Stnylan - Thanks for your praise and suggestions.
Im kinda using this story as a sounding board for my talent you see; writing his a hobby for me and ive been wondering lately if I was good enough to get published.
Not sure if im quite there yet.
Veld - Thanks mate.
I was hoping I held off on posting this part I might get more replies... Oh well...
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Tales of the Lamont Clan - Part 6
The weather appeared to be clearing up, the dark clouds were still there but the rain had abated and the citizenry appeared willing to brave the streets of Glasgow to assess the damage.
The Palace, though thoroughly soaked, had gotten off lightly in the storm; and it no longer looked dark and frightening like it did in the storm. The citizens crossed themselves and thanked God for not destroying the city.
Within the Palace however a tempest of sorts raged; raised voices echoing down the halls from the Archdukes chambers could clearly be heard and the staff busied themselves with their work pretending not to hear.
"You are a fool Kenneth!" Said the tall blonde woman, the Archduchess, who was standing at a large oak vanity table, "If you think for one minute that our familys fued will have ended with your actions you are mistaken!"
"No I am not" Replied Kenneth, the Archduke who was in bed propped up by many pillows, firmly, "It is over now; our son will become King!"
"His ascension is by no means a certainty!" She shrieked angrily, tightly grasping a small vial in her hand ready to throw it, "And it certainly wont protect him from their plotting if he does become King!"
The Archduke looked towards the balcony window as he sunk down further into his pillows in resignation; staring out of the window he sighed.
"No wife..." He responded, quietly and firmly, "It is completely over now; all is in motion and cannot be stopped; by the end of the year our son will be King and I will be dead..."
He turned his head back round to regard his wife Emma intently.
"And within a year of my death the threat the Dunkelds pose to my family will be neutralised..."
"What have you done?" Emmas eyes narrowed, and she gripped the vial tighter, "No dont tell me I dont want to know anymore!"
The Archduchess of Strathclyde threw a small vial of a fragrant liquid across the room, which promptly smashed against the wall next to the bed; and stormed from the room slamming the door behind her (at least as well as she could slam an oak door).
The Archduke slides further down onto the bed in exhaustion and frustration; whereupon he drifts off into a fitful sleep plagued by dreams of arguments and nightmares.
*****
"My Lord please wake up" A hand shook his shoulder, "My Lord a messenger is here to be seeing my Lord..."
The Archduke Kenneth woke, blinking his eyes slowly; he struggles up (with assistance from the hands that had been shaking him) into a sitting position before regarding the face to which the hand belonged.
It was the Chief Maid. She looked anxious he thought.
"I is sorry My Lord but there is a messenger being here..." She looked ill at the thought that she had been forced to lay hands on her Lord, "Should I be bringing him in?"
"In a moment, help me up first..." Kenneth replied as he threw his legs out from beneath the covers down to the floor, "Help me stand."
The Maid nodded and immediately put her arms around the Archduke and aided him in his attempt to get out of bed; helping him so that he was stood under his own power near to the bottom of the four poster bed.
The maid then went to admit the messenger as instructed.
The messenger entered the room as the Maid withdrew; he bowed before the Archduke.
"My Lord, first let me say that it does my heart good to see that you are well enough to be out of bed," The messenger says before continuing, "and secondly I would like to introduce myself, I am James Fleming the son of your vassal Alexander Fleming..."
"Alexander?" The Archduke inquires, "My administrator for the edge of my territories in the Cumbernauld-Falkirk area?"
"Yes Lordship" James, the messenger, replies, "I was sent by my father to accompany your son to Scone. The Lord Nicolas has sent me back to bring you word."
"Nicolas? What word?" The Archduke tries to keep the concern out of his voice, "What does my son have to say?"
"The Lord bid me tell you that things do not go well in the Assembly and in the Court, 13 of the 24 Lords Ordinary in the Court appear to prepared to declare the son of the former Earl of Ulaid illegitimate," The messenger James tells the Archduke Kenneth, "And that Lord Maelmuire appears to have total support of the northern Lords and with the help of the Courts looks ready to force the sourthern Lords to accept his son and not the Lord Nicolas as King..."
"What!?" Kenneth exclaimed, having to place his hand on the post of the bed to stedy himself, "The law is clear my son must be King!"
"There is more Lordship..." The messenger looked grave, "The Lords Ordinary of the Courts appear to be prepared to vote in favour of excluding the Irish Lords from voting in the Assembly..."
"Dear god..." The Archduke leans heavily against the post of the bed appearing to contemplate the situation before looking directly at James, "Go fetch my Maid and tell her to come here at once, then go to the stables and have them prepare a cart..."
"My Lord?" James seems genuinely confused
"I am going to Scone!"
******
Less than an hour later the Archduke was ensconsed comfortably (more or less) in the back of a cart surrounded by pillows and covered over by a fabric awning of sorts; though he was sweating terribly as the maid had insisted he wear several layers of clothing beneath his outer travelling robes.
Set to pull the cart was 4 of the ArchDuchies fastest, strongest, and fittest horses, and perched on the small wooden seat in front of the Archduke was the best horse driver they could find at short notice.
"I want to get to Scone as quickly as possible!" The Archduke ordered, speaking to the driver and to James Fleming (who had sworn to accompany the ArchDuke on horseback on the journey to Scone).
"It will take a few hours my Lord" James responded, "And it will likely be a bumpy ride, if we go more slowly it will be far more comfortable for you..."
"NO!" Kenneth barked before dissolving into a coughing fit, before continuing, "As fast as possible!"
*****
Hours later the cart carrying the Lord Lamont thundered loudly over the drawbridge to the gates of Scone palace.
"Who goes there?" The gate guards called down from the wall to the cart.
"The Archduke of Strathclyde demands admittance to the Assembly!" James shouted in response, "He has come as is his right to speak!"
The guards looked at each other in surprise; for last they had heard the Archduke was on deaths door not well enough to get out of bed never mind to travel all the way to Scone from Glasgow.
"And who are you? For we know you are not the Archduke" The guards shouted down to James Fleming.
"I am James Fleming, knight in the service of Lord Nicolas Lamont!" James responded, "I have brought his ailing father here to see him..."
The Archduke before the guards could reply again pulled back the fabric awning and gathered his strength to bellow up at them.
"Open this gate at once!" He called attempting to smother the rasping of his voice breaking.
The response was the sound of the wooden bar on the otherside of the gates sliding; and then the door swinging slowly open to admit the cart.
*****
The Assembly of Lords was assembled in the Assembly chambers (funnily enough) in the Palace at Scone; and all of the Dukes and Earls had attended.
Duke Maelmuire of Atholl and his sons Roger and Malcolm, Duke John Loarn of Argyll, Duke Gratnach of Mar, Earl Maldoven of Angus (who had called the Assembly), Duke Gospatrick I of Berwick and his son Gospatrick II, Duke Maeldred of Galloway, Earl Ewan Lamont-Carrick of Carrick, Earl Loigsech of the Isle of Man, Duke Finan of Meath, Duke Cairthenn of Connaught, Duke Enri of Munster, the representative of the Duke of Ulster, the Duke John Stewart of Leinster, and of course representing Strathclyde the Lord Nicolas.
Earl Loigsech of Man
The Assembly room was a sizeable room with a large circular table centred in the middle of the room; with enough seats to represent each Lord in the country.
At one side of the table (what could be considered the head) was the seat of the Presiding officer which was currently the Earl of Angus as he had called the Assembly.
Currently the Lord Nicolas was speaking.
"My fellow Lords we have been at this for days and still been unable to decide..." He says sounding extremely weary, "And yet this should not even be a question. The court already ruled on previous questions of my cousins legitimacy and therefore mine; it can not now go back on that ruling without new evidence. As such Scottish law is clear; I should be crowned."
"Contrary to what you are trying to convince us Lord Nicolas, the question of your cousins legitimacy is indeed still in dispute..." Duke Maelmuire interjected, "I believe that child is the bastard son of Angus Lamont's; it is not my nieces..."
"Your niece would be most aggrieved to hear you say that..." Nicolas responded, staring across the table at Lord Maelmuire and his sons, "Especially since she swears the boy was hers..."
The bastard son of Maelmuire, Malcolm later known as "the Usurper"
Lord Gospatrick II of Berwick
Suddenly a ruckus could be heard from outside interrupting proceedings.
"Guard go and see what that noise is!" The Earl of Angus commands, "See if you cant stop it..."
One of the guards who had been standing by the doors bows and exits through the large oak doors which served as the main entrance to the Assembly hall (there were two smaller "side" entrances into the room); and promptly returns looking quite shocked.
"My Lords!" He calls the attention of the Assembly, "May I present the Archduke of Strathclyde, Lord Kenneth Lamont..."
The Archduke Kenneth enters the room walking, supported slightly by the Knight James Fleming, to a shell shocked Assembly.
"Father!" Nicolas is the first to stand, surprised and pleased at his fathers arrival.
"Lord Lamont!" The Earl of Angus calls out silencing any others who tried to speak, "We were under the impression you were unwell?"
"Im not just unwell you silly dolt, im dying!" The Archduke replies venomously, "And my having to make the journey here probably means ill die all that quicker!"
Nicolas walks over to take over supporting his father Kenneth from James, as the Earl of Angus speaks again.
"Indeed and what prompted you to take such a risk in coming here?"
"This Assembly is a farce and I came here to end it!" The Archduke barks at the Earl as his son aids him in settling down into the seat he had just vacated, "I cannot believe this Assembly is listening and considering groundless accusations!"
"It is not groundless!" The Duke Maelmuire replies defensively, "You are a murderer responsible for the deaths of no less than 3 Kings and several others!"
"An accusation again, and one which the Courts have already ruled groundless!" The Archduke shoots him down, "The evidence points towards you being the murderer here my Lord Duke!"
"The courts are prepared to reconsider their earlier judgements..." Maelmuire attempts to calm himself, "And clearly say once and for all I am no murderer!"
"Only because you have bought or bullied them!" Lord Kenneth barks in response causing him to halt what would have been a lengthy tirade, by suddenly dissolving into a coughing fit.
"You sir are the murderer here!" Lord Kenneth continues when the coughing had abated, "I cannot prove it conclusively but I am certain of it; all this has been to maneover your family onto the throne!"
"Manoever?" Roger, son of Maelmuire interjects, "It is you has been scheming and manovering! It is you who means to place your son on the throne!"
Roger, son of Maelmuire, later called "the Pretender"
"Who stands to gain the most here?" Kenneth rasps out, "I will be dead soon so maneovering as you claim benefits me none; and if what you suppose its true then it would leave my son to deal with a civil war not a legacy most fathers would want to leave..."
"Whereas your family has much to gain Roger..." Nicolas continues for his father, "You get the throne, and your father lives out the rest of his life as the father of a King; your families long time rivals, my family, would be discredited and destroyed and your fathers lesser line of the Dunkeld family finally in control of Scotland..."
"Lies!" Roger hisses at Nicolas, glaring at him in hatred, "My father has never sought the throne and has always been loyal!"
"Roger, you are quite incorrect there..." The calm voice of Duke Maeldred of Galloway interjects to prevent what was sure to be Nicolas' explosive response, "Your father always considered himself the strongest and brightest of the three sons of King Duncan the first, your grandfather, and tried to convince him to make him his heir by enacting Salic Consanguinuity law in Scotland. King Duncan denied him and named Malcolm his heir in accordance with Salic Primogeniniture law..."
The silence following Duke Maeldreds (who had long been a Lamont supporter) shooting down of Lord Roger was palpable. Most of the Lords did not remember this small piece of information; and indeed it was something even the Archduke Kenneth was unaware of.
"So you see..." The Archduke said, recovering from his own surprise, "Your family gains the most in this situation not mine; the evidence points towards your father as being the real murderer. Past acts condemn him!"
The Archduke then looks round the table, struggling to conseal his fatigue, glaring at each of the Lords in turn.
"I demand an end to this foolishness!" He commands the room at large, "I demand this Assembly obey Scots law and agree to declare my son King!"
"Then a vote is called?" Ask the Lord of Munster, Duke Enri for he had never before attended a meeting of the Assembly...
Duke Enri of Munster
"Yes I believe this means a vote is called!" Finan of Meath replies for he had read up extensively on Assembly procedure before attending.
Duke Finan of Meath
"In that case I speak for the Lords of Ireland when I say we declare our support for the Lord Nicolas." John Stewart, Duke of Leinster interjects, of course this was no surprise.
"I of course concur with this position..." Adds Lord Maeldred of Galloway, and Earl Ewan nods in confirmation also, "Semisalic Primogeniture law is clear..."
"I, the Duke of Argyll, must disagree." John Loarn states, "I do not believe the Duke Maelmuire is responsible for recent events. And i believe that the Dunkelds should succeed as their family has been Kings for generations..."
"Hmmm, well this is a difficult position isnt it?" Duke Gospatrick of Berwick muses, "I have often tried to settle the fued between the House Dunkeld and the House Lamont to no avail. I unlike my brother have preferred to remain neutral. However as he says Scots law is clear; I must recommend supporting the Lamont Candidate..."
"Well I as the Presiding Officer here must also vote," Earl Maldoven says, "I place my support behind Duke Maelmuire and his son."
All the Lords had spoken on their votes except for the Duke of Mar who had kept ominously silent; however Duke Maelmuire looked confident as the Duke of Mar was traditionally his supporter and with his support he could keep the Assembly deadlocked until the Courts ruled in his favour.
"All that is left is my vote yes?" Duke Gratnach of Mar asks the room at large, "Well its a difficult one I admit. Most difficult succession in a while I admit..."
The Duke of Mar
He sighed and shook his head before continuing.
"Yes difficult, however I have made a decision..." He says, "I have decided to place the support of the Duchy of Mar behind the Archduke Lamont and his son Nicolas. The law is clear on this issue; and the Archduke is right - that is all we should have been considering."
The Duke Maelmuire looked absolutely shocked and the Archdukes son Nicolas wore a look of smug satisfaction.
The Assembly voted in favour of supporting his accession to the throne of Scotland; he would be King!
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Well part 6 done.
And the AAR finished too. More or less.
Just the epilogue left now.
What you all think?
