My Queen, My Sword

The Killing blow

A man with a very long knife stood in the doorway. He had a maniacal expression, the sort that made Askan know that this man would not hesitate to kill him. The man advanced towards him and he quickly leapt up.

"Guards!" he shouted though he knew that they wouldn't come.

The man slowly laughed.

"You can call them all you like. You are alone now, king." he spat the last word out.

Years of instinct and and training took over Askan and he unsheathed the sword which he always carried. It made him a bit braver. The man laughed and slowly made his way through the room. He raised his knife and attacked. He swept the blade aiming for his head. Askan ducked and parried it away. The man looked surprised but gaining his composure he attacked again this time aiming for his neck. Askan moved quickly and avoided being decapitated. The knife instead struck the desk. Their deadly dance continued  Realizing that his opponent was much more stronger he looked at him a bit more carefully and sized him up. He was taller thus had the advantage of height. However the man had seemed to be favoring his right leg. An old wound perhaps? His thoughts distracted him which resulted in a gash in his side. He moaned and fell, clutching his wound. Thinking that he had won the man walked nearer, kicked away Askans sword and raised his knife ready to make the killing blow.

With the little strength he had remaining Askan took out the tiny knife in his boot and stabbed the mans gut several times. The sight of so much blood made him swoon. The man swayed for a few minutes gazing surprisingly at his wound. He fell down in front of Askan, his small black eyes still open.

"They-they told me y-y-you weren't a good fighter. It would be an e-e-easy win."

With a shudder he closed his eyes and all was still.

Mere seconds later guards rushed in, only to take in the sight of their king on the floor, covered with blood and leaning over a body with a knife still in his hand. 

"Your Majesty! Are you hurt?"

Askan shook himself out of his reverie.

"No, No. I'm fine." The guards visibly relaxed and a few came forward picked up the body while the others went to help him off his feet. He waved them away and stood up slowly. The numbness left his body, a hot sharp spike of pain rushed through him and everything blurred.

"The king is injured! Call the medic!"

Askan promptly fainted.

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He was back to his feet in a few days, shrugging off the medics concerns. The wound was deep and still hurt so he moved carefully. He entered the council chamber and all its members quickly rushed to their feet and bowed. They watched him as if he was made of glass that would shatter any moment. This irritated him and he moved briskly. He reached his chair and sat down. The council inquired after his health.

Drat the wound." I'm fine as you can see. Onto more important matters. Lord Cameroon, I trust you have the education census of the kingdom completed?"

Lord Cameroon, a short and bald man quickly got up and presented the papers.

"Your Majesty! Maybe you should have rested for a few more days."

Hah! So you could've controlled the city according to your whims?

"Thank you for your concerns but I am fine. I can rest when I am dead."

They flinched at his words. Hurriedly they finished their discussions,  Askans bad mood increasing by the second.

The  moment the council meeting finished Askan swept out of the room, ignoring the stabbing pain.

He entered his chambers for the first time since the assassination attempt. His room had been cleaned and no sign that a struggle had happened remained. He sank in his chair and closed his eyes. He drifted off to sleep only to be awakened minutes later by the persistent knocking.

"Enter!"

The captain of the guard, a tall muscular man entered the room and bowed deeply. He had been a trusted captain of Askans in the war. A long scar ran from just underneath his eye and stopped at his chin. 

"How are you, My Majesty?"

"Not dead."

"I am glad you have retained your sense of humor."

Askan laughed but then sobered quickly as he remembered why he had called him here.

"My guards. How many were killed?"

"Five, Your Majesty. All very young and fine men. They fought very bravely."

"Their families have been notified?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Tell them that I would like to meet them and express my regrets personally. The royal treasury has been notified and they will be each getting recompense."

"I am sure that they will be grateful."

"No, I am grateful. Thank you, Captain. You may go now."

Left alone with nothing but his thoughts Askan was troubled. Many men had been killed during the war but this was different. They had been fighting for justice, for their families and their country. These men had died because of him.

He vowed to be a better king, a better man. One worth fighting and dying for.

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This was the longest chapter yet and I don't really like typing...

But yeah, I hope you enjoyed it and don't forget to review! I would appreciate criticism so I can understand my mistakes.

I'll try to update within the next few days or maybe tomorrow but right now I'm going to go to sleep.

May the stars watch over you.

~Danim