1 views
never bring a man to a woman's game.
I sigh audibly as I push my boot into this kneeling man's chest and pull out my dagger. Another assassin comes at me and I slide onto my knees and slash him on the legs, enough to make him fall. I aim at his jugular and he clutches it as blood spews out of him like a fountain. I jump back to avoid getting any more blood on my dress. "Damn it, this is my favorite dress." If only people didn't bleed so much, I wouldn't have to buy so many new dresses. I then wipe the dagger onto the sleeve of a dead assassin and look down at the bloodied hall. There must have been 7 or 8 of them.
"I heard noises and a scuttle down the hall! Stay behind me King Athalar, there might be danger." Here comes the cavalry, too little to late. I sheath my dagger into my boot and back myself into a corner then I pretend to look timid and scared.
At least 7 knights rush towards the hall and they pause. Clearly baffled at the massacre before them. They find me huddled in a corner with my best 'I'm frightened' face. "Queen Cass? What are you doing here? Are you all right? Do you know who killed them?" One of King Athalar's puppet men ask me. "I--I'm not injured. The-- The knight t--took off and f--fled. H--he killed all these p--people." I try and stammer. I cover my face and feign distress. "There's no need to be frightened. I think they're all dead. Why don't you come over here so we can protect you and send you back to your quarters? You and the king will be safe there, I promise." He extends his hand toward me and I take it, trying to fight back the urge to roll my eyes.
"Where did the knight go? Why would he leave you all alone?" The king's adviser asks me. "I-- I don't know. He just killed them all and left me here." I lie. "Do you know who the knight was my queen?" He asks. "No. No, I don't."
The one assassin I knocked out by pouring poison lily on my dagger and stabbing him suddenly gets on his feet and runs toward us with his sword held high. I suppress the urge to pull out my dagger and kill him myself. They must not see what I can do. One of the knights shove me behind him and raises his sword but the assassin is faster and stabs him square in the chest. He pulls it out and the knight crumples to the floor. "It was an honor to serve you my king." Oh dear God. A bunch of blindly-worshipping idiots, the lot of them. He dies and 3 knights circle the assassin, while the others usher us to safety.
"You are safe here now. The assassin was taken care of. He really put up a fight, my queen. That knight who saved you is one skilled swordsman. We were not able to locate him... Well, I must leave you to your rest. Good night, my queen." One of the king's puppets say to me. I solemnly nod and shut the door to the royal bedchamber behind me. I sit sideways on the bed and listen to king's breathing until it evens out and I unsheath my dagger and place it under my pillow. I shut my eyes and sleep takes me but I do not dream.
The castle feasts the following night, giddy with the fact that we had narrowly escaped death and the assassination attempt had failed. The are calling it a testament to his royal kingship or whatever. The taste tester, Leroy stands between me and the king and across the table from us are the king's advisers. The lady servant brings the pot of soup we are both to share once the taste tester determines it safe to consume. The soup lady nears us and I point out my shoe and she trips on it. Spilling the tomato soup onto the taste tester and narrowly avoiding the king and I. "Clumsy girl!" The king shouts angrily. "I--I'm sorry my king." The servant says as she sulkily walks toward the kitchen door. No doubt to find some towels to clean the mess.
I rise from the table "I'll get the soup and Leroy there is a change of clothes in that closet on your right." I grab the other soup pot from the kitchen and bring it to the table. Leroy has finished changing into the spare knight uniform. "Forgive me, my queen but I am not worthy to wear this uniform as I am no knight." He says fiddling with the uniform that is twice his size. "It's just a uniform. Now, taste the food so that we may eat." I say with all the grace of a queen.
Leroy tastes the food and nods. "It is not poisoned your majesties, I will now take my leave." He heads towards the door that leads to the garden but finds it locked so he awkwardly walks to the main door.
The servants pour soup into all of our bowls and we feast. The king's advisers are all praising the king and commending his soldiers for their bravery. I resist a snort. I raise my wine glass then and the room quiets. "Let us drink, to your new king. May I live forever." I tip the glass and drink its entirety. The advisers and the king look visibly confused. I hide my smile behind the glass.
One of the advisers start choking and vomiting. Soon they all start emptying the contents of their stomach. Puke was everywhere. I simply smiled and rose "All of you men viewed me as weak or a pawn in your little game. After all, a woman's only purpose is to be obedient to their husbands and bear heirs. I may have let you win the battles but now I win the war. See, while you men were busy sharpening your swords and inflating your egos, I single-handedly killed all of those assassins last night and I also have been ingesting poison in small doses--each more potent than the last. Yes, I will vomit too but I will be the last woman standing." They stare up at me in disbelief as others have already succumbed to the poison and are dead.
I stare at the king. "No one is coming to save you now. Your knights are all drunk and singing their guts out about how brave they are. They won't hear you scream or come to your aid." I say to him. "But the taste tester" he coughs, "ah yes. That is why I dressed him as a knight and sent him through the front door where your other knights are no doubt downing their weight in liquor. He's vomiting and probably passed out by now but the other knights will dismiss it as him being a lightweight and think nothing else of it." I caress his hair and whisper "I am the only king now and no one can stop me."
© vero
"I heard noises and a scuttle down the hall! Stay behind me King Athalar, there might be danger." Here comes the cavalry, too little to late. I sheath my dagger into my boot and back myself into a corner then I pretend to look timid and scared.
At least 7 knights rush towards the hall and they pause. Clearly baffled at the massacre before them. They find me huddled in a corner with my best 'I'm frightened' face. "Queen Cass? What are you doing here? Are you all right? Do you know who killed them?" One of King Athalar's puppet men ask me. "I--I'm not injured. The-- The knight t--took off and f--fled. H--he killed all these p--people." I try and stammer. I cover my face and feign distress. "There's no need to be frightened. I think they're all dead. Why don't you come over here so we can protect you and send you back to your quarters? You and the king will be safe there, I promise." He extends his hand toward me and I take it, trying to fight back the urge to roll my eyes.
"Where did the knight go? Why would he leave you all alone?" The king's adviser asks me. "I-- I don't know. He just killed them all and left me here." I lie. "Do you know who the knight was my queen?" He asks. "No. No, I don't."
The one assassin I knocked out by pouring poison lily on my dagger and stabbing him suddenly gets on his feet and runs toward us with his sword held high. I suppress the urge to pull out my dagger and kill him myself. They must not see what I can do. One of the knights shove me behind him and raises his sword but the assassin is faster and stabs him square in the chest. He pulls it out and the knight crumples to the floor. "It was an honor to serve you my king." Oh dear God. A bunch of blindly-worshipping idiots, the lot of them. He dies and 3 knights circle the assassin, while the others usher us to safety.
"You are safe here now. The assassin was taken care of. He really put up a fight, my queen. That knight who saved you is one skilled swordsman. We were not able to locate him... Well, I must leave you to your rest. Good night, my queen." One of the king's puppets say to me. I solemnly nod and shut the door to the royal bedchamber behind me. I sit sideways on the bed and listen to king's breathing until it evens out and I unsheath my dagger and place it under my pillow. I shut my eyes and sleep takes me but I do not dream.
The castle feasts the following night, giddy with the fact that we had narrowly escaped death and the assassination attempt had failed. The are calling it a testament to his royal kingship or whatever. The taste tester, Leroy stands between me and the king and across the table from us are the king's advisers. The lady servant brings the pot of soup we are both to share once the taste tester determines it safe to consume. The soup lady nears us and I point out my shoe and she trips on it. Spilling the tomato soup onto the taste tester and narrowly avoiding the king and I. "Clumsy girl!" The king shouts angrily. "I--I'm sorry my king." The servant says as she sulkily walks toward the kitchen door. No doubt to find some towels to clean the mess.
I rise from the table "I'll get the soup and Leroy there is a change of clothes in that closet on your right." I grab the other soup pot from the kitchen and bring it to the table. Leroy has finished changing into the spare knight uniform. "Forgive me, my queen but I am not worthy to wear this uniform as I am no knight." He says fiddling with the uniform that is twice his size. "It's just a uniform. Now, taste the food so that we may eat." I say with all the grace of a queen.
Leroy tastes the food and nods. "It is not poisoned your majesties, I will now take my leave." He heads towards the door that leads to the garden but finds it locked so he awkwardly walks to the main door.
The servants pour soup into all of our bowls and we feast. The king's advisers are all praising the king and commending his soldiers for their bravery. I resist a snort. I raise my wine glass then and the room quiets. "Let us drink, to your new king. May I live forever." I tip the glass and drink its entirety. The advisers and the king look visibly confused. I hide my smile behind the glass.
One of the advisers start choking and vomiting. Soon they all start emptying the contents of their stomach. Puke was everywhere. I simply smiled and rose "All of you men viewed me as weak or a pawn in your little game. After all, a woman's only purpose is to be obedient to their husbands and bear heirs. I may have let you win the battles but now I win the war. See, while you men were busy sharpening your swords and inflating your egos, I single-handedly killed all of those assassins last night and I also have been ingesting poison in small doses--each more potent than the last. Yes, I will vomit too but I will be the last woman standing." They stare up at me in disbelief as others have already succumbed to the poison and are dead.
I stare at the king. "No one is coming to save you now. Your knights are all drunk and singing their guts out about how brave they are. They won't hear you scream or come to your aid." I say to him. "But the taste tester" he coughs, "ah yes. That is why I dressed him as a knight and sent him through the front door where your other knights are no doubt downing their weight in liquor. He's vomiting and probably passed out by now but the other knights will dismiss it as him being a lightweight and think nothing else of it." I caress his hair and whisper "I am the only king now and no one can stop me."
© vero
