Throne of Blood

Useless Struggle

"Long live his royal majesty King Julien" the court kneeled as I walked in.

It'd been only a days travel from the battlefield. I received the news not from a courier, but from the lips of the enemy as I drove my sword through his chest. It wasn't until I slayed the mass of them I decided to let my second in command take charge of our lines. Paris would report to me directly and only me.

Naturally I took my seat on the throne stained with a running river of blood that only I could see. A wave of my hand gave them permission to stand and it was then I noticed the absence of my dear little brother and his scheming mother. As if my thoughts summoned them, the court doors opened and in they walked, a bold challenge. Anne, my fathers second whore queen, spoke first, always the puppet master.

"Gracious court, I come to you as my husbands last living queen,"  Whore. " That murderer on the throne cannot lead. He's a boy who knows nothing but war. We can't even be sure he's my husband's son, his mother was a known whore."

"It seems you've lost your head before you came in here. We all know who seduced every minister in the court until she found her way into the kings bed, so I dare you to attempt to place Whore and my mother's likeness in the same sentence again or so help me God I'll slit your throat right where you stand."

"Brother you dare speak to a queen like this."my father's sorry spawn spat at me.

"Is a lowly concubine above the King now?  I refuse to recognize self given titles. My father is buried beside his only queen as the law of Turan states."I growled, my patience wearing thin at their antics.

"Finish this shit show before I decided to hang both of you off the coast."

"I challenge you to a duel." Mathias squared his shoulders.

"With wooden swords?" I scoffed.

"A duel to the death brother, for the throne." He challenged confidently brushing aside his straight brown locs. He favored our father more, but his mother's malice had corrupted his mind.

"I won't accept. You'd sacrifice your son to label me a kin murderer?" I asked my fathers whore, who'd headed my warning to keep her mouth shut.

" Don't be so vain brother. You may have graced the battlefield, but I have not neglected my sword."
"Vain? It is guaranteed you'll die within the fifth stroke. If you seek a throne your grandfather in Seris is need of an heir."

"My cousin Wenard is in line for the throne. This throne is mines to claims."

"Wenard met his end on the field at the end of my sword as he informed me of our father's death. You can thank me for the vacancy later." I smirked beside myself with the horror on my brother and his mother's face.

"Fight me Brother." He roared feuding my amusement.
"No."
"Coward."
"I could kill you both now and prove other wise.
Prince Mathias and his whore mother are exiled. Take them to Seris's king as a condolence for Wenard."

" You'll regret this moment. I won't let this go."

********

Methias'  failed claim to throne died down to whispers over a month later. The only cause was a change in topic. I had solved over half of  our major issues in the past month, from the reservoir in Tress to combat the famine from drought , higher taxes on the wealthy to ease taxes on the poor in Hectyn, a dam in Ariq to ease the flooding, Two hundred more of my personal soldiers in Terith to investigate slave trafficking and control the crime rates that have skyrocketed as it borders Seris . Sameut our newest conquered land, will see more temples, orphanages and food rations to recover from the war.

My father destroyed the beautiful country before he fell ill. I would allow each added terrain to function as they did before only if they regard the ultimate rules of Turan. However my progress didn't impress the court as much as the people who expected more war.

Still they both desired a queen.

A second noble house beside that of Turan. In a month's time before the end of summer there would be a picking ball. Hundreds of noble girls lined up to be picked for queen and ,if I was as monstrous as my father, concubines would be picked as well.

He married my mother in an alliance with Rewin. My birth was a sign of good faith, but my father grew greedy and soon a Turan born duchess, Katherine, fell in his bed after her husbands death, this disturb the agreement that Rewin put forth. My mother, Queen Saorise, was supposed to have been his only queen and only bed mate.

It was Anne who sent the cannons flying. A princess from Seris who bedded my father while my mother gave birth to my sister. Rewin despised  Seris and hence the agreement with Rewin fell apart. The war however came when my mother was poisoned and buried her murder unsolved. My father made a mess out of our relations with neighboring countries and he sent 11 year old me to the borders to fight for him. Given my relation to Rewin,  I was able to talk Rewin down to a trade war, rather than the bloody one my father wanted to campaign, but once again my father's greed ensured there would be no lasting peace.  When he declared war on Seris for refusing to make Methias their heir, I led on the front line and had the blood of thousands of men on my hands.

I would never be like my father. War is for protecting the body of our land not boosting its pride. The war with Seris would end with me.

******

The castle was unbelievably a bore. I felt suffocated by routine. Breakfast alone, listen to a long list of problems, determine what weakness of our enemy to poke at next, lunch with minister, dinner with my sisters, turn away prostitutes at night.

I can't imagine how my father enjoyed this for over 2 decades.

There was no life in this castle besides it's own beauty. After dinner I washed the remains of  coffee dye from my hair revealing it's natural pale blonde color. The color they called me a bastard for. A color sons of the royal  house of Rewin carried. Another set of darkening blonde locs settled in my mind. Straightforward green eyes followed, raising my spirits. There was no point in playing politics, when everything was practically at a standstill. A few days away from the castle wouldn't make much of a difference, and my aides were more than capable of settling domestic issues. I set out that minute to reach my destination  by nightfall . I left my sister Mary in charge as my cover and promised my return in a month. They'd be in chaos but I'd have my freedom before they bored me to death with noble daughters and foreign princesses begging to be Queen.