[D9] History Lesson (Open)

        From nearby hidden behind other aisles a book can be heard to close then moments later a man emerges who offers a friendly smile and greeting.

"Do you mind if I sit?  I heard the reading and the discussion and found it quite interesting.  I would appreciate just such a distraction after as long as I have spent combing through these books and finding naught aside from some rather... disturbing passages I shall spare you both from."  If Mikel is encouraged to sit he then introduces himself.  "Thank you, I am Ser Mikel of Harroway and appreciate your kindness.  Please, continue.  Perhaps something on justice?"

                   "Thank you Master Malyk,  I agree that to know where to go one should know where they have been.  To answer your question honestly I only know what is most commonly said.  That he was a slave to his desires and the Realm suffered for it, some far more then others.  Corruption and indulgence are said to have been his hallmarks and he was never fit to be King.  So my opinion of him is that he should never have been King, and he brought only dishonor to any of the titles he was granted by rights of birth."

                    Mikel found a seat and made himself comfortable.  "It would be nice to think that such days are behind us, but I fear there are still those of power who resemble him in one way or another.  Yet thankfully the man who sits upon the Iron throne now is not one of them." 

            "I fear I may be even less well equipped to answer this question but I will try.  One possibility strikes me as the most likely.  That the men of power who would rise up now are those who had been spoiled under Aegon's reign.  Men who were granted position for their compliance in his corruption and cruelty, then had their preferential treatment taken from them.  They are those who take their personal desires and hold them above the oaths they took and the small folk under their care.  Which in my opinion is quite ironic, because if their small folk did the same to them I cannot fathom that there would be any trace of understanding but only the feeling that they had been betrayed by beasts without honor."

            "Perhaps what they might see as a lack of strength helps to embolden them.  They might believe his choice in absorbing Dorn through peace reflects his lack of an ability to wage war competently, or that even if they should fight and fail he will grant them mercy as he lacks the stomach for any violence.  Yet as much as I hope this war does not come to pass, a just and competent king is worth fighting for in my opinion."

                "I have to agree with your thoughts on the matter.  If he made the efforts and sacrifices necessary to conquer Dorn by the quill I imagine that should war break out he will act in such a way as to strongly discourage such happening again.  There is also like to be plenty of grey in this matter which I have described as black and white.  In the course of traveling the realms I've seen that most men, from any of the seven kingdoms, are not so different whether they be of low or high birth apart from the tasks or duties which consume their day.  And often enough there are more difficult choices in obscure circumstance then easy ones which are plain to see."

                "This tournament has held plenty of upset for anyone and I was searching these tomes hoping to see sometime which bore similarities with a satisfying resolution.  So many great lords and powerful houses gathered together yet the only justice which has been found of consequence was that of the thugs hired to carry out another man's murderous plots.  Even Lord Merryweather has escaped any justice, though it seems his guilt is common knowledge. I wonder, Master Malyk, have you heard of a tale when a situation such as Lord Merryweathers where justice was the result?  Such a tale would return some optimism to my heart."

                  "I traveled to see the realms and to see how others who inhabit it lived, your perspective does not offend me and I appreciate that you are willing to share it.  And as to you having a hand in young Jorah's rescue I say well done, Master Malyk.  Truly.  I do not believe we have entirely different notions of justice though I would say that by my thinking you are speaking about where justice comes from and its philosophy while I had the act of it more in my mind when I spoke.  Perhaps that justice is absent is simply a sign of just how divided the community - as you refer to it - has become and perhaps that is the biggest indication that soon the community will be at each others throats."

                    "I do not know if you are aware but I was not born to one day hold this position.  I am the son of a blacksmith who was fortunate enough to become a squire and lucky enough to be Knighted after surviving an ambush in the Vale.  Once Knighted I made a living through finding success in tournaments as I traveled.  Through all of this my opinion towards justice - to steal your words - is to reap what you sow.  It is not only for the unlawful who are hung for a murder they committed but in recognizing and rewarding the man who stopped that murderer from escape.  It punishes and rewards based on what actions the community believes are praise worthy and which are despicable.  I am afraid I may not be well equipped to state more on the matter then my simple opinion."

                    "So perhaps to alter my question to make it easier to answer, do you know of a time similar to this when at an event such as the one we are at something brought a community which was divided back together and allowed for justice to return?  Though given your mention that the histories are not fond of happy endings, I am braced for an answer which will not satisfy me."

            Mikel smiles as they speak on traveling, clearly a fond memory for him.  "I imagine you are understating your talent for organization and a fresh perspective can be invaluable to somebody willing to listen. You would likely find a place for yourself where ever you went in your travels should you ever follow that urge, though it would certainly be a loss for your Lord. "

            "I should say that you sound more like to find the good in people that I am.  As you say a good deed is a reward unto itself - and I cannot disagree with that - yet what about when the good deed offers too much risk?  A father running into his neighbors house as it burns may not come out and thereby leave his family behind, so why should he risk it at all?  There is the idea that the neighbor would do the same for him but that is nothing to count on.  At least rewarding the deed would show that it is special and to be striven for, perhaps even give somebody in the moment of making such a decision the extra push to do the right thing, even if it is for the wrong reasons."

             "Your position on how Dorn came to be an outsider is also interesting and gives credit to what you called your knack for having a different perspective.  I had never considered that, like most others I simply believed it all came from hundreds of years of border disputes and countless military acts back and forth and the lack of any progress in any campaigns against it."

            "The final point you make I agree with to an extent.  Men doing the right thing is something which I hope never ends, yet in a war - even if one side is clearly in the wrong - that doesn't mean the majority of the men fighting for that army are bad men. Each side will have men doing good things which would likely come out as heroic military acts to preserve their allies and destroy their enemies. Hopefully they will only see their enemies as those who bear arms against them.  Do not confuse me, I hope the good cause will always win, and the good men will always thrive. But the brutal truth is that the fighting is never about who is right or wrong, who is good or bad, it is only about who is left."

            "Even something like glory can be different for each man.  Some may wish to hear their name in a song one day.  Others not so much for the fame but the recognition of their superiority in arms over others.  The benefits of glory are easy enough to see, a position in a prosperous house, perhaps being showered with silver, gold, women, arms, and anything else they think might tempt you into staying beside them - your glory rubbing off on them so long as you do.    Whether you want to bask in the fame your glory brings or not, it will open doors for you that might remain closed without it.  It could be a comfort on a day of doubt, the reputation people know you by giving you strength that day when you are weak as it reminds who you are.  Since coming here I have been told more then once then planning to win the melee is not the true heart of it, instead you should conduct yourself in a way to most impress others.  That strikes me as odd, given the point of a tournament, and jousting and a melee is to prepare yourself for combat.  At least in my mind."  He shakes his head as he realizes he has begun to ramble.  "I believe you watch a person you can see what is important to them and even figure out why."  If Mikel had more to say he lost it.  He shrugged his shoulders as if that alone would convey what he meant to say better then anything he might say could.

[OOC: Ill leave it up to you if we should /scene for D10 or continue, if we do end it would be more then happy to find a reason to share another scene on D10]