The Voices

[WP] You are a mighty hero, a god-king worshipped by your people. But you were not always this way. Once you were a child struggling to survive. It was a small gentle voice in your head that has guided you to prosperity and victory time and time again. Never have you questioned why. Until today.

*****

The voice told me to execute my best friends.

I never thought a day would come when I would have to doubt it. The voice had never led me astray and always urged me to do the right thing, turning me into the hero I am today. My kingdom simply wouldn't exist without it.

And yet, the same could be said about my fellow party members.

We were an adventuring group long before I ascended to the throne. Their bravery and council were just as instrumental to my success as the voice in my head. Unfortunately, they were caught embezzling funds from the royal treasury to finance their own debauchery. If it had been a small sum, over a short period of time, I could've looked the other way.

This wasn't the case, though. They had been doing it behind my back for years now, almost bankrupting the capital to buy rare magical items and host parties in their keeps. The public knew it through rumors at the whorehouses. It felt like I was the last person who learned about it.

"Your majesty," said Adrein, the royal treasurer, bowing at the steps of my throne. "I wish there were another explanation, but the only people who could tamper with my records are them."

I narrowed my eyes. "Do you realize the weight of this accusation?"

"Y-yes, your highness! That's why I took so long to bring this to you. This would've been impossible if only one of them had tried it. The only way it could've happened is if they all worked together to hide it."

I scowled. "How do I know you're not framing them?"

Adrein grew stiff. "I... I would never!"

"Neither would they!"

Adrein winced.

I wanted to imprison him. These were my closest friends. The voice, however, simply said two words:

'Confront them.'

I sighed. The voice was right. I couldn't take out my anger on the treasurer.

To my dismay, nobody wanted to admit their wrongdoing. When confronted, the party members accused me of growing distant from them, always listening to the voice in my head over them.

"And why shouldn't I?" I responded. "You're all crooks!"

"We built this kingdom for you," said Agatha. She was our wizard, probably the smartest person I had ever met, and her betrayal hurt me most of all. "But you only used us."

I couldn't believe my ears. "I never asked for your help! You're the ones that followed me!"

"And?" said Jason, the bard. "I've always been a whore, but you never had a problem with it back then. You're the one that got lame."

"Aye," said Darmok, our dwarven druid. "You used to drink with me 'til sunrise. We even sneaked away with some party funds for it. Now that you're king, you haven't even touched a mug in years."

"What am I supposed to do? Ignore my duties so we can waste our time together?"

"Is that what we are?" asked Agatha. "A waste of time?"

I paused.

"We were all outcasts," said Darmok. "The world always treated us like trash. After overthrowing the tyrant, you expect us to bow and serve like those who kept us down?"

"No," I said. "I simply expected better from you. The reason I fought was to eradicate this exact type of corruption."

"You should've known better," said Jason. "If you actually bothered hanging out with us, we wouldn't have been able to get away with it, so, technically speaking, this is more your fault than ours."

'Punch him' said the voice.

And so I did.

The ensuing battle almost cost me my life. Fireballs and lightning bolts lit up the night sky. They were the mightiest adventurers in all the lands, and a decade of peace hadn't weakened them one bit.

Our clashing created tremors for miles on end. It took all of my royal guards to subdue them. Finally, after the battle ended, the voice whispered in my head:

'Kill them.'

The sword wavered in my hand. For the first time in my life, I was questioning my faithful advisor.

'Kill them!' it shouted. 'For the kingdom!'

I couldn't do it. They betrayed me, yes, but I couldn't deny that the greatest years of my life were spent with them. Is this how I repaid them? In their minds, the royal vaults were no different than the party funds, since they helped build the kingdom.

More than that, they all hated the aristocracy. The nobles were simply cunning opportunists who backed us when convenient. Our treasury was built from taxing them. That didn't justify stealing from the treasury, though. Those funds kept our kingdom running. The peasants would suffer more than anyone in this case.

I ordered the royal guards to imprison them, ignoring the voice that pleaded with me to execute them.

Killing them just didn't feel right. I went back to my castle with a heavy heart. The party members hated me now, despite sparing their lives. I needed time alone to meditate on this. The voice had never done me wrong, but I couldn't help but ask it one thing:

"How did it get to this point?"

When I was a child, my hunger kept me awake for nights.

Finding a warm loaf of bread was a rarity, something the other urchins would murder over, and I got lucky one day when it fell out of a noble's bag, right on my lap. I ran as fast as I could, sneaking into my hiding spot on a rooftop, and got ready to eat it in one gulp before I heard the voice say:

'Share it with your friends

I almost panicked, thinking someone had followed me to my hiding spot. Still, when I tried to eat the bread again, the voice repeated the same thing again. It felt strange, but I decided to follow its advice, and that's how our party started.

As we went up the ranks, I got offers to join other warriors with more renown, something that could've advanced my career much quicker. When I was most tempted, however, the voice told me:

'Stay with your party.'

And I did.

Eventually, we overthrew the tyrant and became legends. That should've been the end of it.

I always thought the party members stuck with me because we were doing the right thing. They may not have known it, but they weren't following me; only the voice in my head.

At least, that's what I used to think. Now, upon hearing them out and our subsequent fight, I started wondering if I had been wrong all along. They didn't care about something as abstract as the greater good. They only cared about me. Not the kingdom, or the subjects, only their friend.

'Don't forgive them,' whispered the voice. 'Their selfishness will ruin the kingdom.'

"No," I answered. "Listening to you has only driven me to sacrifice everything I love. It may have helped before, but enough is enough. What is your purpose? Are you a spirit? A god? Or... my imagination."

'I am all at once, and none. You wished for a better world, and listening to me led you to it. Are you going to throw it away for them?'

"I didn't want to be king. Not if it means living like this."

'Your wants don't matter. They never have. The greater good is always more important.'

"Is it?"

'Why would a lowly urchin matter? You are only valuable in service to the world. Those who can't grasp this are worse than trash.'

I clenched my fist. Everything became clear now. "You... are my ego, aren't you? It may have been disguised as charity or friendship, but in the end, you were only driving me to prop myself up."

'I gave you a kingdom.'

"My friends gave me a kingdom. You just helped me manipulate them. And now, you want me to lose them as well."

'To cement your legacy! The world needs heroes like you! Everyone should emulate your virtue! You are nothing without me!'

"No, not anymore. Leave me, phantom. We did our job. The kingdom will stand on its own."

And so, the voice finally disappeared.

I had never felt my mind grow so quiet. It was like I had been freed from a heavy burden. I realized now that the only reason I isolated myself from work was that I needed to control everything. Yes, what my friends did was wrong, but Jason also wasn't wrong by blaming me. I treated them poorly and allowed them to run amok by not paying attention to them.

The next day, I went to the dungeons and knelt before my friends, saying:

"I'm sorry. From now on, I promise to make more time for you all."

Darmok seemed ready to forgive me, but Agatha stopped him and said:

"What about the kingdom? Aren't we a waste of time?"

I hung my head. "The kingdom became my self-image, and it blinded me to what really mattered. There's no point in ruling if you're alone. Besides, as long as we stick together, the kingdom will be fine. I'm sure of it. Just... be more honest with me next time. Don't steal from the treasury. If you need money, just let me know. I mean, we literally tore apart the countryside in one night. How can anyone match that strength?"

Agatha smiled. "Very well."

Jason didn't buy it, though. He pouted in a corner of the cell, glaring at me with a black eye.

"Come on," I said, "Is it about the punch?"

"Of course, it's about the punch! You almost ruined my face! That's my money-maker!"

"You should've owned up to your crime, then. Don't blame me for your hedonism."

Jason sighed. "Fine... I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted." I opened the cell. "Come on, I owe you guys a party."

*****

THE END.