Struggles for the one and only,
tribes fighting for the high kingship,
kindred killing kindred to be the ruler;
Revenge from the closest, the powerful, the enemy.
Wars, massacres, poisonings; treacherous arrows in the hunting fields gleam,
knives in the back, in the dark, in the bed of “love”.
Venomous whispers, despairing schemes.
Puppeteers, games of control and fear, and promises of love.
Empty vows and the weeping of despair,
The road to power, hypocrisy, betrayal, and loss,
The never-ending food chain,
the closer to the top—the further you’ll fall.
The only rule: hunt or be hunted.
Yet, undefeated lids flutter and drop.
A single tear escapes, quivering.
Then sinks forever into the untraceable void.
He was not without ambition;
but even daring to embrace the thought made his marrow cold.
For the thrones allure, with stories
Untold.

Written by Sophia Kong and edited by Josephine Sim. Published on 17/9/23. Header image by Marianna Wang.