The Common Good [Solo-RP]

[Aubervijr]

Commonwealth Party Headquarters
7, Nico Hager Street, Outer Constantijn
Sunday, the 11th of July, 2021 - 22:17

Over a period of about 2 hours, government ministers from the Commonwealth Party arrived from various homes in Constantijn, attempting to avoid the media whilst they were at it. They were attending a secret meeting, arranged by Rudolf Verstege, who had left the PM's housing several hours earlier to help prepare the meeting.

First to arrive were the important figures, Olivier Rodenhuis arrived first. The depute of the Party, he often clashed with Verstege on near everything, but the two got along when it came to republicanism, and anti-monarchism in general. Having now been in power for just under a month, the two were a big threat to King Leopold.

As the final minister gathered in a well-lit room, with no seat now unfilled. The table, which was quite long, was fitted with a cream-coloured table cloth. In-front of each minister, was a coaster and glasses, filled with some kind of alcohol. Every now and again, waitors and waitresses would come round with different types of alcohol to re-fill glasses.

The meeting was called for one reason only. To plan and discuss the so-called 'Referendum over het Herstel van het Gemenebest', or the 'Referendum on the Abolition of the Monarchy'. The Commonwealth Party, near unanimously, seeks the abolition of the Monarchy. But they needed to plan the abolition further before they declared a date to the public.

A quiet chatter amongst the ministers was soon silenced, as Rudolf Verstege stood up from his chair, raising his near empty glass, which still contained a few drops of whiskey. Rudolf, with a spoon, gently tapped the glass. Heads turned to face the man, who came from a humble background, and aged 44, was a relatively young Prime Minister.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Rudolf spoke in a quiet, calm tone. "I greet you on this fine night, and thank you for leaving your wives, husbands and children to attend this meeting. I hope the time and date isn't an inconvenience to you all." He paused for a moment, scratching the bridge of his nose.

"Over the years I have been alive," he began, "I have never been fond of the Monarchy. I was born during thr reign of King Karel, and after his death in 2002, as I am sure you all know, Frederik succeeded him. Frederik assumed the throne an elderly man, and died an elderly man. If it wasn't for his son's constant drinking, smoking, partying and drug-taking, we would have a middle-aged and fairly competent King. But instead, we have a young, inexperienced and weak King."

He downed the remaining few drops of whiskey in his glass, before setting the glass down on the table. He gestured to a waitress, who came and re-filled his glass. He whispered his thanks to the waitress, before opening his mouth once more to speak.

"I am sure you all know our agenda off by heart. Our main priority is for the common good. The abolition of the Monarchy. Everyone in this room seeks it. And we will pursue it. And thus, we must stick to our word. Before we do, we must make a few agreements amongst ourselves. We have discussed this before, but I want to ensure we are all still in agreement. It is basically already decided, but I wanted to run it by you all."

He lifted his glass of whiskey and took a sip, before setting it down once more. He thought for a moment.

"King Leopold III will remain in Constantijn Palace if he so desires. That way the King and the palace can remain a tourist attraction. Leopold is very wealthy. As of right now, the people's taxes and money from this Government pays to refurbish, repair and maintain Constantijn Palace. From the abolition onwards, assuming the people vote for it, Leopold himself will pay for such things. If he has servants, he will have to pay for those too."

He paused for a moment. In that moment, ministers across the table applauded the statements of the Prime Minister. Rudolf smiled, the corner of his mouth curving upwards, ever so slightly. He licked his lips and opened his mouth once more, continuing his speech.

"As for what succeeds the abolition, the Commonwealth Party cannot remain a party. Now, I know you all, sitting in this room, very well. You were handpicked by myself because you are loyal to me, and because our political beliefs are similar, if not identical. We all get along very well. But in this party, we have radicals, from leftists to rightists. This party cannot survive beyond the abolition. And thus, the party will be dissolved following the abolition. I will form my own party, and I trust you will all follow me in this direction. Other parties who joined the party prior will be allowed to reform, or can form new parties. An emergency government, us, will lead the country between the period of the dissolution of the party and the second general election, which will follow soon after. Each party will have the same amount of time to run an election campaign."

He stopped speaking, as he took another sip from his glass. There was a quiet murmur of agreement amongst the ministers. He waited ten seconds before he spoke again, to let the room quiet down a bit.

"Today, the term limit is six years. We have spoken about this before. We find this rather undemocratic. The term limit will be shortened to five years. Our bill will be published tomorrow, and you have a copy of it in-front of you."

Eyes around the room darted to the paperwork in-front of them, which none of them had yet examined.

"I'll let you read through that for a few minutes." Rudolf said, downing the rest of his whiskey as he sat down. Noise then flooded the room, as ministers conversed with each-other. Rudolf gestured to the waitress once more, who refilled his glass once more. He gestured his thanks again, as he sat back and waited. He then grabbed a copy of the bill, glancing over it.

'The Commonwealth of Aubervijr Bill', it read. He read it over, and then waited a while longer. After a few moments, and two glasses of whiskey later, he stood up.

"We will complete this mission, ladies and gentlemen. Remember what Commonwealth means to us. 'For the common good of our people'. We are serving the people in our quest. The Lord is on our side. Even if the King stands against us, our cause of common good, the people of Aubervijr standing at our side and the Lord moving us on, we can accomplish anything. Thank you all for your time. Goodnight."

The room errupted into applause, as Rudolf Verstege shook the hands of each minister, thanking them each for their loyalty and attendance. After thanking the staff members who served them all, Rudolf left.

Olivier Rodenhuis remained in the room with the other ministers. Olivier Rodenhuis was an experienced politician, who felt he deserved leadership of the party more than Rudolf. Olivier knew most, if not all of the ministers in attendance were loyal to Rudolf. Olivier was not loyal in the slightest. He had support in other areas of the party, which he felt, was all he needed.

 

[Aubervijr]

Commonwealth Party Headquarters
7, Nico Hager Street, Outer Constantijn
Tuesday, the 3rd of August, 2021 - 13:36

Rudolf Verstege's office within the 'Hoofdkwartier van de Gemenebestpartij', (HGP) as it was known, was remarkably ordinary. The walls were painted an off-white colour, and lacked any sort of decoration. No posters, no framed photographs; nothing to identify who worked within the room. The only noticable detail was a crucifix above the entrance to the room. The carpet was a dull grey, and near spotless.

Rudolf had a luxurious brown leather chair behind an oak desk, which sat opposite the entrance. The office was surprisingly small, and Rudolf didn't really have much on his desk either. Apart from a few folders and documents, he had a coaster, a box of pens, pencils and other miscellaneous items. On his desk, he also had a Bible, and a prayer book. Opposite his desk were two leather chairs, not near as luxurious as his.

Rudolf sighed, as he gathered up his files, placing them in a pile in-front of him. He glanced at his watch, waiting patiently. In the Upper House, the third reading of the Commonwealth of Aubervijr Bill had already taken place, and had been voted on. He estimated that the Speaker of the Upper House had received a piece of paper with the vote tallies, and was about to read them out.

Rudolf clasped his hands, feeling quite proud of himself. He had come far, and took this moment to look back on it all. He thought for a brief moment, but was interrupted by a knock at the door. Rudolf smirked, as he stood up, approaching the door. He opened it, allowing his secretary, Roelandt, to walk in.

"Roelandt, my friend. How are you?" Rudolf asked calmly, stretching out his hand, which Roelandt shook.

"Rudolf, I am great. I have some good news." Roelandt said with an excited tone.

"Do tell." Rudolf replied, already knowing what he was going to say.

"The tally in the Upper House was just read out. Out of the 836 seats in the chamber, 502 voted for the bill to pass - a clear majority." Roelandt announced, a smile on his face.

"Well. Congratulations, Roelandt. We have done it." Rudolf said, a slight smile on his face.

"This calls for a celebration, wouldn't you say?" Roelandt asked.

"Not right now. We still have a lot of work to do, Roelandt." Rudolf replied. "I shall have to address Parliament and form an emergency government in preperation for the dissolution of the Commonwealth Party, and create my own."

"Right." Roelandt replied, a little let down.

"You still have a lot to learn, Roelandt. You'll get there." Rudolf replied, patting him on the back. Rudolf smiled, before walking back over to his desk, where he sat down, grabbing a file, which he subsequently opened. He grabbed a pen, and made some notes.

Roelandt turned, shutting the door behind him, going back to his own desk.

"Only a few days now." Rudolf muttered to himself. "The privileged King shall lose his throne. And Aubervijr's people will finally feel alike, and similar. Equal."

He felt a sudden sense of pride, knowing his ancestors fought, and some died to have the Monarchy abolished in the Civil War. He was completing their work, but not just for them - for Aubervijr's people today. He blinked, in an attempt to clear his head - as he did have some work to do.

Constantijn Palace
Inner Constantijn
Around the same time

Leopold held his head in his hands. He had been watching the third reading in the Upper House live, and stormed out when the tallies were read out. He knew his days of royalty were numbered, and near over. He didn't know whether he was angry, scared or whatever other emotions he might have been feeling. He was almost certainly more stressed than anything. His girlfriend, Sophie - who he had been seeing since he went to university, sat beside him, stroking his hair in an effort to calm him.

"I have been King for under a year." Leopold spoke softly. "I have done nothing wrong. And yet I am the only King in Aubervijr's history to be removed from the throne, by Parliament's command - apart from Frederik. At least Frederik put up a fight. I am completely powerless. I don't even have to sign anything."

Sophie didn't know what to say. She came from a wealthy background, and was quite wealthy herself - but didn't know how to respond to Leopold's concerns. Leopold stood up quickly, his hands clenched into a fist.

"Hen*, we'll work our way around it and adjust. We'll get through it."

"It won't be like that, Sophie." Leopold replied. He stood up, and opened his mouth, about to rant. "Verstege and his circus of a party have made a mockery of me and my family." He began pacing up and down the room. "He is brushing us aside, like he doesn't care. Like I am some pawn. God is not on my side. If he was, my crown would not be sent to a museum in the next week - or whatever Verstege will do with it. Being a prince was all fun and games. But who would ever want to be King?"

Leopold put his hands in his pockets, ready to give up. Sophie still sat where she was moments prior, staring into space. The two were helpless, and Leopold knew it all too well. He was now irrelevant, and was about to lose everything he had ever knew. No longer would he be 'Your Majesty'. It was now just 'Henry van Coeverden' - his regnal name meant nothing anymore.

Leopold walked over to an old vase, which he picked up and tossed to the ground, enraged. He mutteres one sentence under his breath. "I miss the days of servants and pretty crowns", before storming out, with Sophie standing up, following on, calling out to him, asking him to wait - which he didn't.

---

* Hen being a shortened version of Leopold's birth name, Henry.

 

[Aubervijr]

The Emergency Chamber
Houses of Parliament
Constantijn, Aubervijr
8th of August, 2021 - 14:15

The emergency chamber was a separate, cramped chamber, made specifically for joint sittings of the upper and lower houses. A joint sitting of the upper and lower house was organised when the vote in the upper house following the third reading of the Commonwealth of Aubervijr Bill passed. The joint sitting was there to oversee the signing of the bill and the election of a President, if the said bill is signed.

The bill did not require royal assent, due to the nature of the bill. The Compromise Act of 1702 ensured that, but the King had been invited to sign it, as a show of respect and recognition of the people's wishes.

If you were to walk into the chamber, it would immediately appear very cramped. It was quite a large chamber, but there were 1,636 seats in the said chamber, with 800 on one side - for the lower house, and 836 on the other for the upper house. In the centre of the chamber, was something that could be compared to a table. Upon it, were two despatch boxes - one for the upper and lower houses and a copy of every law passed since 1702, in a series of books.

The Prime Minister, Rudolf Verstege, the Depute Prime Minister, Olivier Rodenhuis, the temporary Speaker of the Upper House, Koepe van Amelsvoort and Teube Bakhuizen, the Speaker of the Lower House, all stood by the Speaker's chair. The King was asked to attend by 14:20, and if he hadn't arrived at the given time, the sitting would proceed without him.

Rudolf quietly cleared his throat, as he listened to the noise of near two thousand people talking amongst themselves. He turned to Olivier, getting increasingly bored.

"I hope he arrives soon." Rudolf said to Olivier, who was standing next to him.

"What?" Olivier asked, struggling to hear him over the chaotic noise of the chamber.

"I said; I hope he arrives soon." Rudolf said, leaning in and speaking up.

"Likewise. It would be a nice gesture if he did." Olivier said, glancing at his watch. "He only has a few minutes."

"This noise is intolerable." Rudolf said, getting increasingly fed up.

"Indeed." Olivier replied, glancing at the large, oak double doors leading into the Chamber, which were closed. The two waited for the deafening crack from the doors being banged upon with what could be described as a thick stick, made of ebony wood, with a small, golden crown at the top. At the bottom of the stick, is a shape specifically designed to bang the doors of the upper or lower house, and create a loud bang as it did so.

After two minutes or so, that crack came. The doors were banged upon thrice, and the chamber fell silent.

"Open the doors." Yelled Koepe van Amelsvoort, as four footmen standing by the doors pulled them open. Beyond the doors, King Leopold stood there, dressed in ceremonial uniform. He carried his ceremonial cap in his right hand and held the handle of his sheathed ceremonial sword with his left. Every man in the chamber stood up, as Leopold walked slowly to the table in the centre of the room, separating the lower house from the upper house.

"Your Majesty." The four men standing by the Speaker's chair spoke, as they bowed in a respectful manner.

"Honourable friends." Leopold replied, bowing his head in return. "I understand that I am going to be removed from my role as King, and the Monarchy henceforth abolished. If that is what this sitting and the people wish, it is what they shall receive. I am prepared to abdicate all titles held by my family on their behalf, and abdicate the throne myself."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Rudolf Verstege spoke, to which Leopold nodded.

Koepe van Amelsvoort then spoke; "The Commonwealth of Aubervijr Bill passed in a vote within the Upper House following a third reading; 502 members of the Upper House for, 334 members of the Upper House against."

Teube Bakhuizen cleared his throat, and then spoke; "The Commonwealth of Aubervijr Bill passed in a vote within the House of Parliament following a third reading; 487 members of Parliament for, 313 members of Parliament against."

The two speakers then stepped down from their positions, walking down the steps towards the table in the centre of the room. Upon a free space on the table, the original copy of the Commonwealth of Aubervijr Bill sat with a space at the bottom for signing. Koepe van Amelsvoort stepped forward first, and signed the bill with the pen on the table. He then stepped aside.

Teube Bakhuizen then stepped forward, and using the same pen, signed the bill. He then stepped back, and the two bowed their heads to the King. They then turned, walking back up to their position, where they watched as Rudolf Verstege and Olivier Rodenhuis stepped down, walking towards the table.

Rudolf stepped forward first, signing the bill with the pen. He made way for Olivier, who then signed it. The two, like the speakers before them, bowed their heads to the King and stepped back into their position.

Leopold stepped forward, placing his cap upon the table. He turned, as a man entered the chamber. Walking slowly, the man carried a crown cushion, and upon it, the Monarch's Crown - made in 1921. The man had white gloves on, to be sure not to put any fingerprints on the crown. The two approached each-other, and stopped in-front of each other. The man bowed, and Leopold took the cushion and the crown from him.

Leopold then slowly walked back to the table, where he placed the cushion. "Honourable members of the House of Parliament and the Upper House, I present to you my crown, made months prior to the coronation of King Georg-Wilhlem. This has been worn for generations, and I would have worn it if I had a coronation. I will have no use for it when the bill passes, so I hand submit it to the Houses of Parliament, where I trust, it will be kept safe for generations to come."

Leopold then walked to where the bill was sat, and leaned over to sign it. He paused for a moment, a moment before the pen touched the paper. Leopold closed his eyes for a moment, before he scribbled his signature onto the paper. He stood up, and walked to where the four men were standing. "I behold to you all - the Commonwealth of Aubervijr." Leopold shouted, and bowed his head.

There was a round of applause throughout the chamber, with not one man refusing to clap. Leopold stepped down and walked out of the chamber. The applause died down once he exited. The doors were then shut.

"We must now elect a Head of State." Said Van Amelsvoort. "I understand only one individual has been submitted to the office of President, that being Coenraad Andries Ferdinand van Rijckevorsel. All in favour of electing Coenraad van Rijckevorsel to the office of President of the Commonwealth of Aubervijr?"

Near every hand in the room then raised.

"I am sure the tallies will be counted, but I can see with my own eyes that it is near unanimous. Van Rijckevorsel is now Aubervijr's new Head of State." Van Amelsvoort finished, as Coenraad stood up from a row of seats and shook the hands of the four men. A round of applause burst around the room. But a lot of work was yet to be done, in the eyes of Rudolf Verstege.

 

[Aubervijr]

The Emergency Chamber
Houses of Parliament
Constantijn, Aubervijr
9th of August, 2021 - 11:35

Rudolf Verstege stood in the same position as he had the prior day. The room was still quite empty, but everyone who was required to attend had already sat down. The room didn't contain members of the upper or lower house, but instead, former knights, dames, baronets, baronesses and privy councillors sat across the seats of the room. All seats were now tilted, to face the podium where Rudolf Verstsge was standing.

There was a quiet murmur from the men and women sitting, but the murmur was soon silenced as Rudolf Verstege turned on the microphone attached to the podium, and his voice would be echoed around the room from a series of speakers sat in each corner of the chamber.

"Ladies and gentlemen, peers and privy councillors, I stand before you today in a new country. The Commonwealth of Aubervijr. With a constitution, a new Upper House and a new political system, which is already being practiced."

Rudolf then lifted a piece of paper which prior was sat on the podium.

"I hold a copy of the Commonwealth of Aubervijr Bill. In it, it states that the Privy Council shall be abolished and replaced by a Council of State. Meaning you privy councillors will act as an advisory body to the President of the Commonwealth, Coenraad van Rijckevorsel. You're no longer privt councillors either, you are now state councillors. It has more of a ring to it.

Rudolf then cleared his throat, still holding the paper in the air.

"All individuals who are Knights, Dames, baronets, baronesses or peers of Aubervijr shall have their titles and/or roles revoked. This includes hereditary and non-hereditary peers. So, unless you were unaware, consider yourself now aware."

Rudolf then lowered the paper, placing it onto a table beside him. There was a silence near echoing around the room, which Rudolf quite enjoyed. It was one of confusion and outrage, and the fact they couldn't do anything about it made Rudolf feel all the much better about it. Rudolf leaned into the microphone once more.

"Any questions?" He asked. The room remained silent. "Right. Very well. You can all go home now. I look forward to meeting with the state councillors soon."

There was a murmur of outrage amongst the men and women, who soon all stood up and began to file out of the room. Rudolf stood at the podium, as he watched them all exit the chamber. His eyes then darted across the room, to a man standing in the corner of the room, who wasn't moving. Rudolf recognised him instantly, as his brother and member of parliament, Johan Verstege. He was formerly a knight, having received a knighthood from King Frederik III. Formerly the Right Honourable Sir Johan Verstege, was now just Johan Verstege, MP.

Many in Aubervijr had been diminished to nothing, not that Rudolf cared. His brother was a mere shadow of what he once was, and his health wasn't exactly great. The age difference between Rudolf and Johan was some 15 years, with Johan being the eldest - aged 70. Johan had been suffering from lung cancer for years now after five decades of smoking, which he only recently quit. Johan was not going to last long, and the two brothers knew it all to well.

Rudolf stepped down from the podium, walking at a quick haste through the dwindling line, moving through the men and women talking amongst themselves. Rudolf, after getting passed the line, began walking through an empty row of seats to get to his brother. Rudolf soon reached Johan, who coughed.

"You have gotten what you always wanted. You are the head of government of Aubervijr, a country now without a King. It was unthinkable two years ago, for Aubervijr to lack a King. But you always were ambitious. You have now, somehow, done the impossible." Johan said, leaning against the wall behind him.

"Aubervijr can now be an equal state, with equal peoples. Not in the socialist manner." Rudolf said, suppressing a smile.

"Congratulations." Johan said. "There are no sirs, no dames, no royals, or peers. Just citizens, MPs, you and the President." Johan chuckled.

"Thank you, brother. How are you keeping, anyhow?" Rudolf asked, putting his hands in his pockets.

"Not at all well." Johan sighed. "I will go out with the monarchy."

"Come on, now. Don't say that. You still…" Rudolf paused. "…have a while left yet."

"How kind." Johan chuckled, prompting Rudolf to also chuckle. "I shall wait for the Chancellor's permission before kicking the bucket."

"Give it a rest." Rudolf sighed. "Now, I wanted to tell you, I am forming two separate committees. One committee, will be called the 'Executive Committee' (directiecomité), which will act as the Social Messianist Party's board. Oh, that party is one I will be forming in the coming days. The directiecomité will be elected by this next committee, the 'Representative Committee' (Vertegenwoordigend Comité)."

"Right. Sounds a bit…" Johan was cut off.

"It sounds good, I know. The President and I agreed on it last night. I will serve as the head of the executive committee, too. It'll act as an advisory body to myself, and simultaneously will act as the board of my party. It all works out perfectly." Rudolf's voice rose slightly.

"If you say so." Johan sighed.

"I do say so." Rudolf replied, once again, suppressing a smile.

By now, the room was empty, and everyone had filed out. As the two stood in silence, Rudolf noticed that the silence somehow, was louder than when the room was full. Not literally, of course, but Rudolf wanted to break the silence, or leave.

"I have to meet with the state council later on today, alongside the President. Then I have to meet with that executive council and finalise the formation of this party. I'll get in touch with you soon, brother. Alright?" Rudolf asked, already knowing Johan's answer.

"Of course. I'll catch you later on." Johan replied, and the two shook hands. Rudolf nodded, before strolling off, exiting the chamber, as Johan remained leaning against the wall. Johan felt like slumping to the ground, but didn't. Within a few minutes, Johan had exited the chamber, feeling like a frail and weak old man. Johan couldn't help but think about Rudolf's committees, and what he intended to do with them. He remembered how ambitious Rudolf was in his childhood and teenage years. He didn't think the committees were good news.