An Excercise in Plot

“What should their money mean to us? Can we reap it? What matter if they are rich, we are captive! A man kept happy in ignorance cannot remain so once the curtain has been pulled.”

“But the world outside, Wyllem. If you see this land as a cage, and ourselves as captives, you must be sure we’d fare better outside than in, and in the same turn be content with the outsiders entering and making with Meil what they wish. I have seen the outside, have tasted its air, and I will tell you now that if I never repeat the experience it will not sadden me.”

“What are you saying, then? We should remain slaves to them, a breed of men to dance for their entertainment?”

“I am saying it is better to know your trap and still allow yourself to remain within if the choice of freedom is cruelly unnatural. You must know that you have been ensnared, from birth, in a world that is truer than anything the outsiders can forge with their steel and lightning. They have been twisted by their chemicals, crippled in harsh and horrible ways. If you must speak of a breed of men, speak not of those within the wall, for our blood runs with a purity that any without would fail to match. Meil is a sanctuary, and if you fail to see that, you will be a foolish king.”

“You are right, my good friend. As usual. I am merely frustrated with the choices you present me. They are not many, and none of them I like.”

“It is not the King’s duty to do what he should like, but what he should deem best for all of his people. Meil will soon be united under you, and you will hold the hearts of all whose faces look to you for direction. One person cannot stand against the good of the kingdom, be him peasant or king. Judge for the good of all who obey, and thus all you obey. The people are not yours, as so many kings have so falsely believed. You are theirs. So lead them wisely.”

“I have nothing but my best to give, and I must hope that it will be enough.”

“With the counsel you will keep, it will be hard to fail. When you forget, I will be there to remind you.”

“Min Erich? Even if we choose to remain captive, what will keep the outsiders from releasing us? From what you’ve told, they see us constantly, observing our simple happiness. Will we have to protect ourselves from those wanting us to leave this manufactured utopia so that they can take our place? How would we stop those who long to have the floodgates opened, so that they can taint this land with their hopes?”

“The questions you ask are wise. I do not know their answers, but when the time comes to decide the best courses of action, you will do what is right for your kingdom. Perhaps it would not be right to deny the outsiders a chance at happiness, but the cost to our own must be measured carefully. In the end, they are not our people. And we may be forced to defend our home."