The Baron von Ernest (2)

My mother opened the door and the emissary from the Baron entered our abode.

“Are you Hans Neesand?” he asked.

I nodded nervously in response. “I am,” I said.

“The Baron von Ernest has asked me to take you to see him.  I trust you are happy with this,” he added, to my mother.

“Of course,” my mother said. “But why, Hans is just a boy.”

“The boy will be taken care of and Herr Kurler will ensure that you are compensated for any inconvenience. Well boy, are you ready?”

“What should I take?” I said.

“The Baron will supply you with everything you could possibly need.  But, if you wish, you may take a change of clothes.”

My mother hurried to get things ready for me. We said a tearful farewell and I set off, in full gaze of the entire village.

“Take good care, Hans,” the Mayor said, shaking my hand.

“Don’t listen to him,” the mayoress shouted. “He can’t even take care of his trousers.”

I sat beside the emissary as the coach turned and headed to the castle. The emissary said little, in spite of my questioning, and as we arrived at the castle gates I was still unsure why I had been sought out and what was expected of me.

I had never seen the castle close too, but it was just as spectacular as I had expected, great, impenetrable walls, huge turrets and a drawbridge that connected life inside the castle with those on the other side of the moat.

I had little chance to observe any details as the coach rattled quickly over the drawbridge and into the inner sanctum.

I was taken to great hall, which was filled with people.

“Which of these is the Baron?” I asked the emissary, for I had never seen him in person.

“The Baron is in his rooms and will be with us shortly. You shall sit here and wait.”

I sat in a chair, and realized that this was what everyone else was doing, merely sitting, or standing around, waiting for the Baron to arrive. There was chit chat, but nothing of importance was said, and the servants circled patiently around us, attending to whims foreseen and unforeseen.

Eventually, after what seemed an entire half of my life, there was a great bustling, with servants leaving the room, new servants entering, and everywhere an unstated chorus of whispers.

Eventually a new man entered the room and silence fell. Was this the baron, I wondered.

“The Baron von Ernest,” he announced.

A young boy entered, a similar age to myself, smartly dressed.  As he entered a throng of people surrounded him, each of which he dismissed in turn with a short string of words. Eventually he noticed me.

“You must be Hans,” he said. “I’m so glad you could come.”

“You are the baron?” I asked, nervously.”

“I am, the Baron von Ernest.”

“But you are so young,” I said. “Why, no older than me.”

“My father died when I was very young,” the Baron explained, “I inherited everything, the castle, the title, the money, the servants, and also the seat in parliament.”

“You have a seat in parliament?” I said, in awe.

“I do, in fact the baronship von Ernest intitles me to an automatic cabinet position,  though I tend not to go, as the chairs aren’t very comfortable. Even with cushions.”

“You have everything,” I said. “Power, money, servants, status, you want for nothing.”

“Not true,” the Baron said. “I have no-one to play with. Which is why I sent for you.”

“Why me?” I said, astonished. “We’ve never even met.”

“But you are the only male child in the vicinity the same age as myself. I spend all of my time with elderly servants, elderly advisers, elderly politicians, if I don’t spend time with someone my own age I shall go mad.

“Don’t you go to school?” I said.

“Not since I became a member of the cabinet. You can’t have a government minister still attending school, it looks bad. I have private tutors to prep me on core topics, and they’re as old as everyone else. What games do you play?”

“I don’t know,” I said, “I play ball. You know, catch and throw.”

“Fetch a ball,” he said to the room. From somewhere a ball arrived.

“Let us play,” he said, gesturing to the circle of men around us. He took the ball and threw it to an elderly man sitting next to me, who almost had a heart attack with the shock of it, but nevertheless caught the ball.  After looking around nervously, he lobbed the ball gently to me.

I caught the ball and lobbed it at the baron, who flailed his arms haplessly and the ball fell to the floor.

“Try again,” said one of the hangers on, dashing to the ball and throwing it, ever so gently, to the Baron. The baron flailed his arms again, but this time, by some miracle, the ball somehow lodged under one of his arms.  He had caught it.

“Well done,” said the hanger on.  Those around me broke out into a round of applause, and then cheering.

However, he ‘game’ was interrupted by the sudden arrival of the emissary, who dashed into the room and rushed up to the Baron.

“I am sorry to interrupt,” my lord,” he said. “but it is the Prime Minister.”

“He has sent for me?” the Baron inquired.

“No my lord, he is dead. His surgeon says it was a heart attack.”

“Then I must prepare,” the Baron said. “Have my bags ready, I must away to the city.”

“What is happening?” I asked.

“The Prime Minister is dead,” the Baron explained.

“So you must go to the city for his funeral?”

“No, I must go to the city to become Prime Minister. I was given the title of Deputy Prime Minister as it had no duties attached to it, and would consequently not interfere with my schooling. Unfortunately, it also meant I was next in line.”

I stared at him in awe.  The little boy standing next to me, the one who struggled to catch a simple ball, was now the ruler of an entire kingdom.

“Make haste,” he said to nobody in particular. “I have an empire to rule.  And you, Hans,” he said, turning towards me, “You shall be my deputy.  I cannot do this alone.”