(Page 1 of 2) The Forbidden by Roe RadiantSUMMARY: Entry for the April 2009 Flash Fiction contest, "the forbidden."The courtroom lay in silence as King Rowelbod, formerly known as the general officer of Antecri military, voiced his decision. "You will hand half of your military personnel over to Central, Lord Locwis."
"But your highness," pleaded the Baron. "What about the barbarian across the desert? They will see it as a sign of weakness if half of my troops were gone. The little peace that we had would sink to the sand. My region would fall into chaos."
"Are you prioritizing your province's safety over the kingdom, Lord Locwis? It's treason."
Lord Locwis face had turned sheet white. "I didn't me-mean it that way, your highness. If war comes, the trade route will be affected too. The economy," He stuttered, trying to finish his entreaty. "Their exotic goods fetch a good price, your highness."
"I am aware of that, Lord Locwis." King Rowelbod said. "The kingdom is unstable after the succession. Until the safety has been stabilized, half of your troops will stay in Central. I'm sure with a good placement of your troops, you can avoid the predicament."
"Yes, your highness." Lord Locwis gritted his teeth and performed a punctual bow. He excused himself and left the palace dejected. For a week he had been trying to get an audience with the new king to appeal against his new regulation. It surely wasn't his fault that the kingdom fell into chaos; it was partly the king's fault after all. He shuddered, feeling suddenly nervous, and looked around. He felt silly for thinking someone might overhear his thoughts.
His thoughts! How fast he had strayed to a paranoiac path. He added it to the new king's fault list. If the coup d'etat, led by several powerful nobles, had been a success, the kingdom's peace would have been assuredly secure. But the new king had to interfered, securing himself a throne in the process.
The kingdom didn't only lose its king at the succession, excluding several nobles that had been caught and hung in the gallows, but it had lost the trust, the integrity, and the peace it had in the reign of King Avery.
Lord Locwis stopped in his track, perplexed, staring at the beautiful lady standing in front of his town house. As far as he knew, he didn't have any lady acquaintance in Central.
She smiled as she approached him. "Lord Locwis, I presume."
"Y-yes," He stuttered an answer. "M-may I have the p-pleasure to know your name?" He was feeling like a teenage boy again, or maybe his mind still left behind in the palace.
"I am Lady Kendra, Countess of Orrin," she extended her hand to him, and he kissed the tip of her finger. Thank god for the little manner he still possessed. "I have a ball invitation for you."
"Ugh," Lord Locwis groaned, feeling his irk rising. "As I haven't settled my affair in Central, Lady Kendra, I have no business attending a bloody ball."
"Oh, I'm sure you will find this business an affair of yours soon," she said nonchalantly, slipping an invitation to his trouser's pocket. She brought her face closer to him and whispered in his ear, "Don't be late, my lord."
Against his best judgment Lord Locwis came to the ball.
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