H̶e̶l̶l̶ Hail King || ONC 2021(Longlister)

IV. Keeping the little soldier awake

The soldier on duty - Jupiter - stood guard outside Edward's door the whole night without blinking as instructed by the king. It was a child's play as sleep was never a priority and it stopped being a necessity since joining the Pigeoda army.

The clock showed 7 A.M. when Renard approached Jupiter. Determination shone brightly in the recruit's eyes despite the redness that tinged the corners of his sclera. Watching Renard head his way, Jupiter took a defensive stance out of instinct. It pleased Renard greatly. The king, once again, had chosen well.

"Hello, Jupiter" was Renard's greeting as he stood in front of Jupiter.

"Hello, sir."

"Please do call me by my name. I am neither different nor above you. Like you, I am nothing but a loyal servant to the king."

Renard had served under the previous king and one thing he learned from the man was kindness. King Adam thought of the king's crown as a responsibility and used its weight to anchor himself to the ground.

"You do not speak the truth." Renard's face contorted at the words but a smile replaced the frown hearing the next ones. "You are above me by experience, sir Renard."

Brave and wise, what a gem! Maybe he could help King Edward. After all, you become the company you keep.

"You are stubborn but brave, so I will let it slide this time. Moving on to your duties, you only have one - protect the king with your life. You only answer to me or Sir Adam. If you feel any threat to the king's life, then do not hesitate to eliminate it. You do not let any person with suspicious behavior get near him, even if it is the ministers from the court who are giving you off-vibes. Be firm. Put your foot down. Do not leave the king alone even if the king himself orders you to. Only his chamber is off-limits unless you sense danger or it is 8 A.M. and the king has still not woken up. In that case, you will go inside and wake him up. Got it?" Jupiter gave a nod in response. "Process this all. We will continue in a minute." Exactly after a minute, Renard continued to fill in Jupiter. "Mostly he joins us down for every meal of the day. On rare occasions, his meal is served to him in his room. A server, a food taster and a cupbearer carry the food. The taster will taste the food in front of you. If you deem the food safe, you will let the server go inside. Then you will check the bottle of ale or wine. If they are sealed, you will let the cupbearer also go inside. The taster stays outside under your scrutiny. And this is the end of our conversation. If you need any help, come and get me from my office in the east wing." And then Renard took off with a "Good luck!"

Jupiter looked at the pendulum clock hanging at the end of the hallway. The bigger needle was on five and the smaller on seven. If the king does not wake up in thirty-five minutes, he would have to go inside and wake him up. Anyone can say that it would be a nightmare.

The hands of the clock kept moving. The king came out when it was ten minutes to eight. He gave Jupiter a once over before moving down the hall.

"Good morning, Your Majesty."

Edward grunted in response. After being brushed away by the king, Jupiter followed him quietly.

Chatters ceased as Edward entered the dining hall. The occupants seated at the table stood up and bowed to him. They kept standing until Edward perched down, before following his lead and taking their seats. Conversations restarted and Edward found himself joining in, albeit reluctantly. He was a king now and the table was surrounded by his ministers.

From a separate table that was set up for the servants and guards, Jupiter looked on.

And from the other table, Adam observed Jupiter. Surely the young man's hands were busy with the food, but his eyes were set on Edward. Adam was happy that he chose Jupiter to be his son's sentry.

In no time the breakfast was over for most of the attendees, with Jupiter lacking behind for obvious reasons. Edward was one among the 'most.' Abruptly, he pushed his chair back. The screeching noise made by the action caught his sentry's attention. Jupiter wiped his mouth with a napkin and rushed behind him.

Once they were outside, Edward whirled around and pointed at Jupiter. "Stop following me around and go help the servants clean the table. You can come to guard me in my office afterward."

"I am afraid I cannot do so, Your Majesty."

The words of noncompliance stopped Edward in his process of turning around and getting the hell away from the soft-faced soldier.

"You are disobeying me? Unbelievable." A short pause and a long string of curses later, he spoke again. "Only because of my father am I giving you another chance. Now go, and be careful about what you say next."

"These are your father's orders to not leave you unaccompanied even if you wish to be left in solitary. My loyalty and my duty, both lie with you and your father. It is not my duty to serve others."

For the first time, Edward smiled and for the first time, Jupiter was terrified. The smile Edward adorned promised something sinister and his sharp, crooked teeth were not comforting either. "Is that so?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Follow me, I need to use the restroom."

Jupiter was utterly confused when instead of going to any of the private restrooms, Edward took the route to a public restroom. Since it was a public place, the king's guard had to tag along. Jupiter was scared of getting scarred.

Edward smirked internally as he stepped into the place. Only one person was using it and he also fled upon seeing him enter. "Jupiter!" He clicked his fingers once and pointed at the ground in front of him. Jupiter went around the king and placed himself on the spot. "Undo my pants, now."

"What?!"