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Roland wandered outside of the kingdom. They had success in the other kingdoms only leaving Ding Dong Dell as the last to unite. It was easier said than done as Mausinger closed all borders to outsiders. Even if that was not the case, he and Evan were too well known to get around easily. “We are running out of time, though Doloran has likely already infiltrated the kingdom. There is no way we can just walk in there and expect Mausinger to listen to us. The moment someone recognizes us we will be swarmed and thrown into the dungeon.” Roland muttered to himself. There was too much at risk to just go in blind like they had done before.
As he pondered about the plan, he heard the sound of footsteps quickly approaching. Out of habit he readied his sword and turned towards the sound finding Mausinger himself heading towards him. It made no sense unless something major happened. “Roland please let me explain.” Mausinger said stopping a few feet away. He was shaking and his eyes were wide in fear. Roland was unable to see any kind of trick in his face.
“What are you doing here? Last time we met you tried to kill me and Evan.” Roland asked refusing to lower his sword. Since no one else knew what was going on he was left to deal with it alone.
“I know that, you do not need to remind me. Someone managed to slip through my defenses, only found out through the wards my mages placed in the castle. I had to flee for my safety and I think you know who was there. My own advisor was talking a lot about my Kingsbond for seemingly no reason, now I realize he was working for the invader this whole time.” Mausinger responded glancing over his shoulder every few seconds. Leander had appeared shortly after.
Leander motioned to Roland to have a private chat. “I hate to admit it but he is telling the truth. Queen Nerea had taught me a spell to tell if someone is lying or not and I used it without him knowing. For now, we have the advantage, but it will not last for long. If we are lucky, we can get this treaty signed before Doloran arrives.” Leander whispered. With a quick nod Roland turned his attention back to Mausinger.
“Fine, but you are to stay close to us at all times. I have no idea how you managed to get all the way here, but our citizens may not take your appearance here so kindly.” Roland said as he studied Mausinger for any kind of reaction.
“Lead the way.” Mausinger said unlike the king he had been a month earlier. He followed Roland through the streets with Leander close behind him. As expected, the whispers from the citizens were almost deafening until Roland returned their words with an icy glare. Silence quickly followed as they returned to their houses for the time being. As they walked Mausinger kept his head down to not draw attention even though he wanted to see what Evan had been able to build in such a short amount of time.
Batu was already waiting by the time they reached the main gate of the castle. “Roland what in the world is he doing here?” Batu asked prepared to swing his axe at Mausinger.
Placing a firm hand on Batu’s arm Roland narrowed his eyes. “Right now, he is requesting our help and we are hearing him out. You and Tani are not to lay a hand on him. Now if you will excuse us, we need to speak with Evan.” Roland said keeping himself between Batu and Mausinger. In response Batu grumbled before stepping aside.
As soon as they entered the throne room Evan watched them in stunned silence. Last thing he knew Mausinger showed no signs of being open to a peace deal or even safe passage through the lands surrounding the kingdom. To his surprise Mausinger dropped down on one knee. “King Evan, I need your help. Someone infiltrated the kingdom and is after me. I should have known long ago that my assistant was an accomplice in this matter including what I did to you and your father. I know that I am unable to change what happened in the past, but I can make the future better.” Mausinger said hoping it would be enough to convince the young king to help out. At the same time the pain from the incident was still quite fresh.
Evan was silent as he slowly made his way to Mausinger. The silence seemed to never end as he continued on with no sign of where he stood on the matter. Eventually Evan stopped and just reached his hand towards Mausinger. Tentatively Mausinger grabbed his hand and got on his feet. “If I help you, will you sign the treaty? At this time, I am unable to forgive you for what you did, but I am willing to give you a second chance if your words are true.” Evan said with a smile on his face. His response relieved Roland as there was still a chance to stop Doloran before he can complete his plans.
“Of course, your Majesty. It will mark the first step I must take if I am to build the kingdom your father always desired. If we fail in this mission then everything will have been for nothing.” Mausinger said as he pulled out the sword he used to establish his Kingsbond.
Evan nodded with his old twig in his hand. “Let our nations be joined, for the sake of the world!” Evan called out.
“Let the banners of war ne’er again be unfurled…” Mausinger continued.
United we stand, as one single land!” They both said in unison. With that all five kingdoms had signed the treaty, though the fight was far from being over. They knew that it would not be long before Doloran discovered where Mausinger had run off to.
As Mausinger sighed in relief he felt something change from within. “My Kingsbond it feels stronger now like the darkness has faded away.” Mausinger said as he watched golden light dancing from the tip of his sword.
“I think he should be safe now. Doloran does whatever he can to weaken the Kingsbond in order to be able to take it. Since Mausinger was able to break through his own weakness it seems to have healed the bond, though we still need to be careful in case it was not enough.” Leander whispered to Roland. His eyes scanned the room for any sign of someone watching them.
As if on cue Doloran appeared in front of the group. He tried to reach towards Mausinger only to be repelled by a flash of light. “What even is this? How did you manage to resist my power?” Doloran asked in an attempt to find some kind of weakness to exploit.
Before Mausinger could say anything, a loud roar shook the entire castle. He knew exactly what it belonged to, Oakenhart, his own Kingmaker. “I will never let you blind me to the truth of my abilities to rule my kingdom ever again.” Mausinger said strengthened by Oakenhart waiting nearby to launch into his defense. Still, he refused to take his eyes off Doloran in case he tried to do something.
Doloran rushed forwards in a desperate attempt to claim the final Kingsbond he needed. He was unable to get far when Oakenhart burst through the walls with its ability to create portals. “No, this is not how I will let this end. This will not stop me forever.” Doloran said before teleporting away leaving the group wondering what happened.
“He is right in a way. If I am unable to deal with that advisor of mine, I may fall back to my old ways.” Mausinger said to himself. Hearing that Oakenhart took off towards Ding Dong Dell with the mission of fulfilling his request. After a few minutes Oakenhart returned with Mausinger’s advisor secured within its mouth. The overwhelming dark aura that surrounded him was too much for Roland to bear.
Roland dropped to one knee, covering his neck with his right hand. Leander, having dealt with it before, joined him as his body shuddered with every cough. “I thought this only happened after he stole the Kingsbond, guess it is just being around someone who has been corrupted. I do not think we can hide it this time.” Roland said once he was able to catch his breath. He glanced at the others who were more focused on Oakenhart than him.
“Just move your hand for now, they are not looking at us. I just want to know how far it has spread this time. Sorry you have to deal with this.” Leander responded keeping his voice low to not alert anyone else. He watched as Roland removed his hand, the black markings having spread halfway across his neck. “We can deal with it later, for now just move the collar of your outfit to hide it the best you can.” Leander continued. As much as he hated the idea there was not much he could do without gaining suspicion. Roland did as he said and slowly rose to his feet.
All that was left was to stop the corruption from spreading to Mausinger once again. That task was not one that could be solved easily, though there was something that might work the best. “He has always been power hungry and that man exploited it for his own desires. The only thing I can think of is just throwing him in the dungeon where he is as far from me as possible but close enough where I can keep an eye on him.” Mausinger said after mulling over several options in his head. Doing that would also keep him from spreading unrest to the citizens, the other way to weaken a Kingsbond. “Thank you once again your Majesty, I am forever in your debt. Ding Dong Dell will be opening its borders once again, I hope you come and visit.” Mausinger continued as he climbed on Oakenhart’s back. He took off back towards Ding Dong Dell to correct the wrongs he had created.