You were absolutely certain that your time would come eventually. For months now the people around you were either dying suspicious deaths or outright being captured and beheaded, for months now all of your loved ones and even some people you didn’t particularly like were all dying and there was nothing you could do about it.

Someone was methodically taking out everyone that could protect you. Even your father’s knights were slowly facing that same treatment. It was well planned, clearly designed to keep you from taking the blame because they’d only die when you had solid alibis.

It was terrifying. You were often too scared to leave your room, let alone be without some sort of weapon. No one could be trusted anymore. Not your maids, not your siblings — the ones that remained anyways — and certainly not any knights or any other visitors to the castle. Even a glimpse of a stranger would have you backing into the nearest alcove and clutching the blade you now kept with you at all times.

It isn’t until King John Price from a neighbouring kingdom, that was allied with yours, arrived that things began to look up. He was meant to offer your father some of his own knights to help defend his family and find whoever’s been killing everyone. He was meant to be your saving grace, the man who would fix everything.

You insisted on attending the meetings, some part of you knew your father was in danger. If he were still alive his death would be meaningful and ceremonial and today would be the perfect day to do it. By the end of the day you started feeling rather silly, your father was still unharmed and even he seemed annoyed with your presence at his meetings with John.

Dinner was when everything changed. Behind the scenes, John’s men had been quietly dismantling the remains of your father’s knights. They imprisoned those who surrendered and killed those that didn’t. Not once did you or your father have any idea that anything was wrong and John was so calm and collected the whole time. He had a warm smile that comforted you and made you feel safer than you had in weeks.

That’s why you weren’t suspicious when one of his closest knights — whose name you learnt earlier is Kyle — places his hand on your shoulder like he wishes to discuss something. He was intended to be your personal guard after all. You did begin to be more suspicious when he nodded to John and his hand tightened like he was holding you back. You realized that you should have trusted your gut from the beginning when you watched John’s sword arc through the air too quickly for your father to react, decapitating him swiftly.

The world seems to fall still as you watch your father’s head fall from his body. A strangled scream forces its way out of you as you manage to break free of Kyle’s grasp and to your father’s body where you collapse next to him, hands hovering because you just can’t touch him. All the while John wipes his blade clean like it’s just another day, like killing someone’s father right in front of them is just part of being a king.

“I didn’t want you to see that, my love.” John says, crouching in front of you with that smile you saw as comforting just minutes ago. “But you just wouldn’t leave.” He reaches out and wipes your tears like it’s the most natural thing in the world. “He wouldn’t let me marry you, no matter how many times I asked, so I just made sure you could be mine. Surely you can forgive me for that?”