It was an overcast day. Despite the heat, which was still quite high, it was at least a little more bearable today. There were a lot of carts and wagons of all kinds rolling along the streets. We weren’t in Olemar. This town had thick walls and huge towers which, unlike those of Meglarsbruck, weren’t centuries old yet, although they were in no way inferior to them in size and thickness. This city was called Greifenburg. From huge garden grounds a servant looked towards these walls from afar. He walked along the meticulously laid out paths between well-kept flowerbeds and tree sculptures to reach a large field. It was one of the palace's playing fields.
There were 10 riders on the field chasing a ball with mallets. Polo was the name of the game in question. There was a lot of shouting, especially from one particular boy. He had golden blonde hair, bushy eyebrows and slightly protruding ears. The stubbles of a beard could also be seen. A house crest was clearly recognisable on his polo shirt. It was the prince’s. He often grumbled at his team-mates and especially his opponents when a game didn't go the way he wanted it to.
"Come on! - Really? Can’t you do anything right?! - Referee, that was a breach of the rules! How can you miss something like that?! - Crossing! You guys always just want to cheat!" he could be heard saying.
And he complained, even though he was clearly the one committing the most rule violations. Crossing and helicoptering were things he frequently did, but the referees very often ignored the young prince’s violations. Generally, the prince didn't seem to think too much of the rules. He suddenly hit his opponent's horse with his mallet, which was of course against the rules. One of the referees then interrupted the game. The lad jumped off the horse, hurled some inappropriate language at the referee in charge and left the game in a huff. The other players could only look on in disappointment and annoyance and also left the pitch, despite them only having been in the third chukka.
The young man approached the servants with some dirt on his face from the game. He took a cloth offered to him and wiped his face with it. There came a servant from the palace and spoke to him: "Young master, His Majesty requires your presence," he informed him. The boy replied: "What, right now? Can't you see that I'm busy? Tell my father, that I can't be in attendance at the moment." - "But His Highness certainly meant, that you should go to him right away." - "I can't now. Can't you see I'm full of dirt! It will be some time before I am ready to appear before His Highness. I'll be there later today. Let him know that!" - "As you wish." The young prince obviously had no interest in fulfilling his duties. His father would only ask him how his studies were going. He had to know soooo much, from the country’s history to how the government and economy worked. But the heir to the throne didn't want to know any of that! He did what was asked of him, but only reluctantly.
Meanwhile, other things were going on in the palace itself. In one of the larger meeting rooms, a whole series of finely dressed ministers and advisors sat together at a large, long table. The king's advisor, Gabriela Cornel, was chairing the meeting.
"Things can't go on like this," said the Minister for Economic Affairs. "The constant raids on the trade routes to the south are now causing ever greater damage. I can't plug budget holes like this at the drop of a hat. And the traders are now less and less confident about taking these routes, because it is simply too dangerous for them. In the last few weeks, I've received a growing number of letters of complaint from Camenian merchant houses and nobles, who are also having more and more problems. The lost income is constantly increasing! I have summarised it here in my report."
The minister slid a folder across the table. The chairwoman, a lady with wide eyes and a relatively pale face, then responded: "We were already aware of the problem. His Highness will be extremely unhappy about such progressively negative developments." She then turned to the Minister of Defence, Field Marshal Etzel. "Have we not deployed additional forces to the south to deal with the increasing peasant uprisings?" The military man replied: "It's not that simple. The south gets more mountainous near the border with Camenia. There, it is much easier for the outlaws to hide in all kinds of gorges and valleys. We have also coordinated with the Duenitz to make things easier, as they know their territory best." The House of Duenitz were the great lords of the lands in southern Ordania and one of the most important noble houses in the realm.
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The king's advisor replied: "It’s been less than ten years since they removed the last remnants of heretical practices from their family life. This step has cost them dearly. That's why I don't believe that the Duenitz are betraying the Ordanian royal house here by supporting revolts in the background. Especially, as this causes damage in their own territories, this theory can probably be ruled out." Everyone at the table listened intently to the lady, but a few began to mumble amongst themselves when they heard this.
"What do you need to remove this thorn in the side of the Confederacy, Field Marshal? I can provide you with more resources, as it seems to be necessary." The man, who was the only one here in armour, replied: "This is not something that can be solved with money, I'm afraid. I simply do not have the manpower I need for several reasons. Firstly, many of our troops are tied up on a permanent basis in the Kashar Lands. The reason for that should be known to all here." The group confirmed him, despite it having been a rhetorical question. Everyone knew that a large number of troops had to be stationed there to "secure the peace", meaning to occupy Kasharovar. The man continued: "Secondly, we have recruitment problems. There aren't many people in the big cities who want to join the army and in the rural areas, well, you know how the rural population feels about us."
Gabriela put her hand on her forehead. She closed her eyes and thought for a moment. Obviously, more money, which they didn't want to spare anyway, as the financial situation was also getting worse, was not the solution. Before she could say anything, however, everyone present was distracted by loud footsteps echoing along the corridor outside the meeting room. A soldier marched along the magnificent, marble-decorated corridors of the royal palace, with huge paintings of landscapes and important people hanging on the walls. He knocked on the door and entered the meeting room of the government.
"Sorry to disturb you, Your Excellencies!" The soldier had a coat of arms with an ocean and crossed swords on his tunic, which he wore over his armour. It was the symbol of the Kingdom of Zeemark, which also belonged to the Crown of Ordania in a personal union. "I bring tidings from the lands of Zeemark." The chairwoman raised an eyebrow and said, "Is this so important that it has to be right now?" - "No, I'm not of great relevance, of course," the soldier replied, apparently misunderstanding the question a little. He pulled a roll of parchment from his pocket, which bore the seal of the governour of Zeemark. "The knight Gawein and his men have eliminated the cult in the north. This is the message I was tasked to deliver."
The lady had the document handed to her and glanced at the seal. "All right. You're excused," she added and gestured for the man to leave the room. She would look at the report in detail later. Then the meeting continued. Etzel took the floor again: "There's one more thing I haven't mentioned yet, my lords." He paused briefly so that everyone would pay attention to him and then continued:
"What's going on in the south, from what I've seen, are not just simple peasant uprisings. In recent years, things have developed, which I could only describe as worrying. The organisation and military, yes, MILITARY power of these insurgents is of a completely different nature to anything we have ever seen before. It seems that a much more capable structure than we ever thought possible has formed."
Those present listened tensely and with great concern to what the Minister of Defence had to say. In the end, more funds were allocated to the army and the Inquisition. There couldn’t and mustn’t be any rethinking of the direction of politics. Religious dogmas were not up for discussion. Therefore, the conflict with the alienated population of Ordania would continue. Only God knew where and when it would end.
The meeting ended and everyone left the hall. Gabriela stopped Etzel on the way out. She waited until the others had left and then said to him: "The problems must be brought under control, whatever the cost. My head and yours are at stake here, Field Marshal! You've heard of infiltration methods, haven't you?" - "Of course, I have." - "Then do that, too. Military men like you only ever think of direct methods of confrontation. Use cunning and ambushes to achieve our goals. I'm convinced you can do that. And if it turns out that you are unwilling or unable to do what is necessary, I would just like you to know that I have very good connections in the Inquisition!" - "As you wish," was all the minister replied.
