A Stain on the Royal Tapestry

Chapter 21: A Conspirator

 Varick made his way to the forum where the provider, a prince of another country, held letters that were written to the leaders of countries who were stationed at the fort. Most of the crowd was there to reach quorum as only three of the leaders at the fort where the sole remaining leader of their country.

"Welcome! This is our first informative forum hearing since we have all had to come here so the rules may need to be adjusted as needed. As I am sure you all know this is for those leaders to hear pressing issues from their advisors and the public, and give them a chance to respond to them. It is also a chance for subjects who are here to speak to their concerns to their leader if they are here as a refugee."

There were a few letters each written to the kings and queens who were at the fort, mostly about taxes or a quarrel that made it up through the courts. The meeting lasted for about three hours when a young man stood up.

"Yes, I would like to ask a question of Prince Varick." Varick looked concerned and looked across to Kaden and Lewis who both shrugged in return.

"You cannot ask a question since he is not the King." The prosider declared, his glasses at the end of the bridge of his nose.

"But it is not regarding the king, it is regarding Prince Varick as the future king. I am entitled to address him as my future ruler"

"If he grants it you may proceed." The prosider looked over to Varick awaiting his answer. Varick looked perplexed but nodded for the man to continue.

"My question and concern is about how you could even consider marrying a farm girl. A farm girl who is of no royal blood...she has no credibility and I do not want her being half in control of the county."

Varick scowled before taking a deep breath and answering "I have every right to choose who I want to be my queen, and if I choose Serephina it is not up to the public to decide. With this being said, Serephina may not be of noble birth but she does have the skills. She managed her family farm extremely well, on her own, it actually prospered."

"With all due respect, your majesty running a farm is far different from running a kingdom sir. With everything that has happened already, it appears she is more of a distraction to you than anything."

"Have I missed a single meeting or important event while I have been here? Have I at all been unapproachable to my people here? Have I at all failed to perform my obligations? I am confident that you will find that despite Serephina being almost kidnapped and murdered I have attended every meeting and have stayed on top of all tasks." Varick's voice was controlled, but his stiff body language showed he was not enjoying this conversation.

"For now you may have done so sir, but it is clear she is a distraction to you and if she is a distraction now what will she be when she is your wife?" The man continued.

"First of all, we have a while before I even consider choosing her to be my bride. Second of all, she is not a distraction, in fact, she helps me have a clear head to make better-informed decisions. I am a more open person now than I was before I met her and I think more carefully about how my actions impact all of the people of the kingdom from the richest to the poorest. If you think that Serephina is a hindrance you are gravely mistaken."

"Sir, I know you intend to marry her, and I know there are many more than me who share the sentiment that she should not be our future queen..."

"How?" Varick cut him off, "how could you know of my intentions?"

"I...um... I overheard you."

"When?" Varick questioned, standing up, slowly moving toward the man.