The Onyx Raven

Chapter 1: The Council

Present Time

"He is not a king, and he will never be king!"

The howling propagandist screamed, the rags of his tattered robes drenched in a mixture of fluids, his scent burning to the nostrils of the passersby.

"Do not let that damned fool hold the throne! He will run this kingdom into the ground!"

He continued, having nothing of his own possession, but his voice and that seemed to be coming to an end.

Footsteps approached from afar, the sounds of small metals clinging together with each step. 

"There is a villain and there is a hero! That man is not the savior! He is the DESTROYER! Look to the east for your future!" 

"Alright, alright that's enough out of you. Disturbing the peace and unlawful slander of the king's name is punishable by imprisonment and awaiting of trial."

One of the two guards had approached the short man. His armor only consisting of a bronze chest plate with his black tunic reaching to his knees. 

"Let go of me! These people deserve to know the truth!" He cawed at the guard holding his arm.

"Do not resist." The guard was stern, understanding the minimal danger of a man, whose only weapons were his loud words, could do.

"They try to hide the truth, silence the solutions, and watch as we all burn to nothing!"

The guards began to drag him away, his legs offering no compliance as they scraped along the ground. A last act of defiance as his howls faded into the distance. 

On this day, normalcy felt impossible. The kingdom all around and beyond knew of the new era approaching. The passing of King Julius IV meant the accession of his son Claudius to the throne. To the public, Claudius was mainly known for his pleasure driven lifestyle. The attitude to his accession was mixed and this was felt especially within the Council.

"We must restrict his power until he has undergone proper education!" Councilor Jarves spoke.

The council's chamber was a high ceiling room that resided adjacent to the King's castle, a meeting space that only contained a large circular seating arrangement that required all councilors to look towards each other. A central void laid in the center allowing any singular person to address the whole body. In this space, that resided lower then where the Council sat, was Claudius joined by the Royal Vizier Arthus. 

"Councilor Jarves, please, there is no need to be of such fervor. The boy is the rightful heir and his father made it explicitly clear that he was to retain full power upon transition." The level-headed councilor Leones said in response.

"Old King Julies IV was suggestive of this, but it was spoken with his death not appearing until some time later. This loss changes everything, we must adjust." Councilor Protes said, chiming in swiftly.

Twelve councilors surrounded Claudius, his fist clenched subtly at his side. He had known he wouldn't have a good time standing among the elders of the council, but he had not the faintest idea it would be this bad. 

"He hasn't aged properly for such a position. He values his own pleasures and brawls he has no competency for ruling a nation's economy and military decisions." The blunt councilor Aremes spoke with no reservations, "How can such a boy be in charge of all our resources when he has yet to prove his own prowess as a figurehead."

The rambles of the councilors continued, mixing together into a homogenous mess of noises and insults. Claudius could only grit his teeth so hard before his self-control would burst.

The sudden banging of the gavel broke through the chaos of the room. 

BANG. BANG. BANG.

"Enough, enough." An elder, older then the rest, sat highest among the councilors.

"As Grand Councilor Erebies, I will hold the final say in this matter." He spoke with an aged tone.

Erebies had served the council for the longest, seeing the passage of three kings in his lifetime. He wore the deepest crimson robe, adorned with stripes of gold, and a sapphire pendant that hung underneath his grey beard. He holds the judicial authority almost equal to the kings, and in these times of transition, he was the king.

"I ask that the boy to be king have his words heard in his defense before any decisions, Grand Coucilor." Arthus slithered his words in finally. Biding his time for the first opportunity to speak and be heard.

The Grand Councilor looked to Arthus' bowed appearance and nodded, motioning for Claudius to speak.

Adjusting his posture, Claudius remembered meeting the Grand Vizier within the halls prior.

"I will not lie to you, Prince Claudius."

"Its soon to be King, Arthus."

"Of course, however, in this moment and at this time, it does not look entirely guaranteed."

"What do you mean? Arthus, they cannot deny me my birthright."

"They absolutely can. And they will. Unless you listen to me. There have been talks within of detaining your powers and retaining the councils until you have undergone proper education and have matured."

" WHAT!? That is absurd! I am the rightful heir to the throne, my father left this dynasty for me to lead, not to be confined to a classroom while they decide the nation's needs!"

"My Prince, please control yourself and listen. I do not know how the council retained this stance, but I know that it has enough support to be an issue for this meeting, however, I have a possible path that can not be halted, even by the council."

The conversation had replayed within the mind of Claudius as he took a deep breath and spoke.

"I am Claudius Threx of the Threx Dynasty, son to Old King Julius Threx IV. The heir to the Crimson Throne and wielder of the Atlus Spear. This evening I have heard many of the councilor bring into question my abilities and potentials at being a worthy king to the lands."

Claudius began reciting the words Arthus had given him. His voice echoing from the halls prior,

"You have to appeal to their concerns. You can not argue against the elders they will simply debate your ideas away. You have to give them a solution and a promise. You must perform a feat of a king to be viewed as one. Something that not even your father had done before. Something that only a Demi-god could do."

the memory of Arthus' voice seemingly coming from Claudius' mouth,

"I understand these concerns and these issues. I can put to rest these questions. I am the next King of these lands and I will lead it to greatness just like my father. I will not undergo the suggestion of education, you do not lead people from a classroom, you lead by example."

He could only imagine one task that not even his father could accomplish,

"I will perform the Olympus Climb."