chapter 9

Yesterday king Ephraim could barely concentrates on the state affairs. Shortly after Steve informed him of his ministers presence and he left the princess chambers. He ran into queen Charlene who was panting like it was her last. Like her life was being demanded of her.

He was tired of her skim and tactics. Drawing unnecessary attention to herself. He silence her before she could have the chance to speak. He wasn't taking any of it.

Afterwards he felt the urged to called off the meeting with his ministers but he didn't want queen Charlene pestering the knights to let them allowed her see the king. The king wanted to rest. He wanted to be left alone in his chambers.

He proceeded to the throne hall instead. To listen to, weighed opinions and administered justice to the lengthy problems of the kingdom brought before him.

On the throne where he sat. He sat like a monument. Constantly staring at the seat which his princess normally sit. Only his eyes moved. His head remained static.

The ministers were relieved to see him after a long wait. They expected him to deal with what just happened squarely. What they were eager to say to him.

Their meetings commenced. After much deliberation by his council members and not a word came from him. They began to wondered if he heard them at all.

"My king". He raised his hands in the air for his speaker to be silence. They were surprised. But he obeyed. He dismissed them that he wasn't feeling too well. After they were gone. He ordered the knights not to permit any in until he say so.

Today he was seated there again, on the throne of Golden Hill. His rightful place. The titan throne of molten gold balanced truly magnificent on the dais. He appeared small on it but he sat with pride and confidence.

He who who sat on the throne was beautiful and aged. His crown was of pure gold. It fitted him like it grew out of his hairs. Round and regal.

The long windows let it dark red blinds down. It added glamour to the golden walls. The high ceilings and the burning chandelier were enchanting. Carefully carved Oakwood chairs sat privileged before the throne. Other Oakwood and fine bronzes sculptures graced the hall. Increasing greatly it's imperial status. The hall was rectangular and stately. Its depended on the king and his royals for it glory.

A worthy lectern was kept in front. For any complaints, suspects and defaulters whom the council believed was not trustworthy. Then such shall swear with a hand in the air and the other against the chest with eyes closed. I swear. Even still, they still swore falsely. But! The king has his way around it.

King Ephraim improvised seat immediately after the dais for his queen's and little princess. So they could all be facing the main entrance except his nobles who faced their front. The throne. His queen's and princess need not sit among the council members like in the old setting again.

This was where he kept looking at since yesterday. The princess seat. Imagining her seated there. Paying close attention to all that was being said before them by the council members. Blinking when necessary. Speaking when permitted. All the seat were vacant. He invited none of the two available queens.

His nobles were still up standing because he just climbed the throne. He was yet to raised his staff for them to sit.

He did. They bowed "Our king" and sat

Then one of them stepped forward and stood on the red carpet.

"Yesterday we spoke about this extremely important issue my king. That has to do with life and death. Your life and your queens, your princess not excluded". The secretary minister Mammon read to him.

The king was alarmed. He leaned forward. He was beginning to comprehend what they were trying to draw his attention to. What they brought to his noticed yesterday.

"what life and death?". He asked authoritatively.

"Yesterday's breakfast was poisoned. Minister Mammon told him.

He should have been the first to learn about this not his council members. "where was he yesterday". He kept troubling his mind.

He remembered when Ms. Edith asked him to come for his breakfast. He had ignored her. Throughout that yesterday he ate no breakfast. Later when his body yearned for food.

He didn't have the appetite for anything that was brought out of the kitchen. He went to his garden and ordered the knights to plucked the pear fruits for him. That was what he ate throughout yesterday. And today he hasn't taken breakfast yet.

"My queen's did they eat the food?" he asked no one in particular. That question was supposed to be the other way round. They were supposed to asked him that. Like this.

"Our king… your queens, did they eat the breakfast?" .

"Hmmm" he heaved. " oh no". He slapped the arms of his throne painfully.

"My king all is well. None of the queen's ate it". He was calmed just hearing that. It was strange to note that even though he loved and still loved late queen Lucy and everything from her more than the rest. He cared for the other queens too. He cared about their well-being.

"So how did they know the food was poisoned?". He couldn't take his mind off his daughter. For once he was glad that she did traveled. If she was around. Nothing on the sand of Golden Hill would have made him lost his appetite. They would have eaten together still their plate was clean.

He breathe in. He thanked the stars that she indeed traveled.

"How did they know the food was poisoned?". He asked again. The nobles being careful that the blame shall not fall on them seeing how worried and angry he was at the same time.

"The queen. My king. Queen Charlene noted it". Minister Mammon spoke calmly.

"summoned her at once". He said to Bernard who stood by the stairs of the dais. He bowed and left.

"Bring in that radical who dares poisoned the king's plate". His tone was deep and piercing.

"Righteous!" he exclaimed. It was heard from afar.

"How could such a fellow poisoned food for the royalty. Get it in here" he commanded angrily.

"My king" bowed general Frederick. The general commander of the knights. The throne hall was silent. Only their breathe was heard. King Ephraim was fuming with angered. His eyes were red.

Everyone looking down. Not wanting to be mistaken for the prey. The general left to the dungeon. Such matters could not be trusted with knights to bring the culprit onboard.

He needed to be there when the cell shall be opened and the culprit propelled by any means to the throne hall before the king.

Queen Charlene was brought in. She bowed elegantly to the king.

"What happened at the dinning yesterday" . He asked her calmly. He remembered when she came to him in the middle of the palace corridor as if something was after her.

"my king I was alone there to take breakfast. When it was brought before me. My instincts told me to have the serving maid taste the food". She bowed again.

"My king she bluntly refused. I was alarmed that something was wrong. I called in the doctor to have the food tested. It was given to a rabbit. After twenty minutes the rabbit died".

The king's cheeks was strengthening as his teeth was clenching inside them. His gazed was directed at the entrance. Where the general walked in to him. He bowed and stepped aside. Revealing the radical. Two knights jabbed their fingers into her shoulders on either side to keep her in place.

The king rose. Everyone rose too. Bowing their head as he descended the stairs.

The maid was left alone has ordered by the king. She had red smoking eyes. Lean and pale from the beatings she had.

"She is in good condition general Frederick". The king said shifting his gaze to the general. The general heaved and looked away.

"We wanted her to be in one piece so in time like this when you, my king shall questioned her. She would have the voice to speak".

"I never expected she would be like this". King Ephraim said ignoring what the general just said.

The maid who stood like she was about to be honoured as an heroine spoke harshly.

"I know I shall died so there is no point for formalities. Yes it true that I poisoned the food. It was when I saw her alone" she pointed at queen Charlene who was glaring at her. Queen Charlene was standing to her right close to the lectern. While the maid was a little in front of it .

The maid smile. "I wanted her death". She said with pride. " she is evil. She framed my sister up because she refused to be her messenger of doom. I saw the day she was hanged. She cried and plead yet no help came. The allegations levied against her was too strong and the evidence too real. I couldn't helped but watched".

She wept. "how my small sister was murdered in broad daylight. Since then I have been planning to pay her back in her own coin".

She pointed her hand at queen Charlene. Her face covered in a painful smirk.

"I like the royal family. I didn't want them paying for her sins. So I waited. And yesterday happens to be the right day to strike but I failed. Kill me Ephraim".

Everyone was shocked. They looked at each other. Questioning without words. None has dared to speak to the king in such manner or dared to call him by name. The king's fingers were itching to strangled her for the insolence, of not regarding him nor the title but she was making a point. He waited for her to continue.

She laughed an empty laughter. Making king Ephraim angrier. His patience was running out. His face red. He was revolving around her. The fearless maid brings her eyes to meet with that of the king when she willed to speak.

"killed me Ephraim or when I have another opportunity I shall killed all of you. You couldn't investigate the matter. You passed judgement without probing into the case.

King Ephraim was not a beast. If she wasn't rude to him he would looked into the matter now. He felt sorry for letting his subject have doubt in him. If she weren't insulting the crown he would have set her freed and find a way for the queen to pay for her sins. Still he decided to bring justice to the death.

He turned to looked at the queen. She looked away. She had a feeling of nervousness. King Ephraim was left to believed that the maid might be right with her words.

He was eager to know what his queen did to framed her sister. What queen Charlene requested of her sister and she refused which led to framing her up to be punished by death. As he looked into the eyes of this maid he sense some truth in her words. Though she presented it in an unacceptable way.

The said maid was bitter and bold. Seeking for revenged for her late kid sister.

"Your sister" . The king began. She interjected covering the distance to pounced on the queen.

She caught queen Charlene's hair in her hands and dragged while the queen was still making some quick moves to escape.

The queen screamed for helped. All the knights and everyone else stood still. Looking at the king. Waiting for his orders. If king Ephraim doesn't give an order, then queen Charlene shall surely died in her hands.

The maid had dropped her on the stairs of the dais. She ran to when she first came to attacked her. The maid was on her, pounding her like pestle in a mortar.

Queen Charlene could do nothing other than screamed and bring her hands to blocked but the maid overpowered her and gave her the beatings of her life.

King Ephraim was still looking at them. Reluctantly he lifted his hands and immediately. The knights grabbed the maid and separated her from queen Charlene.

Queen Charlene lied there for some good moments. Unable to rise on her own. Bernard helped her. after she gained her feet she fling off Bernard's gripped.

The maid who was still struggling with the knights had removed a dagger from one of their holster secured round their waist. She thrust it in her throat.

Her blood floods the throne hall. She died not revealing nothing. The king looked at queen Charlene who was still wallowing in pains.

She glare wickedly at the king. He couldn't helped her on time which had the maid bruising her pretty face. Her brown eyes has some trace of blood in it. Her brown hair was out of place and her smooth skin ruined. She was holding her dressed to cover her upper body.

She let out a cry and run shakenly out of the throne hall. The body was taken out. Other maids called upon to mopped the blood.

The king was seated back on the throne and the nobles with folded hands. None dared to speak. Everyone kept to themselves.

The woman he married had created the room for a lowly maid to look him in the eye and utter things without fear. He couldn't punished her for such nonsense. She took her own life. He couldn't also find out the truth against queen Charlene. He was going to fine one anyways.

Now that she was dead he didn't know how many maids and palace worker whom the queen had offended in one way or the other abound. He wouldn't tell. He saw their faces when he comes in contact with him fearing him like a god but he wouldn't know what was in their mind.

He was beginning to be frightened on the throne. Not for himself but his little princess. She might be the next target to get to him. To pay for what he or the queens had done.

It was a good thing. This maid decided to face only the queen and now she was apprehended without avenging her sister. He would look into the matter later. They had other things to discussed for the day.

Shortly after they began another topic, a guard bashed in.

"My king... my lord....your majesty..."

"What is it". The king sat upright as he spoke. Everyone was startled. What was going to happen again.

"What could it be!" They nobles murmured.

The guard was panting and exhausted from the run he had. He kept them in suspense while trying to gathered his breathe.

Their nobles sat paying attention. The guard knelt in the passage in-between where the nobles sat.

"The... the Black Dust Empire warriors are matching towards our city. They shall surround us by sunset. They are small army, fierce looking. They might be threatening war". He got the viewed from the microscope on the watched tower.

King Ephraim heaved and relaxed. So was other nobles. The atmosphere lit up

" Fools! They will never learned. They think that the cheap magic they possessed shall helped them". Sir Leonidas, the king's spoke person said.

"It is either there are underrating our might or they wished for us to wiped out their entire generation to the last kin". Frederick, the general commander of the knights spoke.

"Aye!, Duke William spoke. "They shall rot like dough in my growling stomach and like chicken swims in my wives' soup pot" They shrilled in laughter upon laughter upon laughter.

The took turns to make mockery of what the guard thought they were in danger.

Black Dust Empire was the largest and strongest territory around. Black Dust Empire as the name implies was filled with dark history. They were always at war with any and every kingdom they wished.

If they noticed any kingdom was progressing and becoming stronger. They considered the fertility of their soil and their entire wealth put together. If it above other poor kingdoms whom they are using their poverty against them.

They would raged war against such kingdom, if it refused to summit or comply under their rule.

They dethroned kings in each of this kingdoms and took over their lands. Enslaves the people and take it ruler ship.

Black Dust Empire always conquered. Always! they never loosed. Their magical powers was second to Serpent Land and third to none. Serpent Land leads in wealth and power yet harmless and peaceful.

"No no. We shall captured them alive. I need more labourers for my farm. My lowest servant shall be their master". The great secretary, minister Mammon spoke.

The nobles were still ranting.

"Never! we will never accept them into our kingdom or to mingled and or served any of us. We don't need slaves that their lamentations shall caused the god of the kings' stone to neglect us". Duke Williams responded with a raised tone.

"Aye! They chorus in agreement".

" but we still need to teach them a lesson". Minister Mammon insisted.

Then general Frederick stood and walked up to the guard. The king had been silent all this while. He just looked at them speechless.

"Was that why you ran like an arrowed was about to pierced your heart if your heels is not above your head" general Frederick spoke as he round the frightened guard. "I see you are naive about the position of your kingdom in battle. You should be punished for embarrassing me before my king. I trained you well".

The nobles murmured. General Frederick was a man of his words. If no one dared to stopped him. The guard shall surely pay with his skin. His skin shall be pulled off with hundreds of whips.

Duke William remember how his grandson, Francis came sobbing home months past, after being beaten to stupor with a scourge. He just realized that Francis may not have done something deserving of the whipped. For some reasons unknown to him. He didn't want the guard to suffer the same fate as his grandson. They just recovered their voices. All of them.

"It hasn't gotten to that general Frederick. He did the right thing by coming to informed the king of the current situation on ground. He shouldn't be punished for it". Said the Duke.

"Aye! They chorus again. The general anger soften.

" My general, let this your anger be rekindled against the Black Dust Empire". The tax minister, Bridge Young said in a jovial tone.

"Go back!. Whenever they near. Tell them we do not need their protection around our city wall. Bid them to depart before night falls by tomorrow or they shall perished with their greed".

" So says the king". They all bowed and the guard departed.

"Coward!" they general yelled angrily as he left.

"Pardon him he is a boy. He might be intimidated by their number. You know Golden Hill has not fought any war for years. So this generation lack knowledge of the war". Said the Duke.

They laughed some more. Forgetting about what had happened earlier. They continued with another discussion.