• The Prouds 34

Chapter Five

After King Matthew’s accession to the throne, it was time
for the guardianship council to hold their first meeting. His
mother prepared him, by dressing him properly, combing
his hair, and telling him how strong he should be.
“Remember that I want you to be as invincible as
the sky,” she kept repeating. “Act like a king... like a man,
and not a child.”
The king’s memory became a place full of the
instructions which his mother kept repeating until they
became deeply implanted in his consciousness, which was
exactly what the mother always wanted.
He headed to the hall where the first meeting of the
guardianship council was going to be held, while his
mother’s words were echoing in his head. When he reached
the hall, he found a large number of guards who had spread
all over it and a big table in the middle to which the three
old guardians had sat. When they saw him, everyone rose
in respect for the new king, who walked to and sat on a
huge chair in the far end of the hall.
Albert was an old, fat man. He had an orange-died
long thick beard and hair that did not hide his more than
sixty years of age.
As soon as the king sat down, Albert said,
“Welcome, My Lord. We shall now begin to discuss the
affairs of the kingdom in your presence.”