The Damned

III The Speech

  "Hear me, my Elf people!" started Zed, "all of you have witnessed a very joyous event, the first of many more to come. I have given you my word that you would not regret me becoming king and already I have started to prove to you my worthiness.

  "Throughout my short life, my beloved father and your former king, King Leoxin, has taught me many valuable lessons. However, the most important one of all is the lesson that he had never taught me by transmitting it from mouth to ear, but by transmitting it throughout his actions and the precautions taken to protect the ones he loved and his kingdom; he had taught me how to always put the good of your kingdom and beloved above your own. To care for those who are defenseless where you have all the defense in the world. To acknowledge those around you, royal and non-royal. My father, may he rest in wonderful peace, has taught me to always be selfless." Zed continued. He had now started strolling around the balcony, always staying close to the edge, hands clasped together behind his back."

  He could hear the crowd screaming words of encouragement, all of them creating more and more assurement as Zed continued on, "I remember the day my father had gone out to battle, attempting to defeat the Chikir once and for all. That day has gone down in history as a very mournful day in our rich history. We were defeated by those unholy beasts and have seen the greatest decrease of elven population.

  "And I stand before you on this bright morning, watching over our beautiful land that we Pyrx and that those filthy Chikir love to call Polifis, to tell you that we will not live a life in this fear we hold in our hearts. That we will not just let the Chikir be victorious without another fight. Are you not tired of living in this fear that burdens us? Are you not sick of having to second guess a feeding because we do not wish to die? Have you not had enough of not being able to conjure powers by feeding on the Chikir because we are forced to hide away from them? We cannot allow the Chikir to burden us with fear much longer! We must fight back and return victorious!

  "But I need you! My brothers and sisters! I require your strengths and powers! Your trust and your loyalty if we all dream of one day being free to scour the earth and do as we please with no one to threaten us or endanger us. However, for this dream to become a reality, I must ask for your assistance! I need strong powerful elves from my kingdom to aid me in my quest for revenge of what they've done to us... of what they've done to my father..." Zed mutters to himself. He pulls out a thin sheet of parchment that looks yellow with age and ragged at the edges from rips and torn off pieces of paper. He takes the piece of parchment and showcases it to the crowd.

  "This, my dear friends, is exactly what you are all thinking it is: it is indeed a piece of parchment. However, it is more than just a piece of parchment. It is a letter my father had written for me that I received at his funeral. I have held this letter close to my heart ever since it was given to me and now I am ready to inform you on the contents of it. There are indeed some more intimate concepts in this letter, but I will give you a global idea of what he had written me.

  "My father had told me through this letter that he knew he would lose that murderous battle against the Chikir. He had somehow known that he would not come home with victory radiating through him and his army that deceitful day. He had also told me that I was his only hope. He told me through this very piece of parchment that I was his last chance. That I was the one who would bring our kingdom back to its former glory and awe. He intends me to revive our kingdom and that is what I have come here to inform you about.

  "I am giving you, my people, the choice to come and join me on my journey to defeat the Chikir once and for all. To stand by my side in battle and gain back the freedom that has been stripped away from us. In order to accompany me on our way to freedom, you must send in the forms that will be sent to each and every one of your delightful homes. You must send these back to the palace, for in two weeks, I will no longer be taking candidates, unless the numbers demand it. I am open to accept anyone who would like to join, man or woman over the age of 18.  A week after our army is assembled we will begin training. We will train each and every one of you to become rueful warriors that will excel in battle. We will teach you how to master all the powers you have acquired after today. My trainers and I will see to each and every one of you reaching your full potential before we go raging in battle." explains Zed.

  Throughout his whole speech, he has miraculously been able to keep a kingly expression on his pale face. He is now standing close to the railing of the balcony with his hands propped against the cold stone of it. His letter has already been tucked away under his long luxurious cape.

  A low murmur makes its way through the crowd as planned by Zed. He looked through the audience and made up a few surprised expressions, but most of all confused ones. He knew his people would not forget the fact that he mentioned acquiring powers and teaching them how to wield it. He knew that most elf commoners do not have powers. He also knew about the fuss he would create regarding the royals knowing that they would have to give up the one thing that made them who they are: their uniqueness in powers.

  He glanced at the royal section of the audience and noticed some royals throwing dirty looks at him. However, Zed was surprised to also see some supportive faces, encouraging him to go on with his plan.

  Zed chuckled before continuing on with his speech, "I am pretty certain that many of you are wondering why I would bring up the subject of powers. In order for it to be a fair fight, we too must have powers in order to battle the Chikir. Am I correct?" Slowly, heads nod in agreement.

  "I guess I have spoiled my own little surprise. Now that it's out, I might as well just do it now I suppose. Guards! Bring them in!" Zed calls, and with that, the gates to the lower balcony of the palace open and ten Chikir in individual cages come out, all of them being rolled out by elven guards. The Chikir look beaten and bloodied, but still fully intact.  The guards push the cages and one by one line them up one right next to the other. The Chikir are both men and women, most women crying and most men sitting calmly on the cage's floor. The Chikir men sat expressionless, however, their eyes betrayed their fear. Five pairs of eyes darted from left to right, looking for some sort of escape. But there was none. Zed had made sure that these Chikir do not escape.

   "These Chikir are freshly imprisoned, awaiting to be slaughtered and feasted upon. However, there are not merely enough prisoners to feed the whole populace and so here is my proposition. If you are to join me in battle, I shall feed you the most exquisite of Chikir bone and blood, therefore, giving you the powers you would need in order to join me in combat. If after this proposition you still do not wish to take my hand in battle, I will fully respect your decision. We also request doctors and nurses at our camps if you do not wish to battle. However, the doctors and nurses will not have the privilege of feeding off Chikir, but will be rewarded in ways none of you can imagine." he explained with a gentle expression on his face. Zed was trying his best to sound kindly and inviting, though he did not know how the crowd was receiving it as.

   "But tonight," he continued, "we celebrate! By dawn tomorrow you shall be able to volunteer to join me in glorious war and battle beside me. But for now, let the festivities begin!" he boomed, throwing his arms in the air all royal-like. And with that, all of Polifis exploded in music and laughter. For the second night in a row, Zed's kingdom was filled with nothing but joyous gratefulness and all-consuming happiness.