King - Walter

"King" it seems to role off my tongue as I stare out the window. Just the word makes me flinch. I am no king. In fact, right now, all I am is uncomfortable. My crown is heavy and bothersome. The fur of my cape is causing me to itch constantly. My body aches with fatigue as the bright sunlight streams through the massive window, making me extremely hot. For a moment though, I feel at peace with my current state. I almost laugh at how much of a mess I am.

"Your highness!" The door to the throne room slams open, interrupting my moment of peace. "You must come at once."

A small, mousy girl leads the way. She has a crop of brown hair which just touching her shoulders. She had gold rimmed glasses and little, brown freckles. She leads me down a long corridor and into a small, white room. Click. The lock of the door turns behind me as I stand before a single desk. She gestured for me to sit down. As I sat I noticed three, yellow files on the desk. I picked the first one up.

"Two young maids went missing last night. Another was found dead at the palace gates. We have issued a full search. The third girl, when we found her, was just barely alive. She managed to tell us that all is not what it seems. I think she was delirious from the loss of blood."

"What do I need to do then?" I find myself responding. I find it silly, the fact that she has already issued a full search yet she still wants me to do something, "And also, who are you?"

"My name is Riana, sir. And all I need you to do is sign off on the case."

I look at a three page document and flip it open. I skim through and sign the final page off.

"Are we done now?"

"Yes sir." She smiles almost maliciously, then picks up the documents. She curtsies and leaves, in a rushed yet in a polite sort of manner. Something about those documents seemed off but I decide to push it to the back of my mind and leave, stepping out into the cool air of the hallway and walking back to my throne room.