An Audience With The King RPG

[piosenniel]

***** DALE *****

It had been a long night, but well worth it, for Bard. He had closeted himself with the Master of the Guilds and the leading legal representative from the King's Council. And now he held in his hand the fruit of their labors.

They had hammered out a ten point proposal to King Elessar concerning, among other things, certain ongoing grievances and the need for a judicial representative of the High King's court to be made available in this region for the settling of such disputes.

Foremost, though, in the mind of the King and the Master was the need for Dale to secure certain rights of trade with areas just come open to them in the south. This was the area of the proposal which had taken the most time to delineate.

'There must be no appearance that Dale wishes to contravene the sovereign rights of the new regions.' About this, the King was quite clear. 'But the ability of Dale to secure and maintain her rightful place among the free-trading regions of Middle-earth must be understood and accepted.'

They had worked and reworked the wordings and had come to their final draft at the hour before first light. Now the King's quill moved over the vellum copy in bold strokes, signing his name. He took his great ring from off his hand and affixed his seal near his signature. Once the ink had dried and the wax set, he rolled it carefully and placed it within a tube of Dwarven silver for safekeeping.

He had called for wine then, and a dish of those sweet, dried southern fruits with which they might refresh themselves, and celebrate what promised to be the start of a new and prosperous era for Dale.

'Gentlemen! To Dale!' 'To Dale!' came the tandem reply.

It was then that Grim announced the arrival of Girion and Rubin, and bade them enter the council chambers. They both bowed low, and then Girion stepped forward to accept the silver tube from his father.

'I have sent word by our swiftest messengers that Rubin and I are on our way to meet with Orodan, to accompany them on this journey. We are packed and provisioned, and ready to set out to Eryn Lasgalen as soon as we have your leave, Father.'

'Then you have my leave, good sirs!' said Bard, looking with pride upon his son. And my heart, too he thought to himself.

He saw the pair to where their horses stood, and watched them mount. Rubin rode at Girion's side, a pack horse following. Bard stood and watched them for a long while as they moved in a westerly direction.

'Fare well!' he called after them. Their figures grew smaller in the distance, and then disappeared, as the road dipped down and then continued on.

[ October 09, 2002: Message edited by: piosenniel ]