God Save The King

(TW: Violence, implie tourture, murder, suicide)

They bow before my throne, unaware that it’s made of chains. 

They bow before me, unaware that all they see of me is the sad smiles of a prisoner. 

They bow before my crown, unaware that it’s not me truly wearing it. 

Little  do they know that their Queen, their savior, is a tortured bird in a cage. 

My crown is made of lies and the only ones who know are my captors and I. 

I think this to myself bitterly as I stare out into my crowd of admiriers from my balcony as the morning wind caresses my face. 

Normally I would think this with numbness, as all feelings whatsoever had felt me long ago, but today I feel strange. As if a small fire is kindling within me. 

I sigh, from below, I might look like a prosperous Queen who knows what she is doing for her kingdom. Little do they know that their Queen has a guard watching her carefully from the shadows. Once I am given the signal, I smile and wave once more and step off the balcony. The King never has made an appearance, so all the faith for the kingdom's people goes to me. 

However, all the power really goes to the king. Though all he is is just another one of my captors. Just another one of those power hungry royal advisors that keep me locked up in my own castle, because a King needs a Queen to be King. The King has no power without me. Without me, he would lose his position and be demoted to a peasant. 

As I step off the balcony, I’m immediately grabbed by several of my advisors and a chain is secured around my neck. I am then led to The King's chamber.

I stand in front of my self proclaimed ‘husband’, and a sense of dred and fear settles in my stomach. I don’t feel much, but whenever I see his face I never can’t feel at ease. Anytime I am in his clutches he has the right to do whatever he wants to me, and I have to let him. Let him touch me however he wants, handle me however he likes, and speak to me however he wants to me. Now, I stare at him as he sits on his throne, draped in fur, a glass of beer in his hand. 

“More energy next time, it was dull.” He drawls, having listened to my scripted speech on the balcony. his crown glitters in the candlelight. It was once my father’s, and to see such a thug in it made my blood boil.

Once, I had dreamed of breaking free of these men and killing them all, and restoring the crown to its true virtue. But now, all I think of when I look at that crown is all the lies tied to its existence. After my father’s death, the council of royal advisors had taken advantage of the remaining royal family and overtook my mother the same way they had me. Forced her to marry the cheif advisor so they could control her from the shadows. Claim all the power, all they needed was for her to be alive. No matter the condition, she wouldn’t stop trying to defy them and they killed her. I was sixteen. Now, they do the same to me, and all I can do is sit and watch like a caged animal. Watching as my kingdom slowly crumbles under everyone's noses and my life is slowly reduced to heartless living. I scoff quietly, 

“You’ll never be content, will you? All you want is power, and I give it to you, and you can’t even care how you treat me. You treat me like property, like machinery. You work me every day and break me, only putting me back together because you need me. I am a broken toy you still use to my limits, and yet you have the audacity to tell me to put more energy into my work.” I say. I am quiet but my words hold more power than usual. I am even surprised, I haven’t talked back to them like this since I was eighteen. I had reached my limit, and lashed out, and to make sure I never did it again, they punished me in a way I could never forget. I can still remember the way my screams echoes off the halls. The King sat forward, looking at me hard. 

“Are you talking back to me?” He asked, danger in his tone, but I was done caring. My heartbroken plea turning to anger…and power.  I lifted my head, 

“I am, and if it means so much to you that I stay quiet, maybe you should gag me.” I say, and his eyes widen at the rebelliosnes in my voice, and it only rises as I continue, “Maybe you should cut my tongue out, or muzzle me like a dog. Do what you will, but I am done with your stupid game. I will no longer play fear to you. I don’t care what you do to me, but I will not let you rule my kingdom anymore. Angry? Kill me, and you will no longer be king. From now on you will listen to me or fall.” I lash, I feel as if I am on top of the world and I feel like I could dance, but suddenly my chain is yanked and I choke. 

I fall to my knees violenly, my face smashing onto the floor, as my guard digs his foot into my back, but I just smile, blood dripping from my nose. So they make their choice. 

I laugh, there is power in death. I lurch forward, yanking the chain from my guards hands, the metal biting into my skin. I rush forward and grab a knife from a nearby advisor, slicing my way to the king. My captors falling around me as I swiftly take their life with my burning fury. I run to the king and leap forward, branishing my knife, but I am grabbed back. My chains in a death grip in my new captors hands, I expect they think my fire will burn out now, so they can punish me again, but I laugh once again. 

“You will be king no more.” I snarl, and spit on his shoe, “Your reign shal fall, and as queen, I decree it.” I say, and with the last bit of strength I have, I plunge my knife into my chest. The very first act of power I have ever carried out in my life, and the very last one. Without me, he will fall from his throne, for there can be no king without a queen. 

“NO!” He screams, thrusting out his hand, but my vision is already darkening. Blood blooming across my chest, 

“God save the king.” I taunt, blood dribbling from my mouth as I smile one last time before I collapse.