Conseil du Royaume

[_Tristan_]

The King enters the Conseil, with a dark and brooding look.

My sons, my Lords,

Though I have been away to deal with some matters of state, your exact words have been reported to me.

First, let me state, Henri, that my silence was never an acceptance of your position but simply due to circumstances that kept me from these chambers.

You pretend to have the law in your favour but you simply twist it so. The main problem comes from the fact that your Duke died without a valid will. In doing so, he prevented you from inheriting his lands on his deathbed. For our Charter states that lands of a noble should go the the highest noble of his feudal chain but that only means that should one of his vassal had died in his stead, the Duke would have inherited those lands.

This rule has been made part of our charter so that our Duchies retain some structure with the passing of their lower members.

But this rule doesn't mean that on the death of the Duke, his lands pass on to its highest ranking vassal. This was not the intent of our Charter.

So though I gave you late Duke Thomas' title, his lands are forfeit to you, for lack of a stipulation in your favour. Hence these lands revert to the King's Demesne.

In the light of your good service for the Royaume, and with the fact that you made Frankfurt your capital, I hereby officially confirm its ownership to you and your Duchy.

As to the de facto holding of the Ducal lands and thus their de facto ownership, no such things exist in our charter. Neither do the men serving under your orders truly are yours : do you pay for their wages out of your pockets ? Doesn't our treasury provide for them ? Haven't I diverted large sums from the treasury to help you hold the border against the Reich ?

I see no ill-conduct in Lorraine's men being the stewards of lands that belong to the King. It is a sensible way of governing. And I do not see how the fact I'm reclaiming my rights to Staufen endangers your Duchy as you seem ready to part with it, so easily.

Furthermore, I do not see how giving Staufen to your brother would strengthen your southern border. The Duchy of Bourgogne is already doing its work in holding off the Germans at Bern and could also help deal with them at Staufen, should it prove necessary. Neither is the birth of another Duchy necessary.

Had Charles acted any other way but as a spoiled brat, I might have considered making him Duke of Albion so that I could leave this islands under his protection, but his blunt way of asking wohtout having once proven his valour almost had me sent back to his nanny for manner lessons.

Now, we finally come to the adoption. I do not see the point in bringing Sieur de la Salle into our family. Though the man clearly has merits, he is not the only one so deserving. He's not even truly willing to be part of us, as he stated clearly before this body.

So, not being the rightful owner of Staufen, you have no right to give it to your brother. So will your brother now accept to accept your vassal into the family ?

I'll see what your brother has to say to this.

(OOC : This post should come before the adoption. Hence, we'll go back to the previous save or go on with the current one depending on whether Ibn confirms it or not).

[Braden]

Father,

I assume that you have consulted with the Law-Givers of our land and as I have stated before I bow without issue to the law of the land if you have done. ((OOC: Got details from Zim on how he wants this to go))

I see that you have no issue with me or my Duchy from your words as before I believed this to be so. I thank you for your clarification.

As to Staufen, again I assume that you wish my Duchy to maintain its defence for this time? We will do so now as we ever have.

I thank you for confirming Frankfurt within the Duchy of Lorraine also.

As to what my brother will do is entirely to him. I offer him a place within the Duchy of Lorraine, again, if he wishes it and he need not swear fealty to me or any other within the Duchy. Such a pledge by me will allow him, in a short time perhaps, to have a province of his own to govern and prove himself and eventually a Duchy of his own…if ratified…without needing to break any oaths.

Baron de la Salle is currently content I believe though he was, of course, ecstatic at the prospect of joining our family and the benefits it could give him in the future. He will be upset should my brother now refuse the offer but that is my issue to address thereafter.

As to the issue of coin, Lorraine adds to the coffers as do all Duchies and I do not believe we have taken more than our share as Duc Thomas once pointed out. War is an expensive business and the quicker we can bring this one to a beneficial conclusion the better.

I rest the issues now, as I believe they has been addressed to as amicable conclusion as they could be.

((OOC: EDITED as this is still "up in the air" due to neededing OOC clarification that there has been an official ruling from Zim))

[Ibn-Khaldun]

Spoiled brat? Asking without proving my valour?

But how can I prove myself if I don't have assets and settlements for that? Should I ride alone against German or Danish army?

I wanted to prove myself and I only needed one settlement to that!

But now I don't know what I should do since to you, father, my requests are the requests of "spoiled brat".

Charles shakes his head and sighs...

I'll go and join Henri in east. At least I know there I am welcomed...

Charles stands and leaves the council..