It was a silent massacre. It was only normal that a raid such as this; to kill thousands of enemy soldiers in the capital, would be heard and experienced across the capital, but there was no such thing. Isne soldiers were not granted the glory of a great battle, they could not scream for their lives or look their enemies in the eyes as they choked in their own blood; they instead just dropped dead, not even sure how they died.
Back in the coronation, Prince Thelmus was making his entrance towards the altar. His elaborate gold crested robes trailed behind him and a frown adorned his face at every step he took. He, a prince becoming king, enters and his subjects remain sitting; not standing to bow to their soon-to-be king, he was outraged. No elaborate bowing crowd lined his way as he took his steps towards the crown. Only a frown and a slight sneer slipping from their lips, followed him on his great walk.
Official Ghuil frowned at this. Even though they had been threatened to attend, they would not have made an appearance if this was how they intended to receive the prince. He felt his hairs stand; something was wrong. Thousands of soldiers stood right outside, the guest had not arrived with personal guards, what gave them the courage to act this way? He knew in his heart that something was wrong with this situation, yet he could not put his finger on it.
Prince Thelmus now stood before him, yet he had not realised. He was so lost in trying to figure out what was wrong, that he too forgot to bow when the prince arrived. Prince Thelmus coughed, retrieving him from his thoughts. He then hurriedly bowed and began the crowning.
"An era has gone, a new one begins. May blessings of old..." he could not help but glance at the crowd as he talked. Seeing the mocking smiles on their faces, he felt his stomach fall. He did not even realise when he had said words he had specifically left out of the crowning rites.
"May the blessings of old and ancestors that came before, bless the head on which the crown sits," he said and someone snickered. Only then did he realise what he had said. He looked at Prince Thelmus' angry face and grimaced. Everyone knew Prince Thelmus had killed his father to get the crown; how could the kings before him bless his crowing? He deliberately intended to strike out this part, because it was indirectly cursing Prince Thelmus; telling the ancestors to curse his crown.
"A new king, a new era," he cleared his throat and ended the rites.
"A new king? Who, him?" the person who spoke was official Yrum. He was one of the two ministers, Lord of Merve had brought to his home when preparing for this day. If the tension in the room was not already at its peak, it had reached a new realm.
"Insolence! You dare interrupt a sacred ceremony? Guards!" Official Ghuil countered.
"Sacred? Prince Thelmus, His Majesty never named you crown prince. How can you take the throne?" Official Yrum sneered.
"You dare?!" Official Ghuil raged.
"As His Majesty refused to name you crown prince, he must have left instructions for his heir in his last words," Prince Thelmus froze at Official Yrum's words.
"Why did you wait till now to present this?" Prince Thelmus frowned.
"Were any traditions upheld? Only after a dead king is casketed in stone, can his last words be read. You went on to crown a new king when the old one has yet to greet his ancestors!" an angry minister got up and raged.
"Only after his funeral can the keepers of His Majesty's last words present it before the court. Why did you skip this tradition? We all know the law; the king's last words are unmovable as a mountain. Whatever is written in the last words, must be law, it cannot be changed. Was His Highness afraid that His Majesty would still not name you in his last words?" another minister taunted. Prince Thelmus was bathing in anger at this moment.
"I am the only heir!" he said through his teeth.
"If His Majesty's last words instruct that you be killed, heir or not, you must die," another snorted.
"Guards!" Official Ghuil called again. Seeing no one come, he paled. Something was definitely wrong.
"No one is coming. His Majesty's last words are in the custody of The Religion. Please present it," Lord of Merve said to the priest.
"The Religion stands on no side. The coronation must continue according to the edicts of those in power," the priest said blankly. This caused Prince Thelmus and Official Ghuil to sigh a relief.
"The king's council must request for the king's last words. Without doing so, this coronation will continue," the priest said and Prince Thelmus and Official Ghuil's faces sank.
"The king's council is present and wishes to hear the king's last words," the second Minster that had met Lord of Merve stood and said. He was speaking for the council and as the head of council affairs, he had the power to do so.
The priest nodded and a scroll appeared at the wave of his hand. Many knew The Religion was across all lands and always stood as a neutral party, not interfering in politics and power. Many knew that they had unimaginable power, but no one knew much about them. This frail priest must be powerful to pick this scroll out of thin air.
"This is unlawful! Witness priest, the coronation is taking place!" Official Ghuil had a bad feeling about this, but the priest ignored him and unrolled the scroll and many held their breaths.
"These are the last words of King Larken Thygar of Juhntt. I have but one wish be fulfilled after death. I wish to set straight a record and clear misunderstandings. If at the time of this reading, I have yet to name an heir, the crown must go to my first son. Though I have given him nothing in life, I will not deny him his birthright in death. In the event of my untimely death, by the laws of Juhntt, the crown belongs to the first born, Adrian D'hunt. He must relinquish the title of Lord of Merve and take his title as crown prince, to be crowned king after my casketing," the priest read.
It was as if one had stepped into the land of the dead. Silence hunted the grounds, as eyes moved to Lord of Merve's calm figure.
"Rubbish! This is a ploy to take the throne!" Official Ghuil's outburst awoke everyone.
"Are you claiming that The Religion fabricated this?" the priest asked and the temperature of the hall plummeted. Official Ghuil almost choked at this. This was a clear case of dropping a stone on one's foot.
Even if he had a thousand lives, he would not dare accuse The Religion of anything. Even if one wanted to question the king's last words, The Religion being in possession of it meant this was the authentic document. No one dared to think it was fake, lest one is questioning the integrity of The Religion. Official Ghuil fell on his knees and kowtowed to the priest.
"Forgive this mad man, esteemed priest. I dare not speak against The Religion," he begged.
"How?" Prince Thelmus on the other hand had lost his soul. He stared at Lord of Merve, who was now Crown Prince Adrian, in a daze. "He must have had you before he married my mother," Prince Thelmus said.
"The title of Lord of Merve instead of Lord Merve, it's funny how no one realised this beforehand," Crown Prince Adrian said.
"Well, one person did," he sighed and they all understood his words. Lady Wickshire; she must have known all along. While they were busy gaining the favour of this dog prince, Lady Wickshire had already taken the real heir under her wings.
"There is no property under the title of Merve, how..." Prince Thelmus refused to accept what was happening.
"At first, when his majesty called me Lord of Merve, most were confused. Some thought Merve was some cooperation. I am not quite sure how it became a long-lost noble house the next second," Crown Prince Adrian said.
"There are thousands of Isne soldiers outside. Do you think this matters? Guards!" Prince Thelmus called, but no one came.
"Let me try. Guards!" Crown Prince Adrian said and Juhntt soldiers entered oppressively. These soldiers more than any felt betrayed by Prince Thelmus. When many tried to take over a kingdom, they at least colluded with soldiers from their kingdom; either by bribing the generals or taking military power by force. But Prince Thelmus brought in foreign soldiers and killed off a lot of their fellow brothers.
"Drag these two to the prisons," Crown Prince Adrian ordered and they were very glad to drag out the protesting Prince Thelmus and the unmoving Official Ghuil. No one was sure what the priest had done to him, but Official Ghuil's eyes were wide open, as though no one was inside his body.
"This is unlawful! The queen is still alive! She must bear witness to the crowning of the heir. It is the law!" Prince Thelmus protested as he was being dragged.
"And she has born witness," Queen Raine unveiled herself to the crowd. Her cold eyes caused Prince Thelmus to shiver. He could no more utter protests, allowing himself to be taken away.
Crown Prince Adrian stood and held out a hand for Amie; who hesitated a second before taking it, then turned to the crowd, "His Majesty must be casketed before any coronation can take place. I believe that the council is up to the task," he said to the council head, who nodded in return.
The audience seemed to remember that they needed to show good faith. Some got up and greeted Crown Prince Adrian as he passed. Others chimed in to say some good words.
"Crown Prince Adrian has handled this quite well," one said.
"His Majesty's legacy continues to live on, of course," another said.
"Juhntt sees the light again. This is a great way to start a reign," the nobleman who had been talking to Amie before, approached and said.
"Yes. But, it has been a long day. I must make sure Miss Krain gets home," Crown Prince Adrian used Amie as an excuse to walk away.
"Oh yes. Miss Krain," the nobleman said.
"Which Miss Krain? Why does that name sound familiar?" someone asked.
"Krain? What is your connection to Lord Steinhouse, Miss Krain?" the nobleman asked.
"He is my brother," Amie said politely.
"Ah, yes. Crown Prince Thelmus, you must consider a wedding immediately after your coronation. This will bless the reign; give the people something to lift their spirits," the nobleman said and others nodded. Though many mothers were quite angry he was betrothed even before they could show him their daughters, this was a time for raining compliments, so they smiled and nodded. Many made sure to look at Amie well, so as to remember her. Crown Prince Adrian felt Amie stiffen and he swallowed; daring not to look at her.