Post

'What Follows' II
Expansion post 3/4

They all look at one another. It took a few long seconds before Occo said, "Today we are gathered around to place votes amongst us all in this room for who shall be deemed the tanist for when Drost gives up the ghost. But first, we must have a roll call."

Roll call was had. It was a large list of names: Erdudhbel map Berenna merhc Drost and Angarad map Berenna merhc Drost; Nerht Mapueceni-henag map Drost; Drunneht Mapueceni and his daughters Anieriu, Annbronna, and Cosca; Duberr map Drost Mapueceni and his son Diubran Mapueceni; Toreica merhc Drost; Hudrossig map Drost Mapueceni; Uinnrica merhc Drost Mapueceni; Diubreg map Drost Mapueceni; and Hudrosca merhc Drost Mapueceni. That was fifteen people besides Drost himself.

Anieriu was the first to raise her hand. "Question."

"Aye?"

"Is this decided among us right now? Can we put ourselves for the vote?"

"...I was thinking that'd be the way, yeah," said Drost.

She nodded and thanked him. It took a small bit before a second person, Duberr, raised his hand.

"I vote in favor of Caradog," he said.

One after another, they cast their votes. Caradog came out on top with seven votes; Cosca was, strangely enough, voted for by her sisters and her father, leaving four other votes which were divvied amongst the rest of the augratiadú. It was a remarkably short meeting for all the effort they went through to come together, but Drost saw it as worth it. As he, Caradog, Caradog's druid, and Occo stayed, Drost looked over to Occo.

"We still have to fund that Borceric thing, don't we?"

Occo nodded.

"Alright. I'll see what I can do."

***

A month later, Drost gave up the ghost during his sleep. His bed had been empty since the year prior, when his own wife had given up the ghost at the old age of 67. Come the morn, the guardsmen and Occo specifically were frantic as they sent someone to alert head druid Drustan of the death whilst at the same time preparing him to be brought to the temple and cremated, with his ashes buried in a small, humble, and sturdy lockbox, both as per his requested last rites.

Caradog didn't understand all that Hannuenic-sounding mumbo-jumbo though. Why would he not want his full body to feed the ground Dunna gave the Uinnlant? He shook his head. He wouldn't try understanding it if he couldn't already.

"Something on your mind?" asked Únúspag, the druid whose job was to cart Caradog around.

"Yeah." Caradog turned in his chair to look at Únúspag. "Why does my grandfather want to be cremated? Doesn't he know his full body would nourish what Dunna gave us?"

"I believe ashes would do the same. I remember hearing the story of a minor forest fire just near Uinncair a century ago. The fire was bright and violent, thrashing about and letting its smoke plumes rise to Angres himself. Once the smoke had settled, the ash was left. Through a mistake, some farmers found that the soil touched by the ash yielded better crops than before. Soon, whatever ash could be found was taken and sprinkled for some of the best harvests that allowed your great-grandfather Arenn to rule well."

Caradog hmm'd.

"Thus, Uinnlentish ashes should do about the same. If not, then it shows he respects Tenet also by allowing his noble flame to consume his form."

Caradog hmm'd again. He sat for several minutes in his own mind until the door opened. His gaze shot to Occo, who stood in the doorway.

"Alright, here is what will happen: The high druid is going to do the funeral rites, then coronate you as king. It should take place over the span of a day or two maximum. From there, you are king. I shall be your assistant and ear."

Caradog nodded. "Okay then. I wanna talk to you about my uncles though."

Occo cocked an eyebrow but shut the door behind him and came to the table.

***

Occo's head was pressed tightly against his forehead. How could this all go so wrong in just a week? First, Drost, one of the finer men he had known, died to old age; second, a cripple who had a vendetta out for his uncles arrested them under pretense of an assassination plot which had left him as the only survivor yet wasn't willing to give them a fair trial since; and third, those men were currently in the dungeons against any possible law of the land yet weren't too high on the priority list as they hadn't committed high treason as Caradog had thought.

Occo let his head hang as Wence curses fell out of his mouth.