King Troy was fatally wounded in the siege of Fort Houx a week and a half before so and had never recovered. Many healers attended to him since he was brought back to the Amaranth Palace; however, none gave adequate answers to the question of his infected wound. It was believed that there is no cure to the swollen opening inflicted near his heart by a sword dilapidating in rust. The king knew it well and contentedly accepted his ill fate.
During that memorable evening, while the rest of the kingdom was enveloped by sleep, the only heir to the throne, Prince Ken, was seated with his lover and seven of the royal courtiers on the round table that had been the venue for most private assemblies of the Royal Court since the establishment of Gobhy as the capital. The nine of them were in total silence, contemplating on the beating of each other's heart. Sorrow was evident among them.
Not long, the huge doors of the king's bedchamber situated on one side of the room that contained the assembly opened. The sound of the moving portal called the attention of the nine who immediately moved their thoughts to the three other courtiers who were mak-ing their way from behind the doors.
"Young Master," the eldest of the three who had only loomed worded. On his verbal motion, Prince Ken turned and signaled for the other to continue. "Your father requested to see you," the man in the purple robe added.
He who had spoken together with Lady Miriam and Lord Xavier, who accompanied him inside the king's room, remained in his position until the prince stood up from his seat and made his way to the chamber. Only after the young royalty passed by them and closed the king's doors were they able to move towards the round table to occupy their seats.
The ten courtiers and Lady Cassandra, the prince's lover, sat prayerfully around the circular marble furniture in the Octagon Hall while inside the king's bedroom, the prince sadly cadenced from the doors that separated him from the assembly to the side of his father's bed opposite the patriarch. There was absolute tranquility while he progressed and his steps resounded throughout the gold-dominated room.
"Pax, Young Master," the patriarch who stood at the left side of the king's bed whisperingly greeted the newcomer. He then raised his hands from within his chasuble aiming to arrange the miter he had in his head.
Prince Ken diverted his attention from the prelate after he had responded with a nod, to the dying king who looked pacifically asleep. Then he kneeled aside the bed and held the hand of the great monarch. The flesh was cold but the warmth of a fatherly care flowed into the son from the burning heart of his parent. It was hard to veil the vulnerability of the heir's firm will yet he managed to control the drive and retain his stately posture before his dying predecessor.
King Troy who felt the warm caress of his only son smiled. His eyes, though fixated on a particular spot in the ceiling, started to form tears. Then he spoke in whispers: "You have studied well yet I am not assured that you can become best. What you have learned from theory is different from reality. Lessons are supposed to be learned not by the mind but through the heart. Mind that your mentality is of no use when people defy your actions. Fools are not those who lack knowledge but those who had them yet kept them. Be not like these people." These words, however, are hardly discernible for the prince since the father spoke as though he was held on the neck.
King Troy wet his lips, tightened his grip on his son's hand and proclaimed, "I am contented." Only after he had spoken did he execute a very deep breath and cease to live.
The young royalty seemed unable to accept that the moment had come. He waited for his father to wake up again and hoped to hear the sound of his breathing. Yet he failed. Ken remained speechless and motionless while tears began to roll down his cheeks.
A moment had passed before the ecclesiastic reported the grave tragedy to the nobles who were waiting on the Octagon Hall. Almost immediately, the courtiers circled the corpse of the king with intense grief. Tears fell from their eyes while they stared at the magnificent ruler who was no more than a lifeless figure. Lady Cassandra approached the prince who stood stunned next to the bed. She whispered a few comforting words and hugged him tight.
The cathedral bells awakened the people of Gobhy as it solemnly announced the de-parture of the infamous monarch.
Early the next morning, while the body of King Troy was laid for public visitation under the shade of the enormous cathedral, the three courtiers who met with the monarch the previous night assembled in the estate of the youngest courtier. Lord Xavier's complex, also known as the Roguery Villa, was across a street from the western gate of the Amaranth Palace and it does not take them so much time to move from there to the focal point of the wake when it is necessary.
While they were having tea in the parlor, seated around a circular table overlooking the exquisite garden, the only woman among the three, Lady Miriam, told the other two: "We must do as King Troy had requested even before any of those he fears comes. The battalion of Uxx are pushing outwards from the western mountains of the Candis and if we do not take heed of the king's request, our kingdom will be in great danger."
"But how about the court?" asked Xavier. He sipped from his cup and continued to question the woman who was wearing a silvery dress ornamented with glittering beads: "The request of the king will demand our leave. What will come of the kingdom if the courtiers retire from their duties especially now that no monarch sits on the throne?"
"This task had only been handed to the three of us," Miriam responded. "It does not involve the rest of the courtiers or authorities of the kingdom – they will be able to watch over the realm while we are away."
"Ethyr is presently in the brink of falling into the hands of the notorious Aglador," explained Argyle. "Something has to be done about the attacks in the west otherwise it will be too late. This will hinder us from accomplishing the goals handed upon us by the late king."
The woman asserted, "We must take into consideration what the king had told us. He knew what he demanded and I think it was for the best of our kingdom. I hope you understand what I am telling you."
There was silence among them; the murmurs of the servants who crowd the next-door kitchen reverberated through their ears. Then, "If we are to agree to the king's proposal, then we must swear to keep the secret among ourselves," the eldest proposed.
"Definitely," answered Miriam, "the reason behind why king Troy commissioned the three of us to watch over this is because he had his trust in us. We must prove then to ourselves and to the late monarch that he is not wrong."
Argyle stood from his seat and thought. He walked to the edge of the open parlor and wondered at the clear morning sky that roofed the Roguery garden. The moment his intellect worked, there was extreme quietness. After a short while, he turned back to his two companions and told them: "My friends, we need a useful rest." Then he moved out of the parlor, bringing his tea, to stroll along the garden paths.
At noon that same day, Lord Xavier invited the seven other members of the royal court to have lunch in his manor. This was to accomplish the very first of the tasks the three of them have in line.
While the ten courtiers filled themselves with the sumptuous buffet, the homeowner stood and declared, "My fellow courtiers, the days preceding the death of the king were very tiring for most of us. We have often stayed late in his palace looking after his health and the administration of the kingdom. In addition, the problem of defending our realm against the ambitious assaults of Uxx is an additional stressor. Now that the king has been laid to rest and was handed on to the hands of the priestly community who traditionally oversee the wake and funeral of monarchs, Lady Miriam, Lord Argyle and I request the rest of you to allow us in a moment of rest and escape from the dilemmas that overpower our capabilities. We plan to retire in temporary solitude before returning back for the king's funeral and formally reopening the sessions of the royal court after these days of mourning."
Immediately after he spoke, the most intelligent among the courtiers, Lady Sarah Cozim who was only a few months older than Xavier, refuted his idea saying: "These are the days when Ethyr needed you most; do you intend to run away when the cries of nationalism extend to the full?" She dropped her utensils and stared hungrily at Xavier expecting for a reply.
The youthful man told her: "We are not running away from responsibility. We only realized that the previous chapter of Ethyr's history garnered so much of our strengths that we would need to refuel before facing the problems again. Every one of us needs rest and there is no better time for retirement but now when most of Ethyr is pacified by mourning."
"Then how about the assaults of Uxx, should we leave it aside and allow the greedy army of Aglador pursue into the borders of Ethyr? I do not think they too sympathize on our king's death," the intelligent woman argued. The six other courtiers agreed with her. Then there was a growing noise caused by the murmurs of the nobility.
"Silence!" Argyle, who acted like the leader of the assembly ever since the death of Xavier's father, stood up raising his voice. When the murmurs decreased and focus was all upon him, the man stated: "So as Lord Xavier had said, we all need some rest. With regard to this practical justification of Gobhy's courtier, I motion for all the courtiers to garner the benefits of this proposal. To be more particular, I suggest the suspension of regular court assemblies until the funeral of the king."
Xavier became confused. He looked at the elder with interrogative looks but when the other responded with a motion of assurance, the city courtier smiled and told the rest: "Lord Argyle arrayed an exemplary suggestion. Why do we not allow the court to take its rest?"
"No," the irritated Sarah opposed. She nobly arranged her black dress and stood ready to defend her stand against any offenses from the homeowner.
"Why are you in so much opposition? I demand you answer my question," Xavier stipulated with annoyance beginning to run through his veins. "We were only trying to put our very own selves into consideration. We can't always allow our duties to surpass our capabilities." By then, he was tightening his grip on the glass he held since he stood.
Sarah breathed deep and replied with a sarcastic intonation, evidently seeking the conformity of the courtiers, "Why, I chose to become a part of this court not only because of my father's inheritance but more importantly because I am very much willing to offer my own self for the good of my kingdom. Tell me then, my fellow courtiers, does the offertory of self for the service of many contain a certain limit? If so, I should not have said that I offer my own self rather only my time and effort."
Xavier, who did not like the justifications of the woman, delivered his refutation in hopes of securing the agreement of the nobles present: "How do we engage in proper administration when we are disturbed by our own intentions? It is just like working with an empty stomach."
"My lord, you call that patriotism." Sarah responded. "If the late king never ceased to carry the banner of his office even until mortal demise, then why can we not? All Ethyr asks of us is to administer her through one of the darkest episodes in history. Can we not give our time and effort to this? Now that there is no king then we must supervise the whole of the kingdom by ourselves. I do not know how it goes with the rest of you, but I myself shall remain to uphold the integrity of this office." Then she sat down and never spoke to Xavier again.
It was not unusual for the two youngest members of the royal court to end up in misunderstandings. The other courtiers are very much aware of this fact, which was why after Sarah settled down, Argyle pleaded for Xavier to hand the matter over to the hands of the majority.
An election was held and the meeting adjourned with Argyle's proposal gaining negative response.