Dust choked the slightly dark yet large room. Aric walked over to the window and pulled open the curtains, allowing light to find its path into the dining hall. Like every other space in the house, this one was quite large—after all, it was the home of a prince, even though most times it didn’t quite feel like one.
Aric turned away from the window to face Serina and Lerai, who had settled into chairs around the large dining table, summoned for an urgent meeting by Aric.
"I apologize. This room hasn’t been used in a while," he said as he used his hands to clear the dust that floated around his face.
Aric walked toward the side of the dining hall, where an oddly placed bookshelf stood. He reached for one of the books, wondering when the shelf had been placed there and why it was seen a fit addition to a dinning hall.
"Before we begin," Serina spoke, her gaze scrutinizing Aric since she first saw him. "What the hell happened to you?"
"What do you mean?" Aric feigned ignorance.
But he knew exactly what she meant. He had seen it in the mirror before leaving his room. He looked different—gone was his skeletal frame, replaced by well-defined muscles. His hair was richer, his face fuller.
"You look a lot more handsome and healthy, Your Highness," Lerai added with a smile, appealing to aric’s hidden complacency.
"Yes, very odd," Serina rubbed her chin, still scrutinizing Aric.
"Both of you, stop talking," Aric raised his hand to silence them. "We have more important matters to handle."
Serina, intrigued and curious since she had first arrived, sat back and let Aric speak.
"Yes, please go on," she said.
"The Emperor has ordered that I go to the Byzeth Kingdom and quell any thoughts of rebellion," Aric announced, leaning against a desk not too far from the dining table.
Aric walked closer, slowly approaching them.
"Days became months, and months became years. With the wind’s persistence, the soil loosened around trees, causing them to fall. Grains of sand were blown away, and stone was polished until it was smooth and fragile." Aric raised his hand. "And yet, the mountain still stood tall. But in its depths, there were cracks. Still, the mountain didn’t see the wind as a threat.
However, through persistence—by chipping away slowly at its core and foundation—after many years, the great mountain could bear it no more."
"Cracks formed at its base, splitting the mountain in two. With a thunderous roar of defeat, the once-immovable mountain was reduced to rubble and dust. And the wind? Well, it blew through the fallen stone and whispered through the valley."
Aric stayed silent for a moment, as though to let his words simmer, before asking, "Is this understood?" The prince gazed at them, half expecting he would need to further elaborate.
"We wouldn’t fight them, since we are not as strong..." Serina began, with Lerai following afterward.
"Instead, we find weaknesses. Hit places they won’t notice, where they can’t fight back, and eventually, they become weak," Lerai continued, rubbing his chin.
"There are many ways: Seeds of distrust, assassination, whispers of betrayal along with plans of dictatorship... we make them crumble from the inside, and when they are at their lowest..." Serina began to piece it all together.
"We finish it," Aric completed, grinning.
Their train of thought aligned with his, making them an even more productive assembly than he initially thought.
Suddenly, loud voices and commotion could be heard through the open window, and although Aric couldn’t be certain, the angry yells sounded quite familiar.
He turned, stepping toward the window to confirm what was going on, and as he saw the furious face of the third prince, Darius, facing off with his guards, Aric’s expression brimmed with delight.
"What brilliant timing," Aric said, turning away. "Let’s put a pin in this. I must attend to a very important guest."