The Honor of Beasts

Prologue

March 16th, 1201 E.Y (Earth years)

The doors to the queens chambers barge open as the king strides in, his bulky body already filling the room. The nurses and maids drop to their knees immediately, their foreheads nearly touching the plush carpet. The king doesn't pay them any attention as he walks towards the babies sleeping soundly in their cradles. The newest members of the Salvador royal family.

He stands next to them and observes. Their hands are clenched in tiny fists, thin eyelids closed. Pink little beasts, black hair barely there. Two sons, good. He glances at his wife, who's lying unconscious in the middle of her massive bed, surrounded by the richest of silks, her dark hair spread around her. Or maybe she's dead. He isn't sure he cares. Such a frail, pathetic creature. He turns back to his twin sons.

Will you be weak like your mother? Or will you bring glory to our kingdom?

"Which is my heir?" he asks the nearest nurse, his eyes still on the newborns.

She steps forward hesitantly, her head down facing her feet. "Uh...I- We're not sure, y-your Majesty."

The king looks up slowly, narrowing his eyes. "Answer the question." he commands, coldly.

"W-we don't know," she swallows, her hands trembling as they clutch her white apron. "T-they got mixed-"

"You!" the king points at another nurse. "Which is my heir?"

"I- I..i-its..," She takes a step closer to the cradle and points a shaking finger at one of the babies. "It's t-that one, your Majesty"

"Hmm..is it?" The king rubs his bearded chin as he eyes the baby which was claimed his heir, then looks up. "Are you sure?"

She hesitates, then shakes her head vigorously. "Y-y-yes, your-"

The king unsheathes his sword and slits her throat before she can blink. She falls to the soft carpet gurgling, her hands desperately clutching her bleeding throat, eyes wide open in horror. Some nurses gasp, putting their hands over their mouth to stifle the sound, not wanting to be noticed. Others silently look away as one of them dies. A puddle of blood slowly growing underneath her. They're not surprised, for they knew this would come.

"As you should all know, I do not tolerate your desperate lies." The king turns back to the first nurse, smiling menacingly as he sheathes his silver sword, which is still gleaming with blood. "So what do you suppose I do then?"

The nurse whimpers under his stare. She glances at the dead nurse for a fleeting second then back at her feet. The king takes a step closer, then another and another until he's right in front of her. Grasping her chin with a rough hand, he lifts her face up until their eyes meet. A single tear falls down her cheek.

"Come now, don't be afraid. Just give me a solution." His hold on her chin tightens as his eyes twinkle in amusement.

After a tense moment, the nurse opens her trembling mouth, but doesn't get the chance to say anything. She crumbles to the ground screaming as blood pools from her chest, the king's jeweled dagger still protruding from her dying heart. He takes it out, wipes it clean on her white apron- not even glancing at her- then looks around. 

He gestures for the youngest one to come forward. "Do you have any ideas?"

She falls into a deep curtsy, then stands straight once more head raised in confidence. Clearing her throat, she says, "You can choose whoever you want to be the next king, your Majesty. Or you could kill one and leave the other to be your heir."

The king laughs, amused at her suggestion. So savage for someone so small. "So you're telling me to murder my own blood. To kill an infant?" He raises a thick brow at her.