A Spoiled Rule

Chapter 3

Glimmering houses belonging to his guards and attendants passed beneath the king. He saw clumps of people scurrying in a collective panic, but as he neared the blue shores of Dínam, the people became scarce. In fact, the king noticed only one or two wanderers which were older and barefoot. How odd, he thought.
The king and his guards followed the terrain below them where an entire city of boardwalks and ports lie. The king copied his guards, using his right heel to turn slightly in that direction. The portmaster's dingy house came into view. It was a structure elevated by wooden beams with lanterns hanging lifelessly. The king and his entourage landed atop a large porch, and immediately the door to the house opened. There stood the portmaster, his face obscured by a wild untidy black beard and an oversized hat that covered his eyes. "It's happenin', ain't it?" spoke the portmaster in a rough voice.
"I assume you saw the fires of neighboring Chroal?" asked the king. The sky was growing dark with heavy clouds.
The portmaster nodded. "Closed the ports right away, I did. Ships are secure. Sent my men back-That is, those who wanted. They most live in Chroal, as you know, Sire, so some chose to stay wit' me."
"Not to worry," said the king, forcing a small smile. "What is the state of your provisions?"
Loud booming sounded from above. Fat raindrops fell on the king's shoulders.
"My King, forgive me!" gasped the portmaster. "Do come in!" He hastily stepped aside.
The king gratefully entered the house. Its windows were obscured by hangings, the floor was dusty, and upon two desks lie various maps and records. There were two men in the room, young yet rough-looking, sitting in small chairs with their heads low. They looked up at the king and nodded, but could muster no more.
"There's some cots in the lower room, though it's more of a crawl space than a livin' one," said the portmaster, a wry smile on his face. "But if you prefer to sleep up here, by all means, do."
"Thank you," said the king. He turned to his guards. "You all may rest in the room below, while I have a few words with the portmaster."
His guards obeyed, though when they had disappeared, the king sensed their readiness should anything occur. The portmaster gestured toward a desk with papers sprawled on its surface and a yellow lamp, and he and the king sat. The king did not worry of the two men also in the room, for the intended conversation would be of lesser importance. "Harvey, is it?" asked the king.
The portmaster beamed. "Yes, Highness."
"Have you seen many wanderers?" asked the king.
Harvey's smile diminished. The rain grew louder against the wooden roof. "I have not. Indeed, there've been no more than five."
"And the sea?" asked the king, raising his voice over the angry storm.
"Calm, though I may suspect some waves from the storm," said Harvey. He pointed toward a drawing on a paper before him. "Forgive me for the assumption, but if you were wonderin', our largest vessel will hold fifty, includin' crew."
The king leaned forward. The drawing was of the innards of the largest vessel, which seemed to contain multiple sleeping quarters and a dining room.
The king could feel Harvey's stare upon him. Harvey resembled his father, so the king had been told, though the king had never met the late portmaster. Harvey was blunt, not so formal-which the king thought was amusing-and hood at heart. Harvey was of great importance to the king, especially at such a critical moment. Without Harvey, the war with Dínam would have robbed Harksgold of its resources. Harvey was an undeclared diplomat of Harksgold with the Dínes. He was a friendly face and a man of good honor, though he did not tend to boast of it.
"Forgive me for intrudin', and you may reprimand me as you see fit," said Harvey wearily, "yet I cannot help but wonder why the protocol for the palace failed so quickly?"
The king took a breath. He knew the two men in the room would overhear and was quickly realizing that he may not be able to control the conversation in his favor. "The protocol was designed for men of dignity, strength, and above all, humility. It was not prepared for the men who entered the palace."
"I see," said Harvey, his eyes narrowed.
There came a knock at the door, louder than the rain above. The king stood, though his guards were already at the door. The king feared the visitor, for he did not wish to see his advisors on the other side. He also feared that the disease would not incapacitate those like he assumed. Perhaps it was a diseased man on the other side, waiting to be let inside for an evening meal. But the king withheld his fear from those in the room, for he knew they were looking at him.
The door opened, and there stood William. He was drenched, rain falling in his eyes. The king could tell the man had much to say, but according to the protocol, it would have to wait. "As you are found alone, and in the absence of our doctor, I will be conducting your exam," said the king quietly.
William nodded gravely and stepped inside. The king's guards closed the door and flanked William, should he turn. The king held a respectable distance between William and cleared his throat. "I shall skip the formalities, for you are captain and are held to the highest standard of honesty. Have you found yourself in any contact with those who may be diseased?"
"No, Your Majesty," said William gravely.
"Have you been within close proximity of those diseased?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," said William. "No more than two minutes."
"Have you felt any physical changes? Any signs of sickness or emotional disturbances?"
"No, Your Majesty," said William. "The only emotional disturbances I may have are for due reason."
"Very well," said the king. "As you have had no physical contact with the diseased, though have been within proximity, you shall be permitted to go about as normal save for the distance between you and I. Until next nightfall, you shall come no closer than five feet of me, unless granted otherwise."
"As you wish," said William, taking a step back. He cleared his throat. "My King, I venture you wish to hear how I stand here now?"
The king returned to his seat. "Indeed."
"Once my collector was stormed, I became overwhelmed by the people and was unable to get away. They swarmed inside, bringing myself with them. Once inside the collector, they began throwing food, climbing our mounds of resources, desperate to get away from the diseased, but it had already infiltrated the people. They were being torn apart one by one. I only managed to escape after most had fallen. At that moment, the diseased began to notice me, and under Protocol Ninety-Three I acted accordingly, shooting those who got too close. I then ran for the central balcony, where I discovered a few of my guards pushing back a crowd of twenty or so who were furious. I ordered the guards to leave and make their way here, but... I believe someone was infected, Your Highness, and none followed."
"All that occurred in two minutes?" asked the king.
William nodded. "Very brief, Your Highness."
"Very well," sighed the king. "More guards rest below us; you may do so as well, so long as you proceed with caution."
William nodded and disappeared in the room below.
"Forgive me, but I've got a bad feelin' about that one," said Harvey.
Under normal circumstances, the king would have been furious by Harvey's remark. None should be allowed to say anything regarding those under the king's command. But the king found that anger had not risen. Beneath the king's loyalty and belief in good, he also held weary and hesitant thoughts toward William. The advisors may have gotten to him, and they were as much of a disease as the actual disease. "I request that you cease to ask for forgiveness," said the king. He noticed Harvey's look of surprise. "You speak your mind, Harvey, and that is good. I know the words you speak do not come from harmful intentions."
Harvey gave a small smile, his beard lifting. He tilted his hat. "My deepest gratitudes, Your Highness."
There came another knock, followed by thunder. The king began to hope that perhaps Doctor Hummings had survived, or his dear spokesman. But when he stood and his guards opened the door, what was on the other side was comprised of evil. His four advisors stood there, soaked yet lavishly dressed, and behind them stood Doctor Hummings, shivering in his clothes. They stepped inside the room and closed the door, wooden floorboards creaking beneath them.
"Doctor Hummings!" exclaimed the king. He reeled in his excitement, and stood tall. There was business to be done, and information to be exchanged. "In your absence, I have examined William, who arrived just before you. He shows no signs of that of the diseased, though I have placed him under a mandate of five feet distance."
Doctor Hummings gave a small smile and pushed away the hair on his forehead. He wiped the rain from his face. "I am pleased to see your safety, Your Majesty," he said.
"The trek here was rocky," said Rudin, who had taken Harvey's seat. Harvey was now conversing quietly with one of his men, whom sat in a corner. "Too rocky!" Rudin declared.
Instantly the king's mood diminished into that of a sour one. "The spares were in fine condition, the blame is not to be put under my name if the user does not maneuver them well."
Rudin straightened. "Of course, Your Highness."
"That is, assuming you acted according to Protocol Ninety-Three? Doctor Hummings?" said the king.
Hummings nodded. "Indeed, Sire. Gregory was placed into a bay in the medical hall, as you commanded. Upon initial observations, the man was suffering some internal infection and blood was pooling at the back of his throat. I had my doctors insert a tube and proceeded to retrieve the internal ray, which lie in the room next door. It was in my brief absence which I am led to believe that Gregory arose and attacked my doctors. When I returned, I found the bay empty save for my doctors, on whom I used a gun to end their suffering. I then proceeded immediately to the emergency storage, where I found the advisors, Your Highness. I feel I can speak on our behalves."
The king nodded. "Proceed."
"We retrieved the spare suspensors and found Gregory dead in the grand hall. We hurried to the central balcony where we passed by some fallen, among those a few guards. Once secured, we left for the portmaster, where you see us now."
"I feel the weather caused for serious concern," said Rudin. "It was by God's hand that we made it here."
"Doctor Hummings," said the king, "Have you a report on the disease?"
At that moment, all eyes turned toward the doctor. The king could hear Harvey's soft conversation cease, and even the guards below moved no more than an inch. Thunder boomed from above. The king was unapologetic for putting so much weight on the doctor's shoulders. He knew Hummings could handle it, and he knew that Hummings had something important to say.
"Your Majesty, my doctors did not turn before I relieved them of their misery. They were beyond any repair I could have given them, Your Majesty. As for Gregory, if we assume that he was among the first infected in Chroal, and assuming he made his way here once the bells rang, my estimate would be... An hour."
The king turned to one of his guards. "Fetch William, please."
The guard disappeared. More thunder.
"Your Highness," said William, who had appeared five feet away.
"William, what is your estimate of the time it took for someone to turn inside the collector?"
William frowned. "Your Majesty, my estimate would be from one to five minutes. I feel the estimate depends on the wound."
"Though we have no evidence, I can say with confidence that William may be correct," said Hummings. "Whatever injury Gregory originally had was small and became large gradually. Of course, we do not know if this is airborne, but if it is, we may all be dead by the time the storm ends. Forgive my being grim, Your Majesty."
"No, you are correct," said the king wearily. "William, your restriction is now lifted. If you will gather the remaining guards from the lower room; I wish to hold a meeting with my advisors there."
"Right away," said William, disappearing down narrow steps.
Doctor Hummings gave the king a subtle yet clear grave look, though the king did not return it. The remaining guards-four in totality, five including William-emptied from the lower room, and were replaced by the advisors and the king. The king ushered them down narrow steps into the cramped room. Low oil lamps lie on the floor between three cots, and a small desk sat in a corner, full of dust. The floor creaked beneath them as the storm raged outside the walls. There was a faint dripping, for which the king could not place its location. Though the storm was loud, the king felt it was too quiet. The four advisors stood in a semicircle before the king, heads grazing the wooden ceiling. The king was grateful he retained the shorter stature of his mother.
"Being well-informed of the original version of Protocol Ninety-Three, I wish to discuss our actions should we be overrun," said the king.
Charles scoffed. "There is nothing to discuss! The protocol is outdated and would mean a civil war amongst us!"
"You did not stop my father in writing the protocol, so do you have an issue with what you had advised the late king to write?" asked the king.
Charles' eyes widened and his stomach deflated. "No, Your Majesty. Forgive me... I am a little stressed."
"Aren't we all?" asked Rudin, tugging at his shoulder suspensors.
The king hoped those above could hear, for perhaps William would awaken from his trance. Since William returned, the king could feel an odd tension in the air between him, though he did not know whether that tension was one-sided. "Should we be overrun, we will have no choice but to enter Dínam," said the king. "Charles, what would be the best way to proceed once there?"
Charles flushed. "W-Well, Your Majesty, I would have to say that once inside, we remove our suspensors and our visible weapons. The Dínes do not take kindly to us. As for those above us, you will need to keep a close eye on them when we get there."
"Is it even safe to go to Dínam?" asked Rudin. "They control the seas! We have the portmaster, what a man, but now that the plague has arrived, surely they would not take us in!"
"It is under their and our law that we shall accept each other into our own kingdoms should the plague come," said Oliver.
"Yes, well, panic overrules sensible law," said Charles bitterly.
The king waited patiently and silently. He folded his hands. The advisors liked to bicker with each other, yet they so often worked together to damage the king's name. Perhaps this had not happened so much as it did to the late king, but still, the king knew enough. He took a deep breath. "I shall tell our portmaster to ready the vessel nonetheless. We shall hope that the storm and the burning of Chroal will inhibit the diseased from reaching us."
"And if the storm does not stop before we are overrun?" asked Rudin.
"If we are overrun," said Charles.
"Might I add that should we be overrun and forced into Dínam, our financial assets would no longer place us at a bargaining level," said Henry. He had little to add to the matter, yet held a scheming look on his face. "Yet according to the revision of Protocol Ninety-Three, if we are to reach Dínam, we shall use any necessary resources to better the survival of Harksgold."
"You dare to speak of a protocol that I denied?" asked the king quietly. He knew he could not win against the advisors, but for the sake of the Dínes, he had to try.
"Forgive me!" said Henry breathlessly. "I shall wipe it from my memory. Where is the seal?"
Thunder boomed directly overhead and the house creaked in response. The king tried to hide his discomfort. He could foresee the conversation's future, yet he tried anyways to defend his actions. "I have a verbal confirmation, though I will not be held accountable in your absence. As you know, there was no time to seal the denial, for the bells began to ring."
"How long was it after you spoke that the bells rang?" asked Oliver.
"Nearly one minute," said the king.
Oliver tilted his head. "I'm afraid that was enough time to seal the denial."
The king could not control the inflection of his voice. "You know that you speak lies! The seal was on the upper level of the palace, inside my locked room!"
"Oliver, do not be brash to our King!" said Charles. "He commanded that the original copy be followed, so that is what will be followed!" He shook his head. "Forgive him, My King."
"The vessel shall be prepped," said the king. "Should we be overrun at any moment, we will board the vessel and head to Dínam. In the meantime, we shall reside here in the generous portmaster's home and once the storm clears, I shall send out some guards for resources."
"Excellent," said Henry.
"I agree wholeheartedly," said Rudin, nodding his head.
"Great thinking," said Charles.
"You have our approval," said Oliver.
"This meeting is concluded," said the king shortly. "This room is to be left for the guards. I remind you that I am your King. While I accept your advice with gratitude, I do not accept your brashness nor conversations with my guards."
"There was no conversing with the guards!" said Charles.
"I am aware that I am much younger than the Late King, though I, like my father, will not stand for this. While I will not dispose of my beloved advisors, especially at a time such as this, if we are forced to Dínam, my mercy will no longer be spared." Without hesitation, the king left the advisors in the room while he returned to the space above. The storm was just as loud as below, and the walls shook with each roar of thunder. Two guards stood still near the door while William and another conversed quietly. Harvey had returned to his seat, head bent low over diagrams. The king caught the eye of one of Harvey's men, sitting in the corner. The man quickly looked away and folded his hands together.
"Your Majesty," said William, breaking his conversation and stopping before the king. "I thank you for leaving the lower room to us, though I insist that you take one of the cots."
"Do not mistake me for a hypocrite when I say that the luxury of a cot should not be left to me but to those in need," said the king. "William, you should rest. I need my guards well-rested, and of sound mind. This plague may turn one crazy if they do not rest."
William frowned. "Your Majesty, that statement is universal to all man. You should rest as well."
"I shall, when I am able," said the king, smiling faintly.
William nodded and returned to the lower room. The other guards followed, nodding respectfully toward the king, while the last stayed at the bottom step, his hands behind his back.
"That is a command," said the king quietly to the guard. "You never wish to rest in my presence, but you must."
The man smiled. "There are only three cots, Your Majesty. Besides, fatigue has not yet plagued me. If you wish, I can become discreet."
"Do as you'd like," said the king. It was one of the rare conversations he held with another guard aside from William. The king was ashamed he did not know the names of all his guards, but he did try to converse with them whenever, though he would admit to his own fault of lacking in that area.
"You can take this seat if you'd like, Your Highness," said Harvey, looking up. "We need only to wait out the storm."