************Ron POV************

Ron grimaced as more blood covered his half soaked body. He truly didn’t mean to have to go on a full blown rampage, but after almost a full day spent on making his way to see this damned king that happened to be surrounded by more guards than he had expected. With such a sad looking city, he wouldn’t have expected so many bodyguards.

He was standing in a circle of corpses, each wearing the same emblem for the king’s guard. Thick, thorny vines sunk back into the ground where Ron had called them, disappearing just as fast as they had appeared only moments ago. Using the back of his hand, Ron wiped blood that had started to run down his face and walked to the front doors of the great castle.

Seeing the hand prints that he left on the two doors was almost humorous. It could be seen as a warning to more guards, but then again so could the dead comrades outside. There was a menacing look about him as he walked through the halls of the grand castle that the king stayed in while his subjects were left to suffer. It only made Ron even more angry when he noticed the gold railings on the staircase that led up to the throne room.

Without a second thought, he went up the staircase and ignored the blood on the rugs. He pushed open one door and peeked in, noticing all the guards in this room. Ron sighed at how many there were, hoping in his heart that he wouldn’t have to kill as much of them as he did outside. He did happen to notice the different markings on these men.

Decorated on their cloaks and metal armor were roses. The design was so precise the only way it could have been created was by hand. It was surprisingly beautiful, even to Ron. He guessed that these had to be primary protectors to the king, so either they would be incredibly loyal or hateful to the man they served. Making sure he was fully prepared for whatever would come at him once he entered, Ron pushed the door opened and stepped inside.

“Halt! You who’s come here and murdered our men, what is it you want and we shall let you go with your life!” A man who’s cloak color was different than the others cried out first. It was all very annoying to Ron. He couldn’t understand why these men all thought they even had a slim chance of killing him.

“Where is your king? I believe we have some unfinished business to attend to, so please move away or your own lives will be the price,” he growled. To intimidate them, he let the ground rumble slightly in response to what he said.

The eyes of the men widened at this, some even shifting their feet in uncertainty. Ron knew full well that the king wasn’t in the room, he could sense him in an underground area nearby. Hiding in an area where plants grew wasn’t the smartest idea to begin with, but of course the king himself didn’t know that. He didn’t even realize who it was that was after him, for all the people there knew he was a powerful sorcerer who had come to take their kingdom from them.  

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

“The king has fled. You have no reason to be here. You have seen the city, and you may have all the gold you can carry with you. But leave us be,” the leader said. Ron could tell he was strong, and wasn’t afraid of death.

“Whether I leave with what I want or more, I have already decided in taking his life. You may leave with yours intact, or stay here and die with your king.” Ron crossed his arms and stared at the men while this message hung in the air.

The room was silent. The seconds ticked by, until one of the younger men whimpered and backed away from the group. A few gasps ran through the others as he stepped away and ran to the door, pushing it open and racing as fast as he could to get out of the castle with his life. When the first man ran, it didn’t take long for more to follow. In seconds, there was less than a quarter remaining, all in shock at all those gone.

Ron waited another minute, sensing the king underground shuffle in his room. When he decided he had waited long enough, he walked forward and stepped in front of the carpet the men were all standing on. Fear raced through the group as they raised their weapons in response and held position.

That was their mistake. By standing still, they had made sure that Ron wouldn’t miss. Without skipping a beat, he raised a hand in the direction of the men and let his concentration rise slightly. He didn’t need much to complete the thorns that shot up through the ground, penetrating through the thick armor with ease. The look of shock was frozen on their faces as the rugs grew crimson around the freshly dead body.

Ron strode past the men and up to where the throne was. He could sense the difference in the solidness of the boards when he was tracking the area down, and as he expected there was a door hidden underneath the throne’s decorated chair legs. Lifting up the large throne with ease, he tossed it to the side and pulled the trap door open.

The scent of roses hit him hard. It was sickeningly sweet, almost to the point where Ron couldn’t help but cover his nose. He slowly started to descend the stairs with curiosity because of the smell. It took a few minutes, but he suddenly was standing in front of a tall door decorated with thousands of roses, each wrapped around the other in a design so beautiful that Ron stared in awe for a few minutes.

The door was cool to the touch and open with only a slight touch to it’s wood. As it slowly swung open, a sword suddenly appeared in front of of his. If it wasn’t for the fact that the man behind was sword was so slow, he might have actually scratched Ron’s face.

Ron raised his hand and caught the blade before it met its mark. Smiling, he crushed it as easily as he would an apple. The sword collapsed to the floor, the pieces showering the ground like rain. Turning to his attacker, his eyes narrowed in annoyance but the smile lingered.

“It’s good to see you again, your highness. Now, let’s get to know each other a little more, shall we?”