The moment he took the first step, the first notes from the pipes began to boom with tremendous intensity. An ancient hymn was intoned, the vibrations of which could be felt on his body as he slowly walked up the steps. He stepped inside and before him, on his left and right, were the kings, governors, lords, heirs to the throne, in other words all the important dignitaries of the newly founded empire. They all wore splendid, richly decorated robes and flaunted their titles and relevance. Among them there also now finally was the king of Camenia. The entire cathedral, which was full to bursting with dignitaries, resounded with loud organ music. Wenzel went almost all the way to the front. In front of the altar was an ancient wooden throne that dated back to Melgar. Somehow this relic had survived all these years and had not been destroyed. Wenzel was familiar with the upcoming course of the ceremony, as it had been explained to him beforehand by a patriarchal nuncio. The young man had also memorised the things he was to say at various points in the coronation ceremony.

  Technically speaking, the Commune had already recognised him as the legitimate successor to the Melgarions when they had visited the hidden village in the southern mountains. But this was now the great, official coronation and it was tradition and had great symbolic as well as worldly significance. The magician stopped and the music ended. Then a short, impressive fanfare was blown with the trumpets. Before the actual rite began, the servants of the crown would now address the invited guests and ask them to pay homage to the new emperor. They read from a roll of parchment: "We hereby present Wenzel I, God’s Chosen One and undisputed heir to the realm! All the most illustrious present have gathered here today to pay homage to His Majesty and swear allegiance. Are you prepared to answer this call?" In unison, the assembled answered: "God save Emperor Wenzel!" Everyone's eyes were now fixed curiously on the future emperor, of which he was not a fan.

  Another short fanfare followed and the ceremony began. The wizard stepped forward, up to the altar, where he could see wooden benches with finely ornamented depictions of scenes from the Holy Testament and flowers to the left and right. The statues of saints could now be seen everywhere again, at least here at the front. There were also candles burning and large icons of Melgar were on display, but this time only of him. On the altar at the very front, five objects were laid out at a perfect distance from each other. Screens were quickly brought in and placed around the boy. He had to dress in a traditional pure white tunic as the next step. Meanwhile, the choir sang as an interlude, so to speak. When this was done, the servants carried the screens away again and Wenzel sat down on the throne. The patriarch and a few other clergymen had positioned themselves in front of him.

  First, he brought the Testament and made the future emperor swear to rule on its basis, which naturally Wenzel swore. At this point it is also important to mention that the patriarch held the mass almost entirely in Ancient Camenian, which meant that Wenzel hardly understood any of it. However, he had been given detailed explanations in advance of how the ceremony would take place and what the respective steps meant and what was said. For the most part, he replied with "I solemnly swear" or a variation of this, just as he had done when he was anointed. Then his Excellency, as "your Holiness" could only be used to address the Chosen One, would present him with the five regalia, each of which represented something different. He would now take each of the objects to the sovereign individually and explain to him what they stood for. He began with Melgar's sword, which was in fact the one that Theodor had brought him from the defeated Gawein.

  "The sword represents the right and duty of the ruler to fight for what is true and just." The young man took the sword by the hilt and, as the procedure demanded, made four strokes of the sword in all four cardinal directions, symbolising the universal claim to power. Then he handed it back to him and the next of the regalia was brought. The so-called imperial orb was simply a golden ball the size of a fist with a triquetra on top. Interestingly, it did not have a gemstone set into it like the other regalia. "The ball symbolises the globe and all its peoples, so that the ruler may unite them under the triquetra and hold them in his protective hand." And so it went on with the sceptre, which had a hand doing the three-finger salute at the top and a blue gemstone at the bottom. "The sceptre stands for the ruler's God-given right to rule and his connection to God. And here we have the pendant. It is a symbol of the old traditions that people tried to destroy and of the sovereign's duty to restore what has been lost and carry on what has been handed down." In fact, the shattered parts of the stone were simply put back into the frame. After Elias II had been told what had happened to the object at the time by Wenzel, he had come up with this interpretation for it. It was a very good one, as the emperor felt, even if it was not its original meaning. The last of the imperial regalia was the crown, which the head of the church placed on his head.

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  A few more chants and smaller steps followed in this ceremony, but then it was finally done. The emperor walked out of the main portal of the cathedral accompanied by the sound of trumpets. He was followed by the entire entourage. From the towers of the house of God, the sounds of the trumpets resounded throughout the city. A new emperor had been crowned! They then rode off and back to the imperial palace, in front of which a large podium had been erected. Wenzel was expected to give a speech. The newly crowned ruler did not like this, but, since he was absolutely required to do so, he had insisted on writing the speech himself. The large fealty rode up and took their seats in the prepared place. Meanwhile, a huge crowd of gaudily dressed soldiers stood ready on the wide streets. Theodor would lead them and had, therefore, stayed behind. When the countless distinguished gentlemen rode up, he also got ready and mounted his horse. He planned to wait in the saddle for the entire speech until they could start the parade.

  Wenzel rode past him and could immediately recognise his still depressed mood. He had personally promised the hero of the revolution that he was indispensable to the empire and gave him the honour of leading the great victory parade. Nevertheless, every time the Supreme Marshal took the reins of his steed, he was reminded that he was "no longer a whole man", as his hand was missing. It took a while for everyone to take their seats, then the Chosen One finally stepped up to the podium. Everyone clapped and then it started.

  "Honoured guests! We are gathered here today to celebrate the conclusion of an earth-shattering development. In recent years, we all have shed blood and tears, lost loved ones or were even torn and uprooted from our former lives. The revolution has claimed many lives, but if it had not happened, the Alethic regime would have claimed even more lives and led the country into the abyss. It was a necessity to stand up against it. My life was also turned upside down by these events. Now the war is over and we can finally hope again for better times and a return to a normal life without tyranny and oppression. Because that was the real reason for the revolution! The people of Ordania, the peoples of Kaphkos, had not risked their lives and taken up arms, because they had always agreed with everything some in the resistance were saying. No, they had come to us out of desperation! They didn't know what to do and could neither go forwards nor backwards. The uprising of the people was a reaction to the cruel tyranny of the coup regime and it was a cry for freedom! Therefore, we must continue to work for the good of the people of the country, so that their lives and the future will be better."

  All the nobles and important lords listened intently and were absolutely stunned to hear what Wenzel had to say. Theodor also lent him his ear and when he heard the emperor's last sentence, he suddenly burst out laughing. The other military officers and a few nobles turned towards him, surprised by his irreverence. Of course, they didn't understand how significant Theodor's behaviour actually was. He had been depressed for a very long time now, so this outburst of laughter seemed to have broken him out of his shell, even if just for the moment. The army commander was visibly amused by Wenzel's ideas. The lad was obviously not someone who thought much of the elites. Behind the Supreme Marshal, one could see from the joyful faces of the former Martyrs that they agreed with their emperor. Many of them had also grown up as simple farmers and craftsmen. They knew that Wenzel had once lived and fought alongside them and they held him in high esteem. The high lords of the empire were probably of a completely different opinion.

  When the speech ended, everyone clapped, regardless of what they thought of the things said. Then it was time for the parade. Theodor gave the signal and the first riders set off. The troops at the front saluted and shouted loudly: "Praise the martyrs! Hail Melgar!" The military band began playing and the men dressed in ceremonial uniforms marched past the Melgarion Palace to the rhythm of the band. It was a huge racket, not only because of the horses and the music, but also because of the countless onlookers who were happily shouting at them. Some even scattered flowers from the windows of the tall buildings onto the passing soldiers. The flag bearers presented the sunflag of the empire and that of the Martyrs’ Brigades. Further back, men carrying the flags of the Teleiotic Church and icons of Melgar and Elisabeth followed. It was a huge spectacle. Wenzel remained standing at the top of the palace steps and watched the passing troops with fascination. He was also very impressed by it all.

  All the glamour and glory were not something he thought much of, but the spectacle of the victorious parading troops and the cheering crowds did carry him away a little. This was them drawing a line under the revolution. So much had happened and so much had changed. But there was no reason, not a single one, to mope. The focus had to be on the future. So, the day slowly came to an end and everyone would soon be on their way home again. Normality would return. The day had been an exhausting one for the sovereign anyway. He now accepted that people treated him as special, but that didn't mean he liked it. Tired, he sank into his bed that day. From now on, he would have a lot to do, not just his duties, but also the things he had planned to do for him personally.