Hapem
The ghastly servant had been stalking him, openly! Even as he walked through the garden, the servant stood at one length of the garden, leaning against a charred wall, blankly staring at Hapem through pale eyes surrounded by coal-black, stretched skin. There were sacs under the eyes and the man's features were sharp, screaming of cruel cunning. A wide, malevolent smile beamed at him when he looked towards the servant. The smile almost said that you are alone, you are unsafe, you are my prey. He had to talk to his father, Lord Arthur, about these events.
The creepy stalking had been going on for a week, since Robert's disappearance. Worst the molester did nothing, he just observed Hapem, marinating him in fear. Several nights Hapem stared at the ceiling, sleeplessly waiting for the murderer to jump out of the ceiling and kill him. He hallucinated each night, thinking that his room's door would creakingly open, and the man would skulk in with a dagger in hand. Nothing happened. His few hours of sleep were plagued with nightmares of the man hunting him.
The servant was playing with him and yet he was too afraid to alarm his father about the man. The thought that stopped him was what if father takes no action and the murderer is free to roam the passages; then the stalking would end and in days he would be dead. Without talking, he at least stayed alive.
Suddenly, the man started approaching him, a hand hidden behind his back. What to do? Should he run? Should he retort or should he wait? Suddenly, his father entered the garden from the opposite end. The servant turned and walked towards the wall as Hapem saw a dagger in the man's hand which was still behind the man's back. Arthur was strolling to the other end, at a brisk pace. He had to tell his father now. Now, or he would never have the courage to voice it and then would end up a floating corpse drowned in the castle's pool.
Arthur passed through Hapem. The man turned and leaned back against the wall. What would he say? Arthur was passing too far away. He had to say something! "Father," Hapem squealed. Suddenly, Hapem felt a glare in his mind as he sensed the stalker was staring and smiling loudly in his direction. "What," Arthur grunted, obviously already immersed in a task. Hapem pointedly ignored the murderer. "I want to talk about something," Hapem said softly. "What?" Arthur said, his tone had softened by the expression on Hapem's face – the expression of raw fear. "Here?" Hapem pitifully inquired. "Yeah, what's the problem." Hapem cleared his throat. He wanted to shout, yes, there is a problem! The problem is right there!
Too strained by the fear he could voice nothing, but he pointed at the servant on the end. Arthur followed his finger to look at the creepy man, leaning on the wall with killing confidence. The man didn't look back at Arthur rather he kept staring at Hapem's averted face with the same malicious grin and the savage gleam in his eyes.
Realization crept through Arthur. He looked at Hapem, "Has that bastard been creeping you?" Hapem nodded, his face looking to the ground.
Arthur hulked towards the servant, who continued staring at Hapem, fear aimed at Hapem. Arthur raised a hand as he approached the man and brought it down at the man's neck. The man banged against the wall and Hapem heard soft crunching. A knife clattered onto the floor as the man turned his attention towards Arthur, sneering with bestial ferocity, the murderer's arm's flailing to free himself. The man started choking as Arthur pulled the man away from the wall by his neck and then banged the servant back into the wall. The sickly smell of spilt blood wafted to Hapem as he heard bones crunching.
Blood oozed from the murderer's head and a maroon stain had formed on the wall. Still gasping for air, the murderer hissed, "What can you even do?"
Arthur whispered into the man's ear with an icy, certainty, "You will see!" Two soldiers had arrived upon hearing the chaos. Arthur commanded to the soldiers, "Chain this Niuba-damned shit!"
Arthur released his grip on the man's neck. His palms were painted in blood, he pressed the hand against the wall and lifted it. Hapem saw the palm imprint on the wall and memories ancient caves flooded back to him. He thought, his face blessed with relaxation, maybe that's how the palm imprints in the caves came.
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Arthur
The freakish man was tied to two poles his arms and legs outstretched and his head leaning down as if bowing. Now that Arthur got a better look of the murderer, he saw that the man was slightly shorter than him but emaciated, making the man seem shrunken. The servant slowly lifted his head and smirked smugly at Arthur. The smirk said I will get to you, I will. Now I know what horror haunted Hapem, Arthur grunted, but it won't trouble me.
He unsheathed his sword and walked towards the criminal. Many soldiers, servants, civilians, his two sons: Hapem, Margh, his second-in-command Trevan and a few other courtiers had gathered to witness the beheading.
"I haven't committed any crimes! You can't do anything to me! It is against the rules!" the servant hissed as Arthur came close. Arthur grabbed the murderer by the hem and spit the words, "Do you think I bloody care for the rules? Do you think Niuba-damned Rulerstead will? Do you think anyone will? I know what you did, and I judge the punishments here and yours is beheading – too soft a punishment. You should have been strung, quartered, impaled and burnt alive, bastard, but I will settle for beheading with my blunt, blunt sword." Now it was Arthur's turn to smile as when blunt swords were used for beheading a beheading became much more painful as it took multiple strokes to cut down the neck entirely.
"Any last words," Arthur bellowed as he readied the sword in position. "You can't do anything to me, you son-killing father! What does it matter to you if one more son is gone? You did nothing when the first son died; do nothing again as yank the breathing soul out of that pampered, scared son." The man swung his face towards Hapem and grinned as he screamed all his words so everyone could hear, "What do you say, Lord son-killer?" Arthur wanted to wail for his son, but he couldn't; he wanted to save his son, but he couldn't! He had no choice, even when ordering Robert's assassination! He didn't care for the rules, but he cared for his word. He had given his word to Roger and the previous emperor, who had been on his death bed. He had sworn to them to protect Newtriko and his reign. Roger had commanded that Alicia and Robert do not marry as they both would together commandeer too much power, becoming a threat to Newtriko and Rulerstead. Arthur had explicitly denied Robert to court Alicia and Robert had openly defied him by eloping. He had no choice! He had to order his son's death. He couldn't explain all this, for it would seem only a petty excuse. And anyway, he had no need to explain himself to the murderer.
"You have spoken enough," Arthur muttered softly, yet it echoed across the bailey. He bellowed, "Your ignoble life comes to an end by the noble hands of Lord Arthur." He brought the sword down. Dhup! Dhup! Dhup! The sword came clean and the criminal's head plopped onto the floor.
As Arthur was passing through the hallway, Hapem appeared around a turn. Hapem voiced, "Thank you, Father! I would have told you days ago, but I was scared you would do nothing." It stung heart, pain visible on his face. Hapem hastily added, "but you did! I feel much safer now, yet when Robert was killed why did you not do anyth…" Hapem's voice trailed away. I want to explain but I can't son, further, you are only 10, you are too young. "I will explain when you are older," Arthur said. The expression on Hapem's face said his worst fear; the face said that he was guilty, the face said that Arthur could not explain and was just giving excuses. His mind was reeling with impact, his own son did not have trust in him! In his haze, he muttered to Hapem, "I will explain later today." He wanted to hug Hapem and tell him everything will be fine. Laura, your sons need you! He muttered under his breath, "Only if she was alive."
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Trevan
Trevan entered the pitch-black chamber. He squinted as his eyes accustomed to the dismal darkness. Scarce beams of moonlight slipped through the only arrow slit and hit Lord Arthur's face. He spoke quaveringly to the master's back, "The work is executed. Demzan has assassinated them." "Leave," commanded Arthur, his voice devoid of any passion, and in that void, the messenger glimpsed a horror beyond reckoning. The messenger scrambled on four limbs but just as he silently slammed shut the door, he caught a glittering bead race down Arthur's. It was fair — Arthur had ordered his own beloved boy's death for the good of the empire. On Rulerstead's command!
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