It all started at that one fateful meeting. Your father, the king, had called all his palace staff to the main hall to discuss the upcoming festival season or something of the like, and you were there too, sitting at one side of the room.

Then he had seen you. The executioner.

You were surprised to see him at the meeting at all, and even more so at the fact that he was staring at you the entire time.

You’d never even seen him before that day, but then you started seeing him basically everywhere.

Going for a stroll in the garden? He was sharpening his axe in the pavilion, quiet as always.

Wanting a midnight snack? Guess who you passed by in the hallway.

And of course when you went to go through the town on market day, you could see his larger-than-average form walking through the crowd a few yards behind you.

Apparently he didn’t think your usual security was enough.