THE NIGHT BECAME DAY ONCE MORE and Lanya had scheduled an announcement at the palace. The people were not quite sure what to make of this, unaware of how Lanya, whom they still believed to have been killed earlier on in the month, could have possibly reclaimed the throne. Regardless, they still found themselves in front of the palace that morning, ready to hear whatever news Lanya had to bring.

After a few minutes of waiting to ensure that everybody was present, Lanya revealed herself from behind the maroon curtain. The spectators were surprised by this, but not everybody showed it. Some made a quite audible gasp, while others simply watched in bewilderment. Others still went as far as applauding Lanya’s return. More and more, others joined this last group until the streets echoed with cheers and other displays of jubilation. Eventually, these displays died down and Lanya was able to begin speaking.

“I am grateful to receive this warm welcome from all of you,” she began. “As you may have known for some time, there was a brief period in our history where a maila by the name of Satusjin Oritsu had taken over Akuni and Aotoshi’s throne. He planned to bring our nations into war with Medikai once again, doubtless either leading to the deterioration of our glorious esteem that we had rebuilt in the post-Mujihina era or a maila, whose lifespan exceeds that of a human’s tenfold, would be put in charge of the entirety of Crenon, all the while keeping that thirst for conquest.

“But rest assured, with the help of our advisor, Zeronius Kantoku III, we were able to defeat Satsujin. We executed him for treason at the break of dawn today. We knew that it would not be wise to let him off easy when others may be inspired to try to overthrow us just the same. However, this also had a knockback effect. Upon defeating Satsujin, the Saisei Coalition was also disbanded and subdued. We are not sure of where its members are, but we do know that they now lack the centralization necessary to keep them as a powerful force against the throne.

“When all is said and done, peace has been restored to these Joined Nations. Yet, the question arises of whether these nations should remain as one. After all, two head monarchs are trying to tackle the same issues. Wouldn’t it be more productive to have them be separate so that each nation can focus on its own needs? Musuko and I thought the same thing and came to a decision. When the 1st of September arrives, Akuni and Aotoshi will hereby be recognized as sovereign states from one another. However, this does not mean that they are entirely on a blank slate with their relationship with each other. Instead, there will be open borders between the two countries and new borders better accommodated to what modern maps show us as opposed to the somewhat inaccurate maps carried over from the 18th century. Hopefully, we will be able to retain a sense of diplomacy between these two nations, even after both of our reigns are over.”

The crowd remained silent for a brief moment. Eventually, an old man in the audience saluted Lanya. This was followed by another person. Then another. After a minute or so, the entirety of the announcement’s attendees was on their feet, welcoming their queen back to her position on the throne. She bowed to her subjects, creating one of the most groundbreaking displays of royal humility. It has since become customary for any member of royalty to bow before their subjects following their coronation, and no royal from Crenon has broken the trend since Lanya.

Not too long after the ceremony, Lanya and Musuko set the new boundaries for Akuni and Aotoshi, with the border now falling along the coasts of the Hekagang River, which sat very near to the old borders between the two countries. They met up with Emperor Samuel Yohan of Medikai to discuss a truce. They told him of how there was almost a war between the three nations due to Satsujin seizing power. The three agreed to a peace treaty, meaning that there was a physical document that could prevent any future leaders from invading either nation. Lest either country makes the first attack, there was no sign of another war in Crenon.

Lastly, the final action directed by the new rulers of Akuni and Aotoshi was a mausoleum built in the direct center of this new border on a small island in the center of the Hekagang River. The mausoleum was intended to house the bodies of all of the previous wielders of the Fabled Swords and their spouses. At first, the relocation of their corpses was a somewhat controversial topic, but the priests of the two nations eventually decided to aid in the process to ensure that those relocating them were not doing so at the cost of desecrating their burial.

Once all of the bodies were relocated, Lanya took the Fabled Swords from their position on the wall and made a journey to see the mausoleum. As the marble floor was approaching completion, she placed them underneath one of the large tablets. This tablet was marked from the bottom, and thus it would be unrecognizable from any of the other tiles. Once it was placed, Lanya returned to her position on the throne.

It was within this mausoleum that the swords now lie to this day, as Lanya and Musuko vowed to never tell their progeny of the Fabled Swords’ whereabouts. Instead, they kept their next of kin humble in their power.