《The feared Crimson King》15. Have mercy

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It simply isn't true. He attacked our borders, without any reason. Killing and raiding villages and cities until word got around to my father and that's when the war started. He had attacked us.

I bite my tung until the taste of blood becomes present in my mouth. I want to argue and yell and tell him that it was him. My family would have never started this war, we want to protect our people.

I don't speak for the rest of the evening, neither does the king. He keeps waving the servant boy to refill his glass.

It had been silent for so long I could feel the silence firmly break into pieces as I spoke.

„May I be excused, my lord?"

The King grunts before waving me to leave. Thank god. All I wanted was to sleep. I get up from the table, before making my way to the door.

„We'll start courting tomorrow" the King says and I turn to nod.

Back in my chambers I plopped onto my bed, sighing in the process. Please dear god, don't let anyone recognize me tomorrow.

———————————————————

Im woken by the King in the morning. „Get dressed, we're leaving to the throne room soon," he says before leaving again.

I get out of my bed, and move to the closet. I look through the dresses trying to find something black, with no luck. I chose a plain grey dress with long sleeves. People might loose their heads today, I want to be dressed respectfully.

Soon there is a knock on the door and we both don't say anything while walking through the castle. Every time I feel like I'm starting to know my way around, we end up in a corridor I've never seen before, with doors leading to god knows where.

Stopping at a massive pair of double doors, the King looks over his shoulder at me. The guards open the door, and I'm blown away.

It's a massive throne room with huge marble pillars on each sides. A red carpet goes from the door directly to the giant golden throne padded with red pillowing. A huge chandelier hangs on the middle of the ceiling and on both sides are knights neatly lined up next to each other. Being in full armor I'm unsure if they are just armor on an armor stand or actual knights but the King tells them to ease and I hear the armor clink as the relax their muscles. I hurry behind the Crimson King as he walks towards the throne. Not sure if I'm supposed to follow him I stop at the stairs and look up at the throne where the King takes a seat leaning both his large arms on either side of the armrests.

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He's clearly not in a good mood today. As look up at him and he looks down at me there is a strange tension.

"Come here," he says without breaking our eye contact. I grab my dress on both sides and hold it up while I walk up the stairs being careful not to step on it in the process.

"Stand here," he gestures to the left side of his throne. I do as he says feeling the strange tension getting stronger.

For the first hour a few native farmers came to get a courting. Some asked for fairness regarding their farming lands, others reported of difficulties paying the taxes this year, due to bad weather conditions. To my surprise the King was very understanding. He was patient. He listend to his people and their needs but remained strict.

My feet have started to hurt but I quickly forget about it when the speaker read of of a scroll what is to come next, "Next up, the courting of the Lyrian folk!"

He grimaces. He seems to be a man of wealth, working directly under the King when it comes to the work in the throne room.

Clearly not happy about giving my people a fair chance at court he continues, "Case I. Villagers, having fought against the Walzenorians during the war."

I glance over to the King, his crown resting perfectly on his head. His expression stern, he looks towards the entrance doors as they are swung open.

I almost gasp at the sight. Around 30 to 40 people, thin as bones and dirtied, tightly shackled to one another are forced into the throne room by the knights behind them. The door is closed behind them with a loud thump as they use every bit of strength they have to walk towards the stairs infront the throne. "Bow!" One of the knights wearing a red ribbon around his arm commands. He must be one of the Kings generals.

I watch in horror as these poor people now bow their heads quickly, all averting their eyes from the Crimson King in fear.

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"Now, sit!" The General shouts this time and all of them huff to the ground their chains clinking in the process. To my surprise there a quiet a few woman in the crowd tightly hugging their children around them.

Eventhough it can be interpreted harshly I'm sure letting them sit on the ground is some sort of mercy.

A moment of silence fills the room so thick you could have heard a needle drop.

I shuffle trying not to make a sound and resisting the urge to run towards them and to reassure them that all will be good. I hope, that is.

I glance at the King once more trying to read his emotionless face, as he looks down upon all of them, then he speaks.

"You must be wondering why you're here." The Kings voice echoes through the room. No one looks at him. No one dares to make a sound.

"I will explain it to you, so listen because I won't be repeating myself." He rests his chin on his folded hands and goes on.

"A spark of mercy has come flying and so it had been decided to court you fairly, according to the crimes you have committed against the royal crown of Walzenor."

Some of the prisoners subtly exchange eye contact with one another, seemingly surprised by what the King said.

"We shall begin." The King gestures towards the speaker, who then begins to read of another scroll, what charges they had committed.

"Resisting the royal army of Walzenor, through resisting arrest and/ or fighting the royal knights."

Before the King can go on to say anything someone speaks up. "What were we supposed to do instead?"

It was a young boy probably the age of only 14 summers, who had spoken and then quickly slumped his head again, seemingly regretting, having raised his voice.

A flicker of surprise surged the Kings face before he nods towards one of the knights at the side of the room, who then walked through the crowd of people who flinched as he made his way past them towards the boy.

Oh lord, please have mercy on him. "Your highness?" I whisper, nervously. He shoots me a warning look, which sends shivers down my spine. The boy is grabbed by the arm roughly and unchained from the rest of the crowd before being dragged right before the King and being sat on his knees. He doesn't fight but his pale face had now turned into an inhumane white as he trembled in front of the King on the floor. The knight roughly rested on hand on the boys shoulder while placing the other on the grip of his sheathed sword.

I started shaking as memories of Samuel being beheaded flood my mind.

Please have mercy, I silently pray.

The King sits up straight surveying the boy. "Repeat yourself," he says sternly.

Tears start running down the boys skinny cheekbones while his mouth opens and closes but no words come out.

Knowing the King he was getting impatient and I could feel nothing but sorry for the boy who may have just made a mistake he will have to pay with his life for.

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