Chapter One
Royalty shined down upon him as a ray from the heavens. He wanted for nothing, yet wanted everything. It was his God given right to claim that which was his, delayed only by time and health. Prince William the second joined his father, William the first on their afternoon hunting trip. These were the vectors in which knowledge was to flow from one generation to the next. Imparting wisdom gained from the folly of the previous. William the first was a man of power, one who never shouted but was always heard. Silver hair, patience, and acumen defined him. He had the respect and attention of his rivals as one not to be underestimated or forgotten. William the second was one of ambition and youth. Elegance adorned them both, forever graced by good fortune of their monetized populace. The two ate pheasants while discussing the minor occurrences of the kingdom. Struggling to grasp at small talk in between.
They returned to the castle. The prince stood next to the king as they surveyed the kingdom. From the throne room, all looked small and insignificant. However, it was from these small insignificant subjects that the crown received its power. The subjects came to the kingdom from their modest lives to bring tribute. They left with the satisfaction knowing that they had been provided for. A simple transaction of currency for need and the security to continue to need. The pair walked about the kingdom, interacting and receiving honor from their subjects. Subjects came from far and wide to see the king. He was personable. His family had held dominion for generations. With each generation that passed they had become more stately and palatable to the general populace. His rivals had become greedy. Slowly bleeding their own subjects of their hard-earned tribute for less and less benefit. This was to be the driving force in uptick in citizens under the king’s banner. Greeting and assuring his constituents that their faith was correctly placed.
That evening the king and prince were to host one of their fiercest rivals. A king by the name Jonathan. King William had slowed the encroaching monarch most of his life. This dinner was to be just another in a long line of attempts at his throne. If force did not work, diplomacy was to be exploited. The prince had seen the struggle. From his point of view the entire process was an exercise in futility. King William had the chance to block Jonathans rise to power. He failed to stop Jonathan when he was weak, now they were losing ground only because of Williams refusal to act. He had grown to resent the king’s inaction. Jonathan’s kingdom had increased threefold since the conflict started. Despite the king’s wisdom the prince looked upon this toil as arrogance on the king’s part in not recognizing a threat in an early stage. Because of this territory had been lost. This lost translated to a loss in inherited expansion. The king had cheated him of a larger birthright simply due to hubris.
