Counsellor
While
the king was abroad, the country was governed by his son. The regent
was a young boy, so a number of counsellors were appointed for his
assistance.
I
happened to be one of the counsellors. I had been instructed to suppress
all attempts at strengthening the prince's position. The king knew
that most often the greatest enemies were not found in the neighbouring
countries but among one's own circle of relatives. Still the king
should have thought twice before making me a counsellor. Even if I
was among his trustees, I didn't have loyalty for him, nor for anyone
else.
The
regent had asked for me. I found him standing by the window staring
outside. He was silent for a moment and then said, "Look at those
beggars by the gate."
My answer was not expected, so I didn't reply.
"What have the poor done to deserve their lot? And what about
the slaves and vagrants?"
"Well, who would want to be a slave..."
"No one should be another man's slave."
"Fortunes are not equally divided in this world," I philosophized.
"It's not a question of fortune." The prince thought for
a moment and continued, "The church says that the meek shall
inherit the earth but surely this doesn't mean that the poor should
be exploited and the weak oppressed?"
"Be careful. You could be accused of being a heretic."
"I don't think so."
"The church has excommunicated people for opinions less radical
than yours."
"I'm not interested in the church."
I
was quiet for a moment. "Your father has not done much to improve
the people's condition." The regent looked pensive. "There
is much that could be done. Equal distribution of farm land, easing
of taxation, spreading of literacy... When the king returns I'll point
out all the wrongs I have noticed."
I
thought the prince was foolish. But in his idealism I detected a chance
that could be exploited. "The king is hardly interested in the
suffering of his people," I said.
"How so?"
"The king's wealth is based on the suffering of his people, isn't
it? If there were any serious attempts at improving the living standards,
the king would certainly give away much of his own."
"Not necessarily."
"Maybe not, but your father hardly sees it that way."
"Why not?"
"He's not as enlightened as you are."
"That's all the more reason to tell him all the injustices I
have marked down."
"I'm afraid the king wouldn't appreciate such foolishness, although
in my opinion your idealism is not foolish at all. It's only a pity
that we'll never see your visions realized."
"What do you mean?"
"Your father will live another 30 years or so. You'll be an old
man when you step into power, if indeed you live that long."
The
prince was quiet, so I continued, "I have often thought that
you would make a better ruler than your father."
The
regent raised his eyebrows.
"Let's just hope your turn doesn't come too late."
"What exactly are you saying?"
"If you haven't noticed the king is spending far too much money
in waging wars overseas."
"The exchequer hasn't mentioned any deficiency of money."
"Certainly not, since the country is not bankrupt, at least yet.
That's guaranteed by the heavy taxation, as long as we have good harvests
and the people not protesting too much."
The
prince looked perplexed. I was getting excited.
"There are many who are worried about the future of our kingdom."
"Get to the point."
"The people look up to you."
"No...?"
"There's no one else."
"But you said yourself that the king wouldn't take any advice."
"No, but perhaps he could take a strike of a dagger."
"What! Are you mad?"
Things
hadn't proceeded quite as planned. The door opened. The king looked
thundering by the entrance.
"WHAT ARE YOU SCHEMING HERE?"
The
guards were sent. I ran behind the table.
The
king was furious. It was pointless to come up with excuses. I was
trasported down to the dungeons accused of high treason.
