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༼ BEASTS AND THRONES ༽
by
Ahna Basilisk
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ᙍ 𝕻𝖗𝖔𝖑𝖔𝖌𝖚𝖊 ᙊ
The Dark King
Misthaven is a land of untold mysteries and magic, but it is also the home of many great kingdoms, wild regions, and magical realms. From the High Ridge Mountains beyond the Dark Forest of the North, to the Rolling Sands of the East, to the Shadow Lands of the West, to the Snowy Fjord of the South, and everything else in between. With Kings and Queens ruling nearly every realm.
Among them was a Wizard of Darkness, who ruled the Dark Forest with his dagger of power at his hip. No one knew when he first came to power nor of where he came from. But they knew well that he led armies of dark creatures that obeyed his every beck and call. They won his lands from invaders with ease, they patrolled his realm's borders, and they answered to him alone, no matter the spells or incantations others used in their attempt to break that bind. So his prowess urged other kingdoms to call upon his aid in exchange for anything he desired in times of need. For his armies of Darkness were invincible, earning him the name of the Dark King; a name that many a peasant, royal, or other would only utter in a tentative whisper.
Aside from those who met him directly, no one else knew what he looked like, only that he won his battles within the same night he was summoned. Many rumors spread that he had a long cloak upon his shoulders that was as black as night and would billow with the winds and hoist him into the air like wings. Others say that he was as tall as a war horse and just as fierce, with golden hair and blue eyes. Others still say that he was half man and half beast with eyes that blaze like living furnaces, heavy spikes down his back, fangs like a saber-toothed cat, and a mane like a wild lion.
However, despite these rumors, they only made the Dark King chuckle with amusement each time such words were brought to his ear. The imaginations of the mundane and young were creatuve indeed, he would admit. And despite the rumors, he had very ordinary needs. He was lonely in a dark castle with none but his dark servants of The Dagger to keep him company.
Sitting upon his dark throne, he had recieved word that The Count of the Shadowed Lands was holding another ball to present his only daughter to all the eligible royals from all the kingdoms who would attend. This had been the same every ten years since she was first presented thirty years ago, and there was many words of her unmatched beauty, her ethereal voice, her gentle nature, and kind ways. But there were also rumors of her potential ferocity, bloodlust, and fearlessness. Such an odd combination of natures that typically conflicted within one's heart intrigued the Dark King this year.
Tiring of the affairs of other kingdoms, the Dark King had begun to consider the normalcy of love, marriage, and raising a family. It was something he had never considered in his life of darkness before, but he was bored of wars and deal-making with other kings and queens. He wanted something different, something normal. And normally! a king had a queen. However! He did not want an ordinary queen.
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