by Greg Curtis
“I have been given the honour of welcoming you in the name of the people of Elaris, and under the eye of Gaia herself. And I do welcome you all.”
“Timmis Alderman.” Finell turned to face a minor functionary of Torrington sitting with his lord. A man that Iros didn’t even recognise, and he was surprised that Finell did. But he was more surprised by what followed as Finell welcomed him in the name of the Mother, not just by his name and title, but by his family. Somehow he knew who the man’s parents were.
That was merely the beginning as he moved on to the next man in the line and did the same. Naming him, naming his lineage, and welcoming him within the sight of Gaia. How did he have such knowledge? Iros had no explanation and looking at his companions he realised that they didn’t either.
So instead of asking pointless questions, he sat quietly and waited as Finell ran through all of them. And when it was his turn and he was welcomed he somehow found it within himself to simply nod respectfully and let him move on. The only surprise he knew by then was when their daughter S’rel was also welcomed. She didn’t nod though, something that caused a small titter of laughter among the audience.
Eventually he reached the end of the row, and Iros worried that he would move on to the row behind them, and so on. Fortunately he didn’t. Instead he finished with a general welcome to everyone else, and Iros breathed a small sigh of relief. Everyone did. But he sighed too soon.
“And now it falls to me to tell you of our decision. A decision based on history.” Unexpectedly he launched into a detailed description of the life of the first king of Elaris, his accomplishments and his failures, and Iros realised that it was only the start. Sure enough he was proven right as no sooner had Finell fished with the life of King Pelin he moved on to his successor King Pelin the Second.
It was past lunch time by the time Finell had finished with the last king from the age of kings, and begun on the high lords. And it was another hour at least before he’d reached his own sorry rule.
When he did though, Iros listened. Partly because it was surely almost the end, but also because he gave no false feints as he laid out his failures, or actually the failures of High Lord Finell. He spoke about him as though he was someone else. It seemed he still no longer regarded himself as that man. Still in all his life Iros had never heard a ruler admit to his mistakes, let alone expose them all to public scrutiny as Finell did. It was strangely refreshing. Maybe the boy had actually changed.
“And so we come to the end. To the decision. And the decision is this. Every king and every high lord has failed in some measure. This is beyond question. And equally it was beyond hope to expect that they would not. The position demands so much, yet the man filling it is in the end, only a man. Were we to allow another to ascend to the Heartwood Throne, that man would like all others before him fail.”
“And so we proclaim this day that just as the age of kings ended, so now has the age of high lords come to an end. There will be no ascension.” His words were greeted by stunned silence. No clapping, no cheering as there should have been when the next high lord was announced, just the silence of the dumbfounded. Iros was shocked too. It was the one decision he had never expected. A decision he hadn’t even known could be made.
No high lord? No ruler? What did it mean? For the future of Elaris? For the relations between Greenlands and Elaris? For the stability of the land? Could they even do it? He had no idea. And as Finell started outlining the new design for a series of councils and a grand council, he found he still had no idea. Even when the assembly ended and they were finally able to stand up, move about and accept some food and drink from the servers that magically appeared among them, he had no idea.
Grand councils, little councils. Councils for everything from trade to farming. And people appointed to them by some sort of popular acclaim. It seemed like some sort of tapestry crafted by a dozen different blind women. It would be complex and confusing, and likely there would be no overall logic to it. But at least there would not be another high lord to breath the mist and make terrible decisions.
The change didn’t make a lot of sense to any of the others he spoke with. By and large the other guests were just as confused as he was, and they pitied the traders who would be the ones who had to make sense of it when they visited Elaris. And the envoys. Iros truly pitied the envoys. Half their work was simply knowing who to talk to. Knowing what to say, what would work with them. Now it wouldn’t be just one man that they would have to study. It could be hundreds.
But Sophelia wasn’t confused. She looked to embrace the idea. As if it wasn’t complete madness.
“The Mother must surely be laughing today. My cousin transformed from a spoilt child of no decency to a man of both wisdom and morality. Even compassion.” She wrapped her arm around Iros’ waist, stretched upwards a little and kissed him on the cheek. “It is a blessing.”
“Wisdom?” The other things he could almost bring himself to believe, but he could see no wisdom in the path Finell and the elders had chosen.
“Great wisdom. To place so much responsibility in the hands of one man is wrong. If he is wise and noble of heart as you my husband, he will be weighed down almost to the point of being broken. And if he is not as was my cousin, he will be destroyed by it.”
“But -.”
“It makes no difference if the man was born to the position and raised always to know that these duties would one day become his. As a child you ran away from that knowledge, and your cousin as well. It matters not if the man was ascended as the most worthy to fill the position. Finell failed too.”
“When the reaper comes for us all, a man is in the end just a man.” Somehow Iros had the feeling that she meant men and not women. She’d been spending entirely too much time in the grove with Trekor in his opinion, and the elder was never shy about giving her opinion as to the failings of men. Their many failings.
“Sophelia, I am comfortable as the Lord of Greenlands.” Iros wasn’t even sure why he was protesting, save that it felt as though she wanted him to run away from his position. That he could not do.
“As the fell ox is comfortable in his yoke. You have grown used to the weight upon you. But our daughter should not have to shoulder such a burden.” Iros wanted to object but he knew there was no point. She’d just lecture him on it until he gave up.
“No husband, when we return home we will start the process of creating a council from the endless committees and assemblies of Greenlands. People who can help run Greenlands. And one day, your burdens will be lifted enough that you can spend some evenings visiting the inns and alehouses, and drinking to your heart’s content.” Iros wanted to object, but he knew enough of his wife by then to know that she would not be dissuaded. Not now. So he would leave that for another day when the fire of her heart had died down a little. Besides, she had mentioned something about ale.
“But I tell you now husband.” Suddenly Sophelia became serious as she turned him around and stared him straight in the eyes. “There will be no wenching save with me.”
“That seems very reasonable.” Somehow the prospect of giving up some of his responsibilities didn’t seem quite so worrying any more. And he found he didn’t really care that much about the future political direction of Elaris either just then either. The elves could be ruled by a chicken if they chose. There were more important things to concern him. Matters of state that needed tending to.
“You know, Herodan has the baby and it occurs to me that there is an alehouse not far from here. We could start the wenching a little early.”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
Table of Contents
Copyright
Dedication
Chapter One.
Chapter Two.
Chapter Three.
Chapter Four.
Chapter Five.
Chapter Six.
Chapter Seven.
Chapter Eight.
Chapter Nine.
Chapter Ten.
Chapter Eleven.
Chapter Twelve.
Chapter Thirteen.
Chapter Fourteen.
Chapter Fifteen.
Chapter Sixteen.
Chapter Seventeen.
Chapter Eighteen.
Chapter Nineteen.
Chapter Twenty.
Chapter Twenty One.
Chapter Twenty Two.
Chapter Twenty Three.
Chapter Twenty Four.
Chapter Twenty Five.
Chapter Twenty Six.
Chapter Twenty Seven.
Chapter Twenty Eight.
Chapter Twenty Nine.
Chapter Thirty.
Chapter Thirty One.
Chapter Thirty Two.
Chapter Thirty Three.
Chapter Thirty Four.
Chapter Thirty Five.
Chapter Thirty Six.
Chapter Thirty Seven.
Chapter Thirty Eight.
Chapter Thirty Nine.
Chapter Forty.
Chapter Forty One.
Chapter Forty Two.
Chapter Forty Three.
Chapter Forty Four.
Chapter Forty Five.
Chapter Forty Six.
Chapter Forty Seven.
Chapter Forty Eight.
Chapter Forty Nine.
Chapter Fifty One.
Chapter Fifty Two.
Chapter Fifty Three.
Chapter Fifty Four.
Chapter Fifty Five.
Chapter Fifty Six.
Chapter Fifty Seven.
Chapter Fifty Eight.
Chapter Fifty Nine.
Chapter Sixty.
Chapter Sixty One.
Chapter Sixty Two.
Chapter Sixty Three.
Chapter Sixty Four.
Chapter Sixty Five.
Chapter Sixty Six.
Chapter Sixty Seven.
Chapter Sixty Eight.
Chapter Sixty Nine.
Chapter Seventy.
Chapter Seventy One.
Chapter Seventy Two.
Chapter Seventy Three.
Chapter Seventy Four.
Chapter Seventy Five.
Chapter Seventy Six.
Chapter Seventy Seven.
Chapter Seventy Eight.
Chapter Seventy Nine.
Chapter Eighty.
Chapter Eighty One.
Chapter Eighty Two.
Chapter Eighty Three.
Chapter Eighty Four.
Chapter Eighty Five.
Chapter Eighty Six.
Chapter Eighty Seven.
Chapter Eighty Eight
Chapter Eighty Nine.
Chapter Ninety.
Chapter Ninety One.
Chapter Ninety Two.
Chapter Ninety Three.
Chapter Ninety Four.
Chapter Ninety Five.
Chapter Ninety Six.
Chapter Ninety Seven.
Chapter Ninety Eight
Chapter Ninety Nine.
Chapter One Hundred.
Chapter One Hundred and One.
Chapter One Hundred and Two.
Chapter One Hundred and Three.
Chapter One Hundred and Four.
Chapter One Hundred and Five.
Chapter One Hundred and Six.
Chapter One Hundred and Seven.
Chapter One Hundred and Eight.
Chapter One Hundred and Nine.
Chapter One Hundred and Ten.
Chapter One Hundred and Eleven.
Chapter One Hundred and Twelve.
Chapter One Hundred and Thirteen.
Chapter One Hundred and Fourteen.
Chapter One Hundred and Fifteen.
Chapter One Hundred and Sixteen.
Chapter One Hundred and Seventeen.
Chapter One Hundred and Eighteen.
Chapter One Hundred and Nineteen.
Chapter One Hundred and Twenty.
Epilogue.
