Bride To His Darkness

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In the lavish, dim-lit chamber that was regally adorned with Gothic decor, grand chandeliers that dripped with black crystals hung in the middle of the council chamber. At the head of the long table was Ivan who went through the letters that had been brought before him with a deep frown furrowing his eyebrows. The Courtiers and Ministers, each distinguished by their ornate attire and pale complexion, filled the seats around them, and there was an oppressive silence that lingered uncomfortably in the air as they awaited Ivan to finish with the letters.

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When Ivan was done, one of the human Courtiers named Abraxas rose to his feet. He wittingly cleared his throat, drawing all attention to him before lowering his head in a respectable bow before Ivan.

"Your Majesty, it is with great concern that I bring these letters to you." He audibly began, whilst he kept his gaze low. "As you saw, Fernwood village, which is still under the care of their village council, is currently suffering from a grave famine, and that should be impossible as GreenHollow has been restored to the land, but... these peaceful villagers of Fernwood are now being deprived of food by the councils sent to tend to them. The Autumn season is around the corner, people are afraid to even cultivate their own resources for the fear of having it snatched away from them."

"Fernwood village." Ivan pondered on the name, recognizing it to be the same village where his little lamb lived with her family. "What is the evidence supporting your claims besides these letters? If we’re going to look into Fernwood’s council, these letters won’t do as they can be denied."

"Your Majesty." One of the Ministers rose to his feet, and in his hand was a document. With Ivan’s permission, he approached where he was seated to hand the document to him. "It appears that the village council has cornered the food market in Fernwood village. His personal wealth has taken precedence over the health of the people he was assigned to look after. I heard he hoards supplies and raises prices, leaving the villagers famished and penniless. If I’m not mistaken, your Majesty, you sent many other resources to be distributed to the villages in GreenHollow, and I heard from an important source that Fernwood villagers didn’t receive a pinch of what was being distributed. It had been planned conscientiously so you wouldn’t find out."

As the meeting went on with all murmurs of awe and complaints, Ivan wondered how his little lamb was able to cope in a place that had such revolting councils. He hadn’t paid that much attention to Fernwood since he had been most occupied with preparations for the clash of valor event, but after hearing this, it was necessary he looked into the matter himself. When his long meeting with the council eventually came to an end, Ivan was escorted by his entourage as he decided to take a leisurely walk in the Palace.

Becoming King no longer gave him the privacy he once had, and he couldn’t believe other King’s enjoyed being followed like they were a pack of hounds. He loved his distance, and since he couldn’t send them away right now, he made sure they stayed three feets away from him, at least so he could breathe and think.

"Bunch of leeches." He muttered to himself.