The Princess Bride

Chapter 10

"That man committed a terrible crime," I said. "Yet he feels no remorse for it. He is required to pay a fine - something easily done - and then he is able to carry on with his life without a care. He is essentially free to commit the same crime again and again, so long as he is willing to pay for it. Presuming he is held accountable at all, which is unlikely. If a man of the middle or lower class had committed the same crime, the repercussions would destroy him. In addition to losing all that he had, trying to pay the fine, he might spend the remainder of his life in prison. Which might also destroy the lives of his family."

"I'm sorry, Sire, but that does not seem remotely fair in my opinion. And shouldn't the people who believe themselves to be above such things, actually be above them? Shouldn't there be consequences when they are not? Does not that sort of behavior reflect badly on all of us? I cannot see that it benefits Society for a man to be free to commit whatever crimes he is able to pay for."

The king frowned in thought and I continued.

"On the contrary, I believe it is unwise," I said. "Unwise for a structured government to function optimally, unwise for the upper class as a whole, and unwise for you, personally, Sire."

"How so?" He raised an eyebrow, not challenging, but out of genuine curiosity.

"Sheer numbers, Your Majesty. I don't believe it is any secret that the population of the middle and lower classes far outnumber that of the upper class," I said. "Those in power and who control the majority of the wealth, are elite. Elite, and therefore few in number. It is my understanding that in such a society, servants give their loyalty in exchange for protection and concern for their well being?"

The king nodded.

"But what happens, Sire, if those people feel as though they aren't being protected, and that their well being is of no concern? If it is the norm for the system to so heavily favor those of the upper class, so that the lower classes feel that they have no protection whatsoever, what is to stop them from banding together to overthrow what they believe to be an unfair system? How easy would it be for them to gain access to every one of the homes of the upper class, if it becomes a conflict between the classes? And in such a scenario, who would be defending the upper class when so many of those acting as security - even here in the castle - belong to the lower and middle class?"

I paused for a moment, giving my words a chance to sink in. It was satisfying to see that the king honestly seemed to be hearing me.

"As I said, such an unbalanced system seems unwise to me, Your Majesty. I believe it is possible to retain the privileges that accompany the responsibilities of the upper class, while ensuring that the lower classes do not feel as if they are of no concern."

The king rubbed his chin and continued to stare at me. I didn't think he was annoyed with me or thought my words were foolish, but it was still very disconcerting to have his undivided attention this way.

"I believe there may be other benefits, as well, Sire," I said.

He seemed interested again and I took that as a good sign.

"I know from personal experience, that a servant who feels protected and that he is treated well, responds in kind. The man who knows that his welfare is a concern for his employer, offers his loyalty out of a desire to do so. For the man who has no such confidence, his loyalty is compulsory and is able to be dissuaded. The servant who feels that he is treated well, works harder to please his master because he wishes to. The servant who is not treated well, does only what he must to retain his employment."

"If the people were to know that they are a priority in cases like the one you heard a few weeks ago - that there was real justice for the man who destroyed a young girl's life, they would love you for it, Sire. They would become more loyal to you than they already are, out of a desire to do so."

My impulse was to continue with my speech. The king seemed fairly receptive, and I wanted to thoroughly convince him of my ideas. Unfortunately, I was out of words. Taking a shaky breath, I bowed into another curtsy.

"Thank you, Your Majesty" I said, indicating that I was finished.

The king nodded, dismissing me and I tried not to rush as I returned to my seat.

The queen had never been hostile, but she also wasn't very friendly either. She always seemed so dignified and reserved around me, I had a difficult time believing she liked me very much at all, despite what Juliette and Isabelle said. She almost never spoke to me unless it was expected in some way. But just now, she seemed slightly impressed and granted me an approving nod as I sat beside her.

Surprised, I smiled in acknowledgement before glancing around the room. No one looked very different than they had before I'd approached the king, but there was a definite shift in atmosphere. Papa and the few men who'd seemed amused before, now looked....maybe not quite impressed, but they weren't watching me as if I were an endearing child any longer. Those other men who'd been annoyed at the inconvenience of allowing me to speak, now seemed irritated more at what I'd actually said. Apparently they were not thrilled with the idea of weighing the scales a little less in their favor.

Alex grinned at me, looking proud.

"General Graham." The king spoke after a moment.

"Sire?" Papa rose from his seat.

"It appears as though you have gifted us with an intellectual."

Papa sent me a smile. "Yes, Your Majesty." He bowed toward the king.

The king turned to me. "Very well said, Keira."

My face felt hot at the continued attention and I wondered if I should do more than offer a smile in response the way I did. There was probably some protocol to being addressed by the king this way - standing, curtsying...something. But I didn't know what it was and I had no confidence in my legs' ability to support me again so soon.

Thankfully, the king didn't expect anything more from me. He addressed the room again.

"It is rare to hear solutions to an uprising before one has begun. And such practical and simple ways," he mused. It is easy to become wrapped up with daily business and forget to examine the laws to see if they need to be amended or updated."

He focused on me again. "I admit, I was not thrilled with the outcome of that particular dispute either. As you recognized, it did not seem satisfactory in light of the details, but the law is the law...." he sighed. "I appreciate your efforts, Keira. I shall think on what you have said and make the appropriate changes."

Surprised at such a positive response, I blinked at him dumbly for a few seconds before I stammered, "th-thank you, Your Majesty."

His lips twitched briefly before his attention left me.