Chapter VII: Nobody expects the Royal Inquisition

Next, be just to those placed under you, keeping to the line of justice, and turn not aside, neither to the right hand nor to the left. And always give the benefit of the doubt to the poor over the rich, until you are sure of the truth. If someone should have a complaint against you, side with the cause of your adversary, until the truth is clear to you. In this way those of your counsel will more readily stand on the side of justice.

Saint Louis to his son

The aftermath of my coronation had been a trying time for me. After ceremony followed a banquet, where, it seemed, every unwed lady of consequence in the realms had chosen to attend. In fine cloth and bedecked in a myriad of jewels, making their beauty known before me, in hope of becoming queen.

The boldest of the lot was Elena Stokeworth, elder sister to my cousin's former mistress. In temperament and behavior she resembled much her sister. And it seemed, her ambitions were higher than being a mistress to a royal prince. Perhaps she wished to outshine her sister, whom ever she believed to be lesser in beauty to her.

Tired of her attentions and her company, for she was in mind quite lacking, and had less common sense than a man willing to become an Unsullied of his own will, I said to her: "My lady, I want you to call to mind something concerning yourself. It is said that you were once a beautiful lady. But what once was, now is passed, as you are well aware. You can, therefore, consider that such swiftly fading beauty is vain and useless and does not last, like a quickly wilting flower. And with all your care and effort, you cannot bring it back. Rather you must concern yourself with achieving another beauty, not of the body, but of the soul, whereby you may be able to please the Seven and atone for those things done thoughtlessly in bygone elegance."

An insult couched in pious words, and for all that I meant it, she believed that my overfondness of piety had inclined me to pity for her soul. In fact it was a rather verbious dismissal, which can be quickly resumed in the words of an otherworldly bard: "Get thee to a nunnery".

The older ladies, at least had then enough sense, to declare their suit forfeit and bothered me not with their attempts at seduction. The younger ones were more willful, and it took many lengthy conversations upon the finer points of the Book of the Maiden to rid myself of them.

That day was fortunately past now, and I had returned to the usual affairs of state. I had, some time before, entrusted Lord Hunter, my Lord Justicar and Master of Laws, to find me good men to send forth as knights inquisitor and investigate if my men in the Crownlands had done injustice or did not justly seen to their duties.

Today, I found myself before these men. It seemed the Lord Hunter was wise, or savvy, enough to bring before me men of competence. What he did not find, and mayhap I should have asked him to, were men of humility. Each and every one of them considered themselves the better and the nobler among the lot, and I was half expecting them to ask, like the Apostles Christ, who should be accounted the greatest.

Now, if men of arms could not agree between themselves who was the better of the lot and more deserving of their authority, I would have them be led by men of a different authority. As such I sent forth a servant to summon before me men who shed such worldly arrogance, and men who where known to me to masters at investigation and at digging out deeds unworthy.

And thus came before me two septons. The first of them had the name of Cad, a man past forty, who had been both soldier and sailor, a former sellsword in the Free Cities, with quite the quiver of talents and skills. He would be one of the few among the clergy of the Faith, who in the course of my reign, to whom I allowed to bear arms. The second, lacked such worldly experience, but was in no way less competent. He was short, brown of hair and plain of face, but he had an uncanny knowledge of the behavior of men, a knowledge that many did not think he possessed, when first they met him. He seemed harmless, and as such men thought themselves none the wiser when he followed them with his keen eye and keener ear. His name was Paul.

It was to these two septons that I entrusted my knights inquisitor, to lead them and command them. They knew well enough to smooth disagreements and prevent them from acting like peacocks. They knew well to instruct them in the arts of investigation. And they were honest enough to see that no one among their lot should fall to the temptation of foreign coin. They were learned in the law, and thus capable of knowing if my bailiffs had broken those, in letter or in spirit. They were to be the men I counted on, while the Knights Inquisitor were to be the muscle and veneer of royal authority that would grant them the authority and legitimacy that a simple septon lacked.

I would sent them forth, and in septs across the Crownlands, septons would make notice of their coming, so that the smallfolk may know that the King would see justice done. These knights would listen record in writing the complaints of my subject regarding abuses, injuries, exactions and services unjustly received and would, at the bidding of my septons, inquire into these allegations. The final word in the matter, until my judgement, would be that of the septons.

They were to inquire on the comportment of my officials, and how they acted in protecting the rights of the King, his possessions and the land. They were to ask if the rights or possessions of the King had been diminished. They were to investigate into how they acted in handling cases and pleas, if they received or kept any loans or deposits. They were to find out if they asked for or kept anything for making peace, for determining a settlement, or for doing justice. And, last, but not least, if they had unjustly arrested, imprisoned, or punished anyone in goods or in person.

And this I said to them: "If anyone has acted against justice, make full inquisition until you know the truth. Enquire of them, and their household, how they conduct themselves, and if there be found in them any vice of inordinate covetousness, or falsehood, or trickery."

They were to become a permanent institution in my fiefs. Four times a year they would sally forth from King's Landing to observe the conduct of my administrators, and would have full jurisdiction to investigate the uniform and just application of the law. Each party would have amongst their lot, tough not always their leader, a septon of proven piety and honesty, and not known to be tempted by worldly vices. Each year they would give account of their comportment in office, and if they were found unworthy, they were to be cast out and replaced.

They were to seek out the helpless, allow testimony of any man, woman or child with their wits about them, and listen to the lamentation of widows, mothers and orphans. The sessions were to be held in convenient places and the petitioners treated with every courtesy and compassion.

Once they returned from their investigations, I would have the wrongdoers dragged before the Iron Throne, judged and condemned. The lesser case would be dealt by them in the place of their office and the greater and vilest by myself. In their stead, I would appoint trustworthy and sensible men, who where known for good behavior and a sterling reputation, and who had kept their hands clean.

And in the days and weeks following, many of these wrongdoings were found out and brought out into the light. A seneschal that took the cattle of a village septon, a man who had his horse taken by a bailiff on flimsy and false reasoning and accusations. There where accounts of men forced to pay their taxes twice, once for the royal treasury, and once for the official to fill his pockets. There where men who seized lands, to make the fortune of the back of my subjects and men who kept the taxes owned to the Iron Throne and accused smallfolk of refusing to pay. There were many cases where men of the treasury refused to acknowledge the debts that my late brother had made in acquiring supplies for the war in Dorne.

Some men, being pauper or orphans, asked of the King to be moved by pity or mercy, and have their goods and rights be restored to them. A widow asked that the goods and rights of her marriage portion be restored to her, on account of faithful service, and blamelessness in the deeds of her late husband.

When the lords themselves were involved, or profited, by my command, the Inquisitors where to treat them with marked hostility and to make known to them the disappointment of His Grace the King in their conduct.

And all these wrongdoers, once found out, where dragged to King's Landing to face my justice. Days of trials, of witnesses, of sworn oaths of innocence came and went. But all the men who had ruined and impoverished my people where dealt with and punished, their fortune was forfeited and used to redress their foul deeds.

The peasant had his chicken given back, his measure of wheat returned, and undue service forbidden. The merchant would have his coin returned, and the King his taxes which had been unjustly pocketed.

The men who I put in their stead I had them swear to render justice without distinction of persons, to not receive presents of anyone, save for their food and drink. They were not to receive loans from subjects under their jurisdiction. I had them swear that they would give or send nothing to any member of the Small Council, or to their wives or their children or the members of their household, or to those who were to receive their reports, and most important of them all, to my Knights Inquisitor. In exchange for their leal service, I promised them wages from my treasury, and to take their sons into my service if they proved themselves honest, and truthful and good and skilled men. And such I proclaimed: "Each and every one of the foregoing, provisions, therefore, which we have thought should be made for the peace of our subjects, reserving to ourselves the fullness of royal power to declare, change, or even correct, add or lessen, we strictly will to be observed by our bailiffs and subjects."

In the choosing of my bailiffs, seneschals or provosts, or my inquisitors I preferred to take into my service knights or sons of tradesmen and master guildsmen from King's Landing, who owed their rise to me, rather than second or third sons, or cousins of Crownlander lords, who kept allegiance with their house, and served their interests alongside those of the Throne.