The group of advisers sat, facing him around the semi-circular table, spread out every ten feet, each sitting in a chair of ancient oak with elaborate carved wooden handles.
“My liege, if I may begin,” Owen called out.
“You may. And keep it short. My time is tight today.”
“Your daughter will receive a great many gift today, which we all hope will fill her coffers. The thousands of people paying tribute, presenting gifts to you personally, and filling our brothels and taverns, will help fill the coffers, too. And yet the preparation for today’s festivities will also deplete a good portion of the royal treasury. I recommend an increase of tax on the people, and on the nobles. A one-time tax, to alleviate the pressures of this great event.”
MacGil saw the concern on his treasurer’s face, and his stomach sank at the thought of the treasury’s depletion. Yet he would not raise taxes again.
“Better to have a poor treasury and loyal subjects,” MacGil answered. “Our riches come in the happiness of our subjects. We shall not impose more.”
“But my liege, if we do not-”
“I have decided. What else?”
Owen sank back, crestfallen.
“My king,” Brom said, in his deep voice. “At your command, we have stationed the bulk of our forces in court for today’s event. The show of power will be impressive. But we are stretched thin. If there should be an attack elsewhere in the kingdom, we will be vulnerable.”
MacGil nodded, thinking it through.
“Our enemies will not attack us while we are feeding them.”
The men laughed.
“And what news from the Highlands?”
“There has been no reported activity for weeks. It seems their troops have drawn down in preparation for the wedding. Maybe they are ready to make peace.”
MacGil was not so sure.
“That either means the arranged wedding has worked, or they wait to attack us at another time. And which do you think it is, old man?” MacGil asked, turning to Aberthol.
Aberthol cleared his throat, his voice raspy as it came out: “My liege, your father and his father before him never trusted the McClouds. Just because they lie sleeping, does not mean they will not wake.”
MacGil nodded, appreciating the sentiment.
“And what of the Legion?” he asked, turning to Kolk.
“Today we welcomed the new recruits,” Kolk answered, with a quick nod.
“My son among them?” MacGil asked.
“He stands proudly with them all, and a fine boy he is.”
MacGil nodded, then turned to Bradaigh.
“And what word from beyond the Canyon?”
“My liege, our patrols have seen more attempts to bridge the Canyon in recent weeks. There may be signs that the Wilds are mobilizing for an attack.”
A hushed whisper spread amongst the men. MacGil felt his stomach tighten at the thought. The energy shield was invincible; still, it did not bode well.
“And what if there should be a full-scale attack?” he asked.
“As long as the shield is active, we have nothing to fear. The Wilds have not succeeded in breaching the Canyon for centuries. There is no reason to think otherwise.”
MacGil was not so certain. An attack from outside was long overdue, and he could not help but wonder when it might be.
“My liege,” Firth said in his nasally voice, “I feel obliged to add that today our court is filled with many dignitaries from the McCloud kingdom. It would be considered an insult for you not to entertain them, rivals or not. I would advise that you use your afternoon hours to greet each one. They have brought a large entourage, many gifts-and, word is, many spies.”
“Who is to say the spies are not already here?” MacGil asked back, looking carefully at Firth as he did-and wondering, as always, if he might be one himself.
Firth opened his mouth to answer, but MacGil sighed and held up a palm, having had enough. “If that is all, I will leave now, to join my daughter’s wedding.”
“My liege,” Kelvin said, clearing his throat, “of course, there is one more thing. The tradition, on the day of your eldest’s wedding. Every MacGil has named a successor. The people shall expect you to do the same. They have been buzzing about. It would not be advisable to let them down. Especially with the Dynasty Sword still immobile.”
“Would you have me name an heir while I am still in my prime?” MacGil asked.
“My liege, I mean no offense,” Kelvin stumbled, looking concerned.
MacGil held up a hand. “I know the tradition. And indeed, I shall name one today.”
“Might you inform us as to who?” Firth asked.
MacGil stared him down, annoyed. He was a gossip, and he did not trust this man.
“You will learn of the news when the time is right.”
MacGil stood, and the others rose, too. They bowed, turned, and hurried from the room.
MacGil stood there, thinking, for he did not know how long. It was on days like this that he wished he was not king.
*
MacGil stepped down from his throne, boots echoing in the silence, and crossed the room. He opened the ancient oak door himself, yanking the iron handle, and entered a side chamber.
He enjoyed the peace and solitude of this cozy room, as he always had, its walls hardly twenty paces in either direction yet with a soaring, arched ceiling. The room was made entirely of stone, with a small, round piece of stained glass on one wall. Light poured in through its yellows and reds, lighting up a single object in the otherwise bare room.
The Dynasty Sword.
There it sat, in the center of the chamber, lying horizontal, on iron prongs, like a temptress. As he had since he was a boy, MacGil walked close to it, circled it, examined it. The Dynasty Sword. The sword of legend, the source of strength and power of his entire kingdom, from one generation to the next. Whoever had the strength to hoist it would be the Chosen One, the one destined to rule the kingdom for life, to free the kingdom from all threats, in and outside the Ring. It had been a beautiful legend to grow up with, and as soon as he was anointed king, MacGil had tried to hoist it himself, as only MacGil kings were even allowed to try. The kings before him, all of them, had failed. He was sure he would be different. He was sure he would be The One.
But he was wrong. As were all the other MacGil kings before him. And his failure had tainted his kingship ever since.
As he stared at it now, he examined its long blade, made of a mysterious metal no one had ever deciphered. The sword’s origin was even more obscure, rumored to have risen from the earth in the midst of a quake.
Examining it, he once again felt the sting of failure. He might be a good king; but he was not The One. His people knew it. His enemies knew it. He might be a good king, but no matter what he did, he would never be The One.
If he had been, he suspected there would be less unrest amongst his court, less plotting. His own people would trust him more and his enemies would not even consider attack. A part of him wished the sword would just disappear, and the legend with it. But he knew it would not. That was the curse-and the power-of a legend. Stronger, even, than an army.
As he stared at it for the thousandth time, MacGil couldn’t help but wonder once again who it would be. Who of his bloodline would be destined to wield it? As he thought of what lay before him, his task of naming an heir, he wondered who, if any, would be destined to hoist it.
“The weight of the blade is heavy,” came a voice.
MacGil spun, surprised to have company in the small room.
There, standing in the door, was Argon. MacGil recognized the voice before he saw him and was both irritated for his not showing up sooner and pleased to have him here now.