“A tyrant is a man who won’t listen to his people!” retorted Yebekh. “Can’t you see? King Ashen is betraying his people for a foreigner! A woman threatening us with her family’s power as if we are powerless! If we let this happen, soon we will all be bowing to the Dragon Empire itself! Or is it that everyone forgot the vile humiliation they imposed on us? They couldn’t get us by strength, so they sent this woman to win us over and then get rid of us in our sleep! Soon, we will see dragons burning our Kingdom to ashes! I won’t have that! The Yekara Clan will only stand for a king that listens to his people and stands against the Empire’s dominion!”
“You mean a king that will listen to you!” said the Pangoja Clan Leader. “This is ridiculous, Yebekh! You’re going too far!”
“...Prince Rohin.”
All eyes turned to the calm voice who had spoken. Yassim was staring at the Prince with a pained expression, as if he was not shocked, but feeling betrayed by his appearance. Cessilia frowned. He didn’t look like someone who was surprised to see one of his former students alive... Could it be that he knew all along that this man had survived? She exchanged a look with Tessandra. Her sword back in her hand, her cousin was glaring at the assembly, looking for who would try and fight first. It was clear the competition was completely forgotten now, if it had even been relevant at all. The whole room was preparing for a fight. With what the Yekara Leader had insinuated, and with one of the King’s possible rivals brought back from the dead, there would be no going back.
“Ah, Yassim,” chuckled Rohin. “Good old Yassim. Still alive, are you? I’m surprised Ashen didn’t chop your head off already. After all, you were never able to pick a side, were you? Saving him, then me... always saving everyone, but alienating us at the same time. You’re too good for your own sake, old man.”
Ashen’s furious glare immediately shifted to his old teacher. So Yassim was the reason his adopted-brother had survived... The elder didn’t even seem to notice the King’s furious eyes. Instead, he was staring at his former student as if his heart was broken. Cessilia felt a bit sorry for him. If he had saved Rohin, it was probably not for him to come back this way.
The young man chuckled and suddenly began to step down the stairs. Everyone who had one drew out their swords, Ashen being the first. He was clearly prepared to fight Rohin, but instead, his adopted-brother calmly walked up to Yassim. He completely ignored the fact that every person present in the cave was getting ready to fight for or against him. He simply went to his former teacher, with an apologetic expression.
“What is it? Not even happy to see me?”
“...I had suggested you leave, Rohin,” muttered Yassim. “I asked you to leave and find a peaceful life for yourself...”
“Oh, I know, teacher,” sighed Rohin, patting his shoulder, “...but, you see, after what Ashen did to me and my brothers, I’m afraid peace was never really an option. I sincerely thank you for saving my life, though. Please don’t resent me too much. I really did like you.”
His hands suddenly moved quickly, a snap was heard, and Yassim’s body dropped at his feet.
Cessilia’s scream died in her throat. It had happened too fast for anyone to react. The shock was too intense. After all his words from before, no one could have foreseen he’d kill his own teacher, not when his affection toward Yassim seemed so real and genuine. A faint silence followed the Counselor’s death, and someone in the audience suddenly screamed, a bit late. There was truly no going back this time.
“You... bastard!” shouted Ashen.
“Oh, stop yelling and shouting every time something doesn’t go your way, big brother,” sighed Rohin, rolling his eyes. “It’s not proper conduct for a king... Plus, you should have killed him yourself ages ago. Or is it that Your Majesty’s gone too soft for that? You were always the soft one, Ashen. Too kind and too weak to get things done.”
His mocking tone was infuriating. Anger helped Cessilia recover from the shock, and her green eyes began glaring at that man instead. She couldn’t believe he’d killed the man who had saved his life, to then mock Ashen about it. She had always had a hunch that Ashen hadn’t killed Yassim out of respect for his former teacher, despite his resentment. Rohin just had no second thoughts about getting rid of him. He was staring down at the body and Ashen, his hands moving as if he wasn’t sure what to do with them. There were strange movements in his shoulders too, like spasms. The more she looked at his expression, listened to his speech, and witnessed his strange mannerism, the more she was sure of it. That man was insane... and completely unfit to become King.
Cessilia suddenly turned her head to Lord Yebekh, directing her rage to the one she held most responsible.
“Is th-this what you want?” she asked aloud. “A k-king that k-kills without a second th-thought?”
Her voice was fueled with anger over Yassim’s death, and resonating like thunder in the cave. She was shocked, sad, and mad, but she wouldn’t let the ones responsible for this go unscathed. Despite everything, Cessilia held some hope that she could stop this madness. After all, there were still many people present who were just as shocked as they were. In any case, it was now clearly the Yekara Clan against everyone else.
“A king that listens to his people!” shouted Yebekh, drawing out his sword. “Instead of listening to a pathetic, stuttering foreigner!”
“If you wanted an obedient puppet, you could have at least chosen a sane man,” scoffed Tessandra, who had come to the same conclusion as her cousin, “or is it you just wanted to stir trouble? No one will want that pathetic, insane piece of shit for a king! That guy’s obviously mad!”
“Oh, I’m not mad,” chuckled Rohin, “unless you mean furious, unrestrained, and dying to take back what should have been mine! My father had chosen me.”
He stepped forward, in Ashen’s direction this time, and the King directed his sword at him. However, Rohin kept walking in their direction very slowly, his expression torn between anger and calm.
“Did you know that, brother? It should have been me. I was the strongest, the smartest, and Father’s favorite son.”
“You weren’t his son.”
“Sure, maybe not by blood. But unlike you, Father actually chose me... Doesn’t that make me more his son than you?”
He smirked, obviously very proud of himself. However, he didn’t find the expected reaction. Instead, Ashen’s eyes hadn’t gone as cold as ice, but rather indifferent. Cessilia took her hand off his arm, leaving him to get ready for the fight. She knew this time, he was controlling his emotions. He had never fought for his legitimacy. On the contrary, Ashen almost hated being his father’s son all along. He hated his biological father, and he didn’t like his adopted siblings much more either. If Rohin had somehow hoped to make him mad with that statement, he was far off the mark.
“...What are you really doing here, Rohin?” asked Ashen.
“Isn’t it obvious? I’ve come to reclaim the throne! I wish I could have stayed away, but... see, since you’re doing such a poor job, I have no choice but to step in. It’s for our Kingdom’s sake, Ashen. The Yekara Clan believes I’d be a better king than you. So, are you going to yield?”
After those words, he suddenly took out a long sword, holding it with both hands. He was now just a few steps away from Ashen, and ready to fight. Grunting, Ashen prepared himself all the same, while Cessilia took a step back, and turned her gaze to the Yekara Clan.
“You’re c-commiting a g-grave mistake.”
“You’re the mistake, you swine of the Empire!” shouted Yebekh. “Everything would have been fine if the Dragon Empire had stayed out of this!”
“You traitor, Yebekh!” shouted the Sehsan Tribe Leader. “How could you ever bring one of King Ashtoran’s people in here?! After everything we went through to bring back peace, you’re just asking for another civil war!”
“Then another civil war, it will be!” he retorted. “We will fight for the integrity of our Kingdom! Blame your King for choosing a foreigner over one of his own people’s women! My daughter is the only one fit to become Queen!”
The cave was turning into chaos. Everyone present was slowly realizing the battle could start at any moment, and they were trapped in here already. A few from the tribes stood up, glancing toward the entrances and wondering whether they should make a run for it or not. However, it was already too late. Many of the people from the Yekara Clan had already run ahead, standing in the way and blocking those exits. Everywhere, people were drawing swords and weapons out, ready to fight. It was all going down much too fast. Some of the Royal Guards were even turning against their peers, positioning themselves like the Yekara people to block the exits.
“I knew it. Damn traitors...” hissed Sabael, his hand clenching on his sword.
Yebekh also got down to the arena, a smile on. Cessilia glared at this man. She really had underestimated him. This was never about the competition or his candidates. She wasn’t sure if he had planned his niece’s death or not, but she was now sure things would have turned this way, regardless of whether she won the battle or not; as long as Ashen didn’t repudiate her, this would have been the outcome anyway. This was all part of a plan, a trap, and they had walked right into it.
“King Ashen,” he claimed out loud, “this is your one chance to step down. We will let you flee to the Dragon Empire with the Princess, with your promise to never come back to the Kingdom again! You shall be considered a traitor, and banished from this land!”
“No.”
Ashen hadn’t hesitated a single second, and Cessilia felt a bit proud of him. Some time ago, this might have been an appealing offer, to leave this position he didn’t like much to someone else, and be able to be with Cessilia. However, this Ashen was determined. His eyes hadn’t left his so-called brother, electing him as his opponent, and no one else.
Tessandra stood ahead of Cessilia, between her and Lord Yebekh.
