Will of a Prince

The woman slowly led Leo through multiple narrow alleys. Each one was darker and dirtier than the last. Half the day passed before the woman finally stopped him and held her ear next to a small cellar door. Then, she knocked three times in a strange pattern. A low voice could be heard on the other side of the door.

"Who?"

"I’m nobody. I have brought someone who I believe the leader should see."

"I recognize your voice, Claw. You said you brought someone. Are they a threat?"

"No. In fact, I believe he may be our one and only answer to getting out of this mess we’re in."

The doors creaked open. A large man with a missing nose walked out of the cellar and looked at Leo with malice.

"Well, I’ll be damned. You brought nonother than King Fatass himself here."

Leo furrowed his brow hearing the cruel nickname he was given.

"It’s just Leo, you skull-faced freak."

"What did you say to me, punk?"

Claw got in between them before they could continue fighting.

"Just give him a chance. He isn’t the same king as we have known him to be before... in some ways."

The burley man studied Leo once before spitting on the ground at his feet.

"If he gets into any trouble, he’s your responsibility, Claw."

He slowly descended into the dim cellar. Claw followed close behind him and gestured for Leo to follow. After hesitating for a few moments, Leo joined her.

As Leo entered through a cramped door, a large room filled with dozens of people were revealed. Each and every one of them looked horribly disfigured in some way. Some of them were even missing arms or legs. One particular man had a single eye in the center of his forehead instead of the normal two being on opposite sides of his nose. The room quieted down as the group entered.

"What the hell is this place?"

Claw looked at Leo.

"This is where the Strugglers all live together. We all share beds, food, water; we do whatever it takes to keep each other alive."

Even though Leo was a new person and the former king of the kingdom, hardly anyone paid him any attention. Claw noticed his strange actions and questioned him.

"What’s the matter? Losing your nerve already?"

"That’s not it. It’s just... I expected I’d be more of a celebrity when I walked in here. Do they not recognize me?"

"Oh, I am sure they recognize you. They most likely do not care that you are here. How you got into this helpless situation never matters when each day you are fighting to survive. I only pray that we will have time one day to worry about such things."

Leo looked around the room more. There were multiple wine barrels against the walls, a small bar, large tables with dirtied plates and scraps littering its surface, the stone floor was cracked and rough, and the only lighting was large lanterns containing small flames in them. There was a singular door in the room besides the exit in which they came from. Claw was gradually leading him towards it.

"What’s behind the door?"

"Our leader. I would recommend you keep your wits about you. They have quite an interesting curse power."

"Is it dangerous?"

"Dangerous? Hm... I guess it could be. But without it, we all would have died long ago."

Claw opened the door to another cramped room. There was a large table with multiple chairs around it. Sitting at the end was a man with a bald head, thick eyebrows, a big beard, a large nose and an eyepatch. Despite his expectations, Leo was surprised to see there were no deformations on his body.

The man looked up as Claw and Leo approached.

"Ahh. My, has this been one interesting life I have been leading. I never would have guessed to be in the presence of royalty one day... well... former royalty that is."

Leo sat down in one of the chairs and gave the man a cold stare.

"Who are you?"

"I am the leader of the Strugglers. My name is Bear. What the hell happened to you to end up in such a place, your majesty?"

Leo scoffed.

"I’ll have you know I was beaten and thrown from my position. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for that sorry excuse for a general of the Monlo Empire."

Bear looked at Leo confused.

"What the hell is the Monlo Empire?"

Leo choked on air, realizing he just gave away a big secret to someone in the Iron Kingdom. However, he realized that the Monlo Empire was most likely done with him, so there was no point in hiding it anymore.

"The Monlo Empire is who is holding this kingdom hostage. They are a group of kingdoms combined into one terrifying force."

Bear started laughing.

"This life is the best! I only wish some Strugglers were here to hear about this! What an interesting revelation! Has Iron Kingdom been hiding this information from us for a reason?"

"I was on the enemy side. As far as I was aware, they were looking for this kingdom for ages. I was their ticket in."

"Fascinating! Absolutely fascinating! Claw, you have brought me an amazing prize! I thank you humbly!"

Claw bowed her head to the man without speaking.

"That leaves the question, how the hell did you end up here?"

Leo refused to meet his gaze.

"I let the power control me. Do you have any concept how it feels that thousands could die with the wave of your hand? It felt... extraordinary. I was able to eat to my heart’s content day in and day out, there were luxury baths for me to bathe in, and I had a warm, comfortable bed to sleep every night. It was all so... addicting."

Bear laughed lightly.

"And yet, you threw it away?"

"More like I was thrown from it... quite literally. The general of Monlo Empire himself paid me a visit. The towns people were in an uproar about certain events being revealed and I couldn’t get them under control. I was ruthlessly beaten by my superior. I let myself go, so I was helpless in his assault. What you are seeing is the consequences of that."

Bear studied Leo a bit more and crossed his arms while leaning back.

"Why is it you want to join us?"

"I don’t want to join you. In fact, Claw here was the one who led me to you."

"You don’t want to join us, but I can sense you want something... or rather, you desire something. It feels like... you want to give us something. What is it you could possibly give us?"

A dark smile painted Leo’s face.

"Salvation."