Tyranny

Prologue

"Please! Your Majesty! I'll do better, I promise!! Please!! I beg of you! I-"

Tsk

"Enough squabbling. Go before he decides what is worse for you",the armored guard said firmly.

While the innocent was taken away with cries and sobs, begging to meet his family to get a second chance, the king scoffed. He pulled on his long, chestnut brown hair, and screamed.

When the guard came back, he shouted, "No one is capable of doing what they're told to do! Are these the kind of people living in MY kingdom?! Useless!". He threw a nearby vase to the wall, completely shattering it as glass shards flew everywhere. Maids came scurrying in to clean the mess and went out as quickly as they came after being done.

The guard gulped. Sure this happened on a daily basis, but he worried for his king. He never was like this.

"Sir, that was the last of the jokers in the kingdom. The others have either fled or killed themselves", he said, clearly struggling to keep his nervousness in.

"WHAT?!", he shouted. If any other person screamed and shouted as much as he did, they would clearly have a sore throat or worse lose their voice.

Hyunjin's eyes were wide open, hair strands on his face and everywhere. His skin was so pale you could mistake him for a vampire; dark eye bags adding to the menacing look he had.

"Get another person from the kingdom. Anyone a peasant or merchant I don't care. Just bring them here. That's an order, from your king", he said. After saying the last word, he started to laugh, as if he just heard the funniest joke ever.

Without missing a beat he quickly frowned and shot the other a menacing glare, "I said Go".

The poor guard quickly shot from his position, outside the doors, to his guard mates.

"He's gone crazy! After I told him there were no more jokers he asked for any person! Peasants or Merchants he says! Oh I need a drink. I'm going to the Inn. Who wants to follow?", he said catching his breath.

None of the guards were having as bad a day as he was, so they wanted to stay sober in the afternoon. They showed him a sympathetic look, and slowly shook their heads.

The guard nodded in understanding, and went to change, then went out the castle.

When he arrived at the inn, because it was afternoon there were less people, just either passed out drunks from the night before, or people having a bad day and wanting to escape it, through drinking.

The latter was exactly what the palace guard came for.

"Bad day?", the bartender asked, cleaning a the wooden table that served countless customers.

The guard nodded slowly, and sighed.

"I'll have rum please.", he said and the bartender took a wooden cup and filled it with rum.

Handing it to him, he asked, "What happened? Want to let it out, rant a bit?"

The guard showed a small smile.

"Yeah that would be nice", he said fiddling with the wooden cup.

"So?", the bartender asked, putting the rag he used to clean the table hanging on his shoulder and cocking an eyebrow.

Taking a deep breath, the guard started taking the burden off his chest.

"Well it's the crazy Hwang again. The last joker who came to try today couldn't please him again. Now he's asking for anyone a ‘peasant or merchant’ and", he sighed as he took a sip.

"It's just, he was never like this before. You remember when he was small and used to visit the village? Now he's this crazy lunatic misusing his power. The people are clearly suffering now and we need a good ruler, not the king now, the king he used to aim to be", he sighed once more, finishing his drink.

That was true. Their king used to be a cheerful kiddo, kind for his age and for sure a caring person for his age. It was a mystery how he came to be..

"Thanks for listening i really needed that", he told the bartender, the only person who cared enough to listen to him at that point.

"It's fine. Everyone needs to open up sometimes. It's never good to bottle up and hide it from everyone. That would only worsen it. Feel free to come here again, Jinyoung you know I'm always here for you",said the slender bartender, taking the cup that the guard had just finished.

The guard nodded and gave the money.

“I know.. and thank you. For being here for me Mark... since back then. I appreciate it.”

Mark giggled shyly, his cheeks heating up. “A-ah it's what friends do! No worries”, he smiled brightly.

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