A Dragon’s Curiosity

 

 

Nisha overlooked the bustling hall from the raised dais at the back and checked out the different people with a look of interest.

True to his words, Luthais had brought along Nisha and Henry for the court meeting when the matter of the incident about the hunting trip of the [Royal Academy] was going to be discussed.

The hall itself had the style of an amphitheatre, the throne of the king was the focal point at the far end, raised on a platform to oversee his subjects.

To the left and right of the seat of honour, smaller lounges were separated for the most treasured subjects, namely the Dukes supporting the kingdom.

With their leader, the Grand Marshal, in front, the Dharnas family was on the outermost seat on the right, where the head of the family currently sternly faced the crowd and ignored the members of his house, as they conversed behind him.

Thankfully, the lounge had a simple sound blocking array, or the public might have lost a large amount of respect for the stern soldier.

Similarly, the other lounges had representatives or the leaders of the other Dukedoms sitting in them, waiting for the arrival of the royal family.

Compared to the special treatment the Dukes enjoyed, the Counts and Barons that currently resided in the capital did not have the same luxuries.

They had to share the benches in the cordoned off area, although a social hierarchy still formed anyway.

Powerful individuals enjoyed the seats near the front area, whereas those without strong backing had to squeeze towards the back.

At least the furniture was still quite comfortable and lined with expensive fur, making it easier on the occupants to sit down for several candles worth of time.

Towards the very back, near the open gates, commoners and merchants were also allowed to attend court, although it was forbidden to disrupt the order or pose questions, fully armoured guards spaced along the walls made sure that no one had the audacity to interrupt the king’s dignity.

Since the representative of the royal family had yet to come, the grand hall buzzed with conversations as most of the attendees already showed up and waited for the court meeting to start.

 

“There’s a lot more people than I thought. Isn’t it boring to spend a long time indoors?”

As early as back when Little Flame had been the size of a fat salamander, the dragon had been unable to sit still and fought as soon as the old wounds from the last fight had half healed.

Compared to sitting still and doing embroidery, a hobby that Galan highly praised as an educated and sophisticated talent of noble ladies, Nisha preferred to throw herself into a brawl and vent the overflowing aura within her body.

Fire, blood and sweat were much more alluring than sitting around and reciting poetry.

Perhaps the military style of the family helped, because the butler had mostly given up on selling the young lady on more dainty activities.

“That’s not quite fair. A lot of really important decisions are made during the court sessions and it’s the same idea that distant water cannot help during a fire.

As long as a sharp witted individual catches a hint of intent from the decisions of the royal representative regarding the future, it’s possible to make great contributions or profit a lot.”

Since Luthais needed to act in his official capacity as the Duke, he wore a gorgeous suit instead of his guard uniform, a look that appeared rarely on his figure and made him look very dashing.

Since he could not constantly turn around to answer questions, it was Henry that cleared up any concerns that the elf had.

Although the energetic boy shared Nisha’s dislike for boring activities, he had been through his fair share of court sessions and was a veteran in this regard.

He was the heir of a noble house, after all, so his knowledge on etiquette and proceedings was quite high compared to his peers.

“As long as people exist, there will be a difference in opinion.

If left to their own devices, barons will start to wage war on each other due to disputes on territory markers or ownership of resources, whereas Counts will fight a war in the shadow, so the people will suffer from poisoned wells and salted earth.

Rather than watch the land go aflame in chaos, it’s better to bring up any disputes to the king and let the court judge fairly on these matters.

On top of that, it’s also a good forum to decide partnerships and trades in the open, making the process transparent.

There are many advantages, although private deals still happen, some matters require secrecy in the end.”

 

At their core, nobles were sly creatures. Many people struggled on the borders of the Wilderness every time the sun rose and sank, yet only a few of them had their contributions known to the point where they were rewarded.

Without a talent for social interaction or overwhelming achievements, it was impossible to enter the circle of nobility.

Even then, barons who left the denomination of ordinary people, barely counted as the bottom layer of the social hierarchy.

Consolidating power, making the best use of resources and knitting powerful connections with trustworthy allies were all required to rise within the unspoken rankings and transform a title that cannot be passed down into a hereditary title first, and then get promoted to a higher title.

None of the nobles that raised the grade of their title had ever been simple characters, although some of their descendants squandered their fortune and lowered it again in later generations.

Of course, some of them fell for the deliberate plots of others, to make way for their own ascensions.

“To be honest, most matters that are discussed in the court have already gotten some sort of judgement from the royal family before they are brought up.”

Bringing up a secret in a casual way, Henry didn’t think he said anything especially astounding.

Nevertheless, it was quite the shock for the elf next to him, who thought that the court sessions were an open discussion and a centre of political decisions.

It baffled her that the results were out before the questions even got brought up.

Sensing her astonishment, he chuckled and corrected himself.

“How would the royal family know what issues are discussed in specific meetings if they are not aware of them in the first place?

The polite way of petitioning an entry for the court is to let the palace know first.

You can hand over the question to a suitable minister in the relevant fields or let a contact in a high position know discreetly, and the issue will get screened by the palace first.

As long as it is a suitable question or discussion, news will leak that it will get discussed in the near future.

How embarrassing would it be if a topic discussed in court would stump the royal representative or develop in a direction against the wishes of the King?”

 

Once the elf thought it through, she had to agree that it made sense that there was a screening mechanism in place to oversee the court meetings.

The dignity of a ruler was not allowed to be challenged.

If any resident of the [Dragon’s Den] dared to raise their claws against the dragon siblings, they were headed for a path of ruin.

Similarly, anyone stupid enough to go against the King in a public setting was bound to head for a grim ending.

By selecting the questions first, the court could avoid a potential pitfall where the royal representative was left without a viable answer for a request all of a sudden.

“Of course, the decisions are only preliminary, at least I guess so.

It’s more of a viable solution and a general direction, so good suggestions and unexpected trains of thoughts can still affect the final outcome.

That’s the expected course for most petitions to the court, sans a few exceptions.”

Henry wanted to go on, but his father intercepted without turning his head or showing obvious movements.

He had listened to their conversation so far, yet his dignity demanded that he faced the audience right now.

“There are other instances that can be brought up to a court meeting as well.

If someone received news that an enemy crossed the borders of the kingdom, it would be nonsense to quietly communicate first, emergencies on that scale need no prior agreement to be brought up.

On top of that, it’s the duty of every noble to adhere to the law and bring up violations to the King’s attention, even if the offender is the King himself.

No one is above the law, not even the highest authority.

That makes our country stronger, for everyone can rely on the law and respect the crown in return for embodying the laws.”

In his usual style, Luthais Dharnas did not speak much, but his opinion was hefty.

Nisha herself gained a newfound appreciation of the law, she had seen the thick and dusty tomes that recorded the more and lesser known laws, but she hadn’t really felt the need to study them before.

Now, it turned out that the dragon should read them once at least to learn their general outline.

It also explained why Luthais Dharnas always managed to face his future with a straight back and unwavering principles.

He did not only have high expectations for others, but he also applied them to himself and saw the best possibility in others.

 

“Hear ye! Our most generous and benevolent King, King Cederic Loewe, first of his name, has graced the court with his presence!“

Walking up to the corner of the raised dais, a ceremonial master knocked his heavy scepter on the ground and announced the arrival of the main character everyone had been waiting for.

Clothes rustled and capes fluttered as every single person inside the hall rose to their feet in greeting, either bowing their heads if their status was high enough or bending at their waists near the benches and the back of the hall.

In the anticipated silence, the back door opened again, and King Cederic entered the court with a crown on his head and a majestic red felted suit draped around his figure.

Since Nisha could observe through more than her eyes, she subtly studied the kingdom‘s ruler while she followed Henry‘s and Luthais‘ example and bowed her head.

Powerful aura, the vigor a notch higher than the Grand Marshal's adorned the King better than any garment could, and his booming voice proved his personal strength as he took his rightful place on the throne.

“You may rise again. We are pleased to see Our subjects in good health, the court may begin.“

Befitting of a ruler, Cederic Loewe swept his gaze over the crowd of supplications and felt immense satisfaction that was hidden beneath a kind veneer.

With his permission, the participants returned to their respective seats and stopped the small discussions, as the main part was about to start.

With a flick from his eyes, the ceremonial master took over and knocked his staff on the floor twice.

“As the last discussion has not yet yielded an accord, may Baron Bellridge and Baron Summerguard take the floor!

Baron Bellridge shall present his argument.”

Neither party was surprised, as their argument had to be shelved when the last court session ended, they quickly walked from their seats rather in the back of the benches towards two small desks on either side of the hall, clearly meant for the contenders of an argument as the King, the Dukes and all the nobles in the hall could easily observe them thanks to the arrangement.

As they settled in their positions, the ceremonial master gave the go ahead by nodding at each of them, before pointing at Baron Bellridge.

“Your Majesty the King, Sers and Seras, Lords and Ladies, I will not go over all of the details again to avoid wasting your valuable time.

To support my argument, I want to reference the laws from the Book of Commons, specifically the ramifications on roads and maintenance.

The reckless actions of Baron Summerguard have consequently damaged the infrastructure of the Bellridge estate, which was politely explained to him via letter, yet he refused to pay for the damages or stop the expeditions.

As such, this is blatant disregard for the laws of His Majesty!”