One month had passed since Khayri’s death.
Although many messengers and scouts were sent out, still nobeast had found Daud. It seemed that Karam was going to rule Saddle-Arabia alone. Thankfully, he had his trusted Advisors beside him.
Unfortunately, he put his trust in too many of them.
“Sire, a revolt has broken out in Aseb,” Ghayth reported to him one day, “We must have a meeting about this!”
“Send for the other advisors and meet me in the greater meeting room,” Karam ordered with a wave of one of his golden yellow wings.
A revolt?
Now?
Of all times?
Karam prayed he’d have the strength and wisdom to act properly.
Once they were all gathered, Ghayth continued his report:
“Some traitorous Unicorn Horse has arisen with a small army, stolen the Fire Halter, and proclaimed he has the right to the throne of Aseb through an ancient lineage, from before your forefathers conquered the area. Forgive me, My Liege, for bringing such news in a bad season, but it seems we may have a minor civil war if we do not act immediately.”
“Horrid news indeed! But surely we can quell this--let’s remain calm at all times,” Jinan comforted the others around the table with a nod of his head.
“The best option is to completely obliterate them now, showing everybeast that you are the rightful king, My Lord,” Qadir declared, flapping his electric blue wings sharply.
“I agree! Give the word, My Liege, and I shall ready the finest troops for departure,” Ghayth added.
“And I volunteer to take this under my own wings, King Karam,” Afzal swiftly added, “I am, after all, the tactician of this land--allow me to do this so that you need not fret over these foals.”
“Thank you all,” Karam sighed, “Do you think they may listen to reason, though?”
“Your Majesty, although I do strongly support reasoning, some beasts cannot be reasoned with. In general, usurpers have no time or inclination to speak to anybeast attempting to dissuade them,” Jaffar shook his head sadly.
“Again, allow myself and Heydar to deal with this--his magic and wisdom combined with my tactics can quickly brush them all aside. You have much more pressing matters to deal with, such as Daud’s whereabouts,” Afzal reminded Karam as he smiled at the Alicorn.
Though his green eyes were filled with a comforting charm, Afzal's heart was filled with deceptive poison.
“I understand, but… I… I don’t want to go to any sort of war or battle now,” Karam groaned as he desperately looked around the table.
“Oh Strong Wind, none of us do, but it seems we must,” Avram gently replied in a sad, fatherly tone as he hung his aging head quietly.
“We do have stores of money in the treasuries to finance a quick rebellion-stomping, Sire,” Kalil reminded them all in an encouraging tone.
“... Any other ideas?” Karam pleaded.
For a moment, the advisors looked at each other sadly.
“My Liege, now is the time to demonstrate that you are serious about protecting your land,” Ghayth explained, “Send out the troops to dispose of this mess before it’s too late.
As a king, you must not tolerate usurpers.
Show them that you are the rightful king's son, and thus the true ruler of Saddle-Arabia and all lands in its territory.
Your grandfather, the First King, rightfully captured that land so the citizens could expand, and he and your father ruled it caringly for centuries. The Region of Aseb has no reason to rebel, and these brutes must be put in their place before they convince the citizens otherwise.” Ghayth declared.
“Take heart, Young King, and be brave. You needn’t go to battle yourself, remember,” Jinan soothed.
“...Fine then, Afzal… you are in charge. Do your best and dispose of this rebellion, and restore the Fire Halter where it belongs,” Karam decided. After that, he turned to some of the quieter advisors, “Any of you have anything to say?”
“I… I saw a bad omen in the stars last night,” Alem the Oryx Astronomer warned. He straightened in his chair, the light from the torches illuminating the white mark on his face and the curves of his horns as he spoke, “The Great Snake is attacking the Lion King. I have a sense that this means disaster for the throne. Please, do quell this rebellion immediately.”
“I do not take stock in omens,” Zahir the Loyal snorted, “But I will say this: I have wandered among the common beasts while researching new ways of magic, and they all seem on edge. None will say it out loud, but they are all worried. Ever since His Majesty Khayri died there’s been a sense of… uncertainty, Oh Great One.”
“What do you mean?” Karam prompted.
“I feel… I see… the commoners are… well… I wish not to offend but.. .I feel they all need to know that you indeed will protect them. If you do crush this rebellion you’ll prove you are indeed king, Great One,” Zahir summarised as he struggled to poke his head above the table.
There were some disadvantages to being a short Unicorn pony, unfortunately.
“I see… they are uncertain I’m fit for the throne?” Karam responded.
“Again, I wish not to offend, but that’s what I have noticed. Show them you are king, Great One, and you’ll set their hearts to ease,” Zahir encouraged him as he tossed his head to the side to get his blonde mane out of his face.
“And this omen… Amal, have you seen anything like this in the stars before?” Karam probed as he turned to the Oryx.
“The night before your father died, I saw a shooting star go through the heart of the Lion King, and told him about it. Other than that, I have not seen something like this before now. The stars move in a set order, so surely in the ancient past they went this way before today… yet… I find it… very… worrying… that NOW… this is showing in the stars,” Amal carefully replied, afraid to speak too quickly as his ears drooped nervously.
“Do not take too much stock in such things, Great One,” Zahir snorted again as one of his brown Pony ears flicked in annoyance, “Sometimes stars are merely stars.”
“Oh Strong Wind, I must warn you of something else,” Avram spoke, “I have a burden that’s been on my heart, but I’m not certain what it means. Please, whatever choice you make, make it wisely.”
“If you know not what it means, why speak it forth?” Zahir stared at Avram sternly.
“If he wishes to warn me, then let him warn me!” Karam snapped.
“Oh, I apologize, Great One!” Zahir quickly responded, bowing his head low, which made him almost vanish beneath the table.
“May I leave now, King Karam? There is much to be done before the army departs,” Afzal calmly piped up with a wave of one of his light grey wings.
“Of course--take whatever you need,” Karam agreed with a wave of his own wing.
“I shall inform the servants that the army will need provisions!” Kamal determined with a quick nod of his pale Camel head.
“So be it!” Karam agreed, “And… I suppose that’s all that needs to be said. Oh and uh, next time, someone get a box for Zahir to sit on.”
The advisors paused for a moment to look at Zahir, who poked up his head and said, “Great One, you needn’t worry about me, really, though I do thank you for the kindness.”
Some of the advisors looked like they were holding back a laugh, and even Karam realized how silly it sounded.
Karam coughed to hide his laughter and said, “Right, yes, heh.”
Ah, it felt good to have a silly laugh for a moment.
As the various advisors went to their posts to prepare, Karam slowly walked down the halls, uncertain of what to do. The burden of warfare weighed on him like a heavy stone tied to his heart, yet he knew that he truly had no choice. Hearing somebeast approaching, he turned and saw Avram coming to speak to him.
“Strong Wind, I… I want to encourage you again-- Fear not! The Creator will be with you, surely… as for earlier, I understand what that burden on me was,” Avram began.
“Avram, I am always thankful for your warm words, please tell me what troubled you,” Karam urged him, turning to face the humble Zarfaim.
“Strong Wind… I feel that… forgive me for saying this, but… I feel that you should not trust Afzal too quickly. Put your trust in all your advisors, and not just him.”
Confused, Karam stared at him for a time, unsure of what to say.
The Zarfaim were an odd group.
Though in blood they were Ponies, anyone who followed the Zarfaim faith was taken into their fold with open hearts. Through the ages, the Zarfaim had wandered from land to land ever since their own homeland had been destroyed, yet wherever they went, they did not look for war or strife, but merely someplace safe to dwell and serve their one God. Karam wasn’t exactly religious, though he did revere the many gods of Saddle-Arabia, but something in his heart felt that he should listen to Avram’s warning.
“I must go attend to the army now and ensure all is well,” Avram excused himself with a polite bow.
“Of course, you may go,” Karam allowed.
With that, Avram departed, trotting down the stone halls quietly, the firelight illuminating his aged, white mane, and showing that even his peach pelt was becoming grey from the hooves upwards. Karam watched him go, noting the horse’s modest tack.
After a moment, Karam turned and trotted down the halls towards the training room. He needed to destress again, and the best option for him to do that was to train.
Karam smiled at himself.
“The best option” seemed to be Qadir’s favorite phrase.
For a moment he imagined his father, Khayri, listening to Qadir over and over again… did Khayri ever notice that about Qadir?
Did he ever notice that Avram the Patient was getting old?
In fact, all of the advisors were aging… in decades to come, who would Karam choose to take their places? There were so many things to think about as king; Karam wished his father had lived a bit longer, to teach him such things…Oh, right, Daud was supposed to be king, and Karam would have been his right hoof.
Oh Daud… where was he?
No, Karam must be strong, He must throw away such pained thoughts. Although his heart ached, he must forget about his brother and father for now. With this rebellion, he had more pressing matters to think about.
No, Afzal said to not worry about the rebellion…
but Avram said not to trust him…
oh bother, Karam had no idea who to listen to anymore.