Accursed by David E Page

Author:David E Page [Page, David E]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: BookBaby
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

“The king is responsible for the day-to-day affairs of the kingdom, mostly bureaucratic affairs. On the other hand, the crown prince’s duty is to the physical welfare of the kingdom and the monarchy. He is the final authority for the trackers and knights, while the king directs the royal guard.

“This divides up the responsibilities quite nicely. The king, his advisor, and the captain of the guard can meet and make decisions that only touch on the bureaucratic sphere. This is called the King’s council. The prince, the lead tracker, and the knight commander meet and decide what should be done in a matter of physical defense. This is called, obviously, the Prince’s council.

“Historically, few councils were convened without both parties meeting together. While others may be unable to attend a meeting, the king and prince must be present. The only exception is if the king or prince is incapacitated or otherwise unfit for duty. As they are the leaders of their respective councils and are almost always father and son, they lend a cohesion to the disparate groups. This allows for more organized and civil meetings.

“Furthermore, the crown prince is the public face of the monarchy. The people look to him for their example of virtue and bravery. He is first in battle, last in retreat. His actions can create hero or villain of a person without saying a single word.

“What if, for example, you are asked to toast to a person whose actions have put them in disfavor with the crown, but not enough to be publicly shamed? Remember that the purpose of the royal family is to promote order, not to exert authority.” Baynard droned on hardly pausing to take a breath.

“I don’t know…laugh?” Brennan sighed, his head in his hands.

Whap! A massive book titled Royal Etiquette and Intrigue smacked the table. “Brennan! I’m surprised at you. How can you take all of this so lightly? The reputation of the royal family rests squarely on your shoulders!”

“I know that.” Brennan said sourly. “I just don’t see why I need to know all this.” He gestured vaguely at the book. “I’m never going to be a great statesman. I’ll abdicate as soon as Geoffrey is old enough. This whole thing is just a stop-gap measure to prevent the people from losing their minds. I’m not a real prince. For crying out loud, not that long ago I was living in the servant’s corridors!”

Baynard puffed up and flew into an angry tirade “This attitude of yours is entirely unacceptable! The king doesn’t need your whining. He needs your support. Wake up. The world isn’t always to our liking, but the best of us straighten our backs and do what we must. We don’t whine at every little challenge thrown our way! Stop being a child. You are…the…crown…prince…” His voice grew higher pitched and softer until the last word came out in a soft squeak, like a cornered mouse.

“Baynard, what’s wrong?” To say that Brennan was concerned was a bit of an understatement.

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