Chapter 19: 11: The Laws are Absolute
The news of Duke Irathmus's crimes spread throughout the kingdom quickly thanks to the maids working at the palace gossiping to their family and friends outside of the palace. Soon everybody knew about what had happened. Everyone agreed that the Duke deserved death or at least banishment for threatening to kill the King on top of refusing to free his slaves. Although most realized that the likelihood of that happening was slim. Although the duke was wrong and the law of Azlantean was usually absolute, the Duke was still a member of the Royal family. So the chances of seriously punishing a Royal were little to none because the Royal family would want to keep face not only for their pride but for the citizens of Azlantean. Hence, the duke would probably be fined and would then return to the Kingdom of Mannon to live his life of comfort and debauchery.
Nobody wanted to see him get off free for his crimes, but most knew the that it was important for Azlantean to remain strong in front of the other kingdoms, and executing a member of the Royal family would make the other kingdoms think that Azlantean was going through some strife. However, many thought that special treatment given towards Irathmus just because he was a member of the Royal family was unfair. They believed that he should be tried and sentenced just like any other citizen of the kingdom.
Azlantean was a dictatorship that had the king making the final decision in everything, but the king had to hear multiple viewpoints before he made his decisions on public matters. Thus the King's advisors had the most influence as they helped sway the king's point of view as they had the king's ear for longer than anyone else. Under the advisors were the guilds that carried out debates in front of the king to get their opinions across to him and hopefully sway the king's opinion.
Most parties would resort to grovelling and praise to win the King's favour and attention, but a recent guild formed by Esben Khisfire was stirring up some change within the kingdom. The guild was known for sticking to their guns and being true to their beliefs even if that meant upsetting the higher-ups. They were a revolutionary group who were advocating for political and societal change in Azlantean, but at the same time, they were a party that was stirring up rebellion in the kingdom against the thousand-year-old teachings the kingdom was founded on. This was something that made the ministers and advisors nervous as they saw it as a threat to their rule and power.
Esben Khisfire was the youngest and second son of the minister of justice. Although his father had tried many times to burn the thousand-year-old teachings of Azlantean into his youngest child's brain, it didn't work. His son Esben became a rebel and instead of joining the Steel Rose guild, the minister had founded himself, his son set up his own trouble-making guild that was always causing problems and tension in the palace.
The Hallows guild. His son's antics made the minister proud and embarrassed at the same time. Proud that his son was so capable and had the initiative to pave his own way in life but also embarrassed by his son's controversial opinions on Azlanteanian laws and societal rules. The minister wondered what had happened to make his second son so different.
King Alistair was already seated on the throne in the Hall of Justice and was listening to the Steel Rose guild's proposal about what to do about Duke Irathmus's sentencing.
The long detailed speech was now coming to an end, so the speaker put extra effort to make his conclusion riveting and emotional.
"Therefore, Steel Rose hopes that his majesty will keep in mind how the execution of a Royal family member will hurt the image of Azlantean to its rival kingdoms, and thus choose another form of punishment for the duke. A punishment that is both suitable and not harmful to Azlantean's image."
The speaker from the Steel Rose guild finally finished his address and bowed courteously to the king before taking his seat. The members of Steel Rose guild that surrounded him, gave him gentle respectable applause as he took his seat and ran his fingers through his gelled greying hair and rubbed his tender pot-belly, very satisfied with himself.
Among all the guilds in Azlantean, only five had become prominent enough to address the king directly.
The most popular in the kingdom at the present was Steel Rose guild, which was founded by the current minister of justice forty years ago and had quickly risen to glory. The guild was made solely for a political and societal address but then later expanded into Hunting. The members of this guild were all renowned scholars and intellectuals that had graduated top of their class from the Azlantean Academy or were highly skilled well-known hunters with wealthy and prominent backgrounds.
Francis guild was founded by a previous minister of agriculture. This guild practically ran the Kingdom's farming and agriculture due to their owning most of the farmlands. On top of that, this guild established many apothecaries and infirmaries in which they used their harvested medicinal herbs to cure people. For the sake of keeping up appearances, the guild sponsored a few hunters to try to keep up a well-rounded image like the other guilds, it was a matter of pride for them to employ hunters as Francis guild was the least popular of the big five guilds at the moment. Since the Hunter profession was seen as very noble and in may ways glamorous to the public, Francis guild tried to contract as many high profile hunters as possible to boost the guilds popularity.
The Gavriel guild was the second oldest guild of the bunch and had always been the best guild for hunters. Gavriel's military might could not yet be toppled by any of the other guilds as it not only recruited but trained the strongest and most powerful hunters and knights in the kingdom. However, recently the guild was losing some of its strongest to Steel Rose because Steel Rose was offering better pay, which often meant there was serious tension between the two guilds. It was general knowledge that members of Gavriel and Steel Rose did not like each other, they were like two opposite entities. Where one placed great emphasis on class and intellectual skills, the other believed in brute force and unrivalled strengthening of the body.
The Lyra guild was the oldest in Azlantean and had been created by a previous King, King Salvatore Lyra Rosenheim. He was renowned for being a king who appreciated the arts and implemented many music and cultural programs to the public of Azlantean. Hence the guild sponsored the most famous artists in Azlantean. They focused on music, visual arts and even theatre while owning most of the galleries and orchestra's in Azlantean. Lyra also has a very good hunter operation and was known for sponsoring hunters with unique abilities.
Lastly, the Hallows guild. The guild was only a few years old but had accomplished quite a bit. In such a short time they had managed to rise in the ranks and become a top-five guild allowed to address the king. By targeting the commoners of Azlantean they had amassed a huge following from the public. To the people of Azlantean, the Hallows represented a guild that spoke for the poorer masses who often didn't have a voice. Hallows had made a start through Esben Khisfire's knowledge of politics and had been able to make his guild stand out immediately. He had then gathered a talented and under-appreciated group of scholars and hunters to form the base of his guild. Through hard work, he was making a difference and was letting a new voice be heard by the king.
Esben then stood up and brought out his address.
"Greetings Honored colleagues, and your majesty." Esben tipped his head of brilliant blonde hair in greeting towards the other guild heads and the King.
"I'm afraid I must disagree with Steel Rose on this point..."
Someone from another guild scoffed from behind him.
"Of course!"
The person poorly concealed his word behind a cough.
Esben wasn't bothered though, he just continued his speech. He knew that many of the members of the other guilds thought of him as a brat trouble maker who was stirring up the masses under the pretence of giving the less privileged citizens a voice. He knew that they thought that way but he didn't have the time to worry about it. Esben just blocked them all out and spoke his mind, no matter what the consequences.
"I have always been a proud citizen of Azlantean. A great Kingdom where the honourable and righteous succeed while malice and injustice are vanquished. A land where the light shines and darkness are stifled. Although I often speak out against the rules, it is only because I want this Kingdom to be the best it can be..."
King Alistair looked down at the young man before him. He was an opinionated free thinker, something that had been greatly lacking in his cabinet for some time. The king was well aware that the other guilds would simply tell him what he wanted to hear and not what he needed to hear, out of a want to please him. For some time these debates had just been an opportunity for the separate guilds to try and get the King's favour. Hence he was enjoying the refreshing opinions brought into play by the Hallows Guild.
"The laws of Azlantean are absolute as they should be. So how can we with good conscience allow Duke Irathmus to sidestep these laws after having broken them so publicly? News of the crimes has spread over the entire kingdom and the people of Azlantean demand justice. We should not make an exception for people of higher ranks."
The speaker for the Steel Rose guild immediately stood up, hot and bothered by Lord Esben's address.
"Objection!" He spat out angrily. "Are you seriously suggesting that Duke Irathmus be executed?! Have you no regard for Azlantean's image or name among the other Kingdoms! It would be preposterous to sully our great kingdom's image when the duke could easily be punished in another way!"
"I'm suggesting that the law not be sidestepped simply because Duke Irathmus is a Duke. Furthermore, we should not forget the bravery of Prince Torryn who went out of his way to try and help those slaves girls. It would be an insult not only to this Kingdom's dignity but to the Prince who has only just returned to Azlantean to not have the proper punishment dished out! What will the young prince think if he sees his elders manipulating the laws like this."
The members of the Hallows guild agreed with Esben's opinion but they cringed at the mention of the 'lost prince'. Everyone knew that the subject was particularly sensitive with the king as they had all witnessed the King's suffering when his wife and child had been taken from him that night seven years ago. The Hallows guild sucked in a tight breath, waiting to see how the King would respond to the name of his recently returned son.
"An insult you say?!" The speaker from Steel Rose gritted his teeth furiously as his body began to shake with anger. The speaker wasn't so much bothered by Lord Esben's opinion as he was Lord Esben's approach. He hated the young man's cocky attitude and air of superiority even though his guild was practically brand new. He hated how condescending Esben was to the other guilds. He hated how Esben talked as if he were above them all, as if he were above the rules that all aristocracy had been abiding by for centuries. To him, Esben was a kitten that needed drowning.
"How presumptuous! To mention Prince Torryn and Azlantean's dignity! As someone who actively speaks out against the laws, how can you expect people to take your sudden turn of heart as genuine!"
He spat our furiously while clenching his fists. Esben turned and irritatedly glared back at the old geezer from Steel Rose. The old pot-bellied man had his faded grey hair slicked back against his head. The geezer wore a pristine white blazer adorned with badges and stripes, all his academic accomplishments displayed where everyone could see them, an opportunity to flaunt his wealth and status. Esben sighed realising that the geezer's remarks were not worth getting upset over. Arrogant rank-obsessed fools like him were the reason Esben had started his own guild, where the only thing that mattered was your abilities and not where you came from.
"I am not being presumptuous at all." Esben knew he was being presumptuous but he wouldn't give the old man the pleasure of seeing him admitting he was wrong.
"I think it would be an insult not to carry out punishment on Duke Irathmus after the prince earnestly tried to free the two slave girls from him. It could give the young prince a bad view of justice in Azlantean. Shouldn't the prince also see how absolute the laws of Azlantean are? Is it not our duty to show the Prince the true and honourable way of Azlantean? Especially since the laws allowed the Duke to bring slaves into the Kingdom... If our laws allow for such criminal behaviour, we should at least give out the proper punishment and not subject the hero to seeing the villain going unpunished."
Esben knew he was taking a serious risk by mentioning the prince in this way on top of criticizing a law of Azlantean. He was risking angering the king by bringing up an inappropriate topic as well as probably gaining more haters from Steel Rose. He pushed his concerns to the back of his mind though, it was always best to ruffle feathers when making a point.
Half of the members of Steel Rose guild shot to their feet ready to ferociously rebuke Esben when the King simply raised his right hand in the air and swiftly hit the large golden plate placed in front of him on his throne. A loud deep clang resonated throughout the room, suddenly calming Steel Rose's anger and restoring order to the hall. Everyone took their seat calmly and waited for the King to speak.
Esben marvelled at King Alistair for a second. He wondered how a mere mortal could hold as much presence and power as the King. In an instant, he could silence of room of rowdy and opinionated men and women without any trouble. Esben had always deeply admired the King and part of the pleasure of becoming a guild master of a top-five guild were being able to address the king directly and on those rare occasions be able to listen to the king's point of view when he gave his verdict.
King Alistair lifted his cup of red wine to his lips and took a deep swallow of the silky smooth red liquid, before pacing the bejewelled silver gauntlet down and addressing the hall of guilds. Everybody's eyes were completely fixated on the king's movements.
"Although most of you do not voice your opinions as confidently as Guild Master Khisfire does, I am sure you all have wondered why I make it legal for slaves to enter the kingdom, as long as they are not bought or traded for within Azlantean."
Slight murmurs could be heard from around the room by the different guilds. Many of them had been curious as to why the king had made the law that way, because surely that law allowed for slavery, surely that law made slave owners feel like they could bring slaves in and out of Azlantean without consequences. Out of fear, nobody had dared question the King's decision.
"I am sure you all have wondered." The king chuckled in his deep dark tone, "Hah... Even my son questioned my laws and decided to act on his own to free the duke's two slaves." The king shifted in his throne and tucked a loose strand of raven black hair behind his ears and out of his amber-yellow eyes.
"Azlantean is fortunately positioned right in between the kingdom of Mannon to our South, and the Kingdom of Tethoris to our North. As you all know, most slaves are caught and captured in the deep South of the continent and are then taken to Mannon. Mannon is a relatively small Kingdom, thus only a small portion of the slaves remain in Mannon, the rest a transported to Tethoris, a much larger and wealthier Kingdom that profits from the slave trade."
Esben nodded, he heard this account form his father a few times, he knew many slave traders chose to travel through Azlantean to get to Tethoris.
"The easiest route for slave auctioneers and traders to reach Tethoris is through Azlantean since we border the ocean and claim it as our territory, they cannot pass sail over the sea to reach tethoris without the expensive permits other nations have to pay for crossing our waters. Furthermore to the west of our kingdom is an extremely dangerous mountain range that would not allow for large slave-carrying wagons to pass through. Hence why so many slaves are brought into Azlantean through the South gate. Once they gain access, the slave traders usually travel straight through our kingdom to exit through the North Gate to then reach Tethoris."
The king picked up his goblet of wine again and took another deep swallow before continuing.
"If I were to give the decree that no slave traders were allowed in Azlantean, the slave carriers would simply take the long route and travel around our kingdom to get their slaves to Tethoris and hence the slaves would never reach our Kingdom and would have no chance of escape. Furthermore, if I were to decree that any slave that steps foot in Azlantean would automatically be freed, the slave carriers would simply avoid Azlantean and not bring their slaves into the Kingdom and the result for both scenarios would be that no slaves go free."
The room began to murmur again as the guild members began to realise that what they thought were better alternatives to the current law were just as ineffective.
"That is why I shaped the law to say that as long as slaves were not traded for or bought in Azlantean, slaves could come through the kingdom, thereby giving the slaves a better chance of freedom. Since slave traders feel secure about bringing their slaves into Azlantean, the slaves have the chance to free themselves here. What you also didn't know is that at the border, the guards are given a trunk of gold every month. Every time a slave is brought into the Kingdom, the guards record it in a record book. As soon as the traders try to leave the kingdom, the money kept at the gates is given to the slaves to buy back their freedom, since at that point the slaves are still in Azlantean, our laws apply to them and the traders have to free them if sufficient funds are given to them."
Esben grinned as a wave of satisfaction flowed over him. He knew that there was a method to the King's madness, there had been a very concrete reason as to why the law was made that way. Although not many people knew about it, the King had been secretly saving the lives of countless slaves whose unsuspecting owners had brought them into Azlantean. Once again Esben was amazed by the wisdom of King Alistair.
"However, last night I realised that the law I created had a fault." The room went silent once again, everybody was so eager to soak up every last drop of the King's wisdom.
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