The King's Guard

Chapter 25

(Flashback: Darius, 15 years ago)

Smoke drifted from the inner courtyards, muted by the heavy fall of rain. The night air outside the palace was filled with the low grind of metal on stone and the distant pulse of boots pounding across marble floors.

Darius stood at the split in the corridor. He held his breath, his sword in his right hand.

The order had been clear: secure the Council chamber.

But the Queen was still inside the throne room. The old corridors trembled with conflict. Somewhere, someone screamed. It didn’t change the facts. The Council controlled wartime protocol. The Queen was symbolic.

His second-in-command adjusted his stance. “They’re expecting us west.”

Darius looked down that corridor. He saw nothing. Then he turned east toward the throne wing. There were fewer guards, and fewer lights too.

But, more danger loomed.

“She’s unguarded.” Darius muttered.

“They’ll say we hesitated.”

“My priority remains the Queen. They can say what they want. If she falls, so does the order they love quoting. Think about it.”

His second raised a brow. “Hmmm… You know this could cost you, don’t you?”

Darius flicked the sweat from his brow. “Then let it cost me.”

And then, he turned east, leaving his second behind.

Three guards fell between the stairs and the inner antechamber. Darius took them down in near silence: blades quick, angles tight. The Queen’s personal chambers were breached. A gash along the main door yawned open.

He pushed through.

She stood upright despite the damage. Her robes were half torn, and her crown missing. A broken scepter lay near the hearth.

“You shouldn’t be here,” she said.

“I’m aware, but here I am.”

She stared at him. “They’ll blame you.”

“I know, my Queen.”

She stepped forward, eyes sharp despite the soot on her face. “They told you to go west.”

“They assumed the Council was the priority.”

“They always do.”

“But you are.”

More soldiers thundered down the stairs behind him. He braced.

But the Queen raised her chin. “You came anyway.”

“I didn’t plan to.”

“And yet you did.”

He looked her in the eye. “They’ll say I disobeyed, not like I mind though.”

“Then I’ll say you saved me.”

She stepped closer.

“Get me out. That’s all I ask.”

Later, drenched in soot and rain, Darius stood before the Council table. The chamber reeked of burn oil and plaster dust. Seven seats filled. One empty. A cloth draped across it.

He did not speak.

Archmaster Velreth leaned back. “Why didn’t you follow your orders?”

“The Queen was unguarded. I just had to.” Darius said.

“She is a figurehead. We told you where to go.”

“I chose the living over the ceremonial.”

“You chose optics. What the fuck was that stunt you pulled?”

“She was alive. That was enough for me.”

Velreth narrowed his eyes. “And the Councilman who died?”

“I regret that.”

“But not your decision.”

Darius didn’t flinch. “No.”

The Queen stood at the far side, saying nothing. Her gaze didn’t meet Darius's. But she remained.

Velreth tapped his fingers. “This sets a precedent.”

“So be it.”

(Present)

The courtyard was quiet. Grey skies rose above, with broken light striking through.

Kael stood across from the new visitor. He had sharp lines beneath the cloak, angular features, a smile that didn’t rise past the cheekbones.

“You’re Darius’s recruit?” the man asked.

Kael nodded. “Kael Estaran.”

“Estaran,” the man repeated. “I’ve read the name.”

They shook hands.

His grip was firm.

“High Commander Velreth,” the man said. “I serve as strategic oversight to advanced cadet units. Your squad is on my list.”

Kael held his gaze. “Understood, High Commander.”

Velreth glanced past him, toward the southern watchtower. “A question, please? Do you enjoy it here?”

“It’s service. I don’t need to enjoy it.”

“Hmm… Good answer right here.” Velreth tilted his head. “Have you used the Temporal Rift again?”

Kael hesitated. “No.”

“Good. You’re young. Darius started young, too. That was part of the problem.”

Kael watched him. “Sir, what do you mean? You think it’s a problem now?”

“Potential always is,” Velreth replied lightly. “Especially when it doesn’t wait its turn.”

Kael said nothing. He just furrowed his brows a little, and sighed.

Velreth took a step closer. “I read your file. Quiet. Efficient. Smart. Calculating. Draws lines others don’t see. But those lines bend when needed. Just like your commander.”

Kael blinked. “Sir?”

“You remind me of him,” Velreth said. “The same pause before action. The same defiance under control.”

“I follow the mission.”

“Well, you do… until it shifts. And then, you follow something else.”

Kael’s jaw tightened. “Uhmm… Only what’s necessary though.”

Velreth’s smile returned. “That’s what he said too.”

Later, Darius found him standing by the west balcony.

“You met Velreth,” Darius said.

Kael nodded. “Yes I did. Turns out he knows about the Temporal Rift.”

“No bother. He knows about everything.”

“He asked why I don’t question orders.”

Darius gave a short breath. “That’s not a compliment. It’s a test.”

Kael looked at him. “Did you pass it?”

“Once, then I failed it permanently.”

Kael raised an eyebrow. “What happened?”

Darius stepped forward. “When I pulled the Queen from that siege, the Council called it insubordination. They demoted me for a cycle. But she kept me close. For loyalty.”

“She still does?”

“I’m here, aren’t I?”

“But Velreth’s higher.”

Darius didn’t answer.

Kael leaned on the rail. “Is it always like this? One move forward, two daggers behind?”

Darius gave him a long look. “Only when you matter.”

(Flashback: Months after the siege.)

Darius stood at the far side of a long hall, with files of records in hand.

Velreth entered slowly. “The Queen made you her strategic advisor.”

“She trusts me.”

“She oversteps. Your choices reflect on all of us.”

“You mean your alliances.”

“I mean the balance,” Velreth said. “You shift it, and the shift never benefits both sides.”

“I didn’t sign on for balance.”

“Then you signed on for instability.”

Darius looked down at the scroll. “There was no Council when the gate exploded. There was no Chamber. Just fire and a broken voice behind a closed door.”

Velreth exhaled. “You always choose noise over order.”

“I choose what’s left standing.”

Velreth's voice cooled. “That won't always be enough.”

(Present)

Kael paced the hallway outside the map room. Jared had just exited. He nodded as he passed Kael. Nothing sharp or mocking. Just a calculating look.

Inside, Darius stood facing a stone-table map.

“You’re being watched again,” Kael said.

Darius looked up. “I’m always watched. Well, so are you.”

Kael stepped closer. “Velreth doesn’t like me.”

“He doesn’t like anyone that doesn’t nod first.”

“He thinks I’ll disobey.”

“You will. One day. We all do.”

“Will it matter?”

Darius smiled faintly. “Only to the ones keeping score.”

Kael tilted his head. “And you?”

“I stopped keeping score years ago.”

Kael gave a slow nod. “He compared me to you.”

Darius’s smile faded. “Then you’ll need to be careful. Very very careful.”

Evening settled like ash. Kael sat near the dorm window, watching the training fields empty.

Velreth’s words still sat behind his ribs.

You remind me of him.

He didn’t know if that was a threat or a warning.

He flipped open his journal, eager to pour in all he'd learnt and gathered today.

> High Commander Velreth: removed Commander Darius after siege. Restored under Queen’s protection. Tactical—calculates instability as disruption. Probes. Observes. Waits.

He rubbed his temples, flicking the pen to and fro. He stretched his stiff limbs and yawned, obviously from exhaustion. He sat upright, and then added a new line.

> He watched me too long for it to be casual.

Then, he underlined it twice.