Coronation of King Ringano

The Kingdom of Sulupi is astir ever since the warning guns boomed at three o'clock in the morning, and already the Sunni natives are flocking to the town center. The tiny kingdom has not seen a celebration of such scale since the coronation of King Ringana. Today is the coronation of their beloved Prince Ringano who will become their King from today. Everyone in the kingdom, from toddlers to the elderly is in their best traditional Sunni colourful costumes, wearing broad smiles on their faces, putting away whatever hardships and daily woes they may have for this day. For today is a historical event not to be missed. Sulupi flags are displayed in their colourful splendor, flying high in every household, building and in the streets. A carnival mood is in full swing now. The population is imbued with the carnival spirit. The loyal subjects of Sulupi are coming out in throngs; clapping, swaying, singing, dancing, and waving their national flags. They are totally immersed in their state of enjoyment, oblivious to the passing vehicles, or massive movements around them. Some are temporarily drowned in the state of ‘ringino’. The loyal subjects are quite content to wait for hours till the time for them to watch what they hope to watch the coronation of their beloved Prince.

The coronation of King Ringano is to be held in the Grand Hall of the palace. Invitations were sent out to countries which have diplomatic ties with the Kingdom of Sulupi. Fleet of limousines can be seen transporting foreign royalties, dignitaries and guests and foreign journalists. Royalties from Western countries are visibly absent. They have read news of the kingdom’s recent history of bloody conflicts and would not want to risk the lives of their royalties. These countries sent their representatives or ambassadors instead. Invited guests of King Ringana and Prince Ringano were received by their respective Representatives and escorted to the town by the royal limousines. While the coronation ceremony was Sulupian, Western protocols are incorporated as foreign guests were invited. Military honour guards are standing at rigid attention at the front of the palace, holding firmly their rifles which are affixed with highly polished bayonets. In another stretch of the street leading to the palace are soldiers appropriately dressed in their national uniform and headgear, taking up their posts under the scorching sun, armed with the Sulupi spears, arrows and swords. The scene is a blend of Sulupi and Western customs and traditions. They await anxiously the arrival of Prince Ringano who would soon be crowned the new King of Sulupi. Finally, Prince Ringano appears, dressed in regal splendor, seated in the coronation carriage drawn by two heavily decorated brown colour horses, waving approvingly to his loyal subjects lining the streets to greet him. The coronation carriage stops at the grand entrance of the palace. Prince Ringano steps down from the regal carriage stoically and assuredly steps onto an awaiting big oval shape royal wooden chair. He proceeds to sit on the big wooden chair. The immaculately dressed royal bearers standing at attention then walk forward, lower their torsos and in unison start to lift the chair with their Prince on top and begin to march upright and meticulously to the inside of the Grand Hall. In keeping with the Sunni tradition, a contingent of palace foot soldiers march down the center, carrying with them ancient artifacts, sculptures of their past kings, symbols of the Sunni faith, and a small crystal jug of holy oil. The ancient ceremonies went on, with impressive solemnity, whilst the audience gazed. The Archbishop of a friendly South American country was invited to conduct the ceremony. After going through the whole religious process, at last the final act is at hand. The Archbishop anoints holy oil on Ringano. He then finally lifts up the Sulupian Crown from its cushion and holds it over Ringano's steady head. The Sunni tribe are deeply religious. The anointment is an act symbolizing the granting of divine favour to the new King. Then the Sulupian anthem is played, sweeping across the Grand Hall with its rich waves of sound to herald the crowning of King Ringano. The galleries and balconies inside the palace are packed with people. Many could not have a sighting of the coronation procession because they are cut off by intervening pillars and architectural projections. Screams of “We have a new King! Long Live King Ringano! We have a new King! Long Live King Ringano!..........”, thundering through the tiny kingdom. The royal subjects of the Sulupi Kingdom are screaming out their feelings in ecstatic approval, with many crying tears of joy.

Tonight the streets are totally illuminated by a spectrum of electrical lights arranged in various designs. Thousands of people have concentrated in and filled the town square. The town is jammed to suffocation. Tonight, the palace is hosting a feast for their subjects to commemorate the crowning of their beloved Prince. The coronation dinner is held in the banquet hall. Because of the magnitude of the invited guests, two largest apartments in the palace, i.e. the grand ballroom and the theater room which adjoins it, are adjoined and utilised as the banquet hall.

The banquet is a scene of royal grandeur with decorations of medieval settings. The regal dining is adorned with enchanting finer particulars such as grand entrances, high archways, leaded-glass windows, striking light fixtures and coats of arms. Dinner guests are seated at long solid wooden tables. Each table could sit sixty people; thirty guests at each side of the table facing one another. King Ringano has ordered that his special invited friends must sit at the same table. Daniel is seated next to Xiao Ching. “What do you intend to do with your Phd?,” Daniel starts the conversation. “I am going back to China, of course!” “Of course? “ “Yes. The Beijing Institute of Archeology has given me an assignment.” “Oh. That’s good for you. You already have a job waiting for you, before obtaining your Phd. What sort of assignment is it? “ “Well, I will be going to Xi’an.” “Why Xi’an?” “You know Xi’an is the utmost important source of Chinese history? The first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang came from Xi’an. It was the starting point of the Silk Road which was the world's longest overland ancient trading route. Xi’an was a highly significant trade route linking ancient China with Central Asia and European countries. ” “Yes, I have read about Xi’an in my studies too. It says that Chinese history originated from Xi'an. And of course, Xi’an was in the news all over the world last year when a group of farmers digging wells found the statutes of the terracotta army in March last year!,” Daniel replies. “That’s right. The first emperor of China ordered the construction of the terracotta army and his mausoleum in Xi'an after his ascension to the throne. Xi’an has served as the imperial capital for ten ancient imperial dynasties and a number of regional kingdoms. Xi'an has a great number of precious relics and historical sites and more than 4,000 historical sites and tombs have been excavated. My grandfather came from Xi’an,” Xiao wasted no time in owning up to her Chinese heritage. “But, what exactly is your objective of going to Xi’an?,” Daniel wants to know of her real mission. “To excavate the tomb of the first emperor of China!” “Yes. Your first emperor has a rough and tough history. He burnt books and killed scholars!” “He had no choice. He wanted to unify China. There were so many spoken and written languages at the time, with each championing their own ideas and causes. The people were divided and in constant conflicts with one another. The emperor needed to get rid of such diverse thinking to ensure unity and stability.” “Yes, with his tough actions, Chinese knowledge also went down in flames,” Daniel replies disapprovingly. “Not really, you know. Not all books were burnt! Books on astrology, agriculture, medicine, divination and the history of the State of Chin etc., were not burnt,” Xiao Ching answers in defense. “Ok. Why do you want to excavate his tomb? What do you hope to achieve?” “We want to find out whether this story about him consuming mercury pills is true!” “What story?” “Well. There is a theory that Qin Shi Huang wanted longevity, he wanted to live forever. He was obsessed with acquiring immortality. So he ordered his ministers and eunuchs to look for a longevity medicine. His ministers and eunuchs of course could not find such thing! But, to tell it to the emperor would mean certain death. And so, they cooked up this story that mercury could give the emperor everlasting life. The emperor fell prey to this supposed longevity pills and he reportedly died due to digesting these mercury pills, made by his court scientists and doctors. There is a suggestion that his tomb is surrounded by streams made of mercury!” “Ok. That’s very interesting! It’s every archeologist’s dream to explore Xi’an. Good luck Xiao Ching,” Daniel wished her well.

Then it happened. Suddenly, amid the clattering sounds of forks, spoons and knives and the noise of hundreds of people speaking at the same time, soulful rendition of songs by the soprano for this grand occasion, the scintillating dancing, singing, toasting and merry making, BOOM!!! Without any warning, a loud booming blast is heard across the banquet hall, shaking the entire hall with the thunderous boom. The blast was so severe that it shattered windows and sent flying glasses and shrapnel in every direction. “What’s going on?”, “Oh My God, Oh My God!”, “Help! Help! Help!” “Call the fire brigade! Call the police! Call the soldiers!” The coronation diner’s joyous occasion is suddenly transfixed into a scene of total bewilderment and confusion. Everyone in the banquet hall, from soldiers in uniform, security guards, waiters and waitresses, servants, civilians to noble men and women, are in a state of total disbelief and fright. It’s a BOMB! A BOMB has exploded!,” someone in the crowded hall screams. Daniel found himself hidden under the long dinner table. He is not alone. People are seeking protection from the flying glasses and shrapnel under the long dinner tables. He surveyed around the scene of the hall with his eyes and senses and found most of the guests sitting at the same table are also hiding beneath the table, except Xiao Ching. Daniel looked further and eventually his eyes saw Xiao Ching’s body at the other end of the table. She has been thrown out of her seat by the sheer force of the blast, sending her air-born and landed her onto the other end of the long table. Her body lies on the dinner table, among broken glasses and bottles, lifeless and covered in blood.

BOOM!!!! KAPOW!!! There is a second bomb blast. This time the force of the bomb is even more powerful than the first. It rocked the whole palace, knocking out the smaller columns supporting the beams, eliminating the support for the larger columns on top. As these columns gave way, huge chunks of the hall tumbled down. People started to crawl out from the tables, realizing that hiding beneath the tables might not give them the protection they needed. They scramble and make a run to the various exits of the banquet hall. Everyone is for himself now. People are screaming and crying, clambering over one another, running in every direction, trying desperately to find a way out. The lucky ones escaped in time. Soon, sporadic fires are built up with thick billowing smoke gradually engulfing the hall. The banquet hall is quickly filled with fumes and thick smoke, making breathing conditions unbearable. The scene now is in total chaos and desperation. Adding to this state of confusion, rattling sounds of firing machine guns, a series of bomb blasts and screams and shouts of frightened people can be heard outside the palace walls. There is a fierce battle going on. No one knows what is going on. No one suspects anything like this would happen. They have to make a run otherwise they will be burnt alive. Daniel gathered himself and tried to think of a way out. He quickly came to the realization that hiding beneath the dinner table is only a temporary solution. He must not just wait and hope for rescue to come. If there is going to be any rescue at all! He then followed the same option and began to scrawl out of his table. There are lifeless bodies everywhere; many with broken window glasses and sharp objects pierced onto their bodies. Daniel continued to crawl his way through, pushing debris and dead bodies to clear his path. There are desperate people making their runs towards the same direction, but in the process many of them fell victims to the billowing smoke which choked them. Some have started running back, the bad air had driven them back. Some had to abandon running towards any opening as there are fallen pillars which entrapped the entrances. Those who have knowledge on fires, would lie flat on the floor, covering their mouths with curtains to protect their lungs. Daniel continues to crawl his way and finally found himself a few feet from main entrance which by now has only a small opening just enough for him to crawl out. But it’s too late. Suddenly, there is a boulder crashing down from top of the building, blocking even the small opening of the entrance. Their last escape route is now shut in front of them. Their fate is sealed. They fell on their knees on the dirty dusty floor sobbing uncontrollably. The banquet hall is now in total darkness. All supply of electricity has been disrupted. There are lights flickering sporadically in the big hall. Some of the entrapped have found candles and they lit up the candles using cigarette lighters and matches. In the desperation of darkness, anxious screams, loud shouting, and pitiful moaning can be heard. Someone has found a sledgehammer and he started to pound it as hard as he could against the wall, and at the same time crying out, “Help! Help! We are here. Please help us!” Some attempted to attract attention from the outside by beating on drums, tables, chairs, plates, musical instruments and whatever they could lay their hands on. But nothing happened. They became exhausted and stopped trying to signal. At that point, many looked horribly depressing, like feared souls accepting the inevitable. The wounded moan eerily. There are various nationalities and people with different faiths coming for the grand occasion. Many of them began to pray. “Time for us to go. God’s will would be fulfilled.” A group in another part of the grand hall started to pray, “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee….. Pray for us sinners now at our hour of death…..,” holding their rosaries close to their chests. Muslim guests are seen clutching their holy Korans, reciting the prophet's verses. Buddhist monks are heard chanting their prayers..

The battles outside the palace are now in its highest momentum and intensity. Sounds with multiple explosions followed by fearsome yelling, screaming and shouting warriors. Guns firing, cannons firing, swords rattling and clanging, horses whinnying and going down, and moaning yells of dying men being shot, slashed or blasted away. Frightened shivering men, women and children inside the coronation hall can only imagine what it is like outside. With the battles being fiercely fought outside and the bleak conditions inside the hall, any hope of rescue quickly evaporated.

( Please excuse my absence for awhile. Will be back. Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed the story so far.)