A Dead Heir and a Backstabber

   “Four drops of lavender oil and it should finally be complete! Ah, I love doing this.” 

   I uncorked the bottle of lavender oil and slowly tipped exactly four drops of it into the small vial, watching as the blue solution hissed and turned into a clear liquid. 

   Torin, standing beside me, let out the smallest little laugh. “That’s a poison? It smells like something straight from a flower shop.” 

   I nodded, breathing in the fumes from the potion. “That’s because of the lavender oil. You can’t have poisons that smell disgusting. No one will fall for them. Especially not Prince Finian.” I swallowed down my bitter frustration at calling him “Prince”.  

   Alraka coughed as she walked through doorway to the stuffy room. “Bastian, you should really try to make less... strong potions. It smells sickeningly sweet. How do you know Prince Finian would drink that?” 

   “He’s the future king of Gledian. He always drinks sweet drinks. I’ve seen it for myself. Even the kitchen staff at the castle say it’s too sugary. He won’t even taste it, I promise.” 

   “Why do you want to kill Prince Finian, anyway? He seems like a perfectly fine heir to the throne.” Torin looked at me as I took a deep breath. “Don’t avoid the question like you did last time, Bastian.” 

   “I wasn’t going to! I just- he did something to me before. You remember how I worked as a servant at the castle before I came here? Prince Finian, he’s... not what he seems. He acts so kind and innocent in front of the public, but as soon as he’s out of their sight, he’s the cruelest person you could imagine. He killed one of my greatest companions, and I never really forgave him for that.” 

   I saw Torin’s eyes widen as I sat down, covering my face in my hands so they wouldn’t get suspicious. In the most wavery, pitiful voice I could manage, I whispered, “Imagine what would happen if he was king. I- I wouldn’t...” 

   Suddenly, I heard rushed footsteps at the door and Lisette gasping. “What on earth have you done to Bastian, you two? Why is he crying? Give him some privacy, at least! Bastian, we’ll all get out of here and give you some space, okay?” 

   I nodded, face still hidden in my hands. Lisette rounded up Torin and Alraka and closed the door gently. When I heard their footsteps walking away, I immediately locked the door and sighed. I couldn’t wait to kill Finian. Get away from this hole-in-the-wall place and these dull, ragged people, live in luxury for the rest of my life... it sounded like paradise.  

   Everything I said about Finian had been true. He loved sweet drinks, he was definitely the cruelest person I knew, and he did indeed kill one of my greatest partners, Lucien. I was over that, though. Completely. Over. That. 

   I stared at the little vial of poison, still clutched in my hand. After contemplating drinking it myself, I grabbed a piece of string and attached it to the bottle, then tied it around my neck. After using a bit of red dye on my face to make it look like I had been crying my eyes out, I unlocked the door and started making my way downstairs. 

   Alraka, Lisette, and Torin were waiting for me at the table. Alraka cleared her throat as I pulled out a chair and sat down. “Bastian, I am so, so sorry.” I could see tears forming at the corners of her pale grey eyes as she squeezed her hands together, to the point where they looked white. 

   “It’s fine. Why are you guys just waiting here at the table? Shouldn’t you, you know, be doing other stuff?” 

   “We wanted to talk to you. Is that okay?” Lisette smiled at me and fidgeted with her hair.  

   I nodded as Torin rubbed the back of his neck and let out a slow breath. “Bastian, if you kill Prince Finian, Viden will become king. And that isn’t much of a possibility, because Viden’s dead.” 

   “Prince Viden, Torin. And no one knows if he’s dead or not.” I saw Torin glare at me and let out a small groan. 

   “He’s been missing for two years, Bastian. They gave up searching after a week. Not many people even remember what he looks like, he’s that meaningless. Why are you so attached to the idea of him being king?” Alraka had a weird look on her face. 

   “Well, he was certainly nicer than Prince Finian. You know how sometimes at restaurants, some people tend to treat the servers like horse crap? And some people treat the servers nicely and leave a big tip? Prince Viden was like one of the nice people that left big tips. And he was a pacifist. Prince Finian would definitely start a war, in which some of us might get drafted into.” 

   “Gledian hasn’t been in a war for decades, Bastian.”  

   “Exactly, Alraka. King Rhyan is like Prince Viden. Prince Finian is ruthless. He’ll do anything for some bloodshed. I heard stories of how he bet on dogfights when he was three.” 

   “Okay, Bastian, I believe you, but what happens if Prince Viden is never found? Who gets to rule then?” Lisette had the gentlest look on her face, but her eyes were steely and determined. 

   “I believe King Rhyan decides that. It could be one of his sleazy friends, maybe a greedy relative; who knows?” 

   Torin smirked. “If I didn’t know better, Bastian, I’d say you were sent out to advertise Prince Viden all over Gledian.” 

   I smiled. “Who wouldn’t, when he’s the epitome of perfection?” 

   I could have sworn I saw Torin blush, but he cleared his throat quickly and stood up. “Bastian, if we’re planning to leave today, we should probably start getting ready. For all we know, today could be the last time we ever see you.” 

   Lisette smiled sadly. “I’ll miss you, Bastian.” 

   “Lisette, I said there was a possibility. We can’t guarantee he’ll live, but we can’t be sure he’ll die either.”  

   Alraka just sat in her chair, probably thinking. I quickly made an excuse and rushed up to my room again.  

   Poisoning Finian wouldn’t be hard. The aftermath would be. I had made the poison in a way that Finian would feel drastically sick for a couple of days, then die painlessly in his bed. Suspicion would be all around. Doctors would know he had been poisoned. And then I would do the impossible. The guilt would live with me forever, but at least I could live in peace. 

   I sighed and rummaged around in my closet for the set of clothes I had stolen from a servant months ago. They were a little big, but they still made me look like an adequate castle servant. After slicking back my black hair and covering up the bags under my eyes, I looked perfect.  

   I walked downstairs and showed off my appearance to the trio waiting at the door. That time, I definitely saw Torin blush. He reminded me of Lucien. More guilt for what I was going to do. 

   “Well!” I said, twirling around like a little girl showing off her new dress. “Let’s go, then!” 

   We made a beeline for the castle, mostly walking through forgotten alleyways and beautiful nature paths, so no one would notice us. Eventually, we made it to the side entrance, where servants were filing in and out like ants. I told everyone to wait in the greenery near the entrance while I walked in like I owned the place. 

   The kitchen was hectic, as I remembered, but the place where drinks were being prepared was the same as always. I waited for the most flamboyant drink (that was, of course, Finian’s) to be finished, then took it and started walking up to Finian’s room. 

   Right before I reached his room, I slipped into a small closet and added the poison, then calmly knocked at his door. “Master Finian, I have your requested drink.” 

   The door creaked open as Finian poked his face through the crack in the door and groaned. “Just hand me the drink and leave.” I followed his instructions, bowing my head the whole time so he wouldn’t see who I was.  

   As I turned and left, I heard him mutter something about killing me. I had to hold back my laughter as I slipped into the nearest closet and ripped off my servant clothes, revealing the rattiest set of clothing that I had ever owned.  

   I emerged from the closet and slowly walked to King Rhyan’s room, knocking lightly at the door and ruffling my hair so I looked even more distraught. As the door opened slowly, I summoned all the fake tears I could and watched as the king’s eyes widened in shock. 

   “Viden? No, it can’t be... you look so different. Are you an impersonator? A fake?” 

   “Father. I’m just as you remember. Ask me any question. Please.” 

   “You remember how many suitors and suitresses you had, right? From all over. The towns, the farms... but you had one favorite. You only told me and Finian. Who were they?” The king’s voice broke as he awaited my answer. 

   I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Lucien.” 

   The king – no, my father – gasped with joy and hugged me, breaking free only to ask how I had gotten to the castle in the first place. 

   “Father, I need to explain some things to you. May I please come in?” 

   “Of course, Viden. Take a seat at my table. Talk all you want.” 

   I smiled modestly and took a seat at the engraved table, then took a deep breath. “Father, I have been missing for the past two years because of a kidnapping. An unfortunate one at that, as well. The last time I had been seen, I was taking a walk in the late night, yes?” 

   My father nodded and gestured for me to continue. I took a breath and kept going. “There were three individuals who took me to their hideout disguised as a civilian’s house. I think they took me because of my potion-brewing ability, as they forced me to brew a special poison.” 

   “The particular poison used Atropa belladonna, one of the deadliest plants known to mankind. They forced me to concentrate the deadly seeds into an extract, which was added to the poison.” 

   “The poison was meant to be put in Finian’s drink. They slipped it in and forced me not to tell anyone, or they would murder me as well.” I changed my voice to a dismal whisper and brought fake tears to my eyes. “Father. I regret every decision I’ve made. I wish I could have been stronger.” 

   My father sat there for a couple moments with blank eyes before ordering me hoarsely to bring him to the kidnappers. I nodded and stood up, helping my father stand up as well. We walked in tandem, where guards joined us at the door to my father’s room.  

   We walked in silence to the side entrance, where I pointed to the greenery where I knew Alraka, Lisette, and Torin were hiding. In the same pitiful voice, I mumbled, “They’re hiding there, Father.” 

   I watched as the guards seized the trio and tied their hands to their backs. Lisette and Alraka were screaming, and Torin kept yelling “Bastian!” while struggling with the guard trying to lead him away.  

   “Stop calling me by that false name, Torin. My name is Prince Viden, and you should address me as such.”

I watched Torin’s eyes widen, then narrow into angry slits. “Well, Prince Viden, you’re a bastard and I hope you die in hell!”  

   I nodded and smiled sadly at him. “The feeling goes both ways, I’m afraid.” 

   ~~~ 

   The next few days were a blur. Finian passed away, and I received a full pardon for my actions, which were “not intentional; forced by the hand of his captors”. Torin, Alraka, and Lisette were going to be sentenced to death. Their pleas fell deaf on my father’s ears. 

   I was allowed one private visit to them, which was one of the only times where I genuinely started crying.  

   I remember Alraka yelling at me, Lisette sobbing her heart out, and Torin, silent as a rock, sitting behind the bars with a blank expression on his face. When Alraka and Lisette quieted down, he finally spoke words.  

   “You know, Basti- Viden, you were one of the only people I felt I could trust in this godforsaken world. I felt really close to you, you know? You could even say I loved you.” He looked up, tears streaming down his face. “Not anymore.” 

   “Torin, I could get you out of here. I could get all of you out of here. Just trust me. Please.” 

   Torin smiled. “Finian’s death is the greatest news of Gledian for as long as all of us have been alive. Your father is stricken with grief. Us three are the most heavily guarded prisoners in this castle. Even with your level of power, you couldn’t get us out without dying yourself.” 

   I nodded quietly and hurried out of the room before I burst out in genuine tears. 

   After pulling a couple strings and losing a considerable amount of money, they were broken out of prison. I never saw them again. 

   My father died a decade later. I became king, as I wanted. I lead Gledian well, keeping harmony and serenity as priorities as I ruled. I found a partner. It was a loveless marriage, but one that kept peace with our neighboring countries.  

   My only child was a daughter who loved violence. She was the only heir, so it turned out I never stopped violence by killing Finian, merely delayed it. I guess she took a couple of lessons from me, because she became queen by murdering me in my sleep. Ha.