King Richard’s throne felt like a restraint chair and the most luxurious room in the castle, the hall, felt like a dungeon. A dungeon where every servant and knight, although no one said so in his presence, was either worried or annoyed. It was the beginning of September, which meant it was time for his vassals to pay taxes. Richard braced himself for his brother to come in and feed him an excuse about why he couldn’t pay his. He didn’t want to hear another excuse. Over twelve months had passed, and his brother, Duke Alaric, had fallen further and further into debt to him. He’d end that today. But the thing that bothered Richard was that he never knew if he’d made the right decision until he saw the outcome. A servant entered the hall and, after making …show more content…
“More time?! I’ve given you over twelve months! Pay off your debt in full by next month or I’m taking away your land! ” Alaric’s eyes widened. “Pay off in full?” Richard nodded. “Yes, I’m through! Or, if you want, I can take your land away right now.” Alaric stared at his feet. “No, no.” Richard sat back down. “Good. Now, get out of my castle.” Alaric left the hall with his knights and, not even five minutes after, guilt crept up on Richard like an unwanted guest. He was glad that his betrothed wasn’t present, he’d hate for her to have seen him yell like that. Richard told himself that his father would’ve done the same, but he didn’t believe the thought the moment it crossed his mind. His father had always maintained peace and order. Richard wanted to do the same, but it seemed he couldn’t. Maybe there was something about ruling that he still didn’t understand. Or maybe chaos came before order. Every time he thought he finally figured out what it meant to be both a King and a Duke, something new and unexpected came up. If only Alaric would make things easier and not the other way around. Several servants ran into the hall, their eyes wide and all of them scrambling to say