At the palace, another war was being fought, not by mere weapons but sharp words that were far more dangerous than swords.
Visian Vahamor, the king of Apharoth, garbed in velvet and gold clothes, was doing his best not to explode in anger because of the dispute before him. His right and left chancellors were at it again. They seem to have forgotten that they were in the presence of His Majesty.
Chancellor Dasran, the king’s only sure friend, was already red in restrained anger. The king wanted to take a break from this spat because they had already been debating for more than two hours and no one one was backing down.
”Chancellor Dasran, do you really think, with all your experience as an aide to the royal throne for almost twenty years, that reviving an old tradition is an effective way to stop a war?” A brown-bearded man with a calm expression asked Dasran. He was Waharis, the Left Chancellor, and his subtle tone even with all their bickering meant that he came here prepared.
”It’s a miracle that the world actually remembers it. What if this was ignored? How will you stop the arising of the Lifir family against the king?” he added.
The king’s other court ministers were just standing with their heads bowed, powerless as they waited for the left and right chancellors to counter each others’ words. Although they wore the light blue robes symbolizing heavenly wisdom, they deemed it to be wise to keep their mouths shut in times like these.
”But we are seeing visitors from different countries flocking here in Apharothia, right? It’s more than enough proof that the world still honors Gairoshi,” Dasran defended.
”Still, we are burdened with a lot of tasks such as ushering them in, providing security, rehabilitating the arena that wasn’t used in centuries—” Waharis was cut off when Dasran suddenly raised his voice.
”What do you suggest, then? Declare war against the branch of the royal family and drag the civilians into this family feud? The king was wise to choose Gairoshi–a battle of representatives with fair judgment and no discrimination. Whether you are a commoner or a noble, everyone has the right to earn the royal title. The winner takes the crown. It’s that simple.”
If only the king had the power to put Waharis on his knees. However, when it comes to the court, nothing is simple. Chancellor Waharis was a charismatic man known both to the commoners and nobles. His angelic aura and political power made up more than half of the king’s subjects. Waharis had more allies than him and it was his family that provided the gold when Apharoth was once stricken with poverty. The king had to be wise in approaching him because one mistake will lead to his subjects abandoning the king.
He knew that Waharis had the potential and fame to become the next king and King Visian had no problem passing it on to him if only he was not connected to the Mahan.
The only thing that King Visian could do in times like these was stall time, enough for the camp of Dasran to come up with a solution, or else he will have to approve Waharis’ suggestions no matter what. But over the years, his charisma has only gotten stronger and the king knew that it was only a matter of time before he too would rise up against the king, just as the Lifir family is doing right now.
It all started with the Lifir family asking for a royal title for their prince. However, the king didn’t approve of it because of the written rules that all royalties must follow. The candidate for the next king must be of good reputation for the people will still choose whether to approve or not approve the prospect.
Prince Saizen Lifir was an ordinary prince. However, just months ago, he was suddenly known to be a brutal young man with his violent nature known all throughout Apharothia. Reports said that he would often kill women that didn’t please him in the brothels that he stayed at and make children as his slaves. He overworked his soldiers and used the sick ones as his hunting targets. So when the Lifir made their request, the king immediately declined to give them any, not knowing that it was a story that they crafted for their sickening plan.
And they were successful. They took advantage of the fact that King Visian had no offspring and the only way for the crown to be passed was through Prince Saizen at the right time. But it seemed that the Lifir family was impatient.
It was just their plan all along for them to have a just reason to fight against the royal family. After spreading such lies to him, there was no reason for him to accept their request.
The Lifir family suddenly proclaimed that the Vahamor family was power-hungry, not wanting to pass the royal title to them just because they were not included in the main family. And just for the simple reason that they were denied the throne, they suddenly seized Thalisse to show that they were ready to wage war against King Visian.
King Visian could send his army to wipe them out but he had his holy oath which he swore under the heavens and in front of the people when he took the crown–that he will never resort to massacre no matter what the circumstance. The Lifir family took advantage again of his oath with him not knowing that they harbored such ambitions to take over the royal family.
Gairoshi was his last hope. He knew that opening it once more was like opening Pandora’s box. What if the winner of the Gairoshi was some evil man who only had brute strength and no brains?
The heavens better send a righteous man, someone with the strength to conquer Gairoshi but someone also with the compassion and capability to lead.
”The sun is about to set. We will continue this tomorrow.”
The king didn’t wait for them to bow. He stood as soon as he said his last word and trudged out of the court. He could sense the heavy steps of Dasran following behind him.
King Visian entered a room with a jade-colored curtain and sighed as soon as he took his seat on the padded floor. He took off his golden crown studded with rare stones and set it on a table.
Dasran also entered and his eyes widened when he saw the precious crown out of the head of the king.
”Your Majesty,” he called out but the king put up his index finger.
”I know, I know. Just make sure that no one enters the room.”
Dasran frantically went back to the entrance and pushed the door to a close and locked it. He also went to the nearby windows and manually closed them one by one with their locks. When he was down to the last, the king spoke. ”Leave that one open. Only the sun can see me.”
The chancellor hesitated but the king’s alluring brown eyes reflecting the sunset made him obey.
”Thank you,” the king said and smiled. Dasran bowed. The chancellor proceeded in front of the king and sat on the marble floor.
”Waharis is getting aggressive as the day of the Gairoshi near. We only have less than three weeks. Will we be able to finish the preparations in time?” Dasran asked. The king couldn’t blame him if doubt was the first thing that came out of his mouth. He had been forced in the court to bring out the most confident version of himself for Waharis not to spot any weakness in him. It is only natural that Dasran was honest in his feelings. That was a good sign. It means he knew when and where to be transparent.
“That is not a question, I believe,” the king replied calmly but firmly.
Dasran nodded, like he had just been reminded.
“Do you think,” the king started. It was his turn to be truthful about his feelings. “If my son was here, would things be different?”
Both the king and Dasran felt sad at the mention of his son. They were silent, like they were respecting the passing of the dead.