Accession
As Tyr slowly walked up those golden stairs he wondered, what would his father think of him now?
The prince of Griffonia had thought about the topic many times during the weeks following the war's end. He had never truly stopped for a second and just thought about the events that had transpired. His mind had been shielding him from thinking about those weeks, making him avoid it for the sake of his own sanity. But he couldn't ignore it anymore. The prince took a deep breath and closed his eyes, thinking over the years leading up to the siege of Canterlot. Had there been any signs all the way back then? Had he missed something his father had said or done that hinted to what the 'mad king' would do to the Ponies of Equestria?
Tyr observed his soundings as he climbed up the palace stairs. Behind him was the royal orchestra, playing the national anthem. Behind them was a line of soldiers keeping back the massive amount of Griffins and Hippogriffs who wanted to see their future king. The crowd carried banners with the royal family insignia, two white feathers crossed over a sword within a circle of golden coins. Ahead of him were the two hundred golden steps leading up to the massive palace that towered over the city. On each step stood two saluting guards, one to his left and one to his right, their swords were drawn to create an arch of sabers. On the top of the stairs stood the golden throne of the king. On the red cushion that decorated the golden seat rested the king's crown.
It was all watched over by the royal palace. The white building held over three hundred rooms and was the seat of power for the Griffonian government. Tyr had explored every nook and cranny of that palace and knew no better place to call home. The building was made up out of eight towers connected to a dome-like structure by long hallways. The kitchen was large enough to make food for hundreds of griffins and the staff kept everything clean all day long. The treasury was never empty and there hadn't been an assassination attempt in over three decades. This was the place where Tyr grew up, but as he walked up those stairs the prince only felt dread. The king's home held a lot of promise but equally a lot of dangers. His mind wandered as he made his way up towards the throne, his father's presence still felt in the very stone of the city.
Tyr thought back to a fond childhood memory. He had been playing with one of his younger siblings in the palace hallways. Guter had flown straight into an old vase and broken it. Tyr had been mortified and Guter had started crying hysterically. The older Griffon had cried how Guto would throw him out onto the street and banish his mother from the kingdom. The young Hippogriff had tried to comfort his older brother and get him to calm down until their father had found them. The royal Griffon had asked them both sternly who had broken the vase, Guto's eyes showing no emotion. Without hesitation Tyr had claimed responsibility for the incident, hoping to spare his brother any trouble. Yet the mere idea of being thrown out for breaking the old family relic had made the Hippogriff cry. This, in turn, made Guter cry and they had begged their father to not banish either of them.
Guto's stern look and voice quickly changed to one of concern and he had picked up the two children. The king's strong arms held them both easily and they could only look at their father in confusion as he smiled at them. Tyr asked Guto why he was smiling and the king of the griffins had only responded by rolling his eyes playfully. The Griffon king had put them both down on the ground and picked up one of the shards, showing it to his two children. For a second Guto had said nothing, studying the piece of porcelain.
"Do you know the difference between this ancient vase and you?" He had asked, looking expectantly at his two sons.
"I don't know father," Tyr had responded weakly and looked away.
His father had smiled and placed the piece of the vase back onto the floor. "I could have this vase replaced within minutes with a replica or another copy I have stored away. I could even have it sent to the Ponies to magically fix it and have it returned newly polished," The king started and bent down to his two sons height, "I can replace an old vase, but I cannot replace my sons."
The Griffon had hugged them both tightly and smiled, reassuring them that everything would be ok.
As Tyr thought over these things he spotted his brother to his left. The black feathered Griffon was dressed in his military uniform and wore a small smile. Guter gave Tyr a purple cloak and saluted him, the smile never leaving the older Griffon's beak. The sudden stop on the golden stairs only lasted a second, but the Ponies, Hippogriffs, and Griffins in the city all watched him like hawks. There were celebrations of course, but there wasn't a single soul in the entire capital that wasn't following the prince's every step.
The golden stairs that lead up to the grand palace truly made any creature feel small, Tyr especially. The young Hippogriff kept walking up against each step, the orchestra at the bottom still playing the Griffonian national anthem. The air felt tense and anticipation rocked the streets below. As Tyr walked past his older brother he looked upon his guards. The Griffins and Hippogriffs aligned in perfect lines on each side of him, one soldier for each of the two hundred steps. Their presence was both symbolic and practical, representing the army and acting as a deterrent towards any would-be assassins. The prince remembered some of their faces from the Ygrid, but most were unknown to him. Many of them cowered as he walked past, his lineage not forgotten.
They remembered a time where not bowing in fear would get you beaten. Tyr despised their fear, remembering his father's treatment towards his soldiers. Guto had happily left them to die during his defense of Baltimare. But the former king had not always been like that. There had been a time where earning the respect of his soldiers had been a primary goal of Guto's. The Griffon had given them days off, given them better pay, allowed them better rations and even updated every barracks in the country to keep up with modern medicine. The soldiers of Griffonia had been loyal to a fault for a reason. They had been lead by a king that had seemed to care for them and wanted to provide for their families. Tyr even remembered a particular moment from his childhood when his father had dragged him along to hunt.
The king of Griffonia had only brought with him five guards on that trip. Tyr had remarked about his and his father had only laughed in response. In the Griffon king's opinion, they didn't need protection in their own woods. The guards were there as a symbolic gesture to the commanders and generals of the army. They would never allow their king to go anywhere without protection, so Guto humored them. The Griffon had told the guards when they were in the woods that they could leave at any time, but the guards had remained with them.
As the hours had passed Guto quickly taught Tyr the basics of hunting. The Griffon was skilled with a sword and spear, allowing him to bring down boars as Tyr watched from the safety of the tree branches. Yet during this day of hunting, they were suddenly attacked by a group of Timberwolves. The guards were quick to throw themselves between the royal family and the monsters, striking them down with their spears. Guto ordered Tyr to stay in the tree before joining the fight himself. The king fought beside his soldiers and pushed the beasts back with the cold steel. Yet as the monsters were pushed back they jumped one of the guards. The surviving Timberwolves dragged the armor-clad Griffon away. The guard had screamed for help as he was dragged into the undergrowth of the forest.
Guto hadn't even hesitated.
The king had thrown himself after the soldier and used his great wings to keep up with the retreating Timberwolves. He had thrown his spear through the air in a majestic arc, the weapon hitting the Timberwolf that was dragging away the guard. The spear pierced straight through the beast's head and it caused it to crumble into pieces. The other Timberwolves turned around and tried to jump the downed soldier, only for Guto to shield him with his own body. Claws and teeth tore into the king's body, but he swiftly cut down the monsters with his sword. The blade had shone brightly in the dim forest, protecting both guard and king.
Once all the Timberwolves were dead Guto helped the guard up from the ground. He had asked the soldier for injuries as his own face and body bled heavily. Tyr had followed behind with the other guards, watching the Griffon king give the scared guard words of encouragement. The young prince had seen his father pat the soldier's back before nodding at the other Griffins. He had then said a couple of words that stuck with Tyr from that day onward.
"If I am not willing to give my life and blood for my people then they should not be willing to give it for me," The king had said with a smile.
Another couple of steps had been climbed as the prince mulled over these events. His father had been very different when he was young. His aunts and half-siblings had all been shown kindness and respect by Guto, the king making sure to raise his children to be strong for their country. Yet as Tyr looked upon his other siblings now he mostly saw disgust and jealousy. So much had changed in just a couple of years, so many horrible things had twisted the world and left it changed. Yet the Hippogriff couldn't say if the changes had resulted in something good.
The prince looked upon the nobles waiting for him at the top of the stairs. His mother was among them. Her brown coat and kind eyes made him feel calmer, but the nervousness he had clinging to his heart remained. The same second the ceremony was over those nobles would pounce at him with gifts and requests. They would try to use their money to gain more influence over the court and in their eyes control this new child king. Tyr scowled and remembered a time where no noble had dared such tactics. Guto had hated corruption and actively searched for it within his own circles. If the king would find a corrupt noble or officer in his army they were stripped of their title and thrown in jail.
His father had even held court for commoners and nobles at the same time. All had to wait in line for the king to address their issue. During one of these sessions, a noble requested Guto to banish a commoner that had supposedly 'attacked' him. The Griffon king had asked for evidence of the attack, to which the noble had provided none. His noble blood alone was supposedly enough proof that he had been attacked. The request had been dismissed and to add insult to injury Guto had hired the commoner as a butler, making him part of the royal family's staff. The Griffon king had smiled at Tyr as the noble had left the throne room. The prince had asked his father about it to which Guto had responded with a chuckle.
"A king does not let his subordinates hurt whoever they want. If he allows those below him to abuse their power and grow corrupt then surely he will lose his crown. Either through rebellion or through betrayal," He had said to Tyr with a smile.
The child learned early to recognize corrupt authority, and stand against it.
Guto taught Tyr many lessons in and out of the throne room. The Griffon king showed other rulers respect as they visited, giving them full access to the city and talking to them like equals. Guto even listened to many lords and ladies the royal families brought with them. The most talkative of these had been the archmage of Equestria. He had happily given Guto weird schematics and diagrams the king clearly had no idea how to use. But the gestures were always accepted with smiles and favors. The dragons especially got special treatment when they arrived to talk. The tension was always high, but Guto had been able to defuse any violent thoughts on both sides. There had been peace during his childhood, and Tyr missed it.
Another lesson Tyr was taught by his father was to respect the church. This lesson was never fun to think about, but it was important. Guto had been a worshiper of the gods from an early age and the king had tried to get Tyr interested in the church many times during his childhood. The prince never liked the churches however, the large imposing buildings not reminding him of the palace but rather a prison. The priests chanted holy texts by the god of war and the Hippogriff had only sighed in boredom. Yet Guto had said something to him that stuck with him, something that made those old scriptures worth something.
"They may not be perfect, but they bring hope. As a king, you need to give your people hope, even when everything seems to be at its darkest," The Griffon king had said to him.
His father always seemed to be preparing him for the day Tyr was to be crowned.
As Tyr headed up the golden steps, he thought back to the day his grandfather died. The young Tyr had been looking into the small gap in the bedroom door. There on the bed had his grandfather laid dying, Guto standing beside him holding his talons. The prince had been quiet, watching the event unfold. He hadn't been able to hear their conversation at first, but soon the sound had carried through to the young Hippogriff, and Tyr would never forget that conversation.
"I cannot promise that father," Guto had said in a serious tone, his eyes filled with concern and sadness.
"You have to! There is no one else that could possibly take it all back! I need you to accomplish this, so not your children have to carry this burned too!" Tyr's grandfather had croaked out in pain.
"That land isn't ours anymore. We cannot take it back, nor will I do so by force," The king had told the dying Griffon adamantly.
For a second the older king had grown quiet, seemingly deep in thought. He then asked for something else. "You need to go west, so far west your wings can carry you. There on an island not off this plane, you shall find an artifact buried by one our ancestors. He used it to unify this land from simple tribes to a true society. It will give your rule strength and make your weak half breed into something better. Find this artifact for me my son and bring it back home, this is my final wish," The dying creature had begged.
"I promise you, father, that I will bring it back to our kingdom. But this is my only promise, for I am not like you or my grandfather. I will not have Tyr carry any burden of mine or any burden of yours. This dream of war dies with you, it shall go no further. My son does not need to carry a bloody blade for us to remain in power," Guto had said with a scowl.
"We shall see son, we shall see... But if that is your wish then I shall accept it. But know this, war will come whether you like it or not. It is better to strike first then be annihilated," Tyr's grandfather had coughed.
The old Griffon had died later that day.
The funeral had been grand and the city had mourned the passing of their old king. Guto had not shed a tear at his father's funeral however, Tyr once again wondering why his father acted as he did. The Griffon king had responded after the funeral, his voice calm but filled with sorrow.
"If we do not let go of our specters they will remain with us for the rest of our lives. Your grandfather was a very strict and at times cruel Griffon, but I loved him dearly. However, I need to let go of that sorrow for the betterment of our people and our nation. As a king, I cannot let my emotions and impulses control me. If I acted with the sorrow I felt many would suffer. So let things go Tyr, for it is better for a king to let his sorrow go than to keep it under lock and key," Tyr's father had said quietly.
The following weeks were lonely for Tyr. His father journeyed west like Tyr's grandfather had instructed, only taking with him twenty soldiers. Tyr played and studied all he could, but without his father's presence, everyday life grew dull. The young Hippogriff had resorted to spending more time with his mother, something the chocolate brown mare had loved. His mother almost worshiped the ground Guto walked on and showed him clear affection each time they met. A young Tyr had just thought their kissing and hugging was gross. But as he thought back on it he realized his father cared for his mother more than he had ever imagined.
During the weeks his father was away the Hippogriff grew closer with his mother. Before he hadn't spent a lot of time with her due to his studies and him shadowing his father. But with his father gone the boy spent more time with the mare who birthed him. At first, he had worried about what his siblings would say, but they were more focused on acting as Guto had instructed than about their half-breed brother. So he had spent time with her, learning about all the small gestures his father did for her each day. Normally she could expect to be given at least one flower by her mate and at least one gift every week.
Yet those happy times were about to change.
Guto came back home two months after leaving for the strange island. Only five guards had returned with him, not speaking to anyone about what had happened. His mother showered the newly returned king with affection and while Guto had accepted it at first he slowly grew distant. Tyr saw his father lock himself in his bedroom several times a week, seemingly talking to no one. The prince had at the time only been worried for his father's mental health, so he asked the castle's doctor to take a look at Guto. The doctor returned with the news that the Griffon king was fine and that Tyr was worried about nothing. Yet the doctor's eyes had taken on a weird shine after the incident.
Tyr knew now that the Idol had influenced the doctor's mind. But his younger self had not known this and accepted the older Griffon's assessment. But the coming months were filled with uncertainty and confusion for Tyr and his siblings. His brothers had once spent time with him, training with swords or exploring the land around Griffinstone. Yet after his father's return, they grew more distant. They said they didn't have time for him, that they needed to be at court and learn from their father's actions. Tyr found this strange, as they never had any desires before to listen to the commoners or nobles ask Guto for help.
Without much else to do Tyr followed his siblings to court each day. There he saw his father slowly transform from a strict but kind king to a control freak. There had to be some kind of order to everything, no wiggle room for anyone. The prince saw how a poor farmer asked for aid, the Griffoness' farm having been destroyed in a storm. Guto had denied her that aid and sent her away. Yet the very next Griffon who asked for Tyr's father's assistance got it. The Griffon in question had been a noble that dabbled in ship design. He had requested for his very own bathhouse on religious ground, and Guto had allowed it.
Now Tyr had never been very spiritual, but the clear disregard for their gods had been uncomfortable. The prince still remembered the face the head priest had made at the declaration. But much to Tyr's surprise there hadn't been much push-back against the decision. The noble families and churches simply accepted the decision and moved on as a large bathhouse was built on top of an old shrine. This was the first time Guto would disregard an important part of the griffin culture and it was sadly not the last. A former temple was turned into an army barracks. A school was transformed into a factory. The average pay of any employee was lowered and the taxes rose.
Tyr remembered seeing all these things and one day asking his father why they were doing such a thing. Why did they suddenly need the influx of money to the treasury? Why did they need the religious sites and places of learning transformed into military complexes? His father hadn't answered at first, sitting on his throne admiring the Idol of Boreas in his grasp.
"A strong king plans ahead my son. He leaves nothing to chance. He also sacrifices when necessary. All these things he does for the betterment of his nation," Guto had responded without warmth.
"How will hurting our own culture make our nation stronger?" The prince had asked.
Guto had scoffed at that. "You cannot see it yet my child, but to move forward you need to leave other things behind."
Their conversation ended with that, the king dismissing his son. Tyr had left that room with more confusion and questions than he originally held. He hadn't known it back then, but the Idol had already sunk its teeth into his father's mind and thinking process. The prince hadn't said anything at first, Tyr's respect for his father too strong to outright undermine his king's decisions. But with time he saw more and more focus on the military in the country. There were parades showing off the troops, propaganda posters hanging on every street corner, and the drafting to the army was in full effect. The populace was convinced by Guto's speeches to comply with these changes. 'For the betterment of Griffonia' his father had said.
It was after the prince's conversation with his father that Tyr started to feel ill. He had headaches strong enough to send him to the floor and the prince heard voices. Back then the doctor had said it was because he lacked physical strength and because he read too much, but Tyr knew that it had been something else. No normal disease or weak body left someone with such horrible voices. The Idol had dug its claws into his mind those weeks and tried desperately to convince him to follow his father's orders. The young Hippogriff had cried as the Idol had shown him images of 'glorious war'. His dreams were haunted by such things for many nights until the princess of the night had banished them.
It had been the first time he had ever interacted with one of the royal sisters. The lunar goddess had been kind and told him it would be ok. The prince had woken up with his mind clearer and those voices the Idol had sent him were nothing but whispers. Yet the attack from the dark artifact wasn't forgotten by the young prince. He was always cautious when it came to strange voices in his head ever since. The Hippogriff knew now that it had been the Idol that had tried to overtake his mind, yet it had failed. After Luna's banishment of the nightmares, it lost its grip of his mind, and so his father was tasked with conforming him the old way.
Darkness had been in the air the day the Idol failed taking his mind.
The months before the attack on Equestria many things changed. Tyr's father grew more distant and the court was temporarily suspended. The factories were put into full production and old ships from the harbor were requisitioned to be rebuilt. The crown also wrote to the zebras for the first time in years. Guto paid with gold and silver to import large quantities of sky-metal from their former enemies. All of this sky-metal was brought to the factories. No one knew what the military was working on first, but the prince always saw his father speaking to his head engineers about a secret project. Tyr was never allowed into the factories before the Ygrid was completed, but he had still known something strange was going on.
The first test of the ships had been done in secret. Tyr had awoken one night by the sound of something moving across the sky. The prince had looked out his window to see a large shadow moving among the clouds. Before he had time to question it the thing was gone. Now he knew that the ship had been sent to attack the changeling hives. Before his father's capture of princess Chrysalis, no one had actually known where the hives where. Yet as soon as Guto had broken into the changeling princess' memories he had sent his ship there to test its canons.
It had been a tremendous success; there would not be a new changeling kingdom for a long time.
Tyr's mind drifted to another distant memory as he walked upwards on the staircase. His father had been getting letters by the Naviin city council. They had promised him allegiance and Intel straight from the Equestrian princesses inner circle. At first, the Griffon king had been skeptical, the Ponies of Naviin known for their scheming and backstabbing nature. But the allure of spy in the princesses' court was too juicy to pass up on. The king had taken the deal and became allied with the island nation state. The moment Guto had signed the contract given to him Tyr had known things were different. His father, who had once hated all corruption, allying himself with one of the most corrupt places in the known world.
As the prince of Griffonia finally reached the top of the staircase he turned around and looked down upon his subjects. The Hippogriff looked to the throne behind him and he picked up the golden crown and scepter belonging to the king. With a slow exhalation of breath, Tyr put on the crown, his people cheering. The orchestra at the bottom of the palace stairs played the national anthem once more, this time somehow making it sound even more triumphant. Yet his heart still ached for that final confirmation. That he would reign like his father had wanted him to. The newly crowned king was approached by the new head priest. The Griffon was dressed in golden robes and he placed Tyr's talons on Griffonia's book of laws.
"Do you swear to uphold the principals of our country, whether or not they hurt the reputation of the crown?" The priest asked.
"I do."
"And do you swear to never abuse the power granted to you by your bloodline and your gods?" The priest asked, putting extra emphasis on the 'gods' part.
With a small chuckle and a smile, Tyr nodded. "I do."
"And do you swear upon Ygrid himself to never wage war in vain? To uphold the peace and order our nation is known for?" The priest asked one last time.
"I do," Tyr responded.
Never again would there be a war between Griffins and Ponies.
"Then I officially declare you the king of Griffonia!" The golden robed Griffon yelled.
The cheers from Griffinstone grew even louder and it was almost deafening. The music from the royal orchestra was barely picked up on by the Hippogriff. The priest left his side and Tyr's mother hurried to his side. She hugged him and kissed his forehead. The mare was in her mid-forties but still had that glow in her eyes that his father had spoken fondly about. The Pony stood there for a second, admiring her son.
"You are a king now," She sniffled and hugged him again, the former prince hugging her back.
Tyr smiled sadly at her and nodded. "I guess I am. I wonder what father would have thought of this. If he would have held the same disgusted expression as many others in my family."
His mother teared up and nuzzled his head. "He was always proud of you. Your father was never disappointed in you, you were his biggest accomplishment. He would have told your siblings to rejoice, for the true king sat on his throne," She said with a sad smile.
Tyr pondered those words for a minute. Memories of his father smiling and reading him stories as a child came to light. The young Tyr had told Guto that he would defeat an Ursa major and make him proud. His father had told him that day he already had. The ghost of the idol still lingered in the back of the new king's mind. His father's voice telling him that he had failed as a son and heir. Those hadn't been his father's word, not his talons around Tyr's throat as he squeezed the life out of him. That darkness died with the idol. Tyr remembered his true father's last act. The dying king had reached out, caressed his son's cheek, and smiled. That calm, gentle smile.
Tyr had made Guto proud a long time ago. So with a relaxed sigh, the young king allowed himself to let go of that sorrowful specter.
Author's Note
Thank you for reading this little short story. I won't start on a sequel for CoN until I am finished with my fantasy novel. I have started work on it at least, so it is not just a hollow promise. Anyway, thanks again for reading and have a good day guys 
(If you find any errors please point them out in the comments below. It really helps me.)
