A/N: This fic was part of a self-imposed challenge to write a story that was 1000 words or less! The title and concept were inspired by the movie "The King's Speech." It's one of my favorite films of all time. If you haven't seen it, I recommend you do.

The Emperor's Speech

This was a place that he never expected to be. Twoflower stood on top of the palace balcony, looking down at the mass of people gathered within the vast courtyard. From way up here, they appeared so tiny. In spite of the distance between him and the people, Twoflower could feel the peoples' eyes on him. He knew they would be hanging on his every word.

Twoflower swallowed hard as he looked into the crowd. He took in a deep breath, shutting his eyes for a brief moment. He had never addressed a large group like this before. If he didn't say anything though, someone else would. Someone else would only cause trouble. Opening his eyes, Twoflower exhaled and gave his best smile. The short man took a step forward, placing his hands on the rail of the balcony.

"Hello, everyone. To those who don't know me, my name is Twoflower. I've been your Grand Vizier for a while now. I notice a lot of people give me funny looks when I walk the streets. Some of them ask me why I don't wear black, but I prefer red myself, don't you?"

There was a laugh that echoed throughout the crowd that was standing in the courtyard. Twoflower managed a light chuckle.

"Anyway, we're not here to talk about my favorite color. I've called everyone here because I have something important to say. What you're about to hear is true. I know we're not used to it. This may be hard for some of us to take in. We've always been told what we want to hear instead of what we need to. We've spent our lives seeing fake smiles and holding onto false hope. What we need now is honesty."

He pointed toward the people with his index finger. A few of them nodded, while others started to fidget. They probably knew that bad news was on the way, Twoflower thought. Important speeches were seldom made for anything good. In his brief pause, he was almost tempted to stop speaking right there. He couldn't though. In the name of honesty, Twoflower had to continue to deliver words to the citizens of the Empire, who would soon be his responsibility.

"It will start with me. The news I have to tell you is awful, and I almost don't want to believe it myself." Twoflower paused again. While many speakers did this for dramatic effects, he found his voice cracking as he spoke the last few words of his sentence. He took a deep, shaky breath, and kept on going. "The albatross from Ankh-Morpork arrived early this morning with a message. Emperor Cohen and the Silver Horde are dead. Their last moments were their bravest and most heroic."

A sea of gasps traveled throughout the crowd. Heads turned toward each other, and then to the man who spoke before them. The light hum of whispering and conversation began to rise up from the people. A few closed their eyes and bowed their heads. Twoflower did the same briefly, and then looked upon the faces once again. His hand went over his heart as he continued to speak.

"Cohen was my friend. He saved me and Rincewind many times on our travels. I will miss him terribly, but I know what he would have wanted. Besides meat, beer, and potatoes, Emperor Cohen would have wanted us to keep on living."

There was some nodding in the crowd before him.

"One of his last wishes was for me to take his place when he is gone. So I will be staying here in the palace, to serve the people for the rest of my days as your next emperor. I know we have many hopes and dreams. We want the Agatean Empire to be a place where artisans can sculpt and draw what moves their feelings, where scribes can write the truth, and where peasants can read and write. We want our home to be a place where we no longer fear losing a limb or a life over rules that are unfair."

Twoflower curled his hand into a fist as he continued to speak.

"All of our dreams can only come true if we work hard. Every day, we must strive to be better than who we were yesterday. If we continue to do that, I know we can be happy. As your next ruler, I can promise every one of you I will do my part. There is only one thing I want. I want you all to wear as big, and as real of a smile as mine. Thank you, everyone."

After his words of thanks were spoken, Twoflower took a bow in the people's direction. What happened next was not the solemn, fearful silence that the Empire's citizens normally received a new emperor with. It started with one clap in the distance, until the thundering applause of thousands of hands echoed throughout the palace courtyard. Some people were smiling, and others were cheering.

For now they were happy. For now they accepted that once again, their leadership changed. But Twoflower knew they were just caught within the moment, even as he waved and flashed them a smile. But as Twoflower stepped away from the balcony and back into the palace doors, a million thoughts raced through his mind. What happened next, when the fanfare died down? What would happen when those ugly feelings of uncertainty, doubt, and fear crept up on the people of the Empire? What would happen to him?

It would work out in the end, Twoflower imagined. It always did, somehow. He knew he wouldn't be a perfect ruler. He was only human, and even the Gods made mistakes sometimes.

Twoflower knew if he did his best, the people's smiles would stay just as bright and real as he saw them today.

~ Fin

A/N: I always wondered what happened to the Agatean Empire after The Last Hero. It hasn't been a setting in the Discworld canon since Interesting Times. My theory was that Twoflower became emperor, and he runs his country well. This fic is the result. It may turn into a mini-series if I can brainstorm more ideas along this line.