Dark Armor: Diplomacy

"It was simple wisdom," said Kareth Teres, Wizard-King of Teregor, conceding nothing.

"It was at that," replied the High Magister Tamirya Edrias. It could have been a compliment, but something in her tone suggested that she knew damned well that he hadn't had any choice, and was enjoying the leverage that gave her. "And, of course Edrias will be every bit as suspect as Teregor, so it was only wisdom to agree."

"It is good that you understand that." The wizard-king's tone was firm. "Still, if we are to work together as we must, there will need to be reassurances to prevent betrayal." 

Darkest Gods, Pallian thought, The old bastard thinks he's actually going to be able to wring concessions from her, from a situation where we're in just as much danger as they are. Does he just not see it? Or is the need to be a bastard making him stupider than he has to be? He didn't say any of that out loud; his father would have re-scheduled his execution for the following morning if he had. Instead, he forced himself to relax and made his face expressionless so that he wasn't just gaping at his father's arrogance.

"Indeed there must," said the High Magister of Edrias. She touched one of the scroll-pouches at her belt. "I have here a treaty, in which we would both affirm the borders in their current positions and each concede that all artifacts in each kingdom's possession were lawfully theirs as of the time of the signing."

The Wizard-King of Teregor frowned, suspicious. "You would concede that the Spear of the First was lawfully, rightfully ours?" 

The High Magister nodded. "The treaty specifies such. As we have both seen, it is too dangerous to fight over, and far too dangerous for anyone to carry into battle." She paused, then added: "But to guarantee such concessions, there would need to be bonds between our kingdoms."

"What sort of bonds?" asked the Wizard-King.

The High Magister answered simply: "Marriage. You have sons; I have daughters. I propose an exchange, one for one. Your second prince will marry my first princess, and my third princess will marry your first prince."

"Your third princess?" asked the Wizard-King. "That seems... uneven."

The High Magister glanced at her daughter, the second-princess Arwidden, and nodded briefly. Arwidden stepped forward, bowed to the Wizard-King, and said: "No insult is intended. When I am wed, I will have a princess rather than a prince."

Pallian nodded, but his father sneered. "Then in truth the third princess will be a more worthy match." He flicked a glance at the High Magister. "But I will be most offended if she says such and then takes a prince for her own."

Standing where he was, Pallian couldn't see Ravaj's expression; his older brother stood still and calm. He, on the other hand, rolled his eyes before he could stop himself. He forced himself to relax again, to lower his shoulders and keep his face expressionless. His father couldn't help being insulting, but the High Magister was making him look increasingly unreasonable. Which means I might actually end up being required to marry the first princess of Edrias. He wasn't sure how he felt about that. Marriage?

He'd thought about it, of course. He'd even fantasized about falling in love with someone, and being granted permission. It was just that he'd always been too busy attending his father's moods and whims, keeping himself safe in the court, and later on serving as the Black Knight. That had kept him safe, but also isolated. 

The third princess met his eyes, her expression momentarily speculative, and he offered an uncertain shrug. No, he definitely didn't know what to make of this.

"The borders to remain where they are," his father said. He sounded frustrated, as if he'd wanted more but also realized that he wasn't in a position to press for it. "The Spear to remain in our keeping. Alliances by marriage. You sound as if you realize that you could never defeat Teregor."

"I do what I must to protect our lands," said the High Magister of Edrias. It was a sentence that could be taken in several ways, Pallian realized, but his father smiled. 

"Let us see this treaty."

Darkest gods, I might actually have to get married. He stayed silent, as his father had ordered, but all of a sudden his heart was racing.