"Reunited..." - Chapter Seventy-Three

Reunited...

Chapter Seventy-Three

By Douglas E. Gogerty

King Jonathan traveled west with the former king of the Maritime Kingdom. The wars were over. Lakeland was triumphant over the three rebel kingdoms. The King's daughter was responsible for the conquering of all of Morica. Further, she did it with little help from her father. He was proud of his little girl. He had visions of many years of peace.

The news spread fast. While the King still had his scouts in front of his march, they did not report any trouble. There were no ambushes waiting. There were no bandits along the path. The march was not going to be difficult.

In fact, as his army made its way towards home, they were greeted with cheers in the towns in which they passed. Even Lakeland towns cheered for the Calmondak army. This would not have happened in the rule of King Thorbjorn. King Jonathan believed that a new era had come to pass. This filled him with great joy.

If his daughter could unite the people under her rule, Morica could return to prominence on the world stage. Perhaps trade could be reestablished with the other nations. The King could only imagine the great technologies available from other countries. Perhaps his aircars would be a welcome addition to that technology. Thus, the King's thoughts went to wealth. There was money to be made in overseas trade.

The more the Calmondak army marched; the more the army relaxed. Many of the protocols broke down with the precession west. The march home became a great triumph like the very ancient Romans. The group travel became almost a westward moving party. Citizens would join the march for a few days to revel in the victory. The King ignored the breaks in protocol. It would help usher in the new age of cooperation between kingdoms.

At first, the former king and his small entourage were kept from the festivities. After all, he was a hostage of the Calmondak Kingdom. Some in King Jonathan's company did not trust the former king. These voices won out early. There were the only ones not participating in the celebration. However, as the rules relaxed, so did the restrictions on the Maritime Kingdom group.

It started with giving them a few extra rations. Food was being showered on the army, so extra was no hardship. Thus, it was a small favor.

Eventually, the hostages shared in the gifts of the local population. Thus, they would get a small ration of local alcohol to join in the celebration. It was a small gesture to include them. This group felt a little less hostile towards the victors.

As the march progressed, a few were free leave the guarded area with an escort. It was not long before the entire hostage group was escorted out to join in the vast celebrations. King Jonathan thought this would endear the group to his hospitality. Hence, they would be less trouble in the future.

When the army entered Calmondak, the entire entourage including the hostages were fully participating in the festivities. It was difficult to tell who was in fact a hostage. The entirety of the group was celebrating the peace.

No one even thought that anyone could be hostile. It appeared that everyone was enjoying him or herself. After all, it was an unprecedented celebration of peace. An act of violence would upset everything.

Thus, when a subject of the former king of the Maritime Kingdom asked to see King Jonathan, the audience was quickly granted. In fact, he entered the King's tent without being searched. The King greeted the man warmly, and was surprised when he drew a gun. Before King Jonathan could sound an alarm, the gun sounded it for him. The King had four gunshot wounds to his midsection before his assassin was apprehended.

The King was in a large pool of his own blood, and no one could do anything to save him. The field doctors treated him, but the weapon had done too much damage. The King held on for a short time, but his assassin did his job well. King Jonathan died.

In short order, the hostages from the Maritime Kingdom were collected. The king seemed quite surprised at the action of one of his men. He proclaimed his innocence from the plot. However, that was not enough to spare his life or any of the other members of his royal party.

The once reveling party quickly turned somber. A rollicking party turned into a funeral march. The King was placed in a wagon, and he could be viewed in the towns they passed. Just as the news of joy travelled fast, so did the news of sorrow. The parties of peace turned to somber wakes. Everyone mourned the passing of King Jonathan.

Scouts and officials were sent ahead to prepare the funeral. The news arrived at the capitol well before they did. The top officials of King Jonathan's assured Prince James that they would aid in the transition. They had experience running the kingdom, and they would be of great assistance in getting the new king prepared.

Prince James took the news hard. He had a difficult time dealing with the fact that his father was now dead. For many years, he informed his father that he did not wish to be king. He felt the stress acutely, and he felt the pressures of ruling personally. All of this was magnified with the nature of his ascension to the throne.

King Jonathan's men wanted to do the right thing. However, what could they do? What would happen if the Prince stepped down. Who would rule? Would Calmondak could devolve into chaos. Without a willing heir, Calmondak could be heading for civil war. Once the people had hoped for a long peace, but now that peace was threatened. This put even more stress on Prince James.