Before the Concilium could be dealt with, more trouble fell on at the feet of the Balduins. This time within their new Kingdom.

An old rebel Restorator known as Reza had begun to speak out against Felix’s rule. Referring to himself as the General (though he had never been near becoming one) he was a man who had given over fourteen years to the cause. Though despite the time he’d invested and sacrificed he had only ever been a minor captain in the struggle. In those early months of Felix’s reign however he had grown in prominence and was now a central figure among those not entirely satisfied with the new way of rule. A man of his late sixties there was little room for him in Felix’s labourforce. Given a pension he was expected to live off of it and be content. Most were, for Terio had set fixed pension rates back in 1986, a triumphant move at the time that had steadily turned ineffective and disastrous as it failed to rise with higher living costs. Felix had doubled the pension instantly on rising to power, keen to garner the favour of the older, more traditional Syrnaty. A move that had worked well on the whole. Not so for the General. He was one of those men of purpose. Who need, either real or imagined, a sense of responsibility in their life for it to be of any value. He had been a Restorator, a man of substance, living in mountain hideaways with some men of his own to command and a concentrated objective in his life. No more. And so he naturally looked to create one. He’d found it in the shape of a Leadership once more rebelling against the Island’s new King.

His increasingly vocal attacks on Felix focused on several points. The King being himself a foreigner, a throwback to the old colonial rulers.

The extreme laws which had already seen hundreds given the death penalty.

And on the drug scandal which had surprisingly become the rallying cry of the movement. It was maybe the most worrying element of the General’s campaign for he knew more than enough to build on rumours already forming about the new Kingdom. For one, Linar was already growing a reputation for being a free and liberal city for any travellers wishing to indulge in all and any manner of drug use. In stark contrast to the punitive laws against the Island’s own people, tourists, (almost exclusively from wealthy first World Countries) were permitted to engage in whatever their heart desired. Desires which often led them into difficult situations. Situations of their own doing it was true, they were not forced to take anything. But a great many ended up in one of Syrnat’s many prison cells. The bail a moderate sum but enough so that it was already proving a lucrative trade for the economy.

Secondly the use of Syrnat as a gateway island for smugglers between Asia and European markets. So long as the adequate sums were produced Felix was happy to let a small number of major drug barons make use of his Island’s ports. Freely and without any fear of seizure or discovery it was proving to be the most lucrative source of wealth for the new regime. One Felix was keen to see continued indefinitely. He’d tried to allay the international rumours by organising several mock raids, raids which produced big publicity but little actual results. The raids themselves pre arranged on both sides to give the illusion of surveillance. It was one of the main points that might have actually significantly damaged Felix were it fully revealed.

It still surprises me that things were allowed go so far.

Perhaps the General happened exactly because of the considerable distraction of the UN and Concilium, for Felix and the others may have relaxed a little in their ruling. Any hint of dissent had been quickly dealt with in the very earliest days of his Kingship. Not so with the General. It might have been that he was merely underestimated and overlooked. Or there may have been more to his sudden intake of popularity, for there were even suspicions that the General may have been encouraged to act by outside forces eager to validate their claims about Felix’s rule.

In any case the timing was not ideal. It was the King’s first real test since coming to power.

The protest started off peaceful, there was a march through Linar, one that started at noon on the city outskirts before meandering its way through the streets to come to a halt outside the Palace gates. There a dais was hastily erected and a sequence of speeches read out to the waiting crowds. The population of had not come out in full support of the protest, but there were still at least several thousand present. Most did not share all the same views as the General. Afterwards it was quite clear most people were merely onlookers, unused to any kind of protest however mild under Terio I suppose they wanted to see one for themselves. They may have valued some of the General’s points but I don’t believe his cry for a complete upheaval was ever seriously considered achievable or indeed desirable to a great majority of the population.

One thing the General had done well that day was ensure that there was a sizable amount of what little foreign press had been allowed on Syrnat present for the march. With them seeing all Felix had to be far more cautious. It was because of that he didn’t send in his own men to clear out the crowds immediately. There was always the fear of escalation and he would not have it come from his side. Not when the World eagerly watched and waited for him to prove himself just another dictator. No, a different approach was needed. They found it when the General announced that the protest was to head to the City Centre. In the disorganised mass of people it was not difficult for a few Balduin plain clothes to assimilate into the crowds. Once again Felix’s dramatic and acting knowledge came to the fore.

The moment was perfectly timed. When the General finally addressed the crowd he did so with clarity and composure, clearly stating his aims and desires. Soon voices began to sound out from the mass of people, eagerly cheering and rallying behind the General’s every word. It was not long before there was a chorus of voices roaring on the old Captain. That was where he showed his inexperience for the first time. As the cries from the swarm of people grew, so too did he. His words became louder, his tone changed from one of assertiveness to aggressiveness.

He seemed to get sucked in and in a moment of fervour cried out that Felix was an outsider and should not now nor ever be allowed to hold court over the Island of Syrnat. That was the moment.

Bandana up, hood down the first to start the riot was decked out in a traditional Syrnat dress, reminiscent of the one worn by the General himself. He was clearly shown on camera throwing a molotov cocktail into a neighbouring store. He was also a senior Palace Guard, and one of the local Syrnaty people absolutely loyal to Felix.

That was the start of it. Within a minute several more followed the first. Smoke, fire and screams took over. On stage the General frowned down at what was happening in front of him. Before he could properly formulate a response however the army moved in. Waiting in the wings they were completely ready to storm the plaza. Decked out in full riot gear they scattered the rioters almost immediately, a single charge breaking them as water cannons and tear gas were deployed to disperse the people further. The methods were undeniably harsh, man, woman or even the few children present were all caught in the assault.

As for the General, well he was no true Leader, had never been. There was good reason he had never been promoted from his position as a relatively low officer within the Restorators movement. Surrounded by chaos and a situation slipping increasingly out of hand he fled.

Later caught by Balduin men he was taken and given over to fake communist exiles where through civilian footage he was seen embracing and conversing with the enemy. It was then surmised that he had in fact been one of Terio’s agents. Working from within all those years to undermine the movement. A family came forward, a mother with two young children. Claiming to be the secret wife of the General she explained how she and the kids had been discovered by Terio’s men and used as a weapon against her husband to make him betray those he loved. She desperately appealed for leniency and appealed to Felix directly not to kill her husband. The General of course had never met the woman. Felix always loved setting scenes such as that, and thrived in the drama.

His ploy worked, the actress convincing and he appeared before the cameras himself to absolve the General and grant him leniency, for he did all he did for the love of his wife. A traitor he might be but he was also a tragic character.

He knew what he was doing, the Syrnaty people are an honourable one, his betrayal of everything he stood and fought for, for his comrades and soldiers in arms was unforgivable. Whatever the reasons. Even those few who might have supported him all the way quickly disappeared after that.

The death penalty was graciously revoked by Felix, instead he was sentenced to just a single year in one of Syrnat’s island prisons. He never saw freedom after that. Four months into his sentence he was attacked by a fellow inmate and died of his wounds not long after. Caught on grainy video the attacker was later revealed to have been a son of one of the men the General had reportedly betrayed and the attack was portrayed then as a sort of revenge. That was the end of Reza.

All in all Felix had dealt with his test rather smoothly. Though there were images of violence and perceived government brutality against the people his own propaganda machine worked just as tirelessly to expose the truth. For every image of police brutality there was a counter image of the protestors looting and attacking innocent civilians. Some of the images were even real, though most were created later under strict supervision and guidelines for what to produce.

Felix held his own press conference, addressing the world, highlighting the timing of the protest and steadfastly declaring it as an attack on him by the Higher Powers, those bitter at his dismissal and eager for revenge.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

He was able to easily defend himself. For no one could argue that he had allowed the peaceful protest to pass freely through his city, and had made no move to intervene or stop those demonstrating. Only when the situation had grown violent, (and by the protestors' hands) did the army move in. How they dealt with those protesting was out of his control. He could not allow the city to burn, would not allow it. He had acted swiftly and would not apologise for those caught in the crossfire. Public safety was put above all else, those who associated with the hooligans of the General’s ilk were asking for trouble. They, and only they were to blame. Though criticisms continued most saw the sense in the King’s words, most agreed that his actions were in the main justified. He did not gain anything in public opinion from his dealing with the matter, but nor did he lose anything. After his rash, and rather destructive actions at Geneva, Felix’s handling of the potentially tricky situation was a welcome return to his more calculating, imposing side.

The build up to the Concilium meeting was a tense one. Though handled quite effectively the incident with Reza did serve to highlight that the Kingdom was not completely bowed just yet. The average islander had seen an exponential rise in the quality and value of their lives but Terio and the Communist regime had not survived for so long for nothing. There were those, (and would be for many years), a significant portion of the population that had lost a great deal of both wealth and prestige with the collapse of the Party. No matter what investment, infrastructure or quality of life Felix introduced, they would always see him as the man who had taken those precious commodities from them. They had abused their power for their own gain and had been hated for it, each one of them villains in the public eye. Felix was doing just the same, in fact his abuse and exploitation of the Island for himself was perhaps worse than their own. And he was not even a true Syrnaty besides. Yet the people, on the whole, seemed to idolise their new Leader. Instead of being reprimanded by them for his UN appearance he was praised. It was an utter novelty to them for their small island to be placed so centrally on the international stage. Had a man from Syrnat spoke of his homeland to a foreigner previously, there was no possibility of him being aware of the island. Now, most knew at least something of Syrnat, usually the fact that it was the island of Felix and the Balduin Royal Family. That was a novelty and a surprising source of pride for the people. One the former Party members struggled to comprehend. Generally, in silence.

Throughout this period Felix had begun to show the weight of the pressure mounting on him.

Avelina was one of the first to truly notice Felix’s increasingly erratic behaviour. She was as, if not perhaps even a little more popular than Felix, though he’d never have admitted it, and in fact struggled to hide his annoyance with Karina when she sought to frustrate him by pushing that fact.

Avelina was a master of the media and public image. Rarely did a day go by where she was not caught mingling amongst the locals within the city, helping the poor, or opening some new enterprise or other. In the role of Queen, she thrived. Her and Felix’s age difference seemed to matter little to the people, for at 46 she was still as beautiful as ever. It was she who essentially ran the government. Felix might have had great plans and ideas for Syrant but they would not have happened without her influence. He lacked the patience for dealing with the island’s day to day affairs, focused on the bigger picture he paid little attention to the general functioning of the State. That was left to the Queen. In this she performed impeccably.

She was with Felix more of the time than anyone, and hardly any night went by without them locked in their bedrooms together. She then was naturally best placed to see and notice all manners of his behaviour. How Felix managed to hide the extent of his addictions I am unsure, perhaps he didn’t completely. Avelina may have turned a blind eye to it as she did many things with Felix.

Still, his latest acts must have increased her suspicions for she began to question us servants more. Not in a direct way, she was too clever for that, but having seen Felix in his most vulnerable position I knew by her enquiries what she suspected. She was trying to find out precisely what and how often took his extensive medications.

Her questioning and lines of enquiry were nothing compared to what the boy’s Mother had attempted several years previous however.

Mariana had never truly believed either Felix or Eustace’s explanation for his night terrors cure and had been unrelenting in her search for answers. She must have interrogated each and every one of the Household a hundred times over. No one of course said anything. Least of all me. This was before I had walked in on Felix on that dreadful morning, so just like all of the others I had no idea about Felix’s miraculous recovery and restoration to full health. We only knew that the boy and Grandfather were close, and that whatever method they had found had worked. That was all. Still Mariana never gave up her investigation, she was careful never to allow Felix see her worrying or stressing over the matter but she had no such qualms with Eustace. His unwillingness to share certain details had a major effect on their previously close relationship over the years. Whilst before they had been close, indeed Eustace had been one of the most delighted with Joaquin’s choice of bride, the secrecy surrounding Felix created a schism between them that never truly healed despite the many attempts of Elizabeth to do so.

As it was, though Avelina questioned there was little for her to gather. Felix had years of experience hiding his addictions by this point, there was precious little she could achieve by her questioning.

She did try to bring it up after the events at the UN.

Two days before the Concilium meeting she’d broken away from his embrace while they lay alone in bed together.

“Is something amiss? I confess I have not been using the gym so often as I might but surely I am not gone that bad?”

His eyes flowed over her body, he knew every curve well by now, but it did not make any of them any less alluring to him.

Avelina smiled gently, “No, it is not that, though you should return to it. And not drink so much, you have a Kingdom to run.”

Felix sighed and laid back with his hands behind his head.

“Yes, it is true that there has been a lot of late. Perhaps you are right Avelin. He turned and pulled her in close to him, “Though for tonight we won’t think about that.”

She laughed under his kisses. Alone Felix was very different to the uncaring and pretentious character he displayed to the world. He was almost cute.

“Felix.”

“Yes?”

“You are okay aren’t you? The UN, the images and visions you keep talking about. Sometimes it worries me. Worries many people.”

“The images and visions? They are nothing to be worried about. They are blessings. Given to me by a higher Power. I am sure of it, they have led me Avelin. They led me to you even. For that alone you should understand their value.”

“Yes, you have said as much. But are they always to your benefit? To ours? Perhaps it would be better if once you had such dreams and visions you discussed them with me, or if not me then your sister or the twins, with someone at least before you act on them.”

Felix turned to face her. “They are my own visions, my own dreams. If they were meant to be shared I would know. And I would share them, were I told to do so. But I haven’t. So they will remain mine to implement until such a time as they aren’t.”

Avelina nodded her head and said nothing.

“Then, who or what is this higher power? Is it your Father speaking to you? God?”

“It cannot be my Father, for he had similar manifestations to mine own.”

“Then it is God who speaks to you?”

“Is that so hard to believe? Why not God?”

“You think he would desire such a path for you?”

“You think he wouldn’t?”

Avelina frowned, “A great many people have died already through your ambitions. I am not sure God would have wished for such death and destruction.”

“No? Do you not recall the Flood? God sees always the greater picture. What if it was all to the greater good? What if I was his instrument? A way of enacting his will on Earth. There have been others who performed similar roles. What if everything I did has been part of his plan.”

Avelina laughed but stopped abruptly when she lifted her head up to look at him. Felix was gazing up at the ceiling but there was no trace of mockery on his face. ‘He cannot truly think that?’ came across Avelina’s mind.

“Who else after all,” Felix continued, “could have granted me such clear visions if not him? Every one of them has led me to glory. I know you might not think of my UN incident as being such, but wait. You will see. I am convinced that it too will over time prove its worth to us.”

(It may be a surprise to learn that the Balduins maintained a strong Faith in God. Just as all of the thirteen Bloodlines did. Though not as in any way recognizable to most known religions. But we shall get to that later.)

“And you do not believe there is anything else to these visions? There are no other factors?”

“Other factors? What other factors could there be?”

“You would make me say it?”

“I would.”

Avelina shook her head, “Fine then. You don’t think your reliance on the drugs you take plays any part in it?”

“Reliance?” Felix pressed his fingers to his eyelid. “I do not rely on drugs. I partake in them. At times. And the visions do not happen only when I do partake in them. They come to me in moments I can never predict. Do not equate what I speak of to mere drugs. A vision has oft came to me here in this very bed, even when I am with you, and do I ever seem intoxicated to you? No. Whatever you think, I assure you, you are wrong Avelin. These are more than simple illusions I speak of. Believe me.”

Avelina frowned but said nothing. Felix was generally open to new ideas and suggestions. On some things however he would not move, not through reason nor logic would he change. This, evidently, was one such occasion. Whatever it was, and she still believed it was indeed to do with drugs, was something he had had for many years now. So far, he seemed to be able to manage them, his sudden UN outburst aside. As she wrapped herself around Felix she was adamant she would continue to try and find the true source of his visions. But it could wait, for now she had other desires to act on.