Book 1: The Crown Prince (The Kid Emperor of Occultoria)
Page 33
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Later that day, Max sat on the golden Occult Throne in the throne room dressed in flowing imperial purple robes, wearing his silver ring (which represented his marriage to the state and the Empire) and clutching his scepter (which symbolized his right to govern and a staff to guide his people).
It was his coronation and enthronement ceremony and he was very excited.
The throne room was crowded with people - various dignitaries that murmured and coughed and giggled like a crowd would.
Max inspected his throne. The symbol of the Ergon and the symbol of a griffin was embedded right on the seat.
He was in awe. His father had sat in that very chair. He knew the throne represented his seat of power as the Ruler and Sovereign of the Empire of Occultoria.
He felt so regal as he sat on the throne.
As he stared out at the mass of people, he also felt humbled.
Here he was, the liege lord and master of all the realm. Everyone was staring at him. Everyone was depending on him.
He felt so alone.
In the background, 100 lead musicians sang and a chorus of over 500 provided backup.
As the sonorous and solemn church hymns washed over Max, he felt giddy yet somber. This was one of the most important moments in his life. It was a landmark moment, one that he would remember forever.
Max scanned the crowd. He recognized Ariel, Eddie, the Duke of Demonia, the Queen of Purgatorio, Count Wai Da, and The Lord Mayor of Occultoria City Sir Edmund Petit. There were foreign dignitaries, such as leaders of the parts of the Supernatural World that weren’t a part of his Empire and therefore, outside his control.
Max could even see a woman dressed completely in white robes, wearing a bishop’s miter and a holding a shepherd’s pastoral staff. She had kind eyes and a wide smile.
He assumed it was the Matriarch herself, head of the Holy Universal Faith. Flanking her were the seven cardinals of the College of Cardinals, all dressed in scarlet red.
Behind them were three large men, all wearing black hoods so that their faces were hidden. They were all carrying gavels, but they weren’t ordinary wooden gavels. They were gavels made of metal, with sharp ends, presumably to punish unruly litigants.
Max assumed they were the Justices of the Occult Supreme Court.
The only person missing was Jessica.
It was the only thorn in his perfect rose of a day.
He was determined to find out what had happened to her. Now that he was to be crowned Emperor of Occultoria, he would have endless resources at his disposal. He would use them to find out her fate.
The solemn hymns ceased as soon as the archbishop entered the room.
Carrying the Double Crown, Archbishop Julius Pius walked up the red carpet to the dais where Max was sitting.
A hush fell over the room as the archbishop raised the crown high above Max’s head. Then, he slowly placed it down.
As the crown was lowered, the archbishop said, “I place upon your head the Double Crown of the Occult Throne and crown thee His Imperial Majesty, Maximilian I, By the Graces of the Eternal Mother and Father, Emperor of Occultoria, Supreme Ruler of the Supernatural World, Protector and Defender of the Holy Universal Faith.”
Max’s heart swelled with pride. He knew that in theory he was the Emperor but his powers and authority would be limited until he came of age at 16. Until then, the archbishop would remain the Regent and Lord Protector of the Empire.
He felt so exhilarated yet so alone. So many pairs of eyes were on him, depending on him to make their lives easier and prosperous.
After the crown was lowered onto his head, it sank down, the weight of it crushing him, much like the weight of enormous responsibility that now fell on him. He was now in charge of over a million citizens in his Empire. What would he do if he let down over a million citizens in his new empire? He couldn’t bear the thought.
In the silence of the room, the archbishop made the sign of the Ergon. “In the Holy Names of the Eternal Mother and the Father. Amen.”
Everyone else followed suit.
Then, he announced the meaning of the Double Crown, as was tradition.
“The Double Crown has two meanings. The bottom layer, the one with the sword on it, represents His Imperial Majesty’s status as the protector and defender of our religion, our most Holy Universal Faith. The top layer, the one with the Ergon on it, represents His Imperial Majesty’s status as the Emperor of the Supernatural World.”
He turned back to the crowd. “Ladies and gentlemen, I give you your new Emperor of Occultoria, Maximilian I!”
The room erupted in wild and noisy cheers and applause.
When the crowd grew silent again, the archbishop announced, “Now let’s all drink ambrosia and get drunk to celebrate!”
A burst of laughter rippled throughout the room.
As the crowed began to disperse, the cleric turned back to Max. “Congratulations, Your Imperial Majesty. Now, please begin preparing a short inaugural speech for the people. You will address the House of Lords and Ladies later today, before the banquet. The Lords and Ladies will sit in the House while the people will listen from the door.”
Max barely heard what the archbishop had said.
He had spaced out.
The archbishop nudged the new Emperor. “Did you hear what I just said, sire?”
Max nodded. “Yeah. But what happened to Jessica?”
He quickly described how she had ascended to the sky.
“To be honest....” the archbishop said. “The Supernatural World is so large and so ancient that it’s impossible to know everything about it. From the way you described it, Jessica is most likely a supernatural being herself.”
Max’s eyes widened. His suspicion had been confirmed.
The archbishop continued, “And the fact that she ascended to the sky aided by hail implies that she is perhaps associated with ice. Maybe she’s the descendant of an ice goddess. In all likelihood, she is still alive.”
Max’s head swirled with all sorts of thoughts. He was happy that Jessica was probably alright. He could sleep well that night with that comforting thought.
The cleric shrugged. “As for where she is...she could be anywhere.”
Max’s eyes hardened.
I will find her, he vowed.
The archbishop gave him a sheepish kind of look. “I’m sorry to tell Your Imperial Majesty that you should probably forget about her. She is not royalty and so you’ll never get to marry her. You will have to marry a princess of the royalty of this world, for political purposes, of course. Daughters of kings and queen and dukes and duchesses. Marriages here are used to form political alliances, and rarely having anything to do with love.”
Max was dismayed. He was beginning to realize just how much he was sacrificing for the sake of his people.
Cupping a hand to his mouth, Archbishop Julius whispered, “Of course, you get to keep an imperial harem and have as many mistresses as you’d like.”
He winked.
Max was disgusted by the thought. Although he was too young to think about marriage, once he married, he intended to be faithful to his Empress Consort.
The archbishop leaned in closer. “And don’t forget: You have a lot of responsibility now. A whole empire is counting on you to lead it to its golden age. Forget about Jessica. You have much more important matters to think about. For one, you will have to get married before you turn 16. After all, you are the Emperor and you must have heirs as soon as possible. Once you are 13, you will be betrothed, or engaged, to a nice girl from the nobility. The match will most likely be made out of political reasons.”
Max looked at his adviser.
So he would have to get engaged to a girl not of his choosing. He knew there would be pros and cons to his position.
The archbishop pointed to the disbanding crowd. “Don’t forget: the people put you on this throne. They can just as easily take you down. Without their support, you are
nothing. Now that you have power, you have a responsibility to use power for good, for the sake of your people. You are the head of state and government. If you don’t act out of the common good, no one else will.”
Max swallowed.
The position was going to be demanding, but he was up for the challenge.
After all, it was his birthright.