Trading Tyrants

The crown was placed upon the new king as I held the old tyrant’s head in a bag. He turns to me and my companions. 

“As I know you are honorable and land and riches mean nothing to you, I will bestow honor upon you. Ever will your name be known in this realm as the saviors of…”

“Uh, excuse me?”

The king’s voice faltered. I stepped forward. 

“Do you think us nobles, with titles and castles to our names majesty?” 

“I thought since you did the honorable thing and brought me, the true heir to the throne, you would understand the way of men of honor.” The pesky brat looked offended. I sneered.

“We helped depose a tyrant stealing our land and taxing us until we had nothing left. If landless and free of income to support our families is what makes an honorable man you will find none here, majesty.”

The king had the nerve to scoff. “What would you know of the bonds an honorable man feels. Honor means to give your all for your people.”

“Then do it. Give your all.”

“I am the king.”

“Are you not an honorable one? Give your predecessor’s luxuries back to the people. Give the men who fought to gain you the throne what the tyrant stole or more. Feeding a family is no small task, majesty.”

The king shook his head. “I cannot promise anything to…” he glanced across my companions and poorly disguised a grimace behind a hand.

My hands clenched. 

“Even now you see us as peasants rather than citizens of the realm.”

“Well you were born to the barns.” 

My teeth ground as I fixed a rictus smile to my face. “Will you be any better than him?”

I tossed the bag to the ground. The tyrant’s head bounced out and rolled to the edge of the pedestal. The blank stare faced the king. His face paled. 

“Get out.”

“Answer me your highness. Will you be better? Or would you rather join him on the floor?”

“Get him out of here!” The king pointed. The men I’d fought beside grabbed my arms like I was some drunk wastrel making a fist in a pub. 

“Get off me. Are we nothing more that tools to you highness? How will we feed our families, our children?”

“Take him away. The rest of you shall be made guards.” The king met my furious gaze with a smirk. “They will be paid. Are you satisfied?” 

“Without homes, at your beck and call. What honor you bestow majesty. With honor like that a man could choke on his own accomplishments.” 

 The king flapped his hand toward me. “That one is banished from the castle. Don’t let me see you inside its walls again.”

I clenched my teeth. “You won’t see me. I can promise you that.”

They had to drag me out of the throne room and outside the palace wall. One man on royal red livery walked out a horse. 

“From the king.” He said. He bowed. He offered me the reigns. 

“This better not be the stable nag, trained to launch me when I’m out of sight of the castle.”

The man’s mustache twitched. 

“No sir. It is a riding horse, adapted to the forests and hills. A long distance runner you see.”

I grabbed the leather reigns. “Oh I see. I see he wants nothing more than me gone.” 

“So glad you understand sir.”

I clicked my tongue and led the horse down the path toward the forest. 

“Heavens forbid they make sure I know how to ride a horse before giving me one.” I set a hand on the beast’s neck.

“I’m afraid we have traded one tyrant for another.”