Two weeks later, life in Draconia was beginning to return to normal: almost. The Draconic Confederacy was still trying to decide how to proceed in the aftermath of the dragons’ banishment. Fortunately, the International Court of Justice was still operational with five judges on the panel. As Lucian Xiloscient was the only surviving leader of the attempted international coup, the proceedings were somewhat short. Lucian was charged with and convicted of seventeen different war crimes including atrocities against persons, atrocities against property, murder of prisoners of war, ill treatment of prisoners of war, killing of hostages, torture, inhumane treatment, wanton destruction of cities, and devastation not justified by military necessity. He was also charged with and convicted of mass extermination of a species, which the Court’s Statute defines as a crime against morality. Finally, he was charged with and convicted of three counts of crimes against the peace. Lucian was sentenced to life imprisonment in a maximum-security facility operated by the Confederacy.

            Laucian wasn’t too torn up about the fate of his father. To him, his father deserved his punishment. Laucian was more concerned with his upcoming wedding to Ulceaon, which would be preceded only by Laucian’s coronation. Laucian wanted to be established as King of Elysium so he could personally crown Ulceaon as Prince Regent. His coronation was turning out to be a grand affair in Draconia. News had spread of his important role in the defeat of Halinor.

The day of the coronation arrived and Laucian was nervous about taking the oath of kingship. He was also so excited that the time couldn’t pass fast enough for him. He kept pacing around the room in the palace he now shared with Ulceaon. Finally, Ulceaon said, “Would you calm down, Laucian? You’re making me nervous with all your pacing.”

“I’m nervous Ulceaon,” Laucian said. “I’m not even a year past my 110^th birthday and I’m already expected to lead.”

“Some of the best leaders in history felt they were inadequate,” Ulceaon said, reassuringly. “Take the story of Riffin Wayfalls. He was the first President of the Supreme Republic. We read in our history books the transcript of his inaugural address. He explicitly stated that he felt himself insufficient. But he turned out to be an excellent leader.”

Laucian smiled. He could always count on Ulceaon to cheer him up. He crossed to where Ulceaon sat on the bed and kissed him. Laucian lay down on the bed and put his head in Ulceaon’s lap. Laucian just lay there while Ulceaon stroked Laucian’s hair. When it was time for the coronation, Laucian got dressed with Ulceaon’s help and the two proceeded to the Royal Carriage.

Elven coronations are held at places called the Court of the People. No actual court meets here. It is simply a place where many royal ceremonies are held. On the dais in the Court is a wooden post, called the Stake of Leadership. There are traces of blood on the Stake from another ceremony. In that ceremony, elven males of the nobility have a small nail driven through one of their ears into the Stake, symbolizing their commitment to the people above self. Elves tend to be incredibly vain, and a particular point of vanity is their ears. As this ceremony typically doesn’t happen until adulthood, Laucian had not yet had his ear pierced. As a result, the Piercing Ceremony would take place right before the coronation. For a coronation, a throne is placed directly in front of the Stake of Leadership, with its back touching the Stake. Its positioning is critical to the ceremony.

The Court had been lavishly decorated for the coronation. Ulceaon proceeded into the Court ahead of Laucian to take his place in the crowd. When the trumpets sounded, Laucian walked into the Court and proceeded to the dais, where his uncle stood. As Chancellor of the Draconic Confederacy and the last remaining member of the ruling generation of Elysium, he was being given the honor of crowning Laucian King of Elysium, though the ceremony was being supervised by the High Priest of Horus. Other prominent members of the crowd were Laucian’s siblings, Aya being most prominent, the remaining members of the Council of Dragons, and the President of the Supreme Republic.

The throne stood off to the side and would be brought into place after the Piercing Ceremony took place. It had been a while since any of the royal family had undergone this ritual, as Laucian was the only son of the previous king and Lucian himself did not have his ear pierced. Laucian stepped up to the Stake of Leadership, placed his right ear against it and waited anxiously. Celore stepped forward and asked, “Do you, Laucian Xiloscient, accept the obligation placed before you to serve the Elven people for the entirety of your life?”

“I do,” Laucian replied.

Celore produced a small nail and hammer and said, “Then, as a representative of the Elves of Draconia, I bind you to the Stake of Leadership in the Court of the People.” Celore drove the nail into Laucian’s earlobe. Laucian winced at the pain but made no audible sound. After the longest minute of Laucian’s life, the nail was removed from his ear and he heard Aya mutter a healing spell. The bleeding stopped immediately, but the hole in the ear remained. Elves who participated in this ceremony typically wore a simple hoop earring for the rest of their lives, as it was considered disrespectful to the people to allow the hole to close, as that would symbolize their abandonment of the promise to serve.

The throne was brought forward and placed against the Stake, which was still wet with Laucian’s blood. Laucian knelt at the dais and Celore stepped forward again. Celore began the list of questions that established Laucian’s worthiness: “Do you, Laucian Xiloscient, promise to govern the land of Elysium according to the laws and customs of the people?”

Laucian replied, “I do.”

“Will you, to the best of your ability, cause justice and mercy to be executed in all your judgements?”

“I will.”

“Do you promise to deal with foreign lands fairly and in the manner prescribed by international law?”

“I do.”

“Will you, in times of war, act honorably to both friend and foe and be the first in the charge and the last in the retreat?”

“I will.”

“Then,” Celore concluded. “By the power vested in me as Lord High Sentinel of the Sacred Flame of the Knights of the Feather, and holding the Keys of the Oaths, I crown you, Laucian, King of Elysium.” Celore placed the crown on Laucian’s head and Laucian rose, ascended the dais, and took his seat upon the throne, which Laucian noted currently stood alone on the dais. Tomorrow, that would change.

A cry went out that no one could trace back to a source that said, “Long live the king!” And the entire hall took up the cry. After six repetitions of the phrase, the hall quieted. Laucian arose from the throne and started to speak. “My friends, ladies and gentlemen, I thank you for your attendance today, especially those of foreign lands. I consider it a great honor to be King of Elysium, and I intend to restore what was lost during previous reigns: the meaning behind the name Elysium. Elysium means peace; that peace was lost during my father’s reign. I saw it very clearly every time I would walk out of the palace. I could tell that the people were unhappy. Taxes were too high, punishments too severe, and care from above was not happening. This is why I propose a strategy. Effective immediately, I am introducing a decrease in taxes. Taxes shall not be raised for the sole purpose of providing me with surplus wealth. Taxes will go to the betterment of Elysium. Furthermore, I will always provide to you, the people, a detailed description of what a new tax will go to. Let us have no poor among us.

“The second part to my strategy is a system of punishment in which the punishment fits the crime. This is not really a new concept to Draconia but is something that was lost in the days of my father. Additionally, mine shall not be the only voice deciding the fate of someone else. Each village, town, and city shall establish a jury made up of the citizens thereof. This jury shall be convened for a period of six months in the which they will decide all cases of breaches of law. For those cases deemed most serious by law or by a jury, the accused shall then be brought to me, and I may convene a special panel to decide the case. In any case, the punishment of the crime shall not be disproportionate to the crime itself in the best judgement of the jury. Let this hold people accountable to the law; let us dwell in righteousness.

“Thirdly, any citizen of Elysium may petition the crown during times of hardship. In these cases, I will do my best to mitigate the sufferings of all concerned. I only ask that, in the interest of preserving national resources, you approach your family, friends, and neighbors for help first. If this is impossible, I understand and will deal with all issues on a case-by-case basis. Let us all get along together and be of one heart and one mind.

“In summation, let us become truly worthy to be called the people of Elysium, truly worthy to dwell in the Land of Peace. Let us become one with another in heart and mind, dwelling in righteousness, with no poor among us. That is my goal for this country. Thank you.”

Laucian sat down and another chorus of “Long live the king!” went up. When it stopped, there was a long procession back to the palace for the feast that had been prepared.

That night, he lay in bed, held tight in the embrace of Ulceaon. Ever since becoming the Eye of Horus, all timidity had left Ulceaon, and he now took a more assertive stance on things, including their relationship. Laucian said, “I hope the people will be pleased with me.”

“I know they will be,” Ulceaon replied. “I know I am.”

The next morning, Ulceaon was taken to a separate room to prepare for the wedding. Laucian was not to see him again until the ceremony. Galdore entered the room to help Laucian prepare.

“Feeling nervous?” Galdore asked.

“A little,” Laucian replied.

“Don’t worry, everything will be okay. That is, after all, my job as Best Man.”

“Thank you,” Laucian said. “I wanted to ask you if you would consider a new role after the wedding is over.”

“What role would that be?” Galdore inquired.

“Well,” Laucian began. “Becoming king so soon was not something I anticipated for myself. There is still so much I wanted to do. Now, to be able to do them, I need to leave someone here to keep an eye on things. Ulceaon will be my Regent, but he might have to split time between here and the Temple of Horus, so I need someone here while he’s gone. Will you be the Lord Protector of Elysium?”

“I’d be honored.” Galdore said with enthusiasm. “But Laucian, where are you going?”

“I am going to be attending the University of Thoth,” Laucian said. “I’ve long thought about it, and it is an experience I don’t want to miss out on. Aya is going with me. I will be staying here until the beginning of the next semester and then I must be off.”

“Good for you, Laucian,” Galdore said. “And don’t worry about things here. Ulceaon and I will keep everything ship shape.”

There was a knock on the door and a squire came in to let them know that it was time to go down. Laucian made his way to the Great Hall, which had been lavishly decorated with beautiful tapestries, streams of gold silk, hung with banners bearing the Xiloscient Crest and other banners bearing the symbols of Horus. On the dais behind the High Priestess of Isis, who would be performing the ceremony, stood Laucian’s throne, no longer alone, for beside it stood a second throne, a little smaller but equal in grandeur. A crown sat on this second throne, a crown that, in a short while, would be placed on Ulceaon’s head when Laucian crowned him Prince Regent. Beside the crown lay the crook and flail that Ulceaon had received from Horus.

Laucian stood before the High Priestess and turned back to look down the aisle. Ulceaon was now proceeding down the aisle. He was accompanied by his Best Man, or Best Woman, Aya. When they reached Laucian Aya took her place opposite Galdore, who was behind Laucian, and the High Priestess spoke up.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today, under the watchful eye of Lady Isis, to celebrate the union of Laucian Xiloscient and Ulceaon Liadon. Will the two of you join hands.” Laucian and Ulceaon took each other by the right hand in a firm clasp. The High Priestess muttered a spell and streaks of light encircled their hands like ropes. She waved her hand and produced from thin air, a feather. This was no ordinary feather; this was a phoenix feather. Phoenix feathers have a unique property in that one cannot speak a falsehood while holding one. They are sometimes referred to as feathers of truth. The High Priestess placed the feather in their clasped hands, so they were holding it between them.

The High Priestess continued, “Do you Laucian Xiloscient, take this man to be your husband. To honor, to obey, in sickness, in health, for richer, for poorer, for time and all eternity?”

“I do,” Laucian said firmly.

“And do you, Ulceaon Liadon, take this man to be your husband. To honor, to obey, in sickness, in health, for richer, for poorer, for time and all eternity?”

“I do,” Ulceaon said just as firmly.

“The couple have written their own vows. May I have the rings?” Celore Xiloscient stepped forward and produced the rings. The High Priestess touched each of them and they began to glow. Laucian took the first one and said, “Ulceaon. From the moment I first saw you I knew I was in love. Every moment since then has reminded me of that love. I promise you that my love for you shall never falter, it shall never fail. I promise that when you are sad, I will be there to lift you up, when you are lonely, I will be there; when you are in trouble, I will be there to help. You are my light, my hope, and my strength, and I love you.” Laucian placed the ring he was holding on Ulceaon’s left hand. Their right hands were still holding the feather of truth between them. The tendrils of light encircling their hands had turned red.

Ulceaon picked up the remaining ring and said, “Laucian, I love you more than I thought possible. You’ve made me happier than words can describe. I promise to make you happy all our lives. I promise to be faithful to you for all eternity. There is no one else I’d rather share that eternity with. I also promise to challenge you, to help you become better than you are now. I promise to give you sound council to the best of my ability in both personal affairs and affairs of state. My love for you is infinite and eternal.” Ulceaon put the ring he was holding on Laucian’s left hand. The feather of truth let off sparks into the sky. It burst into flame, but though the flame consumed their hands, it did not hurt or damage either. This was good, for it meant that both had spoken truthfully and from the heart. When the flame died the tendrils of light were gone as well.

The High Priestess finished with, “By the power vested in me as the High Priestess of Isis, I seal upon you the eternal blessing of marriage. I bless you with the power to find each other in the sacred realms of Seket-Hetep. You may now kiss.” Laucian and Ulceaon leaned in and kissed. It was a long kiss and the two hardly heard the applause and cheering that rang out in the hall. The High Priestess went off to the side as the newlyweds broke apart and Laucian ascended the dais. Laucian had planned the next part to be immediately after the wedding because he didn’t want to delay the crowning of Ulceaon. Ulceaon knelt before Laucian who held out his hand. Aya came forward, picked the crown up off the throne and handed it to Laucian. Laucian held it over Ulceaon’s head and pronounced simply, “By the sacred laws vested in me, I crown you Ulceaon, Prince Regent of Elysium.” Laucian held out his hand to Ulceaon who took it and ascended the dais. Together they lowered themselves onto their respective thrones, Ulceaon picking up the crook and flail as he did. Aya gave the call of “Long live the prince!” and the crowd took up the call.