The Duke and his advisor

 The Duke and his advisor

Theme - Tunnel Vision

Edward was the Duke of a minor principality of England. Unlike the other Dukes, Edward was never brought up for rule - he never grew up with the weight of the responsibility upon his head. His father was a general in the army of the king and his mother was the daughter of a local baron, a man of the vineyard. Growing up, Edward was left to himself - he would run around the Daffodil laden fields, hat upon head and pockets full of silver coins, waiting to fall out. Had it not been for the rather opportune death of the previous Duke’s son, his war-returned would have never been appointed Duke-heir and eventually Duke. When his father died one summer evening, Edward was still a young man of twenty five with cheeks still flushed; concerned, his grandfather, to send Nathaniel, his most trusted assistant to Edward’s duchy and along with him a note which read – ‘With intelligence must be tempered foresight’. 

Bakers, farmers, fishermen and all other townsfolk attended the pompous ceremony, held in the county ground, newly- fenced by his father due to concerns of hooliganism in the town precincts. As the finest wine flowed and the frosted cut was cut by embossed swords, resplendent Edward was declared Duke by the local pastor. It was then that Nathaniel, stroking his grey beard, approached Edward and bowed lowly, before proceeding to say, “My Lord! The townsfolk look happy, but you must keep them happy to prevent a rebellion”. With pursed lips, Nathaniel then suggested opening up the ground – a true return to the days of old. And in a moment of weakness, the edict was drawn and signed. It was not long before, all sorts of unsightly activities proceeded in the town grounds – the sale of illicit herbs, discussions of robbers and other vile men and drunk brawls between laymen. Despite their earnest attempts, the town’s small guard was unable to control the unfolding of these proceedings. With sweating foreheads they turned up in the town hall and requested the field be fenced again. But it was not be – before Edward could even finish understanding their request, old Nathaniel sauntered in and retorted,” The opening of the ground was the Duke’s appointment present – it would be rude for him to reverse that”. Without a second thought, Edward sent the police away, with a strong wave of his hand. 

In the days that followed, the bakers walked in, hats and aprons and all with the sole demand price of grain be brought down, for they were struggling to tread with all the debauchery in the duchy. Hearing their base voices, Edward quivered. He would have indeed frozen, if not for a timely interjection by Nathaniel, who with his bent back insisted that the Duke follow suit. “It will do well to control the peasants, useless they are”, he squealed with bent back. With the exit of the bakers, was the entry of the fishermen who demanded that they be allowed to fish from the town fishery, as opposed to the river. “The fish there are bigger”, they cried with faces squelching. Edward leaned towards Nathaniel, ever ready to help and before he could even explain how unreasonable of a request that is, Nathaniel urged immediate action. The fishermen must be kept happy he reasoned. 

In just a few weeks’ time, young Edward was met with a sight that no one would want to see. Hungry peasants, pitchforks pointed and torches, almost moving synchronously arrived at his doorstep. They demanded immediate drawing back of the reforms, with voices smouldering like the fires they held. Nathaniel took the privilege of responding for his beloved Duke, “You may take all your hand may hold from the duchy coffers”; upon the Duke’s innocent protestations, he tenaciously remarked about the inability of peasant folk to distinguish gold from bronze and retired, yawning to his chambers.

For the next few months, it was nought but events of this nature unfolding in the town hall. Although every individual had his demands met – but Edward, the Duchy was never happy. Almost everyone seemed to have some issue and almost inevitably, crafty Nathaniel approved their demands. This continued until summer turned autumn and autumn, winter. The winter that year was particularly harsh, peasants having gained treasures fit for Baron’s stayed at home in the summer past and the state reserves of crop were empty. A similar fate befell the state reserves of fish, with the fisher folk having harvested it all. On turning to the river that never failed them, all they could find was ice. The bakers were the worst hit, no one had any coins with them to buy the few loaves of bread they did produce. The word was out on the streets, from beggar to maid the talk was the despicable state of the town. ‘Oh! How poor a sight in comparison to the Duke’s ceremony just months ago!” was the talk of the streets. Any attempt to explain the course of events was supressed with scowl enough to silence a barking dog. 

And indeed they did bark, in the coming weeks. The lack of firewood was the last straw in the camel’s back, and very soon the whole town assembled in front of the town hall, pitch forks and all. Only this time, there were no torches because the lack of wood so poor that such was luxury. With hurried breath, a brooding Edward approached Nathaniel, expecting the support he always got, but it was not be. With demeanour as calm as ever, old Nathaniel expressed his inability to help, indeed there was only more request to grant. With chilliness equalling that of the winter, Nathaniel’s cry tempered that of the crowd – dethroning the Duke is the only way forward. The guard was not there to protect the poor Duke, for they were all summarily dismissed for their protestations or sent away to guard the town’s large ground – now withered and littered. Just as the crowd, led by his former advisor stormed in and vigorously slapped handcuffs on his still silken palms, the sound of horse hoofs were heard in the snow. 

Storming in the Baron, his grandfather, who had heard of the commotion in the Duchy glanced at Edward with heavy eyes, wailing, “Edward what have you done?”.