Chapter XXIII

Vampire King Eric, with fire burning in his eyes and vengeance coursing through his veins, tirelessly dedicated himself to training his formidable army. Night after night, he honed their skills, pushing them to their limits, all in preparation for the impending war against the kingdom of Eldoria. His sole purpose was to avenge the untimely demise of his father.

The kingdom of Eldoria had caused him immeasurable pain by taking away his beloved father, and now Eric sought nothing but vengeance.

With each swing of his sword, Eric's muscles strained with determination, his mind filled with memories of the day his father was slain.

He could still feel the pain of loss, the anger coursing through his veins. The image of Prince Alexander, heir to the throne of Eldoria, laughing cruelly as his father's life ebbed away haunted him.

As news spread across the land of Ardentia, King Eric's fierce preparations, whispers of impending doom filled Eldoria.

The people felt an eerie chill in the air, knowing that a storm was brewing in their midst. But little did they know the true extent of Eric's determination and thirst for vengeance.

Kinsely, a long time advisor of the royal family of Ardentia as well as a close friend of King Eric, feared his young king would soon be destroyed by grief and guilt.

As he entered the throne room of the castle at Ardentia, he could see that it was almost too late.

Tears rolled down Eric's cheeks and occasionally spittle formed at the corner of his mouth from when his sobs took over.

His anger turned to compassion for this young man who had lost so much in such a short period of time and who would now lose more if Kinsely didn't do something immediately. He coughed slightly and King Eric looked up, startled out of his thoughts. Upon seeing who it was, he smiled wanly through reddened eyes.

Kinsely cleared his throat."King Eric," he began softly. "I have returned after many years, but my concerns were never far away. My condolences on the loss of your father Adolphus and ask you to accept my regrets for not being here during your time of need."

"Thank you Ken," replied the King hoarsely, "But how can I express my sorrow for not being able to make things right with my father, whom I loved dearly?"

"The gods are fickle and the world is full of enemies who seek our destruction at every turn," Jazeera, another advisor, replied sagely. "There is no help for it but to keep fighting until we reach our goals."

"And what goals should I possess Kinsely? To crush Eldoria into ruins or to save my father?" The king responded angrily."You have counseled me all these years without ever giving me an answer. Why do you come back now? Is it just because my shame has pushed me to the edge where I'm ready at last to do anything if only it might bring father back?"

King Eric got up from his chair and started pacing behind the large desk.

Kinsely stood still watching him silently as he walked. When he finally spoke again he left Kinsely feeling uneasy about what he said next.

There was something in his eyes that sent shivers down Ken's spine."If people did not wish to fight then there would be no battles to contend with and kings would have nothing to do but plant their fields or farm their land." Kings do what they must."

Do you mean to go to war against Eldoria?" asked Kinsely. "Is that the answer you've been holding back all this time? Already they're looking for war against us by arming up. If we haven't taken this chance to end our conflict with Eldoria once and for all then we may lose the right to be the victorious nation."

"So you agree with me?" The King asked, a strange light in his eyes.

"Of course," Kinsely replied. "We must settle this once and for all and crush Eldoria to make sure that it can never rise up against us again.

King Eric felt a sudden burst of energy just as the old man's words faded. He felt a heat course through his body. He thought to himself, "Yes that is what I'll do. I'll destroy Eldoria and slay its king. Then my father will be avenged."

******

The small procession made its way through the gate of the town of Vallemar and into the city. The lord of this city was not present so they had to settle for the mayor. King Edmund and Lord Rupert were already present to greet the king.

The two monarchs came out to the middle of the square to greet King Eric and his entourage.

The king went over to greet them, smiling. The two of them did not feel the same excitement as they greeted their old friend.

Eric thought to himself, "This is no time for these distractions. We must focus on the preparations for war."

King Edmund and King Eric walked away in private to a tower, where they could talk privately. It was better to speak in private now than in the open square.

"Oh my old friend, how I've missed you," the king said. "You have no idea how glad I am to finally be able to see your face again."

Edmund was equally excited at seeing his friend again after the long years of not seeing each other. He too was afraid to meet with his old friend who was an enemy now. But he had to find out from him. "What is all this I hear about Eldoria?" He asked.

"I'm afraid it's true, Edmund," Eric replied. "There is already talk of war in the council. Countless examples have been given as to why we must attack Eldoria, for they are a constant threat to the security of our people.

We will not be caught off guard like last time. I've sent out messengers and even now they are coming in from the various towns and cities around Eldoria. They are all supporting the idea of attacking Eldoria.

"But I think you should know that all the high lords on the council are against an attack on Eldoria. They fear that we'll be led into a trap and they say that they are ready for a fight. They're willing to wait until we're strong enough and then march into war with Eldoria.

The king replied, "The councils are like that, Edmund. They always have been. Their pride blinds them to the fact that we still have enemies on every side of us. If we do not strike now and crush Eldoria, who's to say they won't attack us? At least we will have a chance at victory if we strike first.

"But should we really go to war against a country that's stronger and more powerful than us? Why does it have to be war? We could negotiate with them.

"I hear you, Edmund," Eric replied. "And I understand your point, but they've been at the negotiating table for years and they won't relent on their terms. They demand that we surrender our land and power to them.

They reject the idea of merging with them or joining their empire. It's either we take the terms they offer or go to war with them.

King Eric replied "So we're agreed then? We will crush Eldoria and destroy its people?"

"Agreed," Edmund replied. "There is no other way."

The two of them walked back down to the square and had all the lords and soldiers present pledge their allegiance to King Eric and to follow him on an attack against the Eldorian Empire.

King Edmund pledged his own allegiance and said that he would raise his own army and fight alongside his comrades.

Then he left for the castle in Ardentia and Edmund returned to his castle in Prythian.

When King Eric arrived back to his kingdom, he gave a speech to his men:

"It has been said that the gods like to play games with men, giving them the choice of many routes to choose from.

The wise man picks the route that is best for him and hopes for the best.

But men like to think that they know better than the gods.

They say that every choice is made at the will of the gods. They say that the gods put the best choice in front of a man and that  if a man takes the wrong choice, it is because the gods have cursed him.

The wise man might call this hubris, but the fool will take this as truth and use it to justify all his mistakes. But does the fool's ignorance make him wise? Does this madness make him strong? Or does it make him weak to the point of useless?

And so when kings and historians come to look back on the history of our nation they will say that our great nation was great because our kings were great.

They will look at our great capitals and speculate that our greatness comes from the richness of our land.

They will look at the great armies we had and tell us that our greatness came from the strength of our arms.

They will look at the great buildings we made and tell us that it is all because of the genius of our architects.

They will look at the great minds and say that it is because of what they've created that we are great.

But what if it was none of those things?

What if our greatness came from something else entirely? What if our greatness came from our ability to survive and overcome obstacles, to adapt and evolve, to learn and grow from our mistakes?

For it was not just the strength of our arms that won us battles, but the cunning of our generals and the loyalty of our soldiers.

It was not just the richness of our land that made us prosperous, but the hard work and ingenuity of our farmers and merchants.

It was not just the genius of our architects that built our great cities, but the dedication and vision of our leaders and citizens."

And so, as King Eric and King Edmund prepared for war, they both knew that it was not just their own strength and power that would determine the outcome. It was the strength and determination of their people, their soldiers and citizens, who would fight and sacrifice for their nations.

It was the resilience and adaptability of their societies, who would innovate and overcome obstacles to achieve victory.