The Last Knight

Chapter 7: The Horror of Agreement

The wind was whispering... They could hear the water splashing across the pillars under them in the pier. Eyes staring till the wind broke their silence.

Mordred smiled, as he removed his helmet once more and put it on the table in front of him and fixed his hair.

"Our agreement in the first place was goods and services. Which are meat, woods, other types of resources which are ores to create metals be transfered to us, to our ships and in exchange was sea resources. Fish, much rare ores that could only be get in our seas and this leads to much more profitable capitalism, and consider oil is what we also have now that you know, you no longer have to use coal," Mordred said with a sigh.

"But like you said, things have change, isn't it? Who will benefit from this change and what's it for the future?" Duke asked as he stared at Mordred's eyes who stared back at him.

"There's four... Changes. First, I want Dread the Last Knight of Durkenheim gone from the history itself! Second, I want the fourth cargo by this week to be done. Third is I want a path to that Kingdom. A clear path where I won't lose men over some bandits. Fourth is, I want you to tell Zartorious IV... I will be taking the share as soon as I get in that Kingdom," Mordred replied in a serious tone.

"Mordred... It's funny you came all the way here for an agreement that you never thought of it's magnitude. Your share will be given once everything is set and done. At this moment, a clean up is still in set motion—" Wilkes said as he got interrupted when Mordred stood from his chair like an impatient child.

"I heard your name was Wilkes. Look here, I'm not that type of patient guy." Mordred stare. "But let me tell you this... You think you're darkness? The Zartorious? I stared at the darkness and it stared back and I never change a shade... Guess what are you? You are the guy who stared back at the darkness and when it starts back at you... You blink... Yeah, you blinked" Mordred added.

"Dread will cause more problems than you could think that's why he is in my list to get rid of. If not, I'll handle it myself, send men out there in the wild and soon we will have a friendly fire and that's where we will see how long this agreement will last. Our agreement... The King's Treaty on the other hand are a different talk. It's a pleasure. What are your takes?"

"Dread the Knight of Durkenheim won't serve a problem to any of us. He's a rogue now. A bounty has been put on top of his head by the King's. I doubt he'll survive, that I assure you, Mordred. So, pull back your agreement about Dread and this will go smoothly. It's a big world out there afterall," Duke explained as he smiled.

"You must be Duke... I wonder why is your name like that. So I'd like to ask if that's your take... If I pull that one agreement out, what would it be for me? What could be good to replace that one?" Mordred asked as he sighed.

“Very well… Your Highness.” Duke finally broke the silence, his voice calm and composed despite the heavy tension in the air.

He folded his hands atop the table and met Mordred’s gaze directly.

“We will grant you eyes within our lands, an intelligence network that reaches villages, towns, trade routes, and even kingdoms beyond our borders. After all, you rule the seas… but you know little of what moves within these lands.” A faint smile formed on his lips.

“In addition, we will provide prisoners, men and women you may use however you see fit, until they no longer serve a purpose.” He leaned back slightly.

“Slaves may be the more accurate term…”

His eyes narrowed.

“But we prefer to keep things civilized.” A pause. Then he smiled coldly.

“So let us call them prisoners instead… yes?”

Suddenly, Mordred smiled. Then he began to giggle. The giggle turned into laughter as he pointed a finger at Duke, glancing back and forth between him and the knights behind him. Even his men began smiling, amused by the exchange.

“I like this guy…” He laughed louder. “Hahaha…”

After a moment, he calmed himself and wiped the corner of his eye before smiling once more.

“You’re interesting.” His eyes narrowed.

“You strike me as the type of man who wants to wear the crown himself…” A pause.

“And yet, you chose to kneel beneath another.” His smile sharpened.

“I wonder what changed your mind.” Silence. Then... He extended his hand.

“But no matter.” His smile widened.

“Agreement accepted.” Duke stared at Mordred’s hand for a moment. He did not take it immediately. Instead, he studied Mordred’s expression carefully, as if trying to measure the kind of monster standing before him.

Then, he accepted the handshake. A calm smile formed on his face. Wilkes followed, stepping forward and shaking Mordred’s hand with a silent nod.

The agreement had been sealed. Both sides had accepted the terms. And with that… A terrifying alliance was born.

Far to the east, on a distant isle... A horse clad in crimson armor quietly drank from a small body of water near a town. At the front gate stood a lone knight.

Waiting. Watching. Silent. Then, the wind changed. It grew heavy. Violent. The gates creaked. Slowly opening.

From within, a group of knights emerged, marching forward in perfect formation. Their weapons remained sheathed, yet their posture alone radiated danger. As they approached the lone knight, they came to a halt.

Behind the walls, archers stood atop the gate with arrows ready, watching every movement. The atmosphere had become suffocating.

“This does not need to end in slaughter.” The knight leading the army spoke in a cold, menacing tone. The lone knight remained still.

Then, he spoke.

“Doesn’t it?” A pause. Then he slowly lifted his head.

“I am Zartorious IV.” Silence. The leading knight narrowed his eyes.

“We know exactly who you are.” His voice was filled with disgust.

“Invader.” A pause.

“Traitor.” Another pause.

“Heir.” The atmosphere turned hostile. Zartorious’ expression remained unchanged. Then his hand slowly moved toward the handle of his sword.