[RPG] Re: [Belu][Iro]The Funeral of King Marc

[Lyman Stone]

OOC- Hope you don't mind, Timothy, I'm just posting Delvin's message  
so that Hireshmont's replying RP makes sense when I send it in a  
moment...

Delvin stands, his face solemn. Many of the rebels gathered around  
give him dark looks, there are quiet murmurs of suspicion, and he  
sees more than one hand drift to a knife--knives that are, of course,  
not present at this ceremonial occasion. He remains impassive.

As he passes the impressive pyre with Marc's body atop it, he glances  
up, and his eyes close briefly. Then they open again, and he  
continues to the podium. Standing behind it, Delvin surveys the  
assembled crowd calmly, then begins speaking, in a voice that is  
soft, but pitched to carry to all assembled:

"People of Irombro, I know that most of you do not think much of me.  
At the end, neither did Marc--and nor did I think much of him.

"But it was not always that way. Once, we were friends--I trusted him  
with my life, and my honour. He was a good man, with a good heart:  
smart, courageous, and honourable. After he was elected Duke of  
Irombro, and given the charge of these lands, we started to drift  
apart, as I continued to focus on Riombara, and he started to focus  
more and more on his Duchy. This focus, which grew from his natural  
sense of duty and loyalty, was what eventually drove such a deep  
wedge between us. When he decided to secede Irombro from Riombara, I  
took it as a personal betrayal of my trust in him, perhaps more even  
than a betrayal of my realm.

"It was because of this, and the deep anger that it engendered in me,  
that I was determined to end his life. When he was captured by  
Riombaran forces not far north of here, I believed that I had no  
choice. I was delighted to have the chance to exact, in my mind,  
justice.

"I was wrong."

Delvin steps to one side, so he can be clearly seen next to the  
podium. He sinks to one knee, bowing his head.

"I am sorry. It is because of me that Marc lies dead today, and I  
apologize for this...most profoundly. To me, he was a traitor, a  
rebel...but to all of you...he was a leader: a King."

He stands, and moisture can be seen glistening on his cheeks.

He says once more, simply, "Marc was a good man."

Then he steps down from the podium, and walks from the square, not  
staying to see the reaction to his speech.