The Semideus

Chapter 1

"Onwards march!"

Boots shook the earth up to its core as an estimate of a thousand men proceeded to invade an isolated small Kingdom at the far North. The soldiers who appeared to be armed to the hilt marched fiercely as they clubbed their chests with their over sized fists and spat from time to time in pure  vehemence.

Their thumps grew louder, awakening the man on duty past the river belonging to the endangered Kingdom. The young man fluttered his eyes open, bringing his folded fists against his eyes. He rubbed them gingerly while releasing a rather tired yawn. His  lazed movements were suddenly  replaced with involuntary trembling as his eyes spotted  the silhouettes that were slowly approaching the separating river. The young man swallowed hard and picked up his binoculars aiming for a  better view.

"Oh no!"

The young man grabbed his hat and turned on his heels muttering lowly under his breath before strengthening his voice and yelling;

"Towan! The Towan people are here!"

Howard

"Are you aware that we are the only Kingdom that still treats waging or engaging in wars as a forbidden norm?"

My eyes swept over the council and finally landed on my father. Hushed voices erupted from the opposite side of the throne. The council of elders eyed me with utter disgust yet their icy low murmurs didn't particularly faze me. It was time they opened their  eyes to reality, tradition only did more harm than good. They had turned the other cheek for too long, it was time to fight, fight for our land, our people.

"With all due respect sire, our fore fathers put in place a very elaborate tradition that dictated us not to participate in these unruly wars and this tradition has been passed throughout generations! We have survived this far because we chose not to fight. A good King, would see to it that this tradition is upheld."

Agreeing voices sounded, apparently the council of elders believed  this outrageous perception . These were the men that would obliterate the Kingdom swifter than a famished cheetah cornering a prey, in this analogy we were the prey. Elijah repositioned himself on his seat, satisfied with his words and the incessant pats he was receiving from his fellow council members.

"If I may father."

I arched an eyebrow at the King awaiting permission to speak my mind. My father  bobbed his head while heaving a quiet sigh. For a beat my heart ached at his almost tired expression. Almost because he never quite expressed himself. I was indeed a terrible son, always exhuming buried discussions. I knew he hated them yet I still brought the matter to the council every chance I got. I had a divergent ideology and people had to hear it, whether the King approved of it or not.

"Elijah, your son was killed by the Towan  people a fortnight ago."

I watched as Elijah shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"Terrance was a good lad, a good friend, family even, yet his death is being treated like it resulted from a natural cause yet he was murdered on our land by our enemies. Don't we have a duty towards him? Some sense of honor for his death? Doesn't your blood ripple with desire for vengeance? Don't you want the killer's blood splashed across the kingdom so as to keep our enemies at bay?"

Elijah's dark eyes flickered dangerously, I had hit a nerve.

"They come after us because they know we are too weak to fight back. They want our land, our women, our children... How long are we going to allow ourselves to be defeated without even trying to raise a hand?"

One could clearly hear the wind howl outside snapping branches wherever it went. Silence swept over the room as the council gnawed over my words. They knew deep down I was right. I turned to watch my father. He was stroking his chin, his eyes evidently lost in a sea of thoughts. The lines on his forehead were pronounced and the slight tapping of his forefinger against his lap was his usual tell. Was this it? Was my father finally contemplating over the matter? Would he finally see through my eyes?

"This is utter nonsense and we all know it."

A new voice spoke, I recognized it and sent a glare towards the source of those bitter words. My brother, prince Lancelot stood gracefully from his seat, towering above me. He indeed had the future makings of a king, if only he could rid himself of all the soft bones in his body.

"My little brother is clearly distraught by the loss of his friend and is seeking vengeance driven by nothing but blood lust. His arguments are preposterous with no back bone."

My jaw clenched. How dare he suggest that I was only driven by my grief and not belief?  Sure I was mourning for Terrance but his death would have been avoided if I wasn't locked in our fortress, hiding from our enemies.

"Our Kingdom is filled with safe havens that protect our loved ones and this has been the norm all these seasons. Why bend our laws now? Because of this emotional blabber? We have laws in play for a reason little brother."

My fist folded automatically. Lancelot  mirrored my actions.

"Father please listen to reason-"

"Father you know Howard has yet to finish puberty, he is only but a child-"

"Oh and you are what sixty? Would you stop acting older than your age  you sycophant! You just want everyone here to view you as a  King! You are such a power hungry lunatic that you-"

"Silence! Both of you!"

My breath evened as I tore my glare away from my brother. I simply didn't understand his fathom. We were the youngest members of the council, the only chance the Kingdom had for survival, yet he chose to side with the old goons' tradition. Terrance had been like a brother to us. What kind of a King would he become?

"I understand you have a contrasting view of our tradition Howard but I demand respect in front of the throne. Now both of you sit down."

For as long as I've known my father, I have never seen him this enraged. In fact, he didn't wear any emotions on his sleeve. He preferred an impassive visage over depicting emotions. He stood up, boring his eyes through every member of the council.

"As King, it is my duty to uphold the kingdom's tradition."

My heart sank, I already knew the verdict of the argument before its release. The King turned to face me, his impassive expression back.

"Howard, your request has been denied and you are forbidden from bringing this sentiment to the council again. You know our tradition, we do not go to war."

Content mumbling erupted from the council, they seemed to agree fully. Standing up one by one, they bowed in front of the King and proceeded to exit the palace. Elijah was the last elder to leave. He briefly glanced at me before scurrying away, their were tears stinging his eyes.

"Father, that was a wise ruling."

Lancelot bowed and exited wearing a smug look on his face. I remained numb on my seat.

"Son, I will not be on this throne forever."

I knew he wanted me to turn and obediently listen to his words of wisdom like his elder son. But he was forgetting one thing, I wasn't Lancelot and I wasn't feeling particularly obedient at the moment.

"Well I hope that day comes sooner than we anticipate my King."

With that, I left his presence with the knowledge that my words had immensely burnt his gut and it oddly felt... good, really good.