A/N: Before I start my story, I just want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for giving me the idea for this story and for showing me how to write it. You deserve to be praised! Amen!

So, here's something new: a fanfic for Odin Sphere, which is one of my favorite video games ever. I like most of the characters (Gwendolyn and Mercedes contesting for favorites), but one of my favorite monarchs is probably going to be King Edmund...mostly because there's not a lot that's known about him, save that he killed his own father when he was younger. Unlike most of the other rulers in Erion, we don't get a whole lot of focus on him outside of The Pooka Prince. I was inspired by Cornelius' words to his father before he leaves to reunite with Velvet, and I wondered what Edmund would do about it. Hence, I wrote this.

I hope you enjoy this story!

Story Title: A King's Oath

Genre: General/Angst

Rating: K+

Summary: Not long after Cornelius leaves, Edmund reflects on his son's words, his position as king and the oath he made when he became one. Takes place during the epilogue of The Pooka Prince. Edmund-centric.

Disclaimer: I wish I did own Odin Sphere...

A King's Oath

"Father, this is your son's last wish. Please...be a good king."

Cornelius' words before he left hung over the throne room like a cloud, creating a somber mood that affected everyone around the king's court. Sitting on his throne with his head resting in his palm, Edmund mulled over his son's words, which only increased the guilt over his own actions.

It was odd, he mused; only a few days ago he had been telling Cornelius to stop being irresponsible and act like a prince. And now his own son was telling him that he needed to stop being irresponsible and act like a king. As much as he hated to admit it, Cornelius was right. He needed to step up and take responsibility for his actions-actions that had killed innocent people and had tarnished his reputation.

What was he supposed to say to the townspeople, after all he'd done? Apologies simply wouldn't be enough. He had ordered the masses to sacrifice people to Belial, the fearsome dragon that was living in the sewer maze, all because of Urzur's scheme. One of those people had been Velvet, the kingdomless princess Cornelius loved. He could only imagine how Cornelius had reacted to such news. He was quite surprised that he hadn't threatened to kill him afterwards.

It wasn't just his current actions that had brought his guilt. Nobody knew that he was the reason why King Gallon had turned into a fearsome Darkova, and who had killed him. The memories of confronting his father, with that wicked sword in hand...Edmund's grip on the armrest of his throne tightened until his knuckles went white. Even now, the battle continued to bring terror to his soul and threatened to kill him where he sat. And since his brother had been disowned by Gallon before his transformation, Edmund had been chosen to be king.

Cornelius had been right about one thing: he didn't deserve to be king before. He had quickly took the throne as soon as he had defeated his father, seeing as his brother was disowned and Titania was in disarray. That brought about another question: had he really been a good king? Many years had passed, and his memory wasn't as sharp as it used to be, so he couldn't really say for himself if he had been one. He had done a good job of holding everything together, despite being tormented by his actions. But now, with conditions getting worse for his people, he supposed that he hadn't been doing such a good job after all.

One of the things he did remember was the oath the king of Titania took during their coronation. The king swore to be a firm, just and kind king, one who would earn the respect of all the other nations and the respect of his townspeople. He remembered taking his oath, swearing to himself that he would succeed where his father had failed.

But he hadn't. He knew people were talking about him, how they sneered at him behind all the adoration and praise. Edmund had heard many adjectives tacked onto his name: feeble, weak, senile. It used to fill him with sadness before, but he had always pushed that aside, believing that he could wave off their concerns.

But now, with what had happened, he couldn't just push those words aside. He certainly wasn't senile, but he wasn't the strongest ruler of Erion. He had shied away from combat more than once, and now his country was suffering because of it. It was a complete contrast to how he reacted when he was younger; he absolutely would not stand for weakness, and had answered any challenge that came at him. And now...

He shook his head, standing up from his throne. This was no time to be indecisive. If he was going to become a better king, the one he wished to be, he needed to act now, not wait around. He picked up his staff and walked over to the doors.

There was something that he had to do.

The very next day, majority of the townspeople of Titania stood outside of the castle gates, watching with bated breath as their king walked out onto his balcony. Seeing their curious expressions filled Edmund with some hope, as not everyone had abandoned him. He had sent a decree for everyone in Titania to come to the castle to hear what he had to say, and had expected a small turnout.

The fact that nearly all the townspeople were out here filled him with some peace. At least he knew that the people still had faith in him.

Clearing his throat, he said, "People of Titania, there is a reason why I have called you all here today."

His words sent a hush over the crowd. "As you all know, many of our citizens were being sacrificed to Belial, the fearsome dragon controlled by Urzur, my most trusted advisor. I...was also part of this plan, as he had tried to convince me to give up the royal family's most sacred possession. For those of you who have lost loved ones to this beast...I offer my condolences, as well as my apologies. I know that no amount of either will lessen what I've done, but let it not be said that I am a ruthless king.

"Furthermore, I have come to you today to announce that the king you see before you now will change for the better. I have heard the rumors of my standing among the ruling founders of Erion. And I must admit that most of them are true. I am weak-willed. I am feeble. And I fear that I may be losing my mind at times. I may have done a good job at keeping our kingdom out of the ongoing Cauldron War, but I have done a horrible job at keeping my people safe and happy. Many of you have suffered because of the taxations, yet these went unnoticed by me. I must apologize for that as well, for I allowed myself to give into my own fear."

He paused to let the citizens take in his words. The people of Titania looked slightly troubled and surprised by this news. Others looked unimpressed and even angry at what he had to say. He should have figured that there was going to be some resistance to what he had to say, but it still filled his heart with sadness. Here he was trying to make amends, and people were still judging him.

I must get a hold of myself, he thought. There will always be opponents in any kingdom, I suppose. But I must not let that get to me. I never did in my younger years...and I will not let their words affect me any longer.

"But rest assured, we will heal from this chaos. I promise, on the oath I made when I took this crown, that I will heal the kingdom from the disaster that nearly befell it. If I am to continue to reign as king, I must act like one." He paused as he recalled Cornelius' words. "And I swear that I will be a good king, as long as I live."

With this, he turned and walked back into his throne room, feeling as though a ton of lead had been lifted off of his chest. Even if the people didn't fully accept or believe what he'd said, it was necessary to say it. He would never live with himself if he didn't attempt to atone for his actions.

"Cornelius," he said to himself, a small smile on his face, "you proved to be wiser than your father, after all. I swear, until my dying day...I'll do everything to make your last wish come true."

The End

This was pretty short...but since I didn't want to expand it with needless filler, I left it at that. Sadly, if this story really did happen in-game, Edmund wouldn't even be able to atone for his actions since he's killed by his undead father (I haven't played that far into the game, though; I got that from going on Odin Sphere's wiki.) in Armageddon.

But yeah, this is kind of a response fic to the ending of "The Pooka Prince". I think it would have been interesting if Edmund got more character development through the game, and if he really did attempt to atone for the chaos he caused in "The Pooka Prince". I am aware that it was mostly Urzur who caused it...but Edmund allowed it to happen and he gave in to Urzur's demands, so he's still at fault. Sigh...one can only dream.

Constructive criticism is appreciated! Let me know what you think!

God bless, iheartgod175