Blackheart

Epilogue: Sunrise

The once-prince stood on the balcony of the castle that now belonged to him, and him alone. Beneath him, a massive crowd of his new subjects cheered and raised their fists in celebration.

Shortly after the end of the Palethorn Crisis, King Salign was informed of the death of Princess Clara, who had gone missing shortly after the fog first rolled in.

Apparently, she had left the castle and traveled to the city, intending on using her powers as a sorcerer to resolve the demon invasion. She was found dead in a cavern underneath the city, still in the robes she had left with.

The aging king seemingly lost the ability to take such news. He suffered a heart attack and quickly died soon after. Gira was off in the camps many of the survivors had made after fleeing the city, tending to the sick and wounded. She was unable to be reached in time to revive the king, his passing causing a greatly mixed reaction among the royals.

William was saddened. He had lost both a father and sister in rapid succession, but he kept a brave face. Still, he could not help but feel some hope, and joy at the proceedings. All those things he had criticized his father for, everything he had seen as wrong with what was happening to the kingdom...now, he had the power to fix those things, and there was a single, burning desire that overwhelmed all else.

He was dressed in the most regal and splendid robes available, the same his father had worn when coronated, though he had them custom tailored and fitted for him from scratch, of course.

At last the attendant finished the last of the proceedings, bringing this lengthy affair of stuffy atmosphere and winding speeches to a close. Finally, the bishop walked behind William, holding up the crown above his head, and slowly placing it on top of him.

There, with sharp eyes and an unflinching body, Prince William let the golden, glittering crown slide onto his head. In that moment, the coronation, formally at least, had come to an end.

"Long live King William, Sovereign of Geralthin and leader of all human peoples!"

The rapturous applause damn near deafened the now-king. All across the fields, as far as the eye could see, the people roared and cried out as the new ruler of Geralthin was entrusted with the task of leading them to peace and prosperity.

"Baldwin."

The scribe nodded and stepped forward, handing a rolled up scroll to the king. This had been part of a plan on King William's part before the coronation.

This was his most passionate issue he wished to address, and by performing such an extreme act on his coronation, he hoped to show everyone that no matter what happened, this reign would be nothing like the previous.

"People of Geralthin!" he cried loudly, the massive crowd below going silent, "I would like to present something to you."

He unfurled the scroll and let it hang over the balcony, being sure to have it face the crowd.

"This...is the Expulsion Edict," William explained, "It has banned all non-humans from our great kingdom, a kingdom of trade, of culture and hope. A kingdom of peace and brotherly love. A kingdom where any can come and share in our abundance and glory. This, has undone all of that. This edict has nearly destroyed our economy, our production, and the fabric of Geralthin culture as a whole. Therefore, my first act as king..."

He pulled it back and, in a quick motion, tore the scroll in half.

"I hereby repeal the Expulsion Edict! Henceforth, all are welcome to return to our glorious kingdom, as are the refugees of Palethorn, our very own citizens who we turned our backs on!"