Coronation Day 16th June, year 21 The people of Estellara gathered outside the palace, gossiping excitedly as they waited for their new king to arrive. Peasants and nobles alike stood together, celebrating as one. The kingdom hadn’t seen unity like this since the former King’s death, where the kingdom threatened to splinter like a ceramic under pressure. King Asfa would bring the kingdom together again, and these cracks would mend.. is what everyone hoped. The prince made his way into the palace, his boots thudding against the crimson carpet as everyone cheered. His sister stood close to his side, while his head guard led them through the doors and towards the throne, where a servant was already standing with the crown ready. Such a beautiful, golden thing. Each new king or queen has their crown tailored to their personality, and this one happened to shine with sapphires and topaz. Anemos left Asfa’s side as he slowly made his way up the stairs, averting the gazes of the hundreds of citizens that stood, watching in excitement. He moved closer to the throne, hiding his trembling hands from the public eye. He heard their chants, heard them screaming his name, heard them all call him the ‘second Bayu’. He knew he could never live up to his father’s name.. but he could definitely try. Standing in place, he bent down slightly to allow the servant to place the crown on his forehead, his cloak brushing the floor as all citizens waited with bated breaths to witness their new king. When Asfa looked up, everything was still. Each person stood, frozen in place, paused mid sentence. When he blinked again, he was staring at himself. He knew what this was. A vision. A prophecy, perhaps. This wasn’t uncommon for him to see, but why now? He quickly realised why, however. The grand chandelier hanging above his throne was dangling by a thread, seeming to swing dangerously even while frozen in place. In a matter of seconds, the vision faded. He was back in his own body, and he only had moments to react. Grabbing the servant by the arm, he dove away from the throne and tumbled down the stairs just as the chandelier crashed down onto the throne with a shattering crash. The closest citizens let out screams of terror while the guards dashed to aid Asfa back to his feet. Rubbing his head with a wince, the prince took a step back to observed his ruined throne in shock. He had to blink several times to remove the image of him being a part of that wreck from his sight. Surely, if the chandelier had been loose, the servants would have spotted it earlier and informed him. And if HE hadn’t spotted it… He would’ve been crushed moments before becoming king. How pathetic. With a shaky smile, he turned to the crowd and outstretched his arms, trying to ignore the concerned and confused looks. “Let’s get on with the coronation then, shall we?” ————————— Art program: Procreate Time taken: 2h 16m Music: Willow Tree (instrumental) - Rival, CADMIUM, Rosendale All characters, art and text belongs to yours truly,
