A group of subjects barge into the royal court

"Now then," you begin, "What seems to be the first order of business?" You do your best to hold your posture, voice, and entire presence to be as kingly as possible. Lord Gilbert takes over the forum, listing out issues, and the court discusses them. Most seem to be regular issues that practically take care of themselves, and at the end of each item, the court turns to you for an approving word or nod. You appease them, only vaguely listening to the issues at hand. It all seems so dry and unimportant, you can't seem to focus.

You know the kingdom of Itheria is very prosperous, certainly, but you have greater asperations to usher it into a golden age. You can't help but feel that sitting here listening to petty issues that practically delegate themselves isn't helping you reach this goal. Sure, being king is great, having access to every luxury known to your kingdom, the fairest maidens in the land, the finest wild game, most decadent baked goods, the most intoxicating wines...

Just as you're lost in this train of thought, the doors to the chamber of the court loudly burst open. Several normal-looking citizens, you're guessing farmers from their attire, hurredly enter the hall, followed by a couple of frantic-looking guards.

"...and we're NOT gonna wait any longer. This's our families, our land, our livelihoods at stake here." One man at the front of the pack quickly advancing towards the royal congregation seems especially fired up, an upset scowl on his face. "We've asked the guards for help, we've sent request after request t' have the issue looked into, and nothin's changed." The guards already on post within the chamber react surprisedly, and quickly jump up to separate the unruly citizens from their king.

"What is the meaning of this?" Sir Garret draws his sword and stands first. "Guards, you imbeciles! How did these unruly citizens manage to get in here? I'll see you put on stable duties for the remainder of your lives! If you can't keep the common rabble out of his royal highness' chambers..." The two mentioned guards awkwardly stand at attention. One steps forward and nervously states, "Many apologies, Sir Garret, your highness" He briefly bows his head in your direction. "These men showed up innocently with fresh mutton and pies... Said they wanted to support their local authorities. Wasn't 'til we'd begun to enjoy a bite or two that they stormed by us in a fury."

The outstandingly vocal man who had been at the leader of the pack interjected. "He's damn right. We've got some issues that ain't nobody helpin' us with, and we need 'em taken care of now. We ain't just sittin' around t' wait for another **** t' happen. We want action!"

Count Erwin stands and shouts in his hoary voice, "Enough! This intrusion has continued long enough. Barging into royal chambers is a severe crime punishable by ****. We must make this an example to be looked upon. Guards, take these men..."

"Erwin." Up to this point, you've sat idly by, observing the situation. You've seen enough to know that this is exactly the type of situation you want to prevent from happening in your kingdom. All members of the court go silent and turn in mild surprise to your utterance. "I do appreciate your adherence to the established laws, but I would like to hear the plea of these... empassioned citizens." Count Erwin looks moderately befuddled, both in surprise to what you've said, and the fact that you've uttered anything at all. "Please, be seated. Guards, at ease." You turn your direction to the group of men, who seem to be pleasantly surprised. They obviously didnt expect to make it this far. "Now, my citizens, what seems to be the trouble?"

The lead man of the group once again prepares himself to speak. Caught off guard by being addressed by the king himself, he quickly kneels and removes his cap, his eyes focused on the ground. "Forgive th' intrusion, yer majesty... We've bin' seekin' an audience with yeh for months now with no luck. Yesterday we had the final straw, an' we're at th' end of our rope..."

You see that the man has calmed down and is showing you due respect, so far it seems like you've made a good choice. "Subject, speak freely of what is troubling you. Surely, if you knowingly faced the consequences of this intrusion, your situation must be dire." You nonchalantly glance around the members of your court, and see a mix of emotions. Some of their faces express complete horror at the fact that you are allowing, if not encouraging, this intrusion, while others appear eager to see you prove your mettle. Exactly the type of situation you need to begin your new era as king.

"Yes indeed, your majesty." The man has slowly raised his head to meet your gaze. You see a light misting of tears in his tired eyes. "I'm Horace. I represent this group of concerned folk. It's our farmlands, in th' northern ends of the kingdom." He slowly raises from his kneel, still humbly holding his cap in his hands. The crowd he has brought with him stands timidly behind him, still skeptical of the legitimacy of this audience. "Y'see, over the past year, strange things been happenin', stranger and stranger. Started out as some weird noises comin' from th' Great Northern Woods. We thought nothin' of it at first, thought maybe it was jus' some wild migratin' predators passin' through th' area. But they didn' stop. We all heard 'em get more an' more aggressive. None of us knew what they was, but we knew we didn' really wanna find out. We did what we could, kept closer eyes on our livestock, kept th' children an' womenfolk in after dusk, built traps and fortifications, jus' in case. We called the guards in t'look into it, but they was no help. They pranced around outside of the forest line and told us t' lay off the drink. " Horace became upset again for a moment, accusingly glancing at the guards they had previously deceived to enter the chamber. "Then, just like that, th' noises stopped. We all got relaxed, had a couple a weeks to calm down. and that's when... They started attackin'"

The majority of the court had become mesmerized by the empassioned tale of this simple farmer. Horace took a break from his storytelling and returned his gaze to the floor. A single tear rolled down his cheek. Suddenly, his sadness turned to anger, and he once again looked up at you. "They came at night. Didn' make no noise. Didn' alert the dogs, didn' wake nobody, didn' leave any tracks. All they done was slaughter our cattle, and set fires. A beast that sets fires! Wasn' all of us that got hit, but we stick together, we helped support eachother. We done what we could. We tried t' ask for help from th' kingdom we support and got none." Horace paused once again, as if he didn't know the rest of his story. He took a moment to compose himself, and resumed. "Just last night... My little girl, my angel..." One of the other farmers stepped forward and put his hand on Horace's shoulder. "They took 'er. In the dead of night. No traces left. Not so much as a scream..."

You'd heard enough. "I am moved by your plight", you stated clearly. "Sir Garret, have you previous news of this situation? Why was it not brought to our attention until now?"

Sir Garret stands up and addresses you. "Your majesty, these are but simple, superstitious folk. Vague tales of loud monsterous noises, random fires set by mysterious beasts that leave no trace? I sent some of my best men to investigate, and I'm certain they looked into the matter as thoroughly as possible..."

You look towards Horace and see him scowling at your marshall, obviously finding his words to be incrimination to the disappearance of his daughter, albeit indirectly responsible. "Well, Sir Garret, if you have already sent your best men, I suppose I will have to send something better. Lord Gilbert?"

Lord Gilbert slightly jumps, as he has been carefully watching this unorthodox scene unfold, and has wisely been staying out of the ordeal. "Yes, your highness?"

"Please assemble a team of men to aid me in handling this situation. I shall require the best hunters and trackers of our kingdom, as well as our finest warriors. Have the royal provisioners stock up a cart with supplies for these men, as well as releif aid for the farmers. I am going to be taking care of this personally. Get my finest steed prepared from the stables. We leave at dawn tomorrow."

The subjects of the room are completely polarized. Most of your royal court appears shocked, while the farmers let out sounds of relief and joy, congratulating eachother for succeeding in their mission. Horace speaks up again, and bends to one knee. "Thank you, your majesty. Thank you from all've us. We can't thank ya enough."

Looks like you've set yourself up for exactly the kind of demonstration you wanted: a chance to get out there and show your citizens you mean business!