The Grief

The silence and numbness in this The palace was deafening, heavier than any scream. Shock hung in the air, thick and suffocating. Soldiers, maids, and even Harrison who had long harbored hatred for the Queen stood with tears streaming down their faces. They were forced to witness their ruthless King in unimaginable pain, broken by a tragic misunderstanding that had pierced two hearts with a single arrow. Harrison felt a sickening pang of guilt; he had fed the poison into his friend’s mind, never imagining both would end up on the brink of destruction. Should he confess this crushing regret, or let the suffocating grief consume them all?.

CRASH!

The harsh sound of breaking steel shattered the silence. Ralph had broken his own sword into pieces, throwing the remnants aside.

(Ralph breaks down, crying desperately. He carries her body, rushing to the physician.)

"See her, Physician! Tell me she is alright! Look at her veins—she is okay, right? She must be okay!"

Harrison watched, stunned by the pleading, yearning look in his friend’s eyes. This was not the ruthless King who demanded blood for blood. Who was this man.

The agony in Ralph’s eyes was harder to witness than any death. He looked at Joanna’s lifeless body. For years, she waited for revenge, and she executed it perfectly—but at what cost, She had killed herself without knowing the full story. Was she stupid and proud, or merely a victim of her own dignity.

No, I am wrong, Harrison thought, guilt consuming him. We are all wrong. We never told her the truth, letting her believe she married the monster who killed her family. I ruined them both. I am unworthy of tears when I failed to be a friend to either of them.

(Ralph is on his knees, pleading with the physician.)

"Calm down, Lord Alexander Ralph. We are taking her from here," the physician said, fear trembling in his voice."

(In the medical chamber)

The physician checked her veins, his fingers trembling as he felt her neck, ordering the maids to prepare dressing. But when he checked her pulse again, it was gone. There was no sign of life. Now, he did not fear for her; he feared the King would kill him on the spot.

The moment of truth arrived outside: "The Queen is dead." Some spoke of the end of a vengeful enemy, but for the kingdom, it felt as if the sun had set forever.

When the news spread, the King refused to leave the room where the Queen had died. He became a void of life, refusing to let anyone touch her body. Days passed, and he began speaking to her decomposing, rotting corpse. Watching this, Harrison grew terrified. He thought Ralph would snap out of it after a day or two, but now, a month had passed.

Advisors pleaded with Harrison to intervene; he was the last one left who could save the kingdom.

One day, Harrison knocked on the door. The smell of decay was so intense it felt fatal.

(Ralph opened the door with a bizarre, cheerful smile. He had grown a thick, untamed beard.)

"What are you doing, Harry? I never see you in our room," Ralph said softly.

(Harrison felt cold dread. Why is he smiling from ear to ear? Has he gone completely insane?)

"You haven't come out in months, Ralph."

"Really?"

"Yes. And... in our room? You are living in that room!"

"Who told you that? Me and Joanna... do you forget, my dear friend?"

(Harrison calmed himself and entered the room, abandoning caution.)

The room was covered in thick dust and filth. On the bed lay only a skull and bones, yet they were dressed in fine clothes—changed constantly by Ralph. Pins and hair clips were arranged in perfect order.

"Where is your wife, Ralph?" Harrison asked, his voice shaking.

"Are you blind? Don't you see her waving at you?"

(Harrison was in absolute shock. She isn't there. He has completely lost his mind. Grief is a terrible thing, but this is madness.)

(Harrison grabbed Ralph’s shoulders.)"Ralph, look at me! She is dead! That is just a rotten skeleton!"

"ENOUGH! ENOUGH, HARRISON! She is not dead! She is here with us, with me! She can't leave me, she can't! She is here... see? She is eating, she is talking... she is just ailing, that is all!"

"Shut up, Ralph! Try to understand, she is dead! She is not with you, or with us!"

(Ralph rushed towards the bed, taking out his dagger, acting as if to protect her, but Harrison attacked him with his sword.)

"Don't you dare go near her! You are forgetting your place!"

(They fought, clashing swords, until in the struggle, Harrison broke the beautiful pendant resting on the skull's neck.)

Ralph dropped his sword, grabbing the broken pendant in his hands, moaning in unimaginable pain. "She's not dead... She's not dead, Harrison! She's always here for me, please, just leave me!"

(He rushed to the skeleton, hugging the bones.)

If I don't stop him, this kingdom will end, Harrison thought." Think about your people! Your kingdom! Please, listen to me!"

"I don't listen to anyone! You all want to separate us, right? You never liked my Joanna!"

(Harrison finally lost his patience.)

"Well, you didn't love her enough to tell her the truth! You killed her family, and now you are pleading for her to come back? Who is the worst, Ralph? You, who never resolved the misunderstanding! You are to blame for your sister's death, and now your wife's!"

(Ralph punched him, enraged.)

(Harrison smirked, wiping blood from his lip.)

"Now what, Ralph? You're happy now? Or should I say, you're drowning in the misery of your own faults? Now, behave, and give me the order to lay this skeleton to rest... and to free your soul."

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