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A cold breeze blew through Blackrock, matching the look on its citizens’ faces.
It had been a rough couple of weeks.
Their ruler, the Cruel King, had disappeared not long ago. Already, things were attempting to set back into order, though it wasn’t going… splendidly.
There was only so much a kingdom could do without a king.
A missing poster fluttered to the ground, ice having forced the nails from sticking quite right in the sign post. His face was plastered all across the place, in the hopes that maybe he was still in its walls.
Most people had already given up hope, aside from those most loyal to him.
There didn’t seem to be any reason for him to be missing, though then again, there was a lot that happened behind closed doors.
He had just… left, one day, and never come back.
Too long without a leader they had looked up to - had hoped to know. What could a civilization do without structure?
Guards had been stationed outside the gates, on the lookout for any sign of His Majesty. But as the sun sunk low into the sky once more, they were left on a dead trail.
One rubbed their hands together, attempting to preserve warmth by any means possible. Their position wouldn’t shift off for another couple hours - just at midnight, which was plenty dark in such winter months - so they would have to do as much as they could.
Nothing, nothing, against the blanket of white.
Usually, the snow would be left mostly undisturbed, aside from occasional paths carved by traders and merchants.
But in the wake of losing a ruler, everything was thrown up in never-seen-before chaos.
The cold powder was kicked up in every direction, as though turning just slightly more to the East would find their ruler. There wasn’t any sign of him though, as much as everyone tried to believe otherwise.
Just… disappeared into the night. It wasn’t even exactly clear how he had left, just that it clearly had to be in some sort of a hurry, given the chaos and frenzy that was left behind.
Something wasn’t adding up, in the guard’s tired mind.
A blur in the white brought their attention back to reality, standing and nodding to the other guard. Do you see that too?
“Halt; who goes there?”
The thing hurried to the gate, now visible as a horse and rider. But there hadn’t been any troops sent out again in quite some time, so either it was a visitor, someone who didn’t make it home in time… or a messenger.
Messages were terrifying in the current mess. A similar horsedrawn rider had been the one to announce that the King couldn’t be found anywhere.
Or… an attacker? Not that the guard knew of anything that would be there to attack, but with all the chaos buzzing around behind the walls, it wouldn’t surprise them.
The figure drew closer still, finally coming to the gate’s head. They dismounted, cloak fluttering down to follow.
“... The kingdom of Blackrock, correct?”
The guard paused, turning to the other. Was this person to be trusted?
“‘Tis. What brings you here?”
In lieu of everything, it would only hurt more to let someone in uninvited.
“Do you come bearing merchandise? Information?”
“The latter,” the figure muttered, voice recognizable as male. He sighed, arm coming up to rest on his steed, who let out a huff of now-visible air.
“You may want to sit down for this, I fear.”
It wasn’t quite in good consciousness to take such relaxed measures in front of someone unknown, much less someone who could be in higher power. But the guard would be the first to admit their own tiredness, sinking against the wall with a tired sigh.
“... alright. What have you to say? Unless you’re unaware of current happenings, nothing much could be worse than what we’ve already heard here, I fear…”
The figure paused for a moment, as though not wanting to say what he had come there for.
As though, perhaps, it was something bad.
The other guard wasn’t keen on letting information slide away though, much less with their current temper. It was a jarring experience to be without someone they were used to following, after all.
“Well? Spit it out. I don’t have time to wait here for you to catch your breath.”
A blink, but the figure nodded, agreeing. The other guard relaxed, glad it wouldn’t have to be a fight for him to talk.
The first stayed against the wall, hand moving to their dagger. Just in case.
“... it is with great sorrow that I come bearing the news that your king has passed on.”
They could have been sick.
After all that time of waiting, all that time of stressing, of hoping… and he was dead? Just like that?
“I will need you to elaborate here,” the other huffed, tone bitter and resentful. Disbelieving, really.
“Found dead, mainly. We’re… not entirely sure how it happened. But… but attempts have already been made to rejuvenate him. Unsuccessful, we fear. I, ah… I’m sure this comes as a great surprise to you - or perhaps not, as a month in the cold tends to do quite a lot to a person’s health - but I suppose… this leaves room for change. For, ah, perhaps, a new ruler to come…? In his wake?”
The other drew their blade, metal glinting in the soft moonlight. They were clearly not in the mood for anything of the sort… Change? When facing a newly-lost king?
Absolutely not.
“Cruel as his namesake may imply, do you really expect us to move along so fast?”
The visitor backed up slightly, horse whinnying at the sudden tenseness of its owner.
“I, ah… I don’t come to bring harm to you, of course, but… but it was information better passed along when we got it. Trust us that it rocks our worldview as well, but, ah… things must be accounted for, and there is still a peoplehood to run. There are… still things that need to be done, I fear…”
The sound of a blade meeting flesh wasn’t one the guard would ever like to remember again, eyes screwed shut as they tried to ignore what was happening.
If they just didn’t remember, maybe it was like the snow was still white underfoot.
Like the scream wasn’t audible.
Like the sounds of a horse galloping off into the moonlight to escape a blade would cease to exist.
It wouldn’t.
They knew it wouldn’t.
But they had never been one for solving things through violence, and it scared them, though it messed with their position as a guard.
They weren’t made for this line of work, really.
And that night, more than just them wept in silent alleys. More than just them mourned the loss of someone who, while perhaps not wonderful, didn’t deserve to die.
A messenger with a family to come home to, and a king with a role to fulfill.
For as quiet as the night was, the silence had never been louder.