The Royal City Awakens
The morning sun, a gilded promise, cascaded over the sprawling capital of Eldoria.
E.g. ：I caught my own sister pouring salt into my son's birthday cake right before guests arrived.
- 1、The Royal City Awakens
- 2、The King's Solemn Procession
- 3、The Unexpected Obstruction
- 4、Guards Respond with Force
- 5、A Ghost from the Past
- 6、The Accident that Wasn't
- 7、A King's Burden
- 8、The Unthinkable Act
- 9、The Aftermath of a Whispered Truth
- 10、The Prince Who Vanished
- 11、Gareth's Long Journey
- 12、The Kingdom Holds its Breath
Its golden rays kissed the towering spires of the royal palace.
White marble steps gleamed under the burgeoning light.
The vast royal square, usually a bustling marketplace, was transformed.
Today, it was a stage for solemn tradition.
Fountains danced, their spray catching the light like scattered diamonds.
Immaculate gardens flourished in orderly perfection.
Statues of ancient kings stood sentinel, observing the preparations.
Vibrant royal banners, emblazoned with the lion and sun crest, fluttered rhythmically.
Anticipation hummed through the air.
Hundreds of nobles, their silks shimmering, lined one side of the grand processional route.
Commoners, a sea of hushed awe, filled the other.
Today was the Rite of Renewal.
King Theron, just past his prime, was to reaffirm his sacred oath.
It was an annual ceremony.
It was meant to solidify his benevolent rule.
His reign had brought unprecedented peace and prosperity.
The kingdom thrived under his steady hand.
No one dared question his legitimacy.
Not openly, at least.
The King's Solemn Procession
The grand gates of the palace swung open with a deep, resonant groan.
A hush fell over the assembled thousands.
Royal knights, mounted on magnificent warhorses, emerged first.
Their polished armor glinted.
Their plumes swayed in stately rhythm.
The thud of hooves on marble echoed like a heartbeat.
Then came the King.
King Theron, regal and commanding, rode at the heart of his escort.
He wore robes of deep crimson velvet, embroidered with gold thread.
A heavy, jeweled crown rested firmly upon his head.
His expression was solemn, fitting the gravity of the occasion.
He acknowledged the cheering crowds with a slight, dignified nod.
He was the image of a just and powerful monarch.
His gaze swept over his loyal subjects.
He saw devotion, admiration, and trust reflected in their eyes.
He almost believed it himself.
A cold, familiar dread, however, coiled in his stomach.
It was a constant companion.
It whispered of a past he had painstakingly buried.
The Unexpected Obstruction
The procession advanced slowly, majestically.
The square's center, where the sacred altar stood, was almost within reach.
Suddenly, a solitary figure emerged from the dense crowd.
He was old, his back stooped, his clothes tattered.
His white hair, long and unkempt, framed a face weathered by time and hardship.
He carried only a gnarled wooden cane.
He moved with an unsteady gait.
He walked directly into the path of the royal retinue.
A ripple of shock went through the crowd.
Murmurs erupted, quickly stifled by gasps.
This was not merely an accident.
The old man stopped.
He stood directly before the King’s horse.
He looked up, his faded blue eyes meeting Theron’s.
There was no fear in his gaze.
Only an unsettling, profound calm.
An almost knowing defiance.
Guards Respond with Force
Two imposing royal guards, their faces stern beneath their visors, spurred their horses forward.
They were models of vigilance and loyalty.
They saw only an impudent beggar.
They saw a disruption to sacred protocol.
"Back off! Back off now!" one soldier bellowed, his voice echoing across the square.
"The King is here! Do not defile this holy ground!"
They crossed their long spears before the old man, blocking his way.
Their tone was arrogant, dismissive.
One guard dismounted, his heavy boots clanking on the marble.
He reached out, intending to shove the old man aside.
The old man stumbled under the rough push.
He nearly fell.
Yet, he offered no resistance.
His eyes remained fixed on the King.
His lips were pressed into a thin, unreadable line.
The crowd watched, horrified, expecting a brutal intervention.
They assumed the old man would be dragged away, perhaps even punished.
A Ghost from the Past
King Theron, who had been observing with growing irritation, suddenly froze.
His eyes narrowed.
The old man’s face, etched with countless wrinkles, held a disturbing familiarity.
Not just any face from the past.
A face from a nightmare.
A scar, thin and white, snaked across the old man’s left brow.
It was a mark Theron knew intimately.
He had seen it on another, long ago.
His heart pounded, a frantic drum against his ribs.
His breath caught in his throat.
The magnificent square, the cheering crowd, the solemn ceremony – all began to blur.
A chilling memory surged forward, unbidden.
A memory he had suppressed for decades.
The memory of his elder brother.
Prince Gareth.
The true heir to the throne.
The Accident that Wasn't
Gareth had been a vibrant, charismatic young man.
He was beloved by all.
He was destined to be king.
Then came the hunting "accident."
A tragic fall from his horse.
A tumble into a ravine.
His body was never recovered.
A kingdom mourned.
Theron, the younger brother, had been devastated.
Or so he had convinced everyone.
And himself.
His grief, though real, had been complicated by an uncomfortable truth.
Gareth’s sudden demise had cleared Theron’s path to the crown.
A path he had never sought.
A path he had eventually accepted.
He had buried the gnawing suspicion deep within his soul.
The 'accident' had been too convenient.
Too clean.
Too perfectly timed.
He had been told by trusted advisors that a faction hostile to Gareth had orchestrated it.
They had then vanished, leaving no trace.
Theron had allowed himself to believe it.
It was easier than the alternative.
A King's Burden
He had worn the crown with honor.
He had ruled with justice.
He had tried to be a good king.
Yet, the ghost of Gareth always lingered.
It haunted his quiet moments.
It tainted his triumphs.
The prosperity of Eldoria was built upon a lie.
A foundation of unspoken guilt.
Now, that ghost stood before him.
Ragged.
Broken.
But undeniably alive.
The same eyes.
The same haunting scar.
The world tilted on its axis.
The Unthinkable Act
King Theron dismounted from his horse with surprising speed.
His guards, still attempting to remove the old man, paused in confusion.
The King strode purposefully towards the beggar.
His face, usually impassive in public, was a maelstrom of emotions.
Shock, horror, an undeniable wave of profound guilt.
He stopped directly in front of the old man.
The old man met his gaze, still silent.
A silent accusation.
A silent challenge.
A silent burden.
Then, with a heavy, deliberate movement, King Theron reached up.
He removed his magnificent crown.
It felt impossibly heavy in his trembling hand.
It clattered softly to the white marble steps beside him.
A collective gasp ripped through the assembled thousands.
The royal guards stood paralyzed, spears lowered.
The moment stretched, suspended in disbelief.
Then, King Theron performed the unthinkable.
