And so began the King’s Fall Bastard Games.
Kael nodded. “You probably could. But here’s the Bastard’s Dilemma you haven’t seen: If you win the throne by playing the Game, you inherit a court full of people who know only how to play the Game. They will turn on you the moment you stumble. ” Kings Fall Bastard Games
Then, suddenly, the King fell. A stroke felled him in the night. He did not die, but his mind was a fractured mirror. He could no longer play. And so began the King’s Fall Bastard Games
Lord Vennix, the spymaster, immediately began forging letters that implied the late King’s heir had plotted treason. General Thalia, who had always despised the backroom scheming, found her supply lines cut—someone wanted her army hungry and angry at her . The Keeper of the Coin, a quiet woman named Sera, discovered her ledgers had been altered to show massive embezzlement. But here’s the Bastard’s Dilemma you haven’t seen:
Within a week, the court was a nest of accusations, counter-accusations, and three duels fought in the rose garden. The city’s real work—trade, justice, repair of the aqueducts—ground to a halt.