Emeralds For Trade // DNF Royalty AU

Chapter 2.1: The Weight Of A Crown

(Chapter cover art by Fella2P on Twitter)

The clouds were thick that day. They loomed overhead, not quite thick enough to yield rain, but enough to scatter the rays of sun before they could hit the dirt roads and cobbled paths. On such a day, the chill in the air was especially harsh. George had a modest coat draped over his shoulders, his plain white tunic not doing much to shield him from the weather.

"George, are you sure today's a good day to be out and about?"

The advisor held a notepad in his hands, spinning the fountain pen between his fingers.

"Oh, come on, Sapnap. Who's to say any other day this autumn would be quite as lovely? It's not raining, nor is it too sunny."

Nick (or 'Sapnap', as his prince had nicknamed him fondly) clicked his tongue in disapproval but decided not to press the matter. He knew better than to interrupt George's momentum on a good day.

"We don't have long before we need to return to greet the guests, though. Let's hurry on, then, yeah?" George quickened his pace a little with a warm smile, forcing Sapnap to catch up.

They made their way to the town square, and the prince was immediately swarmed with a small crowd of villagers. A couple of cheers sounded as they got to see their prince. George smiled at them all gratefully. With Sapnap by his side taking down notes, he began speaking with some of his people. The crowd had somewhat dissipated a couple minutes in, allowing George to work on his objective.

He needed to survey his people.

As he was growing older, George felt that he should be preparing to take the throne at any moment. He was an adult now, and should anything happen to cause a premature coronation, he can't be left in the dark. Sure, Nick was a lovely advisor, but he wasn't all too much older than him and they both had a lot to learn. Because of this, he decided to take his friend on this journey to the heart of the village instead of any other among the court.

As he spoke with a sweet tongue and warm hands, different citizens opened up to him. Meanwhile, Sapnap was scribbling down the important bits of what was said, what was working and what wasn't when it came to policy and protocol. Of course, there was already a sector of the court focused on this exact task, but hearing a watered down or summarised version of the situation just felt insufficient to George, who was getting ready to take over the throne when the time comes. These were real families with real struggles. Although George trusted his court to do their best in representing the interests of the people, he needed to be more involved.

"The rations distributed were so incredibly helpful. They got us by. But with the nights getting colder... The crops, your highness. They don't— the season hasn't been particularly forgiving, and with winter approaching, we worry—"

George carefully clasps the woman's shaking hands in his own, giving a gentle squeeze of assurance. His brows were knitted in concern. She was close to tears and while he knew harvest was worryingly sparse, seeing the effects on his people broke his heart.

"Of course. We'll look into sending more rations out as soon as we can. My sincere apologies for not having done more to ease your burdens. Is there any way I can help in a way that's more sustainable?"

The woman smiled sadly.

"Your highness. You can't change the weather."

George felt his stomach sink.

Soon enough, he was to take the throne. Seeing his people suffering like this, living from ration to ration, it pained him. The soil has grown dry and less fertile over the years, the summers too hot and the winters too cold. But George refused to believe that nothing could be done.