Chapter Four
A Kings Worries.
A tree with deep strong roots has a better chance of withstanding a storm.
Aden.
Year 5L 21/15 (5th Loop. 21st Cycle. 15th Year)
King Julian, the Righteous was standing on the expansive balcony, absently gazing at Aurae, his magnificent capital. The Grand Palace built high up on a mound in north Aurae, offered splendid views of this glorious city. Its natural beauty, opulent monuments, splendid gardens, and lavish palaces gave it a heavenly aura. Julian was sure that no city in the whole universe matched Aurae. It wasn't just a city, it was a precious jewel and Julian was its master. But lately, he had a feeling that some treacherous thieves were plotting to steal this jewel from him.
Since the last Crossing, he had endured many sleepless nights. Whenever sleep would desert him, he would come and stand on this balcony. Looking at the peaceful city calmed him, but it also made him anxious. He knew this city didn't belong to him. This world wasn't for him to rule. Many people in Aden still called him and his forefathers, the Usurpers. He was the sixth king in the line of Lewis, but still, people hadn't given up on the heir of Solomon. With the passing of each cycle, these murmurs had only grown louder. He and his predecessors had tried their best to keep things under control but people were now getting restless.
The ill-advised invasion of Tenebra by King Samuel the Brave had brought the crown to his family. However, the same Tenebra had now become a thorn in their flesh. Many Adeners wanted that world to be freed and demanded all their troops be called back. This prevailing sentiment was evident in this year's Celebration of Freedom. In the earlier cycles, it was hard to find an empty spot at the riverfront during these celebrations, but this time around it seemed as if only the families of the departing soldiers had bothered to come there. A secret group had actively called upon to boycott these celebrations. Julian knew that this boycott was just a beginning. A mere stepping stone. A much deeper conspiracy was brewing behind the scenes.
To make things worse for Julian, the turn of the loop was hanging over his head like a sword. He was getting nervous. His father, King Evans, had warned him that things could get nasty at the turn of the loop. He had urged Julian to anyhow get hold of that wretched amulet before this loop ended, but all his efforts had yielded no results. Julian had assigned hundreds of men to track down that amulet. These troops had rounded up scores of Solomon's descendants but weren't able to locate that cursed thing. For the last seven cycles, that artifact had somehow managed to stay away from their grasps.
Since the time Julian took over as the king, he had secretly turned the Banishment into the Drowning to keep better control over the things. He did that to ensure that none of Solomon's descendants survived to put up a fight.
Julian had just become an adult when he was crowned the king after his father's untimely death. His mother had come up with this dreaded idea of the Drowning. However, being a virtuous young man he wasn't very keen on murdering people. But the Queen-Mother knew how to persuade her son. She showed him the solid logic behind this plan. The amulet without its true master won't be much of a threat. So if they can't find the amulet, they had to just make sure that there was no worthy bearer alive to unleash its powers. Seeing the merits of this plan Julian had reluctantly agreed to the Drowning of the banished.
Although he had done his best to take care of Solomon's descendants, the fact that the amulet was still untraceable after such an extensive search, did make him worried. He knew that only the amulet had the power to trigger the Transition. And the Transition was the last thing he and the people of his world wanted.
When the last Crossing of the current loop passed by without any untoward incident, Julian was relieved that things were pretty much under his control. But then came the news brought in by the last batch of troops returning from Tenebra. It was accompanied by a message, or rather a desperate cry of help sent by Christopher the HighCommander of Tenebra. It took Julian's anxiety to completely new levels. Julian could sense that a ferocious tempest was about to blow away his empire. He had no idea what he was supposed to do. He felt like a little boat stuck in the eye of a storm, just waiting for a wave to sink it. He was lost and needed some help.
Queen Miriam quietly joined her husband on the balcony. Even in the third cycle of her life Miriam possessed surreal beauty and carried herself with a grace befitting an angel. For the last few days, she had sensed that her husband was in some sort of trouble. She could feel him fighting some inner demons: "You are not getting enough sleep, my love," she said caressing her husband's arm, "staring at the stars is not something worthy of a king's time."
"I love looking at the earth, towards my roots, much more than staring at the skies," Julian replied holding his wife's hand, "a tree with deep strong roots has a better chance of withstanding a storm."
"There will be no storm, my dear," said Miriam, "and if there will be one, I am sure nothing can shake you."
"I wish I was as confident as you," Julian said sinking in a nearby chair. "But I am not sure if I really want to withstand the storm. I feel if I fall, it will be a blessing in disguise."
Miriam walked behind the chair and put her arms around her husband, "You are the King, my love. If you fall, Aden falls with you. You don't want your people to suffer. You don't want to fail them."
"I think my people want me to suffer. I am the sixth king in the line of Lewis, but still, these people call me a usurper. After whatever I and my predecessors have done for them, these people just can't seem to forget the sons of Solomon. They still pray for the heir of Solomon to return and claim what they think is rightfully his."
"Don't plague your mind with such venomous thoughts," Miriam said, lightly massaging her husband's shoulders. Her fingers always worked their magic on Julian and helped him to relax. "You must remember that your great-grandfather didn't kill Samuel to get his crown. It was the Council and the Adeners, who banished Samuel and selected your great-grandfather as their new king. Your ancestors weren't usurpers. They were chosen by the people."
"And what do you think about all those conspiracy theories that surround his coronation?" asked Julian. "All those stories about how my great-grandfather, with his cunning accomplice, tricked Samuel into the trap? How they lured him into the ill-advised invasion and then placed all the blame on him to dethrone him."
"Whenever power changes hands, hundreds of such speculative theories pop up. It's best not to pay attention to them," Miriam replied with her fingers now skillfully rubbing his temples.
"These aren't just theories, my love." Miriam's massage was doing the trick. Julian was beginning to relax. "In his last seven years, Samuel did a lot for this world. Maybe more than what I and my predecessors did in seven cycles. Through his sweeping reforms, he made his noble intentions evident for the whole world. Whereas my forefathers, since the time they sat on the throne, have spent a bulk of their time hunting down the descendants of Samuel and Solomon."
"They have tracked them down so that they don't revolt against the crown. Samuel hiding away his children was a clear sign that they bear no goodwill for the new line of Kings. They were rebels and rebels must be punished. And your fathers didn't kill them. They just banished them to the world which they were so obsessed with." Julian shifted uneasily in his chair on hearing that comment from his wife. However, for the time being, he decided against telling his wife about the Drowning.
"No matter how much we try to justify this," Julian remarked, "one thing is quite clear. We are doing all this to protect our crown. This is just a quest for power. Nothing else."
"Yes, that is true, but people mustn't know this," Miriam warned her husband. "There is nothing wrong with a king trying to save his throne, as long as he is just and merciful towards his subjects."
"Tell me honestly. Am I a just and righteous king?" Julian asked the question which always nagged him.
Miriam came around and bent down in front of Julian's chair. She brought her face close to him and looked into his eyes: "You are a great king, my love. You have very strongly held this world together. You have strived for the prosperity and development of this world. But most importantly, you are a good man, Julian. You have a pious heart. You love your people and only wish good for them."
"That is the precise reason I don't want to bring war upon them," Julian tried to explain his inner turmoil. "The turn of the loop is upon us. We haven't found the amulet yet. If Solomon's true heir is alive and if he has the amulet, he will return to claim what is rightfully his. If I deny him, there could be a war. And I don't want any more blood on my hands."
"More blood?" Miriam caught the discrepancy in his statement. "What do you mean by that?"
Julian knew his wife was an intelligent woman and he didn't want to lie to her. He wanted to shed his burden by sharing it with the person he loved the most. Julian hung his head, and without looking at Miriam, he told her about how he had ordered the Drowning of the Banished.
"I was afraid, my dear," Julian concluded. "My mother told me that with the turn of the loop upon us, we shouldn't take a chance. We don't want any of them to stay alive, even in that other world, to return one day and put a claim on our kingdom." Julian's eyes were moist when he made this confession. He knew Miriam was going to loathe him after hearing the truth.
Miriam moved away from him and walked towards the front of the balcony. She was engrossed in some deep thinking. While still looking away from Julian, Miriam said something which caught him by surprise: "That was a quite clever and bold move from you." Miriam spoke in a tone that suggested as if she was impressed by Julian. "And no need to feel guilty about that," she added turning towards her husband. "Those treacherous rebels deserved that."
Julian was stunned by his wife's reaction. That was the last response he had expected from her. "And why do you worry about Samuel's heir?" Miriam continued. "He has no right on this kingdom. His great-grandfather was removed by the people and then banished. After all that, he has no real claim on this throne."
"But he still might have the amulet," Julian reminded Miriam about their biggest problem. "He might use it against us in the war."
"You are the King of two worlds. Yes, Tenebra is technically not your kingdom," Miriam added when she saw that Julian was about to interrupt her, "nevertheless everything in that world happens as per your wish. You command thousands of men. You have an army, you have weapons and yet you fear an amulet? An artifact which no one has ever seen for ages. A mysterious thing, which we are not sure that even exists. I know there are hundreds of stories about it, but most of those stories are so mixed up with fiction that it is hard to tell them apart."
"I have a good enough reason to believe that this amulet exists," said Julian. He then told Miriam about the message that he received from the Tenebra base. "What happened in Tenebra points to the fact that something very unusual occurred during the Drowning. And that could only possibly happen because of that amulet. We must also take note of the fact that the people of Tenebra have good quality weapons. They have learned how to utilize the Star-Rocks as ammunition and are ready to use it against us. Although the reports from Tenebra are far from conclusive, I firmly believe that Solomon's heir and that cursed amulet are in Tenebra. Furthermore, this heir of Solomon has teamed up with the people of that world in their fight against us."
"Even if that amulet exists you must not fear it," Miriam insisted. "You have resources good enough to nullify its effects. And even if they have weapons, they will be no match for our weapons"
"So, if the heir of Solomon does show up, you suggest I must fight him?" asked Julian
"Of course, you must," replied Miriam in a matter-of-fact tone. "What other option do you have?"
"A war will lead to enormous bloodshed. I can't bear the burden of that many lives on my soul."
"We have exploited their world for seven cycles now," Miriam mentioned the bitter reality. "If you don't fight, they will take over our world and then they will abuse our people just like we abused them. Moreover, their oppression would be much more severe because it would be filled with vengeance. You may avoid bloodshed but you will condemn your people to a life of misery. You don't have a choice. That choice was taken away by your predecessors. You have to conclude what they began."
"Look at this beautiful city," Julian said gesturing towards Aurae. "It will be ruined by the war. Is there no other way?"
"We don't have to fight this war in this world at all," Miriam replied. Her excitement suggested that she had a plan. She was now pacing back and forth on the balcony, her brain racing at full tilt. "We already have a base in Tenebra. To come to this world, our enemies have to first breach that base. Do you know why our armies took over Tenebra seven cycles ago? Because people of Tenebra, even though they expected an attack, they didn't anticipate the force of that attack. They were caught by surprise as they had no answer to our huge numbers. Let us surprise them once again. We must reinforce our base with such a large army that all their forces, and that powerful amulet if it exists in that world, must be unable to overcome it. We must ensure that our enemies never arrive at our doorsteps."
"But who will sign up for the army?" asked Julian. "Most of the Adeners want that base to be completely shut down. For the last few Crossings, people have been protesting against sending any troops there at all. Tell me, who will support my decision of sending an even larger army there?"
"Fear is the biggest motivator," Miriam quoted. A sinister smile spread across her face. She was finally getting involved in the matters of this world and was thoroughly enjoying it. "Samuel used fear to assemble troops seven cycles ago," she continued, "we will do the same. You just ask the returning officers to narrate the incidents that happened in Tenebra in front of the Council. Tell the Council that the enemy is ready to strike and we must take the fight to them before they bring it to us. Then pass a royal decree that every family must provide an able man to fight. That will be enough to form an army large enough to take on any kind of enemy troops."
"Samuel sent troops there and lost his crown. What if the same happens with me?" Julian conveyed his doubts about this plan of action.
"Samuel was an emotional fool," Miriam remarked. "He got carried away and used the Right of the King. We will not commit any such idiocies but will do everything with the Council's consent. I think you know how to manipulate the corrupt members of the Council to vote in your favor."
Julian had never witnessed this side of his wife. He was getting impressed by her tactical acumen. "I think I can manage that."
"Once everything falls in place, we will use this situation to our advantage." There was a spark in Miriam's eyes and a childish excitement in her voice. She was an ambitious woman and always longed for some authority. Now with her husband listening to her advice, she felt exhilarated by the power that left the fate of millions of people in her hand. And shortly, one such bold decision taken by her was going to completely change the dynamics of this game of power.
"Once we have quashed the rebellion in that world," Miriam continued, "we will project you as the person who saved this world from the monsters of Tenebra. You will be the Savior. If we do face the heir of Solomon during this war, we will show him as the enemy of this world. With this victory, all those murmurs about your rule will gradually fade away. No one will ever wish for the heir of Solomon to return. No one will then call you the Usurper. You will be the true king and our children the line of true kings."
"All the things that will happen, the war, the bloodshed, all just to save our throne? Do you think it is worth it?" Julian was still battling with his conscience.
Miriam tightly hugged her husband and whispered in his ears, "You have to believe that whatever you are doing, you are doing it for Aden and Adeners. You have no other choice. You have to make this plan work for this world and its people." Miriam then looked into her husband's eyes and added, "you have to pull this off for me. You have to do this for our children."
Julian felt his worries disappear in his wife's embrace. Miriam's assertive approach to this situation had instilled whole new confidence in him. His mind was clearing up and his guilty conscience was slowly getting buried.
He realized that this wasn't the time for worrying but it was the time to set the wheels in motion.