Chapter 31
The procession into the Drake Citadel was a stately occasion. There were drummers pounding out a dignified cadence. The victorious men marched in formation moving in sync with the drums. There were banners flying at the front and end of the column. Rather than ride at the front or rear, Dracos had chosen to ride in the center. Unwilling to take credit for all of their accomplishments, Dracos had chosen to be surrounded by the men with whom he had fought.
Watching from the battlement over the gate, Lord Drake had initially been worried that he had lost his son when he discovered the young man wasn't at the front of the column. Upon seeing that his son was riding in the center of the procession, he smiled with pride. Turning to his wife, he said, "Our son has grown up."
"Yes, he has," she said.
Patting the hand that she had on his arm, he said, "I'll train him to run the citadel and then I think I'll retire."
"That would be nice," she said looking over at her husband with fondness. She wondered what he would do with all of that free time. The thought of what he would do with all of that free time quickly turned to worry.
As if sensing her thoughts, he said, "I think that I'd like to have a nice vineyard. I can see myself puttering around with the grapevines."
"Of course you would, dear," she said thinking that a leisurely retirement was about as likely to happen as snow in the middle of summer.
"Let's go down and welcome him home," Lord Drake said.
The table was set with a spread that would have done a king proud. Lord Drake watched as Fred tasted everything before fixing a plate for Sid. It was hard to take offense since Sid hadn't even arrived yet. Gesturing to the food, he asked, "Would you mind fixing me a plate as well?"
On the verge of taking offense, Fred thought about how his actions must have looked to their host. Realizing that he had been a little rude in his actions, Fred nodded his head. He answered, "Not at all. Is there anything you don't like to eat?"
"I'll take a little of everything," Lord Drake answered. All of the fruits and vegetables were from his garden, but his wife had done most of the work.
Fred handed across the plate he had fixed for Sid and started filling another plate. Looking up after he was almost done, he said, "I'll fix one for Dracos."
The offer surprised Lord Drake. He watched Fred work for a minute before he said, "You have been a neutral observer throughout this war. You've seen many examples of men who have served under Sid. I'm sure that some were good and some were not quite so good. I'd like you opinion about something. What do you think of my son?"
"It is not my place to say," Fred said attempting to duck the question. He knew that Sid would have a long discussion about Draco's performance as a leader.
Lord Drake laughed and shook his head. Leaning on the table, he said, "I saw that my son didn't lead the procession back to the city. I was rather surprised and pleased to see that. He's gotten a little quieter and more thoughtful since he left. I have to assume that he saw battle up close and it must have been a rough one."
"That he did and it was terrible pitched battle, sir," Fred said. After the enemy had been defeated, he had walked the battlefield with Sid and had seen just how fierce the fighting had been. The bodies were thickest in the area where Dracos had been fighting. Finishing with the plate for Dracos, he started on the plate for Sid. He said, "While it may not be my place to comment on your son, I will say that all of the men who fought with him said that he comported himself well. They were quite vocal in their praise of his leadership."
Lord Drake sat back in his chair feeling pleased with what Fred had said. He asked, "Would you say that he earned the respect of his men?"
"Yes," Fred answered. He looked up and saw that Sid and Dracos had entered the garden. He set the plate for Sid down on the table and started one for himself.
Sid sat down beside Fred and, addressing Lord Drake, said, "The men have camped outside the citadel in the area you assigned them. Don't worry, I plan on leaving tomorrow."
It was nice to have a visitor who didn't overstay his welcome, but it was even better when three thousand visitors didn't overstay their welcome. Looking very much like a Lord in charge of his domain, Lord Drake smiled and said, "That is good news. Of course, we just have a little business to conduct before you go."
"That's true," Sid said taking a bite out of a radish. The tart flavor of the radish helped sharpen his wits and focus his attention on Lord Drake.
"I swore an alliance with you when you were here last time. Now that the war is over, my oath has been satisfied. That leaves us with a dilemma," Drake said looking at Sid fully prepared to start negotiations.
Taking another bite of the radish, Sid thought about what Drake had said. He hadn't conquered the citadel so he couldn't rightfully lay claim to it. The fact was that he didn't want to lay claim to it, but to have a hole in the middle of the territory that he supposedly ruled as king wasn't exactly a good situation. Nodding his head, he said, "What is the nature of this dilemma?"
"You control all of the territory around my holding," Lord Drake said while drawing a circle on the surface of the table. He stabbed a finger in the center of the circle to represent his citadel.
"That's true," Sid said.
"That's a very unstable situation from my perspective," Lord Drake said watching Sid's eyes for a clue as to his thoughts.
"I agree. It is a very unstable situation from my perspective as well," Sid said. They were ready to address the real issue at hand. The next few minutes would be critical.
"They've started calling you King Sid," Lord Drake said.
Dracos said, "Considering the territory that he controls, he is a king."
Looking at his son with more than a little irritation, Lord Drake said, "I stand corrected. You are a king."
"Thank you," Sid said knowing that Lord Drake had reached the same conclusion, but had intended to follow a less direct route to admitting it.
"So the situation as I see it is that you have a kingdom in which there is a lone Lord who is master of his own citadel right in the middle of it," Lord Drake lifted a mug of watered wine to take a sip. He watched Sid over the lip of the mug.
Sid bent over his plate and wrapped a chunk of cheese inside a slice of ham. He took a bite and studied Lord Drake trying to decide how best to approach his preferred solution. Chewing slowly, he thought about what he knew of Lord Drake. The man had ridden with his uncle and that meant a lot. That was to be taken with a grain of salt since men changed and he had no idea of the relationship between him and his uncle. After swallowing, he said, "If you were that king, what would you do about that situation?"
"I'd tell the Lord to swear allegiance to me or prepare for war," Lord Drake answered in a matter of fact voice. He managed to hide his surprise that Sid had turned the discussion around on him.
Nodding his head, Sid asked, "Why not propose a treaty?"
"Because the individual who is king will one day die and leave their kingdom to an heir. Sons inherit citadels. While the fathers may agree, the odds are good that the sons won't," Lord Drake answered shooting a warning glance at Dracos to keep him from speaking out.
"That's true," Sid said. He took another bite of his ham and cheese while considering his next question. Dracos was leaning forward to hear the conversation as if his life depended on what was said next. In a way, it did. Sid asked, "If I was that Lord, I would want to know what the king offers to make me willing to swear allegiance to him."
"That is a very reasonable thing for a Lord to want to know."
"Yes, I think so too. I suppose the Lord would want assurances that his economic situation would improve over time. That he has a say about what goes on inside his holding. I would also assume that the Lord would want to know what it would cost him in terms of obligations to the king and taxes he has to pay," Sid said rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"You know, I think that is exactly what a Lord would want," Lord Drake said pleased that the negotiations were progressing better than expected. He took a piece of cheese from his plate and nibbled on it for a second before popping it into his mouth. After swallowing, he said, "If I was that king, I think I would provide a constitution that assures the Lord reasonable rights over his holding while providing some limits. I would give those assurances in the form of trade policies within the constitution that enabled the Lord to export goods to and from his holding."
Dracos had listened to the discussion wondering why each man was taking the position of the other. He was about to ask when Fred gestured to him to listen and learn. Deciding that was good advice, he sat back and watched his father.
Nodding his head, Sid said, "Yes. I imagine that the Lord would want to make sure that the taxes collected were fair and that he paid the same taxes as other lords in the kingdom."
"I'm sure that the Lord would want that. As King, I would want to make sure that the taxes collected were fair. I suppose a king would think that one conch out of fifteen is fair."
Sid shook his head and countered, "I'm sure that the Lord might want a different arrangement for taxes than that."
"You don't say," Lord Drake said with a frown.
"I do say. I'd say that the Lord would prefer to pay one conch out of twenty to the king and, as part of his obligations to the king, to spend one conch out of twenty on improving the royal roads, warehouses, and waterworks within his holding," Sid said stating the same deal that he had made with Hunter and Sneak.
Drake didn't say a word while considering the offer. He took a bite out of a cucumber and chewed it thoughtfully. It was a higher rate of taxation than he would have accepted, but the provision that he spend the extra taxes within his own holding was attractive. He leaned forward and asked, "Why would the lord be willing to pay two conches out of twenty collected as taxes?"
"I imagine that better roads would make it easier to get his goods to more distant markets. That having dams would control floods and allow irrigation of land that would normally lie fallow. I think that having a supply of food in storage would allow the Lord to protect his people and trade against bad harvests," Sid answered. He picked up a pickled pepper and took a bite out of it.
Lord Drake thought Sid had a good point. Of course, there was still the matter of the constitution and what rights would be provided to each party under it. He said, "I'm sure that the king would want to make sure that he retained a certain amount of power over the lords within his kingdom."
"I bet the king would want that. I'm sure that the lords would want to assure that the king couldn't become a despot," Sid said immediately offering the counterpoint.
"So who would write this constitution?"
"I imagine that the lords would like to have a say in it," Sid answered.
"I imagine that the king would like to have a say in it, as well," Lord Drake said with a smile.
"I suppose that the lords and the king would have representatives meet to work out a draft before they met to finalize it," Sid said looking across the table at Lord Drake. It was as far as he was willing to go in order to come to an accommodation with the man.
It was as fair of a deal as Lord Drake could have imagined being given. He nodded his head and said, "Such a king and a lord would find that the situation we were discussing would resolve itself with the Lord swearing allegiance to the King."
Sid smiled and said, "I think so too."
Lord Drake looked over at his son and said, "Dracos, would you mind repeating the terms of the agreement just so that we are all clear on the matter?"
After taking a hasty swallow of his watered wine, Dracos tried to reconstruct the discussion and organize it into a more meaningful summary. He cleared his throat and answered, "That a constitution is to be written; with a first draft composed by representatives of the Lords and the King before being finalized by the Lords and the King. This constitution is to lay out policies that improve trade, limit the powers of the Lords and the King, and establishes the taxes to be paid by Lords. The limits of those powers have yet to be determined. The King's portion of the taxes collected is to be at the rate of two conches per twenty conches collected with half given to the king and half spent to improve royal roads, warehouses, and waterworks within the holding of the Lord."
Looking at the two men, Dracos asked, "Did I get that right?"
"That is what I understood," Sid said nodding at the succinct summary.
"Yes, that is my understanding," Lord Drake said pleased by the entire discussion. While there were still many questions to be resolved, the framework by which he could voice his concerns was in place. He added, "I'll swear allegiance under those conditions."
"I'll give my oath to meet those conditions," Sid said. He raised his mug of watered wine to Lord Drake.
The older man raised his mug and said, "It was a real pleasure negotiating with you."
"I must say that I enjoyed it as well," Sid said.
Fred and Dracos went off for a short walk around the garden while Sid and Lord Drake discussed other matters. Once they were out of earshot, Fred asked, "Do you know why they took each other's positions?"
"I think so," Dracos answered a little uncertainly. He had watched his father negotiate with other men before, but he had never observed that kind of conversation. Normally his father went into a negotiation knowing exactly what he wanted out of it and argued endlessly to get his way.
"Good, then explain it to me," Fred said. He had watched the entire discussion fascinated by the ebb and flow. He couldn't believe it when the points the men were raising ran counter to their own interests.
"I thought you knew why they were doing that," Dracos said staring at Fred.
"I had no clue. I just didn't think they would have appreciated it if we had interrupted their discussion," Fred said.
"Oh," Dracos said. He started to walk along the path with a little more deliberation in his step.
"So why did they do it that way?"
Dracos answered, "By taking the other person's side, they forced themselves to examine what the other side was losing with each compromise. They didn't have to argue whether something was too extreme. No one would say that if they were in a given position that they'd be willing to give up something important to them.
"No King in his right mind would give up his power. For my father to suggest that Sid would want to give up his power would have been stupid. No Lord would give up his power. For Sid to suggest that my father would want to do that would have been just as stupid. Each man knew that, so demanding that the other would accept something that was totally unacceptable would have been immediately obvious."
Nodding his head, Fred said, "That was pretty clever."
"I think so too," Dracos said. It amazed him that he had learned another lesson as a result of Sid. It brought home the realization that he still had much to learn.
"It would only work if there is mutual respect and a real desire to reach an agreement," Fred said.
"You're right."
It was nearly sun set when Gregor and Sid took a walk around the perimeter of the camp checking on the guards. They had gotten nearly a quarter of the way around the perimeter when Gregor asked, "Did he go for it?"
"Yes, he did. The discussion went exactly as we planned," Sid answered in a soft voice.
"That's good," Gregor said feeling relieved. He looked over at Sid and smiled at the generosity that he had demonstrated. He said, "You could have forced him to any terms you offered. Even though your army is disbanding, you still have enough men to overwhelm him twenty to one."
"Would you have helped me take over his citadel?" Sid asked.
"Yes. I understand the need to have a kingdom that is whole."
"Would you have remained my friend if I had asked you to help me take over this citadel?" Sid asked.
"Oh, I would have ridden to River's Crossing with you, but after that I would have never wanted to see you again," Gregor said. He would have helped Sid consolidate his kingdom if asked, but he would not have liked doing so despite understanding the need. He had hoped that Sid wouldn't have to ask him for his help.
"I would not have asked you to help me. That would have been a battle that I needed to fight by myself. One should not ask an ally to fight an ally," Sid said.
"I know you would not have asked. And you are right," Gregor said pleased that Sid understood.
"I appreciate the help you gave me in ironing out a reasonable position to take," Sid said. For days while riding they had argued what would be a realistic arrangement to make with Lord Drake. Gregor had done all of the arguing that Lord Drake would have done until a compromise was reached.
Gregor walked along silently for a few minutes. He paused and turned to face Sid. In a quiet voice, he said, "Over the past two years, we have run into so many men who were treacherous bastards. The chance to deal with an honest and good man is a real relief. Lord Drake put his son under your command. That speaks of a lot of trust on his part."
"I know what you mean about dealing with treacherous men. While I don't believe in torture, I had contemplated it for Holland," Sid said.
Gregor frowned and said, "I do not envy you the kingdom you've created. It is filled with too many men who know no honor. They shall try to take away everything you have built. They will use stealth, wile, or violence to get what they want. You shall have to take care not to let them acquire too much power."
Sid paused and looked around at the men in camp. The majority of them were Gregor's men of the Horse Clan. He said, "I've been putting men that I feel are trustworthy into positions of power."
"They will protect your interests, but you will have to protect them as well. You will have to install some mechanism by which they can call upon you for help without alerting even their closest advisor," Gregor said returning to stand beside Sid.
"What do you mean?"
"You need a secondary pathway of communication other than dispatches. You need to place trusted men in mundane positions such that they can be reached in an emergency and directed to raise an alarm," Gregor said.
Sid thought about how his uncle had left Barson's father, Chuck, with the disk that would allow him to access his inheritance. It dawned on him that his uncle had trusted the man with everything he owned and yet Chuck did not live within the walls of his citadel. There had to be a reason for it. Nodding his head, he said, "I see what you mean. I shall have to work out the details, but I shall take your advice."
"Good."
"I value your advice," Sid said clapping Gregor on the back.
Gregor grinned and said, "It is easy to give advice. It is far harder to find someone who will follow it. I am happy to have found someone who will follow my advice."
"We will leave here tomorrow," Sid said resuming his walk around the camp.
Gregor remained behind for a minute while thinking about leaving. In
an easy lope, Gregor caught up to Sid and said, "It will be good to
return home."