Crown [ Short Story ]

(The fall) Part 1

A failure, a mistake, and a disappointment.

I always knew that I was all of that but yet none of them seemed to see it. The firstborn, The Prince, The perfect heir were what they thought of me.

I knew I couldn't do it and I told them that but yet they all seemed to believe I can despite all the signs that say otherwise.

Following after my father passing, I became king. I was barely an adult when they put that crown on me and to say that I was ready was far from the truth. But I knew deep down that I had to and so I did.

During this time, the war in which my killed my father continued to go on. It was between our neighboring kingdom, one that had been our allies in the past. They took us by surprise then and they took us by surprise now. But this time, my father wasn't there to handle it all, there was just me.

And just like that, everything was lost.

I remember it so vividly, right then and there at that time at the place. Laying there beneath my feet were countless of my soldiers and people all scattered around. Their faces, laying still, lifeless as the light of the setting sun shines part of their faces and bodies. The people who trusted me, who sacrificed their lives for me, knowing full of the risks that their family has to face, all for a worthless king.

I clutched the gashing wound on my abdomen tightly, grunting. Blood seeping through my fingers ever so slightly, not being able to contain it all in.  My sight was going back and forth between conscious and unconscious. My ears weren't any better, they were ringing from all the sounds and weren't able to take it all in. But I heard horses, their hooves beating at the ground like a melody. Except that it wasn't; It was a sound of death.

I tried to hurriedly stumble my way out the battlefield and reached over to one of the horses that were left behind by my soldiers. I extended one of my arms at the handle, the other still on my abdomen before kicking back the horse with my feet making it start running.

Survive was the only thing in my head as I watched the horse made its way inside a place edged with trees, through a largely wooded area into the main road.

At this point, my eyes were barely open. I was going on blindly with no destination in mind. However, I noticed that the horse had slowed down and when I looked up and saw the unfamiliar surrounding, I realized that I was at someone else's landing.

Feeling numb, I pulled the handle almost too sluggishly and I was sure that it was too weak for the horse to react. But somehow one way or another, the horse listened and went around to a smaller road.

Just when I thought I had stabled myself, A sharp pain on my abdomen caught me off guard causing me to cry loudly and almost lost my balance. The horse stopped momentarily, reacting to the sudden pull on the handle.

I hadn't realized how bad of a shape I was in until then. My limps and legs were heavy and my body was almost not reacting despite what I told it to do and I just laid there on the horse, panting heavily with hands still clutching on the wound.

"..It won't stop bleeding.." I muttered to myself as I stare at my shaking hands. "And if this continues... I might-"

I coughed and covered my mouth, feeling the blood rushing to my face instead. When I lift it off, I wasn't sure whether or not the blood on my hands were from the wound or my mouth but at that moment, I didn't care either way.

With what's left of my vision, I tried to look what's in front of me, hoping to see any sort of building or place I could ask help or maybe things to patch myself up with. That was when I spotted a red with some white structure up the hill.

Whatever it was, I decided that I have to at least try. With little strength I have, I hissed and swallowed the pain before swaying my feet back at the horse again, making it move. I could see the structure getting it bigger and clearer. It was only when I was close enough, I could make up what it was.

"A barn," I said in a whisper. It looks abandoned...but there..there's surely some people there right?"

I was careless, was too desperate to even care what was surrounding me. All I knew was that I was speeding. Not only I was kicking the horse go faster and faster, but I also wasn't holding onto the horse tightly anymore.

I couldn't process what had happened and I knew was that one moment I was on the horse the next I was already on the ground. Pain struck me real bad and I couldn't make up what hurts anymore. My lungs were tight and my wounds were open and bleeding freely.

Hearing the sounds of leaves crunching brought some senses back to me but it wasn't enough to keep me awake. I tried to look around the source by my vision and body was failing me as my eyes were tight close.

Just before my vision fade to black, I heard someone was speaking but I couldn't make up what. I felt a hand on my face. The coldness of the touch leaving a lasting impression.

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