"No such thing as no risk, high rewards. More often than not the best paying jobs are the riskiest ones." - Sandra Eschery, retired veteran mercenary.

"That… is quite an interesting background to have, Mrs. Edelstein," said the Crown Prince politely. Reinhardt knew some bits of Elfriede's story disturbed the young dwarf, but he was too polite and in control of his emotions to show it.

"For what it's worth, Your Highness, this is the first time *I* heard of this story as well," admitted Reinhardt plainly. Many mercenaries disliked speaking of their past, and Elfriede was one of those. On his part, he never really pushed to ask either. "I will vouch for her integrity nonetheless."

"Noted," said the Crown Prince as he seemed to ruminate on the possibilities for a moment. Then he seemed to have made his decision, and lifted his face. His eyes looked straight towards Elfriede. "Mrs. Edelstein, I will not fault you for keeping your past secret. That said, I must inquire. I assume your contact in Zefirous is this lady Varsha, your… grandmother, is that correct?"

"That is so," replied Elfriede with a nod. She had not seemed the slightest bit nervous to converse directly with the Crown Prince like that. "I have reason to believe she is likely still in control of the underworld in Zefirous. Suffice to say… there is little love for the church or the nobles amongst them."

"And what, in your opinion, can we as the invaders offer for them to risk their lives to help us get into the city?" asked the Crown Prince bluntly. "Because while my men are competent, I doubt they could sneak into a city full of humans, which meant whatever action taken would be done by those already inside, along with all the risks."

"A full pardon for their previous crimes, and giving them the chance to live legitimately would win many over," said Elfriede in reply, equally bluntly. "Those who turned to crime were mostly forced to do so by the circumstances, often by their birth even. Most of them would not turn down a chance for a better life."

"And for the unrepentant ones who revel in all the crime and violence?"

"Varsha keeps things running a lot tighter than most. The worst of those sort, we've long gotten rid of," she replied, her tone nonchalant despite talking about what Reinhardt knew involved killing people. "We do not tolerate sick bastards in our midst, that was one thing Varsha never budged on."

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"An admirable stand to make," accepted the Crown Prince after some deliberation. "I will extend some trust to you on behalf of your husband and your company's service and sacrifices to us. Do you believe an offer to co-govern the city after we took it on top of the pardon would be attractive to madam Varsha?"

"Co-govern?"

"We will have to have some of our own administrators to watch over things as well, as is standard for conquered territories," explained the Crown Prince patiently. "Should she prove suitable, we will instate her in a more official and permanent position after a few years."

"That is an extremely generous offer… Your Highness," said Elfriede with some creeping doubt in her voice. "Pardon me if I overstep, but why the generosity?"

"There are times a ruler needed to be ruthless, and times for them to be benevolent. So I have learned all my life," said the Crown Prince, sounding almost relieved to be asked the question. "We never had a grudge against the common people of the Holy Kingdom, just their leaders, which unfortunately does hold sway strongly here."

"It honestly pained me to see all the deaths in Fort Ascher… both ours and theirs. It would take generations for this region to recover from all those losses, even with immigrants from home," admitted the young dwarf, now looking more his age and burdened by the weight of responsibility on his shoulders. "If possible, I wish to avoid a repeat of that in Zefirous. If there were already underlying sentiments against the Holy Kingdom, it would be foolish not to support it. And besides… placing a local to govern would be viewed more kindly by the locals than having one of our own as governor, would it not?"

"Quite a few would spit on her as a traitor, especially the older, better off people, but I'd say the move would net you the sentiment of most of the poor in town," admitted Elfriede in turn. "And besides, Varsha knows how to deal with people spitting on her anyway. They already do that all the time."

"Understood. You have made a reasonably convincing case," said the Crown Prince with a gesture to dismiss the meeting. "By the time we reach Zefirous I will have a formal offer prepared for you to bring, complete with my signature as guarantee."

******************************

Four days after the conquest of Fort Prydwen, the dwarven army reached Zefirous. The Bastion of the South had earned its nickname well. The city was well defended.

Its walls were not quite as tall as Fort Prydwen's, merely six meters from ground level, but the four-meter wide moat all around the city made it that much harder to scale. The moat itself was at least twice as deep as it was wide, and the only way into the city was through the gates.

All the drawbridges had been pulled up, however, as they lined up against the wall like a door. Atop the walls many guards in the Holy Kingdom's colors stood and watched the dwarven army as they circled the city from three sides, at a distance beyond an arrow's reach.

The west side of the city bordered a large, deep lake, the largest in the Holy Kingdom. A port was built outside the walls, on a small peninsula that jutted out into the lake. It was cut off from land by the wall, and was completely surrounded by the lake itself.

What caught the besieging dwarves' attention was the presence of around a dozen ships that looked to be military transport ships, docked on the port, and proudly flying a flag that bore the heraldry of the Noble family that ruled the western city of Norouz.