Excerpt: A Wolf in King Arturius's Court
This is a lot more of the short story that I am working on. I tried to focus more on the late 1800's side of steampunk but later on there will be steampunk. The story is going to follow Friedrich who is the heir to his late father's County as goes to live in the House of his Leige who is not an Anthropoid or a Human. More to be revealed on how that happened later. It also will go with topics about Progressive era politics and the complications there is when you have multiple races living under one King.
It starts out with a letter from Friedrich to his childhood sweetheart and I don't know if it works as I'm not sure how an aristocratic 12 year old would write to another 12 year that he intends to marry so I tried my best. I know what there to more or to have it broken into parts I just don't know entirely how I'm going to do it
Dearest Elisabeth,
_ I write to you now as mother scorns out the window of the carriage at the capital and its inhabitants. She remarks that "at least up north we know how to keep our streets clean of vagrants." I have no idea to what she is talking about, I look out the window and I see people who are only trying to live their lives as best as they can. I still don't understand why we had to make this journey from our homeland hundreds of kilometers to here. Mother is a strong woman and surely should could take care of the County on her own. I will miss its forests and people the most._
Your greatest friend,
Friedrich
(Mother insists that I start putting IV after my name but I think it is foolish because I am the only Friedrich who would be writing as I am your one and true. I may be twelve now but I intend to make you my countess Elisabeth. I wish all the love my twelve year old heart can give from my Majesty's court.)
"A Wolf in King Arturius's Court"
Lord-Captain William Feusier had for a long time now served as the Commandant of the House Guard for His Majesty Arturius VII, King of the United Archaian Commonwealth and Dominions. He loved thinking about it as being Commandant of the Royal House was pretty important considering the territory that House controlled. The Centurion Guard like to brag that they were the ones who protected the King but it was he, William Feusier, that guarded every member of House Gaius, the most powerful House in the Kingdom.
He considered himself a strong man from a strong family with strong ties to the Royal House. House Feusier had long served the Gaians and William was now their favorite son achieving a position so close to Major Domo, the most treasure Royal Appointment in all of the Kingdom. Poor dear sweet Octavian Vespius was reaching the end of long fulfilling career and the King would need a replacement, and who better than someone so close and familiar with the inner workings of the Palace than himself?
The Palace staff was in a frantic mood on this early summer morning scurrying about with things to do. He had caught several maids gossiping in the lower courtyards which isn't proper and had to scold them. He knew what they were all in a fuss about as a Countess from the northern lands and her son were coming to stay in the house of their liege. Upon hearing the death of the boy's father, the King had invoked his duty and right as liege lord to bring them here to palace for their safety and it was his job, as Commandant of the House Guard, to ensure that the safety here in the lands of his Majesty's House, was best.
There was some trouble with the Madurians of House Ustermar who always like to cause trouble ever since they lost their claims to the throne. Every couple of decades they would make some outlandish claims and drudge up an army to try and settle this dispute they had with House Gaius. After their last defeat about a hundred years ago it was made illegal to have internal military disputes inside the Kingdom. That had been at the beginning of His Majesty's Father's reign. The damn Madurians didn't even wait for the late King's body to cool before they marched on the Capital! Rest assured he wouldn't let them disrupt the peace of these palace grounds while his Lord's guests were here.
" The carriage you are expecting approaches my lord" states a page that ran up from the Forward Yard interrupting the Captain's train of thought.
"Yes. Yes! Run out the guard and open the gate for His Majesty's guests. I will not be shamed by something happening to them so close to the palace."
"At once my lord" he replied before saluting and running off to tell them of his commands. Feusier quickened his pace to make sure he was there when they arrived so that he could greet them as the king had instructed him to do.
It wasn't a long walk from the Canal Lawns to reach the Forward Yard and when he got there the carriage had just pulled through the gate onto the main driveway that looped in front of the Grand Entrance with its new marble stairs. Feusier quickly checked himself to make sure his dark green uniform, one of two, he was wearing was straight, his black shoes were un-scuffed (they were his nicer pair), and that his hair curls felt right and that his sideburns and mustache were groomed (not that he would be able to do anything about it). The other day he had caught a grey hair peeking out of dark brown hair which only could mean that he was getting wiser!
The carriage halted and servants in their dark green uniforms opened the carriage door while younger similarly dressed servants retrieved luggage from the back of the carriage. From inside the main compartment came a silver colored wolf in a large yellow dress topped with a yellow matching bonnet stepped out. Following her was a smaller, darker, more grayish colored wolf dressed in a dark blue suit and trousers.
"I am the Countess Louise von Dessau and this is my son the heir-apparent Friedrich von Dresden."
"It is a pleasure to meet you Countess and your son" he said bowing. "I am Lord William Feusier, Commandant of the House Guard. His Majesty has entrusted me into your service. I do apologize for the condition that the palace grounds are in for at the moment we are currently going through the fourth major renovation of the Palace so that we don't get surpassed by the new palaces the Humans of the Western Kingdoms are building these days."
"Yes how foolish of a venture of them. It is the opinion of most of my confidants that they should spend that money on their armies and not wasting it on turning deserts green if they wish to compete with the honor of His Majesty."
"Well said Countess."
"What renovations are you making to the palace Lord Feusier?" The Commandant look at the boy shocked at how assertive he had sounded as most kids his ages weren't very outspoken.
"During a yearly inspection there were several faults discovered growing in the walls so the King made the decision that it would be best to just replace and redesign everything instead of the usual repair. The walls except for the more historical Forum wall are going to be replaced with iron fencing and the landscaping is all being redone. The outside of the Palace is also going to be resurfaced."
"I find that a Palace is not only a symbol of a King anymore these days but also of its people and the people need to admire their prestige."
"I agree your lordship. Now if you will please follow me, the King wished to meet with you as soon as you arrived. Don't worry the stewards will handle your bags, Her Majesty has personally seen to your apartment." The good Captain led them up marble stairs into the Palace. "What we have here my lords is the Hundred Hall added to the palace after the assassination of King Tiberius III in five-twenty five. It is called that because one hundred Centurions tirelessly guard the hall at all times and make sure that no would-be assassin makes it to the throne room which at those times were in the front of the palace open to everyone."
"Has that been effective Lord Feusier?"
"It has been found that having two hundred well trained deadly eyes watching you when you have a sinister intent is a bit unnerving and people tend to give away their intensions."
"That handles the loons but what about experienced trained assassins that aren't unnerved by your security."
"Very good question your lordship. Well while it would be suicide to attack head on that you must be crazy or ambitious, and those who are ambitious can make it through this but then they must deal with the throne room guard and the king himself who is a formidable swordsmen and fighter. He did very much so enjoy boxing in his youth."
"I did hear some of his exploits back in Dessau as they were the talk of my father's court when it came time for the King to take the throne."
"Here we are my lords, the Grand Doors of Justinian. Carved from a single tree they stand at twenty meters in height and six meter wide with a two decameter thickness."
"They are beautiful" Friedrich stated in awe. The Captain had not lied about their stature. They were arched at the top and the faces of the door were chambered with panels of intricate designs that told of great moments in the history of the Kingdom. If Friedrich remembered correctly from his tutors, Justinian Gaius Sadow succeeded Lucius Flavius Sadow bringing the crown back into Gaian hands and moved the Capital from Akadium in Germania Minor here to Sadowium where the Tiberius River forks into the Shydow River. The door spun a very good picture of Justinian and his exploits. At the crown of the door was a large bust of Adaka the Great molded into the wall and it faced as though he was peering down which at one time would have been the Front Courtyard now this long hallway.