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PETITION CALLS FOR RESTORATION OF DUCHESS ARIANNE
Dateline: 19-
A group of leading citizens of the city of Poldoon have submitted a petition to the King calling for the restoration of Lady Arianne of Poldoon as Duchess of the city.
Lady Arianne was removed as Duchess by the King (at that time Regent) five years ago, and the title awarded to the Raven instead, after the King accused her of sedition and attempting to incite rebellion against the Crown over her opposition to his Regentship and future accession to the throne. However Dirk stopped short of outlawing her.
Arianne held the Duchy of Poldoon for many years, having been appointed by King Mark III following the death of her father, the previous Duke. As one of the few remaining members of the royal house of Tredach, and a cousin of King Mark, Arianne was seen by many as a plausible alternative claimant to the throne following the late King’s death.
A spokesman for the petitioners, Lord Farquhar Melchett, told the Bugle “We are calling upon King Dirk to reconsider his decision, which we are certain was taken in haste and on the basis of incomplete information, and remove this stain against the character of a noble lady of royal blood. Lady Arianne is after all third in line to the throne, and her daughter is fourth, so it is fitting that she should hold a position in the Kingdom appropriate to her station.”
“What seems to have precipitated the King’s action at the time was that the Duchess was seeking to raise her own military forces for the defence of the city. Yet in view of subsequent events this now looks like it would have been a very wise idea indeed, and it is exactly what the Raven is doing with these Poldoon Border Scouts of his.”
“I must stress that this is not directed against Duke Raven in any way. We are sure that the King could find many alternative ways in which he could be of service to the Kingdom, which are much more suitable and appropriate to one of his talents and background. It is just that the people of Poldoon love their Duchess and want to have her returned to them.”
However, our correspondent in Poldoon reports that support for the petition seems
to be coming primarily from members of the city’s nobility and that it enjoys little
support among the common citizens of the city. “I think the Raven is doing a pretty
good job, myself,” one citizen told him. “It is just these upper-
Lady Arianne herself, who is said to be living quietly with her daughter Princess Grace as a guest of a nearby estate baron, was unavailable for comment.
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