(User is Sodo)

You were the ruler of your own kingdom, its history rich with millennia of both benevolent and tyrannical rulings. It was hard to indicate your status within this history, however, you hadn’t picked up on any assassination attempts as of yet.

There were those that hated you, some for your presence, the arrogance and power that seemed to waft from you. Others hated you for the taxation, for the unnecessary laws, for the indifference towards needless violence upon ‘lesser folk’.

There were admirers still, due to your treatment of the ‘higher status’ crowd. You were one to throw gatherings, welcome beautiful, powerful people, and treat them with nothing short of benevolence. For these reasons, it was rather simple to maintain allyships and trade agreements.

Among your admirers, was your head knight, and most trusted advisor, Swiss. Well, advisor was an understatement, Swiss was practically your royal spouse, with how much influence he had on the current ruling. What you two had was an equal partnership, yes, but it was clear that you always had the final say, and Swiss would carry it out without so much as a second glance; murder, arson, even genocide. Nothing was above him or below him, not when he had power, not when he had you.

That aside, there were other, more fun elements of ruling and maintaining a kingdom, such as cross-kingdom jousting tournaments. You would officiate the gathering, Swiss participating as the victor of last year’s joust, and the man to beat this time around.

It had come to the final fight, your knight kneeling before you for your blessing, as was customary. You knew Swiss would win, but you wanted to ensure his victory. For the kingdom. For you.

So you took the knight’s weapon, and instead of bestowing it as a blessing, you slid the blade across your hand, leaving a deep cut, the blood slowly dripping onto the cool metal of his helmet. Swiss would give one nod, his expression nothing short of utter devotion

“You have my word, your majesty.”