Lovesick
The voices of the arguing men could be heard outside the closed room and through the corridor. They sat at a long table, dressed in either elegant noble garb or modest working attire, these squabbling captains of industry. They were the heads of the various business guilds in Colbrand, from blacksmiths to textile workers, all thinking they deserved the biggest piece of the pie and projected it by bickering over resources and coins.
The doors to the room then opened, and all eyes turned, expecting to meet the host of this get-together. Instead, they faced an interesting trio. On one side, a beautiful blond woman, around twenty years old, wearing a blue battle dress and carrying a bow. On the other side, a similarly captivating beauty with long crimson hair and a sunny smile, holding the trio's winter coats. Between them, a young girl wearing a witch's hat and tiny evening gown, smoking a long-stemmed pipe held in her small hand.
"Greetings, gentlemen. I hope you weren't all waiting for little old me," the girl said with a wry smile.
"Ah Cyrilo, you always love to be fashionably late," one man laughed.
"Isn't it a bit early for you to be so short? You told me you only turn into a wee lass in the wee hours of the morning," another man asked.
"I've been making some headway in solving my aging hex," said Cyrilo, walking around the table to an empty chair. "You could say my current state is a work-in-progress. Regardless, I wouldn't miss this for the world, especially as the head of the newly-formed brothel guild." She took a seat, but her chin barely came above the table.
"Now that you've taken down the church, your little pet project can finally grow to fruition. Congratulations, you're close to your ultimate dream of ruling Colbrand with an iron fist," said a third man.
"My rule would be a gentle utopia, you know that."
Alexis and Sophia took their places against the wall behind Cyrilo, along with several other bodyguards and attendants brought for the meeting. These days, Cyrilo never left the Knight's Sheath without them, even to come here, the palace. They had become famous for revealing the church's schemes and corruption, how the clergy planted their agents in the military, using their authority as knights to commit murder, arson, and all manner of immoral acts in the name of their gods. Anyone who became a threat to the church or challenged their doctrine was eliminated and their removal was covered up.
Since then, the king had been working to purge Uther of the shadow council organizing the assassinations. Every priest was arrested and questioned, and every church and clergy safehouse was searched for evidence and ill-gotten gains. The purge was a mixed blessing. The actual churches were mostly untouched, as well as the priests innocent of any wrongdoing, all to protect the faith and the citizens' access to their houses of worship.
Removing the fetid, corrupt order was necessary for every system occasionally, but not everyone was happy to see it go. To oppose the church was to oppose against the gods, a mindset pushed by all religions, and plenty of people believed it. Having their spiritual leaders arrested for everything from bribery to assassination was disheartening, to say the least, and challenged their beliefs. When faced with new evidence contrary to their beliefs, the mature and intelligent will change their views, but most don't have what it takes to admit being mistaken about what they hold dear. For the fools of the world, unpleasant truths and inconvenient changes were always the result of hoaxes and conspiracies.
Armies of zealots challenged the purge, accusing the kingdom of framing their most pious deacons and cardinals. The clergy wasn't corrupt; it was obviously the king, and who started the king on this warpath? Madam Cyrilo. For months, the Knight's Sheath had been attacked and vandalized by angry citizens trying to avenge their fallen clergy.
It wasn't all that different from the usual level of controversy the Knight's Sheath generated and the ire it invoked, and these lacked the planning and authority of the attacks made by the clergy. Though the messes were annoying to clean up, Alexis relished the action. Fighting kept her from getting bored, and her day felt wasted if she didn't get to punch someone who deserved it.
Finally, the meeting host arrived, a man in a government uniform with long hair and a scar over his eye. "Apologies for the delay, everyone. There was a last-minute issue that required my attention."
"There you are, Lord Strauss. Finally we can get down to business instead of waiting with our thumbs up our asses," the leader of the blacksmith guild said.
Strauss was one of the king's advisors, focusing on the nation's wealth and economy. Though the kingdom had ceded most of its control over the private sector to the nobles in exchange for military power, no business or group could reach a specific size without the government involved.
"Yes, I have invited you all here today to talk to you about the Arena Project."
"Don't tell me it's still stalled," said the head of the fishermen's guild. "I could see that thing from the sea, growing like a giant barnacle, and then it just stops?"
"That's why we're here. Due to troubles in Handent, more of the imperial budget is being spent on bolstering defenses and troop presence. As such, funding for the stadium has hit a momentary snag."
"I thought the king was paying for it with all the wealth accrued from the church purge. I heard stories of chests full of jewels, gold statues, and elven silk being wheeled out of the cardinals' mansions," said Cyrilo.
"Let's just say that the church is good at hiding its assets. As such, the flow of wealth has halted, as has construction of the arena."
"And the king wants us to foot the bill, is that right?" asked the head of the farmers' union.
"Temporarily. At most, you would be funding around 15% of the arena."
"Dwarven labor doesn't come cheap," said the banking guild leader.
"They're the best stonemasons and architects in the world, and since Vandheim is nothing but snow and mountains, they're used to building in the cold," another man stated.
"To think that the king would commission such a massive project in such a short time frame. A massive stone stadium, completed in less than a year? Even with earth magic, it's preposterous," said the fisherman.
"Preposterous if it fails, genius if works," said Cyrilo. "Every year, Knight's Day is sullied by the bloodshed of the Red Revelries, and the past two years have been particularly damaging to both the city and the country. Arresting and killing the revelers has failed as a deterrent, so why not find a way to profit off this wellspring of bloodlust? An arena, where we can put these murderous fools to work for the entertainment of the people. Give them the battle they crave and rake in the money. I wish the king had thought of this years ago."
"I'm glad you are in agreement as to its merits. If it is to be completed before next year's Knight's Day, the kingdom will need help in funding it. That is where you come in," said Strauss.
