Orgeeg stood before King Vayin Vigon. He stood some distance before the great King's throne with his hands clasped behind his back and with sweat beading on his forehead. The early morning breeze wafting into the throne room from the large open windows lining either wall did little to stop his perspiring and the feel of the wind upon his naked scalp reminded him of his younger years when he'd shaved his blond hair to lessen the dissent physical features between himself and the Remu he grew up among. He'd shaved then because he wanted to fit in, he'd shaved now because he'd failed, so had the 296 Royal Black Guards standing behind and beside him.
They stood in order of Rank but their attire differed greatly from what they usually wore. Instead of black leather they wore tattered oversized linen shirts that were light green in color accompanied with bronze colored breeches. They wore the colors of their rival Kingdoms, the colors of failures. Some of the Royal Black Guards had even gone as far as to paint blue over their eyes, the blue of Kolotia despite the fact that the Kingdom no longer existed.
Orgeeg was tense as they all stood in line, bunched into rows of ten that stretched out in columns that reached the giant oak doors of the throne room. He stood at the forefront, perspiring and swallowing lumps of saliva after every passing second. Every head was shaved and bowed in shame. He knew he was going to have to speak out for the Black Guard as their Rank one. He was to point out the flaws in their defense of Prince Desan and also to beg for their lives before the King for their failure branded Vayin incompetent and a man chosen by Gods can not be deemed so.
Orgeeg's Rank had been secret until then, few knew he was the Rank one, he suspected no Black Guards below the Fourteenth Rank even knew him. All that had changed with his presence at the front row, everybody knew who he was now and it added on to the anxiety he felt. How am I going to represent the Black Guard? Gods! I'm not cut out for this.
Vayin Vigon sat on his throne in silence. He was dressed in black robes, the color of mourning. He looked as he always did, nonchalant with an air of danger and unmistakable superiority. He'd just lost a son but Orgeeg doubted the man had shed a single tear over the matter. He looked, however, slightly inconvenienced by the matter.
Vayin took off his gold crown inlaid with a large red ruby and gently placed it on the ground beside his feet. Every Black Guard gasped, one started audibly sobbing several rows behind Orgeeg and a scream could be heard at the back of the throne room. Everyone knew what the gesture the King had done meant.
"My son is dead." Vayin spoke softly but his voice echoed across the throne room. "It was your duty to protect him and now he is dead, as you have abandoned your duty so shall I abandon mine."
Rank three, a large man with blue painted over his eyes who wore a shirt Orgeeg could use as a blanket took out a knife from his breeches and broke free of the first row. He went and stood at the bottom of the staircase leading to the throne and declared in a booming voice. "Rank Eight and Rank Nine, come forth." The two men who'd stood guard at Desan's door on the night he'd died broke free from their row with their shaved heads bowed. They came to stand before Rank Three and Orgeeg could see one of them trembling.
"How do you choose to pay penance?" Rank Three asked.
"Blind us for when sight was necessary we did not see, make us deaf for when sound should have been heard we did not hear, cut off our hands and feet for we find no use for them." Rank Nine said and turned his tear stained face towards Vayin Vigon. The King had his chin resting on his fist with his elbow placed on the arm of his throne, he looked at them in that same nonchalant manner a human regards an insect. Vayin made little indication that he was going to pick up his crown.
"Strip us naked so all may see our shame." Rank Eight said.
Rank Three motioned with his hand and about ten Black Guards broke free of their positions wielding knives with one of them carrying a sword. They made their way to Rank Nine and Eight and the two men were quickly stripped naked. What followed were screams as the Black Guards set about mutilating the two men. Orgeeg turned his head away from the barbaric scene as an eye got gorged out of its socket and a hand got chopped off with the sword . The men screamed until their voices went raw, they screamed until Orgeeg was sure that the Outer-ring of Binoria had heard them. Then they abruptly went silent, losing consciousness.
Their naked mutilated bodies were dragged out of the throne room, what was left behind were two pairs of eyes, feet and hands that were neatly arranged before the throne. Orgeeg knew Rank Eight and Rank nine's eardrums had also been pierced and that the two men were still alive, they were currently being taken to the Royal medic who would cauterize their wounds and keep them alive long enough for them to recover and be discarded at the Outer-ring where they would spend the rest of their lives crawling naked and begging for food in a realm they couldn't perceive. He'd read all about what met the end of a Royal Black Guard who'd failed at their duty, he just didn't believe he'd ever live to see it happen.
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Still, King Vayin Vigon did not reach for his crown and Rank Three and his butchers returned to their respective rows, panic evident on their faces. Vayin still sat with his chin on his fist, his grey eyes surveying the Royal Black Guard. "Offer penance Orgeeg." Masutap whispered from beside him, she looked oddly calm while everyone else was trembling and sweating. "Say something or we're all dead." She added.
Orgeeg took a deep breath and stepped out of his row, making his way to stand before the King right next to the mutilated body parts of Rank Eight and Nine. Orgeeg bowed low at the waist before setting his jaw and turning his eyes to Vayin Vigon. Orgeeg had no idea what he was to say or do, he had no inkling of what penance he was to give let alone how he'd coordinate the words out of his mouth. His tongue felt like lead within his mouth, his knees were weak and arms heavy. He was aware of the eyes of the rest of the Black Guards behind him who were depending on him to set things right because he was the Rank one.
"I am Rank one." Orgeeg blurted out before immediately regretting it. King Vayin's eyes stayed fixed on him. "I mean.. I am.. I mean.. I.. Urgh." He struggled to speak. Things were going wrong, horribly wrong. He hadn't planned for this but even without planning how in the Rankf sea was he managing to screw it up so badly? "I am sorry your g.. H.. Highness.. Your grace." He stuttered. At that moment he wished the ground would open and swallow him whole. Orgeeg stood unnaturally still for a moment while sweating profusely then prostrated himself before Vayin and mumbled, "I'm sorry for the loss Sir.. King." He pursed his lips and thumped his head on the red carpet. He was certain he'd just sealed his fate.
"You failed me on the Ganidan Plain." King Vayin Vigon spoke. Orgeeg's head remained bowed but tears started welling in his eyes. He was going to die, he was certain of it. Tabrimas, I won't make it to Tabrimas. His death would be humiliating, he won't be properly buried and he'd definitely lose the chance to join the Realm of the Valiant. Still, he was the Rank One. It was his duty to carry the burden of the collective and he shall do so willingly. He shall die willingly. He'd worked hard to reach where he was and his Rank was a thing of pride, even in death he shall not be stripped of that pride.
Orgeeg raised his head and met the King's eyes, he was ready. He would take whatever was coming with the pride of one befitting his Rank. Rank Four, who Orgeeg had come to know as a soft spoken middle aged man who was extremely talented in all things culinary related and had probably ventured into the wrong career path, emerged from his row. He went before the King and stood next to Orgeeg. Rank Four took out a knife from his breeches, he aimed the knife to the left of his neck. "Take my life oh King! Take my death as penance and return to your duty."
Just then, Masutap sprinted out of her row and snatched the knife from Rank Four's hand. Orgeeg's eyes trailed her as she turned her back on the King and addressed the Royal Black Guard. "Our duty is to the King and his family and we have failed." Her voice piped and reached every ear in the throne room. She looked feeble but her feet were solidly planted as she drew deep breaths and spoke as loud as she could. "I am all for mutilating ourselves and killing ourselves until our glorious King accepts it all as penance but what will that do but please our enemies? Please those who killed two of our men to reach the Prince! It would please them to shatter the whole Black Guard and end our lives without loss on their part!"
Masutap turned and faced King Vayin Vigon. She had always kept her hair short or her head cleanly shaved and that plus her petite stature gave her the appearance of a prepubescent boy. Yet as she voiced her opinion, while looking directly at the King without wavering before those deep grey eyes, Orgeeg couldn't help but see that she was above him in every aspect of the word. She was above them all. "Oh King, three letters were written on Desan's wall in his blood, initials of our rival Kingdoms within the realm. Remu, Talisi and whatever of Kolotia that remains have joined forces to undermine your authority. To break your rule."
She turned back to face the Royal Black Guard. "Let it not be said that we are cowards who failed to pay penance out of fear. We are not cowards!" Several Royal Black Guards nodded, including Rank Four who stood next to Masutap. "We shall pay our penance, we shall slit our necks and bleed upon this throne room's floor." She turned back to Vayin Vigon. "But I ask of you Oh gracious King whose mercy knows no bounds, grant us a chance to avenge our Prince! Let us flood the Realm with the blood of our rivals who struck at our Prince in the heart of Binoria and insulted our honor. Let us be the horn of war that sounds death on all who've wronged you.. And after that, after all who were responsible for Desan's death are lifeless beneath the ground, we shall pay restitution with our lives for having originally failed at our duty, but we shall die knowing that reparation has been more than rightfully paid."
After her conclusion Masutap went down on one knee, every Royal Black Guard followed suit and went down in the same fashion. Silence enveloped the throne room, hearts pounded as eyes stayed glued on the King. Vayin observed Masutap, his pupils moving from one point to another as if studying a script. His eyes briefly flickered red before turning back to grey. He then turned his attention to Orgeeg and the Rank One started to open and shut his mouth like a fish.
"Rank Two." Vayin said and Masutap stood up and took a step closer to the throne. "From now on you are Rank One until penance, as you stated, has been paid." Masutap bowed before the King. Orgeeg's heart broke. I am now Rank Two. He thought while feeling despair that was immediately replaced by relief as he saw the King reach down to his feet and pick up his crown. Vayin placed the crown on his head and turned his grey eyes to Orgeeg.
"Former Rank One, you are demoted to Rank Three hundred and will relinquish all duties of your former Rank." King Vayin said. All eyes turned to Orgeeg who knelt with his mouth ajar. He struggled to understand the King's words, he struggled to believe what had just happened. I'm the last Rank? He wondered as he observed the King and the crown on his head.