" In the old times, the lords of this world feared no one but their own people, and to defend themselves against them built a great fortress on a hilltop to the north of the city...Many of the people were angry at the building of that citadel, holding it to be their right to slay their lords without hindrance if they so desired. "

― Gene Wolfe , The Shadow of the Torturer (The Book of the New Sun #1)