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In the Court of the High King  by Dreamflower

Chapter 24

Faramir was glad to be back in Minas Tirith. He loved Ithilien and his time there was such a joy as he and Éowyn planned their new home together. He longed to see Ithilien once more become the garden of Gondor and bloom in the peace that had been so hard to come by. But right now he felt his duties as Steward should come first; the King's reign was not yet two years old, and the ravages of the War were not all yet healed. While he was away, he could not help but worry about what was going on in his absence from the White City.

This morning Éowyn had parted from him after breakfast to meet the Queen at the House of Children. The notion of bringing some of the war orphans to Ithilien was an excellent one, and had been entirely Eowyn's idea. He was quite proud of her for taking on such a task, and felt it would be a fair way to success. He already knew that Mablung and his wife wished to take in at least one child, and perhaps more.

Now he was meeting with the hobbits. He smiled. Just thinking of them made him happier; one could not spend much time with those of the hobbit race without coming away quite charmed by them. They needed to discuss the best ways to speed the trade agreements. The delegation would be leaving in only a few months to return to the Shire, and they could not afford to let things drag on too long.

He knew the meeting would carry over into the time that hobbits called "second breakfast", so he had made arrangements for an array of refreshments to be set out. He had learned that they would probably simply nibble at things all through the meeting, so there was an assortment of breads, cheeses, biscuits, fruit and a goodly sized pot of tea, as well as a light wine.

His manservant Darion showed his guests into the room and left; he would be only the ring of a bell away if Faramir needed him.

"Many of the those in the Merchant's Guild are quite excited over the prospect of increasing the trade in pipe-weed, and in bringing more items into the Shire such as silks, spices and coffee."

"Lemons and some of your other Southern fruits are not completely unknown in the Shire, but are incredibly rare and dear," said Freddy. "I think that we are coming to a simple accommodation with the travelling merchants. But I don't understand why we are encountering so much resistance in the wool trade."

"The wool-trading families are much entwined, and they have controlled all aspects of the trade for generations. From sheep to raw wool to the spinning and weaving of cloth, even to the knitting of stockings and other such items, all are controlled by three families – who are so intermarried with one another that they might as well be one family. Though there is some rivalry between them as well."

Berilac shook his head. "Sounds like Tooks and Brandybucks," he chuckled.

Freddy laughed. "Sounds like most of the Great Families on the Roll, for that matter. Lord Faramir, we have asked the Thain to send some samples of some of the Shire's finest woolens. Perhaps we can make some judicious gifts among those families of those samples where such gifts will be most likely to do some good."

That was very astute, Faramir thought. There were some in the Guild who would see the advantage in some Shire produced products, and who might very well promote the Shire if the quality impressed them. Aloud he said, "I will give some thoughts to that subject. I think I know of some who might fit the bill." He rose. "Gentlehobbits, the time nears that I must prepare to attend Court. Will you be attending as well, today? I think you might find it amusing."

The hobbits often were among those who often attended the Court of the King, though not all of them did so every time Court was held.

"Perhaps we shall," said Freddy.

The hobbits all took their leave, and Faramir summoned Darion to assist him in getting ready. Once he was clad in his official robes of office, he took up the White Rod and went to the back of the throne room to await the herald's call. As was usual, Aragorn already sat upon the high throne; the Queen, who usually stood at his right arm, was not there this morning since she and Éowyn were still at the House of Children.

Lord Dorlas' voice filled the hall as he announced Faramir: "Lord Faramir son of Denethor, Steward of Gondor and Prince of Ithilien!"

Faramir, carrying the White Rod before him, went to claim the Black Chair of the Stewards. He glanced up to the throne where the King was already in place, and was rewarded with a small smile from Aragorn. He sat down with gratitude upon a thin cushion of black velvet. Bless the Queen; one of her first acts had been to see that cushions were made for his chair and for the King's throne. They were not obvious to the audiences in Court, matching each seat in colour and not especially lush, but they made life a lot more comfortable. He sometimes wondered if his father's dour disposition had partly been due to sitting for hours on cold hard stone for so many years.

He looked around and scanned the room. There was not a large crowd this morning; those who were in attendance appeared to mostly be those who were concerned with the cases appearing before the King. He did spot Freddy and the hobbits, as well as Menelcar. The bard seldom missed court, for there might be something of interest to inspire a song.

"We call Master Baker Lindilmir, Head of the Baker's Guild to come into the presence of His Grace the King, to give witness in the matter of Master Hargam son of Harvo."

A tall and rather portly Man of middle years stepped down the center of the room and bowed. Over his fine court clothing, he wore a pristine white smock, broidered on the shoulder with the device of his Guild, and a tall white hat, the emblem of his office, which he doffed as he bowed. When he straightened up, he held it before him in both hands.

Faramir spoke up: "Master Baker Lindilmir, please acquaint His Grace the King with the facts of the matter."

"Two weeks ago, a journeyman baker, one Gilihil son of Gilgon came to the Guild Hall with a disturbing tale. He had been hired by Master Hargam to help oversee some new apprentices and to assist in the bake shop. In the first two days he noticed several practices that are against the guild rules, such as substituting a lower quality of flour for the finest loaves and yet charging as much as those made of the finest flour. When weighing the loaves brought to him for baking by those who make their own bread, but lack ovens he was seen placing a thumb upon the scale. Worst of all: the table on which the unbaked loaves were placed had a hole in it. Below the hole was a shelf with a shelf and a large bowl beneath it. This was all concealed from the view of the customers by a tall counter. But he had instructed his apprentices who prepared such loaves for the oven to reach up through the hole and pinch off some of the raw dough. This was then dropped into the bowl, the pinched off part was smoothed over and then the loaf was baked as usual. The stolen dough was later made up into small loaves that could be cheaply sold, since they had cost him nothing. Master Hargam made it clear to Gilihil that he was expected to do the same and to teach this practice to the apprentices."

Faramir nodded. "Is Gilihil son of Gilgon here to verify this testimony?"

"Yes, my Lord Steward, he is." The Guild Master indicated a young man standing nearby. Not having been called by the Herald, he did not come forward, but he bowed and nodded his head.

"What did you do when this story was told you?"

"I called for two bakers whom I knew to be unknown to Master Hargam. They went to his shop as customers to observe these practices – they knew what to look for. They also took with them loaves for the baking that had been weighed at the Guild Hall beforehand. They weighed considerably less than they should have after baking."

"Then what was done?" asked Faramir.

"Master Hargam was brought to the Guild Hall, and there before nine of the most senior bakers of the Guild, he confessed his dishonesty, excusing them as practices he had learned from his old Master. But he admitted that he knew such practices were against the Guild rules. We stripped him of his Mastery, demoting him to journeyman. His shop has been confiscated by the Guild. He may work there under the supervision of another Master until we are satisfied his lesson is learned. In addition, that his perfidy may be known to all and that all may know the Guild did not condone his actions, he is to be paraded through the town, mounted backwards upon an ass, with a loaf of raw dough about his neck, and accompanied by one of the City criers declaring his crimes."*

Faramir glanced up and back to the throne, and at the King's nod, he in turn nodded to Lord Dorlas.

"We call into the presence of the King: Hargam son of Harvo, to face the justice of the King."

The baker had not been a prisoner of the Citadel; this was a civil matter, simply needing the King's stamp of approval. Yet because of the seriousness of his actions it was being done publicly in Court to show that the King would not put up with such perfidy. He was escorted forward not by guards but by two of his fellow bakers, who each had him by an elbow.

They gave him a slight push, and he went to his knees before the King.

Elessar looked down at him, and the man could not face his gaze. His eyes dropped. "Hargam son of Harvo you have been found guilty of violating the pact you made upon becoming a member of the Guild. We find that the punishment meted unto you by your peers to be both just and befitting the deeds which you committed. If they had not taken this matter in hand, your punishment from Us would have been far more severe. You took advantage of your customers who trusted you, literally taking the bread out of their mouths. For some who are poor, this could make a difference of whether all in the home would have a meal. Even worse, you tried to suborn an honest journeyman and to teach your wicked practices to the young apprentices in your care. We are not so long from the shortages of the War as to forget what it is like when there is not enough food." He cast his glance over at the head of the Guild. "Master Baker, We commend your Guild for taking swift action in this case. It is because of actions like this that Guilds prove their worth. We agree to your judgment, and the second part of it may be carried out the day after tomorrow beginning at noon."

The miscreant was taken from Court by his fellow bakers, and the Herald (as had been agreed ahead of time) did not seek to reprimand the laughter which followed him.

After this, the appearance of the representatives of the Seaman's Guild and the Merchant's Guild might seem dull. Yet both Aragorn and Faramir knew it to be the more important matter. Now that Sauron was cast down, the Merchants wished to send expeditions South along the coast of Haradwaith below Umbar to discover if a sea passage to the Eastern lands could be found. Royal permission was needed to authorise explorations of such foreign lands. It was also needed to grant special wages to seamen who signed up for such a hazardous journey. Elessar ratified the agreement quickly, and hoped few noticed how much more momentous this was than the matter of a cheating baker.

As court was dismissed, Faramir watched the hobbits follow the crowd out. They might be small, but he could tell by their thoughtful expressions that they'd listened more carefully than most. He could also tell that they were looking forward to a meal. He smiled as he went to get out of his formal robes. He was looking forward to luncheon as well, for Éowyn was sure to be back from her own business by then, and perhaps they could take luncheon together.

xxxxx

* This was a real punishment in a real case back in the Middle Ages. I am sorry that I cannot cite my source—it has been many years since I read the book with this information, and I can recall neither the title nor the author. The subject matter, however, stayed with me!




   





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