bitter water // dreamnotfound

seventeen

awaking to several royal guards at one’s door was more than startling, especially if one didn’t know what they had done at all.

“George Davidson? We need a word.”

The blacksmith jumped up at the call of his name. Cautiously peering out of his honey-tinted window to reveal a line of castle guards was enough to make him jump out of his skin. “Wh-what? Pardon?” George called through the door as he rushed to throw on a pair of presentable clothes.

The head guard stepped forward, his arms glued tightly to his back. “My name is Charlie, I’m the front guard and archer of the Soot Castle Battalion. I’m here to take you into the custody of the Royal Guard. King Wilbur himself has requested to see you to discuss matters in regards to the recent death of Prince Alastair.”

The eyes of the many guards surrounding him were burning straight through him. “Excuse me… what?” Of course, he was aware of the death of the prince, everyone had been made aware within a day of the occurrence. However, he had no idea how he was at all involved in it. “Me? Why me? I have nothing to do with the death…”

Charlie was quick to cut him off. “The king has reason to believe you are at fault, or at least were a part of, the death of his son. The weapon used to kill Prince Alastair was a bollock dagger, six inches, engraved with the initials ‘G.H.D.’ After a bit of discussion, the court came to the conclusion that the weapon had been made by you. George Henry Davidson, a weaponry specialist here in this kingdom. Too big of a coincidence to be ignored.”

George’s heart sank to the bottom of his chest. He knew something was off with the commissioner, he just knew it.

“I was paid to make that da-”

“Remain silent, I am only permitted to deliver information and bring you back. You can discuss with the king when the time comes, I can’t provide help for you.”

What a fun little weekday morning adventure he had gotten himself into.

---

“Do you have the flints?”

“Yes dumbass, you’ve asked me five hundred fucking times.”

One deep, threatening voice conversed with a higher-pitched, Irish one.

“Calm it broad, I can’t have you fuck this up like last time. I pay you and give you an adrenaline rush, stop complaining.”

The two owners of the voices stalked through the kingdom square, sticking close to each other. One reeked of alcohol, the other treaded reluctantly behind.

“Schlatt, are you sure now is a good time to do this? Can’t we wait until things are like… I don’t know. Not as fucking hectic?”

Schlatt took another swig of his bottle of alcohol, most likely stolen, and flung the bottle to the side, sending it shattering to the stone ground. Someone else’s problem now. “Minx, my dear, my sweet little Minx,” “Stop fucking calling me that, I’ll beat your ass-” “SHUT THE HELL UP. Now is a perfect time, why would it be a better chance if people were calm? That literally makes no goddamn sense. We strike in moments of panic and confusion, it has never been different.”

“But come on Schlatt, a random citizen? Don’t you think that’s a bit, I don’t know. Cruel, selfish, heartless, sadistic-”

“You act like we haven’t killed dozens of other harmless, innocent people. Suck it the fuck up and keep looking for someone easy.”

---

While waiting for the arrival of their potential culprit, Wilbur had brought the family together for a surprise.

Wilbur and Niki sat upon their unwieldy thrones, Clay and Karl on their own. However, an empty throne sat between Niki and Clay. It was depressing to look upon, but none of them had the heart to remove it.

“Niki, Clay, Karl… It’s been a rough day.”

Everyone was silent, even Clay.

“I know it’s near impossible to get you to completely forget about… the event. But the atmosphere in the castle right now is just so overwhelming, I’m sure it could do some good to have some laughs during this time.”

Karl wanted to cry again. More than he had already. What he wanted to say was, “Are you kidding me? Laugh? My brother just got murdered and you want us to laugh!? Stop trying to make everything okay again, it’s not going to be! Let us be sad for once, we don’t have to always be happy.” But he didn’t. He stopped himself.

“I have us a court jester.”

Karl immediately tensed up. Jesters had always made him so uncomfortable. They were given permission to poke fun at literally anyone they wanted with no repercussions, it just didn’t seem “funny” to him. Clay huffed dramatically, making sure his father had heard him. He couldn’t believe all his planning and effort led up to getting a court jester to mock them in the throne hall.

The jingle of the bells signaled the arrival of the jester. He had bits of black hair poking out in unbrushed tufts from his cap. “Why hello there members of the royal family!”

Clay already despised it.

“Why so pouty, Prince Clay?” The jester scurried over to Clay’s throne right away, standing right before him. Clay remained stone-faced and unamused. “You know, I can juggle pretty well.”

The prince did not care at all. “Cool. Get out of my damn face.”

The jester’s eyes widened a bit. “Damn, alright. I’m just trying to do my job.”

Wilbur could already tell this was a disaster. “Alex, continue. My son is just disrespectful.”

The jester, now identified as Alex, smoothed out his whimsical, patchwork outfit. “Prince Karl… Let me sing you a song dear to my heart…”

Karl shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

“You know that Wilbur and Tommy aren't allowed at the festival, right?
You know what... You know what Wilbur's gonna do in his free time?
This is what Wilbur's gonna do in his free time!”

Wilbur wondered who the hell Tommy was.

“I miss L'manberg, I miss L'manberg
I miss it so much
I'm not gonna be allow-”

At the mere mention of the forsaken L’manberg, Clay had it, he was done. He stood up in his seat and yelled for a guard. “GUARDS, PLEASE HAVE THIS FOOL BEHEADED.” L’manberg was something nobody in the royal family wanted to talk about, especially Clay.

Alex’s eyes flashed with panic. “WAIT- BUT MY ASS IS SO- YOU COWARD ENGLISH! YOU DASTARD ENGLISH! YOU FUCKIN’ FAINT-HEARTED ENGLISH! I AM FUNNY AND YOU KNOW IT-”

Niki put her head in her hands. She just missed her son so much.