A Time of Tigers - From Peasant to Emperor-Chapter 1637: The Hidden Mighty - Part 6

"Ha! Hahaha! Truly? Is that what you thought?" Tiberius howled. "You thought that, and you still thought you could win the war!? Oh false King of Wyndon! What a creature you are to behold! What does it look like, from down there, this strange world that you see? It must be ever so nice. To cling to hope, beyond the use of any intelligence. Did your teachers spit on you in the Academy, for all your dullness? Or did they suppose you to be competent enough to be called average, for they too lack the eyes that connect to a proper mind? Make no mistake, little Wyndon King, if Tavar were to join the enemy, you would do your best to surrender to him, with your tail between your legs. Become his whore, if that’s what he asked of you – you would at least retain your life."

"...Tavar alone would cause that shift?"

"You are on the edge already, you fool," Tiberius spat. "The existence of Tavar is the only thing keeping you from total defeat. A man like that – if the High King has any sense, he will see the reigns handed to him. Only a man like Tavar could have the strength to pull together the hundreds of thousands of soldiers that the High King is set to gather. Without him, you are lost."

"You say we are lost already," King Wyndon said.

Tiberius shrugged. "You are. Your side lacks passion. It lacks the blessings of the Gods. You fight for a cause that none of you believe in – but the enemy believe in what it is they do, however unjust it might be. The likes of Oliver Patrick, it would seem, has created enough passion by himself to stir the infantry. But Queen Asabel... Now there’s a pretty little creature capable of trullllyyy stirring the hearts of men. She certainly attempts to stir mine, even from a distance."

"But the Gaia—"

"Yes, yes, the servants of Gaia will send troops your way, more than you would expect," Tiberius said. "And Germanicus will finally take charge of them, as he should so long ago. And no doubt, that brute of a man will force fatality after fatality on the enemy, for he exists as a problem that defies comprehension, and he will catch them off guard with his might. But they will adapt, in time. They might lose a General for it, they might lose several, but they will adapt, and when Germanicus is finally overturned, that will be the end of your war," Tiberius said. "Is that not perfectly obvious? It will play out as such."

"Germanicus?" King Wyndon said.

"Do you not even know the name?" Tiberius tutted. "Your father, at least, had the knowledge that comes with experience. What do you have, little King Wyndon, other than your pretty face? This world, and these duties, they’re too harsh for the likes of you. Give yourself to me, and know that you’ll at least serve your duty in pleasing me. I will take care of all beyond that."

"Is he a man of such strength?" King Wyndon pressed, ignoring the jabs.

"Strength?" Tiberius laughed. "He doesn’t have strength, you fool. Germanicus is strength itself. He is that personified. He spent two years at the Academy, and smashed every foe that he could find. He injured the old Minister of Blades so severely that he had to withdraw from his post. And naturally, the Treeants had Germanicus pulled back to their lands before they could punish the boy. Since then, the Gods only know what he has been up to. Fighting creatures in the forest, no doubt, and the occasional mighty man."

"If he is so strong, why has he not been elected King?" King Wyndon asked. "Is that not the tradition of the Treeants? The strongest man shall rule – as soon as the King loses a duel, he gives up his crown to the victor."

"Because he didn’t fight the King," Tiberius said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Difficult to cede to that tradition when a fight doesn’t take place, isn’t it? You’re a damn fool with these questions. But now Germanicus’ hand has been forced, and he’ll be made King in due time, I have no doubt. We’ll get to see him plunder the realm, and the Treeants will keep their promise. I shall enjoy watching it, even if you shall all eventually lose." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

"I still don’t understand how the odds are supposedly so weighted in our favour, when we have such a mass of men, and we have Tavar and Germanicus that you praise so highly. Not to mention, we have far more Generals than the enemy. There still remain Pendragon Generals, and the Generals in service to the High King. If they are all rallied, then..."

"Rallied around what?" Tiberius said. "Around the High King? Who binds them? Tavar? He’ll do a good job of it, but he is not a King, and he is certainly not a High King. What you need, little Wyndon, is an Emperor."

Tiberius gave a snake’s smile as he said that, and he slithered down the steps of his throne, until he was standing right before the kneeling Wyndon King. He cupped the King’s chin in his hand.

"You mean to say that we need you..." King Wyndon said, impressed that he could still speak, despite the frozen state of his body.

"Is that not obvious?" Tiberius said. "Without me, this war is doomed to fail. There is another man that you have failed to account for the existence of – and that is Minister Hod. Do you have a way of countering his cunning? I think not, for you fail to see just how deep the puppet strings that he has cast run. The entire realm is dancing to that man’s tune, and they do not seem to realize it. This rebellion could be blamed entirely on that man, if one wished for a primary cause. Surrender, little King, and I’ll win it for you."

"I don’t care about the war," Wyndon said. "It matters not to me which High King sits on the throne."

"Evidently," Tiberius said. "You’re a selfish little welp, but then, the weak are. You’ll do anything to ensure your own survival, and beyond that, who cares?"