King of The Land

Act 2

On that day, all citizens of the kingdom came to see their loving ruler executing a witch. Many tried to justify this, by stating that magic and sorcery are wrong but deep in the comfort of their homes, they questioned why he was involved in sorcery from the beginning.

But they were not there, they did not see how the witch behaved nor the words she spoke that rang in the King's ears still. His face turned pale, and those who once knew him, often thought he was haunted.

The witch was never trialed and was executed in front of a large gathering, the King grew weary and confused. He feared the day that his daughter would fall, and saw enemies in everyone, save for only Nimrud.

Weeks from then, the King fell ill, some believe he succumbed to his own perceptions and others believed that he simply lost his mind. Nonetheless, no doctor was fit enough to cure what was happening to him, they called it “the scorching of a delusional man”.

On his death bed, the advisors gathered. He had not yet been given an heir and so they asked him. “Who should succeed you?”

“My . . . daughter,” he said with all the strength that he had and then his hand fell, cold and lifeless.

The advisors argued among themselves as to what the King really meant. Some thought he wished for his daughter to take the crown for herself and rule as the queen, while others believed that he died before finishing his sentence, and that he desired her to wed a King.

The bickering dragged on for days, it wasn't until Nimrud summoned them all for a meeting that all arguments would be settled.

“I believe it in our best interest to have the Princess decide. After all, King Roosha's blood runs through her veins.”

And with that, the advisors knew peace as they called upon the Princess to appear before them.

“Good men of the council, and friends of my late father. My heart has not yet healed, and yet you are arguing as to who should take a crown?” she asked, as she barged through the door.

There was silence. None would dare to speak to such an innocent creature that was going through the pain of losing her sole parent. Her mother had died at birth.

“Jewel of my eyes, my Princess, I have known you since you were little, but if this matter is not settled then I'm afraid that the whole Kingdom would collapse,” Nimrud said.

The Princess saw reason within his voice and tone, she paused for a moment and then sighed. “If it is for the benefit of the Kingdom, then I'll wed someone, so he becomes King, and I his queen.”

Those gathered, broke their silence with tears of joy. They sang praises of her, they knew that this was the way to do it, but none other than Nimrud knew what this actually meant for Princess Nura, this was a huge undertaking and a sacrifice on her part for the good of the kingdom.

A debate erupted among the advisors as to who the Princess should wed, and Nimrud could see Nura's face reddened. She was embarrassed that people were discussing who she should wed. Although she was royalty, she was old school in matters of the heart.

“How about we organize a tournament, that all the mightiest may enter in an attempt to capture her heart, through bravery and valor?” Nimrud said, and the council members were silent.

“It would unify the lands!” one of them cried. “It would also strengthen the bond our people feel with the Kingdom!” another added, as they cheered.

Nimrud then, locked his gaze with the Princess, and she nodded with a gentle smile on her face. He felt that she was only relieved to have the matter settled, she would no longer hear them talk about her future as if it was a mere asset.

And so, an official announcement was made and that piece of news kindled a lot of hope in many warriors across the lands. To wed a queen, was to ensure their villages and cities would prosper, enough time was given that the news reached every corner of the kingdom. The day that the Princess would meet her King, would come.