Part I: Know Your Enemy
It had been two weeks since his father had died. Two weeks in which he had to ride all the way from the battlefield in the south to his fathers lands. To his lands. And now he stood there with a strange kind of uneasiness. His stepmother was holding her speech but lost her point it more than once and had to begin again. It didn't matter much, the Count wouldn't listen to it anyway. He knew what she would say. How much she had loved her husband and what a poor old widow she was now. He had heard these lies before, and she wouldn't say much else anyway, so why bother listening? In his minds he went through his own speech again and again, but was sometimes caught by some of her words. False tears ran down her cheek and froze seconds after. For one short moment he nearly believed her. Nearly.
Sobbing she stepped down from the podium and gave it free for her stepson. The Count walked up to it. He spoke the words he had in mind since days. Other than the earlier speakers he wouldn't cry at it. He looked around him, searching for any nice face, but he wouldn't find one. Eventually his eyes got caught by the great mountain panorama. It looked so idyllic, so peaceful. Like death. Funny how his father never had found what he now received in death. "May you rest in peace father" he murmured before raising his clear baritone. "You all know why we have come here. It is only two weeks ago that my father died defending his liege in a glorious battle. Unfortunately it was up to me to bring the news of his death."
He paused and harrumphed. It was a cold winters day after all. But what would one expect in January, in the mountains. Snow lay in the shadows while it had molten everywhere the sun shined on. At least so he had a bit time to prevent himself to what would come.
"As we all know my father was a glorious and honourable man and a great warrior. He died as what he had been, a man of war. Now it is up to me, as I am, through primogeniture, his rightful heir, to continue his work." A few murmurs came up in the lines of his brothers and uncles so he waited, but none would speak up.
"In his reign he managed to create a County that has not to bow down to anyone. Look at what you were before he became your lord, and what you are now. You know it is because of my father, and his family, that you live in relative wealth. And he has had some great ideas which I will try to fulfill. Yet," He again raised his voice and was near to shout "I cannot agree with him on everything. In the last years the power of the nobles in this our land has grown to an excess that I cannot let stand. From now on you will be stripped from half your lands and titles and they will get part of my demesne. One tenth of it will go to the priests in my lands in order to show my good will."
Now a mass of voices raised. Some of them wanted to draw their swords but again the Count shouted. "Quiet! Now listen, if you want to stay nobles, or alive, as some of you already play with their lives, you should really try to stay calm. Otherwise I'm sure my guards will convince you to do so." Of course he had only burghers of the cities appointed to guards as it was clear to him they would keep loyal to him, now that he already had granted them certain rights, like for example the chance to be appointed to city council.
"I ask you, all of you nobles who stand here in front of me, where were you when my father died? Where were our glorious knights when the enemy broke through our lines? How many of you were there? Fifty? Out of three hundred? While the others stayed at home with their wives and children, because of questionable excuses? No, I cannot let disloyalty raise in my lands. Not as long as we're surrounded by enemies!" He calmed down a bit as the nobles did the same.
"Those who stood loyal to our Count, my father, will of course be rewarded for this. But those who stayed at home like the cowards they are, will have to give up parts of their lands which will get part of my administration, should they want to keep their lives." He already felt the cold in his throat while he tongue got tired from the talking.
"I ask my senior staff to come into my fathers study to talk about the future of our County. You are dismissed."
He stepped down the podium and walked back to his horse to ride back. He already eagerly awaited being in front of a warm fireside again. Yes he had created himself another enemy. But one enemy more or less wouldn't make all too much difference anymore. At least the nobles were an enemy he knew of.
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