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Wizard's Tower - Arc 2 - Chapter 23
🕑 Added 2021-06-18 16:31:01 +0000 UTCAmong the people shouting, the loudest was the fat attendant who sputtered and shouted, “You refuse?! This is a lawful order! To refuse is treason!”
I shook my head and waited, watching as the king looked from me to his attendant and back. He leaned forward, looking down on me from his throne. It may have been more intimidating if he weren’t staring at my beard. The large red banner behind his throne, a white crown over a star rippled with his every movement.
“Explain yourself,” He commanded. The way his voice echoed across the chamber silenced everyone, and I detected a skill being used, one that even my wards only partially blocked.
Luckily, I had planned to explain myself, “My king, the honors I have earned from the kingdom are vast. I wear them proudly on my chest and sleeve,” I shook a few medallions at him in case he wasn’t bright, “I have done much for my kingdom, but this order would place the kingdom at greater risk.”
I stopped speaking then, watching how the tea in the king and the others reacted. I wanted to see if I could leverage their own loyalty to the kingdom to alter this ridiculous summons.
The king simply motioned for me to go on. I took that moment to look about the other higher nobility present. The houses of Eistoni, Birktoni, and Laxtoni were all nearby. Duke Laxtoni looked miserable, no doubt the fall of his seat changed his standing. The eastern duke’s face was powdered, which was odd on the tanned skin and blonde hair, but I could see he looked gaunt underneath.
Duke Birktoni looked to be a fat, jovial man with whiskers down the side of his face and a balding head with strings of red hair. He looked as if he were related to the king’s attendant.
Duchess Eistoni was a matronly woman with an upturned nose and a unibrow. While she held those same features, along with the cleft chin, she lacked the metallic irises.
“My king, the end of our age is upon us. Soon the Pestilence will gather in numbers unstoppable. I endeavor to prepare the kingdom as well as I can to meet this threat. I had hoped you would have heard the message I passed through Count Shielding of this. Should I stop now, you and many, many others, might very well be the last of their line.”
Chuckles from the crowd were my response among them, though I didn’t pay it any more regard than that. Instead, I watched the king as a smirk crept onto his face. It wasn’t the pleasant kind of smile, but one of arrogant triumph.
“Baron Shielding did notify the kingdom of this ‘threat’ two years past,” he started to answer, the emphasis he placed on the new title left no doubt in my mind that the Shielding’s had paid a price for carrying my message. He pointed to my right, to where Duke Laxtoni stood, “And for two years, I stalled our enemy. What would you have me do? Turn a blind eye to their armies as they pillage Laxton Bay enslaving our craftsmen?”
His voice was demanding, and as I watched the magical effects of the tea in those around him swelled as he spoke. Yet, the words he spoke showed me more than I think he expected. Laxton Bay was a larger city on the coast of Sena, but it only had two main exports—fish and couches. Mirktal had an abundant coastline of their own. That they attacked and enslaved the people of this Duchy likely meant that this entire war was over couches.
I glanced over at Duke Laxton and couldn’t help my eyes widening as this realization hit me. The king must have seen this, and the words that were about to come to my lips because he spoke again before I could respond.
“My Scouts have reported no such beasts as you claim. In fact, no one else in the entire kingdom has. I am to believe you over thousands? I think not. No, I know where your home lays. You will take up arms in defense of Sena, even if I must pull kingdom forces away Eistoni.”
“My liege!” Duchess Eistoni cried in complaint but silenced when the king raised his hand.
“What say you, wizard? Will you defend the kingdom?” the king asked as he glared at my chin.
I pursed my lips and looked up in thought. It wasn’t polite to make the king wait, but I had all the information I needed with regards to the tea. Everyone drank it, but only the king appeared immune. Half strategies for evading partaking in this war were useless with this information, but I wasn’t without a plan.
I answered with a smile, “Of course my liege, I would be happy to defend, yet I would desire recompense appropriate to my power.”
“What do you desire?” The king’s smug grin told me that the matter was finished.
“Thirty couches, your highness. You see, for the past century, I have been denied a single couch from your stalwart coastal defenders. Every ten years, I asked, and every ten I have been denied regardless of how much I offered.”
The king glanced at Duke Laxton, who subtle shook his head no. It seemed the duke didn’t want to discuss the matter, but the king wouldn’t tolerate it.
“Duke Laxton, why have you denied this man a couch?”
The duke scowled, an expression that didn’t do him any favors with how hollow his cheeks were, “My liege, Wizard Fargus always insults our name! He writes every single letter calling us the Raxton family!”
I scoffed louder than needed before he could go on further, “My good sir, Raxton is your family name. Your great grandfather had a speech impediment and when he spoke of his family is sounded like Laxton. Calling your family Laxton was an insult made by his detractors.”
I turned back to the king, “Is this how men are rewarded in Sena under your rule? Count Shielding offered you fair warning of dire threat, and so have I. He loses his title, and I am shunned for being the only person alive to not insult—”
“That is enough,” the king stated flatly, his words cutting through my own through some use of a skill.
“Duke Laxton, can you provide thirty couches?”
The duke shook his head, “I’m afraid we have no craftsmen left, and our warehouses stand empty.”
Ah, so that was what the duke’s posturing was about. He didn’t want to admit how poorly his house stood. I almost regretted it, but confirming the war was over couches took precedence.
“Wizard, what other payment do you seek?”
I shook my head, “Couches I have been long denied and couches I seek. Surely our powerful kingdom could not be suffering from a couch shortage?”
The king snarled at me, his metallic eyes reflecting the light, “No other payment? Wines? Gold? Lands?”
I went silent for a moment, then answered, “My king, it seems we are at an impasse, for I only desire couches.”
“Then your decision is made,” the king stood and pointed at one of the men nearby, a man wearing an officer’s uniform, “If the wizard will not defend his country, we will make him. Order our troops from Eistoni borders. They can defend Freetoni lands instead.” Behind him, the banner shook as if showing anger that the man was too disciplined to display.
He turned back to me with a glare, “You will have a good view from your tower to see what you have wrought. Now begone.”
I bowed again and left in a stately manner. There were many ways that could have gone. My magic was sufficient to defend myself and I was glad it didn’t come to that. I had hoped for a better outcome but knew that there was no true way to decline participation without offending him. I just hoped I had offended him enough to send his fifth-tier assassin after me so that I could move forward with the next step of my plans.
After I had left the castle, I considered what other things I wanted to do while I was in Sena City. I planned to visit the Arcanum and maybe call a forum there so I could speak to the masters. Telling stories at the orphanage would be a good relief from my considerations and pressure of this afternoon’s summons. The market wouldn’t be open much longer, either.
Still, those things could wait for tomorrow. Instead, I walked the way back to the inn taking in the sights and sounds of the city.
So, I will be working to push another chapter tomorrow to make up for earlier this week, and a poll for interlude chapter POVs.
Also, next week Tues and Wednesday chapters may be posting later in the week. If I'm unable to make those posts as normal, I'll make it up as soon as I can. Thanks for reading!
Comments
Gardor
How does he not consider that his former attendants, one recently enrolled into the military, could be effected by this?
Neruz
Interesting that the King is immune to the loyalty flower, I wonder if that is because he is the King, or if he has some kind of item or skill that provides immunity. The war being over couches is both hilarious and historically plausible; wars have been fought over much stupider things than access to fancy furniture.
Amelgar
Did a King just throw the lands of a different Duke under the bus to force the MC to fight? No wonder they need a magic brainwashing plant to keep things stable with leadership like that
Yod
I was there 3000 years ago. The great couch war was in full motion. Great country of Sena was pushed to couch extinction by strong army of Mirktal. Endless slave hordes attacked and robed us of every couch craftsman. Couch extincion was near but armies of Freetoni,Eistoni and Birktoni grouped up under the flag of their king and pushed the hateful coutch robbers back into their slave kingdom. The full victory was almost at hand but then the king in heart of Rextoni capital saw the one true couch. It didnt fit to his body.But few moments after it even changed size just for him. Magic language covering entire couch.It looked like some kind of elvish. No one could read what was written on it but strong foul magic seeped into our king. The couch changed him almost in instant and then madness started........... (Chronicles vol.3 on Kingdom of Sena and great couch war from 3000 years ago By Grand wizard Fargus)
Dull Pen
The war is about couches? This is utter madness! I LOVE IT!
Meschmee
They probably have springs in the good ones, especially if there are no elastics going around. Spring making might be a specialist thing in this world as they do require a high tensile steel.
Njordt
The family has a total monopoly, and based on what we have seen, going against kingdom/noble privileges lead to death this setting. Making a regular couch from a carpenter perspective aint that difficult, but it would be a quick road to the chopping block if it ever was discovered. Which is easy, since all couches in this verse are high quality and only in high establishments, a 'normal' looking couch must be a counterfeit and therefor against the law. Aint too weird, before the renaissance in northern Italy, a few certain paints pigments belonged solely to different factions or men, using something similar was banned by law and sometime pope (with huge differences to punishment)
Bunny Waffles
The devil kind of couches do they have that require specific craftsmen to make them? Give me some wood, some stuffing, amd some fabric and I could cobble together a rough couch in the course of a day working solo. Wouldn't be the prettiest thing but you could sit on it for sure.
