May Death Do Us Part

185 Chapter 185 : King Gareth Adam Burchard

“She went on a what?.....”

“A honeymoon,” Finwe responded sheepishly. This is exactly why he didn’t want to tell Gareth about this in this moment, he knew his brother well, so he knew he would be thinking about the entire ceremony.

“But look on the bright side your grace,” Zander muttered comfortingly, “even if they get intimate with each other, she can’t get pregnant because... she’s... already... pregnant?”

*

Outside in the hallway leading to Gareth’s Chambers, Roland was on his way to see what was taking the men so long, everyone was already gathered waiting for the prince, the sooner they got him crowned, the quicker their plan would move.

The blue eyed elf paused and took a step back when he saw Finwe and Zander scampering out of the Prince’s chambers and sprinting towards him. “What’s going on?!”

Zander leaped on Roland sending them both crushing to the ground. Before the blue eyed elf could push the heavy man off him, a loud explosion boomed from a distance and a wave of flames scorched everything down the hallway. If it wasn’t for the shield of solid air Finwe and formed over them, they too would have been burnt to a crisp.

When the smoke screen the explosion had caused subsided, the three men got to their feet, coughing and sneezing from inhaling the burnt debris.

“What just happened?!” Roland turned to Finwe and Zander who were dusting their clothes. “Are we under attack?!”

.....

“Something like that,” Finwe responded while trying to fix his hair.

The three men froze when Gareth appeared from the smoke and glared at them. “Stop playing around and let’s get the coronation over and done with, I have a dog I have to go put down.”

The elven prince shoved passed the three men and made his way towards the ceremony, had the news of Melissa and Elric’s honeymoon agitated him? Yes.. did he regret reacting the way he did to it? No... and he would do a lot worse to Elric if he as much as lay one finger on Melissa’s perfect ginger head.

*

Out on the palace grounds, commoners and nobles alike waited for the arrival of the prince. Theodora landed a few feet away from the podium and made her way to Aiden who was sitting in the front roll and took a chair next to him. She reached for his hand and the man smacked her away with a blank expression, making Theodora cross her arms and pout.

“How is it going with our little bird?” Aiden spoke on a whisper. He did not turn to look at Theodora and neither did he change his expression as he spoke, so that no one would take interest in their secret conversation.

“He’s still trying to resist,” she responded, “but I’m starting to see cracks in his armor, he is showing signs of guilt, it is just a matter of time untill he gives in.”

“Once Gareth is crowned king it will just be a matter of time untill he marches for Meria, our little bird doesn’t have a lot of time left, if he reveals nothing within the next week, I will force the words out of him myself.”

Theodora gulped at Aiden’s words, the truth is that Renly wasn’t the only one who was feeling sympathetic, she was as well. For some strange reason she sympathized with Renly, she got the feeling whoever this ‘master’ was whom Renly was serving, had manipulated him, and now he would suffer because of his blind loyalty.

“I hope you’re not going soft on me Theodora,” Aiden whispered having seen the sullen look on her face. “Sympathy is for the weak, and weakness is for humans, remember that.”

“I’m well aware your grace,” Theodora responded. Gods, she had to find a way to convince Renly that the information he was withholding was not worth dying for, but how?

Moments later a strong smell of smoke and soot filled Theodora’s nose, she turned to her left and saw Zander, Finwe and Roland sitting down next to Aiden. Their clothing was slightly charred and they smelled like they had just survived a house fire.

“Care to explain yourselves or should I mind my own business?” Aiden asked the three men.

Finwe coughed and turned to face Aiden, “the prince found out that your sister has traveled for a honeymoon with the lycan king.”

“So he burnt you?”

“Almost burnt us,” Finwe responded while trying to look elegant in his battered state.

Aiden scoffed and small smile formed on his face, sometimes these men were amusing indeed.

The low melody of the pipe organ filled the space in which the coronation was to take place, indicating that the prince was arriving.

The masses that were gathered rose from their seats to welcome the prince, to welcome the next king of Gavaria and their colony Baiviles.

Gareth walked elegantly down the isle, past the many rows of chairs towards the podium where two elderly men where standing side by side waiting for him. One he could tell was the cleric who would bestow the crown upon him and name him king, but the other, he was someone who seemed familiar but not quite. It was not until Gareth was a foot away from the two men that he recognized the other elderly man.

“Grandfather..?”

“Hello my boy,” the man spoke with a proud smile on his face, “from the day you were born, I knew you were destined for great things. It is through you that tyranny shall end, that division shall crumble and peace will reign like the light of the morning sun on the continent of Ronia Cresus.”

Gareth felt honored, all this time his main driving force was Melissa, to have her by his side and create a world she and his child would be safe, but after listening to his grandfather’s words, he knew his responsibility was not to Melissa alone, but to everyone, be it human or lycan, nosferatu or dwarve, he needed to foster a world where no one would live in fear or oppression, just like it was in the beginning.

The elven prince got down on one knee and bowed his head in front of the cleric who took a few steps towards him with a small book in hand.

With one hand hovering over Gareth’s head, the cleric began, “May the gods grant prince Gareth Adam Burchard courage and protect him in these perilous times. May they grant him strength so he may be able to bare the burdens of the crown. I call upon the gods that know the fate of all men, show him the path he must walk and guide him through the dark places that lie ahead. In the light of all that is holy, I now proclaim thee, son of Aragon of Ervelon and James Burchard of Gavaria, King Gareth Adam Burchard, first of his name. King of Gavaria and the colony of Baiviles. Long May he reign!”

The cleric turned to the pedestal where the crown had been placed, sprinkled it with divine water and placed it upon Gareth’s head.

“Long May he reign!” Everyone exclaimed as the new king rose to his feet and turned to the masses. “Long May he reign!”

This was it, this was the time to now declare the end of tyranny, Gareth’s chance to show everyone that as king, he would not discriminate but unite.

“As my first plea as king,” Gareth began to speak, “I ask all of you to pray for me, regardless of your race! Humans, lycans, elves, dwarves and nosferatu, I ask you all to ask the gods to grant me the wisdom to rule all of you justly and fairly! The great continent of Ronia Cresus was not built in a day, nether was it built by a single race, it was built by us all! And as such, it shall continue to prosper! I, king Gareth Adam Burchard, solemnly swear that whatever land my reign reaches, shall be a land for all. I am not the king of the elves, I am an elf who is a king of all who live in my kingdom!”

The crowds rose to their feet and applauded with vigor at their new king’s words. This is what many people had been waiting to hear for a many months now. Finally they could all be free, lycans with human wives could now embrace their loved ones publically without fear of prosecution. Elevs with unchanged children could hope for a better future for their offspring. Humans who had lost their jobs because of race could restore their status in society. This is what true reign looked like, and it’s face was king Gareth Adam Burchard.

*

After the coronation, Gareth spotted his grandfather walking towards the study and rushed to his side. “Grandfather!”

The man halted and turned to his grandson, “wearing two crowns is heavy my boy, you need a strong neck to support them.”

“How did you know,” Gareth asked the man, “about me being an elf, father told me you knew of it long before I changed.”

“I am an old man Gareth, and I have lived many years in this world. What you see with your two eyes isn’t the only thing that is known, some things can be seen and not heard, others heard and not seen. As you mature as king, you will understand.”