Hamund stood in front of his remaining royal guard, their once gleaming silver and gold armor now draped in heavy black cloth. The fabric, dark as the shadows that stretched across the land, displayed as a means to honor the fallen, but it only made them appear as phantoms, lost in the aftermath of their failure. The soldiers stood at attention, their eyes dull and empty as they stared forward, no one dared meet the king's gaze.

  He had watched his kingdom fall apart piece by piece, but this– this felt like the final, irrevocable breaking point. His hands twitched at his sides, clenched into fists that could have shattered the air around him if only his resolve hadn’t been so fractured. The screams, the blood, the lives pointlessly lost– it all hung in the air like a fog, too thick to escape. He had spent months, years even, playing this politician role, trying to be some man of the people. He couldn’t help but ask himself, what was it all for? Time and time again, he was betrayed.

  There would be no more negotiations, no more arguments about what would be best for the kingdom. This was a beast that should have been killed at conception, but he let it grow, he even fed it at times. It was time these beasts knew what a real monster was, it's time they learned what a man with nothing left is capable of.

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  Hamund’s gaze swept over the faces of the soldiers before him, their eyes were vacant, reflecting the emptiness that settled in his heart. He saw no pride in them anymore, but their loyalty did not waiver, they were dogs ready to be unleashed at a moment's notice.

  “Look at me!” he growled, his voice heavy and low, but laced with a cold fury that barely hid the weight of his pain. “Understand, they did not just steal from me today, they took your leader. They took your future from you, with little regard of what would be taken in return.” Hamund approached his soldiers, his voice softening as he spoke to them “They call you dogs! Mutts, just barking and biting. Can you believe that?” Hamund knew he needed to keep the guard on his side, his next ask of them would be a true test of loyalty. “If they want dogs, we will give them dogs!” Hamund roared out.

  The guards began to bark vigorously, each bark louder than the last. Hamund couldn’t help but smile, by sunrise there would be no more rebellion, no more treachery, and his child would not have died in vain.

  “Set out upon the town, find the shadows in which serpents rest!” Hamund ordered, pausing to take a breath and let his order ring clear. “No where should be safe, no castle walls, silvered armor, or stoned walls shall protect the snakes. Burn their lives to the ground, kill anyone associated with the rebellion. We will start a new tomorrow, with a clear message set.”