Thud! Thud! Thud! The guards rushed Lydia to the church to get healed, and Jack walked back into the inn. He stood silently behind the room's door, looking outside the window.
"We've confirmed the information you gathered," A masked man landed on the window, staring at Jack from the side of his eyes.
"Give me details," Jack looked at the man with a large smile, "The stakes are big this time,"
The man jumped into the room, rolling a paper on the ground.
"Isdis Lior Ruris, she's the fourth princess to the throne." The man started explaining.
The king is the current ruler of the kingdom, and he has eight children, five girls, and three boys. By the right of birth, the males have priority to the throne to carry their father's legacy.
Isdis is the fourth princess meaning she's the fourth of the girls and after her siblings. She is the seventh to the throne.
The last of the sisters is still fourteen years old, so she hasn't joined the battle of the throne, meaning Isdis is the last one, hence being sent alone to a dangerous mission with only one guard.
Jack smiled, "She is alone," He giggled, looking at the man.
If Isdis forced Arad to serve her, her siblings would kill her to try and seize his power for themselves. And if she tried to get Arad killed, they would kill her to get him on their side.
She can inform the king, and that would only lead to her losing Arad's power since the king would likely assign the first prince to keep Arad in check.
Even if she tries to expose the blackmail, her brothers will only use it as a reason to get rid of her. It isn't about truth or lies. It's all about who makes the first move.
"I see. I will go gather more info," The man smiled, standing up, "Don't forget us when your reach the top," Thud! He jumped out of the window, and Jack sat on the bed.
"A battle for the throne, Arad was a mere pawn for them to gain power. But by putting Isdis in a hard spot and using her as a cover-up, we can push him to the front. She can't control the dragon. The dragon is siding with her." He giggled, "They won't see their sister riding a dragon, but instead imagine her kneeling beneath him,"
Jack stood, "Now, all I need to do is to have Arad grow stronger and have his noble domain expand so he can face the princes in political power. And Hopefully, snatch the throne by using Isdis as the key." Jack pulled the papers and smiled, "It would also be nice if we could get the elves behind Arad and Isdis. Using the current incident as leverage, he could get the support of a foreign kingdom, boosting his stand."
Jack hid the paper inside his pocket and looked at another stack, "The kingdom's economy is in shit and drains. I bet Sara and Roberta will find the information useful." He pulled a clean paper and started writing a plan.
"Let's sell the information to those two on one condition. They use it to enrich Arad's domain or sell under his coming noble name and with Isdis mentioned in the middle as a supporter."
^With the kingdom's wealth slowly relying on Arad's domain, and with Isdis under him, add his power and status as a dragon mediator. He would have a good chance of seizing the throne.^ Jack laughed, jumping back on the bed. ^I will make Arad the king, and have a seat right beside him.^
Jack stood and left the room, walking downstairs and seeing Isdis sitting with Arad in the tavern, "Hey, you two," He smiled, approaching them.
"Having some good time?"
Isdis glared back at him, "You're the last person I wanted to see," She growled, "When will you return my stuff?"
"Woha! there," Jack waved his hands, "Calm down a bit. You're a bard, aren't you." He pulled a chair and sat beside them. "I know it's rough up there in the capital."
Arad stared at Jack, "What are you talking about?"
Jack looked around. The bartender wasn't around so he smiled. "Listen closely. I know it's dangerous. One mistake and..." Jack made a slashing motion on his neck with his thumb, "You're dead,"
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm saying that you can relax here," Jack poured Isdis a large mug of beer, "Arad is here. It's a bit safer beside him isn't it?"
"What are you going on about?" Isdis glared at Jack.
"What I'm saying is that your siblings will try to steal Arad if you're the one in charge. But if it was the reverse, with Arad in charge, they wouldn't be able to do shit,"
Isdis glared at Jack, "You're either a fool or an idiot for suggesting that to me."
Jack giggled, staring at Arad, "Say, want to go for the throne? It will be nice to expand your domain."
Dragons usually fight with each other to expand their domains. The simple idea of fighting humans to expand his land sounded enticing.
Isdis stared at Arad's face, quickly learning that he was interested. "Won't it be a great idea to have the elves backing in exchange for a peace promise?"
Jack scratched his head, "Those hostages are loose ends. Depending on how they act, we could lose the elves' support."
"What are you three talking about?" Aella entered the tavern, finding it empty except for Arad, Jack, and Isdis.
"Aella! How is Lydia doing?" Jack waved his hand.
"She's going to be fine," Aella smiled, "The healers said she has a great constitution, she would be able to walk tomorrow, but they strongly advise her to rest for at least a week."
Arad nodded, "That's fine. She can rest in the carriage through the trip behind the border."
"That's fine and all," Aella looked at Arad with a smile, "What were you three talking about?"
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