The Path of Decisions (24 page)

THE NEW KING

D
arius sat in a carriage on the way to the coliseum. The morning
was warm but threatened rain. The leaves on the trees were fuller every day and
flowers adorned the entry way of shops along the way. The city held a
nervousness that seemed to be barely under control. City guards were abundant
in the streets, and so far the general citizenry were behaving themselves.

News had reached Darius there had been sightings of soldiers from
the Kingdom of Arc gathering in the northwest across the border from Sur in the
city of Herro. Nothing serious had happened yet, but it was a problem Darius
would need to face in the coming weeks. Soldiers from Denir had also reported a
Gildanian buildup of men across the border, but Darius had talked to Mezar. As
soon as the ceremony was over his new friend would be going back home, meeting
with the Emperor and his father the general and taking care of any confusion at
their southern border. Darius sighed. He had not inherited a peaceful Realm.

Belor also still sat in upheaval, as no one firmly ruled the city.
A few men, who had sided with the Preacher but now had removed themselves from
him, tried to regain some control, but the people were not very supportive.
Darius would have to help find and appoint a governor there quickly.

The hours between his meeting with the councilors and the official
announcement had been filled with meetings and planning sessions. He had met
with councilors, ambassadors, farmers, mayors, and religious leaders, as well
as his father many times. They disagreed on many things and agreed on a few,
but progress was made. By the time the ceremony in the coliseum approached,
Darius felt confident.

His mother, Elizabeth, had been a great comfort to Darius in the
last few days. Just knowing she was there to talk to helped Darius feel more
confident. They had spoken a few times the previous day about Darius’s wedding
plans. She was so excited to be able to help plan a wedding. She had not met
Christine's mother yet, but Darius knew they would get along well. His mother
got along with everyone.

Six white Cremelino horses pulled the large carriage. They were
all from White Island and it was hard to stop them all from trying to
communicate to Darius at the same time. They had not been able to speak with
the previous king and so were anxious to voice their thoughts and support. The
Cremelinos were also able to keep in contact with one another across great
distances. They were almost giddy with excitement to have a wizard on the
throne again and someone to communicate with. It was what they were born to do,
but been deprived of for a long time.

Darius opened the curtains. He smiled and waved at onlookers as
they drove their carriages and walked to the assembly. Slight butterflies grew
inside of him. His mother affirmed it was natural. She looked better since
moving into the castle yesterday. Richard had been spending more time with her
also. Darius was happy, though he admitted to Elizabeth that he would miss her,
as he would be very busy being the King. She smiled and patted him on the head.
It was kind of silly, but Darius knew the gesture meant she loved him.

He entered the coliseum between two large white stone pillars. A
rumble sounded across the large expanse as everyone rose to their feet. He was
startled. “I wasn't prepared for this,” he told his mother and father, who sat
opposite him in the carriage. The ancient structure of stone seemed to be
larger than before and held an over-capacity crowd. He remembered back to times
when he was younger and had seen King Edward enter. Now he would be the King.
The crowd cheered for their young ruler, chanting songs and yelling praises.
Tears threatened the corner of his eyes.  He keenly felt the loyalty and love
of the people. As he waved to the crowd, he recognized familiar faces. He
realized they would treat him differently now.

Ahead of him, he spotted the colors of Anikari and the four major
cities of the Realm: Mar, Denir, Sur, and even Belor. He wondered who had come
from Belor and hoped for no trouble on this day. Colorful flags had been posted
and waved over their respective leaders.

The King’s procession was almost to the stand when he saw Kelln
sitting next to Alessandra in the front of the crowd. He waved at them, and
Kelln waved back. He was dressed in his finest clothes, which looked too formal
on him. Kelln’s hair was still unruly and hard to keep in place, especially in
the growing wind. Alessandra had dark circles under her eyes and looked tired
and nervous. When Darius looked at her, she did not meet his eyes but looked
down instead.  Once again he got a nagging feeling that he would have to watch
her more closely.

Darius ascended the stand, and the crowd sat. He hoped it wouldn't
rain. The skies were threatening, with bulging black and gray clouds gathering
over the city. The coliseum was filled to capacity. The breeze rippled the flags
that stood around the border of the stand.

Richard San Williams, councilor to a king but never to be one
himself, stood up and approached the pulpit. He rested his hands on the unique
carving of olive wood laced with gold.

“My fellow citizens of the Realm, I welcome you to this assembly.
Today we join in a joyous occasion of welcoming our new King and Protectorate,
King Darius DarSan Williams.” His voice broke ever so slightly, but the
applauding crowd covered it up.

Darius stood and walked to the pulpit, standing beside his father.
He looked over the crowd. He touched his sword at his side and gained comfort
through its power. Christine smiled up at him from a side chair. He hoped they
would accept her.
Should I tell them first or last?

Darius stood in his full kingly attire, dressed in the black and
red of Anikari, his purple cape of royalty blowing behind him in the increasing
wind. Richard lifted up the crown, and Darius knelt in front of the crowd.

“Upon the death of King Edward,” Richard continued, “Darius
lawfully became the King. Today we formally acknowledge that bestowal and set
upon him the crown of the Realm, and welcome him as our King and Protector to
inherit the Throne of Power that is now his by right.” Richard placed the
golden circlet on his son’s head. His piercing gray eyes looked down at his
only son and a small smile escaped his lips. “You may now arise.”

The crowd erupted in applause and enthusiasm. Richard went back to
his chair and Darius approached the podium, “Welcome, my friends and fellow
citizens. I regret the passing of our former king, King Edward DarSan Montere,
a great man that led us in a period of unequaled peace. As we all know, new
problems have arisen of late throughout the Realm. I pledge that the problems
will be corrected, that wrongs will be made right, and the Realm will continue
to be looked upon by our neighbors as the peaceful, successful, and great
kingdom it is.”

This brought applause again from the crowd. Many seemed pleased to
hear their new king speak so openly and candidly of troubles.

“With the passing of any great king, changes need to be made. So
it is today.”
Here it goes.
“My father will be Senior Councilor to me,
the same position he held previously under King Edward. His word and command
will be as mine own, except in things a king cannot delegate. As a member of
the royal family, the title Dar will now be added to his name.”  He glanced at
his father and smiled. His father looked genuinely surprised at the additional
words and title Darius had added.

“My second and third councilors will be Jarad San Newlyn and
Michael San Lazier, if they will accept.” He motioned for them to join the
other councilors on the stand. Jarad was known as one of the older religious
leaders throughout Anikari. It was the first time people could remember a
religious man being put into the nobility as a councilor. Michael was in his
mid-thirties but had as a junior councilor proven his loyalty to King Edward
many times.

Darius next announced that Cray Dreydon would also be a councilor.
Cray had been surprised and flattered when Darius had approached him about the
appointment earlier that day. He would be the King’s military councilor.

The other new councilor was Martin Halverssn, a man from the
farmlands who had gone with Christine to deliver the farmers’ petition the
previous year.

Martin approached the stand, and whispers grew throughout the
crowd. Dressed as well as he could, his homespun wool pants and worn boots
still marked him as a farmer. Some yelling came from the back of the crowd, and
Darius called for his soldiers to remove the troublemakers. There were even
hushed whispers among the other councilors. Many did not like this decision of
putting a farmer formally on to the council, but Darius had decided any future
problems of discrimination between the two groups could not be blamed on him.
He was doing his part.

He named Kelln El’Han as his ambassador at large, to travel the
Realm and report back to Darius on conditions. Kelln smiled from ear to ear.

Finally, Darius brought Mezar forward and announced him in his
official capacity as second heir to the Gildanian Empire. The crowd cheered and
seemed impressed their new king had already established such contacts.

Now it's time, while they are cheering,
he thought to himself.

A misty rain began to fall around them, and the crowd tried to
cover their heads. Darius paused and took a breath. He called Christine to come
forward. She looked radiant in the new light blue silk dress she had designed
herself. Seamstresses had worked nonstop to get the dress completed on time.
Her soft blonde hair cascaded down over the burgundy cape she wore. Her curls
bounced softly as she stepped forward. A servant walked beside her, covering
her head with a large parasol to keep off the rain.

The crowd strained to see who she was. They surmised that it must
be the daughter of some high noble. Her green eyes had a new edge to them but
still held their dramatic sparkle. Darius took her hand as she approached.

“Along with naming my new councilors, I would also like to
announce my engagement and impending wedding to Christine Anderssn.”  The crowd
cheered for a moment for their young and handsome king, but as the last name
sunk in, the applause thinned. “She is from the farm lands surrounding Anikari.”

Darius thought the entire crowd stopped speaking at the exact
moment he finished his sentence. Thunder roared overhead, and the rain picked
up.

“We will be wed at the end of the month,” Darius continued. “Then
we will tour the Realm and our neighboring countries.”

His announcement had taken a moment to sink in, but now the crowd
was in confusion. Some of the farmers cheered from the back and were quieted by
neighboring city people. Others began to shout up at Darius. Even some of the
councilors had looks of disgust on their faces. Darius felt anger grow. He was
the King! Why shouldn't he marry whom he wanted? The division between the
different factions of people had gone on too long and had affected too many
lives.

“Stop!” The power-filled shout echoed throughout the coliseum, the
words seemingly coming from the heavens, even louder than the thunder itself.
Even Christine, next to him, shivered at the sound. Power seemed to emanate
from Darius’s body. “Look at this woman, whom I love.” The crowd looked, and
Christine blushed. “Nothing is wrong with her or with any of you. Whether we
are farmers or born in the city, whether we come from Mar, Belor, Sur, Denir,
Anikari, or any of the smaller towns in our Realm, we are all the same. We have
a shared heritage as members of the Realm. Even the reign of the kings has been
affected by the great inequality among us, as my grandfather was denied his
place as heir when he married someone from outside the city. Fighting has
erupted in Belor because someone thought they were better than others and
deserved power. All of us, whether from Mar or Denir, from outside or inside a
city wall, are all created equal. We all have our own intelligences, talents,
powers, and perspectives. Let us celebrate our differences and let old hatreds
disappear.”

Darius drew his sword with a ringing sound and held the powerful
relic up high above his head with one hand, the other still holding onto
Christine’s hand. His muscles bulged with strength and control. His sword
glowed a golden color, and with a release of his power he sent a bolt of
lightning high up into the cloudy sky. The power spread out over the people in
cascading colors to form a dome of power stopping the rain from touching those
within the coliseum. Some of the dignitaries in the front began to shrink back
in fear. Such use of power had not been seen openly in Anikari for as long as
any man could remember. Darius prayed inside that his power would be accepted
and that he hadn’t just made a cause for a full-scale revolt.

“I challenge any person who disagrees with my choice for peace to
come forward.” He looked back at the councilors and nobles. “And, that includes
any of you.”

The crowd fell silent. The look on their faces mirrored the
questions in their minds. Who was this fierce young man who had become their
king? Could he defy the entire assembly at such a young age? What power did he
hold?

Darius stood silently, tall and proud next to his fiancée, holding
his golden sword high in the air. Kelln walked forward next to him and held his
sword high next to Darius’s. As his sword touched Darius’s, the white light
engulfed him also. He looked at Darius nervously.