The Prince, the Princess and the Pauper (An Amourshipping and OC Tale)

Chapter 9

It takes all of his willpower and strength for the Royal Provisioner not to whimper cowardly for each step he takes toward the captain's quarters. The soldiers that were with him when he tried to have the man wearing the Seal of the King arrested follow him grimly, knowing what's in store. With a deep breath, the Royal Provisioner opens the door to reveal Powuru sharpening his sword while looking through maps of the kingdoms he plans to start a war against. The captain stops sharpening and puts down his sword without looking at his men.

"You were not summoned to my quarters, provisioner," he says bluntly.

"N-n-no, sir," the Royal Provisioner says. "But I have something to report."

"Oh, I'm sure you do," Powuru says coldly as he stands up and walks toward the frightened, fat man. "Word has spread about the Royal Provisioner cowardly kneeling in front of a citizen and his electric rat who successfully fended off a dozen of my men and stole a cart full of my food."

"S-s-sir, please, allow me to explain," the Royal Provisioner begs.

"And why should I?" Powuru challenges angrily as he glares at the frightened man. "It seems all too clear that your occupation under my command has made you so fat that you barely have a spine worth spit."

"You don't understand," the Royal Provisioner weeps. "This wasn't just a man. He was acting like a nobleman. No, more than that, he was acting like a person of power. And he had the ring?"

"A ring?" Powuru sneers. "Do you honestly think a man wearing a ring gives him the right to take my plunder?"

"This wasn't just any ring, sir," the Royal Provisioner says. "It was the prince's ring. The Seal of the King."

At those words, Powuru's menacing glare fades. The Royal Provisioner feels a sense of relief as the captain loses his strong posture and takes several steps back until his back hits the desk. He turns around and with a look of shock and disbelief.

"Are you sure?" He manages to say. "This wasn't just some fake ring crafted by some clever smith?"

"There was no mistake, sir," The Royal Provisioner says. "There is no ring like it. Anyone who has glimpsed at it before would recognize it instantly. It's the great Seal of the King."

"I see," Powuru says with a frown. "So it was the prince the Sergeant and I threw out."

The Royal Provisioner takes the captain's realization as a beacon of hope and stands up.

"If it pleases you, sir, send me to retrieve the prince," he requests. "I will -"

But as he speaks, Powuru grabs his sword and stabs the royal provisioner straight in the throat. The fat man chokes on his own blood as he grabs the sword trying to get it out of his throat which does no more than cause him to cut his own hands before his soul leaves his body. The soldiers whimper in fear as Powuru removes the sword from the Royal Provisioner's neck and returns to his desk.

"You will do nothing," he says firmly to the corpse before he turns to the guards. "Feed the blob to the Houndoom. I'm sure they will appreciate the taste of man flesh before the war to come."

"Y-y-yes, sir," they all say as they take the body and drag it away, leaving a trail of blood as they leave.

Powuru sighs frustratedly as he sits down and rubs his face. He struggles to keep his anger in check as his mistake fills his mind. Suddenly, he starts banging on the table angrily and lets out a loud, exasperated cry. He turns the desk over in rage when he hears a knock on the door.