《Cards of the Royal Guard》 Names A name... A simple word. A collective word defined into one. And only 16 people may obtain a "name". It wasn''t a decision based upon majority voting amongst the gods, but an impulse of just one god. This impulse led to the creation of a cruel world where only 16 may have a name, while the rest suffered under titles of their jobs. A world where no one knew who they were.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Amongst this cruel ruling, a young girl was chosen to recieve the name, "Queen". However, this young girl was not one of the aristocrats that many "Queens" before her was. She was a girl from the slums with unruly red tipped blue hair and emerald eyes. The fact that she was even chosen to be the "Queen" of the world was an act against the gods! But it could never be denied that she was chosen. That day the world began to move in a direction different than what was predicted previously. A young girl was chosen to rule the world at the mere age of 8. But this girl was smarter and better than the rest, which won her the prestige of being given a name by the Gods and with it she declared to the world as she was being crowned. "In my name as ''Queen''! I will right what has been wrong!" Chapter 1: First Meeting A young boy scrambled on his feet as he dragged himself through the alleyways of the town''s slums. The dark and cold alleyways were filled with the smell of dead rats and gunk from all sorts of creatures not excluding the humans who lived with the debris. The boy grabbed onto his shoulder which appeared to be injured as he scraped against the wall numerous times due to his clumsy weak legs. His bones were making a racket as each step he produced caused pain to surge up towards his shoulder. The pain was unbearable under normal circumstances, but the boy was resilient in his effort to walk. His destination beyond the alleyway was no where else but his poorly made home. However, before he could even think about home he had to somehow make his way back without further increasing the amount of bruises his body had. In the distance much further ahead of him the sound of sinister voices echoed in the alleyway, but like many people in the slums those voices were ignored. The reason was quite simple. It is because those who paid attention to the voices would always in any case... Perhaps... End up dead before they are even allowed to speak of the horrors they have witnessed. That was just how the slums were ran. Those who lived in the slums knew the undeniable rule. One must never speak of what has happened. That was the undeniable rule in the slums and the young boy knew it. Therefore as he scrambled himself forward while ignoring the voices he paid no heed to the pleading sounds he heard. "Let go of me!" A young voice. A voice that belonged to a girl. "Heh! Brother, look at her scream! Like anyone will save her!" The sound of a struggle reached the boy''s ears, but he pretended he didn''t hear it. Don''t get involved. The boy whispered to himself to keep himself from jumping in. The sense of justice that he often felt, but knew he could not carry tore at him. "Let me go!" The man who gripped the girl came into view of the boy, but he turned his gaze away so as not to meet the girl''s pleading eyes. But it was too late, his eyes met the gaze of the struggling girl. Her emerald eyes stared back at his azure eyes pleading for help. He gritted his teeth and turned away ashamed at his cowardice of preserverence. He put his only working hand on the wall and stumbled away. As his eyes wandered to see that the manthat was gripping the girl. The man licked his lips disgustingly as he inched closer to the girl. "NOOOOO!!!" screamed the girl. The boy''s heart jolted in a frenzy. No! I mustn''t! Stay calm! Stay calm! "NOOO!!!!" screeched the girl louder. "LET ME GO!!"The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. "Hehe... Brother, can I go first?" "If you can handle it, keke..." The sounds of the men grew increasingly louder as they inched closer to the girl. The heart of the boy twisted in agony. His mind pleaded with himself to remain calm and not bother with the men. I mustn''t! I mustn''t! He repeated the words to himself multiple times as he closed his eyes until... "NOOOOOO!!" His eyes jolted open and without missing a beat picked the nearest brick on the ground. He chucked the brick towards the man who was closest to the girl. The man not expecting anything to head his way was hit right on his head knocking him unconcious. The other man dumbfounded turned his gaze towards the boy and yelled. "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!" The boy stumbled from the force of the throw, but held his ground with the support of his legs. He glared daringly at the other man. The man infuriated at his fun having been interrupted and his younger brother on the ground made his way towards the boy in a mad dash. He extended his hands outward in an attempt to catch the boy, however the boy was faster. The boy dodged his bulky arms and with his spare hand grabbed handfuls of dirt and tossed it into the man''s eyes. "ARGH!!!" The man yelled in pain as he stumbled to the ground while covering his eyes. The boy ran instantly towards the young girl and grabbed her wrist directing her to follow him. "Run!" The girl without hesitation followed the boy''s lead. They ran without stopping unti finally they reached the main road where the market was. The amount of people could hide their small statures as they rested to catch their breathe. "Thank you." "It was nothing..." The girl observed the boy as he gathered his breathe. The boy noticing her gaze turned his head to look at her. "What is it?" "It is nothing. I just thought that your eyes were pretty." "..." "Thank you for saving me." "You''re an idiot." "Ex-excuse me?" The girl stunned couldn''t find words to describe the feelings she got from the boy. "You''re an idiot to go into the slums. You''re clearly not a from here." The boy gestures towards the girl''s highly decorated clothing. "It is dangerous to go into the slums alone. Expecially if you''re a girl." "Thank you." The girl smiled gently. "Hah?!" "Thank you for worrying about me." "..." The boy not knowing how to refute the girl sighed to himself. "Take this path and go back to where you came from. Don''t come back to this area unless you want to die." He turned his back towards the girl after pointing to the road. Just as he was about to walk away he feels his entire body suddenly falling back as a strong grip held onto the hem of his clothes. "Wa-wait!" He turned only to meet the gaze of the girl. "Wha... What?!" "Become my knight!" exclaimed the girl. "What?" "Become my knight!" repeated the girl again. Is she sane?The boy thought to himself. "What are you saying?" "I want you to become my knight" repeated the girl once more. "That''s not what I mean! I mean why should I become your knight?" The girl thought for a moment. "Because you are worthy to become a knight of my Royal Guard." Royal Guard? Where have I... "Royal Guard?" "Yes, my Royal Guard!" "Who are you to-" "My name is Queen! I am the Queen of this Kingdom and I wish for you to become my knight!" The boy stared at the girl in disbelief before bursting out into laughter. "Why are you laughing!?" "Because there''s just no way thatthe "Queen" would come here. You are obviously lying. You do know that taking a name is an offense, don''t you?" "B-but I really am Queen!" "Sure you are." The girl pouts before regaining her composure. "Fine, I''ll prove it to you." "And how will you do that?" "I''ll show you!" The girl pulls the boy''s hand leading him towards the castle. The guards at the gates make eye contact with the girl and say nothing as she walks in with the boy following behind. The boy dumbfounded by the reaction of the guards couldn''t help but turn to look at the girl, only to find that she is too concentrated on taking him somewhere to notice that he is already aware of her power. The place she takes the boy to is the castle''s royal chamber. The girl finally lets go of the boy''s hand as she proceeds to sit herself on the seat of the royal chamber. The seat that belonged tothe "Queen". "Do you believe me now?" "..." "Why aren''t you saying anything?" Suddenly the boy breaks down on one knee and kneels before Queen. "I''m terribly sorry for my rudeness! Punish me as you see fit!" Queen became shocked at the sudden change in behavior. "Please stand." The boy unhesitatingly follows the girl''s command. "Its good that you believe me now." The boy nods. "I want you to be my knight." "Why me?" "Because it has to be you." Chapter 2: Given "Why me?" The boy asked the young girl. Queen smiled gently towards the boy. "Because it has to be you. If it isn''t you, who am I to choose?" "But that doesn''t make any sense! I''m sure your highness has plenty to choose from! I mean you''re the queen of this country." "But If I were to choose from the nobles... They would definately not listen to me." The boy looked at the girl puzzled by her sad expression. "I''m sure you''ve heard the rumors." "About your highness being from the slums?" "That''s right. Those rumors are true. I am a young girl, which is why many of the advisors of the court despise me. If given the chance they would gladly dethrone me. But because of God''s rules they can''t. To make matters worse my heritage is not one of the nobles, but of the slums." "Can''t your highness just get rid of them?" "I can''t. If I were to get rid of them I would be left with no one to rely on for help with running the country. That''s why I want a knight who will help me. One that can protect me but also aid me in my progress as I purge the advisors." The boy''s expression twists into one of complication. "How does having a knight help your highness exactly?" "A knight when given a name by me will always be loyal to me, especially one of the Royal Guard. That''s why I want you to be my knight. You are righteous and are one of the same heritage as me, so it wouldn''t be hard for both of us to connect." Queen smiled bashfully. "I-I''m not that special..." The boy turned his head in embarrassment. "That''s not true! You are very special! Most people from the slums aren''t like you. It takes a lot of courage to stand up against anyone bigger than you in size and yet you... You were able to accomplish that. You have courage and a righteous spirit to boost. That''s why... I want you... I want you to be my knight!" The boy blushes shyly. "Please, won''t you help me?" Queen takes the boy''s hand into her own as she gazes into his eyes.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. "I-I..." The boy hesitates unsure of how to answer. "It''s not a bad deal for you either, is it? I mean I can provide you with a place to stay and a place where you can eat. Please?" Queen holds his hand tighter. The boy thinks to himself. In his heart, he knows that if he were to take this opportunity to become Queen''s knight he could live a better life. However, at the same time, he is hesitant as it would become a world unfamiliar to him. To a young boy born in the slums survival was the most important aspect of his everyday life, but to live in the world of the nobles... What kind of world was it to live amongst the nobles? It was surely not an easy task similar to how it is in the slums and the benefits weren''t bad. But what would change were he to step into the world of the nobles? His gaze met Queen''s as he turned his head. A gaze filled with expectation and hope. What about her? Had Queen not endured the trial of living amongst the nobles even if it was only for a month since her coronation as rule of the country. She endured while doing her work as queen. If he was to back down here would it not be shameful of him to do so? What am I doing? He gritted his teeth as his eyes answered Queen''s gaze. "I''ll do it." "Really?!" "Ye-yeah..." The boy shifts his gaze away at the close proximity of Queen''s inching face. "Yay!" Queen jumps up and down excitedly unable to hold in her happiness. It was a very un-queenly performance. Luckily no one was around except these two to see what was happening in the chamber. "So what do we do now, your highness?" "Well, we have to do the ceremony!" "Ceremony?" "That''s right the ceremony!" Queen pulls the boys hand. "Whoa! Excuse me, your highness! But what are you doing?!" "The ceremony! I have to do it in order to bestow you a name!" "A name?" "Yup! If I don''t do the ceremony you won''t be able to enter the Royal Guard. So lend me your hand!" "Um... Okay." Queen takes the boy''s hand and begins chanting under her breath. "With my name as "Queen" I bestow upon this person a name of the Royal Guard." The boy suddenly feels a rushing hot sensation. The sensation runs up his arms and carves deep into his body a feeling unknown to him. A throbbing sound knocks in the back of his head. The pain in his shoulder disappears while the sound inside his head rings louder. He grips his head in pain as he shakes free of Queen''s grasp. Seeker of names. Follow thy''s destiny. Answer to the call of the Queen. For your name is King. The voice subsides and the boy is left with a mark on his hand. "Are you okay?" Queen looks upon the boy worriedly. "I-I''m fine." The boy stands up and notices that his injured shoulder had been healed. His body also felt strangely refreshed. "So what name did you recieve?" "King." "King? So your names King! Doesn''t that almost make us a pair!" "..." Queen laughed innocently. "What is it?" "Nothing." "Then, I''ll call you King from now on! Is that okay?" "If it makes your highness happy..." "Okay! And you have to stop talking so formally to me! From now on we''re comrades!" "I don''t think I''ll be able to do that..." "Why not?!" "Because won''t the advisors find it uncivilized? It will make your reputation worse than it is..." "That''s true... Then when it''s just the two of us!" "...Alright, then." Queen smiles happily. A name... So this is what it feels like to be named... King smiled secretly to himself. He had finally obtained a name to which he could identify himself with. A precious word that could replace his identity as just a "boy from the slums" to something extraordinary. Thank you, Queen. He thanked her from the bottom of his heart, but he wouldn''t tell her that. "Come with me King! I''ll teach you everything about the court. Once that''s done we can begin our plans." The atmosphere changed as Queen''s smile beckoned an ominous remark. Chapter 3: Time Lapse 10 years pass in the blink of an eye. King dedicated himself to training in the sword as well as learning the manners of the nobles. However, he could never fully understand the reason as to why the nobles went through so much trouble to decorate themselves in eloquent words and beautiful dresses. Although he dedicated himsefl to learning the manners of the nobles, he rarely used them only in cases when he would address Queen in public. When it came to addressing others that was not Queen, he would rudely talk to them. The reason as to why King was allowed to rudely talk to the other nobles and look down on people was due to the fact that he had a name and was a Royal Guard member. With Queen''s influence King was able to establish his own hierarchy within the castle. Although King often referred to nobles rudely, he was often kind to those of the lower class. Perhaps it was because of his origins that caused him to turn out this way, but undoubtably King was a kind soul. Queen had given King free rein over what he wanted to do. The only thing Queen ever ordered King to carry out was training as a knight and learning how to write as well as read. Occassionally he attended classes to learn more about the kingdom causing his intelligence to soar. Originally, King had a high disposition to learning, therefore he quickly picked up on the ideas being taught to him. In particular he excelled heavily in politics and military strategies, which earned him high expectations from Queen. This fact earned him praise from Queen, who would jump up and down in joy whenever he gave her advice. She would say that "he was a worthy advisor". Although King never understood what she meant by that. The plan that Queen had come up with immediately after King had recieved his name was put on hold. Queen wanted time to plan out ways to get rid of the rotten apples in the castle. King agreed quite willingly as at the time he also didn''t know quite what to do. Aside from his studies King, would constantly practice on using the sword whenever he was free or bored. This matter eventually caused him to perfect his sword techniques and even allowed him to beat all the teachers of the army. Seeing as he excelled in combat, Queen eventually appointed him as the leader of the armed forces with her newly appointed power. Queen steadily garnered power as the years went by, although she still kept her hidden schemes under wraps so as to not be noticed by anyone. She rarely flaunted her power as if she kept it hidden it was easier to ambush those who underestimated her. King was aware of Queen''s plotting as he would also be participating in the coup d''etat when the time came, but for now it was often quite leisure. King happily endulged himself in his life of training and learning. He was grateful to Queen for picking him up and as the years went by he quickly noticed a change in his attitude towards Queen.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. This change evidently reaffirmed his resolve to help Queen.
King swung his sword fiercely in a vertical line in consecutive strikes. He worked himself until his skin practically turned red from over exercising. However, he wasn''t the least bit bothered by his red skin as he grabbed a cooling cloth from the maid nearby. "Thank you." "Yes it is no problem, Sir King." He thanked the maid politely. Using the cool cloth to wipe off his sweat as well as cool down his red skin he sat himself on a nearby bench. All around King''s surroundings were a variety of soldiers swinging their swords vigorously. The soldiers worked hard as King was watching them. The soldiers especially did not want to get on the bad side of King therefore they worked diligently whenever he was around. They weren''t particularly too scared about King though. The reason was because often King was actually quite kind to the soliders especially the ones who were enlisted from the slums. The only reason they worked harder was because King would often praise and reward them making them feel as though they were worth something. It was a feeling that they didn''t get often especially from one of such high status. Usually those of high status abused their powers and would often ridicule them. However, because the soldiers couldn''t really do much against those of higher status they often had to grit their teeth in frustration. King was much different in this regard. He treated them as humans and often told them to take things casually. He would tell them to not strain themselves lest they would be unable to work for their families if they were to get injured or sick. The soldiers felt a sense of respect for King. They wanted to prove themselves worthy of his concern and thus worked hard. Of coruse, they were careful not to overexert themselves. King, who was sitting on the bench watched intently at the soldiers swinging their swords. He liked the expression on their faces as though they were doing something worthwhile. "What are you smiling at?" King turned his head into the direction of the voice calling him. "Joker?" "Yes, it is I" replied Jokerwho came from behind. Joker was another member of the Royal Guard that King and Queen met 5 years after their first meeting. They recruited him as his abilities were high and his honest character was something desired in Queen''s Royal Guards.Joker had long black hair that was tied into a ponytail. His body was also quite tall and he bordered near King''s height which was approximately 6 ft. Joker also chose butler-like clothes as his wear. His primary job was to be the informant of Queen, but occassionally he would also help in organizing the papers that she worked out. His job was almost never done. Unliked King, who spent his time training to be a super soldier for Queen, he spent his time researching and understanding various fields to improve the conditioning of the country. "Is something the matter?" "Nothing really. I was hoping you could convince Her Highness to do her work." King frowned. "Is she skipping again?" "Rather than skipping... She is refusing to work anymore and lies on the couch eatting snacks from the west." Joker twirls his long black hair with a finger. "Hah... Is she even aware she is a queen?" "I believe in her mind being queen-like is the least of her concerns." She really knows how to tug Joker''s strings. King chuckled a little to himself realizing that Queen''s attitude had pushed Joker this far to come for his help. "I''ll go see her." "That would be most appreciated." King gets up from his spot on the bench and hands the maid the cloth. The maid takes it and bows her head as King leaves with Joker. Chapter 4: Chatter King and Joker talked about a variety of things as they walked to Queen''s study room. They were particularly concerned about the future of the country with Queen being the way she is. Although it was not a bad thing that Queen was taking a break, her work needed to be done by the next day, which was why Joker was trying his hardest to convince her to start finishing her work. "I believe at the rate that she is going we might not make it in time..." Joker sighed heavily. "Is it that bad?" "The deadline is quite strict on documents concerning the national budget." "You have it quite tough, don''t you?" "Indeed, but I suppose it is only fitting of myself." King nodded. Joker excelled well in paper work and often cleared the majority of Queen''s papers. He also helped to take care of the budget and monitor everything that happened in the country. He was a prime example of the perfect secretary. "Would you like my help?" King offered Joker ashis hands patted Joker''s back. "Mmm... I would appreciate it if youdidn''t." "Why?" "Because you are terrible with paper work." "..." King didn''t continue to speak to Joker as they continued walking. Joker knocked on the door to Queen''s room as King stood to the side. "Your Highness, I brought King." The sound of tumbling books and a variety of things falling could be heard inside. "Y-yes, please come in!" Joker looks to King, who in turn looks to him. They both sigh and walk in. The scene before them is one of chaos. Books are toppled onto the ground and a variety of papers are all stacked on one side of the desk, while others are carelessly scattered across the floor. Queen who sits in the middle of the room is practically buried in books and papers on her desk. The tea set on the table also appeared to be sitting on the paper work that needed to be done. Even the couches were not spared of the numerous papers. King wordlessly entered the room and sat on the couch which was covered in papers. He pushed aside the papers before seating himself on the cushion. Joker stood to the side of Queen''s desk.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. "I was expecting something like this, but to think it would turn out this bad..." King couldn''t help but speak out loud. Queen embarrassed rubbed her cheek with a finger and giggled. "I didn''t mean for it to turn out this way." Joker frowns. "I believe Your Highness is unaware of your actions." Joker''s face turned immensely menacing as he inched closer to Queen. A firing rage could be seen coming out from his body, although the only one who could feel such pressure was Queen. "I told Your Highness how many times to complete your work before it turned out like this? Who was the one who didn''t want to listen?" "I-I..." "Excuses are unforgivable at this rate in time. Get your work done please. Our deadline is tomorrow and we must turn in the paper work before the older advisors get on our tail." Queen scrunched in her chair from the pressure. "B-but I..." "No buts! I''ve brought King here to help motivate you to work." Queen glances at King with puppy eyes hoping he would help. King pretended he didn''t notice and avoided eye contact. He didn''t want to be associated with Queen''s begging form. He also didn''t want to make Joker more angry than he already was. Although, Joker was younger than King by 2 years, he somehow had this overwhelming pressure when it came to work. King really didn''t want to get involved with this side of Joker. "If you get your work done I promise to go out with you tomorrow." King blurted out with his head still turned away. Queen''s eyes brightened at King''s proposal. "Really?!" "Yes..." I have barely anything to do anyway. "Then I will finish it by this evening!" Queen straightened out her back as she picked up her pen. Joker handed her the papers as she began zooming through each page. Her work speed was incredible as Joker helped with organizing each page after she was done with one. Giving her much more room to just quickly read through each page and determine their value. King sat quietly on the couch and took the tea pot to pour himself some tea. He lifted the pot, but noticed there was no tea inside and decided to fetch some warm tea from the kitchen. He briefly gets up from his position on the couch and walks to the door when Queen''s voice calls out to him. "King, where are you going?" "I am going to fetch some tea, Your Highness. A warm drink will keep you alert." Queen smiled. "That would be great! Thank you, King!" "Yes, it is my pleasure." King turns the doorknob and walks out closing the door behind him quietly so as to not disturb Queen''s work. He quickly paces himself towards the kitchen. The maids working in the kitchen notice him and bow in greeting. "Greetings to Sir King." King waves his hand telling them to relax. The maids were used to King''s ways and quickly loosen their formalities and continue on with their kitchen work. One of the maids walks to King and asks what it is he needs. "I will be needing some fresh tea. Would you mind fetching it?" "Yes, as Sir King commands." The maid wanders off into the kitchen and returns with another tea pot filled with hot tea. "Please be careful." King nods as he carries the tea pot out of the kitchen. Once King leaves the maids who were working diligently suddenly grouped together and gossiped quietly in case King was still around. "Do you think Sir King is here for Her Highness'' sake?" "Of course! Sir King only ever does something like this for Her Highness!" "But is he not nice to Sir Joker as well?" The maids all turn to look at the one maid who made that comment. "You..." "What is it?" "You couldn''t be possibly suggesting that Sir King likes Sir Joker in that way... Could you?" "Is it so wrong to suggest such a thing?" "I suppose not!" The maids giggle to one another. "But I highly doubt it as Sir King has been with Her Highness since she became queen!" "I also agree! I believe Sir King could possibly be in love with Her Highness!" "Why do you say that?" "Do you not see! The way he acts whenever it involves Her Highness? He treats her as if she is the sun! Most precious! Most modest! Most beautiful! That is what it seems like!" The maids all nod to one another. "It''s such a shame that we won''t be able to love Sir King like Her Highness can..." "Indeed..." "At least we can continue to sever by their royals side!" "Yes!" Unbeknownest to King, the maids continued to gossip about his relationships towards Queen and Joker. He began tofeel a menacing shiver up his spine. Perhaps, I''m catching a cold? King shoved off the feeling as he continued on his way to Queen''s room. Chapter 5: It Has Come King opens the door to Queen''s room. Queen who is filling out paperwork furiously seems as though she is about to explode when King enters. Joker, on the other hand, is happy that Queen is finally getting her work done. King seats himself back on the same spot he left from before. He begins to pour tea into three cups on the table. After filling the cups nearly to the brim he sets down the tea pot and brings two cups to Queen and Joker. "Here, you two. Take these and relax a little." Queen brightens up at having recieved tea from King and drinks it happily. Joker quietly takes his cup and seats himself on the sofa before sipping it. "Thank you, King!" "It is the least I can do." King smiles gently at Queen. Joker from the side smiles smugly at the two''s exchange, but says nothing. King notices his smug smile, but in the end pretends to not see it. "Do you think you''ll be able to finish?" asks King. "I''m almost done! Just you wait! I''ll get it done and we can go have fun!" Queen pumps up her chest with pride. However, King notices that it is just a front that she puts up as in reality she is exhausted. "Don''t push yourself to hard." "Yes!" Queen finishes her little break and continues to fill out numerous paper work as Joker files them away and takes documents back to the old advisors of the castle. King continues to wait for Queen as he fiddles with his hair on the sofa. Time passes as King continues to wait for Queen. He shows little exhaustion and boredom, instead his eyes are filled with interest and are alert to his surroundings. He doesn''t dare let his guard down even in the castle as who knows who could be watching them. The silence in the room appears deadly as the only sound heard was Queen''s quill pen writing and signing documents. Joker had already left to deliver the documents and the two were left alone. There was no conversation. King also didn''t try to strike up one as he didn''t want to bother Queen and instead sat patiently sipping tea and watching her expression as she wrote. A beautiful figure was reflected in King''s eyes. A figure of a queen who worked hard for her nation. He couldn''t help but admire her beauty whenever it came to work regardless of whether or not it was for the country. As always she is beautiful. King narrowed his eyes as he studied Queen''s expression. Queen held a serious expression as her eyes glowered down at the paper before her. Her eyelashes stood out amongst her eyes'' fine features. Were her eyelashes always that long? King thought to himself when suddenly Queen''s eyes met his. "What is it?"This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Queen tilted her head in confusion. "Nothing." "You were staring at me." "I was just thinking that you looked a little pale." "I''m fine." "That''s good then..." Queen returned her gaze back to the paper and continued writing. King returned his gaze to his tea and said nothing else. A quiet moment was shared between the two when Queen finally put down her quill pen. "King." "Yes, Your Highness?" "Call me by my name we''re alone now." That sure makes one think of something nasty. "Yes, Queen?" King responded smugly. "Don''t tease me!" Queen pouted in frustration. "Haha... I couldn''t help it." "I want to talk about the advisors." King''s gaze turns serious at the words of Queen. His joking laughter could no longer be seen as frost covered his eyes. A cold atmosphere fills the room and a silence between the two was dragged out. It was as though time stopped and there was no one else but these two in the room who were still moving. King moves from his seat and puts his hand on the two doors that were the exit and entrance to the room. "Freeze." Frost forms from King''s command and the doors become immobile and cold. "Silence." A surrounding field covers the room. King turns his face back towards Queen and stares straight into her eyes waiting for a command. A word. "It is time to carry out our plans." Queen fold her hands and lays her elbows on the desk. She rests her chin on the folded hands as her eyes gaze coldly beyond King. "I have waited long enough. I am strong now and it is finally time for us to carry out what we must first do. I''m sure you are aware of it. Aren''t you, King?" "Of course. At the command of my queen." King bows down on one knee before Queen. His head lowers in absolute obedience towards Queen. Queen frowns in displeasure. "Stand up. I didn''t ask for you to bow." King gets up from his position. "The time has come to purge the old advisors and remove them from their positions of power." King''s body stiffens at her words. Inside of his body he can feel a burning sensation exploding from within. What is this feeling? A passionate and raging fire. He pondered on whether it was fury and rage, but the more he felt his heart beating faster and faster... The clearer the burning sensation became. This isn''t rage. Could this be excitement? Indeed, King was excited. He couldn''t help butbe excited. Finally, the time had come where he could be more useful than just a military commander. The time had finally come where Queen could officially take control of the country. It was time for him to fight a battle where he could prove to be more than just a child from the slums. "What shall I do first?" Queen smirked menacingly. "First we need to get rid of the nobles who are backing the old advisors." "How will we do that?" "I''ve already gathered a bit of evidence on their abuse of power. With the help of my authority as queen and some of the advisors who support me I should be able to get rid of them. However, there are some nobles I am unable to touch." "Those are the ones you want me to take care of?" "All you need to do is break into their mansion and find a list of people." "A list?" "Yes... It''s... It''s a human trafficking list." King''s eyes widen in shock. "Human trafficking?!" "It is a popular trade amongst nobles who are the most integrated in the system. I had Joker help me with investigating it." Queen''s eyes turn cold. "Why has something like this not been found?!" King gritted his teeth in frustration. "Because they are nobles. They''ve been hiding the evidence needed to condemn them really well. At the time I found out, I also wasn''t prepared to take full control of the country so I could only hold back. But the time for me to take action has come. My forces are gathered and my allies are not short. That is why... My first goal is to rid this country of scum before I begin my true ''revolution''! You''ll help me, won''t you?" "It is under my pleasure!" King saluted Queen. "Who shall I investigate first?" "Investigate the nobles of House Wild." "The nobles known for valiant knights?" Queen''s eyes flickered a dark color. "They may look like that on the surface, but... Anyway you''ll see." "What about the rest of your plan?" "That can wait till later. The goal is to first get rid of scum from the core. If we can''t do that, we can''t save this country." King nods to Queen''s words and turns his back heading towards the door. King releases his magic that he casted and as he opens the door Joker is sent fumbling into the room. One side of his cheek had completely turned red. King squinted his eyes suspiciously before walking off. Joker reassembles himself off the ground brushing off the dust. He coughs twice before questioning Queen. "Your Highness, what of your date?" Queen''s eyes widen in surprise. "Ah... AHHHHHH!!!" She had completely forgotten. Chapter 6: Questions King sighed to himself heavily as he headed towards House Wild. House Wild was a group of nobles that were well known in the kingdom for being valiant knights. The members of House Wild were known for their swordplay and exquisite manners in both the noble''s and the peasant''s world. However, if Queen had suspected there was some sort of foul play involved, then it would mean there was definitely something that the House Wild was hiding. With such little information and lack of knowledge surrounding the house, King didn''t know what to do and sighed helplessly to himself. Although he accepted the task from Queen, he was still unsure of what exactly was it he should be doing. It was at the moment that he was in deep thought to himself that Joker appeared next to him. "What could it possibly be that is making you sigh so hard?" "WAHH!" Surprised by Joker''s sudden appearance King collapses to the side of the ground. "D-dont'' just pop out like that!" "Even if you say that..." "Weren''t you just with Her Highness?" Joker tilted his head quizically.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. "Her Highness? Ah... She was quite depressed you know." "Depressed?" "Yes, because it seems she accidentally forgot about her date deal and the fact that she sent you on ahead on a new mission without remembering about her date." "..." King coughed embarrassed by Joker''s remark. "However, that is just a simple side matter. What were you two discussing inside of the room?" Joker inches closer to King. "It must''ve been very important if you were to use a freezing spell to block the door." King turns his head avoiding eye contact with Joker. "Even if you are her advisor helper, I believe there are things even I cannot divulge." "Hmm... I suppose so. I guess I''ll drop the topic then. But you two certainly make me curious." Is it alright to tell him? He is a Royal Guard member. King became conflicted in telling Joker. However, it was a task that Queen assigned him without telling Joker... Meaning it was a job that needed some secrecy. "Joker." "Yes?" "What do you think of House Wild?" "The House of knights?" Joker took a moment to think to himself. "I think they are quite uncomprehendable. They appear to do actions that are noble to the public, but in my eyes all i can see are eyes that are obviously manipulating what people see." "Is that so?" As expected of Joker. He is an observant fellow. "Do you think you can gather any rumors about them and let me know?" "Could this be the task Queen assigned you?" "..." Joker stared at King''s eyes confirming if his guess was correct. "I see. Very well, then... I will keep it a secret to myself that I''ve understood your goals. Whatever you are investigating I hope it is a benefit for the future." "It is." King gave Joker a stern look as if to confirm his words as the absolute truth. "That is good then. Good luck with your mission. I suggest you try and visit the house first to see for yourself their behaviors than ask for my opinion." King nodded as Joker turned his back heading towards the way he came from. It seems it would be a good idea to visit House Wild. King quickly headed to the stables for a horse.