Long Live The King

[ash]

iah

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Returning home had happened in so many of his dreams. He would have seen his childhood home, his quarters, again, would have gotten to reconnect with his teachers, with the people he loved and cared for. Roan cared for the subjects of Azgeda. He cared for the fate of his people. He cared not to see mindless bloodshed. He cared for his home. The problem was, this was not how he imagined coming home. He did not imagine to come home to be crowned king. He imagined to come home, having earned his way back, having finally satisfied the commander for whatever misdeed her or his mother had done. He had earned nothing of this, not for lack of trying, but for lack of given opportunity. He had been reduced to a pawn in the games of three women and now he came out a king, probably regarded as a pawn by the two surviving women still, but he would not be.

The coronation was fast or it felt fast. Roan hardly paid attention to the ceremonial side of it. He was going through the motions and if anyone asked, he would have a reason for it, after all his mother just died. Part of him was actually mourning the woman, another part was glad to be rid of her, finally. A conflicted heart was beating in his chest. He would have to make sense of it soon. He would have to get used to wearing this ridiculous headpiece for official affairs and he would have to get used to sitting on the throne. The last time he did, he was young, listening to his mother speak of his great destiny… before she threw it away. It was restored now, he was king. And as king he had the power to give commands now. “Everyone out.” Roan commanded. He waited for a moment for everyone to get into motion until he continued. “Everyone but you, Ontari. You stay.” It was in part a test, even. He wanted to see if she listened to that command – or she would have shown her loyalty in full already.

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Ai laik natblida kom Azgeda! Ai laik gona, ste komba Heda raun gon Kongeda! Yu serve ai o yu wamplei! Yu sonraun laik ai sonraun!

Ontari

Nia was dead. Ontari still felt numb. She had never known her mother, and while Nia had always made it clear that Ontari was not her daughter, she had kept her close. She had been raised with Roan. Nia had been all Ontari knew. Now she was on the edge of rage, and she wanted vengance. But she knew she could not, she was forced to bid her time. Now she was home, and Roan was king. She stood int he crowd and watched him get crowned, knowing that with this he could take her life. What would her fate be? Nia had planned to use her, but Roan was not his mother. “Everyone out.” Clearly. Ontari turned to leave but his voice rumbled out and over the crowd. “Everyone but you, Ontari. You stay.” She stilled, her back to him.

Once everyone had left she finally turned to look at him, and then stood the steps needed to come to rest on the bottom of the steps before him. He has asked her to stay, and she knew not what for. Was he going to banish her for her part in this? Would be send her head as a gift to Lexa to his his obedience? The boy she had known would not, but the man before her was not someone she knew. Ontari said nothing, waiting instead to find out what he wanted from her, and what he expected of her.

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Roan watched his old friend. She seemed unsure, yet took it with stoic dignity. They were apart for so long, he guessed she couldn’t judge his thoughts anymore like she could do once before. The same counted for him. He had no idea who this woman was now, how much of the Ontari he knew was left in this young, gorgeous woman. He hoped she was still in there and not completely disfigured by his mothers manipulation. She wanted to have her her perfect pet, a heda shaped to be bent to her will. Roan never thought that would happen, but he wanted how loyal she was to his mother. 

“You were loyal to my mother.” He pointed out. He could not fault her for that and would not. No harm would come to her, she had done her job admirably as far as he heard, why should he punish her? He could not tell the future. “The question is: Were you loyal to Nia or were you loyal to your queen?” The different was simple: Was she only loyal to the person, who had once all but raised her – with the simple thing that she didn’t even raise her own son, neither her really, but they were in the same position. Or was she loyal to her queen and therefore to him. “Where does your loyalty lie, Ontari?”

iah