Chapter 14 The Winter Tax
A cold wind blew through the front courtyard of the mansion. The sky above was dark and grey. Hundreds of local villagers stood together inside the iron gates. They looked thin, tired, and very hungry. They rubbed their hands and stamped their feet in the mud to stay warm. The crowd was full of angry whispers.
Up on the porch, Aurelia stood near the heavy wooden doors, wrapping her winter cloak tightly around herself. Her violet eyes watched the crowd below. For days, everyone in the market had been talking about running out of food. The people were desperate. When Kaelen announced this public meeting, she thought he was being foolish.
"He is going to start a riot," Aurelia said to herself, her jaw tight.
A moment later, the door opened. Captain Vance rolled Kaelen out onto the porch. Kaelen looked very small in his large wheelchair. He had a thick wool blanket pulled all the way up to his chin. His pale face looked completely drained of life.
The moment the villagers saw the prince, the whispers turned into loud shouts.
"We have no food!" an old farmer yelled from the front, raising his fist. "The winter tax is going to kill us!"
"Why are we here?" another voice shouted. "To freeze?"
Aurelia stepped closer to Kaelen’s chair. "Kaelen, say something to calm them down," she whispered quickly. "Before they rush the steps."
Kaelen looked down at the angry faces. His dark eyes were wide with fear. He gripped his cheap wooden cane with shaky fingers and hid deeper under his blankets.
"Please... please listen to me," Kaelen called out. His voice was too soft. The wind swallowed his words, and the crowd only grew louder. He looked up at Aurelia with watery eyes. "Lady Aurelia, they are so angry. I do not know what to do."
"I told you this was a mistake," Aurelia said, her heart beating fast. She looked around for Captain Boros, but the captain was just standing by the gate with his arms crossed. He did not try to stop the crowd at all.
Suddenly, the heavy iron gates made a loud noise. A large carriage drove into the courtyard, forcing the people to move out of the way. The carriage door opened, and Merchant Donald stepped out into the mud.
The crowd turned on him instantly, their anger flaring up. Donald was the richest merchant in town, and he was the one hiding the grain to make the prices double.
"You greedy thief!" a woman screamed at him.
But to Aurelia’s absolute surprise, Donald did not shout back. He did not look mean or proud. Instead, his head was bowed very low. He walked through the crowd with his hands pressed together, his face pale and humble.
Donald walked right up the porch steps, keeping his eyes on the floorboards. He stopped a few feet away from Kaelen's wheelchair and dropped heavily onto both knees.
The courtyard went completely quiet. The villagers blinked in surprise. Aurelia froze, her eyes wide as she stared at the richest man in town kneeling in the dirt.
"Prince Kaelen," Donald said, his voice loud and clear. He sounded very humble. "I have come to do what I promised you."
Kaelen moved back slightly, looking down at the kneeling merchant with a confused face. "Master Donald? Please, get up. The ground is very cold."
"No, Master Kaelen, I must stay here," Donald said, keeping his head bent down. He turned slightly to face the quiet crowd below. "People of the border town! For a long time, I have been a greedy man. I locked up the food to make myself rich. But last night, Prince Kaelen called me to his study."
Aurelia held her breath. She looked at Kaelen, but the prince just blinked innocently.
"The good prince spent hours talking to me," Donald continued, his voice echoing in the quiet yard. "He cried for your children. He told me that a good merchant should protect his people, not starve them. His kindness broke my hard heart. So, because of Prince Kaelen, I am making a change."
Donald stood up slowly, facing the peasants. "Starting today, I am cutting the price of all grain in half! Also, I am opening my private barns to give free flour to every family in need until the spring comes. This is all because of the mercy of Prince Kaelen!"
For a few seconds, no one moved. Then, a massive shout of joy came from the crowd.
The thin, starving villagers began to cry, hugging each other in the mud. They looked up at the porch, their angry faces completely replaced by looks of pure love.
"Long live Prince Kaelen!" a man yelled.
"The heavens sent us a saint!" the old farmer cried, dropping to his knees to bow toward the wheelchair.
Kaelen gave the crowd a small, tired smile. He raised a thin hand, waving to them weakly. "Please, thank Master Donald, not me," Kaelen called out softly, his voice full of gentle warmth. "I only asked him to be kind. I am just glad you will all have food for your tables."
The cheering grew louder and louder into the cold sky.
Aurelia stood perfectly still in the corner, her mind spinning in total confusion. She looked at Donald, who was bowing to Kaelen before walking back to his carriage to start giving out the food. Then she looked at the happy crowd, who now thought her helpless husband was a savior.
He begged him? Aurelia thought, her chest tightening with deep, cold suspicion. Donald is a mean criminal who loves money more than life. He would never give away his wealth just because a weak prince cried in front of him.
She looked down at Kaelen. The prince was coughing lightly into his sleeve, pulling his blanket tighter as if the wind were too much for his frail body. He looked completely harmless, completely innocent.
Tomas had told her that Captain Boros was the secret boss torturing Kaelen to run the town. But if Boros was the boss, why would he let Donald give away the grain for free? Why would Boros let Kaelen become the most loved man in the area?
The pieces did not fit anymore. Every time she thought she knew who was running the town, the board changed. A hidden hand was directing everything perfectly, winning the hearts of the people, all while Kaelen played the part of a dying saint.
"The wind is getting much stronger, Lady Aurelia," Kaelen said softly, turning his wheelchair toward her. His dark eyes were wide and clear, looking up at her with that same simple, childish face. "Can we go back inside now? My legs hurt from the cold."
Aurelia stared into his eyes for a long moment, her heart beating in a slow, heavy rhythm. The suspicion in her soul was turning into something sharp and dangerous.
"Yes," Aurelia said, her voice dropping to a low, icy whisper. "Let us go inside, Kaelen. It is getting very hard to see the truth out here.
"
"Thank you," Kaelen smiled gently.
