The Kingdom Without Love

THE KING AND THE MAID♝ 14 years ago...  The sound of frantic footsteps was heading to the main audience hall. A man, perhaps in his early twenties, appeared with a facial expression so full of fear and distress. He ran as if there was no tomorrow. He ran so hard that one of his shoes fell off but he didn't bother to pick it up. Heading to the hall was the most important thing to him. He used all his strength to push open the golden doors. He stood inside, his eyes widening, gasping for air. The Lords and nobles inside the council immediately stood up in their chairs, completely unaware of what caused so much panic. "How dare you enter without being invited!" One of the Nobles called out, as anger fumed inside him. The young man dropped his knees to the floor and bowed his head. "Forgive me! But I have terrible news to report." He desperately hoped that they would listen to him. His back was slouched over as he tried to make himself appear smaller. The Nobles and Lords exchanged perplexed glances with one another. Most of them were unsure whether to trust this man or not. They don't know if he poses a threat. However, they all wanted to hear him out. "Identify yourself!" The one wearing white and gold silk ordered the man. He held his hand in the air to signal the two guards that stood by the doors. At his command, they forcibly carried the man by his arms. The man made a small painful groan at this action. The Lords made it very clear that they were superior to that poor man. The man's voice quivered as he spoke. He knew very well the consequences of barging into a council meeting without permission. "I- I am a poor messenger from Clipston village..." He admitted truthfully. No one was surprised he was simply a poor peasant. They could easily tell by the rugged, filthy attire he was wearing. Compared to the beautiful silk and gold the Nobles and Lords wore. A peasant like him is just asking for a death sentence for disrupting their meeting. "Speak you peasant! We want to hear your reasoning for this. You can't enter this area without permission. Why shouldn't we behead you right this instant!" Uncertain of how to break the news to them without shocking them, the poor peasant cast his gaze at the ground. His lips started to turn pale, "The King and the Queen have been killed during their trip... A terrible- terrible death. I saw it with my own eyes!" He cried out. His whole body trembled in horror. His fear of what would become of the Kingdom of Everland and its people. Gazing silently as he imagined that this would be the fall of the kingdom. The whole room went cold as horrified gasps broke out. "T-the King?" A noble with blue silk stammered. The majority of them didn't want to believe that poor peasant. They just stood there grasping this new information in utter denial. "No, it can't be!" The Lord called out. One of them remained unfazed by this news, clearly doubtful that someone would kill such powerful and well-respected people."Don't you dare lie to us, you wicked peasant! I will throw you in the dungeons and torture you to death. Mark my-" "I will never lie! The soldiers are bringing their bodies back right at this instant! Believe me, oh please believe me." The peasant interrupted the Noble mid-sentence. From the saddened look in the peasant's eye it was clear to them he wasn't lying. Clearly, he was just as loyal to the King as they were. There was no real motive for lying. "What happened during their trip? What happened to the 500 soldiers that were there for protection?" It was all odd to them. The 500 trained soldiers were more than enough to protect them both. The journey wasn't far at all either. The King and Queen only went to form an alliance with another kingdom. The poor peasant didn't know what exactly happened either, or why none of the soldiers were killed either. All he saw at the scene was a tall man hidden in a dark robe, watching and waiting for the right time. The rest of the memory ends with him running for help. "None of the soldiers were killed... but an evil man was there. I'm sure of it," he explained. "I saw his evil eyes, the killer eyes- the eyes of death." He continued. His face turned pale as he quietly sobbed at recalling the memory. "I want those 500 soldiers tortured and dethroned of their title. We must get information from them immediately!" The noble with blue silk spoke out. Even though he appeared calm, his voice was filled with unease and stress. He slowly sat down in his chair and gripped the edges of the seat. "They are an utter disgrace to everyone." "Bring in a team of 1,000 soldiers to get the... bodies of the King and Queen. The cause of death must be analyzed." The guards that were at the peasant's side ran out of the hall to share the news. Though the Nobles and Lords were all in agreement, a question rang in all their minds. A kingdom is not whole without a King. An empty throne will set everything in chaos. Everything they all worked for to maintain peace and a thriving kingdom would go into ruins. "Who will become the next King?" A noble with white and gold hesitated. "That question is quite obvious. The prince will become King- the leader of this nation." One Lord responded. Some of them shook their heads in disagreement. "No Francis, the prince is way too young to handle the duties of an honorable king." A loud voice boomed throughout the room, he slammed his fists hard against the table, "We have no other options! The throne cannot be left empty. Young kings are well known throughout the history of this kingdom, you should already know that." He argued, nothing would change his mind. The others remained in deep thought. It is true that young boys frequently rise to the position of King. Plus, all that boy needed was a little guidance. Most of them nodded, "Massalino Saint Vincent is and will be the next King. He is the last remaining bloodline of the royal Vincent family." Lord Francis stated with pure certainty. "Age does not and will never matter. It is his divine right to become King, he is the chosen one by God." Suddenly, the loud thunder of drums playing pierced their ears. All of them paused, just listening to the instrument playing. The sound of the drums was so specific and in a uniform order, not one key was missed. It was those drums that scared those Nobles and Lords the most. It was the confirmation of the King's and Queen's death. "I guess it really is true..." One sighed. "How will we tell the news to Massalino? Will he even understand the meaning of death? Considering he's only six years old." A guard busted through the door and bowed, "My Lords, all the teams have come back. The bodies have been placed inside the palace," he said. Sprinkles of unease began to build up inside the Lords. They never wished to see the dead body of a leader they admired. But it had to be done. "Lord Ralph, Lord Cesar, please follow me." Lord Francis stated urgently. Francis turned to the guard and asked him to take the peasant to one of the guest rooms. Still uneasy, the peasant rose slowly from the ground and obediently followed the guard. Ralph and Ceaser abruptly stood up and followed Francis out the door and into the long hallways. A tall guard walked towards them and led them into the holding chambers. The doors opened and inside the lights were dimmed. Francis gulped nervously, as a small brown box appeared in front of him. The Lords leaned in looking at the box, confused. " What's the meaning of this? Where are their bodies?" Lord Ralph yelled at the guard. He expected there to be two big coffins, not a small box. "They're in there, sir." The guard replied. Lord Francis didn't know what to expect at this point, but he thought of the worst. His heart plummeted, he held out his trembling hands slowly but steadily and opened the brown box. He almost couldn't believe his eyes at what he had just seen. He has never witnessed a scene like this, not ever in the history of this nation. This sight left him so shocked he didn't even have the time to gasp. He stood there completely frozen like the other Lords. In the box, was the King's head, shamelessly sliced off from the neck. His eyes were still opened as they met Francis' eyes. Francis held out his hands and picked up the head. He took the head in his arms and hugged it, sobbing. His sad sobs echoed throughout the silent room. The King had treated him so kindly, as if he shared the same blood. Yet the King died in vain. Ralph stood there in shock, with so much anger, so much hatred towards whoever had done this horrid crime. He swiftly turned to the guard, "Send a message to all regions of this nation. Those responsible for killing the King will suffer the most painful death the Kingdom of Everland will ever see!" Ralph yelled in pure rage, and walked out the room. After a few moments, Francis stopped sobbing. There were no more tears left to cry. He put the head back into the box, closing the lid. He smoothed out his facial expression the best that he could manage, but the saddened eyes were still evident. Francis had one last thing to do. Traveling through the long hallways, he opened up the door to one of the chambers. Young Massalino's sleeping form laid on the bed, with slight quiet breaths rumbling inside him. He walked towards the bed and gently shook Massalino awake. He sat up and innocently rubbed his eyes, his cheeks blushing with a reddish tone. "Lord Francis? Wha' are you doing here?" Massalino wondered, tilting his head. Francis grabbed his hand, "Child, we must change rooms for tonight. Come here and follow me." He spoke softly. Massalino smiled childishly, "Oh Kay." He abruptly jumped off the bed and followed him to wherever Francis was taking him. "Where's mommy and daddy? Are they back from the trip?" He questioned. "They're not here yet." Francis lied, he would keep it a secret from him just for tonight. He kept walking along the long hallway to find a secret room to hide Massalino in. This child was the most important person out of everyone in this palace. "Lord, then where are they?" A long sigh came from Francis, "Don't call me Lord anymore, just call me Francis. A lot of things changed tonight. If you're being good, I'll explain it to you in the morning." The child stood silent for a while, his eyes lingered on the beautiful paintings that hung on the wall. He quickly lost interest and looked at Francis. "Why do you look at me with such sad eyes?" The Lord shook his head, he didn't know how to answer that question. He didn't want to ruin Massalino's precious innocence by explaining that he would never see his daddy and mommy ever again. How could you even explain that to a child? They both finally reached the hidden chambers. Francis tucked the child under the covers and said goodnight. Just as he was about to leave, he was stopped by something grabbing at his clothes. Massalino used his tiny hand and grabbed the Lords clothes with teary eyes, "I don't like sleeping alone, it's scary. Please sleep with me." Francis nodded his head, as he understood the feeling of being alone. But this child will feel alone for the rest of his life. He flipped over the blankets and laid under them.