The Usurper
"No innocent blood shall be shed in Karholm. This we do decree."
-Inscription on the Hall of Diplomacy
"No."
The first word out of Zekat's mouth was a simple one, for a simple scene.
"I am sorry, so deeply sorry." Aagi's servant bowed deeply. "I brought you here as soon as I could."
It was a gruesome scene. Zekat had been distraught at his father's death. He had checked his pulse, and found that he had died. A servant found him, kneeling by his father's limp body, perhaps praying. He had bid him come, and although he had not wished to leave, he did, and now here he was in Aagi's bedchamber and looking at the gruesome scene. Prince Aagi was on the floor, crowned in molten gold and silver that had solidified. It was gruesome, to say the least. His beautiful clothing had burned off at the top, where the gold had singed it, near the shoulders.
He whirled at the servant. "Why has the Internal Affairs Minister not been summoned? Two deaths now, in such close proximity! I could be next!"
"Another person has gone to fetch him. He should be soon in coming."
A clomping of boots heralded their arrival. The minister viewed the scene, distraught.
"Find out who did it," Zekat said quietly.
"I'll make him pay," he promised.
--
In the end, there were two funerals on the Fifth of Fermidor. Already, the bards and minstrels were creating names. They had difficulty with Karzt, for there was nothing especially noticeable about him, but with Aagi, it was better, though to Zekat, he didn't know if "better" was the best adjective. Already, he had heard "The Crazy King", "The Mad King", and variations on that. They hotly debated that night, after the funeral, deep in their cups, and a brawl ensued. Harps were smashed, voices silenced, and fingers broken. In the end, though, it turned out that "The Five Minute King" would suffice. It sounded good, had a ring to it, and even made him a tragic hero. It eventually stuck, and so, when it was time to carve the statues for the deceased monarchs, Zekat quietly added that his brother should be included too.
When all that was done, the King's Council called a meeting. They summoned Zekat on a conveniently stormy night to make him trudge out into the rain. This he did, for he knew very well what was going to happen.
He walked into the council chambers, dripping from the rain.
"As you undoubtedly know," the Finance Minister began, brusque, as usual, "the crown by all rights passes to you."
He was very tempted to say something along the lines of "No, you idiotic Valin, the crown doesn't pass to the king's next son," but he realized that it would hurt his chances of claiming the throne. Instead, he nodded.
"You are no Oneist. You do not deserve the wear the crown. Our king has always been a priest." The words cut into him like steel.
He shrugged. "The rest of the council--"
"The rest of the council agrees with me," he said. "Isn't that right? Are we not all faithful Oneists?"
Zekat couldn't remember what was better - the six heads nodded no in almost synchronized disagreement, or the look on the minister's face. He blubbered, face turning red.
The Foreign Affairs minister smiled apologetically. "Well, you know, we just wanted to show how religiously intolerant you were being to our king." He grinned. "Perhaps you don't deserve to sit on our council."
"No, no, I--"
"Stop!" Zekat strode up to the man, ever the elegant man who possessed savoir faire.
"Royal pardons, I'll give, since you have been such a good minister. But only if you bend the knee and swear fealty."
The coronation ceremony took place next week. Zekat was quoted describing it as "awesomely awesome."
--
And so, Zekat found himself on a cloudy Dynador 1st as the first Bladeist king of Aryie. He awoke and went through his morning routines.
"Your Grace," a servant said. "The Swades are here to see you."
He nodded and went to the Throne Room. That was where they would be, naturally, to petition the king. The ambassador looked at Zekat with nervous eyes. Perhaps the Committee of Information Monitoring scared him with its big name. They were there too.
He coughed, a light one, just to get everybody's attention, as if they hadn't noticed his entrance.
"At this time, I would like to announce that I am trapped in my Imperial palace. Due to the efforts of a brave noble, this message may be relayed out to the people.
"I am now effectively a prisoner of a Bladeist power coup that is not under my control. I am apparantly too weak of a Bladeist, and the Extermination Doctrine must have gotten to them. That is all."
When he finished, all hell broke loose. Bladeist soldiers, who had slowly immigrated into the country, flew out of the Palace steps. They seized the Oneists, helped by Aryien fanatics. Heads were dashed against the Hall of Diplomacy and left ugly red marks. People were speared while running from cavalry. People ran, and were cut in half by holy blades, and where they died, leaving pools of blood, other people slipped on, or stumbled over their bodies, or were cut and left for dead. The screams of the dying and the living melded into one, punctuated by sharp shrieks.
After it was over, a noble, sufficiently covered in blood, relayed the information to the few survivors. And yet they pillaged onward, somehow leaving Karholm mostly intact. The bodies lay unceremoniously there. And from there, they went inward, purging Aryie, leaving dead Oneists in their wake.
Zekat drank his tea and waited for it all to be over. He hoped they didn't ruin too much of the city. It was a pretty city, really.