Ekological Chimera
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Chapter 27 - Diplomacy
🕑 Added 2024-09-20 18:40:30 +0000 UTC“Now announcing, his excellency Colonel William Ashwood of the mighty Terran Republic!”
The voice of the… announcer person loudly proclaimed beyond the large doors before which Ashwood stood. He was quite sure the position had some sort of a title. It definitely wasn’t announcer. Greeter? That was even worse.
Before he could think about it more, the doors before him opened, letting him see the throne room of the Kerania kingdom.
A large space, filled with richly dressed nobles and courtiers, decorated with precious metals. Large golden chandeliers hung from the ceiling, though they were unused, as the morning light provided enough illumination. The floors were covered by fancy carpets that must have been a nightmare to clean. Ashwood doubted that cleaning was something any of these people concerned themselves with.
Gaudy was the first word that came to his mind. Enough to awe the poor locals, probably. It only reminded Ashwood of these people's primitive nature.
He started walking forward, his armoured feet silenced by the carpet. He had not thought they’d let him come armoured, but apparently, he was seen as some sort of a knight equivalent. As such, he had the right to present himself in armour, sans helmet. They’d probably change their minds quite quickly if they knew the armour augmented his strength as well.
He had to leave his guards behind though. Of course, they were still connected through their comms. A single word and reinforcements would reach him within a couple of minutes. He could probably last that long against swords, even without a weapon or helmet.
The natives gawked at him, as usual.
Ashwood paid them no mind, as he calmly walked towards the throne.
Right of the King sat three smaller thrones, two of which were occupied by his sons. The furthest one was empty. Ashwood recognized Prince George as the man who escorted him to the city. To the left sat another empty throne, matching the King’s in grandeur.
Soon he came to a stop below the royal family. As the thrones sat upon an elevated platform, he once again had to crane his neck upwards. Even though his counterpart was both shorter and sitting.
How vexing.
He didn’t let his thoughts show on his face, bowing slightly towards the seated royals instead.
A moment later, the King spoke, as custom dictated.
“Welcome, once again, to our great kingdom, honoured Envoy,” King Joseph Kirslev said, his resounding voice silencing the hall.
“I thank you for the warm welcome, Your Highness,” Ashwood responded.
The King inclined his head, “Let us move to a calmer venue.”
Murmurs erupted among the gathered nobles at the sovereign's words, but the King ignored them, standing up instead.
Ashwood saw no real reason to refuse either and after a nod, followed the King. The man himself started walking behind his throne. Following, Ashwood quickly saw the King’s goal, a guarded door, almost hidden by the thrones and their elevation. As he passed the seated princes, he noticed their dark looks.
The Colonel wondered whether he had broken another custom or some such.
Well, the King didn’t seem offended.
Though as an experienced politician, he is probably much better at hiding his thoughts.
He shook his head lightly before following the King through the door, its guards watching him like hawks. There was no use in dwelling on such things now.
He’d have to review things once he had time though.
Behind the door lay a small stone chamber, illuminated by candles. It was dominated by a round table sculpted from dark stone, its sides intricately engraved. Ashwood gave it a cursory glance, noting that it seemed to tell some sort of a story. He could see a man picking up a sword and walking off to battle, but the rest of the engraving layout of his field of view. Two goblets and a pitcher lay on the table.
The two of them were the only two occupants.
As he entered, the guards closed the door behind him, they themselves staying outside.
While Ashwood stood, the King sat on the opposite side of the table and gestured for him to do the same.
Acquiescing, the Colonel sat.
The two stared at each other in silence for a moment, before the old King spoke, “I must apologize for our previous conduct. Your needs went against the Church and fighting them is something only fools and the desperate do. All are remembered as fools in any case.”
The King chuckled self-deprecatingly.
Ashwood shook his head, a bit surprised and annoyed at the King’s words. It looked like this visit would be a bust.
“I accept your apology, but it is not needed. I had not properly understood what I had been asking. Your people had not caused any offence in any case.”
“I see. How magnanimous. Truly, your people must be very wise.”
The Colonel blinked at the unexpected brownnosing. While the people here had not been terribly rude the last time he came, this was still a big behaviour change.
“Thank you for your kind words, Your Majesty.”
“Ah, please, let’s dispense with the formalities, Colonel. You may call me Joseph.”
Ashwood nodded, “Then you must call me William.”
“Of course, of course, it would be my honour,” King Joseph smiled and nodded, before picking up the pitcher and filling both the goblets, “Please, enjoy the wine, it’s one of the best on the continent.”
Ashwood eyed the glass suspiciously, ”I’m afraid that we are forbidden from drinking on duty.”
And poison was one of the better ways the natives had of killing him.
The King didn’t let the smile slip off his face, “Sensible, more for me then!”
The Colonel looked on, mildly bewildered as the King took heavy gulps from his goblet. Finally putting it down, he spoke again, “So, what brings you to our kingdom again, William?”
Ashwood tapped his fingers on the table, “What do you know of our… confrontation with the Church?”
There went his idea of subtly weaselling the information out of the King, but he wasn’t just going to spill their objectives. He definitely didn’t have a future in politics.
Joseph paused for a moment, thinking the question over, “You dealt a great blow to their reputation, killing many. An auspicious beginning.”
The Colonel raised an eyebrow at the exceedingly diplomatic phrasing, “You see our attempt as a success?”
The King frowned, before understanding dawned on him, “Ah, pride. Let me tell you something, William. I’ve never seen the Custodian fight, but I’ve journeyed to the First Temple before my coronation, as do most rulers. It is a tradition of sorts, with the Custodian granting an audience to any such future monarch. What I saw made me stop doubting the history books.”
Ashwood listened attentively as the King went on, “You see, by all accounts, the Custodian does not fight battles,” He paused dramatically, “Because it is impossible to fight her. Any fight she participates in is an automatic loss. Yet you fought. You killed. It might very well be a historic first, a great achievement. You cannot think of her as a human, William. We are mere ants in front of her.”
The Colonel had to resist shaking his head. He had thought hard about the possible views the locals could have regarding their confrontation. Something like this was still outside of his expectations. The King could be lying, but Ashwood didn’t think so. It made a perverse kind of sense.
“That is a very grim way of looking at things, Your Maj-,” He quickly corrected himself, “-Joseph.”
“Is it? My children think the same. Hope is the privilege of youth, I suppose. Still, I do not think it is incorrect. Of course, you’ve changed things. Ants can’t fight back.”
Ashwood did not think himself particularly hopeful or young, but it was true that he did not see the Custodian the same way as the locals did.
While Ashwood thought, the King went on the attack again, “You’ve yet to answer my question, Envoy.”
Ashwood stared into the old King’s eyes for a moment before speaking, “Same thing as before, naturally. It is not so easy to deny the will of the Republic. We’ll just have to deal with a few things beforehand. ”
The King smiled, but his eyes were cold, “We’d be glad to help you in your war against the Church of Eternity, honoured Envoy.”
The Colonel frowned, “Why?”
He was rather puzzled at the King’s decision when his words so clearly indicated his opinion of their chances against the Church.
“Why indeed. I suppose I am a fool.”
