Golden afternoon sunlight beamed through the wide windows of the gallery that connected the state reception rooms of the Ardiapur Palace with the Autokrator’s Apartments. Laurenz walked down this past the marble busts of former rulers of Rhand and Ardia towards the armed guards in traditional formal uniform. His current escort who had met him at the Palace gate was the ‘Valet of the Gallery’ which as far as Laurenz had ever been able to determine was an unenviable junior court appointment for minor Nomarchs the sole task of which was to escort visitors to the threshold of the Autokrator’s Apartments. Still he reasoned that such a position would allow one to keep a finger on the pulse of court life knowing at all times who was visiting the Autokrator and for how long, there was always the opportunity also to extract the occasional nugget of information from more loose lipped visitors and as any member of the Rhandic nobility knew information was a valuable commodity.
Having reached the doors the Valet selected one of five velvet ropes hanging against the wall and pulled it in a set pattern causing a bell to chime within the apartments – three short rings a gap of a second or two and then one final long ring. The tone of the bell and the pattern were part of a long established system to inform the occupants within the chambers beyond the rank of the visitor in order that the correct level of servant should come to escort them into the rooms beyond.
Laurenz sighed lightly; despite having been raised in such an environment he still found the intricacies of court protocol to be stiflingly formal. Soon the door opened to reveal the slightly elderly stooped figure of the Lord Master of the Chamber, a man who as Laurenz recalled was a third or second cousin of his.
“Greetings Your Majesty” said the old man.
“Greetings Lord Master, I trust you find yourself well?” replied Laurenz.
“In so far as one is able in the circumstances Your Majesty.” He said attempting to repress a mournful look as he glanced at the Valet with the clear implication that it was not appropriate to speak further in front of the junior courtesan “If you so care please allow me to escort Your Majesty to the Chamber.” He said as he moved aside allowing Laurenz to enter the Apartments.
The doors closed behind them with a heavy thud and they started to make their way down the length of the first of the state rooms. The Autokrator’s Apartments were an enfilade of ten rooms with each becoming progressively more grand, formal and restricted. The first seven rooms from Laurenz’s past experience were normally bustling with life as courtesans and visitors went about their activities, however today the rooms were almost silent the only people present being the menial servants and guards of the Autokrator.
Laurenz had become increasingly uneasy at the lack of life in the Apartments, the absence of the usual personages meant that whatever had happened was serious enough to warrant the suspension of Court. This only ever happened when there was an absolute need to prevent leaks of information. Upon entering the eighth room known as the Chamber of Familiars Laurenz was greeted by a gathering of the Princely Counsel who were sat around in hushed discussions. Upon noticing his arrival they ceased and rose to their feet at which point he was approached by Prince Theofilus.
Laurenz spoke first “I see you have suspended Court, is it really all that bad Theo?”
Theofilus winced at the shortening of his name before recomposing himself “In the present circumstances I can forgive the slip in protocol Your Majesty” he said with insincere meekness “But yes, I fear the situation is quite grave. As such I felt it was crucial that we maintain control of the flow of information, we would not want to cause unnecessary panic.”
“I see” Said Laurenz “Can I speak with him?”
“I am afraid not Your Majesty… the Chief Physician will explain.” Said Theofilus as the door to the Autokrators Bed Chamber opened a small way and a tired looking man wearing the unmistakeable trappings of the medical profession emerged.
Laurenz immediately broke off his conversation with Theofilus and approached the doctor “Chief Physician, how unfortunate to have to see you here.” He said “I hear that I will not be able to speak with His Majesty the Autokrator?”
The doctor sighed “I suppose you ought to come in” he said before opening the door and inviting the Crown Prince in. Inside the room Laurenz was confronted with a scene more shocking than he had initially been expecting. The Autokrator lay on his bed, his skin pale and seemingly stretched thin over his skull, his eyes closed and sunken in their sockets. He was surrounded by vast collection of medical equipment with multiple tubes entering his body while an electronic ventilator wheezed rhythmically.
“Can he hear me?” asked Laurenz
“I’m afraid not Your Majesty. We have had to induce a coma to give his body a chance to recover” replied the physician.
“What is the prognosis?”
“It is hard to say really; from the scans we have it appears that the initial stroke has destroyed the parts of His Majesty’s brain that deal with language processing and comprehension. Unfortunately against my advice the Princely Counsellors insisted that His Majesty be sent abroad for further medical treatment and the stresses on His Majesty’s body during the plane journey resulted in a second stroke which has damaged the part of the brain responsible for breathing, without ventilation His Majesty would be dead in minutes.” The doctor hesitated for a moment before continuing “It brings me great sadness to say it, but there is no real prospect of recovery from the state His Majesty now finds himself. It is not a question of if His Majesty will pass, but rather when and in what manner. For now His Majesty can be kept alive through medical intervention, however the longer this state persists the greater the risk of contracting a respiratory infection from the ventilator or other complication. At the most he can be kept in this state for a year, though really he could have another stroke at any time."
"I understand" said Laurenz as he turned and exited back into the Chamber of Familiars with its waiting gathering of Princes, seeing them there he felt sickened. He saw through their veils of faux melancholy, this gathering was akin to the vultures clustering around a dying animal waiting for it to drop. Each of them hoped to be in prime position when the time came to advance in the power structure of state. Even the most orderly of transitions led to this, the jockeying for a better appointment in the new Court.
"So. Do not keep me waiting, I know that you must have all discussed by now how we are to deal with this tragedy." said Laurenz. He was not surprised when Theofilus was the first to rise and speak.
"Your Majesty. Clearly this sad day has come far sooner than was anticipated or desired. As such there is a very real need to ensure the ongoing political stability of the Kingdom in this time of transition. The Patriarch has already made clear that there is an obligation to preserve the life of the Autokrator until such a time as God chooses to withdraw his soul, we of course agree fully with this sentiment. This also has the benefit of buying us time in order to prepare the Kingdom for the news. As Chief Counsel for State Communications I have already begun to put in place such a plan, the narrative we have decided to use is that the Autokrator is unwell but of sound mind and that you are to continue ruling in his stead. Once your reign is well established we will be in a position to break the news of his death when it comes."
