Dream of Empty Crowns

by M. J. Sewall

  “I think the truth is best. The boy is presumed lost at sea. With that terrible storm, there's no hope he survived. We sent several ships out to look for them. But there's no word yet if they found anything.”

  The grandmother reasoned, “Yes, but the firstcouncilor doesn't know that. If you give them any hope that he's alive, they will send that damned floating thing out to look for him. And who knows what they will find? Better to be certain.”

  The queen said, “I can't produce a body out of thin air. What would you have me do?”

  “I have a few ideas,” replied the grandmother.

  * * *

  The airships landed in a small field just outside the walls of the kingdom of Thure. It was a very tight landing. Trunculin knew it was wise to land as far outside the Thurian gates as possible. Relations had been uneasy between their kingdoms in the years since the airships took flight. Thure's place as the world's shipbuilders had been secure for many hundreds of years. That meant they controlled trade between the kingdoms. When airships were invented, and goods could be moved at twice the speed, Thure had fallen to a distant second in power. Thure had not been very friendly with Trunculin's kingdom ever since.

  Since there was very little open land, Brenddel had landed in the only small field left outside of Thure. The second airship stayed in the air, as instructed. King Asa stood along the railing as they floated down to land. Everywhere Asa looked was covered with the great kingdom; one big sprawling Thure.

  The Thurian envoys came out to meet them and escorted them into the kingdom. They had been processed through the front gate with no paperwork, having been granted a waiver by the queen. As they made their way through the kingdom gates, Asa seemed delighted by everything he saw. There was different clothing, strange cooking smells, even the weapons the soldiers held were different.

  Asa knew he should act like a king, but he was too excited. Brenddel kept a stony face as they were led through the kingdom on an ornate cart pulled by twelve of the largest dogs Asa had ever seen. He wondered why the dogs weren't distracted by the smell of food everywhere. Asa couldn't even pick out one kind of food he knew as they slowly passed cart after cart of food.

  They went slowly, following closely behind the Thurian cart, people parting as they came. Asa seemed too busy looking around to notice the people staring. Brenddel glanced at the young king from time to time, smiling inwardly at each new discovery the king was making. He couldn't remember being a boy. Being the adopted son of the firstman, Brenddel knew nothing but the life of fighting and service.

  Brenddel knew that Asa would not have a normal life, either, no matter what happened. He was glad to see the new discoveries through Asa's eyes. He never thought about it before, finding joy in small things. Brenddel wondered briefly why it had never occurred to him.

  “What's that, Trunculin?” Asa said as he pointed to a tent selling fresh meat.

  Trunculin looked, “That, my king, is snake meat. They say it's quite good.”

  The young king made a sound of disgust and the firstcouncilor said, “No, no, my king, we don't make sounds like that. We are about to meet a queen from another kingdom, one that lost a husband unexpectedly. We have to be serious and respectful. And whatever they serve, you must eat it.”

  “Even if it's snake?” the king asked, horrified.

  “Snake isn't so bad. A little chewy. Let's just hope they don't feed us spiders fried in batter,” said Brenddel.

  The king looked even more shocked. He was about to make another horrified sound, but looked at Trunculin and tried to clear any emotion from his face.

  “You're not helping things,” said the firstcouncilor to Brenddel.

  They arrived at the palace to great fanfare. People lined the streets by the palace to see the new boy king. As he had been trained on the airship, he waved politely.

  The firstcouncilor noted something strange. The queen and her guard were standing in the forefront waiting to receive them, but off to the side was another smaller group of soldiers dressed similarly. At the head of these men stood a man who could only be Darion, the king's brother. Trunculin loved politics. He thought to himself, this is going to be fun.

  They arrived and the queen came down to meet them with her guards. Trunculin noticed that Darion made no move to try to interfere. Trunculin got out of the dog cart and stood there, while Asa walked up to the queen, bowed and said, “Queen Eyonna, queen of all Thure, I offer my fellowship and my friendship if you will want it.” Asa immediately realized what he'd said wrong, and replied, “I mean… if you will have it… sorry.”

  The queen smiled and held out her hand. “I think we can forgive the mistake of one word. I won't have your head cut off just yet.” Asa kissed her hand, as was the custom of the ruling queen of Thure. “King Asa, newest king of the kingdom of the thirteen, I say rise, as I offer my own hand in friendship and fellowship,” she added quietly, “and you did just fine, my king. Welcome King Asa, to the kingdom of Thure.”

  The crowds cheered as they welcomed Asa and his party into the kingdom. As they were about to enter the palace, Darion's contingent was still off to one side. The queen stopped. “Oh, how forgetful of me. This is Darion, the brother of the king, my late husband.”

  Darion stepped up and gave the customary greeting and Asa returned it perfectly this time. Darion bowed and everyone proceeded in. Darion said, “And I look forward to seeing you at the funeral meal, firstcouncilor.”

  “As do I,” said the firstcouncilor to Darion. Trunculin immediately looked at the queen for reaction. As she was walking in front of Trunculin, he could not see her face, but he thought he saw her body language change for just a moment. Oh yes, Trunculin thought, this is going to be lots of fun.

  The queen wasted no time in meeting with the new king and Trunculin. They were shown to the formal room where the queen took the king's chair and an old woman took the seat that normally sat the queen.

  “I wasn't aware that we would be in the company of the great Queen Alonnia of Dard,” said the firstcouncilor to the old woman.

  The old woman cocked her head and said, “Firstcouncilor, you honor me. And how very tactful you were to use the beautiful name of my old kingdom, and not the name those scum have chosen to call it.”

  The firstcouncilor nodded and smiled, and the queen added, “And how very bold of the firstcouncilor to speak before the queen does, although I do appreciate you honoring my grandmother. There is much to discuss… and some news that will not be welcome.”

  “Nothing too serious, I hope?” asked Trunculin.

  “King Gordon is dead,” the queen said bluntly.

  Trunculin tried not to show his shock, but Asa let out a gasp. The firstcouncilor rose quickly to his feet, and King Asa stood as well.

  The queen continued, “Some of my guards allowed him to escape and he was drowned at sea during a terrible storm.”

  Trunculin spoke, “How could this happen? How do you know that he is dead? Did you recover his body? He may have survived somehow.”

  “There is no doubt about his death.” She motioned to her guard, who immediately left the room. “There was a witness that survived.”

  The guard returned with a man dressed in the colors of Thure. Queen Eyonna said, “Please tell King Asa and his firstcouncilor what happened.”

  The man said, “We were in pursuit of the escaping ship when a storm came on us suddenly. Both of our ships were damaged. I saw the murderer's ship go down with my own eyes. The two other men in my boat, including Lantovas, the head of the guard, did not survive. There were no survivors from the other boat,” the man made his report looking straight ahead, with no emotion. Brenddel said nothing, but was suspicious. The man sounded like he was reciting from a script he had just learned.

  “How can you be so sure? You survived. Surely someone else might have,” Trunculin reasoned.

  The queen said, “We sent out a dozen rescue ships and searched for other survivors. I'm sorry, but Gordon is dea
d. Thank you, that will be all,” said the queen motioning for the man to leave.

  The firstcouncilor was gravely concerned as he looked at Brenddel, who was standing just behind King Asa's chair. Trunculin quietly sat back down. Asa was numb. He had never had a friend die.

  The queen said, “It is unforgivable that we allowed Gordon to escape, but I can't say that I am saddened by the boy's death. He did murder my husband. But, by law, we still have the guilty party.”

  “What do you mean?” managed Asa.

  “We have his substitute. When Gordon was accused, his uncle said he would stand trial instead. By the laws of my kingdom that makes it the same thing,” said the queen.

  The new king was confused and looked to Trunculin for guidance. He explained, “My king, in Thure, if a person is accused of a crime and a relative or close friend offers to go on trial for them, they are allowed to do so. They are considered guilty.”

  “But they're not the one that did it. How is that fair?” asked Asa, quickly turning to the queen and saying, “no offense, my queen, I am new to your kingdom's rules. And… I… I knew Gordon. The Gordon I knew wouldn't have murdered anyone.”

  The queen said, “No reason to apologize, my king. My land has many laws, some of which are hard to understand. But that is the law, and justice must be served. I was there and saw my husband die. It must have been Gordon.”

  The grandmother interrupted. “But of course there are other considerations to be made. Let's cut through the horse dung, shall we? We can help each other. I think that is clear.”

  “My grandmother has always been direct,” said the queen, “and she's right. My people demand that my husband's murderer be punished. But there is more at stake here. Since Gordon escaped, he admitted his guilt by his actions. My people might be convinced that the gods of Thure punished Gordon directly for his actions. They might be convinced that his uncle was just protecting the boy and has no part in my husband's murder.”

  “But… you need protection,” said young King Asa.

  Everyone in the room was silent. Trunculin's mouth dropped open, and Brenddel barely contained his smile.

  The grandmother smiled. “Now that's cutting through the dung. That's exactly what we need. The king's brother Darion wants power. This might be the best time to grab the crown for himself.”

  Asa said, “And if Darion knew that we were friends…”

  “… Then he would be much less likely to make trouble. Exactly,” the queen said as she looked at Trunculin, “whatever gods you pray to in your kingdom, they seem to choose smart young kings.”

  Asa smiled brightly, looking very much like the boy of thirteen that he was. He immediately realized his error and tried to stop smiling. He looked at Trunculin, but couldn't read the firstcouncilor's expression. He looked around the room awkwardly, not knowing what to do next.

  Next to Asa, Brenddel gave just the smallest nod to the king. Asa felt like he knew what he was doing for the first time.

  Trunculin sat quietly, having decided to himself that it would be the last happy moment he would allow Asa to have.

  Chapter 27: The New Guests

  Gordon had no idea what they were saying. The people with inked bodies were leading them somewhere. Gordon hoped it would be somewhere safe, although he was reluctant to leave the beach at all, since he had still not found Aline.

  Gordon's vision was a little blurry and he was very thirsty. He had already looked in his sack. The metal can was still sealed. A little salt water had gotten in, but there were still some sour cakes and one sweet. He didn't want to use up too many sour cakes, but he nibbled on one as he walked. Thirst meant his blood was too sweet. He hoped he could get something to drink soon.

  His companion was not optimistic about what was happening. “We shouldn't be going with these people. For all we know, they could be cannibals.”

  “Well, they let me keep my knife. And I don't think cannibals like to hug strangers,” said Gordon.

  The guard did not look convinced. He kept looking around nervously as though he were going to run off when he got the chance. “Probably just putting us at ease, until they roast us. And speak for yourself; my longknife was lost at sea. I have no choice but the play this out. Whatever happens, boy, when we are rescued you will be put on trial for what you've done.”

  Gordon replied, “I already told you I didn't do it. We know who did it and we were…”

  “Yes, yes, your mysterious servant cousins. That's very convenient. But a man only runs if he's guilty,” said the guard.

  “I just wanted to save my uncle Loren. If it were up to me, I would have stood trial and proven my innocence. A lot of people have been making decisions for me lately. I'm kind of tired of it,” said Gordon.

  The guard said, “Well, we'll see about that when we get back to Thure. Because of you, I'm going to miss the funeral of the great king.”

  Gordon blinked to clear his vision, “He did seem like a great king. I really liked him,” said Gordon sincerely.

  Just as the guard was about to protest and start another argument, they walked out of the dense foliage and into a large open space. Gordon's eyes were drawn upward as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing.

  It looked like a mountain had been carved out. In its place, little houses have been built inside it, as far up as Gordon could see. There were people everywhere. There must have been hundreds of people climbing ladders from one story to the next, cooking meals from small fires right outside of their small houses. After a few moments, Gordon realized that the space must have been formed naturally, and these people had built their houses under the natural formation, well protected under the overhanging rock that formed the huge space inside.

  All of the small huts and houses seemed to be interconnected in a complex system. It reminded Gordon of the houses stacked on top of each other in Murderer's Bay, but much more simple. These houses were made of what looked like wood and clay, but just as beautiful in their own way. He thought of Aline again, her face flashing in his mind. He was worried he would never find her.

  Gordon looked down from the hollowed out mountain to the clearing before him. In the center was a large, round structure. At first look, Gordon thought it was a just a mound with grass on top of it, but as they got closer, it was clearly some sort of building. Gordon could see holes that looked like doors and windows all around the building. It looked like it was part of the ground in a way, but at the same time was clearly made by human hands.

  From the silence of the Thurian guard, Gordon realized that he must be in awe as well. The people started to look in their direction as they came into the area. Gordon could hear their language bouncing around everywhere.

  Some children ran up to them, explaining something excitedly in their language. The children didn't touch them, just looked at them and talked amongst themselves. Gordon noticed that the children didn't have ink on their bodies. Maybe it's something they do later in life, he thought.

  Gordon wished that he knew how to speak their language, so we could ask questions. He wanted to ask if they'd seen Aline. The men led them into the large, round structure. Gordon was right about the opening being a door. What looked like dirt and grass outside was supported by a beautiful and complicated series of wooden beams on the inside.

  They were led through several rooms. All the walls were decorated with objects; things to cook with, exotic musical instruments, baskets and many things he could only guess at. As they entered the series of rooms, Gordon also noticed some weapons and tools hanging on the wall that looked almost as though they'd come from his own kingdom. Maybe they were things they traded for, or that came ashore with other shipwrecks. Gordon couldn't be sure and had no one to ask.

  They were led to a third room, this one much larger and round just like the outside of the structure. Gordon assumed they were in the middle of the structure, and thought this might be their version of a palace. There was no king's chair or anything like it, so Gordon coul
dn't be sure. There was also no one that looked more important in any way, but a few of the men went over to an older man sitting in the corner weaving a basket.

  The man was wearing eyeglasses that looked completely out of place with his simple clothing. Gordon realized he wasn't much older than the other men. But this man seemed confident, in charge. The man nodded, and his face got very serious. He walked up to Gordon and the guard, and looked both of them over.

  The guard stepped forward as though he were protecting Gordon. That surprised Gordon, since just moments before, he was calling him a murderer. The man took off his glasses and looked into the guard's face and then Gordon's. Gordon got a shiver as the man stared into his eyes. Then the man laughed and hugged the guard. Even though he'd seen one of the men hug Gordon on the beach, this was apparently the last thing the guard expected to happen. His body language stiffened, not knowing what to do. His arms were sticking straight to his sides. Apparently the guard had no practice at hugging.

  The man also came to Gordon and hugged him. He said something that he couldn't understand. The man motioned with his hand for all to follow. He put his glasses back onto his nose and looked confused for a moment, trying to figure out how to communicate. Then he made a motion with his hand, as though he put something in his mouth and pretended to eat.

  That was all the man had to do to make the hungry guard move. Gordon's stomach began to growl too. The sour cake had time to work, but it was always a matter of balance. He may have eaten too much sour cake and now he needed real food. Gordon started to panic, realizing that he had no way to communicate with these people that he needed something sweet to make him feel better.

  Gordon also realized that he wouldn't be seeing Loren or another healer for probably a long time. He had no idea what he was going to do after the few sour cakes ran out. He began to feel dizzy. He was feeling very hungry now, like all the food in the world would not be enough.