I pick up the parchment, the paper dry in my hands. I notice then in the candlelight that they are shaking. I take a deep breath to steady my nerves. The immediate danger has passed and I know that. I just need to remind myself. After all, what sort of King would I be if the people could say I'm afraid of the dark?
I unroll the parchment in my hands and hold it close to the flickering flame on the desk. Shadows dance across it and my eyes are instantly flicking over the words. I have to force myself to slow down, to start from the beginning. I take another deep breath and start again.
Dear King,
It has come to the attention of others that your position of power has been gained by some contrivance of bribery. Note that this will come to light in the stark light of day and your power will be stripped, your limbs bound and your skin flogged until it peels from your very bones.
A shiver trickles down my spine and I read it again. The words are short, cold and calculated. Yet I do not know of the bribery which has been mentioned. I was as clueless to my promotion as the rest of the nobles in that room the day the bells tolled. How could this have happened? Somebody must resent me, loathe my uprising, hate the power I now hold.
I glance to the small window in my bedchamber. It leads out over a darkened city. My city. My people. I know that it could be any one of those people down there. Murderers, scum, thieves the lot of them. Yet something tells me it is not one of the people. They are too wrapped up in their petty crimes and meaningless lives. No this is someone clever, someone with higher power. Someone with the ability to write.
That is what I need to do. Find the culprit. Bring a show of power and assert my authority. In the long night, this is what I need to do.
Copyright 2000 - 2024 21 x 20 Media All rights reserved. This site is property of 21 x 20 Media
All Writing.Com images are copyrighted and may not be copied / modified in any way. All other brand names & trademarks are owned by their respective companies.
Generated in 0.11 seconds at 5:06pm on Nov 23, 2024 via server WEBX2.
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
More by this author
