230 Words in the Wind (1/2)

The King's finger swayed once more, jumping from one person to another until stopping with a point towards an aged commoner with a bald spot.

”You have questions. Oh I can see it glimmering from your eyes. They say an unasked question gives constipation. Save your intestines, ask question without wince”

The baldy lowered his jaw. He paused and grimaced. He looked around and let a gulp slid down his throat. When he finally spoke, he stuttered.

”Is...is it true? Tales float around that you can turn into a lion at will. Not my tale, of course not mine, only caught wind of it. They say that you bit your first victory from the neck of General Sigurd”

”Fortunately, no. Praise the Omniscient I cannot” King Timothy grinned ”But I understand. The wind carries stories fit to our curious minds. Castonians ride lions, Vanadians ride galleys and apparently Hadeans ride wine bottles”

Avery and most of the listeners laughed. She remembered that famous song composed by an unknown bard about a Hadean so drunk, he thought of a bottle of wine

as a horse.

'Oh he rode, he rode, he rode a bottle into battle. Bottle of wine he rode. Hadean what have you done? Riding a bottle into battle'

The King turned to another person. This time, it was a Servus on a striped toga. Avery remembered the Servus as a member of Magistrate Vedur's faction.

”You” King Timothy said ”You have a question”

”I have” Straight to the point was the Servus' answer. He raised his chin towards the King ”Why are you here?”

King Timothy slid off his horse. The royal guards acted fast and circled around the King. King Timothy looked around, tilting his head.

”Why am I here?” His voice was louder than before. But it wasn't a shout. It didn't felt that way ”I am here to make peace”

”With an army behind your back” sneered the Servus.

”Said the man with a dagger hung on his side. What are you, a warrior or a statesman?”

”It is for protection” The Servus said ”Too many thugs roaming around these days”

King Timothy turned to the masses ”If a Servus carries a weapon around inside his own city, surrounded by the same citizens who voted him into his position, is it not just right for me to have my guards? Let's not mince words here. We are at war! The Queen and I are inside a city filled with thousands who want us dead. Now, do I still need to continue my explanation on the stupidity of the notion that having an army at my back betrays my call for peace?”

”You killed my brother!” came an angry shout from the crowd after a while of silence.

The King looked for the voice and pointed at a fat woman with ragged hair. ”When did he die?”

”A month ago in the battle of Veil town. Your soldiers slaughtered the Cohort my brother belongs to. I didn't even got to see his body. You buried him like a pig!”

King Timothy nodded. He stepped towards one of his royal guards and put his hand on the guard's shoulder. ”This brave man is named Wayne. He is from Solon. His father was a miner and his grandfather was also a miner. He comes from a family of miners. But Wayne did not follow the footsteps of his forefathers. He joined the Castonian army and became one of my royal guards. But Wayne's brother also followed him into being a defender of Castonia. Gale was his name, a good lad- small for his age but loyal, more loyal than most men. Gale was brave, always holding his halberd with grace. In the Battle of Veil town, Gale's legion, Goldentooth, was positioned to hold the Hadean and Inkish while the other three of my legions flanked. Goldentooth held. It was bloody. It was gritty. And by the end of it all, Gale lay dead, a spear penetrated his side and went through his guts. I've seen Wayne weep for his brother” He stepped closer to the woman with lowered head and hands tugged behind ”We all have lost people, important people. Family, friends, lovers, people we respect. Thousands of them are now without breath, without warmth”

”That doesn't justify my brother's death”

”It doesn't” King Timothy's reply was swift ”It doesn't. Nothing can justify the people we lost. Nothing can justify the pain and the suffering. But the pain and the suffering we all have experienced is a justification for us to end the violence. We have bled enough. I grieve with you madame. I truly do. But the Union didn't desire this war. Magistrate Chen betrayed us first and that encounter has snowballed into what we have today. We do not want anything from you except your friendship. Yes, you will become our vassal but so is Canton and Tulosa. Are the Tulosans and Cantonese suffering? No. Queen Emily of Tulosa is fixing her Kingdom with the help of the Union. Trade between Canton and Vanadis has resumed. Inkit too will experience great improvements under us. The Queen and I are monarchs. You hate monarchs, we know. Monarchs are the bane of equality and equality is the idea the Republic of Inkit is built upon. But we will show you that being a friend of the Union will benefit the Republic. We will talk again oh good citizens of Inkit. For the next two weeks, the Queen and I would try to persuade you to vote Yea. May the Omniscient guide us all to wise decisions”