72 Miracle (1/2)

Amautu was having a bad day. Before the start of the assembly he had been sure to have won over most of the ancestors, but right from the start nothing had gone according to plan. The ancestors who had been so supportive before now stayed quiet as his own grandfathers did whatever they could to heave his bastard half-brother onto the throne. Even worse, his older brother Corco had come much better prepared than he thought, and the saint was finally ready to make his hands dirty. It had caught Amautu completely caught off. At this point, all regrets were moot. As far as the ancestors were concerned, his lack of respect for the throne had been proven.

By the time Corco stepped back into the Ancestral Hall, the atmosphere in the room had completely shifted against Amautu. Since his defiant stare was ignored by his brother, the second prince turned to the people who really mattered. Where the ancestors had been in a quiet, suppressed mood before, now they deliberated over the candidates in whispers. No longer did they show any concern towards the second prince. It was obvious that their minds had been swayed. Meanwhile, Both Spuria and her father at the head of the assembly looked around the room in satisfaction.

There had been little reason for them to give Amautu the time of day before, not seeing with how vigor he had opposed his mother's family. They must be happy to get rid of a competitor. With Amautu losing his support from within the Ancestral Hall, there would be no chance for him to gain nomination anymore. Not unless a true miracle happened.

The return of Elder Caelestis followed soon after Corco. On any other day Amautu would relish in the beast's defeat, but this time the sorry figure spoke of another victory for his eldest brother. The old hyena's face was as gray as the sooty snow of Arguna as his stiff, sluggish steps led him back to his seat. Once he reached his chair, he plopped down his lifeless body, something which seemed to take all of his strength. Elder Acquilinus Ichilia frowned in response. He would understand that the Pluritac elder was acting peculiar, but even the master of ceremonies couldn't change the itinerary, so he resumed the discussion according to schedule.

”With the final witness returned, this elder will ask as before: Does Elder Caelestis believe that the second prince, Amautu Titu Secundu Pluritac, has disrespected his ancestors?”

Caelestis, distracted from his thoughts, labored his head to turn and look at his equal within the Ancestral Hall. It seemed to take him a while to register the question, but in the end he understood what had been asked. His reply came in a quiet voice.

”Yes. Prince Amautu sat on the silver throne.”

The murmurs around turned louder as the elders saw their fears confirmed by one of their own, one who had shown himself to be neutral throughout the succession.

Amautu took a deep breath, prepared to risk it all. He had one final, desperate counterattack to offer. He wanted to shout out the words he had held within his heart for so many years. Wanted to tell everyone the truth about his uncle Pacha. About the barbarity which he had seen right within the palace. However, a look to his side, a look to his half-brother, brought him back to his senses.

He saw his brother Corco, first prince of Medala, with his lips pressed tight and his eyes widened, shaking his head in warning. Amautu's thought trailed off while he attempted to decipher his brother's actions. What was going on here? Just like Corco, Amautu had always been more of a thinker than a fighter, so as usual, his head went to work.

First, Corco knew about the elder's actions and about Pacha's true status, Amautu had made sure of that. Second, Corco had left the grand court later than his mother and his master. Which meant he had stayed behind to talk to their grandfather. It seemed like his brother had already arranged a nice surprise for uncle Pacha.

Even though it would feel good in the moment, there was no need to expose the truth too early and destroy his brother's plans. Not to mention, any attempt to uncover his uncle's dirty secret were doomed to fail without the necessary proof. Despite years of effort, any hard evidence of his uncle's heritage still eluded him. Thus, he decided to trust his brother and bow his head for now. At least it would also ruin the beast's chances at success.

”This youngster is deeply disconsolate about his previous transgressions. With all respect required of his standing, Junior Amautu will defer to the judgment of the ancestors.”

The old men around the table slowly nodded heads, though many brows were still furrowed. It seemed like Amautu's words had been enough to appease them for now. He could forget about nomination, but at least his fate wasn't sealed. Blowing up in their faces, even worse in front of other outsiders, would have been more than the vain old men would have been willing to bare. His fate would have been nothing short of exile if he hadn't managed to calm down. Amautu turned to look back at his older brother. If nothing else, he appreciated Corco's honest and capable nature.

More than anyone else, he had been playing by the rules so far. Amautu wouldn't even hold his current defeat against Corco. Rather than his brother's machinations, it had been his own arrogance which had caused his downfall. Unlike the puppeteered dullard of an uncle, he could respect Corco as a worthy adversary, if nothing else. He looked over to his competitor and gave him a short nod, to signal his gratitude. In return, Corco showed a sly grin and jerked his eyes over to the seats of the ancestors. It seemed like a good show was about to start. Amautu was looking forward to it. Truly.

”Thus, with no refutation, order is spoken. The Ancestral Hall rescinds consideration for Prince Amautu Secundu. The candidates to be considered as the future emperor of Medala will be Prince Corcopaca Primu and Prince-”

Throughout Acquilinus Ichilia's speech, Amautu could see the face of Caelestis distort more and more heavily. Amautu followed the old man's eyes back to his brother Corco, who replied his elder with a stoic mien. Finally, Caelestis broke the tension between the two as he interrupted the old Ichilia brute. Once again the actions were out of order and defied tradition, like so many things on this day had.

”One moment!”

The old man shrieked like a woman. Amautu had always been uncomfortable in the presence of the hyena. To him, it was fun to see the cowardly Caelestis squirm. Driven by something greater than his own weakness, the adulterer continued.

”Pachacutec Tertiu cannot be considered for the throne!”

Another burst of murmurs spread throughout the room as Amautu's eyes opened wide. This was outrageous. At last, the always neutral Caelestis had spoken out for one of the princes. Just what had it been Corco and he had talked about up in the throne room? How could he side against the bastard, his own son? While Amautu didn't understand, he relished in the man's discomfort as much as in the outrage of his so-called family.

”Elder Pluritac, this is highly unusual! There is no good reason to exclude Prince Pacha from selection!”

”Elder Pluritac, how dare you!”