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    King of Fools (A Free Fantasy Short Story)
    King of Fools (A Free Fantasy Short Story)
    King of Fools (A Free Fantasy Short Story)
    Ebook36 pages37 minutes

    King of Fools (A Free Fantasy Short Story)

    By M. R. Mathias

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    The King of Fools

    A Fool must save his kingdom from a tyrant with a dolt for a jester in this hilaric tale of majestic, motley mockery.

    I'm off to make a fool of a fool, and a fool of a king as well.
    Only a fool can fool a fool, but, with a kings wits, who can tell!
    I'm off to make a fool of a fool, and a fool of a kingdom too.
    I might lose my head by the kings-man's ax, but I'll try to fool him too!"
    -The King of Fools

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherM. R. Mathias
    Release dateAug 23, 2011
    ISBN9781465761309
    King of Fools (A Free Fantasy Short Story)
    Author

    M. R. Mathias

    "The Master of Epic Fantasy" - Kindle Nation Daily, Nov. 2017M. R. Mathias lives on 5 wooded acres. Like the wizards of old, he tends to the animals who share that space and inspire the creatures in his works. He likes to deep sea fish, to attend sporting events, and genre/cosplay conventions. He has sold well over a million eBooks. His work is critically acclaimed, and he has won multiple literary awards including a coveted Locus Poll nomination.Here is what others are saying about M. R. Mathias:"There are few writers in the genre of fantasy that can equal the creative mind of M.R. Mathias - now acknowledged as a master in this genre of dragons and dwarves, and magic, and spells, and all aspects of fantasy."-- Top 100, Hall of Fame, Vine Voice, Book Reviewer, Grady Harp"M.R. Mathias imagines a setting that will entice readers and lead them, along with his characters, on a breathtaking adventure." -- Readers Favorite Book Awards review of M. R. Mathias's 2017 Award Winning novel "A Gossamer Lens" from The Legend of Vanx Malic series"M.R. Mathias is a master at world building and is so good with creative descriptions that you can almost feel the wind whipping through your hair as you soar along on the back of a dragon." -- Readers Favorite Awards review of M. R. Mathias's 2015 "Gold Medal" Award Winning novel "Blood and Royalty" from The Dragoneer Saga""You've (Mathias) already achieved much, much more than so many people who like to think of themselves as writers." -- @Gollancz The Deputy Publishing Director of SF, Fantasy & Horror list of the Orion Publishing Group, 2013

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      Book preview

      King of Fools (A Free Fantasy Short Story) - M. R. Mathias

      KING OF FOOLS

      By M. R. Mathias

      Copyright 2011 by Michael Robb Mathias Jr.

      Smashwords edition

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      KING OF FOOLS

      by M. R. Mathias

      His movements were so swift that not a single person who was attending court the day he killed good King Rigert III saw him do the deed. None, save for the fool. But the fool was tight lipped, and always kept the myriad of things he'd seen and heard over his long life in the palace to himself. Especially what he'd seen the day the king’s head suddenly fell off, and tumbled to the floor.

      In the silence that had followed the beheading, the under-aged, over-fed Queen exploded into tormented howls of anguish. Her sobbing moans echoed around the polished white marble walls of the throne room, causing even the most hardened of men to wince.

      Since no one saw the murder, or the murderer, it was believed that the gods simply decided that it was time for a new king. Others believed that the third king, in a string of well loved and primarily good kings, had actually done something specific to anger the gods. A few of the more intelligent folks thought that somehow an invisible assassin, or some crafty sorcery, was behind it all. The working class in the cobbles thought that the Queen was involved, or that it was all just another false rumor being spread. Though not educated in anything more than their particular trades, even a commoner knew that a man’s head didn't just fall off in mid-sentence. None of them, though, were thinking correctly, and that was how it was intended. Only the fool knew the truth.

      The fool tried not to think about what's or why's. He had seen the man, as plain as day, when he stepped out from the hanging tapestry behind the throne. He felt the world around him slow, and he heard the king's voice drop in tone, until it slurred into an inaudible jumble. The fool’s eyes met the killer’s for an instant, and the fool saw something powerful in them, something dangerous. The fool watched helplessly, as the demigod, or demon, or whatever the mannish thing was, stepped out to swing a clean, two-handed arc with a glistening blade before stepping back into nothingness. The world then snapped back into sync, but the king’s voice had stopped, and the several dozen petitioners, counselors, and nobles in the hall, all paused in courtesy, politely waiting for him to continue what he had been saying.

      The

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