It is the Least You Can Do for a Dying Man

You are escorted to the private quarters of the dying Duke Paul of Linberburg. He is a man in his late forties. From what you know of him, he lost all his immediate heirs due to one reason or another. Age, disease, bandits, training, horsing or hunting accident. This is a man who has experience some real close lose. Now it seems disease will claim his life too.

Here in the room with you and the Duke are four guards - two your own and two the Duke’s - , his personal healer and a woman who appears to be in the same age as you.

“Young... King of Ostgrenze,” Duke Paul says weakly on his bed, “I do not have long left on this world. It does my heart good to see that you have accepted my request.”

“Duke Paul, I wished we could have met under better circumstances.”

Paul weakly laughs. “So do I. Are you... aware of our... distant kinship?”

“I know we are kin in some way but how we are related is not something I am yet knowledgeable to, I can honestly admit.”

“Perhaps the ‘how’ matters not at this point.” He closes his eyes. When he opens them again, he motions with his frail hand to the woman in the room. She hands you a parchment. “This... is... my Will.”

You take the Will from the woman and open it. “You cannot mean this!” You say astounded.

“I do,” the Duke says with troubled breath, “you are... the closest person I can entrust my... country to.”

“Me? What makes you think I can be entrusted with Linberburg?”

“You’ve done well for yourself in your first year as King. I never said you were the best man for the job but you’ve led your country well so far. You might just do what neither I nor any of my predecessors have managed to do. Unite the fractured states of the Confederation.”

You sigh a little overwhelmed at the the Duke’s high expectation of you. But you do not dare admit to him or anyone present that Franz Karl is more capable than you are. “Your words are kind, Duke Paul. I do believe I am not yet worthy of such. But this would mean the Linderburg as an independent entity will ceased to exist.”

“Yes... but it will become part of something greater. Just promise me one thing.”

“Do not let a single inch of Linberburg land be taken by any of the other states. Either you keep it whole or you lose it whole.”

“I accept.” You say. It’s a good deal and you know what they about gift horses.