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‘The look in her eyes was worth the risk.. Besides, I doubt she has the willpower to fight me now..’

As the thought crossed his mind, a malicious smile stretched across Marco’s face. He was surprised to realize that he’d always secretly resented Marie for her favoritism towards Tidas. But all the revelation did was make him find more pleasure in her suffering.

Marco recognized how twisted of a person he was, and fully embraced it. He had seen how people really were when society wasn’t looking, and felt no pity towards such self-destructive creatures. Not even ones like Marie, who were actually good and decent.

Skye knew the truth about the world and a bit about it’s past, but Marco knew almost the entirety of it. The wars, greed, and atrocities that had occurred before the Great Shift was all knowledge that Marco had had since he’d gained his Ether magic..

Because Ether magic was the rarest, it had barely ever been studied. The few mages that had been recorded having it had all been described as going insane, but Marco knew that wasn’t the case. At least, not in the traditional sense.

The knowledge of the human collective had flooded his mind for months before he’d found a way to manage the information. It was understandable how the others could snap under the sheer amount of knowledge being dropped into their heads all at once. However, Marco was excellent at compartmentalizing, and was able to sift through the incredible amount of information, given time.

He, unlike the other Ether mages before him, was a prince. Marco received round-the-clock care when he’d ‘fallen ill’ with a mysterious sickness. Which gave him the time needed for his body and mind to recuperate.

Marie was one of the people that had taken shifts caring for him back then. Despite both her husband and Magnus telling her to leave his care to the servants and doctors, Marie had insisted upon feeding and reading to him daily. While she had favored Tidas for the past several years, Marco was originally her favorite nephew.

.....

‘Maybe that’s why she looked so betrayed.. And why I think I liked seeing her suffer so much.. Serves her right for picking Tidas..’

A small smile touched his lips before he checked the hallway, then entered the secret corridors. Not that Marco had any worries anymore since becoming king, but he still didn’t want the servants becoming curious, and have one stumble onto his secret passageways..

‘I doubt they’ll enjoy the sights or smells to be had there..’

As the thought crossed his mind, Marco descended the winding stairway that led to Doctor Stein’s laboratory. It was at this point that he could smell the decay in the air, and he took out his scented handkerchief. Once he’d taken several deep inhales, he continued on throughout the lab until his eyes fell on Stein.

As soon as the doctor saw his King, he bowed in greeting, then excitedly told him what he’d discovered so far..

At first, he spoke about the integrity of the soldier, and how he believed that the Dark and Ether magic helped it remain intact throughout it’s journey. Marco was only slightly interested in the logistics of it all, but he humored the doctor by listening. It wasn’t until he started to branch off on a tangent about the three types of undead that Marco finally interrupted.

“While that’s all very interesting, Doctor, that’s not the reason I came here. What happened in the North?”

Faint disappointment traversed his features for a moment before he replied; “I haven’t taken a sample yet-”

“Then allow me. This is much faster than your injections,” Marco said as he placed his hand on top of the soldier’s forehead.

Stein was irritated that he was deprived the experience he gained by injecting the magic he extracted from the soldiers into himself. But watching his King relive experiences through his Ether magic was fascinating as well. As he watched his king’s eyes turn pitch-black, Marco witnessed the events through the eyes of the surviving soldier..

Nearly half an hour had passed by the time Marco blinked, and Stein could see that his eyes had returned to normal. He stood staring off into nothing for a few minutes, like he was processing what he’d just seen. Stein kept quiet and simply kept watch until his king finally looked at him..

A malicious smile stretched across his face before he finally said; “Interesting.. Our Northerner neighbors are Far more advanced than I thought they were. Or rather, they have their hands on technologies much more advanced than us.”

“What did you see, My King?”

Marco sighed; “The survivors from Dragonhorn were able to reach the Highlanders’ defenses before the soldiers could get to them. A few died in the crossfire, but from what I saw, it was less than a hundred. And on top of that, the Highlander King is now aware of my army..”

“That, I calculated for, but not the survivors. Their stories may convince Murdoc to stay away from my coronation. And I needed him to be here so I could infect him.”

Doctor Stein quirked an eyebrow; “You were going to make the Highlander King a puppet? That’s Brilliant, My King! Then your brother’s support would be all but nonexistent!”

Marco nodded with a contemplative gleam in his eye; “Aye, that was the point. But now, I may need to figure out another way to deal with my problems in the North. Controlling Murdoc was just the simplest.. Oh well. I’m sure that at least Benzo will be excited about it.”

“Why’s that, My Master?”

He smirked before replying; “Come now, Stein. You know how Benzo loves his battles. I’m sure that getting a chance to fight the Highlander King is something he’ll jump for joy over.”

The doctor smiled broadly; “Oh aye, My Master! That is very, very true! But what about the weapons they possess?”

“I’ll just send in my Brother-In-Law’s troops. Or Lawrence’s, it doesn’t really matter to me. Chipping away at my rivals’ militaries while keeping both of mine in reserve is the most logical thing to do. And any deaths they cause will endure the other kingdoms’ people to my cause.”

“Oh Aye, My Master! The loss of a loved one has a profound impact on those that cared about them. Worded correctly, their deaths can spur a surge in our military as well.”

“That is correct, Stein. Although I’d rather the Highlander King just show up. Much less paperwork to deal with. But I doubt that’s an option now.”

As Marco took another whiff of his scented handkerchief, the doctor moved to grab a few of his tools. He wanted to analyze all of the particulates the dead soldier had on his ratty clothes. As he did so, Marco asked him why he was still doing it.

Stein paused and stared at his king with a quirked eyebrow; “So I can find out where their hideout is..”

“There’s no need for that now. I know where it is, based on what I saw, and my knowledge of the terrain. It’s close to where Tidas always looked, but not quite. He did well in being vague with Father, but he can’t fool me.”

Stein’s expression fell with the obvious rise in his disappointment. Marco inwardly huffed, irritated that he felt the need to placate the man-child.. ‘But he is extremely useful to me, so I suppose I can throw him a bone..’

“I tell you what, Stein: do your analysis. That way, when you’re finished with the Dragonhorn project, you’ll have firsthand knowledge of the place I’ll have you test it.”

A broad grin stretched across his face; “Oh thank you, My Master! That will be Splendid! But wait-won’t Benzo get upset? The chances of him being able to fight the Highlander King will decrease dramatically.”

Marco shrugged; “I’ll just have him draw out Murdoc before I have you run the test. That should appease both of you.”

Stein applauded as he excitedly replied; “That’s Brilliant! I shouldn’t be surprised anymore, but damn! You’re good, My Master!”

Marco grinned; “I’m the best there is, Stein.. No one is better.”

************

By the time Marco had left Stein’s laboratory, he felt a deep need to bathe. He had several servants ready his shower and clothes, then had them prepare him dinner. It was their usual routine since the previous king had passed, and the servants dreaded it each night.

It was to the point that the staff were terrified to be selected; especially the women. No one with red hair dared to work in the palace any longer, and those with gold-tinted hair were quick to learn to refuse as well. Anyone that might come close to resembling Skye was warned to work Only in the mornings..

But that had only worked for the first two weeks. After that, Marco had realized what the Head Steward had done, and fired him on the spot. Olsen had acted more like Magnus’ personal servant than the Head Steward, but he had always taken care of his duties, and his King.

With Marco, however; he had refused to cater to his new King’s twisted requests. The new Head Steward was a yes-man, and had little to no concern for the other servants. So long as Marco continued to give him a bonus with every ‘delivery’, he hadn’t a care in the world.

As Marco came out of his bathroom, three women stood in front of his bed. They all had long red hair, and were only wearing a thin, sheer nightgown. He smiled to himself as he watched them cower slightly, and avert their eyes.

He looked each one up and down, then grabbed the chin of the young woman in the middle; forcing her eyes to meet his. A dark smile covered his face as he said; “What a lovely shade of blue you have..”

“You two are dismissed,” Marco stated, and the other two ran from the room like their lives depended on it.

In their haste to leave, they’d left the door cracked open. As Marco crossed the room and closed it, he spoke to the woman in an eerie tone; “Let’s play a game, little thing..”