Chapter 56: Maximus
Maximus was out in the field training guards when a guard approached him. "My lord," he said, his voice soft.
Maximus squinted his eyes from where he was seated under the canopy, watching the men tackle obstacles on the open field. He had caught sight of the guard the instant he entered the field but had completely ignored him.
"What is it?" Maximus asked, keeping his gaze straight, not once glancing in the direction of the guard.
The guard’s hands shook as he held his spear, standing before Maximus. The Royal Commander was a household name. Not only that, he was also the king’s right-hand man. Maximus was as tall as he was wide, and a rumor said he had once been attacked by twenty men and fought them all off. But that wasn’t the best part. He had been unarmed, and each man had a crushed skull, like apples that had been squished.
The guard standing in front of Maximus believed the rumor wholeheartedly. He had seen the Royal Commander in combat. Maximus could crush a man’s skull. With wide palms, muscles, and veins that ran down each arm, the guard knew that if he were to anger the Royal Commander, he would be dead before he could blink.
"H-Her Majesty, the Q-Queen, has requested your presence."
Maximus blinked, then slowly turned his eyes to look at the guard. The Queen never summoned him. He had been the Royal Commander for at least fifteen years, and not once had the Queen ever asked for his presence. Yet she was calling for him now.
He knew Queen Violeta. She wasn’t the type to do things without a plan. If she was asking for him, the king knew, and that meant she had his permission. It also meant she wanted to deal with an issue, and considering the rumors going around the castle, he could guess what this issue was.
"Did she say why?" he asked, turning his gaze back to the field.
"No," the guard shook his head.