Scar Tissue
Gaius had stopped looking forward to his meetings in Khan Baliq, but they were a requirement now that the tribe chieftains were included in the parliament they adopted from Rashugal. He was aware of how the citizens of Auj Oule were unhappy with his lack of presence in the capital after being there and willing to listen to their concerns as well as petitions for so many years. Regardless, his attention was needed more in Rashugal and Elympios.
Which made the fact that every matter of business on the long list of matters in need of discussion was taking nearly an hour to go over with so many individuals involved in the decision making. It was tiresome to him, but many of their ideas were worth considering. There were still some proposals that were absolutely ridiculous and as foolish as they were impractical, but even then, he handled the suggestions as fairly as possible and gave the politicians chances to revise their terms if they were initially declined. Additionally, the fact that he listened to them won him favor with Rashugal's citizens. On top of that, he needed to have new ideas analyzed and revised by multiple people; there wasn't any one person at his side any longer who he could unconditionally trust to make decisions best for the country.
Rowen – seated in the chair that had been Wingul's since the two allies overtook Auj Oule – was flipping through the pages of the agenda for the meeting. The king found himself eager for it to be over, as he spent more time than he would have liked refocusing the discussion upon the actual issues, rather than the arguments between citizens of the newly united countries.
"The second to last matter of business is your security," Rowen said.
"Yes," one of the representatives of Auj Oule said, rising to his feet. "I suggested this issue for discussion because of the lapse in your security in recent months."
"There have been no incidents," Gaius said.
"Regardless, you went from having four well-trained bodyguards who were feared in both Auj Oule and Rashugal to absolutely nothing," the man explained, while Rowen nodded approvingly. "I propose that we reform the Chimeriad. Assembling a new Chimeriad will be beneficial for your safety as well show the tribes that Auj Oule left the war unscarred."
Gaius didn't even pretend to humor the suggestion. "You are dismissed."
The man blinked in confusion. "Excuse me?"
Rowen looked over at the king in sudden shock. "Your majesty-"
"You are dismissed," he ignored Rowen as he repeated the words in a tone that said he did not want to hear anything more on the topic. "My answer is no. Do not come to the next meeting."
"Your majesty, it's a valid concern," Rowen said, trying to take a tactful approach to the situation.
"My word is final," Gaius said resolutely.
Evidently still not realizing the impudence of his suggestion, the man spluttered and did not return to his seat. He made a show of pushing his chair back abruptly before shoving it back in place with such force that it caused an inkwell to tip over and spill. A Rashugalian nobleman scrambled to salvage his documents before the ink spread as the newly dismissed parliament member. It was the shortest amount of time spent on any topic, which left the room in a stunned silence as the guards opened the doors for the man to exit.
"And our final matter of business?" Gaius asked, his voice as even as it was before the abrupt incident.
Some of the other members of parliament seemed unsettled by the unexpected show of power. They regarded Gaius differently, even with some trepidation when as the final topic of the meeting was addressed. Though it was reviewed properly, it still went quicker than the first several issues, as fewer people were willing to voice their opinions.
Gaius was already considering moving up his departure tome for Rashugal as the meeting came to an end. As much as he strived to give Elympios an image of a united Rieze Maxia, the people were still very eager to identify themselves as being from Rashugal or Auj Oule. As he left the room, he wasn't surprised to hear Rowen following him down halls that were quieter than they had once been.
"Your majesty, you mustn't be so abrupt with the parliament," Rowen said, walking swiftly to keep up with him. "You're going to create a poor reputation for yourself. That nobleman you dismissed is going to talk."
"It was a ridiculous suggestion," he said dismissively.
"It's only understandable that there would be some questions, seeing as you went from four bodyguards to none and-"
"The Chimeriad was not a division of the military with positions that could be refilled," Gaius interjected, impatience betrayed in his tone. "They each had specific titles and names granted individually. They cannot be replaced."
They weren't something that could be reformed; while Rowen may have stepped into the rank of prime minister, there was only one Chimeriad. There would not be another Ebon Wing of Auj Oule.
Author's Note
There's a NPC in Khan Baliq / Kanbalar who says, "There was a person here recently who suggested that a new Chimeriad be assembled, but King Gaius outright dismissed him. I can't really blame him for how he feels."
And it made me sad enough to make other people sad with this oneshot. Little tidbits of information like this are so upsetting since Gaius really doesn't show sentimentality like that, but he's not the sort of person to dismiss someone abruptly. Everyone in Auj Oule adores him because he is a good king who listens to his people. You can only imagine how many ridiculous requests and petitions he gets from the open audiences, though he still holds them routinely. Such a notable departure from that is such a clear sign that the suggestion of a new Chimeriad was salt in an unclosed wound.