A Game for the Gods CH.7

Ch.7 Proposition

Frex: "You two are in a great amount of trouble!"

Zoot: "But sir we-"

Frex: "Silence! Not another word from you."

Shadow: "Uncle, please!? It wasn't his fault! I'm the one that entered, he didn't know."

Frex: "Young lady that is no excuse. He should have been watching you. Do you have any idea what could have happened had you been caught?"

Shadow: "...I'm really sorry, uncle. I promise that it will not happen again, but please spare Zoot."

Frex: "...(Sighs) Very well, but you are to take his punishment instead. You are not allowed to leave the grounds for the next few moons, and you are strictly forbidden from the training area; it's time you started acting like a princess."

Shadow: "But uncle-"

Frex: "No buts! Flog! Jen! Take the princess to her room. Zoot, you stay here. We need to have a talk."

Zoot: "Yes sir."

Shadow: "(Holds Zoot tightly) I don't want to leave you!"

Zoot: "(Pats head) Now, now, I'll be fine. Just go with Flog and Jen, and we'll talk later. Okay?"

Shadow: "...O-okay."

Zoot: "Good girl."

Flog: "(Picks up princess) Good luck, Zoot."

Zoot: "(Sighs) Yeah."

Jen: "Just take it like a man. (Snickers)"

Zoot: "(Groans and rolls eyes) So encouraging."

Zoot was no longer a frighten child anymore, but could not help but feel small as Frex eyed him coldly; he had really dug his own grave now, all that remained was for Frex to slit his throat, and throw his lifeless corpse into a hole.

Frex: "Well?"

Zoot: "Umm, sir?"

Frex: "Just how much of a stir did my niece cause?"

Zoot: "Um... well to be honest, sir; she was….brilliant."

Frex: "Really? Care to elaborate, Zoot?"

Zoot: "She had the crowd in an uproar; they were so amazed with her skill and technique."

Frex: "Technique? And what may that be?"

Zoot: "She pulled off her father's favorite move."

Frex: "The one that…..are you sure? Such a move is too advanced for a child her age. Alec and I couldn't even perform such a move until we were teenagers."

Zoot: "There is no doubt about it, I saw it with my own eyes; she did it perfectly, sir, just like Alec."

Within hearing those words leave Zoot's mouth, an odd feeling hit the very pit of Frex's stomach; just like Alec he said, another thorn in his side that could jeopardize everything. He had loved Shadow as a daughter for many years, never once feeling any form of animosity as he had when her father was alive; Frex had changed as a person the moment he became Shadow's guardian. All the anger and resentment had faded from his mind the moment he held her, and yet for some reason or another, he had been overcome with a great fear; Frex felt something chill him to the core.

Frex: "...Leave. And do not speak of this to any."

Zoot: "O-of course, sir. (Walks away)"

Frex grabbed his head in frustration, chewing the inside of his mouth as he contemplated his niece's actions; he was not the only one whose head began to split in pain from the day's events, elsewhere, an orange canine was feeling the strain of his own thoughts.

Jackal: "(Barks) The king has a daughter!? When the hell did that happen!?"

Clue: "Some time ago. You and Zero were too preoccupied with your characters, that you didn't even notice Fale bless the king and queen."

Zero: "She blessed them?"

Clue: "Yes. She heard the queen's cries, and felt sympathetic for her loss; Fale then decided to give the queen a gift to mend her broken heart."

Jackal: "You have got to be kidding me!"

Clue: "There is no point in belly aching over it."

Jackal: "That is not fair! I say that's cheating!"

Zero: "Cheating!? Why you no good, dirt licking, rotten breath smelling, yellow belly coward, who can't fight fair to save his life, cheater!"

Jackal: "I am no such thing!"

Zero: "You are full of it! You expect us to believe that you sneezing on the table was an accident!?"

Jackal: "Unless you can prove otherwise, I'd say that I have done nothing wrong. It is not my fault that your thief lost the tournament."

Clue: "Technically she didn't."

Jackal: "What? What you mean she didn't!?"

Clue: "Zero's thief did not lose. Since the princess did give her a prize, Shadow Farcry has won the tournament, and your knight has lost."

Jackal: "…..(GROWLS)….NO! THAT CAN NOT BE!"

Clue: "From the looks of things, I'd say with that little performance of Shadow's, Zero has earned a great amount of points. You on the other hand, my canine friend, have lost points; hopefully next time, you won't feel the need to sneeze."

It had all become clear to Jackal that Clue knew he was trying to cheat, but for whatever reason, Clue had decided to remain silent; the dog god nearly paled over from the purple glare he had received from Clue. Regardless of the rather cold stare; Clue smiled playfully as he had always done, and continued on as though all were well in the world.

Jackal: "(What is going through his head? He must know what I have done, but why not say anything? It makes no sense at all!) Whatever! It doesn't matter anymore! None of us can win now since there is already an heir to the throne."

Clue: "I beg to differ. The game is not over yet."

Jackal: "It's not?"

Clue: "Of course not. The objective can still be met, if you think about it."

Jackal: "Oh really!? Like what!? Marriage!?"

Clue: "Yes, that is one way."

Jackal: "Ma…..(Grins) marriage."

Of course, marriage! It was so simple; the king had a daughter, a princess for that matter, and Leon was of noble birth, hell! Leon was a boy, a boy that would grow to be a man, a strong, handsome, and dashing young man; what woman could resist such a specimen of manliness!?

Jackal: "(Cackles) I guess the game really isn't over. How delightful!"

Zero: "Hm? You're not upset anymore?"

Jackal: "Why no! I won this game the moment Leon was born. Leon will grow into a great young man, and will eventually win the princess's heart. I will win this game by marriage; all I have to do now is wait."

Zero: "How can you be so certain that she will choose Leon? I doubt that she will just fall in love with him."

Jackal: "Love? (LAUGHS) Love! That is funny, Zero! You honestly think that love has anything to do with this game? The next thing you'll be telling me is that your thief can win her heart."

The mare could not help but feel stuck for once; so much had happened already, and yet another monkey wrench had been thrown in the process. Poor Shadow had lost both of her parents, her birthright to the throne, and now she had no other chances of becoming the ruler of Cauldron; life had already given Shadow a rough start, and now it had thrown a big wall right in front of her.

Clue: "You know, there is another way to win."

Zero: "I…...I can't do that. Besides, Fale will unleash her wrath upon me if I even consider harming that child. I will have to find another way; in the meantime, all I can do is watch her grow, and become a strong woman."

Clue: "Hopefully her uncle let's her train again."

Zero: "I'm sure he will. He's just upset, because she was almost captured. Give him a few days, and he'll be fine. Shadow will be back to honing her skills like a natural thief."

Jackal: "(That's where you're wrong, Zero. I'm not taking any chances with that little pest around; might as well nip this problem in the butt before it gets out of hand, and I know exactly how I'm going to do.)"

Shadow may not have had a dog in the fight for becoming the ruler of Cauldron, but she did pose a certain kind of threat, one that Jackal was going to put a stop to; focusing in on Frex, the dog god began to plague the thoughts of the king of thieves.

Jackal: "It must be a shame to raise that girl with such care, only to have her put you, and everyone else in danger."

Frex: "(Looks around)...Who...who's there?"

Jackal: "This is your conscience speaking, Frex. I am the little voice in your head that is telling you to get rid of that girl."

Frex: "What? I would never do such a thing!"

Jackal: "Oh, but you must! You stand to lose everything. Why allow her to take your crown like her father did?"

Frex: "That's impossible! She can't take my crown, she is not a prince, she's a princess."

Jackal: "Yes, for now. But what's going to happen when she grows up? Think about it; if she gets a husband, they could overthrow you."

Frex: "She wouldn't! The clan would-"

Jackal: "The clan loves her. They love her just as much as Alec; you on the other hand, well (Chuckles) you were not exactly their first choice. No matter how you think about it, Alec was always the favorite one, leaving you as…...the unfortunate one."

Frex: "SILENCE! I am the king now! No one would defy me!"

Jackal: "How can you be so sure? You haven't produced a son just yet, only a daughter; if you can't give the clan an heir before Shadow becomes an adult, who's to say that Shadow won't?"

Frex: "Even if that is true, that girl is too damn stubborn to get married."

Jackal: "She loves Zoot. What will happen when she comes of age? Those two will probably be together; all that stands in the way is time, and that only lasts for so long."

Frex: "...What must I do? I can't just send her away."

Jackal: "Yes you can! You just have to do it properly."

Frex: "Properly? How?"

Jackal: "The western branch. The king there has many sons, and I'm sure he wouldn't mind mixing his line with Alec's. Think about it; no one would suspect a thing, and you would gain whatever your sister branch has to offer. All you need to do is arrange for her to be married as a sign of unity; after that, your place upon the throne will be secure."

Could he really do it? Could he send his beloved niece away, just because he was afraid? He had made a vow, he had promised to keep it, but could Shadow eventually overthrow him? Take his crown that he had worked so hard for? Shadow had five, maybe eight years before she would start thinking about boys; Zoot was older by ten years, but what if Shadow didn't care? They were so close as it was, close enough to eventually feel something for the other; love would eventually come in full bloom as she reached adulthood, could he really take that risk?

Frex: "(Takes a deep breath)...Gavin!"

Gavin: "Sir?"

Frex: "I need you to send word to King Polk in the western branch. Tell him that I have a proposition for him, one that will benefit us both. Let no one else know of this, is that understood?"

Gavin: "Yes, sir. (Walks away)"

Jackal: "Good. Very good, Frex. You did the right thing."

Frex: "...I…..did the right thing."

Renne: "Hon? Are you alright?"

Frex: "Huh!? Oh Renne! Y-yes love. I'm alright."

Renne: "Oh good! I was informed of what happened to Shadow, and was wondering if everything was alright?"

Frex: "(Sighs) For now, dear…..….Renne love? Can I ask you something?"

Renne: "Of course!"

Frex: "When you look at Shadow, who does she remind you of? And be honest, love."

Renne: "(Ponders)...She does look like Lilian, but when she's out running around, playing with the other children, practicing her sword fighting skills, I could swear that I see Alec."

Frex: "I see."

Renne: "Why do you ask, dear?"

Frex: "Oh, no reason."

Renne: "Alright….(Smiles) So what form of punishment did you give this time?"

Frex: "A punishment not worthy of straightening that child out."

Renne: "(Giggles) Resilient as always."

Frex: "I need you to do me a favor, love."

Renne: "Oh? What kind of favor?"

Frex: "I need you to turn Shadow, into a proper young lady. It's time she started acting like a princess."

Renne: "Shadow? Act like a princess? (Chuckles) My love, Shadow will not listen to me, nor anyone for that matter. Princess or not, Shadow is not willing to act like a lady of grace."

Frex: "Please, love; I need you to try. It's very important."

Renne: "...What do you have planned, dear?"

Frex: "Nothing! I just want her to stop this nonsense is all."

Renne: "There is no other reason? One that I would like to know, one that I probably should know, and it is because I am your wife and mother of your child?"

Frex: "...It is nothing to concern yourself with. I just want Shadow to be a lady."

Renne: "...(Sighs) Very well, dear. I will do my best."

Frex: "(Kisses forehead) Thank you, my love."