Orc and Bunny
Chapter 7 - The Bloodless Coup
Lord Hermcrest was furious when he heard the news of the arrest of Hilcrest and his daughter. Mostly because some unknown wagtongue in the guards had spread the news. Now everyone knew of their presence, and he couldn’t simply have them disposed of in some unmarked grave and be done with it.
Hermcrest threw a paperweight at the wall, where it lodged itself with a moderately satisfying thunk. He flopped down into Lord Hilcrest’s chair, and taking a deep breath he slicked his ears back down. Everything would be fine, he had to assure himself.
He had called for the arrest of Hilcrest and anyone with him as a precaution, never thinking that it would actually happen. He’d sent scouts to search for the old goat, and all returned with no sign of him. Hermcrest had felt relatively secure in his position at the news, but now this.
“Where was that son of a stoat hiding himself?” Hermcrest growled under his breath.
An officious knock interrupted his seething.
“Enter!” he shouted a little too loudly. He took a deep breath, and made sure his face was suitable for the role he was about to play.
“Please excuse my interruption, my lord,” Commander Gareth bowed at the waist as he stood in the doorway.
“Ah, Commander, please have a seat, and close the door behind you,” Hermcrest waited until the commander was sat across the desk from him before continuing, “I’m sure by now you have heard the rumors of the return of Lord Hilcrest.”
“More than that, my lord, I have the official report on my desk. Is it true you wrote a warrant for the arrest of Lord Hilcrest and all companions?”
Lord Hermcrest stood up, walked around his desk and sat in the chair next to the commander, his face showing a sadness he definitely didn’t feel.
“I am afraid I have to admit that I did. Now, please allow me to explain my side of things before you arrive at any unfortunate conclusions.”
“Go on, my lord.” Gareth said warily.
“As you may or may not be aware, I was in a meeting with Lord Hilcrest before the… recent unpleasantness in which we came to an agreement for our children to be wed.”
“I was aware only of the meeting, my lord.”
“Well, I was on my way home, joyously planning the future nuptials with George, my son, when we were flagged down by a lone rider on a black horse, bearing the royal seal.”
“A messenger?”
“Yes, a messenger, not just from the court but from her majesty the queen directly. Needless to say, I was taken aback, and read the message immediately.”
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“My lord, am I permitted to know the contents of this message?”
“I don’t see any harm in it,” Lord Hermcrest stood and walked around the desk, opened a drawer, and handed Gareth a folded paper bearing the broken wax seal of the queen.
Gareth read the message.
He reread the message, with his hand over his mouth and eyes wide.
“My lord, there must be some sort of mistake!” Commander Gareth stood to his feet, almost knocking the chair behind him over.
“I certainly thought so, but an order from her majesty is absolute as you well know. So, even if there were a mistake, I am honor-bound to obey. I will admit my hands were shaking when I penned my response to her majesty,” Hermcrest laughed humorlessly, “I am not even certain that it was legible to be honest with you.”
Commander Gareth stood and stared at the letter in his hands. He folded the letter, and examined the seal closely under the light. He finally sat down, hands trembling, and after a moment of staring at nothing, he looked up and addressed Hermcrest.
“This is hard for me to fathom, my lord. To imagine such a thing from Lord Hilcrest.”
“I know, I am at a bit of a loss myself. Let me ask you something Commander: what would you do in my place?”
“My lord?”
“I’ve been gathering information, not only from the surrounding land, but about the staff here and the folk in the town. You are widely known to be honorable,” he chuckled softly, “and what my father used to call straight-laced. So, I ask again, what would you do in my place?”
Gareth looked at the floor deep in thought.
“Allow me to explain what I consider my options to be.” Hermcrest continued, “My first, is that I ignore her majesty’s letter.”
Gareth looked at Hermcrest like he had grown a second head.
“Now, I cannot in good conscience allow Hilcrest to remain under the leadership of such a man. I could, however, banish him. The queen is not here to enforce the decree. It would be somewhat merciful but…”
“I’m sorry, my lord, but you absolutely cannot.”
“Oh?”
“If I were in your position, my lord, I would follow her majesty’s missive to the letter. Lord Hilcrest cannot be allowed to get away with these crimes. It is not just a matter of honor but duty as well. I am sworn to uphold her majesty’s laws, as are you.”
“I would expect no less from you, commander. You know what must be done then. See to it.”
“Yes, my lord. Thank you for bringing me into your confidence on this matter.” Commander Gareth stood, bowed and turned to leave.
“The letter, commander,” Hermcrest interrupted.
“Sorry, my lord,” Gareth smiled sheepishly, handing him the letter, “Please forgive me.”
“It’s perfectly alright. There was no harm done.”
When the door was firmly shut, Lord Hermcrest pulled the paperweight out of the wall where it was firmly lodged. He took the letter from “her majesty” and laid it gently in the top drawer of his desk. Next to it was a stamp he had never had the audacity to use. Even being in possession of the stamp was a high crime punishable by death.
It was a perfect replica of the seal of the queen.
Commander Gareth looked each of the three prisoners through the bars before making his announcement.
“Philip Hil, you and your daughter, Anne Hil, have officially been convicted of treason against the crown, crimes against abertkind, and dereliction of duty. Belmoral you have been convicted of espionage, and aiding and abetting the crimes of Philip and Anne Hil. You will all be hanged by the neck until dead for your crimes in the morning. May you receive mercy after your death for you shall find none in this life."