Chapter 7 - THE GOVERNOR OF ATKINS

~THE ROYAL PALACE OF ATKINS~




The royal castle of Atkins was located in the middle of the kingdom. It was incredibly large and could be seen from miles away. The royal governor of the kingdom and his family resided there. It was also a centre where matters relating to the kingdom were resolved. The building was so tall that one could hardly see where it ended. There was a large gate at the entrance with the phrase  DOMUS REGIA DE ATKINS boldly written at the top. 

The inside of the castle had different quarters with each quarter having its own buildings. For example, it had the military quarters which were occupied by the military. It had different buildings such as the training building, and the chief General's office was also located there. 




In a particular quarter tagged the ADMINISTRATIVE BLOCK, voices could be heard. It seemed like a meeting was going on. 




"What made his excellency call for us so hastily," a voice asked. 




"I'm also wondering" 

"Perhaps the chief minister knows," another voice said. 




"Why don't you all stop being impatient and wait for his excellency to inform you." A man in his mid-50s said. It seemed more like an order as the voices instantly died down. He was the chief minister. The chief minister's position was more like being the right-hand man to the governor. They were to work together to build the state. 




A few minutes later a man walked into the room and they all stood up.  




"LONG LIVE YOUR ROYAL HIGHNESS," They said in unison. They stood still till he told them to have their seats. This man was HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS DALTON. He was the governor of Atkins. He, the chief minister, and some other officers had been assigned by the Giza dynasty. 




"I'm sure most of you are wondering what must have caused this urgent meeting," He asked with his eyes pacing around. 

The officials nodded their heads confirming his assumption. 




"Well, this matter is not as delicate as it looks unless it is treated carelessly." 

"Chief minister!" He called out 




"Yes your excellency"




"Read out the decree from his majesty"

He instructed one of his guards to hand over the decree to the chief minister. 




"This is the decree from his royal majesty the ruler of Giza." He began reading and it all seemed like the regular monthly letters he sends them until they got to what had caused the meeting. It was stated there that they were to pay their tax earlier than expected. 




"It is impossible! How are we going to do that" an officer said. 




"I agree with the tax officer. I mean, there is no way we can pay that now. You know how we get the money we pay for the annual tax. And the citizens had just begun harvesting. The traders haven't even begun selling." Another officer spoke. 




"Then maybe we just have to charge a little from the traders and increase the charges for other workers. You know we can't disobey the dynasty. I hope you can remember the consequences we might face." The prime minister spoke this time. 




"Then we face it. My men are willing to fight for this kingdom. We can't keep on agreeing to the silly demands of the dynasty. They didn't allow us to trade with other nations and made us dependent on them. Do they even know how we manage to raise the money they ask?" 




"Enough General Mica" the prime minister cut in. 

"You have to be very careful of what you say. Remember the consequences of treason. It is better to pay the tax than to end up dead." He added.




After Giza had taken over Atkins decades ago, they had stopped them from exporting and limited their commerce to within the dynasty. They were to give their wares to the dynasty who would trade to other empires and dynasties. Only their traders were allowed to do business with other empires. 




The dynasty had also taken charge of their gold and mined directly with all the profits going to them. This made it hard for the kingdom to generate revenue. They even had to tax their citizens yearly. A fund that was used to pay the annual tax requested by the dynasty. 

The chief General and some officers were against this and unlike the chief minister, they were original natives of Atkins. 

Giza also had partial control of their military as the weapons were being supplied directly by them. This made it extremely difficult for them to even attempt a revolt as they would instantly lose just by the dynasty cutting the supplies of the armour and weapons. 




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~DOMUS REGIA DÉ ATKINS: An old Latin word- meaning "the royal palace of Atkins".