Her st visit to the capitol had brought her to a chamber iive tre of the building; after all, it had o be he publitrahat the oioners did not foul too much of the air inside.
Today, her visit took her deeper into the halls, over in the west wing of the building. It was a much different chamber, still with a pce for the King at one end of the room, but the rest of the room was arranged with two sets of benches which faced each other, and then a small bench to the side of the King. A more ornate room, it had paintings on the walls and fine rugs on the floor, even a receptacle for burning inse.
Uhe st time, she entered after the King had arrived. That may have been or because she did not have su iial vouch this time. While she had an insight into most matters, this ce with some mystery.
The King’s cil was a simple refle of the bance of power within the kingdom. It was, in principle and in practice, politics.
As for who she was in front of today, it was the King’s Bench who primarily heard cases of w to do with the hese were still lords of some influence—or rather, lords with some influence behind them. They sat here by nomination and firmation through votes with all lords of the realm, done so on the infrequent occasion that a member o be repced due to death, retirement, or (something so rare it had only happened once before) beienced of a crime.
While these members had eveies to the King, it ended up the case that they usually had some fondness for him. They were people who liked old books more than politid the King, above all, must be charming, that they ofte much time in his pany, not overly opposing him in their work. However, their work at times involved interpreting the exact limits of the King’s authority and, if nothing else, their egos kept them from being too deferential.
So it reached an equilibrium.
Today, the side-benches remaiy, only the one by the King’s side full of all but one member. Seeing that the Prince did not join them, she felt a smirk tug at her lips. The King’s Bench was rather particur about who may speak at any moment.
Approag them, she stopped at a respectable distance. “Your Majesty, My Lords,” she said, curtseying.
Spitzhut, although merely a Baron of a quaint vilge, had seniority among his fellows on the bench, the lo-serving of them all. This meant he had first choi taking the lead on proceedings, which he often did. Today was no exception.
He had a nasally void watery eyes, modestly tall and rather thin, something which his clothing couldirely hide. However, he had spent many years refining his attitude and took great pleasure in being the master of the room as it were.
Standing up, he cpped his hands together and said, “tess Augstadt, you have been summoned here today as part of an inquiry into the events regarding the assault of Gr Castle.”
Having been addressed, she ended her curtsey and stood up straight. There was more light in this room if only out of y for readis; it fell upon the benches oher side and at the far end, spilling through high windows.
From what she knew, Spitzhut teo guide matters in the King’s favour. He had a deep belief in religion with a pent for g the Bible when it came to “giving to Caesar what was Caesar’s”. In other matters, he was known to ask for the King’s opinion, not necessarily to follow it, but always gave it some sideration.
She felt today would be proceeding in such a way.
Although he had yet to carry on, she did not mistake the silence as permission to speak. Such things she was necessarily scious of as a woman in this society.
His pause sted another few seds, then he found his voice. “It is quite curious that, so soon after that e, My Lady found herself involved with the struggle between the Marquess of Bavaria and the te Duke of Bohemia.”
It wasn’t a question.
After a beat, he loosely gestured at her. “That is, something of a massacre occurred there too, did it not?” he asked.
“My Lord, I am here for the inquiry oter at Gr Castle,” she said, her voice gentle and smile soft.
“An inquiry into oter may rete to another, such as to establish a pattern of behaviour,” he said, tinuing to gesture as he spoke.
She tilted her head. “Why, a pattern of behaviour? I am not learned on the subject of w; however, that sounds like the sort of accusation a person should have suitable representation for.”
“Pray do not speak out of turn,” he said with a certain sharpness.
Her smile turned apologetic for a moment.
He cleared his throat, fiddling with his colr. “There have been whispers of certain allegations against My Lady and, while this court has no reason to believe them, we thought it prudent that we put them to rest.”
She said nothing.
“Is My Lady aware of such rumours?” he asked.
“My Lord would have to be specific, that I hear many a rumour,” she said.
He narrowed his eyes, staring at her food few seds. “That is, it has been alleged that My Lady ordered the murder of the meraries that had surrendered or were otherwise incapable,” he said.
“Yes.”
He nodded, pag bad forth once before tinuing. “My Lady says she has heard the rumour?”
“Well, yes; however, I would also firm that it is true,” she said.
It was quite funny, she thought, watg his rea at this time. How he became so very still—except for his mouth, which quirked as if trying not to smile. Across the bench, the members turo one another, muttering.
“My Lady, do you uand what it is that you have fessed to?” Spitzhut asked.
“fess? Why, you make it sound as if I itted a crime, My Lord. This is an inquiry, is it not?”
He seemed to swell, taking in such a deep breath, only to be sile the st moment by her speaking further.
“Besides, how could it be a crime to enact justice?”
“And on whose authority would you enact this so-called justice?” he asked, the words ing out quid heated, a prelude to a monologue about just who the arbiters of justi this realm were.
However, he had asked her a question and so she had to answer. “Why His Majesty’s authority, of course, that I evehe ission on dispy. There are not many who could say they have ehe King’s will,” she said with a certain lightness at the end.
He gred at her. “I doubt His Majesty included sutentions,” he said through gritted teeth.
“Well, this is an inquiry and he is present,” she said, her gaze sliding past Spitzhut to the King. “Your Majesty?”
Spitzhut hesitated for a moment, then turned around to look at the King. Reginald, for his part in this, met her gaze and held it for some seds. “I wonder?” he said.
“Sir—” Spitzhut said, silenced by Reginald raising a hand.
“The ission is something which be retrieved and ied at a ter date if necessary. For today, let us first clude the inquiry,” he said.
Spitzhut bowed his head, then turo the bench. “It is as Sir says.”
A moment passed as he collected himself, bringing his focus back to her.
“My Lady believes the ission gave her the right to put surrendered soldiers and incapables to death?”
She did not hesitate, meeting his gaze with a gentle smile. “Yes.”
“Pray tell, why would My Lady think that these men of our realm did not deserve their due trial nor mercy?” he asked.
“If these are men of our realm, I assume My Lord has petitions from their lords or families asking for justice? Five me if I am incorreovi such matters I am; however, t forth such a case, there must be an injured party, no?”
He let out a snort. “First of all, this is an inquiry. Sed of all, while I shall ertain My Lady’s amateurish grasp of suuanced matters as standing, such a case would be brought forth by the , as otherwise one could freely it such gruesome crimes as this without recourse. Last of all, My Lady did not ahe question. Pray refrain from thinking this is a game of words one may py at a tea party.”
Since he had asked, she took this seriously, staying silent since he had not asked her a question.
It took him a moment to pick up on that, bringing forth another burst of frustration at this child’s antics. “I repeat the question to My Lady, what is her answer?” he asked, tone calm.
“I am afraid My Lord would have to ask His Majesty. That, in this matter, I looked to how revolts have previously bee with and it has always been the case that perpetrators were to be executed. However, that assumes My Lord prove that the deceased are of this realm. I thought at the time and still do now that they are fners who dared occupy the King’s nd. For such outws, I am uhe impression that they have her a right to life nor to trial. As for mercy, I grahem that, their bodies buried and rites read by a priest, something they did not offer their tless victims.”
She had spoken with as calm as tone as him, her pace measured and voice clear.
However, this was not a pce of politics where, more than tent, delivery mattered. What mattered here was the substand how it is resented. On those grounds, another of the bench spoke up.
“Lord Spitzhut, pray recall we have read the report by Lord Isarau, now Marquess of Bavaria. This is not a matter of determining if there was criminal i. We all agreed that, in the case of revolt, whether ag as lord of the fiefdom or in the King’s name, all rights of the criminals are forfeit.”
Spitzhut ched his fist, holding it over his mouth. “I ask that Lord Erberg need not divulge such matters in front of those outside the bench.”
“Then I ask that Lord Spitzhut does not make divulging such matters necessary, that we are her here to prosecute My Lady nor make judgement oter. In truth, I question why any of us are here; however, I have trusted My Lord has reason, so I shall tio trust him—for now.”
Her gaze drifted to her “defender”. Erberg, his name brought to her mind a small town to the north, beyond the capital, but still fairly tral to the try. Despite how he looked older than Spitzhut, she thought him perhaps the member, someo included in her father’s notes.
That said, her mother had written of a vist by that name. Vist was an odd title, in olden times being the deputy to a t when such titles were by appoi and not ied; sihen, while t had bee a hereditary title, vist had instead fallen out of favour until ret times where it had been brought back for kings to hand out as favours in such times that they had little else to give.
The Vist Erberg her mother wrote of was one such man, having put forth a proposal for rewriting the ws on minting s. Who owned such rights had bee such a mess that it had been impractical to even begin to address the issue. While the lords had beeant to give up their alleged right, Erberg had navigated the politics of it all, framing it as facilitating trade and identifying three of the rgest blocs who would retain the right, each who specialised in different areas: one of farming, one of mining and industry, and one of trade. Su arra, he proposed, would allow the curreo reflect supply and demand and so suitably ba.
In other words, solidation of power to those already with power, with the King’s support as such a state was much preferable to the chaos of before where even s were looked upon with distrust. The genius was not in what it aplished, but in that it was something which could be aplished at all.
Of course, she couldn’t say that this was the same man; however, she would not be surprised if he was, seeming like a man who preferred practicality to politics.
Spitzhut to’s words with a stony expression. Whatever response he might have wao give, he was only master of the room so far as the rest of the bench supported him. At this time, well, the others did not chide Erberg for his remarks nor otherwise offer Spithuz support.
The members of the bench may not have wished to py politics, yet everyone had to py it whether or not they so desired.
“tess Augstadt,” said another, “I am Lord K?snz. reciate that My Lady would voluntarily attend this inquiry. As Lord Spitzhut stated at the beginning, it is regarding the matter of the meraries’ deaths. While there is e My Lady was wful in her as”—he noticeably g Spitzhut—“we simply wished to know if there were any circumstahat made su a necessary, rather than bringing in those subdued.”
Although not a question, she took his politer attitude as permission to speak. “My Lord, it would have been difficult for my men to safely bring so many, that I would fear they would escape.”
“Your men,” Spitzhut said, a finger on his , “but what of the Marquess of Bavaria?”
“Is it not in the report that he had o hurry?” she asked, head tilted.
He stared at her a moment. “ray tell, had he o hurry for?”
“His current e,” she said—as if speaking of attending a wedding rather than a war that had already taken Isarau’s father.
“Where My Lady is also alleged to have attacked our people without warning,” he said in a quieter, yet sharper, tone.
She held her smile, gaze looking beyond him t and K?snz, both of which she read as giving her permission to speak. “My Lord, it should be said that the te Duke of Bohemia began this war without annou, that either he is the one who began such sughter and invited such retribution upon himself, or that war is decred upon the e of such as, and so matters of life ah are thus weighed differently. I leave such a matter to the King’s Bench to decide.
“Regardless, I am merely an ally of the Marquess of Bavaria. If anyone should be brought here for that matter, it is he who gave the order. Perhaps another inquiry may be… performed… after he s up his matter?”
A lone chuckle rose from the bench, her emphasis not going unnoticed.
K?snz sighed. “I fear su inquiry will take some years to uake,” he said, rubbing his temple.
“My dolences,” she said with a siy to her tone.
Spitzhut cleared his throat. “I fear we are getting off-topic,” he said, walking in front of the bench, then back to the tre.
“Rather, I am thankful we have cluded,” K?snz said, standing up. “My Lady has provided a satisfying answer and we have otherwise wasted enough time.”
A ruler could only rule with support.
Thinking of rulers, she looked up beyond Spithutz to her own liege who had sat there in silehis eime, . A fear at the back of her mind, she wondered how much he had learhis day.
No one in this try knew as much about her as the King did and, for as long as possible, she hoped even he would not know enough.
Pns within pns, lies atop lies, the younger Isarau had said, yet the truth was far simpler and deeper than that. Like the river which carved the easiest route, she would push and prod, tipping over those aged structures in disrepair, break already swollen banks, and swallow those foolhardy few who sought to quer her.
A storm ever-growing.