That is a possibility, yes, Laurence. But his brother was also a traitor, and I think perhaps his fear of what the people would think that the king's own brother was an extremist would not have sat well with many.
This set of memories differ than my older dreams. In that timeline, I could speak to the dead and conjure them to fight at my command. But in this new set of dreams, the only way to speak to the dead is if I partake of the heart shaped herb and go through a ritual. And this can only happen after my powers are stripped from me and then given back by the herb (and then that only happens after winning the throne in combat).