“But why can’t we stay? Why can’t Uncle Edwin have a home like everyone else?” “The whole land is his home.” “Yes, but why?” “He must be seen.” “Yes, but—” “And he can’t simply have a steward on each estate sending him tribute. Because a steward, unless reminded by the presence of the king, begins to think himself a thegn. He begins to see the land as his, to wonder why he shouldn’t send only a portion of his food, his ale, his honey, to the king. The revolt always begins when the steward wants to be king. A lesson the Franks never seem to learn.”
