Point of view of Boris Helkar, King of Clifland
(Days after the ascension to the throne)
I finally reached what I wanted so much, what I planned so much… but, despite that, I still don't feel complete, not as King… because I still lack the divine spark…. These were the thoughts that roamed my head once I reached the throne through the blood of my parents and all their allies.
Cherphy, the capital, was absolute chaos following the recent change of command; the smoke from the fires still rose over the roofs and the smell of blood seemed to have settled into the walls of the castle, but there was no time for distractions. After recovering from the wounds left by the attack of my brother Kadian, which almost cost me my life, I continued with the most important part of my plan: the restructuring of the Kingdom.
In the following days, with the help of my men, my hand did not tremble to execute every corrupt noble who had been bleeding our people dry under my father's indifferent gaze, so I appointed new leaders and principal nobles, competent people who truly knew the suffering of the people, causing the atmosphere to calm down little by little as people understood that my behavior was not a whim, but a necessity for the Kingdom.
A few weeks later, I decided it was time to show my true intentions to the people of Clifland, so I stood before an immense crowd in the main square of the castle, feeling how thousands of eyes observed me with a mixture of terror and hope.
"Citizens of Clifland!" I shouted, letting my voice resonate in every corner thanks to magic and to the repeaters situated throughout the Kingdom. "A new era is beginning; an era of prosperity that is not for royalty nor for the luxuries of this castle, but for the Kingdom and each of its inhabitants. First, I would like to apologize to each of you for the commotion and the inconveniences that my actions may have caused you." I said, slightly bowing my head in a sign of respect before continuing with my message, using a firmer voice.
"But, citizens of the largest and most powerful Kingdom in the world, I want you to understand that I was forced to act after seeing the misfortune toward which our home was headed because of the incompetence and cowardice of my father! Therefore, I did what was necessary to save us from that tragic fate that I myself saw while traveling our lands, confirming that the reports reaching the crown were simple lies. For that reason! Now that not a single corrupt leader remains in this castle nor in the main houses! Our Kingdom will finally be able to advance!!"
Upon hearing my words, I could notice that the people were divided between those who looked at me with deep hatred for what happened with the royal family, and those who decided to listen in silence or support me, recognizing me as the prince who used to travel to help them personally when no one else did.
"People of Clifland! In the coming months, my absolute priority will be to end hunger, the remaining corruption, and the hatred between races that only weakens us." I declared, seeing how the murmur of the people increased at my promises.
"Furthermore, we are going to modernize commerce, health, and education, guaranteeing the security and freedom that has been denied to you for centuries." I made an intentional pause, letting my words sink into the mood of the citizens while I searched for a way to close the speech with the authority I needed, knowing perfectly well that reforms would not be enough to stop a civil war; I needed them to see me not as a mere usurper, but as the only leader capable of carrying the destiny of the Kingdom.
"I know that many of you, despite my words, wonder by what right I have taken this throne, doubting if I am just a rebellious son seeking power among corpses." I said, lowering my tone so that my voice would sound more solemn, making the silence in the square absolute.
"But a King is not the one who inherits a crown, but the one who has the will to protect his people. My father and my brother fled from that responsibility, abandoning them to their fate, but I, just like the Dragon God, does not allow his people to walk blindly."
I felt the weight of thousands of gazes after mentioning the founder, realizing that this was the point of no return for my plan. "Many believe that divine favor was lost with Kadian's flight, but they are wrong!" I shouted, making my mana vibrate to give strength to my words.
"The Dragon God does not seek out cowardly lineages, but firm hands that know how to lead Clifland toward its true greatness!"
In a move charged with determination, I unbuttoned the top part of my gala tunic, leaving my chest exposed before the crowd. "I, Boris Helkar, accept the burden of your protection! Stripping away my title of King to now be your Ruler!"
With pride, I showed the shining mark that gleamed on my chest, which perfectly imitated the sign of the Dragon God thanks to a complex visual spell combined with a perfect drawing that hid my lack of the actual fragment. Upon seeing the supposed 'divine spark' on my skin, the skepticism of the masses vanished, being replaced by an explosion of applause and cheers that made the ground vibrate, leading the majority to accept my ascent as a higher will, while the rest withdrew embittered or in fear of the changes that would come under my new command.
There are still people who don't accept me… but it doesn't matter for now…. I thought as I closed my tunic, listening to the cheers that continued to echo.
Because… through my actions, they will be able to see the true leader this Kingdom needed.
After my acceptance, people returned to normalcy, expectant of my words and promises. Meanwhile, I divided my efforts into assigning tasks and going out to win the favor of the Kingdom's army, which thanks to my previous words, was not as difficult as I had expected.
By the end of my first month as ruler, I made major changes in most of the sectors I promised to change and improve, in addition to the declaration that my brother, Kadian Helkar and his family, along with other people who managed to escape, were considered traitors of the Kingdom.
With this declaration, finally, I will be able to send for Kadian, so as to obtain the trueDragon God's Fragment. I thought, taking advantage of his wife's condition to capture him in Alister, and thus obtain one of the ten fragments that existed, something I found out following the readings that only the King could do.
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Joshua_Goose: Hi everyone, I've been talking with other authors, and after doing so, I had to accept a sad truth: on these sites, uploading content very frequently is essential for your story to reach more people.
When I found out, I was speechless, because I didn't know what to do. Should I lower the word count per chapter, which would reduce the overall volume, or should I just do nothing and continue as before? So, after thinking it over, I decided... Screw them! I won't lower the word count per chapter, since each one tells a story, or is part of the main story, as you've probably already read. Now, to avoid getting lost in the algorithms of these reading sites, I'll divide the chapters into parts. This will start next week, which will result in the algorithm recommending the story, as well as increasing the quality and content of the chapters.
See you next week with this new format, which will upload two parts per week :)