Episode 9
1624 Words
KILLIAN
"I think not," I heard myself saying, stepping out of the crowd. "Nobody is dying here today."
It took a few seconds for some people to recognise who I was, and once they did, they took to their heels, except for the town's leader and two uniformed guards.
The two guards fell to the ground, saying, "Your Grace." The town's leader simply gave bow, saying the same words too.
"At ease," I let out, as the guards were still lying on the ground.
"Your Grace, I do not understand why you will not have this abomination executed. I promise that it's in the interest of the town and Agroman at large." He tapped his left hands slowly against his hip. "What do you say, Your Grace?"
I took a step towards him. "I will punish him myself when I get to the Castle."
A smile born out of mischief cracked along the man's lip. He turned to the boy, saying "I promise you, you will wish I had you killed here."
"Get going," I ordered, prompting the man and the guards to leave.
I heard the man call him Luscious Grass. Now, that could mean only one thing—he was an orphan. In Agroman, orphans without any family at all, or bastards, are assigned the last name 'Grass'.
I looked down at the teenager, whose gaze faced the ground. "How are you feeling?"
Still looking down, he shouted at me, "What do you care? Kill me already!"
I squatted, moving closer to him. "Luscious, do you have any family?"
He punched the Earth in annoyance, his teeth gritted. "I don't, you hear. Now, do whatever you want to do. Get it over with. I'm ready."
My gaze still on him, I felt so much pity for him. I mean, look at him— curled like a baby, head bent facing the ground; alone and helpless.
"Luscious, I'm not going to hurt you."
Luscious raised his head, but not looking me in the eyes— as that was a ‘crime’ and commoners could get into big trouble by doing that.
Smiling, he said, "I don't know how to thank you, Your Grace."
"You really don't have to."
Slowly, I watched that smile wash off his face, worry now taking its place. "But… never mind."
I drew closer to him. "What is it, Luscious? You can tell me anything."
Luscious tried to get to his feet, but fell back to the ground, his knees swollen after all the beatings he had received.
"I don't have anywhere to go, Your Grace. You might as well kill me."
"Luscious, what do you mean?"
He went on to tell me about how he was homeless and often lived under shades, being that his mother supposedly threw him in the bushes after conceiving him. He said until he was seven, he lived with one family where he was maltreated on a daily basis. The family chased him out when he was seven years old and up until now, he had taken care of himself.
"But now that this has happened, I'm going to have no one to help me. Not to mention that they will kill me right after you leave."
I stood, gesturing for a guard to come. "Get a carriage and take this boy to 032. Find a woman called Manila and tell her to take care of him until we meet." I held the shoulder of the guard who looked down at the ground. "If for any reason, this boy is harmed on the way, you will… well, you know."
Turning back to Luscious, I gave his shoulder a pat. "Go with him. You will be fine, I promise."
Right after saying this, my wings were released, and with a few beats of those powerful wings, I was hundreds of feet in the air, flying as fast as I could.
I had an idea and this time, I would actually go through with it.
As I flew, I tried not to think about what my plan was. In my head, I could hear Damian telling me to not even consider doing this. And as was mostly the case, he would be right to say so.
A few hours later, I arrived at the Castle. It was evening and the lit torches placed in the castle corridors added a glow to the already enchanting building.
I walked straight to Damian’s chamber.
"You are back so soon?" Damian exclaimed, pouring a drink for himself as he put on a garment. "Let me guess, Manila told you precisely what I said?"
I settled into a chair, putting my leg on a bed stool. "Yes, you're right."
"Well, at least, your visit wasn't entirely pointless. Those wings look like they're good for flying," Damian said, suppressing a laugh.
I snapped my fingers, adjusting in the seat. "Not exactly, Damian. I actually have an idea. I have an idea on how to stop Father from doing just anything he wants."
"Oh, drop it already."
I took a stick and lit the two candles closest to me. "Look, Damian, the only way to ensure Father doesn't go through with this plan is by ensuring he never makes any decision in the capacity he holds."
Damian pulled his seat closer to me, his voice much lower. "Killian, I swear I'm not kidding when I say you have lost it. In fact, I'm convinced you're mentally unwell. Are you actually saying what I'm hearing?"
I went on to explain my plan to him. You see, in Agroman, there were traditions and laws that haven't been changed for ages. Some of these laws were so old no one can remember when, how or when they were even made, or by whom. In fact, these old laws were so sacred and respected—they were pretty much the reason why we, the Panises, were seen as rulers.
My plan was to convince the fifteen Lords of the castle to vote Father out as King of Agroman and then Morgian, the firstborn, would rule.
Damian clapped just after I was done, nodding as he did. “Amazing, Killian. Really impressive. I see you have a whole plan on how to end your life.”
I stood, now prancing in the room. “What's so crazy about this? No one has had the guts to challenge him? If the fifteen Lords can officially dethrone him, there is nothing he can do. Being king is what gives him power.”
Damian nodded, holding one of my hands. “And, dummy, guess what? He is the king.”
I shrugged, looking away. “But that has to change. It has to.”
Damian came in front of me so he could look directly at me. “I can go on my knees if that's what you want. Forget about this idea. Your father is as bad as they come, but he is a very dangerous man. I need not remind you of this.”
I opened the door, leaving his chambers without saying anything.
Manila and Damian were so scared of Father. And rightfully so. But the truth is, if no one stands up to him, he will do just as he likes, hurting more and more people.
Just as I was about to enter my chambers, I heard my name.
“Killian,” Morgian yelled out again, coming towards me, with Norris at his side.
When my brothers came to speak to me, it was hardly ever a good thing. Despite growing up together, I didn't have a relationship with any of them. And trust me, they weren't losing sleep over this.
“We came to look for you earlier today but Darrel said you weren't around,” Norris said, now very close to me.
I looked at both Norris and Morgian, my head raised as they stood before me. “Why are you here? Or are you guys bored or did you just hear about my meeting with Father? Oh, I'm sure you're in support of Father's ‘project'.”
Morgian placed a hand on my shoulder. “I hate that you think so poorly of your own family.” He took a deep breath, staring directly at me. “Anyway, that's not why I'm here. I'm here to talk about the Royal bank.”
I raised a finger in the air. “Respectfully, you can spare me that. I do not care.”
Morgian, disregarding my comment, continued to tell me about the Royal bank and how much money we stood to make from it. Then he informed me that he would convince Father to make me the head of the bank.
“All you have to do is say yes,” Norris added. “You should play a role in the affairs of the Royal family, and this is your chance to do so.”
I shook my head. “You'll have to find someone else. I couldn't be less interested.”
Morgian stomped his foot on the ground in annoyance. “What is wrong with you? Your apathy towards the affairs of this family is simply foolish.”
Norris supported Morgian, both of them frowning at me. “Apart from the three of us here, Cassandra is the only adult Panis. Cassandra heads the military of the land. Morgian and I help Father rule. Besides wearing your holier-than-thou hat whenever it suits you, what the hell do you do?”
I moved so close to Norris that our noses touched. “Usually, I distance myself from all of you, so I'll be getting back to doing that.”
Right after saying that, I entered my chambers and slammed the door in their faces.
- Writer
