viernes, noviembre 30, 2007

La cuestión de los Pajes.

(Continuación de El Reino Amurallado)

Un paje, al que hasta entonces no había notado, se acercó a su lecho y le susurró. "Señor, despierte. Es necesario que me escuche. Su vida está en riesgo." Atilio reprimió el impulso de sacar la espada escondida entre las sábanas. "¿Qué sucede?" "Enseguida le explico, venga conmigo." Mientras el monarca y su lacayo se escondían detrás de una puertecilla disimulada junto al espejo, otros dos pajes colocaron en la cama un cuerpo exánime y lo cubrieron ligeramente. Se retiraron y al cabo de un instante, penetró un hombre sigiloso en la habitación. Al ver el cuerpo en la cama, sacó un pesado espadón y arremetió contra él. Todavía estaba acuchillando al cadáver cuando aparecieron varios soldados traídos por dos pajes y capturaron al regicida.

Una semana después, los cuerpos sin vida de cinco aristócratas iniciaban un período al que se le llamó "la purificación del Reino" en el cual perdieron bienes, posición y hasta la vida, numerosos antiguos nobles y nuevos barones y plebeyos que se vieron involucrados en la conspiración.

Eran los primeros años de Atilio y no podía darse el lujo de ser débil. La integridad de la Nación estaba en juego. Llamó al paje.

- Explícame lo de la otra noche.

- ¡Señor, necesito que usted me asegure que no le va a pasar nada a ninguno de mis colaboradores!

- ¿Y estás tan seguro de que no te va a pasar nada a ti?

- No, señor. Confío en su grandeza, su Majestad.

- Bueno, si tus "colaboradores", como los llamas, no han intentado nada en contra mía, no les pasará nada. Te lo aseguro.

- Me di cuenta, su Majestad, de que un grupo de dignatarios conspiraban para deponerlo cuando escuché una conversación que sostenían dos de ellos en los jardines del Palacio Real. Sucedió durante mi primera semana en la servidumbre, no me conocía nadie y tuve que ingeniármelas para poner a mi servicio a los pajes de los dos señores, y que me mantuvieran informado de sus movimientos. A medida que avanzaba la conspiración, yo aumentaba mi red de control, incluso dentro del Palacio. Gracias a ese grupo de abnegados seguidores, usted pudo desbaratar con éxito fulminante la trama regicida.

- ¿Cómo es tu nombre?

- Etuán, su Majestad.

- Bien, Etuán. Y ¿cómo te convertiste en mi paje?

- No, señor, no lo soy. Para servirle en esta ocasión le pedí a mis asistentes que retuvieran a sus servidores inmediatos.

- ¿Cuán extensa es tu red?

- Tengo unos trescientos hombres secretamente a mi mando. Puedo extenderla sin consumir recursos del Reino, pero si crece demasiado, empezarán los rumores y puede salir a la luz.

- Conserva esos hombres y aumenta la red hasta donde puedas con las condiciones actuales.

El poder de Etuán, salido de la oscuridad, creció en los siguientes meses, hasta convertirse en uno de los factores más importantes de la monarquía. La maledicencia le otorgaba razones inauditas: desde poseer secretos de la vida pasada del soberano, hasta el mesmerismo y la brujería.

Etuán se consolidó cuando lo nombraron Ministro del Orden. Y el Rey aprobó, por Ucase Regio, que todo paje personal debía ser contratado a la Agencia Real Pajera y que todo señor cuya renta anual sobrepasase los seiscientos adarmes tendría la obligación de contratar al menos un sirviente de la agencia.

Una tras otra abortaban las conspiraciones. La antigua aristocracia, la nobleza venida a menos, los primeros barones, los grandes arquitectos, los albañiles de las murallas, fueron traicionando en su oportunidad. Los pajes construyeron sus palacios, se casaron con las hijas de los señores ejecutados, se vieron en la obligación de contratar pajes y conspiraron a su vez.

Un buen día el Señor Ministro del Orden fue descubierto conspirando. El Rey se vio en la obligación de ordenar al verdugo que lo decapitase. Lo hizo secretamente y con dolor, porque había llegado a quererlo y porque era padre de tres de sus nietos.

Ya los pajes no eran necesarios, podían ser incluso peligrosos. Pero su leyenda sirivió para mantener la tranquilidad del Reino. El monarca nombró a su hijo mayor, Ministro del Orden, el cargo más importante del estado. Crearon nuevas agencias pajeras, sin disolver la agencia de Etuán. Nuevas leyes forzaron la contratación de pajes en cada una de las agencias, de manera que un dignatario debía tener al menos cuatro pajes a su servicio representando a tres agencias como mínimo.

Había pajes que trabajaban en dos o tres agencias y tenían igual número de señores. Pajes que eran señores de sus señores. Pajes que debían informar a sus señores de las actividades de ellos mismos. Auto-pajes.

Acabaron por surgir los pajes fantasmas. Pagando una cuota adicional, se obtenía documentación completa de cumplimiento de los requisitos pajeros, sin necesidad de hacer efectivo tal empleo. Muchos señores se acogieron a dicho sistema, interpretando los pagos a las cuatro agencias como impuestos novedosos que abonarían sus vasallos, más baratos desde que no podían escapar.

Los informes de inteligencia pasaron a ser anónimos y el nuevo Ministro del Orden encargó a cuatro lectores la interpretación y el análisis de las denuncias recibidas.

(Continuará con…)

Las Princesas Primorosas.

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