THE KING AND HIS SUBJECTS

the king lay troubled in his reverie
bathed in cold sweat
'we have come on behalf of those who work'
said the first peasant
'we break our backs day after day in the fields
to keep the grain stores full'
growled a second stooping serf
'but so much of our grain is levied in taxes
that we can barely afford to feed our families'
'look at my starving children'
a third peasant grunted through his gnarled features
gesturing at the skinny waifs sitting at his feet
'i toil all day while they go hungry'
'enough!' cried the king
'this is a scandal
i will see to it that your taxes are reduced
no one will go hungry in my kingdom'
the men bowed and shuffled away
'we have come to represent those who pray' said the prior
'our magnificent house of god is crumbling to dust
for lack of attention'
'and our monastery will have to close its infirmary
for want of adequate funds'
protested a ruddy-faced monk
'and our church coffers are empty, your majesty'
the parish priest wailed
'an outrage!' cried the king
'how can this be so?
i will see to it personally
that the lord's houses want for nothing'
'your majesty is most generous'
the prior smiled obsequiously
as the three men bowed and left the king's chamber
'we have come on behalf of those who fight' said the knight
'we risk our lives to protect your kingdom
yet our men are without proper armour or weaponry'
'the castles that rise to england's defence are battered
and in need of repair'
a nobleman complained
'how can you expect us to raise armies
when we haven't the coins to pay our soldiers a living wage?'
spoke up a second baron
'you are not without reason' the king nodded
'the security of the kingdom must not be jeopardised
i will see to it that you have the necessary funds
with all due haste'
at last the king awoke trembling from his dark dreams
he had made excuses that had no justification
he had made promises he could not keep
the king crossed his bedchamber to the window
and peered out over the castle ramparts
where armies of serfs, warrior monks and nobles
were massing in the distance
the king pulled on his robe
and fled
for his life