More tears are shed over answered prayers than unanswered ones

[tmcd]

When Prince Kelson dragged himself into his afternoon lessons, Father Duncan McLain asked if there was anything he wanted to talk about.

Kelson smiled somewhat and said, "There's no point. It would just be whining."

Duncan replied, "The first confession was Adam blaming Eve for his own sin. Any man who can't stand whining had better not become a priest!" He didn't add his further thought, And you're twelve, lad, and you whine a bit more than you'd care to know.

Kelson took that as licence to unburden himself. "Father called me into the library to tell me that he's decided to send me out on a progress this summer."

Duncan raised his eyebrow. "The lion cub stretching his legs and roaming the territory! I'm afraid I don't see the problem."

Kelson sighed dramatically. "I was hoping maybe to hear the sails billowing out as we round Point Kentar into the Southern Sea, or to ride the verge of the wooded hills of Old Mooryn, or -- well, my imagination doesn't matter, because I'll be riding well within Haldane."

Duncan wordlessly gestured him to continue.

"I know the plain of Haldane is the core of the royal demesne. It's flat rich land, where we can count on lots of taxes, dues, fees, food, and men. They'll be flattered to meet their future lord, and I need to stroke them all I can. But it's carefully planted wheat and some barley, broken up by some carefully planted hedgerows and carefully planted coppices. It's dull. And all my suggestions of interesting side trips were met with, 'that's a good idea for a later trip'."

Duncan said drolly, "I'm sure the earl of Kierney would love to relieve you of some of your horribly boring rich farmland in exchange for some of his towering piles of rock. Would you like a dish of thistles too? As for boredom, we can find bards to sing exciting border ballads all day and night, each song ending with eleven verses of how most of the characters were slaughtered."

Kelson laughed genuinely. "Yes, I know I'm whining. I've listened to too many of the romances. But I still want something exciting! I want to see a thundering waterfall, or explore a mysterious cave, or sail to a foreign land of strange customs. And the first duty of a king or noble is to fight valiantly -- I want to lead a charge to save a beleaguered vassal, or show up to save the day!"


Back in the library, King Brion looked down at the wax tablet that showed his notes.

alroy xij

javan xvj

rhys michael xvj

owain iiij

uthyr xviiij

urien xx

malcolm xvij

brion xiiij

king at xxj years or older iiij

king younger viij

He meditatively rubbed out his notes with the blunt end of the stylus without looking.

He remembered the night his boyhood ended, when he last held his father's hand. Once it had seemed broad enough and strong enough to hold up all the world, but it was so limp, so shriveled, so very cold.

He remembered a few days ago, when his son's voice first cracked.

Lord, you know that I ask little of You, thinking fiat voluntas tua the most reverent prayer. But I pray for Your mercy now. I pray You may protect and keep this kingdom in peace and prosperity, church and laymen honoring You. And I pray You, please don't make Kelson become king at 14 like me!

[tmcd]

There's no evidence that Saint Teresa of Ávila ever said the title.

A mordant prequel to "LORD Richard Montgomery, and don't you forget it!"

In Deryni Rising, among King Brion's last words were "I want no weeping and wailing on my account" and "We obviously just aren't destined to --- oh!" [thud]. In that light, I make no apologies for prayers that God answered by metaphorically spiking the volleyball back into their faces. Repeatedly.

On average, probably half the ages of royal succession are too high by one year. For convenience, I was using the Haldane family tree at the back of Camber the Heretic, which gave the birth and regnal years but not the days. Let's say Brion's sources had the same problem.

For Roman numerals, the modern conventions were not standardized in the Middle Ages. In particular, subtractive notation (IV instead of IIII) was only sometimes used, and the last I in a sequence was sometimes written as J.

"the first duty of a king ... is to fight valiantly" was, as I understand it, quite true. When a chronicler of Henry II of England wrote that the king did not love war, that was a fairly serious criticism.

[revanne]

Love the little vignette of Kelson and Duncan. The attribution of the words of the title to St Teresa of Avila may be apocryphal but the sentiment sounds appropriate to her. 

[Laurna]

Wonderful! I enjoyed to see a moment with Kelson "Whining" to Duncan. I laughed at the thought of Kierney trading its towering pile of Rocks for the Haldane rich farmlands.

And too that was a very introspect moment of Brion comparing the ages of the past Haldanes when they became King. I would never have thought of that. It does show how hazardous to a long life it is to be the king.

Love it TMCD

[JudithR]

In canon Kelson's wishes are fulfilled.

[tmcd]

In canon Kelson's wishes are fulfilled.

And Brion's wishes too (except for peace). After all, Kelson didn't become king at 14. The man should have prayed a bit more carefully.

That was the point of the storylet. Especially that "I want to lead a charge to save a beleaguered vassal, or show up to save the day!" was him saving Duncan.

-- though later, reading the second Morgan book and re-reading Deryni Rising, I think the status of the next king before their coronation isn't clear, whether they are accounted as king or not. As I recall, there were a good number of "highness"es. (In English, by the way, I believe that "majesty" first got used by Henry VIII, that "highness" and "grace" were the custom before.)

[Laurna]

I don't know how it is in real life, but in Kelson's time, I believe he was Royal Crown prince at the age of Thirteen and did not become king until his fourteenth birthday. His mother was certainly even counting the hours for she would not let him have his coronation ceremony on his date of birth because he was born late in the day.  So his Coronation was set for the next day.
In your vignette,(which I love) Brion sending a wish for his son not to be king at 14 years of age, means to me, that he hoped to live through Kelson's 14th year.  At least his wish did not rebound upon him in total. It is fortunate that Charissa did not defeat Kelson at his Coronation, where-by he would never have become king.  But I believe that is Doctor M's story in the telling.

[tmcd]

Brion sending a wish for his son not to be king at 14 years of age, means to me, that he hoped to live through Kelson's 14th year

Yeah -- he just should have worded it a bit more carefully!

[Shiral]

Brion sending a wish for his son not to be king at 14 years of age, means to me, that he hoped to live through Kelson's 14th year

Yeah -- he just should have worded it a bit more carefully!

Kelson's fourteenth year and beyond. After all Brion himself wasnt't yet forty at the time of his death, and the healthy Haldanes (not Alroy, obviously) tend to be pretty long-lived. I'm sure that while he recognized potential threats to his life, Brion very likely still hoped to overcome those threats   to keep on living for several more years, even a few more decades. And hoped that by the time Kelson came to the Kingship, he'd be a grown man with more experience.

Melissa

[revanne]

Assuming that KK was using the model of European hereditary monarchy then the heir becomes King immediately on the death of the monarch. Hence "the King is dead, long live the King."

Coronation, or whatever ritual is used, does not make the King, though it may have religious or arcane significance and at the least provides for a public proclamation of the new reign.

However if the new King is a minor they may not have full exercise of their authority but be subject to a regent  which is what iirc is happening with Kelson  and Jehenna.

[Laurna]

That clears it up better, Kelson was officially Titled King at age 13. So In this story, Brion Did get his wish.(As you say, he should have worded it better...)

Thank you Revanne for the info.  Since Alaric always called Kelson, My Prince, as a form of endearment, it is hard to know just when the prince was officially titled King.

[Bynw]

From my understanding it's very much like the European model. Kelson officially became King at his father's death. Even though at the time he was still underage has he had not turned 14 yet. So it was a regency council that ruled in Kelson's name.

The coronation is a ceremony and was held the day after Kelson turned 14 since he was born at 2 in the afternoon.

[revanne]

Terry Pratchet, I don't remember in which book, postulated the existence of the only particle known to move faster than the speed of light, namely a kingon (or occasionally a quingon) given that the transfer of kingly power is instantaneous.

[DoctorM]

Terry Pratchet, I don't remember in which book, postulated the existence of the only particle known to move faster than the speed of light, namely a kingon (or occasionally a quingon) given that the transfer of kingly power is instantaneous.

I really like that.