FAMILY AND SIDES

"How was the coronation of your brother?" The King asked Soren.

"Colourful, the usual, your Majesty." Soren replied.

"Your brother looks too inexperienced to rule." The King said.

"Why would you think that your Majesty?" I asked.

"What experience does he have on court life?" The King asked.

"Quite so much, he was peparing for it since he was young." Soren replied.

"Would he fancy keeping the agreement his father left issued between the both of us?" The King asked.

"Very much, he would honour my decision." Soren replied.

"I didn't ask for yours, I asked for your father's." The King sternly spoke.

"He could be a little hot headed sometimes but he honours agreement." Soren replied.

"He seems to be the rather rebellious type." The King said.

"He is but that is when necessary." Soren replied.

"It is a matter of necessity?" The King asked.

"Yes, your Majesty." Soren replied.

"What to him is necessary?" The King asked.

Soren kept quiet for a while as he fidgeted with his fingers in his seat.

"You haven't given me an answer." The King said.

"Family." Soren hesitantly replied.

"Oh, really?" The King asked.

"Yes, your Majesty." Soren replied.

"What is your family?" The King asked.

"I would prefer it if his Majesty would be more specific with which family." Soren said.

"Of the two sides, your in laws and your siblings, whom do you consider to be a closer family?" The King asked.

"My husband's." Soren firmly replied.

"Could you give me a reason why?" The King asked.

"Marrying him we became one, what is his is mine and what is mine is his.

His family is my family and my family is his family..." Soren said and was cut short by the King himself.

"And his crown?" The King asked.

"Is mine as well." Soren replied.

Suddenly, the doors of the King's study were flung open and in rushed an outraged Conelm.

"Conelm?" The King said surprised and shocked just as much as Soren was.

"You didn't tell me that you were actually going to summon my wife and confront him in an interrogation." Conelm said as he stood up with his left arm resting on his father's table.

"Don't be angry, it was just an honest exchange of thoughts here, nothing more." The King replied.

"What is there to ask my wife about in my absence?" Conelm asked.

"About yourself, about you." The King said.

"This is absurd, what is there about myself that you can not ask me in person?" Conelm asked.

"There are matters that are best for your dearest consort to know even without you.

And if so, can't I possibly have a word with my son-in-law?" The King asked.

"There is no casual conversation with him that I find too private for my intervention." Conelm said.

"What is it that brings you here then, checking out his safety, do you fear that I could butcher my own son-in-law?" The King Valga asked.

"Schemeful in deed but could you tell me since when have you been so interested in my marriage?" Conelm asked.

"Since the future Royal couple became popular,

I mean after all if peasants could openly enter the palace and dine with the future king, what is there for the Imperial family to be private about?" The King asked.

There was a silence that prevailed and the King spoke up again.

"What good news, a sweet and lovely family, a match made in the heavens.

Popularity, humanity, charity, why should the crown be feared, perhaps adding some flesh to it is necessary." The King said.

"It is best that as the future King I learn to communicate with my people." Conelm said.

"Invite them for banquets, we royals are distinct from the ordinary." The King said.

"We are all humans." Soren said.

"We are gods, descent from them, we are annointed and not appointed, crowned in Cathedrals not ordinary buildings.

We do not ask but we command, and we are not accountable, answerable, comensurate to any of them." The King sternly said.

"Our presence gives the crown meaning, it unites our people." Soren said.

"It is best you stayed out of this political talk with my son." The King commanded as he faced Soren.

"What is the significance of the Crown that people can not see?" Soren said.

"Theirs is to reply and not question why, both your actions have distorted the proper functioning of the crown.

When they see you you make it appear to be harmless, a toothless lion, your actions demolish the ancestral nature of doing things.

The Crown is supposed to be something efficient, solemn, dignified, unparalleled and autocratic.

You drape it with vulnerability and make it appear so weak and emotional." The King said.

"Then I would prefer it father that at least you stopped this.

"The Crown is a family that should be feared and treated with respect and dignity.

It is not something that needs to be loved." The King said.

"Let us go Soren." Conelm said as he held Soren's left hand and then dragged him out of his father's study.

The King looked on in disgrace and disappointment as his son and son-in-law disappeared out of sight.

"It is a pity though that my own son can nolonger see me or even listen to me." The King said as he fell into his seat.

He started to massage his temple a little bit too intensely with the intention of calming down the stress that filled his head.

"I never thought that my father would go too far." Conelm replied.

"Why?" Soren asked.

"He seems a little bit too pressurized these days." Conelm said as the two continued down the hallway.

"He must have his own individual reasons why he is acting that way." Soren said.

"Don't defend him as well." Conelm said.

"I am not defending him." Soren replied.

"I am aware fully that he actually hates you." Conelm said.

"No he doesn't, he is just curious." Soren insisted.

"What is there for him to be curious about, I love you, you love me what more do they want?" Conelm asked.

"A strong King." Soren replied.

At once Conelm came to a halt.

"You are not taking his side are you?" Conelm asked as he turned around and looked at Conelm.

"I am not taking his side but may be he is right.

I am not from here and I can not understand the way Kings and Queens here run things.

I am from a different country, a different Kingdom but my definition of a strong King varies from his." Soren said.

"What is your version of a strong King?" Conelm asked.

"And what is his?" He added.

"His version of a strong King is one that the people fear, one who is paralleled.

My version of a strong King is he who has the support of his people, he who is loved." Soren replied.

Conelm kept quiet.

"But that is the very best that I can give you and the very best that I know.

Your father on the other hand is afraid that you might become to versatile.

He is afraid that you may give too much freedom even in excess.

He is afraid that your emotional nature could be a disadvantage to you.

He is afraid that there could be a reason for resistance and revolution if the King is not feared by his people." Soren said.

"Then I shall eliminate every reason for resistance and revolution." Conelm replied.

"I hope so." Soren said and the two continued.

There was a knock on the door of the King's study that was loud enough to snap him out of his thoughts.

"Come in." The King said and his valet walked right inside.

"Your Majesty." The valet said as he bowed down his head.

"What is it?" The King asked.

"Her Royal Majesty the Queen and his Imperial Highness the Prince Royal want to see you." The valet replied.

"Let them in." The King said.

"Alright your majesty." The valet said and he walked towards the door and opened it.

He bowed his head as the King's brother and his wife made their way in.

"What is it right now, you look stressed out brother." Prince Alfred said.

"The usual, another fight with my own successor.

It seems as though for all the good deeds that he has made, he is assuredly dropping every thing I invested all these years to teach him." The King replied.

"I am afraid that such behaviour is about to jeopardize our whole vision, I am worried for the monarchy." The Queen said.

"So am I." The King said.

"Then how do we solve this at the moment, it looks like the issue is getting out of hand." Prince Alfred said.

"I do not know, I am done thinking and I am tired of stressing any more." The King Valga said.

"So you are going to just sit here and watch your own son destroying everything that you strived to build?" Queen Marietta asked.

"It is not like I had a choice either way." The King said.

The Queen looked at her brother-in-law who looked back at her.

"You must be joking." The Queen said.

"I wish I was but my son is too stubborn and he could be the death of me." The King said.

"Alright then, we shall simply let it be so, let us just hope that whatever outcome it is, it prevails in our favour." Queen Marietta said.

"I hope so as well." Prince Alfred supportively said as the two looked up at the King before they both turned to leave the study.

It was awfully quiet for the King as his mind wandered away into a series of other thoughts.

The Imperial family with its members divided and taking sides was supposedly the very first stroke in what would ultimately become a deadly design.