Early spring, six months before the start of Chapter One

Hugh I, also known by his subjects as Hugh the Elder or Hugh the Great, was a good and wise king. His lands spread far and wide, and his subjects loved him. When King Hugh I fell ill during a particularly cold and dreary winter, it was as if a great cloud settled over the castle village.

The villagers quietly went about business listening with one ear for news of their king's recovery. After weeks of hopeful prayer, word reached the village that the priest had been sent for.

The village buzzed quietly as the news spread among the subjects. Messengers were sent out to recall the King's children to him: the crown prince, three daughters, and a second son. A messenger was sent by the king himself to visit the garrison and fetch The Captain, as Sir Erec was known to all.

The village became silent and empty as the people congregated near the gates with their candles and prayers, awaiting anything from the castle, any word at all of their beloved king.

On that third night, a storm blew in, unlike any that came before. Only then did the people abandon the gates and return to their homes to watch as the skies shook violently and lightening flashed. Rain poured down in sheets and the winds blew fiercely. Fearful for what the night might bring, some murmured that the good king must surely be dead.

Inside the castle, the servants went about their duties quietly and sadly. They knew what the villagers did not yet know; that it was unlikely that their beloved king could last the night.

From the early morning a long procession of nobles paraded through to pay their last respects. Each was eager to leave a good impression on the failing king so that he might remember them when he made his final decree.

On that fateful afternoon, as the skies trembled and the tempest raged about the castle, all were sent from his majesty's presence, save for the priest and his most trusted Captain.

A few moments later, a servant was sent to fetch the scribe; and the people grieved. The time had come for the good king to make his final decree, and leave his subjects with his last instructions as their king.

Below stairs, nobles gathered in the great hall. When news arrived that the scribe had been sent for-- and that none save the priest and The Captain were present in the King's chambers--Hugh the younger became enraged.

He upset the table from the dais, scattering dish, food, and nobles in all directions. As servants rushed to clean up the mess, young Hugh's temper continued to blow, as unrelenting as the storm that battered the castle.

HE --the crown prince-- should be present when his father left his final words. Not Sir Erec! —a man of no breeding, no education and obviously no morals. For naturally, the man should send for the King's heir! God's Teeth! It was his birthright!

---

Above stairs the king was failing and a great sadness hung over the halls, cold and black as the storm outside.

"Come." Hugh's voice was barely above a whisper and his hand shook as he held it out.

"I am here, your majesty." Erec knelt at the bedside and took the frail hand in his own.

"Erec. You have always spoken true, even when you thought we could not win a thing."

"I have done only my duty, my liege"

"So, you say, but I am still king and I say it differently. Do not argue this with me."

The king's words faded as a coughing spell took the king's breath. Erec gently lifted the king's head and helped him to drink of his golden cup. The water was warmed and mixed with a spoonful of honey and it calmed the king's coughing.

"Thank you, Erec." Though his lips were tinged with blue and his complexion was waxen, the king's eyes still sparkled with wit and good humor, as he patted the captain's hand and smiled.

Erec had long loved the king as a son loves a father, but Erec's heart weighed heavily with the knowledge of the king's imminent death.

The king fell quiet, as every breath was a chore and speaking taxed him mightily. At length, he drew a raspy breath and spoke.

"I have valued your counsel over the years. Though you are young, you learned early the ways of the courts and of war. Your counsel led us to many victories and –"

Again, his majesty began coughing. This time Erec had to wait for some few moments before the king could drink. But the king turned away from the cup.

"My time is short. I have one last request to make of you, my young friend."

"I am honored, your majesty." Erec replied with a catch in his voice. "I shall do anything you ask, my liege, even unto my dying breath."

"This I know." A weak smile pulled at the king's blue lips. "My son is young. I hope that time and the weight of his rule will mature him, but I fear that without positive direction, he will fall easy prey to those advisors who wish to increase their purses, even to the peril of our kingdom."

"What would you have me do, your majesty? It is no secret that the crown prince despises me. When he becomes king, I shall be dismissed." Erec shrugged, "If I am fortunate, I will be exiled, and if I am not fortunate, then I shall most likely be executed."

The king slowly moved his head left then right. Closing his eyes for a moment, he gathered his strength and Erec leaned closer, as the King's voice faded as the end drew ever nearer.

"I gift you Bocland, and grant you the title of Baron with an income worthy of your years of service." The king's voice fell off entirely and his eyes closed as he tried to catch his breath. "I have decreed that you shall remain as Captain, so that you may continue on the king's counsel."

The king fell silent and Erec thought perhaps he slept, for the shallow rasping of his labored breathing was yet evident.

Sorrow weighed upon Erec and bowed his neck. He drew a deep breath, slow and careful; for it would not do to weep in front of the king, no matter how sorrowful the moment.

"Do not you fear, my liege." Erec said in a softer version of his most confident voice. "I shall serve the prince as I have served my king.

"Long and well" the king whispered on a sigh with a wobbly smile as his eyes closed once more.

"Long and well, my liege." Erec sighed softly so as not to disturb what his heart knew to be the king's final moments. As quietly as the could manage in his dress armor, Erec made his way to the door and sent a servant to fetch the priest and the crown prince.

When the priest arrived but a moment later, Erec left the king's chambers and found his way up to the top of the east tower.

The winds were fierce and a lesser man, even in full armor, might have been blown over to his death. Erec planted his feet firmly and welcomed the lashing of the storm, for it seemed to reflect the torment within his soul. He tipped his head back as far as his armor allowed, and reveled in the feel of the cold rain upon his face.

He roared back at the storm; his anguished bellows unleashing his anger and sorrow. At length, he fell to his knees and let his tears fall freely. Up here, in the midst of this storm, he could let his sorrow show and none would be the wiser.

The lightning and thunder at last began to recede, but the rain still fell. Getting to his feet, Erec walked to the edge to look out over the shadows of the castle village, tucked safely withing the outer walls.

At the turn of the hourglass, that was where a servant found him: standing at the edge, staring into the darkness while the wind and rain swirled about him unheeded.

"Sir Erec, "the servant called, barely poking his face from the door, "Are you there?"

"Aye, Robert." Erec answered, stepping from the shadows into the strip of light shining from the door.

"His highness is requesting your presence in the king's chambers."

"What are you waiting for? Lead the way."

"Uh...That is...Well...You are all wet...Sir."

"Ah, so I am." Erec chuckled. He had long ceased to notice the rain as he was lost in his thoughts. "We must make haste then if I am to change and appear before his highness."

"His highness has ordered you brought at once, sir. There is no time to change, but Molly knew that I would find you here, and she sent cloths for you to dry yourself so that you do not drip on his highness."

As he stepped through the doorway and out of the rain, he shook his head like the dogs of the great hall, sending water droplets flying all about.

"Careful, sir." Robert said as he settled the torch into a nearby sconce. "The stones will be slick."

"Aye." Erec smiled as he accepted one of the cloths from Robert and swiped it over his face before rubbing it briskly over his head.

It was not enough to dry him, but it at least they might stop the steady drips. Robert stepped behind Sir Erec and began to wring the water from his cloak.

"You must send my warm regards to your most thoughtful wife." Erec said as he rubbed the cloths briskly over his garments. You must tell her that she is as lovely in heart as she is fair of face."

"Aw, now, Sir." Robert waved a hand as he released the cloak and grabbed up a cloth to help Sir Erec, "My Molly shall like to hear it and she shall be more besotted with ya than a spring buck in his first season."

Erec laughed. He and Robert continued to work in haste and before long, Erec was presentable, albeit, still very soggy.

"I shall hurry to the king's chambers now. You run along to Molly. I do not know when I shall be home, so do not wait supper for me."

"As you wish, sir." Robert smiled and picked up the bundle of wet cloths before accepting the torch from Erec.

---

"Ah, you finally decided to grace us with your presence." The crown prince snarled, "How very obliging of you, Sir Erec."

"My apologies, your highness." Erec executed a perfectly elegant bow. "Had I known you required my presence I should have stayed at the ready."

"Well, of course you shall stay at the ready for YOUR KING commands it."

Erec cast his eyes toward the king's form, still lying in perfect repose. At a glance Erec knew the king's peaceful expression to mean he had already breathed his last.

"I am king now." Hugh the younger snarled.

"Your majesty." Erec knelt, resting his sword before him, hilt up and bowed his head.

---

Spring brought its change, thawing the land and bringing back life after a long cold winter. The land and the animals did not seem to know that a new king sat on the throne, but as the days grew longer and warmer, the people began to feel the effects of the new king's reign.

Hugh II was known by his subjects as Hugh the Younger, or more recently by the moniker Hugh the Lesser. He wanted more than his father: more land, more wealth, and more power. And he wasted no time pursuing it.

On his third day as king, Hugh II sent Sir Erec and his men to conquer three castles to the east. The truce between the king and the barons to the east was tenuous at best. Skirmishes and raids were frequent near the east border and Hugh II decided, against the advice of the King's Counsel, that it was an excellent place to begin his expansion.

On his fourth day as king, Hugh II dismissed the King's Counsel entirely, sending the barons and bishops all back from whence they came and replaced them with his own choices. Men who shared an interest in expanding the influence (and coffers) of the kingdom.

In a sennight after he became king, Hugh II decided to dismiss the remaining Royal Guard.

His counsel objected, reminding the king that Sir Erec, by his father's decree, must remain as captain. Though Hugh II would rather that particular knight met an untimely fate, he agreed with his new counsel, that Sir Erec was the people's champion and could not be replaced without negatively impacting his own power.

A compromise was struck. Sir Erec and three of his lieutenants would remain, as they were the very best of the lot. The remainder would be dismissed upon their return. The ranks could then be filled with men that owed their positions and loyalty ONLY to the new king, to Hugh II.

With the changes in the counsel and the guard, King Hugh II had momentum and decided to keep it going.

The king anticipated the need for large armies to aid in his expansion and sent out the call to arms, sending an army to traverse the land and enforce the call when necessary. The lords sent the required troops and the King's Army returned threefold, swollen in ranks with new recruits.

King Hugh II was pleased with his progress as he awaited word of Sir Erec's campaign in the east.

The people, however, were not so pleased. The call to arms took most of the able-bodied men away from their homes at the time of the planting. Some were lucky enough to finish planting, but many struggled with women and children taking up the slack as best they could manage.

A second call to arms swept the land just before the harvest was to begin. While the king sat on his throne looking well pleased with the numbers he saw, the people were frantically trying to keep their harvests from rotting in the fields.

Neighbors did what they could to help each other, but entire fields were lost. Food stores and seed grain supplies quickly became depleted when the king's soldiers marched through demanding and taking supplies.

So it was, that in the span of six full moons, the kingdom withered like a bouquet of cut flowers.

From the castle everything was beautiful and bright. The kingdom had expanded to the east and to the south. The coffers were overflowing and the army had never been so large or powerful. King Hugh II already ruled more than his father, and was richer than Croesus.

But the people felt the loss of royal support. Their livelihoods withered and died, and their spirits soon followed. Life under King Hugh I was only a memory and to speak of it was to risk much. King Hugh II was a jealous king, greedy and ruthless and he despised being compared to his father.

So, it came to pass that King Hugh I came to be referred to as The Good King, The Late King, Hugh the Elder, and Hugh the Greater or just Hugh the Great. And the son, King Hugh II was referred to as Hugh the Younger or simply The King. And in their most secret of hearts, the people whispered their tales of woe under the reign of their new king: Hugh the Lesser.