55 Crimson Tower (1/2)
Sitting atop a small hill within the wood line perimeter of Holtz, Will observed the active movement of all the men within the large city. He had given both freed slaves and their old masters tasks that needed to be achieved.
All of the slaves relished in their new freedom. Yes, they had tasks to complete, but Will insured Roland paid them for their work at a steady sage. Soon each one would have the money to truly live within the kingdom.
Will didn't feel too sorry for Roland, his business was in demand by the kingdom for so long, he had amassed a large fortune over the years. It wasn't as hard on him as he had let on in the beginning. All of his complaints were answered by the heat of Will's flame at his face.
Will watched the middle aged man hauling a cage hand in hand with one of the men who resided in the very same cell. They had formed a line going from the neatly stacked city of cages into a large pile in the center of town.
Will had given the order to stack the many cells within the city in the center where he would destroy them. He himself didn't stay still and watch the whole time. If he did, his dad would have his head if he found out. The others had to plead for him to take a break every now and then, in their eyes he was a Prince after all.
Will had set the city to work around two days prior. It had taken a few hours for him to explain the benefits of forming a line to the center of town, but when they got the hang of it, it was as if he created a well oiled machine.
He sat atop his hill as he watched cage after cage being brought in lines from all directions of the city, at least six groups from all directions made their way to the city reminding Will of an ant colony.
In his world, if Will saw the same type of work he would often hear complaints. Either the men would feel as if they were working too hard, it not getting enough breaks. It was a surprise that when he gave the men orders, they cheered instead of complained. Even now, after two days of constant work, not one of the freed men had anything but a smile lighting their faces. In their minds, he didn't give them work, he gave them a symbol of freedom.
”How's the work coming?” Will heard Maya ask from behind him. She was carrying two platters of chicken legs as she sat down next to him.
”Honestly, I don't understand these people.” Will said as he took a plate from Maya. ”They have been doing back breaking work for two days now, yet not one of them has had a fowl mood.” he took a bite out of the chicken and chewed thoughtfully as he looked on to the uplifted spirits of his work force.
”What's so wrong with that?” Maya asked with her head cocked to one side. ”You freed them from slavery and gave them a paying job,” she said as she too lifted a chicken leg to her mouth. Taking a bite of it, she chewed fast and swallowed as she put the leg back on the plate. ”Even your father had a hard time employing the entire kingdom in his prime.”
Will had heard many great things about his father before he and his mother left, it was hard to imagine him having such difficulty with employing the kingdom. It was especially hard for him to believe since they had something as remarkable as the aura as a resource.
Will and Maya sat in silence as they ate their food and watched the mass of people working. As the sun set slowly in the distance, the constant flow of cages slowed until Will could see the last being put into place.
Almost as if on queue, a sweat drenched Roland made his way up the hill to Will and Maya. ”My Prince,” he said as he made a formal bow towards Will. ”The cages have been stacked as you requested.” there was no resentment coming from the man. Will looked him up and down, his once fine clothes had become ragged and sweat soaked yet the man had no ill will.
”Very good Roland,” Will said as he gave the plate of chicken bones to Maya, who then turned to dispose of the trash. ”I hope payment to the labor hasn't put you back too much.”
Roland raised his head from his deep bow. ”No, my lord.” He spoke smoothly, yet Will could see a question forming within the man's mind.
”Roland,” Will said as he patted the grass next to him. ”Come have a seat for a moment.” the former slave trader didn't hesitate a second before taking his spot next to the Prince. ”I am not one of those royal snobs that won't allow you to put in your own words,” Will said as he looked Roland in the eye. ”If you have a question, please,” Will gestured his hand to the man. ”Speak freely.”
Roland seemed to fumble for the right words before responding. ”My Prince, you are right to ask.” Roland responded in a quiet voice. ”It's just that you have effected one of the main sources of economy for Ebonhart.” he said as he looked at Will questioningly. ”It's true that your father never approved of forced servitude, yet now that Holtz no longer supports slavery what are we to do?” as soon as the question was spoken, the man looked back at the once full city and noticed that without the cages, there was almost nothing left.
Will left the question unanswered for a few minutes. He focussed his attention more on the once captured men. Not one of the men of women looked saddened, each and every one wore a smile as if their lives had once more been returned to them. He thought of the lessons he had learned in world history from his dad, the importance of having a free world.
”I'm not saying it's going to be easy Roland,” Will said thoughtfully. ”Employing such a large force of men is going to be a challenge, but I'm sure we can think of something.” Will remembered Maya saying that Holtz was a hunting town, he looked back on the chicken he ate earlier and a thought formed almost as if it were just waiting for him to catch up. ”What about hunting and transportation?”
Roland looked as if he had choked on a chicken bone of his own as he thought it over. ”We would only be able to trade along the Kings Road in the warm seasons,” He said while sizing up the force in front of him. ”Even if we had reduced taxes, I would not even be able to pay such wages and come out even. There are only so many times a year we would be able to trade.”
”Very true,” Will said with a smile. ”The way things are now, it would be difficult to travel the winter months.” he got up from the hill and offered a hand to Roland. ”What if I could introduce change?”
Roland accepted the prince's hand and was hefted to his feet. ”What kind of change would allow trade during the cold months? You would have to find a way to reduce travel time between towns, not to mention you would have to find a way to keep the trade goods fresh while being transported.”