Blood rained down from the tree leaves, sprayed from the bodies, and flung from the cold steel blades. It dripped from my hair down my face into my eyes and lips. My stinging, bloody eyes didn't cause my tears, and the taste was not what made me sick. It was the scent—the sight of broken bodies and lost lives.
"Your majesty, we have killed all but one, just like you said. What would you like us to do with him?" Lucas, the squad leader, asked
I looked over at the bodies being piled after having ripped their intestines out. I glanced over at the last remaining enemy soldier being forced to watch his friends ripped to pieces and gutted. He has fainted a couple of times, but with a couple of burns here and there, he wakes back up and is forced to watch another friend gutted from the beginning again. This will go on until we finish with all the soldiers and bury their remains in battleground soil. We will then pour the collected intestines into a box with the royal fire seal and send it away with the remaining soldier back to his king.
I looked forward, away from the horror scene playing out next to me.
*Only one soldier backed out this time. It's better than last time.* I thought to myself. It hasn't been long since I've found the right soldiers who could keep their food down when ripping the intestines from another human. It was only a couple of years ago since I had done this dirty work mysel, but the army commanders demanded that their soldiers were prepared for this. It took two years for them to build their tolerance this far. Although no one is perfect, I'm kinda proud of them right now.
"Prepare the burial ground and get a horse ready for the last soldier. Tie him up tight and make sure he doesn't run off." I commanded
Lucas nodded and looked back at the bloody scene with a cringy look.
"Excuse me if I'm out of line for saying this, Your Majesty, but is all this necessary? We could have just taken their hearts out. That would have been less foul." Lucas said
I shook my head and smirked at him. "That would be boring. Don't you think so, squad leader Lucas?"
He shivered and tensed up. He kept his eyes forward and managed to mumble in agreement. He didn't say anything after that.
I felt bad for scaring him, but if I let my guard down for just a second, everything I worked for would burn down in flames.
It would be easier to send out hearts instead of intestines, but my image as the psychopath king would surely waver.
*Next time, I should send their brains. Then, their dominant hands. Have I done eyeballs yet?* I sighed *Perhaps I've really turned psycho. What regular person makes a checklist of body parts?*
Lucas misunderstood my sigh of impatience and ordered his group to go faster.
When the bodies had been buried, and the soldier sent to his home kingdom, I waved my hand along a tree and set it ablaze. With that, we left the burning woods and made our way home.
…
"The cold-blooded king has returned."
"What? He's back?!"
"Hush! Yes, he's back! Has been for a while now."
*Groaning* "I feel so tense when he's around. Thank goodness he's always gone."
"I know, right? What would we do if he's always here?"
"I've heard the Soft Shore King is willing to care for wanderers. He gives them food and a place to live. His kingdom is flourishing with his kindness. Not to mention, he's not bad on the eyes either."
*They always say they want to leave, but they never do.* I thought as I walked through the city with my loose clothes flowing around me. I always dressed in red or black to hide the blood stains from my subjects. I had already scared them enough.
"Our king isn't bad-looking either. He actually looks very elegant and, if I dare say, pretty." Even though that last part was whispered, I heard it loud and clear.
I lowered my straw hat enough to cover my blushing face. I placed a hand on my sword on my hip. A habit that happens when I'm in an uncomfortable situation.
The people around me misunderstood and scattered away or kneeled to the ground.
I ignored them, knowing they would misunderstand again if I did anything to comfort them.
I made it to the Caelum Castle gates, where the guards were already doing security checks on the soldiers. When they felt sure that we didn't have anything on us, they let us pass through.
The castle was surrounded by giant trees filled with leaves of all colors. *Fall is coming upon us* I thought as I looked up at the trees. My hair flowed around me as I held my hat down to my head to keep it from blowing away.
"Sir? Are you getting tired? Do you want to ride one of the horses?" Lucas asked me
I nodded and pulled myself atop my steed. An elegant all-black Abraxas that frightens many. It is a dear horse that was given to me by my father, who took the life of its mother and had me take care of its mare…not such a nice story once I say it aloud, anyhoo…
Once we arrived, I headed to my room where I would wait for the king of the Soft Shore Kingdom's reply. Things between the Fire and Water kingdoms have never had the best relationship, to begin with, and have even gotten close to being thrown to war. Luckily, the coward fears me too much ever since his wife gave birth to his son.
I took off the loose, silky outerwear covered in blood and hung it over the changing area's cover doors.
I pulled a clean white silky robe over my shoulders, not bothering to close it properly, and plopped myself onto the bed.
With a loud groan, I fell deep asleep.