War Room

“And thus the Kingdom was beset on all sides by war and famine, and there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then descended from on high a warrior-king garbed in snow-white. In his left hand was a sword, for he came to end conflict with his blade. In his right hand was a shield, for he came to protect the vulnerable.” -Excerpt from the Vædr Cycle

When we returned to the castle, Margaret and I removed our armor with the help of a squire. The young boy went about his work with wide eyed awe, but his hands were deft and practiced.

“Have those cleaned and oiled,” I said. “You may return them to the armory when you are done.”

“Yes, my Lord,” he said, and bowed.

“Now what?” Margaret asked.

“Let us go to the war room,” I said. “We should begin constructing a map of the surrounding lands as soon as possible.”

We made our way through the winding corridors, until we reached the war room. It was a rectangular room with a long table in the middle, and seats around it.

“Demna, summon Emile,” I said, and sank into the chair at the head of the table. “He should have issued his orders by now, so have him make haste.”

“As you command,” she said, and curtsied before withdrawing.

“Is that wise, husband?” Margaret asked, sitting across my lap. She hooked an arm around my neck and looked up at me. In the game, such a pose would have been impossible because of content filters, and I felt my heart skip a beat when I glanced down at her.

“What do you mean?”

“It is possible you are pushing to do too much all at once,” she said. “Securing your demesne should come first, exploration second.”

I shook my head, and twirled a lock of her hair around my index finger. She snuggled against my chest, pressing her ear over my heart. “I understand your compunction, but we have to explore. Before, we could import food to sustain our population, but now…”

“I see, indeed you are correct. We have perhaps six months of reserves, it will be necessary to establish trade routes, or expand agricultural production.” She said, her eyes closed. “Your heartbeat is so strong.”

“Where did that come from?” I asked.

“I’m not sure. It just feels nice.”

I sighed, and laced my fingers into her left hand. “We don’t even know if any of our crop fields survived the transition. It is possible we are starting from zero.”

She nodded, but before she could say anything, the door to the war room opened and Emile stepped in. He glanced at us, then cleared his throat and looked toward the ceiling.

“Pardon my interruption, Lady Demna said you summoned me,” he said.

“Fret not, you’ve interrupted nothing.” I said. “Please, sit.”

Emile settled into one of the chairs, his posture perfect and noble. His father had come into my employ after we won a defensive war against a neighboring kingdom—at the time, his father was but a boy, born of the other kingdom’s royal family, granted to me as a ward to act as collateral in our peace treaty. However, over time the boy had grown into a man, and with his maturation came loyalty. Once Emile came of age, he too entered my service.

“What did you call me here for, Your Excellency?” Emile asked.

“I’m sure you have heard by now, but we eliminated the Black Guild leadership just moments ago,” I said. “For the rest, we will round them up and give them the chance to live in my demesne peacefully—any that disagree will go to the gallows.”

“Understood. Is that all?”

“No. I need your scouts and cartographers to begin surveying the land surrounding us. Your three priorities are to discover if our crop fields made the transition here, secure a clean water source, and scout for hostile entities.”

Emile stood, bowing. “Understood.”

“While I have you, is there anything new to report?” I asked.

“No Your Ex—actually, there is one thing,” he hesitated, then continued. “This is not precisely under my purview, so I am reluctant to bring it to your attention, but I feel I must. The people are anxious. It may be wise to alleviate their fears sooner, rather than later.”

“He’s right, my love,” Margaret said. She was still sitting in my lap, but her face had turned stern. “Deploying the Lupine Guard was a wise move, but they need more.”

“What do you suggest?” I asked, looking between both of them to indicate it was an open question.

Emile shrugged. “Margaret may disagree, but I feel a speech would suffice. Show yourself to the citizens, reassure them that you have everything under control.”

“But I don’t,” I reminded him.

“That’s exactly why it’s a good idea,” Margaret interjected. “A king should seek to look strongest when his grasp is most tenuous. It’s a good suggestion.”

“A speech it is, then,” I said. “Anything else?”

“Make any executions public,” Margaret said. “The people need to see that you are strict but fair—they all know what the Black Guild has done, so use them as a stepping stone to show the people what happens when they cross you.”

“I disagree,” Emile cut in. “It would be one thing to publicly hang violent offenders, or those vocally fomenting unrest, but most of the Black Guild were only involved in petty crimes. You cannot appear to be tyrannical in such uneasy times, Your Excellency, lest you turn the people against you.”

I could feel Margaret tense up, ready to argue her point, but a moment later she relaxed. “You make a valid point. I believe we have both said all we need to.”

“I concur,” Emile said. “Is that all, Your Excellency?”

I glanced at both of them, wondering why they had cut their argument short. Are they worried about stressing me out?

“Yes, you are dismissed. Please report to me the moment anything new comes to light.” I said.

Emile stood, and bowed. “As you command,” he said, then slipped away on quiet feet.

I let out a breath I had not realized I was holding, and relaxed my shoulders. Margaret caressed my face, concern evident in her expression, and I smiled down at her. “I am fine,” I said. “Just a little pent up at the moment. It has been some time since I last exerted myself like this.”

“Then, shall we retire, my husband? Night quickly approaches, surely you ought to rest?”

I nodded, and she heaved herself off my lap, then took my hand.