THE MOMENT
Dawn broke on the second day. The morning sun bathed the crowded amphitheater in golden light. Only a handful of people were there the day before; no one cared about another noble being executed. It seemed to be the King's favorite hobby to condemn those that had grown too wealthy. Word spread as the knights began to fall and now most of the village eagerly cheered when another was defeated. The King himself lost patience as the sun set on the first day and retreated to his chambers for the night. After a sleepless night, the news that the execution was still ongoing did little to improve his mood.
He waited in his throne room for almost an hour before he spoke up in anger; the Court Jester was the only other soul around.
"I must visit the amphitheater. Where are my guards?" he asked. The orange-haired jester, a teenage girl, hopped to her feet and smiled.
"All dead, your majesty," she gave an elaborate, almost condescending bow. "I'll accompany you to the execution!"
The King huffed to himself as he searched the empty throne room. There was no other choice; at the very least he would have one body between himself and any would-be attackers. The only other option was not to go out at all. He did not want his people to think he was afraid.
"Very well, let us go," He nodded at her. The trek was uneventful. The village appeared abandoned, even the beggars that normally lined the streets were absent. The King relaxed as they reached his throne overlooking the field of corpses. The condemned nobleman was toying with a wounded knight as the crowd applauded. But, he stopped before taking his seat; there was an unexpected guest.
"Who are you?" the King asked the unknown teenage boy. The teen wore a red jacket and sat with his attention on something else as if he were waiting for the King.
"Oh, hey!" the teen hopped to his feet as he spun around. "I'm Turbo," he nodded. "I'm waiting for her," he focused on the Jester.
"Of course...," the King nodded. They appeared to be about the same age, and he was glad to have another body nearby for protection. The King walked past Turbo and took his seat. '...you may discuss your business with my Jester," he added as he turned his attention to the ongoing slaughter. A new Knight took the field and King's heart sank. He recognized the old, loyal knight. He shouldn't have been dragged into combat at his age; but, it would seem that the nobleman reached the final knight.
Turbo approached the Jester and began their conversation. The King tried to listen in; but, he was too concerned about what would happen next. He knew the old knight only had minutes to live. But, even then, not quite minutes. The crowd cheered at the end; then, they all went silent. The people seemed to realize the King had no more defenders left.
"Great!" Turbo's voice startled the King. He turned to see the teenager walking away from the Jester. "I'll let you know when we start practice; but, don't worry if you can't make it. Your rehearsals with Rigel will take priority," he nodded at her with reassurance. "Good luck with the rest of your quest," he added as he turned and disappeared into the corridor.
"It's practically done...," the Jester replied as waved goodbye. Then, she finished her thought as she turned to face the King. "... waiting was the hard part." The King had no idea what they discussed; but, he had a sudden thought. He did still have one more guard left after all.
"You're still loyal to me...," he said.
"Sure," the Jester shrugged. The King typically demanded more enthusiastic loyalty from his subjects; but, he was scraping the bottom of the barrel. He hoped the nobleman would have at least grown tired of defending himself for an entire day; but, he still seemed to have all the vigor he started with. Once he saw that, he realized it was a mistake to appear. At least he could distract the crowd with one more contender and flee.
"That nobleman has been sentenced to death, I order you to carry out that sentence," he said to the Jester.
"Gladly!" She responded and hopped over the wall onto the field. The King dashed away as soon as she was gone; he had no idea how long it would take the nobleman to murder a teenage girl. He assumed he didn't have much time. But, his worst fears were confirmed when he reached the bottom of the stairs. The crowd outside began a new chant and his blood ran cold.
"RIOT! RIOT! RIOT!" They were revolting and would be coming for his head soon. He threw himself against a corner so that at least no one could attack from behind. But, he was surprised to see the young Jester appear in the corridor and head towards him.
"All done, your highness," she said. "Now, about my reward...,"
The King risked himself by looking out the window. He was amazed to see the crowd looked noticeably thinner and the nobleman's corpse lay on the ground.
"How did...," the King began to ask the question; but, he realized it didn't matter. She got the job done and he was thankful. "..Yes, of course! You shall be greatly rewarded with anything you ask," he said. He discovered a spark of respect for her and realized he didn't know her name. He'd never had reason to call her anything but "Jester".
"Who am I rewarding," he asked. "What is your name?" She giggled and shook her head. She muttered something under her breath that the King only caught part of; it sounded like she was complaining about something called an npc. But, she spoke up to answer his question before he could give it much thought.
"My name's Riot...," she said. Then, she pointed at the top of his head. "... and you're rewarding me with your crown."