Crown

The room fell silent as the would-be king kneeled down in the center, the mish-mashed crowd which had come to observe him pushed against the walls in a circle, all eyes trained on him. He had called for representatives of all people who would rest under his jurisdiction - he was surrounded not only by his own ilk, but towering orcs, impatient dwarves, and disinterested elves as well. They had all gathered together to see whether or not the new king would be accepted by the Truth.

Though they could not make out the words, they could hear the candidate murmuring under his breath as he touched his head to the floor. The words were ancient, spoken in a language that even the elves had forgotten, but they had been passed down for generations in the royal family, even if their original meaning had been lost. But as he spoke them, the would-be king felt as though a warmth were spreading through his body, starting in his core and extending out into every toe and finger. It spread like fire through his blood, and it nearly choked the air out of him, but still he forced out the words.

And then the air was cold. As though ice had rushed through the room, blowing out every torch on the walls, the room grew dark and frigid. Yet still not a word was spoken. This was something that had not been seen in their lifetimes. Though it scared the viewers, man and orc alike, they dared not speak - they could feel the power swirling around them, and were afraid that if they spoke it would strike against them.

Slowly their candidate rose to his knees, his eyes closed and his mouth shut. They could barely make out his outline until they saw his hand rise into the air, and in a brief moment they became suddenly and abruptly able to see. There, above his head, floated a crown of glass, light emitting from within with a bright blue hue. It hovered only inches above him, and slowly lowered itself onto his head.

The new king did not open his eyes until the crown landed upon him, and when he did his eyes were clearly just as surprised as those around him. No one had expected something like this to happen. For generations the ceremony had been little more than pomp and circumstance. But this... This was unheard of.

Perhaps, for the first time, the king had truly been accepted by the Truth.