It would only take one person to slip a little something into the king's food.

Just one drop of poison and it would be the king's demise.

Maybe if I took a vial of aconite and—-

"Anna?
Anna? Anna?"

I jerked alive, snapping from my distant thoughts before looking over at Catherine as she arranged a platter of sweet treats on a clothed table. Her piercing blue eyes were cemented onto my figure.

"Anna! Get this to the table. You know the king grows impatient when he does not see his mid-meal pie" she snaps. I nodded, wiping my hands clean of the flour I was rolling before taking the pie from the table. The hustle and bustle of the spacious kitchen were sounds familiar to me and although sometimes hectic, they were strangely a bit calming. Before I had the chance to travel to the table, the wooden doors of the quarters crashed open.

"Move! MOVE! He needs air!"Two guards storm in, untying the blouse of yet another royal tester for the king. Catherine's instructions for the pie escaped my mind; all I wanted to witness was the chaotic scene unfolding before me so I skipped over, dropping the pie to the table before smiling at the dying servant. That was another taster dying at the effects of the poison.

Constrained breaths.
Soft droplets of sweat against the temple.
I pushed a finger against his palm and listened. 3 pulses per minute. These were the clear sign effects of arsenic.

How boring! They could have at least used something more novel!

One guard squints suspiciously as I linger near the body. "Do you know anything about this girl?"

"No, of course not" I reject, slowly stepping away from the scene.

"It seems as if you are a bit too content with the scene that unfolds?" the guard attacks, stepping closer to my figure. How foolish this man was to think I would be so careless! I would never poison the king with something so trivial. Before I could state my case, Catherine grabs my shoulders and locks eyes with the guard in question. "She is a new servant and not accustomed to the gore of the kingdom. Please forgive her" she smiles charmingly before guiding me away. We pass a couple of servants and carvers before turning through another nook in the kitchen.

"Try not to look too distraught Anna!"

"I can't help it, Catherine! I am not sorry if death and gore intrigue me" a tight-lipped smile greets my lips as I observe the chaotic scene. Servants dashed, trying to find remedies to mend the servant. Death was seizing his body the more seconds that passed.

Before I could whisper something witty to Catherine, the doors burst open, and in he entered.

"Who is in charge of this kitchen?" The king's voice thundered with power. We all halted and watched him as he paced into the room. He scanned the room trying to look for a perpetrator before locking eyes with the dying servant, his strained pulsations reminded him of his imminent death.

I knew everyone was fearful, trying their best to avoid the king's gaze but I instead took it in. It was the first time the ruler ventured into the back house of the kitchen. He must have been restless.

He looked weird; deranged and slightly unhinged with a bit of a juvenile charm. He was a young ruler with piercing green eyes to match. Long brown curls rested against his shoulders, framing his once so distinctive features.

He was a handsome man but the stress of his rule had taken its toll. His eyes looked rigid and tired; it were as if death was caressing his eyes. This was the 6th attempt on his life in just 3 days; it would exhaust anyone.

"I said, WHO IS IN CHARGE OF THIS KITCHEN" he repeated again, this time with more rage. Catherine shifted nervously as I crossed my arms. A tall man made his way through the crowds, standing to face the king before kneeling.

"I am my king."

"Do you think this is sane? 7 dinners in three days and 6 attempts on my life?"

"My king two hundred people are employed in the kitchen at Erigonia. There are cooks, scullery maids, stewards, carvers, pantlers and delivery men who can pluck, chop, boil, bake, garnish,--"

"It seems as of you know all the details of the kitchen but fail to know who is posing the food" He snapped, silencing the man. The man cowered in fear but still knelt in reverence.

"Your majesty, with all due respect—-" but before the man could defend his case, the king takes a sword from the guard and plunges it into his heart. Only a small pool of blood stained the floor, signifying the innocent man's death.

The king spits on the body of the deceased chef before looking up to face us. "If I am poisoned again and the food comes from this kitchen, it will be your head. ALL your heads" he threatens before storming out.

I watched him with anger in my eyes as he rushed out, hatred radiating against my core. How dare he treat us like this? As if we were some disposable playthings?

I walk over to Catherine, rubbing her shoulder as she shivers in fear. "I hate the way he talks to us"

"We cannot help it. He is the king and we must adhere to his word" she excuses his brashness. I for one was weary of Catherine's excuses for the arrogant king. The people were quick to excuse his actions but I for one was tired of it.

The kingdom of Erigonia needed a better ruler. We deserved a better one.... and I would be the one to make sure of it.

———

Author Note:

Hope you guys tune in to this story! Have an idea what it could be about? I know I gave a synopsis in the description but still.

I could not think of a name!
I have:

His Royal tester

A Royal tester

The King's Chosen Tester

A Royal posion

The King's Poison

??? Y'all help me with a name or if you just like Morsel, than that's fine too