The feast concluded as all the nobles celebrated one another and the continued life of Edward. The sheer amount of food one could gorge upon that was on the table was mind boggling. Though slowly everyone stopped eating the food and all seemed to lean back collectively and begin praising the grand meal the king had brought forth. The king stood up before everyone and instead of addressing the nobles turned to the staff.
“Take all this food and distribute it amongst the staff and their children. May they also feast till they are full on this fine day of celebration. I thank you all for your service and for taking care of the nobility to your utmost skill.” The king raised one cup full of wine and everyone mimicked the movement whether their cups were empty or not and everyone took a token drink.
The king moved slowly out of the chamber first before everyone stood up. Then as soon as the door he took closed everyone stood and began dispersing as the servants flooded the table and started to whisk away the excess food and wiped up the mess that was left upon it. Edward came to us.
“I hope this meal has pleased you. Let us give my uncle a minute to relax and digest his grand meal before we bother him with our trifling matter. Please come with me on a tour of the grounds while we wait for him to be ready.” As Edward walked guards slipped out of the shadows and walked alongside the group as he brought us through the hallways.
He stopped first at a great library. A true testament to the ming boggling wealth that the royal family had. Books were as expensive as gold. The sheer amount of time it took to craft even a single book took a scribe weeks if not months to transcribe to their utmost skill upon the slowly produced parchment. The hard beginnings works of art. Dozens of journals lined one wall, no doubt penned by one of the many nobles long past. The air was dry in the room and barely a candle was lit inside it. “This is the royal library. The greatest collection of knowledge known to man. The honorable family that has ruled this city through the ages has collected the notes of all the kings before and only those most honored are allowed in the hallowed hall before you.”
I gazed deep inside and knew that this was the core of what I needed to seek. It was here that I would find the knowledge I was looking for. I was sure that one ancient king wrote about the fate of Profitable. What they did when they captured and exhausted him. My heart soared with hope and more than a little greed at observing something so grand. I watched as young men and women walked the halls replacing books upon the shelf in some archaic sorting design. I wondered who amongst them I could bring into my confidence. The one I could manipulate to my designs.
“Let us continue, show you the grand luxuries of the family you all serve.” We walked the grand hallway until we were upon another door in a whole new wing of the castle. As the guards opened the door a grand dance hall spread before my eyes. A floor of polished marble that shine in the light of the thousand candles that hung on the walls dance and flickered. I did my best not to gape at the stage that lay in the corner. The walls around it shaped in such a way that it would project the sound into the hall and allow every song to be heard.
“This is the dancing hall where we hold our soirees and host grand parties. I suspect that coming soon my uncle will reach out to all the families and invite them in to celebrate a war we have won. I believe with all my heart that we will be successful. Already I am told that families are pledging their forces to the front that the Ursal house is so valiantly defending. Praise the brave young boy that leads the protection of the kingdom.” We walked around the walls and the grand windows that let in streams of natural light. Along with the place for the orchestra there was also a platform upon which stood a throne, ornate and beautiful.
“Uncle should be ready by now. Let me guide you to his private study where he will receive us.” The halls were almost labyrinthian and soon I found myself disoriented at all the twists and turns. Stairs that led upwards to the level of that platform in the foyer. We walked across the balcony as we snaked through places. We exited the main part of the castle and slipped into one of the many wings of the castle. Soon we arrived at a small private door lined with four guards that stopped us.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
Even Edward was patted down as we waited to be in the audience of the king. After minutes of waiting Edward knocked on the door lightly.
“Enter,” Came the strong and intelligent voice of the leader of this nation.
We stepped into the room and looked about. Trophies of hunts lined the walls, stuffed heads of animals that stared with their glass eyes at those that entered the room. A crossbow, plain and large, hung from a wall. Boar spears of various lengths were on another wall. In the center of the room was a collection of plush thick couches for sitting. On one of them sat the king.
Edward stepped forward, “I’ve brought them uncle. May we sit?”
With a simple wave of his hands we were allowed to find our place in the room. Several guards stood in the room, mostly posted by the weapons in case any of us lunged for something to slay the king with.
King Acreage took a great breath in and sighed, “It has been a stressful time since the attempt on my nephews life. We have spent a great amount of time extracting information from the culprit that infiltrated the Portage family. He states that thanks to a vision he had he took the offer from the southern nation to make an attempt at a noble’s life in order to sow sorrow into my heart and cause the downfall of one of the great houses.” A small collection of papers were handed to the king as he looked down at them and then slowly handed them to Duke Portage. “Your house still owes reparations to the royal family. Though someone in your service saved my nephew’s life I still feel that the assassin was in your employ at the time causes me a need to respond. You will surrender one thousand ducats of wealth to the kingdom. In addition, your sister will marry my Nephew as a third wife without dowry.”
“The shock of the attack has caused my sister to fall very ill. We have sent her to the home estate to recover. I hope that in time she will be recovered enough to follow your instructions. Our personal physicians have stated she needs a year to be back in good health. It would not be due to marrying someone ill to the great Acreage family.” The Duke’s plot seemed to be well thought out and no doubt he had expected such a thing to happen. “We are honored to comply once she is in good health.
“Very well, in one half year we will start to arrange and plan the marriage between the two. I do not want my nephew to take someone and have them die of sickness before he has the chance to be a proper husband.” The King motioned to me.
“I have decided to grant you a boon. If there is something within my power to grant I will do so as a thank you for saving my beloved nephew. What is it you desire most? Land, a city to run, the right to marry multiple wives, name it.” His eyes bore into me with an intensity that only the powerful had. This was a test, this was measuring my heart and finding what I wanted most in life.
“I humbly request that I submit my services to the royal family. Though I no longer can play the lute, my ability to tell tales is grand. I know it is not the most sought after entertainment but that is what I desire most. To serve this country in a way that only a minstrel can.” I bowed my head, “I swear that I will practice and recover my ability to play many instruments despite my disfigurement. If you would grant this request I would forever owe you thanks.”
The room became quiet as the royals around me measured me for my worth. What I was asking for was to be accepted and trusted into the royal halls. To be taken care of in a limited capacity that no money would be able to accomplish with my dismembered hand. It was a life of near luxury unknown to any commoner.
“I do not employ many minstrels or jesters in my court, for I find them frivolous and a waste of money. What makes you different and worth such an investment?” I kept my head bowed as his gaze drilled into the top of my head.
“I have been told that my storytelling can transport someone to see it with their mind’s eye. I have a thousand tales to tell. Whether to soothe the minds of children so they sleep, to entertain those that tire of music, or even to teach lessons that would help the minds of others develop.” I slowly stood up and kept my back straight and proud as I talked about my greatest skill. I had done it since the dawn of time and beside the very god of stories there was no one greater than myself at spinning a tale.
The room fell into silence as Edward looked at me with interest. The king was deep in thought as he steepled his fingers and looked far away into nothing. “You will entertain me tonight. While I get ready for bed you will come to my chambers and spin me a tale that you will have only told me. If you please me and keep my mind from being drenched in the nightmares that plague me I will grant your request and take you into the court. I apologize for having to test you but to make an exception for someone I must prove your worth. Do you agree?” His voice was even and calm as he locked eyes with me challenging me to back down now that he had offered me the chance I needed.
“I would be most honored.”
“If you fail you will be surrendered back to the Portage family. You are all dismissed.”