16 Communicable Curse

"King Lexis, I came here personally just to apologize. I'm sorry for stopping the importation of food and other materials from getting into Macbeth." King Murphy of Anoid pleaded. He was the father of Prince Richard.

King Lexis wasn't moved by his mere apology. Back then when the Kingdom of Macbeth was suffering. The Kingdom of Anoid stopped the importation as per King Murphy's order. King Lexis felt hurt at that time.

Now the people of Macbeth were living in peace. Since they're in partnership with the Kingdom of Vallat.

King Lexis chuckled after listening to what King Murphy said. "Your apology is not accepted. You stopped the importations thinking that my Kingdom is cursed and you didn't want to be affected by it. As if the curse was communicable." King Lexis spoke harshly but to be honest he said nothing but the truth.

King Murphy was touched by King Lexis' words. When it comes to power Macbeth had much more power than Anoid. Until the crisis came, Macbeth suffered in great shame and even the weakest Kingdom was more powerful than it.

This didn't sit well with King Murphy, he was still looking for a means to convince King Lexis until he came up with an idea. Prince Richard and Ariel. He remembered his son telling him that he wanted to make Ariel his bride.

___

"Father, Ariel is a smart and beautiful woman. I know for sure that she'll make a good queen only if you give her a chance." Prince Richard pleaded with his father. His love for Ariel grew stronger by the day and he wanted to make her the next queen of Anoid.

King Murphy hissed at his son's words. "Smart? If she's that smart, why is Macbeth suffering? A smart person always has a solution or a remedy to any unpleasant situation."

Prince Richard was already annoyed by his father's words so he tried to talk back but his father silenced him.

"I've cut off every connection we once had with Macbeth. Their curse is communicable and I don't want you to mingle with Ariel. She can't be your Queen, instead, I'll find a more suitable woman for you." King Murphy said with a hoarse voice.

Prince Richard was tongue-tied, he couldn't believe his ears. He had always talked about his marriage to Ariel when he was younger and his father and mother agreed with him. They both told him Ariel will make a good queen in the future.

It turned out that his father was opposing him because of the current state of Macbeth. Prince Richard stood up and left his father's presence angrily.

___

"You know my son is interested in your daughter. Both Richard and Ariel surely make a good couple and we can't deny them of their right." King Murphy said. He thought that might convince King Lexis to agree to the partnership but he was damn wrong.

King Lexis laughed out loud. Prince Richard didn't tell anyone about his encounter the other time he visited Ariel. His father was unaware of it.

"Murphy, you're so funny. Stop it with the jokes." King Lexis tried to hold onto his laughter.

"Do I look like someone that is joking? It's a serious matter and I want you to be serious as well. Put the children's happiness into consideration." King Murphy said with an annoyed tone.

King Lexis frowned at his last statement. He had once put the children's happiness into consideration but King Murphy was the devil behind all of it. He prohibited his son from seeing Ariel. Until he had no choice but to marry her off to the King of Vallat since that was the only way for the Kingdom of Macbeth to be redeemed.

The King of Anoid was still lost in the dark. If only he knew that Ariel was responsible for the redemption of Macbeth, he wouldn't have the guts to show his face to King Lexis. He was selfish and only wants the betterment of his Kingdom. What King Murphy wanted was sovereignty. He wanted power to rule over the seven Kingdoms.

When he discovered that Vallat was in partnership with Macbeth, his blood boiled. That was what he wanted for his Kingdom as well. He wanted Vallat to be in partnership with Anoid because no other Kingdom could defeat Vallat.

"You're such a selfish and greedy man. I hate to share this with you but my daughter is no longer interested in your son. She's the Queen of Vallat now if I must say. Now leave my palace and you're never welcomed here." King Lexis stood up and left the shocked man to sit all alone.

King Murphy was shocked by the news. How did Ariel become the queen of Vallat? That's impossible! Was King Lexis trying to play games with him? He was lost in his world of thoughts. He had so many questions. He couldn't do anything about it even if King Lexis was saying the truth or not so he stood up to leave.

Before leaving the Kingdom of Macbeth, he asked the guards standing at the entrance of the palace about the news he just heard. Unfortunately, none of them responded as they all kept straight faces. King Murphy was horrified and left with his carriage.

The River of Valox is the boundary between the Kingdom of Vallat and Macbeth while the rest Kingdoms had no boundaries. The only thing that separated Macbeth from other Kingdom were the bridges they had to cross. So King Murphy found it easier to get to Macbeth without any difficulty.

When King Murphy got to his palace, he found Prince Richard at the royal stable patting his horse.

Prince Richard noticed his father's presence but ignored him. He held grudges against his father.

King Murphy was helpless and went on to tell Richard about what King Lexis told him. Ignoring the fact that his son wasn't paying attention to him.

After he finished talking, he left his son alone and went back to his chambers. Prince Richard smiled bitterly, knowing the fact that he lost Ariel all because of his father's selfishness.