Chereads / The Dragon's Amulet / Chapter 34 - Chapter 34

Chapter 34 - Chapter 34

Kanror stank. It smelled of burning, feces, dirty unwashed bodies and rotten corpses. Dagrana looked around curiously, turning her nose up at it all. She was extremely tired, but she decided to put on a good face for a bad game. She was the queen of Kanror and, at the side of her husband, the conqueror, she was entering the conquered capital of the principality with her retinue.

 The gate stood open, and armed Equerds were placed everywhere on the walls. There were traces of former attacks and fighting on the outer walls and on many houses. No one was involved in renovation or repairing the damage. They were driving on the main road through the city. It was empty, even the shutters of the houses along the way were tightly closed. What's worse, the cobblestone road was full of food scraps, slop and even feces thrown from windows. 

Every few meters there was a soldier saluting with his sword to a passing ruler, but not a single resident came out to greet them or even out of curiosity to see the young royal couple. They reached the inner walls in absolute silence. The portcullis securing the castle part was lifted with a quiet groan and the entire procession drove inside. Without a word, Gorsep entered the castle together with his closest knights, and Dagrana had no choice but to follow him. 

She was greeted on the doorstep by the housekeeper, a thin, lanky woman in her late fifties. She was dressed in a modest black dress and put on a rather unflattering cap, under which her light brown eyes, surrounded by a great amount of wrinkles, were looking at her carefully. When she saw the young queen, she curtsied slightly. 

From childhood, Dagrana was raised to be the future queen, so she interpreted her behavior as unambiguous hostility and disregard. She took a deep breath for courage and said in a loud voice:

 "I see that there is a lack of decorum and respect towards the queen - she casually addressed her ladies-in-waiting - I have a lot of work ahead of me." Then she looked at the housekeeper.

"Lead me to the royal chambers."

With her lips pressed into a thin line, the housekeeper moved forward with surprising verve. From the main entrance, one entered straight into the vestibule, from which corridors branched off to the left and right, and in front of it there was a huge carved door with gilded fittings.

"Entrance to the main hall." The housekeeper's voice was high and unpleasant. "The royal chambers are on the left." She pointed with her hand.

"Then lead the way." Dagrana ordered.

The housekeeper, shuffling her dress against the granite floor, moved briskly in the indicated direction. The windows in the corridor were made of glass and a lot of light came in through them. Along the way, she saw many beautiful paintings depicting portraits, probably of the previous royal family. They passed several until they reached the end of the hall.

"It's here." The housekeeper stopped.

"You can go to the kitchen now." Dagrana decided to show her full authority to the old woman. 

"Miluna - she said to one of the maids following them in the procession - you will go with the housekeeper and make sure that we are served a proper dinner."

Miluna nodded with a smile and followed the dissatisfied stewardess. Their departure was accompanied by the quiet laughter of Dagrana's entourage, who suddenly felt very confident.

Gorsep sat down in the great hall and called the guard commanders one by one. He listened to the reports and after an hour he had some idea of the situation in Kanror. There were no riots, but people were hostile to them. This is what he himself experienced during his entry. He became lost in thought and after a while he called Irydius to him. His father's servant, learned in law, was an excellent source of knowledge and a good advisor. His father gave him to help his son. Dressed in modest black, he bowed courtly.

Lord, how can I serve you?

"You will need to prepare several letters and write down rules for the subjects."

"I see - Iridius rubbed his well-shaped beard thoughtfully - and what rules are you thinking about, my King?"

"First of all, each resident is responsible for the cleanliness in front of his house; failing to do so will result in a high fine." Gorsep began, agitated.

"Good point, Sir. What other rules shall be applied?" Irydius tilted his head slightly, staring with gray eyes at the figure of the young king. After a moment of hesitation Gorsep replied.

"Before I make any other changes, I need to check how Odegon has dealt with his subjects so far." Gorsep leaned more comfortably on the royal throne. 

"We need to call the City Council and meet with them." He added firmly.

Irydius nodded, and after a moment, smiling slightly, he made a remark.

"If you allow me, my king, before we meet with the city representatives, I will review the existing letters, check the privileges granted to the townspeople and show you how Odegon has managed the principality so far."

"Do this - said Gorsep thoughtfully - before I meet with them, I want to have a list of Council members, as well as information about the most important landowners. The offices need to be re-staffed and I need to check the state of the treasury."

"I will prepare an appropriate list and find a manager soon, let him present his financial situation." Irydius bowed and silently left the room.

Gorsep rubbed his forehead and closed his eyes for a moment with a quiet sigh. He was finally the king of the principality, he would make decisions, rule, listen to complaints and praises. When he opened his eyes, he looked around the main hall. Straight ahead was a beautifully decorated door. The floor was made of gray granite, as were the walls. Behind the throne was a huge tapestry with a gold-embroidered crown, the symbol of this principality. Red and gold, the delicious colors of Kanror. It occurred to him to change them to silver and black. The carved door opened and Irydius entered the room accompanied by a tall, slim man.

"My king, - Iridius bowed low - I present to you the steward Safira".

The steward bowed and stood in silent expectation. He was about forty years old, with a long face marked by the first wrinkles. Gray short hair and light gray eyes that made him look serious. He wore a red jacket with gold trim. Gorsep stood up and sighed as he thought that he would look like a clown in such colors.

"Take me to the vault, Safira." He demanded, walking up to him.

Safira bowed and said in a strong baritone

"This way, my lord," he then passed Gorsep and climbed the four steps to the throne. He approached the tapestry, moved it slightly and Gorsep and Iridius saw the door to the vault. Gorsep smiled to himself, Odegon liked having money on hand. Iridius walked up to Gorsep and whispered in his ear

"You need to get acquainted with the castle construction plan, my king, I will prepare it for tomorrow."

Gorsep nodded and followed Safir into a narrow corridor ending with a solid iron door. The keys rang quietly in the lock and the new ruler saw a room with one small window giving a bit of light. There were empty, overturned chests in the room. There was a slight smile on Safira's face.