The Rebels of Cordovia Read Free Page A

unusual for him. She knew
he was being extra careful.
    After loading all the goods they could into his
wagon, Daniel helped Robin upon the seat and they headed down the
road. She spoke of the people they were about to see and their
condition, mentioning that many could not find jobs. She noticed
how Daniel’s heart went out to the people from little statements he
made.
    Finally, after explaining what kind of shape
their kingdom was in, hoping to get his opinion on the matter, she
was delighted when he made his first statement of rebellion.
    With a slight grunt of disapproval, Daniel said,
“How can anyone who cares about their country allow the people to
be in such terrible condition? Something just has to be done before
more deaths occur from illness and lack of food. And what about the
self-respect of the people?”
    “That’s exactly how I feel,” said Robin
resolutely.
    Daniel turned toward her and looked into her
eyes as he gave a curt nod of approval.
    “Where are you from?” Robin asked curiously.
    He smiled. “Over five years ago we moved here
from across the sea. My father had heard of the generosity of
Cordovia and what a great kingdom it was. After living here for a
time, we were surprised how the king had complete control over his
people. It didn’t seem right.”
    Robin slowly shook her head. “It wasn’t always
this way. My father told me that years ago we had a kind and
generous king who ruled over this land. His name was King Edmund.
Papa said that he was a righteous man and believed men were equal
in the sight of God. The people loved him and trusted him. When he
created a group of warriors to defend our country, they called
themselves Edmund’s Legionnaires. When he was about sixty years of
age, he told his son that he didn’t want a king to rule over our
people any longer. He said that one day a wicked man would take
over and our rights would be taken away from us. So he wanted
judges to rule instead.”
    “Judges? I don’t understand.”
    “He wanted a High Judge, which would be his own
son. And then he would have Lesser Judges. No laws could be passed
without the approval of all the judges. This would be for the
benefit of the people.”
    “I see,” said Daniel. “In other words, the High
Judge would be in charge but he would have to discuss the matter
with the Lesser Judges before he could pass a law or something of
importance.”
    “That’s right,” said Robin with a smile. “When
the High Judge retires or passes away, then the people would put in
another High Judge by the vote of the people.”
    With enthusiasm, Daniel said, “I like it.”
    Robin laughed. “Me, too. Well, King Edmund
taught his son how to be a good and righteous leader, telling him
to allow the people their rights and to have a say about the laws
of the land. He was preparing him to rule the people as the High
Judge. Then he sent his son to far off countries to learn from
them… not only the good things but to learn from their mistakes,
too. His son was around twenty-five at the time.”
    “What was his name?”
    “Jonathan.”
    “So what happened to him?” asked Daniel.
    “I’ll get to that,” Robin said with a smile.
“Just be patient.”
    “All right,” Daniel laughed as he whipped the
reins, encouraging the horses onward.
    “Rupert was Jonathan’s devoted friend. In fact,
they were inseparable. They did everything together, even planned
their future. While Jonathan was gone, Rupert heard about the
king’s decision to not have another king. He wasn’t happy about it
and felt he would be a better leader than Edmund. So he quickly
gained the trust of the king. Without his knowledge, Rupert was
gradually poisoning him day by day.”
    “What?” exclaimed Daniel. “I don’t understand.
How could he get away with it?”
    “He did it a little at a time. The servants
suspected something was not right. After Rupert’s arrival, they
noticed how King Edmund’s health began to decline. He became