The King's Shield

Chapter 45 - The Era Ends

Victory feels so good. Its decadent taste lingers and one craves it over and over. This hunger becomes insatiable and unforgettable. Bal felt the same. The glorious taste of victory. The one thing he had craved for years and years. And now it was his, his to claim, his to live, his to enjoy.

All the hard work, all the planning, all of the anger pushed towards getting to this place; to a position he wanted to be, in the place of power.

When he entered the gates of the capital of Merujaya, a sense of pride gripped him. The wide gates of the palace were calling him with open arms.

The place had changed a lot. King Indraneel had a taste for grandeur and opulence but Adhiveer had transformed this place into a natural haven. Vast gardens with deer and rabbits, ponds with ducks and swans. Flowering plants and large trees, as if he had built a palace within a forest.  What if I let tigers loose in these gardens, it would make this place a proper jungle wouldn't it, he thought and scoffed.

He walked straight to the central palace. The two guards standing at the door bowed to him and were about to push the door open but he stopped them. He wanted to push open the door himself. Even though he had been here before, this feeling was new.  That giant wooden door, carved with vines and flowers, embedded with gold, was almost taunting him, making him feel insignificant. He didn't like that feeling, never wanted to feel that way again. He pushed open the door.

He had walked through the door thirty years ago, with the hope of becoming the most powerful man in the entire kingdom. Occupying his rightful place, sitting on that majestic throne. He knew he deserved it.

He had left his old life behind a long time ago, nobody here knew him to be the farmer’s boy, that persona he had shunned like old clothes. Now, people knew him as a conqueror, a powerful man, a mighty hero, and perhaps even a rightful heir to the throne.

This persona he had built all by himself, as if adding one drop of red colour into clear water, and he had waited patiently watching the water turn red. Satisfied and happy.

When he entered the palace he saw the great hall, not much had changed in this place except for the colours, which were too bright and cheerful for his taste. After crossing the great hall he entered the throne room. Right in front of him was the throne.

The auspicious bells and sounds of the crowning ceremony filled his ears. Years ago he had witnessed his first defeat, the crowning of Prince Adhiveer. He saw the scene again in front of him. That sight had lit a fire in him, the fire of revenge, the fire of envy, the fire of destruction. He averted his gaze and squeezed shut his eyes to block the images out.

Then he walked closer to the throne. There was the familiar smell of sandalwood, the carved lion head armrests and the circular cushioned backrest and seat.

Finally, it was his, the jewelled seat of the gods, the powerful throne.
Ah! This feeling was great, so great that it superceded the feeling of hunger or even sleep.

That night he couldn't sleep, so he rolled on his bed. The extremely soft sheets and the open and grand chamber felt new but tolerable.
The breeze that came from the window filled the chamber with the scent of flowers that surrounded the palace. He felt indifferent to the place, a strangeness, the place felt like it still had Adhiveer's claim on it.

That had to change, he would change it. This was the king's bedroom, now it was his bedroom, his bedroom...

The next morning he got up late, leisurely taking his time to experience the moment he had longed for.
A knock on the door broke his reverie.

" Yes, " he said.

" Sire, Queen Avni is asking for your audience, " said the attendant.

He nodded. The attendant left.