‘Meanwhile, a soldier who led the defending Elf army decided that the Library was to be kept fortified and safe. As a consequence, after the Goblins hordes were defeated and driven from our lands, the Library was no longer open to the public at large, and it became a place instead of secrecy. A wall of sorts, too, unfortunately constructed by the city’s well-intentioned but impractical artisans, was hastily erected around the city, and manned by soldiers.
‘That selfsame soldier grew in power, more as a consequence of the subsequent attacks by the Goblins than anything else. He was both commander of the Elf army, and chief Loremaster, which at the time was commonplace. When he died, his eldest son, who was the rising star of the time, took his place.
‘By the third generation, a tradition had become established, and the grandson was made King. So began our monarchy.’
Doc frowned at this. ‘My understanding was that your people had a monarchy from the very beginning.’
The Thane smiled at this. ‘That was a very long time ago. Our original monarchy vanished when the first warlords came to power, and over the generations there have been many Kingdoms and systems of government built upon the ashes of the old.