The Crown

Mevious stood still at the sight of his father. He wasn't expecting that in a million lifetime. Questions flooded his mind as he juggled for answers, so many whys, and hows.

"Good evening, kid. You must be Mevious Bulldog was talking about," the king greeted. Mevious tried to act cool and set his feelings aside.

"Yes, sir," Mevious said making his voice lower than usual. He was afraid that despite his new face, his father would recognize his voice. Thankfully, he didn't. "How's your trip, sir?" Mevious was trying to engage in a more casual conversation to ease his nervousness.

"It's good," the king replied as they went to the safe house where the diamonds were hidden.

They went from one security to another as the safe was strategically carved on a rock face making it appear like a simple construction from the outside but inside was a tunnel of secret passages.

Fifteen minutes later, they finally arrived at the sparkling gems. Mevious saw his father jumped jovially and it felt weird as he was used to seeing him composed and regal at all times.

"I'm glad you like it. But these are just a fraction of what's waiting for us to discover, sir," Mevious explained to his happy father.

"Bulldog was right choosing you!" he said. "Oh, at least once, he was able to do something right," he mocked. "I'm sure he's rejoicing right now in front of his brother's coffin! That poor Bulldog. Always trying to please everyone... just like my son," he said as he walked around, touching the stones, feeling them. smelling them.

Mevious was shocked at the revelation and he didn't want to hear things anymore because he might not be able to bear the truth. But a part of his brain was asking for an explanation.

"Uhm... you have a son?" he asked. "Oh, sorry. I think that's inappropriate," he apologized. His father chuckled.

"Yes and no!" the king replied.

Mevious waited apprehensively at his answer. "He is my son. He's a beloved prince. He's probably younger than you. How old are you?"

"Thirty- five, sir. Wait... you said he's a prince? So, does that mean that you're...,"

"Yes. I am a king. The king of all kingdoms on earth, and of the underworld," he boasted.

Mevious's forehead furrowed in confusion and his father laughed at his reaction. "Mevious, have you ever had a dream of ruling the world?" he asked with his eyes, gleaming.

"Well, that's a fancy dream but that's a shot to the moon for a man like me," Mevious replied.

His father stopped in front of a giant pink diamond as big as his fist. He took it and marveled at it. Mevious clenched his fist as he watched him blabber things about world domination.

"I was born royal but I had nothing. I experienced the hardship this life threw. And experienced to starve, I experienced killing myself, being abused and exploited by my own blood. I just got lucky when lady Amelia, always the gullible one, fell in love with my charm. That's when I started believing in myself again. From that time on, I dreamt of conquering the world. Ruling over the peasant. And what's the best way to achieve world dominance if not to stuck fear into the hearts of earthlings. With these diamonds, I can now have an infinite source of power to reign supreme. I will use it to turn family and friends against each other," he said dreamily.

Mevious couldn't believe his ears what he had just witness. "Does your son support you on this?" he asked after taking a deep breath. His father laughed.

"My son is my blood, but he has his mother's softness. He's weak! He always has a soft spot for the poor, for the weak, for the minority. In other words, he's not fit to be my successor. So, I decided to change the constitution and have the monarchy be passed on to my other son, Hanz! He's stronger and wiser than Liam. And he's obedient unlike Liam who defies me all the time," he continued. Disgust and distaste were apparent in his voice.

The following day. Mevious flew back to his kingdom to face his father once and for all. With all the evidence he had in his hand, he was sure that his father would be removed from his throne. It was a painful decision but he had to do it. After talking to him, he realized one thing. The father he knew was different from the Devil he met. And he wanted to keep the memory of the loving father he had.

"I wish an audience from you lords and ladies," Mevious shouted when went inside the house of the Parliament, interrupting their discussions about their plan to create vaccines for the poor people of Africa.

"Mevious, what are you doing here?" the king nervously asked with underlying anger in his voice.

Mevious remained quiet as he set up a video player. The room was shut when the video began playing. Then there was a commotion after it. They were all questioning the king who was sitting uneasily on his throne.

"What is this, your majesty? or should we even call you "your majesty"?" one of the lords asked.

The king stood and went straight to Mevious who was standing in the middle of the vast room. There was a loud gasp when the king punched Mevious, causing him to fall on the floor. "How dare you!" the angrily shouted while punching Mevious face. No one dared to pacify them, after all, he was still their monarch.

"That's enough, father!" Mevious shouted. There was an eerie silence, even the king was unable to speak. Mevious took this chance to reveal who he really was. He took off the mask he was wearing. "I am your son, Prince Liam, your majesty!"

The king was frightened that he suddenly fell on the floor and covered his face.

"Your majesty, I came here to deliver the news from Africa. Bulldog is in prison, indicted for the attempted murder of his brother, president Mongali. I want you to know that the president who you hate the most is alive and well. The person you saw on TV was not him. It was my friend, acting all along. Second, your son is dead. Hanz is dead!" Mevious told his father. Every time he opened his mouth, the king succumbed to distraught.

"My lords and my ladies, the vaccine you're creating aren't vaccines after all. They are deadly viruses my father co-created to decimate the population of the world and get the power he relishes!"

There was a gasp of horror and disbelief upon hearing the prince's revelation. Then he turned to the king still covering his face in shame.

"It's over, father! It's over!" he said firmly.

Lord Leigh, the royal family's long time friend and a trusted senior officer of the parliament went to the king and took his crown. Then, he placed it on Mevious's head.

"Long live the king!"

"Long live the king!"

The king was put to the Lone tower awaiting his execution.

~the end~