42: The Council

The next morning, Laira led me through the airy sandstone corridors toward the council chamber. Courtiers, draped in bright silks, paused mid-whisper as we passed, their eyes following us like darting fish. Their scrutiny prickled along my spine.

She smirked at my expression. “No need to fret, fiancé, I will announce our wedding soon enough.”

I took a breath of relief. Cloak and dagger stuff was not for me.

Guards swung intricately carved doors inward. Sea breeze washed over us from the grilled façade on the other side of the airy chamber, carrying salt and the faint cry of gulls. Morning sunlight spilled across a large table that dominated the room, its surface carved into a relief map of Nanon.

Four men and a flirt stood around it.

A bald middle-aged man with sharp eyes and thin spidery fingers looked at me like a predator staring at its next meal. Next to him stood an older, broad-shouldered man with a bushy mustache so extravagant it covered half his face. His expression and posture screamed military.

Next to him stood Reshma, resplendent in a green gown that caught the light. The flirt winked at me. I stifled the urge to return it.

On the opposite side, the Lord Commander of the Royal Guard, Sir Arnulf, stood still as a statue. Next to him, escorted by two guards, stood a thin elderly man, eyes downcast.

“Leave us,” Laira said to the guards flanking the old man.

She swept through the room, her light blue gown fluttering behind, and took her seat at the head of the table. I sat at the seat she indicated, right next to her, clearly reserved for her highest-ranking confidant, which drew a few raised brows.

The rest followed, as the doors closed with a loud noise.

“My lords,” she announced, “let me introduce you to Count Jack Nobart, my husband-to-be. Keep this information to yourselves for now.”

The military men’s eyes widened. The rest already knew.

“Jack, these are my advisors whom I trust completely, or used to,” she threw an annoyed look at the elderly man.

“This is Master Procurer Oberstein, the man who will get you what you need, be it information or items,” she pointed at the human spider. He tilted his shiny head a little, keeping his eyes glued to me. I mirrored his gesture.

“General Hrodric is the commander of the Royal military,” she pointed at the Wilhelm lookalike, who nodded curtly while looking at me with doubtful eyes.

“You already know Reshma and the Lord Commander.”

Both bowed to me, which I mirrored back.

“And this,” she spat, with grief obvious behind the anger, “is the former Prime minister Ragenwald,” pointing at the elderly thin man, “who isn’t rotting in a dungeon only because of your mercy.”

The older man’s eyes widened

“Is this your entire council?” I asked.

“There are some other functionaries as well, but I didn’t invite them. I don’t completely trust their loyalties.”

The old man bowed as far his body would allow. “I thank you for showing me mercy, my lord, Your Majesty.”

“No need,” I spoke up. “I didn’t want Her Majesty to lose a capable advisor in this crucial time. Your fate is still hers to decide, though.”

Laira began. “I am willing to rescind your arrest if you agree to be honest with me going forward. You will also be under constant guard.”

Ragenwald smiled faintly. “I thank you, Your Majesty, but I am getting too old for my previous position.”

“I know. I am not giving it back to you. You will help me as an advisor, nothing more.”

He nodded quickly, shame in his eyes. Everyone could see she was giving him a retirement with an appearance of punishment.

“You want to address the council, dear?” she asked me.

I nodded and got straight to the point. “Her Majesty told me prior to this meeting that she trusts each one of you without a doubt. I would like you to extend such trust to me as well. I don't want to second guess your intentions, nor do I want you to second guess me.”

“Her Majesty tells me that you can help us rebuff the Zoran Empire's might, my lord. That is no small promise,” Hrodric said, skepticism dripping from every word.

I met his eyes. “I gave her a demonstration a few days ago. If you had seen what she saw, you wouldn't be asking that question, General. You have read the reports on the Battle of the Bog?”

“I have. Impressive results, but your father was a fool to engage an unknown force while standing on unfavorable terrain.”

“He was. Still, there's something your reports don't mention. We defeated a force of six hundred with one of only a little over hundred men, plus the trebuchet crews. Without the new weapons I showed Her Majesty.”

The room went still. All eyes locked onto me, as I suppressed a smirk, then controlled my features.

I continued. “As you said, weapons alone did not defeat the attackers, General. I need not tell you that in the hands of men without proper training, preparation, motivation and a well structured organization, even the most fantastical weapons are mere toys.”

That earned me Hrodric’s full attention. He nodded at me to continue.

“We need a structural reform of the Royal military if it is to survive the might of Zoran, beginning with a purge. Remove, demote or sideline the parasites; those who are not worthy of their positions or abuse them. Replace them with upstanding capable men, regardless of their family's standing.”

His mustache bristled. “You say that as if it were simple. Most of the officer corps is noble-born, and too many of them are what you call parasites. Removing them would spark feuds, resignations and possibly duels. Some houses might withdraw their levies. This could fracture the realm.”

“I never said it would be easy. Possibly fracturing is still far better than being definitely wiped out by Zoran. The Queen told me the late King chose you because of your integrity, so I’m sure you know how important it is that we get rid of those who are eating the military from within. There can be no negotiation in this matter; our survival hinges on it. You will have the Queen's backing in this.”

He looked at Laira, who nodded despite the worry showing on her face. She was not thrilled. Change was always dangerous, but she understood the necessity.

The General looked like he had swallowed a frog. I did not envy the poor man his job.

I tried to reassure him. “I don’t expect miracles. You don't have to remove every single parasite within a week, but start quietly interviewing veteran soldiers. Find out which officers are the worst offenders and which soldiers are NCO candidates.”

“En-see-o?” he pronounced slowly.

“Non Commissioned Officers. Experienced soldiers who can be trusted to train recruits and guide commissioned officers so they don’t die in their very first battle. Those who have earned their authority, not inherited it.”

This time, he did scoff. “Which officer will listen to someone of common birth?”

“The ones who have an ounce of humility in them. If they put vanity over victory, they are liabilities, not assets. I'm sure there must be some good men. I want you to scour through the ranks to find such hidden gems and elevate them. Only then give the idiots the boot.”

He exhaled, then looked at his monarch. “With your full support, it… might be possible. It will be ugly, risky and slow, but it is possible.”

She nodded, though apprehension flickered on her face.

I softened my voice. “I know it’s a big challenge, but not every battle is fought on the front lines. This will be your new battlefield, and you look like a man who enjoys the challenge. Do you think you can win, General?”

A faint, reluctant smile ghosted beneath the mustache.

“What about the other lords' forces?” he asked.

“Let's focus on ours first.” I replied. Just reforming the Royal House’s military would be a big enough challenge. Future me would have to wrangle the forces of the other three Ducal Houses into shape.

“Let me emphasize that I will not provide Chadom’s advanced weapons to a bunch of self-important idiots who will just squander their men’s lives.”

“You have a grand vision, my lord. I can’t guarantee a complete overhaul within months, but there will be improvement.”

“Good. I will come bearing gifts upon our marriage and I would like to put them in the hands of competently led soldiers,” I said, smiling.

“Also, why didn't my father transport his troops by ship? It would have been so much faster.”

“Oh, even he wouldn't risk that. All the coast above your county is a death trap. Any vessel too big to be maneuvered by oars would be smashed to splinters.”

That made me smile. Chadom was indeed a natural fortress. I turned to the spider.

“My lord Procurer, I believe Her Majesty has already told you about my requirements?”

He nodded. “I can’t guarantee that it would escape notice though.”

I shrugged my shoulders. Stealth wouldn’t matter once the weapons were ready. I needed ten tons of copper and a ton of tin and zinc to begin building cannons. Laira had also agreed to put out a call to all the Cha in Nanon and help them move into Chadom.

I looked to her for confirmation. All this would cost her a fair bit of money, but this was the price for Chadom’s weapons and training.

“You want them that badly?” she asked.

“Yes.”

She sighed in resignation. “Fine. Just set a budget limit.”

Oberstein nodded.

I also needed to gather ingredients for black powder, but if we made overt inquiries about them, our enemies, including domestic ones, might get closer to figuring them out. That I could not risk. So I would have to do it the hard way; buy the heavily nitrated soil as a fertilizer, coal for fuel and iron ore for pyrite.

Ragenwald spoke up. “My lord, if I may. I understand the value of having the right people in positions of power and responsibility, but what about stability, especially in these times?”

“Lord Ragenwald, it is because of this threat that we must move quickly, as the current structure will not produce a military capable of fighting off the might of Zoran. A man's pedigree will not stop the enemy, only his ability.”

He seemed to agree, but never having experienced any other form of government, he was obviously skeptical.

I had spent some time thinking how to convince men like him.

“I understand your fear of change and the risks involved, but think of our situation like an infant learning to walk for the first time. Is there a chance that he will fall flat on his face? You know there is. There's even a small chance that the fall will hurt him badly, but that doesn't mean you don't let the child try. He has to try, if he is to ever walk, and eventually run. If we stay as we are, we are like that infant, crawling on the ground, and will be gobbled up by the big monster chasing us.”

I didn’t need to say the name out loud. Everyone knew.

I continued. “Our only hope of survival is getting up, risk falling down, and still keep trying, again and again, until we start walking. There will be some instability no doubt,” I couldn’t help myself from smirking, “to put it mildly, and that is why I asked the Queen to spare you. She is going to need the help of every loyal and capable person to stand this maelstrom that I’m churning up. And this is just the preparation for what lies ahead.”

His face blanched at that.

“The enemy from the south,” I clarified.

Getting rid of the whole aristocratic system wasn’t something I was ready for. Our current challenges were already big enough.