The Crown's Entrapment



The journey for Amon inside the territory went relatively smoothly, but the further they went from the capital, the more the environment showed the scars that the former war inflicted on them. That was especially the case the moment they crossed the borders of Helion and stepped foot in one of the fallen kingdoms that Devon once conquered.

Looking around, Amon felt a pricking pain inside his heart as he witnessed the destroyed buildings around him. Of how the people were struggling because of the destruction brought about by his brother's war.

"This…" 

He shook his head in disdain. While he wanted to help these poor people, his main focus will always be the kingdom of Helion. Unfortunately, the kingdoms Devon conquered were no longer under his rule due to him giving them independence. And while that meant that they were now free, it also meant that he had no obligation to help them. 

'I can no longer help them for now,' Amon inwardly told himself. 'We don't have the time nor the resources for it just yet.'

It wouldn't do for a king to hand out help when his own kingdom was still in the process of recovery, after all. So while it might seem heartless, Amon could only turn his head away from the suffering that his brother had caused.

"How have you not seen these things, Devon?" he grumbled. "How much did your hunger for power blind you?"

"S-Sir?"

ραndαsΝοvεl ƈοm Looking down, Amon saw a young boy practically bowing his head to him. His heart ached at what was clearly a starving young man, his ribs practically visible against the tattered clothes that he wore.

Of course, such an incursion couldn't be allowed by his guards, even if the boy had truly no means to harm him.

"Your Majesty, shall we-"

"It's fine," Amon quickly waved his guard away, his eyes never leaving the boy that had the courage to approach him. "I'll handle this."

Reigning in his horse, the king turned to face the boy. "What is it?"

"D-Do you have any food?" the boy all but begged with tears in his eyes. "My family… They can't…"

"Speak no further," Amon comfortingly replied. "Here."

Pulling out one of his rations from behind him, Amon gave the boy one last look before giving it to him without a second thought. He had more than enough to keep him satisfied through the journey anyway.

The boy blinked at the gift he was just given. "T-Truly?" 

"Indeed," Amon nodded. "I hope your family well."

"T-Thank you so much!" 

Letting out a sigh, Amon kept on moving forward. They still had a schedule to keep, unfortunately. But while the suffering of those he saw was already far behind him, his mind refused to let him forget just how badly they needed help.

"Is there a problem, Your Majesty?"

Turning to Rendon, Amon allowed himself another sigh as he replied, "All these people… Is there truly nothing we can do for them?"

"Without rationing our own supply, providing welfare to our surrounding kingdoms would leave us vulnerable," Rendon replied, a hint of regret also coloring his tone. "It is simply too much for our kingdom's current capabilities to support such a massive undertaking."

"Not to mention how large and many these former kingdoms were as well," Lucia added. "They might've been easily destroyed by the former king, but their populations are still nothing to scoff at despite all the destruction. We're barely only starting to recover as is, it is highly inadvisable to extend help when we ourselves still need to lick our wounds."

Amon let out another sigh. Sure enough, his generals said the same thing he already knew was a fact. They simply just didn't have the weight and power to help other kingdoms at the moment. 

Sure, they still had a formidable army, but their power was still fractured enough from all of the cleaning up they were doing within the kingdom that even a single failure from one or two parts of his army could possibly break them. 

The farmlands had to be secured and repopulated, and their industry needed rebuilding after Devon had all but ignored it for the sake of his inexhaustible supply of monsters.

"Still, there should be something we can do for them," Amon grumbled. "Even if it isn't much… Perhaps…"

He hummed to himself as a possible solution came to him. While his kingdom wasn't capable of helping, other kingdoms might be able to supply what they currently lacked. 

"What is it, Your Majesty?"

"I can lobby in the Global Summit for our kingdoms to extend our aid to those that fell victim to Devon's reign," he replied to Lucia. "It might be an uphill battle, but even other kingdoms cannot ignore the plight of others, especially if doing so could help ease the refugee crises that such a humanitarian disaster could cause."

It was only common sense. While Helion's borders were more or less secure, some kingdoms might not have the privilege to do the same. Refugees from the ruined kingdoms would strain their systems and thus would cause trouble for them.

Looking for validation, his two generals simply nodded their agreement before turning to continue their travels, leaving Amon alone with his thoughts once more. 

'It's something, at least…' he inwardly sighed. 'I'll make sure to keep them in my thoughts.'

Inwardly musing to himself, he was about to call for another break when a visage from his dreams suddenly flashed before his eyes.

Wincing, Amon did his best to hide his discomfort. Somehow, the woman from her dreams had managed to invade his waking thoughts as well. And this… This heartache… 

'Please come back to me…'

Once more, the woman called out to him. It almost felt like a memory, but her visage was all but obscured to him no matter how hard he tried to remember. And yet emotions remained whenever he saw even the slightest image of her no matter how much it tried to elude him.

"Just who are you, really…" he couldn't help but ask aloud. "Why do you keep invading my thoughts…"

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