Alright, once again I've gotten inspiration for ITW, so this is yet another prequel for the QOS series. Sorry if these have become annoying, but here's my entry, told from the POV of the current king of Bellona: Dominic III.
Dominic surveyed the ruins of the land before him, once sprawling fields of green, now charred and dead, a husk of what they once were.
What a shame. All this land was put to waste because of this war. If only Dueglestein had accepted his offer the first time. Instead, he'd been forced to rally Bellona, Hilgaria, and Thuron together to defeat this nation.
He had even enlisted the help of a sorceress, a witch. That was something he never thought he'd have to do. Witches were dangerous. Born with their magical abilities, they were once a flourishing population of magical men and women alike.
But they were dangerous, nonetheless. Their powers were wild, unpredictable. Who knew when would be the next time they would strike? Magical folk had nearly ended the world before, and this time they had almost succeeded a second time.
Without the help of that sorceress, they wouldn't have been able to defeat her. But now, what was he to do? This nation was no longer prospering, but dead. The price to pay for dealing with such dangerous magic.
If only Dominic had acted sooner. Maybe there wouldn't be this much destruction, this much death. This country was now a fraction of what it used to be, the number of people dwindling more than it ever had before.
Perhaps... Dominic thought, It's best to just leave them alone, for a while. Maybe if there is some kind of pact...some kind of treaty, to keep them away from our shores and borders, we can prevent a mistake like this from happening again.
But the people. The people were what haunted Dominic. What would his country think if it found out he could've prevented all of this? If he had only been sooner...
No, Dominic reassured himself, The people cannot know. They can never know what has occurred here. If they ever found out, I would be ruined.
An idea struck Dominic. He would cover up the events that had occurred today, and design a treaty to prevent Dueglestein from coming anywhere near the other countries. With a treaty like that, none of the other countries would think to visit Dueglestein as well, thus keeping these events secret.
The plan was foolproof.
Call him a fool, if you may, call him a coward and selfish. But if anyone had stopped to think of the place Dominic stood, his hands figuratively tied behind his back while being stuck in a corner, the only option was the treaty.
Call him weak, if you may, call him sniveling and meek. But if anyone had stopped and seen the things Dominic had, been put in the dangerous positions the past few years had brought on him, they would understand.
Call him sly, if you may, call him cunning and conniving. But if anyone, just anyone, had stopped and put themselves in Dominic's shoes, they would understand the hardships of a king. They would understand him.
If only they would see.
ns 15.158.61.17da2
