All the King's Men - Act V: What Comes of Prophecy

It was only months after their bitter reunion that Kanna came, with his army of Altairian soldiers, into Mirhame. He made his way to Mi'Xon, passing peacefully through the armies Barakai had set up to bar him from his land. Perhaps the Mirhamian soldiers were too intimidated by the massive army, or maybe they were unwilling to be forced into another war, or maybe they were just unwilling to attack their long lost Prince. Whatever their reason may have been, Kanna made it to the gates of Tim'ra, the outermost layer of Mi'Xon, untouched.

 

Kanna was met by a somber celebration, the villagers happy to at long last see the Prince whom they had been fighting for for so long, returned home. At the same time they were aware that he was now an enemy king. They knew of the finality his occupation would bring, and they hoped for the death of the b*****d King Barakai.

 

Kanna's army peacefully occupied every township of Mi'Xon, his soldiers living happily alongside the villagers, and in the short time they were there, they almost became a part of the communities. They were not oppressing or controlling, they were simply men, fellow villagers come to visit from afar, and there was little tension, like they were friends and family come into town to stay for a few nights.

 

At least until the silence was broken, the day Kanna entered the castle. The servants rushed to him, all wanting to see the child that they had all known and had come to love, grown up to an age of seventeen. They greeted him with warm embraces and kind gestures which Kanna returned with equal warmth.

 

Upon the entrance of King Barakai they scatter in fear, like mice in the presence of a cat, leaving Kanna alone in the middle of the grand entry room staring at the razor sharp tip of Barakai's sword-like mind.

 

“Just give me the ring, brother. I hold your cities in the palm of my hand and I am ready to squeeze. Your outlying armies will not come to aid you. Waiting in the streets of Mi'Xon I have one soldier for every two villagers. So, what say you?”

 

“Kill them if you must, you will not get this ring willingly, that I promise you.”

 

To the Altairian soldier by the castle's main door Kanna shouts, “Tell the armies slaughter all of the highest classes, then they will have no leaders to stand up to me and maybe then he will surrender.”

 

And so did the obedient soldiers kill them. They had become like family in the short time they had been in Mi'Xon but when they received the orders they dutifully slaughtered this new-found family, starting with the lords and ladies, dukes and duchesses. Even after this Barakai held his ground, refusing to hand over his father's ring. So Kanna ordered the death of all the vassals and highest ranked knights. Then the rest of the knights. And so it was done.

 

“I will not enjoy ordering my people to kill all of the villagers too.”

 

Barakai thought of the happy, peaceful villagers he had observed when he was young. In a moment of uncharacteristic empathy he saw something more important than his own life. “No, not them. So far you have eliminated the leadership of Mi'Xon... except for me. You will kill no villagers, you will kill me instead.”

 

He lunged forward, sword drawn and advancing on Kanna. Seconds before their swords clashed he saw a fire blazing in Kanna's eyes and knew it would be the end for one of them.

 

With a simple counter of the sword, Kanna sidestepped the reckless attack. Their swords clashed and Kanna being the quicker of the two pulled his sword out of the fray and struck Barakai across the back severing the base of his spine in one bloody slash. No longer supported by his spine, his torso fell forward and he tripped over his own arms as his legs continued to run.

 

Barakai felt none of this, his nerves cut off from his brain he had no way to feel the rest of his body and all he could do was look forward and think as he bled out in a slump on the floor. He did not feel the blood soaking his robes, he hadn't felt the killing blow, nor would he feel Kanna remove the ring from his stiff finger and his kingdom from his open hands. All he felt was release, release from all the pressures of a king, all the pressures of life itself.

 

As the blood drained from his head he realized he had had everything he had needed all along, truly had it. He had had life, but it was fleeting, and he saw the beauty in that.