Bastian turned and gave orders to the warriors who had trailed behind Arsenius. They formed a circle around Varya as she quietly dismissed her sharks to the edges of the city. The pet sharks swam away slowly, as though they begrudged leaving her behind.
"At least bind her!" Arsenius' tail was twitching crazily, and his jaw clenched as soon as he'd spoken.
Bastian hesitated. She was one person and no matter how powerful she was, she was surrounded by enemies. If he put her in chains, she might be offended, or her safety might be at risk. Arsenius was barely holding his blood-lust in check, and if he snapped, chains would reduce Varya's ability to defend herself.
On the other hand, binding her might keep Arsenius from going mad, and it was a relatively small price to pay for peace of mind. Bastian looked to Varya. "I am sorry to do this, Varya, as you are a guest here in my home."
He watched her tense up. "But it is a precaution against further violence." Bastian glanced to Zareb, who moved forward. "Warrior Zareb here is someone I would trust with my life. I ask that you entrust him with your safety for the time being, along with myself. If any should dare to lift a fin against you, then he will guard you with his own being."
Zareb gently reached out and took Varya's wrists into his hands before uttering a binding. Varya's mouth lifted into a snarl, showing her sharp teeth, but she did not resist. When he removed his hands, a set of cuffs bound with a short chain rested where his fingers had been.
Arsenius slumped a little, his twitching becoming less evident. Bastian gave Zareb a small smile of thanks and turned to lead the way back to the palace. The warriors moved ahead of him, clearing the remaining citizens from the water and asking them to go back to their homes.
When they arrived back at the dais, Melodia rushed forward to grab Bastian by the shoulders. "Are you hurt? What happened?"
"Mother!" Bastian blushed. "I'm fine." He shrugged out of her grip, trying to maintain the dignity he'd had earlier. "We have an...unexpected guest." Bastian watched Melodia's eyes travel beyond him and settle on Varya.
For a moment, her eyes showed a blank sort of confusion, but the moment passed quickly and Melodia glanced sharply back at her only child. "What are you thinking?" She hissed at Bastian, inadvertently giving him a view of her fangs.
"I am thinking that this Selach has come a long way, alone, to speak with me." Though he loved his mother, Bastian's voice was full of steeled determination. "And I am thinking that you have no right to tell me what to do, Mother." The last word was a subtle reminder for Melodia that she had no formal title among the clan, and she recoiled from the small jab.
Militum moved to her side instantly and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. "My lady, shall I accompany you to the throne room?"
Melodia's face smoothed into a mask of perfect, expressionless calm. "Please."
Militum turned with her and they herded the other diplomats off of the dais and into the palace proper. The throne room itself was only a short swim below the dais, and it was the most embellished room in the entire palace. Large stained glass windows filtered the light into fragmented and beautiful colors that splashed over the white coral and gold inlay that decorated the entire room.
The main attraction of the throne room rested in the exact center of the circular area: a throne of wrought gold stood at twice the height of the tallest merman, its seat covered in a pale blue cushion that would offer some comfort to the Triton. Around the throne, a pattern of gold inlay concentric rings on the floor expanded all the way to the walls. Four doors were set in the circular walls, one at each cardinal direction.
Bastian swam down to the throne and settled into the seat. Underneath his right hand, the metal felt cold and unyielding. In his left hand, he continued to grip the trident as though it could guide him through whatever was going to happen next.
Zareb led Varya to a spot about three rings out from the throne--a distance of two full mermen--and Arsenius settled at Bastian's right hand side. It was officially his job as General to protect Bastian until the new Triton could select his own honor guard.
Melodia and Militum settled ten hands from the throne, and Ceili and Lachlan settled nearer to the South doorway. Only one other visiting diplomat joined them--the Atlantean ambassador. Whoever he was, he was dressed in the traditional traveling robes of the Atlanteans; he wore a black robe that covered him from head to tail fin and was kept close to his body by strategically placed weights, though it was not strapped down. He looked like a floating cloud of squid ink.
Bastian focused his attention back on Varya as the last of the warriors settled into their places throughout the room. "Well, Varya, you have our undivided attention. Please, tell me what has brought you to Nereus."
She hesitated, looking down and clasping her hands together. It almost looked as though she were praying, but Bastian knew that could not be. The Selachs were too barbarous for any piety.
"I come to you seeking peace between our people, Triton. I wish to help you end the bloodshed and violence."
Arsenius hissed. "Let me guess, you want him to go to a peace talk." He rolled his eyes at her and scoffed. "Do you think us idiots, Selach? We won't lose him the way we lost his father!"
Varya started at his words and looked up, confusion clear in her eyes. "What do you mean?"
"You know what I mean, worthless wretch!" Arsenius' face was turning red and his hands were clenched into fists at his side. "Triton Augustus lost his life trying to broker peace with your faithless clan!"
Varya paled and shook her head. "No! That is not true!"
Melodia moved forward. "It is true. My husband went to speak with your tribe, and it was then that he lost his life. We have tried the peaceful path already."
Arsenius turned on Melodia then, finding a source to vent his frustration upon. "Is that what you are calling it, Melodia? 'Trying the peaceful path'. Why don't you say what really happened? You sent your husband gleefully to his death!"
Militum placed a hand on the hilt of his sword, his eyes serious, as Melodia turned to face Arsenius. She lifted one elegant eyebrow at him. Bastian held his breath as she spoke.
"What do you mean to imply, Arsenius?" The water was heavy with tension.
"I mean that if you had married my brother for love, instead of for his crown, that he would still be here today." Arsenius' voice was a growl. "If you had done what I requested, and asked him to stay with you and your egg, then my brother would still be here."
Melodia's eyes flashed silver with magic and her claws extended. "I did what my husband thought was best for the tribe. It was his call to make, Arsenius, and not either of ours."
Bastian suddenly remembered how to breathe. "Enough." The single word echoed through the throne room, forcing attention back to the new Triton. Though he wanted nothing more than to hear the circumstances of his father's death, there was a potential enemy in their midst.
A true threat.
"Varya, why do you seem so surprised to hear that Triton Augustus went to your clan on a mission of peace? Our clans were at war long before either of us. Is it really so unthinkable that we would have tried talking to you before now?" Bastian was pleased when his voice did not waver.
Varya met his eyes and shook her head again. "It is unthinkable, yes, for one very simple reason: my clan never holds peace talks. We never parley."
Arsenius snarled. "We got the letter from your people! It had the time and the place, and our Triton went in good faith!"
Varya blinked. "Impossible. Not only would my people rather die a slow and agonizing death than try to make peace, but there is also the fact that," she glanced around herself at all of the merfolk present, "none of us know how to read, much less write."
None of us know how to read. The words washed over Bastian, soaking into his mind slowly.
Then who sent the letter?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author's Note:
Hello lovelies! Thanks for sticking with me this far. You are the best. <3 Now we have most of our main cast gathered and we're getting down to some of the big motivations for plot, so I hope it's keeping your interest.
Please let me know if any of the dialogue is unclear for you. I know there are a lot of people talking, so I tried to make it extra clear, but it's hard when I can see what is happening in my head and you lot don't get that advantage. :)