He sits upon a seat on the balcony over-looking moonlit gardens. From behind a curtain, a young man comes, blade drawn, to take his life. Oddly enough, while there were some guards, he actually waved them away and asked the lad to come closer so he could have a talk with the young assassin.
"I currently rule as king amongst my people. We have the Cardinal Law, ensuring that no one, no matter how poor they are, is left without at least good, wholesome, food, clean water, and shelter, even if it must come out of the royal treasuries to pay for it. And no matter how wealthy or powerful a person is, they are forbidden to mistreat the ones that serve under them. They are not allowed to refuse to pay their fair share of taxes just like I, and everyone else, does. Yes, I do pay my taxes, that's only fair after all. We do everything we can to make life in these lands as pleasant as possible for our people. And yet even as you stand there with your blade in your hand threatening to end my life so another can take the crown, do you realize how little freedom this crown brings? The sacrifices a ruler must make lest their land fall to ruin? Where you must think of your people's health, safety, and well-being above all else, even your own happiness? Tell me... do you truly understand the cost of a crown?" -- DaniAndShali
"Lord Baisingr said you would lie," said the would-be assassin. They spoke with a lower-class accent, suspiciously from the under-valued areas of Lord Baisingr's own realm. The King suspected Lord Baisingr himself of using agents to agitate the people his sublaws victimised. Lord Baisingr was already under investigation by his peers, peers who understood the necessity of the King's Laws.
"Did he tell you in person?" said the King. "Or have they passed along the message through other speakers?"
The would-be assassin scoffed. "Lord Baisingr is too important to talk to me... I heard everything by the Lord's Bards. They tell the news. They tell people what's important."
"Nothing from the King's Bards?" asked the King.
Support me on Patreon / Buy me a Ko-fi
Prompts remaining: 76 Submit a Prompt! Ask a question! Buy my stories!