Chapter 1- The King is Dead

The hour was late. Sitting at a desk situated within the palace library with the flames of torches casting eerie shadows along the sandstone walls, Sir Cassian read through the records and scriptures of the Great Sages of Emberland, yet he cannot seem to find anything related to his search. Of all the scrolls and tomes the Great Sages have compiled in the past, nothing proved to be beneficial for the type of information he needed.

His father, the great warrior King Darius of Emberland laid within his chamber. Although the best care possible was directed at him and the palace physician worked hard at finding a cure, the king was busy succumbing to the poison that spread through his body – slowly, but surely, killing him. A poison unknown to those within the empire; a poison that had entered his blood by a mere stab in the gut.

Sir Cassian sighed frustrated, trying to suppress the raw guilt gnawing at his subconscious.

It should have been me, he thought sombrely. Why would a king protect his bastard in battle when I could easily have died a war hero? I would have been more than elated to serve the dynasty in such a way.

A light knock on the door distracted him from his dark thoughts. Lifting his peculiar gaze to the intruder, Cassian noticed it was Physician Leo. The man's grey beard hung from his chin and a headscarf covered his greying bald head. A despondent emotion flickered within his tired eyes.

"My lord," Cassian heard the old man speak. "His Majesty has summoned you."

The tall man hesitantly rose from his seat. "My father has called for me?" He clenched his sweaty palms into fists. "How is His Majesty's condition, Physician Leo?"

The older man shook his head slowly. "Of all possible antivenoms and antidotes, my lord, nothing seems to be working. His Majesty has requested for me to halt treatments entirely. It will be wise to mention that this is to be expected, rather than a shock, my lord. The king knows he's in his final moments."

Cassian felt dreadful. His mentor, his father, his king, his comrade – King Darius commanded his treatment to be stopped. Death was only mere moments away… He ran a hand through his long, curly hair, trying to blink away remorseful tears threatening to spill over.

"His Majesty requested his sons be present within his final moments, my lord. Prince Gaius will meet with you in the Golden Pathway. The king wishes to say farewell to his sons, personally."

"Thank you, Physician Leo, for your trouble."

The old man bowed his head both in respect and condolences and left the library, shutting the door behind him. Cassian was given a few moments to breathe deeply to calm his emotions. The weight of his father's upcoming death weight heavily upon his broad shoulders. He clutched at locks hanging past his face yet released tension to no avail.

If only Father hadn't pushed me away from the blade, Cassian thought. If only it was me who were stabbed with the poison instead of him. He's a ruling sovereign, I am but a bastard.

With a grunt, he motioned to the library's door before marching through the vast corridors until he reached the palace's Golden Pathway – a hallway beautifully decorated with mosaic imagery and gold through which the king's family and fair maidens from the harem reached the king's bedchamber – and met his brother, Prince Gaius, and Gaius's mother, Queen Sophia, standing outside the bedchamber.

"Sir Cassian?" Queen Sophia spoke up once he emerged. "Why the visit at this late hour?" Her usual antagonism towards him, a result of the king's infidelity, did not astonish him. He was used to her disgust of his presence.

"His Majesty has summoned me," he told her without bothering with honorifics. "Physician Leo gave the word."

"I cannot account for Physician Leo, however, whenever a king summons his sons it is a request for his legitimate offspring to heed to his call." She nonchalantly waved a manicured hand in his direction. "You have no business here, be dismissed."

"I'm sure Father would have called for Cassian, Mother," Gaius, his younger brother, stood up for him. "He is family after all."

Queen Sophia's dark gaze did not cease the glares in Cassian's direction.

"I assure you, Madam, that I would not have been here if the king did not command for it," the older man spoke truthfully.

"Well, I for one, am glad you are here!" Gaius brotherly embraced Cassian, who was more muscular than him. "You, too, are Father's son. You, too, have the right to stand at his side, be it for the sake of legitimacy or not."

The door leading to the king's antechamber opened and a guard stepped outside. His skin was tanned by the desert sun, his dark hair cropped short, and a slight shadow displayed over his clean-shaven chin. Sir Dante regarded the scene before him before bowing, acknowledging the king's immediate family.

"I have sent word to the Great Sage," he spoke up, his voice as deep as the roar of a desert lion. "He ought to arrive within the next half an hour."

The queen's lip twitched. She had no time for her brother-in-law, the Great Sage Haris who lived amongst the uncivilised parts outside of Ubbin Falls in the ruins they called a temple. The feeling was mutual from both sides, for the Great Sage did not fancy his brother's wife who made the great king break with the empire's protocol and to marry her.

"My lord, your highness," the guard addressed both Cassian and Gaius. "If you will, please, follow me. His Majesty is expecting you."

The brothers were led through the antechamber first, utilised to accommodate intimate family dinners and meetings. Though, no sign of recent affairs were evident as the low table in the middle of the room was polished and the various cushions of red, blue, and golden hues were perfectly situated around the table. It was a strange sight to behold, as the room was always lively and had signs of a recent meal.

Once Sir Dante opened the doors leading to the king's bedchamber, Cassian, Gaius, as well as Queen Sophia, had to squint their eyes as they entered the tower in which the grand chamber was situated. All the torches were extinguished except for the fine, flickering flames of a candelabra situated next to the king's bed. A breeze blew through the tower as the enormous windows looking out to the city below allowed it. A canopy of drapes the colour of sand, sea, and gold decorated the walls, hindering the view to the tower's very top. Despite the ventilation provided by the windows, the smell of various ointments and herbs radiated throughout the room to treat the king's major and minor wounds he acquired during the battle, but most prominent was the smell of death.

An eerie wind howled through the chamber, shifting the drapes like ghosts hovering beside the bed as Gaius approached the king.

The figure laying within the bed was a mere shadow of the great warrior king. The faint light eliminated from the candelabra casted ghastly shadows on the king's angular face. His hair was unbrushed and damp with perspiration at his temples, his beard unkempt, and the usual fire that fuelled his amber gaze was dimmed to a mere ember. Cracked, dried blood smeared near his mouth, a symptom the poison was coursing through his body.

"Father?" Gaius called out hesitantly, as the king kept staring up at the moving drapes moving with the wind. "Father, it's me, Gaius."

The dying sovereign shifted his eyes from the canopy above to his only legitimate son. Although his hand found Gaius's in a weak grip, the king's eyes wandered the still darkened areas.

"Cass…ian," he muttered weakly.

Cassian stepped towards the lit area. "I'm here, Father," he consoled the dying man, taking his hand in his. "I'm here."

"My love!" Queen Sophia exclaimed whilst rushing forward to take Cassian's place next to his father's bed. "How dreadful it is to see you like this! My heart weeps to see you like this!"

But the King Darius shook his head. "Leave," he weakly uttered. "Leave, woman."

Startled by her husbands request, tears fell from Sophia's eyes. Whether it'd been tears resulting from acting or true sorrow, the men wouldn't know. Sir Dante, alert of his liege's wishes, approached the queen with sympathy.

"Madam," he spoke to her. "If you will follow me. His Majesty wishes to have a word with his sons."

"But… I can't leave Gaius here alone!"

"I'm not alone, Mother," her son said. "I have my brother here, as well. Go. I shall see you shortly."

Once the doors leading to the antechamber closed, the king sighed as if relieved. Once in solitude with their father, Cassian and Gaius both regarded their father who was wheezing painfully whilst his chest moved up and down with his shallow breathing.

"I beseech you," King Darius softly spoke. "Both of you to heed to the empire's needs, as the future of it rests in both your hands. Emberland needs its king for protection and continuation." His head slowly rolled to where Gaius stood and the muscles within his neck jerked slightly. Gaius, as someone of true Emberlandian heritage featuring the straight, jet-black hair and golden gaze, watched with anguish as the king coughed before speaking, "Gaius, my son. As a prince of a great nation, you ought to understand the responsibilities that will be given to you. You were taught by the best tutors of politics and how to run an empire from within the palace, however, you still have much to learn about the world beyond the palace… beyond Ubbin Falls."

"Father," the raven-haired man sighed and knelt beside his sire's bed. "You honour me. I will prove to be a worthy successor." He kissed his father's hand.

Gaius's chest swelled with pride. It was expected for him, the only legitimate son of King Darius, to inherit the throne and his father's political responsibilities, though he lacked the necessary traits to effectively follow in his father's footsteps. Gaius was no warrior and had never set his foot on a battlefield. The younger man knew it, but he and his mother reckoned when the appropriate time will come he will be able to learn. Yet, once the king turned his head towards his first-born son, Cassian, his brother felt the pride diminishing once his father opened his mouth to speak to him.

"Cassian, my first-born, my beloved," the king wheezed and supressed a violent cough. "Beloved son of Aerwyna. Though hardships and challenges affected your rearing in this court, you persevered with dignity and devotion. You have proven yourself worthy, my son, as a warrior, as a protector, and as a wise candidate. It is for this reason that my responsibilities as king be passed on to you, instead."

Cassian felt his heart stop. No, he argued with himself. No, this can't be!

He, too, fell beside his father, oblivious to Gaius's humiliated expression and kissed his hand.

"Father," he spoke up softly. "I am afraid to repudiate His Majesty's offer, for I am nothing but a bastard in the eyes of your subjects."

The king let out a low chuckle and began to cough violently. "You truly wish to defy your king's wish while he lays dying?" He gave one great cough and his body lurched forward, blood spewing from his mouth. "Have the Great Sage read my will," the dying man spoke between the spitting of blood. "Rest assured, Cassian, it is written within the Great Expanse! You are destined for great things!"

"I cannot be," the first-born son argued. "I am not of noble blood. Your subjects will never agree with this!"

The dying king let go of Gaius's hand and instead clung to Cassian's tunic with both hands. Cassian had to support the weight of his dying body within his arms. The king's form had already grown heavy and bloated; blood and puss seeping through the bandages around his wound.

"Promise…me," the king wheezed. "Destiny… will not…fail you…my son…"

Cassian held his father's body close as it began to tremble violently. His eyes bulged as it fixated, once again, to the canopy over their heads. His muscles contracted painfully, and the king gasped for air as the seizure took hold of him. Both his sons could do nothing but watch as their father's body were completely consumed by the poison.

The violent seizure stopped in an instant as he continued to stare up at the drapes, the many colours of sand, sea, and gold overflowing into a bright white. A slight smile pulled at his mouth before he felt his muscles relax into an eternal stillness…

Cassian, still holding onto his father's form, felt as the king's breath left him and his eyes rolling back before it closed. Finally, it was as if the king had no more pain and peace settled into his form.

A tear slipped over Cassian's cheek as he felt the body he's holding going limp, the hands that once clutched to his tunic falling to the bed.

He's gone, he lamented within his thoughts. Father's really gone.

"Father?" Gaius called and reached for the king's hand. "Father?" he called more urgently, alerting both Sir Dante and Queen Sophia waiting within the antechamber. The door flung open, and the queen rushed to her son before anyone could stop her.

"Oh, my sweet boy," she cooed and embraced her son. Gaius, still bewildered, had his golden gaze settled on Cassian settling on the bed, their father's body nestled in his arms. His mother followed her gaze to where her son was looking and regarded the scene with a sneer before taking his head in her hands, making his eyes meet hers. "The king has passed, my son. There's no use in pondering in what was. What we should focus on now is to move forward."

"Father… is he?"

"Your king is dead," Queen Sophia stated, loud enough for all present within the room to hear. Cassian, who was gazing down his father's peaceful features, lifted his head towards her. He saw as the timid queen underwent a metamorphosis; her usual calm, kind demeanour shifting to that of an authoritative, power-hungry serpent the moment her eyes landed on her dead husband's corpse. The queen let go of her son's face and curtseyed before him. "Long live the king," she said.

Gaius, quite absent-minded within the situation, did not heed to her words as he sauntered over to the bed.

"Why?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper. "Why would he pass all of his power to you?"

Cassian recognised the disappointment within his voice. Gently, he laid down his father's still form, to the bed.

"I don't know," he stated truthfully. He did not know why. He never expected it.

"You meant you never gave Father the reason to place yourself on the throne after his death?"

Queen Sophia, alarmed by her son's reaction, padded towards the bed. "What are you talking about, Gaius? Tell me, what's making you say all these things?"

"Father has named Cassian heir," he said after a long period of heavy silence.

"What?" the queen exclaimed; her eyes boring into Cassian's. "What nonsense is this? Surely, no bastard can have a claim to the throne!"

Cassian ignored the word. He cared not if it was her that named him so. He, after all these years of hearing the insult being hurled from her serpentine tongue, couldn't be bothered. What did bother him was the very fact the queen and his brother were hysterical about: he, Cassian, the king's bastard, was named heir to the Emberlandian throne.

I know nothing of the pristine of court life, he argued with himself, finding himself brooding. I never wanted this!

"This is absurd!" Sophia screeched. Her dark eyes landed on Cassian's form and pointed an accusing finger. "You! You took advantage of your king's poor state and manipulated him! You treacherous dog! The nerve you have in dishonouring your father's memory like so! I shall have you hanged for this treason!" She whirled wildly to face Sir Dante. "Summon the guards! I command it! Throw this traitor into the deepest parts of the dungeons!"

Cassian, patiently waiting for the tantrum to subside, narrowed his two-coloured eyes at her. "I will not stand by, and have you hurl ridiculous accusations when I am not guilty," he spoke, though it was more of a warning. "My brother and I were both witnesses to our father's last moments. You dare sully his memory by stating he's a liar?" I challenged her by taking a step forward. "Go along. Summon the guards. Imprison me. But no number of times you insult and accuse me will be enough to prove my guilt in this. I have no part in my father's decision! The Heavens will know the truth."

Sir Dante was reluctant to call the guards, despite the queen's commands. He was the one who has seen Cassian on the battlefield in Claethorpes. The man was an absolute monster when it came to obliterating his enemies; he was even more ruthless than King Darius. He was fierce and strong and will have no problem in disgracing palace guards trained only to defend the palace. Queen Sophia was a fool for thinking calling on the guards would detain Cassian. The man was trained by the best king the dynasty has ever produced!

If the Great Sage has approved the King Darius's will, who was Queen Sophia to object to Cassian being named heir? Besides, Sir Dante would rather fight alongside someone like Sir Cassian in protecting the empire than to be sent off to fight a battle in which the king was not present and hid like a coward behind the walls of the palace.

He had no objections to King Darius's wish.

"And the truth shall prevail." Another voice came from the antechamber's door. The heavily clothed man, despite the desert's heat, gracefully walked into the room with his hands clasped behind his back. His tunic was white, the colour of mourning, yet a golden livery collar decorated his torso. On his feet were modest leather sandals which sounded through the room as his domineering presence demanded attention. A white headscarf adorned his head, though strands of white hair escaped and fell down his collar. His expression was unreadable, though in his eyes one could easily observe a hint of sadness glossing over once it landed on the still, peaceful form on the bed.

Great Sage Haris moved towards his brother's body, ignoring the distraught look on the queen's face. Cassian and Gaius kept their heads bowed in respect as their uncle approached the bed and retrieved a golden trinket from his pocket: a golden snake curled around a golden sword – the insignia of the dynasty. He carefully folded his brother's arms to cross over on his torso and placed the trinket within the hand, making it appear as if the late king is holding on to it. He then bent over and kissed his brother's forehead, as it was tradition to bid farewell to a loved one within the empire.

When the Great Sage rose, his softened eyes met Cassian's. "My condolences, Nephew," his voice resonated through the quiet room. "I know Darius was a loving father to you."

"Great Sage Haris," Sophia mock-cheerfully greeted him. "We are honoured by your presence."

The old man regarded his sister-in-law with a stoic expression. "Once the news of a king's passing has reached his suitors, they ought to be donned in modest white, as it is tradition." His eyes ventured over her deep purple dress made of extravagant material. "Preferably pure cotton. Suitors ought to have their faces veiled whilst in mourning, yet I see no upholding of tradition from you, Madam. Those within the harem should look to you as a role model. I urge you to follow protocol." He glanced around the bedchamber with a calculating gaze. "Where is the princess?"

"She chose to remain in her quarters, Uncle," Gaius spoke up politely. "Father has only summoned me and Gaius to be beside his bed in his final moments."

Uncle Haris nodded. "As it is per tradition, yet the queen has failed to educate both the prince and princess of the empire that all of the king's offspring are to ready the body for a proper funeral." He raised an eyebrow at Sophia. "I urge you to ask Her Highness to rush to His Majesty's bedchamber, Madam, before the news of the king's passing may be spread through the capitol."

Queen Sophia was humiliated at her brother-in-law's statements, but nevertheless quietly excused herself from the room.

The Great Sage regarded his younger nephew with criticism. "And what of you, Your Highness? Have you failed your prestigious lesson in how to conduct a proper funeral of a dynasty member? What preparations are to be made once a king has passed?"

Gaius thought long and hard, obviously flustered at being questioned on the spot, but it was Cassian that spoke up.

"Before the news travel the capitol, the bell tower needs to be informed to sound the passing of a king. All should dress in mourning clothes, except for the king's children who are responsible for building a pyre and embalming the king's body for the funeral."

Gaius gaped and mumbled, "I knew that."

"I see moments between fighting off rebellions in Claethorpes and defending territories in the south has made of you an outstanding scholar, Nephew," Haris applauded Cassian. "My brother chose wisely for you to be his successor."

Gaius moved forward with a frown as if to state that he was the legitimate son of the king, but the Great Sage gave him a stern look. "I still am fascinated that a prince of Emberland would question the protocol of his empire. Go along. I shall have a word with both you and Cassian once the funeral has been finalised. It will be a curse to the dynasty if we let my brother's body lay here until the next sunset!"

Once Gaius bowed and left the king's bedchamber, Uncle Haris let go of his stern façade. He only appeared as the embodiment of stoicism around those who serve him, to people seeking guidance within the temple, as well as to Queen Sophia and her children, however, with his brother and favourite nephew, he was a sweet old man with a heart of gold. He walked around the bed to give Cassian a fatherly embrace.

"Times like this are meant to pain loved ones, Nephew, yet we are not required to pent up all these emotions." He patted Cassian's back.

"I do not think it's an appropriate time to vent my emotions just yet, Uncle," Cassian stated with a heavy sigh. "There is much that needs to be done before I can be allowed to do that." He stepped away from his uncle's embrace and casted one last glance at his father. "I have a pyre to build."

"Remember Cassian. You, too, are allowed to mourn. Do not disregard your feelings and suppress it because duty calls."

Cassian lifted the corner of his mouth in a slight smile. "People like us tend not to have that luxury…"

He bowed to the Great Sage before heading towards the door.