Book 1: Lesser Evil
I sat in my throne and considered the message that Queen Oria had just sent to me.
I supposed that it was only natural.
She had bigger armies than I did, and so she was demanding that I give up my position as King and allow the land that I had ruled for the last decade to become a part of her realm.
Wouldn’t I do the same thing if I were in her shoes?
“Ada!” I called out; and my top advisor soon arrived before me and said, “Your majesty?”
“Oria wants me to give her this realm in order to avoid a war. What should I do?”
“Hmmm…” Ada mused thoughtfully, “It didn’t go so well for the last 3 realms that said no to her…
So…
I’m gonna say that you should just do as she says.”
“I agree,” I said unhappily, “there’s no poin-“ but suddenly I was cut off by a guard running into the throne room and telling me that Queen Oria had just executed my uncle!
“Wtf!?!” I cried, “Why’d she do that?”
“She said that unless you surrender you and all of your people will suffer the fate of your uncle!“ the guard said angrily.
“She did, now, did she?” I said in a dark tone of voice, “Well she is about to find out that I don’t negotiate with TERRORISTS!!!
Bring me Alcina!!!”
“Alcina???” Ada asked worriedly, “But she’s locked up for a reason! Rememb-“ “I remember very well, thank you very much!” I interrupted, “But Alcina just became a lesser evil!
We’re going to release her from the dungeons for the same reason that we locked her up in them!
Because her power has the potential to defeat ANYONE!; and that includes me, my strongest soldiers, AND that mf-ing maliciously murderous Queen Oria…”
Ada again tried feebly to protest, but the guard who had brought the news of Queen Oria’s wickedness had already said, “Yes sir!” and dashed off to go fetch Alcina from the dungeons.
“We BOTH know what she’s going to do, though,” Ada reasoned while we waited for the guard to return with Alcina, “and if she manages to get ahold of that diamond wand that she was always going on about then Queen Oria might be the least of the world’s problems!”
“Oh, Ada;” I said with a half-crazed grin, “not only is Alcina going to get her hands on that diamond wand, but we’re going to help her track it down.”
“Your majesty…” Ada said uncomfortably, “Please don’t make me do this… I don’t want to be one of the people who dooms all of humanity!”
“Don’t worry,” I said dismissively, “during our journey, we’ll convince Alcina to become a better person. She’ll be a benevolent ruler of the world!, you’ll see!”
“She’s a liar, though!,” Ada protested, “and could very well trick us into thinking that she’s become good, and then show her true colors again once she has the wand!”
“That is possible,” I admitted, “but that outcome would be Queen Oria’s fault, wouldn’t it?
She’s pushed me into a corner, and so I’m fighting back the only way that I can.
So, yeah, maybe humanity will be worse off with Alcina in power than they would be with Oria in power; BUT Oria’s wickedness would be to blame for it.”
“And, of course,” Ada said sarcastically, “if we were to somehow convince Alcina to turn a new leaf, then you would get the credit for her ruling benevolently…”
“Exactly!” I beamed, “Well; maybe myself, you, and that guard. What’s his name again?”
“The name’s Baldwin!, your majesty.” the guard said, as he suddenly entered the throne room with Alcina; and Alcina cackled and said that, “I hear that you might want my assistance, King Veer!
And I think that you know what my answer will be, don’t you?
I’ll only be able to become as powerful as you need for me to be if I get back to tracking down that diamond wand, I’m afraid.
And I should warn you now that I’m not going to be controllable once I have it; and so don’t ever tell me that I didn’t warn you, because I just did, didn’t I?…”
