The underground shelter was full of people. Hundreds of thousands of Iceleonians found safety in the most unthinkable place in Nilmerthis- in a Dungeon. While, at first, many of them were terrified, the presence of Princess Theresa calmed them down. Or, as she introduced herself to them, Queen Theresa Iceleon. She was known by some as a selfish and arrogant ruler however, she was still many times better than other nobles. Not many people believed such rumours, especially when it became widespread knowledge that she was responsible for the Arcadians’ arrival and aid.. And what arrival it was... Their ships were huge and their army was restlessly looking for survivors. The powerful familiars belonging to Arcadian soldiers, such as Wolves, Grand Wolves, and even fabled Fenrirs, were in constant search of every living person. They dug through the snow and broke the walls or roofs of the ice encrusted frozen homes. The most shocking event was the presence of the Gods.
The Divine Powers descended to grant help. They were seen standing on the Arcadian airships and often guiding the rescuers or pushing away the snow with little more than a gesture. They walked among the people and their presence soothed the pain of those who lost their relatives while giving hope that Iceleon wasn't abandoned. They were not promising to solve the cataclysm or remove the snow. They said that such a promise would be a lie and that the people of Iceleon needed to wait. The Gods themselves wished to unearth the reason behind the weather collapse. At least waiting wouldn't be as hard as it might have seemed at first. The place the people were brought to was warm, clean, and had enough food so no one was going to starve. Adding the generosity and safety the Queen negotiated to be provided by the Arcadian Emperor, it was made clear to the people of Iceleon that their survival was only thanks to their Queen. They started seeing her in the presence of a tall and handsome man who was rumoured to be their future king. It was clear to everyone that he was an Arcadian noble and, consequently, treated him with the utmost care.
However, Queen Theresa and Lord Victor were not the type of nobles Iceleon was used to. They were kind and friendly and, unlike the rest of the nobles of Iceleon, they were moving among them. One thing the Queen reported bothered the commoners: she would judge and punish all nobles of Iceleon and everyone who served them. A lot of the present family members had served in the private armies of the Noble Lords. For a long time, their questionable work fed their families but, once calamity struck, they tossed their families aside. Nobles' soldiers, following their Lords' orders, took away the supplies of many people. So the people were now torn; on one hand, they wanted to believe that those soldiers had no choice but, on the other hand, a lot of common people of Iceleon died because of their actions. The Queen, however, was determined to hold her promise. The fact that nobles and their closest servants were trapped in their mansions and castles with no hope of running away made justice believable.
The more time passed, however, the more their hearts yearned for justice. The empty rooms where their friends and family members should be surviving beside them remained silent and unoccupied. Too many people died and maybe their death wouldn't have been inevitable; maybe aid would have a chance to arrive in time if only they had more food and wood to keep warm. Thousands upon thousands had died and those who lived felt guilty. After a few days of mourning the tragically lost, the survivors were trying to figure out what to do. The Queen had told them they were in the Bravefall Dungeon while the rest of the country was covered under a thick layer of snow. There was nothing that they could do about the others until the weather improved. In the meantime, they were free to wander around the Dungeon and, even, fight in the combat zones. They weren't allowed, however, to enter the Arcadian military installations and the Embassy proper for obvious reasons. Some people tried their luck in delving the Dungeon and, as they succeeded and returned with money and rudimentary equipment, more people wanted to try as well. Many still found it hard to adjust to their new reality. The uncertainty of their future, seeing a manifestation of the Gods and the abolition of the laws and customs they knew were too much for their comfort. The Arcadians looked at them with pity but rarely did anyone among Iceleonians find the courage to talk to them.
The young Queen let out a tired sigh as she read another report. She couldn't blame her people for feeling hopeless. The reality was, in fact, depressing. Almost half a million people died. Their country was buried under a layer of snow so thick that it covered most of the trees. Every city, town, and village but one was evacuated, and Theresa understood the bitter truth: abandoned forever. Even once this winter ends, thawing snow is going to create a devastating flood. There was only a single city that would survive the mountainous Utap. A city that mysteriously survived a Dungeon stampede and was the only Iceleonian city still standing not only defiant but also strong. The Arcadian mine masters examined Utap's mines and concluded that Iceleonians were idiots. They did have the decency to break it gently to them: the mountains around the ancient homeland of the Dwarves were still rich in all kinds of resources, not just the iron Iceleon focused so much on. Adamantium, silver, lead, coal and much more lay beneath the surface though often discarded as useless because of a lack of knowledge and the low levels of Iceleonian miners.
Their lack of experience was best shown through the extensive coal veins uncovered. As an important addition to iron in the steel smelting process it wasn't worth excavation as they usually substituted with charcoal. To this day, she wondered how stupid her expression must have been when Lord Vernon, silently, with an absolutely stoic mask of expression, tossed a large chunk of coal into the fireplace… and it caught fire. It burned longer and warmer than wood. Judging by the incredulous look of the Iceleonians, her own face must have been burning brighter than the coal. It was fairly embarrassing to realise that their single mine had enough output to warm the entire country tenfold. Lord Vernon was merciful and did not comment and followed his action with the introduction of extensive mining plans. Theresa accepted these without as much as a single blink. Arcadians were willing to share their extraction techniques which were going to revolutionise the country. Or it would if Iceleon wasn't buried under dozens of metres of snow.
A knocking on the door interrupted Theresa's brooding. "Yes?"
"Admiral Dennis Tu'sarr of the Metakan Navy is requesting to discuss something with you, my Lady!" Newly promoted Major Natan Krone spoke as he entered the office.
"But of course, Major! You can tell him that..." She started but, seeing the fairly panicked gestures of her security officer toward the doors, she lowered her voice. "He's waiting there?!"
"Yes! I have no clue what he wants but he insists it's urgent!" Nathan whispered back in a manner perfectly audible throughout the room.
"Where's Victor when I need him?!" She groaned and looked in panic at the doors. She took a deep breath and looked at the Major. "You will have to stay as my military advisor!"
"As you wish, my Lady!" He lowered his head in a respectful bow. "Should I..."
He pointed at the thankfully closed doors. Her nervous nod sent him to fetch the Metakan Admiral. He opened the doors and a serious-looking Admiral entered the room. After the necessary exchange of pleasantries, she inclined her head towards the chair across her desk.
"Before we can discuss anything further, would you please read this, Queen Theresa." He offered her an intricately decorated scroll with a broken seal.
She almost stood to take it however Nathan was quicker. He took the scroll and, after opening it and glancing at it, he put it in front of her. Theresa bit her lip in discomfort knowing that she shouldn't have risked being the first one to look at a potentially cursed item. She skimmed it and hardly believed her eyes. After reading it two more times and, finally then, noticing the signature and Royal Seal of Theon Avalon, she remembered to breathe. Without a word, she signed the document, took off her ring, and imprinted the Iceleonian Royal Seal near her signature. The scroll flashed with the yellow light and produced a copy of itself. She grabbed it as if it were the most important treasure of Iceleon.
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"I'm surprised to see your lack of hesitation, Lady Theresa..." The Admiral nodded his head with respect.
"These terms are hardly negotiable for Iceleon. We owe so much to Lord Avalon." She smiled and crossed her hands and the scroll as she placed it on the table. Theresa returned her fountain pen back on its stand. It was a gift from Victor and she loved it. "Metaka is not the only one to see the value of an alliance with Arcadia."
"And that's why I'm here." He nodded, solemnly. "Currently, Arcadia is doing all the heavy lifting in this alliance. Our Navies are a joke, our armies are worthless, and our magitech is so primitive that we barely can call it meaningful, too."
"If you wanted to remind me how primitive we must look in the eyes of an average Arcadian, I would also add that the levels of our most experienced veterans are a joke. Our best weapons and armours would be considered decoration in Arcadia and our best magicians would be treated as adorable children by Arcadian students." She chuckled.
"I can’t even argue. Our countries are nothing more than poor cousins who were taken in by their distant relatives. It would be humorous if it wasn't so serious." The Admiral nodded with a grim expression. "I haven't come here to complain, Lady Theresa. In fact, I wanted to inform you about the latest developments and the proposals of the Empire of Metaka."
"Go on." She nodded.
"The Empire of Metaka is currently struck by the opposite crisis than Iceleon. While your kingdom is frozen, Metaka is fighting the drought. Most of our water is sourced from the ocean."
"But the salt water..." Theresa's eyes widened.
"We are distilling huge amounts of water and pumping it to nearby farms and coastal cities." He admitted with a sigh. "Imagine our hope when the news about the weather changes in Iceleon reached Yranta. But... Hope quickly turned into frustration when not a single rain cloud found its way to Metaka."
"Humpf... I would gladly share our excess with Metaka if I could." Theresa huffed grimly as her gaze drifted towards the window.
"About that..." Admiral Dennis cleared his throat and took a more business position. "The Empire of Metaka is willing to buy any amount of snow and ice you are willing to sell us."
Theresa blinked as if she were trying to fathom his joke. However, the dead seriousness painted on the face of the Empire's emissary indicated his honest intentions. She pursued her lips as her first reflex was to simply let them take all of it; she quickly understood how important fresh and clean water was.
"I would gladly sell to you; however, in our current circumstances, its transport is near impossible." She said with a sigh.
"That won't be your problem. The Empire is desperate, Your Highness. I only relate our extreme needs because we are allies." He shook his head and nervously put his hands together. "The Empire of Metaka authorised me to propose a deal in which we will build the canals, aqueducts, and whatever infrastructure is necessary to transport water. We would like to build a processing facility for melting snow in Iceleon."
"In that case, I see no further problems." Theresa nodded. "We don't know how long this weather will last and how much we are going to be depending on the help of Arcadia and Metaka. That's why I would like to participate in the building of the facility and the pipeline. I won't, however, charge you for the water. Instead, I would like to obtain rent-free fields in Metaka where we could, at least, grow some of the food needed for my people."
"That's a very reasonable proposal." The Admiral exhaled with relief. "To be completely honest with you, we have already prepared most of the shared rivers for receiving and storing as much water as possible from the moment the weather collapsed."
"It wouldn't be enough." She sighed and took out the map seeing his incredulous gaze. "Your canals and rivers won't hold enough water. That's why both our countries will need to build huge dams and be prepared to create artificial lakes."
The Admiral repeated her words in silence, stunned by the very idea. "That's ambitious..."
"But not impossible. I know for certain that such endeavours were already achieved in the history of Aderon. What's more, the Arcadian architect masters are treating such ideas as completely natural. In case we couldn't manage to design it on our own, I have a feeling they would happily detail everything for us. You could say that geography was my passion..." She smiled during her explanation as she placed a large sheet of glass on the map of the Iceleon-Metaka border and used strange pens to draw a multi-kilometer lake. "This part of the border, in the past, was covered by swamps and lakes as it is a natural depression. It spans close to two hundred kilometres long and nearly fifty kilometres wide. Its shape, albeit much larger, is akin to many mountain valleys, so I would guess it's just another large valley. It's conveniently situated on our border. If we build a dam here..."
She put a line on the Metakan side of the border with a huge smile. She then proceeded to slowly fill the irregular shape with a blue pen that looked so similar to the water. Dennis Tu'sarr swallowed loudly as his mind raced through her explanation and reasoning. That would create a lake so huge and deep that it would hold the reserves of water that would last for years. That would be a priceless resource for the Empire. As he raised his gaze he noticed the smile of Theresa Iceleon and her amused gaze. It was then he realised the part about participating in the building of the facility and he smirked as well.
"This lake would be a water source for both countries, am I right?" He asked for clarity.
"Indeed, however, considering the size difference and uncertainty if my country will ever thaw out, it will be mainly used by Metaka. But... As I said, participating in costs and labour would allow Iceleon to use that water in the future. Not to mention it would be vital for farming in the areas we would like to obtain in exchange for the water."
The Admiral took a deep breath and wondered how much he would overstep the authorisation he obtained from Lady Vettalia and Lord Guad. However, this was a far better solution than they, initially, thought possible. It also painted Lady Theresa in a far more favourable light than everyone in Yranta believed about Iceleonian nobles.
"In that case, I will inform my Lord as quickly as possible. We must not waste a single moment. On that note..." He smiled and took a deep breath. The current developments had made it clear to him that the strange, unthinkable orders he received back at Yranta were, as if, Lady Vettalia was seeing the future. "On behalf of the Empire of Metaka, I managed to negotiate to obtain the long-range, instant communication system from Arcadia."
"What?!" Her eyes went wide in shock.
"I can't disclose the details but, for the best future of our alliance, especially the vital water production and gathering project, I was ordered to establish a secure line of communication between Iceleon and Metaka." The Admiral continued but it was obvious that he was doing that only under orders. "I informed the Arcadian Emperor about this plan and he simply stated that, as long as Iceleon could protect this magitech, he wouldn't object to Metaka's plans. Alas, I believe that Lord Victor is more aware of this system, its potential, and its dangers."
"You want to simply give it to us?" She looked at him inquisitively.
"I? No. My Emperor’s wants." He shook his head with a smile. "However... This opens totally new venues in our relationship as neighboring countries. I personally believe that much closer coordination is required for us to even dream we can come close, one day, to what Arcadia is capable of today. But, this future is something I'm not permitted to discuss further."
"In that case, let's focus on the things at hand." She nodded and looked at the Major. "Send someone to find Victor and fetch the masters of the Architects' and Engineers' Guilds. If you need the presence of anyone else, Admiral Dennis..."
"I would like to discuss this in the presence of my advisors." He nodded.
"In that case, let's meet..." She glanced at the big grandfather clock. "Let's meet in an hour in the largest conference room. Is that acceptable?"
"Of course." He nodded with respect as he stood up. "I'm glad we managed to quickly come to a reasonable agreement..."