I sigh in deep shame.

It’s the same every time;

Division, hate and loss.

Repeating history unknowingly,

Unwittingly.

Though,

There is beauty.

There is light.

There is divinity.

There is sight.

Love stretched some;

Their hearts filled to the brim.

I see a pair 

So different,

Yet so in sync.

And so I take them.

Far from this world.

They have been chosen.

To guide the new world.

A man who feels just as much as he

Does.

A woman who dares just as much as she

Yearns.

They are not above all.

But there are exemplary;

An original,

A pure,

A revolutionized

Model

Of humankind.

In their new home

They wander.

They admire.

They ponder;

At all the gifts

In abundance.

They create.

They grow.

They negate;

Any hate or

Gate—

Way

To the ugly past.

For he is thee,

She is me,

I am you,

And we are we.

Life is simple

Again.

Life is balanced

Again.

We embrace one another.

We embrace the light

And the ground.

We listen

For the sound

Of my beckoning;

Which will herd

This new world

Worthy of—

Love

Unbounded—

Spirit

Unprejudiced—

Mind

Unobstructed—

Body.

Nothing less.

Nothing more.

This tale is not about one king, but two. It's best to think about it as a two for one deal. A deal that the kingdom of Euphemia deeply regrets.

Darius Damon had an unusual birth. In fact, he was supposed to be born along with a twin. But when his mother came to term, only he arrived. Darius was a docile boy. He never spoke much, never played with others, never cared to participate in school; he never did much of anything really. The only time he was alive was when he was alone. His mother, Miss Damon, heard him create songs and sing them when he thought no one was around. He would build great building models from blocks. Where he got the blocks, Miss Damon didn’t know. As Darius developed, everyone in the village thought him to be off-putting and peculiar, but Miss Damon foresaw a grand future in store for him. And she was not wrong. For grand can be used in many ways. Such as: the slayings were a grand event, or, the massacres were on a grand scale.

Darius became an orphan at age eleven when his mother died of unknown causes. He was sent to live with his uncle, in the village Arcadia which sat right outside the gates of Euphemia. It's common for people to go missing in this village, and people knew where they ended up. The king at the time was Cornelius Ellis III. He was ruthless and rather childish. He came from a line of Cornelius’s whose times of reign were never taken seriously. Though this time around, the third Cornelius knew fear would have some effect on how the people respected him.

As many poor orphans do, Darius grew to be quite the kleptomaniac. He stole from anyone and took anything he could get his hands on. And, of course, one day he stole a very important item from a very important person. The man was Bruno Buchanan, a highly ranked knight and King Cornelius’s noble trustee. Darius was taken to the king’s infamous jail and held there, for the item that was stolen could not be found. And Darius being the voluntary mute he was, did not care to help with the investigation. In any other case, a thief would lose an arm or two, but since the item was of grand importance and the loss of blood in such a young person would ultimately result in death, they kept him in jail. For over two weeks Darius underwent grand torture. How a boy of his stature survived even the first few days, is quite the mystery. And so King Cornelius took a liking to Darius.

The King forgot all about the item and soon after housed Darius, claiming him as his own son. Darius’s uncle never saw him again. That is until he became king. Ironically enough, his uncle was his first to be executed when he was in reign. The reason is still unclear to this day. Just like the death cause of King Cornelius III. In the beginning, King Darius was seen as soft-spoken, level-headed, and well-respected. But underneath the cool exterior he was as deadly as a yellow-bellied snake. For Darius had a secret no one could ever understand.

In under a year, King Darius slayed the families of all of his servants and workers. He attacked when least expected and no one ever knew how. Some thought it to be poison but the toxicologist could never say for sure. No one ever knew his next target. The kingdom was secretly divided. Some thought King Darius to be cool, calm and collected. The others knew something didn’t feel right. He treated his servants like prized possessions and made sure they were taken care of on a grand scale. When they would find their families murdered, bodies bloated and bruised at the dinner table, they had nowhere to turn to other than the palace. And King Darius was always there to assure their well-being. He only picked the ones he truly liked. One can only assume what happened to those whose help wasn’t up to the king’s standards.

A young maiden named Selene came to stay with King Darius voluntarily. She was a serf from a foreign land that the king once visited. She was known to be a skilled seamstress and her polishing abilities were far beyond any jeweler. No one ever really paid attention to the fact that she was, and had always been, blind. One night she was changing the drapes in the king’s quarters when she heard him singing in the bathroom. The deep vibration of his voice rung in her ears and she smiled, for she knew this was something of a rare occurrence. As she got closer to the door to listen more, she grew wary. Now, her ears had never failed her before but she did question them this time for the voice she heard was of a woman. It sung the same melody and ended each vowel as Darius had. Just as she was listening, she felt the warmth of steam escape the bathroom as the door opened. Funny enough, Selene turned around embarrassed to catch the king in such a vulnerable state, and with a woman nonetheless.

“I’m sorry, my king, for my intrusion,” said Selene, her face growing pink.

“Nonsense, you were only doing what you’ve been told.”

She quickly went back to what she was doing but curiosity told her to carry on the conversation. Which is something only she could do. No one else dared to try.

She mustered all the courage she had and asked, “Should I tell the butler to prepare another setting for tea?”

King Darius’s eyes shot to her. Selene looked straight forward and continued draping the curtains as loosely as she could.

“Don’t be absurd, it’s only me as always.”

Selene turned her head his way to sense any falsehood but she didn’t. For she could usually sense another person present, but she didn’t now.

“Forgive me, my king. My ears seem to be playing tricks on me. I did not mean to be dubious.” She finished up her job and proceeded to be on her way.

“Perhaps you would like to join me for tea?” Although it was a question, Selene heard it to be a demand. One she knew she should not turn down. It was after all an offer from the king.

“Franklin has dropped the tea, you see, it’s already past 3 o’clock.” King Darius pulled out a chair and told her to sit.

“Shall I call for another setting?”

“Oh, no. There is an extra one already set. But you have to excuse me, it’s already been prepared.” Selene heard the clinking of a silver spoon gently hitting the porcelain teacup in front of her.

“I am beyond humbled to have a tea prepared by such royalty, my king.” She tenses up, not knowing what to expect next. After all, she was having afternoon tea with the king of Euphemia.

“Do you have family, Selene?” King Darius asked as he licked the spoon clean.

“No, my king. This is why I am so easily able to be available.” She chuckled nervously as she placed her hand on the warm cup of tea, not entirely sure how to act in this unusual situation.

“Very well, Selene. Very well,” King Darius slowly sipped his tea, swishing the hot tea around in his mouth. “Go ahead, dear, drink your tea.”

Selene raised the cup to her mouth and felt the sting of the boiling hot tea hit her lips. She licked it tasting a sharp sweetness she didn’t expect.

“I hope you don’t mind, I have a grand addiction to honey.”

Selene was dizzy in confusion. Not because she happened to be allergic to honey or even happened to fall victim to a poisonous cup of tea, but because the voice that was in front of her was not that of the king’s, but rather a woman’s.