Love me tonight.

The official cadre became Larkin, Aurora and three men who had been in line to take a governor’s seat. Though Larkin had stripped that title from them, he promised far better things. They were Jannika, Talos, and Elborg, loyal to the core. Larkin was proud of his selection. Aurora, now second in command, approved, but Larkin did not need her approval.

The chaos caused by the recent mishaps was beginning to take a toll on the good of all the cities. Halfheartedly commanded by the courts, security was low and the system infiltrated by none other than the rebels, who saw the weakness in Larkin’s control and seized the opportunity. Murder was their choice weapon against him – in less than a day subjects important to him had been assassinated and his allies were crumbling. A chunk of his court had disappeared. Larkin knew that he was being betrayed.

The meeting with Sashin was postponed. The ritualistic humbug he and Larkin had arranged could wait. The soon to be King had more important things to do. Like announcing his new authority to the nation, the cities he would incorporate to create his own utopia. Everything would be as he said. He would no longer have to tiptoe around ancient laws and quarrel with governors who were his so-called equals.

That was the first thing to go; the laws. The archives, a massive system of the laws and histories of each city were burnt. Larkin erased the history of every rule, every person to have held power before him. It was complete reform; Talos and his underlings rewrote the court systems, the order of rule, every last thing Larkin did not approve of. Though Larkin had not ordered the temples of the Moons to be destroyed, many priests fled into the dark world, aware of Larkin’s reputation for skepticism.

A number of Larkin’s favorite people were suspected of disloyalty to him; they were executed, quietly and discreetly. It was no time to be foolish and Aurora urged him to get rid of the girl he kept locked away in her room, the one who had assisted the sorceress in attempted murder, but Larkin waved this away with his gloved hand.

He remained troubled over the escape of the boy; he ordered a temporary stop to the burnings. They resumed after he announced himself as king.

Stelon was present. It was the second time she had been in the ballroom, this time the proceedings went as planned and there was no bloodshed. The massive room was packed and barely a whisper echoed off the walls as Larkin entered, standing in front of the throne with Aurora and Jannika behind him. Jannika was a tall man, like Larkin, thick with muscle and gray with age.

The message Larkin delivered was simple; the heirs would not take their places as governor. Instead, Larkin would be their sovereign, their leader and their King. He would appoint councils to each city in due time. He did not have to warn his subjects of the difficult times ahead. He did not have to speak of the rebels and of other motives he harbored. They knew.

And still chaos did somewhat reign; there was confusion and Larkin let Aurora trouble over most of these things; the future was too important for him to be troubled with minor dilemmas of the present. He did what he always did and waved them away, sighing softly and placing his hand over the wound in his chest, telling them he felt too faint to think.

The soldiers he had sent to find the boy were ordered to return to their previous means of finding him, though Larkin wished not for the destruction of the villages now. He thought the sacrifice of a child would be more convincing. This would cause an uproar, he knew, but a small one nonetheless. Not many cared for the well being of the peasants and woodsmen. But where ever you do find him, Larkin said casually, burn everything.

And that night, dismissing Aurora and company, Larkin went to Sashin with a bundle in his arms.