A Friend in Need
Year of the Golden Gilled Boar, 1983, Kliloln, Heiar 25th
I had to step up. Litoc, understandably, broke down inside. He stood stiff at the foot of the bed just looking at the old man who, in his words, was kind and patient with him growing up. The way the attendants were crying, and the servants outside, even the dejected looks on the guard’s faces hinted at one thing – the man was respected and loved.
Sure, he was the acting king, that might count for some of the tears but not even the Queen’s own personal attendant shed this many tears as she recounted the events of the late monarch’s last moments.
I sent one of the guards to have the hall secured, sent the servants and attendants there, and asked him to come back with two more soldiers. I sent the other guard to send for Jakeli. When they all left, I closed the door behind me to give Litoc time alone. As I waited for the prince’s arrival, I thought about what this all meant. It didn’t take long for me to arrive at the conclusion. It was going to be a mess.
The position the seneschal held was not one of succession but by appointment. That made sense. Successors to the throne had their own houses and its day to day business was conducted by their stewards. It was usually these stewards that got promoted to the highest stewardship post once a successor gets the throne. Juwen would have probably been retired when Jakeli took the throne.
The issue was the prince. Until he became king, he had no power appointing anyone as the seneschal. That was the theory. In practice, the prince could probably just will his way into strong arming everyone into submission but that would not look good on him, especially considering that the monarch’s just died. Tradition had to be upheld for the sake of appearances.
Who’s acting king now?
That brought me to the next problem. The nobles. From what I’ve learned, Silaron was a three-tier kingdom. There was the crown, then the nobles, then the lesser nobles appointed by the nobles to see to their respective domains. Having heard of the news, within the next day or so, they will start to arrive.
They will come with gifts and words of support for the prince but really, they only come to see if the next leadership will be worth supporting. As far as I knew, Litoc and Jakeli are the only remaining heads of the Umlath line. Jakeli’s was a powerful house, but that house was only powerful because he was supported by a majority of the nobles. That might be a godsend, but it can also be a disaster. Though Vindeth, his son, should be next, should is not a guarantee.
Which family is next in line?
My musing was interrupted by the arrival of the guard I sent to secure the hall. I bid the three of them to wait outside. Jakeli arrived shortly after. Behind him was the guard I sent to get him plus two others and three attendants.
“Is the Lord Seneschal-”
He didn’t finish. My nod answered his question. He waved to everyone else. They backed off some distance. Jakeli paced outside for a bit, my questions reflected on his expression. I noted he still favored one leg over the other but did not seem to be suppressing a wince every time he used the other. He stopped and put his back against the wall beside me, head raised to the ceiling.
“He was fond of him, you know.” He spoke.
“I have been recently made aware.”
“How did you find him?”
“We were ready to ride out. Li- Erdimal just came to say his goodbyes after some incident yesterday, apparently.”
“Ha. Juwen wouldn’t take it. Even with all the plans laid out, he maintained that my cousin is and should be king.”
There was bitterness in his tone. I knew he was just engaging me in a conversation because he didn’t want to intrude on his cousin’s moment alone. He would have been happy to be rid of me, his limping was a constant reminder of what I did. I decided to put my training to action.
“I can’t imagine what that conversation felt like to you.”
“Or Erdimal.” He returned.
“Litoc, he’s fine with not being king. He doesn’t want it. The old man’s insistence and whatever harsh words were said probably hurt him more than losing the crown. You on the other hand, you are king, tradition aside. To have the acting king insist that you are not to be must have been devastating.”
“It was,” he answered after a pause and a gaze in my direction, “Juwen spewed too many arguments, laws, and precedents that I was doubting my own capacity by the time I had to leave for the plaza.”
Precedents?
“You mean this is not the first time this situation happened?”
“It is the first time. It’s the only reason Erdimal was able to wiggle out, I’m guessing.”
I felt his tone soften and his manner relax as spoke. There was still some walls, certainly, but I didn’t have the time. I decided to lay it on thick.
“Look Jakeli,” I turned to face him, “As far as I’m concerned you are king. Juwen would have hemmed and hawed, but in the end, he would still have accepted it. I’m not certain what the next days will bring or how many obstacles you will face but remember, you are king. Litoc supports you, now that I know you, I support you as well. Even if tradition states you are not yet king, act like it anyway. Three months is nothing. Show them you can lead this kingdom and more than just live up to your predecessors.”
I gave him a slow smile as I watched his eyes briefly go wide, his defenses drop, before they came back again. That was enough for me.
“Brun. You make it sound so easy. I wish this was under easier circumstances, Jorj. It’s Jorj isn’t it?”
“Easy are for those who don’t want to be remembered. Those that make hard seem easy, those are the ones who pass on to legend.” I answered, nodding to his question.
It may have been a cobbled up line, picked in the moment and assembled as I spoke but the effect was there. Jakeli was nodding, his gaze falling on me but thoughts somewhere else. I let his thoughts roam.
“This is probably improper of me to ask considering I am at fault for you being here, but would you consider staying Jorj?”
What? No!