Karden, But He Is a Bit Different Than She Expected

Vrasha moved to the door. Her old instinct told her to reach for a weapon as she did, but she ignored it. Gelmina might well have designs on her or her kingdom but she doubted they were stupid enough to begin them with an ****.

The door was made of polished wood with metal insets, and as she opened it she found a familiar face waiting for her on the other side.

"Minister Karden," She said. "I didn't think I would see you until tomorrow. Has something come up?"

"Something, yes." He said. "But nothing very major. I hate to bother you like this really, but it is the sort of thing which could get out of hand if not dealt with at once."

"Is that so? Has one of my delegation fallen afoul of your laws?"

"Oh, nothing like that!" He laughed. "Nothing quite that serious, my dear. But I was hoping to do some last minute rescheduling. I know it's late but I hope you don't mind. I can come in?"

The odd phrase struck Vrasha. Not ''Can I come in'' but ''I can come in''. It was an oddly old fashioned way of talking but she simply shrugged her shoulders.

"Of course," She said and gestured for him to follow her into the main room. He entered, looking around.

"I hope you are settling in well," He said to her. "I don't see the slaves we lent you. I hope they're not in any sort of trouble?"

"Of course not," Vrasha did her best to be diplomatic. "I simply did not enjoy their presence so they are remaining with others of my delegation."

"Still uncomfortable with slaves then?"

"It is not something I ever expect to be comfortable about," She said. "I may endure it perhaps but I will never like it and I am not sure if I should even go that far."

"You will grow to like them," Karden said. It sounded like a statement but it was phrased in a way that Vrasha did not like. She shook her head.

"No, I do not think I ever will."

He threw her an odd look, but quickly went on.

"We can sit on the floor," He told her. "Chairs are painful for my back."

Vrasha shot a look at him. He did not seem to be that old, and as far as she could tell he was the perfect picture of health. Still, a small voice in the back of her head said, it would be better to avoid being rude.

"Of course."

The two of them settled on the floor cross legged. Vrasha's blue dress drawn up about her. Karden nodded as they settled down, almost seeming satisfied.

"Tell me something, " he said to her. "Did you ever desire to be a queen?"

Vrasha was surprised by the change of topic and wondered briefly if he had only come here to pump her for information. For some reason though, she found herself answering his question.

"No," She said. "I was never meant to be queen. My brother was the favoured to rule. He was older by a year and also male. My father trained and taught him, make him the perfect little apprentice. I was taught to weave, to knit and to sit around looking pretty. It was expected that I would one day be married off to some distant kingdom in order to build relations and would never again see my family or land."

"That is harsh," Karden nodded. "But I suppose it is how monarchies do things. We in Gelmina do not have a king. We have a mayor - an elected position. Though sadly at the moment the position is empty. There will be an election in the coming year and someone will fill it. In the meantime, ministers such as myself keep things running."

He looked at her, an odd glint in his eye.

"I heard that during the war, you became renowned as a soldier. How could it be that a princess who had never before battled could lead an army to victory over her brother who had been trained and taught by the best generals in the land? Many called it impossible. Some theorised that you were a pawn to others, who were using you in their own secret plans. Is there any truth to that?"

Vrasha's face flushed.

"Not even remotely!" She snarled. "Everything I did, I did by my own hands! And I paid for my mistakes in blood and loss. I was a little girl who was **** to grow up fast, surrounded by soldiers and bandits."

"So how did you win against your brother?"

She turned aside with a scowl.

"That's not relevant." She said. "Nor is it particularly pleasant to recall. I would thank you if you would not ask such things."

"And yet I do." Karden pressed, his voice growing more firm. "How did you win against your brother? Tell me."

"I will not." She snarled, rising to her feet, her face was flushed with anger. "You will leave now, Karden and if I am in a good mood, I will forget this trespass by morning."

Karden was also getting to his feet. He looked at her, his eyes were at once both fierce and yet curious.

"I order you to tell me."

"Order me? I am not one of your slaves! I have no obligation to do as you ask."

"I command it."

Vrasha reeled as if she'd been struck. Suddenly, her head felt heavy and her limbs were shaking. She blinked, tried to clear away the feeling. Her instincts kicked in and she powered forward, one of her fists smashed into the minister, hurling him against the far wall. He thumped hard into it, but as she came at him again, he spat a mouthfull of blood.

"Stop!"

The word cut through her body and Vrasha tumbled. Her legs suddenly slammed to a stop and she hit the ground, fighting with herself. What the hell was happening? Was it magic of some kind? She reared up again, more cautious now. Her sword was still in the bed room.

Karden observed her with a certain wariness, the two almost circling as they waited to see who would make the first mistake.

"What have you done to me?" Vrasha said carefully.

"The real question is why hasn't it worked?" Karden said. "You should not be resisting my commands and yet you are. Thankfully, it seems that repeated or firm commands are harder for you to shake off."

She shook her head, repeating her words with a feral edge.

"What did you do?"

"It was the water," Karden said. He smoothed his clothes as he spoke, trying to restore an aura of orderliness about himself. "As I told you before, Gelmina has only one natural source of water. It's a series of artisan wells that are buried deep below the surface. One of those wells - the deepest and the oldest - has a curious thing within it. A magical crystal about the size of your fist. Where it came from no one knows. Save perhaps Kazum. However its effects are very well known to the most elite of us."

"It's what makes the slaves!" Vrasha said. "That's why they're all so happy!"

"Correct." Karden spoke. "The water, when treated in a specific way, induces a hypnotic state in humans. The more water consumed the more powerful the state becomes. Such a trance lasts only a brief amount of time but during that period, the subject becomes extremely receptive to orders or commands and once given, those commands linger even beyond the trance itself. For example, if I took a woman and told her ''You are happy to be a ****'' even when the trance was finished, she would honestly believe that she was happy to be a ****."

"That doesn't make sense," Vrasha said. "There are too many slaves for that. You can't get them all."

"I don't need to." Karden said. "The culture of Gelmina itself is the command. Everyone here is taught from their birth that slaves are happy, that no on is taken advantage of. These are common sentiments, so when they drink the water it is not uncommon for them to take hold even if no one else is around. In a sense, the command comes from their own subconscious. Someone who is unhappy with life, or bored, or simply seeking something new may be open to that suggestion. All it requires is that the water reach them in some form. And we regularly release it into the population. Not everyone who drinks it will find the right trigger, of course. But enough do that slaves are simply a part of the tradition here."

"And once they become slaves, you give them more of the water," Vrasha growled. "I see."

"Yes. That eliminates any possible mistakes. We gave you the water when you first arrived, and each time you have drank since then. The water grows more powerful with repeated exposure. By this point, you really should be willing to do anything and everything that I say."

"Clearly I'm stronger than you think."

"Evidently." He said drily. "But not as strong as you want. Otherwise, you would have made another move for me or called for help. Your willpower is considerable but you are only human. This doesn't change a thing."

"Hah, really?" Vrasha tried to look cocky but her heart was beating fast. She desperately wished Elody was here, but quickly discarded the thought. The command he'd issued her to leave him alone still thrummed through her being but it was getting weaker. She couldn't break it yet but as soon a she could, she'd lunge at him. Smash him with a blow to the throat so he couldn't talk, then figure out what to do after that. It wouldn't be pretty but she had no intention of falling into this trap.

"Indeed so." Karden said. "In fact, the fact that your willpower is this strong only makes you more valuable in the end. Let's get back to the point. Tell me how you defeated your brother."

"I...I refuse!"

"I order you to tell me."

Vrasha bit her lip, it felt like her jaw was tearing itself apart as it struggled to speak.

"I demand it! I am Karden, Minister of Gelmina and I order you to tell me this!"

She reeled again like he'd landed a punch on her. The power of the command flowed through her body. Vrasha gasped and struggled, but it soon became clear that her will was being overpowered.

"It was the blade," She said, hating each word that escaped her mouth.

"The windblade?"

"Yes. It belonged to an ancient hero. The first day I was on my own, I was called to it by a voice I did not know. They told me that my destiny was soon to be overcome in blood and ****, and that I would die or end my life as a **** to my brother."

"I see." Karden crossed his arms. "And the voice offered a way around that fate?"

"Yes..." Vrasha recoiled, fighting and losing against her own body. Her muscles were coiled tightly, and she was practically trembling with the ferocity of her inner battle. "They told me the sword and the shield would have the potential to save me and the rest of the kingdom. But only the potential. I would have to make it work myself. The weapons became a rallying symbol but I was still a foolish, untested girl and I made mistakes. People died for them. That blood is on my hands but I rose above it. Every mistake was costly, but each was also a lesson and my brother was arrogant. It took years for us to go from an annoying pest to a true enemy and by the time we did, I was well practised as a leader and general."

"Interesting." Karden said. "And the voice? Did you ever find out who it was or hear it again?"

"Never."

"Curious." He seemed to consider, turning his back on her as he thought. If only she'd been free to spring at that moment, it would all be over!

"And the sword. Can anyone else use it?"

"No... only me."

"And there is nothing else to that? Only you? Tell me if there is any way that anyone else ever could wield that sword."

"I..." She ground her teeth, shaking her head. her knees went weak and she struggled, but the information came out regardless. "Someone of my blood... the original hero was the founder of my family line. Someone directly of my blood could wield it as well as I..."

"But there is no one else who is of your blood." Karden said. "Your father and brother are dead. You did have other siblings, but they are now dead or in hiding. Effectively, the sword responds to you and you alone."

"Yes."

"Well, it is no matter." Karden shrugged. " Someone else will be along sooner or later who can wield it. Someone who can be moulded and trusted more than you, my dear. In the meantime, it seems that I am going to have to take steps to combat this annoying resistance of yours. You may be able to contest the diluted water but you will not be able to fight the pure original. Tomorrow, you will come with me - only you, no one else in your delegation. You will tell them I am taking you on a private tour and you will follow me."

"I will not..."

"You will. I order it."

She snarled, feeling the whip crack against her soul.

"Also, as soon as we are done here, you will forget any of this happened. You will believe with all of your heart that we had a pleasant and enlightening conversation and that we can all get along. You will come with me tomorrow, without any weapons, and accompany me down to the deepest part of the palace. There, I will show you the well and the purifying crystal and offer you the chance to bathe there. You will do so."

"I will not..."

"You will," He grinned. "You will do it. You will think it is your own idea. You will be honoured that we allow you to strip naked for us and bathe in that water. Then, as it pours over you, you will decide that you want to be a ****. You will think that being a **** is the best thing you could ever achieve. You will enjoy it and you will support slavery with all of your might. You will want to be sold, but as you are the princess of another kingdom, that cannot be so. Instead, you will offer yourself in wedding to Gelmina in exchange for our help in bringing the wonders of slavery to Khol-Hon."

"You are an absolute bastard."

"There are many who have thought so," Karden agreed. "But bastard or not, I am ambitious,. You will be my wife, and I will treat you exactly as you want and love to be treated. As a ****. And with the power of Khol-Hon behind me, I will become mayor of Gelmina and so rule two great states."

"You want an empire," She growled. "I won't allow it."

"That's the point. You don't have to. In fact, you will do everything in your power to help me achieve my goal. My dear Vrasha, soon you will think of me as the love of your life. And the best part? The magic is in the water. Even if one were to test your charms or enchantments, you would be absolutely normal."

He turned, moving back towards the door.

"Remember what I said. As soon as I close this door, you will forget this whole conversation but you will remember your orders. Tomorrow, you will bathe in the crystal heart and then you will be mine, body and soul."