Breathe
By Romanov Heiress
The sunset fell over the golden castle, bathing the imposing walls in shades of bronze and copper. The capital of the kingdom slept under the silence of the night, while the breeze caressed the flags on top of the towers. In the royal dining room, the solitary king slowly chewed a mole enchilada, savoring each bite with a kind of bitter nostalgia. In front of him, the huge window allowed a glimpse of the twinkling lights of the city that once adored him.
But today, something was different. The night was charged with an unsettling energy.
-They don't understand..." muttered the king to himself, cutting a new portion of enchilada. His mind could not rest; a whirlwind of thoughts tormented him. His ministers had warned him again and again: the people were unhappy. The laws he had enacted, the measures he had taken, all had been poorly received. But was it really his fault? He did not believe it. No... everything that was wrong had come from outside. His reign had been thrown into chaos by forces beyond his control.
-Your Majesty, rumors are spreading," his trusted advisor had said earlier that evening, his eyes lowered. The rebels in the north have been financed by the neighboring kingdom.
The king had raised an eyebrow, with a mixture of disbelief and restrained fury. "The neighboring kingdom?" Of course. That was the source of all his woes.
-The damned kingdom of Alvoria! -he exclaimed, this time loudly, not caring that there was no one around to hear him. They have been trying to destabilize me for years. It is not my people who are rebelling. No, it's them, infiltrating their ideas, their poison....
The king rose abruptly, dropping the silk napkin to the floor. He walked to the window, his silhouette reflected in the glass under the dim light of the chandeliers. He looked toward the horizon, toward where he knew Alvoria's kingdom lay, invisible in the distance, but present in every nightmare that plagued him.
-It all started with them," he chuckled, resting a trembling hand on the cold glass. They never left me alone. They sent their spies, financed traitors in my own Council, poisoned the minds of my people with empty promises. If it were not for them...
Soft footsteps sounded behind him. It was his daughter, the heir to the throne, a young woman with a serene look, but who tonight brought with her a mixture of worry and resentment.
-Father," he said in a firm voice, though the trembling betrayed his nerves. We must talk. The Council is concerned. The last laws you passed...
-Worried? -interrupted the king, turning sharply, "Worried about what? Everything I've done has been for this kingdom. Everything. And all I get are complaints.
His daughter lowered her gaze, trying to measure her words. She knew that her father's reign was coming to an end, and that it would soon be her turn to deal with the disaster that was brewing. But how to convince him that his actions were only making things worse?
-You have put all our relatives in power," he said quietly, as if every word burned in his mouth. You can't rule like this. People are beginning to see this as tyranny.
-And what choice did I have? -And what other choice did I have?" replied the king with a bitter smile, "To leave the Council in the hands of traitors? Alvoria has infiltrated so many of my own men that I can no longer trust anyone else! They are to blame, not I. They didn't force me into this, they backed me into a corner!
The young heiress sighed, knowing that arguing with him was futile. She knew that the neighboring kingdom, Alvoria, had been a constant thorn in her father's side. For years, they had vied for power, but now it seemed that rivalry was destroying her family from within.
-Father, you can't go on ruling like this. The people will not stand for it. If you continue, there will be nothing left of the kingdom when it is my turn to rule.
The king stared at her, with a mixture of fury and despair in his eyes.
-You don't understand. You have never understood. The kingdom is crumbling because everyone is against me. Alvoria, the traitors, even those damned students who know nothing of ruling. They have all conspired to destroy me. And if I don't do something now, if I don't change the laws, if I don't ensure that my legacy is strong, this whole thing will fall into ruin.
His daughter stepped forward, trying to appeal to the reason that once inhabited her father.
-And change all the laws with the stroke of a pen? Affect my right to the throne? Is that protecting the kingdom?
The king looked at her for a few long seconds. An internal conflict was going on in his mind. On the one hand, he knew his daughter was right. On the other, the thought of ceding power, of abdicating without having done something truly momentous, terrified him.
-If I abdicate now," he thought, "it will be under the shadow of defeat, weakened before my enemies. No, I cannot leave like this.
He returned to his seat and took a glass of wine. He took a long drink, before speaking in a voice full of bitterness.
-It's not for you, daughter. It is for the kingdom. If I change the laws now, I ensure that all I have done will not be in vain. And yes, it will affect you, but at least it will be something... something important. Something that no one will be able to ignore. Alvoria won't be able to say that I left in defeat. No. I'm staying, if only a little longer. And when I leave, I'll have left a mark they won't be able to erase.
His daughter looked at him sadly, knowing that any attempt to dissuade him would be in vain.
-Father, the kingdom is already on the verge of collapse.... -she said in a whisper, but the king was no longer listening to her. In his mind, only the idea echoed that by changing all the laws, by holding on to power a little longer, at least he would be remembered.
The opinions expressed are the responsibility of the authors and are absolutely independent of the position and editorial line of the company. Opinion 51.
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