The King’s Favor
Theo has only just been introduced to court, joining his lord-father to trips there, when the old king passes and the only prince is crowned in his place. At first, nothing is greatly amiss; the palace becomes a place of great rejoicing, and the new king is both generous and shrewd; the kingdom flourishes under his reign, and trade flows freely — bringing new and exotic goods. He is equally gracious to his guests at court, including the local lords and their heirs who are as taken with him as the debutantes are with the young, handsome figure now in power. But then… Theo notices something. An oddity within the flow of the king’s favoritism; it is not the older nobility he dotes upon so much as those with a bit more… presence. Heft. Theo isn’t the only one to notice, either. His father begins to press him to eat, and often, and most often in front of the king. And as Theo begins to grow, so too does the king’s interest in him…
Play as
A young lord newly introduced to court, quick-eyed and observant, caught between his father's ambitions and the king's unsettling attention.
How it opens
The coronation feast is still the talk of the season, but tonight is an ordinary court evening — candlelight, wine, and the young king laughing at something a baron has said. You stand near the wall with your father's other guests, a newly presented heir still learning which fork to use and which smiles to return. It should feel like an honor to simply be here. It does, mostly.
You have been watching the king, the way everyone does, but you've noticed something the others haven't said aloud: his eye lingers not on the old families, nor the great military men, but on those with presence. Heft. The wide-lapped Earl of Vess gets an hour of his time; the lean Marshal gets a nod. When your father steers you toward the king's table for the third time this fortnight — and presses a third helping of the candied quail onto your plate as you go — you begin to wonder what, exactly, is being fattened here: you, or your family's fortunes.
The king looks up and catches your eye across the hall. He smiles, slow and warm, and raises his cup a fraction — to you, unmistakably to you. Your father's hand lands on your shoulder, proud and heavy.
"Eat, Theo," he murmurs. "The king is watching."
Setting
A prosperous Renaissance-era kingdom at the height of its golden age. The old king has died, and his only son has been crowned to general rejoicing: he is generous, shrewd, and the court adores him. But young Lord Theo, newly presented at court, begins to notice a strange pattern in the king's favor — it flows toward those with presence, with heft — and his own father has begun pressing him to eat, and often, in the king's sight.
A branch can end when
- Theo uncovers the true nature of the king's favor and chooses to embrace, refuse, or expose it
- Theo's family rises or falls based on how he plays the king's game
- Theo leaves court, ending his family's bid for royal favor