“There’s going to be an insurrection? Are you serious?”
“It must be that Duke Zerenade’s doing. This can’t end well...”
The lunchtime mess hall was awash with the news—Duke Zerenade was preparing for an insurrection. Duke was the highest noble rank in Orstoll; a duke’s power could rival that of the king’s. In some cases, a duke even ruled over their own miniature kingdom known as a duchy. Orstoll’s monarchy was relatively strong compared to other nations, but even then, Roy could not afford to ignore his vassals. If the majority of his nobility defied his royal rule, the kingdom would descend into absolute chaos.
The news that Duke Zerenade was amassing troops for a rebellion spread like wildfire before the kingdom could make any sort of official announcement about it. Even the politically uninformed squires considered Duke Zerenade a total persona non grata. Rumor had it that all criminal activity still present in the kingdom could be traced back to him, so deep was the corruption from the previous king’s heyday. It was said that even some knights of that era sold their skills out to the gangs of the time. Even after Roy succeeded the throne and removed those elements from the order, criminals still lurked in Wienne, troubling the knighthood.
The boys of the north dorm had mixed reactions to the news. Some were concerned, whereas others were in high spirits.
“I wonder if this will lead to war,” said one of the boys.
“Do you think we’ll get to fight too?” his friend said.
“I sure hope so!” said another boy. “They hurt my granddad!”
“Don’t be stupid,” a third chastised him. “We’re only squires.”
Remie and his friends sat eating their lunch in one corner of the mess hall. “This smells like trouble,” Remie said. He and the others had spent the whole past month worrying over Fie, but now they had a bigger issue on their hands.
Gormus folded his arms and said, “Well, we all knew it was a matter of time before it happened.”
King Roy had expected this for years, as Duke Zerenade’s power and influence had swelled rapidly under the late king’s rule. It was obvious to even a child with the slightest interest in politics that this opposition was imminent.
“How did this happen?” a boy at a different table asked.
“Good question,” said his seatmate. “I have no idea.”
“Yeah, me neither.”
(Apparently, the north dorm boys were in the uninformed minority.)
“If a sudden rebellion breaks out, I wonder what the king will do...” Remie said.
Yes, King Roy did want to avoid war, but not because he could not win. It was only the most prudent action to take, especially considering how the late king’s wanton spending and unskillful handling already nearly did lead the kingdom into civil war. In a sense, it was less a question of winning and more a matter of minimizing damages and casualties.
By way of comparison, Duke Zerenade’s actions were all much too rash. According to the information available at this preliminary stage, he could not possibly amass enough military power to stand any chance of winning.
“Hmm,” said Slad. “I dunno what’s gonna happen either. That’s a good question.”
“You don’t have to force yourself to participate in this conversation,” Remie told him.
“Ouch! How come you’re so mean to me lately?”
“Well, what I think is most likely,” said Gees, talking over Slad’s head, “is that the duke will end up trapped and get desperate. You know, something like that.”
“Now you’re ignoring me too!”
The kingdom’s official announcement came two days after that conversation. It was all information that the boys already knew or had predicted so far, like the fact that King Roy had obtained proof of the duke’s connection with the organized gangs, that those left in Orstoll who had assisted in his unlawful doings had now been detained, and that most of the nobility had declared in favor of the king.
However, there was one new fact which shocked them: Roy and Fielle’s marriage was fake, a temporary measure to prevent an attack on Fielle’s life from the duke. Not only was she not married to Roy, but she wasn’t even in love with him. In fact, she loved a completely separate person and only pretended to be married to protect their partnership. The king apologized to his people for the deception and, to prove his credibility, had this proclamation stamped with the seal of the priest who performed their ceremony.
This caused an enormous stir among the citizenry and, of course, the squires.
“Queen Fielle isn’t actually married to King Roy?!” the boys spluttered. “No way!”
Everyone knew they were the image of a loving married couple, but that, apparently, had never been true. The boys had fully bought into this story and were mind-blown.
After all the fuss died down, the real issue dawned on one of the boys. “Wait a minute, if King Roy and Queen Fielle aren’t married...”
The other boys then realized it too.
“The king has another wife...” one murmured.
“Yeah, and she’s our friend,” another said. “And considering she’s married to the king...”
This friend they mentioned in such incredulous tones was King Roy’s “second” wife, the one who sparked completely different kinds of rumors than Fielle. To the squires, she was their resident little devil, the infamous number one troublemaker of the north dorm.
Everyone pictured this slight boy—girl, rather—with her short haircut.
“Wait, so... If the king’s not actually married to his first wife, does that make his second wife his...first wife again? I guess?”
They all tried to imagine their friend Heath standing in Queen Fielle’s shoes. Even if someone cleaned her up and put her in a queenly dress, they knew she would still be wearing one of her devious, most unqueenly grins as she cooked up some new diabolical scheme. The boys put their heads in their hands as one.
“You mean she’s our queen?!” one yelled.
Another cried, “This is going to end so poorly!”
Just then, there was a huge thud as someone at the rear of the group fainted. The squires turned and saw exactly who you would expect—Queen.
“Hey, Queen, are you all right?!” a boy yelled.
“Hang in there, man!” said his friend. “There’s still hope!”
“Yeah! You may have been doomed from the start, and it may be even more futile now, but there’s hope all right!”
The squires had good intentions, even if the execution was lacking.
Queen had little hope that Fie would ever return to him, but at least the story had gone that Roy was in love with Fielle. Fie was, as everyone knew, a third wheel in their relationship. But now this announcement turned the tables; there were no obstacles in the way of Fie pursuing a relationship with Roy. Plus, according to reports from the palace, Roy and Fie were thick as thieves. Roy, it seemed, was looking out for her in many ways, and Fie had likewise taken a shine to him.
Queen knew Fie wasn’t the kind of girl to be impressed by someone’s rank, but she could be swayed by a cool, older man giving her attention. Frankly, Queen had worried over this very thing numerous times after watching her interact with Sir Crow, even after they began dating.
But the most lethal factor (too lethal, really) was that Fie and Roy were already married. Queen was a fool for even worrying about it anymore. Not to mention, he hadn’t seen her or talked to her in months.
Queen shakily rose to his feet and muttered, face pale and haggard, “Yeah, I’m okay. I’m still going to try to be the best knight that I can, even if she won’t ever love me again. Besides, if I do well enough for myself, maybe I’ll be chosen as a member of her guard so that I can at least still be with her.”
The boys were a little taken aback, but Queen’s lonely, besotted vision of the future tugged on the squires’ heartstrings.
You’ll still be with her, even if she won’t love you? one thought.
That’s brave, thought another.
But in some sense, thought a third, that’s so tragic. It’s worse than giving up.