02-05-2021, 03:59 AM
Muharrem II, the septuagenarian king of Serriel, kept his expression warm and welcoming as the guards at the Mallacan royal palace swung open the doors to the receiving room. The doors opened, revealing an elaborately decorated room with a broad window looking out onto the port of Mallacaland City, and King Hassan, the nine year-old potentate of Mallacaland, sitting in a cream-colored armchair that looked entirely too large for him, kicking his legs against the seat.
"Hassan, my boy!" Muharrem boomed. "Come on over, give me a hug!" The two monarchs weren't related, but Muharrem had gotten along quite well with former king Abdin I, and so he'd seen the boy a few times when he was younger. The young king stood up and ran over to hug him around the waist. This was a good sign; at heart, the king was a nine year-old boy, and if Muharrem played the role of the doting older relative well enough, he should be able to win him over.
"So, my boy, how have you been lately? I heard that you're the king now, that's wonderful! Just like me. It's a very important job, you know."
"Abdin had to go away," Hassan said. "He was very bad, and so he had to go away. And so now I'm the king."
"Yes, and that's a very important job, you know. Lots of people throughout the kingdom are counting on you to make good decisions and keep them all happy and safe."
"I know," Hassan said. "I've made a new law that will make everyone happy, because now everyone will be able to skip school. And no homework, too!"
Muharrem chuckled, although inside he was praying that some adult figure, someone in this palace with an ounce of sense had taken the reins to stop this from happening.
"The emir, Nizam from Permang, said he would get it done right away." The young king scrunched up his face as if he was thinking about something. "But I think he's kinda dumb. He never does any of the things I tell him. Except yesterday, I guess. When he got rid of all those yucky old advisors and put all the foreigners under arrest."
"Well, you see, my boy," Muharrem said. "While I'm glad you got rid of your old advisors, I'm worried that putting the foreigners from Lauchenoiria under arrest is going to hurt people. Because a lot of them have families back home, and they want to go see their moms and dads and pets back home."
"But they're bad people," Hassan said. "Bad people belong in jail. And these bad people wanted to take me, and Mohammed, and everyone out of power."
"Well," Muharrem said, "how about we send all these people back home. Then they'll be far away and they can't do anything to you."
"No," Hassan said. "I don't want to."
"Well, you see, my boy, in Lauchenoiria the prime minister is very angry that her people were arrested. And because she's a good leader, who wants to keep her people healthy and safe, she really wants them back home."
"No," Hassan said. "I won't. Even if they send all their soldiers and tanks and guns they won't get them. We'll beat them!"
"So, Hassan, I'm not sure if you know this, but I was in a war myself. I was a Lieutenant Colonel, in the Sixth Royal Armored Division, in Serriel when there was a war with Iskiram." Muharrem reached into the pocket of his robe and withdrew a leather-bound book of pictures. "You see, there's me, with some of my friends, sitting on this tank."
"Wow, that looks fun!"
"I thought it would be fun too," Muharrem said. "But it wasn't fun in the end." He flipped to the next picture in the book, which showed the ruins of a bombed-out building in a village in Iskirami territory. "This was someone's house, and because of the war, they lost their home and all of their things. And if there's a war here, it'll be just as bad. War is fun to pretend about, and watch on TV, but it's not fun in real life."
"You're right," Hassan said. "But that was back then. This is now. They think they can send their soldiers here from across the ocean and blow up our homes? They're wrong! We'll kick their butts and send them back where they came from!"
"Hassan," Muharrem said, trying to keep his frustration hidden. "If a war happens, people will die. Think about your responsibility to your people, my boy."
"It's like you said," Hassan said. "I'm the king. My job is to keep them safe. And so I'll just make sure that we win the war."
"Hassan, my boy, you have to think about-"
"I'm not your boy!" Hassan said, stomping his foot. "Don't think you can come in here and boss me around like that! This is my kingdom! I'm THE KING!"
Muharrem stared at the younger king for a moment, wondering how his old friend Abdin I could have raised such an immature boy.
"Guards!" Hassan shouted. "Take him away!"
"That won't be necessary," Muharrem said to the royal guards who emerged from the doorway. "I'll be on my way."
"It went poorly," Muharrem said to his Chief Counselor, a wizened old man named Coşkun Celal. "The boy is a brat. He won't listen to reason. We need to find the adult around here."
"The boy grew up without a father for nearly all his life," Celal said. "His mother hardly sees him these days. He's never had a parent-figure to rein him in."
"What about the regent?" Muharrem asked. "The emir of Permang?"
"We can't trust him," Celal said. "He's a piece of work. Power-hungry."
"The prime minister, then," Muharrem said. "Mohamed Karif."
A short while later, the two were sitting in Prime Minister Karif's office, sipping from teacups the office staff had brought them.
"Ah, your majesty!" Prime Minister Karif said, walking from the doorway. "It's such an honor. What can I do for your esteemed selves?"
"You need to get the king under control," Muharrem said firmly. "He's about to stumble this country into a war with Lauchenoiria, a war it will most certainly lose."
"I assure you, your majesty, the government has everything under control."
"The Lauchenoirians aren't playing games," Muharrem said. "Sanctions are coming from every trading partner. Their navy could sink your entire fleet and bombard the harbor in a matter of days. People will die. Civilians will starve. You need to do something."
"Your majesty, I'm in a difficult situation here. But I will find a way to get the king distracted, and to agree to the Lauchenoirian demands. Their nationals will be released, within their deadline."
"It's good to see that there's someone in charge here who can be an adult and see reason," Muharrem said. "Thank you, mister prime minister. You've done a service to your nation."
"Hassan, my boy!" Muharrem boomed. "Come on over, give me a hug!" The two monarchs weren't related, but Muharrem had gotten along quite well with former king Abdin I, and so he'd seen the boy a few times when he was younger. The young king stood up and ran over to hug him around the waist. This was a good sign; at heart, the king was a nine year-old boy, and if Muharrem played the role of the doting older relative well enough, he should be able to win him over.
"So, my boy, how have you been lately? I heard that you're the king now, that's wonderful! Just like me. It's a very important job, you know."
"Abdin had to go away," Hassan said. "He was very bad, and so he had to go away. And so now I'm the king."
"Yes, and that's a very important job, you know. Lots of people throughout the kingdom are counting on you to make good decisions and keep them all happy and safe."
"I know," Hassan said. "I've made a new law that will make everyone happy, because now everyone will be able to skip school. And no homework, too!"
Muharrem chuckled, although inside he was praying that some adult figure, someone in this palace with an ounce of sense had taken the reins to stop this from happening.
"The emir, Nizam from Permang, said he would get it done right away." The young king scrunched up his face as if he was thinking about something. "But I think he's kinda dumb. He never does any of the things I tell him. Except yesterday, I guess. When he got rid of all those yucky old advisors and put all the foreigners under arrest."
"Well, you see, my boy," Muharrem said. "While I'm glad you got rid of your old advisors, I'm worried that putting the foreigners from Lauchenoiria under arrest is going to hurt people. Because a lot of them have families back home, and they want to go see their moms and dads and pets back home."
"But they're bad people," Hassan said. "Bad people belong in jail. And these bad people wanted to take me, and Mohammed, and everyone out of power."
"Well," Muharrem said, "how about we send all these people back home. Then they'll be far away and they can't do anything to you."
"No," Hassan said. "I don't want to."
"Well, you see, my boy, in Lauchenoiria the prime minister is very angry that her people were arrested. And because she's a good leader, who wants to keep her people healthy and safe, she really wants them back home."
"No," Hassan said. "I won't. Even if they send all their soldiers and tanks and guns they won't get them. We'll beat them!"
"So, Hassan, I'm not sure if you know this, but I was in a war myself. I was a Lieutenant Colonel, in the Sixth Royal Armored Division, in Serriel when there was a war with Iskiram." Muharrem reached into the pocket of his robe and withdrew a leather-bound book of pictures. "You see, there's me, with some of my friends, sitting on this tank."
"Wow, that looks fun!"
"I thought it would be fun too," Muharrem said. "But it wasn't fun in the end." He flipped to the next picture in the book, which showed the ruins of a bombed-out building in a village in Iskirami territory. "This was someone's house, and because of the war, they lost their home and all of their things. And if there's a war here, it'll be just as bad. War is fun to pretend about, and watch on TV, but it's not fun in real life."
"You're right," Hassan said. "But that was back then. This is now. They think they can send their soldiers here from across the ocean and blow up our homes? They're wrong! We'll kick their butts and send them back where they came from!"
"Hassan," Muharrem said, trying to keep his frustration hidden. "If a war happens, people will die. Think about your responsibility to your people, my boy."
"It's like you said," Hassan said. "I'm the king. My job is to keep them safe. And so I'll just make sure that we win the war."
"Hassan, my boy, you have to think about-"
"I'm not your boy!" Hassan said, stomping his foot. "Don't think you can come in here and boss me around like that! This is my kingdom! I'm THE KING!"
Muharrem stared at the younger king for a moment, wondering how his old friend Abdin I could have raised such an immature boy.
"Guards!" Hassan shouted. "Take him away!"
"That won't be necessary," Muharrem said to the royal guards who emerged from the doorway. "I'll be on my way."
"It went poorly," Muharrem said to his Chief Counselor, a wizened old man named Coşkun Celal. "The boy is a brat. He won't listen to reason. We need to find the adult around here."
"The boy grew up without a father for nearly all his life," Celal said. "His mother hardly sees him these days. He's never had a parent-figure to rein him in."
"What about the regent?" Muharrem asked. "The emir of Permang?"
"We can't trust him," Celal said. "He's a piece of work. Power-hungry."
"The prime minister, then," Muharrem said. "Mohamed Karif."
A short while later, the two were sitting in Prime Minister Karif's office, sipping from teacups the office staff had brought them.
"Ah, your majesty!" Prime Minister Karif said, walking from the doorway. "It's such an honor. What can I do for your esteemed selves?"
"You need to get the king under control," Muharrem said firmly. "He's about to stumble this country into a war with Lauchenoiria, a war it will most certainly lose."
"I assure you, your majesty, the government has everything under control."
"The Lauchenoirians aren't playing games," Muharrem said. "Sanctions are coming from every trading partner. Their navy could sink your entire fleet and bombard the harbor in a matter of days. People will die. Civilians will starve. You need to do something."
"Your majesty, I'm in a difficult situation here. But I will find a way to get the king distracted, and to agree to the Lauchenoirian demands. Their nationals will be released, within their deadline."
"It's good to see that there's someone in charge here who can be an adult and see reason," Muharrem said. "Thank you, mister prime minister. You've done a service to your nation."