Three Monarchs & a Royal Guard

Part title

Veda's body was heavy. She was meant to do it at a good time. Kaya didn't understand what that meant as there wasn't exactly a good time, but she had arrived back from the meeting and, unable to give Veda a believable answer as to what they were doing in there, Veda attacked.

Now she lay on the floor, covered in blood with an aching head. She looked over at Veda, eyes open and blank as blood ran from her mouth and the stab wounds in her stomach.

"You will be pardoned of all crimes if you can kill her." She'd learned since Veda. When people didn't want to get into the dirty details of something, they didn't completely refer to it. Veda had called Warrick him now she was referred to as her. She had half a thought to think they felt bad.

She climbed to her feet, looking at her bloody clothes and the blood in her hair and moved to the bathroom. She she'd her clothes, throwing them in the sink as she climbed in the shower. The water was cold but she was tired. So tired. She rested her head against the wall, watching the red run down the drain. This was her life now. Bodies upon bodies upon bodies. She had to go talk to Colin after this and it was about as exciting as it sounded. For now she rubbed her temples and waited to wake up from this nightmare of a life she'd created.

She burned the clothes in the garden, she let them burn without supervision. The whole thing could burn down for all she cared, and she didn't want to smell like smoke. She moved through the back door of the kitchen, smiling at Eleanor and a few of the other kitchen staff she knew before she moved upstairs to the floor the council lived on. She knocked on Colin's door and waited.

His night guard opened it. He dismissed them to wait outside the door, they almost seemed relieved. Kaya could only imagine what Colin was like when no one was looking, and now she was to experience it first hand. He prompted her to sit in a nearby chair, taking the one across from her.

"Having second thoughts?" He looked so smug. He was just like Veda. He had her pinned, right where he wanted, forced to do their bidding. She didn't give him the satisfaction of knowing he'd gotten to her. She smiled, "No sir, it's done." He looked surprised for only a moment. It'd been less than an hour. His smile grew wider, "You are incredible. You have done a great service to the nation." She waited to be dismissed but he never did. Instead he leaned forward. "Now then, recently I've been having issues with my current guard. I'm sure you'd be happy to replace them, yes?" Pinned. She smiled wider but it hurt. "Of course, sir." He nodded and dismissed her. She shut the door behind her after the night guard had gone back inside and punched the wall hard. Again and again until blood was on the brick. She wiped it away and cradled her hand, it was never supposed to go like this.

"What happened?" Eleanor asked as she carefully patted her hand, bloody water dripping into a bucket below. Kaya only shook her head. Eleanor already knew more than she should. Eleanor touched her face with her free hand, "Did she hurt you again?" Kaya stared at her, she couldn't do this anymore. She moved off the bed as her body began to shake. Eleanor moved the bucket and took her carefully, letting her cry without a word. She just held her and waited without judgement. Eleanor was too good for this place. The castle was full of corruption and backstabbing and plotting and anger.

Maybe tomorrow she'd come to the conclusion that Kaya didn't deserve her time. Maybe tomorrow she'd realize she what she'd done. Maybe tomorrow she'd flee the castle and never look back.

A nice life in the country maybe. A few chickens. A little dog. A small fireplace. Big windows. Potted flowers.

Years ago she had been ready for the violence of war but this wasn't war, this was coups and needless murder. She was just as corrupt as the rest.

She pulled away to look at Eleanor, all she could think to say was, "I'm sorry." She got up quietly, ignoring her protests and her questions as she moved to the door and hurried back to her own room. She wouldn't bring Eleanor into this. She couldn't bear the thought.

She woke up early, unsure of when Colin would wake up. She knocked once and the door opened, the night guard nodded and left the room so she entered. Colin was sitting at his desk working on something or other but looked up at her arrival. "Did you hear the news? Veda's been killed." He looked sad, distraught even, but it all disappeared when he smiled. "Come on. It's a little funny." Kaya smiled. It was not. Maybe one of these days the council would ask her to kill Colin too. Four years two monarchs, that's not too bad of a track record. "Whatever. I have a speech to make and people to address. The council is meeting this morning, let's go."

She followed him out of the room, lingering outside with the other personal guards who immediately bombarded her with questions.

"What the hell happened?"
"Are you okay?"
"Why were you with Colin?"
"Where Abram?"

She shook her head, "I don't know. She asked me to fetch her something from the kitchen, and when I returned..." She looked at her hands, making a show of it as she tried to conjure tears. She shook her head and wiped her dry eyes as they offered her their condolences. "But why were you with Colin? Where's Abram?" Abram had been his previous guard. She simply shrugged, "I don't know. When he got word of it I was summoned and he let Abram leave." They exchanged looks. Abram had wanted to leave for years. He was Colin's punching bag. It seemed Kaya was up next. They pitied her. She merely leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes, "Wake me up when they're done, will you?"

"The bitch has been dead a day and they're already regretting their decision. Idiots! All of them. I climbed my way to the top and for what? To be questions about my right to the throne?" Kaya watched as he stormed around the room, stopping every so often to yell at her or at his mirror as she sat in one of the chairs. He stopped his course changed and he moved to grab onto the back of the chair she was in, trapping her there as he leaned over her. "My brother died for this throne, I will not let it be taken from me! I'll show them. I'll show all of them." He pushed the chair and it nearly tipped over, forcing her to her feet.

At least Veda could be reasoned with. Or at least spoken to. She tried only once to calm him, "Sir, I don't believe it wise to make rash decisions, you should think this through." He'd stopped, staring out the window. She made the mistake of thinking he was listening, maybe even thinking on what she'd said. Instead he grunted as he turned, grabbed a vase off the mantle and launching it at her. She stepped aside, watching as it shattered against the door, pieces falling to the ground. Apparently that only made things worse as he grabbed a fistful of hair when she wasn't looking, slamming her headfirst into the dresser. She could barely hear the him over the thumping in her skull.

Something about speaking to him and disrespect. She had never been alone with Warrick, but she never pictured it him acting like this. She tried to feel for dents in her face, fingers coming away wet as he continued to hold tight to her hair. She waited until he let go to even attempted to stand upright. She was quickly shoved against the wall, a heavy hand on her chest as he continued his verbal crusade.

"You killed my brother in cold blood so don't you dare tell me how to rule this kingdom. Am I understood?" She nodded and he dropped his hand, moving over to his desk. He waved his hand without looking up, "Clean the blood off that dresser, would you?"

She looked at the blood on the dresser, running down the side parallel to where it ran down her face. She hurried to the bathroom but she didn't exit when she got her hands on a towel. Instead she cleaned herself up first, carefully patting at the wound on her head and wiping the blood away from her face. She threw the bloody towel aside and stood over the sink. The wound was already swelling before it'd even fully scabbed. She drew her knife carefully. She could it. Easy. Walk up behind him and stab him in the throat. But she hadn't any money. Nowhere to go. She wasn't prepared to become a fugitive so for now she would simply try and avoid his abuse. She tucked the knife away and returned to the room with a towel, cleaning up the dresser silently.