CHAPTER SIX
776 Words
Writing
Chapter Six: The Crown
The palace became silent after the rebellion.
Lord Kadir and the nobles who had supported him were placed under guard while the kingdom waited for news about King Adewale. The king's injury had been serious, and the royal doctors worked throughout the night to save him.
Damilare refused to leave his father's side.
He sat beside the bed, holding his father's hand.
“Please get better,” he whispered.
King Adewale opened his eyes.
“My son.”
Damilare immediately looked up.
“I am here, Father.”
The king gave him a weak smile.
“You must stop being afraid of what is coming.”
Damilare shook his head.
“I don't want to lose you.”
“No one wants to lose the people they love. But a ruler must understand that life does not always follow the plans we make.”
Damilare lowered his head.
“What if I make the wrong decisions?”
“Then correct them.”
“What if the people reject me?”
“Then listen to them.”
“What if I fail?”
King Adewale smiled.
“Then learn and try again.”
Those were the final lessons the king gave his son.
Before sunrise, King Adewale peacefully passed away.
News of his death spread throughout Aderin.
The people mourned deeply. For more than three decades, he had protected the kingdom and worked for its prosperity. Farmers stopped working for a day. Schools closed. Soldiers stood silently outside the palace.
Damilare felt completely lost.
His father had been his king, teacher, and closest adviser. Now he was gone.
Queen Amara approached her son.
“You must prepare yourself.”
“I don't know if I can do this.”
She placed her hand on his shoulder.
“You have been preparing since the day you were born.”
Damilare looked toward the throne.
“I am afraid of becoming like Kadir.”
His mother shook her head.
“Kadir wanted the throne because he wanted power. You must accept it because you want to serve the people.”
Three days later, the royal square was filled with thousands of people.
Farmers travelled from distant villages. Soldiers stood in rows. Traders closed their shops. Children watched from the sides of the square.
The elders of Aderin stood before the royal throne.
Damilare walked toward them wearing the traditional royal clothes of his family.
The chief elder raised the crown.
“Prince Damilare, son of King Adewale, do you accept the responsibility of becoming king?”
Damilare looked at the crowd.
He remembered his father's lessons.
He remembered the old woman in the marketplace.
He remembered the farmers who had trusted him.
He remembered the soldiers who had fought to protect Aderin.
Most importantly, he remembered his father's final words.
He took a deep breath.
“I accept.”
The crown was placed upon his head.
The crowd erupted.
“Long live King Damilare!”
Damilare stood before his people.
He could feel the weight of the crown, but he understood that the greatest weight was the responsibility that came with it.
His first decision surprised everyone.
He ordered that Lord Kadir be brought before him.
The former adviser was brought into the square under heavy guard.
Kadir looked at the new king.
“You have won,” he said bitterly.
Damilare shook his head.
“This is not about winning.”
Kadir looked confused.
“You betrayed my father. You tried to take control of the kingdom. You attempted to turn nobles against the royal family.”
Kadir remained silent.
“You deserve punishment,” Damilare continued.
The crowd waited.
“But my father taught me that justice must never become revenge.”
Damilare ordered Kadir to be removed from the royal court and sentenced to years of public service under strict supervision.
Some people were surprised by the decision.
“Why show mercy to a traitor?” a noble asked.
Damilare answered, “Because if I allow hatred to control me, I will become no better than the man I defeated.”
The people applauded.
That evening, the new king walked through the palace alone.
He entered his father's old study and found a book lying on the desk.
Inside the cover was a handwritten message:
“To my son, when the crown finally becomes yours: remember that a crown sits on the head, but leadership lives in the heart.”
Damilare smiled through his tears.
He closed the book and looked out over the kingdom.
He was no longer simply Prince Damilare.
He was King Damilare.
His journey had truly begun.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD