The morning sunlight intermingled with the shadows, illuminating the dazzling corridors of the palace. In the grand halls of the royal palace in Albania, King Cedric sat upon his ornate throne, immersed in deep contemplation. The sun's warm rays streamed through the window, casting vibrant colors upon the marble floors.
While the king peacefully occupied his majestic seat, a messenger burst into the throne room, his breath heavy from haste. His eyes widened with urgency as he approached the king, his voice trembling with the weight of the news he bore.
"Your Majesty," the messenger began, causing the king to open his eyes slowly. His cold emerald gaze fixated on the messenger, a middle-aged, sturdy figure with a touch of white in his hair, who knelt before the king, clad in full body plate armor. The atmosphere within the palace turned heavy with unease.
Bowing his head, the messenger apologized, "Forgive me your Majesty, I bring grave news."
"An uprising has erupted across the kingdom. Riots have spread like wildfire, and the civilians have taken to the streets in protest."
King Cedric's heart sank, a mix of shock and concern washing over his regal features. After the loss in the war two years ago, the kingdom had finally achieved peace with the kingdom of Roge and was ready to start its transition into a period of relative stability and economic recovery. In a crucial situation like this, the news of a widespread uprising struck him like a lightning bolt. Without wasting much time, the king hardened his heart, raised his hands from the armrest, and clapped twice. Two attendants immediately came running, bowed their heads as a show of respect, and stood still, waiting for the king's order. Not making them wait long, Cedric opened his mouth, "Send a decree and call for a royal court immediately." The attendants saluted and slowly backstepped out of the grand hall, leaving behind the kneeling messenger.
If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
King Cedric looked at the messenger and ordered as his eyes met the green eyes of the messenger, "Ser Conan, describe the situation."
Ser Conan, the captain of the palace guards, a well-known knight, and the cousin of the current king. For him to personally bring in the report means something major has happened. So without wasting much time, King Cedric first decreed a royal summon before listening to the whole situation. While the nobles were called and assembled for the royal court, Cedric decided to know the core of the matter.
By the king's command, ser Conan started narrating the details of the report he had received. "The masses has taken to the streets voicing their anger for the high taxes and poor living conditions for the last two years. Except for the two duchies where the dukes had mobilized the military, the situation is extremely bad throughout the kingdom. Citizens have gathered together to mass protest against the nobles, while in some places, the riots have turned violent. Looting, burning and destroying the property of the nobles as well as some rich merchants. While the reports are not yet clear, a lot of accidents have also happened as the mob went violent, indiscriminately fighting and killing civilians in some places, causing a lot of deaths."
Cedric silently listened to the report as he calmly absorbed and analyzed the information. Being the person in power for the last twenty years, he has become numb to most of the situation, yet this kind of chaos formed trembling waves in his heart. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and asked, "Any numbers?"
Conan showed a sense of hesitation before reporting, "In thousands, your majesty, not much is known yet, but, the reports from the village of Tirana, Bera, Elba and Ponia are all same, no survivors," his voice trembled as he confirmed the fear in his heart, "Its a MASSACRE"
