Funeral

Isn't it strange how quickly the weather can change? The earlier bright beautiful morning was abruptly transformed by the gloomy thundering night. The performance's epic quality was augmented by an unanticipated downpour. The sound of strong raindrops striking the ground with such force gave the impression that the clouds were grieving.

While the queen slept, the king gently stroked her head while she whimpered softly and rested her face against his chest. The monarch kept his eyes wide and was preoccupied with the man and his final remarks. He secretly wished that the man would awaken and be forced to reverse the curse. He wanted to do everything in his power to shield his family from the catastrophe.

The queen stirred in her sleep, and a resounding tap on the door brought the king back to the present. Come on in. The monarch whispered gently, yet loudly enough to be heard by the person standing behind the door without waking the queen. The door abruptly opened, followed by the guard, who announced his presence with a troubled expression, forcing the monarch to stand and waking the queen.

"The royal physician requested the Highness."

"Hmm..." The king simply hummed and started to advance when the queen grabbed his wrist. He looked into the queen's glistening eyes.

"I'll accompany you." The queen said

"No, please wait here, my queen." The king replied, giving her a gentle peck on the head, and quickly led the guard out of the room. As he neared the room where the man was receiving treatment, tension began to build inside of him. Fresh sweat drops adorned his brow as he began fidgeting with his fingers. As he came to a halt outside the door, taking a deep breath, he gently pushed the door open, his gaze scanning everyone inside.

When the king arrived, the royal doctor and his companions got up from their chairs and bowed before him. The monarch nodded in response, but his gaze remained fixated on the man who was unmoving on the bed. He slowly walked up to the royal physician, whose head was hanging low as if he were concealing some type of guilt, and looked at him carefully, noting the silence around him. " Tell me." The king demanded in a hoarse voice, never looking away from the lifeless body on the bed.

"We did our best, your highness." The royal doctor replied earning no response from the king. "The person, as if he refused to take a breath, like he was determined to give up on his life. And slowly his heart gave up." The doctor finished.

"And, as if by magic, his wound healed without treatment, leaving no scars." With a surprised tone in his voice, one of the doctor's companions said. The king stood there without saying anything, just staring at the dead man who had a wide grin on his dead face, as if mocking the king, and his bloodshot eyes added a demonic look to his face.

"Ezra..." The king called up one of his servants.

Standing quickly in front of the king, he bowed slightly and waited for the command. The other people in the room stood like statues, terrified of the king's rage, which was clearly visible on his face. "Get my chariot ready, we have to bury him." The king's voice was harsh. "With respect." He finished with a single tear in his eyes. No one had ever seen the king this broken, so they were all shocked. He wiped his tears and stormed out the door.

Everyone in the kingdom appeared to be in distress. Nobody was quite sure of what occurred in the woodland or who the injured man was. The king paced back and forth, becoming insane with worry over what might transpire. The king's brother, Ezekiel, made an effort to calm him down by asking him what had actually occurred to disturb him. The king just disregarded any questions and remained silent as he awaited the chariot.

Nearly in the middle of the night, the king made his way to the river with his advisor, his brother, and a priest. Despite being close to the kingdom, the site was inaccessible to common citizens. The region was believed to be tied and cursed by magic. Everyone was forbidden from entering the area, including a wing of the castle, which was believed to be cursed. Nobody, not even the royals, were allowed to enter that domain.

The body was wrapped in white cloth and lowered two meters into a ditch that had just been dug. After reading from the Bible and preaching, the pit was then filled with soil. The only sounds heard in the area were the flowing of the river and night crickets, and a cross was etched into the bark of a dried tree near to the tomb. The moon shone ever so brightly, casting a soothing glow over the pitch-black night. The monarch turned to the sky and begged the gods for forgiveness, shedding one tear as he did so.

"King Alaric, why do you seem so joyful today?" said Ezekiel.

"Come on, this is not a courtroom. Call me brother if you want." The monarch retorted. And although though I didn't want my queen to accompany me to the forest, I'm glad she is. He turned his attention once more to the queen's carriage.

We won't be in danger, and it's not like we're leaving the area.

"Exactly."

They were having a conversation when they suddenly heard rustling in the distance.

The king questioned, "Did you hear that?

Ezekiel just nodded his head, and they alighted from their horses, moving slowly towards the sound. As they drew near the bushes where the sound was coming from, the adviser stayed behind to guard them from behind. They were shocked to find nothing, though.

Strangely, the noise was coming from this direction. Looking around for any indication of a wild boar, Ezekiel remarked.

"It has to be a rabbit." The monarch laughed.

While preparing the trap for the hunt, they continued to scan the area while hiding behind trees. However, as time went on, all that could be heard was their breath and bird song. Because it being a dense forest, the canopy over their heads completely hid the minute amount of sunshine that was before visible. As the night fell, there was still no sign of any animals. It was odd because this forest had always been full of wild animals and flora, making it a great place for hunting. Despite the huge trees and shrubbery, it felt deserted today.

"We should leave; it's almost dark; the queen must be waiting." The monarch said A deer then leapt across them as he was finishing his sentence, causing the monarch to trip and fall. The deer began to flee in a darker direction as the adviser assisted the monarch in standing up. A sudden rush of excitement built inside the monarch as he grasped his bow and arrow and began to run in the same direction. However, the deer was swift enough to run away and remain still. The deer couldn't have continued due to the cliff at the end, so the monarch put the arrow into the arrow rest and carefully awaited any movement. "I am aware of your hiding here." The king mumbled

The atmosphere surrounding them grew heavy and tight, as the king's advisor and his brother watched silently from a distance. The air seemed unsettlingly black around it and the king became alert at the least voice. The time came when distant shrubs began to rustle, and the monarch suddenly noticed a deer's silhouette. The monarch drew the arrow, ready to shoot, and the arrow flew away from the bow with another rustling sound. It was a flawless shot, without a doubt, but what occurred afterwards was unprecedented. All three eyes were prepared to see a deer, but they were met by a peculiar sigh, most likely from a man. All three eyes were wide with surprise as they exchanged a quick glance before sprinting towards the sound. When they arrived, a man was sitting, writhing in anguish, and an arrow, most likely belonging to the monarch, had penetrated his heart.

"Galduer." The king mumbled; his eyes wide open.

After the funeral rites, the king went to his palace and spent the remainder of the dark night sitting on his throne in the courtroom, contemplating.