1907:
As Jeffrey Campbell walked the halls of the palace, peculiar stares looked at him in awe and at-most confusion. He heard whispers as the nobles of the palace stood placed on the sidelines of the hallway.
Jeffery care little of them as he walked quickly past them, his blonde hair not moving in any way as he did so. He towered over the nobles, sending shivers down some of their spines. Even so, the nobles stared him down with both hatred and curiosity. Perhaps he was not the most liked in this place. Surely his clothing being so different, was a sign that he was higher than them. Perhaps these “nobles” were nothing more than a hen compared to the rooster.
The halls were lined with white and blue, with patterns of dots, and paintings of the royals lined them. Women and men adorning colors of blue and grey existed in these paintings. Their faces were neutral - expressionless. It was cold here, as Jeffrey wore his long purple trench coat, with a pin of a golden dragon on it. The palace, despite its lavish and rich descriptions, was a cold place in the winter, and a warm place in the summer. It made one wonder what the poor districts were like. Electricity was however being worked on in the country. The halls being lined with light bulbs told the story for us.
“Commander Jeffrey!” A young man called from the end of the hallway. He waved with a frown on his face. He looked much younger than Jeffrey. His hair was black, his skin was tanned, his face was young, and his brown eyes were not dull. His tan skin was a night and day difference from that of Jeffrey’s. The only thing that through his youngness off was the dark circles and puffy eyes.
He tried to smile, but only a faint line tilted his mouth. “Private Ajamu,” Jeffrey greeted as he walked towards him, extending his hand to shake, his right-hand firm as he shook the lower-ranking soldier’s hand.
“How is the King?” he asked, his face seeming down, his wrinkles being even more obvious. Ajamu shook his head in reply. “I am not allowed in… Emi-Emily told me he’s no… good,” he said, stuttering along.
Jeffrey nodded along as he spoke. “These illnesses are no joke,” he replied, trying to give a heart-filled smile to cheer Ajamu up. “It is no worry, private. Return to your quarters and rest. You’ve been up for ages now.” Jeffrey patted his shoulder before walking to the door at the end of the hallway.
The door was large, made from fresh tree wood. On the door was painted a large golden dragon, similar to the Commander’s pin on his trench coat. He opened the door to reveal a large room.
In the room, was a huge bed, with mirrors, and a table in the center. Windows lined the room all about itself. There was a dark red carpet in the center. On the bed, a man with black hair lay. He looked very sickly and pale. He was sweating and panting. Beside him, a man and a woman stood. Both looked like siblings to the King. On the other side of the bed, was a man wearing a grey shirt and black pants. He held a circle hand over his chest, connecting a wire to his ear - listening to his heart rate.
The King who lay in the bed, wore nothing, as his skin was consumed by sweat and red, appearing hot to the touch.
The woman cried as she stood. She wore her hair in a low bun, with the pin of a phoenix on her blouse. She wore a golden green necklace, a black skirt that when to her knees, long socks, with padded shoes, and a white blouse with blue stripes. She was tall and thin.
The man who stood close behind looked directly related to the King. He had black hair and brown eyes. Only his skin was darker, and he was slightly shorter than the woman. He patted her shoulder gently, as the King was near unconscious.
“Jeffrey?” The King asked weakly, as the man who listened to his heart, stopped, moving away to bow.
“King Brian,” Jeffery said, sorrowfully as he bowed. “I am sorry for being late, my King. I was far from the palace when the news broke out. How are you feeling, my King?” He asked, standing up and going to the side of the bed. His hands remained behind him, as he held them together.
“I am weak,” Brian replied as he coughed blood. The man quickly held a cloth before him as the blood poured from his mouth. His eyes swelled from the coughing fit.
“I don’t think it will be much longer,” the other man said, walking to Jeffery. “I am sorry, Prince Ethan,” Jeffery quickly replied. He made eye contact with the woman as she stopped sobbing. The stare was long and drawn out. The woman quickly looked away and to her brother, approaching him.
“Brother?” She asked, as his coughing ended, wheezing to be heard from his chest. “Sister… I can see Mother and Lisa nearby… they… are… calling me,” he said, only to be met with sobbing from her. She crawled into bed with him, holding his head into her neck, soothing him as best as possible.
The man frowned sadly, as he began walking to the door. “I’ll leave you be,” he said, exiting the room, as Jeffery sighed upon his exit. “I am sorry, Emily,” he said, rushing to the King’s side, as he began to draw his last breaths. The Commander sighed once again as his face appeared sad.
“I hate you,” she whispered angrily, as she continued sobbing. Ethan approached his brother as well. He placed his hand on his head, rubbing his hair gently, as he began to cry and whimper loudly.
King Brian let out a loud breath, then his eyes opened, there was no more breathing now. The only thing to be heard was the sobbing of his sister and brother. Jeffery walked to the door, opening it to see all of the nobles and high-ranking military all in the halls. “THE KING IS DEAD! LONG TO THE HEAVENS, HIS MAJESTY KING BRIAN OF THE BLUM HOUSE!” He said bowing, as all of the nobles and high-ranking military did so as well. He looked towards Ethan, standing up and exiting into the hallway, turning toward him. “KING ETHAN OF THE BLUM HOUSE! LONG LIFE, MANY BLESSINGS, AND CHILDREN TO YOU! LONG HAIL TO THE EDENTON EMPIRE!” He shouted loudly, bowing again.
“HAIL TO EDENTON!” The large crowd shouted back, bowing as well in perfect sync.
Ethan looked over to the corpse of his brother and to his sobbing sister, who remained on the bed. Her expression was tired and nearly numb from shock. She stared at him for a long while, her tears seemingly drying as she stared emptily at the King.
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