17 生词
The Shadow of the Throne
In the northernmost region of the ancient kingdom of Feron, a land once brimming with life and hope, there now lay a desolate realm under the tyrannical reign of its reigning monarch, King Thallan. Once a king of promise, Thallan had grown paranoid and power-hungry, his palace filled with the scent of incense, an attempt to mask the stench of corruption and decay that had seeped into every corner of his rule.
The people’s perception of King Thallan had changed over the years. At first, they had viewed him as a just ruler, but now they could clearly perceive the depths of his greed. He had surrounded himself with loyalists, many of whom had secured their positions through favoritism and nepotism, rather than merit. The country’s elite had become exempt from laws and taxes that oppressed the common people. The king’s closest allies, his constituents, had formed a corrupt and unbreakable circle around the throne, making any attempts at reform nearly impossible.
At issue is how far King Thallan would go to retain his grip on power. Many of his adversaries had faced false charges and corruption convictions, with fabricated evidence to ensure their downfall. Those who were not convicted were banished from the kingdom or mysteriously disappeared, their names erased from the royal records. Any form of dissent was crushed under the weight of the king’s military, which was kept under a strict regiment.
Amid this oppression, a small group of rebels began to form, determined to bring about a renaissance for the kingdom. Among them was Aldric, a royal stenographer who had grown disillusioned with the court. He had spent years transcribing the meetings of corrupt officials, watching as they conspired to enrich themselves while the kingdom’s people suffered. Aldric knew the dangers of exposing the truth, but he also understood the importance of such a feat.
Aldric had an ally in the royal steward, a man named Marlowe, who had long served the palace but had grown weary of the king’s tyranny. Marlowe had seen the breadth of the kingdom’s decline, from the rising prices that caused widespread sticker shock among the commoners to the dormant industries that had once thrived under the previous regime. Marlowe, though outwardly loyal to the crown, secretly longed for a return to justice and fairness. He often met with Aldric in secret, the two of them planning how to gather and eventually leak incriminating information.
They knew that time was running out. King Thallan had initiated a brutal new phase of control, introducing screening lanes at every major city gate, where screeners would carefully inspect anyone entering or leaving the capital. These guards were armed with sneak weapons, hidden blades, and poisons, ready to strike at anyone who might pose a threat to the throne. Even in the palace, security had tightened, and no one was safe from the king’s spies.
Marlowe, with his wide network of contacts, began to conceal key documents that detailed the king’s crimes. Financial receipts, secret letters, and even maps of the kingdom’s most strategic locations—all of this was carefully hidden and slowly smuggled out of the palace. The king’s treasury, once thought untouchable, was leaking evidence of massive embezzlement. These documents, once shared with the right people, could ignite a revolution.
But Aldric and Marlowe knew that information alone was not enough. They needed the support of key members of the nobility and the military. Marlowe confided in a few trusted allies, men who had long felt the sting of Thallan’s oppressive rule. Slowly, they began to gather support. One by one, the voices calling for rebellion grew louder.
Still, there was fear. King Thallan’s regime was built on intimidation, and many feared being seen as traitors. The king’s rule was primal, based on fear and domination, rather than law or diplomacy. Anyone who spoke out could be silenced permanently. But there was a sense that the kingdom was on the verge of a new beginning, a budding hope that the people of Feron had not felt in years. As Aldric watched these hopes begin to bud in the hearts of the oppressed, he realized they had a chance to do something great.
One evening, as the rebellion began to solidify, Aldric overheard a conversation that would change everything. In an intimate meeting between the king and his advisors, it was revealed that the king was planning to expand his already crushing taxation policies. This plan would further impoverish the commoners, and anyone who protested would be dealt with swiftly. The king’s advisors discussed the possibility of enacting new laws that would give them even more power over the populace. This information, when shared, would infuriate the masses.
The rebels were ready. They had enough evidence to prove the king’s guilt and planned to release it to the people. But timing was critical. They had to move before the king’s forces could discover their plan. Marlowe used his position to expedite the process, ensuring that key documents were ready for distribution, and Aldric, with his sharp mind and steady hand, made sure everything was in place. They knew that their plan had to be executed flawlessly. One wrong move, and the king’s wrath would be merciless.
On the night of the rebellion, the palace was eerily quiet. The city outside, however, was far from it. The streets were filled with people who had seen the evidence of the king’s corruption. They no longer feared him, for they now had proof of his wrongdoings. The rebellion had spread like wildfire, fueled by years of injustice and oppression. The people had become unanimous in their desire for change.
As the kingdom crumbled, King Thallan, realizing his reign was over, tried to flee. But there was nowhere left to go. His once-loyal guards had abandoned him, and the people of Feron, once passive under his rule, had risen up. The king, whose crimes had been hidden for so long, was now a convict in the eyes of the people. The very soldiers who had once enforced his laws now led him to face prosecution for his many crimes.
In the end, Feron’s long-suffering people reclaimed their kingdom. Aldric and Marlowe, though they had played pivotal roles in the rebellion, faded into the background, content to watch the kingdom enter a new era. The people’s voices were heard, and they rebuilt their nation, free from tyranny. The kingdom that had once been desolate was now vibrant, a testament to the power of unity and truth.
The compact that had once bound the king and his corrupt inner circle had been shattered. In its place, a new government was formed—one that respected the voices of the people and worked for their benefit. As Aldric watched the kingdom come to life again, he knew that the shadows of the past would never again hold Feron in their grasp.
单词和短语解释:
- desolate (adj.) - 荒凉的
- incense (n.) - 香，焚香
- perceive (v.) - 感知，察觉
- perception (n.) - 感知，认知
- receipt (n.) - 收据，收到的证据
- intimate (adj.) - 亲密的 ，知己
- intimacy (n.) - 亲密，密切
- infuriate (v.) - 激怒
- sneak (v.) - 偷偷摸摸做事 ，溜
- sneak weapon (n.) - 偷带武器
- screener (n.) - 安检人员
- screening lane (n.) - 安检通道
- expedite (v.) - 加快 ，促进
- sticker shock (n.) - 价格的震惊
- regime (n.) - 政权
- regiment (n.) - 军团，纪律严格的组织
- region (n.) - 地区
- reign (v.) - 统治
- reigning monarch (n.) - 现任君主
- dormant (adj.) - 休眠的
- at issue is ... (phrase) - 关键问题是...
- renaissance (n.) - 复兴
- primal (adj.) - 原始的
- feat (n.) - 壮举 ，英勇事迹
- bud (v.) - 萌芽
- unanimous (adj.) - 一致的
- corruption conviction (n.) - 贪污定罪
- convict (v./n.) - 宣判有罪/囚犯
- favoritism (n.) - 偏袒
- nepotism (n.) - 任人唯亲
- compact (n.) - 契约
- constituent (n.) - 选民，组成部分
- exempt (adj.) - 免除
- prosecution (n.) - 起诉
- stenograph (v.) - 速记
- transcribe (v.) - 抄写，记录
- steward (n.) - 管家
- conceal (v.) - 隐藏
- breadth (n.) - 宽度，广度
- confide (v.) - 吐露秘密
- monoglot (n.) - 只懂一种语言的人
- monolingual (adj.) - 单一语言的