrayed the offense beneath.

  Raina entered the room from a side door for the staff and brought a cup of tea for the General and refilled Robert’s cup.

  “I understand completely, General. Those geopolitical issues are not unique to this planet.” Similar to the Middle East, he thought. Multiple cultures and ideals clashing over landlocked space. If he messes this up, stability might never return to that region. ”I must admit, though, this could be a blessing in disguise for us. Where about would you say are the capitols of the surrounding kingdoms?”

  Luxoria was tucked into the southern corner of the continent with the western and southern fronts facing the ocean. North of them was Solarus Ad Pendum, a kingdom much wealthier than Luxoria and currently in a peace treaty with them. It’s unlikely they would be any more amenable beyond the terms of the treaty given recent events. Their capitol was closer toward the western shore.

  To the east was mostly mountains then deserts but was still claimed by the Kingdom of Therys d’Anvou. They were largely neutral toward Luxoria, though expectedly guarded. Their capitol was near the Valcoren region.

  The final kingdom of the continent, and the one with the most territory, was the Alastarian Kingdom. They haven’t interacted much with Luxoria given that their capitol is on the other end of the continent.

  “Like I said, the region is stable for now. We’re beginning to let the refugees return but the pillaged towns won’t make their lives any easier.”

  He considered the implications of many potentials. He wargamed multiple scenarios in his head, sitting silently for several moments. Even civilized nations struggled to properly handle refugees. A failing kingdom would be able to offer no better. He was beyond thankful the region was somewhat stable already. The idea of having to deploy the military so soon after his arrival was one he didn’t enjoy.

  That territory would surely be worth the grief though. A central location rich in minerals and metals as well as fertile farming land. He would need to find some geological surveys to see what specific materials were catalogued there, but he could worry about that later.

  The main reason Robert was so keen on developing that area was due to its prime location between the boarders. It made for a perfect trade hub. Despite Pendum’s capitol being on the other end of the country from there, it was still close enough to other cities that it could easily become a pivotal location. Improvements were needed first, however, before any merchants would be willing to earnestly set up shop.

  “Thank you for your input, General. Your expertise and unique understanding is greatly appreciated within my service.”

  “Your words honor me, Sire.” He was silent for a moment but still looked toward Robert. He could tell something was bubbling under the surface but could hardly tell through the rough exterior. "If I may, Sire."

  Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

  "By all means, General." Robert braced himself for an outburst.

  "What are your plans with the region?"

  He excelled in quick relief then thought longer before answering, "Well, it's hard to say. I'm sorely missing major pieces of intelligence, which is a longer conversation we'll need to have later. That said, my immediate thought is to develop the area and turn it into an economic powerhouse. If we play our cards right, we could bring a lot of revenue in that can be used for many more endeavors."

  The general tilted his head as he pondered that. After a moment, he seemed satisfied. "Thank you, Sire. That has calmed my concerns."

  “I'm glad to hear it, General. You’re dismissed.” He gave a quick salute. The man tilted his head in bewilderment at the strange gesture. “Ha, sorry. Old habit when addressing our military back home.”

  “It’s an interesting display of respect, Sire.”

  “That’s the point, General.”

  The commanding officer nodded his head, bowed and exited the room.

  Robert slunk back in his chair and released a heavy breath, relaxing after having to wear his ‘prez face’, as his daughter liked to call it. He could play the confident politician when he needed to, but it certainly drained his mental stamina before long.

  He heard another click of the door and looked to see Raina approaching with a tea kettle again.

  “Would you like another refill, Sire?” She stood in perfect posture and smiled brightly at him.

  “Yes, please.”

  “If you’re not careful, you’ll keep yourself up all night.”

  “You’re probably right. Say, could you do me one more favor?”

  “Anything, Sire.”

  “Go and grab another tea cup and come back, please.”

  She popped up an eyebrow, “Yes, Sire.” She quickly left and returned moments later with another cup in hand.

  He gestured toward the chairs facing his desk, “Please, have a seat, but not before pouring yourself a cup.”

  She shot him a surprised look, “Are you sure? It’s not common for the staff to sit with the King.”

  “You’ll quickly come to learn I don’t care much for what’s common and what’s not. There are many more important things to worry about, like fixing our finances first and foremost.”

  She reluctantly poured herself a cup of tea and sat across from him, sitting in perfect posture once again. “The other staff say you’re not too similar to the last king.”

  “From what I’ve heard, I take that as a compliment.”

  “I’m not sure if it is, to be honest. We don’t know you yet.”

  “Just give me time, I plan to make myself known very soon.” He took a sip of his tea as she just studied him. “I’d like to get to know you more, especially since we’ll be working together. I also wish to know the scope of your duties and responsibilities.”

  “Well, Aside from whatever task you personally give me, I’m responsible for maintaining your wardrobe, your daily schedule, personal affairs, interfacing with other parties within the palace, and servicing any other needs you might have.”

  “Ignoring the last part, that sounds like an incredible amount of work. How much are you being paid?”

  “Well enough, you needn’t worry, Sire. I’m content at your side." This chick seemed awfully comfortable around him despite barely knowing him. “If I may, Sire…”

  “Please, go ahead.” He took a sip of his tea.

  “Do you prefer men?”

  “WHat?” He nearly choked.

  “Some of the other maids said you must like men since you keep rejecting the idea of getting a queen.”

  He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. What the fuck. “No, no. That’s not the case, I assure you.”

  “Then why?”

  Wow… she was kind of annoying. Cute but zero tact. He didn’t particularly want to talk about it but she was real insistent. Plus, he’d probably have to tell her everything eventually anyway given how forward she already is.

  “I had a wife named Meghan and a child named Helly. I was assassinated while being sworn in as the ruler of my nation. Now I’m here, with no idea where they are or what has happened in my world since my death. I have seemingly no way home and I-”

  She slid a hand over to his wrist on the table, just as Telra has done. He was crying again.

  “It’s okay. You don’t have to continue. I understand.” She let go and stood from her seat and bowed deeply, “I deeply apologize for my tactless behavior. I should have been more considerate.”

  He touched her on the shoulder, “it’s alright, I forgive you.”

  Robert lay awake in his royally large bed. He stared up at the vaulted ceiling of the circular room, his eyes tracing the gold molding webbing up toward the glass dome at the top. He couldn’t fall asleep. Every time he closed his eyes in the darkness, he’d be brought right back to that frightful day ever unending.

  He had no choice but to distract himself if he wanted to get any sleep tonight. He did have another big day ahead of him. He had a feeling he’d have a lot of big days ahead of him, in all sorts of ways. He couldn’t help but feel a little giddy at the idea though. This was his chance to really affect some actual change.

  There was minimal to no bureaucracy to get in his way and the rest was pretty straightforward to navigate. He would have the chance to build a form of government impervious to corruption and fair for everyone. Eventually, he’d be able to unite the entire continent, if he played his cards right, that is.

  While this whole queen hunt felt largely like a waste of time, it was a good change to go out and do some good old fashioned campaigning. Do a little door to door, some rallies. It brings him back to around two years ago when he went on tour for the first time. He was definitely nervous at first and made more than a few newsworthy mistakes, but he survived, and he improved. He practiced a fuck ton and wrote most of his own speeches.

  He was excited to be able to have the chance to do this again, though still not at the expense of his family. He would sacrifice everything he was doing here in a heart beat to be able to see them again.

  Gotta distract himself again lest he anger the PTSD. He’s got another big day tomorrow.

  He had Telra schedule meetings with Philo and Drakus respectively. He still needed to find someone he could speak about domestic matters with but things were moving pretty quickly. It almost feels like he never died at all.

  Nope, he definitely did. The hulking weight of their loss made sure he never forgot.