prompts – Jeanne Nest

Although, Lena expected this treatment as the news of the rebels reaching the castle’s inner gate were hastily huffed by the head maid, when the reality of the situation struck Lena, her answer knew no bounds. She furiously kicked and hit the thick wooden door of the tiny prison that wa sone of the many in the hideous tower.

Lina, her twin sister on the other hand collapsed onto the ground and was weeping. She was crying so hard that her body shook from the shock and her head started throbbing, refusing to accept the situation that she was currently in.

“Stop your crying, Lina. It is not helpful!” Lena screamed.

“And your kicking is?!” Lina snapped back at her sister. Lena was taken aback. She has never seen Lina like that before. Out of the two princesses, Lina was the gentle and the adored one. The favourite one of the now late King and Queen, as well as all of the subjects. Lena, on the other hand for some unknown reason was constant the subject of her royal parents’ disappointment. Lena and Lina, despite having identical looks, were on the opposite sides of the spectrum when it came to personality. Contrary to Lina, Lena was mischievous and adventurous in nature, always keen to learn more about the world beyond the walls of the castle. It was her dream to travel the world. Not that it had a chance of coming true anymore. Lena was about to protest on Lina’s comment, when she was interrupted by a tall figure watching them through the jail bars on the door.

“The new King has made a decision.” The unknown man stated.

“And what is that decision about?” Lena hissed as she slowly stood protectively in front of Lina.

“Only one princess will be allowed to leave tomorrow. The other will remain here and marry.”

“Leave? As in exile?” Lina stuttered.

“Marry? Are you out of your mind?” Lena shouted.

“The King will announce his decision tomorrow at noon.” The man left saying the last word.

The princesses exchanged glances. They held their hand tightly together and whilst reassuring each other that they will find a way out of this situation, Lina and Lena could not help but pray – I hope it is not me!

The tales of which he had the “honour” of going through were by no means for the faint-hearted. Although, they were a source of his distress and eternal misery, they were also the ones that ultimately pulled him through all the wretches of the world. His childhood taught him to be the man he is today. Keeping those stories even to himself was not so much for protecting the vulnerable psyche of his people, but also to maintain his image of the cruel, merciless tyrant king that he was. In his kingdom, there was no room for weakness, not from his subjects and more so, not from himself. He was the pillar that held this whole nation together and he knew it. That was the reason, why even the Queen, the closest person to His Majesty married a man, whom even to this day she does not know anything about. The Queen was terrified of her husband and what he was capable of. She saw a lot of anger and hatred behind his cloudy stares that were almost always accompanied by a frown, making him appear even more stern. It has been two weeks since she got married and despite holding the second highest position in the kingdom, she saw no prospects of light in her future, unless that person changed.

“Swoosh”… The raised axe glistened in the sunset’s glory that was peeking through the enormous windows of the throne room. The Queen clutched her seat. Her fists turning white as she continued to dig her nails into her palms. Cold sweat dripping down her back and sides of her face. Gulp. She knew what was coming, but she still felt horrified of the event unfolding in front of her eyes. She wanted to shut them and not notice the pleading look of a man whose life was about to abruptly end, but she could not. The King was watching her every move. Unless she wanted to be next, she needed to watch through the entire execution. “Chop” and the head flew right to the throne’s feet. The Queen stuffed a scream. She turned to the King, only to find him taking a deep breath through his nose with a wide sickening smile, as he was savouring the smell of iron that was quickly filling up the room. He turned to her and grinned sinisterly. He extended his hand to her.

“Let us now retire for the night of the sweetest dreams, my Queen.”