In His Name

There once was a modest King of a modest country, who loved his people, and knowing this, they loved him. The King was not rich, nor was the Kingdom, but both the King and his people were happy. This Kingdom had one border on the Western sea, with a busy and prosperous seaport. A second border, on the South, was formed by an impassible desert. The other borders on the East and North were the longest, and were formed by a great mountain range. None knew, or cared, what was beyond those mountains. The interior of the Kingdom was watered by rivers which flowed from these mountains to the sea. The valleys and planes were lush and fertile.

In time, the King grew old. Of his two sons, the oldest did not seem interested in the Title while the second was not respected by the people because he was arrogant and grasped for power. The People of the Kingdom had no concerns, save one: that Baragon would come to the Throne. The King also, when he began to feel the pain and hardness in his gut, began to be concerned. Still, having listened at length to his advisors, having spent sleepless nights concerned for his beloved people, and the fact that he owed this decision to his fathers, he decided.

On the Third day of Airings, which this year was the first day of spring, the King announced that his first son, Eseried, would follow him on the Throne. The people were overjoyed and merriment flowed into the streets! Baragon was enraged! Eseried was dismayed.

With the decision came a hundred of the King's finest servants, bodyguards and footmen, sworn by their very life to see Eseried to the throne. Not seven days had passed when Eseried traveled into the city, and, as his carriage came past a garden wall, a mob of henchmen attacked his entourage with the intent to kill him. They very nearly succeeded, except for a young man standing by who leaped to defend Eseried. Throwing his body against an assassin, he prevented the murder long enough for the footmen to rescue Eseried. When the last attempted assassin lay on the ground, the footmen held the young man at sword point and Eseried commanded, "Spare him!" That young man's name was Haworth.

Too soon, the old King went to be with his fathers, and Eseried came to the throne. Not but a few days from that day Baragon was set upon by an enraged mob in the city who dragged him into the street, dead. Then peace again settled on the Kingdom.

Eseried loved to go among the people as if they did not recognize him, and having learned this, they would smile, nod respectfully, and allow him to pass among them without commotion. It was a wonderful time for all.

On the anniversary of the attempted murder of Eseried, a messenger came to the humble door of Haworth. His own father had just passed, and he had inherited the house and the woodcraft shop.

Bowing, the messenger said, "My Lord Eseried wishes to express his condolences for the passing of your father."

"Thank you, and please return my thanks to My Lord, King Eseried. I am honored by his kindness."

"As you say," replied the messenger. "My Lord has sent a token of his gratitude." With this, he presented a gift, bowed, and having done that, he departed.

Haworth was surprised by the gift. When he opened it, he found inside a ring of silver, with gold trim, and set with a black stone. In the stone was carved the King's shield and a symbol. He tried on the ring and found that it fit the center finger of his left hand. It took some time to get used to wearing a ring, let along such a rich and beautiful ring, but in time, he forgot to remove it. Being a humble man, and an artisan at heart, he did not notice the looks people sometimes gave the ring.

Some years passed, and Haworth prospered. He heard of a wood, beautiful, fine grained and hard as stone from the east near the dessert, and having the opportunity, decided to journey there in hope of purchasing a supply of it.

So he traveled East in the early spring, arriving in the Shandong Valley before the heat of summer was unbearable. When he arrived, he found a misery and depression beyond what might be caused by drought or famine. As he walked the valley, he found that the people were oppressed by a corrupt and cruel Governor. He began to fear for the only possession that was of any value to him, so he put the ring on a chain and hung it about his neck. When he arrived in the City, he paid his tax, which was more than in any city, and took a room to rest.

In three days, he learned that although he could afford to purchase a supply of the wood, the tax on its purchase and the cost of its carriage and that tax, all together, would make it useless to him. In that same three days, he learned that by taxes, fees and "assurances" charged by the Governor, the Governor had robbed the people of their wealth, their joy of living, and worse, their love and Trust of King Eseried. He decided to go home.

Then as he was passing out of that city, he noticed that some of the soldiers were of the Governor, and others were of Eseried. He turned, suddenly, into the compound of the Royal Troops and asked the guard to see the commander. When the guard asked for a "letter or pass," all Haworth could think to do was show the ring. The guard called the sergeant of the guard, who, seeing the ring, escorted Haworth to the Officer of the Guard. The Officer of the Guard asked to see the ring, and on seeing it he bowed to Haworth, saying "Yes, my Lord," and immediately escorted Haworth to the Captain of the Troop.

Now Haworth, who was surprised at the reaction of the first Officer, was again surprised by the Captain when he asked to see the ring and also bowed and said, "How may I be of service to my Lord Eseried." The idea, which had been born quite suddenly in one shape and color, just as suddenly burst into full bloom of another shape and color.

Without so much as a moment's consideration of his sanity, he said, "Give me a force to go with me to arrest this corrupt Governor that he may be delivered to King Eseried."

The Captain asked, "By the Command of King Eseried?"

Haworth replied, "In His Name."

The Captain bowed, stepped to the door and said, "Officer of the Guard!"

Haworth heard the command repeated twice, then rapid steps.

"Yes Sir!" The Officer of the Guard answered.

"Assemble the Troop."

"Yes, Sir," the Officer of the Guard answered again.

It seemed almost suddenly that Haworth was at the head, with the Captain and the Officer of the Guard, of a column of 100 troops marching toward the Governor's House. This sudden turn of events had fallen on the Governor in a complete surprise, or he would have had all his own men by his side. However, with unrest in every city he ruled, he had only twenty men in his house. When informed that a column of Troops was approaching his house he was overcome by fear, but could do nothing.

Without ceremony or courtesy, the Captain, the Officer of the Guard, ten sergeants and the troops entered the Governor's house and seized everyone, escorting Haworth into the presence of the Governor.

Then, the Captain said to Haworth, "Show him your authority."

Haworth extended his hand showing the ring, and said, "I arrest you in the name of King Eseried." Then Haworth felt his mind go blank and he could think of nothing else to say. This wonderful idea had been born suddenly as a seed, and just as suddenly, it had bloomed and had then been executed. The suddenness of its completion caught Haworth unprepared.

The Captain of the Troop, who Haworth had learned during the march was named Georgian, was prepared. Having seen the need, but not having the authority, he had often considered the needs and requirements.

"May I secure the prisoners and the evidence against them?"

"Yes," Haworth answered, "please do."

The next moments, indeed, the next three days were a rush and a blur of things that needed doing. It was beyond him, Haworth often thought, and suddenly the Officer of the Guard or the Captain or the Chief Steward would suggest a course of action and, since it seemed best, in the name of Eseried, it was just as quickly done.

In five days, a monstrous and obscene hoard of wealth was exposed, counted and stacked in the Guardhouse, and under guard. For two days Haworth had watched, and considered how best to deal with a burden of which he wanted no part: He did not want a part of the wealth, nor did he want responsibility of it. He considered the impossibility of carrying this wealth to Eseried. During these same two days, he had also attempted to write a letter to King Eseried, and failed miserably. The former Governor's Chief Steward had accomplished that, and in Haworth's own words, sealing it with an impression from the ring.

On the sixth day, Haworth was standing before the Guardhouse with Captain Georgian, and considering what to do with the hoard.

Haworth said, "This was stolen from the people."

"Yes," replied the Captain.

"It should be returned to them."

"How can that be done?"

"I don't know, I just don't know."

So a messenger was sent to King Eseried, bearing Haworth's letter, the Captain's report and an accounting of the seized wealth.

Captain Georgian had insisted that Haworth take up residence in the Governor's house. When he protested that he was not the governor, Georgian shrugged away his protest with, "Be that as it may, someone needs to keep this house up until the King appoints a new Governor, and you need a place to stay." Despite his discomfort in such a grand house with servants, he remained. He felt trapped. Trapped by that hoard of wealth, and the need to do something with it, and the man who had stolen it, and his family, and this large house, and the need for a new Governor, and the sorrow and unhappiness of the people, and then to face his Lord Eseried. During the night, Haworth had a dream, of sorts. The dream seemed to be both a nightmare and pleasant, and he could not understand it.

Then, in the morning as he sat at breakfast, another idea seemed to bloom. Just as the money had been taken from the people, so could it be returned! That was what the dream had been about, give and take, take and give. The "take" had been the theft, and "giving" was the justice. However, the wealth could not just be divided and distributed as cash, as that would cause as much a problem as being a solution. What was it that taxes, fees, and "assurances" were supposed to purchase for those who paid them? The people had paid for security, service, roads, bridges and above all, justice. Since he was trapped, and while he must be here, he would do what he thought, was certain, a just Governor or Eseried Himself would do.

When he suggested the idea to Georgian, he asked, "By King Eseried's command?"

Haworth said, "In His Name."

The next moments, indeed, the next three days were a rush and a blur of things that needed doing. It was beyond him, Haworth often thought, and suddenly the Officer of the Guard or the Captain or an accountant would suggest a course of action and, since it seemed best, in the name of Eseried, it was just as quickly done.

Men were hired in every city in the valley to clean their city, their wages paid out of the treasure. Men were hired to repair roads and bridges, their wages paid out of the treasure. Other men were hired to build small damns and reservoirs, their wages paid out of the treasure. Stonemasons, bricklayers, carpenters, artisans and crafts persons of every kind were put to work to build, to repair, to renew and replace what was needed, and their wages paid out of the treasure.

The three months of summer heat rushed past, which Haworth scarcely noticed, until the letter from King Eseried came by Royal Messenger, escorted by a hundred cavalry. By His command, Haworth was to return to Eseried, bringing the former Governor with him.

The journey was long in the fall heat, and he was uncomfortable with his burden. As the days and miles passed, Haworth reconsidered the events leading to his soon-to-be meeting with his King, and decided he could have done none else. If his conduct had cost him his head, so be it. A few days before arriving in the City, he was at rest, and began again to notice the beauty of the kingdom he loved.

When they arrived at the King's Palace, the next moments, indeed, then next three days were a rush and a blur of things that needed doing. It was beyond him, he often thought, and suddenly the Officer of the Guard or a sergeant or an accountant or a servant would suggest a course of action and it was just as quickly done. Thus, he gave an accounting of everything he had done in the Shandong Valley, and waited on his King. Then on the fifth morning, a servant advised him he would see the King before the middle of the morning.

He dressed in his best clothing, bought just for this meeting, and with his ring and his clear conscious, he was ready. With an escort of ten guards, he went to meet his Lord and his King. On the way, he realized that these men were not stern, or disrespectful toward him, and he remembered, then, that all those with whom he had dealt over the last week had been courteous. Perhaps, he thought, King Eseried may not demand his head, and, with that thought, he was ushered into the presence of his King.

The hall was longer and grander than he could have imagined, yet he did not have time or thought to look around, for the sudden weight of judgment was upon him. Haworth felt a hundred eyes upon him, but could see only the eyes of King Eseried.

Bowing before Him, Haworth said, "My Lord, I am your servant."

"I have received your letter, the report from the Captain of the Royal Troop, an accounting of the wealth held in the Guardhouse. I have now a statement from the former Governor. Now before these witnesses I ask you, are these true?" Haworth's heart pounded in his ears, and he did not notice the words "former Governor."

"My Lord, my letter is true and accurate. I trust the report of the Captain of the Troop is accurate and that the accounting of the wealth under guard is accurate. As to the Governor's statement, I have no knowledge of that."

"Did you give an order to the Captain of the Troop in my name?"

"I did, my Lord."

"Did you arrest the former Governor in my name?"

"Yes, my Lord, I did." This time he noticed the word "former," and his breathing came easier.

"Did you command that bridges and roads be built or repaired, and the workmen's wages paid out of the wealth stored in the guard house, and all of this in my name?"

"I did, my Lord."

There was a seeming long silence, and though he did not feel guilty of doing wrong, he did know that giving an order in the King's name could very well result in death. The King on occasion, did send someone with a command that must be obeyed. On some rare occasion, some fool would commit a crime, saying he was acting in the King's name and then hope to escape. It was as unheard of as it was unthinkable. What had possessed him to do such a thing he could not remember, now, while he waited for judgment.

"Very well, my servant," King Eseried said, "In my name, you have acted as an officer of this Court. In my name, you have acted as the Governor of the Shandong Valley. In my name, you have done what I would have soon sent someone to do. Therefore, this is my judgment: you are an officer of this Court; you are Governor of the Shandong Valley. Governor Haworth, you are welcome in my house!

Then King Eseried and His Court, including the new Governor of the Shandong Valley, went out on the balcony and witnessed the former Governor loose his head.

Then peace and prosperity settled on the Shandong Valley. Governor Haworth loved to go among the people as if he were one of them; and knowing this, they would smile, nod respectfully, and allow him to pass among them without commotion. It was a wonderful time for all.