The King story

Here is an excerpt from my self-published novel The Best of Enemies. Because the plot was inspired by The Epic of Gilgamesh, this little scene was designed to condemn an action Gilgamesh performed: the droit de seigneur, which means the "right of the lord" to force his social inferiors to submit sexually to him.

I'll leave it to you to decide how moral Qebel (the protagonist) was in this scene. And with no further commentary, here it is:


The King handed down the penalty of death for the crime that had been banned only recently in the History of the Kingship. This was the droit de seigneur, which Wenʐa the King had once taken with the wives of Citizens of Man. The droit de seigneur had been repudiated by Rruᵜel the King, who said a man should be content with four wives, or less. The droit de seigneur was banned by Meshu the King, who declared: “I would not accept this if it were done unto me. Therefore, let the King never do such a thing unto another man or to a woman of Man. Let no man in the Society of Man practice this crime, and neither shall the King.”
But some of the Chiefs still did not agree. Seven Chiefs had practiced this crime, demanding their right to rape the female promised to another man in marriage.
Qebel denounced this act, saying, “abuse of the females is expressly forbidden in the Law of S̢adaq. Rape is also forbidden in the Law of S̢adaq. What is more, Meshu the King forbade their specific crime. You three men have violated the Law in three separate ways through your actions. Your names will nevermore be drawn in Symbols. Two of you will all be nailed to a cross and left near the anthills of the Savannah. Let that be done!”
And it was done.
The Chiefs of N‡odo and Ʈufu, Qebel spared from death, though he ordered them to resign their Chiefhoods and make a heavy restitution for the wrong they had done. “You two come from cultures that only recently have come indoors from the Jungle,” said Qebel. “For that reason, I consider mitigation in your favour. But know that what you did is wrong, and should anyone else in your Families do such a thing, the King will not be so merciful again.”
“The King is wise,” said the former Chiefs. “The King is wise,” echoed the men chosen to take their place.
To his half-brother the Chief of Kata, the King said: “But you are a son of Meshu the King and you of all people should have known better. The King trusted that you would know right from wrong. But the King has heard testimony of good Citizens who were there, and they saw what you did. They said that your actions were worthy of the savage Nomads that once roamed these lands.”
“I am your brother,” said the former Chief of Kata.
“That makes your betrayal worse,” said Qebel. “ For you betrayed my trust when you raped your neighbour’s wife. You think that Might gives Right? You fornicating fool! I am strong enough to kill you with my right thumb. I could rape you and your two wives. I have the Strength and the Authority to do that. But you know that I know Right from Wrong, and I have never chosen to do such a thing. I have never abused my Authority as you have abused yours.”
Said the former Chief: “But to kill your brother is the worst sin. That was what the Flint Brothers did on Mount Blood.”
“If you had read the Scrolls of Öl the King, you would know that the Flint Brothers had been each jealous of one another. But I was never jealous of you. Were you jealous of me?”
And the King said: “I could have you nailed to a cross on an anthill with the others, but I will give you a gesture of forgiveness. In this cup are banana beer and the poison of the sapphire toad. Take and drink: that is a command from the King. Let that be done.”
And it was done. The King said: “I forgive you. But as you die, do not think of me. You should think of the woman whom you abused, because it is her forgiveness you should have asked.”
God alone knows what the former Chief of Kata thought as he died.