019 - "Write as if you were the king, your brother the high wizard, and you are discussing an impending orc invasion, as close to reality as possible."

The table in the center of the dining hall was large enough to cram a hundred people around it. The surface of the table was overflowing with an array of different foods, as if a feast had been prepared to feed half the castle. Instead of an exuberant feast, however, there was only silence as two men sat across from each other, eating slowly.

The first man cleared his throat, the motion turning into a cough. He forced his shoulders back in an attempt to fix his posture, but both his eyes and body drooped with exhaustion. "Anything interesting happen today?" His voice carried across the empty room, bouncing off the walls and returning in a slow, unintelligible mumble. When there was no answer, he tried again, "Any news, today?"

While the first man was hardly picking at his food, his counterpart seemed to be eating so much that it was a wonder his stomach didn't burst. He paused, his mouth still half full, and shook his head slowly. The food slid down his throat as his eyes darted across the table. "What?"

The first man sat up in his large, throne like chair and pushed his food away. His hair was in a strangled mess, with a patchy beard attempting to cover his pale, blemished face. He tried to smile, but the act only resulted in a grimace. "Your king asked if you had anything to report."

"My king, or my brother?" The second man was younger than the first, but taller and far more refined looking. He eyed the king carefully before returning to his food.

"Does it matter?" The king cleared his throat again before shaking his head and letting out a rough cough. "You're the courts high wizard, and my brother. Either way, I need to know what is going on."

"Have you tried talking to the men you pay for information?" The wizard continued eating, his eyes not even leaving the plate in front of him. The food seemed to disappear so quickly that it was a wonder he had time for words.

"I have." The king grimaced. Most of the council made his skin crawl and he wanted nothing to do with them. They were too worried about the politics of a kingdom, rather than its safety. He let out a sigh. "Ren, we agreed to rule this kingdom together."

The wizard stopped, another forkful of food halfway to his mouth. He set it back down, took a long drink of water, and looked up at his king. "Your point?"

"Help me." The king's eyes began to feel a bit glassy, and his vision became a bit blurry. He blinked furiously against the water in his eyes before giving out a weak smile. "I didn't want this anymore than you did. I don't know what I'm doing. I don't think I can lead a kingdom."

"We could leave." Ren leaned forward against the table, his eyes boring down on his elder brother.

"Like dad did after mom died?" The king snorted, shaking his head. "And leave the kingdom to whom? The council?"

"Who cares?" The wizard clenched his jaw, his eyes wandering through the wide empty room to stare out one of the many windows along the wall. "It shouldn't be our problem. Let them figure it out."

"We're the rulers, their leaders - it is our job to protect them against attacks like this." The king felt his sinewy muscles clench up in frustration. If he had the strength to argue, he would have risen from his chair and shouted. Instead, he let out a sigh and rested his forehead against his hand. "We may not be very good at it, but we shouldn't leave."

The silence of the hall seemed to envelope the both of them, but eventually Ren gave a slow nod. "From what we have been able to scry, the orcs should be here within the month. Our neighboring kingdoms have not lasted long against the creatures."

"Options? Ideas?" The king perked up slightly, but he remained with his head in hand, eyes turned sideways at his younger brother.

"Well, leaving would be my first suggestion." Ren glanced down from the window before shaking his head. "Surrender isn't a real option. The orcs kill enough of their own men on a good day. Humans fair much worse."

"What about holding our ground?"

"Not wise. Like I said, many of the other kingdoms are...gone." The stoney gaze that the high wizard gave off was enough to send a shiver down any mans back. The King, however, just felt a twinge of sadness whenever he looked to his brother.

"Yes, well, we don't have much of a choice." The king clicked his tongue against his teeth, counting the beat as he did so. A few tunes tickled his brain, but he pushed them away to focus on the problem in front of him. "What options do we have as far as defensive strategies are concerned?"

"I don't know." Ren looked down at his food, then pushed it away. He reached for another drink of water, but when he found it empty, he let out an audible sigh and leaned back in his chair.

"You don't know, or you don't want to talk about it?"

"I don't know."

"Helpful." The king folded his hands together, his eyes wandering out the same window that his brother seemed fascinated with.

Time passed as they sat in silence, neither looking to the other. Eventually, the King gave a crooked smile and brought his gaze back to the table. "If this were a game - one of the ones we created during our childhood - what would you tell me?"

The wizard matched his brothers gaze before rolling his eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"Here." The King stood, using the full force of his body to push the large chair backwards. He moved to a nearby cabinet, pulling out a large blank parchment and a quill. He carried them to the opposite end of the enormous table. His boney fingers reached out, pushing aside meals worth of uneaten food and replacing them with the parchment. Immediately, he began to scribble across it, drawing a crude map of the realm.

"What are you doing?" Ren sat up a bit straighter, leaning in just enough to see the parchment. "Your handwriting is terrible."

"So is my ability to draw." The king frowned, scratching at his poor excuse for facial hair. "Do you want to do it?"

"No." Despite his words, he stood from his seat and pushed the King aside. Sighing heavily, the wizard reached out for the quill and looked down at the parchment. "What am I doing?"

"Drawing the realm."

"Is that what this mess is?" The wizard released another rush of disgruntled air and started to draw. It wasn't much better than his brother's work, but it at least appeared to be created by an intelligent creature.

When the map was done, they both took a step back and looked it over. "Okay." Said the king. He nodded to himself, then pointed to a few sections of the map. "Those places are gone. You might as well mark them, and their resources, as belonging to the orcs."

Ren nodded, scribbling down the information, consistently careful to avoid getting ink on his hand as he wrote. When he was done, he started to scribble down information of his own. "These are our allies. Rather, the kingdoms that we can depend on holding long enough that we will have a warning if we are flanked."

"Good." The king clicked his tongue against his teeth again and let his eyes wander around the empty room. "We should be careful anyway. Have your wizards create outposts in each direction. They can create firetraps to slowdown our enemy."

"They won't like that." Ren paused, the quill dancing back and forth in his fingers. "They would rather be here. They would be more useful here."

"They would be safer here." The King stood up straighter, his stance growing solid for the first time in weeks. "But they would be more useful guarding our borders. If the orcs breakthrough, the wizards are the only ones able to communicate with us from the outside - and the most effective at harassing our enemy from behind."

"Fine, fine, but I remain here."

"Of course."

"What of the cavalry?"

"What of them?" The King made his way to a window, his gaze drifting out over the scenery. It made him feel powerful to look down upon his kingdom. It was an odd sensation, but one he yearned for as his physical strength waned.

"They are of no use to us inside the keep." The quill was writing on it's own, now, as Ren returned to his seat. Leaning back in his seat, his gaze wandered to the expansive skyline visible over the king's shoulders.

"Fair enough." The elder brother turned, looking over the make-shift map in front of them. "Send them to the West. They can act as diplomats, until the fighting begins. Either they will return with aide, or they shall serve as our relief force, for the wizards. Between the two of them, we should have a high potential for flanking and dividing the enemy force."

"Good." Ren reached out, grabbing another selection of food, despite it growing cold with the passing conversation.

"Are you eating more already?" The King shook his head, a small chuckle rising from within.

Ren shrugged, his mouth stuffed full. "I'm hungry."

"You're always hungry."

"A downside to being a high wizard." He shrugged. "Are you going to finish your drink?"

The King waved dismissively, his attention on the map. His fingers traced the ink, most of it too dry to smudge under his touch. He took a deep breath and smiled sadly. "We should make tunnels, under the keep. Give our people a chance to escape, should the need arise."

"Ah, yes. The people."

"We are not running."

"If you say so." Ren sat down in the King's throne-like chair, his feet resting upon the table as he sipped on his borrowed drink. "This city was not intended to be defensible."

"So we change it."

"Easier said than done."

"You're a wizard." The King shook his head. "Stop...whatever it is you're doing. We're staying. We're defending this city."

"Yeah."

"We're not going to die."

"Yeah."

"Stop that." They locked eyes, neither of them wanting to back down from their position. Eventually, Ren simply shrugged. The king nodded. "Good. Now, about the archers..."

--------------------------

Started weeks ago. Not sure if I'm content, but I'm content enough.