Sitting upon his throne, the new king, King Aurelian looks down upon the people in his presence.  Contemplating his new words carefully, the weight of his decisions was heavy on his shoulders.  “My people, I Aurelian, first born to the now deceased king Eucrates have taken the throne” “This is a new day." "In the words of the immortal founder, this is now my land.” Declared the new king. 

Dressed in the finest robes, and jewels the kingdom holds, he sits high above the rest, his golden scepter in his right and the sacred ruberry bush stems in his left.  The ruberry bush, found only in his kingdom, symbolizes rebirth, or a new season. 

The nobles below him, frothing at the mouth, thinking of all the things they will have once they can have their way with his mind, are lost in thier planning.  How easy to trick this child will be, taking the throne at seventeen? He’s only got women and jewels on his mind. They cackle under their breath, unified in their deplorable thinking.

“I will now list the names of nobles and others that will serve me directly” Declared the king.  The nobles were confident in their positions and the groundwork they had laid for this day.  The king unfurled his extensively long list, the list of all those that have done wrong, evil against the kingdom and the royal line.

With names listed, the rest of the room was emptied.  The faint sound of the huge golden doors behind them locking.  Unknown to the room, however, that was their very last day, the very last scheme, their last breath.

“Our kingdom has been through a terrible event, the recent assassination of the king, my father.  I will not rest until they are dealt with, I swear it upon my name!” Declares the new king.  “Yes of course your highness.” Slithers one noble; “We expect nothing else of such a venerable king.” Spews another.  “We will not rest until the perpetrator is found.” Barks another dog.  “We your loyal subjects, serve you with everything we have.”  The disgusting lies and forked tongues never ceasing their flattering words. 

“My king.” Says another; “I know of whom it was, that poisoned our beloved king your father.” He stands, gesturing to his servants.  They carry in their arms a bloody grain sack, dripping over the floor of kings.  “It would seem this retched slave, thought himself a revolutionary.” “I present to you the head of the slave that poisoned his majesty.” He bows gesturing to the bloody sack.  The servants, dead eyed and scared, open the sack to show the head.  The nobles think themselves safe, they have a scapegoat for their wicked crime.  “The king will believe it”, they said, “he’s just a boy” “His emotions will make him blind” “He’s alone now, with no siblings or a mother, he will need to lean on us” they slithered.  Not aware of the new king’s knowledge, or his incredibly strong will. 

 "Leave the sack on the floor, where it belongs, you, servants may leave." Says the king.

“This, this is the servant who killed the king?” He questions, with an air of ignorance.  “Yes, my liege.” Says the noble.  “You did good to bring this to me, however, whose servant, was it? Who allowed this person to do such a thing?”  Another noble stands, a lower ranked noble, one who was on the list, but for another reason.  Anger flows inside him once again, to try and deceive the king so blatantly.  This servant was not one of his, do they think I do not know who is owned by who? Not one scape goat but two?! He takes a moment to collect himself without showing his anger on his face.

“Very well, step to the side, your punishment will be decided shortly.”  The crooked nobles can barely contain their sinister bliss, thinking their deception worked.   

“Now, everyone, bow to your new king!” He shouts. 

“Yes!” they shoot to their knees; “All hail Aurelian the new king!” they shout.

“Enough!” “Now, everyone here, I have to confess something to you all.” Aurelian states.  The nobles look up at him, curious as to what it could be.  “I have something for you all.” He says.  Their faces changing from curiosity to crooked joy.  “New land?” “Money?” “Higher status?” “We did, by all appearances serve faithfully to the old king!” they thought to themselves. 

Aurelian snaps his fingers.  Out from the shadows appear fifty men, clad in black, faces covered but eyes full of bloodlust.  As they stand behind the nobles awaiting their orders, they look toward the king, their leader.  “Are we getting our own assassins?” “We could do so much with them!” “I could finally get that little **** that killed my traffickers!” They began to think to themselves.

The kings began to speak as they thought to themselves all the wicked things they would do.  “For too long, I have appeared before you, and my people, as a belligerent fool.” The nobles at hearing these words, are hit with shock, the sweat begins to form on their brows. “What could he mean by that? They thought.

“I have played the part of a womanizer, a drunkard, a child.” The panic began to grow within the nobles, looking at him with concern. “What are you talking about? You’re the king, you can do no wrong” Slithers one of them.  “That’s right! You’re the king! We care not what others think of you, they don’t hold your position my lord!” Shouts another.

“Silence!” Demanded the king.

“Till this moment, I have pretended, acted, to be a foolish prince too absorbed in women to see the truth, too foolish to rule a country.” “I have done this for the kingdom, and for my father.” The king shouts.

“No more.”

The concern growing and growing, till within them panic begins to brew.  What could the king before them be talking about, an act? He was always like this. Everyday surrounded by woman and wine.  Hell, he got drunk spewing nonsense about becoming king?! It was all an act?! The nobles begin to shudder.

“Before me sits the dogs of the kingdom.” His words shaking them to their core, the fear and loathing erupting within them.  “Your crimes are many, the people you have slaughtered and sold, the drugs you peddle.  Disgusting.” “You swine, who used crooked mouth and forked tongue to sway my father, his killers.”

“I cannot blame you for falling for my deceit, my act till this day has been perfect, the useless things I had to possess, the lustful woman I had to keep company with, it was enough to fool myself at times, let alone the fools that sit before me.” 

The nobles sit there frozen, their tongues stolen from them, their hearts racing. 

“Your crimes are too many to list.” He snaps his finger once more.  Out of the shadow of the throne, emerges another assassin.  Held in his hands, a large stack of paperwork, the very same paperwork the prince now king had been working on.  “While I am king, I feel it prudent to still have evidence.” “Within this large stack of paperwork that I and my legion have accrued, are your crimes.”

“This, is the last room you will see, this is the last face you will try and deceive.”  “Good riddance.”

With his last words, the assassins stationed behind them begin their culling.  One by one, the nobles’ throats are slit, their tainted blood spewing forth to the ground. 

The room was filled with the stench of blood; “Good work, with this, I can effectively rule my kingdom.  You all have been incredibly helpful.” “As a gift from a king, name what it is you desire, and I will do my best to fulfill the wish.”  The assassins are silent for some time, contemplating what to ask for, unsure of making an ask of the king who, up until now, had already been paying them handsomely. 

They all bow before him; “My king, allow us to continue serving you, this is all we want.” The king, who had been rigid and stern because of what had just occurred, became softer, happy at their request, they are a powerful organization, it made his heart warm that they would choose to serve him.  “Very well, it is granted.”  With his final words to them they slipped into the shadows. 

“Now, you, one of the lesser nobles.” The man who had been blamed for the assassination by the higher nobles, stands frozen, choking back the vomit in his throat.  I’m going to be killed, surly he thought, they made it look like that servant was mine, acted under my orders.  Honey, I’m so sorry.   

“They say the servant that killed my father, was yours, acted under your discretion.  Is this true?”

The noble jolts, shaking from his very core, he cannot just attest to his majesty, he cannot argue, but, but, his wife, his kids, he can’t just die without trying!

“No!” he shockingly shouts, “No your majesty, that was not my servant!” huffing through his words, overcome with anxiety, he must fight.

“Good.” Says the king.

What? Still shaking with anxiety, the lesser noble shudders, struggles to look at his majesty.  “My king, I swear upon my name and my namesake, that was not my servant.” “My family doesn’t employ servants.”

“Yes, yes, I believe you. Please for all our sakes catch your breath, I can feel your anxiety from here.”

“Of course!” He shouts, letting out all the air in his lungs, trying to calm himself, through his panic.  The king believes me? But I’m just a lesser noble? “I know your house doesn’t employ servants, you’re the only one that doesn’t.” “I had my legion check all the noble factions, be at rest.”

“Why did they choose you as the scapegoat? Do you know?” asks the king.

“Regrettably, I don’t, I had no choice in the matter anyway, they knew where my children rest and my wife, they said if I didn’t, they would slaughter them before my eyes.” “I did it for my family.” He says still shaking with anxiety.  “You’re a good man, go, I have a lot of work to do, you are forgiven for your lie.” The king says as he points to the door. 

“Yes, your majesty.”

Later the king would employ all the rules and regulations to noble families from then on, leading to the system that we have now.  New families would prove themselves to be enlightened and strong, becoming part of the noble faction.  It became a world that sought after the talented instead of the old way of silencing the talented.