Dream of Empty Crowns

by M. J. Sewall

  Trunculin was still coughing and was just about to speak.

  “Jorann was my grandfather,” said Alonnia, the queen's grandmother.

  Trunculin had finally gotten his food down, but before he could speak, King Asa said, “Oh no. I've said something wrong again. Please, my queen, I'm sorry…”

  The queen smiled, “You really are a charming boy. Don't worry. You're right, my distant great grandfather was an insane, evil man who did terrible things. That's why the people rose up against him. I really can't blame them for killing him and hanging him from that bridge. There is much to be said for your way of doing things. Your kingdom has risen to be the richest and, some say, most popular kingdom there is. New ways of doing things aren't always bad. We simply believe in certain traditions in Thure.” As she leaned over to Asa, she winked and said, “Maybe we still have a thing or two to learn, here in the old kingdom of paper.”

  Trunculin added, “It really is just a different way of doing things. No better or worse than any other way. True, we do have our different ways, but many of the ideas came from Thure, in a way. Three of our first thirteen came from Thure.”

  “Precisely, because there would never have been kings here,” said the grandmother not smiling. “I have lost my appetite. If you excuse me, my dear, honored guests, I think I will retire.”

  Asa said, “I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to offend anyone. I still have so much to learn. I hope you can forgive me,” said Asa.

  “I can't expect a boy king of thirteen to understand the world of men and women. Good night,” the grandmother said as she walked away.

  “Please, let me escort you. I would love to hear some of the history of your noble family of Dard,” said Trunculin getting up from the table to walk with her.

  “I would be honored, firstcouncilor. I would love to talk about my truly royal family.”

  The two walked away, leaving the queen and Asa to finish their meal. Asa was now distracted, fearing he did more damage with every word he said.

  The queen said, “Don't worry about offending her. She is an old woman with very old ways of thinking. She's still bitter about losing her throne to those that now call her land Extatumm. There are many things that I want to change in my kingdom. My husband always had great plans and had already started to change things for the better. I think our kingdom would benefit from being a little more like yours.”

  Asa smiled. “Thank you. Maybe I should go to bed too. It's been a long day. If you will pardon me, my queen.”

  “Of course, my king, sleep well,” said the queen, smiling as Asa left.

  Asa did not go back to his chamber. He was determined to have another conversation with Loren. Luckily, it was the same guard on duty. This time he would not be interrupted by Brenddel, either. As he made his way to the back of the prison cells, Loren was once again standing at the bars, as though he was waiting for him. “Hello again, Asa,” Loren said with a smile.

  Asa replied, “It's kind of nice not hearing the word king before my name. How are you?”

  Loren just shrugged and looked at the bars.

  “That's a dumb question, sorry,” said Asa. “I wanted to come down and let you know that I've convinced the queen that Gordon didn't poison anyone. I sent Brenddel and an airship to find the murderers in Artoth. There's no guarantees, of course, but I think we will get you out of here.”

  Loren looked concerned. Once again, Denogg quietly came out of the shadows. “Was the firstcouncilor there when you made this decision?”

  Asa smiled a little. “Yes. I don't think he's very happy with me. But he hasn't said anything. In fact, he really hasn't talked to me much since then. He's been smiling a lot more, though. I think he might like the queen's grandmother.”

  Denogg and Loren exchanged worried glances.

  Loren said, “Did you openly defy him in the presence of anyone else?”

  “Well, Brenddel was there, and Darion. He went with Brenddel to try and help. I think there was another guard there too. Strange, but I don't really notice the guards anymore. They are always just there. It felt good to make my own decision for once.”

  Loren said, “Asa, you need to understand something. You cannot trust Trunculin. He is a very bad man. I worked at the palace as the firsthealer and had to treat many people for injuries that Trunculin had ordered. I mean torture, Asa. If you openly defy him again, he will find ways to punish you. I want you to understand that, and be very, very careful. He's tried to kill me. He tried to kill Gordon. And there have been accidents in the past. Not all kings survive their trials.”

  He looked back and forth at the two men, “But… but I'm the king. There are guards around all the time. What could he do?”

  “You may be king, but you are also a thirteen year old boy surrounded by guards that are loyal only to the firstcouncilor,” said Denogg. “I don't know this Trunculin, but from what I've heard, you may be in a lot of danger.”

  “I hadn't thought of that. I mean, I thought the guards would protect me. But…” Asa stood there as a tear rolled down his cheek. “I never wanted to be king. Why is this happening…?”

  “Being chosen is a great responsibility, no matter how you were chosen. You are stronger than you think, Asa. You need to trust in yourself. And be very careful,” said Loren.

  “I don't really think the firstcouncilor would try anything with the queen's guards as witnesses,” added Denogg.

  Asa nodded and could find no other words, so he said goodnight and went back to his chamber. Asa passed guards the entire way back. He tried to look at their faces and imagine what they were thinking. None of them would look at him.

  As he opened the door to his chamber, he was surprised to see the firstcouncilor sitting in the chair, four guards behind him. He was right in the middle of the room, smiling very widely.

  Almost like a friend.

  Chapter 41: Brenddel's Betrayal

  “Good. You're getting better,” said Aline as she thrust her longknife at Gordon, who blocked her with his own curved blade and retreated a few steps away from her attack.

  “Thanks. I know I have a lot to learn,” he said as he made a slashing movement towards Aline. She skillfully dodged, and his longknife swung down and stuck into the deck of the ship. Aline used her foot to push Gordon over. He didn't let go of the longknife, and as his body rolled, the knife came out of the wood. Gordon was quickly back on his feet.

  “Not bad, my king. Improvising. You may not die in your first battle after all. But you need to keep your legs farther apart, and work on keeping yourself firmly planted,” said Aline, circling him.

  “I'll keep that in mind,” Gordon said as he put his foot forward and thrust his longknife at Aline. She blocked his blow and spun her body so that she was behind him. She had her shortknife out and was just touching Gordon's side with the blade.

  “Remember this, also,” Aline said to Gordon, who quickly realized that he had lost the fight. “There is no such thing as a fair fight. Not in the real world. It is not just about clashing blades and making a lot of noise. Don't focus too much on the weapon. Use your mind.” Aline tapped Gordon's head to make the point.

  “Well said, Aline,” said Mantuan as he approached. “It's also about what is around you. Fighting on the deck of a ship that is constantly moving is much different than fighting among trees or on flat land. Even the deck of an airship moves differently than a ship on water. My turn, Aline.”

  “This is going to be fun to watch. Don't kill him, Manny,” said Aline as she put her knives away. Gordon held his knife and watched as Mantuan took his own longknife out of its sheath.

  “Um, I don't think I'm ready to fight you,” said Gordon, and felt new sweat appear on his brow.

  “You're not. But you are way behind on training. And since I was firstman once, in a way it is my duty to train you for combat. Come for me, my king,” said Mantuan.

  Gordon looked back to Aline. She was smiling. He turned back to Mantuan, raised his lo
ngknife in both hands and walked in a circle, ready to strike. “Why aren't you the firstman anymore? You said you trained Brenddel. What really happened?”

  Mantuan yelled loudly and charged Gordon, swinging his knife downward. Gordon raised his knife but the blow was too powerful and sent Gordon to his knees. Mantuan said, “Brenddel betrayed me the day King Daymer died.”

  Gordon got to his feet and raised his knife just in time for Mantuan to swing horizontally. Gordon jumped backwards out of Mantuan's reach. “Daymer? The slaver king, right?”

  Mantuan charged again with a loud roar, longknife raised. Gordon put up his own blade to block it. Instead of swinging his knife down, Mantuan came in under Gordon's blade and slammed upwards into him with his shoulder. Gordon was pushed into the air and landed on the deck of the ship.

  Before Gordon could raise his blade again, Mantuan had his knife close to Gordon's throat. “Slaver king? That was a lie invented by Trunculin. The king had nothing to do with slaves. He never would've allowed slavery in his kingdom. The king was stabbed and thrown off an airship by Brenddel.” Mantuan sheathed his longknife and offered Gordon his hand. Gordon was quickly up on his feet and sheathed his own knife.

  “You saw it happen?” asked Gordon, rubbing his shoulder.

  Mantuan said, “Yes. Brenddel was my secondman. I trusted him completely. I rescued him as a boy and he was like my adopted son. King Daymer was facing away from me, looking down over the land. I didn't see Brenddel approach him. I looked up just as Brenddel stuck in the knife and pushed the king off the airship. The king made no sound as he fell. I will never forget that silent fall, or my failure.”

  Aline came back over to them and put her hand on Mantuan's arm. “That's the day we first met. Quite the surprise for a little girl.”

  “No more surprised than I was. I knew that I was going to die and then suddenly I landed on something solid and saw people all around me. It was a very strange day,” said Mantuan.

  Gordon asked, “What happened?”

  “Brenddel tried to kill me just after he killed the king. He was enraged and called me slaver scum, among other things. I'm sure that Trunculin made him believe that the king and I were somehow responsible for the slave trade at the gas fields. I tried to reason with him, but he was out for blood. I was winning the fight for a while. Rage usually unbalances an opponent, but Brenddel used his to focus. I finally fell.”

  “Fell… from the airship? How did you survive that?” Gordon asked.

  “The king had wanted to see the haunted forest in Aspora. We were over a large dense canopy of trees. I must've fallen twenty feet before I hit the canopy. That slowed me down, but I was still falling. I stopped when I landed on something flat. It hurt, so I knew I wasn't dead. There were people around that were just as surprised to see me. It was the fortress, as we now call it.”

  Aline said, “I was the first one to approach you. Everyone else was scared to come up to you. People don't usually fall through the trees over three hundred feet up.”

  “How high? Um, I think I'm confused,” said Gordon.

  Mantuan and Aline laughed. Mantuan said, “That does sound confusing if you haven't seen them. In Aspora, there are trees that grow to be hundreds of feet tall. The trees are bigger around than you can imagine. There is a large group of people who have built a city in the trees.”

  Gordon said, “You mean like a kid's treehouse?”

  Aline said, “Like the most amazing treehouses you've never seen. The people create houses out of parts of the trees, connecting decks and platforms between the trees in an amazing system. Hundreds live in the fortress, high in the trees. We even grow food up there. There are systems for bringing water up and for getting down to the ground from the trees. It's a beautiful place. Its home.”

  Mantuan agreed. “And I have also called it home since that day. I've traveled through all the kingdoms building alliances and gathering information. But home has been in the trees. When we have everything we need to destroy Trunculin, I will return to my first home, our kingdom.”

  Chapter 42: Offending the Gods

  The airship slowed as it approached the canal gates. Brenddel could see the great canal beyond the first gate and understood how careful he would have to be. His kingdom, and the kingdom of the gods, had a fragile understanding. He wasn't sure if he would be allowed to land peacefully, or if they would try to shoot them out of the sky. He knew that he could fly around the high mountains, avoiding the canal. But this would look suspicious, and Artoth might think it was an attack.

  Darion asked, “What do you think is the best way in?”

  “The best option is usually the front door. The two kings have their own guards that each control one side of the canal. I think we should ask for permission just like everyone else,” replied Brenddel.

  “That would be the best way not to get shot down, I reason. When we get closer they'll see that the arrow guns are empty. What do you think our odds are of getting in?” asked Darion.

  “About even. There's only one way to find out.” Brenddel ordered his men to steer the ship directly for the first gate of the canal. They flew in very low and slowed to a stop just close enough to shout to the guard.

  “Apparently they saw us coming,” said Darion as he pointed to the large amount of arrowmen lining the outer gate, pointing right at their airship.

  “What is your business here?” said a large, muscular man standing next to the gate.

  Brenddel shouted back, “We believe the men that killed the king of Thure may be hiding in your kingdom like cowards. May we pass over the canal and land outside your kingdom?”

  Among the arrow men and guards were a few men with books in their hands. These were the councilors of the king. The main guard was nodding as the councilor spoke to him.

  The guard finally said, “You may pass for double the standard fee over this gate. But the far gate is controlled by the other king. They may not let you pass. Your floating ship is an insult to all gods. Fair warning.”

  “Agreed, with our thanks,” said Brenddel, as he told his men to fly over the gates. There were vast mountains on either side, shooting into the air, the tops hidden by clouds. The canal was wide enough for the largest ships from any kingdom. The Artoth canal was the largest in their world and made travel much shorter to Artoth, Extatumm and the lands beyond.

  Darion looked at the mountains and wondered how high they were. He said, “I've always wanted to see the canal. How lucky Artoth is, to be in the middle of all the kingdoms and be able to charge a fee for any ship wanting a shortcut.”

  “Quite the shortcut. Going around the canal takes an extra sixteen days by watership. And they are rough seas,” said Brenddel.

  “Speaking of rough waters, what if the other king's gate won't let us through?” asked Darion.

  Brenddel answered, “This kingdom may be founded on the love of their gods, but like most kingdoms, this one considers coin above everything else.”

  “You're not suggesting that there's any corruption in this kingdom, are you?”

  Brenddel said simply, “No. I'm suggesting that all kingdoms are corrupt.”

  The airship slowed as it approached the second gate. They were twice as many arrow men at this gate as there were at the first. They were all dressed in the black and orange leather armor of their king. An arrow flew by Darion as a warning. “You will stop and state your business,” came a loud booming voice.

  Darion looked at Brenddel with alarm as the firstman said, “We believe the cowardly murderers of the king of Thure to be hiding in your glorious kingdom.”

  There were two councilors speaking to the guard of this gate. The guard nodded and said to Brenddel, “Are you mocking our glorious kingdom, air man? Your floating insult should be a meal for the beast of the canal.”

  Brenddel replied, “I do not mock. We want only justice for the kingdom of Thure.”

  The guard said, “You serve the boy kings of the thirteen. Why are you here on a
mission for a dead Thurian king?”

  Darion spoke, “The firstman of his kingdom was nice enough to give me a ride to your truly glorious kingdom. I am Darion, the brother of Russel, king of Thure.”

  The councilor spoke to the guard again. The guard said, “You may pass this glorious gate for triple the normal rate, but you must land your floating abomination far outside of the kingdom walls. May the gods be with you. I doubt they will.” The man spat on the ground.

  “Agreed,” said Brenddel as he motioned for the airship to pass. Brenddel felt weary of this kingdom before he even entered the gates. He was also feeling a strange mix of emotions. Brenddel had not been back to Artoth since Mantuan found him as a child.

  As they passed over the second gate, they were out in open waters again briefly before the airship made the turn to the left. Darion actually gasped as the kingdom of Artoth came into full view, with the great mountains rising behind it.

  The sun was glistening off the ancient stone of the kingdom walls and towers beyond. Darion couldn't stop staring at the kingdom of the gods, but Brenddel looked to the right, past the mountains and deep into the great lands that led to the ancient kingdom of Dard, now called Extatumm.

  Since it had become Extatumm, no outsiders were allowed in. What is Trunculin doing? Brenddel forced his attention back to the terraced kingdom of Artoth.

  “I had no idea how beautiful it was. Paintings do not represent it properly,” said Darion in awe.

  “Don't let the pretty buildings fool you. Besides Aspora, the land a thousand kings, this can be a very dangerous kingdom,”

  “When two kings rule one kingdom, and hate each other at the same time, believe in completely different gods, and have been at war with each other for thousands of years, I can see how things might get a little… strange,” replied Darion.

  “The murderers couldn't have picked a better place to hide. Because of the two kings hatred for each other, there are secret markets on both sides where people buy and sell everything you can imagine. Artoth's secret nature will hide them well,” said Brenddel.