Chapter Thirty-Three

A New King

Well collaborated lies have the power to overcome the erratic truth

Aden

5L 21/19/4/14

"King Julian should arrive soon and make that important announcement for which he has called this urgent Council meeting."

HighMinister Benjamin addressed the Council. The Great Hall was abuzz with anticipation. Every member had reached there before time. They knew that King Julian was under tremendous pressure because of his decision to raise a large army to send to Tenebra, so this could be some big announcement related to that. Although Julian had the Council's approval, public sentiments were against him. His Royal-Decree that families must provide a male recruit to the army, didn't help his popularity either. Everyone held their breaths for the king to arrive at the Great hall.

After an hour of waiting, a palace guard came and whispered something into the ears of the HighMinister Benjamin. He quickly stood up from his chair. "We all have been called to the palace."

When they reached the palace, Queen Miriam, Crown prince Marcus and other members of the royal family were waiting for them in the reception hall. Queen Miriam was sobbing and princess Sarah was trying to console her.

Prince Marcus looked at the members of the Council. "Our beloved King Julian breathed his last yesternight. When Queen-Mother tried waking him up in the morning he didn't respond. His body is in his chambers. You all can pay your last respects there. Then we must prepare for his royal funeral."

A shock wave spread amongst the members of the Council. The sudden demise of the king, at this crucial juncture, was a huge blow. The expected turmoil of the turn of the loop was just a couple of years away, their enemy was probably looking to attack them, and some Adeners had started to raise their voices against the regime. This was probably the worst time for someone to ascend the throne. Marcus had a tough job on his hand.

But most people weren't surprised by this tragic news. In the last few years, King Julian's health had severely deteriorated. He was suffering from insomnia, was delusional and it looked like something was haunting him from within.

The Council declared a weak of mourning. Arrangements were made for a massive funeral, but there were hardly any crowds. Even his final procession didn't fill up the streets. Julian must have become the least popular king of Aden.

***

Queen Miriam was silently standing on the same balcony where Julian used to spend his sleepless nights. Marcus walked in to check on his mother.

"Remembering father?"

Miriam wiped a tear that had trickled down on her cheek. "In the last couple of years, your father spent a lot of time standing here. He was deeply disturbed from within."

"Yes, everyone could see his health deteriorating."

"That is why, a couple of nights ago, standing right here, embracing him tightly in my arms, I decided to put him out of his misery."

Marcus's mouth fell open. He thought he had misunderstood his mother, but Miriam burst out crying. "Yes, Marcus... I.. kill.. killed him," Miriam mumbled between her sobs. "After giving him.. his sleeping medications... I strangulated him.. with.. with.. the pillow. I .. killed the man... I .. loved .. more than .. my .. life... I .. can't.." Her whimpers drowned her words.

Marcus felt his head spinning. He still thought this was some weird dream. But Miriam looked beyond grief. Marcus felt his mother might lose her senses if she didn't get hold of herself. He filled a glass of water and offered it to her.

Miriam drank the water and slumped in a chair. Marcus kneeled in front of her. "Why mother? We don't kill a sick person. We try and treat him."

"A sick organ must be amputated if it starts to threaten the whole body. It was no longer about him Marcus, it was about you and the future of our family. Your father was plagued with some bizarre visions. He just saw death and misery in his dreams. Do you know why he had called that urgent meeting?"

Marcus shook his head.

"He wanted to cancel sending troops to Elisium. He was possessed with the idea that the heir of Solomon and that wretched amulet are in Elisium. To avoid war and bloodshed, your father wanted to strike a peace deal with that supposed heir. He was even ready to give up his throne if that could stop the war. He couldn't bear the burden of innocent lives on his soul. Your father had grown weak. He would have ruined the future of our family and this world. I had no option but to kill him with my own hands. I killed the person I loved the most and who loved me the most with these hands." She started smashing her hands on a table. "I will rot in hell."

Marcus held her tightly. "Mother, stop. You told this to me, but promise me you will never tell this to anyone else. We can't let people see cracks in the royal family. We must not let people lose confidence in us."

Miriam nodded through her sobs. There was a long silence as the mother and son were engrossed in their thoughts. Miriam broke the silence. "Your father was a nice honorable man. He never wanted to harm anyone. He was even against the Drownings but his mother forced him into it. He was a gentle soul, but you will have to be strong Marcus. I took a bold decision to kill your father, and in the future, you will have to make many tough calls. If you have to sacrifice someone, just like I sacrificed the person I loved the most, for the greater good, you must not hesitate."

Marcus looked at his mother. She was torn apart by grief, but her mind was still racing to safeguard the future of her children.

"The sparse crowd at your father's funeral showed us that people's sentiments are against us. You must begin your reign by winning people's trust. You must inspire confidence in them and show them that you are a strong man with an iron will. Your coronation ceremony is an opportunity to reach out to the people and tell them that they can trust you to lead them in these turbulent times."

***

Marcus listened to his mother's advice. He turned his coronation ceremony into a show of strength and labeled it the Celebration of Unity. He sent formal invitations to every part of Aden and compelled every settlement to send its representatives to this ceremony. The deck of Nineteen Martyrs was turned into a large stage and the riverfront was lavishly decorated for these festivities.

Marcus also took care of other secret arrangements. A show had to be put on that day and Marcus didn't want anyone to drift away from his script. Everything must exactly go as per the plan as now there was no room for an error.

On the day of the coronation, thousands of people had gathered at the riverfront. Marcus knew that most of the people who were there, haven't come by choice. They came there because they didn't have a choice.

On his part, Marcus had gone out of his way to take care of the guests. From luxurious accommodations to sumptuous feasts to an array of entertainment, he donned the robes of the most hospitable host and arranged for everything to please his guests. The festivities continued for several days and Marcus projected himself as a king who looked after his subjects.

His coronation ceremony began with the usual prayers. Marcus took the oath after the prayers finished. He was sworn in by the HighPriest of Aden. Once the formalities were done and dusted, Marcus took to his real agenda

As per his well-designed script, Commander Michael first came to the stage and read the message which was sent by Christopher during the last Crossing. He made it sound like warning bells and a desperate cry for help, just like the way he had done it in front of the Council four years ago.

After Michael's credible performance, many other officers came to the stage and recounted some fabricated stories about the winds of change in Tenebra. An extensively thought out and meticulously designed picture of Elisium was painted for Adeners. Marcus had left nothing to chance. Every speech was explicitly written and every performance was well-rehearsed. Through a series of half-facts mixed with assumptions, fantasies, and some outright lies, Marcus tried to change people's perception of that world. Rather than the people who were being exploited, he portrayed the masses of Elisium as bandits who could wreak havoc if not kept under their check. He wanted Adeners to believe that the only way to control these outlaws was to trample them under their feet.

Marcus silently observed the crowd. There were more than a few concerned faces there. Well collaborated lies have the power to overcome the erratic truth. The fear of the unknown was slowly seeping into the hearts of the people. He had created a frightening atmosphere through this long horror show and now was the time to go for the kill.

The new king stood up from his chair and took the mike for his first public address.

"My brothers and sisters, the honorable citizens of this beautiful world. We have gathered here to celebrate the beginning of a new era but before that, we must mourn the untimely demise of our beloved King Julian who carried us on the path of prosperity for more than two cycles. He left a big void that will be hard to fill.

'But today we must also decide our future. My father passed a resolution to build an army to defend our world from those who want to disrupt our peace and prosperity. He had listened to all these testimonies four years ago, and that is what prompted him to take that decision. He never revealed these serious threats to the common people of Aden, because he didn't want you all to panic. He had sleepless nights, thinking about your future, but he wanted you all to sleep in peace. In the end, his worries consumed him, and one day he just never woke up.

'Many of you wanted him to call back our troops. All of you were angry with him when he asked you to send your sons to the army. But he endured your hatred and kept working for your better future.

'Today when he is no more, I have revealed the truth because I feel the time has come. In the coming days, at the turn of the loop, we may be facing war and we can't win this war if we remain divided. This Celebration of Unity is to bring our hearts together. We can't win this war if our soldiers don't know the reality and don't believe in this cause with the core of their hearts. We can't win if all Adeners don't support us. We can't win if their prayers are not with us.

'We have all heard about the amulet of Transition and its powers. Some think of it as a myth, but that amulet is real." Marcus paused for a moment to let it sink. "Our spy to Tenebra saw that amulet and witnessed its powers. You just heard the story about how he was murdered at the gateway. But before getting killed he was able to pass on some notes, which gave us details about the enemy troops, their weapons, and the amulet."

This was a blatant lie, but Marcus needed some lies to heighten the fright. "The amulet is real. The enemy army is real. The threat to our world is real and we have no choice but to defend ourselves. We have all heard about the Transition but many of us chose to take it as a legend and thought we will never face it. Now since we know that this amulet exists, then we must believe in the Transition as well.

'The Transitions might have been gradual in the earlier loops, but this time around there is no chance for it. This Transition will surely lead to a violent conflict because the only way those people can come on top is by destroying us. And they so badly want to do that. They want to use the powers of that amulet to try and annihilate us. They want to ruin our world and rule over us. Yes, our forefathers started this madness, but now we have no choice but to end this. Because if we let our enemies end this their way, our world will be doomed.

'We cannot let this Transition happen. They have the powers of the amulet, but we have a large army, lethal weapons, and advanced technology. We can hope to nullify the impact of the amulet if we properly utilize our resources. If there is a war then we must win it, because losing is not an option.

'Today we stand at the crossroads of our destiny and we must make a choice. I, King Marcus the Mighty give you Adeners the right to make this choice. If you decide that we must stop sending troops to that world, I will immediately pass an order to disband the army and will call back our existing troops from Tenebra. If this world turns into a battlefield, then let it be. If rivers of blood flow here, then it is your choice. If your children end up becoming slaves, then no one else is to be blamed.

'But if you choose that we must defend our world, then you must help me in building this army and back me up with your hearts and your souls. I cannot fight this battle without your support and prayers. The decision is completely yours. You have to decide, not just for yourself, but for your generation to come."

There was a ghostly silence in the crowd as Marcus returned to his seat. He had surprised himself by his splendid performance. His script had played out very well. The testimonies of the officers earlier had sowed seeds of fear and he had watered that tree. Now it was time to reap the fruits. Fear, after all, is the biggest motivator.

A person from the crowd stood up and shouted, "We must defend our world. We must fight for our children. You are not alone. We are with you, King Marcus."

"We are with you, King Marcus." Another one cried.

Marcus had left nothing to chance. His own men in the crowds started the chants and it had a rippling effect.

Soon chants of 'We are with you King Marcus' echoed around the riverfront.

Julian had made the mistake of not reaching out to the public, but Marcus rectified that mistake. Through an amalgam of fiction and lies, he had swayed public sentiments in his favor. It looked as if the whole of Aden stood behind him.

Marcus smiled to himself. If everything went to his plan, this new King might end up becoming the first real King of the Two Worlds.