Duty

Chapter 6 Negotiations

King Marcos let his eyes wander across the council room. All the lords of the provinces had come to join forces in this never-ending war. The house of Tirzé had come too. The kingdom of Tireze had been aiming for an alliance for a long time and now they had something to offer.

He had seen the girl last night. Nineteen years of age. She wasn’t a  beauty, but pretty enough. She would make a good wife.

He hadn’t said anything to Cyrus about it. If he played it right, his son would believe it had been his own choice. An alliance with Tireze would benefit both nations.

He hadn’t told his lords yet either. He needed this war council to succeed. And for that he needed the support of the provinces. He needed more men.

He placed his hands on the table and pushed up from his seat. “Welcome my lords, prince Darius. It is good to see that we are all capable of cooperating in these hard times. Hopefully we can come to an agreement that will suit us all.”

Darius nodded. “Yes, that is our hope as well.”

King Marcos inclined his head. It would be no easy task. The house Tirzé was known or its ill-tempered men. And he had heard what had taken place before last night’s banquet. It seemed negotiations had taken a nose dive before they had even started.

In different times, he might have been amused by the whole ordeal, but there was much at stake. If the prince of Tireze felt insulted, he could decide to turn his father’s eyes towards other allies.

They had enough enemies at the moment. Though Tireze was a small kingdom, it held much power.

His eyes moved to his own son, who was seated at the table. Cyrus had shown little interest in the politics of the realm.

Marcos sighed. He supposed it was his own fault. After his wife had died, he had retreated from public for a while. His father had ruled in his stead. And Cyrus had been left to his own devices.

‘Ah, Aelia,’ he thought, ‘would that you were still with us. What would you have made of this whole situation?’

He could almost hear her voice. “Let him have his Vara, my love. Let him be happy.”

 

But he couldn’t. The realm was important above anything else. Sacrifices had to be made. He knew that better than anyone.

“Alright,” he addressed the men in the room, “let us begin.”

***

Carefully Vara moved another pawn across the board. The room had filled with guests she was expected to entertain. She’d much rather be outside in the palace garden, but unfortunately the weather had been relentless all night and the rain was fiercely hitting against the shutters.

All across the room, soft conversations were going on. Some ladies were busy with their needlework, others were playing a card game. A minstrel was softy playing melodies in the corner.

Vara held back a sigh. Why anyone would find it such an honor to reside in her company was a mystery to her. She was the adopted sister of the prince, yes, but associating with her would not make Cyrus like them any better.