Henry Lucer's hands shook as he looked over the cue cards. He and the speechwriters that worked for him had been going over drafts of this speech for more than a week, but now that it came time to say it, he didn't know if he had the courage. When his father had died, he had made a fool of himself. When his uncle had died, he had caused protests. What would happen with this speech? At that very moment, Asorist protesters marched on Parliament, calling for an end to corruption, while private security officers stood as a wall between them and the government. How would this affect the already tenuous peace?
"We're ready for you, your Highness?" said the aide. Henry had forgotten for a moment where he was. He had been picturing his grandfather, small, shriveled, eaten from the inside by his own body. But he wasn't there, in the Palace. He was here, in his office at Parliament. Video cameras and Fresnel lights pointed at him. Aides stood behind camera operators. Henry took the cue cards and put them in a drawer.
"I'm ready," he said, hoping the shake in his voice was inaudible.
The lights beamed. The cameras rolled.
"Good evening, Atnaia..."
Across the country, television programs were interrupted, radio broadcasts were shifted and millions of eyes shifted to watch the speech of Henry Lucer. In Parkedale Circle, the massive screens that overlooked the largest shopping street in Port Gray suddenly depicted a man in his early thirties in a black suit with a blue tie, hands crossed on a mahogany desk, windows behind him overlooking the sea from Old Fort Hill. People stopped in the streets to watch, as only a few blocks away angry protesters shouted chants over a police line at the Parliament Buildings.
"Good evening, Atnaia," Henry Lucer began. "I come to you with sad news. This morning, my grandfather, Prince James Lucer II, passed away peacefully in his sleep. He had lived a long, full life in generous service to you, the Atnaian people, and lived until his last breath with the dream of peace in his mind. I sit before you now as your new Prince, but I also sit before you as your faithful and humble servant. I have made mistakes in the past, but I promise to dedicate every moment of my life, from now until the moment of my death, serving you, the people, as my grandfather did before me. I promise to seek peace and to fight for fairness and equality. I seek only to better this country, this region and the world. Atnaia stands strong. Please, be good to each other."
For a moment, Atnaia held its breath, not sure whether to laugh or cry. The whole country was still, a moment of calm mourning sweeping across the citizenry.
And then the country screamed.
What happened next would be a matter of contention in history books for decades to come. Some would say that the brick flew from the protester's hand first, and that the officers were defending themselves. Others would say that the crackle of gunfire was the spark that drove the Asorists to riot. Whatever happened, there was chaos in front of the Parliament Buildings. There were many, many more protesters than Stone Wall Security Solutions officers, but the officers had guns, and riot shields and tear gas. Unlike the riots that had happened before, though, the equipment of the private police was not enough to break the tension. The riots swept through the city. Over the next few hours, there was looting, and fire, and blood. Into the night, the fighting burned, not just between protesters and police, but between the people themselves. It was as though a fuse that had been lit long ago had finally burned its way to the powder keg, and all the pressure and tension exploded.
In the Prince's office, a meeting had been called. The new Prince sat at his desk, trying to listen to the shouting voices of the members of cabinet that had been called. Chief among them was Minister of Defense, Lord Thomas Wessich, who called for martial law.
"It is the only way," said Wessich, his oddly calm voice cutting through the argument. "The rioters will see troops in the streets and know that this new regime is not to be trifled with."
This awakened a new wave of arguments. Henry rubbed his temples. He had a pounding behind the eyes, and as the argument escalated, he found himself craving something, anything, to end it. Cocaine, alcohol, horse tranquilizers...anything to end the pounding. He reached into his pocket and gripped his sobriety chip like a lifeline. The shouting. Oh God, the shouting. He couldn't handle it anymore.
"Your highness," said Wessich. "You must make a call."
Henry shot to his feet and slammed a fist on his desk with a bang. "Shut up, damn it," he shouted. "Give me a moment of silence to think."
The room fell silent. Wessich narrowed his eyes and ran a hand through his dark hair. "I am sorry, sir. What was that?"
"I said shut the hell up," Henry gritted his teeth.
"I am sorry, sir," Wessich said, still calm. "But if you cannot keep a level head I am sure you will find that soon you won't keep any head at all."
There was a vague fog of discomfort at the sound of the obvious threat. Wessich glared at Henry. "What I mean to say," he continued, "is that the Asorists will soon be pulling out the old guillotine if you do not make firm, calm and decisive action. Each and every man and woman in this room is not safe. We will all lose our heads if you do not mobilize the military."
"Get out," Henry growled, his headache ripping through his whole body and becoming nothing but pain. "Lord Wessich, you are dismissed as my Minister of Defense, effective immediately."
Lord Wessich, to the surprise of everyone, smiled, bowed and turned to leave. "Of course, your highness."
He reached the door to the office and turned back. "If I may, one last thing. When this all goes bad, and you realize just how right I was, it will be too late for you to realize your mistake. A throne and a crown do not make men bulletproof, my Prince. If anything, they attract bullets."
Wessich turned and left. Duke Bronte turned to the Prince after moment of watching Wessich leave. "My Prince, was that wise?"
"Prepare an announcement," Henry said, collapsing to his chair. "Tell the people that rooting out corruption is the new Prince's foremost priority, and as a first step in a radical overhaul program, he has dismissed the Minister of Defense from his cabinet. Lord Wessich will retain all titles and his seat in Parliament, but he will have no say in cabinet. And prepare a shortlist for the position. Perhaps this will be enough to quell the protesters."
He knew it wouldn't be.
