The Rebirth of a Nation
(Tortall gets a Democratic Government)
A/N: This is a very, very strange idea, but that's what I
like to do. I know this is highly unlikely and I had to take some dramatic
liberties. I'm also venturing into a few unexplored sides of some characters,
so it may or may not fit your idea of them. And I'm also moving the story along
pretty quickly, because otherwise it would take me forever to get to the point.
I know this probably wouldn't happen as fast as it does here, and I know it's
unlikely that things would happen so similarly to what I learned in
American History. But bear with me, people.
Disclaimer: The characters and countries belong to the great
Tamora Pierce, and the government system belongs to various nations around the
world. Oh yes, the title belongs to a silent movie (loosely).
{}={}={}
When the
realm woke up, the royal family was dead.
King
Jonathan of Conté, his wife Thayet, and all of their children were found
stabbed to death in their beds. No one else in the palace was harmed.
In the
upheaval that followed, the Provost's men somehow managed to catch the
murderer. A madman named Sammur Reltigan was found in the city of Corus
brandishing a knife dripping with blood, which top mages confirmed to belong to
the royal family. When questioned, he admitted his guilt immediately and added
that he would just as soon do it again. When pressed for a reason, the subject
laughed maniacally and began to sing.
Sammur
Reltigan was executed quietly. Nobody would have noticed anyway: Tortall was in
chaos.
{}={}={}
"Gary, you
have to do something!" the Lioness cried. She was fighting to hold back tears,
completely forgetting in her grief that Gary and Jon had been close friends,
too.
"What do you
want me to do?" Gary rarely lost his temper, but he was on the verge. Within a
few days, news of the royal family's death had spread throughout the realm, and
now all of Tortall was looking to him for leadership. But can I provide it?
he thought.
"I don't
know," Alanna said. "Appoint a new king or something. Or step up yourself."
"I wouldn't
be king for all the gold in Carthak," Gary retorted. "And there's no one in
line for the throne."
The prime
minister sat at his desk and put his head in his hands. "There's no one to
rule. No one who was even a close relation to J—to the king." It still hurt to
say Jon's name.
A knock
sounded at the door, and a servant admitted Myles of Olau. "How are you two
holding up?" he asked quietly. The miserable faces they turned to him more than
answered his question.
"The worst
part," said Gary, "is that we have no time to grieve. We need someone in power,
and we need them now."
"But we
don't know who!" Alanna interjected angrily. "There's no one in line, and no
obvious person to appoint."
"I've been
thinking about that," Myles said. The two others turned to him expectantly.
"Place no one on the throne. Dissolve the monarchy, and think up something else."
Alanna's
jaw literally dropped open. Gary's eyes widened, but they held a sparkle of
interest. "Do you think…do you honestly think…"
"They'll
need rules," Alanna said, having gathered her wits. "Otherwise they'll just
fight the whole time."
"But
they'll never accept rules we place on them," Gary said.
Myles held
up a hand for silence as he thought. Shortly, he dropped it and said, "Why not
let the people make their own rules?"
Alanna
frowned; politics weren't her strong point. But Gary was nodding slowly, an
expression of wonder on his face. "Myles, you're brilliant!" He grinned for the
first time since Jon's death. "We're going to make this work!"
{}={}={}
"It won't work, not in a million
years!" protested Raoul. "The only thing that's kept Tortall going through the
years is the presence of a strong leader."
"I think he's
right," said Lord Imrah of Legann. "It's not fair to the people of the realm to
thrust all the power into their hands now. They won't know how to handle it."
"Then we
shall have to do it very carefully," said Myles. He looked down the table, at
the king's former advisors. A few of the older nobles were vehemently against
the idea of establishing a people's government. Others seemed to think the idea
would work. Myles was trying to let everyone express his or her opinion.
However,
the novelty had not work off Gary. "But think, what if it worked? Can you
imagine? Can you just imagine?"
Alanna
shook her head. "There's only one way to find out. We should try it." Ignoring
several outcries of dissent, she settled back into her chair.
Myles and
Gary were ready to take over—they had been up until the small hours of the
morning devising a plan. The younger man stood, and the table got quiet.
"Here's a
copy of a leaflet we're going to have printed up," he said, passing a piece of
paper clockwise around the table. "We'll need a representative from each town…"
{}={}={}
A/N: Yes, that was pretty strange, wasn't it? Not the kind
of stuff I usually like. I haven't decided what will happen yet, so review and
tell me what you want! You can also review and tell me that I'm a freak for
even having this idea, but I'll most likely continue it anyway (unless the
negative response is overwhelming).