A Tale Of Shadows (Wattys 2023) - REPLACED BY DIVINE ASCENSION

Chapter 6 - The Coronation

Melinda's facial expression turned grave. "Guards will be awaiting all of you in an hour. Farewell until then, and I hope your time there will be nice."

"Farewell," Randall said in a raspy voice as she was leaving the building.

When the guards allowed him and his fellow slaves to walk into the throne room, he observed how beautiful everything looked. The new throne, which was placed opposite the door, was made out of cherry wood, a bit taller than the old two thrones, lined with gold and sapphires, and near it lay a sceptre of similar design. The floor was covered in petals plucked from numerous periwinkles and yellow roses, which were also the types of flowers hanging from the planters attached to the walls, as well as the ceiling. No matter how hard he tried, Randall could not escape the scent of those flowers due to the sheer amount of them, not that he wanted to, for their enchanting aroma brought a smile to his face for a moment. There was also a long white table in one of the corners, on which a lot of different foods and drinks were placed, and even though the foods were mostly familiar, the drinks were not. While he was looking around the room, Melinda walked over to him, smiling brightly.

"Hello, Randall. There is a table full of treats over there," she chirped, pointing towards the table. "Concerning drinks, we have got several types of champagne and wine, which is all you need to know because I do not have the time to explain alcohol to you. There are also juices and, of course, water. If you have anything to ask, just go to a guard. Enjoy the ceremony."

Despite her seeming friendly, he still felt that she was mocking him in some way he could not quite grasp, especially with those last three words. However, he did not wish to tire himself with thinking about what could be on her mind, and since she showed no signs of malice, that would have been paranoid as well, and being paranoid was never the solution, no matter how dire the situation. He walked over to the table, grabbed himself a glass of fig juice while taking the time to be impressed with the design of the glasses, and when he was done with the juice, he left the glass on the table due to the ceremony having started. Standing in front of Melinda, who was standing in front of the throne, with all the others, he listened to every word with unwavering attention.

Jane, who was holding the crown, which had blue and yellow sapphires on it, in her hands, began to speak:

"These recent few years have been rather turbulent, and it is a truth that none of us can escape. However, even in all the darkness that surrounds us, rays of light shine through. Good is still upheld in this world, especially by Queen Melinda of Obscuria, whom I am glad to serve and crown here and now. There are none better than her for this position, despite her having made some obvious mistakes in her judgment, for we are all bound by the limitations of our hearts and mortal lives to never achieve perfection, which is why it is very impressive for her to have come close to achieving it. Before she can officially become Empress of Iuvat, she will pledge her oath, which shall be heard at this moment."

Melinda smiled at her. "Thank you. By the Holy Book of Xar, I swear to resurrect the great empire that once was, bursting with gold and life and progress, where the ground never thirsts for blood and corpses do not rot in the woods, where every citizen is considered equal regardless of their circumstances, where words are an art that never dies, where promises are a magnificent fountain that never dries up. Regardless of what I say or do, one thing will always remain constant: the kindness and justice I gift my fellow living beings for nothing in return, pleased to spread joy and happiness to those who deserve it, not willing to give it up for anything in the world. In the years that come, everything will become better, and my justice shall spread furthermore. Advancement is already ahead of us, and you will not have to wait long to see it, not with me on this throne."

Everyone in the throne room smiled and clapped as the crown was put on her head, even the slaves, for they knew what they would have gotten if they did not. She then sat on the throne and held the sceptre while the others were moving away from her, waiting for the man who was going to paint her portrait. In the meantime, she pondered what she had said. Lies beyond her ability to count were contained in this little speech alone, and in a way, it felt releasing to get the crown by fooling her people. All she had to do now was sit there like a statue with a stern facial expression that screamed power, confirming her status once more in an immortal painting that was to have a gilded frame, as priceless as she was. Any person who walked through the castle would have to see it at least once, the umpteenth reminder of her influence and position. She was struck with immense pride of how far she had come just from imagining that.

Her portrait was beautiful and the day was beautiful and, at midnight, she went to sleep in her completely dark room without sorrow in sight. There, with her eyes closed, she saw something the likes of which she had never seen before, not sure if it was a dream or if it was real or if perhaps it was a strange combination of the two. She was walking around a shadowed hallway of a palace that had been in ruins for centuries, her boots echoing against the cold marble floor, the dress she had received as Empress dragging along and slowing her down. For a while, no one else was around, and she was in complete silence, but after a while, she heard several voices whispering above her head, which sounded like one. She could not immediately recognise the words, but the moment she did, she knew that they were in the Xarian language, all of them countless curses that she could not remember due to the speed they were spoken at. She stood behind a marble pillar, waiting for what they would do next, and she did not have to wait long. After several minutes of haunting her, they decided to speak in English, and she could hear an old man hollering at her in it. From there, she listened to everything he had to say, painstakingly trying not to lose focus.

"Do you hear us?!" the old man screamed, walking closer to her, completely obscured except for his dark brown eyes, wooden crown and white robe, allowing her to recognize him as Vladimir Koran, the first emperor of Xar. "Do you know why we are here?! We are here to record the lies which you have spoken about us and yourself over the years so they may never be forgotten. Do not think that we have not heard your pretty, poisonous speech. Our souls are cursed to be forever awake and bound to this palace in order to observe how those who came after us handle the throne. Your evil is now engraved into our history, the customs you modified for your selfish needs, as well as our minds, which shall never recover from it. I do not know what the most painful death is, nor does anyone who lives, but justice does, and justice will ensure that you receive it one day."

She sighed, sad about having to argue with the first Emperor, whom she admired, but if she had to, she would, and she would not back down, thus she spoke with newfound determination:

"Do not pretend to be a saint, Vladimir Koren. We both know that being a mighty and glorious ruler requires endless spilt blood, and you never would have been the first Emperor of Xar had you not murdered countless people you had never encountered before, people who were down on their knees, absolutely desperate, begging for mercy. It is certain that you established an efficient system that promoted justice, but there was a price that had to be paid for that. The slavery you consider sinful is a sacrifice of similar origin. I only enslaved the dirty parasites of our society who could commit crimes at any time and who would have caused a lot of trouble for me in freedom, for they are the most desperate ones, and despair brings forth wickedness. Does that help you understand me better?"

A window opened out of nowhere, and she could feel the cold winds of the night slapping her in the face. "I told you that we, the Emperors and Empresses of Xar, record everything. That is why you remind me of my wretched brother Branislav and his wife Maya. In the beginning, you knew that the poor are not to blame for anything and are merely the easiest victims to pick, but your cycle of lies has become so tangled that you believe that they are the parasites of society. How many lies of yours will you start believing in by the end of your reign? Believing those you already believe in has made you a worse person, and I do not want to know how worse you could become thanks to them, therefore I must leave with the others. Now sleep, and I hope that sometime soon, you will not live to wake up from it."

The moment the spirits left, she forcibly opened her eyes, her face pale, gasping for air. She had not looked at her soul in years due to the detachment from the need for that, and in that vision, she could feel it in the air. Cold sweat was running down her back, and, her hands trembling from the weakness that grew within her, she drank all the water from the tall glass that was on her nightstand in one go, miraculously falling asleep the moment after she left the empty glass where it had previously been. She dreamt of nothing but the void, and in that void, she did not have to worry about anything.