the sound of trumpets resonated in the air, mixing with the loud chatter of the many guests that had come from all around the country to assist to the grand event.

the sun was high in the sky outside, shining brighter than ever in the clear blue sky with no risk to ever be hidden behind a cloud. thankfully, the air wasn't too hot, a cool breeze running through the inside of the palace because of the wide opening of the doors and windows specially for the occasion.

the crowd was loud, perhaps a bit too much for mark's liking as the boy was still locked in his bedroom, standing still in front of his full-body mirror. the royal was already dressed in his most beautiful clothes, expensive materials having been wrapped around his body skilfully by servants, and metallic details had been added specially for the occasion with more gold tones than silver or bronze ones. his sword was placed in its holder, carefully attached to the boy's hip and ready to use if ever necessary.

all in all, everything was ready for the big moment, and the guests were surely getting more and more impatient, but for some reason, mark didn't feel like it was the right moment to go.

the young royal was studying himself from head to toe, eyes stopping at every detail of his clothes before stopping on the top of his head for longer than necessary, right on the void spot that would soon be replaced by a crown heavy of the royal's family's past, and of the fate of a whole people.

looking at himself like this, a few minutes before his coronation, mark wasn't sure he was ready to wear this crown. the object had been kept safely under locks ever since his father's death, and now that mark was of age, he was supposed to wear it, and carry on his shoulders all of the burdens that came with it. he was definitely not ready for that.

don't be nervous, you'll be an amazing king.

mark was too deep in thought, trying to repeat these words over and over again in his mind. for some reason, he couldn't hear the sounds made by the crowd anymore, as if his worries had taken over his brain and blocked everything external to him.

it is time, now. your people are waiting for you.

that voice rang again in his head and some sort of warmth wrapped around him, as if he was pulled in an embrace. perhaps was it his worries that he had managed to temper and his self confidence boosting. he wasn't sure, but it was pleasant.

it's nothing more than wearing a crown.

he slowly processed the words, gulping as his eyes flicked once again to the bare top of his head, where his hair had been gelled down slightly to leave a perfect place for the symbol of royalty that would be put there any minute from now.

and once this is over, everything will fall back into place. perfectly.

it's with these words that mark found the ability to come back from his headspace, brows furrowing as his eyes studied his whole body one last time in the mirror.

the voice was right. this coronation was nothing but the beginning of something new, a life dictated by his likings and wants. after this, he would be responsible for everything, but at the same time be the one in charge, and so, be free of doing what he wanted to do.

he could already picture it, and he loved it. being the one to declare the banquet open, leading military meetings, greeting his whole people, speaking up at the execution of the traitors to the crown, and deciding what he would do next with the lands.

as mark was finally confident enough to tear his eyes away from his reflection, a couple of knocks were punched against the door of his room, followed by a servant's voice.

"your highness, her majesty the queen was wondering when you would join her?"

mark stayed unmoving inside his bedroom.

"tell her i'll meet her in a minute."

he was ready to take over a whole people and to lead a kingdom.

he was sure of it now.

♕

it felt surreal, to walk down the aisle, all eyes on him as his mother followed his steps closely, a proud smile painted on her face.

the whole coronation room was shining, the main colour of the decorations being gold, as mark had personally requested, and the rays of the sun hitting the metallic ornaments that has been installed around the room, adding an ethereal hue to the overall environment.

to mark who was making his way towards the central stand on which was resting the metallic crown his father had carried for years with so much presence, it felt like an ascension, as if each of his steps brought him a level higher.

his eyes barely stopped on the other royal guests, fearing to be distracted by their looks and chatters. he stayed focused on his fate, the symbols of royalty; the family crown that he would be wearing proudly in a few seconds and the golden throne on which he would be installed.

as slowly as he tried walking there, mark felt like he reached his destination in a second, standing in front of a bishop who bowed to him. his mother, the current regent queen, stood aside, a smile painted on her face as she looked proudly at her grown-up son.

and if walking down the aisle had seemed too short for him, the rest of the ceremony passed in a flash.

before he could take a full breath, the audience recognised him as a king, the oath was signed, and he was seated on the throne, the crown brought to his head with more ease that he thought it would. all of the other royals present in the coronation room stood up and bowed their heads, mark's mother included, as mark stood up from the throne, taking a step forward to look at all those below him.

and there it was, the instant that mark had awaited so much, a moment of faith and freedom, during which he became empowered of abilities that he had dreamed of having since he was born.

mark was from now a monarch, and just like his predecessors, the act of having a beautifully craved metallic crown on top of his head had made him the king of the beautiful kingdom that was aes.

so, this was what having the power felt like?

this was what being crown king felt like?

this was what being responsible for a whole people felt like?

this was what being the one in control felt like?

all mark knew at this moment was that the crown didn't feel as heavy as he thought it would. and in the end, all of this was so pleasant that he was looking forward to avenging his father bringing this kingdom where he believed was best.

♕

the newly crowned king looked proudly at the people of aes, standing from his spot on top of a tremendous wooden stage that had been specially installed in the middle of a central place in the lands of the kingdom. people from all over aes had made the journey here in this early afternoon, all wanting to greet their new king and to take part in this 'special occasion' as the king had called it.

the coronation had taken place a few days prior, giving mark just enough time to get used to wearing a crown and to be called 'your majesty' instead of the simple 'your highness', which servants and guards were now using to refer to his mother.

in front of his people, mark was standing with his back straight and his head high, his clothes perfectly tailored, the metallic details and embroideries stitched to them reflecting the blazing sun that illuminated the kingdom, and his big bronze-coloured cape hiding his shoulders and the sword that he was constantly carrying around – you never knew when a resistant could be around. his crown seated perfectly on his head, somehow making his hair clad to his forehead but giving him a more serious and grown-up look, giving out that he was proud to carry the heritage of dozens of royal ancestors.

a few steps behind him on the stage stood his mother, who had been demoted of her title of regent queen the second mark had gained the title of king. her back was also straight, her clothes perfectly tailored and her face was closed as her eyes trailed across the people of aes, never staying longer than a second on the same person as if she was scared of an uprising.

both her and mark were also surrounded by royal guards, weapons ready to be used in case any peasant dared being threatening to the royals. some of them were standing on stage, and others were directly on the floor, right where the people of aes were.

"my people..." mark starts speaking, causing the ambient chatter to die down and all eyes to divert to him – but somehow in a less intimidating manner than the eyes of the royals and lords that had been invited to his coronation. "today marks a new beginning for our kingdom, a day were unity, strength and prosperity shall be our guiding stars. it is an honour to finally stand before you as the new king of aes following the tragic events that occurred in the past."

the king marked a pause, eyes running around the crowd for an instant.

"together, we will build a future rooted in justice and order, where every man, woman and child can thrive under the protection of a fair and firm hand. i will lead this kingdom with compassion and determination and bring aes further than my ancestors were ever able to. although, let's not forget that peace is not gifted – it is earned and kept through our shared commitment to the law, to honour and to each other."

another silence took over the place, not even disturbed by the chirping of birds or the whispers of sceptical people.

"as the new king of aes, i promise to lead you with fairness and compassion, taking into account what the people needs most to make you feel like you truly belong to the lands of aes. i promise to act as your guardian and as your protector, acting in your best interest as long as your loyalty to the crown is merciless. i promise to save you from misery, just like my ancestors always tried to, and to keep treating you fairly and firmly."

mark took a last breath, eyes shutting for a second before looking back at the crowd.

"together, with me as your new king, and you as my people, we will fight hard for justice and make sure that everything falls in place in the best way possible. together, we will bring aes down the path that is best for this grand kingdom!"

at those words, mark opened his arms wide as a sign that his speech was over, allowing the crowd to explode in cheers and joyful screams as people of aes embraced each other, faces painted with nothing but happiness and faith in their new monarch.

mark let them roar in cheerfulness before looking over his shoulder at his mother who flashed him a small smile and nodded, encouraging him to continue.

"however..." the royal waited for the crowd to stop cheering on him before taking a deep breath and continuing. "i am your new king, and for that, i need you to understand something very important. i will grant justice to aes, and everyone in this kingdom will be treated fairly for the actions they will partake in." the king took another deep breath, brows furrowing and he looked down at his people. "contributors to the kingdom's wealth will be gifted, people who sacrifice themselves to aes will be recognised, those who constantly show gratefulness to us, royals, will be highlighted, and so, peasants who decide to turn their backs on us will be shamed on."

as a wave of confusion took over the crowd, a group of royal guards pushed some people in the crowd away to create a passage for two guards holding on a boy in worn-out clothes whose face was hidden in a dark woven bag. they crossed the crowd and reached the small staircase leading to the stage, climbing up the stairs and placing the prisoner on the stage on his knees, facing the whole people of aes whose faces were now as pale as linen.

with the flickering of a wrist, one of the guards pulled the piece of cloth away from the prisonner's head, revealing the tanned face of donghyuck and earning a loud gasp from a few people from his village who recognised him.

standing behind him, mark gulped, staring at the peasant's back as he had lowered his head in shame. his eyes then travelled across the crowd, the terrified looks on their faces somehow making him sick in the stomach.

"what the king is trying to say..." mark's mother suddenly spoke up, taking a step forward to end up by her son's side. "...is that people who try to defy the power of the royals will be eliminated."

a loud gasp left the crowd at those words pronounced by the king's mother.

"so now, people, look at your new king getting rid of a resistant who didn't stick to his place, mindlessly believing he would be able to defeat our power and to replace us."

those words being said, the previously regent queen nudged mark's elbow as she took a step back, sliding a small 'go on, my little gem. show them.'.

mark gulped the lump that had formed in his throat, his right hand reaching below his cape to the handle of his sword before pulling it out in a swift motion, the metal of the blade resonating as it slid against its cover.

the two guards that were previously standing close to the prisoner took a step back, leaving donghyuck in the middle of the stage on his knees, hands tied behind his back and head down, leaving the bare back of his tanned neck visible for mark who was standing behind him.

the crowd collectively stopped breathing as the new king of aes took place behind donghyuck and lowered his blade carefully to rest it against donghyuck's neck. the coldness of the metal tickled donghyuck's sink, causing all of the hairs on his body to bristle and his body to tense as it felt his end coming imminently.

there wasn't a single noise outside as mark took a nth breath under the bewildered crowd's eyes. and as a smile etched on the previous queen's smile, the newly crowned king lifted the sword in the air, high enough to have it catching the light of the sun and reflect its deathly rays.

and when the crowd unanimously retained a scream of terror at the thought of seeing a resistant getting his head cut off on the public place for disobeying the crown's orders, mark lowered his arm with force, aiming as perfectly as he had been taught for the vital point in the back of his lover's neck.

but there was no sound of screaming, no sound of crying, and strangely, no sound of chopping or of a head falling to the ground. instead, what deafeningly broke the silence that had taken place was the sound of a metallic object – oddly familiar to a sword – falling to the ground.