Silent Flames {#Wattys2015 #JustWriteIt #FreshStart}

-Chapter Four-

"Why are you pacing?" A man asked. Another man, or at least that's what he was currently, turned and faced his assistant. "Because I know that they're getting stronger, but I can't identify who they are!" He snapped. 

The first man sighed. "Your highness, you are being paranoid. You, and you alone, are the most powerful being in all of this world. You must stop worrying, it is destroying you."

Indeed, the king's worrying was certainly destroying him. He was thinner and gaunter than he had ever been, starving himself from the hours he spent worrying and fearing the small band of people that were against him.

The king's eyes dilated. "They will find me and they will kill me." He whispered. "And the common people mustn't know. They simply can't. I am supposed to be their king, their leader. I am supposed to be strong!"

His voice was growing hysterical, and the man jumped to his leader's aid, his eyes glowing with worry.

The king turned and glared at him. "We must pass another law. We'll search the houses of the people I'm suspicious of. And if we find any evidence we will kill them all, River, we will kill them all."

River widened his eyes, stunned by this statement. Everyday, the king became more ruthless. He became more paranoid, and he passed law after law violating every one of his citizens rights. River had helped him, but it didn't mean he agreed. Of course, he was required to obey the king's every word.

This time, though, he had gone too far. He had gone against everything the kingdom had stood for. Meeting with other people, privacy rights, and most importantly, free will. Of course, he would never truly be able to stop The League. They were too strong, growing so quickly. More people supported them over the king.

Of course, there were still people who were loyal to the king. People who realized how fair he really was, when he didn't feel threatened. When he had first started his leadership, the king had made some of the most loved laws ever made. He had been appreciated for a long time.

That is, until The League started going against him. In most people's eyes, the king had made no mistakes, but there were people who disagreed with his carefully thought out decisions. 

The king had passed a law saying that all killers would be killed. He also said that all criminals would only get one other chance. There were no excuses. Whether it was an accident, self defense, or stealing for your family, you would be punished, and severely. 

There was no age limit, except, of course, the simple child not knowing better. The king expected them to learn not to steal by age three. If they stole anything by age four, they were put in jail for three months without their family.

Of course, The League saw this as a horrible decision, believing that children should have more time to learn right from wrong. Some people agreed with the king, saying that they had been fooled into allowing small children into their house, and finding that many of their valuables were missing by the end of the day.

The king had passed these laws for his own citizens safety, of course, but The League said it wasn't fair that small children should be punished. The king disagreed, saying sometimes children were raised like this, and that they must face the consequences. 

The League had been rather open in the beginning, spray painting on the castle, sending warnings to the king. These warnings were simple, not involving more than five words, and they said things like:

WE HAVE OUR RIGHTS

STAY AWAY

WE WILL PROTECT THE CHILDREN

This had greatly disturbed the king, and he therefore put higher security on the castle and told his soldiers to stop anyone on the streets who had paint. 

Somehow, though, The League had gotten into the castle, and they managed to do something that would never be forgotten. Something that would destroy the king forever. Something that would force the king into using the powers he had once so greatly despised. 

The League attacked the castle, killing fifty percent of the guards and  attacking the king outright, telling him that he had no rights to take away their protection. They sliced at him with their weapons, and the king couldn't see their faces. He fought bravely, but to this day he still had scars and scratches, some of those scratches that would open up and bleed. Scratches that would never heal.

In River's opinion, The League was full of idiots who never thought about their decisions. They had simply made the king just like them, for he never thought carefully about any situations anymore.

And he was paranoid now. His laws were so tight that there was barley any freedom in the kingdom anymore. And now, desperate as a cornered animal, and certainly with the same attitude, the king wanted to invade his subjects' homes.

"You do not know who is in The League, that is correct, sire?" River asked cautiously. The king sneered at him. "Haven't we been over this? You fool! I have my suspicions but I do not know for sure! But I must know for sure. I must!" 

River recoiled from the hysterical note in his leader's voice. So sad, it was, to watch someone who had once been so greatly loved go insane and lose all of his subjects who had once been so trusting and loyal.

"Your Highness, might you simply morph into-"

"I CANNOT DO THIS RIVER!" The king snapped, lunging at his assistant and catching him by the shirt collar. "I DO NOT KNOW WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE, WHO THEY ARE. I CANNOT SIMPLY WALK IN AND FIND OUT ALL OF THEIR PLANS AND SECRETS, NONETHELESS WHO THEY ARE, BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW WHO THEY ARE! I CANNOT SHIFT INTO ONE OF THEM, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE!"

River pulled away, rubbing his throat. "Might I suggest you morph into somebody from the town and ask to join?" He questioned, taking a few steps back in case he went on a rage again.

The king's eyes widened slightly, giving him a more hysterical look than ever. "I can, oh maybe I can." He whispered. "I will, River, and I will do it well. We will see just how many people I will catch, because I will catch them. Thank you, River." He added, his voice now calmer. "You are dismissed for now."

River turned and walked out of the throne room, wondering how he could have calmed the king with a few simple words. 

He sighed and scratched behind his head, suddenly worried. He wasn't sure if he had made a mistake or not, but he supposed that, for now, he would have to wait to find out. 

Of course, no one could have guessed how the king could have reacted to what he discovered. Who would have been involved, and who had arrived. 

Whatever the plans were, nobody could have realized how much this idea was going to break the king. Whether or not it breaks him beyond repair...well, that's for you to find out.