Written for "National Write A Novel Month 2015"

A thanks to Liza, who caused the wave of inspiration to hit me after reviewing my drabble "Deathly Shadow", a Assassin!AU which is located in the collection "This is Halloween" and is rather connected to this story. It is a bit of a spoiler, though, so only read if you think that you can cope with knowing the end ;)

Also, thanks to kayleigh, who is beta-ing this :)

I hope you all like this, and I would love to see you reviewing this, as I always like to read some opinions :) There will be cookies for everyone who does ;)

Medieval!AU

Of Burning Kingdoms, Emperors And The Fight For Justice

1.

The King Is Dead – Long Live The King

Once upon a time, there was a kingdom. Wealthy and peaceful, blessed with wild shores and fruitful plains, it was reigned by a royal family whose bloodline was as ancient as the land they lived on. They were fair monarchs, and that pleased their folks, as they were free of the concern about where to get their next meal.

As the time of the old king had come and he looked forward to meet his beloved queen again, to be reunited with her in death, he handed his crown over to his eldest son, who proved to be as good to his people as his father had been.

Everything could have remained like this, if it were not for the unpleasant human nature itself. Because at some point, they are all willing to give up peace and a carefree life in which they had everything – you see, it will never be enough for some people. Greed is strong, as is the sense for destruction, and if there is a charismatic leader with a talent for big words, thousands will follow him because they want more.

oOo

The glowing red evening sun had just lost its fight against the moon and the upcoming night and had vanished on the horizon, as unbelievable things were starting to happen.

As the light faded over the noble Kingdom of Ulidia, armed men were storming it's monarchs castle, a strong fortress named Blackdown Stronghold, which was located on a rocky hill. Towering above the green valley of Black Hollow, it dominated the landscape, but its thick stone walls were not providing enough protection tonight to hold back the armoured attackers.

The drawbridge had not been closed yet and concealed as merchants, the men were able to get into the courtyard before the royal guards of King Quinn of Ulidia were able to figure out where the heavy weapons had come from and in general, what was happening in this second.

Many of them were killed by a sword before they could get their hands on their own weapons, and in a matter of minutes, the unknown attackers had invaded the main part of the castle, in which the chambers of the king and all of his other governmental halls were located.

In the throne hall, a large room decorated with thick, crimson brocade curtains and carpets and the golden throne standing on its far side, King Quinn was jumping to attention as the noise of the fight reached his ears.

The sound of metal hitting metal or flesh was hanging in the air, accompanied by the screams of the men who were being wounded or killed as the attackers made their way up the stairs.

Seconds later, the heavy oak doors were being pushed open with a lot of force and the two guards, who had been standing in front of the throne hall, fell to the ground, lances protruding from their chests.

A tall man was walking into the throne hall, carrying a bloody sword in his hands. He had pale skin and shoulder length black hair, which was practically melting into the long, black robes that he wore over his leather armour. His cloak was billowing behind him as he approached the throne and King Quinn with long strides, his face an unmoving mask.

Quinn stared at the man in surprise, his eyes wide and a choked whisper escaped his throat:"Severus."

"Indeed, my beloved brother. The lost son is coming home, finally," the man named Severus answered, and a sneer sneaked onto his face, making his onyx black eyes sparkle. "You seem to be less delighted about my visit than I hoped you would be. Should I have brought you flowers as a gift? Or maybe some of your favourite game?"

Quinn gulped, his gaze wandering over his brothers appearance, as if he needed the time to digest the image he was providing in this moment, standing in front of him, looking so unfamiliar.

Blood was running down the shining metall of the swords blade, falling to the stone floor in little drops. Red stains and specks were all over Severus' face and also on his leather armour and the white shirt he was wearing underneath.

"I... I find it hard to be delighted to see you brother, when you seem to be leading an army into my castle, letting them kill my guards and servants. What is this all about, Severus, and why are you standing in front of your king with your bloody sword drawn?," Quinn fretted, not able to hide the nervousness that had been building inside of him, obviously much to his brothers amusement.

"Oh, my dear Quinn... a good politician, but the sight of a sword makes you shake in fear. It should be clear to you, my dear brother, what my intents are. You have proven to be intelligent enough, you only seem to be too surprised to really believe that this is happening," Severus grimaced, acting as if he was intimidated by the fact that Quinn had not already figured out why in the world his own brother was leading an attack on his castle.

"You may be right, brother – I don't want to believe that you would be capable of doing something like that," Quinn agreed, a bit of sweat shining on his forehead.

"To err is human, Quinn," Severus grinned, lifting his sword slightly as he took another step towards his brother, his gaze dripping of hate and loathing as he spit at the king's feet. "I also feel like you were utterly foolish to think that I was no threat to your power. Have you forgotten how outraged and hurt I was when father decided to hand the crown and the kingdom over to you when he was feeling that death was going to take him away?!"

"Severus, I am his eldest son, I was the rightful heir, of course I was inheriting the throne of Ulidia, we knew since we where children that I would become king! I just do not understand why you are so bitter about it! So bitter that you end up standing here in front of me, ready to kill me!," the king screamed, gesticulating so much that his crown was sitting askew on his black curls. Severus just snorted, glaring at his brother.

"You are a weakling. Ulidia could be way more powerful and wealthy by now if you only had the guts to expand. But you value your freedom like a naïve child, like you have always done. It is time for this to end and for me to get what I deserve! This castle, this crown, this throne."

Quinn did not look afraid any more, but rather sad as he listened to Severus' speech of rage and under his breath, he muttered:"What have you become, my brother?"

"Enough of these sentimental words. I am here to relieve you of the unpleasant commitment of having to breathe. I am sure you don't mind, your highness."

He did a mocking bow before his sword swung up and slashed through the air, gaining momentum before drilling into his brother's chest with a nasty sound. Quinn screamed in agony as blood pooled thickly from the wound as soon as Severus pulled the blade out again, grinning madly in triumph. The fatally wounded king was falling to his knees, his shaking hands finding the fabric of his brothers cloak, closing tightly around it.
"Some... somebody will s-send you to h-hell for this...," the dying man stuttered, his voice weak and raspy as it came to an end.

"I highly doubt that. If you don't mind – this is mine now," Severus hissed through gritted teeth, taking the crown off his brother's head and placing it on his own before shoving him away. And as Quinn of Ulidia hit the cold stone floor, he was dead.

"The king is dead... long live the king," Severus breathed to himself, the sword gliding from his grasp as he felt how the overwhelming feeling of power was coming down at him, flowing through his veins, driven by the beating of his heart.

His gaze wandered from the body of his dead brother up to the wooden dais on which the throne was standing. Ruby red velvet cushion, gold-plated wood richly decorated with runes and patterns... It was as if the throne was whispering to him, calling for him to finally, after spending a lifetime waiting for this moment, mount it.

Slowly, as if this symbol of power could vanish any second, Severus climbed up the steps that lead up to the top of the podest, excitement seemingly intensifying his feelings.

As he finally seated himself on the throne, the crown's weight prominent on his head, he burst out laughing in utter glee.

Finally, he was where he had always felt he belonged. He, Severus, was the new king of Ulidia, and now he was going to form this kingdom after his vision.

"Your highness," a heavy-breathing man exclaimed as he staggered into the room, pressing his hand to a cut at his shoulder. "It is done, the guards of Quinn are dead."

"And so is Quinn himself," Severus grinned, gesturing towards the body that was lying on the floor. "You, Ronan, will be highly rewarded for your loyal service as the leader of my little army, but first, there are other matters that are more important."

Ronan bowed deeply in front of his new king, before Severus continued:"Send the messengers out to notify the warriors that the rest of the kingdom is to be wiped clean of my enemies. Just as we planned, Ronan."

"As you wish, master," the other man answered and hurried out of the throne hall while Severus leaned back, a satisfied grin on his face.

There was nothing sweeter than revenge and he, Severus, would be able to relish in a ocean of it. Over the years, a long list of enemies had been collected – people who were loyal to his brother Quinn in a nearly obsessed way. People who had denied to help him when he had tried to overthrow his brother's reign for the first time and therefore had prevented that he had been able to take any actions back then...

Those who had betrayed him on his way of seeking for power. He wanted to see all of them dead, no matter how many resources it would take to succeed.

And of course, his remaining siblings – there was no way they could live, they were the biggest threat to his newly gained power. The younger brothers Niall, Lorcan and the youngest child, their sister Fianna, were as loved by the people as Quinn had been, and therefore, they were more than capable of leading a rebellion against Severus.

There was no way he was going to endanger his power and his dreams. He craved for more riches, for more mightiness in a bigger and stronger Ulidia. Dreamed of big, powerful cities and feared armies that were able to get everything Ulidia needed to rise high.

Yes, he would do everything that was necessary to fulfill his visions, but to build something new, everything would have to be burned down first.