Twelve days after Manfred's initiation, Andre and Deljegne arrived in the capital city of Innutuk Proper, Raneteink Lek. After leaving their horses at the stable of some nondescript inn on the outskirts of the city, the two wound their way down the streets on the way to the imperial palace. Along the way, Andre purchased a cloak to conceal his face, as his plan was to keep his identity hidden until the moment his blade was in the emperor's heart. Then he wanted the wretch to know for certain who it was that had sealed his fate.

His mood had been sour most of the trip to Innutuk, as his heart still ached from his recent losses, but he was determined to accomplish this new goal. Surely Kate's esteem of him would rise upon hearing the news that he had slain the vile emperor who had imprisoned her. After all, what had he really done? He'd only lashed out at Manfred when already agitated at the news of his father's death. Certainly that wouldn't outweigh the massive benefits of having Innutuk's emperor torn from his throne.

All too soon, Deljegne came to a stop and pressed himself against a brick wall. Andre followed suit on the other side of the alley they stood on, peeking his head out to see the thick gate that surrounded the imperial palace. At the nearest opening stood a mere two guards, and their attention was more focused on a quintet of giggling young ladies at a flower stand than anything else.

"There're only two of them." Andre whispered to Deljegne, "Perhaps we should wait until the ladies leave, and then take them on?"

Deljegne pulled his hood back, presumably to allow cool air to pass over his head. "I guess that's a good plan. One each is the best we could ask for."

"Precisely." Andre slid his gold-hilted sword from its scabbard, eyes still trained on the chatty women. Only a minute passed before they made their final purchases and boarded a pair of carriages that sped right by Andre and Deljegne's hiding place. Now that the two guards were all alone, Andre glanced at his redheaded companion. "We're all clear."

Deljegne pulled his hood back over his head and unsheathed his own weapon. "On my mark, ready, bolt!"

Andre exploded into action, dashing at the two Innutukian guards with a speed he'd never known he had. Wind rustled through his hair and whistled in his ears as he raced forward. He raised his sword and prepared for impact.

The guard Andre had targeted spun to face him and held up his bulky shield to absorb the incoming strike. He swung his own counterattack, and an axe blade whizzed right by Andre's ear. He ducked and sidestepped just in time. Before he could decide on a second offensive measure on the first guard, the second rushed in with a shield protecting his advance and a spear pointed at Andre's heart.

Andre evaded with another sidestep at the last minute. He glanced about and wrinkled his brow at the fact that Deljegne was nowhere to be seen. He had no time to process the confusion, however, because the two guards had begun teaming up on him. Cornered between two armored guards with shields who also never ceased to attack, Andre found himself in a tricky situation.

The spear-wielding guard kept Andre's attention high with his many stabs aimed at face, neck, and shoulders. But then Andre gasped. Metal met his shins, and he felt himself swept off balance. He dropped onto his back with a grunt, only to see the first guard snatch his sword away before he could react. Finally, Deljegne strolled up with his hood back and sword back in its scabbard.

"You...you good for nothing traitor!" Andre spat at the redheaded man, "You...we had an agree—"

"I'm aware what you thought we had. But it was a ruse." Deljegne nodded to the guards. "Bind him."

Andre growled and struggled against the men, but to no avail. They yanked him to his feet and pinned him agains the gate, face pressing into the bars. His resistance only made things more painful when the men yanked his arms behind his back and tightened a length of rough hemp around his wrists. Andre managed to hold his tongue mostly through the ordeal, but he could swear the top layer of his skin had been torn off by the abrasive rope.

With that, Deljegne took Andre's sword into his pudgy hand, and after the guards had unlocked the gate, he led Andre to the palace. Brewing in anger the whole time, Andre hardly noticed his surroundings as they walked. All he could think about now was how he wished to slay Deljegne as much now as he desired to dispatch the emperor. More than once, he considered spitting a biting remark at his escort, but decided against it upon realizing he wasn't worth even that little effort.

Before long, they had already entered the palace, traversed a few corridors, and entered the throne room. Andre walked along the scarlet carpet leading to the emperor's throne. Only after he had come to a full stop did he let out a sigh and lift his gaze to the stern-faced emperor seated there. Emperor Hakentaknid's frown only rested on Andre for a few fleeting moments before it darted over to Deljegne.

"Why did you pick this one?" he demanded, "He is one of the men who accompanied that meddling princess of Monterayne's!"

"He's also the son of your secret ally. Juan Feliz. Who was just slain, by the way. By none other than this young man's best friend."

The emperor's hazel eyes slowly widened. "Is that so? Perhaps he shall serve us well yet."

"For his sake, he'd better."

Andre growled. "I may be angry about certain things, but I'm no traito—"

The sensation of a whip biting into his back drew an agonized cry to Andre's lips. He glanced back to see a grinning guard holding a length of leather studded with smooth pebbles. He took in a deep breath and attempted to recover his dignity.

"I did not grant you permission to speak." Emperor Hakentaknid said, "And neither do I do so now. Now, Deljegne Ellesante, remind me what your intentions were with this young man."

"My plan was to complete his training so he can serve as your champion swordsman. An able-bodied man equipped with knowledge of Monteraynian swordsmanship could turn the tide of many a battle in Innutuk's favor."

Andre huffed. "I already told you, I'll never betray my—"

Once again, the whip met Andre's back, and he hissed through the pain. He glanced up at the emperor in frustration.

"I do not recall lifting my command to silence." the emperor snapped, "Now, Deljegne Ellesante, what is this young man's name?"

"Andre Feliz, your majesty."

Emperor Hakentaknid nodded. "Andre Feliz, I truly believe that you and I can be of much mutual benefit to one another. Your father served me well for a great many years, pricking Monterayne constantly as a thorn in her side while also providing me an elite warrior to accomplish my good pleasure abroad. That being so, I am inclined to honor him by giving his son the best Innutuk has to offer."

Andre still glowered at the emperor while subtly struggling against his bonds. "Your empire has nothing that would interest me." he spat, "But if you'd like to elaborate on that offer, I'll listen."

"Just think about it for a moment: The simple privilege of an Innutukian citizenship would give you free rein over thousands of miles of land, five nations as it currently stands."

"What good is all that land if it is engulfed in famine?"

"The famine will not be forever." Emperor Hakentaknid snapped, "The gods of water and earth will come to our aid as they always have, and once they do, the motherland will support a bounty of crops again."

"And when will they finally decide to help you?"

"The seers have not been able to predict the timeline yet, but it shall be! I assure you, Andre Feliz, there is nothing in Monterayne that you cannot have in abundance here."

"Is that so?" Andre challenged, "Does Innutuk have another Manfred Rickland? Another Juan Feliz? Does Princess Kate have an equivalent here?"

"You inquire foolishly. Of course individual people are unique to their land, but I have no doubt men of similar spirit exist in my land, albeit stronger in will and more able in body. And you inquire of Princess Kate; why is that? What was she to you?"

"She was...sweet to me. You could say I fancied her."

The emperor's thunderous laugh echoed through the chamber, belly heaving up and down as he did so. "If it is lovely ladies you seek, you are in the perfect location, Andre Feliz. You could spend one short day in the market and pick out a harem of flawless specimens without any effort. In fact, the difficulty would be in turning any away."

"I don't seek a harem. All I want is one sophisticated lady."

"Trust me, Andre Feliz, our women are by far the prettiest and most feminine of any nation's female half." With a wave of his hand, the monarch beckoned a servant over. Once the man approached and knelt on one knee, Emperor Hakentaknid made his request known. "Captain Markeltet did bring his daughters with him, did he not?"

The servant nodded vigorously. "He did, your majesty."

"Bring them here."

With a clipped statement of acknowledgement, the man hustled off to follow his master's command. The thud of a door shutting behind him ushered in a lengthy silence where Deljegne, Andre, and a few guards stood before the imperial throne and shifted in anticipation. Emperor Hakentaknid himself slurped noisily from a stone goblet in between snacking on grapes stored inside a cavity in his armrest.

Andre perked up when the side door finally creaked open again. The servant stepped back into the throne room, but in a moment, he became invisible to Andre. Three stunning young ladies strutted through the doorway, perfectly proportioned in body and graceful in manner. They practically floated across the floor as they came closer.

The women sported flowing hair of varying shades of brown, ranging from almost black to nearly blonde, with the third woman falling somewhere in the middle of the gradation. Everything about these three individuals struck Andre as the epitome of femininity, from the way they moved to the way their kind eyes swept across the room.

Andre could hardly believe what he was seeing, but he managed to keep a facade of composure over his face. The trio stopped a mere arm's length away from him, all focusing soft, inviting gazes on him. Now that they had drawn closer, he observed that two had eyes of a lovely hazel hue, while the third stared back with dark brown irises. All were equally entrancing.

"Now you see for yourself that it is as I said." Emperor Hakentaknid remarked, tearing Andre out of his admiration of the women, "Such beauty is easy to find in Innutuk. A man's greatest struggle is to retain focus on his task with loveliness like this so abundant around him."

Andre swallowed with some effort and nodded. "I see."

"The core of the matter is this, Andre Feliz: You will either serve me, or your head will roll on this scarlet carpet and Deljegne Ellesante here will return to Monterayne for a new candidate. It is in my power to compel you to serve me unwillingly, but in my great mercy, I am considering adding benefits upon benefits to make your service pleasurable."

"If you're about to make an offer, please hasten to it."

Emperor Hakentaknid tossed his head back to take one last gulp from his goblet, and then he hurled it at the far wall. It chinked against the stone before dropping to the floor and rolling. A servant darted out from the shadows to retrieve it.

"In return for your services as an elite fighter and enforcer of my power, I shall grant you an Innutukian citizenship, along with an estate of your choosing and the honor of lordship. And though I will coerce no one, it is well known that an Innutukian hero undergoes no trial to acquire a crowd of female admirers, any one of which will willingly attend to your pleasure should you desire it. This is only the beginning of the rewards you shall receive, of course, as further feats of manhood warrant further honor."

"So, my only choices are to either take you up on that or die?"

"Essentially, yes." the emperor replied with a chuckle and a brief glance at the three ladies, "Of course, I could also force you into service, yet with no reward, but I believe we both wish not to take that road."

"Not at all." Andre let out a shuddering sigh, mind racing for ways to circumvent the demands made of him. Perhaps he could accept the terms, wait for freedom, and then make himself scarce. But then again, the nearest nation not occupied by Innutuk was four or so days' journey to the west, plenty of time to be discovered and brought back to a harsher imperial frown. His situation was hopeless.

"I have no choice in this matter." Andre said, "I accept your terms."

"Excellent." the emperor beckoned a servant over before returning his attention to Andre. "You will now pledge your allegiance to me."

The servant reached into an inner coat pocket and produced a piece of tattered parchment. He unfolded the sheet and thrusted it into Andre's hands. After frowning at the Innutukian characters for several moments, he turned the parchment over and discovered a translation into an Alcontean tongue that was slightly outdated, but still understandable. With a gulp, he began.

"I hereby pledge my allegiance to thy imperial majesty, Emperor Hakentaknid of the Southeastern Province, and to the empire over which thou rulest. I swear to daily perform my role, however small or large, to augment the power, grandeur, and security of thy glorious lands, striving always to promote unity and harmony among thy people in a spirit of obedience. I swear to always follow thy laws, thy ways, and thy reign all the days of my life."

Andre concluded with a low bow, face impassive but heart throbbing. Dread gripped him, an overwhelming sense that he had just destroyed his future. That his chance at true, lasting happiness was hastily, completely, and irrevocably gone.

**** 

A/N: If that chapter didn't make you feel sorry for Andre/angry with the Emperor and Deljegne, then it'll take you some hard work to persuade me you're even human. Because writing and editing this...boy did I growl. 😂 

Of course, I'll never growl at receiving a vote and/or comment on this story, so go ahead! Maybe you can call off my inner dog. 🤣 

And that's really all I've got for today. Not sure what this weekend will have in store, but I hope you've enjoyed this triple update, courtesy of my buffoonery. See you next week, on time, hopefully!