The Cruelest Ruler

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•E/C: Eye Color

•L/N: Last Name
•Y/N: Your Name

Author's POV:

Once upon a time, in the kingdom of Cadaria, there lived a king and a peasant girl. The ruler went by the title King Noah Saunders and was a man so wealthy and powerful, it could make one sick to their stomach. The heir is fairly young, only the age of twenty-one years, however, he had come to be well known by everyone. He is one of the most feared kings known to man, the very mention of his name having the ability to shake anyone to the core. Noah is a force to be reckoned with and is not someone you want to make your enemy.

He has an army full of strong, young men, who are prepared to fight to the death for him simply because they would rather go to war than die by his very own hands. The king is an intimidating figure, who holds little to no mercy for others. He is a man that everyone quivers in front of, even a beast. At a young age, the frightening male had trained a wild lion to behave as a mere house cat. Such a task would be difficult for anyone to accomplish, which goes to show just how much power the king wields.

However, far from the castle lived a family of farmers. A mother and a father lived together happily with their daughter, Y/N. In comparison to her ruler, she was no one special, an ordinary girl that worked hard for her family. She is a lowly villager, who works every day on her father's farm, barely scraping by, while the king sat in his castle on his extravagant throne. The young maiden had never once met the king in person, nor had her family ever been in trouble with him before. It all seemed fine until the night the two finally met.

Such a cliche idea for a story.

Though, if you were thinking this is going to be some kind of Cinderella story, you best look elsewhere, for this tale is not one fit for fairytales told to children. So, be warned:

This tale is full of suffering.

Your POV:

My nose twitches when I catch a strong scent wafting into the room through my bedroom window. I release a groan and sit up from my bed, causing it to creak, as I open my E/C eyes. I sniff the air again as I approach the open window. My eyes widen in shock upon seeing the red flames consuming the barn that holds quite a few of our livestock before racing out of the room. On my way to the front door, I make a stop at my parents' bedroom to frantically pound my fist against the dark wood of the door.

"Fire! The barn's on fire!" I scream loud enough to wake them before hurrying outside. I cough from the massive clouds of smoke that pollutes the night air, which had entered my lungs the second I stepped out. Not long after I came outside, my parents ran out of the house. With widened eyes, father runs past me to get to the barn in order to save the animals that are kept inside.

Meanwhile, mother grabs my shoulders in attempts to comfort me, while I watch the horrifying scene unfold before my eyes. Animals race out of the barn, their pelts ablaze as they wail in agony. Father does his best to put out the flames on the poor creatures' bodies, but there were some he couldn't catch in time, leaving them to die a slow and painful death. We were so busy watching the horrifying scene that we hadn't taken notice of the flames that begun to consume the house behind us. I was the first to realize this and gasp loudly with widened eyes.

"Mother, the house!" I point at the burning structure, leading my mother to look behind her. Tears fill her orbs, while her right hand covers her mouth, which hangs agape in terror. Tears prick my own eyes as we watch the flames blanket our beloved home without having the ability to stop it from spreading.

"What on Earth is happening?" She mutters shakily as she holds onto me tightly. Mother attempts to lead us away from the fire, but we stop upon hearing the sound of hooves slamming against the ground, quickly approaching our location. Those did not come from any of our animals. Six men in black and grey armor round the corner of the house, mounted on midnight black steeds.

We watch in horror as the infamous Black Knights of Cadaria surround us. Three of the six hold torches in their hand, making it obvious to see who had set fire to our property. The horses neigh as they are stopped, forming a circle around us. I find myself trembling in their presence, my mother as well, though, she is brave enough to stand in front of me for protection, keeping me close.

"What is the meaning of this?" She shouts loud enough to be heard over the crackling flames. One horse steps forward a bit, and its rider opens a scroll that he pulled out of his satchel.

"By royal decree, the L/N family is hereby under arrest under the crime of neglecting to pay their wages. You have been summoned to the castle for judgement by his majesty," a gruff, but loud, voice reads, causing my eyes widen as my heart pounds loudly in fear. I know what this means; I'm not stupid. The King never shows mercy. I've heard tales of his sadistic punishment methods. He somehow manages to sentence everyone to death, which I believe is done simply to satisfy his sadistic pleasures. Some were lucky to receive executions that were quick and painless, while others are tortured to death. Many questions race through my head in this moment.

'What's going to happen to us? Will he kill us all? Only one? Will he kill two and leave one?' Tears stream down my face, my mother having the same perplexed expression as I have. One of the knights standing behind me grabs my arm and throws me onto the back of their horse, separating me from my mother.

I scream in pain from the harsh tug at the limb, feeling like I'm a sack being tossed into a cart. Another soldier does the same thing to my mother, and it appears my father has been treated just as poorly, for another knight approaches the group with him draped over their horse. I doubt he put up a fight, for that would mean immediate death by the knights. They're just as insane as the King, if not, more so. The men take off, charging towards the castle, making it a bumpy ride for me and my family. The knight keeping my father rides beside the one holding me.

"Be brave, Y/N," he whispers to me with saddened eyes. I nod my head to show I understand, but flinch when the knight knocks him in the head with his armored elbow.

"Shut it!" He demands roughly before bringing his attention back to the path ahead. The ride was silent, save for the pounding of hooves slamming against the path rapidly. We soon approach the dreaded castle of our doom, and the men get off their horses, leaving a few stable boys to take the animals away, while we are led to the throne room. We all keep our heads down, gazes to the floor, but I would occasionally look up at the exquisite architecture in the building. I would be in awe had it not been for the terrifying circumstances.

When we stop in front of large, double doors, one of the knights push them open before the others throw us in, forcing us all to get onto our knees. I look up to find us kneeling in a large throne room. It's a round space with a high ceiling and white, marble floors. Stone columns connect the floor to the roof, which is a large dome that has multiple, golden chandeliers hanging from it. There are no walls, only glass, allowing a beautiful view of the kingdom.

In the middle stands an exquisite throne chair composed of gold with navy blue cushions, where the big man himself sits. His large feline lies beside him on its lavish, blue bed with gold embroidery, its posture being as straight as their master's. The King is a tall man with wavy, blue locks perfectly framing the soft features of his face. Stern, olive eyes bore into my soul when our eyes lock, causing me to hold my breath on instinct, for it's such a powerful gaze. The orbs form a sharp glare, so I force myself to look away, though, my eyes remain as wide as saucers due to fear. Though I'm afraid, I will admit that the man is quite handsome. He certainly takes good care of himself.

"The L/N family, I presume?" He asks in a strong, demanding voice that sends shivers down my spine. My heart pounds like a drum in my chest as my body trembles in fear. His tone leaked a deadly venom, making him all the more intimidating. I take deep, shaky breaths to compose myself as I hear my father gulp before speaking.

"Yes, your majesty." His voice quivers as he speaks while giving the man a respectful bow. In all my years, I had never heard his voice waver in such a way. It scared me.

"You have failed to pay your wages for the past three months. I've clearly been too lenient with you and your family, since you've allowed this to happen." His glare strengthens, burning into my father's skull. "You've been good citizens so far, but I cannot allow such crimes to take place. Is there anything at all you can say to defend yourselves?" The King sounds so confident that we have nothing in our defense. Chances are, he's right. His hand pats the head of his tamed wildcat without breaking eye contact with us as the beast sits up almost excitedly. The air is so thick with tension, it's suffocating.

"I'm so sorry, your majesty. The soil has not been fertile for quite some time. W-we've been lacking in rain, you see, so it's been difficult for the crops to grow. We've been solely relying on our livestock these past few months, and that was hardly enough to take care of my own family." The King appears unimpressed by my father's excuse, tapping his nimble fingers against the armrest of his throne. His glare doesn't even lighten up for a moment. Things are not going in our favor at all.

"Is that all you can say?" He asks in a low growl, causing my father to gulp again before nodding shakily. "I see. Guards—"

"Wait!" I shout loudly, interrupting the King's command, something he didn't like. I wasn't quite sure what made me speak up. Perhaps it was because we were about to be killed over a petty payment? It becomes silent for a moment, the King's gaze now directed to me. I suddenly feel as though I'm being crushed by a boulder. Is this what my father was feeling when he was being questioned?

"What is it?" He was clearly unamused by my outburst, most likely irritated that he was interrupted by a mere commoner. He looks as though he will call upon his pet to devour me, yet I can't help but notice a peculiar glint in his eyes. Perhaps he's intrigued, curious about what I'm about to say? I gulp down my nerves as I stare him dead in the eyes, a mistake on my part. I feel like my soul is being sucked out by such a power gaze. I speak my next words cautiously, but clearly.

"What if I were to offer to work off our debts?"

"Y/N, no! Y-" My mother intervenes with wide eyes only to be cut off by the King.

"Silence!" A light smirk twitches into place on his pale pink lips as he stands from his throne. The man walks towards me with heavy footsteps, his pet trailing close behind. I bite my bottom lip, doing my best to hold in my tears. I shouldn't act afraid, but it's very clear that I am. He stops in front of my trembling form, towering over me like I'm an ant beneath his black and white boot. He bends down and harshly grips my chin, pulling me up slightly. I'm so close to his face that I'm sure mine paled from the small amount of distance between us. He roughly turns my face side to side as his piercing eyes examine my features.

His grip hurts, but at least his white gloves prevent his nails from digging into my flesh. As he does this, his lion circles us, not easing my nerves in the slightest. I look away from the creature, though, and stare up at the man in front of me with clenched fists. Both fear and determination are set in my E/C orbs as I look into his olive ones. The emotions in his eyes are indescribable; they're just so jumbled. He breathes out a short laugh before releasing me, the sound falling deaf upon the others' ears.

"Very well. I accept, however, if you make a single mistake..." he makes a slicing motion across his neck with his thumb, causing me to gulp and nod in order to show that I understand the terms of the agreement. "Good. I will be sure to watch closely, farm girl." He turns away and makes a motion with his hand as both he and his lion return to their seats. "Take them away." The knights in the room don't hesitate to respond, dragging away my crying parents as they plead to at least say goodbye. Their request is ignored, and they're taken out of the room. Once the King is seated, he leans his face against the knuckles of his hand, his eyes pinned to my form.

"You will be starting tomorrow as a maid. Seems you have perfect timing; we just received a new batch." He snaps his fingers, so one of the soldiers in the room grab my arm before forcing me to stand. "Don't disappoint me." I bow my head, relieved to finally look away from him, before being dragged out as well. I sigh in relief the moment we exit the throne room, when the King is out of sight.

'At least we're still alive. If I have to suffer to keep my parents alive, so be it.' I'm taken down servant passages until we reach the lowest level of the castle. And, so, my journey began.

I am now the maid to the one of the cruelest rulers in history.


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