Leaving Kvalinn and Gerde in the care of Tomas, I let myself smile softly at their innocence. As an infant, Gerde was of course innocent of the intrigues and deceptions of adults, but her adoptive father, Kvalinn, was also very naïve. Taking whatever I said at face value and even turning down my offer of employment with language that was so casual I would have thought he had learned it from a halfling.
"Well, father. Wasn't she exceptionally cute?" Yuliana walked alongside me down the cold stone halls of the palace with happy eyes. She had lost her daughter last spring to one of the many diseases that plague young children, and this was the first time I had seen her smile since then.
"The beastkin girl was indeed singularly cute. Her tail and wolf's ears that are unique to her race seemed to add to her charm immensely. It is a pity that Kvalinn will be leaving soon."
"Father." Yuliana's brow furrowed as she tried to find the right words. I knew what she was going to say, so I paused in my walk and turned to look at her with fatherly compassion.
"Yuliana, even if I asked him to allow you to adopt her as your own. Do you think he would have taken you up on the offer?" Once I saw that she had processed the emotional side of the question, I advised her of the practical side of the issue. "Besides, the nobility would never accept her among their ranks. Gerde would be unable to find allies or connections both due to her race and her common birth. Kvalinn will be able to give her the best life possible for a beastkin."
"Yes, Father." Yuliana was saddened by my reasoning, but she knew the difficulties of growing up with the Tochkan nobility as well as I did. It was difficult enough doing it as a member of royalty, but attempting it a commoner adopted by royalty would be well nigh suicidal. I loved my motherland, but the nobility who served her were usually corrupt, malevolent, spiteful, malicious, and unpleasant reprobates who would only save their grandmother if it was in their best interest both politically and personally. Not to say I was any different though. Ruling as Tzar of a vast nation is not done with kindness.
We resumed our walk until we reached the conference room where numerous members of the nobility and several influential people waited to hear the results of my meeting with the dwarf called Kvalinn. As I entered the room, everyone stood up and bowed towards me until I gestured for them to take their seats.
"Well, Father? What are your thoughts on the dwarf who adopted the beastkin and crafted these remarkable weapons?" My son Krasimir spoke first since he was of the highest rank among those assembled. On his waist was a saber that he had ordered from Kvalinn that had the magical rune of ice and caused spears of ice to fly when he pushed his magic into the weapon.
"Kvalinn appears to be an honorable dwarf with no ambition beyond following the vocation of his ancestors. He turned down my offer of employment so that he could learn more about his craft in the wider world." My words caused a loud commotion to erupt.
"Your majesty. Kvalinn's talents are already immense and the quality of his weapons would make our armies a force to be reckoned with. I ask that he be handed over to the Royal Armies at once!" Nikodim Makarov half stood as he leaned forward with passion for glory evident in his eyes. He had been pushing for expansion of our borders for decades, even though great tracts of land still stood completely empty due to lack of population.
"Nonsense!" Count Georgiy Kommissarov stood up as he glared at the general. "Navaszalacala province needs those weapons more than the army. The Greconians are forever testing my borders and with the power of these weapons I can end their machinations forever."
I let out an internal snort of derision at Count Georgiy's pretenses of being on the defensive. The amount of complaints I have received from the Grand Duke of Greconia over the raids conducted by the count could be used to light my fires in the morning. The raids were mostly conducted to obtain fresh serfs to maintain Count Georgiy's lands since he was especially tough on his serfs and burned through them quickly. Unfortunately, I had to turn a blind eye to his depredations since his province was a useful buffer between the eastern countries.
"The Greconians are nothing!" Baron Stanislav Yakimenko joined those standing around the table. "The monsters that eternally pour from the dead zones left by the demon lord constantly have my cities on the edge of annihilation. Your majesty, I ask that Kvalinn be handed over to my guards so that he may arm them with runed weapons for the protection of my territory."
Yet another grandstander. I thought to myself. The reason Baron Stanislav's cities were always on the edge of annihilation was not due to monster attacks, although to be fair the monsters did continually attack from the dead zones where the demon lord's magic still lingered, but due to starvation. His incompetence regarding farming policies was only in second place to his unbelievable bumbling in military tactics. In fact, the only place where Baron Stanislav excelled was in politicking, which was how his family maintained their position. Any weapons Kvalinn made for him would likely only be used on his own starving citizens when they protested in front of one his feasts.
"You are all thinking too narrowly!" Hereditary Knight Potap Vitsin brought his heavy gaunt crashing down on the table. "The ancient runes can be used for more than just weapons of war. Perhaps we can use the Empire's magic stones technology with Kvalinn's runes to drain the excess magic from the dead zones and open them for safe inhabitation."
I nodded at the selfless plans of one of the few honest members of my nobility. Sir Potap's family had been elevated only one generation ago but they were already gaining power and influence among the commoners due to his disinclination for brutality towards those beneath him. Needless to say, he was the only one in this room who thought about bettering the lives of those beneath us.
"Enough of this folly!" University head Filya Sedelnikov stood up with a querulous twitch in his eyebrow. "Kvalinn must be held responsible for the death of Second Librarian Luka."
"What happened with the librarian?" Asked an older noble. Filya's brow twitched harder and his face went red as his anger mounted.
"Kvalinn read five ancient dwarven books that have existed in our collection since its inception by the elves. When Luka saw that neither death nor injury occurred to the dwarf after reading the books and touching the ancient runes that glow on the cover, he attempted to make a copy of the books for our records. The instant Luka opened the book, he fell down dead with a look of intense pain seared across his face. I demand satisfaction, your majesty! Luka's blood is on his hands!"
The voices in the room rose louder and louder. Each one pushing their own plots of conquest or politicking without a thought for Kvalinn or his adoptive daughter. When I felt that things were getting out of hand, I nodded to a minister bellowed in a loud voice for silence. I stood to address the assembled nobles once they had all sat down again.
"Your arguments are valid, and your devotion to mother Tochka is commendable. But Kvalinn will not be handed over to anyone, or be forced to work for our country." My statement caused an outcry from everyone who had a stake in having Kvalinn work for them. This time I let them tire themselves out before resuming speaking. "Kvalinn will be completing his quest for the Adventurer's guild and acquiring new techniques among his race to the north."
"Father. Why can we not just hold Kvalinn's partner, or the beastkin girl he has adopted, as hostages to force him to make weapons for us?" Krasimir looked at me as if it were the obvious solution to both satisfy the nobles and obtain new weapons. Normally he would be correct, but this time his spies had clearly done an inadequate job of researching the young dwarf.
"Tell me, Krasimir." I said in a quiet voice. "Did your spies observe the weapons he made for his companions in the adventurers' winter hall?" My son shook his head as if the thought hadn't occurred to him. "I suspected that Kvalinn would make just above average weapons so as to not attract the attention of the nobility any further, and make the finest weapons possible for his friends. This turned out to be the case. Kvalinn made several weapons that were so powerful that not even the best armed knight of our army could stand a chance against them. In the arms of experienced adventurers, I would not like the chances of capturing Kvalinn without either overwhelming numbers or treachery."
I let that fact sink in for a moment before continuing. "Furthermore, I believe Kvalinn will return to Tochka on his own in time, and having him work for us of his own free will will doubtless inspire confidence in him that any weapons or runes he makes for us will be well used. He is currently going to the Thomboldahr mountains on a quest to protect a weapons shipment from Einangrad. Now while he may meet many of his kin there, he will find as his ancestors did, that the Thomboldahr mountains, while rich in jewels, gold, silver, and all other valuables, are completely useless when it comes to iron veins. Thus, he will continue looking for a place to call home, since a weaponsmith cannot possibly make a profit while importing all of his iron."
"What about Vermogen and Guarteria?" General Nikodim asked in a surly tone. "If he settles among them then we may find his weapons turned against us in a decade or less."
"You may want to have your spies diversify from their chronic obsession with the Empire's military." I replied in a dry tone. "If you had bothered to look to the west, then you would have seen that Vermogen is busy trying to accumulate wealth and attempting to send emissaries to every nation known to man, while Guarteria is stagnating under the weight of its futile quest to pay tribute to every god in existence. Neither of them are interested in warfare or weapons, and Kvalinn's talents would be left unused if he remained there."
"What about the eastern nations?" The question died upon the nitwit baron's lips before had finished uttering it and the entire table glared at the buffoon for asking such a stupid question.
To the east of the motherland, there were only small duchies, principalities, and kingdoms in name only. They were all technically independent of the Empire to the south, but they all paid tribute and relied on the Empire for protection against monster outbreaks. None of them had the wealth or resources to support or protect a weaponsmith of Kvalinn's talents, and he would either be seized by the empire or killed in one of their interminable squabbles over the Imperial throne.
"Given a little time and patience, I have confidence that Kvalinn will eventually return to Tochka, and use his talents for the motherland." I looked around the table to see if there were any objections, and since these were Tochkan nobility there was at least one dissenter from my plan.
"Your majesty." Count Robert Snetkov of a territory to the north stood up. "The journey to the Thomboldahr mountains is long and dangerous. It is possible that the dwarf might be attacked on the road and be forced to recover from his injuries in my territory. If this were to occur, then I will be sure to send you a percentage of any weapons he happens to make during his convalescence."
Under all the fancy words was a malevolent plot. Count Robert would attack the adventuring party in an unpopulated area, and after killing off any witnesses, he would then hold Kvalinn indefinitely while forcing him to work from a dungeon. It wasn't a particularly bad idea, but with the information I had gathered I knew it was doomed to failure.
"Count Robert. Normally I would commend you for your craftiness, but I would not have you waste the lives of your serfs needlessly. When Kvalinn's extraordinary magical reserves were made known to me, I sent several spies to trace his origins. Both to find out if Einangrad is building up its magical power in other dwarves to become a major power on the continent, and to see if we could tempt them into working for us. When Kvalinn passed through Zaihan last year, his party was attacked by a large contingent of men at arms who were serving a traitor noble. Not a single one of the attackers survived."
I let that information shift through the their plot infested heads. Zaihanians were generally despised and shunned for their cruelty towards other races and their own commoners, but one thing they were not was weak. Their men at arms were trained from a young age to fight against the beastkin and the wood elves of the Eternal Forest, so each one of the Zaihanian men at arms was roughly more powerful than a dozen of the untrained serfs that our nation employed on the battlefield.
"What about in Einangrad, Father." Krasimir asked. "Did you find any other dwarves with his abilities? Or better yet, information with which to blackmail him into working for us?"
I smiled to myself at his question. My son was showing more promise by the day. If he continued progressing at this rate, then I felt that I could leave the throne of Tochka to him in just a few more years. Putting the thoughts of my retirement to the side, I reached for the report held out to me.
"The spies traced Kvalinn's route to a small colony of dwarves living on the surface of the mountain. A small town known to the locals as Vesturhildrun. Once there, they were able to get much information from a halfling tavern keeper. It would seem Kvalinn is the only dwarf with runes on his body, and was cast out from his clan over them." Several of the nobles looked at me in disbelief that someone able to make such powerful weapons had been cast out from their clan. A fate that was normally reserved for those who broke their oaths, broke laws, or caused offense to their version of the nobility. With another glance at the report, I elaborated on the mountain's politics.
"It would seem the centuries of isolation from both the northern and southern mountains, and the constant harassment by Zaihan and the Empire, have caused Einangrad to begin revolving around the Weapon Clan. Based on the information gathered from the local dwarves and those living in nearby Handel, the weapon clan has worked tirelessly to maintain their power over the mountain and have done everything they could to make sure no other clan has more influence than them. Even forcing King Thralgrorlum to exile rune smiths who might gain more power than them by adding runes to the weapons they make. Apparently Kvalinn learned rune magic from one such rune smith, who had sought refuge in the deepest darkest city under the mountain, rather than relocate to a different mountain."
"Interesting, and I assume there was nothing worth using as blackmail? Such as broken oaths or crimes against the clan?"
"That is correct, my son. The Weapon Clan head cast Kvalinn out solely because of the runes on his body and because he refused to comply with the clan head's wishes. My spies were able to speak to a dwarf by the name of Ekgor in Vesturhildrun, and neither his anger nor his profanity towards the clan head over this injustice needed a translation."
"Their loss is our gain." Krasimir said with a shrug. "So assuming Kvalinn does return to Tochka. How long will we need to wait? Dwarven lives may long, but ours are not. I would prefer to see him securely settled in Tatartorsk before the gods come for your soul."
"I estimate he will take no more than five years at most before returning. Less if we influence matters." There was the small chance that Kvalinn could cross the sea to the western continent, but the chances of that were infinitesimal. Dwarves as a species detested the sea with every fiber in their being, and I had yet to meet one who had willingly set foot on a frozen pond, let alone made a voyage across the sea. "If there are no other objections. I would like to spend some time with my children."
The nobility all rose, and after bowing respectfully, they all left through the door. They would doubtless have a new batch of intrigues and plots ready by the next morning, but I would deal with them later. University Head Filya was probably already on his way to my office to request a meeting with me so that he could demand Kvalinn's head for the death of Librarian Luka.
"Are you not being too trusting with them?" Krasimir asked as he eyed the door where the nobility had exited. "They are likely already discussing traps and contacting mercenaries to capture Kvalinn for their own lands."
"Will Gerde be safe, Father?" Yuliana, who had been silent during the entire discussion, leaned against my chair with worry in her eyes. "Father, please do whatever you can to keep Gerde and her adoptive parents safe!"
As much as I wished to comfort my daughter, there was little I could do to control the rowdy and turbulent nobles. They all paid me lip service with smiles on their faces, and if an external threat approached our nation then they would band together behind me, but in this matter my options were limited. But then an idea struck me.
"Krasimir, the adventuring party with Kvalinn in it is taking their shipment to the dwarven city of Khirndarim, correct?" Upon seeing him nod, I continued. "I think it would be wise to strengthen our ties with King Thragraef of Thunelduhr mountain. After such a long winter, the dwarves are likely running low on wheat and barley for their beers." Krasimir quickly caught on to my train of thought and smiled thoughtfully.
"Understood, Father. I believe twenty carts of grains would go a long way towards striking out any grudges the dwarves may have against our nobles. Of course, I'll need to make sure a trustworthy troop of soldiers accompanies the shipment. And if those soldiers just happen to save Kvalinn's life…?"
"Count Robert will take care of that part." I said with a sardonic chuckle. "As you said before, dwarven lives are long and if he found out from your grandchildren that the beginning of his relationship with Tochka was based on a lie then he might arm our enemies to destroy us. Just see to it that the soldiers are well armed and none of them are the target of any grudges from our northern neighbors. Perhaps Sir Potap should lead them?"
Sir Potap was rather young for an assignment of this sort, but since he had earned the moniker of Sir Potap the honest from his steadfast refusal to pay or receive any bribes he was the ideal man for showing Kvalinn Tochka's better side. Considering Kvalinn's youth, he likely hadn't experienced the cruelties of life, and the bribes that made up daily life in our politics would not go over well with him.
"Understood, Father. I will go see Sir Potap now and begin finding the best men among the guards for this assignment. If you will excuse me." Krasimir got up from his chair, and after a perfunctory bow, he left the room. Now it was just me and Yuliana sitting at the oversized table.
"Father." Yuliana gripped the arm rest as she thought through her words. "Will Gerde be safe? Not just from Count Robert and the rest, but will she be happy with Kvalinn and his companion Bekhi raising her?"
I put a comforting hand on my daughter's pale and trembling hand. "I cannot speak for the future. But according to my spies, and from what I saw tonight, they both love Gerde as if they were her actual parents. Although both of them appear a little over eager to train her in their favorite activities. Kvalinn was observed trying to teach Gerde how to work the bellows at his forge, while his companion was seen attempting to teach her how to polish a warhammer. I suspect that with the two of them training her, she will either grow into a hero worthy of legend, or a demon lord equal only to the first demon lord in terms of destruction." Yuliana gave a small laugh, and I saw that even though her fears for the young child, who had filled the hole in her heart left by the death of little Vova, were not erased entirely, they were at least slightly eased for the moment.
"Thank you, Father. If you will excuse me, today's events have left me tired, and I wish to go to bed."
"Of course, my daughter. Good night, and may Breuddwydion, goddess of dreams, guard your sleep." Yuliana exited the room, and left me alone with my thoughts.
Taking the saber that I had received from Kvalinn from its sheath, I laid it on the table to admire it. The base weapon was excellently done. If I had received it without knowing who made it, I would have guessed a smith of a few decades' experience had crafted it over several weeks of work. My spies had told me though that the young dwarf had made it in less than a day and had worked long into the night on the rune magic. There was only one rune on the blade. As if to contrast with the one for my son, this blade had a rune of fire that allowed it to throw balls of flame when my magic flowed through the weapon. Of course, my magic was required for ceremonies and tools of the kingdom so I had none to spare for this weapon, but it would be an admirable gift for my next grandson.
"Yes, Kvalinn must work for Tochka." I said to myself as I looked at my reflection in the blade. "He is the key to a golden age for our nation. Perhaps even for the continent at large. He will bring about an age of prosperity not seen since the hero Emperor Reginald ruled the continent over a thousand years ago. He is too attached to Bekhi for me to marry him to a noble here. But perhaps I can find a good match for his daughter."
Calling for pen and paper, I began writing down my thoughts. Taking note of the young nobles who were currently in their fertile years, or who had young children Gerde's age, and then narrowing down that list to find those who would not object to a beastkin commoner joining their lineage. The results were not promising. Evidently I'd need to grease many palms and work long hours to move things in the right direction.
Heaving a sigh at the never ending work of a Tzar, I got up from my chair. I could feel my knees give their familiar protests over my ever increasing age, and my back groaned and creaked like ancient furniture over my writing posture, but I eventually managed to stand upright and put the sword away with the practiced ease of a warrior.
Exiting the nearly pitch dark conference room, my servants carried the lantern and my guards accompanied me to the entrance of my room. Where I continued working from the comfort of my desk. I had many letters to write and many favors to call in if a mate of suitable connections and lineage was to be prepared for Gerde when her father decided she was ready to marry. I also made notes about the possibility of marrying Kvalinn's direct descendants into our country, but due to dwarven marriage customs of not marrying before the age of thirty, those plans would need to be enacted by my son. I, unfortunately, did not have that much time left.
Finally reaching the end of my bodily strength, I called for a servant to undress me and assist me into bed. "Wake me at the sun's first light. I still have much to complete before spring." My servant, a loyal man of over two decades service, looked conflicted over waking me so early after putting me to bed so late, but he obediently nodded and took the candle with him. Leaving me to my slumber, which was blessed by Breuddwydion with a vision of the future.
I saw my people thriving, traveling throughout the length and breadth of the land even in the deepest winter with the aid of great machines of metal. Giant buildings that were taller than the palace, filled the cities and reflected the sunlight with thousands upon thousands of panes of glass that were each worth a fortune with how smooth and uniform they were. Looking at the people in the buildings, I saw men, dwarves, beastkin, and even elves, all living in harmony together, and what's more, they all seemed happy and content. I prayed to the gods the next morning that the vision I saw would become a reality for my people, and not just the ravings of an old man.