"The king is dead. Long live the king."

The drone of the peasants repeated over and over even in my sleep. It had been a week. The proper mourning period before the new king would take the place of the old. The physician claimed it was a weak heart. The herbalist said it was bad fae wine. I say it was a broken heart. After my mother's death, two years prior, my father had been on the decline. At first, it was simply his distraction during council meetings. He was forgiven for those. He started avoiding festivals and celebration. The court began to talk. The peasants began to spread rumors that he had passed away too. He began skipping meals. He began suffering from heartache and it was at this point that I believe, our king, my father, gave up and started to die. He was found dead in his bed a week ago. For a month I was had not seen him. He refused to see anyone, even me.

To be honest, I feel betrayed. Yes, betrayed and abandoned. My own father did not want me to be by his side during his passing. It was painful. We had such a good bond. We were a close knit family...

"Adam? The council meeting is about to start. It's time to get dressed." Sylvar Presbella was tall and slender with long white hair he normally kept braided down his back. His fine, elven features betrayed no emotion most of the time, making him hard to read. He didn't approve of my behavior to chronicle the rest of my life but he didn't know, I wasn't just chronicling my life. I was chronicling my adventure to the portal and beyond. I was a part of this planet's history and I was going to make it count. He had verbally made his thoughts known telling me 'If you keep this diary, you are only encouraging the dread that took your father to take you too.'

I didn't hear his lightfooted approach to my desk and when he spoke I scrambled to collect my paperwork and books together in a bundle but his delicate hand came down on one of the old, dusty parchments I had snuck out of the vaults only days before, long fingers pressing down onto the paper. My own blue eyes lifted to meet his look of icy disdain.

"This is forbidden material." The strain in his voice was sharp as a knife raising the tension between us.

"I....I...know. It's jus-" I began to stutter but he cut me off sharply.

"Just nothing. I've warned you about this. If any of this came out you will be forced to abdicate your throne and you will be executed. The circle of knowers has been wittled down to the bare minimum." He leaned in so that he could whisper close to my ear and I could smell the scent of blossom on him. "We killed many dangerous knowers to protect you. Do you want to be executed Adam?" I shook my head nervously. He slapped my hands away from the parchment and collected all those papers I'd spent sleepless nights looming over, searching for the truth. "Then do not poke the dragon when it is sleeping."

He sweeped toward the doorway. "I will raise security to the vaults and I forbid you to go there. Now get dressed and go to the council chambers." The door slammed with a force I didn't think Sylvar was capable off.

I'll have to find another way... I hid my chronicle under my matress and hurried off to my kingly duties.