[ WP ] The hero was killed , the princess was sacrificed , and the evil king rules the land . For the average citizen , though , things have taken a turn for the better .

I was scared when I first heard the news. 
 
 Knowing that Magnok the Terrible would be occupying the castle my little hovel stood in the shadow of was not, on the face of it, thrilling news. But it's sort of alright. 
 
 He brought with him an army of soldiers made entirely of dark magic, terrifying grotesque monsters that patrolled the city constantly... but they keep bandits and raiders away. And because Magnok had a magical army, he did n't need our sons, because they did n't eat or sleep or relax at all, he did n't need our taxes to feed and pay them. I did n't realise how much I was giving the `` good'' king until he was gone. 
 
 The eternal night obviously meant we had to adapt farming, we eat a lot of mushrooms now, but the predictable thunderstorms and flowing rivers of lava means the soil is kept fertilised and damp constantly. The food basically grows itself. 
 
 There's also a bit more meat to go around, the cursed grounds reanimate any animals that die there, so we never lose any livestock, and without the King's court taking their share there's more to go round for the common folk. You have to be a bit careful, any meat you want to eat has to be soaked in holy water. You do n't want it reanimating once it's on the plate... or worse! But there's plenty available since the Royal Cathedral got sacked. 
 
 In fact the reanimation curse can work on anything, as long as it's not too decomposed. I know the pox marks on her face will never heal, but after what started off as the worst year of my life, I'm just glad I can see her smile again.
