For hours, Judrith sat, interpreting, rewriting, and poring over countless scrolls and petitions. Finally, exhausted, he decided to retire. He'd done so much for the night. Besides his own work, he'd made sure to pack the princess's scrolls, mentally noting to pass them to her tomorrow.
With a tired yawn, he rose from the wooden chair, the scrolls already neatly arranged on the table. As he adjusted and tied his robe, a light knock sounded at his door. His gaze flickered to the entrance, curious. Who could be at his doorstep at this hour?
Another knock came, this time rougher and more urgent.
"Who is there?" he queried, his voice stern.
Violently, the door banged open, startling him. Yet, no one entered, and the door remained ajar.
Who was playing silly games with him tonight?
"What do you think you are doing?" he demanded, his voice hard and authoritative. He took five steps closer to the door.
"Reveal yourself this moment!" he ordered loudly.
Silence.
Seeing no one, he braced himself and moved closer to the door, intending to close it.
A hand shot out from nowhere, gripping him by the neck, choking him. He gasped, almost knocked off his feet.
"Who are you?" he managed to croak, struggling against the violent grip. He couldn't see the person's face; it was veiled by a mask, and their attire was all black.
An assassin.
"Who sent you?" he coughed, fighting for breath, but the grip on his neck was impossibly tight. This person was incredibly strong.
"Nice to meet you, King Judrith," the masked man spoke, releasing his grip.
"Oh... ohh... ohh," he coughed badly, trying to catch his breath.
"Who are you?"
A scoff.
"Someone who would love to have you dead."
"You dare! I am King Judrith of Badrith!" he boomed, trying desperately to conceal his fidgeting and fear.
A soft chuckle.
"You are really good at claiming what isn't yours, aren't you?" The masked figure took a step closer, and Judrith instinctively recoiled.
"Like how you destroyed a whole family overnight. You are not human, Judrith."
King Judrith scoffed, subtly backing away. He couldn't let his terror show.
"What do you mean? What do you know? Get out of here this instant!" he yelled.
Slowly and silently, the black-clad man unsheathed a dagger, its sharp edges glinting. King Judrith felt his stomach plummet. He swallowed hard, frantically racking his brain for an escape.
"What do you want? Who are you? Tell me what you want, I will surely give it to you!" he pleaded, his voice meek and fearful. He cringed at his own weakness.
He was a king, for goodness sake! A king who had to survive!
Instead of replying, the man took long, heavy strides toward him, the dagger raised, ready to plunge into his chest.
"My king, I..." a voice called from the doorway.
Judrith's eyes darted to the door, meeting the gaze of the man who had interrupted – his guard, Luke.
"What's going... Assassin? An intruder in the palace!" Luke yelled at the top of his voice, raising a flute to gain the attention of the other patrol guards.
Without a second thought, the assassin dashed out through the window.
"Are you okay, my king?" Luke asked worriedly, lowering himself to the king, who sat terrified on the floor.
"Go after him. Now!" Judrith ordered, his hand balled into a fist.
"Yes, my king," Luke bowed quickly and dashed out of the king's quarters, blowing the alarm flute to summon all nearby guards.
---
Who would dare attempt to kill the mighty, powerful King Judrith?
The thought left him fearful and humiliated.
Who would dare?
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
He ran into a dark, foggy forest, his breath hard and heavy. He had narrowly escaped death.
"Your highness," he didn't look behind him before knowing who it was.
"Are you okay?"
He gave a curt nod, his demeanor cold.
"It's time, Derek. We are getting back our home tomorrow," he declared, his will strong and unyielding, almost savage. His gaze blazed with rage.
"Tomorrow, we seize Judrith!"
He spun on his heel, storming through the lonely path of the forest, his walk giving off an effortless dark aura.
Derek simply nodded; that was the only order he needed to hear. He knew what he had to do.
Tomorrow, a beginning of an end.