King's Justice

I still could remember when I was twelve years old when my father brought me to see him perform an execution on a wanted criminal. There were several guards, a few courtiers and servants gathering around the courtyard where my father would carry out the execution.

I was there, standing alongside some of the guards as my father, King Klaus, made his way to the condemned in the courtyard. At that time, my father was in his mid twenties, dressed in a simple white gambeson instead of the luxurious outfit that a monarch would typically wear.

In terms of appearance, my father wasn't a physically imposing man, and many would say that he had quite a slight build, but the moment he stepped into the courtyard, the crowd quieted down as they looked at their king making his way to the condemned. All eyes were on him. I could see his page carrying a greatsword with him as he approached him.

Standing before the condemned, my father grabbed onto the hilt of the greatsword and pulled it out of the sheath. Everdawn, the family heirloom of the House of Niflheimr, it was said that the greatsword was crafted by three dwarven smiths and gifted to the first King of Everfrost 3,000 years ago. It was said to be made of a fallen star metal and virtually indestructible. It was said that only the Frost Kings could properly wield the blade, which was a beautifully-crafted sword that looked rather ornate. And my father would be using the sword to execute the condemned.

Standing tall before the criminal, my father looked down at him. I couldn't see his face as he was facing away from me, but I could hear what he said.

"Lord Aldor..." my father spoke, looking down at the condemned. "You're probably wondering why we're doing this kind of spectacle, are you not?" I could hear a hint of amusement in my father's voice as he continued.

"Y-your majesty! P-please!" The condemned, a nobleman named Lord Aldor begged to my father. "Y-you have to understand...!"

"Hmm? What do I need to understand?" Judging from his tone, my father was raising an eyebrow as he continued speaking to Lord Aldor. "Are you implying that I am unaware of all your acts that you've been doing all this time?"

"M-mercy, your majesty! Mercy! I-I did it for my family!" Lord Aldor wailed out, tears streaming down his cheeks. "And for you, your majesty! I did it to serve you better!"

"Ah, so you sold those peasant girls to the slavery ring in order to help support your family, hmm?" My father asked, though from the sound of it, it seemed that he already knew what the nobleman had been doing. "And not to mention keeping some of them in an underground chamber for your pleasure, with none of them older than twelve?" He shook his head in a disapproving manner. "You disgust me."

"P-please spare me, your majesty! Please!!" Lord Aldor begged tearfully.

"I cannot overlook your crimes, Lord Aldor. What you did is a crime against humanity itself. You are well aware that slavery is outlawed here in Everfrost, yet you partook in it. In addition to that, those disgusting actions that you did to those peasant girls are beyond deplorable." He brandished Everdawn in his hands, ready to carry out the sentence. "Therefore, I, Klaus von Niflheimr, the King of Everfrost and the Monarch of Winter, sentence you, Aldor Kassius of House Guntley, to death."

When my father said that, Lord Aldor was babbling incoherently, even pissing himself, much to the disgust of the guards holding him down.

"Furthermore, all your properties and wealth shall be seized and your family shall be stripped of its noble title. Your wife and daughters will be sent to the convent while your son will be exiled." My father added. "Your son was your unwilling accomplice, though he should've done more to stop you from spiraling down to such depth of decadence. Your son shall live, though he is not welcome here in my realm."

Lord Aldor was such a mess now, unable to control his bladder. Even my father couldn't mask his disgust as he saw the puddle of urine grow bigger.

"Eugh, can't you at least accept your punishment with a little bit of grace? You know there will be people having to clean this place up, right?" My father, the King of Everfrost, let out a rather petulant complaint even though he was going to pass a death sentence to the condemned. "No matter. Let us get over it. Bring him to the chopping block, men."

So, even as Lord Aldor wept and wailed while pissing uncontrollably, he was brought to the chopping block without problem. After he was put in place, my father took his place beside him and held Everdawn aloft. Then, with one swift downward swing, the blade cut through Lord Aldor's neck, killing him instantly. The moment his head was separated from his body, I flinched, but I didn't look away.

My father told me earlier to not look away. He would know if I did so.

Lord Aldor's head rolled down the paved ground and my father sighed as he inspected his sword before he handed it over to one of his men. The severed head was then picked up while the headless body was moved from the chopping block.

"Put his head on the pike. Make sure that people will see it." My father ordered. "Let them know of his crimes. Make it clear that not even a noble can escape the king's justice."

"As you command, your majesty." And so, the guards carried the head and the body away. Meanwhile, several servants began doing their job, cleaning up the yard, having to deal with the piss and blood on the ground. Now that the execution was over, my father turned around and headed over to me.

"You did well for your first time, my son..." My father spoke to me, giving me a gentle smile. Just a while earlier, he executed the man without hesitation, but after he was done, he tenderly stroked my head. "It is an unpleasant business, but it is not something that we can avoid as the king of this kingdom."

I looked up at him, seeing his gentle smile. His eyes were colored like fiery hearth, and it was something that I inherited from him, alongside his pale complexion and snow-white hair. There was something in his eyes that made him seem like he had lived through countless lifetimes even though he was still in his mid twenties. Only when I was older that I realized that it was due to the Will of Everfrost swirling inside him.

"If it is an unpleasant business, why don't you just have a headsman carry out the execution?" I asked. Hearing that, my father laughed.

"Well... it is something that your grandfather taught me, Karol." My father said as he brought me away from the courtyard, away from the execution scene and people cleaning up piss off the ground "Condemning a person to death isn't something that you can take lightly. Every soul that you take puts a weight in your own soul, and it is an unavoidable thing, see? You will have to live with it for the rest of your life until you finally expire."

I mulled over his words, wondering what they actually meant.

"So, do I have to kill criminals myself once I become king?" I asked, rather innocently. My father laughed again.

"Well, not necessarily. The point is that you should be responsible with all your actions. Whether in carrying out your duties as a king or living your own life as a person. As a king, you will be responsible in passing judgment on the guilty, and while it is not necessary for you to carry out the execution yourself, taking responsibility is the least you can do to the condemned." My father explained. "If you cannot bear the weight of a man's life in your hands, perhaps that man does not deserve to die..."

I couldn't help but contemplate over his words, and my father just smiled as he looked at me, deep in contemplation. He rubbed my head before he led me into the keep.

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It was two years ago when I first saw an execution carried out by my father. I saw a few more over the course of two years, but now, I would no longer be able to see my father carrying out the execution, now that he had joined his forefathers in eternal rest in the crypt underneath the Frozen Keep.

I made it my habit to enter the crypt to visit my father's tomb, where his body was preserved in an enchanted ice coffin. His body was still in pristine condition despite him being dead for quite a while. The same was the same for my predecessors who were interred here. Their bodies remained immaculate, frozen in time. I didn't know why their bodies were kept like this, but at this point, it had become a tradition for the Frost Kings and occasional Queens to be interred here after their death.

After my death, my body would probably be interred here as well, but that would be a thing to worry about in the future.

Standing before my father's ice coffin, I couldn't help but remember his words after he executed the nobleman. I had to wonder if I had enough strength to actually carry out an execution like that. My father told me that one must take responsibility of their actions, and carrying out the execution was one way for a king to take responsibility. Would I be determined enough to actually carry out an execution like my father did? Could I carry the weight of a man's life for the rest of mine?

"Ah, you're here, Karol..." A gentle voice broke me out of my reverie. I turned around and saw my older sister, Kassandra von Niflheimr. She was around the same age as Linde, and she certainly took after our mother, inheriting her beauty.

The succession law in Everfrost is male-preference primogeniture, in which the firstborn son will inherit the throne while the female member of the dynasty can only get the throne if she has no living brothers and no deceased brothers who left surviving legitimate descendants. That was why I was the one who inherited the throne and not my sister. Even so, my sister was still in the line of succession, so for the time being, she was my heir presumptive until the time when I got a male heir myself.

"Sister..." I straightened myself as I looked at Kassandra. She smiled as she moved closer to me. A gentle soul, she never expected to actually take the throne for herself, and she wasn't exactly the best choice for the Frozen Throne of Everfrost, being sickly ever since she was a child. "You shouldn't force yourself to come here. It's colder down here."

Kassandra smiled as she shook her head. "Don't worry, Karol. The coldness is fine here. The blood of Frost King flows in me as well..." She pushed back her white ringlets as she approached our father's ice coffin. "I just want to pay father a visit."

"Sister..." I looked at her. I remembered her being so devastated by our father's death. She was so close to him back then when he was still alive that some nobles initially thought that our father favored her as his heir. "I've been thinking a lot lately. About father."

Kassandra gave me a smile. "Are you worried?"

I hesitated for a little before I nodded. "I wish he told me more about how to be a good king. I don't know if I... I can measure up to our forefathers. Will I be able to be a good and just king just like father?"

"Oh, Karol..." Kassandra reached out to my hands and held them. "That's fine. You can take it slow. For the time being, mother is ruling Everfrost in your place as your regent, so you can learn on how to rule until you finally reach the age where you can rule Everfrost on your own. You have everyone who can help you out. I will help you out as well."

Hearing that from my sister, I couldn't help but smile. She sounded so earnest there. "Thank you, sister. Still..." I looked at the ice coffin. "I remember that time when I first watched father execute a criminal. He told me that if I can't bear the weight of a man's life, perhaps that man does not deserve to die. But... it should be my responsibility to carry out the sentence, and if I cannot handle it, then..." I couldn't bring myself to say it, though Kassandra seemed to know what I was trying to say.

She gave me a comforting pat on my shoulder. "Yes, it is a king's responsibility to pass the sentence, and he must make peace with the fact that he has to take a life in order to fulfill his obligation as a king. It won't be easy, but it isn't something that you have to handle on your own." Smiling serenely, Kassandra continues, "A king can listen to what other people suggest and advise to him, and through their advises, the king can at least lessen the burden a little."

Kassandra looked at the coffin again and let out a melancholic sigh.

"I suppose father didn't tell you to rely on other people as well. While the weight of the crown is yours to carry, it doesn't mean you cannot have other people keep you steady." Kassandra said.

I mulled over Kassandra's words, and somehow, I felt more lightened than before. That uncertainty was still there, and I was sure it would remain there as long as I lived, but I felt much better than before.

"Thank you, sister. I feel much better than before." I expressed my gratitude to Kassandra. "Well, I should take my leave now. And please take a rest after this, sister. You don't have to force yourself." I told her, and she just nodded and smiled in response to that.

So, I left the crypt. I told the guards stationed outside the crypt to accompany my sisters. Now that I had not much going on, I decided to leave the Frozen Keep for a bit and visit King's City.

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King's City was bustling with life and despite the coldness, the people were active here. I could see merchants from outside the kingdom selling their wares here and children running around while citizens were minding their own businesses.

I was accompanied by Linde as I walked down the road of King's City. The people recognized me, though they just bowed their heads respectfully before they returned back to their businesses. Me visiting the streets was already a common occurrence here, and the people were used to me showing up every now and then. Sure, I still maintained my distance so that it was made clear that they couldn't simply approach their king mindlessly, but I wasn't being distant either.

"So, is there anything you have in mind, Karol?" Linde asked me.

"Nothing in particular. I just feel like visiting this place." I said. Linde shrugged as we continued walking down the streets.

But as I walked, someone suddenly bumped into me, and that someone yelped out. I stepped away, but instead of hearing an apology, I heard a shrill yell instead.

"Watch where you're going, boy!" It was a middle-aged man in a rather dandy outfit, and judging from the smell of perfume coming from him, he was a visiting merchant who somehow fashioned himself like a noble. "You think you can get away without giving me a compensation? Do you have any idea how much this outfit costs?!"

The man was having a meltdown here in the middle of the road, and the onlookers started whispering among themselves. Some of them even tried to tell the man that the 'boy' he was chastising was none other than the King of Everfrost, but the man paid no heed to their words as he continued with his tirade.

"Do you have any idea who I am, boy?! I am Baron Hartigan of Greywater! I own the fourth biggest trading company in this continent!! If you think you can get away disrespecting me, then you will regret being born!" It was clear that he was looking for a fight, being so haughty and pompous that he didn't realize that he just tried to make an enemy out of the most powerful person in Everfrost.

"B-boss... I-I don't think-" It seemed that one of his lackeys recognized me, and they tried to stop this Baron Hartigan from digging himself even deeper, but he wasn't done yet.

"Shut your trap, Toby! I'm not done yet! I'm not going to let some lordling disrespect me even further! At the very least, I expect 500,000 crowns as compensation for such disrespect!" Well, that was already pushing it. I doubted he even had a barony to begin with, and yet he acted as if he was a noble even though he was still a merchant.

"Boss!! P-please stop it! H-he's... he's..." The lackey, Toby, was pale as snow at this point, knowing that his boss was trying to intimidate the ruler of the kingdom.

At this point, the onlookers began shouting at Baron Hartigan, telling him to stop with his tirade and bow down to me so that he could get a lighter punishment. The baron in question was confused, though he didn't get it yet.

"Huh? Why should I bow down to some lordling? Huh? You mean he's the king? No way! There's no way a king is coming to the city without an entourage of soldiers! Do you think I'm a fool?!" At this point, Baron Hartigan was too adamant in his belief, unwilling to listen to reasons. I could just have Linde explain it to him in details about me being the King of Everfrost, but that would be a hassle. And in addition to that, being a half-elf, I doubted that he would even take her words seriously.

So, I focused the Will of Everfrost into my being before I let it out with a simple command.

"Kneel."

Right on cue, Baron Hartigan fell on his knees, compelled by my words. He had a shocked expression on his face, and now that he was on his knees, I looked down at him, narrowing my eyes. It seemed that he had come to a realization. While he might be ignorant of who the King of Everfrost was, he was fully aware of the Frost King, the Monarch of Winter. With the Will of Everfrost, the Frost King could impose his authority over everyone whom he deemed underneath him.

Frankly, I didn't like using this method. It robbed people of their agency, and it was no different than mind control, but I decided to use this because I couldn't be bothered to use other methods.

"Pray tell, Baron Hartigan of Greywater... why shouldn't I visit my city?" I spoke to him, and somehow, I could feel my ancestors speaking through me. It felt odd, but at the same time, I felt powerful. "This is my domain, and I am free to go wherever I please."

"W-what... I... t-this..." Now realizing his mistake, Baron Hartigan tried to come up with something, but the sheer pressure from me prevented him from even saying anything.

"I am Karol von Niflheimr, the King of Everfrost, the Monarch of Winter and the Frost King. Tell me, baron... how much do I have to pay for... 'disrespecting' you?" This time, I couldn't stop myself from smiling. The swirling vortex of the Will of Everfrost had given me the taste of power, and I would never get tired of it.

"Ah, uhh... y-your highness, t-that was a joke! A joke!" Instead of admitting his mistake, Baron Hartigan decided to dig himself even deeper, and I could even hear some people speculating how I would punish him. From what he just said, he expected me to laugh it off, but when I didn't play along, he immediately broke down. "P-please forgive me, your highness!! Please spare me!! I-I wasn't being myself!!"

Seeing that the man was sobbing uncontrollably, I let go of the Will of Everfrost, relaxing a little. I could feel it ebbing away from me as I relaxed. "You do know that disrespecting royalty, especially the head of the state, may warrant a heavy punishment. In fact, it is within my right to seize all your properties and declare you an outlaw. But I don't think ruining someone's life due to impulsiveness is the way to go. Thus, I have decided to let you walk away with your dignity intact."

Hearing this, Baron Hartigan's expression brightened. "R-really?! Y-your majesty is so merciful!"

"But... that doesn't mean you can walk away unpunished. I still allow you to retain your dignity, but you are no longer welcome here in King's City. Your trading company can no longer trade here, and you are given five days to gather your things and leave this place. Also, any profits that you might have gained during your stay here are no longer yours. I will send my men to calculate the exact profits you have gained during your stay here, and they will be used for something like developing an orphanage or a homeless shelter. Please rest assured that you still can keep your unsold wares." I explained to him about his punishment, and while he didn't seem too happy with this, at the very least he seemed to prefer this over having his properties seized and himself being branded an outlaw.

And so, everything was solved, and Baron Hartigan headed away, trying his best to avoid being jeered by the onlookers. Now that everything was done, the people continued minding their own businesses, and I sighed in relief now that it was over.

"So, I guess there's a lesson to be learned here, right?" Linde said cheekily.

"I guess the lesson is that I shouldn't be too carefree while mingling with my subjects..."I said before sighing again. "I guess I don't look kingly enough."

Linde giggled. "Well, you did look pretty kingly when you made that voice. I have to admit, it was quite awe-inspiring seeing you like that. I think I even shivered when you acted like that."

"Huh, is that so?" I said. Well, mustering the kingly gravitas from the previous kings and queens of Everfrost sure felt great, but I knew that it wasn't something that I should abuse. "Well, let's put this behind us now. Let's return to the Frozen Keep."

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"I heard about what happened at King's City, Karol."

My mother spoke to me as she found me walking down the hallway. I sighed. Of course she heard about what happened at King's City.

"Do you disapprove of what I did, mother?" I asked her.

"No, you did the right thing. Of course, I will not blame you if you gave him a much harsher punishment. Still, perhaps you should try to bring more people with you if you decide to head out." My mother said. "Baron Hartigan mistook you for a minor noble whom he could bully with his wealth."

"Is he really a baron?" I asked.

"No, not really." My mother shook her head. "He is a self-made businessman who somehow managed to establish a business empire and accumulate enough wealth that can rival most nobles. He just calls himself a baron just to show off his wealth, that is all."

"I see..." I mused. Well, not that it mattered anyway, since he would not be able to set his foot into King's City again. And since news travelled fast, he would become a subject of ridicule among his fellow businessmen for years to come. I didn't mean to humiliate him like that, since I even promised him to let him walk away with his dignity intact, but due to his impulsiveness, his reputation was now irreparably damaged and he would become a laughingstock among his peers. And he brought it upon himself.

Well, since I had already decided to put this behind, I decided to just let it go for now. I was about to leave before I stopped myself.

"Mother..." I said. "You think... father would be proud of what I did today?"

My mother didn't answer immediately, as if mulling over my words. Then, she gave me her answer.

"Yes, I'm sure he would be proud of you."

There was no way I could confirm that, considering that he was dead, but her answer made me smile. It made me feel much better about myself. Perhaps my goal in becoming a good king was not unreachable, after all.