Garinor looked toward Tomli standing nearby and decided the future was best left in his hands. He would need guidance and training, but he believed Tomli was capable of anything.
“I choose Tomli,” he told the scepter.
“As you wish, Chosen One,” spoke the Voice. It hesitated for a moment and then made its last claim. “But because your choice was to deny your father his final words to you, even this decision is bound and tied tightly. Your vessel is of no use now.”
A strange tingling sensation flooded Garinor’s body. From the tips of his toes all the way up to his forehead, he felt as if he was shaking inside but not outside. The sensation grew stronger, and then the pain started. His spirit was torn from its home little by little, like slowly tearing off a bandage that had fused to a wound. As it dragged on, other flashes of agony pierced through him like cuts from a sword. These Garinor recognized vaguely as restitution for those he had slain in battle and the pain he had caused his father.
His entire self was crushed and beaten down to the size of his fist, after which he was wrenched from his body and taken into the scepter itself. He watched as his body withered away and vanished, leaving only his skeleton behind.
Locked inside the crystal dome of the scepter, Garinor glanced around, blinded by flashes of light that sparkled from the myriad gems. They boasted every color he could imagine and as they twinkled in his presence, there was a change. The green emeralds faded to black and never shone again, but their light was passed on to the sapphires whose brilliance glowed fiercely.
As he watched, the swirl of colors caught Garinor up in its web and pulled him along as it forced its way up and out of the crystal, passing through the cold gray air, through the mountain walls and out into the atmosphere. The pale blue light whirled around and blended seamlessly with the sky.
He was carried across the land and every mind he grazed was filled with the knowledge that the true heir had been restored to power. Hope abounded in many and Garinor delighted in being along for such a proud journey. When it ended at last, he floated up high over the land, seeing it all at once, and then he shattered. Gone forever.
In the cave, Tomli watched as Garinor reached forward to take the scepter. Then a warm blue light encased him and moments later Garinor melted away into nothingness. But as Garinor went, Tomli was filled with strength and power. He understood his heritage and the great duty that awaited him. Turning to the prince nearby, he could see the man encased in a reddish glow, but he wasn’t moving. Tomli wondered why.
Then all at once the scepter exploded into countless flecks of dust and spread about the room, settling silently and taking the misty gray air with it. All the light died, save that from the two torches.
The prince blinked his eyes and he glanced at Tomli. He bent down on one knee and kept his face tightly under control. “Your majesty,” he said formally.
“Rise up and let’s leave this place,” said the new king. He took one of the torches while the prince took the other and led them out of the cave. As he passed the threshold of the chamber, Tomli turned back one last time at the pedestal and prayed for peace for Garinor’s soul.
They returned to the Daggerfist camp when the prisoners were released and Tomli accepted some of the prince’s old guard into temporary service. Terrian was dubbed captain of the king’s guard and he wasted no time organizing the party that would travel back to the castle.
The prince tagged along amicably, but Terrian took no chances and had him watched. He also posted a guard to protect Tomli. His counsel was wise and though he didn’t want his reign to begin with suspicions, Tomli accepted Terrian’s advice.
The presiding king, Vehn, bowed low to Tomli and admitted him into the throne room without question and there Tomli knelt down and stared at the two empty thrones, which now belonged to him.
The following years were met peaceably, though King Tomli required a bit of help from counselors. Taking over the reign of a kingdom at age fourteen was not an easy task, but he managed it well enough. But he was so caught up in learning how to get through his duties that he neglected one task that cost him dearly.
Through those formative years, the prince was rarely heard from at all. He appeared at functions when Tomli invited the previous royal family. They were royalty, after all, just no longer ruling this country. But aside from such appearances, the prince went unseen.
As Tomli settled into his role and took on more of his own responsibilities, all the troubles began. Bandit raids sprung up across the countryside and the people learned to fear traveling. During such raids, children would vanish and all coinage and supplies were stolen. Many times the people traveling with the supplies were badly hurt or outright killed. Towns and villages set curfews, desperate to keep their families safe.
King Tomli was hard-pressed to take down the bandits. He worked diligently and benefited greatly from Terrian’s advice, but the bandits were too well organized and they covered the land from end to end.
As the years went on and the bandit raids increased dramatically, the people rallied in protest to their king. They demanded he put an end to the foul attacks at once. He redoubled his efforts and sought help from neighboring kingdoms, but he found their loyalties lay elsewhere.
The besieged kingdom was soon at the mercy of the bandits, and when demands were made for the king’s surrender, he met with his counsel for weeks, but they saw no way of freeing themselves from the tyranny. People were starving and dying across the land, and if he held to his reign then his country would perish.
So it was with heavy heart than King Tomli sent a messenger out with news of his surrender. A well-outfitted contingent of trained warriors rode up to the castle to make good on the king’s fold. Leading them was the prince.
The tall man had added some musculature from years of riding into raids and he looked more imposing now than he ever had before. He dared not release Tomli to the world to give him an opportunity to build a new strength and to try to reclaim his throne. Instead the prince tossed Tomli into the dungeon and let him live out his life there just cells away from Terrian who, too, was imprisoned.
When the people heard the incompetent king had been overthrown, many rejoiced. They saw the end to their suffering on the horizon and so when the new king put forth a demand for offerings from each village, everyone willingly gave whatever they could to fund the expulsion of the bandit army.
However, the bandit regime did not disband when the prince resumed control over the countryside. Not at once, but soon, they became officially known as the king’s guard and they demanded heavy tariffs for all merchandise carried about from place to place. They charged for use of the roads and the new king lavished himself in luxury. The entire kingdom was plunged into destitution, where only the king and his men were well-fed and clothed.
Locked away in the dungeon, Tomli sat in despair. The only thought that ever eased his suffering that was Garinor, who had chosen him to rule the land, did not have to see his utter failure.
You have come to the end of Garinor’s adventure, but there are other paths to explore. Start over and guide Garinor again along his journey.
The End…