Sigrid was not yet convinced and Roland could see that. "Do you like my father's idea?"
"I am not against it." She answered, without looking up. "And I say this knowing that my family will stand against it. Nobles with armies are a threat to the crown. When they unite, they are just as powerful as we are." She popped a slice of berry in her mouth, grimacing at the extra sweetness. "We should consider centralizing power."
Roland let go of her hand and grabbed a hold of a spoon. "Sigrid, the idea is attractive and warrants great thought but empires are run on reality. The reality is that noble houses without private armies are houses without teeth. They become commoners with titles and lose their abilities to be pillars of defense for the empire."
Sigrid thought about the democratic world she had come from. Power was in the hands of the president and there was one army. Everyone else was a commoner, rich or connected.
