Scorching hot winds thousands of kilometres per hour whipped around the lava planet of Gulvalia as High Priest Regebrrk II's spacecraft made its landing on a dark crater on the far side of the world. The religious leader of a quarter of the galaxy put on his pressurised suit, protecting his moist, porous skin from Gulvalia's inhospitable environment. A young novice priest, Grolgrakp, sprung towards him on strong, powerful legs as the High Priest's huge, round eyes stared at the door.
'Your Holiness, make sure you come back safely,' Grolgrakp said to the representative of the Gods made flesh. Few expected the High Priest's intervention to stop the terrifying war between the two rival claimants to the Gulvalian throne. Cynics said that his visit was more to assuage the conscience of the faithful rather than a meaningful attempt to stop the violence.
'Our greatest martyrs faced places far more inhospitable,' Regebrrk said, as the young frog touched his bulbous hand against his in a show of respect, then placed his arms on the ground and bounded away.
Saying a silent prayer to the Gods, Regebrrk jumped forward to the doorway between the spacecraft and Gulvalia's terrain. He gave thanks for the fact that the Gods had blessed this seemingly unliveable planet with life, before he asked for their help as the airlock clicked shut and he embarked on his peace mission alone.
The door opened.
Regebrrk's suit meant that as he jumped out, he felt no difference between the humid 20 C of his spacecraft and Gulvalia's superheated atmosphere of thousands of degrees. His slimy, amphibian body did not collapse in on itself from the planet's strong gravity. Waiting for him were a large crowd of horned, hooved, furred mammals, wearing black and gold cloths, stood on two legs, but otherwise resembled the goats of the planet Regebrrk and his species knew as Terra.
'Isn't it freezing. What a horrible day. I need the heating on,' one of the goats was heard to remark, shivering, as molten lava fell to the ground as rain from the blazing sky.
'Maybe now the High Priest is here, the Gods will bless us with good weather,' another goat said as Regebrrk leapt towards his followers, and the waiting royal entourage who had come to receive him.
'Your Holiness.' Before he could greet his followers and speak to them the way he always liked to do, a royal representative placed himself between them. Silently, Regebrrk asked forgiveness for his ungodly dislike of the Gulvalian royal house.
After he had lost his parents the priests and nuns of Telepok, the huge water plant with a hollow stem, his religion's holiest site, had taken him in. The faithful prided themselves as being a religion of the poor, and deep in the cavernous stalk, Regebrrk still lived a simple and down to earth life. Yet, staring at the goats through his protective gear, he was struck by how dull the coats of his Gulvali followers were, how thin they were and the cheap clothes they were dressed in as opposed to the monarchical opulence that he would experience tonight.
'Such a pleasure to meet you,' the royal representative said, bowing obsequiously. One of the most important commandments of the Scriptures was the law against dishonesty, so as he was ushered into a waiting vehicle, Regebrrk merely looked upon the scene serenely to avoid the sin.
*
The royal palace was made with black metals and basaltic rocks which Regebrrk had seldom seen. Large, threatening-looking plants grew neatly on each side of a paved area, intertwined with smooth, black pillars. Two large, fire-breathing, scaled beasts sat on either side of the palace doorway, perfectly still.
Watching King Puldalv descend the stairs towards him, Regebrrk experienced another ungodly thought.
Maybe the Gods wouldn't protect him.
'Your Holiness,' Puldalv said, regarding the frog coldly and disdainfully. After all, there were many conspiracies about the links to a small but rising republican movement of what on Gulvalia was a minority faith.
With courage from the Gods filling him, Regebrrk said, 'Your Majesty, you know what I've come to discuss.'
'There is nothing to discuss,' King Puldalv snapped. 'I am the king of Gulvalia. That's that.'
'But Your Majesty? Too many have died. It has to end. You need to compromise with your brother and end this war!' The frog croaked in a loud, insistent tone. King Puldalv merely sneered.
'Compromise?' he laughed, and scratched a line with his hardened hoof, slitting into the High Priest's spacesuit. As the frog crumpled to the ground, he laughed.
'Where are your gods now? I, and only I, am THE. KING!!!'
Word count: 777 words
This short story is set several years before my story 'Planet of Frogs'. As soon as I have worked out a proper plot I'll post it here :D
