King Frederick was not on his throne as he was in the midst of his nobles; Dukes and Knights. It was a meeting of urgency and their faces gave it off.
Seated round the rectangular table, their heads bent low as they engrossed themselves in the papers placed before them. It was a gathering of ten heads with the inclusion of the King. A page stood at a corner. His legs moved forward to collect the papers from them, when they were done digesting the printed information laid under their intelligent eyes.
'What do you say about the matter before us?'. The King who had a royal blue drape buttoned around his neck, tilted his head to the sideto get their attention and gauge their expressions; gaining their contributions in the process. He was no King without this people.
The nobles looked at each other as if asking the other of his opinion. Their eyes all had questions and no answer. Dammit, he was not here for questions in stead of answers to his questions. In max, he wanted solutions to the raising problem at hand.
He knew it, Yes, he did not just have a guess or theory, he knew it from his past experiences with them. He knew it as he knew his name that with the meeting starting off like this with the Dukes and Knights not replying to his question, that it would end like that with not achievement at the end of the day.
He sighed after dropping his unfazed expression and wearing a tired one. It's been five minutes since he threw question at them and no one has indicated to say a thing to just hearing. It was the whispers amongst themselves that he attempted to grasp.
If only he was allowed to rule without the interference of the nobles seated before him, then the kingdom would have been the richest, most resourceful with a fast-paced development, but how would be possible with his nobles who were slow thinkers?.
Even the knights he had called because the issue at hand was that with a dire need of protection and territorial takeover, seemed to have let the Dukes rub their slothfulness on them.
He looked at the ceiling and smiled faintly. He was going to wait for them in the silence they provided with their lack of response. A little, maybe, they would prove him wrong and show that they are up to good. Just maybe.
'This is a very...'. The voice of one of the Dukes made him shift his eyes to them, in earnest expectation. '...pressing matter. This is war, My King. It is the war we have been. trying to ignore and it is coming upon us'. Worry was adamant on his face.
The Sapphire King did not show the he was the least disturbed by the revelation. At this time when even his nobles were anxious, he showed no hint of fear. He adjusted his gaze from the Duke to one of the Knights that was armored to the neck with a red drape hung on his shoulders and flowing downwards. His helmet and sword that would have been on his head and sheated in armor respectively, were taken from him and his fellow knights, mainly for safety.
The king had noticed his palm up and when the Duke had finished with his suggestion or rather, his pinpointing of damnation, he turned to him. He was satisfied and at the same time, disappointed with the Duke's answer.
Satisfied that the Duke could provide an answer, though it was shorter than he thought. Disappointed that his answer was him highlighting their current predicament without no preferential solution. Too bad.
The knight stood up and bowed, bending his upper body when the king acknowledged him. 'Greetings my King and to you, my nobles. This is indeed a war we have been avoiding for generations'. King Frederick's face started twisting in disappointment. 'But my King and nobles, it is high time we fight it. The more we avoid it, the more it comes running at us..'. The Knight would have continued not for the whisperings and mutterings that started.
Majority seemed to decline with the rest left to accept. Their voices rose in the room and the Knight who had caused the uproar, sat down feeling defeated and dejected, but did not show it.
It kept on for minutes, arguing and almost fighting each other that they failed to notice that their King was quietly sitting in his chair with a smile that reached his eyes.
One of the Dukes turned to look at him and when he saw him, sitting with that smile while he kept on looking at the first Knight that had told them to fight the war, he was surprised.
After a while the noise subsided, as another Duke who had tried to speak with the suprised Duke, had found him shocked and looking at the King. In his curiosity, he too was dumbfounded but was quick to pull out of it, touching the nearest noble to him. Now they were all looking at their King, in awe of his peaceful countenance and demeanour even in the midst of their wrangle. He was the Sapphire King after all.
Silence prevailed as they saw him open his mouth to speak.
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