Tale of The Mad Emperor

"One year until the prince is crowned..."

The fourth lord of Tibur jumped, as if he woke from a nightmare.
His own voice had whispered a thought.

He looked at his son, of whom he had always been proud. But felt only a cold glare staring back.
The prince spoke with the advisors, as he had always done before. But had their words always been this bitter?

Emperor, they called him, king of kings.

"They are turning him against me..."

Another whisper ran along his back like a knife. The emperor knew it couldn't be true, knew that his subjects were loyal.
And yet...

These advisors were sent to this court by his petty kings, so that they might advise him on how best to rule his vast empire.

They bowed as etiquette demanded as they left the throne room one by one.
The prince departed last, as expected, but did not bow. He simply wished the emperor a good night's rest.

"Half a year until the prince is crowned..."

The emperor shifted in his throne; he had heard this voice before.
It was his own voice, whispering doubts in the back of his mind.
Though lately, those doubts had been coming more and more forward.

He looked down at his son, listening to the schemes of the various factions in court.
What did he have to gain from taking the throne this soon? It had been promised to him from the moment he was born.
Why would he listen to those schemers? They have nothing to offer him that he would not already have as the emperor.

But perhaps that is why.
Perhaps the prince wants to take the emperor's place, so that he may taste that unbridled power.

The emperor coughed, and the advisors lifted their heads.

"My emperor, are you feeling well?"

What insult, to insinuate an emperor could be afflicted by some common bug. He should've had the man thrown from his court.
The prince did not speak; instead, he turned his head away.

"They are planning to poison you..."

The emperor's eyes darted between the advisors' faces. Shock, concern, greed, excitement; they all tried to hide it, but the emperor knew he couldn't trust any of them.
Then his eyes fell on the prince, who still faced away from him. And along the prince's cheek rolled a tear.

"He is afraid. Afraid I might be onto him and his ploy..."

"Where is he?! Where is the bastard who poisoned me?!" The emperor yelled from his bed.
He coughed and coughed, choking on his own words as he spoke. Every breath ached like blades carving at his innards.

"One more day until the prince is crowned..."

The whispers had been haunting his thoughts, repeating over and over, drowning out all other sense. The emperor knew this had to be that vile prince's fault.

"My emperor, your son has arrived."

One of the attendants had opened the door, revealing the vile prince and a host of treacherous advisors standing behind him. Each and every one of them carried a devilish smirk, for they knew their schemes had gone as planned.

"Father..." The vile prince approached the bed, his face turned away.

"You don't even dare face me in the end, you coward?" The emperor choked on every sound.
But the vile prince could not respond.

Enraged, the emperor grabbed a knife from his bedside table and pointed it accusingly at the vile prince. "Then finish it yourself!" He bellowed with all the might left in his frail body.

The vile prince could not respond. He stammered forward, finally revealing a tear-stained face. But the emperor could not see it through his rage.

With a swift swipe, blood covered the bedsheets. The vile prince stumbled, slowly reaching for his throat. He tried to speak, but his body would not respond.

A bloody hand reached for the emperor's face. His son's hand felt warm upon his cheek.

And as the emperor glanced down towards his dying child's face, he did not see frustration or anger, but a grimace of betrayal and grief. He noticed the whispers had gone silent only when a new whisper broke that silence.

"My son was innocent..."

The advisors bowed, as etiquette demanded, as the bedroom door shut behind them.
The prince departed last, as expected, as the emperor's tears stained his lifeless face.