Amalickiah must have given the impression of voluntary submission to the Lamanite king. Having yet another “king” under his political control would have been seen as prestigious for the Lamanite king. The unseen danger was that this new subservient king had no intention of remaining subservient. Amalickiah was an ambitious man. He had attempted to become king of his city-state in the land of Zarahemla, and now has no particular city-state over which he might rule. With his ambitions intact, he now looks for a new conquest, and raises his sights much higher than just a single city-state. He is now looking to replace the Lamanite over-king.