In Seldith stood seven estates.

There were many houses, of course, some of them large enough to be considered manors, many buildings and homes and a great number of farms and plantations – but there were seven Estates.

From East to West, the first was the home of the Leader and thus whoever lived there had the First Vote, which was most powerful.  The second home was for the Head of Priests, who held the second vote.

Servants and staff and family and such moved in and out of the Estates but there was, in each Estate, one Resident there – one who held that Estate’s vote.

The Seventh Estate was not supposed to exist.

The Sixth Vote was already weak, small. But the land to the west of the Sixth Estate had been left symbolically open. And in Crown year 227, a motley gathering of carpenters, stonecutters, tailors, glass setters, blacksmiths, and bricklayers came together. They laid stone on stone and set beam on beam, set windows as beautiful as any in the land and hung the finest curtains in their new Estate.

The Seventh Estate was the biggest of them all, allowing for a representative of every trade to live there – not just live, but Be Resident.

It might have been the smallest vote, but it was the loudest.

written to the Thimbleful Thursday prompt here – https://thimblefulthursday.wordpress.com/2019/02/28/thimbleful-thursday-writing-prompt-3/