Farewell King

Posted on Wed Mar 15th, 2023 @ 12:44am by Emperor Antonius VI & Crown Prince Paolo Orsini
Edited on on Thu Jul 13th, 2023 @ 10:19pm

Mission: Historiae Terrae Et Imperii
Location: Emperor's Office, Imperator
Timeline: Date 2371-07-24 at 1600
1647 words - 3.3 OF Standard Post Measure

They had kicked off the Feast of Heroes with pomp and energy and Antonius had made the noteworthy declarations that announced a great deal of change in the politics of the Empire. Following the initial feast, he and Cosima retired to their apartments to change clothes and to refresh themselves away from crowds. Neither of them were truly done, nor would they really be until the entire season had elapsed. She had a quiet meeting with a handful of flag officers and he wanted to have a serious conversation with his heir. He changed from his suit into one more suitable for a relaxed conversation and then made his way to his office. Sending a valet to fetch the boy, he settled behind his desk and opened his government box.

The changes which he had put in place were a strain on his work load, and often in the past few weeks, he had returned to his desk longer than was normal after the events of the day were over. He and his box were dedicated friends, and the crimson leather on it, engraved with the golden letters “AA”, Antonius Augustus, and a golden laurel wreath, was polished in the way he preferred.

Paolo had changed into a sweater-vest and comfortable slacks. When the valet arrived to summon him, he sighed. He’d been planning to go and call on Amalie, but it seemed that would have to wait until he was done with his father. He walked through the Imperial Apartments which he shared with his parents, stopping at the large door to his father’s office. Without ceremony, he opened the door and walked in. Closing it behind him, he found his father sitting behind the desk putting pen to off-white paper, surrounded by a room full of wooden shelves and books. Since the apartment was in the center of the saucer section of Imperator for better protection, one would never know they were on a starship. The fake windows provided a holographic view of a rural nighttime yard.

“Father.” he said simply, and approached the desk.

“Paolo, hello. Have a seat.” Antonius said, finishing his signature and placing the document to the side next to the box. He looked up at his son, soon to be the only one he had.

Paolo did what his father bid him and sat in one of the comfortable seats on the other side of his large desk. He seemed calm and at ease, but much of it was his desire to get back to Amalie.

“How do you think things went today, son?”

“I thought it went well. People seemed very happy with your announcements, especially the military payments.” Paolo answered, giving it only a few seconds thought first.

“Yes, they did.” Antonius said, leaning back in his chair and placing his hands on his slightly plump belly. “And the announcement of the Imperial Senate being restored?”

“People were hesitant at first; I think they were amazed. But the common people seemed most supportive once the clapping started again.” Paolo answered again, giving it more thought than his answer to the first question.

“And why were the lords so hesitant, do you think?”

Paolo paused this time, his eyes moving to the desk and then to the fireplace. His mind worked, and he didn’t rush to an answer. Eventually, he turned his eyes back to his father.

“Because they have nothing to gain from the change.” he said, thinking through it again for a moment. “Why would they care what the common people get? It’s got nothing to do with them. So they didn’t clap because they didn’t care, maybe?”

Antonius listened to his son with the brand of obvious patience he had cultivated long ago, not demanding the right answer, but watching how the boy thought.

“Hmmm. Is that what you think?” he asked rhetorically, implying the answer was incorrect but not saying it quite as such. “Tell me, Paolo, what the changes are and what they entail.”

“You are reinstating the Imperial Senate with a membership of 100 citizens elected by all Pure-Bloods present on Terra during the time of the elections. And you are restoring the Council of Lords to its old role as the guarantor of the system of government and the guardian of the work of the Senate. You’re also reducing their numbers from 30 to…” he paused them, seeming to suddenly realize something. “11.”

“Do you see it now?” Antonius asked, raising an eyebrow. “Why did they not clap enthusiastically for this constitutional change?”

“The Council of Lords has been toothless for half a decade and they know that isn’t going to change in the current system…but they perhaps feel they have to share something with the commoners in the Senate they haven’t had to share for decades.”

“And what is that something, boy?” Antonius asked, lacing his fingers. He was still patient and quiet. There was something in the old man’s twinkling eyes that was rare to be seen. Perhaps it was anticipation or even hope.

Paolo thought for several seconds, looking away as if his father’s gaze was itself a distraction. After a pregnant pause, he looked back again.

“Prestige…primacy.” He gave the answer decisively, like he was sure he’d arrived at the right answer.

Antonius smiled gently, nodding one time. He was pleased his new heir had arrived at the answer in just a few seconds. Giuseppe had never arrived at a conclusion on his own, but always needed to be spoon fed. He’d begged for the answer with his eyes, he’d guessed, and he’d grunted.

“Yes.”

Paolo gave an expression that communicated a mixture of understanding and curiosity, looking more common than was typical for him. He sighed and offered a shrug.

“I suppose it doesn’t matter if they’re bothered in the end, does it? After all, you are the Emperor. What can they do against you?”

Antonius raised his eyebrows at the question and didn’t seem to be ready to respond to it. He seemed strangely surprised at the comment and mused in his head, looking around the wooden room and seeming to toss the question around in his brain. Eventually, however, he sighed and stood from the chair, moving slowly. He was aging, after all. The Emperor walked to the fireplace behind his desk chair and looked into the flame. Still, he was silent. Then, at once, he began to speak a quote from literature, his back still to Paolo.

“For God's sake, let us sit upon the ground
And tell sad stories of the death of kings;
How some have been deposed; some slain in war,
Some haunted by the ghosts they have deposed;
Some poison'd by their wives: some sleeping kill'd;
All murder'd: for within the hollow crown
That rounds the mortal temples of a king
Keeps Death his court and there the antic sits,
Scoffing his state and grinning at his pomp,
Allowing him a breath, a little scene,
To monarchize, be fear'd and kill with looks,
Infusing him with self and vain conceit,
As if this flesh which walls about our life,
Were brass impregnable, and humour'd thus
Comes at the last and with a little pin
Bores through his castle wall, and farewell king!
Cover your heads and mock not flesh and blood
With solemn reverence: throw away respect,
Tradition, form and ceremonious duty,
For you have but mistook me all this while:”

Antonius paused in his strain and turned around to look at his son, his glistening eyes showing the depth of his engagement with the passage.

“I live with bread like you, feel want,
Taste grief, need friends: subjected thus,
How can you say to me, I am a king?”

He had given the performance with great enthusiasm and without reservation. It was moving, and as Paolo’s eyes softened at his father’s words, he seemed to understand.

“Shakespear; Richard II.” he said, his hands crossing over him and catching his arms, preparing to recall a lesson his father had given him often. “All men must die, and no man rules alone.”

“That’s right, my boy. That’s right.” Antonius said, taking several steps toward Paolo and placing a hand on his shoulder. “So, if that bit of wisdom is truly wise, why then shall there be a Senate and a smaller set of lords?”

“You need the support of the military and the people more than that of the lords.” Paolo answers.

“The Empire has always been the Emperor, the Imperial Senate, and the Military. Lords came and went by the whims of the Emperor unless he was very weak, but those institutions are the ones with the power to make a difference. Now that we have given the military more power than ever, I must bring them back into the fold and, to do that, I need the Imperial Senate, the proving ground of veterans entering politics. Or else, when I die and this Empire is yours, it will be very hard for you to sleep peacefully.”

Paolo’s mind worked over the lesson his father had given him and lingered in the passage from Shakespeare just given. He was silent for the space of several moments and Antonius didn’t interrupt his thinking. Then, when he was done, he gave himself a nod.

“I understand.”

“Good.” Antonius said, lifting his head slightly and lowering himself into the chair once more. “Now, I hear that you’ve been getting acquainted with Amalie Cochrane. Is she..to your liking?”

Paolo offered a smile, boyish and full of meaning. He thought of her and, as he did, his eyes lit up in an inspiring way.

“Yes, Father. She is very much to my liking.” he said.

“That’s good too.”

END