The rest of the evening was quiet. There was a brief surge of celebration in the palace and around the city, but it was short-lived. The excitement was palpable, and many of Hailgrad’s citizenry milled about, but the pain of the last few days still hung heavy on the people’s hearts.
There was also still a great deal of anxiety surrounding the sickness. Many believed that it would return with greater force. Some thought it was a judgment on their people, and Areandel had been satisfied and recoiled her striking hand. Regardless, many did not risk lingering in the crowded forum areas of the city. Before long, the streets were again dead quiet except for the patrols of guards and the clop of their horse's hooves.
***
Morning came all too quickly for Edwin. He felt groggy after a few late-night ales with Charles and Johanna. They had long talks about what the next few days might bring their way.
"Are you concerned about Elizabeth?" Johanna asked the new king as the three sat, nursing ale that was freshly brewed and shipped in from the Riverbrook Inn.
"How do you mean?" Edwin counted in a puzzled tone.
"She took control of the situation earlier today. I mean no disrespect, but I do not think that should happen tomorrow," she said hesitantly.
Edwin took a moment to ponder his friend's words, and then he said, "I think it was needed. This was my first day in this new world, after all."
Johanna winced, and she and Charles shared a look. "What is it?" Edwin asked.
"Image is everything in these high places," Charles started. "If she does that tomorrow in front of the larger council, it may undermine you. It was all our first day in this new reality, and the kingdom is unstable. You need to be the one to stabilize it."
"I think you all worry too much about these things. We are all people of the same lands. I am confident everyone will act in the best interest of our people. They would not try to overthrow me." Edwin said this as if to convince himself of the situation.
"We just worry about you, Ed. Your optimism can be used against you, though. I just want you to be careful. You are all we have now," Johanna said.
Edwin smiled at his friends. "We are all we have now. Whatever comes our way, we will face it together," Edwin said defiantly.
After a long silence, Charles stood up and said, “We best be getting to sleep. The rats are coming in tomorrow, and you must be in top form, Ed.” He flushed. “My lord,” he quickly corrected with a slight bow.
Edwin laughed, and Johanna rolled her eyes with a smile. “Charles, Johanna, please make a deal with me. You may use ‘my lord’ around others, but please call me Edwin or Ed when we speak privately. I do not think I can take another bow or ‘my lord’ today. It is truly infuriating sometimes.” They looked at each other and nodded with a smile. “Good, now, if you will excuse me, your lord must now get some kingly rest.” Then Edwin strutted off to his bedroom in the most exaggerated way.
***
After a solitary breakfast, Edwin came into the hall where people were gathering. The table they had all sat at was pulled up to the throne where Edwin would sit. It was a great, wooden-carved chair with many depictions of horses and trees. Edwin timidly walked to the throne that was his fathers and grandfathers before him. The thought of sitting on it in the past filled Edwin with the fire of ambition and excitement. Now, it felt that he was an imposter. A small boy that was playing ruler while his parents were away. Edwin scanned the room to see his mother's throne, which was made in a similar fashion. It was tucked to the side, unused and seemingly forgotten.
“Come, your majesty.” Elizabeth gestured to the throne, which she sat to the right of. The seats to his left were empty. Next to Elizabeth were the eight surviving members of the royal court. Charles and Johanna were a part of this eight as new heads of their houses. At the end were Gerrit and Lars with some other scholars. These folk were often invited to join council meetings in case they needed to be called upon when historical context or strategic advice was required.
Eight houses with an adult surviving them of the fifty appointed by the crown was staggering. Edwin had not realized the extent of the desolation of his people.
“How are we all today?” Edwin asked. He was greeted by weak smiles. “I understand how hard this must be for all of you. Thank you for being here on this important day. Many things will be discussed for the sake of the future of our kingdom, and I am happy to have you all by my side.”
"My lord, we have received word that Helewise, Sylvester, and Baldric have all arrived in the capital and should be joining us shortly," said Gerrit.
“Any news from Everand of Frostwatch?" asked Edwin.
"No reports have come in yet. Our rider should have reached them by now, so news should be arriving anytime," Gerrit replied.
"What of the sickness, are there any reports of additional cases in the city?"
At that moment, an orator came into the hall. He was dressed in the castle red color with an emblem of a white horse pinned over his heart, as was the fashion of those who worked in the castle. “May I present Helewise, governor of the Mendale province,” his powerful voice boomed off of the stone floors as Helewise entered the room. Edwin couldn't help but smile at the impeccable timing she had. She was an older woman with long, thick brown hair with streaks of grey. Her grey eyes were warm and seemed to have a keen light behind them. She proudly carried herself and was dressed in a gold gown with ruby-red accents. A golden owl with red ruby eyes that glistened in the morning light was pinned to her chest. It was her family's insignia that was scattered on nearly every shipping crate in the kingdom.
“Good morning to all of you,” Helewise said as she announced herself. She stopped and gave the slightest of smirks, the kind one unaware of the dynamic of the room would likely miss, and she bowed. “My lord, it is good to see you. I wish it was under better circumstances. My deepest condolences to you and everyone in this room who has gone through this tragedy.”
“Thank you, Helewise. It is very good to see you. Please have a seat here.” Edwin said cordially as he gestured to the seat on his left.
"Thank you, my lord," Helewise said as she bowed slightly and made her way to her seat by Edwin's side. "From what I hear, the sickness has disappeared, is that true? I thought I would be stopped at the gate, but they told us we were free to enter. Strange circumstances indeed if it is gone after hitting the city so hard."
Before Edwin was able to respond, the orator again entered. “May I present Baldric, General of Hailgalad’s Royal Armies.”
In came Baldric. If one was his enemy, he would be a truly terrifying figure. He was tall and broad with a thick, but finely kept braided beard and long dark hair. He had thoughtful green eyes that were kind but fierce. He was the strong but just hand of the king and queen.
The general was dressed in a simple green tunic and a silver belt with fine leather boots. On the field of battle, he would be garbed in his great iron armor that had a helmet fashioned into a bear head and gauntlets and boots with claws. He was known as the Bear of Hailgalad for his great size and the fact that he rode atop a large bear. His company of bodyguards were likewise dressed as him.
Edwin smiled as he saw him. Baldric and his father, Edward, had been friends since they were children, and Baldric had been like an uncle to Edwin. Edwin’s father had been known as the Great Lion of the East for his great prowess with a sword in battle and the expansion Edward brought to Hailgalad early in his rule with Queen Melanie. Baldric used to call Edwin little lion cub when he was younger, but that was many years ago.
Baldric stopped, bowed low, and said in his powerful voice, “My king, it is a joy to see you well.” He rose, and Edwin could see a tear in Baldric’s eye. “I am sorry I was not here for your family and Hailgrad.”
“Baldric, it is good to see you,” replied Edwin. “You were doing your duty to see our lands safe, please do not blame yourself. This foe was not one you would face on the field of battle. It was an evil that cannot be seen and evidently could not be combatted,” Edwin paused a moment, then continued, “Please, come and have a seat.”
He bowed again and walked over to the table. Edwin shot a glance at Johanna, who was staring so intently at Baldric. Ever since Edwin knew Johanna, she had said she wished to be a great general like Baldric, and before that, she would want to serve by his side. Her family never understood her passion for combat and battle. For one, they were mainly artists, and secondly, it was not common for members of the royal court to crave battle. Typically, people joined the army to rise through the social ranks and gain status in society. Johanna was anything but typical. She did not care for extravagantly expensive things or dinner parties. She was fascinated by the strategy and determination it took to win a battle, and Baldric was the best Hailgalad had to offer.
Edwin smiled, “Baldric, I want you to meet my friend, Johanna. She has become quite the swordsman and aspires to be a great general one day.”
Baldric gave a slight bow, “A pleasure to meet you. Perhaps we will get a chance to spar after this is over.”
“The pleasure is all mine. Yes, I would like that very much,” she replied with a bow in return. Edwin could see Johanna giving him an annoyed look as Charles smiled.
Edwin scanned the room as silence filled it. Helewise had brought a tenseness to the atmosphere, but Baldric seemed to smooth over the aurora. His many years of battle had made him a calm and grateful presence that filled any room that he was in.
Edwin glanced over to see his aunt Elizabeth and Baldric share a glance that seemed to be more than just any simple look. After a moment, they broke off, and each smiled slightly and bent their heads. Elizabeth broke the silence, “I suppose that Sylvester is on his way.”
“Yes, we both came in the middle of the night,” said Helewise. "Before approaching the gates, we were unsure of the sickness, so we had our people make camps on the outskirts of the city.”
“Well, let us have some light food and tea in the meantime. I am sure…”
The palace door suddenly opened. It was Sylvester. The orator rushed in and started, “May I present…”
“No need, my lad, I have been presented, and I am here,” Sylvester said to the orator as he stood in the doorway. He was a tall man of slender build with long, dark hair and grey eyes. He had a short, dark beard and was dressed in a black tunic that was trimmed with silver. If one saw Sylvester and did not know him, he would look and sound as fair as an emissary of Areandel, but if you were able to keep your wits about you, one would quickly find out he was always scheming for power and to gain the upper hand. He was a man of great skill in both politics and war, and he carried himself like a king of kings. He then turned to the table and quickly bowed, “Good morning to you all. Hello there, Edwin, or should I say, King Edwin.”
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“Sylvester, so nice of you to join us. Please, come and sit,” replied Edwin with a flat tone. The young king could see Baldric starting at Sylvester, which made the governor shift unconformably. Some have said Baldric could actually see one's soul to determine whether they were pure of heart. He denied this, and whether it was true or not, many years of experience and hardships had given him a unique ability to read people.
Charles stood up in a huff, his chair scrapping against the stone floor. “That is no way to address your king, your lord, and your rightful ruler. How dare you come in here with such disrespect.”
“My apologies, my lord,” Sylvester said as he turned to Edwin. “If you will forgive me, I am tired after a long journey, and the news of my friend's passing has made me quite distraught. I meant no disrespect.”
“Let us forget it,” said Edwin, trying to push the discussion forward. “There are more important things to discuss than petty informalities. Please, come and let us have a light meal and then some talk about our kingdom.”
At that moment, the tea and light food had arrived for the meeting. Before they ate, Edwin motioned for Lars to say a few words for the fallen, for he was a devoutly religious person. Lars stood and cleared his throat to begin what seemed to be a rehearsed speech, "To our king and queen and to all those who have lost their lives in this terrible tragedy. May Areandel wrap them in her arms and take them into the lands beyond for eternal rest.”
Relentless in life, never backing from strife,
Our King and Queen, the fairest of all I should deem.
Noble, selfless, and true every strife they saw us through.
Our king and queen most fair, a loss we all must bear.
Lars trailed off after finishing his speech. No one at the table was unmoved as they thought of the heavy toll their kingdom had taken.
"Thank you, Lars," Edwin said with a smile. "Now, everyone, please refresh yourselves."
***
After a short while, Edwin broke the silence. “Thank you all for coming here today. The past few days have been a difficult time, and Hailgalad needs each and every one of you to help usher our people into a new era of peace and prosperity,” Edwin paused and scanned the room. All sat in silence with searching eyes, “I will now turn it to Gerrit and Lars, who will give full accounts of the events that have taken place up until now. After, we shall discuss what ought to be done.”
“Thank you, my lord,” Gerrit started. “As many of you know, I have advised the crown for nearly twenty years. In all my time, I have not experienced a greater catastrophe. It started five days ago. A few members of the royal court had fallen ill. The sickness began with a cough, and the people quickly became feverish. Within a day, they were bedridden and quickly passed on in feverish fits. At this, we were astonished. I immediately tasked some of the royal scribes to read into our historical accounts for any recordings of similar plagues, but they have come up empty to this moment. The spread was horribly quick, and many died. After witnessing the destruction, King Edward and Queen Melanie issued a royal decree to quarantine the sick and close off the capital to anyone outside the gates. We had feared that if the sickness could not be stopped, it must not reach the rest of the kingdom. Guards were tasked with keeping the peace and finding sick people for care. Healers put up tents inside and out of the capital walls and began to do what they could. It was at this time that all of you were summoned home to the capital to help give council and keep the peace.”
Gerrit then motioned to a woman standing near the corner. “Now, to further brief this council on the matters of the sickness, may I present our chief healer of the capital and personal attendant to the crown, Rowena.”
“Thank you, my lords,” Rowena said as she stepped forward. “King Edward and Queen Melanie fell ill on the second day of the spread, and, as Gerrit said, messengers were dispatched to our chief settlements of the kingdom, Frostwatch, Javailty, Mendale, Arnorad, and the Iron Mountain, to summon you all here. At that time, no person who had been sick had lived, so the outlook was very bleak. The two monarchs were quickly bedridden and passed away a little more than a day ago. We tried many incantations on them, ranging from typical remedies to existing sicknesses to long-forgotten methods brought to us by the scribes. Nothing seemed to help them or any others that fell ill.” She paused to gather herself and continued, “After the passing of the king and queen, something strange happened. The sickness seemed to disappear from the city. From all accounts, no one else has passed from the plague after that night, and those who were sick that night became better. These are the only cases of survivors of the sickness.”
Gerrit then contributed, “Elizabeth had only just arrived at the time of their deaths, and Edwin came shortly after. Late yesterday, Edwin was crowned king, and we have now convened this meeting.”
“Do we know how many people have passed on to Areandel?” asked Helewise.
Rowena took in a breath, “Before the sickness, our capital contained around one hundred thousand people. We cannot be certain for quite some time, but based on all the reports from our camps around the city, we lost roughly one-third of our people.”
With this news, the hall sat silent. Edwin slumped into this chair, dumbfounded. No one had imagined this tragedy would have been this devastating. Entire lines washed out of the world. This was the largest loss of life in Hailgalad’s history. No war could have been more cruel and indiscriminate to its victims. Men, women, and children alike were devoured by the unquenchable thirst of this disease. No reason, no answer yet came for the survivors of why they were spared. Only the pain of the tragedy scars their memories forever.
“Thank you, Gerrit and Rowena,” Edwin said softly. After another pause, Edwin said, “I will now have Lars tell our accounts as they provide some useful information for this group to consider.”
“Thank you, my lord. My name is Lars, and I am a chief teacher at Arnorad. Over the past six months, King Edwin, Charles, and Johanna,” he gestured to Charles and Johanna, “have been my pupils. Two days ago, a rider came to our academy carrying grim news of the plague. As the exhausted rider told us of tidings of the capital, myself and two of our other chief teachers, Thinobrad and Galnar, were in shock. We called for Charles and had to give him the news that his parents had passed on. After that, we told him about the king and queen, and Charles insisted on being the one to inform Edwin, so we sent him to it. We then looked to gather scrolls and books that might prove helpful in identifying an illness and cure. During this search, we found several sources, but none had proven to be what we were looking for. We thought to bring them to Hailgrad for the royal scribes nonetheless. Edwin, Charles, Johanna, Thinobrad, Galnar, and myself set off from the academy two days ago. Our journey was largely uneventful until we arrived at the fields of Aeros before Hailgrad.”
Lars shot a quick glance over to King Edwin as if to confirm he could divulge the information. Edwin nodded, and Lars continued, “When we arrived on the fields, there were a large number of displaced people due to the separation of those caught outside of the city during the outbreak. With that, and the fact that it was growing dark, we decided to make camp and approach the gates by day. We made camp and were shortly thereafter attacked by men carrying these weapons.” Lars held a crude dagger above his head. “Two of our company died in that fight. After it was over, we knew we had to reach the palace, and the fields were no longer safe for a small party to make camp, so we pressed on.”
“Enemies running openly before our capital gates? What have you done since then to keep our people safe?” Sylvester interrupted.
“Let the man finish before we discuss what has and ought to be done.” Baldric cut in annoyedly.
“Thank you, Baldric, but I was just coming to the end. We arrived at the palace just before the break of day without further incident. That is the tale of our adventure here. I will leave the discussion of the policies and actions to be taken to others more qualified.” Lars leaned back into his chair.
“Excellent, because I would like to know these actions,” said Sylvester. “This is an important time for us to consolidate and stabilize our power. I fear that if we do not, the vultures will pick this empire dry.”
“Yes, I agree,” Helewise chimed in. “Our capital acts as the main center of our empire's trade, as you all know well. The longer we remain inactive, the more business and the sharing of food and other necessities will halt.”
Elizabeth looked over at Edwin. The young king looked out of his depth. The large throne seemed to engulf his slender figure, and it made him look all the more incapable and small in the great hall of his ancestors. It was fair; she thought that he was struggling, given the weight of the throne so soon after his parents passed. After other friends, family, and many role models were taken away from him in a matter of days. She could see him hold it together with Charles and Johanna, but this was different. He was not ready. Even in regular circumstances, he may not have been ready. He was not ready, but he had to be. He had to be for Hailgalad and for all the people who called it home.
Especially in their years after having Edwin, his parents were loving monarchs who led the kingdom forward for the well-being of all. They had expanded their kingdom's borders but had put aside the sword and replaced it with kindness and understanding. Sometimes, they were too kind and understanding in the case of Sylvester, but it was this kindness that kept the ship afloat amongst all the rats, Elizabeth thought as she stared at Sylvester. Edwin would have to be ready lest the rats devour the kingdom bit by bit. Until he was ready, she would have to be his crutch. Almost instinctively, Elizabeth interjected, “Thank you for all your input thus far. My lord Edwin,” she said with a bow. “Why don’t you begin by telling us what you have done so far and what we can do in the short term for this crisis.”
Edwin nodded and let out a breath. “Thank you, Aunt Elizabeth,” he said as he turned to the group. “ When we were attacked, we held fast and drove them off, as Lars mentioned. When we arrived at the gates, I ordered Halgreth, captain of the walls, to go to the place where we were attacked to gather the evidence and find out who they were. As it turns out, they were armed and clothed in the fashion of the northfolk tribes of the White Mountains. Gerrit has informed us that it matches those of the Yeleai tribe. An ancient people who fought a war against my ancestor, King Eardred I, in the early days of the kingdom. They have occasionally sent raiding parties to our Northern lands to plunder supplies, so we guess that they were a group of raiders that wanted to try their hand at some more lucrative treasure closer to the capital. They were stretched thin and were exhausted when they found our camp. Since they outnumbered us, they tried their hand and lost.”
“My lord,” Baldric cut in, “what of Frostwatch? It would be customary to have a member of their guard here, if not Everand herself as the fortress chief. Have we heard a word from them? They should have caught these raiders, or at least one of their lesser outposts stationed across the border should have spotted them.”
“Yes, Baldric, we have not heard from Frostwatch since I arrived at the palace. Our royal messengers have missed their standard reporting time by a day,” said Edwin.
“Well, this is concerning, to say the least. They could be overrun for all we know, and we are just sitting here? What of stories I have heard of a dark shroud that covered the capital during the days of the plague or the fact that it disappeared as soon as the king and queen passed on?” Sylvester countered hotly.”There is far too much unknown here to be idle.”
“Or the fact that my people have heard that people were rioting and charging the capital gates? Some people and guards died from what I hear.” Helewise chimed in.
“Your ears heard an awful lot, my lords,” Johanna fought back. “In times of crisis, people can lose their heads, but from what we saw, the crown’s policies were just and in the best interest of the people. As for the sickness, what are your implications, my lord Sylvester? Is it your assertion that the king and queen deserved this fate or that anyone who died deserved to return to Areandel in this way?”
“Who is this child to address me in this manner?” shot back Sylvester.
“This is Johanna, daughter of Johnathan and Eva, a member of the crown’s royal court. She is a trusted counselor to the crown, and you will give her and all others at this table, including myself, the proper respect.” Edwin said sternly.
“My apologies, my king and my lord,” Sylvester begrudgingly muttered to Edwin and Johanna. “As a council, we must be able to speak openly. The circumstances of this situation are strange, to say the least. Who is to say it is not Areandel’s judgment that this happened? The skies darken, and thousands die in a matter of days. Then, suddenly, there is no more sickness. There is unrest in the streets. We need to take control of the situation.”
“This cannot be done in one instant, Sylvester,” Elizabeth shot back. “We need time to set the capital right again.”
“Unfortunately, time is something we do not have,” Helewise chimed in. “We have lost contact with the North, and warriors from north of our borders attack the now king within sight of our gates? Even without the strange circumstances surrounding the plague, this is troubling enough. Why has Baldric not sent an army at once to ensure our Northern borders are secure?”
“I appreciate your council and critiques, but Baldric has only just arrived the same as all of us. His army needs a few days of rest before they can be redeployed for further assignment. It is important we think before we act,” Edwin said. He thought of telling them of Charles’ theory of a magical plot, but this was not the time. They would either use it as an excuse to push further on Edwin’s incompetence, or they would see him as a raving lunatic believing in evil magical creatures and other nonsense.
At that moment, an orator came through the door. “All gates have been opened to allow people to move about the city and resume normal life as you have ordered, but food is short. Some businesses are driving up the prices of various goods, and it is causing a frenzy. There have been some squabbles between citizens and guards, and things are turning for the worst out there. Halgreth has requested your presence to help quiet the people.”
Edwin sat there with a wrench in his gut. This is the exact thing he was worried about. There may be a larger plot against his kingdom, but if they could not stay united, Hailgalad would stand no chance against these external forces. He had to get control of his city. “My apologies, my lords,” Edwin started. “I must end our talks for at least the present and try to settle our people. Baldric and Lars, please come with me to meet the people and see what we can do.”
With this, the council all stood up and watched the three men leave the great hall in a hurried walk.