Power is a curious thing, my lord.
The king, the priest, the rich man—who lives and who dies? Who will the swordsman obey? All depends on the man with the sword.
And yet he is no one. He has neither crown nor gold nor favor of the gods, only a piece of pointed steel.
That piece of steel is the power of life and death.
Just so… yet if it is the swordsmen who rule us in truth, why do we pretend our kings hold the power? Why should a strong man with a sword ever obey a child king, or a wine-sodden oaf?
Because these child kings and drunken oafs can call other strong men, with other swords.
Then these other swordsmen have the true power. Or do they? Some say knowledge is power.
Power resides where men believe it resides. No more and no less.
So power is a mummer’s trick?
A shadow on the wall, yet shadows can kill. And ofttimes a very small man can cast a very large shadow.