"The negotiations should not take much longer, Your Highness. A few weeks at the most, assuming there are no further sticking points." Manawyndan supplied the answer to the Princess's question. At the mention of the Eorzian customs his eyes lit up, an idea catching in his mind. "Plenty of time to arrange for such a demonstration of talent. In fact, it almost reminds me of an old Formori custom, reversed however, where a suitor demonstrates his ability to provide for his betrothed through the hunting and slaying of some great beast. It would make for some nice symmetry would it not?"
Ozragad's brow darkened and he shot his councillor a poisoned look as he listened to what he was saying. Was all of this really necessary? He had given his people peace, and he was working on giving them plenty, what more did they need than that from him? His suspicious mind went to the places in normally did. Does he want to make a fool of me? Does he want to undermine me?
But the Princess had already agreed to preform her 'talent show', if he were to back out now, would it make him seem weak? He would not have that, he had already humbled himself to her once and made an apology. He would not have her thinking him craven too. But he looked craven either way, if he shied from the fight to come and indulged in worthless festivities instead.
"Manawyndan, you know I mislike most useless pageantry. I imagine it will take more than some mummer's farce to quell the discontent brought about by my choice of bride."
"It is at least worth a try, sire. It need not come to swords." Manawayndan seemed nonplussed by the King's response. At times he seemed unflappable, he was perhaps to used to the King and his moods. Ozragad cast one eye over to the watching Princess. Should he be having this conversation here in front of her?
"I have put down rebellions before. I will do it again if I must." There was that harsh edge to voice once more, as if he was daring his councillor to disagree with him, waiting for a chance to vent his fury.
"Indeed you have, sire. But I imagine this way would definitely be cheaper than a war."
Damn. He has me there. It was certainly true. Ozragad was just finished fighting one long ruinously expensive war, he could ill afford to start another within his realm. Not when he was still uncertain if this peace with Eorzia could even hold. He still had his share of the wedding to pay. Only after that would the Royal Treasury begin to replenish. The King audibly sighed and reached up with two fingers to massage the bridge of his nose.
"You try my patience councillor... Fine, I will agree to take part in these distractions, provided the Princess plays her part too."
"A wise decision, your Majesty."
The look of smug self-satisfaction on Manawyndan's face left a bad taste in his mouth. He let his mentor and favourite councillor grow too bold, too often. It was a weakness. But then again, old Manawyndan was the last of those older soldiers he had looked up to as boy, who had trained him to fight and raised him after the death of his Mother. Gone too were those rowdy boys he had once trained and sparred with, most dead or now against him. There were few he could ever consider friend at court, in so much as King's could have friends. Let Manawyndan have his satisfaction, who knew how much longer the old man would be around to enjoy such things?
A knock came at the chamber door to interrupt his maudlin train of thought. A serving man entered with a silver tray laden with his midday meal and a pitcher of wine. He let the man set it down before dismissing him with a wave of his hand.
The King rose from his chair and stood at the centre of table, framed from behind by a pair of towering likenesses of his forebears upon marble plinths. Someone had thought to place three crystal goblets upon the platter, instead of the usual one. He poured a glass for himself and went to pour second for his smug councillor before Manawyndan stopped him.
"I shall take no wine, sire, it disagrees with me to take it early, these days." As if to illustrate the point the old Formori suppressed a small coughing fit. Manawyndan reached out and took the second glass, filling it water from another ewer.
Ozragad almost set the wine pitcher back where it lay before his eye caught the Princess once more, he consider her for but a moment, before he poured another glass of wine and passed it down the table to rest at her elbow.
"You should raise a toast your Majesty."
"A toast? To what?"
"To peace. To marriage."
"I think it may still be somewhat premature for that." The King shot his councillor another dark look, before his eyes rested on Princess Elise again, and perhaps... softened... almost. "But it seems we have come to an... Arrangement for now. So how about to that? To the Arrangement."
Ozragad raised the glass to lips, as he did so, it caught a beam of light from those long narrow windows. He could not see it, but it shone through the glass from the side as he went to drink. And illuminated so in the crystal, the dark wine turned translucent and gave up its secrets. Floating in there were some tiny, almost unnoticeable, specks of powder.
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