Cheilin Saga ~ 18 History Teaches…
By Len Morgan
Dan was
aware that, whenever he appeared in public, there was a possibility that
somebody would attempt to take his life.
At sixty, death held no fear for him; he knew it to be coming closer
with each passing day. But, was that
not the case for everyone? He’d
witnessed the heroic deaths of young men, with a whole life ahead of them,
dieing eagerly fighting for one futile ideal or another. He had witnessed old men, barely able to
breathe, shamelessly wasting their breath, begging for a few moments more. But, death did not waver or hesitate. When it is your time, you go; there is no
choice.
His grandfather was of the 7th Clan, but that ceased to be relevant when he was elected to Emperor ‘Light of the World’. Dan recalled a story he’d been told a hundred times seated on the old man's knee…
.-…-.
‘The Knodd,’ he explained, were the twelve
Oybun - Clan chiefs, traditionally called to elect a new leader when there was
no legal heir of succession. They were
called to gather, following the demise of Ossamon IX, who died childless, aged
18, from ingesting a virulent poison for which there was no antidote. His father died a year earlier, from the
effects of a similar brew. All members
of the kitchen staff were under suspicion so when the judiciary failed to
identify the guilty party they were all summarily executed. This
did not prevent the son from sharing his father’s fate.
Initially, there were twelve candidates, ‘the chosen', one from each
Clan, each a potential Emperor. The
Oybun would rank them from 1 to 12, in the order they would most like to see
them become Emperor. After four rounds
of voting, there were just two candidates, Yvdrx of the 5th Clan and
Daidan of the 7th. The Knodd
vote was tied at 6 to 6. Several hours
passed as they discussed how they could proceed. Finally, the decision was to do a countback
over the previous two rounds and discover who consistently received the highest
votes. Consequently, Daidan was named
‘Emperor Designate’ the decision to be ratified one month from that day. At that ceremony, he would be formally named
Emperor Daidan I, ‘Light of the World’.
From that day on, all his Clan affiliations would be severed. His forces and staff would be recruited
equally from all the Clans. The other
eleven candidates would be installed as the new Oybun - Clan leaders. The final official act of the ‘Knodd’, the
old council of leaders, was to elect the new Emperor. Unlike the other Clans, the 7th
Clan would install Daidan’s deputy as their new Oybun.
Daidan I, would then create a dynasty to rule the Cheilin Empire for so
long as there were legitimate heir’s.
As
far back as historic records go, there has never been an Emperor from the 5th
Clan. Each of the others had produced
at least one dynasty. The 4th
9th & 11th had all produced two, whilst the 7th
had produced three including Daidan I.
The 5th were very dissatisfied with the outcome of the final
vote. They believed to a man that Yvdrx
was the rightful ‘Emperor Designate’ they believed that a Knodd at stalemate
should have sought other means to break the deadlock. The other candidates should have been given
a vote; Yvdrx had always been the favourite with his fellow candidates even in
the beginning when there were still twelve prospects. The system provided a number of
alternatives, in the event of a deadlock, to ensure a decision would be
reached. Hand-to-hand combat was the
popular choice of the 5th Clan, their man was a blades man without
equal. But the Knodd had chosen to
employ a count-back, by 7 to 5, thus effectively robbing Yvdrx and his seed of
their considered birthright.
History records that the 5th Clan laid siege to the
Yvdrx
issued a public challenge to Daidan, reasoning that the ‘’Heir Designate’ was
not Emperor.
Daidan’s first counselor pointed out that he was not honour bound to
meet the challenge. He had an official
champion who should answer it on his behalf.
It was even suggested that he would not be permitted, by law, to fight a
duel to the death.
“He was
still seventeen days from ratification, therefore fair game,” reasoned Yvdrx.
“If you kill me you will automatically be
debarred from the election,” Daidan pointed out.
“That may be so, but my son will stand in my
stead,” the new Oybun replied stony faced.
“And if I kill you?” asked Daidan.
“Then all 5th opposition will
vanish. My family will become your most
loyal supporters, and your dynasty will be assured, unto the end of your line,”
said Yvdrx, “but that is not going to happen is it? No doubt, you will hide behind the office
and claim immunity.”
“The honorific ‘Light of the World’ stands for
unity,” said Daidan. “If the 5th
are aggrieved, that unity is in question and with it the future stability of
Empire.”
“My
lord do not think that way, you have nothing to prove, he is noted as the
finest swordsman in the 5th Clan.
You are unlikely to best him,” the first counselor pleaded.
“The interests of this Empire, and its unity,
are paramount and must at all times be preserved,” said Daidan quietly. “Yvdrx!
You have your showcase, we meet at first light tomorrow, I hope you are
man enough to live with the consequences.”
“My son shall be the next Emperor,” he yelled
with delight. “Say your farewells to
the world Daidan.”
Daidan only smiled politely.
“I want him and his son incapacitated if he
fails to take the field he will lose by default and no blood will be
spilled. If he does take the field it
will be in a weakened state and I ought to be able to best him.”
“It shall be so ‘Light of the World’,” said
his first counselor.
.-...-.
As Daidan lay awake contemplating the approach
of daybreak, a figure slipped through his window.
“Who is that!” He demanded.
“Your counsellor will play you false this night,”
the shadow figure warned. “You will be
fighting a man in his prime, full of vigour, and confident in his ability to
prevail. However, you must believe that
you are the better man and convince Yvdrx that you are, in order to justify
the confidence of the twelve. I have
here a blade, which will give you an advantage. A man who is not of this world crafted it,
for just such this situation. Try it
for balance,” he said offering the blade...”
“Your name first if you please,” said Daidan I.
“I am from Chinake far to the north, I am
known as Wizomi the storyteller, but my talents are not limited to
stories.
“Chinake, are you of the wierding way?” Daidan
asked with suspicion.
Wizomi smiled, “You have heard of my tiny village,” he said with pride. “My mission is to see you through the morrow. Now take the weapon, it is unique, be assured there is not another like it in existence. Feel how light and responsive it is? We call it a living blade it amplifies your confidence and ability but it is a double-edged blade; pardon the pun,” He snickered briefly. “It will deflect heavy blows, with the minimum of effort on your part, and will absorb the impact of any heavy weapon as though it were willow twig. Your opponent is fast and confident, but he will be defeated, and I will demonstrate how you will accomplish it.”
(To be continued)
Copyright
Len Morgan
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