[PRP] Empty Throne

[Quaji]

The throne of the Pridelands sat empty.

Simi sat upon the cooling stone of Pride Rock, waiting for the other council members to answer his call for an emergency summons. It was late, so very late as the sun had long since dipped below the horizon and the pride had fallen asleep. Even now, Simi's eyes drooped, fatigue threatening to cause the elderly lion to fall asleep while sitting. For a moment, he entertained the thought, allowing himself a moment's respite, letting his eyes slide shut. In the darkness, so different from the moonlit one beyond his eyelids, he found himself thinking about the whirlwind of events that led to this night.

No amount of time would give him the answers as to what poisonous thoughts had invaded Tau's mind to think himself unfit to rule the Pridelands. The recent years that had gone by, the relative peace the Pridelands enjoyed, were not enough to wash away the failings Tau had internalized. Even Simi had not been groomed to rule, only a prince, but had found the crown thrust upon him after his mother and sister vanished without a trace. He had learned and had stumbled along the way. Still, Tau would not hear reason and instead chose to abdicate, letting the crown once again fall reluctantly upon Simi's head.

(note: Your councilor would have very little information relayed to them about the subject of this meeting, but would know that the meeting is of great importance for Simi to summon them in the middle of the night.)  

[Das Tor]

Life moved on, the Circle of Life continued, and the world had quieted. That didn't mean everything was perfect, however. Much remained unsolved. Much remained uncertain. Of all the things in life she did expect, however, being woken in the middle of the night was not one. The summons had been from Simi, and while Irit rather valued her sleep, the older lioness also valued her pride. She was a council member for a reason, after all.

And so she'd dragged her old bones up from sleep and to where the old noble awaited, yawning.

"I'm almost afraid to ask what this is about. We're both too old to be up this late." Oh, to be young and full of never-ending energy again. The trickster missed those days, missed when her bones didn't creak and joints didn't remind her of the rainy season coming.  

[Seaki]

Vogel was just drifting asleep beside her when she had gotten the message for the emergency summons. She shushed her mate back to sleep, though a bit of fear and a lot of apprehension filled her chest, making the sound feel bitter on her tongue. Vogel, fortunately, was used to her getting up at all hours, and fell back asleep quite quickly.

Bryne made her way towards Pride Rock, and the spot she was told to meet the rest of the council at. Normally, council meetings were scheduled, and normally not so late.

She would just have to find out what it was about when she got there.

Her fears were not assuaged when she saw Simi, instead of Tau. Still, seeing Simi wasnt completely out of the question, though it was still a bit odd. She wasn't the first to arrive, she saw, but not the last either.  

[Quaji]

"Thank you both for coming so quickly. I apologize for the poor timing," Simi said, offering the two lionesses a smile and a bow of his head to greet them. He held onto hope that the others would arrive shortly, but there was no delaying the inevitable conversation. They would learn the news in the morning, along with the rest of the pride as they woke to a changed, but not, pride.

"I did not want chaos to grip our pride once more and I am afraid it may if we do not act swiftly." Exhaling deeply, Simi began to recount the events that led to this emergency summons. "Some hours ago, King Tau approached me. We spoke in length of the Pridelands, of the peace we have enjoyed in the lull after the devastation that rocked the pride years ago. He had determined that he was an ill fit for the Prideland's throne. Regardless of any opinion on the matter, he is my grandson and I love him dearly. I have done my best to offer him the guidance I did not receive. While I did attempt to change his opinion, my grandson's mind was made and he would not be swayed."

"The Pridelands will wake without a king," he stated. A moment of pause was left in the air, both as Simi settled his nerves, trying to calm his nerves before continuing. "Tau abdicated his throne, with no heir to take it. He indicated that I would be his heir as I held the title prior. I am old and tired. I cannot rule forever and if there are no objections among the council, I will act as regent until we find a suitable candidate."

Seaki

Das Tor

 

[Anderleit]

Late wasn't something that bothered Djuro. He didn't tend to sleep well most days, to say that had worsened with recent calamities was an...understatement. If the corners of his eyes sagged with sleeplessness, or his tailtip and mane looked a bit haggard, it would be the only signs he allowed. His gait was still steady and sure, his stance businesslike and composed. The weight of what he represented was too heavy to allow for mere physical failings. He had not wavered yet, and a moonlit summons would not be the start.

Perhaps that drive was what deepened the scowl on his lips as he approached the gathering, silently listing to Simi, regretting that he had arrived mid-speech. It was not too hard to put together the pieces he had missed, given context. Though he would have liked to give Tau the benefit of the doubt, he could not truly say that he was surprised. The weight of his position had never sat well on his head, poor lad.

The lion announced his presence with words pitched low, obviously intended only for the members of this gathering. "And what does the former King intend to do in his abdication?" They were hollow, perhaps forcibly so - he could not afford to be anything but objective. He agreed, at least, that this announcement would cause chaos among the pride if not presented in the proper light. They had endured so much as of late. It pained Djuro to wonder how quickly they might find their limits.  

[Quaji]

Simi breathed easier as another council member joined them. It was reassuring to see that more would be here to immediately aid in this tumultuous time. Dipping his head in greeting, he replied to Djuro's question, "My grandson will remain in the Pridelands for the foreseeable future, contributing as a member of the pride. I imagine he will take the role of a hunter or something similar. Although he gave me no reason to believe he would, there is the potential for him to return to the pride of his birth, the Tianxia."

It was well known that Tau was not from the Pridelands and that his motherland was far to the north. It had long been the source of vicious rumors and speculation of his capabilities to rule the Pridelands. These doubts had eaten at his grandson for long enough and Simi could hardly find fault in Tau returning the throne after everything that had happened. A throne that Simi had refused his other two children in favor of asking Hanjari, his son sent to the Tianxia to solidify an alliance between the prides, for aid in the Pridelands' succession.

Tau had been so young when he had made that month-long journey to Pride Rock, made prince of land and people he did not know. In the pale moonlight, Simi wondered if he had charted the wrong course, irrevocably damaging his grandson in the process.

Anderleit

 

[Das Tor]

Of all the things Irit had been expecting, Tau abdicating had not been among them. But...it also made sense, considering the poor boy. "I see..." She sighed, shaking her head. "This is quite the dilemma. I can see why you wanted it addressed before the sun rises." She sat herself on the cool stone, looking thoughtful. "I imagine the more superstitious among the pride are the ones who will take this the worst. Who will see things that aren't there. Especially those from other prides, or who joined that...odd little cult."  

[Seaki]

Bryne took a moment to calm herself with the announcement. Simi had gone. Just like that, he'd abandoned the pride with no warning, even to the council. It stung in a way she wasn't expecting.

The Pridelands would wake without a King.

The words hit her the hardest. What would they do? Simi would do fine, temporarily, but she could see his exhaustion. Would another pride take advantage of this? It was dangerous.

"It would be for the best," She said instead. "So the pride can keep moving forward." She wasn't sure if she should voice her full concerns, but she knew they would eat at her. The meeting, while late, would not end immediately, either.
 

[Anderleit]

No, none of it sat well with him. The lion's scowl lessened ever so slightly, but remained in his customary frown. For Tau to abdicate the throne, yet remain in the pride that had formerly looked up to him? The impropriety rubbed his fur the wrong way. To speak nothing of those who spent his ruler-ship complaining about his manner and besmirching his birth, or simply waiting for him to become the King they needed him to be... Part of Djuro hoped the lad did return to Tianxia - it might be kinder for him than staying here. "We may want to consider keeping an eye on him, then. Surreptitiously." His ears flicked briefly in Irit's direction, acknowledging her words. While he would not directly mention Vitha's cult, there could be no question he referred to them. "There may still be those who are not best pleased with his decision, and if we can curtail unrest before it builds, so much the better.

"As for your acting as Regent - while none of this is ideal, I can think of no one more suited." Better Simi than anyone else, to be honest. The older lion was a welcome face to the pride, and a readily acceptable one. Having Simi to stand in Tau's stead for now was the best approach they could hope for. "We would back your decision publicly, of course. Hopefully, a familiar Regent with a unified Council at his back will provide some reassurance."  

[Quaji]

The concern and knowing looks shared between Irit and Djuro were not unnoticed. Although Simi's eyes may be old and tired, there is still a glimmer of life held behind them. "Your concerns are duly noted, councilors. For the safety of the Tau and the Pridelands, I will see that he is accompanied. Discreetly." Simi smiled sadly at the idea of treating Tau thusly, but it had to be done. "For all the hardships we will undoubtedly face, I do not believe Vitha's cult will be among them. Chatter among their grouping has slowly died to barely a whisper in the years following the Starfall."

A moment was spared to allow the others to speak amongst themselves while Simi's mind spun. There was so much to be done and his appetite was waning. "To ensure Vitha's cult remains quiet and the Pridelands united, I fear we must be swift in our actions. My bones are old and I am tired," Simi's eyes softened as he looked over the councilors present. There was a lingering hope that he did not need to elaborate on the implications in his words. "My duty is to the Pridelands and to ensure we will not become plagues with a crisis of succession. If you will forgive this old lion's forwardness, I would set about finding my replacement with the utmost haste."  

[Seaki]

Bryne agreed with Djuro - Tau abdicating, but remaining did not settle well with her. He had abandoned them suddenly, he should have left the lands completely.

It would send mixed signals.

"A united front would make the transition smoother," she said, instead. She wasn't sure if she could keep the bubbling emotions in check for the remainder of the meeting if she started thinking too hard about having to potentially see their King - Former King - just out and about.

She would have her moment later, when she was safe with her mate and family.

"Was there someone in the running as a potential Heir?"  

[Anderleit]

Djuro's attention flicked briefly to Byrne, nodding in solemn agreement with her words. He could not quite read through the lines there, though he suspected they were both on the same page; more bothered by this entire affair than they let on. And so should they be! A King leaving the position of their own will was as good as a rejection of the Pridelands itself. Regardless of the intentions under which it was done, there would be many in the pride who would be unable to see it as anything else. Not to mention the other hopes he'd personally held for their former King - hopes now dashed to pieces.

At his fellow advisor's mention of prospective heirs, the lion's ears twitched visibly through the thickness of his mane, so quickly did they redirect to Simi. Potential replacements, indeed. Simi was not expected to hold the throne forever, and the sooner they could get a proper royal back in place, the smoother this transition would go for everyone - but only IF they could secure an appropriate replacement. Ancestors have mercy if they had another questionable claim... Djuro had never seen a (unassisted) riot in the pride - indeed, it was beyond imagining - but with turmoil so soon behind them, another appointment like Tau's might change that.  

[Quaji]

"There is," he declared. He had hoped for a moment to speak to each of his advisors privately on his choice, to gauge their opinions where they would hopefully feel most comfortable laying them bare but as a cough wracked the old lion's body, it was clear that pause and contemplation were scarcely options for him.

This was not the first time such an event had troubled his mind. There had been many a sleepless night where he had been left with a racing mind as he weighed and argued with himself on the merits of candidates. It felt as though it had merely been a week ago when Hanjari appeared, offering his own son to the Pridelands to mend the broken line of succession. Even now, Simi had no answer to those who asked why he had passed over his other two children in favor of his grandson. 'They're not ready,' he had told them. As if Tau, barely able to make the journey between the prides, was? Oh Great Kings, what had he done...

There would be time to mourn his poor decisions when he could rest. For now, the Pridelands demanded his attention.

"My niece, Mahea, has recently returned to the Pridelands," he stated firmly, making it clear that she was his choice. Mahea's departure was common knowledge among the pride, most of all the council. She had left to lead and see that a group of disgruntled Pridelanders found a suitable land in another pride as they no longer saw the Pridelands as their home. Contemplating the series of events, Simi could not help but wonder now if this incident was the final straw for the young king. Most thought Mahea was leaving as one of their numbers but surprised even Simi by returning to the Pridelands, with a formidable lion beside her no less! A former Firekin huria, as Simi would later come to learn, a companion whom Mahea met and bonded with on their journey.