Tale of Four

Tristan waited, the silence deafening as tension filled the air. Rising, he looked to Elias, who lazily leaned on the armrest, but by his side were Lord Deacon and Lord Fox. Tristan would have thought he was the only one bothered by the tension standing in front of Lord Deacon’s cold expression and William’s playful smirk, but looking around and seeing Oscar Doyle and Edward Chamber, the Lawmaker of the council, with a nervous expression, he knew he wasn’t alone.

The Lord Invigilator looked around for a moment before smiling. It was a soft smile compared to his sharp face and eyes, but entirely real. ”It is an honour for you to see me so quickly, Your Highness. Lord Elvissia was worried after you never replied to his letters regarding the actions of Cardinal Brown and the Church. I am here to rectify this misunderstanding.”

His voice was calm and incredibly warm. It unnerved Tristan to hear it. Even if the Lady Death heresy was a sudden major issue, there had been minor heresies over the years, and each one had always been dealt with before they could fester. Before him was a man who had likely ordered the death of more men and women than anyone in the room, and yet he was refined and warm.

”Forgive me for not replying, Lord Invigilator.” Elias said with a cold tone, ”You must understand that, as of now, I cannot be sure where Lord Elvissa’s true allegiances stand. After all, he is in open rebellion against my father’s throne, and yet he has allowed heretics to sit on my council and wonders why I remove them when it becomes clear.”

”One point of correction, Your Highness.” Lord Invigilator took a deep breath. ”The Elvissia family is a great patron within the church who has always held an important position, but they are not the church. As for your worries, they are completely justified, and becuase of that, it is clear that we must solve this issue. I come as a representative of the Church, not Lord Elvissia’s. The Church is an independent body, so I am sure you will not be against this.”

”Of course.” Elias leaned foward, ”Which must mean that the Church’s original decree for my father applies to you. He is the Creator’s Chosen, is he not?” Elias smirked, making Lord Invigilator chuckle.

”All who sit the Ivory Throne are the Creator’s chosen. This is an undeniable fact. But I am not the judge of men, but of the Lord and his Pantheon. I am here not to play politics but to bring judgment upon all who deny the truth.” Lord Invigilator lifted his book before his stomach, resting his free hand on it. ”I carry the names of all judged and correct the faith of the Lord. It happens that one name included was a King.”

”Do you threaten the Prince, Ser?” William said with a sly smile. Lord Invigilator shook his head.

”I am not a Ser, Lord Fox. No, I simply state a fact of history. Those on the Ivory Throne are chosen by the Lord. We shall not question his choices, nor shall we believe we know better, but to abandon him as the one true Creator means they openly revolt against his decree.” Stepping foward, Lord Invigilator continued, ”Azwald was the first man to do so. His fate was the teaching. The Lord is clear: all who defy his will are to be punished. From peasant to kings, none are free, for Azwald was the beloved chosen of the Lord before his fall.”

The room fell silent again. Elias’s finger bounced upon the armrest, debating with himself on what to do. Yet to Tristan’s surprise, the way Elias looked at the man was normal. There was anger in his gaze, but he didn’t look at the Lord Invigilator like vermin the way he did at him. Rather, it was controlled anger.

”What is it you want?” Elias finally asked.

”An end to the heresy. An end to the blind. I wish to reguide the wayward and punish the lost. For that, I do need your assistance. And of course to reestablish the Church’s rightful position in the King’s council.”

”Lord Invigilator.” Elias spoke, ”I do not trust the church. Members of it had been the ones to assist in the spreading of this issue, and you claim to serve no men, yet numerous clergy have already decreed my uncle, a traitor, to be the rightful king. You must understand, as much as I wish to help you with that, I simply cannot risk it. After the war, when the rebellion is over, this will be possible, but as of now, I simply cannot.”

Lord Invigilator smiled and pushed his glasses up. ”Prince regent, this was not a request. The War of the Creator laid out many terms, and one was the church’s rightful place in the council. What you are saying violates this.”

”The church betrayed the crown and people first, Lord Invigilator.” Elias smiled, ”I would not worry about your place in the relam of men before you clean the house of God.”

”Do not worry.” Lord Invigilator chuckled, ”The House of God is being cleaned.” His soft smile was frightening with how easy it was, making Tristan’s skin crawl. ”As we speak, all who betrayed the Lord are being removed. To further assist this, the Douglas Decree is being pushed foward.” Lord Deacon took a sharp breath and looked to Elias. The Prince didn’t react to the word; instead nodding to himself.

”It is not enough.” Elias said, ”I cannot trust the clergy, unfortunately.”

”Will you deny our rightful position?”

”I am delaying it.” The two stared at one another until Lord Invigilator nodded. Resting a hand on his chest, he bowed towards Elias.

”Of course, Your Highness. I cannot force you to do what is right; only you can do that yourself. But I will be here until this heresy is resolved.” Lord Invigilator looked up. ”I am the Lord’s Judgment. All knees bend, and heads bow before the Lord. Should they not, I am the scale that judges. A king is no different to a peasant before the Lord, for he is the one true King above all.” Rising, the man nodded to the rest of the council, ”May the Lord protect you all.”

No one moved until the large double doors opened and closed. When they did, Elias clicked his tongue and groaned, ”Lord Elvissia is playing a dangerous game.”

”The Lord Invigilator is not a man that can easily be brushed off by My prince.” Lord Deacon said with a sigh. Rubbing his forehead, he couldn’t help but wonder why everything was becoming more complicated. Even if he loathed the religious reforms Elias wanted to put in place, his duty was to the throne and realm, and with it, it meant protecting it from all enemies. ”But this could be a good thing.”

”My thoughts exactly, Lord Deacon.” William spoke up with a light chuckle, ”Whilst the war has been a troubling matter, the heresy is truly the danger we face; after all, no matter what we do to try and solve it, we will receive the anger of the people.” Looking to the door, William shook his head. ”But if the church has decided to send him, it means they have decided it can only be solved with blood.”

Lord Deacon rolled his eyes. ”Lord Fox does speak the truth, even if he seemingly wishes for bloodshed. But we must watch how he handles it. Should the Lord Invigilator use the Douglas Decree, we will be in danger. He may claim to only serve the Lord, but that doesn’t stop him from pointing his blade towards us.”

Elias closed his eyes and took a deep breath. ”I want someone watching him at all times.” William nodded. ”What do we know of him?”

”A religious fanatic. A patron of charity. No known scandals. Lives a very organised life that mainly consists of prayer and church responsibilities.” William thought for a moment. ”As for his role as Invigilator, he destroyed the Cult of the Abyss, a very minor heresy within the Valley, and the Sisterhood of the Whimsical, another very minor heresy that sprang up within the Church itself.”

”How did he solve them?” Elias asked. Lord Fox looked to Lord Deacon. The old man thought for a moment before remembering.

”If I understand correctly, both of them followed the teachings of Heretical Gods native to Veston who rebelled against the Lord Creator. As for how he dealt with them,” Lord Deacon let out a long breath, ”Is simple. All were put to death; none were spared. As for the material itself they based their heresies on, I can’t be sure. Either it was destroyed or sealed within the Church’s archive.”

”So he is willing to use violence to quell what strays from what he considers right.” Elias smirked. ”Let him handle the Cult of Lady Death. When the executions begin, provide assistance to the people. Make it clear: the Throne, but more importantly, their true king is the one doing this.”

”My Prince, we cannot spare too much coin on this. Whilst I am in agreement that we must ease the people’s suffering, the war is costly.” Lord Deacon said. Elias rolled his eyes.

”What would happen if we began confiscating Church wealth?”

”A complete loss of support from the Church.” Lord Deacon said without hesitation, ”As for other outcomes because of it, I do not know. It could cause other houses allied with us to revolt. I strongly advise against this, especially with the Lord Invigilator in Everlight.”

Elias sighed and nodded. ”Then we need ideas. If money is the issue, there must be some way to find some.”

”Your Highness.” Edward Chamber spoke up, ”Should the Lord Invigilator act before the Douglas Decree is enacted, it could provide justification to begin seizing Church wealth. Although the act of a fair trial for Smallfolk is hardly enforced, some laws around it exist. It will only work so long as they begin executions before the decree is in place, as well as a lack of proof of a fair trial. Then any wealth seized, we justify as paying damages enacted upon the people.” The room looked at Edward with strange looks.

The man was silent and scrawny, humped-backed by how much he slouched. His face was hidden behind long, unkempt brown hair, and he wore grey robes a size too big. For most, he hid in the background, and many wondered how he even got a place on the council, the man hardly having a word to say.

”It’s possible.” Lord Deacon said after mulling over it, ”A very flimsy way of doing so and will see a loss of church support, but those within the Clergy who dislike the Douglas Decree will turn a blind eye. It should also be enough of an excuse for the Lord of the realm.”

”Then.” Elias clapped his hands and rose. ”Lord Chamber, find any and all documents you need. Now, secondly,” Elias turned to face Tristan. ”You will need to leave the palace soon. The King is soon to lay siege to the Waterway. Should it fall, he has ordered a Cosmaton to take his place and hold it.” Elias smirked and stepped down the steps. In his gaze, he had a mocking look. ”I would trust Matthew far more than you, cousin, but he does not have the heart to hold such a position. As I cannot leave the Palace, this will fall upon you.”

Walking towards Tristan, he rested a hand on his shoulder and stared into his eyes. ”You must hold the Waterway, no matter the cost, when you arrive. Even if it means death, do not let it fall.” Patting his shoulder a final time, Tristan couldn’t help but feel sick at Elias’s actions. There were far easier ways to kill, and ways that weren’t as detrimental to the war effort.

Tristan knew he wasn’t a good enough tactician for such a position and could only pray that Anton at least saw fit to leave someone with him who understood warfare. ”The court dismissed,” Elias said, walking off, followed by his King’s Guard.