“We’ve earned those distribution rights!” The Duke of Leary said emphatically, smashing his fist against the conference table.
“That’s easy to say when you’re losing so much of your revenue to the bandits. If your guards aren’t sufficient to protect your people, it’s much to expect his highness to trust you with distribution of our most precious export.” The Duke of Evendem replied, coolly.
“How dare you!” The arguing that was going on wasn’t rare for these meetings. Discussing any kind of policy, but especially those related to trade and taxes, were somehow always heated. It was mostly petty bickering and old rivalries, so it didn’t truly matter much in the grand scheme of things, but it was his highness’s job to mediate and render the final decisions in such matters, and he usually did it quite well.
Today, however, he hadn’t much needed to, in part because he hadn’t even tried. Although the two dukes were arguing, most of the table was silent, and nobody at all was looking at the man at the head of the table, as if looking would send King Caden Maddox’s wrath directly on their head.
His highness was sitting in his throne, dressed in unassuming clothes aside from the crown on his head and the extravagant red cape hanging from his shoulders. He’d spent the meeting with his chin on one palm, watching them all perfectly expressionlessly with those golden-brown eyes of his, half-closed as if falling asleep from boredom. And yet, anytime someone had sneaked a peek at him, they’d seen those eyes lifting just enough to pierce them with a gaze cold enough to send shivers down their spines. He had been perfectly, utterly silent through the whole meeting. In fact, he’d been perfectly, utterly silent through every meeting for the past four months. At first, they’d all just thought that he was being compliant, as the young king never had been before, and been quite excited at the prospect of newfound power. After all, in his five years on the throne, he’d never once seemed concerned about making things easy for any vassals besides the ones who showed him complete and perfect loyalty.
But after a while of nothing really changing, his usual amused strictness was much preferable to this. Usually, when he glared that way, it meant your whole family might end up suddenly destitute, wondering where exactly things had gone wrong, and while his policies had been no stricter than usual, the devastating silence that seemed to resound in the hall the moment the rest of them stopped chattering was enough to set them all on edge the longer it went. The Dukes of Leary and Evendem weren’t even the sort to strike up fights normally.
The sound of the dukes arguing was all that filled the air for a while, most of them just grateful that this was the last issue on the docket for the day, and when no one could think of anything else to say, they all turned to Duke Dylk Porgrin, the only person who dared turn to the king himself. “Your majesty?” Dylk asked.
Caden leaned back, tapping his fingernails loudly on the arm of the throne. Da-da-dump. Da-da-dump. Da-da-dump. “I have considered all of your counsel. And will issue decrees by tomorrow. You are all dismissed.” That was all he’d been saying for four months. They’d gotten used to it, and he’d always done precisely as he’d said he would, with written justification for every decision that addressed every concern that had been spoken, so it wasn’t as though there was anything to strictly complain about, at least not without giving him a reason to set heads rolling.
Still. “Your majesty.” The Duke of Evendem said, when most everyone else had left.
“I believed I dismissed everyone present, Duke William.” Caden said, taking off his crown and tapping it against the table. “I have always valued your loyalty, insofar as it came with your wisdom and obedience.”
The older man just smiled at him. “And you know my loyalty to you is in tempering my obedience with wisdom, or else would your majesty have said as much?”
“Speak, if you must.” Caden said, the smallest hint of a smile on his face. The first the duke had seen in some time. “And if you’d like, I’ve been taking my lunch in here after meetings. You are free to join me.”
“You are too generous, but I only wished to mention that these meetings have been a bit fraught of late. I believe even your loyal vassals are growing weary of the sense of danger that accompanies your silence.”
“Let them be frightened. It is far past time they remember that respect must come with some fear. And at any rate, I’m readying the last of the prosecutions. There’s no sense in appeasing those who will be nothing more than fallen lords.”
The duke bowed, despite sitting at the table. “Of course, nor would I. But perhaps if you went to visit Lady Belenet, you would also recall that nor is there sense in aggravating those who already respect you and wish you only well.” He stood before Caden could be angry with him, bowing one more time. “I would be grateful if you would consider it, your majesty.”
Caden grimaced and stuck his tongue out at the retreating back of the older man. But then, he had kind of a point.