Fire spaces the ground around, trees toppled over from large quantities of attackers coming from the forests and nearby lake, hoof prints indented into the ground that enter the destroyed walls of Verheim's kingdom. No damage to his people though, they had defended himself while he fought with his wife. In the distance, laughter arose so suddenly it caught the weeping wind of sorrows, her tears drying as cold wind embarked near Verheim's kingdom. Drying up the storm clouds that were rolling so slowly past the meadow... "Hahah!-" "Hahaha!-" "Ah--Ha! Hahaha!" "Curses of the old kingdom, to the new dawn in my eyes! Come my peasants, come see forth the destruction of a new empire that had yet no future!" Verheim shouted into the air, calling all his citizens to the walls of their destroyed home; their eyes peeking over rubble, seeing [] their enemies vanquished, it set a blaze for more war in their hearts. More destruction then. Verheim approached the crumbling wall, skipping over stones as he descended from attacking foes and mongers in his kingdom that he no longer liked having around, his tail swishing left and right as he jumped down; blood sputtered away, as if trying to get away from him in general. "My son will love this, one way or another..." He muttered briefly. He turned around and saw Espresso carry a dead guard of his across the ground, his hooves had bled for him and he deserves a burial, which is why she brought the guard to the King. For burial of service. She then set the guard down when she neared Verheim enough, not to disturb his momento of joyous happiness to have defended and won the attack. "I think you should do your duty as ki-" Espresso was interrupted with Verheim lunging at her, his eyes wild with war and blood in his gaze, he wanted more and more he shall have. Because he can. And no one will stop him from achieving it. "I! Will decide when my men shall have their burials, but they will not be today, not tomorrow, or EVER until I *win the **war** of my enemies*." He impounded on his wife, Espresso only had wide eyes before tsking and turning around to walk away from her husband. She has seen enough so far with him and his outrageous thoughts. "Radical authoritarian." She growled, Verheim's ears perked up and turned around sharply. He huffed, puffed, then chased after Espresso--nabbing her by the ear and slamming her down into the rubble of the stone-cold ground. He put one cloven hoof on Espresso's shoulder blade before she could get up and lick her wounds in privacy, his gaze changed to cold and cruel to her. "*Say *that* again*, ***mare***." He commanded coldly, his voice hard and firm, he will not take a disobedient wife lightly. Espresso managed to get up, Verheim's hoof is off her shoulder blade, she turned her head to look up at her husband, she scowled before spitting out a mauler from her mouth. "Radical. Authoritarian." She answered slowly, defiantly, coldly as if it sounded like a demand on his hide. Silence. Silence for five minutes alone, only the fire spreading in the background, wounded Veilhorns still being dug up from rubble and burnt down/destroyed houses. Verheim only narrowed his eyes, then he raised his cloven hoof and... Espresso's head hit the ground again as she put a hoof up to her face, a red mark stinging so badly a little cut formed and one drop of blood spawned out of it. Verheim leaned down, licking the single drop of blood from his wife's cheek, then he walked away and left her on the ground. Glaring behind his back as several guards ran up to accompany him on his way out of the kingdom. And only two maids came down from their hiding spots to help Espresso up from the ground. "He's too cruel for you." One of the maids spoke, checking over Espresso's body for anymore wounds, scratches, bruises, or marks left behind from the escapade that took place. Espresso only shook her head before standing up, the maids trailing behind her for safety and fear of their lady's anger now. ~-~ Meanwhile, Verheim sniffed the ground, inhaling a cold trail leading to a neighboring empire that took the faded trail to Verheim's kingdom to trade with him: resources for the Veilhorns inhabiting the big city, mares to harvest crops, foals just for their clumsy entertainment, stallions to work in the mines, and so many other resources Verheim had... "The Duke is this way." He said coldly, pittering his cloven hooves before taking down the trail, the guards froze before following after their King. They were born under his rule and his rule alone that they follow, that's what they were taught in the empire. Soon, the three stallions reached a small break in the trail; a tree limb with honey sap covering it, Verheim laughed at the implication before snapping the branch and tearing at it with his teeth. Espresso, meanwhile, flinched from her resting position on a blanket, she checked her stomach again for any flinches before going back to rest, the maids watched in worry. Verheim and the guards continued the travel towards the Duke's empire, attacking trading merchants in case of the Duke's betrayal to Verheim's attacked home that still was rebuilding from yesterday, but the kingdom was 50% back to normal and how it was. With some minor upgrades to the walls to be automatically spiked in case attacks went south or onwind. Verheim attacked and pillaged houses with farming Veilhorns, looting and stealing the gold for his treasury hoard in his kingdom--that he kept locked up underneath his empire, safe away from danger and harm, only the most intelligent would be able to find it, but it'd be boobie trapped with the most intelligent and fore-sought traps known to Veilhorn kind--away from prying eyes to his only. Not even Espresso knew where it was locked exactly, and she searched the empire head-over to every nook and cranny to make sure she had it memorized. As the grand-walls of the Duke's true empire loomed above, Verheim only growled before headbutting the oaken doors open, the doors nearly splitting off but only cracked from the high-tension of Verheim's headbutt. Like a bull in a china shop, but this one had no leftover patience and hunted every one of his enemies down until they existed no more. Verheim's following guards held their golden spears out as they trotted behind Verheim, the Duke's citizens backing out either from fear of Verheim's confident stride or the guards' weapons out and handling them in an intimidating way, either way to that thought or two, Verheim grabbed the nape of a mare who was tending to her flowers. Gripping her neck, but it was too late; the watering can spilled its water contents and mixed with the mare's golden-blood. "Pathetic, he already infused them with Gradium." Verheim mumbled to himself, the guards looked at the dead mare, poking her sides until they bounded after Verheim when he left the mare alone. A couple guards of the Duke inspected the scene after Verheim left, gaining suspicion on him now. Verheim kept walking down the paved roadway, his hooves clip clopping as he glanced every-so-often after the Duke's citizens; watching them interact and gossip about their daily lives and others in their neighboring houses, he hacked before hissing to himself. His tail flicking in defiance to the Duke's passing group of guards, trotting in orderly fashion, no doubt to the deceased mare that he had killed for no reason other than looking like his wife's doppelganger he had killed after their marriage happened four months ago. He dodged a passing stallion that almost nudged his armor strapped above his Royale cloak, before he hit the back of the stallion with both of his back hooves, the indents obvious as the passing over stallion looked up from crashing into a barrel full of pickles that also crashed into a trough full of pickles aside the building that the stallion walked out of. "More pathetic, letting his citizens indulge themselves in... *Pickles*." Verheim retorted disgustedly at the stallion slowly climbing out of the pickle ammendum. The guards, nervous as they venture further to the Duke's castle are the more aggressive their King is getting, towards citizens of the Duke's watch. Towards the Duke's guards as well. Towards disrespecting property of the Duke by having the stallion--not just crash into a barrel full of pickles--but also into a trough full of pickles as well. ~-~ Elsewhere in the Duke's kingdom, the Duke was reading over scrolls and scrolls the advisor had sent his apprentice to give to the Duke, the amount of property and civilian damage Verheim has done to his city is growing rampant with his anger towards him. He can understand, he once had done the same to Verheim and his empire for destroying Sadliam and Fiak's treaty just for them to fight each other to the death with Verheim watching in glory in the shadows. "Oh, my... Verheim... What are you doing?" The Duke leaned forward on his desk, his eyes widening and body lurching forward as a sword was driven from the back of his chair through his chest. [] Verheim lifted his head, leaning his mouth close to the Duke's ear, whispering in a hissing, angry, cruel tone: "I don't want your fear. I want your *regret*." Verheim leaned closer, the Duke gasped as the golden sword pointed up. "I wanted it for the longest time since you've been born, Duke. Now *pay the price*. The devil waits for no one, not even you, My Lord." [Verheim withdrew the golden sword from the Duke's body soon after, the quick pull on the item itself]. [Those eyes that held every answer; faded within an instant.[ Verheim started walking, a golden sword in his cloven hoof, [then he turned around and jabbed the Duke's body]. [Slamming the blunt end down [] towards his oldest friend]--and enemy for the longest time. The guards watched in even more terrified silence, [their armor that protected them from the golden flecks from the Duke's magic], [and withdrew after Verheim reared up with a frightening glare before piercing the sword into the floor, past the horse that got nipped underneath the blade's tip and stabbed into two pieces of perfect-placed cobblestone.] Verheim looked up a second after killing the Duke, his mane a shaggy mess, his armor and cloak dulled and painted in golden blood, the guards watched but didn't move a muscle nor flinched at all; just holding each other as Verheim straightened up after his anger fled his body and left him cooling down into a straggled mess of what he once was. [] The guards walked down the staircase once more, [their swords now draped and coated in golden blood], their heads hung from what they had to do to appease Verheim's hunger for death to make his enemies cower before the strength of a mighty King taking the throne of intelligence before them, his place in the meetings no longer relevant to Verheim either. He just wants death in as much as he can get. As much as his fury can be appeased from. "Death is intricate, laced in sublime contradictions, one minute I'm standing with the maids as they take my measurements and the next: I'm slaying my closest friends for allies of death instead. What does that say about me, boys?" Verheim looked at his guards, they perked up in surprise at the sudden monologue and question thrown at them, they didn't expect to answer this question. And neither did Verheim, their compliant silence only fueling his resolve that they only answer when absolutely necessary; as he taught them to do so... As the deals for war is obsolete to him, like anything else not in his plans for destruction....