A Tale of Time: The Malice of Men

Chapter 4: Power

Chapter 4: Power

Power is alluring. Power is deterring.

Power is inviting. Power is revolting.

Power is corruptive. Power is purging.

Power is that which all hearts desire.

To be in power means to be in control. Surely, that must be true, Asteryn thought. He hadn't even been crowned king and already, eager men with grabbing hands were reaching forth. They had already begun to address him as 'Your majesty.' So far, the treatment had been heavenly. Of course, so far, the burden of responsibility hadn't been weighed upon his shoulders. Some, however, took this treatment to an intolerable level.

One of the courtiers, the governor of the Sullen fields, had already approached Asteryn in private to offer his condolences regarding the death of his father. He had rambled on and on for about half an hour before finally coming to the part where he proposed his daughter's hand in marriage, going It was a sharp reminder to Asteryn that others desired power too. All those below him in order were attracted to it like moths to a light.

Asteryn also had to keep reminding himself that nobody actually cared for him. The king had made a lot of enemies, and they had to be subdued soon.

As the new king, he had a lot of work to do. But first, he had to choose a select group of people whom he could trust to get things done. He had a list of people, people who he could rely on to get things done, people who would follow orders unquestioningly. Of course, others would refuse to follow their new liege. One had to be...persuasive. Tact and diplomacy had to be used to perfection. It was a difficult task, but not an impossible one. Besides, the palace had experienced hands.

Right now though, his father's body was being washed. The bloody mess had taken him aback the first time he had seen it. While the king's death wasn't a surprise, the brutality of it certainly was. Teylin's anxious face seemed to hover in front of his eyes, asking of him a promise; a promise he had failed to keep. It was all over for Aghbard Greatsbane. Tomorrow though, that could be him. The thought made Asteryn shudder.

Anybody could have killed his father, anybody. He was useless in the best of his days, when he was still a young lad and mother was still alive. After the death of Cynthia Greatsbane, something had just snapped. From that day forth, the king went increasingly mad.

The pleasure loving lad who had shared mead and bread and joy with his people heartily became reserved. Slowly, everyday, his patience began to run thin. First, he started by getting rid of all lowborn children in the palace. Then he tightened security. Nothing, not even a fly was permitted to enter without the king's permission. His eyes grew wild; wild as the wolf in the winter and wilder than the bear in the woods.

Food was not as actively circulated anymore as the royal palace began to hoard stocks. Only private merchants of enterprising types had access to food and as a consequence, prices grew increasingly high. It all culminated this year when the crops had failed. The incident seemed to happen almost overnight. The first failures of crop were reported in the harsh northern lands. Then, without trace of pest or disease, all the crops throughout the kingdom had begun to fail. Three days after the first reports, only a few plots of land were still cultivable, and no one could explain how or why they had been spared. The soil was still as rich as it was; only that nothing could grow in it anymore. People tried until they had to stop for fear of wasting seed. The king's best men could find neither a cure nor a reason. All individual attempts failed as well. It seemed as if the Gods wanted to revenge upon the mortals below for some unbeknownst reason.

Of course, that did not even deter the king or shake him from his madness. The people could go torch themselves for all he cared. Somebody thought it would be wiser if the realm had a more generous man as head.