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Azshara was bored. She wished she was watching her dancers perform, enjoying a snooze, riding her saber cat, or pretty much anything except sitting in the council chamber listening to these highborne duffers lecture her about money.

The young queen drummed her bare feet on the marble floor impatiently, as Vilkadan, her treasurer, went through the palace accounts.

"The fact is, Your Radiance, that our financial situation at present is perilous. Do I need to tell you that the statue you had commissioned for the grand hallway could have paid for a small palace? Or that the cost of the tapestries you put up in your throne room last week could have clothed an entire army? And speaking of clothes, Light of Lights, I rather wonder if you have any idea how much that outfit you purchased yesterday cost?" said Vilkadan.

Why were these idiots wasting her time with such matters?

"Yes, yes, dear Vilkadan. I'm sure it was a lot of money. Why don't you put up the taxes a bit? I'm sure the good people of our realm would be delighted to make a greater contribution to their beloved queen," suggested Azshara.

Vilkadan frowned.

"The people love you dearly, Light of Lights, but the taxes are already high. If we put them up any further, they will make a greater effort to hide the profits of their commerce and engage in black market activity. I really don't think that raising more taxes is an option at present," Vilkadan replied.

"I'm the queen, am I not?" said Azshara. "I'm in charge of all the money. I don't see why I can't just issue lots of paper money and then we can pay for everything with that."

Vilkadan sighed. Did his queen know nothing of economics?

It was Xavius who explained the queen's error.

"Light of Lights, you might well issue paper money and force a value of exchange upon it. However, creating more money would not increase the amount of gold, wine, honey or any other goods in the kingdom. In the long term such a strategy would backfire on us and your paper money would become worthless."

Azshara nodded. This was like magic. As a mage she understood that you could not just create gold from magic. There was always a cost that had to come from somewhere.

"Besides," added Vilkadan. "Paper money would not satisfy our creditors. They are hounding us for repayment of the palace's debts."

Creditors were hounding her for money? The outrage of it! Azshara would not suffer this.

"Why don't you throw these creditors in jail then? Punish them unless they give us more time to pay," demanded Azshara.

Vilkadan sighed again.

"If we did that, then they would not lend us any more money. We would be burning our bridges."

"Perhaps I should use my magic on these creditors, whoever they are," said Azshara. "I could make them into my obedient puppets. They would have no choice but to lend us money."

"A very interesting suggestion, Your Radiance," said Xavius.

Vilkadan was not convinced.

"No, no, that would not do at all. You could make some of them your puppets and they would lend us money. But what would we do when they ran out? We could not go to anybody else to borrow money because they would be terrified of being turned into puppets."

Azshara began drumming her foot again. Why did Vilkadan have to make life so difficult? After all this tiring talk, she was going to have to retire to bed early.

A young highborne councillor had a suggestion.

"The dwarfs have plenty of gold. Why should they have it and not the Kaldorei? I say we go to war with the dwarfs and take their gold for ourselves!"

A few of the younger highborne present nodded in agreement. At last, thought Azshara, somebody had something constructive to offer.

Lord Ravencrest stood up.

"I strongly advise Your Radiance to reject that course. The dwarf cities are heavily fortified against attack. We might win such a campaign, but it would be long and very difficult. I fear that it would cost more than the gold you would win."

Azshara sighed. She supposed that Lord Ravencrest probably knew what he was talking about.

"There is simply no alternative," said Vilkadan solemnly. "You are going to have to cut back on spending."

Azshara stood up.

"Very well then. We shall cut back on spending," she said.

"A wise course, Light of Lights," said a satisfied Vilkadan.

"For the next two weeks, no more food will be served at the palace. Of course, the servants will need to eat to keep up their strength, but we highborne shall fast," declared Azshara.

Vilkadan looked horrified.

"Well, that would certainly save a lot of money, but.."

"But nothing, dear Vilkadan," said Azshara. "I think most of you need to lose weight anyway. A two week fast will do you all a lot of good and save our coffers. Of course, if anybody does not wish to participate in the fast, you all have homes to go to. I am sure you can live without my presence."

Azshara knew that every highborne present would stay. None of them would wish to lose face by departing from the presence of the Light of Lights.

With that, Azshara left the council chamber, her silk gown trailing behind her and her jewelry tinkling as she moved daintily on her bare feet.

Description
Azshara was bored. She wished she was watching her dancers perform, enjoying a snooze, riding her saber cat, or pretty much anything except sitting in the council chamber listening to these highborne duffers lecture her about money.

The young queen drummed her bare feet on the marble floor impatiently, as Vilkadan, her treasurer, went through the palace accounts.

"The fact is, Your Radiance, that our financial situation at present is perilous. Do I need to tell you that the statue you had commissioned for the grand hallway could have paid for a small palace? Or that the cost of the tapestries you put up in your throne room last week could have clothed an entire army? And speaking of clothes, Light of Lights, I rather wonder if you have any idea how much that outfit you purchased yesterday cost?" said Vilkadan.

Why were these idiots wasting her time with such matters?

"Yes, yes, dear Vilkadan. I'm sure it was a lot of money. Why don't you put up the taxes a bit? I'm sure the good people of our realm would be delighted to make a greater contribution to their beloved queen," suggested Azshara.

Vilkadan frowned.

"The people love you dearly, Light of Lights, but the taxes are already high. If we put them up any further, they will make a greater effort to hide the profits of their commerce and engage in black market activity. I really don't think that raising more taxes is an option at present," Vilkadan replied.

"I'm the queen, am I not?" said Azshara. "I'm in charge of all the money. I don't see why I can't just issue lots of paper money and then we can pay for everything with that."

Vilkadan sighed. Did his queen know nothing of economics?

It was Xavius who explained the queen's error.

"Light of Lights, you might well issue paper money and force a value of exchange upon it. However, creating more money would not increase the amount of gold, wine, honey or any other goods in the kingdom. In the long term such a strategy would backfire on us and your paper money would become worthless."

Azshara nodded. This was like magic. As a mage she understood that you could not just create gold from magic. There was always a cost that had to come from somewhere.

"Besides," added Vilkadan. "Paper money would not satisfy our creditors. They are hounding us for repayment of the palace's debts."

Creditors were hounding her for money? The outrage of it! Azshara would not suffer this.

"Why don't you throw these creditors in jail then? Punish them unless they give us more time to pay," demanded Azshara.

Vilkadan sighed again.

"If we did that, then they would not lend us any more money. We would be burning our bridges."

"Perhaps I should use my magic on these creditors, whoever they are," said Azshara. "I could make them into my obedient puppets. They would have no choice but to lend us money."

"A very interesting suggestion, Your Radiance," said Xavius.

Vilkadan was not convinced.

"No, no, that would not do at all. You could make some of them your puppets and they would lend us money. But what would we do when they ran out? We could not go to anybody else to borrow money because they would be terrified of being turned into puppets."

Azshara began drumming her foot again. Why did Vilkadan have to make life so difficult? After all this tiring talk, she was going to have to retire to bed early.

A young highborne councillor had a suggestion.

"The dwarfs have plenty of gold. Why should they have it and not the Kaldorei? I say we go to war with the dwarfs and take their gold for ourselves!"

A few of the younger highborne present nodded in agreement. At last, thought Azshara, somebody had something constructive to offer.

Lord Ravencrest stood up.

"I strongly advise Your Radiance to reject that course. The dwarf cities are heavily fortified against attack. We might win such a campaign, but it would be long and very difficult. I fear that it would cost more than the gold you would win."

Azshara sighed. She supposed that Lord Ravencrest probably knew what he was talking about.

"There is simply no alternative," said Vilkadan solemnly. "You are going to have to cut back on spending."

Azshara stood up.

"Very well then. We shall cut back on spending," she said.

"A wise course, Light of Lights," said a satisfied Vilkadan.

"For the next two weeks, no more food will be served at the palace. Of course, the servants will need to eat to keep up their strength, but we highborne shall fast," declared Azshara.

Vilkadan looked horrified.

"Well, that would certainly save a lot of money, but.."

"But nothing, dear Vilkadan," said Azshara. "I think most of you need to lose weight anyway. A two week fast will do you all a lot of good and save our coffers. Of course, if anybody does not wish to participate in the fast, you all have homes to go to. I am sure you can live without my presence."

Azshara knew that every highborne present would stay. None of them would wish to lose face by departing from the presence of the Light of Lights.

With that, Azshara left the council chamber, her silk gown trailing behind her and her jewelry tinkling as she moved daintily on her bare feet.