From the moment my brother was chosen to be king, I knew my father had made a terrible mistake. For father’s sake, though, I held my tongue—I didn’t want to give him more to worry about on his deathbed.
After he died, I was put in charge of this backwater territory near the border. Well, “near” in relative terms, I supposed. The only thing we were really close to was the Grimwood, that accursed forest full of ravenous monsters. Since then, I’d been determined to wrest power away from my brother, but there was no way to gain renown in battle. Without such opportunities, how would I gain a mandate from the people? To become king, I would ideally have such a strong mandate from the people that my brother would be forced to abdicate. Unfortunately, with that blasted forest in the way, there could be no war, and no way for me to expand my meager holdings.
Or could I?
I hatched a plan to colonize the Grimwood. There would certainly be casualties at first, but as the trees were cut down, the monsters would gradually move north, away from our settlements. There was a river running through the forest that would be excellent for building villages. Once I’d claimed the entire Grimwood territory south of the river, we could continue north. Even if it meant encroaching on territory currently claimed by other nations, they were in no position to defend it.
If my plan worked, I could move the entire country’s border far to the north without fighting a single battle. Once I accomplished that, there would no doubt be a movement to have me crowned king. My brother would be all but forced to abdicate in my favor. If he wouldn’t surrender the throne peacefully, I was sure I could convince some of my sympathizers to remove him for me without actually ordering them to.
Everything hinged on the Grimwood colonization plan. So I enlisted the help of a renowned group of mercenaries. I tasked them with investigating the Grimwood and locating suitable spots for villages. Their leader, Hegram, had a military air about him; I was a bit curious about his history, but I didn’t pry. In the end, all that mattered was the results of their survey.
They were gone nearly two full weeks, but when they returned I couldn’t believe their report. It was absolute nonsense.
“A queen?! You’re saying there’s someone who claims sovereignty over the Grimwood region?! Impossible!”
“We saw it with our own eyes, Your Grace. She was a little thing, not even as tall as my waist, but she could make these huge towers grow out of the ground like plants. They were full of strange monsters we’d never seen before. We brought back the things we found there to serve as proof. I’ve never seen anything like them.”
This development threw my entire plan into disarray. The Grimwood was already a place humans feared. If there was someone—or something—laying claim to it, the colonization plan would face another setback.
But... Wait, what if this wasn’t a setback at all?
Something mentioned in the report was actually very interesting.
“Tell me more about these towers,” I ordered.
The more I heard, the more I became convinced. The strange creature laying claim to the Grimwood wasn’t the end of the colonization plan, but the beginning. I planned to send out a subjugation force to capture her, then force her to create more towers for humans to live in. Since she could make things like bedrooms and privies, I was certain they could become valuable living spaces.
And I was told she was pleasing to look at—perhaps I’d even make her my concubine.
My dream of redrawing the border and ruling the country drew closer than ever.
Don’t you worry little Miss Grimwood, as long as you obey me, I’ll be sure to take good care of you.