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A Wolf's Howl, A Fairy's Wing-Chapter 641 - - Ceremony [1/3]
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As the festivities continued and the city revelled in chaotic joy, the day progressed quickly. In what seemed like moments, the early evening arrived, and it was time for the ceremony.
Swaths of people were slowly guided through the city streets towards its centre, where a large, platformed structure stood tall. Having likely been used for ceremonial purposes by the city's builders, the Enkarians gladly did the same.
It was constructed somewhat like a low pyramid, except every rung on its sides was a large terrace filled with greenery and capable of holding hundreds of people. Large stone stairs led up from the ground on all four sides, allowing people to flood the structure, laughing and cheering along the way.
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Warriors were distributed everywhere, keeping a close eye on the rowdy crowd. Not only did they make sure no one got hurt, but they also kept them from the highest terrace, as well as the very top of it.
The top of the pyramid was adorned with pillars, arches, and more greenery that made the entire structure look awe-inspiring. The highest terrace, just below the top, was already occupied by the most important families in Enkare Nkai.
These were the ones who ruled the other cities in the name of the royal family or performed other important duties within the kingdom. So far, Erik had not had any dealings with them, beyond passing meetings.
Technically, they weren't really his concern, anyway—after all, Ankhur still ruled the kingdom itself, not Erik. Still, today, he'd have to mingle with them.
Fortunately, most of them were loyal to the Bastet-Seti family and played significant roles in the recent battle. After facing down the odds and witnessing Erik fight, they were likely either overjoyed with the current situation or simply unwilling to confront their king and emperor… although their true feelings still needed to be assessed.
It took another hour before the crowd had somewhat settled down. More vendors were distributed on every terrace, allowing everyone to snack and drink while they took seats on the stone floor or stood and waited for the ceremony to begin.
It was then that Ankhur suddenly appeared on the top platform and smiled down at his subjects. Some looked surprised by his appearance, but most knew the structure was actually partly hollow.
A fifth set of stairs ran through the middle of it, ending directly in the middle of the platform, allowing those performing the ceremony to come and go without pushing their way through the crowd.
With his appearance, the crowd's murmuring slowly started dying down. With the worst troublemakers silently removed, and the rest having been converted to enthusiasm by the festivities and promises of future luxury Enkare Nkai offered, the crowd was now mostly filled with excitement.
They wanted to see their princess, as well as the man who'd helped defeat the hunters and lifted their kingdom into prosperity.
"People of Enkare Nkai!" Ankhur began, lifting his hands in the air as his booming voice rolled across the crowd, bringing silence wherever it went. "Our kingdom has endured a lot! We've suffered! We've toiled! We've struggled to maintain our freedom in a rapidly changing world!"
His voice became stern as a frown appeared on his face. "I still remember the early days, eight years ago, when the dictators of the old world tried to keep their fiefdoms alive with crude weapons."
"But they didn't last!" he continued harshly. Extending his hand, he clenched it as if grabbing something. "Their weakness was revealed when they could no longer fight back against nature and the people's will! With Enkare Nkai as our base, we managed to overthrow the oppressors."
The crowd listened to his words in silence, as if spellbound. They all remembered the turbulent few years that directly followed the awakening, and few of those memories were good. Fists were clenched, and the previous joy and excitement were replaced with grim pride.
"I may rule as king," Ankhur continued unabatedly, "but I rule for the people, not over them! My daughter, my family, and, indeed, myself have always strived to provide the best lives possible we could in this world…"
After bringing his hands down, his tone lowered a little, but his voice still carried far and wide. He became filled with gravitas and dignity, but also seemed genuine. "I know my most recent decisions have sparked controversy… but right now, I'd like to ask if anyone has any reason to criticize my rule before then. I will face your concerns like a true ruler should."
Solemn silence descended on the crowd as most looked at their king with reverence. Not everyone, of course. There were always people who'd be unhappy with he status quo, but none could come up with good-faith arguments to criticize him with.
Truthfully, Ankhur had attained hero status in the earlier years of his rule. His kingdom expanded slowly from the city of Enkare Nkai, usually by slaying oppressive local rulers personally, and keeping casualties on both sides to a minimum.
Since then, at least until the hunters came, life in the kingdom had not been luxurious or easy, but it'd been safe, stable, and free. Equality between the three races was aggressively enforced, and it wasn't long before the races started bonding over each other's hardship.
After getting through the years of turbulence that directly followed the awakening, any stability and safety were welcome, and there was a time when people would thank Ankhur and his family late at night, before they went to sleep without worrying whether they'd wake up the next day.
Now, Ankhur's recent decisions and the trouble with the hunters had not been enough to truly erode the trust he'd built up. Everyone knew that bad-faith criticism would only cause the crowd to turn on whoever made it.
After a moment of silence, Ankhur nodded slowly. "It gladdens my heart to see the trust you all have in me." Then he shook his head. "But… I know life has not been ideal, either. For a long time, modern luxuries had been lost to us, and many of you felt lost."
He frowned with self-reproach. "For those among you who never enjoyed fighting, this new world had very few opportunities, and I failed to fix that problem…"
Suddenly, he spread his arms and his voice rose even higher, his tone now prideful. "But… no longer!"
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