Your continued self-education continues deeply enough that you find your interest piqued by mention of magic. You spend a great deal of your time among books anyway, so it seems to you that pursuing practical knowledge of magic isn't that far out of your way.
For quite some time you struggle to glean any useful information. The royal library has no categorical emphasis on magic, and many of the tomes you think likely sources of magic are in ancient tongues you've only heard of. So you refocus your efforts to historical references, and at first find yourself impressed by the raw power of some of the sorcerers and magicians of times past, excited by the success you track down further records, but soon realize that the older records often conflict and are probably exaggerated.
Your lack of success is frustrating, and the extensive nature of the royal library is as much a detriment as an aid. You call on your ally Isvan, a boy two years older than you who has joined a class under one of the court wizards, he explains that he isn't trusted with real magic yet, but shows you some of the mental exercises necessary for spellcasting that he has learned, and even gives you leads on what books may help you in your search. All through this time your servants are useless in the search, and the royal librarians don't include a single mage who could be of help.
You spend your first day at court, it is much less exciting than you thought it would be. Your elder sister Ritalia escorts you and introduces you to those assembled on that day. A few of the faces you recognise, but many you do not know. Your father is not in attendance, but his steward arrives in his place, you are told that this is usually the case, that your father tends to prefer a hands-off approach at court.
Over time you get to know some of the faces that commonly frequent the court. One of particular note is your uncle Robilard, who you don't ever remember meeting before, he's lord to a vital and vast area of farmland deeper inland, and supplies a large portion of the nations foot-soldiers. You find him to be a man who plays at being a scoundrel, but actually has a lot of interest and insight into the workings of the court. He seems to take a liking to you, but holds you at a distance. You also meet the court representatives of the church, who pay little attention to you, the Knight-Commander of the Crown Knights Gerald, who seems like a man of frayed nerves, and all manner of baronets, knights, heralds, merchants and courtesans. You can put a fair number to name, but hardly all of them. You find that a great many foreigners come to court on the business of diplomacy and trade, and you even manage to pick up a few niceties and foreign words.
Over time the world of court proves just as bewildering and frustrating as the pursuit of magic, you find people don't outright say what they want, rather they maneuver and dance around the topic, you come close to some fumbles but are often saved by the deft mind of your sister, who proves intelligent and adept at reading others, you come to rely on her insight.
With your studies of magic proving slow going you begin to seek out the court magicians, who you come to realize have been avoiding you. Frustrated, you track down one with the aid of your sister and waylay him in a lonely hallway away from court. You confront him, and are surprised when he is pleased at your success in realizing the subtle manipulations of the court. He tells you that he can't help you openly, nor tell you why he cannot, and vanishes from view. The next night you go to the library and find a book you don't remember retrieving squarely in the center of your table-space. After a quick perusal, you realize the book is a translated version of a text on basic magical theory. It all seems very convenient.
At court you secure a royal allowance, and manage to push it a little higher than is usual. Using this you secure some basic assets and contacts in the mercantile business, and work on making money. At first this goes poorly, and you find yourself making less than nothing, you tell yourself this is just an investment, but you find that one of your larger investments was sunk into a scam. The merchant you paid to secure foreign spices bought a skiff and fled to a foreign port with your investment, you attempt to track him down but find that he was operating under an alias. Cursing your soft judgement you make note to yourself to one day bring the man to justice. Still, you've learned from your mistake, and you become more hands on with the affair of making money, which you soon realize is essential. It's not near as lucrative as the spice trade, but you start a small stall based business selling fruits out of the port. It won't win back your losses, but it's fairly steady income in the warm season, and in the colder season you switch to serving as a middle-man in more specific dealings, using your connections to track down specific items that clients have a wish for. It's not as lucrative, but it's good practice and is making you some decent contacts.
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Topic: Prince: A Royal Suggestion Game (Read 25963 times)