章 14: Family Meeting (4)
When arriving inside the hall many of his subordinates slowly gathered around him. While acknowledging them the didn't really stop but went straight to his rightful place. His father, Selwyn Tarth, was the center of attention in the large conference room.
His body and mind grew a lot stronger in recent years and he enjoyed the enthusiasm of his subordinates, while staying calm and collected, showing a hint of dignity in every movement. When the current Lord of House Tarth noticed the arrival of his son his eyes showed appreciation for his conduct. In private he would go up and greet him with a hug, maybe asking about his day or his current projects. But right now, in front of the power holders of Tarth, he needed to act according to rules and etiquette.
After politely greeting his father and the retainers around him, Galladon remained on his seat, silently. He blocked any subordinate that tried to talk to him with a slight wave of his hand.
When every seat was filled the noise inside the room slowly toned down until a nearly complete silence was achieved. Slowly, Selwyn stood up from his seat and walked onto a small podium at the head of the hall. Facing the important members of House Tarth he slowly started to speak.
"Today I welcome everybody inside Evenfall Hall to an important meeting of House Tarth. It's been a long time since a meeting of this size was last held in this chamber. The only times in history were probably to discuss an ongoing or incoming war.
Fortunately, today the occasion is because of a happier reason. My son and heir, Galladon Tarth, whom many of you know and watched growing up, will soon set out for King's Landing to participate in the upcoming tournament. He will combine this journey with a visit to important Lords of the Stormlands and with finding a marriage candidate for himself.
This decision has caused a lot of questions to many of you. Some don't understand the necessity, and some don't agree with the journey at all.
This caused rifts between our family and some allies and even some internal strife and arguments. What saddens me the most is the apparent difficulties between our older generation, people I grew up, some even the supporters of my father, and the younger generation centered around my son.
There are many reasons for this occurrence, some valid and some fueled by personal interest and selfishness. But we are not here today to judge or point fingers. We are here for communication, to solve problems together as a family, and most importantly, to keep internal unity, explain the way for the future, and to combine all forces available to turn Tarth, our homeland, into the best place we can possibly create."
After giving a powerful statement at the beginning Selwyn gave s short break to let his speech sink in. Afterwards he gave his son Galladon an encouraging look and continued.
"My words my sound like a political speech or a cliché to many, maybe not convincing enough to satisfy the majority, which is why I invited my son and his close subordinates today.
They will present their plan and answer any questions that arise. Not I will try to convince you, let alone order you all to act according to their plan, they will have to let you join willingly, or deal with the consequences of their actions.
I will now leave the stage to my son, Galladon Tarth."
Galladon stood up, waiting for his father to start walking down the stage, and started clapping. His subordinates followed him after a slight uncertainty because clapping after a great speech wasn't very common in Westeros.
Selwyn's subordinates and allies didn't want to be left behind and followed their example, resulting in quite the applause for Selwyn. He kept walking steadily, but inside he was very happy with the appreciation he received and Galladon's respect for himself. Surely, he understood the positive direction of House Tarth was largely related to his son, but no father wants to be completely overshadowed by his own child. Giving respect and gratitude is not hard but will lead to lasting positive effects in any relationship, even between father and son.
When Selwyn reached his seat and sat down comfortably the young heir of House Tarth made up his way towards the podium where his father just delivered a very suitable peroration. A little nervousness was slowly spreading inside him. This was the first time in both of his lives that he needed to deliver a speech in front of such an audience. Taking a deep breath, he started his first trial after becoming an adult.
"Today we are gathered to recapitulate the past and to form a united front when facing the future of Tarth. This event is by no means negative but gives a chance to further improve our mutual understanding.
I want to draw a conclusion about the recent development of House Tarth and the situation we are currently facing.
In the last 15 years, due to the influence of many different factors, we increased the population by roughly 45.000 people, reaching 112.496 registered men and women in Tarth. Thanks to reclamation of farmland and an effective way to protect existing farmland we can guarantee sufficient food to secure the necessity for our population by ourselves. We further constructed ten large warehouses near Evenfall Hall and are constantly buying grains from the outside world as strategic reserve, profiting from low grain prices resulting out of the long summer period in recent years. Population wise we are in the best situation Tarth has experienced for centuries.
Furthermore, Evenfall Hall turned into a political and military center of Tarth, while most commercial activities were concentrated in the north of the island, in the newly built Sapphire Hall. This huge project was largely possible thanks to our ever-increasing trade volume with King's Landing and our partners from the Free States. Tarth Honey and Sapphire Honey Wine were major factors contributing to the opening of new trade channels."
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