The King's Folly

by Robin Simmons

  The King’s Folly

  Book One in the Trilogy of Glenfair

  By

  Robin Simmons

  

  Contents

  Chapter 1Conspiracies And Such

  Chapter 2From Boy To Man

  Chapter 3Really Falling

  Chapter 4True Love Can’t Be Hidden

  Chapter 5The King’s Command

  Chapter 6What Is Lost Can Be Found

  Chapter 7The King’s Folly

  Chapter 8The Return Of Honor

  Chapter 9A True King

  Chapter 10The Truth Revealed

  Chapter 11A Tangled Web Is Time

  

  The King’s Folly

  “Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness”

  --Ecclesiastes 10:17

  Prologue

  Everything changed the day my brother Edward died. When I think of that day, the smell and stench of battle seems as strong now as it was then. I sometimes dwell in that place. When I do, it is as if no time has passed, although years have gone by. It was the first war our kingdom ever faced; a horrible battle with broken lances, dead soldiers and horses lying upon the ground. May God curse the Wickshields for their greed and eagerness to conquer our fair land.

  I know my father did not plan for Edward and so many of our people to die. He also did not expect the change of heart and understanding I had; from admiring the honor I saw in others. I had been the king’s fool to let it go as far as war. But I digress, for it is not I, but my beloved mentor who must tell you the story from the beginning if you are to understand how the kingdom of Glenfair came to be what it is today. How it was almost torn in two and then repaired, and how a king rose from the nobility to govern the people with the heart and not with the sword.

  Chapter 1

  Conspiracies And Such

  “Alas, a man who conspires against another be never at peace; he wilt be looking over his shoulder fearing others conspiring against him”

  --Chronicles of the Ancients

  Glenfair was a medium-sized kingdom blessed with a beauty that only God the master planner could have designed. For it seemed that His fair favor had shone upon this land giving it a balance no human mind could conceive. The valley was mostly flat with some small rolling hills, containing a deep black rich soil with very little rock. It was very productive land, well watered by springs and small creeks flowing from the mountains and cliffs that encircled the entire valley.

  Centered slightly north in this fair land was the king’s castle. The castle was nestled by a lake of pearlescent water that reflected colored light in ever changing patterns--hence its name, Pearl Lake. The Halfstaff River flowed through this lake and had its northerly beginning in a magnificent waterfall that fell over tremendous cliffs. The sound of the falls could be heard miles away, and its mist formed a perpetual cloud of vapor from which the Halfstaff gurgled forth gleefully on its way to Pearl Lake. The river was named the Halfstaff because it could be forded in most places. On days when the sun was shining, a rainbow could always be seen in the fall’s mist. This beautiful natural wonder mesmerized every one who saw it. The cliffs, too, were memorable for their sheer high walls, isolating the valley, except for four narrow passes, from the lands and kingdoms beyond. Snow capped peaks presided over the guarding cliffs and looked down upon the lovely tree covered hills that surrounded the valley. The narrow passes were the reason peace had reigned so long in Glenfair. In fact, as far back as the histories went, for a thousand years, there had been peace.

  There were only four passes into the kingdom, and each of these was guarded by a castle and garrison owned and run by four dukes. The dukes were given much leeway to rule as they saw fit in their respective areas in exchange for protection of the passes from invasion. Of course, they were subject to the king’s laws and swore allegiance to the King. Our story begins with one of these dukes, the dukeship of the north-west, 400 years in the past.....

  “The old king is dead,” the messenger shouted as Damen Kallestor came into the courtyard to see what the rider wanted. Damen approached the young rider and he continued;

  “They have called a council of the dukes two days hence to choose a new king for the land. The council will meet at the king’s castle following his funeral.” With his news delivered the young man rode out of the courtyard spreading the message to others. Damen watched him go, mulling the news over in his mind. Old king Brickens had finally died, leaving no heir. Yes, there must be a meeting to choose a new king. That would be exciting news for everyone. But sadness obscured that excitement for Damen. The Brickens had been a good line of kings. For 600 years they had reigned upon the throne of Glenfair. They had always done what was best for the people. Who would be chosen? Would they have the kingdom’s best interest at heart, or be motivated by selfish ambition? Duke Prescott would make a good king, and maybe Duke Zandel. Regardless, in two days the land would have another king.

  The King’s funeral was fitting for one who had ruled so well. Damen could not help but feel sadness at the ending of a great era. His eyes clouded as he thought: the only fault I can lay to your charge is your lack of a son to carry on in your stead... The funeral finished in a blur and soon Damen found himself seated in the council of the dukes listening to the discussion on who should be king. Duke Prescott stood and immediately had everyone’s attention.

  “We all know that a king should care for his people and be a man of honor. I have seen a dukeship where the people love their duke and speak of his honor. I would choose Damen Kallestor to be our King.” Before the shock of his statement settled into Damen’s mind, Duke Zandel stood and agreed, followed by Duke Rollins. Now the three dukes were standing and waiting for Damen to say something. Duke Prescott smiled, seeing the bewildered look on Damen Kallestor’s face.

  “You were not considering yourself for this position, were you?” Still smiling he continued, “That is why we have chosen you, the land will do well to have such a King. Will you accept?”

  Damen was silent as the proposal was considered. All three dukes wanted him to be their King.

  He stood and said, “I accept. I will strive to be a good and decent King for this land.”

  Duke Prescott smiled, “There will be a coronation here in ten days. That will give you time to move your family and belongings here and appoint someone to your dukeship. Who will you appoint to be duke in your place?”

  Damen frowned, “I do not know. But they must be honorable and merciful to my people.”

  On the ride back to the north-west dukeship, Damen was occupied with all the changes that needed to take place in ten days. Still undecided was the matter of appointing someone to fill his dukeship. As he entered the village surrounding his castle a noise and shouting caused him to stop his horse. He directed his attention at the clamor to his right and saw Nathan Crestlaw. He and his son were dancing around some contraption bellowing smoke. Damen could see the fire was accidental by the frantic way they tried to expunge it. Damen smiled, his troubles forgotten in the sudden distraction as he watched the two men try and salvage their invention. Nathan, out of the corner of his eye saw Damen sitting upon his horse observing their failure and hurriedly came over.

  “My Lord,” he said with black smudges on his face and eyes downcast. “Forgive our disturbance, we were trying to”.... and then he stopped realizing any explanation he gave the duke would seem ludicrous. “We will clean this mess up right away, my Lord!”

  Damen laughed, “Carry on Nathan, I am not upset. I simply stopped because I was amused by your situation.” Nathan nodded and went back to help his son as Damen ro
de on toward the castle. He liked Nathan, a kind man who was always helping others. He always cheerfully paid his share of the tribute to the dukeship although he was quite poor. This was partly due to the time he spent on his inventions that never seemed to bring any substantial income to his family.

  Damen greatly admired Nathan’s son who was an exceptional swordsman and well liked by the people. He had often seen him relieve women of heavy burdens they were carrying and give things to others who had a higher station in life than himself. He wished the young man would ask for his daughter’s hand in marriage, for he would gladly give it. But he also knew that the inequity in position and wealth would always keep him from doing so. Damen had noticed the interest his daughter showed in the young man. He was tempted to bring up the subject himself with Nathan sometime but found no way around Nathan’s honor. He knew if he were to do that Nathan would sell all he possessed to try and make some suitable dowry for his son to present. Even at that, Nathan would feel ill at ease with the whole arrangement knowing everything he possessed would not be worthy of the Duke’s daughter. Damen frowned at the injustice that fate handed to people, keeping certain things out of their reach. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. He had other things to worry about. He would be King in a short time and still had to solve the problem of appointing someone to his dukeship.

  Damen Kallestor and his family had their possessions readied for the trip to the King’s castle. The day had come for them to depart and he had called the people of his dukeship to gather in the courtyard of the castle. Today he would share with them who would be his successor to the north-west dukeship.

  His wife and son had asked him who he had chosen and he had deferred them with: “Wait and see.” In reality he still had not chosen anyone, and could not give an answer for those who sought it. As he looked about on his subjects he could see the joy and excitement in the air. One of them would be chosen to be Duke and they all hoped it would be them. His eyes went from face to face until he came to Nathan, and then he froze. He was the only one who was not smiling, his face was contorted with tears streaking down his cheeks. Damen could not look away, something in that face....

  Nathan should have been joyful like the people about him. But he was unable to feel the crowd’s excitement. Today a dukeship would be given away. But all Nathan could think about was the loss this dukeship suffered. He did not realize until today how much he loved Damen Kallestor. He feared the one who would rule in his place. Would they be as caring for the people as Damen was? All Nathan could feel was loss, not joy. His eyes clouded and he bit his lip to hold back the tears, but he failed...

  Damen was for a moment confused by Nathan’s sadness. Then understanding flooded into his soul, and at that moment Damen chose! He held up his hand and the people became silent immediately.

  “Today I will choose one of you to fill this dukeship as I leave it to become king of this fair land. My choice is not made because of wealth or popularity. Instead, I will choose a man of honor. An honorable family who will care for the people of this dukeship. A commoner like most of you. I choose Nathan Crestlaw to be your Duke!”

  There was stunned silence as everyone turned and looked at Nathan Crestlaw. Nathan’s mind recoiled as if he had been slapped, and he even stumbled backward at the news. Unlike the others, he had not considered himself for the position. Before he could recover the people began to cheer. Damen motioned him forward and the crowd pushed Nathan and his son to the front.

  Nathan came and bowed before Damen and said, My Lord, “I am not worthy...”

  But Damen cut him off by drawing his sword and commissioning him as Duke with these words: “To the people always be true, rise Duke Crestlaw.” Then reaching down he pulled Nathan to his feet as the people cheered once again. “Do not call me Lord until I am crowned King. You are now a duke and my equal.”

  “I shall never be your equal. I shall fare well if I am half the duke you have been. We will never forget what you have done this day for our family. I swear by our blood, that there will be none more loyal to the throne than the Crestlaws. I also pledge our lives from henceforth and forever, to protect the Kallestors from harm and uphold their honor.”

  Damen smiled at Nathan’s gratitude. “There is one thing more I wish to do for you, actually for your son. I would like to give my daughter’s hand in marriage to your son if he will accept her.” Damen looked at his daughter and saw her whirl around to face him. Not with anger at his presumption but with a surprised joy on her face.

  Nathan once again fell at Damen’s feet saying, “My Lord, we have no dowry that could compensate you for such an offer”

  “Are you refusing to accept my daughter then?”

  Nathan immediately sprang to his feet, and with horror reflected in his face, he answered; “No, my Lord.” Then Damen began to laugh.

  “Look about you, Nathan. This whole dukeship is yours, you are no longer poor!” Then Nathan finally understood what had really taken place. Both fathers watched as their son and daughter ran into each other’s arms expressing their joy at a love both thought would never be.

  Damen knew Nathan would be forever indebted to him, but that could not be helped. He also knew he had chosen the right man to replace him....

  Thus began the Crestlaw dukeship and the Kallestor line of kings.

  The present - 400 years later...

  King Mollen Kallestor sat enjoying the feast inside the banquet hall of the Crestlaw castle. The occasion was the collection of tribute from the two northern dukeships. There was always a banquet when the collection took place, something started centuries before. The King would then give a speech of appreciation for the tribute, another traditional formality. Mollen Kallestor’s thoughts were not on his speech but on a man sitting at the back of the room. Few things escaped Mollen’s notice, and he was sure the man was a foreigner from the Wickshield kingdom. The King was just as convinced, the man was also a spy. He knew of many such spies over the years, masquerading as merchants. Mollen understood how badly the Wickshields wanted to conquer Glenfair and extend their empire south. Of course, that was impossible as long as the passes were guarded.

  King Mollen leaned over and whispered to his son, Prince Edward; “Have you noticed the man at the back of the room sitting alone?”

  Edward nodded, “He is not eating much nor talking to anyone, only observing.”

  “What do you think of him?” King Mollen asked his son.

  “A spy from the Wickshields perhaps? If he is, how did he get invited to this banquet?”

  Mollen nodded in satisfaction at his son’s observations. He had trained him well. He started to say something more when he noticed a servant approach Duke Sauron Crestlaw and deliver a message. Duke Crestlaw glanced at the message, rose and went to Duke Rollins and spoke to him. Then they both left the banquet hall together. Mollen looked at his son and Edward returned a knowing glance. Something was going on. In a short time the meal would be finished and the dukes were supposed to deliver their tribute. But both dukes were now conspicuously absent. Almost in unison, their eyes sought out the Wickshield spy. He was now standing and casually heading out of the large hall as well.

  When he exited, Edward turned to his father; “I do not like what I have seen.”

  “Nor do I,” Mollen replied.

  Outside the dining hall, in a private corner, Duke Crestlaw and Duke Rollins were engaged in conversation. Neither noticed the Wickshield merchant quietly slip past them and out of the castle.

  “What should we do about our uninvited guest?” Sauron asked.

  Jasper Rollins frowned, “Should we inform the king we have a spy in our midst tonight?”

  “Not yet,” Sauron replied. “This is not the first time the Wickshields have sent someone to spy on our fair land. But they have never been this bold before! To inform the king now, would surely ruin the festivities for him tonight. We will detain this merchant and apprise the king after the festiviti
es are ended.”

  Duke Rollins nodded and they both headed back to the banquet. As soon as Sauron entered the hall he noticed the man was gone. He went quickly to his son Andrew, and told him to find the merchant and detain him. Andrew rose quickly and left in search of the missing merchant, while Sauron and Jasper took their places to continue the banquet.

  King Mollen and his son watched both Duke Crestlaw and Duke Rollins return and Andrew Crestlaw leave.

  Edward spoke quietly to his father once again, “Something is definitely going on.”

  Mollen nodded, “Let us talk no more of this until tomorrow.” King Mollen was worried. He leaned back in his chair to think about all he had seen. The Crestlaws over time had become the most powerful dukeship in the kingdom. That worried King Mollen. If Duke Crestlaw and Duke Rollins formed an alliance, a move against the throne by the Crestlaws might succeed. King Mollen had played these scenarios in his mind many times. Now with the addition of the spy he believed a real threat existed to his throne. He would have to watch the Crestlaws very, very, carefully.

  The banquet ended, the tribute was paid and speeches were exchanged. The people were milling about when Andrew returned. Sauron could see his son’s discouragement as he approached.

  “The merchant is gone father. I do not know how he eluded us so quickly. What shall we tell the king?”

  “What do we have to show him?” Sauron stated. “Nothing but our failure and shame. We will tell the king nothing. All we have is a Wickshield merchant slipping into the banquet uninvited. We must have something substantial before we dare trouble the king.”