Amon along with his convoy began their march as soon as the sun rose. They were headed to the Haven Forest, and it would take them approximately seven days to travel from the Capital City of Helion to their destination.
Currently, he was riding on his horse just a step behind the main delegation with two of his Commanders stationed in the front row. Behind him were the royal guards and the carriages being ridden by his family and the other more important chosen delegates from his court.
"Long live His Majesty!"
By the side of the road, Helionians praised and cheered their passing as they all gathered and waited for his entourage to pass by. They were all on bended on one knee, and they gave their respect with as much reverence as they could.
Giving the crowd an acknowledging nod, Amon then turned to stare at the banners attached to the head of the spears the royal guards were using riding in front of them. Unlike before, it no longer bore the symbol of the black serpent. Instead, there was a black tortoise with a turquoise gem within it which symbolized hope. Truly, if he could also remove the serpent mark on his nape, he would've done so and replaced it with the same symbol.
"Our King is very well respected," Rendon boasted as if Amon wasn't just beside him.
"As it should be," Lucia replied with a serious tone.
Amon hummed. Lucia was the Commander of the Helion's Northern troops, particularly in the Northwest while Rendon handled the Northeast. He had been working with the two and the rest of his Commanders for almost a year now ever since the moment he woke up from his accident.
They were his mother's allies, and together, they formed a great plan to revolt against Devon for both the betterment and rebuilding of the Kingdom of Helion. Back then, Helion had been mostly occupied by human denizens mixed with other creatures and some hybrids. Now, however, there was still more to be done, but at least there was a semblance of peace throughout the vast majority of the kingdom now.
"There's still a lot left to do," Amon hummed.
"You have a lot of time, Your Majesty," Rendon reminded him, a hint of praise coloring his tone. "You've already achieved a lot, Sire. In the span of two months, you've done more than what any man could, and I believe no one would ever be able to beat that. Your wisdom and knowledge in governing is truly remarkable."
"You're being biased," Amon chuckled. "I can only wonder if you're saying the same things the others are saying behind my back."
"Of course not!" Rendon snorted. "I wouldn't dare to bad mouth His Majesty!"
"Good, or I'll be the one to cut off that tongue of yours the moment I find out about it," Lucia interrupted.
"Why are you always threatening me?!" Rendon grumbled at Lucia.
Amon shook his head as he let the two continue with their usual bantering. He could feel his heart swelling just from seeing the smiles on his people. But of course, he shouldn't expect that he'd be able to please everybody.
Looking back at the passing crowd, he sighed as he noticed some who were bluntly showing them disrespect. Even if not through words, their actions and expressions were more than enough to tell what they were actually thinking.
"He's still a demon! Like his brother!"
The entire convoy halted in their tracks. A man's firm voice had echoed from the crowd, and such a slight cannot be allowed to pass without judgment.
"Capture that man!" Rendon quickly commanded. "He who dares to disrespect the King shall be punished!"
On time, the guards quickly moved to grab the man, dragging him away from the crowd and making him fall onto his knees before Amon.
"Sire…"
Amon heard Lucia's unspoken question as he stared at the man before him. Before long, however, he had made his judgment. "Release him. He's only stating the fact that I am still Devon's brother," he calmly spoke, his eyes searching upon everyone around them. All of them were looking at him, all of them clearly wanting answers.
"I'm sure you've all heard about the former Queen Dana of Ebodia who like my father, is a fallen angel…" he lengthily began. "Despite this, she and all of her offspring didn't end up becoming demons. That is because they chose a different path, and that is to live righteously in this world that they found themselves in. Nobody is perfect, but they're trying to be the best of their kind and not harming others, instead even using the special blood that they possess in ways to better others."
Amon keenly eyed the crowd's reaction. This would be the first time he had to address his people in public like this since he was someone who'd rather let his actions do the talking. For the two consecutive months he had the ruling, he did his best to show his sincerity to his people with nothing but his actions alone. Still, he also knew that sometimes, actions were simply not enough to tell his people what he truly desire…
"I may share the same blood as my father Azarel, but I am not a demon like him. Being a demon is always a choice for fallen angels, and I chose not to walk the same path as my father and my brother," he bellowed with conviction as he addressed the crowd. "Again, spread these words to everyone you know! Your King is not a Demon. Instead, he is someone like you who only wants what's best for our Kingdom! And while I am powerful, I cannot do it all alone! I will need the cooperation of everyone in order to rebuild what was lost and help us move forward to a better future…"
A silence passed, but before long, the first of many cheers began.
"Long live, King Amon!"
"Hail King Amon!"
Like a wave, his words garnered praises from the crowd before him. Seeing satisfactory results, Amon then signaled his guards and commanders to continue on with their route.
****
Meanwhile, inside the carriage, Mona heard what her Son had said.
"Look at that proud smile you have…" Lera teased her, and she couldn't agree more. She was indeed a proud mother.
"Hearing that now, I can't wait for him to have someone he can rely on by his side," Mona hummed. "He needs an equally knowledgeable Queen with a big heart to keep him in check. Only then can I peacefully leave this earth, Lera."
She then coughed into her handkercheif, her chest betraying her as she finally doubled over.
"You should tell him your condition, Aunty," Lera softly suggested as she gently stroked her back. "Amon deserves to know."
Mona sighed just as she managed to compose herself. Unfortunately for her, her days were numbered. Although it hasn't shown on her body physically just yet, all of her vital organs were currently slowly deteriorating. It was the after-effect of all the punishments she received from Devon for giving birth to Amon, who had been prophesied to be the true ruler of Helion.
The demon didn't kill her, sure, but he still made sure that her body would slowly suffer… Devon promised her a slow death where he wanted her to witness him killing her own son before her very eyes, but thankfully, it didn't happen.
"Amon and I had just reunited… And the four seasons are not enough time for us…" Mona stated with a faint smile, her eyes gazing out the window wistfully. "I don't want to break his heart with this sad news, but I also don't intend for him to be in the dark about this as well. I will tell him everything as soon as he's settled with his new Queen, Lera. Don't worry."
She could only hope that her son would find someone he could give his heart to. She didn't care if it was from anyone amongst the candidates in the competition for the Queen's Throne. So long as they were rightfully deserving, then she'd be more than fine with whoever it might be.
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