As Lady Ellen rode on her horse, she reflected on the past couple of days. It all started when the Queen had summoned her with a request, and not just her. She was to bring a special message from the Queen back to her home Kingdom.
At first, she had intended to invite Barda to tag along, but knowing the weight of responsibility on him, she decided to only bring her friend Phoenix. They were going home after all.
Finally, after experiencing so many losses and setbacks, Lady Ellen had got back to her home city, Kiton City-state. Kiton City was known for the mining of iron and copper. These were very important for development and weaponry. It was the leading distributor of these commodities in and out of the continent.
Her family was so prominent because they owned one of the largest iron-ore mines in the city. Her father was quite wealthy and had supported her desire to form an adventurer team. As such, he took care of most of her logistical needs by funneling money in her team.
Now she was to face him and tell him that her great team was reduced to 10 people. Even she was finding it difficult to accept that. Moreover, the Queen's message was for the King, with an invitation.
When she got home and announced her intentions, she quickly learned that the other side had sent representatives as well. Kiton was an important city and hence was being lobbied by both sides.
Using her father's connections, she had been able to gain a private audience with their new King. She didn't know much about him, but from the little she had learned, it was a good thing that he was king.
King Helios had come into power 3 years ago, after his father's death. At first, Lady Ellen had thought she would have trouble trying to persuade the King to come with her but it turned out he had thrown out the Gumina messengers and had summoned her.
The King was eager to prove his position, and he was not in a mood to submit to some foreign power. He wouldn't even hear them out, and before she knew it, the Kiton King's court was on their way to Crane city.
"So, tell me. Is it true that Barda is your man?" The King asked her when she was in his audience.
"Yes, your Majesty, he is part of my adventurer team," She had a proud smile.
"So you did discover him?" The King's son said, "If I come with you, you got to introduce me to him when we get there!"
"We are going there, Your Majesty?" She asked the King.
"We leave in 2 days, get ready." The King said with a smile.
***
"So, how many Kings is it now?" Batoo asked as he was adding sulfur to his contortion.
"Five, although only 2 that matter," Kia answered as he polished the piece of steel in his hand.
"What do you mean?"
"Only the Fulah King and the Kiton King matter, the others are small-time."
"Yeah, we only have 2 cities on our side," Zoey added, she was now part of the trusted team, the inner circle. They were the only ones that got to see and create all of Barda nifty little inventions. They were the envy of many in the crafting world. To sit at the feet of the master, watch him inventing new things, and being part of the process.
"Did you hear how many Gumina got?" Kia asked.
"Yeah, they got like 6 of the big cities on our side, and several smaller cities coming in," Zoey said.
"And don't forget the city of Reuze," Kia added.
"How can we forget the treacherous leaches," Zoey spoke with spite.
"And let's be honest, Crane city doesn't count," Kia added a snide comment.
"Look, it doesn't matter how many cities are on our side or theirs, We have the boss, and that's all we need!" Batoo exclaimed. He was getting tired of all the negative energy going on.
"Lot's of faith you have on the boss," Lady Arnea said as she came in the workshop, she had heard Batoo's outburst.
"You don't know him as I do, but I tell this: every time you think you are out of options, He pulls a rabbit out of a hat and surprises you once more. " Batoo asked. He didn't know that Lady Arnea knew way more about Barda's capabilities than even he did.
"He still hasn't changed one bit, huh?" Markell asked as he also hammered on some piece of steel. He too was part of the inner circle.
The Queen's gambit had not paid off, not in the way she expected. However, she did get a few allies on her side. The message of saving the continent had been well received in some ways, but none of the major cities seemed to care about that.
It seemed as though the support of the continent was not on her side. Some of the messengers she sent had been captured and thrown in dungeons, while one was killed. However, there were some positive responses, and those were the ones that lifted her spirit.
As the diplomats continued to flow in, everyone was busy talking about this. Many hearts were shaken on seeing the overwhelming support going to the foreign invaders, however, to the Queen, this was a win. Before that day, she stood alone with no ally, well there was Crane city, but as Kia said, it didn't count. Now she stood a chance at getting 2 allies on her side.
***
It was a beautiful banquet. Crane city was built to dazzle, and on that night it did. All the new arrivals, the diplomats and the various Kings' courts that were present were treated to mouth-watering dishes, beautiful music, and elegant wine. They spared no expenses.
More than anything, the Queen wanted to get everyone in the right state of mind for the discussions that were to follow. Soon after they had eaten, drank, and made merry, she had over for a closed-door court.
***
There were some changes in the dynamics in the King's court. For starters, it was no longer the King's court, but the Queen's. The previous night, the King of Crane City officially bent the knee, proclaiming that Crane City was submitted to the city of Tristan.
Now they were in the throne room, with the Queen seated at the Throne. This was a great announcement of the power dynamics behind the two. The Kings that were present, who were 6, sat at the main seats. Behind them were the members of the court.
There were a lot of powerful people present, and a lot of strong men present to protect them. However, that didn't seem to help much since the court could hardly agree on anything. The meeting was loud and intense, with many people throwing words in the air.
"There is only one thing that brings me to the table!" The King of Fulah, a wizened old man with more wrinkles than a bulldog.
"Pray tell sir, what might that be?" The King of Kiton was amused by all that.
"Many moons ago, Your father and I were talking," The Fulah King said. "We were talking of merging our 2 great cities and forming our first Kingdom in our continent. The only way that could be done was by merging our 2 great families."
"From what I heard, the Queen might have a different suitor?" King Helios answered back. He loved being in control, being in charge. He could say or do anything and no one could do anything about it.
"Young king, get your nose out of other's business," The King of Fulah was very pissed. He too knew what the King was talking about, as it was an open secret. "I guess the Queen of Tristan had an important decision to make."
The Queen eyed the Fulah King for some time. Then her eyes drifted momentarily to where the crowd was, seeking to see the man she had demanded he be present in this meeting. She was already regretting it now.
"This meeting is in recess, we shall proceed tomorrow in the morning," The Queen said as she stood up. Everyone else did, and as she walked out, she couldn't look at Barda in the eyes.