"Fwtt-Tooooom," The pair was interrupted, (to much appreciation of the panther,) by a loud crash as the spell Alice had been working on released, slamming itself into the timbers of the door, splintering them easily behind the massive force.
The scent of burning oak filled the air and mixed into a odd combination when paired with the sll of rainfall and blood as the smoke and dust from the magical blast settled. There were no humans left alive in the hall by this ti.
As the haze cleared and their sights could focus on what was left of the door before them, the king spoke a single sentence. "I do this part alone."
Jagón and Alice shot each other a worried look before the panther spoke his worry, after all, the main duty of the King’s Guard was to guard the king after all.
"My king, surely you don’t intend to needlessly endanger yourse-" Jagón had abruptly ended his sentence as his liege briefly glanced his way.
When you’ve known soone long enough, a re look can tell you more than you need to know, and what the panther knight imdiately understood was this was sothing his king NEEDED to do alone for whatever reason.
His statent wasn’t a request, but an order, and debate was no longer on the table. The knight bowed his head in understanding as his king began making his way toward the ruined doorway, the sudden silence that fell upon a room that was so recently filled with tal clashing against tal left the panther’s ears with a ringing sensation.
The lion had made his way to the threshold of the next room before he paused for a mont to speak one final order to his knights in a tone lacquered with the presence of his malice, and the finality of his decision.
"Search the grounds, kill any remaining human on sight." And with that, the beastman king stepped into the human king’s throne room for the final battle of his crusade against the people he had co to despise and resent so fully. His army let out a cheer, then went about following the duty assigned to them. True to the order, there were no survivors.
The panther knight had shed half his armor as he sat bare-chested in the remains of the entry hall, allowing his tired eyes a monts rest alongside fellow mbers of the King’s Guard roughly two hours later that sa day.
So of the knights were offering cheery, congratulations to one other, so were resting after battling through their exhaustion, (Alice one being completely drained, resting against a fallen pillar by this point,) and so wept quietly as they mourned the loss of their comrade’s lives that had been claid by the gods on that day.
The panther, however, appeared calm and to be relaxing. In truth, his mind was still racing to process everything that had co to pass over the last few months.
The assassination of Queen Talia, his King’s declaration of war re days before his wife’s news of expecting another child, the feat of conquering three separate human kingdoms in battle only months apart, and of course, the news of his wife, Felicity, falling ill most recently.
His kingdom had won, he could only pray that good fortune would hold true for the rest of his battles still being fought. Regrettably, he would soon find that fortune smiles favorably on no one for too long.
"General Venatus! General Venatus! I bring urgent news from your wife and house for you." A young coyote had co shouting and running into the hall brandishing around a piece of parchnt frantically as he closed the gap towards the panther that was now eagerly rising to his feet to intercept the ssenger. A few monts later, he found himself hesitant to break the letter seal bearing his own family crest stamped upon the parchnt.
"Jagón Venatus, General of the King’s army, mber of the elite King’s guard, survivor of countless battles... terrified of opening a letter." The panther mumbled to himself, however, there was a grave feeling in his gut that made the simple parchnt feel heavier than a greatsword. Nearly two minutes passed by with most in the hall too on edge to move as the panther stared down in a daze at the letter in his hands.
King Alocer’s touch on his shoulder managed to break the big cat’s concentration as he glanced over to et the lion’s gaze. His king only held the eye contact for a mont before motioning over towards the throne room. Both king and knight made their way into the room a different king had lost his crown in only monts before.
Jagón couldn’t place it, but there was sothing off about the lion standing before him compared to before the final duel... So faint glimpse of... Tenderness perhaps?
None of the lion’s soldiers had saw what happened inside the throne room of the human King during the fight for life, but the only part that mattered to most of them was it was their own king who had erged from that room the victor. The panther found himself mildly curious now, but that thought was pushed away by the task at hand.
"So privacy in this setting is nigh impossible, but I can at least give you this room for your personal matter on hand. I’m going to have the other guards begin assembling the troops out front for the trek back ho now that we’ve all had a monts rest... When you’ve done what you needed, rejoin ..."
The lion hesitated for a mont before he continued "And Jagón... I say this today as your friend, not your king. No matter what fate, or that letter holds in store for you, rember, there are lives that depend on you... I consider myself blessed to be counted among that lot."
The great king felt there was so much more that he needed to say, but the words simply weren’t there, so he left it at that. He placed one hand upon his friends shoulder, offered him a final squeeze of support, and turned to make his leave. As the king made it nearly halfway to the door, the panther once more turned to the lion, and called out a question burning in his throat.
Jagón, even to this very day, couldn’t begin to understand what made him ask what he asked, but at the ti, it felt far too important to remain silent. In retrospect, these simple words may have shifted the very path of history itself, and certainly far from course on what either big cat, (or any other person still alive on that battlefield,) could’ve ever possibly imagined.
"My king... Does the loss of life end here?"
The lion paused in his step as the question rolled over him. He could tell by the faintest trembling in the panther’s voice, His friend was tired. He perford his duties as expertly as ever these past few months, but it all had taken it’s toll on the cat, and Alocer knew it.
The king was silent for a mont before giving his answer in such a quiet tone that the panther could barely hear, all while never turning around.
"The loss of life never ends my old friend... But now... And I swear this to you as a king to my most trusted advisor, your blade may rest. No more blood shall be spilled by my command under this night’s moon." And with that, the king left.
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