With a thought, Duke reappeared in his Throne Room. He was impressed when his guards barely flinched at his appearance before returning to their statuesque postures. “You have gotten used to me popping in and out, haven’t you?”
"Yes, You Majesty.” The left guard replied.
“Not sure if I’m happy or disappointed at that. It does speak highly to your level of discipline, so I suppose I have to be happy about that.” Duke commented as he headed for the chamber doors which opened just in time to allow him to exit without breaking his stride. They closed equally as fast, preventing anyone else from entering behind Duke. He was suitably impressed.
The sight outside the doors alarmed him, striking him in a way no physical blow could. There were people lined up all the way out the main castle door, apparently waiting for him. Duke groaned inwardly as Duke Madrigal separated himself from the crowd and approached. “Your Majesty, I have turned away hundreds of petitioners today, but there are many whose needs are urgent.”
Duke gave Madrigal a menacing look. “I will speak with the most pressing ones, but there is an entire kingdom to rebuild here. Is this going to help in that regard?”
Madrigal gave Duke a courtly bow. “Yes, Your Majesty. Only those who will help rebuild the kingdom will be permitted an audience to start.”
“Fine, send in the first in five minutes.” Duke replied, turning back to the doors that opened for him. As he entered, the doors closed again behind him. He searched through his INVENTORY for a long minute, finding his most “royal” outfit and put it on before sitting on the throne. With a gesture to his guards, the audiences began.
By the third, Duke wanted to claw his own eyes out. This one was a noble who demanded that the kingdom rebuild his estate after Chopie’s army flattened it in their march. Employing his Intuition and XENOGLOSSIA, Duke was able to discern that this noble had actually supported Chopie in his reign of terror and had offered up his own servants to become undead minions for the mad king. His mind came to a decision as his Diplomacy skill provided assistance.
Duke did not hesitate to make an example of the man. “Guards, open the doors and allow as many petitioners as can fit into the Throne Room!” Duke’s voice was filled with the authority of his office and the unique acoustics of the room served to project it for all to hear. He waited for the room to fill with people before proceeding.
The crowd hushed as Duke spoke again. “Lord Hawlsey, please repeat your petition to your king.”
The aforementioned Lord puffed his chest out and spoke loudly for all to hear, convinced in his righteous request. “Your Majesty, your predecessor bade his undead army march across my holdings. They destroyed everything. My livestock, my home, everything was swept away by the army. I humbly request that the kingdom restore my holdings.”
Duke carefully noted that the Lord had changed it from a demand to a request. He decided to clarify. “Lord Hawlsey, am I to understand that this is simply a request, not a demand by a member of my nobility as I heard at first?”
Hawlsey balked, realizing that he could either backtrack, or call the king a liar. “Your Majesty, I apologize for misstating my intent in my fervor. I had not intended to make any demands of the crown, just a request from your most humble servant.”
“Excellent. Now that we have cleared up that matter, Allow me ask you this. What happened to the servants from your estate? Surely they would have been able to relocate your livestock out of the path of Chopie’s undead army.”
Hawlsey was getting more and more nervous but had exceptional noble bearing that masked it from the crowd. Duke, however had an Ability to rely upon that saw clearly through the Lord’s dissembling. “Your Majesty, my servants fled when we received word of the coming horde. I was barely able to get my family free of the horde before it descended upon us.”
“Thank you for sharing your story, Lord Hawlsey.” Duke raised his voice so he could be sure that all present could hear him. “If you come before me with a legitimate need and request, you will be heard with an open mind, but if, instead, you stand before the crown with lies and falsehoods, you shall be met with the King’s Justice.”
Hawlsey’s noble demeanor broke as he realized that Duke was not some easily manipulated rube that happened to gain the throne through luck or trickery. Duke continued. “The truth is, Hawlsey, that you fully supported Choppie, even to the point that you offered up your own servants to be killed and turned into undead soldiers. Your lands were not destroyed by random happenstance. You invited Choppie to march across your lands. Because of your support for this monster, countless other people died.”
Hawlsey tried to interrupt with a plea but was shut down by Duke’s piercing gaze as he continued speaking. “This Throne itself is a magical construct and allows me to see into the truth of what is said before me. I will brook no falsehoods in my court. You are stripped of your title, your very nobility that you sold for a moment of safety. You are no longer anyone. You are a traitor to the people of the kingdom and as such, I cast you from here!” Duke activated TELEPORTATION, sending Hawlsey to the standing stones where the Lake Front Dungeon had once been.
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There was a collective gasp from the crowd. Duke took the pause to sit back down on the throne. “Duke Madrigal, who is next to petition the court?”
Without pause, Madrigal responded. “Lady Hargwaetch is next, Your Majesty.”
“Very well, please step forward and present your petition, Lady Hargwaetch.” Duke schooled his face into his most serene and accommodating expression.
An older woman with greying hair stepped forward. There was something about her demeanor that Duke couldn’t place but he was sure that her heritage was not purely human. She was wearing a dress that clearly had seen better days. It was lightly stained and fraying in places. “Your Majesty, first may I offer my family’s thanks for restoring my family home within the city. We rode out Choppie’s madness in our basement, sealed from the terrors that walked the streets.”
Duke interrupted her. “Why did you stay in the city and not flee like so many others?”
She lowered her head and spoke. “Your Majesty, my family has roots deeper in this city than even the kingdom of Eternia. We are the founding family of this city and our honor bid us not abandon it no matter the fate. My father, infirm though he may be, struggled to be allowed to fight against Chopie’s madness. My daughter refused to abandon her post at Elysian Haven. I could not abandon them either.”
Madrigal whispered to Duke, having caught on to his confusion at the name of the place. “It’s the most potent healing house in the city, Your Majesty.”
Duke gave Madrigal a thankful nod and spoke. “It seems your family are truly noble then, my Lady. All you have spoken has had the ring of truth to it. What is it that you would request of the crown?”
“Many suffer from having their livelihoods destroyed and it will take quite some time for businesses to rebuild. I request a letter of credit and seal of approval from the crown to build a caravan to travel to the Ansky Empire and acquire the tools and raw materials necessary to restart the businesses of the city. In time, the crown will be paid back as business are re-established and commerce begins again.”
Duke smiled, impressed by this woman. “Lady Hargwaetch, that is a well-reasoned and selfless request. You would take on this role without any reward expected?”
“Your Majesty, my reward would be to see the city that my family founded to be restored to glory. That is more than enough reward.”
“I have one condition if I am to grant this request.” Duke responded, a wry grin spreading across his face. “A man I have an enormous respect for taught me that the best leaders surround themselves with people who are experts in their fields and allow them to do their jobs. I wholeheartedly believe in this philosophy. Therefore, I would name you, Lady Hargwaetch, as my Minister of Commerce. It will be up to you to see that our businesses and merchants are rebuilt, and everything is done fairly and justly. Will you accept this position on my Council?”
She stared at Duke, stunned for a moment as more gasps propagated throughout the crowd. Finally, she broke out of her reverie. “Your Majesty, there has not been a woman on the King’s Council in the entire history of this city. Are you truly offering such a position to me?”
Duke met her gaze for a long moment before answering. “Lady Hargwaetch, not only am I offering the position to you, I am strongly encouraging you to take it with the assurance that anyone who interferes with your just duties simply because you are a woman shall face the King’s Justice!”
“Your Majesty, I accept with full honor and respect. You are changing this world by your mere presence. I will serve you with absolute fidelity!”
Duke smiled broadly. “Madrigal will make sure you have the proper chambers to establish your office. Who is next?”
Madrigal began to speak but Duke interrupted him. “One more thing. Let it be known that any may come before the crown if their need is just, and I care not if you wear finery or rags. You will be heard. But, when you leave…Duke activated his favorite CLEANSE and RESTORE Abilities across the entire Throne Room, you will be wearing your best!”
Surprise and wonder exploded into animated conversations as the petitioners’ “best” clothes were cleaned and made anew. Duke noticed that there were maybe a quarter of the petitioners than there had been when he had addressed Hawlsey’s lies.
I hope someone was taking attendance and we can identify who left as they are potential problems. No, forget that. What am I setting up here if I go down that route? No way am I going the petty dictator route.
Duke continued to hear petitioners’ request for the rest of the day, settling into his role as King. Most requests were minor, if urgent. He handled those he could but there were some that he had no idea how to handle. To those, he dipped into his past experience gain by turning their requests back on them. “Bring me three possible solutions to your problem and I will choose from those. And remember the lessons of former Lord Hawlsey and Council Minister Lady Hargwaetch. Solutions do not need to be elegant, but they need to be well thought-out and should benefit more than just yourself.”
When Duke finished with his petitioners, he was mentally exhausted and wanted nothing more than to eat a good meal and get some sleep. He did not, however, want to eat his meal alone, or sleep alone for that matter. He pulled out his Jewel of Whispers and reached out to Baslin and Aurelia asking them if they were ready for dinner. Both replied in the affirmative. Duke smiled and wondered if he could pull off what he was thinking.
Only one way to know if it will work…gotta try it!
Duke activated his TELEPPORTATION Ability and instantly Aurelia appeared before him. She stumbled briefly before catching her balance. Apparently, she had been in mid-step. Baslin appeared similarly a moment later. Duke shot a fist into the air. “Fuck yeah! It worked!”
Both glared at him, but he smiled sheepishly in response. “I don’t know about you, but I’ve had a long and full day. It’s time to hit the Inn and grab dinner and some rest.” Without waiting for a response, he TELEPORTED them to the Inn and was happy to see that they joined him without complaint.