F

"Fight?  With what?   Do you want me to go out there and punch him in the face?"
The invaders march on ever closer to Kaph's last defense.  His men are screaming reports of his guards falling left and right.  The undefeated general with the might of the imperial fist, seventy thousand strong, smashes through the barricades one after another.  Every inch the siege line creeps closer the fortress shakes with fear striking to its foundation.  The once pristine marble walls are now charred by the blue flames of the devil.  The orange morning sky is completely eclipsed by the flickering smoke.  None of Kaph's surrender signals have been honored.  The king's message is clear to him.  His Majesty demands submission.
"Go out, tell him I surrender.  Elektor, I have treated you well here.  I have provided you with safety from the throne's prosecution.  Now, save what remains of my men.  Joan, announce the retreat signals, he will not spare anyone who stays."
"Yes, milord."
It is too late.  The moment Joan opens the door she is incinerated.  White flames, an unearthly color for fire, sears her body from the inside.  Her body falls backwards, her mouth wide open.  They could hear her screams of pain in their heads but her vocal cord has been burned to nothing.  The fighting outside ceased, the earth shakes no more.  Kaph unsheathes his sword, ready to defend his life.  But it is no use.  Within seconds, Kaph meets the same demise as Joan.  Before Joan's body hit the ground, they were both no more.
"Am I to die here as well?"
A bearded young man, clothed in filthy brown rags, drags himself into the chamber.  He appears like a common beggar, his teeth yellow, his hair untrimmed, his nails black, his eyes dull, his back hunched. But one aspect sets him apart from a common beggar.  His every step leaves behind a patch of white flame.  White flares accompany his every breath.
"Never would I raise my flames or anyone raise their arms against you in my presence."
His coarse voice echos through the chamber.  Every word brightens the white flares around his face making his features more pronounced.  Deep wrinkles run his forehead.  His cheeks has no shine, no youth in them.
"Had those old dogs die a day sooner I would have rushed my men to your side and occupied the Castle to save you from this disgrace you had to endure for four years."
"So you are still on my side."
"I need allies, Elektor."
"He told me the military was on his side."
"On his side?  That man is cunning.  Ever since the riots four years ago, he instigated division among the upper echelon and reignited old feuds to incite the country into war.  He forced the military so thin it was impossible for us to handle any matters outside of managing our meager resources.  He broke up the entire government so he could dominate it and engulf it piece by piece.  He invited the foreigners to invade our country just to weaken our hold further."
"Then you were fighting Sessind because.."
"YES!  I had to fight the Sessinds alone because there was no one else capable.  For two years, I stood in his trap, fighting alone with no reinforcements.  If I fell to the Sessinds then the military would be easily overrun by his schemes and spies.  If I defeated the Sessinds, then a great threat to his power and this weaken country would be no more.  I attacked Kaph because I needed supplies.  He rather watch my men starve than help me."
"So what do you plan to do now?"
"Now I must go to Fonam and aid them against the savages."
"From desert to marshlands."
"I do what I must, Elektor.  I do what I must."
His coarse voice softened.  Though he emerges victorious, his voice lingers with sorrow and despair.  He speaks not like a triumphant general, but a defeated man.  He knows, it is only a matter of time before he is picked apart by the king.