The Jesters Court

The western borders require our attention Milord. There has been news of a new band of outlaws.Your Highness, we simply must discuss the kingdoms taxes.Bugger the taxes, your Majesty we must talk about the safety of the inner sanctum of the kingdom. Petty crimes have doubled since last year, please if you could allocate more men to the Kingdoms Watch.These demands were just a few of the many which were given to me. It is expected of a King to listen to his subjects, especially his Ministers; however, the continuous rants were beginning to tire me. What was more, it was almost impossible to please them all, and the solving of one problem often meant ignoring another. Of course, this was a daily occurrence; today however the problems seemed endless and worse than usual. And the situation was beginning to get heated.Bugger the taxes?! Without those buggered taxes you wouldnt have a coin to pay for the men you do have. If anything, you and your Watch are being paid too much.What are you insinuating sir?It is quality not quantity that shows the worth of a man. If the men you have cannot keep this kingdom safe what makes you think more men will solve the problem?There is no point to this, should the borders fall, the entire kingdom will be in threat!Dont make a mountain out of a molehill you coward.How dare you!It did not go above my notice they had stopped addressing each other by their proper titles. If things got any worse there would be an all-out war right here in the court. Our history was already bloody with the death of ministers, we did not need anymore.Gentlemen. I said to no avail. Gentlemen! I said again but the ministers could not hear me over their own arguing, I was beginning to lose my patience, GENTLE-CRASH.The entire court, myself included, turned to see the cause of the disturbance. The noise had come from the other side of the hall, from the tables where the courts luncheon and refreshments where kept. Correction: where they had been kept. Half of the food and the drinks were on the floor; in the middle of the mess, flat on his back, was the court jester, surrounded by the food, his juggling-balls and his clubs. He sat up warily, staring at the men of the court cross-eyed and gave a nervous giggle.Begging your pardon my good sirs and His high-and-mightiness. I was but practicing my practices when one of the balls decided that he did not wish to practice anymore.The court stared at the jester in contempt; none of the ministers were pleased by the interruption. However they were no longer arguing, so seeing my chance I took it, Gentlemen.This time I was able to attract the attention of the ministers, All of the problems you have spoken of have equal weight. But fighting amongst ourselves will not solve them.But I must say good sirs, you were showing an excellent reconstruction of the beginning of the first internal war, said the jester. Truly no one could match your motley prowess.One of the ministers, who was standing behind the jester, gave him a hard smack on the back of his head. Quiet Fool, no one asked for your opinion.Indeed the day this court requires the opinion of a jester, would be the beginning of the end of this kingdom.All laughed heartily at this joke, all except the jester and myself.We have had enough insults in this court, I would ask you to act as the ministers you are.All of them looked sullen at being scolded, but who wouldnt, after being scolded by a king. Well sirs, we have heard all of your complaints; I suggest we end todays court proceedings here.Your highness, we still have not yet reached any decisionsAnd I do not think we will be reaching any today. As I was saying, your complaints have been heard but now we need time to ponder over them. Now, normally we end the proceedings with a luncheon; however given the circumstances The entire court stared at the jester who gave a sheepish grin and stared guiltily back. His clothes were dripping with the juices from the meats and the liquids from the beverages; I suggest we all return to our homes, we will see you again in the morrow.The ministers slowly made their way down the hall and out of it. I was glad to see the backs of them. Soon the entire court was empty except for the jester and I.Well, your majesty, it appears the court is ours. Would you care to see some of my new tricks?Does that include more of our food getting crashed into and spilling?Oh no your majesty, that was for the benefit of a distraction!I had thought as much. Thank you for that! Go and change into some cleaner clothes, once youre done return here. We have much to discuss.Indeed you do my liege! By your leave then.It was a well-kept secret between him and me. Although he was the courts jester, he had wits that rivaled anyone else in the court, myself included. I had noticed his wit and intelligence early on, when we were children, him an apprentice and I a Prince. Back then, we would perform much mischief and would leave everyone guessing as to who had done it. Most of the mischief was of his planning but they were harmless in nature. When my time to become king approached, it was he who provided me the most comfort, and I knew that as long as this man was by my side to counsel me, the kingdom would prosper, and it had. I once put it across him to make him a proper minister of the court; however he balked at the idea, saying ministers died far too much and far too often for his liking. No one paid attention to the courts Fool though. And so it came to pass that he would play the fool, all the time listening the comings and goings of the court; and at the end of it, the two of us would discuss what to do best, privately. This of course meant that I, as the King, would get all the recognition even if it was my friend the jester who helped make the decisions. He didnt seem to mind at all! However, more often than not, as we discussed what would be the best course of action for the kingdom, I was the one who felt the fool, and I am sure if any one of my subjects ever heard of this, they would agree with me. Indeed my name would more likely be King Fools-ear.Speaking of fools, my friend the jester had returned. He still wore a motley outfit, but at least it was not stained with wine and foods.Right then, your Majesty, he said, as he sat next to me, setting aside his juggling-balls and clubs; What would be the first order of business?

THE END