Seviyu and Wret

"Seviyu, you've been very quiet tonight. Does this war not excite you like it does your people?" Wret straddled the chair next to the old wolf. Seviyu drank from the cup in his hand, still raised from the toast Wret had just finished. Seviyu avoided the Elf's eyes. Wret laughed and poked the food on his plate. "You werewolves are so strange to me. Still, after all this time, you think you can hide anything from me. You put up a strong face in front of your people but...you can't keep it up with me." Wret leaned in close to the king. "I know you too well, old man."

Seviyu placed his cup carefully beside his plate. He was no longer hungry. "You know I think going to war with my neighbors is foolhardy at best, Wret." He looked at the King, "you may underestimate the pure power Zera's average wolf has. With the Dragon's strategy...they could be unstoppable. It will be the Goddess War again."

Wret scoffed. "Zera is a weak queen to her people. I bet half my treasury the average wolf couldn't even name her children. She's too damn distant. And don't you forget--she won't have the Dragons." Wret scooped food into his mouth and greeted the man who sat on the other side. Seviyu looked over the high ranking officials in his ballroom, both Elvin and Werewolvan.

He knew how his people looked up to him. If he showed that he thought the war was a good idea, his people would follow him to the death. And sadly, he knew that may be what this would come to.

"Wret, perhaps if we talk to the queens. Alyessia can be empty at times but I've worked with Ino on a number of occasions. Lisha is brutal but reasonable. Zera and Nerethayul are...difficult, at best. I think we can explain our case to them better if we try to have a conver--"

"A conversation?" Wret whipped around to Seviyu and held his face inches from the older mans. "You know three of those four would never put me on the throne. If we want peace between all the nations, we need to do it by force."

"The irony isn't lost on you, then?"

Wret glared. "This could be the last war ever. Developing and mixing our cultures; that's what we've talked about for years!" Seviyu lifted his cup again. "Seviyu you can't tell me you're backing out now, on the eve of our domination!" Wret slammed his fist on the table, causing their plates to jump slightly.

Seviyu remembered the dream Kera's had sent him last night. "War is the only way for you, isn't it?"

"Of course. They won't listen; we'll make them listen!" Wret sat back down in his chair and began to eat. Seviyu breathed deeply.

"Then so be it." Seviyu pushed his plate aside and stood, feeling Wret's eyes on him as he left the room.

Seviyu hadn't visited Rey in many months, and he felt the guilt weigh on his shoulders as he climbed the stairs to her room. He reached the familiar doors and slowly opened them, peeking in and seeing tall, new candles lit around the little shrine. The flowers were fresh too--chrysanthemums. "am I interrupting?" He asked the silent room. He entered slowly, carefully closing the door behind him. "I know it's been a while. I'm sorry." He approached the table. Seviyu felt the flowers that surrounded the urn. "These were always your favorite. You liked to count the petals, or so you said." He laughed quietly. "It always kept the officials off of you for an hour or two..."

"I know I say that every time I come here." Seviyu carefully lifted the urn and he stroked the side of it. "I know you are probably sick of hearing it. You would throw those flowers at me right now...if you could." He sat on a bench that lined the room. He was quiet. "Kera's sent me a dream. Not a good one, I'm sorry to say." Seviyu placed the urn on his lap and stared intently at its metallic surface. "I wish I had known earlier, or I may have been able to stop this war. I wish I could. Zera doesn't deserve this, no one does. Even if his plan works I'm not sure if total global domination is the way to go about it. Reyluna, I will not survive this war. I wish I could say I knew when, or even with certainty who will end my life but it is not my destiny to see how it plays out. I will be joining you, my love, in Acre."

"I'm not sure why I received that dream. Perhaps Zex saw my unease and sent Kera's to me. She knew that I didn't want to actually hurt anyone? Does that make sense, Rey?" He sat in silence for a minute.

"Still speaking to the dead wife?" Wret pushed himself off the door and walked into the soft light of the candles.

"I miss my wife, Wret. I'm sorry you perhaps don't feel the same." Seviyu cradled the urn to his chest. "What are you doing here? This is my personal space."

"Reyluna was special, Seviyu. We all miss her." Wret stood before Seviyu. "This war is going to happen."

"I know. I'm sending my people out to a war I don't believe in." He looked up at Wret, "I'm lying to them. Do you understand how terrible that is? Southern Werewolves don't lie."

Wret sighed angrily, "that is quite the annoying trait you've picked up from the Unicorns, isn't it?"

"It makes things very uncomplicated, if no one can lie."

"Boring. I prefer." Wret turned and began to leave. He paused with his hand on the door, "Seviyu? ...don't keep me waiting." Wret nearly slammed the door behind him.

"It's strange, Reyluna. For all his talk of loyalty and having my back, my dream lacked any Elves in it." He replaced the urn. "I'll see you soon." He turned and left the shrine for the last time.

And prepared for his death.