The sun was high overhead when the trumpets blared their fanfare across the courtyard, and Banon thought, the whole kingdom. It was the day he had waited for his entire life: the day he would become king.
Life couldn’t get better, Banon thought as his retainers draped over him the ceremonial blue cloak with the golden Renais royal emblem emblazoned on the center of the back.
Life couldn’t get worse, Janten thought to himself, pulling the helmet of his disguise over his head. He had just barely escaped another assault of words by some citizen that seemed to think he was worse than Fomortiis.
“That man never actually endured the War of the Stones, did he?” Janten chuckled. “He wouldn’t say those things if he had heard Grandfather’s stories.”
People always seemed to think Janten was evil just because “the prophecy predicted that he would resurrect the Demon King.” Why would Janten even want that? The Demon King was the foulest creature to have ever existed. Besides, even if he wanted to, Janten wouldn’t know how. Fomortiis’ body was destroyed over fifty years ago.
He fell in at attention beside the other soldiers in the courtyard. His two lances crossed his back, and his armor and helmet concealed him well enough that not even the other soldiers would recognize him for who he was. Then the fanfares introduced King Finnick, and the citizens in the court erupted in applause. The soldiers and Janten, on the other hand, remained as stiff as the two statues of Eirika and Ephraim which formed the archway in the center of the courtyard.
Through the slits of his helmet, Janten could see the king striding forward, basking in all the pomp and circumstance. Behind him, six men, three on either side, carried the trail of his massive robe. He came to a halt at the front of the piazza, and the men dropped his trail as he turned around.
Behind him came the sword-bearer, who carried the ceremonial Regal Sword which had never seen combat. It was used for knighting and, for tonight, the appointment of the new king. He elegantly handed the blade off to the king, and took his place at the far right of King Finnick. Next were the royal families, save Janten and Banon, followed by the representatives of all the nations of Magvel, and the royal retainers and servants.
Bralot fell in not far to the right of King Finnick, in just the perfect place that he could manage what he needed to do without the king noticing the culprit. The first finger traced the ridges of the gem in his Stone Stave beneath the folds of his robe. Even if there were those who could see what he was up to, few would recognize him for what he was, even after the event.
No one would see him steal the Sacred Stone, and by the time the ceremony was over, he would be gone. Many would think he had escaped just to save his own life. He had thought this over and plotted its chronology for months, for years. It felt like it had been an eternity, but he would bring his wife back from the dead. Finally, he could see her again. It felt so close, yet so far away.
But after he had completed what he wanted, he would have to somehow return the Sacred Stone to its rightful place in secret, impossible without the bracelets of the royal family. Even his warp powder could not get him in and out of that chamber.
Then he would have to conceal his resurrected wife from everyone. She would have to be his own personal secret. Not that he minded that at all. She would be his, and his alone, once more.
Bralot saw Banon marching through the courtyard, and knew his chance as growing near.
Banon waved and smiled at the cheering people, bathing in the limelight. He loved being a noble. It was a beauteous life, and today, he would get even more. Of course, he would be expected to fulfill responsibilities, but that was what servants were for, right? He’d assign others to do the work, and he’d get the credit. All he’d have to do is enjoy life and every now and then take a bath in gold coins.
As he neared the podium that the king stood at, the cheers began to subside, and King Finnick cleared his throat. When the crowd was quieted, he began his speech. “I thank you for coming today to support the appointment of the new King of Renais,” King Finnick began. “I thank you even more for your continuous support of my reign over the lands these past few years. It has truly been an honor. But now, it is time for a new generation to take the lead and bring beauty and prosperity to us.”
That made no sense. Why was he talking about rain when it was sunny out? And how does rain belong to someone? And what did generation mean again? And then that word prosperity . . . wasn’t that something like happiness? Well, if it was, then Banon was going to be enjoying a lot of happiness.
It was a long, drawn-out speech, which Banon only understood a small bit of, and he found his attention frequently being drawn to the birds and butterflies that wandered near. He realized he had not gotten anything out of the speech, but he didn’t care. The crown-bearer and the Servant of the Stone began to march out, ten paces apart.
“Not yet, Banon,” Finnick said just loud enough for Banon to hear when the crown-bearer came close, indicating that Banon was not to grab the crown yet.
Banon faced the Servant of the Stone as he approached, and the crown-bearer took his place at Banon’s left, facing inward.
Janten was excited. No, ecstatic. He knew his brother had no idea what he was to do. He knew that the Sacred Stone’s light would retreat from Banon’s touch, indicating that he was not prepared for the kingship. Well, he hadn’t actually had a premonition, but knowing his brother, there was no way he could be fit to be king.
Bralot readied the stave beneath his cloak, and began muttering the chant under his breath. The fanfares would be enough to drown out his voice. Then, when the Servant of the Stone and his flank of guards came into perfect view, Bralot unleashed the energy from his working spell.
A bright flash engulfed the yard, and when the flash was gone, the Servant of the Stone had been turned to a statue himself, along with his company of four guards. The courtyard erupted into chaos as Bralot’s followers warped themselves into the courtyard, blasting down the Knights of Renais.
Now to just take the Sacred Stone and leave.