Kared's Children - Chapter 5

"There may not be that many people who know him, anyway," Raven offered.

"Any troublemakers we can lock up," Karec said.

"No," Gerald said quickly, forcefully. "No one gets locked up to enforce my serving as King." He looked around the room. "Make that my first edict."

"Already with the edicts," Raven murmured.

"That should, I suppose, include the fat man," Gerald said. "Paird."

"I don’t think they would have-" Karec began.

"You just ordered him away, Mr. Chairman," Archibald said. "In the arms of the guards."

Karec looked at him.

"He’s not your friend, that one," the old woman said.

"Degellion . . . struggles to do the right thing," Karec said.

"Is he anyone’s friend?" Raven asked.

"I don’t like him," Gerald said slowly. "But I don’t need everyone I don’t like to sit in prison."

"He may make things difficult," Withegood said.

"We should have been tossing him in there all along," Archibald said. "Might have taught him some manners."

"Locking him up may just make things worse," Shaerden said.

There was a pause.

"Well," Karec said. "At least let us keep him until your succession is announced."

Gerald considered. "All right. But no longer. Not a day."

Mavic scribbled on his pad. "Noted."

"And treat him well."

Mavic scribbled again.

Everyone waited. Gerald waited, too, deep in thought. "Obviously I don’t know how to be a King. I’m a . . . well, at best, you could call me an information-gatherer. It will take me time to learn what I’m supposed to do."

"We have patience," Karec said.

"We have no choice," Earl said.

"In truth, that’s a King at his best, anyway," Benjamin said, from beside the King. "An information-gatherer. A dispenser of justice. You’ve already shown yourself to excel at both."

The others agreed.

The old woman patted Gerald’s arm. He looked at her; a frown crossed his face. It didn’t linger.

"You will be welcome to rule from this city," Karec said. "The royal chambers are yours, of course. The King stays in them when he visits. He did."

"We could surrender the Civic Hall to you to serve as a place of official business," Withegood said.

"I was the one who announced the succession of King Alfred," Earl said. "In Taroc, that is. I can do the same thing again."

"Thank you," Gerald said. "Thank you all. I appreciate your support. And I will appreciate it in the future." Plainly, he was struggling to pick his words. "I will need it. But even if we’re able to resolve my Kingship, we still have so many other problems." He thought. "What do you know of what happened to Rowan?"

"It sounds as though we know no more than you," Karec said.

"It always seems that way," Archibald said.