Malevolent Royals

Prologue

Todd was a small country. It was warm, fairly happy, had a high birth rate, and was diversely populated with people from around the world, consisting of all mostly humans and fauns. It had amazing medical advancements and was known for their artificial uterus where if the baby had to be taken out of the mother for any reason, it could live on until it was fully developed and ready to be born. It has a rich history and is well-known for it's wildlife and their protection - it is the only place left in the world that you can see a wild dodo bird roaming about, whereas most countries still believe that it is extinct. Mountains and forests were common, it snowed but was never too cold, and mosquitoes died out a long time ago (much to the citizens' liking.) The people of Todd were known to be polite, intelligent, tall, and proud of their king.

King Howard of Todd is respected and loved by his people. He made peace with four countries, ending three wars that his father had been involved in. He created millions of jobs, bringing the majority of people out of poverty. He protected many species from being hunted and having their habitats torn down, thus preventing the extinction of two different kinds of rodents. He made education free for all, gave libraries to every town, and created social programs for the poor, homeless, and those who are struggling with mental health, academics, or abuse. The ones who knew him knew that he was kind, humble, and cared deeply for his country.

He was a good father to his three children, and an amazing grandfather to his three grandchildren, all of whom live in the castle with him. His wife, Queen Marjorie of Todd, unfortunately passed seven years ago from heart failure in her sleep, and ever since King Howard has been devoted to providing everything he possibly can for his family and her's. He gave them all a place to stay, food to eat, the best education for their kids, and a friendly, loving environment. They never had to work unless it involved going to public events, and even then they didn't have to do much other than make an appearance and say a few words of whatever charity, building, workplace, or gathering they were attending.

King Howard was old, though, so it came to no shock to any of his children when they were told that he had fallen ill.

"Does this mean that he could possibly die?" Nathaniel, King Howard's only son, asked with bright eyes and excitement lacing his voice. He tried to sound upset over the news, however he failed and ended up showing his immense happiness.

"It does," the messenger confirmed. He couldn't help but notice the small smile form on the middle child of the king, Artemis. She tried to cover it with a cough, hiding her face in her elbow.

"Is there any indication when he is to pass?" Artemis inquired, her face showing less emotion.

"The king has the best doctors in the country helping him at the moment," the messenger informed them. "If all things go well, he should live on-"

"I don't believe that was the question my sister asked," Lucretia, known for being the sternest of the siblings, snapped. "If the doctors are not successful, when should our father die?"

The messenger was feeling rather uncomfortable with the king's children reactions to the news. How could anyone, let alone all three of them, seem to want their parent to die? The king was a wonderful and brilliant man - he never laid of hand on any of them. He expected that he would have had to give them all a moment to themselves, thinking that perhaps they'd be distraught, but that clearly has not been the case. None of this made any sense.

"The king could possibly pass away within the month," he was obligated to answer Lucretia - it was his job to pass on any information that the king tells him to or that his family ask for. "At which point, the public will vote on which of you three will take his place as king or queen after holding an election, so it would be best to prepare in case things take a turn for the worse."

At his words, the siblings did not try to hide their enthusiasm for their father falling ill or the possibility of an election. Nathaniel gasped, his eyes widened, and he let out a squeal of what could only be perceived as joy. Artemis smiles so big that her face looked as if it were in pain. Lucretia, usually disapproving and austere, clasped her hands together and said "We must celebrate!"

"Oh, Lu, it seems like we have to," Nathaniel agreed.

"And plan," said Artemis.

"Of course we need to plan!" Nathaniel was flabbergasted that his sister would even suggest that they weren't thinking of planning. "We plan as we celebrate."

"We need to start now," Lucretia told them. "What do the people want to see in a leader? What aspects of dad did they like? What do we already have and what do we need to achieve for whatever else they may want?"

"Should we just kill father so that the election comes faster?" Artemis suggested.

"No," Lucretia scolded. "I've thought about killing him many times and I never have because people would find out. None of us would get power that way. Besides, the longer he lives, the longer we have to prepare for the election. Give it time. He'll die soon."

"You wanted to kill dad?" Nathaniel was shocked by his sister's honesty. He had thought of such things before, as well, but he would never say that out loud.

"Of course I did," Lucretia states. "He's old and I want to be queen."

The messenger didn't know what to do. He was standing there in silence as the siblings discussed their past plans to murder their own father. Their father who has done nothing but provide for them and make their lives wonderful. Why could they possibly want him dead? There had to be more to the story than meets the eye.

Was the king ill because one of his kids had poisoned him, perhaps? Based on the way they were talking it would not be inconceivable.

"We shouldn't be talking about this in front of the messenger," Artemis points out.

"You're right," Nathaniel nods. "I'm sorry. You must forget everything we just said."

"He won't," Lucretia spits on the ground near the messenger, close enough that he thought she was aiming for him. "I vote we kill him. Word won't get out that way."

"I like that plan," Artemis smirks.

"That might be a bit much," Nathaniel was always more of a pacifist than his sisters. "Maybe we could just exile him or put him in the dungeon."

"Or decapitate him," Lucretia offered.

They settled for tying him to a lifeboat and sending him off to the horrible waters at sea, letting the messenger fend for himself and be taken care of by whatever fate brings him.

Nathaniel went back to his wife, Leanna, and two young children, William and Rosalyn. They rejoiced in the news, opened a new bottle of wine, and sang drunken songs.

Artemis went back to her room at the castle. She called upon the chef to make her as much cake as he could in an hour and ended up eating four of them. She lived alone, no husband nor kids, and celebrated the news of her sick father by plotting her speeches for the potential election of king or queen.

Lucretia went to her husband, George, and nineteen year old son, Finnian. She kissed her husband and sat them both down at the table.

"The people want a big happy family that they can relate to," she said. "This means two things: that I have to get pregnant again in order to appeal to the young mothers, and secondly that Finnian has to find a wife and start a family of his own soon afterwards. This country loves the nuclear family and are more likely to want a royal that understands their values. We shall start looking for potential suitors for Finnian tomorrow, and begin the process of getting pregnant tonight."

Finnian was horrified by such words - he was saddened by the news of his grandfather, did not want to know that his parents were trying for a baby tonight, and was appalled by his mother trying to arrange a marriage for him. There wasn't much he could do about it, though. Once a member of the royal family has their mind set on something then it must be done - they are power hungry control freaks, as Finnian would put it.

Finnian went to sleep that night with his ears covered by a pillow to block out any sound that might be coming from the next room, and dreaded the next day.