I've heard there was a secret chord
that David played and it pleased the Lord
but you don't really care for music do you?
Nearly a year had passed since his kingdom had fallen under attack, and still the wound felt just as fresh.
Seasons had changed and yet their tree remained the same; a blackened remnant of what used to be. It was a stark reminder that they were never safe, not really. The burnt tree was proof that hope and goodness were emotions reserved for children and fools. He wouldn’t be caught foolish again.
Slowly but surely, he felt the sad and bitterness in his belly change. It changed into to fuel for vengeance, which tasted both bitter and sweet at the same time. He wasn’t one for confrontation, but they had stolen not only from him, but from his kingdom. They had came in like a tornado, leaving nothing behind but the remnants of their former lives. But the Chamber would never catch them with their heads in the sand again, not if he had anything to do with it.
Early summer had always been one of his favorite seasons, but today he had little patience for something so trivial as the season. Today, he burned with a purpose that he’d seldom felt. Today, the bittersweet taste of revenge was heavy on his tongue. Today, his chest swelled and his resolve hardened. The gray king made his way easily across the kingdom, his destination being the Mother Tree. Instead of dwelling on the sadness of it all, he would use it to help build his resolve. He was in his horse form, and for once he felt powerful and strong, every bit the wild stallion that he was born. Ahead the tree rose pitifully from the ground, and he wasn’t all that surprised to see a gathering already there. He stepped up near them, coming to rest beside a buckskin he’d never seen before. He caught the tail ends of the conversation though, and knew enough to say this man was a friend and not foe. “Gentlemen.” he said, his voice a low rumble. He inclined his head to each, a quick greeting perhaps but he was never one to forgo manners. “To the new faces…I’m Mast.” He didn’t add king, because truthfully he wasn’t sure he still deserved the title. After all, he’d let them be ravaged. “I know I’ve been absent lately, and for that, I apologize. But no more. The time has come to form a plan. I think, the Chamber should be made to reap what they have sown.” Kronk spoke, and they gray gave him an appraising look. It was refreshing, seeing someone step up to the plate in such a way. “Kronk is right. We need to establish ties where we can, and strong ties. No wavering, half spoken commitments. I’ll go to the Deserts. I’ve spoken with their queen before, and find her to be decent. She is also a magician herself, as well as another of their members. They would make strong allies, should they be interested.” Finally, he closed his eyes, quickly shifting into the form of the whitetail deer. Already he’d started an impressive set of antlers, though they were still covered in soft velvet. “For what its worth, the kingdom seem fit to bless me with this ability. It isn’t much in the way of protection, but its perhaps valuable as a spy disguise.” And with that he fell silent, mulling over just where to start.
M A S T