One man sat upon the largest of three elaborate thrones, his eyes closed as he listened to the rush of footsteps from the rest of the castle as the search continued. It was the third time this lunar cycle that his daughter had been found missing from her sleeping quarters in the morning, something that happened far more than he would like to allow. He grumbled quietly as his isolation was decimated, a guard running into the room with pounding footsteps and clattering armor. The fast pace came to a halt as soon as the king's icy stare met that of the armor-clad man, freezing him where he stood. With a slight stutter, the status of the investigation was reported.
"Sir, there are still no signs of where she went, but-"
"Yes, I am aware. If you had found her, I would expect her to be presented to me. What is important enough that to feel the need to tell me about it?"
"We.. We've found blood, sir. Outside her window."
The icy stare turned into a heated glare, his long, thin arms pushing his form up from his chair as he moved towards the throne room's exit. His cape, regal as it was, seemed to curl around his feet, making it look as if he was gliding across the floor as he walked into the hall. The staff darted out of his way as they crossed his path, bowing and offering their apologies for the news that had quickly spread through the castle.
"I'm so sorry, sir.."
"You must be so worried, master-"
"I'm sure we'll find her; you must maintain hope!"
Each voice was met with silence as he continued forward through the hall leading to his daughter's room. The second it was reached, the door slammed open, smacking into the court's investigative team leader carelessly. The other men stood at attention, ignoring their gathered evidence to assure that they would not be ridiculed by their ruler- though it seemed that they were a bit too late for that.
"What on Sareneaos is the matter with all of you?!"
The usually stoic king's outburst made the team jump and tremble.
"You let information like that slip out to the servants? Do you realize what people would think if this got out?! You are lucky that I care about the location of my daughter, because if I didn't absolutely need you, you would be dead where you stand."
With his eyes letting out a bright spark of energy, the men before him get onto their knees, shaking.
"We're sorry, m-my Lord," the head investigator mumbled with a bit of difficulty. The royal family was to be feared not only because of their authority, but because of their lineage tracing back to one of a devastatingly powerful magician, the one for which the kingdom was named. Within moments, the king had the power to make any one of them drop dead to the-
A soft thump made the floorboards tremble as one of the several investigators fell to the floor, convulsing and gasping desperately for air as it was sucked from his lungs. All eyes were on him, beads of nervous sweat dripping from brows and shivers running down spines. They all waited for the moment they all thought was coming: the silence that came after the hoarse breathing stopped. It never came. Instead, the noise of soft, shaking pants echoed through the otherwise silent room as tears streamed down crimson cheeks.
"There," the king said sternly, his gaze not having left whom he'd addressed earlier, "You can report directly to me next time you come across sensitive information... or not. Just don't blame anyone but yourself for what might happen as a result."
With his cape fluttering, he turned to leave the room. He looked back a final time, a snarl on his lips.
"I expect to be personally informed of everything you've found within the day," he said in a subdued tone, though his eyes could tell you of the rage that still bubbled underneath the surface. It was only a moment after that he exited the room, the silent crowd watching him with a mixture of an ever-present panic and the relief that came after his departure.
His cape flowed back into place around his feet, and King Eaos Ostrogothym Saren walked back towards the throne room. The light of the sun's last rays flickered through the stained-glass windows, his mind racing. The soft light of dusk brought all his thoughts back to that morning several days ago. It was only a nuisance before the days had past, dawn fading over and over. He needed to put a stop to this. His daughter needed to be protected. Lacking sight and skill, she was no doubt somewhere cold and alone in the bitter nip that came at the end of the harvest season. What would he do if that lead- that damned smear of blood- led him not to her return but to a corpse with a week's worth of rot to strain all eyes that fell upon the casket. He had already lost a wife to the underworld's temptations, and now this? He wasn't prepared to lose someone else, his own blood no less. The spitting image of everything he wanted would fall through his fingers. Oh, what an impact her loss would be: a tragedy to his lineage and to his plans; afterall, one did not come across a weapon as effective as her more than once in a lifetime.
He sat on his throne, his nails dragging across the ridges that had been carved into the the dark wood. Eyes resting close, he sighed softly and tried to collect his thoughts. He nearly flinched when the first noise hit his ears. Silence never lasted long, something he usually found to be the case when he finally managed to grasp a moment of peace. Footsteps, hesitant and soft, padded across the deep red of the long carpet extending from the doorway to the base of three steps leading to the throne he sat upon and it's empty brethren.
"You have a report? I respect your decision to face me directly. Do tell what you've found."
The man took a shaky breath before addressing his majesty, his gaze struggling to match the imposing stare.
"We may want to call upon the services of the guards, perhaps even the army. The room is immaculate. No clothes are missing and there are no signs of struggle to be found. Outside the window, though, with the blood.. There are drag marks, and footprints. This is more than her usual unsupervised wandering. We have every reason to believe that she will not be coming back on her own terms."
There was a split second where the air grew thick, muffling the sound of the room while the king fumed. It faded as quickly as it came, and with a sudden rise in determination, he stood back up, sending his piercing voice through the halls.
"Gather your best men: we're going on a hunt!"
YOU ARE READING
20/20
FantasyThe princess is gone. She's been missing before, but she has always come back within the day without having anything to say about her absence. Now, it's been a week without a single report. She might've run away, but there's one thing that makes tha...
