Kingdom's Crumbling

Everything froze around me as I heard him scream. Raging swordsmen stopped, caged in time as I ran, trying to locate where that scream had come from.

He’s not hurt. he can’t be hurt. He told me everything would be okay.

Yet as I approached, all I could see was him laying silently still on the ground, the dirt around him putrid and darkened. I stumbled forwards, one step after another, I just have to get to him. I can fix it if I can get to him.

 

Except he hadn’t got a pulse. He wasn’t breathing.

 

I pressed my hands against his chest and dug deep into my magic, willing it to find something, anything, to catch his life and stitch it back together. Just a thread, or a fibre would be enough. Anything would be enough. I just had to find something. I poured everything into him and for a moment I thought it was working, I caught a fibre and my magic started threading. 

 

For just a moment he opened his eyes. He looked up at me and smiled, that soft smile that caught my eye all those years ago. 

“I’m okay…” It was barely a whisper, and I held my breath, willing my magic to work faster, to do more, to fix everything. “Stop. You need to save it.”

 

No, he can’t be telling me to stop. He can’t do this. I trembled as I shook my head.

 

“I’ll see you again, but until then save it. Use it. Make them pay for everything.” I could feel him pulling away from my magic, the stitches I’d worked so hard to thread coming undone. No. No. No.

 

“Let me. I can’t do this without you.” He had to let me. He can’t leave me, not when I can fix it.

 

“It will kill you, and I can’t let that happen. I love you, and I will see you again.” And just like that he slipped away from me. The stitches gone.

 

I looked up at the people around me. The woman smirking, stood over him with a dagger dripping blood. I knew that smile. I trusted that smile.

 

“Andora,” I snarled, standing to face her. “What have you done?”

 

“I’m winning this battle, and you, my dear sweet friend, are next.” Confusion swirled around me as I tried to piece together what I was missing. Andora had been my best friend since I found her on the streets and my parents had taken her in, given her a home.

 

“Why?”

 

“You think I was your friend because I liked you? That I actually liked running around, being second best, to a fucking princess? I am to be queen, and now that your dear beloved is dead, you will be nothing.” She grinned, stepping closer to me, bringing her dagger towards my chest. Nothing and everything made sense. My mind was spinning and pain curled into every crevice of my being. My best friend did this. The one person I had trusted with everything, shared everything with had taken everything from me. 

 

Everything went numb.

 

 

Any feelings I still had became locked away, so deep and so hidden that I could no longer find them, even if I wanted to. Numbness created a void within me, and without thinking twice I welcomed the darkness that flooded into that void. Then it plunged. It weaved its way around every part of my being and fuck it felt suffocating and freeing simultaneously. Power surged within me, and I looked up at her. 

 

Andora was dead before she could blink. 

 

The battle raged around me still, yet the outcome no longer mattered. It bored me. I took a breath and corpses littered the battlefield surrounding me.

 

*******

 

Treading carefully, I approached the tavern. It’d been a while since I’d run into people, and oh people could be so fun sometimes. And I was so deserving of some fun after my long journey. 

 

I stepped through the doorway and took in the hordes of people gathered round the small tables that were dotted around the room. The smell of stagnant sweat and ale suffocated me as I made my way through the crowds, people were so gross. How could they stand to exist around each other in such a slimy, humid environment?

 

Looking round I spotted a young looking man, a knight, wearing colours of a kingdom not yet known to me. Now that looked like it could be interesting – I could have fun and get some information about this new kingdom. After all, who better to find the cracks in security than one of the knights themselves? It would definitely give me an advantage in bringing the kingdom crumbling to its knees.

 

Since killing Andora, I had come to one single resolution: no one kingdom would ever get to stand again. I travelled to distant taverns and discovered which kingdoms still stood strong. Each time I would work my way into the castle and find the flaws in their security and their wards until every single person within the kingdom walls had taken their last breath. Each kingdom was to be a ghost town, left as nothing but a story, until even the story had been erased by time.

 

I approached the bar, ordered two ales, and wandered over to the young knight. Men could be so fun to manipulate.

 

“Excuse me Sir?” I pulled my most innocent and delicate looking expression. “You look exhausted from your journey, here have this on me.” 

 

He didn’t need telling twice as I passed the drink over to him and he had drunk half of it before looking up at me and gesturing me to sit next to him. His eyes revealed nothing yet of whether he would be an easy target or not, but I had already begun to have fun, the game had started and soon he would be dead.

 

“I hope it’s not too forward, but I’ve never seen a knight wearing a red like that, and I have to say it suits you so.” This is how it always began. A little compliment always brings those barriers down just enough for me to work my way in.

 

“Oh, well thank you my lady. May I ask what brings you to this area? This town is not safe for a lady after nightfall.” Concern etched across his face as he continued to drink. It was working.

 

“A terrible misfortune, I’m afraid.” It was almost painful to pretend to be so weak and helpless, but men like to gain glory from protecting vulnerable women, so that’s the part I played. “My town is far from here and was attacked by a group of bandits. They’ve been hunting me ever since and I was hoping to seek shelter in this tavern as they wouldn’t dare attack with so many knights around. But I have no idea what I’m going to do once everyone turns in for the night and I am left out alone. It was awful, I lost my whole family, my home, and everyone I ever loved.” The lie was easier to tell each time I told it. 

 

“Please do not fear. I am from a kingdom not far from here, and I am sure my king would be happy to give you sanctuary in his castle. I have a room in town, please let me lend my room to you for the night and we will begin the journey at sunrise.”

 

“Oh would you? That sounds so wonderful sir. I will forever be in your debt. Have you any stories of your kingdom?” A passage to the kingdom would be fantastic, but what I really needed was information.

 

“My king is brave and true – even more so than the old king, may he rest in peace. Those who live with true intention are safe and well cared for.” The knight rose to his feet and gestured to the door. I followed him out into the night as he directed us to his room.

 

“That sounds wonderful! Are we safe from sorcerers there? Does the king have many standing by his side?” What protection do they have from me?

 

“Any sorcerers that threaten us are hunted down and executed. We do not tolerate those who wield magic in our kingdom.” No magic? This was going to be so much easier than I thought. No magic meant no wards, no sorcerers to eliminate, and nothing standing in my way. 

 

We reached a small room on the outside of town and I glanced up at the knight and placed a small kiss on his left cheek. 

 

“Thank you Sir, I so look forward to meeting your king.” I smiled up at him, looking as hopeful and pitiful as I possibly could. “I couldn’t trouble you by asking you to stay in the room with me tonight could I? I feel awfully afraid that the bandits will find me.” 

 

At this the knight looked like he was fighting with himself. For every knight knew not to take advantage of vulnerable women, but I could not be resisted. It was part of what made manipulating men so easy. One word from me and I could have him wherever I wanted. He would give me whatever I wanted. And oh have I been bored lately. For added effect, I jumped as one of the townfolk passed by and latched onto his arm looking as terrified and pathetic as I could manage. That seemed to work in my favour.

 

“Of course my lady, let’s head inside. We head to Camelot in the morning.”