The two sides sat warily opposite each other in the Rhinish tent, silently and slowly eating the food prepared by Varaphan’s personal chef. The battle had just finished, the troops now distributing the loot amongst each other after collecting the dead, and they, the two leading parties of the Rhinish and Forester armies, now dined at the centre of the ruined landscape.
Both Elethien and Varaphan had placed their swords on the table, but the guards beside them were still fully armed and eyeing any prevailing sign of hostility. For Elethien, she only had Teion. For Varaphan, he had a full entourage of twelve guards, all of them clearly veterans of numerous battles with their calm but intimidating demeanour.
Even after the final dish had been served, the two parties still hadn’t spoken a single word to each other beyond basic courtesies. While Varaphan appeared relaxed, Elethien was showing signs of discomfort, controlling herself as not to gorge upon the food consisting of meat which she was deprived of for most of her life.
Finally, it was Varaphan who first broke the silence. He stood and nodded at his guards, leaving all but one by his side as the others left the tent.
‘Now, shall we actually begin what we are here for?’ he said.
With a simple gesture, the food was then collected and removed from the tables, leaving no distraction between the two leaders. Varaphan looked directly at Elethien, his posture open and confident. When compared to the latter, it was as if this was a negotiation of surrender, not between two victors.
‘You wish for the release of the Foresters to your command, don’t you?’ he began, driving straight into the important subject matter.
‘That’s it,’ Elethien replied. ‘I came to free my people.’
‘Including the Rhinish Foresters under my command?’
‘They are still Foresters.’
‘So you’re demanding for their so-called release as well?’
‘Yes.’ Her reply was firm. It was the least she could do to maintain her position in the negotiations. Even as someone unfamiliar to these situations, Elethien could sense the unfavouring atmosphere against her.
‘That I unfortunately can’t accept,’ Varaphan refused. ‘I acknowledge your efforts in assisting our victory, but if that comes with the demand of losing a significant amount of my own troops, then there might as well be no assistance at all. Besides, I don’t even know the origins of your army, though I might posit you were formerly part of the Trelvenese Foresters based on your attire?’
He was an observant one.
‘I’ve also heard a thing or two about a failed minor rebellion in Trelven around two or three months ago, significant only because it began near the front and incurred quite the panic during its short existence,’ he added. ‘Perhaps you are related to that rebellion in some sort of way?’
Elethien placed her hand on her sword. ‘So what if I am?’
‘Now, now, let’s not rush things.’ Varaphan’s golden eyes still appeared unmoved by her gesture, even if his personal guard was already on edge and reaching for their weapon. ‘Our interests may actually be aligned, or it may not. After all, I am a Rhinish commander, and my job is simply to kill the enemy.’
‘I already said I want the release of the Foresters,’ Elethien reiterated. ‘What do you want?’
‘Victory over the Trelvenese,’ he declared. ‘Well, at least that’s the long term goal. But to reach that, I want your continued assistance as a military force. Only an idiot will see that kind of impact in a battle and choose to simply let them go their own way after.’
‘And what will we have in return?’
‘... You know what, I will cede control of the Foresters to you, even the ones in my command,’ Varaphan said. ‘As long as you submit to my command—’
‘No.’ Elethien glared at him, the atmosphere suddenly icy. ‘I am the queen of my kingdom. Do you not understand what that means?’
‘Let me finish, let me finish,’ Varaphan repeated. ‘You will only need to submit to my command on paper.’
‘And what does that mean?’
‘My reasoning is as follows: To guarantee the independence of a new self-proclaimed kingdom is next to impossible, especially when it’s made up entirely of Foresters. However, as you have shown your prowess and enmity against Trelven, a case can be made to absorb your army into my ranks as a direct subordinate. It may seem humiliating to you, but a direct subordinate of mine would be a lord of some county or land. No Forester has ever reached that kind of rank and control in Rhinn, but I can make it possible with my power. To have your own land and people to rule… that’s practically having your own dominion. Though not a kingdom, it’s already as close as you can to actually have one.’
‘Are you making fun of my power?’
‘Do you really think you can carve out a kingdom right in the lands of Trelven or Rhinn with your strength? For how strong your army is, can they even hold a candle to the hundreds of thousands of troops fighting in this war? The most you can be is ruler of a vassal state, and even that requires a significant amount of power and influence. Do not forget, Elethien, that you’re a Forester. To even want to have your kingdom is amount to declaring war against the two most powerful countries on this continent.’
‘And I’ve already prepared myself for that,’ Elethien insisted.
‘Think about who you’re talking to at this moment,’ Varaphan said. ‘I am the commander of this army, but I am also commander of the entire Rhinish cavalry. Besides my military power, I am also acquainted with the Rhinish royal court. I have the power to carve out a dominion for you and your people as long as you decide to assist me as my direct subordinate. Other than subordination on paper, you have all the control you desire. If you reject me, you will never receive the same amount of support for your cause again.’
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‘And I know I don’t need such support,’ Elethien argued. ‘You underestimate my power and the power of the Foresters.’
Varaphan sighed as he stood up. ‘Unfortunately, it seems we can’t reach an agreement just yet. I’ll give you until the end of the day to think this over carefully, but for now, I’ll be returning to the company of my lieutenants. I will be here waiting for you. But for now… Ashur, please send our guests out.’
‘You will be disappointed in my answer,’ Elethien replied as Varaphan’s guard motioned for the exit.
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‘So what happened in that tent?’ Tarigen asked.
The three of them reconvened in Tarigen’s tent as the Foresters continued to organise themselves outside. Tarigen, having led the noncombatants over to the new encampment once victory was secured, was finally receiving somewhat of a break. Yet that moment of tranquillity was quickly broken when Elethien and Teion approached him, their expressions solemn and grim.
‘The Rhinish commander offered to free the Foresters and a land we can call our own,’ Teion answered. ‘But…’
‘But?’
‘He wanted our entire kingdom to serve the Rhinish army,’ Elethien filled in. ‘Only by being his subordinate are we allowed to then free the Foresters, which is not freedom at all.’
‘I wanted to just cut him down then and there,’ Teion growled. ‘In the end, Trelvenese or Rhinish, their view of us is still the same: that of slaves.’
‘You’re saying that in exchange for giving the Foresters to us, we then serve him?’ Tarigen summarises. ‘When it’s put that way, it’s obviously something quite ridiculous. It’s basically a surrender towards him, something that goes against what we were fighting for this entire time. I can see why you didn’t accept that proposal.’
‘I cannot allow my people to simply return to what we were before,’ Elethien said. ‘It’s just unacceptable.’
‘But on the other hand, his offer does help us find our footing,’ Tarigen added. ‘If I’m interpreting this correctly, he essentially wants us to serve the Rhinish war effort in exchange for having a place we can call home. It’s not a completely unreasonable request as we do need some sort of base to establish ourselves, hence coming here to Prentdor in the first place.’
‘And we’re supposed to sacrifice everything we’ve fought for for some temporary support?’ Teion stood in anger.
‘This doesn’t really represent my beliefs, but let’s think about it together for a moment,’ Tarigen suggested. ‘Other than subordination on paper, we are pretty much free to rule however we want, and we can fight against the Trelvenese with heavy backing. Under Rhinish support, we have the space to become powerful. Assuming they one day demand us to submit ourselves further, by then we will have stabilised ourselves enough to fight back as an independent kingdom.’
‘What will the people think of us when we announce what’s basically our surrender after a victory which we’ve taken part in?’ Elethien exclaimed. ‘We’ve promised them this much only to crumble at the first taste of greed… Doesn’t this just show our incompetence and dishonesty? Besides, who can guarantee they will even go through with their word?’
‘Then instead of accepting their proposal outright, why not we tweak it to our favour?’ Tarigen responded. ‘Instead of submitting to their control, we offer ourselves as allies, demanding only a fort or a town in exchange for offering our continuous support in battle. We will still be of equal footing and have a base of operations to build the kingdom upon.’
‘What about the other Foresters?’ Teion asked.
‘They can fight and be fed by Rhinn,’ Tarigen answered. ‘For now, it’s just wildly unrealistic to demand both complete independence and control over what they see as their property. Unless we’re prepared to fight Rhinn as well, having them as an ally is much better for us. Either we submit to them and have immediate rule over the Foresters, or we ally with them and have our own continued freedom at the expense of the ones we want to save.’
He looked at Elethien, her expression still rather disapproving. ‘Well, what do you think about this?’
‘We came here to rescue many of our people, but in the end, we’re resorting to this?’ she said. ‘It just doesn’t sit right with me at all.’
‘It’s up to you,’ Tarigen gestured.
‘Well…’ she pondered as she closed her eyes, her hands clasped together.
For a while there was just silence. And then, a slight gust of wind blew against her hair.
She opened her eyes and stood up, facing the Rhinish encampment.
‘I’ve decided.’
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It was the end of the day. Elethien, now accompanied by Tarigen, returned to sit in Varaphan’s tent. The earlier nervousness had largely been calmed down, the two parties facing each other once more in negotiation.
‘What will your decision be?’ Varaphan asked.
‘... We are not going to submit under your command,’ Elethien said. ‘As Queen of the Kingdom of Foresters, I will not surrender to you, especially in the aftermath of a victory credited to both of our armies.’
‘So it’s come to this, huh…’ Varaphan seemed slightly disappointed, though he had probably somewhat expected it from his lack of expression.
‘Instead, I offer the Kingdom of Foresters as an unofficial ally, assisting Rhinn in its campaigns through one of the forts here in Prentdor. Rhinn will also give us control of the captured Trelvenese Foresters for the kingdom to use. In exchange, the Kingdom of Foresters will fight as an ally of Rhinn while receiving none of the benefits of an ally, including a lack of guarantee of independence.’
‘Elethien,’ Tarigen worriedly whispered. ‘Demanding a fort wasn’t in the plans at all.’
She shrugged him off. ‘This is my kingdom.’
For a moment, there was an awkward pause. Elethien’s demands were borderline ridiculous. It was common sense that the Foresters would naturally fight against their former oppressors, but she had worded it as if it was a concession on her part. And to then demand both de facto independence and the control of the captured Foresters… She was practically shameless.
‘Interesting… Interesting!’ Varaphan chuckled. ‘You’re a greedy woman, Elethien.’
He stood up and approached her table, his demeanour frightening as he cast his shadow upon her. Tarigen instinctively shrunk back a step, unable to hide his nervousness. Yet for Elethien, even as Varaphan’s eyes bore down on her, she remained completely still, her nerves from earlier in the day completely gone as she met his gaze.
‘You know what… I’ll accept your terms,’ Varaphan relaxed and stepped back. ‘You didn’t even flinch, showing your determination and belief in your plan. In my report to the Rhinish court, I will still have to mark your army down as a subordinate force, but in practice you are as good as independent. As for a fort, I will organise to hand over one of the frontier forts for you and your people to use, though do not expect to solely live off our supplies.’
He paused, changing his tone ever so slightly to a softer voice. ‘I thought you were just some weak, delusional woman from our earlier meeting, but as it turns out, you’re quite the bold leader.’
‘Where is the evidence for your promise?’ Tarigen spoke up. ‘We can’t risk you suddenly going back on your word.’
‘Oh, don’t worry,’ Varaphan reassured. ‘I will have a scribe write down the terms of agreement, and once both parties have signed the treaty, it will be made official.’
‘Even without a royal seal?’
‘My signature and seal is enough in the Rhinish world. If you break the promise, however… Do not blame me for exterminating everything you hold dear.’
‘And if you break the promise, expect your head to roll by the next morning,’ Elethien responded.
‘Cruel, aren’t you?’ Varaphan held out his hand. ‘By the way, a handshake to seal the deal?’
Elethien reached forward, gripping his hand tightly with hers. ‘Deal.’
On the sixteenth day of the eleventh month, in the wastelands of Prentdor, the continent’s first Rhinish-Forester alliance was signed.