Requiem for a King [MxM]

The Easiest Decision

Jaredeth had sat in hundreds of Council meetings, sometimes on his father's left, or up in the gallery. Never at the head. The view was very different from this side. His seat held him a little higher than everyone else, literally and figuratively. His words were no longer the bemused ramblings of a bored prince. They held weight; the had purpose.

He hated this. On one hand, he'd love nothing more than to shirk all the tough decisions on his Councilors. On the other, his father had warned him multiple time not to let the Council run amuck. Avaly would go broke. But these meetings were akin to wading through a tar pit.

As soon as he'd walked into the chamber, Havers had shoved an agenda into his face along with a heavy stack of documents sorted in order of importance. And for the past two hours he'd sat in perpetual agony as they went through each one in far more detail than necessary, as they argued minute points and clauses and loopholes and looked to him for guidance.

Down the length of the square table sat the Councillors, who represented the capital's three districts and the two outer towns. On one side of the upper circle sat the media, along with citizens welcomed to observe the proceedings—though Jaredeth couldn't understand how anyone would voluntarily subject themselves to this. On the other side sat the stenographers, who kept record of the discussions. And finally spersed around the room were the castle guards. Torrian stood to Jaredeth's right, five paces back, as was customary.

His mother had come in at the beginning since she couldn't miss his first Council meeting as King, but didn't last an hour before excusing herself. If only he had such the luxury. In the moments when the councillors bickered, he found amusement in studying the paintings on the walls and the suits of armour standing at attention with swords held aloft. Or he'd look to the gallery where his wife sat and she'd give him a reassuring smile and nod.

"Your majesty?"

Jaredeth looked up at councilwoman Dalaris. As the de facto head of the Council, she spoke to Jaredeth directly more often than the others. She looked at him expectedly with her brown eyes and he realised she must have asked him something. "Can you repeat the question, please?"

She plastered on a smile. "When do you leave for Tandridge?"

"A week's time, and I hope you all don't burn my kingdom to the ground in my absence." The Council didn't seem amused by his joke, but he carried on anyway. "Since it seems you all can't go more than three minutes without squabbling." Muted laughter came from the gallery, the only pleasing sounds Jaredeth had heard all day.

A ruckus from outside the Council chamber's doors caught their attention, and Jaredeth nodded for Torrian to investigate. Probably some civilian who wasn't invited trying to get inside.

"So next on the agenda." Jaredeth shuffled through the documents in front of him. "The water crisis in Hutton." He arched his brow. Calling it a crisis was a bit of stretch, but the Council members were known for using hyperbole in an effort to push their proposals through faster.

Torrian returned to the chamber, and to Jaredeth's side, a scowl twisting his lips. Gods, what now? "Your majesty, High Priest Lazarus says he needs to speak with you and the Council right away."

Jaredeth arched a brow. "Now? Whatever for?"

"Something about a necromancer." Torrian said the word low enough for only him and the Council to hear.

"Your majesty," Councilwoman Dalaris cut in. "While we have much to get through today, this seems like an urgent issue. You know how dangerous necromancers are."

Jaredeth acquiesced with a nod. Necromancy had been outlawed in Avaly for centuries, carrying a penalty of death by discretion of the Council. Though there hadn't been an execution since his father was a boy, and Jaredeth couldn't stomach the idea of putting anyone to death. Necromancer or not.