In the Shadow of Lions - Chapter 30

Starhaven, Sidor

The grounds outside the palace were covered in people, more than even the largest celebrations the capital had ever seen. People had held their place for ten long hours, no one wanting to leave lest they miss what was happening. The leaders of the rebellion had gone inside to negotiate with the king to finally end the conflict. 

The very city itself was holding its breath. Although the rebels had allowed a trickle of food shipments to resume, Starhaven was no more than a day from starvation again, and would be until the rebels gave up their captured ports and went home. The people’s tier had finally ended its rioting and settled down after ten days of mayhem, but the city was a wreck and would bear the scars of this time for years to come. The merchants tier, the docks, and even some of the nobles’ tier had significant damage to buildings, and the loss of life had not been limited.

Which is why so many were willing to wait, hour after hour, to find out if it had really ended. When Fletcher and the handful of men with him finally emerged, the crowd exploded with cheers.

Fletcher waved them down, finding a cart to pull himself up onto so the people could see him. Guards, some still bearing injuries from the riots, ringed the palace, in case this crowd became violent like so many had recently, but the people ignored them.

They’d shown the limits of the guard and taken much of the fear they used to generate away from them. The people knew that, if their tyranny grew too much, they could rise up again and defeat them.

Tom raised his hands, calling for silence. Slowly, the cheers and shouts died down.

“Friends, I bring you good news. Our wise and just king has heard your pleas. He has agreed to our demands!”

The crowd erupted in cheers, a thunderous roar that echoed off the stone walls. Tom let them have their moment of elation before gesturing for quiet once more.

“The Edicts of Travel have officially been ended. We can now travel freely to sell our goods wherever we see fit, as free people of Sidor. The fines and onerous taxes that accompanied the edicts have likewise been repealed! Furthermore, His Majesty has graciously consented to reduce the additional taxes burdening the common folk, with taxes going back to what they were on the final day of his father’s rule. Not only have the taxes been reduced, but the king has also pledged to not raise our taxes so unjustly in the future, and has agreed to limit the rate of tax increases for the next ten years.”

Another wave of jubilation swept through the throng of people. Men embraced, and women wept tears of joy.

“I know many of you who stood up for your rights have been worried, because to defend the rights given to you by the ancients, you had to stand up to the laws made by men here in Sidor, sometimes aggressively. It would not do for those who only defended themselves and their families to be punished for doing so, especially after the king himself acknowledged the position these now-canceled laws put you all in. Because of that, the king has agreed to a blanket pardon of anyone in open rebellion against the crown during this period of unrest. That includes those here in the city who demanded food during the shortages and the release of your family members held in the dungeons after protesting the changes. I know some of your men were sent to the armies in Lynese, and that will take more time to unravel, but the king has promised to see justice done for them as well.

Fletcher could see the relief on the faces of the people around him. The rebellion against the crown had led to violence unseen in Sidor since the unification under Charles Whitton. Had the crown wanted to, a large number of those involved could have been hung for treason. This agreement hadn’t been easy and had been one of the parts of the peace that took the longest to debate. The young king had made it clear he thought anyone involved in the rebellion, including Fletcher himself, should be handed over to the crown for punishment. It wasn’t until Duke Edmund stepped in that cooler heads prevailed and the king agreed to their demands of amnesty.

“While those are the things we fought for, neither are our biggest accomplishment. I and the other leaders didn’t speak about this openly, because it seemed an impossible achievement. Which is why I am so happy to announce it now. His Majesty has agreed to the formation of a council of commoners to sit alongside the council of nobles. Two representatives, chosen by the people, shall be sent from every barony to give voice to the common man in the governance of our great kingdom.”

Instead of cheers, a shocked silence fell over the crowd. Never in all of Sidor’s history had the common man ever had a say in his fate. The very idea that commoners would get a voice in how they were governed was so unthinkable that he could see each person having trouble even processing what he’d said.

“The Council will be allowed to weigh in on the king’s laws, offer advice and counsel, and … most importantly, have some limiting factor on taxation of the people and how those taxes may be used by the crown. This will, however, take time. We are venturing into uncharted territory. But I am told that the people of Gnesting have a similar system, which may serve as a model for our own. Rest assured, the king is committed to ensuring the people have a say in the fate of the realm.”

Tom paused, letting all of that sink in. The idea of using Gnesting, the island nation to the west of Lynese, as a model for their system of government, even in part, hadn’t occurred to Fletcher. He hadn’t even known they’d had a way for people to participate, at least not until Duke Aldric had told him about it and made suggestions when they’d discussed what he should ask the king about. Fletcher had actually been skeptical at first that it would even work, which is probably what all of these people were feeling. He trusted the Duke, however, and if he thought it a good idea, who was Fletcher to argue. 

“Now, let us give thanks to our king for his wisdom, his compassion, and his willingness to listen to the needs of his subjects. Long may he reign!” 

“Long may he reign,” the people echoed, almost reflexively. 

Most probably wouldn’t have made the same sentiment just a day ago, even with the long-bred habit of repeating the phrase in honor of their monarch, which showed just how stunned they all were by the sheer scope of what they’d gotten the crown to agree to. 

Of course, it went without saying that they had achieved this only because they gave the king no choice in agreeing to their demands. 

“And now, my friends, it is time to return to your homes and your lives. Go in peace, knowing that a new era has dawned in Sidor. An era of justice, of equality, and of hope.” 

Tom hopped down and gathered the men who’d traveled with him together to hand out their last orders. He’d told the king that they wouldn’t relinquish the ports, returning to their homes, until he signed the orders and word went out on wyverns to all of the barons. 

Already, some had flown, and a decree from the king, stating these changes, had already begun going up on walls around the palace courtyard. It would probably take a week to get the word out across the city and kingdom, but seeing the first ones go up was what Fletcher had been waiting for. 

The rebellion was over.

***

Edmund watched the rebel leader finish his speech, getting swarmed by the rest of the mob like he was some kind of hero. It was pathetic. They pretended to be on some kind of noble quest for the common man while telling none of their supporters that they were essentially puppets for the very nobles they claimed to stand against. Edmund was sure that was never mentioned to the others.

As the people began to celebrate below, the door to Edmund’s quarters burst open and the king stormed in. As angry as Edmund was at how this turned out, he was a far cry from the king, who was practically fuming, pacing from one side of the room to the other as he vented.

“I can’t believe these… these peasants. I’m supposed to not only sit with them, but they really expect me to listen to their demands? The very idea that this council of commoners would have the right to tell me what to do…”

“We talked about this, Your Majesty. The council is a shell, nothing more. Something to throw them to make them happy, think they could claim a long-term victory, and to push our future decisions to, insulating you from this kind of reaction in the future. We made no guarantee of how the representatives to this council would be chosen. By the time it goes into effect, most of these people will be back focused on their lives, and we can simply have the barons choose their representatives, ensuring people the vast majority are people who unequivocally support you.”

“I should have to take anything to the people, or anyone else, for support. I am the king. THE KING. My people listen and obey me, not the other way around. I can’t believe I let you talk me into this. You and your sycophant barons. You failed me, uncle.”

“Things did not end ideally, I will admit. But…”

“Ideally? Ideally?” Serwyn interrupted, his voice rising. “This wasn’t some minor setback, uncle. I was forced to sit with those filthy peasants and listen to their demands. To even bend to them, even if just as a gesture, weakens me and strengthens them. This entire situation is how kingdoms fall. I have to ask myself, is this what it felt like when the ancients fell? Their world turning upside down, everything they knew crumbling around them?”

“Your Majesty, you’re being dramatic. The situation is not nearly as dire as…”

Serwyn rounded on Edmund, jabbing a finger at his chest. “You promised me control, Uncle. You swore that under your guidance, my reign would be unquestioned. Yet look at us now, bowing to the whims of the rabble. Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t have you thrown in the dungeons for your failures.”

Edmund didn’t flinch or step back. “You are the king, Your Majesty. You can do as you wish. But if you had followed your original instinct, to arrest the barons and take their land, we wouldn’t have faced a peasant army, we would have faced the barons and their retainers. An army of peasants, even a well-supplied one, is a far cry from that. We both know the real danger lies with the barons. They are the ones behind this rebellion, pulling the strings from the shadows. If you chose to take them on in the open, then you must be willing to accept the consequences of that decision.”

“And what would you have me do? Roll over and show my belly like a beaten dog?”

“A good leader understands that in this kind of war, reverses sometimes happen. Even your father faced setbacks during his reign. The key is to adapt, to bide our time and play the role of benevolent rulers until we are strong enough to strike back.”

“So we let their treason go unpunished?”

“Of course not, Your Majesty. When the time is right, when our position is secure, you can take your revenge. Crush our enemies beneath your heel and remind them of the true power of the crown.”

“I want them all to pay, Uncle. Everyone who had a hand in this. The nobles, the rebels, every last one of them. They will learn the price of defying their king.”

“And they will, Your Majesty. I promise you that.”

“I will hold you to that promise, Uncle,” Serwyn said, before turning and storming out with only a little less anger than he’d come in with, probably to go to his room and brood.

Edmund just shook his head and returned to the balcony. Let his nephew rage. Edmund would be patient, waiting for the right opportunity. And that opportunity would come, he thought as he looked down at the peasants once more, eyes falling on their now-unmasked leaders. While he was certain that the barons, or at least some of them, were behind this uprising, he found himself agreeing with Serwyn on one thing.

These people would pay.

***

Cestralion, Aurorin Province, Lynese

It had only been a week since William left Cestralion for the assault on Barentez, but the city seemed to have transformed in that time. While it was still an occupied city, more people had come out of their homes, maybe accepting that this was the new normal, making the city feel less abandoned than it had just after it had been taken. Sidorian patrols still wandered the streets, but the people were giving them less of a wide berth.

While the city hadn’t taken any damage, since it had surrendered, a lot of public projects had stopped when they’d put it under siege, which had added to the abandoned, run-down feel. In his absence, those had started again, probably by Pembroke’s command. It was a clever way of getting the city operating again, showing the people there could be a peaceful occupation. And it seemed to be working.

The central keep was still the hub of Sidorian activity, with most of the patrols of the city operating out of the bottom floor of the building. William made his way up to the higher levels of the keep, where they had set up a war room just before he’d left for his port assault. Pembroke had expanded it since he was last here, with a large map someone had created of the area, marked with symbols of all of the known Lynesian movements.

This was William’s first chance at a more permanent, or at least a long-term, base of operations, instead of working out of command tents that had to be constantly ready to move, and he could see the value of it. It wouldn’t be practical to haul something like this around, but being able to so clearly picture the entire area of operation like this would really help in planning the spring campaign.

One of Pembroke’s knights, who William couldn’t remember off the top of his head, was in the room with the Baron when William arrived, the two in deep conversation.

“Prince William! Welcome back, your highness,” Pembroke said when he noticed him, and then turned back to the knight. “Take care of it. I want each interviewed by tomorrow.”

“Problems?” William asked, watching the knight leave quickly.

“No, your highness. The city is doing well, but some of the outlying settlements are being … difficult. We’re still trying to honor your promises to the Lynesians that we wouldn’t be unduly burdensome, but it is becoming an issue. I’m hoping, if we can just identify the few actual troublemakers, the rest will fall in line. I should offer you congratulations, though. All of the reports back from Barentez say that your victory was stunning, with very minimal casualties.”

“It went well.”

“You took a heavily defended town completely by surprise, securing it before their wintering army could even get news of the attack, let alone do anything to stop you. I’d say that went more than well.”

“Thank you,” William said. “With it secured, I believe we’re in a good position to hold for the winter. What supplies we do get from home and what we can pull from the province here we can control can now be delivered to our line by ship, eliminating the need for a long supply line, once the waters open again, giving us a new point to jump off from, so we should be in a good position, come spring.”

“Although we should be careful about that. Barentez gives us complete control of the river, but it is separated from the rest of our line if attacked, meaning reinforcing it will be slower.”

“Agreed. While I don’t expect they will try and retake it over the winter, we should keep the river well patrolled and reinforce the garrison there. I left Sir Alistair in command for the time being. We need to use our time well. I’d like to start the campaign just before spring, to get the jump on the Lynesians. If we can take Talabot quickly, we will have more of a line to operate from on that side of the river and make the final push to their capital.”

“I’ll see it done,” Pembroke promised, and then changed the subject. “While you were gone, I received a wyvern from Duke Aldric.”

“He responded? Any news on supplies?”

“Only bad news,” Pembroke said. “The Duke indicated in his letter that he does not believe the king will be sending any more supplies, even come next year when the campaign season begins again. With very little exception, we cannot expect any additional supplies or men from the crown.”

“Nothing? How do they expect us to win this war, or even end it short of a full retreat, without supplies?” 

“I’m not sure that they do. My only hope is that they are simply distracted by the commoners currently rebelling, although that what information I have gotten from other barons over the last few days suggests that is about over.” 

“It is? How did they defeat a mass uprising like that? It’s not like there was one army to defeat or city to conquer to end it.” 

“It went the other way. They managed to surround Starhaven Bay itself once Aldric took the bulk of the remaining retainers south for mawseason. The king was forced to hold talks with the rebels and reverse some of his policies.” 

“Really?” William said, pacing in a small circle as he absorbed the news. “That must have been quite a blow to my cousin.” 

“I imagine it was.” 

“How did they manage that? While I know people of all types are capable of great things, the rebellion lasted almost six months. That’s a long time for people without resources beyond a single farm or workshop to sustain themselves. How did they manage to not only do that but stand up against armored knights? I wouldn’t have thought they’d have had the supplies for that.” 

“Normally you would be right, but they were not doing it alone. The commoners weren’t the only ones upset by the king’s policies. A group of nobles has been supplying them for some time, which is what allowed their remarkable success.” 

“What?” William’s voice rose in disbelief. “Sidorian nobles were trying to overthrow the king?” 

“No, your highness,” Pembroke clarified. “The nobles were not trying to overthrow the king. They only wanted him to reverse the wave of new taxes and policies put in place since his rule began. They’d been given no choice. The king had refused to listen to reason, and this was the only way to keep the kingdom from falling into complete chaos. You’ve seen those results yourself. Do you think, with what you’ve heard from the ‘conscripts’ we were sent and news from home, that the decisions being made for the kingdom were the right ones?”

“I don’t,” William admitted. “But there is a large gap between disagreeing with the king and outright rebellion.” 

William stopped for a moment. Something was bothering him, picking at the back of his brain. 

“Baron, how do you know what the nobles supporting the rebels were doing? I’d assume any such activity would be secret, to keep the king from retaliating on them. Even if they weren’t attempting to overthrow the crown, that kind of activity would be enough to get them thrown in dungeons and their lands taken from them.” 

Pembroke met his eyes evenly and said, “Because I am a member of the group of nobles supporting the rebels.”

William stared at Pembroke, involuntarily taking a step back. “You ... what?”

“It’s just as I said. I am one of the nobles supporting the rebels to force your cousin to end his disastrous policies. What’s more, so is your uncle.”

“Aldric? No, I can’t believe that. He’s loyal to the crown, to Sidor. He wouldn’t ...”

“Your uncle is loyal to his people, William. He knows what needs to be done to protect them, even if it means defying the king. Neither King Serwyn nor your stepfather would listen to reason. They refused to see the suffering their policies were causing. Aldric had no choice but to take matters into his own hands.”

William started to respond, and then stopped. He had so many questions, but a single realization put them all on hold.

“He told you to tell me this, didn’t he.”

“Yes,” Pembroke confirmed.

Pieces began to fall into place. Things his uncle had done and said began making more sense.

“He’s in charge of it, isn’t he?”

“He is.”

“Why now? Why does he want me to know now?”

“He believes it’s time for you to know what’s really happening in Sidor. Things could go one of two ways now. The king could honor his word, work with the peasants to ease tensions, and bring peace to the kingdom. Or ...”

“Or he could go the other way,” William finished.

“Yes. Aldric wants to be prepared for that possibility. We haven’t decided on a specific course of action yet, but we need to be ready to protect the people if the worst comes to pass.”

William didn’t answer right away. Again, he thought it through. Considered. He knew his step-father and his cousin. Knew what kind of people they were.

“They won’t honor it. They might, at first, but this is a holding action. A way to buy time. Serwyn will take being forced to do even this much personally, and will want to take it out on anyone he can.”

“That is the Duke’s conclusion as well.”

“What can I do?”

“For now, nothing. Focus on your duties here, on making sure our men aren’t wasted by the crown’s refusal to supply them. The men have come to respect you, and are loyal to you, My Prince. They believe in you. You need to return that loyalty, to be the leader they deserve. We just want you to be aware of what is happening, and to know you’re with us.”

He still wasn’t sure about this. Everything he’d ever been told reinforced that his duty was to the ancients and the crown, in that order. But everything inside of him said his true duty was to the people. He knew which way he wanted to go, and if he had to choose between his stepfather and his uncle, he knew which he’d follow.

“I’m with you.”

To Be Continued…