Tears of the Sun [DISCONTINUED]

Chapter 15

The room burst into whispers as the Arcovese princesses stepped through the doors.  Valley Floods, Emery silently cursed.  This endeavor was already doomed.  He introduced the new arrivals with a forced calm.

A booming voice rang out before the council could dissolve into utter chaos.  “Maksyn!”  It was Lord Benjamin.  Extremely eccentric, the old man’s place in the council was only due to his long friendship with the Emery’s father.  To everyone’s surprise, Lord Benjamin slipped haltingly into the lyrical cadence of the Arcovese language.

The pair shared a quick exchange that seemed noisy in the sudden quiet but the silence that followed after felt even louder.

“What is the meaning of this, Benjamin?”  King Ryton demanded.

“Maksyn is a friend from my youthful travels,” the man explained somewhat sheepishly.  “Arcova was one of the kingdoms I visited.”

This caught Emery’s attention.  He had not known that any Tritorian still living had ever been outside their borders.  “You travelled?”

“Long ago.  I was curious and no one in the kingdom had seen the outside in over a century.  Consider it adolescent restlessness.”  Lord Benjamin returned to his seat at the table.  “Let us begin.  These old bones would like to escape our stone council chairs.”

“If you find yourself in such discomfort, Benjamin, you could excuse yourself from the council,” retorted the man beside him.

“Silence!”  The king’s voice thundered against the walls.  “You shame us all before our guests with your petty squabbling.  We will begin the hearing.”

Emery translated this in Rhonan.  As the Arcovese prepared themselves, he and Colden took their places by their father’s side.

It seemed that Pelai was the leader of the group because he stepped forward and communicated in a clear voice.  Though Rhonan was not his native tongue, the prince spoke with an easy charm and eloquence.  “We come to you desperate, with nowhere else to turn.  The Rhonan Empire waits at our doorstep, ready to conquer our people.  You are the last of our neighbors who remain free from Rhonan rule.  Our people are weak and we have no hope of winning a war against the resources of an empire.  We beg your assistance.  Together, we can halt the Rhonan expansion.  Together, we can defeat them.

 “Why should we cast out lots with you?”  It was Micah, a quiet man who rarely spoke.  “Why should we risk our lives and resources to participate in your war?”

“Because one day, the Rhonans will come for you too.”

“For years, they have let us be.  So long as we keep to ourselves, we have peace.”

“Temporarily.  The Rhonans fear you, with such close proximity to their border and your legendary military strength.  But they grow stronger by the day.  Soon they will have nothing to fear from even you.  It will be too late for you to fight back and no allies will be left for you to turn to.”

“You overreact——Prince Pelai, correct?  The Rhonans will respect our peace so long as we do not interfere.”  The king shook his head decisively.

“Do you believe that?  Truly believe that?  From what you’ve seen of the Rhonans, do you think they would ever be satisfied until they have every nation under their thumbs?”

An uneasy quiet fell over the council.

Colden seemed desperate to bring the hearing back to its original course.  “If that should ever happen——which is unlikely——the three Tories will be able to hold off the Rhonans together.  What good would the Alliance of the Three Valleys do if not to protect us?”