The Throne of Dolloran

This story does have violence and a scene involving an attempted sexual assault. I am not one to write too graphically for scenes such as these, though I could, and likely one day will, I just don't currently see a necessity for that.

Kai and Sebastian had been the best of friends for as long as they could remember. They played together, went to school, and had all of their classes together, trained in the army together, and finally went to war together. As soldiers, they had excelled in their ranks, both becoming generals and leaders. The day the war began was the hardest day they had ever faced together. They sat in the quiet corner of the pub the army members congregated in and whispered to each other about their plans and strategies. They spoke about betraying their king to stop his tyranny on the people. Their people.

The war began. It was long and horrific. Crops died from the bloodshed and fire making food scarce. Morales diminished, but Kai and Sebastian found all of their hope and strength in each other. Sebastian, towards the end of the war and while in the great Battle of the Crimson Tide, was shot in his right thigh by an arrow. Kai rescued him, tended to his wound, and helped him to the end of the war. Kai also kept Sebastian, helping him walk as he did before the arrow had pierced him, something Sebastian thought would not be possible. By the end of the war, the king was publicly sent to the guillotine and hung up by his feet in the town square for all to see. Not long after, the towns people called for a new king. They named Kai and Sebastian as their appointed leaders, Kai to be their new king. Both men felt up to the task and took to the castle to begin their new lives. Kai sat on the throne, known by all as The Chair of Dolloran. In the kingdom of Dolloran, there was no crown for the king. Only a throne, but the throne was far more precious and extravagant than any crown, and all knew this. The throne was made from gold and silver, the seat itself was made from a white fur, said to be the hide from a unicorn. Emeralds and diamonds decorated the chair, with one emerald as big as Kai’s fist at the top. It was said the spiraled adornments seen on the front legs of the chair was the halved horn from the unicorn. The throne was something to behold. It carried with it many feelings and whispers among the villagers and men of the kingdom. Whispers of the throne being cursed because of it being made from a unicorn’s hide and horn. Men feeling that it held great power and made whoever sat in it more powerful and wise. To Kai and Sebastian, it was merely a symbol, and any other opinions they cast aside. Only a man can make a man.

And so, Kai took to the throne, with Sebastian by his side and they ruled Dolloran together. Much happiness and peaceful times followed, for a very long time. Sebastian had really not noticed Kai’s subtle changes. When Kai would become easily angered, or when he would be opinionated in new harsh ways, Sebastian just shrugged it off. “Heavy weighs the head” the two always said to each other, and now Kai carried that weight. It wasn’t until that fateful spring day, with gray rain clouds slowly rolling in over the kingdom, that Sebastian saw the change that had happened to Kai.

“Bring them in.” Kai gestured with his left hand at the guards in the throne room, and the large doors opened. Five villagers, including a 12-year-old boy and a woman were escorted into the room. Sebastian recognized one of the men, Alaster, who had fought by their side during the war.

“Kai, what is going on?” Sebastian said quietly as they approached, a guard behind each of them, walking them up to the throne.

“Traitors.” Kai sneered. “They plot against us, brother.” Sebastain’s jaw dropped, and he gave Kai a nervous laugh. He looked at the villagers, and now that they were closer, he could see that they had been beaten before being brought here. He also noticed the guards had their swords on their backs as they lead them to the throne. Sebastian turned to Kai.

“Kai, that is a boy, and that is a young woman. They are certainly not a threat to us. Alaster fought valiantly by our sides, even at the Battle of the Crimson Tide. Can we not discuss this? Can place them in our jail until-“

“Run them through.” Kai said coldly, not even glancing in Sebastian’s direction.

“No!” Sebastian cried out as the guards all followed their orders. Sebastian ran over to Alaster to catch him before he fell and sat to the floor holding him. They had all died instantly, the guards had all aimed for their hearts. “Why, Kai?!” Sebastian turned to look at Kai, “This man-“

“Is a damn traitor, Sebastian, and I won’t have you sniveling like this about it! Am I not your king?! Do I not rule here?!” Kai bellowed down at Sebastian, his voice echoed and boomed like thunder in the throne room. Sebastian shook his head in disbelief and looked back down at Alaster.

“I’m sorry.” Sebastian whispered, as he gently lowered Alaster to the floor and stood up. He looked at Kai, stood at attention, and with a stern voice said “I wish to speak in privacy with you, good brother. My king.” Kai smiled widely at Sebastian.

“You heard him. Leaves us!” Kai shouted at the guards, who all turned and marched out.

“I wish to speak in the Strategy Room, please.” Sebastian said as the door closed behind the guards. Kai pouted at Sebastian hearing this.

“Whatever for, good brother? There is no reason we can’t speak here.” Sebastian set his jaw, trying to hide is anger from Kai. Such a thing was impossible, of course, and Kai raised his right brow at Sebastian to let him know he had noticed.

“I want to speak with you off of that throne, Kai.” Kai laughed at Sebastian and shook his head. Sebastian glared at Kai. Seeing this, Kai stopped laughing, and his face became emotionless. They glared at each other for a moment before Kai broke the silence.

“We will speak here, or we will not speak at all, Sebastian. You asked for a private conference with me without prior consent and I obliged. Only for you would I oblige such a request, now show me the same respect and courtesy, or get the hell out of my throne room!” Kai yelled at Sebastian now, and pointed his right pointed finger at the doors. Sebastian didn’t move, didn’t even blink at Kai for that matter. His right hand balled into a fist before he finally spoke.

“What make you believe they were traitors?” Sebastian pointed at the newly dead bodies on the throne room floor. Kai looked down at the bodies, then back at Sebastian cooly. He shrugged, sat back on the throne.

“They were overheard by others while picking berries. They all agreed that I could be doing more to increase our trade and bring in more food, spices and linens.” Kai said all of this calmly, confident in his words. Sebastian bit his lip, and Kai cocked his head seeing this. “You truly are mad about this! I’ve seen that look a thousand times from you, and now you look at me in such a way? Me, your king! Me, who helped you walk- dare I say run again?! I saved your damn life on that battlefield! I risked my own to save yours, because I couldn’t imagine my life without you. My brother. My best friend. And now you look at me as you did our enemies on that day, the day I saved you. That hurts me, Sebastian, it truly hurts me!” tears welled in Kai’s eyes, his passionate words hit Sebastian hard, and Sebastian softened. He walked over to Kai and sat in his chair by Kai’s side.

“Kai, I’m sorry.” Sebastian’s voice was low and kind now. “I wish to put this behind us, but can we agree to talk more when decisions like these are made? A minor criticism can’t be a death sentence, that was what started the war, remember? The old king killed the people-“ Kai interjected Sebastian.

“For less, Sebastian. I’m sure you remember. We were both there to see his petty, cruel ways.” Sebastian nodded, but added “it didn’t start out that way.” Kai looked at Sebastian and smiled warmly at him. “You are a mess with Alaster’s blood, my friend. Go change and wash up. Have the servant women clean your clothes. You may not come to the dinner table tonight looking or smelling as you do now.” Kai chuckled as Sebastian nodded.

It was there that the conversation ended. Kai called the guards back in and had the bodies removed, and ordered the floors be cleaned. Sebastian walked away to get cleaned up. He hoped he could scrub the entire day off of him and his memory.

Sebastian rode his horse Ben through the Harvest Forest. This forest was named as such for its splendid hunting, and Sebastian was closing in on an area with a small field where many deer often grazed. He slowed Ben, so they were quiet as they approached. That was when Sebastian thought he heard something. It sounded like a muffled scream, from a woman. Sebastian tied Ben to a nearby tree and grabbed his bow and hunting knife. He then walked quietly towards the noise, away from the field. He came upon a small clearing in the woods and saw where the noise was coming from. Four guards had five young girls and were ripping their clothes off as the girls fought. Sebastian raised his bow and shot one of the guards in the neck. The guard dropped to the ground and began thrashing. The girl he had had in his grasp ran away. Sebastian grabbed another arrow and began to draw as the guards all fumbled for their swords, when a voice rang out.

“Brother, stop! Guards, lay your swords! Ladies, away. Away with you, now!” The girls ran, crying and clearly frightened. Sebastian couldn’t see Kai behind one of the guards, but Kai stepped out to meet Sebastian’s gaze, a smirk on his face. “You were going to kill all of my men.” Kai chuckled and gazed down at the dead soldier. Sebastian pulled his hunting knife out of its sheath, his face etched in rage and confusion.

“What the fuck is going on, Kai? Why do you have girls, not ladies, GIRLS being attacked by these men in these woods? We have laws, do we not? We took an oath as army men-“ Kai’s head shot up, and his rage now met Sebastian’s.

“I am not an army man, I am the king! Laws stand when I say they stand. Rewarding my men for their hard work is no crime, dear brother. It’s what makes me a good king, and a strong ruler.” Sebastian was shaking, trembling with rage at what he had just heard Kai say.

“I want these men hanged.” Sebastian growled at Kai. “These are not men I want by my side.”

“You do not make that call-“

“Why were there five?” Sebastian was a statue standing before Kai. Kai couldn’t read him at all, which enraged Kai, though he hid that fact.

“Why do you think there were five, Sebastian?” Kai hissed.

“Are you looking for a queen?” Sebastian said still holding the hunting knife and glaring at Kai. Kai laughed hysterically at this, but never dropped his gaze from Sebastian.

“I would never share my throne with anyone, Sebastian. I simply have needs and desires, as any man does. So, that is why there were five. And yes, they were girls and not ladies. I prefer to know my men and I will remain healthy after our activities.” Sebastian’s vision blurred now. He placed his knife back in its sheath, and put his hands on his hips.

“I am feeling unwell, brother. I am sorry for my emotional outburst and killing a soldier. You are king, and I trust you and your judgement. You are my best friend.” Sebastian was walking backwards as he said this, attempting to make his leave.

“I see. I am glad to hear this, Sebastian. You may leave now, peacefully. Do meet with me back in the thrown room, won’t you? We can further discuss this incident there.” Sebastian bowed.

“With pleasure, my king.” Sebastian turned and walked away. Kai stared at Sebastian until he disappeared into the forest. Sebastian had never addressed Kai as “my king”. Only the old king was addressed in such a way. This fact deeply concerned Kai.

As Sebastian walked back to Ben, he kept his head down, looking and scanning the floor of the woods. Once he saw what he was looking for, he stopped and knelt down, pulling the plant out by the roots. He placed the plant in a pouch on his belt and kept walking. Once he reached Ben, he put an arm on the side of the horse and leaned on him. Sebastian wanted to make the world stop, so he could think deeply about his next move. If he killed Kai, would the soldiers assume he had done it, and kill him? Could he place enough doubt with the Delayed Death poison? Should he challenge Kai, and fight him one on one? Kai had bested Sebastian their whole lives, that was why everyone’s choice for the new king was Kai. He was the best fighter, the most courageous, the most honest and decent man that lived in that kingdom. Many still believed this. Sebastian knew though, he’d have given his life for the people to be free of an evil king before. He just had to be willing to see his best friend die by his hand.

Back at the palace, Sebastian grabbed a lemon from the kitchen, went up to his room, and used his pestle and mortar to crush the plant and mix the lemon juice together. He strained the liquid through a cloth, and into a small vial. He put the vial in a small pocket inside of his shirt, cleaned his area of any remnants of what he had done, and waited until Kai knocked at his door. Sebastian opened the door and smiled at Kai when he saw him. “Brother, I am glad you came. Please come in. Or shall I come to you later tonight?” Kai showed a look of relief and smiled.

“Yes, brother, join me for dinner. We can have ale tonight, as we did when we were army men.”

“I would like that very much. I’ll be there at 5:00.” Kai nodded, and put a hand on Sebastian’s shoulder, squeezing it. Sebastian glanced quickly at Kai’s other hand, to see it resting on the hilt of a dagger at his side. Sebastian looked back at Kai, who raised his eyebrows at him, turned, and walked away. Sebastian knew Kai had lost his nerve, and he knew he couldn’t afford to.

At dinner, a roasted chicken sat with potatoes and cucumbers. Sebastian had beaten Kai to the table, and with no one around to see, poisoned Kai’s ale as he walked by. Moments later, Kai entered the room and sat at his seat.

“Ah,” Kai admired the table. “I asked them to be ready for us, and they have outdone themselves. Sit, my friend, let’s eat. That is exactly what they did. They ate, drank and laughed together as old friends. Like nothing had ever happened that mattered or happened at all for that matter. Once full, and on their third ale, Kai brought up the incident earlier that day. “Sebastian, today in the Harvest Forest, do you understand why I would choose those girls as “morale boosters”, if I may so call them?” Sebastian’s stomach tightened. He smiled, picked up his cup of ale and nodded as he drank. “Good. It’s important that we are on the same page with regards to that.”

“I thought hard about it and realized that we are just men, after all. Really, I’m upset you left me out from all the fun!” They both laughed together. Sebastian drank more and imagined punching Kai in the jaw. They finished their dinner and gleefully wished each other a good evening. Sebastian went back to his room, and didn’t sleep at all that night.

The next day, an hour after breakfast, as Kai sat on his throne, he suddenly began to choke and gasp for air. He fell forward, and Sebastian fell to the floor with him, holding him, calling out for help. Sebastian never took his eyes off of his dying friend as he began spitting out blood, his eyes bled, and his breath rattled until it all finally stopped. Sebastian cradled him, rocking and hugging Kai. He cried harder than he had ever cried before. It was over, though. And Sebastian knew exactly what he would do next.

The funeral was held on the grandest ship in the fleet. Soldiers, Sebastian and Kai were on the ship, far out on the ocean. The throne was also on the ship. The ocean was calm, eerily calm. Sebastian held up his hand, and the men picked up Kai and the throne.

“As he wished. May our king rest in peace, and we move forward as a new kingdom, with a new leader. Forever will Kai be known as the king of Dolloran. Our last king.” The men threw Kai and the thrown overboard, and they all stood in silence for a time. Sebastian finally broke the silence. “You are all good men. Let’s go home and see if we can find who so cowardly killed our king.

The killer was never caught, and the kingdom went on to grow and thrive, even to today.