Counsel in Council

    The Greenbough council didn’t take long to arrange; the village wasn’t very large, when Sean thought about it, but it certainly felt more lively than its population would suggest. Of the two hundred or so people in the village, the six he’d summoned had been easy enough to find.

    The ‘council chamber’ was, in reality, just the inn’s back room. While it was normally reserved for barrels of ale and the aging of meats, today it had been co-opted for Sean’s initial foray into rulership. Alma had been nice enough to clear it for him when he’d asked her to assemble the group, though she’d warned him that there might be a lingering smell of stale beer.

    If it keeps the meeting short and the chitchat to the minimum, that might even be a plus. He thought, sitting down at the head of the table Colm had lugged in.

    He idly fingered the pendant through his shirt, hoping he looked more kingly than he felt. In addition to his borrowed outfit he’d had Flick run down to the market to buy a cloak. Maybe it was the result of watching too many questionable films about King Arthur, but it felt like a necessary accessory for his new rank.

    Corvane sat perched at his usual place on Sean’s shoulder, while Flick leaned against the wall, smirking at his discomfort.

    “Don’t worry lad,” she encouraged in a stage whisper, “if they decide to stage a coup we’ll just have Corvane hold them off while we escape. I hear the south of the isle is nice this time of year.”

    The raven hushed them both as footsteps closed in on the storeroom’s door. “They are arriving.”

    And, one by one, they did.

    Alma came first, carrying a tray of dried sausages in one hand and balancing a septuplet of mugs in the other. “I hope you don’t mind, Your Majesty, I thought everyone might enjoy a bite and a brew while we discuss the fate of the realm. Such as it is.”

    Sean let out a chuckle. “Thank you for your foresight, Alma. I knew I invited you for a reason.”

    The older woman gave a smile and a quick curtsy, before taking her seat to his right.

    Liam, the village gossip, was next through the door. According to the Chain, the man was the source of at least half the rumor threads in Greenbough. According to Alma, the majority of those rumors eventually turned out to be true.

    “Top of the morning to ya, Your Majesty!” he chirped, bowing so low his hair nearly brushed the floor. “And congratulations on your most kingly coronation!”

    Sean thanked him and offered him a seat on the other side of the table as Nancy shuffled in. The woman looked exhausted, but her expression lifted when she met Sean’s eyes. “Your Majesty,” she said, “thank you again for bringing my children home. Colin and I can never repay you.”

    “No thanks needed, Nancy. I did what I thought was right and it turned out well, that’s all.” Sean stood up and pulled the seat to his left out for the young woman. “Now come have a seat, you can thank me by helping me get the lay of the land.”

    Darrow, the baker, waddled in next. Even away from his oven, the faint, buttery smell of fresh baked bread followed him into the room. His eyes flicked toward the mugs Alma had set out. “You don’t mind if I…”

    It took Sean a moment to realize the man was asking permission. Laughing, he gave it. “Of course! Take an ale and a seat, no need to stand on ceremony here.”

    Nolan, the carpenter, pulled out his own chair next to Darrow. He gave Colm a run for his money in the competition for the biggest man in Greenbough. Sean’s thoughts went to the knife skills he’d acquired from the man and wondered about their history, but on that the Chain was silent. He nodded politely to Sean, then sat without ceremony.

    Last came Kenneth, the merchant. Alone among the villagers, he was dressed in well-worn traveling clothes and his road-stained cloak stood in sharp contrast to Sean’s pristine new purchase. He gave Sean a sharp nod. “Your Majesty. I come hoping our relationship can be of mutual benefit.”

    “Likewise,” Sean replied, “I suspect you and I will have much to discuss in the days to come. Please, sit.”

    Seeing all of his list in attendance, Sean cleared his throat. “Thank you all for coming. After some deliberation, and with Alma’s help, I’ve asked you here to represent the people of Greenbough. Now that you’ve all accepted me as your king, I’d like to begin by addressing any problems the village might have.”

    Liam piped up at once. “Oh, and problems there are, Your Majesty! Why, just yesterday I heard that-”

    “Liam,” Alma cut in, her tone silencing him more easily than a blow to the head. “Let the king finish speaking before you drown him in idle chatter.”

    Sean smiled. “Actually, I’d like to hear it. That’s the reason we’re all here, after all. What’s troubling the village, Liam?”

    “Well, there are many, many items that might interest you…” Liam trailed off, looking hesitantly to Alma, who rolled her eyes and motioned for him to continue. “But I would say the most pressing is one of land. Specifically, the boundaries between farms. There hasn’t been a king, you see, in quite some time, which means no king’s justice to resolve disputes. Half the farmers around Greenbough are after land from the other half, and no one knows who’s in the right!”

    Half listening to Liam as he expanded on the issue, Sean touched the Chain. A rough map of the village overlaid his vision, expanding as he focused on the outlying farms and fields. Pinpricks of light glowed in the earth, which he realized were long buried boundary stones.

    He blinked and settled his gaze back on Liam. “Thank you,” Sean said, interrupting the man. “This is indeed a matter that needs my attention. Luckily, I believe it is also one that’s been addressed in the past. Who around the village has time to spare?”

    Liam puffed up his chest, but deflated as Nolan beat him to the punch. “I know of a few layabouts with nought but time on their hands.”

    “Excellent,” Sean replied, “gather them up after this council and we’ll take a tour of the farms. A king of old marked out Greenbough’s plots, so all that’s left for us to do is to expose the evidence. I’ll mark the spots, and the idlers can dig.”

    The carpenter gave a slow nod. “That would put an end to it. We still respect the old laws here in Greenbough.”

    Darrow leaned forward next, his face grave. “Majesty, this fall there have been more rats than usual in the storehouses. They’ve been getting into the rye, and worse, the flour...”

    “I’m assuming Brian’s already got the usual measures in place?” Alma asked. “Bins rather than sacks, raised off the ground, maybe a cat or two? I’ve never actually been inside his stores, myself.”

    The baker nodded, “The miller’s storehouse isn’t to blame, nor are his mousers. He may be a skinflint but he doesn’t skimp on his livelihood.”

    The assembled villagers sat quietly, considering the issue. Sean snapped his fingers as an idea came to him. “Does anyone in town keep a stock of dried mint?”

    Nancy raised her hand timidly, “Aye, Your Highness, I keep some to freshen up the air in the birthing room.”

    “Excellent Nancy, do you think you could spare some to hang around the storehouse? We used to do it at an old apartment of mine to keep rodents out of our kitchen.”

    Nancy blinked, “I’m happy to, but I don’t know that I have enough for the task.”

    Flick chimed in from the wall, “No worries, lass, I know a field of wild mint in the forest. There should be plenty to go around for you and the miller.” She grinned. “While the King here is off digging holes with the lads, what say we gather a few other ladies and go frolick in the forest?”

    Nancy gave Flick a slow, relieved smile. “Of course, Miss Flick, that sounds like a wonderful idea.”

    “Be sure to bring one of the guardsmen with you.” Corvane added. “Our last foray into the forest was more than enough excitement for the month.”

    Kenneth leaned forward, resting his chin on the backs of his hands. “That brings me to my own piece. As I think everyone present knows, even the shortest roads between villages have become more dangerous.”

    Corvane ruffled his feathers. “The bog growing restless is a sign of things to come, merchant, your trade may become even more dangerous ere long.”

    Sean didn’t need prior experience or the Chain to know what his response needed to be, even though he didn’t like it. “For now, Kenneth, there’s little I can do on that front except tell you to be careful on your travels.”

    “People are disappearing on the roads!” Kenneth started to raise a protest, but Sean held up a hand to stop him.

    “But, as soon as more villages in the area swear fealty to me, I will institute proper patrols on the roads. Merchants like you are a kingdom’s lifeblood and I want you all to feel safe as you ply your trades.

    Kenneth’s stormy expression lightened somewhat. “That may reduce some of the dangers, Your Majesty, although it will still be too late for some. I wonder if the local folk will be any match for the kind of villains you find on the outskirts.”

    “Then we’ll just have to train our road wardens to defend themselves. I’m sure the guardsmen wouldn’t mind the help, and I suspect there are some among us that might have their own skills to impart.”

    Sean looked pointedly at Nolan, who remained silent but nodded his agreement.

    Sean fought a smile. “Then it’s a plan for the future, hopefully a very near one.”

    The council continued on for the next hour, the village representatives presenting their concerns and discussing solutions in turn. Eventually, though, they ran out of grievances to air and the room settled into a comfortable silence.

    Then Liam slapped the table. “Well! Malt fields marked, rats repelled, and bandits banished. If that’s not a good day’s work then I don’t know what is.”

    The others chuckled softly, even Kenneth. Sean leaned back in his chair, stretching. “Thank you for trusting me with your problems. I plan to make this council a regular occurrence, I hope all of you will continue to attend.”

    He received a chorus of assent from around the room before dismissing the gathered folk. The weight of the Chain’s pendant pulsed warm against his chest and he realized that maybe, just maybe, he could do this great thing that had been asked of him. And that the people of Greenbough, against all odds, might be realizing it too.