"What is this I hear about a war?" Queen Catherine asked her stepson, the King. She was still dressed in black, mourning over her husband, the late King, who had been buried less than a fortnight ago.
"It is exactly as you have heard, Queen mother," King Robin told her with a snort.
"Your father, the late king, signed a peace treaty with them for crying out loud! You cannot just invade their kingdom for no just cause," She told him angrily.
"As you have said, my father, the late king, signed a treaty with them, not me. So I have no reason not to attack them. This war is the best way to inform every kingdom around that a new king is on the throne and that I will not tolerate any form of disrespect as my father had done in the past," He said, rising to adjust his crown.
"Your father was planning on discussing the marriage of your half-brother Prince Ian to King Eric's only daughter Princess Rebecca. Maybe that is what you should do instead of attacking their kingdom," She told him calmly, trying to reason with him.
"I already made up my mind. The warriors are ready to attack. You have nothing to worry about; I will bring the princess home as a gift to my half-brother," He said with an evil grin that revealed his crooked dentition.
"Is your brother, Prince Ian, aware of your decision?" Queen Catherine asked helplessly. She needed someone reasonable to talk sense into him.
"No, he isn't. He went on one of those solitary travels. And you know how long he takes to be away... By the time he is back, the deed would have been done already," He said, sneering at her.
"Your father would turn in his grave if he knew about your plans!" She exclaimed.
"Then let him turn. Why should I be affected by what a dead man thinks?" He asked with a scoff.
"I have no hand in this. I will not take part in the destruction of a kingdom that has sworn its allegiance to us!" She said before walking away angrily.
If not for the tradition of their kingdom, Prince Ian would be the rightful heir to the throne. She had been unable to conceive after several years of marriage to her husband, the King. Thus she had offered her maid to her husband to help them bear a child.
Her maid had given birth to Robin a year later, and as if the gods meant to mock her, she had found out she was pregnant on the very day Robin was put to birth. Now she had to deal with an unreasonable king because of her impatience.
She quickly called Prince Ian's valet. "You've traveled alongside Prince Ian in the past, haven't you?" She asked him.
"Yes, my Queen," He said, bowing slightly.
"Travel in the direction of Prince Ian. Tell him I need him to return home immediately. Do not tell anyone where you're going. Just take one of the horses from the stable and run after him," She told him before sending him away.
No sooner had the Prince's valet left the outskirts of the town before an arrow sank into his back. He fell to the ground with his face buried in the earth.
"The king says we must make it look like the people across the border did it," One of the men said as they sent the horse back in the direction of the town.