Part 3: The New Dawn
Soon after the capital city was taken back from the Goreons, Memnon sent the army an ultimatum to either clear out or face war. Many of the troops retreated and deserted their army once they learned Draicor was dead, and the cities were thus liberated. For those who refused to liberate, Memnon sent in his army to forcibly liberate them. All this while Memnon had been running things, or at least trying to, from the old palace of the king who had fled. For a novice, he was doing well to restore order.
Now Memnon sat in the study, swearing over some policy, when Thorak came in.
“My lord, you might want to go to your window. There’s something you need to see.” Memnon gave Thorak a look and stood, then walked to the window. There was a huge, loud mob on the ground surrounding the palace. Memnon’s eyes widened.
“What do they want?” he asked thinly.
“They want you to be king,” replied Thorak. Memnon sighed and turned from the window. Thorak saw this as a clear sign of “no, Thorak, I cannot” and stopped Memnon before he could even utter the words. “Memnon, these people have no ruler. You’ve done more for these people in the span of days than the last king did in months.”
“What makes them think I can be a king?” demanded Memnon. “I have a horrible temper, I abuse my power and I’m terribly stubborn.”
“You’ve led them to freedom,” said Thorak. “Now, lead them to prosperity.”
“What if I can’t?” Memnon sounded almost frightened.
“You can.” Thorak assured Memnon. “Trust me.” Memnon sighed.
“One condition,” he said. “If I’m to be king, you will be captain of my royal guard.”
“Why would you have such faith in me?” Thorak blushed. Memnon grinned.
“The same reason you have faith in me.” They smiled at each other. “Fine. I accept the throne.”
“Don’t tell me,” Thorak said smartly. “Tell them.” He gestured toward the terrace door. Memnon took a deep breath and walked toward the terrace, opening the door and stepping out onto the balcony. The crowd gathered below burst into cheers. Memnon was almost startled into running back inside, but he quickly composed himself, putting up his regal ruler front. He smiled a winning smile and held up his hands to command silence.
“My people,” he spoke in a clear, strong and confident tone. “It is a miracle that we were able to fight back and regain ourselves. The gods favored us this time. I assure you it was not easy, but it was well worth it to see all of you standing here today, alive, well and free.” The crowd cheered. Memnon waited for them to quiet again. “Now, I hear that you, noble citizens, that you have chosen me to be your king. As far as that goes, I accept your proposal, and I swear with everything in my heart, through thick and thin, I will remain true to this nation, and I promise there will be greatness to come.” The crowd went wild.
Memnon knew now that the responsibility of a nation was in his hands. Somehow he felt a change in himself. He found himself more controlled, more domineering. He would rule his people with a strict law when needed, but he would be fair.
And so began the rule of the great Memnon, who would conquer far off lands in the name of his people, and the one who would continue to fight for greatness for his people until the day he died.