Morning slump

 The problem with ruling a nation is this: you have to do the job, administratively speaking. Sure you could be like one of the less-motivated Kings and rulers, allowing their grand ministers and mothers and wives to do most of the ruling part while you live the life, but it is common knowledge most of their heads end up on top of a stake before getting under the ground on a short call, so that is not ideal. Besides, if you didn't want to do the administrative work, you could always go to the frontier to fight battles and bring glory in, and give the reign to somebody else, always an option. If you decided to live in the Palace and get the Lordship, you gotta put up with the work.

You wake up at five in the morning because the various assortment of birds and animals you have put up in the royal gardens won't stop crooning. You suspect it's something to do with the courtiers but have no definite evidence, and don't want to engage your spymaster yet because he's eventually going to turn all of this into a leverage for him personally. He's a sly sly man, that's why you hired him, but his personal greed which got him the job in the first place is getting a bit out of hand. Ah the things you have to worry about as the King. Eventually something will have to be done about the man. Lordship of a faraway land with special positions in the Capital for his children so he knows what's up.

You stretch, and look around to remind yourself where you are. As a King it's important to be in control of your surroundings, specially the situation with the courtesans has to be handled with great delicacy. It is not unknown that often they end up having a greater power over the matters of the state than the former court, it's only normal then that the palace intrigue and conspiracies play a greater role in this shadow palace. What do your Ministers know, they see you holding hands with a wife, or canoodling with not-a-wife, they give a slight not with that unmistakable smirk at the corner of their lips that they can't erase. Bastard, they're probably thinking, gets to have all the fun, no commitments yadda yadda, but truth be told you'd just avoid all of this business and live with one or two wives and deal with only one court. But your mother won't let you do that.

That old crone. Of course she won't let you get rid of the shadow court. It's the source of her power. She gets to choose your courtesans, she has every say over what is important in a girl, and what your schedule is like. It is not easy to overrule her even in the matters of choosing your own wife. Nobody else has that amount of leverage over you, the ruler of the lands, she holds the keys to the future.

The mornings are spent keeping whoever you're with, their entire group, happy. Oh her brother's going to be sent to the frontlines, she would be very verry sad if something were to happen to him, could I not just give him something in the palace? Ohh this one's village is being haunted by a terrible collector, would I please make sure his books are straight, and he's not overly burdening the poor villagers and also preferably have him sleep with the fishes. And on and on and on. They hold my hands, they hold my legs, and massage them, but my heart beats with great concern for the matters of the state.