Chapter 7: The crowning II

THE ROYAL COURTROOM was a large room. There was only three chairs available: the King's chair also known as the throne, then two other royal chairs that sat next to the throne on the right and left respectively.

The room was demarcated into two groups which created a pathway from the door entrance to the throne platform where no one could stand except the ruler, the regent and the adviser.

The first group consisted of Nobles, both males and females, young and old—all guarded by knights. There were about twenty Knights guarding both groups.

The second group consisted of the King's relatives, with Lord Sherdane, Mobert and his wife standing at the rear end facing the throne—the others standing behind, which indicated they were direct relatives to the King.

There were five Kingmakers; all were elderly men with grey hair. Each of them was holding an item made of gold on a small pillow. They stood, their backs against the throne– facing the entrance to the Court room.

Verlock stood at the right hand side of the Kingmakers, in front of the Nobles while Weyback stood by the left, facing the King's relatives. The court room was spacious and large. It could accommodate three hundred people at a time.

Everyone was talking among themselves, except the Knights and guards who stood watch.

Mobert stood closely to his father and whispered, "Who are they waiting for?"

Lord Sherdane smirked. "Patience boy. The royal family must be complete to hold a crowning."

Mobert looked towards the King makers. "I see only five ornaments. I thought there was eight of them?"

"There are some ornaments that are kept with solicitude."

"The Lord Roquern and his Son, Lord Bohan!!" A guard at the entrance announced.

The door to the courtroom went open and everyone watched as Bohan and his father, Roquern walked in with their right hand men, Naharo and Danqine.

Naharo and Danqine joined the Nobles while Roquern and Bohan stood beside Lord Sherdane and Mobert.

Bohan turned to face Mobert's wife and extended a slight nod to her as a sign of acknowledgement. She bowed her head to him as a sign of respect for her husband's cousin.

"Sherdane.." Lord Roquern reached his hands to him and extended a peacemaking handshake.

"You must be tired." Lord Sherdane said. "Considering that you traveled two nights for this."

"The crowning is an integral part of our family. I wouldn't miss it for anything." They dropped the shake.

"I am sure."

Roquern stared at him and gave him a quick smirk that someone would have missed if not looking intently.

Lord Sherdane saw it and didn't look pleased.

"Hello uncle.." Bohan said to him and shook his hands.

"The first time you are on time for something eh, Bohan?"

"Hehe! Uncle, if I am late for anything else, I wouldn't be late for this one."

Bohan went ahead and extended his hand to Mobert who reluctantly took it. "I hope we get along well from here."

"I hope we don't."

"Hehe!" Bohan grinned. "We will." He patted Mobert's hand with his other free one.

"Shall we begin?" Lord Sherdane asked Windermer who stood in the middle of the other King makers and who was the oldest among them.

"Begin? One more person is missing, Lord Sherdane."

Sherdane looked confused for a moment.

"The princess Sharma." Windermer said for certainty.

"The Princess Sharma? She is a princess. We can do without her presence in this courtroom." Sherdane said without concern.

"Ah," Windermer exclaimed. "but she is an important part of this ceremony, also not displacing the fact that she is the direct blood relative of Late King Andor himself!"

Everyone in the courtroom started listening to their conversation, mumbling approval and disapproval among themselves.

"Lord Windermer—" Mobert began to say...

"We will wait for Princess Sharma!" One of the King makers by Windermer's right hand side interrupted him. "The King's relatives must be complete." He stared at Sherdane. "You of all people should know that, Lord Sherdane."

Though Lord Windermer seemed to be the head of the Kingmakers, this particular one's voice of authority made the court room go silent as a grave yard.

They all stared at each other for while, the Kingmaker staring intently into Lord Sherdane's eyes.

Roquern broke the silence. "We will wait for the princess."

Windermer nodded in approval.

Bohan looked at his uncle, who was still looking at the kingmakers studiously. "This should be fun." He said to himself. "The war of the Wartabans." He laughed and noticed that Mobert was looking at him. He raised his brows as if to question him, Mobert turned his face. "I thought so..."

The courtroom went back it's low bickering for some minutes before the guard at the entrance announced the arrival of the Princess.

Everyone turned to face the entrance, like a groom waiting on his bride. They watched as Sharma walked into the courtroom, Romayo following behind her at a distance. Her robe sweeping the floor, and more than anything else, what caught people's attention and gaze was the King's Noble.

"Isn't that the jewelry of Kings?" Someone whispered among the crowd.

"What?"

"Where?"

Slowly, there was gasps here and there and mutterings started to fill the court.

"It's the King's Noble!" Someone confirmed.

"Why is the princess wearing the King's Noble?"

Someone else gasped again. "And look! It's the Ring of Kings!"

"The Ring of Kings?"

Their talks started to get audible that Lord Sherdane stepped out to look for himself. His eyes wanted to bulge out when he saw it on her. "What sort of abomination is this?!"

Everyone looked at Sharma, but she didn't stop walking. If anything, she increased her pace to stand before the Kingmakers.

"What are you doing Sharma?" Mobert called out to her. "You are to stand on this side of the court!"

"She is to stand before the King makers as she has been appointed by late King Andor himself; his heir and claim to the throne!" The Kingmaker who spoke before announced in the court.

"What?!"

"A princess as King of Aridal?!"

"It is unheard of!"

"It is a taboo!"

"The ancestors will roll in their graves!"

The court went into an uproar.

Verlock walked to stand beside Sharma and Romayo did same, both looking around and observing the crowd.

"What is this nonsense I am hearing Windermer? Sharma as the King of Aridal?"

"Yes, my Lord." Windermer said.

"Isn't it the rule that the Kingmakers are to appoint the most suitable male child from the bloodline of the ancestors to ascend the throne, and this is what you came up with?"

"That rule only stands if the King dies without choosing his successor!" That Kingmaker said again.

He had now begun to get on Sherdane's nerves. "Isn't that rule applicable to the male successor of a King?"

"It said successor—it doesn't clarify whether it be male or female."

Lord Sherdane gritted his teeth and looked at the Kingmaker that had been interrupting him. "I was...speaking to Windermer, Gardat! And you will not speak when I speak!"