Thread by @EmporersNewC

The coronation had ended, and the new king of Prettanikē stood looking out of his window at the beautiful palace garden before finally returning to review the text of his treaties.

‘The time has come for action’, the king thought, as he summoned for his new advisor.

“Metis, I must get out of these treaties because they limit my power”, the King exclaimed.

“Yes, your majesty”, said Metis, “All treaties involve an investment of power in the common concern of your country”.

“That’s not good enough”, replied the king becoming agitated. “I want supreme power. I won’t be a real king unless I have supreme power over my country.”

And so began a long discussion that went on into the night. Many issues were raised, and for some of the problems Metis brought to light the king was able to offer solutions.

For some of the issues Metis raised, however, the king simply said “When I have complete power, I will be able to solve these problems”.

Metis, however, was not in a position to question the king any further.

At the sound of the cock crow Metis finally asked the king “Is this your instruction?” and the king, without hesitation, replied “Yes!”

With that instruction the King set his government to work looking at ways to end the treaties Prettanikē had agreed with its neighbouring countries.

The first thing the King’s government discovered was that one treaty would reduce the amount of money that was coming into the North of Prettanikē, an area of the kingdom where poverty was at its highest.

The second thing the government learnt was that that the cancellation of one of the treaties would damage the industries that relied on being able to competitively export to foreign lands.

The third thing the government learnt was that although they would get back some of their fishing water, they would also lose some, and the ability to sell the fish that was caught to other kingdoms would be hampered.

More and more problems were discovered until, after several years, and at considerable cost, the government concluded that this would be very bad for the kingdom indeed.

With genuine concern for the kingdom, the government called the king’s chamber together to discuss the matter with the king’s advisor, Metis.

On listening to the government, the barons and baronesses of the chamber had deep concerns for the country, but the king was still an unknown quantity and this also worried them. This led to many questions being asked of Metis.

To the baron of Cumbria, who asked if the issues raised by the government had been presented to the king in their original discussion, Metis thought hard.

Finally he replied “Not all of them, no, and the ones we did discuss were only talked about hypothetically. We did not discuss them in concrete terms.”

To the baroness of Cornwall, who asked if the King was so arrogant as to ignore the new information in front of him, Metis said “I don’t know.”

“but”, Metis said, “what if the king is not arrogant? What if you are preventing him wisely reassessing his original position?”

To the baron of Surrey, who asked if the king was so ideologically driven by the notion of his own power that he would be prepared to destroy the kingdom for it, Metis said “I don’t know.”

“but”, Metis said, “if the king is so disposed, it is his right, but we must also hope, for all our sakes, that he is not a selfish and inconsiderate king.”

To the baroness of Bristol, who asked if the King was a merciless tyrant who would chop off their heads if they dated return to him for further instruction, Metis said “I don’t know.”

“but”, Metis said, “if you are all able to send troops to their death to protect this country, and not prepared to risk your own necks, then you do not deserve the positions you hold”.

The chamber finally concluded, after considerable heated discussion, that Metis must return to the king with the government’s new found information for further instruction.

As agreed in the chamber, Metis returned to the king with the problems before the government. He discussed the problems that would befall the kingdom, and the king reviewed them carefully.

Discussions were had around the known problems ahead, and the king was able to weigh these up with the solutions he was able to come up with before making a final decision.

Prettanikē was to enjoy many years under the rule of the wise and good king until he finally passed away. The state funeral was attended by thousands of people who then gathered to sing songs celebrating the life of the king.

Stood amongst the singers was Metis who has begun to wonder ‘what if there was no king?’, ‘what if Prettanikē was to adopt the Greek method of rule by the people?’

“Would these people hold the same principles and virtues that they admire and love in a king, or would they reject them?” he thought.

“Would the people, after issuing an instruction, insist that it is delivered to the bitter end at any cost? Would they act like tyrants to their government instead of developing an understanding of the problems that it faced?”

“Would they selfishly put their own wants over the needs of the kingdom? Would they insist their instructions be carried out regardless of the damage to their subjects?”

“Would they be so arrogant as to refuse to reassess the situation when it was better understood?”

“More to the point”, he thought, “what if the representatives in the chamber didn’t have the courage to find out?”

Metis eventually concluded he had faith in the people. He believed they would represent the virtues they adored in a king or queen.

Then his thoughts turned to the next king, and his imminent coronation. /End