It was a cold afternoon, with the skies darkening in the west, as Vicomte leBlanc stepped down from his carriage in front of the great palace of Versailles. "How appropriate," he thought as he handed his cloak to a servant and waited his turn to speak to the King. "The fate of nations always seems to be decided on dark, rainy afternoons . . . "
He contemplation was interrupted by another servant. "The King will see you now." The King had agreed to the Vicomte's request for a private meeting. there were some servants buzzing about, but none of the courtiers who might interfere with what needed to be done. "Thank you for your time, Your Majesty. I would not have asked for this meeting if I did not believe in the severity of what I have to say. I have evidence that a Minister of the Realm has engaged in several illegal acts over the past few months. He has accused Your Majesty of being blackmailed by another of Your nobility. He has usurped the authority of other members of Your Governemnt and interfered in the completion of their duties to Your Majesty. He has allowed gross incompetence in the administration of his subordinates to go unchecked and may have diverted funds to his own use. Moreover, I have some evidence that he may have been involved in the murder of one of my predecessors as Commissioner. The evidence of these crimes is right here for your review." A large folder slides across the table. The King was quick to respond; "We do not need to review your work, Vicomte. This man should be arrested and brought to justice." "Your Majesty, this man is Duc Alain de Mylcandonai, the Minister of State and your son-in-law." The King looked shocked as he reached for the folder. "That is why I came to you first, Your Majesty. Arresting the Minister of State, and a relation of the King will disrupt the governement greatly and no doubt aid our enemies. I am reluctant to do so if Duc de Mylcandonai is going to be acquitted by Your Grace. You have all of my evidence, and my men are prepared to make the arrest. I have prepared a letter for the Princess claiming that her husband was called away from Paris to deal with an 'Emergency of the Greatest Importance,' which I hope will be enough to protect her, and keep the Government on an even keel. All I need now, Your Highness, is your permission to proceed." ****** It had begun to rain as Vicomte leBlanc left Versailles. As planned, his coach left without him, and Renald set his feet in the stirrups of his favorite horse. The pair raced towards the offices of the Minister of State. There was not a second to lose. Renald arrived to find the building ringed by men from his military unit, the 4th Arq. They tried to be inconspicuous, but their training was for the woods and fields, not the streets of Paris. Hopefully, he had arrived from the Palace before they had aroused any suspicion. Renald motioned for two men to follow him into the building. It was a short walk to the Minister's office. Vicomte leBlanc spoke briefly with the receptionist; "I need to speak to the Minister. It is urgent." "Do you have an appointment?" "No, but I must speak with him immediately" "Let me see if he is available." The receptionist moved towards the inner office leBlanc moved quickly. "I do not believe that would be a good idea. Richard, stay with her." leBlanc and the second soldier moved towards the office door. Inside Duc de Mylcondonai was apparently writing a letter. He looked up with a hint of surprise. "Excellent. I assume you are here to go over the Senion matter?" "No, I'm afraid I have a more serious matter to discuss. Duc de Mylcondonai, I have here a warrant for your arrest. You are hereby charged with two counts of slander against the Crown, one count of gross negligence in the conduct of your duties, one count of embezzlement, one count of Treason, and one count of conspiracy in the murder of Baron Noir leBlanc." Vicomte leBlanc let that sink in for a moment. "I also have here a note for Princess Louisa stating that you have been called away from Paris by a pressing emergency. If you desire it, she does not need to be troubled by this yet. And, if I have your word that you will not try to escape, we can skip the handcuffs and ride your coach to the Bastille. That will, I hope, save some unpleasantness for both of us." [OOC: The Commissioner of Public Safety arrests of Duc Alain deMylcondonai on the charges of treasonous slander against the Crown [two counts], gross negligence of his duties, embezzlement of the King's funds, and the murder of Baron Noir leBlanc] ************************************************** Steve Nicewarner Cerebral Hobbies Chapel Hill, NC www.cerebralhobbies.com ************************************************** _______________________________________________ Banana mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.humf.su.se/mailman/listinfo/banana
