Xerxes looked around the table.
"I hope the roads were kind to you all."
"If only we had the luxury of time to take the roads. I find taking those portals to be rather nauseating." Marcus said as he put a hand to his stomach exaggerating his woe.
Duncan laughed. "Well Marcus, I see you're still dramatic as ever."
"And just as annoying," quipped Night.
Marcus put a hand to his chest "Oh Night, you would wound me so?" He said with dramatic flair as he smiled.
"You sapheads need to stop fooling around and show some respect to your king," said Leo calmly.
"We're all friends here you big lion, he doesn't care about all the formalities, all that fluff is just for show isn't that right Xerxes?" Asked Maia.
Xerxes just rested his chin on his palm and grumbled.
He had long since given up trying to instill respect into this prosaic bunch and just accepted the fact that they will never change.
Though as foolhardy as they were amongst themselves, he knew that each and every one of them was a crucial pillar to his management of the kingdom, and excelled greatly in their respective fields.
Knowing how diligent and efficient they were helped him bear their foolishness.
"Oh come on Leo, obviously there's got to be something serious going on for us to be summoned here. We're all just trying to have a little fun before hearing the bad news." Said Duncan.
"Blondie, you know damn well that oaf knows nothing about fun," said Maia as she laughed.
Night crossed his arms and smirked as he leaned back, "I wouldn't be too sure about that Maia. Don't forget what happens when you put a couple drinks in him."
"Even if I wanted to forget, I don't think I'll ever be able to." Said Marcus as he let out a hearty laugh and put his hand under his eyes, threatening to wipe any tears of laughter that dared escape. "Do you all recall Hallowgrove. The poor patrons that had to bear witness to the mighty lions bare-"
"Enough!" Leo interrupted with a red face and murder in his eyes. "I will not be made a fool by a bunch of children, and in front of his majesty no less."
Marcus turned toward Sito with an appraising gaze. "Speaking of children. This one's been awfully quiet."
All heads turned toward the Prince as if noticing him for the first time.
Maia smiled. "Well, isn't he just a cutie. I don't envy you Xerxes once he gets a little older you'll be drowning in letters of princesses and such offering their hands."
"I'm already betrothed Madam," Sito replied.
The whole table, minus those from the castle, gasped.
"Already betrothed?! How old is the boy?" Asked Marcus.
"I'm seven"
Their shock was evident on their faces.
Duncan's eyes widened, finally showing their deep blue color. "What are you feeding the boy, Xerxes? If you keep it up before long, he'll end up looking like Ragnar here." Duncan said as he patted the behemoths arms while Ragnar gave a slight chuckle.
"Takes more than bread and meat to get as big as me, boy. You better train hard."
Marcus rested his face on his hands and leaned toward Sito as he gave a wide smile. "So, who's the lucky lady?"
Xerxes finally decided to entertain their questions. "Ealhelm's girl"
"What?!" Shouted Marcus with his hand over his mouth. "My Lord, do you know the relations we could build, the allies we could make, or the tensions we could put to bed all just by marrying him to anyone of those princesses from across our borders?"
Night nodded in agreement. "It would indeed be wiser than marrying him to the daughter of a duke. Especially one whose loyalty is already solid as iron like Ealhelm."
"I've already decided on this matter long before you buffoons showed up. The decision is as wise as I say it is." Declared Xerxes.
After all this time, Reginald finally spoke up. "Could we proceed to the matter at hand your majesty, it is rather urgent."
The king let out a sigh. "Alfred, go fetch the Baron for me, will you."
"Yes, my lord." Alfred stood up and bowed before going to open the door and ushering in the Baron, who was waiting outside.
The king introduced him as he walked to the table. "Everyone, this is Baron Geralt. Now-"
"Greetings," said the Baron before realizing he interrupted the king.
Geralt kept his eyes on the floor, cursing himself under his breath for being a fool as he felt the king's eyes drilling a hole into his face.
The king kept him pinned down under his gaze for a moment longer, as if daring him to interrupt once more.
"As I was saying, now tell them the same thing you told me, Baron, and spare no details."
The Baron gulped and wiped the sweat off his brow, then proceeded to tell them the same tale he told the king.
—-
The group sat still for a moment as they ruminated on the Baron's words.
Marcus leaned back and folded his arms over his crossed legs as he broke the silence. "Vradia, huh? That's a rather tricky one, considering what's at stake here."
Night spoke up. "Those Elves love their nature too much. It'll be impossible to convince them to let us mine what's under their forest."
Maia seemed upset by the news. "I rather admire the Elves. Their love of nature is a beautiful thing and much of my work is directly inspired by them. But you, of course, would know nothing about the art of creating and nurturing life Night. All you deal in is death and darkness."
Night sighed. "I have nothing against those tree lovers. I'm merely stating the facts."
"And the 'facts' are that even though our forces are mighty, once we cross the border into Mist Forest our forces would fall apart and get picked off like flies. In short, we'd stand zero chance of victory, this, of course, would be a different story would the site of battle be to our advantage." Duncan added.
"No need to be rash Duncan, the Elves are a rather persistent and cunning folk there's no need to escalate this without cause," said the King.
Duncan's smile had yet to falter. "Without cause? My lord, with all due respect, we are speaking of a mithril mine of indeterminable depths. The amount of armor and weapons we could craft would be invaluable tools for our elite warriors."
The king shook his head. "We have worked hard to build an amicable relationship with our Elven neighbors and there's no need to put that at risk. My proposal would be to send Marcus to speak with them. With this, maybe we can resolve this peacefully and give them a cut of the yield for any inconvenience we may cause them."
Marcus smirked. "I do appreciate your faith in me my lord however these are elves we speak of. I'm sure a pound of dirt is worth than a pound of mithril in their eyes. And I'm afraid enticing them with something cut from their Mother Earth would only serve as eh... a slap to their face for lack of a better term."
Xerxes closed his eyes in thought for a moment before opening them again. "There are certainly better terms, but what you say is true. Marcus, you will go bearing other gifts than. I'll leave the specifics up to your discretion as you are more well versed in Elven culture than I. As for our other matter."
The king turned to Leo, who had been sharply observing the discussion thus far.
"Leo, I need you to send an urgent request to the adventurers guild and have this dungeon destroyed as soon as possible. Post extra men at all the nearest towns just as a precaution, and have a team near the site ready to get to the core and destroy it in case those vagrants from the guild dilly dally."
Leo bowed his head in a serious manner. "Consider it done, my lord."
"Very well. Anything to add?" Xerxes asked as he looked around the room.
There was silence for a moment.
"Let me bring the boy along." Said Marcus.
The king raised an eyebrow quizzically. "Oh?"
Marcus continued. "It would be a great learning experience and help in building a stronger relationship with our neighbors to have the future king visit them personally. And besides, it's about time you let him out of the cage you call a castle. Let the boy taste fresh air, my lord."
Xerxes squinted, his eyes digging into Marcus before finally saying, "I'll think on it, but I make no guarantees."
He then leaned back in his chair. "Anything else?"
The room was still with the king's fingers drumming against the table being the only thing disrupting the silence.
"Very well. I assume you all have your communication crystals at hand?"
After a collective nod from the table, he continued. "Then let us be on. May the roads guide you true."
The sound of chairs sliding across the floor resounded throughout the room as they stood. The members of the council then bowed to the king with a hand over their hearts before leaving.
—-
"More wine, your highness?"
"Yes, please!" said Sito eagerly before stuffing his face with another mouthful of food.
To his delight, it seemed drinking wine at his age wasn't considered taboo in the world of royalty. And considering how well it paired with his dish, he ate and drank with no restraint.
While the king and queen always had new and fancy looking meals fit for royalty, Sito was always given the same rice and meat curry with vegetables. He had asked numerous times to get the same dishes as his parents. However, the king insisted that he eat this meal daily at dinner in order to 'get a well-balanced diet to grow'. He didn't mind though as his food was absolutely delicious, especially the meat which he couldn't identify but was so good that it gave him goosebumps and filled him with warmth.
"So, how was the meeting?" Asked the queen.
"As well as it could go with those jesters on the council," the king said as he ate his meal with the utmost etiquette.
The queen turned to Sito. "That was your first time meeting them, wasn't it? Well, what do you think?"
Sito paused his glutinous massacre to answer. "They were a rowdy bunch, but they seemed dependable enough."
The king spoke. "That they are, which is why I put up with their foolishness. It's a small price to pay for the loyalty of men and women such as them. You need to also start surrounding yourself with people who would make a good fit for your council one day. The earlier you begin those bonds, the better."
"Well, how I'm I supposed to meet people to surround myself with if I'm trapped in this castle forever." Replied Sito.
The king squinted as he stared at the prince for a moment. "Speaking of which, I was thinking Marcus's offer could be a good idea."
"What offer?" Asked the queen.
"He proposed taking the boy with him when he goes north to Vradia."
The queen looked surprised. "Well, the Elves do tend to be rather docile unless provoked, but that Marcus knows how to pinch nerves. Are you sure trusting him with the boy in enemy territory is a good idea?"
"The Elves are not our enemies, Amestris. And Marcus maybe be a handful when he's within our borders, but I named him master of diplomacy for a reason. He knows what he's doing."
The queen looked concerned. "If you say so, dear."
The king took a sip of his wine, then turned to Sito. "Marcus will be leaving sometime in the coming weeks after he's prepared everything. Have everything you need for the journey prepared by then and Marcus will carry it with him in his spatial ring."
"Yes, father." Replied Sito.