The Realm of Opeomund

Unguarded Secrets - 6

20 years back...

The miserable weather had become worse throughout the night as the storm progressed, creating gelid puddles from droplets of rain. The leather footwear the men were wearing had muddied after their long voyage along with the hooves of the horses. There was no one strong-willed enough to hear what had transpired, not a single soul.

The entire kingdom was in dismal emptiness. It was a desperate time, quite tragic to think of. The grim news was thought to spread like wildfire, moving to several locations all throughout the world. The inevitable could not be stopped, when the harsh sounds of hearing the old man's sweet singing turn into weeping and whimpers, and finally stop.

This stormy night seemed to bring even more pain, reminding the harsh agony that all the men in the very room had to go through. Heartless monsters had been carved and recorded by stones on the wall, but none seemed to have been like the very man in the room back there. The room was filled with sapphire gemstones and ceilings textured so elegantly. It all then changed to a hue of red, spreading constantly as blood dripped outward. 

The sound of the horses moving was so quiet, almost like a baby whispered into another's ear. As the dawn approaches, a new man would claim the throne unlawfully. The slaughterer would become the commander to a once happy home, filled with townsfolk all treated like royal family. A time of despair had approached very quietly with no one even knowing. This serene night, although it is stormy, and the peaceful breeze would seem like gusts of wind blazing through like fire the next after the men become murderers.

And all too easily, the news had spread like wildfire gone ablaze.

A few hours back...

The room that was filled with sapphire gemstones and ceilings textured so elegantly held the royal throne, decorated with flowers and expensive jewelry. The entire room was as clean as sparkly diamonds. The entire palace, in fact, was one of the largest in all of Opeo, filled with ancient relics, beautiful paintings, and elegant sculptures. 

The entire room was silent, aside from the king humming a tune he shed tears on. The king heard sounds of horses galloping, but there was no task he had set his knights on. He steadily rose from his throne and slowly walked to the window, glancing at the serene night and his men entering the castle.

"So soon," the old man muttered to himself as tears dripped from his eyes, "but this night was to arrive."

The knights marched to the top of the castle with spears. They all marched into a straight line, protecting the king from expected intruders. Sounds of footsteps on the stairs all the way to the palace were heard by all the men in the room. In short seconds, the traitorous intruders reached to the top room, armed with shields and edged blades, along with cloaks covering their face.

"At least remove your masks so I may see you," the old man spoke, "look at me with no mask when this happens. Do not hide yourselves from what you are about to do. "

The intruders removed their cloaks, revealing themselves to the king. They speared through the knights without trouble and surrounded the king. One of them stepped forward and cut through the king. "Perhaps you will perform better as a king than I will," the king said. The king was stabbed in the heart, with blood pouring out and changing the entire floor and the sapphire gemstones to a hue of red.

The men stepped out of the castle, returned to their horses, and rode off as the stormy night rained down upon them.