Of Kingdoms and Chaos (REWRITING)

Chapter 18

If Kaynen had to be honest, he had completely forgotten about the Commander. Yosef and Serena both looked like they didn't know what to say. The quiet in the tent was becoming more and more tense and he cleared his throat.

"That's why she is after us." he said and then looked at Azariah. "Azariah is the son of the previous king, so that makes him the true heir to the throne. If I am correct, your brother send your other brother to capture us."

Azariah looked a bit uncomfortable under the gaze of Yosef and Serena, and cleared his throat.

"Can you help us or not. If not, then it will only take a few minutes for us to get the fuck out of here." 

"Everything has changed now." Serena said as she looked at Lina, then me and then Azariah and the twins. "First, I meet the sister I never knew I had. And now the true heir to the throne of Viridia is in this camp. We have everything we need to win now."

"What do you mean?" Lina asked from beside me.

"So far as I know, you and I are the only Magians of Light left. Two is of course better than one. Now that we know of the Royal blood, we can involve the people of Viridia. They have the right to know that the bloodline of their King did not end that night. I have a feeling they only need to hear a whisper of this, and they will come to support the cause. "

"Do you really think that's a good idea? What if it leads to chaos in the Kingdom?" Elias asked, and Yosef shook his head. 

"It is a good idea. The people have the right to know. Kade does not belong on the Viridian throne nor the Avarian one. He has forsaken the people of Avaria, who are starving and dying. His selfish attempt to rule all kingdoms has only brought suffering and it needs to stop." 

Yosef looked at Azariah with an expectant gaze. "You have no choice but to take your place on the throne. Kade does not belong there. You need to take it from him."

Kaynen could see that everything Yosef was saying was bothering Azariah, and his suspicions were confirmed when he stood up so fast that the chair he had been sitting on fell back. 

"Go." Lina whispered, and Kaynen got up and followed his friend. He followed Azariah to the small swamp that was not far from the camp, where he stood with his arms crossed, gazing over the swamp. Kaynen did not say anything, and together they gazed over the dark swamp.

"I can't do this." Azariah said quietly after a while. 

"What can't you do?" Kaynen asked, even though he had an idea what Azariah meant.

"Be king. Take the throne from Kade. Act like my whole life hasn't been a complete fucking lie. I'm not king material Kaynen. The people of Viridia need someone who deserves to be on the throne. Someone who knows what the fuck he is doing. Someone who is not......me."

The pain in his voice confirmed that he meant everything he had just said. Kaynen had known Azariah for a long time, and seeing him so broken and unsure of himself made Kaynen's heart ache.  Azariah's past still haunted him, and of all of them, he deserved the best of all and everything. 

"I can't imagine what it must feel like to have this sudden responsibility fall on your shoulder, but what I do know, is that I will be by your side. You're not alone in this, Azariah. You have to trust me on that. "

Azariah slightly turned his head, and chuckled.

"I do trust you. I have trusted you since the day I met you."

Kaynen still remembered that day like it was yesterday. Even though that particular day had not been a good one, thinking about it brought a smile to his face.