A Collection of Short Stories

Sit Still, Look Pretty

"Your Majesty, the rebels are advancing on the castle. What do we do?" Simon, the head of the Royal Army, asks. His voice loud, tone harsh, makes it clear he is angry at a lack of response from the King. Instead his eyes are on me.

I try my best to keep calm, knowing very well my circumstances. I am a prisoner, a valuable one kept close to the King. If I react in any way to this news then he'll know that I haven't given up. 

Six months ago, I was the leader of the rebellion against King Herold. Since his ascension, the taxes upon the people were tripled and used to build a new castle. For the villages near the border, the tax left most of them broken and in need of help. That's when they came to me.

Three of the poorest villages each sent one person over the border and to my father's army. They immediately surrendered and asked to see the king. The day they arrived, I made sure to be by my father's side. Once the three of them entered, my determination grew.

My father decided to send me, the three villagers, as well as two of the best soldiers he had. Our goal was to rally up the villages in order to grow a rebellion against Kind Herold. Once he was taken down, I would step in to help fix the damages caused by Herold. The three villagers agreed to my father's plan, although one asked if he could stand beside me and help fix everything. 

Xander, a man probably four years older than I, was the boldest of the group. He wanted to see the change happen fast, usually using his words to persuade people onto our side. My father agreed to his terms, and so we became a team.

My father's army took us back over to the border, keeping their posts as the six of us crossed. It took three months to travel to all of the border villages, our small army gradually growing larger and larger. We eventually decided to create a small base for our army in between the border and the new castle. 

During this time, I taught Xander everything there is to know about being a good leader. He embraced each lesson, his decisions becoming skilled and calculated. We became closer to each other, something forming in my heart I wasn't expecting. It scared me, and so I left with a small part of the army to recruit a new village.

However, on our way to the village we were ambushed by Herold's men. Most of my small army got away, but one of my father's men was killed trying to protect me and I was taken to the castle. 

I was beaten along the way there, arriving weaker than I have ever felt in my life. King Herold greeted me, his eyes raking over my bloody and bruised body. I tried to struggle, but instead Herold grabbed me by the hair and dragged me to his room. I was expecting the worst, but instead he had me cleaned up and chained. 

I've spent the last two months chained by Herold's side. He has yet to lay his hands on me, although he does call me his betrothed. He leads me like I'm a dog, the chains wound around my neck and my hands. He feeds me, sends others in to change and bathe me. I've listened to him talk, learned how his crazy mind works. I spent a week trying to resist, but I've learned that it's easier to be submissive.

Just sit still, be his pretty toy.

"King Herold, please!" Simon yells, his attention turning back to the king. 

"Let them come." He responds as he stands from his throne. I quickly stand with him, following closely behind as he leads me outside to the castle courtyard. Beyond the walls I can hear screaming and the sounds of metal scraping. Men run around the courtyard trying to protect the fortress, but even I can tell they're struggling.

I wish I could smile. I wish I could join in and help them win. Instead, I look up at the crazed King. He has a smile on his face as he watches his men struggle. Pride fills my heart for the men fighting against him, but when Herold looks down at me my heart fills with dread. 

Herold tightens my chain, pulling me towards him just as my men finally break into the courtyard. My heart leaps when I see Xander leading the charge. His eyes instantly land on Herold before finally turning to me. He looks tired, sad, hopeful, and strong all at once. The feeling once again returns to my heart and I finally realize what it is.

Instinctively, I take my arms and wrap them around Herold's neck. He grabs onto my hair and pulls it in defense. Simon starts to yell, and before I realize it he's called over another set of guards. The guards engage Xander and the small group of fighters around him while Simon grabs me from behind. 

He uses a key to unlock my wrist chains, letting them fall to the floor so Herold can breathe. I use my elbow to knock Simon back, landing a blow to his lungs. I spin around and grab the key, unlocking the final chain around my neck and letting it fall to the ground.

I stand no chance in this battle if I don't have a weapon. I only temporarily stopped Herold and Simon, so I have to think fast. My eyes land on a fallen sword, and my body immediately runs towards it. Before I can reach it, I feel hands wrap around my waist and harshly pull back. I struggle to catch my breath, cold metal rising to my throat.

"You have so much spunk in you, little girl. Did you really think your rebellion would win?" Simon whispers in my ear, turning me back towards the battlefield. We watch the fighting continue, my eyes scanning the crowd until I find Xander. He plunges his sword into one of the King's guards before finding me. 

"Why do you defend a King who is bringing his country to ruin?" I ask Simon, the knife pinching my throat. I hear him laugh behind me before he starts to move, dragging me along in front of him as we reenter the castle. He takes me back into the throne room, Herold already waiting on his throne. 

Simon pushes me towards the corner of the throne room, my body hitting the ground hard. I watch as he walks up to Kind Herold, raising the knife. Before he has the chance to strike, Herold pulls out his sword and swiftly runs it through Simon. My eyes widen, trying to understand what just happened. I watch as Simon falls to the floor in a puddle of blood, his knife landing beside him.

I look up to see Herold, a crazed look on his face as he wipes the blood from his sword. His eyes then meet mine, a grin forming on his face as he walks closer to me. I quickly scramble up, my body turning and quickly darting to the door. Before I can escape the throne room I feel a sharp pain in my shoulder.

My eyes widen as I feel the sharp edge of Herold's sword dig further into my shoulder. My knees give out and I fall to the floor, the pain making it hard to breathe. I can feel the blood dripping down my back, but I choose to ignore it. I have to get a weapon or else I'm dead.

"Silly little girl, did you really think you would get away from me? Do you think I haven't figured you out yet?" Herold asks, his laugh echoing in the hall. "I knew from the start you never gave up. Now you can watch as I kill your revolution."

Herold laughs as I waver in and out of consciousness. Taking deep breaths, I decide to slowly crawl away from him while he's distracted. I can't lose now, we've come so far.

"Why?" I ask him as I sit myself up on a wall, my shoulder throbbing as blood drips down on the floor. He stops laughing and strides over to me before kneeling down. He places his sword on the ground and uses his hand to hold up my chin.

"I don't have to answer to some whiny princess. This is my kingdom, and I refuse to lose it to people who think they're smarter than me." He whispers. He moves his hand, and before I realize it his hand slaps my cheek hard. I fall to the ground, my head spinning. My eyes land on the sword Herold laid by his side.

This is it. This is my chance to end this. I refuse to let this be my end. We will win.

Using the last of my energy I lunge for Herold's sword. Once I grab the hilt, I try my best to aim the sword for his throat and immediately swing it with the last of my strength. As soon as the sword makes impact, all of my energy dies. I can faintly hear Herold scream beside me as my body drops to the floor, my mind blacking out.