The third hearing.

General Tarres and Baroness Gladys step forward next. They give each other looks of mutual dislike: those two had always been at each other's throats. Tarres the warmonger and Gladys the diplomat. You have a good idea of where this hearing is going.

"I'd like to request more funding for our cavalry and pikemen," says Tarres in that gruff, no-nonsense voice of his. His white hair is cut short and an eyepatch covers his left eye - it's silver and gold like the rest of his armor. The sword at his side probably weighs more than you do. "We took some losses defending our southern borders a few years back and haven't refilled our ranks since. The army is spread thin, your majesty, and we'll need more soldiers to keep our lands safe."

"If I may, your highness," says Gladys. She's a tall, elegant woman, taller than even the general. Her presence is calm and stately - she's undeniably beautiful with long auburn hair and a pale blue gown. But if some of the rumors you've heard are true, she's visited her share of whorehouses after dark. "Our army is more than sufficiently supplied for safeguarding our borders. What we should be doing is reaching out to our neighboring kingdoms and building diplomatic relations. The more friends we have, the more swords we have. All we need is more funding for embassies."

"Embassies," scoffed the general. "You don't have any idea how many raiding parties we've seen in the last decade. Pretty words won't make them go away. The other kingdoms are jealous of our prosperity."

"Then we must change their mind," says Gladys smoothly. "Show them that they can prosper with us as their friends and they will forget all ideas of raids and invasions."

They continue to argue between themselves, and Rosalia uses this as an opportunity to lean closer to you. "What do you think?" she whispers from the corner of her mouth. "Gladys makes a lot of sense but the general makes a convincing argument. I would feel much safer with a stronger army, wouldn't you?"