Chapter 01

King’s Crown

The King had passed away without leaving an heir; the kingdom wept and wallowed in great sorrow. But life had to go on…a new king was to be appointed.
“But who would ascend the throne?” everybody thought. Will it be one of the King’s two brothers or even his sister?” “Perhaps it might be someone from the common masses!” they hoped, quite in vain.
These were the questions that mingled with their loss and grief…the late King had been a man of honour and prestige, dearly loved by all his subjects.
“No matter who ascends the throne, we just hope they are just as wonderful as our previous ruler!” they all consented.

Chapter 02

Book and Dagger

One of the King’s brothers was a man of knowledge and outstanding scholarship. In his heart, the throne was rightly his…

“How else would economies thrive and mouths fed? With my knowledge of both modern and ancient, I will elevate this kingdom to the skies! My other siblings, the unlettered dunderheads, would bring nothing but ruin and damnation upon this land! They must not succeed. But how will I vanquish them….”

Chapter 03

Potion

But his siblings thought differently, for they despised their bookish, learned brother. The sister, who was proficient in witchcraft and the dark arts, watched her cauldron simmer. A bottle and stopper were placed nearby as fragrant fumes rose and suffused into the room. Employing her mastery, she was concocting a potion to summon evil spirits, one that would help her eliminate the others, who were her very own brothers…
The potion bubbled, emitting a soft, green radiance that lit up the sister’s chamber. She worked in a remote area of the castle, one guarded by foul spirits and dark entities.
Malice poured and seeped into the final product as the cauldron cooled down…

Chapter 04

Shields and Swords

The last sibling, the youngest one, was a warrior at heart. He believed that there were many land enemies after the King’s demise, plotting and scheming to bring down or annex their beloved country.

Besides, the warrior firmly believed that kingdoms were ruled with swords and shields, not books or witchcraft!

Mask

Chapter 06

Eagle

Two of the three hatched a scheme to kill the others. One of them decided to reason and talk.
Who was it? Of course, the bookish and wise one. After much thought, he decided that truce was better than conflict.
He wanted to convince his brother and sister to take up high posts and rule with him.
Like a majestic eagle, the bookish man decided to be magnanimous.
But alas, the lust for power was too great in the witch and the warrior…

Chapter 07

Snake Ring

Putting on her snake ring, the sister had arranged for the poison potion to be put in her brothers’ drinks. There was going to be a grand dinner that night. Little did she know that her warrior brother had made similar arrangements…but his planned death blow was made of swords instead of poison…

Chapter 08

Fire

Here is how the cleansing fire raged in the castle, leaving two victims in its wake…
The warrior, in his haste and passion, gulped down the poison chalice before his brother.
Bolting to his feet, he unsheathed his sword.
With one swift strike, he beheaded his sister first…his own flesh and blood.
His heart filled with enormous pain at the sight of her headless corpse.
“It had to be done,” he said to himself.
But before he could turn and execute his brother, the poison spread through his veins…it was a magical potion, after all.
Within seconds, he lay dead.
Their brother mourned and wept, now the rightful King of the land.
[ THE END ]