Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: CONSPIRACY (01/21/21)
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TITLE: Political Paranoia | Previous Challenge Entry
By Samuel Kane
01/28/21 -
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“They honour you, General.”
“No, my lord,” Urilen replied, “I simply led the army; you won the war and vanquished our eternal foes. They honour you for bringing peace.”
The clop of horses’ hooves ceased as the chariot came to rest at the foot of the palace steps. Urilen stood diligently and saluted his king.
“It’s okay my friend,” Traric laughed, “you’ve earned a rest. Go and greet your family.”
Urilen leaped from the chariot in avid joy and absorbed his children into a deep embrace. Traric gazed out upon his city. The war had come to an end; he must now learn to rule in a time of peace.
The months passed and the nights of exuberant celebration came to an end. The King wandered around his private garden, the carpet of crimson leaves bringing dark memories of the war he had left behind.
Lord Elaven emerged out of the darkness, his sharp nose twitching in the autumn air. His shrewd character accentuated by his deep, piercing eyes and silver tongue.
“Most glorious King, may the gods bless you and make you prosper.” His floating words dripped like honey into the King’s ears.
“Ah, Elaven,” the King responded scornfully, “I thought I’d seen a maggot squirming in the shadows.”
Elaven laughed falsefully, and yet somehow knowingly. “My lord, it is not me that spends his time skulking in the shadows. There are undoubtedly many in this court who have been eyeing up your position. What’s to stop them now that you’ve achieved peace?”
And with those words, he slipped away, disappearing into the onsetting mist.
Nothing but darkness filled the starless sky. Traric paced restlessly around his palace balcony. The shifting shadows cast illusions upon the eye of the mind. A bead of sweat dripped from the once proud King’s brow as he mumbled nonsensically. Who was at the centre of such beacons of darkness: demons sowing seeds of dissent; or something far worse?
From that day forth, Elaven never left the King’s ear.
“My Lord, who is to say what sort of dark meetings take place in the safety of the night? Let me impose a curfew so that we can choke such conspiracies.
The King, exhausted, nodded weakly.
Urilen threw on a robe as he stumbled from his bed to answer the ceaseless knocking at his door. A young messenger thrust a letter into his hand before hurrying off into the darkness.
“Urlien
There is a matter of national security. The King wishes to see you immediately.
Elaven”
Racing through the city streets, Urilen was met by a night-time patrol: little more than thugs, hired by that dog, Elaven. Outnumbered, he was quickly overcome.
Bound, beaten, and gagged, he was thrown before the withered King.
“Remember, my liege, what I have warned you about this very morning. Even your chief General was not immune to corrupting ambition. He was caught this night, breaking your curfew, heading through the shadows, undoubtedly on his way to a devious meeting, plotting my Lord’s demise. You must be strong my Lord. Make an example of this treasonous filth. Then his fellow insects shall squirm back to their lairs.”
The crowds gathered in confused anticipation as they watched their general climb the stairs to his doom.
“It is a real shame,” the King thought, “that the overcast weather does not match the glorious nature of today.”
The axe fell through the air. The crowd fell silent.
The King no longer needed Elaven to whisper in his ear. The catalyst had been thrown into the mix and the headman’s block became increasingly worn.
The night was lit with a multitude of glimmering stars yet a suffocating darkness covered the land. Hushed whispers called through the night as his once loyal noblemen drew their swords, ready for blood. The King paced restlessly. His guards abandoned their posts as the angel of death approached. The cacophony of their footsteps on his stairs matched the quickening beat of his heart. A dagger of betrayal struck his back. He considered how his fear had brought his destruction, as he toppled from the balcony upon which that fear had once been ignited. What had he done?
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I think you might benefit from looking at your paragraphs and line breaks. With so many short sentences of single lines, the eye doesn't flow smoothly. Take a look at how some others format their compositions.