THE RULES OF MAGIC - 25
The Queen expressly forbids magic to be used at Council meetings by those invited to attend and witness them, as well as by the Council members themselves. The Queen suspects that without this measure there would be many attempts to tamper with time in some way to speed the meetings up and she feels it would be best to do that simply by working through the agenda as quickly as possible. It also takes a great deal less energy, causes less trouble and leaves no mess to be cleared up later. The other reason for this ban is to ensure when Council members disagree, magic is not used as a way of resolving disputes. It makes for a less exciting meeting but it also means every Council member gets to go back to their Palace quarters in one piece.
Council meetings have a strict set of rules. The Queen expects her Councillors to be beings of honour, to be ready to use their magical skills in her defence and to be honest with her always. (The fact Brankaresh was anything but honest has shaken her somewhat. She likes to feel she can trust her advisers. She doesn’t have to always agree with them and she expects them to speak out in criticism, particularly L’Evallier. What she wants is fairness and honour). She expects all Councillors to be prompt for meetings and to file their reports at the correct times. She expects them to know all that is going on within their species group. They are her watching brief.
FNN are not subject to the Queen’s and/or her Council’s control, though there are times when they wonder if they made a mistake here. However, FNN are expected to report fairly, accurately and to not to do or say anything that might endanger the realm. And the Queen and her Council know full well there is an awful lot that they can claim would put the realm in danger. The broadcasters are aware of this too and tend to tread a cautious line, though even Roherum has been known to question the Queen’s actions sometimes. Occasionally FNN are taken off air for displeasing the fairy government but this was mainly during Queen Gwendolyn’s reign. Eileen doesn’t approve of the Queen, Council or FNN so considers herself truly open minded here!
FNN have to apply for a licence to broadcast annually. They have petitioned the Queen and her Council to make this application every five years but this was rejected by an overwhelming majority. FNN cannot escape the fact the government thinks they need watching. FNN broadcast around the clock but their “twilight” times do tend to be filled with repeats, an idea they got directly from the BBC. Roherum does have an editor who goes over the news scripts with a fine tooth comb but every so often the gnome journalist will adlib. Some of these remarks are quite cutting, others inane. The Kingdom has turned watching out for these adlibs into an art form and at certain times of year bets are placed as to the outcome.
