by Donald Davis
Chapter 5: A New Day
It was a dark day that had been laid upon Roseshire. Not saying much the previous night, the Brackens started their day by getting dressed in fine attire. Joshua had picked out a dark blue tunic, which was the best that he had at the moment. He never would have guessed that he would be attending his father’s burial so soon. He had always been preparing himself by always thinking “what if” certain things happen. But after all this time, he still didn’t see it coming. He didn’t know the best way to handle it either. As the new probable king of Asedith, he would have to try to make it appear as if he were confident in the role as a king.
Emilia and her mother Terra couldn’t sleep well the previous night. It had seemed like one long nightmare ever since they discovered the death of Tedric. Emilia and her mother had both put on black dresses, to represent their mourning and as a sign of the dark day that had fallen on Roseshire. Even though it was a simple black dress, Emilia still radiated beauty. Her long brown hair was brushed and straight, as her green eyes shone on dark days such as this.
Just like her kids, Terra couldn’t sleep the previous night. Once she and her children took her late husband’s body to be prepared for burial, she came back to her quarters and just sat for several hours. She couldn’t help but steadily think about her husband and how unfair and cruel it was that he had been taken from them. Terra had always known that there was always a risk for her husband when he rode off to war, but when they had received the letter from Keridion announcing their victory, she thought for sure that he was safe and would return home. “What are the odds?” she said aloud to herself. “What are the odds that he would be taken away from us after the war had ended?” She just sat and wept for hours until it came time to get dressed for his burial.
By the time they had all gotten ready, there was only a short time before they would have to depart. They had gathered in the main dining hall, but would not eat anything considering none of them were hungry and that they had already dressed in their attire. They gathered at the main table and started talking of memories of Tedric and what he meant to the family. Some of the stories were funny, while some were just basic tales of his life and how he had come to meet Terra. Eventually, the question came. Terra and Emilia were both curious as to what had happened.
Terra looked over at Joshua. “Joshua, what exactly happened? Only a day before you arrived had we received word of your victory at Keridion. When we heard, we thought that the worst had passed and that you all would be out of danger.” Joshua looked down at the floor, remembering what had happened over the past few days. “Well, the letter was accurate. We did win the battle of Keridion. It was a tough battle, but we emerged victorious. Once Blaire Sulvaine had fallen on the battlefield, the rest of his soldiers laid down their weapons and accepted defeat. Father decided to have mercy on them. He said that as long as they surrendered and accepted to follow orders from the crown, that they would be spared. Of course, they all accepted mercy and surrendered.” Terra stopped him. “So, what happened that caused your father’s death?” Joshua nodded and resumed. “We traveled for a while and set up camp. We were talking around the campfire when arrows flew from the woods and struck father.” He shook his head. “There was nothing we could do. He died within seconds. All we could do was chase down the enemies. After defeating them, we discovered that they were Sulvaine soldiers. It appears as though they were stationed there before the battle, not knowing that their leader was dead and the rest had already surrendered.”
Terra started tearing up once more. She was glad to know that he didn’t suffer long, but hearing of her husband’s death had been hard on her. “I see. Well, son, you will make a fine king. It is important that we all work together to show strength, even in our time of grief. We must show that we can still lead the kingdom… It’s what your father would’ve wanted.” Joshua and Emilia nodded in agreement. They then realized that the time had come for Tedric’s burial.
They all gathered and descended from the castle together. Once they had descended, they walked out of the castle gate and took a left to walk towards the Roseshire chapel. The chapel was large and shone with colors of bright white. It was tall and ancient, having been built several centuries ago. Once they arrived, they found the cemetery grounds and just waited for everyone to arrive. There was a large crowd, as there should be when a king passes away. They stood at the front, waiting for the priest to begin. It seemed the burial had gone by in a flash. As it ended, Joshua and his family remained to shake hands and accept condolences from those attending. There were so many. In a time of grief, it was hard to remember who all had been there.
Once the burial had ended and they had all seen everyone away, the Brackens retreated to the castle. After getting dressed in more casual attire, they sat down to feast for dinner. None of them ate much, however. Once they had finished, they all sat out on the balcony to stare out at the city. It was now night-time. “Today went by in the blink of an eye”, Joshua said. Emilia and Terra agreed. After talking more of the fond memories of Tedric, they started talking more of the matters at hand. Terra looked in Joshua’s direction. “So Joshua, are you prepared for the acceptance ceremony? The city council will be accepting votes tomorrow for the new king.” Joshua shrugged. “I’m prepared. I’m just nervous about what exactly I say after they announce the results. I know I should make a speech about unity and how the kingdom will remain strong, but father’s death is still very fresh in everyone’s mind.”
“You’ll do fine, son. I know you will,” Terra said, trying to make him feel better. Joshua then looked uneasy. “I also can’t help but think about the possibility of something going wrong. I know this seems like a sure thing, but I always try to be prepared for the possibility of something happening.” Emilia grabbed her brother’s hand. “Hey, it’ll be fine. As far as I know, nobody else has tried making a claim. How could they? Father was always fair to everyone that he dealt with, and we’ll make sure to continue his legacy once you officially win the crown.” Joshua smiled at his sister. “Perhaps you’re right. I may have nothing to worry about. I’m sure that the vote will be unanimous, but I can’t help but worry that someone will see this as an opportunity to sneak in and rise to power.” Emilia and Terra looked at each other, realizing that they hadn’t thought much about that possibility.
At that moment, one of the city couriers ran out onto the balcony. “Sorry to disturb you my lor- ahem, your grace.” Joshua looked at him, “No worries. Is something the matter?” The courier looked worried. “It’s the upcoming election, your grace. Something has happened and it truly concerns me.” The Brackens all looked at each other, curious and concerned. “Well, out with it,” Joshua said. The courier looked at Emilia and Terra, then back to Joshua. “Braden Telvan has officially announced a claim for the crown. His name is in the running. What’s more, there is talk amongst the city. Talk that claims you were the one who plotted the king’s death so that you could become king and hold power.”
Chapter 6: Uncertainty
The following day, Joshua woke up knowing that it was going to be a busy day. It was last night when the courier had told him about Braden Telvan claiming the crown. He didn’t like the feeling that he had in his gut. Braden had always seemed like he had a grudge against the Brackens, but he never said anything outright to them about how he felt. Anytime that they spoke, Braden had always seemed civil and kind enough. There was something odd about him though, as sometimes he would come across as rude.
Joshua was wanting to speak to Braden before evening so that he could truly understand the meaning of his claim and why he would be pursuing the crown. Joshua was also curious as to how rumors would be spreading around about him plotting his father’s death. He knew that Braden was probably capable of much, but surely not of something like this. Even this was below Braden. Braden’s motives were questionable at times, but he knew his place and he knew what he must do to serve Roseshire and Asedith. He and Joshua grew up knowing
each other, since Braden was the same age as Joshua.
Joshua was trying to get the day started. Not only did he want to track down and speak to Braden, but the council of Roseshire decided that the voting ceremony would be held today. Of course, as the two main contenders, Joshua and Braden would have to attend. This was when those who wished to vote would show up in the city courtyard and cast their votes on parchments. The city council would then go through and tally the votes and announce the winner. Counting all of the votes usually took at least a couple of hours. The council would regularly count the parchments several times to make sure that they declared the correct winner.
For the first time in a long time, Joshua casually dressed in a light tunic to go about the day. It seemed like it had been forever that he could have a somewhat normal day and not wear chainmail or some kind of armor. It felt nice to just wear normal clothes again. Hopefully, that was a sign that everything would be settling down and returning to normal soon.
After having a small breakfast, Joshua descended the tower and decided to walk out to the market district of the city. If anybody knew where Braden would be, it was his old friend Dan Rauffe. Joshua and Dan had been friends for quite some time. He was always known for having a knack for business, which is why he naturally set up a business in the market district. When Joshua had last spoken to him, Dan was a general merchant and had three separate stands set up. He would sell a variety of things such as pelts and meat on one stand, sell clothes and jewelry on another, and sell a small arrangement of small weapons and light chainmail on his last stand. Anytime that Joshua had visited his merchant stand, Dan would always be busy with customers of all kinds. Surely he would know where to find Braden.
Joshua walked down the stairs, cut across the courtyard and started into the market district. The market district in Roseshire was quite large compared to most cities. And if one wasn’t careful, it was easy to get lost. There were several roads and paths that made up the market district. Several cuts and turns that ran throughout the district and would wind around in different directions. It was complicated to navigate if he hadn’t grown up in the city. Through all of the winding roads, there were easily a hundred merchant stands set up. Some of the stands were nicer than others. Normally the winding roads would be used as a way to separate the nice stands from the cheaper stands.
The section of merchant stands set up further away from the castle and closer to the wall was the section of “lower merchants”. It was this area where the poorer and less popular merchants set up shop. The living areas and the stands themselves were nowhere near as nice as the ones in the upper district. There was also the middle district which as one would imagine, had middle-class merchants. The houses and stands were nicer than the lower district, but still not as nice as the upper district. This was where the normal, or “average” merchant would set up their stands. It was also where Dan had originally set up shop, but a little over a year ago before Joshua had left, Dan had managed to build up his business enough to move to the upper market district. He had truly made a name for himself. The upper market district was smaller than the other districts, as it was reserved for the more “professional and well-known” traders and merchants.
The living conditions, as well as the merchant stands, in the upper district were incredibly nice. It shocked Joshua when he made it there. The district had been improved even more since he had left for war. The houses there were made of nice smooth stone, with torch sconces set up along the walls that would light the cobblestone walkways at night. Everything here seemed nice and orderly. Word had been spread throughout the five kingdoms about the nice arrangements of the Roseshire market district. Some of the merchants from other kingdoms had even moved all the way to Roseshire just to be able to set up their shop in the upper market district.
After walking a short way through the walkway in the upper district, Joshua witnessed a merchant who had traveled from Maremwen to sell his gear here. Maremwen wasn’t as well known for its hardened warriors as Asedith was, but Maremwen by far produced the most talented archers. Something about the soldiers from Maremwen, they always contained the best archers out of any of the five kingdoms. The Maremwen merchant that Joshua saw was set up with a nice stand, selling a variety of different bows and specialty arrows. Joshua browsed the stand momentarily but remembered that he was short on time so he took his leave.
After departing the archer’s stand, Joshua looked around and spotted Dan’s market stand set up not much further down the road. He approached Dan and immediately noticed how much his stand had grown. Instead of what used to be three stands, Dan now had five stands set up in his section of the upper district. Joshua was impressed with the way Dan had expanded his business. He had done quite well for himself over the years. Dan was speaking to customers as Joshua approached him. He was explaining something about the chainmail that he was selling to one customer while trying to explain to a different customer about the quality jewelry that he possessed at one of his other stands.
Joshua just stood and waited, admiring what Dan had built over the years. Dan kept speaking to the customers until he eventually looked over and noticed Joshua standing there. Dan then tried to quickly explain things to the two customers and then urged them to wait a moment and to continue browsing. Once the customers had walked away, Dan approached Joshua and threw his arms around him. “My brother!” he exclaimed dramatically. “It’s been too long, I received word that you were back in town!”
Joshua looked up at him, smiling. “Yes, I just returned a few days ago.”
“That’s great, that’s great. Good to hear it. How was your journey?”
“Not the best, I have to admit, but I am glad that I can wear something that isn’t armor for a change.”
Dan laughed. “That is a good thing I suppose!” His smile then slowly faded as he looked down. He then looked back at Joshua. “I’m sorry about your father. He was a good king. It always seemed that he was looking out for the benefit of the kingdom. I was tied up with business the day of his burial, but I was with you and your family in my thoughts.”
Joshua nodded. “Thank you, that means a lot, old friend. It was a shame, what happened to him. I’m just trying to be glad that the war is over and that we can all return to our normal duties.”
Dan nodded in agreement. “True, true. Speaking of which, the voting ceremony is this evening. How are you feeling?”
“Actually, that’s one of the reasons why I’ve come to you today, other than to admire your new setup. You’ve done well for yourself!”
“Thanks friend, it took a lot of work and a lot of trading over the years, but I’m now comfortably set up in the upper district. It wasn’t always easy. But hey, let’s step inside for a moment so that we can talk.” He motioned towards his house that was set up not far behind his trading stand. He shouted to one of the nearby merchants and asked them to keep an eye on his stands for a moment. He and Joshua then stepped inside of his house.
They then sat at Dan’s table inside. The inside was lit and decorated with all sorts of different and unique candles. There were so many candles, that it burned Joshua’s eyes a little bit because of the smoke that was being given off. After they had been seated, Joshua spoke up.
“Thank you for giving me your time. It means a lot to me.”
“Of course, whatever I can do for an old friend. Now, what was it that you wanted to speak to me about?”
Joshua reluctantly started to ask his questions. “Have you ever come across a young man named Braden Telvan? I was wanting to speak to him before the voting ceremony this evening.”
Dan grinned and nodded. “That I have. The one that’s challenging your claim to the crown, right?”
“That’s the one. Why would he try laying claim to the crown? As far as I know, he’s never shown interest in it before.”
Dan shrugged. “That I do not know of. The only thing I can think of is the rumor that’s been floating around. The one that suggests you
planned to have your father killed to take the crown and its power.”
Joshua looked surprised. “So you’ve heard it too? Who would say such a thing? You don’t think that Braden would spread word of that, do you?”
Dan put his arm on Joshua’s shoulder. “Calm down. I’m sure most people wouldn’t heed such a rumor. And to answer your question, no, I don’t think Braden would start such a rumor.”
Joshua was confused. “I still don’t understand. Surely Braden wouldn’t truly believe those things about me. I loved my father. I would never do such a thing just to receive the crown.”
“You don’t have to explain it to me, I know this. I’m sure Braden just got confused. If he did think it true though, he may have started spreading the word to support his own claim for the crown.”
“That’s one of the reasons why I wanted to speak to him before the ceremony. To see where his head was at and why he would be trying to claim the crown against my family in the first place.”
Dan looked down at the floor. “Sorry, but I don’t know where he resides. He used to own an armory in the middle district and I would see him come and go at times, but I heard that he had given that up. I haven’t seen him around for almost a year now. Almost as long as it's been since I’ve seen you before now.”
Joshua also looked down. “I see. Well, it appears to be getting late anyway. I was hoping to speak to him before the ceremony, but I suppose I’ll just have to try to get to the ceremony early, in hopes of speaking to him before the voting begins.”
Dan looked at him and nodded. “That’s probably your best bet at this point. Either way, I wish you luck my friend. You have my vote.”