“I will go and get them Father,” Nanos said from the king’s side. The king turned to his son briefly and then sighed.
“No. Drop a rope. I don’t want you getting close to those monsters.” He gestured to Maerc and within a second or two there was a thin line being extended down the steep castle wall.
“You have made a wise decision, King of Nia. Please continue on this path and agree to my empress's truce. It will guarantee the safety and future of all of your people.” The Ancient’s voice was a gentle song being carried on the breeze. I couldn’t help but feel lulled by his charm. Then I suddenly remembered the grief on Kaiyer’s face as he told me about his father and brother being murdered.
“I will need a month to debate these terms and give you an answer,” the king shouted down after he grasped the lacquered scroll case.
“My empress cannot allow that much time. She requires your decision before the sun sets today.”
“That is impossible. You cannot expect me to decide in such a short time. I will need a month to meet with my advisors and generals.” The king’s voice gained strength and resolve as he spoke.
“I will give you one week to come up with an answer. I believe that you will make the choice to accept the terms. You love your people and accepting is the best solution for their happy future.” Several of the guards on the wall nodded their heads in agreement as they heard his honey coated voice. Coldness grew in my stomach at the thought of them agreeing with what he was saying without even viewing the terms themselves. The king might be forced to agree or else he might have a riot on his hands. The Ancient didn’t wait for a reply; he turned and quickly walked into the city.
“Fuck that asshole,” Greykin said loudly before he spit off the edge of the wall. A few of the soldiers laughed, but more of them looked worried as they turned to the king.
“Let’s see what revisions they made,” the king said under his breath as he made his way down the stairs. Despite the fear in my stomach, I couldn’t help but feel excited about the process I would be able to witness as the king, duke, and the generals discussed the future of the kingdom. No matter what the outcome, I would document it so that future generations would learn what happened during this war.
The group moved back down the stairs as thousands of worried soldiers and servants watched. I was concerned that someone might yell out to accept the terms, but no one did. Morale wasn’t that bad yet. Before we reached the large wooden doors that led to the Planning Room, a hand grasped my shoulder. I turned around to face the prince.
“Don’t you have something else to do? This will be an important meeting and we don’t need you there. Maybe you should go eat what is left of the sweet cakes.” He wore an ugly smirk across his otherwise handsome face. He looked so much like Jessmei, but the differences in their personalities were great. His small following of finely dressed young soldiers looked at me with disdain from behind him. We were in the back of the group and I turned around in panic, looking for anyone that would allow me to be in the meeting. I didn’t see Nadea or Greykin, they must have already entered the room.
“I am supposed to observe and document the decision process.” I pointed to my small leather-bound book. My voice quivered and cracked as it tried to wiggle past the lump that suddenly appeared in my throat.
“Just document it out here from the hallway once we reach a decision,” the prince said over his shoulder as he led his men into the room. The door was closed and as he reached the handle to pull it, the thick piece of oak swung outward and Nanos was forced to jump aside. Nadea eyed him coldly and looked past his group to me.
“Come on Paug,” she said. My breath came out in a slow sigh. I looked down at the ground so the prince couldn’t see my smile and I started to step around him.
“I don’t think we need the boy in here. I sent him to his room,” Nanos said to Nadea as he held out an arm to keep me from advancing.
“I can only think of one boy that shouldn’t be in this meeting. Unfortunately, he is the king’s son,” Nadea said without smiling. I was surprised she said it so calmly. I looked up and saw Nanos’s face turn red.
“Listen bitch,” he spat as he stood up straight and clenched his teeth. “You better hope that my father accepts these terms, because if he doesn’t I am going to make a point of showing you how much of a man I am before we are all butchered.” His hand grasped the hilt of his sword as he whispered.
“Remember when I broke your nose? How about I break it again?” Nadea said as her cool demeanor cracked and she stepped out of the room and toward the prince. He shuffled back in fear at her sudden movement and almost tripped over the man standing behind him.
“What the hell is going on?” Maerc said as he poked his head out of the door. He looked around at everyone and probably figured out what was about to happen. “Get your asses in here. Paug, the king has a question for you.”
We filed into the room. The king sat with his face in his hands. The scroll case lay opened and the duke was reading the parchment it contained. I took an empty seat on the right side of the room by Greykin and Nadea sat down next to me. She smiled at me as her hand squeezed my shoulder. The duke finished the document and then passed it over to Maerc. I couldn’t read his face.
“Paug, you spent many hours with Kaiyer before he died. What can you share with us about how he viewed the diplomatic policies of these Ancients?” Everyone looked at me.
I stood up and cleared my throat as I put my thoughts together. I tried to envision myself speaking as confidently as Kaiyer would if asked the same question.
“He spoke of them often. He absolutely despised them and believed that they were depraved monsters that deserved to be wiped from existence like vermin. He would say that he would rather die than agree to whatever terms they would propose to us.” I took a deep breath as my brain wheeled to think of more to say. I noticed the prince had his arms crossed from his chair and was glaring at me with disdain.
“Hand him the scroll when you are done, Maerc,” the king said. The blonde man nodded and passed it over to me. His face was twisted in thought, like he was trying to solve a puzzle. As serious as the situation was, pride welled up through my body at being given such importance. The king was so interested in my opinion he wanted me to read the scroll even before Nanos.
The paper felt waxy and thick in my hands. It was very high quality and the script written on it was the most beautiful writing I had ever seen. It looked less like words and more like art that had decided to become communication as an afterthought. Nadea and Greykin read the document over my shoulder as I set it down on the table in front of us.
King Nia,
I thank you for taking the time to read this treatise. It is my wish for our people to live together side by side in peace, and I know that peace is something that you also desire. Unfortunately, sometimes peace can only be obtained by force. I know that you also understand this to be true.
My people have led a tragic and horrible existence. We have been hunted as animals and have lost more kinfolk than we would want anyone to imagine. We are looking for a home. Places to grow families, laugh, and enjoy a peaceful livelihood. Your land can perfectly accommodate our small civilization. We do not require much, just a harmonious coexistence with mutual respect. Here are the items I ask for in order for us to cease our attack:
❈ Surrender of your forces to my general.
❈ Shelter and food for the Losher forces during the term of the winter. They will return to their lands at the beginning of spring.
❈ An oath of loyalty to me, sworn before your citizens, generals, dukes, advisors, and notices sent out to other leaders indicating this.
❈ Use of half of your castle and a quarter of your city for my people.
❈ Use of ten thousand of your soldiers that I will hand pick. These will report directly to my generals and will be compensated at the same pay scale you currently have established for them.
❈ Twenty percent of you
r tax revenue.
❈ A position on your Council where I am granted votes that carry the weight of three.
Of course, nothing can be offered for free, so I offer you the following benefits:
❈ You will continue to manage and run your country as you see fit. Only in voting Council will you even know of my presence.
❈ You will continue to manage, train, and control your own military.
❈ You will continue to manage your own trades and merchant groups in the same effective manner that has brought your country so much wealth.
❈ Your beautiful daughter will be returned to you alive and unharmed.
❈ I will teach you and whoever else you wish how to harness magical energies. These abilities could grant tremendous power to your family and country.
❈ My kind shall never harm a citizen of Nia, save in self-defense.
It is difficult to properly communicate feelings of sincerity across a mere piece of parchment, but I hope with all my heart that you can see the benefits of this treaty. You are sacrificing very little and allowing us to live in peace. Please accept my offer. I look forward to meeting you in person and working together with you toward a bright future in which all of our people can flourish.
With fondest wishes,
Telaxthe
Empress of the Ancient People
I looked up at the king when I finished. He raised an eyebrow, seeking my feedback.
“Kaiyer would say that we should not trust her,“ I said with as much confidence as I imagined my dead friend would have. Given the current situation, this treaty was almost too good to be true. She had no reason to give us anything and would be perfectly capable of enslaving all of the citizens of Nia her armies left alive. This meant that one of three things was true: she actually was a kind and benevolent leader who wanted to live in peace with humans; she knew something we did not about her forces or ours that meant she was not actually capable of winning this war; she was lying and being overly generous in her proposal in order to manipulate the king and take advantage of him somehow. I wanted to believe the first possibility was correct, but I knew Kaiyer would bet it was the last.
“Let me read it,” the prince demanded as he rose from his seat and walked over to grab the parchment.
“These are similar terms to what she already offered us,” the duke remarked as he leaned back in his chair and sighed.
“What do you think, Brother?” the king asked earnestly.
“She will give you back Jessmei, she seems to want everything to remain how it is now. Offering her three votes in the Council will give her considerable clout since there are only nine seats.”
“If this is what she offered before why didn’t you take it?” the prince asked in astonishment. “This sounds amazing. They will teach us magic?”
“I agree with Paug,” Nadea said. “This is too good to be true. Even if what she writes is true and she fulfills her part, she will have wormed her way into our government and castle. What if she changes her mind once our forces have been integrated? We might as well just kill ourselves.”
“Why is she offering this right now? She has already won. Our walls can’t hold out much longer, and once they fall we will be outnumbered against Losher’s horde and the magic.” Maerc’s face contorted as he wrestled with the problem, echoing my thoughts. For a second I wondered where his son Runir was. I hadn’t seen him in the last few days and I hoped that the handsome young soldier was okay.
“She probably wants peace. Her words do seem sincere. I think you should consider this Father,” the prince said in earnest.
“I will need to discuss this with the Council,” the king said as he turned to look at Maerc and Nadea’s father. I knew that they each had a seat on the Council along with various merchants and guild representatives.
“It will be easy to call an emergency meeting,” the duke said as he got out of his chair.
“Have them assemble here in this room. Also, can someone get me water? I am parched. Everyone, let’s take a recess and meet back here in half an hour,” the king said. The room cleared out except for the king, Nadea, Greykin, Nanos, and me.
“You need to agree to their terms Father,” Nanos beseeched again. “It is the only way to have peace and to get Jessmei back.”
“This doesn’t make much sense, Uncle,” Nadea said from her chair. “They have us where they want us, why are they negotiating now? Maerc is right to think there is something strange about the situation. The Ancients are not to be trusted, as Paug so wisely reminded us.”
“I agree. We have to discuss it with the Council. More than anything, we need to buy more time. I am going to see if I can get another few weeks from the Ancients. I want Jessmei returned more than you all can guess, but I can’t risk the kingdom.” The king’s face looked haggard and lost when he spoke his daughter’s name.
“This is foolishness! What if they take back their offer? We are going to all die here, for what? Pride?” Nanos got out of his chair angrily and glared at his father and Nadea.
“Watch your tongue, lad,” Greykin said as he suddenly seemed to take interest in the conversation. I wondered what the big man would do if the choice was only his. I knew that he loved the royal family, and Jessmei especially. Would he throw away the kingdom to have them safe? How safe would Jessmei really be if she returned to a home under even partial Elven rule?
“Shut up, old man. If you would have done your job correctly, Jessmei would still be here and wouldn’t be a bargaining chip.” Nanos walked toward the door as if to leave but Greykin stood up abruptly in his chair and moved in front of the young man. The prince was tall but only came up to Greykin’s chin. There was no mistaking the look of malice on the Old Bear’s face.
“Enough you two! I’m sure the empress would laugh if she saw us fighting amongst ourselves. Take a walk, relax, and return in half an hour with a clear head. I need both of you to be thinking about killing our enemies, not each other,” the king said from behind them. Nanos looked fearfully at Greykin before he stepped around the big man, opened the door, and walked out.
He hadn’t even shut the door before a massive boom of thunder and screams echoed through the hallways. Greykin was already standing, but the rest of us shot to our feet in surprise. It sounded like one of the Ancients’ Fire blasts had been set loose inside the castle's innards. The alarm started ringing its deafening cry of anguish.
The prince ran back into the room, his face painted with terror.
“The Losher soldiers are in the castle!”
“How is that possible?” The king pulled out his sword and ran to the door. I noticed it was the same one Kaiyer used during the banquet a lifetime ago. Before the king could get out of the door, Greykin moved in front of him and exited the room. The big man was the guardian of the royal family and he probably felt that this was his moment to atone for what happened to Jessmei.
“We have to get all of you to safety!” Greykin yelled over his shoulder as he led us down the long hallway toward the Royal Quarters. We didn’t see any soldiers, but we could hear screaming and the sounds of swords pounding against shields and flesh as we ran the many hundreds of yards of maze-like stone passages that led to the north part of the castle.
“What about my wife?” the king yelled toward Greykin.
“She’s with her group of guards in the Safe Quarters. We are heading to meet them. There is enough food and water in there for us to last a month.”
I noticed that everyone held a weapon in their hand but me. I had never seen Nadea use her slim long sword, but it looked like a perfect reflection of her body, thin, beautiful, and deadly. The prince was carrying a heavier broad sword with a protected guard over his hand. I just had my small leather bound book of notes, a pocket full of ink vials, and two feather quills. Then I remembered that I had a small pen knife I used to trim my quills. It was about the size of my thumb, but it was sharp.
I was terrified that I would have to use it.
The one in the lead lifted up his curved blade to crush Greykin’s skull, but the big man slammed it aside with a grunt of rage and swung his axe as a counter. The axe blade caught the Losher man in the place where his neck met the shoulder and it bit deeply into the leather armor, spraying a crimson rain over the king and the second Losher warrior who were about to engage each other.
The king jumped out of the way of a shallow swing that the Losher soldier aimed at his midsection and countered with an overhand thrust with his ornate golden sword. The Losher man expected it and got his sword up in the way, meeting the king’s blow with a loud clap of metal. The Losher warrior was at least twenty years younger than the king and his body was hardened and muscled from combat. He leaned forward and kicked a foot out toward the king, connecting with his chest and knocking him back into Nadea.
The third Losher soldier saw his friend butchered by Greykin and tried to cut the big man’s legs off with a low sweep of his curved sword. Greykin was too quick though and he moved back enough so that the tip of the blade just scratched harmlessly off of the chain leggings that the axe man was wearing. With the same movement, Greykin screamed and slammed his large body into the Losher warrior who had kicked the king. The big man's attack pinched the soldier against the wall and Greykin got two head butts into the younger man’s nose before falling back to defend against the other attacker.
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