Reborn To Change My Fate-Chapter 340 - Three Hundred And Thirty Nine

The next morning, the winter sun rose slowly over the capital city. The pale light reflected off the thick white snow, but the bright morning brought absolutely no warmth to Derek’s cold heart. Time was running out. The sun was already in the sky. He had until sunset to come to a decision.

Derek walked quickly through the quiet, carpeted hallways of the royal palace. He wore his military uniform, appearing formal before the king. He reached the carved doors of the King’s private chamber.

Two royal guards stood at attention outside. When they saw the Grand Duke, they immediately stood straight and banged their spears against the floor in respect.

"Announce me," Derek said. His voice was tired but firm.

The guard turned and knocked on the heavy wood. He opened the door slightly. "Grand Duke Derek is here to see His Majesty!" the guard called out.

A weak voice from inside gave the order. The door was opened wide, and Derek entered the room.

The King’s chamber was very large and very warm. A huge fire burned brightly in the stone fireplace. However, the room smelled strongly of bitter medicine and old age.

King Alistair the Fourth was sitting in his large, luxurious bed. He was propped up by several thick, velvet pillows. He was not wearing his heavy golden crown or his royal robes. He wore a simple white sleeping shirt. Without his crown, he did not look like a powerful ruler. He just looked like a very old, very sick, and very sad man.

The King looked at Derek. He saw the deep grief in his nephew’s eyes.

"I know you came here for questions," the old man said softly. His voice was raspy and weak.

Derek stood near the door. He frowned, feeling deeply confused. He had not come here to ask any questions. He came to seek the King’s immediate permission to release Lord Colton from the royal dungeon. He needed Colton for the forbidden magic before the time elapsed.

However, Derek saw the heavy guilt weighing down the old King’s shoulders. The King looked like a man who needed to confess his sins before he died.

Derek walked slowly across the room. He pulled a wooden chair close to the side of the bed. He sat down to know what the King wanted to say. He decided he could spare a few minutes to listen.

The King looked down at his wrinkled, shaking hands resting on the thick blankets.

"You must be wondering," the King began, taking a slow, painful breath, "why I sent your father to the West all those years ago. You must wonder why I ordered Commander Ellis to lead the sanctification of the West, to get rid of the magic wielders."

Derek remained completely silent. He listened closely.

The King swallowed hard. It was a difficult, ugly truth to speak aloud.

"I was scared," the King confessed. He looked up at Derek, his eyes filled with old fears. "I was terrified of their growing number. They lived in the western forests, and they were the only people in all of Eudora to possess magic. I looked at my normal soldiers with their simple swords, and then I looked at people who could summon fire or move earth with their minds."

The King gripped the blankets tightly in his hands.

"I felt deeply threatened," the King admitted, his voice shaking with the memory of his paranoia. "I convinced myself that they might plan a massive revolt against the crown. I believed they would use their powers to take over Eudora and destroy us all."

The King closed his eyes.

"So, I lied," the King said. The shame in his voice was clear. "I sent your father, my own loyal brother, to the West with a terrible lie. I told him that the magic wielders were actively preparing an army to attack the capital. I told him they were evil and that they needed to be stopped immediately to save the kingdom."

Derek’s jaw tightened. His father had been an honorable man. He had fought a war based on a complete lie.

"Ellis was a good soldier," the King continued sadly. "He fought bravely. He followed my orders and slaughtered the magic wielders in their villages. It was a bloody, terrible campaign before they finally surrendered and came to a truce."

The King let out a long, shaky sigh.

"He died in the process," the King said.

The silence in the room was choking.

"But the worst part came later," the King said, opening his eyes. "After the truce, I set up a new rule. I did this when I found out that their magic isn’t something to be wiped out completely. You can burn a village, but the magic still finds a way to be passed down through the bloodlines to the next generation."

The King looked at Derek with pure regret.

"I was furious, and I was still afraid," the King explained. "So, I declared a new, unforgivable law. I ordered that every family who had a magic wielder will all be executed. No exceptions. If a child showed magic, the parents, the brothers, and the sisters would all hang."

Derek sat very still in the wooden chair. The cruelty of that law was staggering.

"I think that is exactly what Lord Colton was saying in the Great Hall yesterday," the King whispered, a single tear escaping his eye. "My law created a nightmare in the West. They were so terrified of my soldiers. Families were selling off their own children to slave traders just to save the rest of their family from the executioner’s rope."

Derek stared at the fire in the fireplace. His mind worked quickly.

It all made perfect sense to Derek now. The missing pieces of the puzzle finally fit together. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

He thought about Senna. Senna was a young girl from the West. She was sold into slavery because she possessed magic. Her own family had sold her to escape the King’s cruel law. She had suffered terribly. She ran away from her abusive masters and stumbled blindly into the freezing, snowy North.

That was where Marissa had found her. Marissa had saved them both from the cold.

Derek remembered how Senna had acted when she first met him. She had clung to him desperately. She wanted to be with him at all costs. She was not acting out of pure love at first; she was acting out of survival. She wanted to use his power and his status to save herself from being hunted. She needed protection from the King’s laws before she actually started having real feelings for him later on.

It was a chain of misery, all started by the King’s fear.

The King wiped the tear from his cheek. He looked incredibly tired.

"I am no better than my son," the King confessed softly. "Liam is a monster, but I showed him how to be cruel. I did unspeakable things to a group of innocent people simply because of fear. I caused the whole of Eudora to see them as monsters, as evil entities. I pushed the West away and made them hate us. That is why they joined hands with Liam’s rebellion."

The King looked at Derek with pleading eyes.

"I wish to amend everything," the King said. "Before I die, I want to fix the broken pieces of this kingdom."

Derek looked at his uncle. The anger he felt was completely overshadowed by his urgent need to save his wife. The past was terrible, but he had to focus on the future. He had to focus on the present minute.

Derek stood up from the wooden chair. He stood tall and straight.

"Your Majesty," Derek said. His voice was calm, clear, and totally focused. "I understand your regrets. But right now, I need your permission to release Lord Colton. I need him out of his cell."

The King looked up, highly confused. He blinked his wet eyes in surprise.

"Whatever for?" the King asked. "He is a convicted traitor. He just confessed to supplying illegal weapons to Liam’s army. I just sentenced him to twenty years."

Derek took a step closer to the bed. He looked down at the old King.

Derek explained the situation clearly and quickly. He did not hide anything. He told the King about the secret meeting. He explained the existence of the forbidden arts in the West. He explained the strict law of equivalent exchange—that a life must be given to take a life back from the dead.

The King listened in absolute silence. His mouth opened slightly in shock.

"Lord Colton is a magic wielder," Derek explained, his dark eyes burning with serious intent. "He offered to perform this ancient ritual for me. He wants to use his own life to pay for his mistakes."

Derek paused, making sure the King understood the full weight of the deal.

"And at the same time," Derek continued, "he wants to use his sacrifice to secure the future of his people. He asked me to change your cruel laws. He asked me to end the segregation. If I promise to bring his people back to Eudora, he will die on the altar to bring Marissa back to me."

The King sat completely still against his velvet pillows. He stared at Derek, processing the massive, heavy truth.

A man was willing to give up his own life, not for gold, not for glory, but to buy freedom for his suffering people. The King thought about his own actions. He had killed thousands out of fear to protect his own throne. Lord Colton was choosing to die out of love to protect his citizens.

The King slowly nodded his head. A look of deep, profound respect settled over his wrinkled face.

"That is a good leader," the King whispered softly. The King realized that Colton was a much better ruler than he had ever been.

The King looked up at Derek. He saw the desperate hope shining in his nephew’s eyes. He knew Derek would be a great King.

The old King raised his shaking hand.

"You have my permission," the King declared firmly. "Release him, Derek. Go and save your wife. And when you sit on my throne... keep your promise to him. Bring the West back home."