Date: Thu, 1 Oct 2009 18:00:04 +0200
From: A.K. <andrej@andrejkoymasky.com>
Subject: The Iron Crown 12/12 (fantasy)

----------------------------

THE IRON CROWN
by Andrej Koymasky (C) 2009
written on on May 28, 2002
translated by the author English
text kindly revised by Randhir

-----------------------------

USUAL DISCLAIMER

"THE IRON CROWN" is a gay story, with some parts containing graphic
scenes of sex between males. So, if in your land, religion, family,
opinion and so on this is not good for you, it will be better not to
read this story. But if you really want, or because YOU don't care, or
because you think you really want to read it, please be my welcomed
guest.

-----------------------------

Chapter 12 - THE USURPER - THE DISAPPEARANCE OF THE CROWN

The winter was more severe than all the others they ever had experienced
in those foreign lands. Blizzards were following blizzards and the
twelve friends were preceeding with difficulty towards the land of their
king.

In the castle, the king was wandering about the rooms, feeling agitated.
None of the knights he sent on the quest for the iron crown was still
back, Arseno, after leaving the castle with that child didn't show again
and almost to worsen the situation, that winter was the harshest he ever
experienced in all his life. The closeness of his three sons and of the
queen could soothe very little the pain he was feeling inside his heart.

King Waltha often asked himself if he did well to send his three best
knights on the quest for the iron crown. He feared he had sacrificed
them to his desire and this saddened the good king. If he just could
have opened his heart to the old Arseno! The wizard had always been at
his side in the difficult moments, and his wisdom always had had the
power to infuse him courage and strength.

Down in the High-city, in the old and wide house with the straw roof,
also the witch Zedee was walking back and forth, restless. All long all
those years of waiting, she prepared numberless times the potion of the
magic vision, hoping to single out the three knights who had to bring
back the iron crown. On the quivering surface of the greenish liquid no
image was taking shape to tell her if the three knights found the crown
or where they were.

Zedee even dreaded that the potion she prepared in her cauldron could
have lost its power, or that she could have made mistakes in preparing
it. It was essential, if the three knights with their squires found the
crown that she intercepted them in time to be able to steal it from them
in order to give it to her son Atlah, who could so become the king of
that country and would have a power that nothing and nobody could
resist.

In the mean while Atlah was at the upper floor, shut in his room with a
couple of young merchants that he succeeded in bewitching just a few
days before on the market place. As he liked, while he was mounting with
rude violence the woman, he had her cousin mount him with vigour. Atlah
was not yet tired neither of the eighteen years old girl nor of the
twenty-four years old young man, and he was enjoying them both, day
after day, even several times each day, with an unappeasable lust. To
avoid the two from getting tired of those sex jousts, he made them
drink, with each meal, a potion of herbs that increased their sexual
resistance and yen.

He liked feeling the hard member of the young man hammer inside him with
violence, so pushing deeper, with each stroke, his hot member into the
girl's vagina. He kissed them, in turns, with passionate kisses, pushing
his tongue deeply into their mouths, and scratched their limbs with his
hooked nails as his enjoyment was increasing and his orgasm approaching.
When he finally reached it, he howled his pleasure almost like a hungry
wolf in the winter nights. His mother hearing him smiled, proud for the
ravenous luxury of her son.

One night, while her son was sleeping sated between his two sexual
slaves, Zedee prepared for the umpteenth time in the cauldron her
concoction and she finally saw an image taking shape on the greenish and
steaming surface - from a big boat with a square sail and a curve, tall
prow, were landing twelve young men on their horses, and in three of
them she recognised the three knights she was waiting for years - Harti,
Axel and Jens.

She emitted a low and gurgling laughter of satisfaction - if they were
back, it meant they had found the iron crown! She uttered some magic
words and saw it, enclosed in the golden casket, inside the iron one and
inside the wooden one. It was splendid, and soon it would belong to her
son. Atlah would at last reign over all the lands belonging now to king
Waltha, and possibly also on the neighbouring kingdoms. And she would
live like a real queen!

She had planned for a long time how to cheat to the knights to seize the
crown before it could fall in king Waltha's hands. She knew plenty of
enchantments and she would use all of them. She already knew she would
never be able to charm those men so unresponsive to the womanly graces,
no, it was not that the right way. But she could do so that her Altha
assumed the features of king Waltha, and herself those of the queen, go
to meet the knights before they reached the capital and have them give
her the crown.

The only problem was that the king and the queen would never leave the
castle without an adequate escort of dames and knights. But to this also
she could possibly get round. She hurriedly went to her son's room and
woke him up.

"Put on your clothes, Atlah, hurry up, we have to go." she said in an
urgent tone.

"But mother! It's still night, let me in peace!"

"No, obey immediately, don't make a fuss. You will see that it is worth.
If you do all I am going to tell you to do, you will for sure have
nothing to regret, on the contrary,"

"But what can I do of these two? I still want to enjoy of them for a
while,"

"When we will have done what we have to do, we will have at our entire
mercy all the males and all the females you can desire, and even then
without needing to do a spell to get them."

"All I want? Without spells?" the young man asked, his eyes shining with
lust.

"Of course, I can assure you. Now send away these two and prepare
yourself, we will have to walk all night. Cover yourself well, outside
it's very cold, the snowfall is heavy."

Atlah sent away his two bed companions, with some regret, and carefully
muffled himself up. Meanwhile his mother put in a sack all the
ingredients she needed to do the enchantments that would help her to
fool the knights.

They went out in the dark and cold night, sheltering as they best could
from the icy and cutting wind that was blowing between the houses with a
sinister howling. They reached the valley gate and Zedee put a spell on
the guards who at once opened for them the postern gate letting them go
out.

They took the road that, flanking the river Hulig, was leading to the
lake. They walked all the night and just after dawn they reached a small
village still asleep.

"Mother, will you tell me where the fuck are we going, and what the fuck
to do?" the young Atlah asked, gloomy.

"Atlah, my son, I'm keeping my surprise for you, But you have first to
help me to do an enchantment. Go and gather some wood, we have to light
a fire."

"One of your usual spells? " To do what?"

"You will see, you will see,"

They lit the fire, and then Zedee took from her sack some herbs, roots
and special preparations and threw them on it. Soon a thick, acrid
violet smoke rose and started to spread all over the village. Atlah was
looking at his mother with a bored expression.

"Mephitic air, breath of witch, All the villagers bound to me. Old
people and children let still asleep, But men and women to me have to
obey. Make them awake and come out here, To give us two the owed
honours. In knights and dames transform all of them, To get in our hands
all this kingdom,"

the woman declaimed tracing in the air mysterious signs with both hands.

Atlah looked at his mother with an air half bored half curious. The
doors of the village poor houses started to open and out trugged the men
and women who gathered around them and the fire as if they were puppets
devoid of any will.

Zedee then threw another handful of dusts and herbs on the fire and a
yellow smoke gushed out. As the yellow cloud wrapped the crowd, they
lost their humble and shabby aspect, straightened up assuming a proud
air and a noble gait, and their clothes started to change shape and
colours so that in a short while they all seemed to be the dames of the
queen and the knights of the king.

Zedee threw a last handful of her concoctions and a red cloud come rose
out of the fire, "Breathe this smoke, Atlah, breathe it deeply!" the
woman ordered him, bending herself too to breathe it.

And lo! Atlah assumed the aspect and the clothes of king Waltha, and
Zedee those of the queen his wife.

"Well," Atlah said, amused, "what's the use of that masquerade? Now we
resemble the king and the queen, and we have even a semblance of a
court, but we haven't the power, I know you aren't able to give me that
also,"

"Not I, my son. But soon you will be able to seize it in your hands,
literally," Zedee said triumphant, and finally explained to her son the
story of the iron crown and what they were about to do.

"That crown will really give me the power of a king?" the young man
asked with a sneer.

"Certainly!"

"And I can have all I want, without any limit?"

"So it is!"

"All the males and females I want in my bed, all the gold and silver I
desire in my coffers, all the food and drinks I want on my table?"

"Exactly so".

"I adore you, my dear mother! I will finally get a life worth to be
lived!" the young man exclaimed, excited.

"Remember, Atlah, that from now on you have to say you are Waltha and I
your spouse,"

"Should I also screw you, dear mother?" the youth asked, laughing out
loud.

"No, we will have to pretend only until you have the crown in your
hands. We will then resume our real aspect and nothing and none will
ever hinder us. We have now just to wait until the knights pass here to
go to the capital, and do as I explained you".

In the mean time the twelve friends were climbing up the road flanking
the river Hulig, going to the capital, happy and unaware. Soon their
king, who was a good and wise man, valiant and strong, would wear the
sacred crown and he would rule making the justice and wisdom triumphant,
exerting the right power and the law. All of them were conscious that,
thanks to their enterprise, the good king would be remembered for
centuries and centuries.

When they were in sight of the village where Zedee was waiting for them,
Kimon was the first to see that, at the village entrance, there was a
crowd standing on the road, as if they were waiting for them. Drawing
nearer the twelve friends recognised the king and the queen, surrounded
by the court.

"Isn't it odd, Harti, that they came to meet us here with all the
court?" Jens asked.

"I don't think so. After such a long waiting, Arseno possibly told our
king we were coming back with the crown and the king decided to honour
us coming to meet us at mid-way, instead than just waiting in his
castle," Harti answered.

"But how does it come that they are on foot? Where are their horses?"
Axel asked.

"They should be behind the houses, where the villagers are taking care
of them," Harti quietly answered.

When they were in front of whom they believed to be king Waltha, all
twelve dismounted and kneeled on the road.

"Our good king, we salute you! We are glad to finally see you again,
after so long years!" Harti said.

Zedee, slightly frowning, asked, "You left just as six knights, how come
you return as twelve?"

"The other six are companions we met along our journey, who united to us
in the quest for the iron crown. They shared with us hardships, dangers
and adventures, and now they ask you to be admitted into the king's
service". Harti explained.

"The crown, where is the crown?" Atlah asked, impatient.

Derk was a little surprised by that tone, but took the sack from the
horse, extracted the wooden coffer and deposed it in front of the man
whom he believed to be his king.

"Open it!" Atlah ordered.

Derk took away the wooden cover, extracted the iron casket and put it on
the ground, then opened its cover, extracted the gold casket and opened
this also.

Zedee was triumphant, her eyes shone. "My good husband," she said with a
mellifluous voice to her son, knowing that he only could with impunity
touch at the crown, "take the crown and put it on your head".

Atlah bent down with a smile, took the crown with both hands,
straightened up and, slowly, wore it.

"Here it is, that's done. I am now the most powerful king on earth!" he
exclaimed, satisfied.

"Yes, my son!" Zedee said and burst in laughter as she saw the surprised
expressions of the twelve friends, who were still kneeling on the road,
then added, "Poor dumb little men! Stay on your knees in the dust and
swear obedience to your new king, my son Atlah!"

She made a gesture with her hands and all the villagers fell down on the
ground, senseless, their clothes turned back to poor patched-up rags and
the witch and her son resumed their real aspect.

The twelve at once stood up, their hands at their swords, but Zedee
stopped them with a gesture, "Don't move, idiots! You can do nothing
against Atlah! Swear him obedience, for your good!"

"How is it possible he could wear the crown without dying?" Harti
exclaimed, astounded. "Only the son of a king can wear it with
impunity!"

Zedee laughed scornfully, "But my Atlah is the son of a king, his father
in fact is the father of Waltha. And now, at last, the rank of my son
will be recognised. Atlah is your new king".

"Never! We rather prefer the death than to betray our king, the only
king, Waltha!" Axel yelled, unsheathing his sword.

"Mother, should I make them die?" Atlah asked amused, and not at all
scared.

"You don't need to. They will suffer much more alive and free in their
helplessness, meditating on the facts. They dared to humiliate me, now
it's the time of their complete humiliation, when they will see their
Waltha, his wife and their three sons serve us like the lowest
servants".

"Our king will never bend to such a thing!" Jens exclaimed, unsheathing
his turn his sword.

Also all the other friends unsheathed all their swords and all together
hurled themselves against the witch and her son. But as they were just
at one step from them, they froze - a powerful and mysterious force
prevented them advancing any further to use their swords against the two
usurpers.

Atlah laughed and asked, "Mother, what will we do with these foolish
men? I would rather take one after the other to my bed, after all they
are not bad at all".

"No, my dear son, it will be more amusing ordering them to escort us to
the castle - just think how much they will suffer in being powerless to
help their Waltha, seeing him humiliated and not being able to do
anything. They have to stay with us and witness all we will do, without
being able to move even just a finger to avoid it, Don't you think it
way better than just submit them to your yen? You don't need them, you
have all the kingdom in your hands to amuse yourself,"

"You are right, mother. So, then, I order you to give us the most
beautiful of your horses, and to escort us to the castle!" Atlah said in
a haughty tone.

The twelve friends could do nothing else but to obey, in spite of being
furious with rage. So the train moved towards the capital. As it was
full day, the city gates were open. They passed through the Low-city,
then the High-city, and finally entered the castle esplanade.

Atlah dismounted and said to the major-domo who came out to see who had
just arrived, "Lead me to Waltha, hurry up!"

The man couldn't oppose that order and led them to the castle hall. In
the meanwhile the king Waltha, seeing the train come and thinking he
recognised in some of the men the six knights he sent in the quest for
the iron crown, had just reached the great hall.

Thus Atlah and Waltha met in the hall.

"Hey, Waltha, my dear half-brother, the day has came when justice is
restored!"

"Who are you? And how can you wear unpunished the iron crown?" Waltha
asked, amazed, then he looked at the knights, "You had to give to me
that crown," he asked more astounded than in an accusation tone.

"Sire, he fooled us, he assumed your aspect and came to meet us.
Unhappily he too is the son of your father, he could therefore take the
crown with his hands and wear it, without dying for that, before he
reassumed his aspect. Too late we thus became aware of his fraud". Harti
said in a sorrowful tone.

"Yes, Waltha, he is my son Atlah, and the son of your father Ant hence
of royal blood. And now he is the king of all this land, and your king
too! Bow in front of him!" Zedee said, radiant.

"Never! If he is the son of my father he is a bastard son, and according
to our laws he should have been killed even before to see the light!"
Waltha said.

"Oh, yes, you will bow in front of me and you will serve me. About that
law, I, being the new king, repeal it - the bastard sons will from now
on inherit all the father's belongings and the legitimate sons will have
to serve them! About you, Waltha, now you will take out all those
precious clothes and give them to me, while you will wear my cheap
clothes. Obey!"

King Waltham in spite of being furious and aroused to indignation, felt
compelled to do what Atlah commanded him. He took off his beautiful
sword studded with gems and the elegant clothes he was wearing and wore
the clothes that meanwhile Atlah had taken off.

"No, you are still too well dressed, so, Go immediately to the stables
and swap these clothes with those of the worst clothed stable man! And
you, former queen, take my mother to your rooms and make her choose the
most beautiful clothes, and about your three sons, they will be my
personal servants, after all they are my nephews. Aren't they? How old
are you, boys?"

The older, Sverger, answered, "I am fifteen years old, my brother
Torgils is thirteen, and the little one, Kjell, is ten,"

"And I bet you all are still virgin, aren't you?"

"Of course we are!" Sverger answered with pride.

"But you will not remain so for long time. I can assure you!" Atlah
answered sneering.

"Atlah, you will not dare to profane their purity! They are still
children!" Axel protested, scandalised.

"I will dare, for sure I will dare. But don't worry, I don't like so
much children, therefore at the right moment I will start amusing myself
only with Sverger, for a couple of years or three, I will then deflower
Torgils, and two or three years later, I will take care also of the nice
little arse of Kjell, As you see, I am a wise and reasonable king, am I
not?" Altha said and started to laugh scornfully. He then added, "And I
will tell you more, you twelve will be the witnesses of my deflowering
of these three boys, I want all of you around my bed, each time I will
enjoy their virgin hole!"

The twelve protested, but they knew that, even against their will, they
would have to obey also to that last horrible order.

Then Atlah went to sit on the throne and ordered that all the
aristocrats, the chiefs, the knights of the kingdom went to prostrate at
his feet in sign of obedience, and to bring at court all their younger
sons and daughters so that he could take them on his bed each time he
felt like.

He also ordered that all his subjects had to give to the crown one third
of all their income. Those who refused, had to be lashed in the public
square, be he a farmer, an artisan or a noble,

When the evening came, Zedee, clothed as a queen, said to her son, "So,
Altha, are you happy with the gift your mother gave you? Do you see that
my promises, that you never wanted to believe, are all becoming
reality?"

"Yes, mother, I should admit that you are right. But now let me take off
this crown, I didn't think it was so heavy,"

"Be careful, my son. If you give orders without wearing it, your orders
can be disobeyed,"

"I will always have it at hands reach, don't worry. But it is really
heavy, Anyway, I can't for sure sleep with it on my head,"

"But when you take it off, be sure you have carefully shut all the doors
of the room where you are, so that nobody can harm you or steal it,"

"But only those of royal blood can touch it, isn't it so?"

"Sure, but remember that in this castle Waltha and his three sons can
touch it. If they seize it, we will be lost, never forget it! Moreover,
wrapping it in a cloth, is possible to take it away without touching
it,"

"I will be careful, and tonight, when I will screw in the arse my dear
cousin Sverger, I will keep it on my head! Now go, mother, I want to
amuse myself a little," Atlah said, laughing.

He then summoned the twelve friends in the royal bedroom and ordered
them to go to look for Sverger, to take him there to him, to undress
him, and to make him ready on his bed.

As they were out of the room, Harti asked the others, "what can we do to
avoid such an shame? How can we rescue Sverger from his horrible fate?"

"If at least Arseno were here at the castle, but I've heard that he left
just after our departure and he never came back," Jens sadly said.

"We could tell him to hide, then to tell Atlah we couldn't find him,"
Kimon suggested.

"It would be useless, he would just have to order us to find him and to
take him to his room, and we could not oppose," Derk said sorrowfully.

Meanwhile Sverger came where they were and heard their discussion, so he
said, "Don't worry, that man can use violence to my body, not to my
spirit. Unfortunately we cannot oppose to his sick mind. But my father
explained to me that as more bad, perverse, unfair things he will do, so
more the crown he stole from you will become heavy on his head and if he
doesn't mend his ways, the iron crown will kill him".

"I really think he will never mend his ways," Axel commented with
sadness.

"So much the better, he will therefore die soon and we will finally get
rid of him". Sverger then said, with a serenity that hit the twelve.
Then the boy added, "Come on, take heart, take me to him. I am ready, as
I know that my sacrifice will not be useless!"

The twelve friends, their heart full of sorrow, escorted the young
prince into the room where Atlah was waiting. When they entered, the son
of the witch ordered, "Good boys! Now bare him totally and bring him
here on my bed".

Sverger made a sign to the twelve not to move and started to undress by
himself, looking straight Atlah in his eyes with a look firm and full of
dignity then, once he was naked, went on the bed.

Atlah laughed, "Ha, dear cousin Sverger, I see that you are longing for
having a good taste of my cock in you virgin little arse! But you have
to first suck it for a while, to make it become even harder, And you all
have to look, to look carefully how I take my amusement with him; it's
an order!"

The twelve friends would have liked better to die, they would have liked
the floor to swallow them, but they could do nothing but obey. More than
one of them had tears in his eyes.

Atlah undressed, always careful to maintain the iron crown on his head,
then kneeled on the bed and showed his already hard member towards his
cousin. Sverger bent down and started to satisfy him with his mouth.
Atlah seized his head and started to screw him in the mouth, each time
pushing it as deeper as he could, laughing each time the boy had a retch
at that violent intrusion.

Then Atlah ordered the boy to turn around, to go on all his four and
tried violently to penetrate him. After several attempts, each time more
violent, he finally succeeded in winning the natural resistance of the
inviolate hole and with a triumph yell sank inside him. He then started
to hammer in him with wild fury, grunting like an animal, abusing his
cousin with lewd expressions, keeping him still at the waist at each mad
stroke with which he impaled him.

Sverger shut his eyes and silent tears started to run on his cheeks, but
he didn't utter the lesser sound. The twelve friends were disgusted and
upset and in spite they were trying with all their forces to hurl
themselves on that bed to stop such a horror, they were unable to move.
They couldn't either turn away their eyes or close them. They had thus
to assist to that rape, totally powerless.

Atlah was amusing himself, and was doing his best to delay his orgasm,
to enjoy as long as possible that wild ride and so humiliate his cousin.

"Are you enjoying it, Sverger? Look at him, look at him you all, be my
witnesses of how the one who was presumed to be the heir of a kingdom
became nothing more than a little whore at my total disposal! He wanted
the baton of command and instead he has to take my baton in his arse,
isn't that amusing?"

But while he was going on so, the crown on his head was becoming more
and more heavy, so that at a certain point Atlah had to stop and brought
his hands at the crown to try to take it away. But he saw that the
twelve friends were following with careful attention each of his moves
and understood that, if he took off the crown, he would risk finding
himself in their power. He therefore lowered again his hands, pushed
away from himself his cousin with a strong push slipping out of his
aching hole.

He yelled in anger, "Go away! Everybody out of here! Go away!"

The twelve friends took the clothes of the prince, helped him to dress
and escorted him out of that room. As they were out they heard the door
bolt fall in place and shut it.

"Sverger, we are so distressed," Harti said.

"Not I, my noble friends. Just, I pray you, not to sadden my father and
my mother more than they already are, don't tell them what you had to
witness".

"Certainly not, we swear!" Jens answered for all of them.

In the following days Atlah did all that was in his power to humiliate
Waltha, the queen and all the court dignitaries, and his crown was
becoming each time heavier and heavier. But this, instead of convincing
him to cease with his perverse games, was making him more and more
furious.

Zedee in the mean time was amusing herself in her own way, mainly
confiscating estates, taking to her bed married men under the eyes of
their wives, and when her son complained for the heaviness of the crown,
answered him bored, to stop always complaining and to enjoy what he
could get without anybody able to oppose.

But Atlah, more than for the problem of the crown, was furious for the
proud and challenging glance of Waltha and his family.

So, determined to tame once and for ever Waltha, he summoned him in
presence of all the court and ordered him to be sodomize, there in the
hall, in front of all his family and all the court, first his wife, then
all his three sons, and finally to cut all their throats.

Waltha flared up and said that he would rather die.

Atlah laughed, amused, "You well know that you cannot oppose my orders!
You will do it now, and you will not die, as you will have to suffer all
your life long. Stop then with all your chattering, and do immediately
what I ordered you!"

Altma rose up, "You cannot order such a monstrous thing! Stop it Atlah.
Or you will regret!"

The son of the witch sat on the throne and burst in laughter, "Well,
Altma, as you are so sensitive, it will be you who keep still Waltha's
wife while he will tear away from her the rags she wears, while he will
fuck her arse, and also when he will cut her throat. Go, it's an order!"

Altma tried to resist, but in spite of himself he had to move, to go
near the queen and seize her arms.

Crying, he said, "My Lady, forgive me, it is not my will to make me do
this. I would like to die..."

The queen smiled sorrowfully, "We all know it. Evil got hold of this
kingdom, but not yet of your heart".

Altma then yelled, "I curse you, Atlah, I curse you! May you die with
the worst torments, and may your name be execrated for all the
generations!"

Atlah burst in laughter and said, "Waltha, tear away from that whore
your wife all her clothes, now! Then fuck her like the bitch she is!"

Waltha tried to resist to that order, he was pale for his efforts not to
move from his place, but a power superior to his will forced him to
move. When he was in front of the queen, he attempted a last desperate
resistance, but to no avail.

While he was raising his hands to seize his wife clothes and tear them,
Waltha said to her, "My queen, you know that I love you! My love for you
will never end, any thing may happens!"

Atlah burst again in laughter, "Love! Love! How pathetic you are,
Waltha. Love doesn't exist. Only power exists, and now power is in my
ha..."

He couldn't end his sentence. The iron crown all of a sudden became
heavy, more and more. Atlah brought his hands to it, screaming, trying
to take it away form his head. He staggered, fell from the throne on the
floor, wriggling and screaming, but the crown didn't fall from his head.
Atlah was writhing on the floor. All the lanterns died out as for a
powerful blow than nobody could feel. The earth trembled and from its
bowels came out a deep and dreadful groan.

Zedee ran to her son screaming in her turn like a mad woman and tried to
take away the crown from her son's head, but as soon as she touched it,
from the crown sprang out a lightning, a deafening rumble filled the
hall and the woman fell on the floor, burnt out. Then also Atlah, with a
last agonizing scream, died, his eyes and mouth wide open.

Then the iron crown, with a dazzling flash that left everybody blind for
some moments, disappeared.

For a short time everybody remained still, as petrified, trembling. Then
Waltha embraced his wife, called their sons and all five hugged tightly,
crying.

The twelve friends embraced each other, relieved, then also all the
people in the hall embraced each other, festive.

Then Waltha spoke, "The nightmare is over, my valiant friends, we are at
last again free. Evil killed himself!"

He then ordered a pyre to be built on the castle esplanade and to burn
the two corpses. Their ashes were then dumped in a deep hole and covered
with earth. On it was spread abundant salt and was poured spring water
on it, so that nothing could grow on it. The place was then surrounded
with a ring of white stones, and was called the "grave of evil".

Everybody avoided that place for it was forever more filled with fear.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

THE RESTORATION

First of all Waltha gave back to his subjects all that Zedee and her son
had collected at their advantage and did his best to put the evil they
had done right, with wisdom and justice.

He then summoned the twelve friends at his presence.

Harti kneeled in front of him and said to his king, "Waltha, we did our
best to bring you the iron crown as you ordered us. But we let those two
fool us, like the most naive of the children. Can you ever forgive us?"

Waltha smiled, "No, it is me who has to ask your forgiveness. You obeyed
my orders, so losing the best years of your youth to grant my desire. I
should have been a wise, fair, good king, but I only caused grief to my
subjects and to you. It is really me the one who has to ask for
forgiveness".

Jens then said, "No, king Waltha, your purpose was good, and rather very
good. You are a good, wise and fair king, and you just hoped, thanks be
to the crown, to become even more so".

Axel said, "But after all, our beloved king, you didn't really need the
crown. We know that without needing to wear on your head any crown, you
will always be a fair, good and wise king".

Waltha said, "You are generous telling me so. But you see, I evidently
wasn't wise enough, because I didn't understand I really didn't need it.
But now I've learned the lesson - we have to find inside our heart, in
our will, in our intelligence and not in a crown the strength to become
more and more wise, good and fair.

"But now, as before sending you on the quest of the iron crown I had a
dream, and several aspects of that dream already came true, I now feel I
have to realize also the remaining part. I saw, in the deepest darkness,
twelve stars slowly falling all around me with faint silent trails, and
this has clearly been the period when you had to obey the usurper in
spite of yourself.

"But then I saw that each star was lighting a part of my kingdom which
became again green, full of life, towns and villages again alive at
their place, as well as all the mountains and the river" This is why I
decide that my kingdom will be organised in twelve parts and each of
these parts will be entrusted to one of you, as a peer of my kingdom.
But you will not have to reside there, because I want you all here with
me, as my councillors and friends.

"I therefore will knight the six friends you brought here with you from
your journey as your squire, as I know they desire to enter into my
service, as they already loyally served me even before meeting me.
Waiting for the organisation of the ceremony, you will not to go back to
your houses, but you will be my guests here, in my castle".

Then Waltha summoned a skilled master builder and in great secret
ordered him a new building, to erect on the rock spur that was northwest
of the castle, and united to it by a covered stairway. It had to be a
circular two floors building, with a corridor reaching its centre, in
which were opening six doors leading to the same number of apartments,
composed of four rooms each. The stairway then proceeded, always
covered, leaning against the external wall, to the upper floor. Here was
a great hall with twelve arched windows and between two of them the
entrance door.

In the upper hall, having a vaulted roof formed by six great arches
crossing near the centre so drawing a star, he had a wide round table
set, sustained by the big stump of a very ancient tree, All around the
table there would be thirteen tall seats, all exactly identical. At the
sides of each window there would be two stone seats. At the centre of
the vaulted roof, hanging down from the keystone, there would be a great
chandelier with thirty-six lamps hanging in three concentric circles.

Each apartment of the lower floor had a wide canopy bed in an external
room and two twin beds in the side room, while in the internal rooms
there was a table with chairs, and shelves, the wall that had also the
entrance door, and trunks and shelves on the last room. At the centre
amongst the four rooms there was a circular fireplace to warm them in
the cold months.

When the building was ready with the carved furniture installed and the
tapestry at the walls and fur carpets on the floor, king Waltha gathered
all the court in the esplanade in front of the castle and announced he
was going to knight Alfeo, Nikolaos, Floriano, Bughail and Tantas. He
then announced that all twelve of them would be nominated peers of the
kingdom and his councillors, and with a second ceremony he imposed them
the collar symbol of their new rank.

He then led them to the new building. And told each couple to chose one
of the apartments.

Finally he led them to the upper floor, everybody sat on one of the tall
seats and Waltha said, "This will be the hall of our meetings. As you
can see, no seat is more important that the others, as here we will
really be peers. But now each of you has to choose his new squire. Like
you, they have to be couples and lovers, like you they will not have a
wife or children. And when one of us will leave this world, like my son
will take my place, so your squire will have your place and will have to
choose a new squire who in his turn will one day succeed him. You are my
real iron crown, I don't need any other crown, you will be the ones
helping me to be fair, good and wise, helping me with your advice, with
your assistance".

Harti, being the elder, talked on the others behalf, "Yes, my king and
friend, our lives will always be in your hands and we will serve you
with honour and devotion to the very last breath of our lives. We will
chose amongst the youths of the kingdom the most worth to take one day
our places to assist your son when he will be king".

So the twelve settled in the lower floor apartments. Already that first
night made love with joy and passion, with desire and tenderness. Then
each of them went to the territory the king had put under his
governance, to choose there his new squire. It was not of importance the
youth to be a farmer, an craftsman, a merchant or of noble family - he
had to be strong, loyal, generous, clever, and a lover of his own sex.
As they found their squire within the year they allowed themselves, they
all went back to the king's castle.

It was a day of spring when the king, leaning at the balcony with his
wife and his three sons, saw coming through the esplanade of the castle
a man wearing a beautiful tunic and a tall pointed hat that he well
knew, Waltha for a moment thought he was his friend Arseno, the old
court wizard. Thus he ran headlong down the stairway to meet him,
feeling full of joy.

But when he was in front of the newcomer, he saw he was a young man,
"Who are you..." he then asked him.

The young man smiled, "King Waltha, I am back" I am the new Arseno" You
can't remember me, the last time you saw me I was just a somewhat
scared, little child..."

"Arseno?" the king exclaimed, "So you are our new Arseno. My good old
friend kept his word, then. Will you now remain forever here with me,
with us?"

"Certainly yes".

"Do you know what happened here in all these years?"

"Yes, its echo reached us up there on the sacred mountain".

"So, you also know that I couldn't have the iron crown, that I could
just see it..."

"Yes, as I know also about the usurper. But you see, my king, that crown
did anyway bring you wonderful results, after a great suffering..."

"It is true, I learned many things, thank to it".

"Not only, but you also found twelve valuable councillors. Twelve like
the hours of the day, like the months of the year, like the
constellations in the sky..."

"And now I have you again, my new Arseno" I hope we will become friends
as I was with my good old Arseno".

"So it will surely be. But now I have to see your son Sverger" give me
the key of my quarters, and send him up there to me".

King Waltha went immediately to take the key and accompanied Arseno to
the top of the tower where the old wizard had lived. The young wizard
went in and at once started to prepare a potion.

After some time Sverger knocked at his door, "My father told me I had to
come and see you" are you the new court wizard?"

"Yes, prince, the new one and the old one at the same time, as the old
Arseno passed me all his powers. Have a seat. I know that during the
short reign of the usurper something very unpleasant happened to you..."

The boy blushed, "They swore to me that they wouldn't tell to anybody"
also my father came to know about it?"

Arseno smiled, "No, Sverger, they didn't tell this to anybody. And no
one besides me nobody knows about it. But I know that what happened to
you deeply troubled you, and that still in these days, during the night,
you live that horrible moment over again and that it haunts you as a
nightmare..."

"It is true..." the boy admitted, "I try not to think about it, to
resign myself, but" I know it has not been my fault, and yet..."

"Yes. Then drink this potion I prepared expressly for you - it wouldn't
erase your memories, but it will give you the needed serenity and will
totally heal your spirit as well as your body. Drink it, prince, and be
healed!"

Sverger drank and at once felt permeated like by an inner fire, and then
a sweet somnolence seized him, and felt asleep on his seat. Arseno stood
up and put his hands one on the boy's hand and the other on his heart,
and chanted some magic formulas. He then gently shook the young prince
waking him up.

"How do you feel, Sverger?"

The boy looked at him with luminous eyes, "I'm feeling well" I'm feeling
again well, my heart is free from anguish, my mind free from shame, my
spirit free from dirtiness..."

"Yes, Sverger, do your best to keep you clean inside and outside, and
one day you too will be a good king as your father".

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

A SAD EPILOGUE

So in the land of Niderhulig everybody lived in peace and harmony for
several generations, under the rule of king Waltha, of king Sverger and
of his descendants. And the peers of the kingdom, always chose amongst
men lovers of men, who assisted them one after the other for all the
generations.

But in the year 1208 of the Christian era, the very Christian king of
Sweden came with his troops and his priests up to the Hulig valley and
after brave battles, invaded the entire valley and stormed the royal
castle of Niderhulig. The king and his family were made prisoners and
shut until their death in the dungeon of their castle by the new king.
The twelve peers of the kingdom, as pagans and "sodomites" were all put
to death - their heads were cut off with the axe in the hall of the
thirteen seats.

Arseno, as a pagan and charged with witchery, was burned on the stake.

All this in the name of God, and of his Love!

-----------------------------

THE  END

-----------------------------

In my home page I've put some more of my stories. If someone wants to
read them, the URL is

http://andrejkoymasky.com

If you want to send me feed-back, or desire to help revising my English
translations, so that I can put on-line more of my  stories in English
please e-mail at

andrej@andrejkoymasky.com

---------------------------