Demorus climbed the castle stairs towards his room, known to the castle's servants as the Counselor's Chambers.
There was always a cold dampness to the castle walls. The dreary gray stone seemed to attract more moisture than the King's gold attracted thieves.
King Mylor never recovered from his hollow fall into depression at the time of the death of his wife and child.
With the passing of every year, the King relied on Demorus, his Court Counselor, to be the eyes, ears, and most often, the mind of the throne. Most of Mylor's trust came from his Counselor's knowledge of the dark side of alchemy during his attempts to touch the side of life his small family had gone years ago. But over time the King's desire to reach them burned in on itself and he eventually began to crumble like the kingdom around him. Demorus knew the strength of his position only grew as the King's diminished. He took full advantage of his post by manipulating any information he acquired before passing it on to the unsuspecting Mylor.
More often than not, Demorus also used what he knew to persuade the King to make decisions to benefit him.
In the past it had always been his goal to weaken the King's confidence, as with the slaying of the queen, until he was ready to overthrow the current rule. The conspiracy he plotted today would be no different.
"Foolish old man," he thought. "Mylor has no idea what I have done. Within the year I will have my own
following among the Army. All picked by my hand and ordered by my word. This year the Tournament will be my first selection of "armed thieves" and with each passing year, I will have even more men under my thumb, and
someday I will have Mylor as well.”
There was always a cold dampness to the castle walls. The dreary gray stone seemed to attract more moisture than the King's gold attracted thieves.
King Mylor never recovered from his hollow fall into depression at the time of the death of his wife and child.
With the passing of every year, the King relied on Demorus, his Court Counselor, to be the eyes, ears, and most often, the mind of the throne. Most of Mylor's trust came from his Counselor's knowledge of the dark side of alchemy during his attempts to touch the side of life his small family had gone years ago. But over time the King's desire to reach them burned in on itself and he eventually began to crumble like the kingdom around him. Demorus knew the strength of his position only grew as the King's diminished. He took full advantage of his post by manipulating any information he acquired before passing it on to the unsuspecting Mylor.
More often than not, Demorus also used what he knew to persuade the King to make decisions to benefit him.
In the past it had always been his goal to weaken the King's confidence, as with the slaying of the queen, until he was ready to overthrow the current rule. The conspiracy he plotted today would be no different.
"Foolish old man," he thought. "Mylor has no idea what I have done. Within the year I will have my own
following among the Army. All picked by my hand and ordered by my word. This year the Tournament will be my first selection of "armed thieves" and with each passing year, I will have even more men under my thumb, and
someday I will have Mylor as well.”