“Warnings given with good intention are to be taken to the heart.” - Old folk saying.
“Heading Down Under, eh? I guess now’s as good a time as any,” muttered Leonard Stahlfaust, Henrietta and Rollie’s oldest brother when he heard of Aideen’s plans for the near future over breakfast the next day. Breakfast was a dish of chopped potatoes cooked with eggs, mushrooms, pickled vegetables, and smoked meat until it formed a sort of thick,crumbly omelet. “Their current king’s the peaceful sort, been having good relations with them since he came to the throne, and they’ve been more welcoming to foreigners too.”
“If I remember right, you last visited there during the previous king’s era, wasn’t it?” he asked to Aideen after taking a swig from his tankard of ale. It was common in dwarven nations for alcohol to be the drink in every meal, be it morning, noon, or evening, unlike some other nations.
“Yeah. We could only get around the outer regions at that time,” replied Aideen truthfully with a shake of her head. The reason for her current trip was partly to deal with things to prepare for her planned migration in the future and to have her grand-nieces and nephew see the northern continent a bit. Even if she didn’t plan to stay overlong this time, she wouldn’t mind sating her own curiosity as well. “No entrance permitted to foreigners in the inner regions.”
“Well, with the introduction letter Orvald gave you, they should let you in without much issue. Might not allow you to stay too long, mind you. They’re still as stubborn as a rock in some matters. But they should allow you in to look around,” said the retired older dwarf rather casually. Aideen had indeed received an introduction letter from the dwarven king before she left. “Heck, I’ll make you another. That should get you past the shallower regions. You can use Orvald’s for later that way.”
“Thank you,” said Aideen. “Also, you seem pretty casual with His Majesty.”
“There’s decorum and respect, sure, but there’s also the bit where he’s my son-in-law and he knows it!” replied Leonard with a guffaw. He was Ginnie’s oldest son, a generation older than the current king, and as it turned out, Queen Lowena von Ostmauer was his oldest daughter. “He knows my dear Lowie will make him sleep in the guest room if he gets stuffy with me!”
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“That would be an amusing sight, I’m sure,” mentioned Aideen diplomatically even if she was feeling the urge to chuckle with amusement herself. Fortunately she was having a more private breakfast that morning, only with her group and Ginnie’s children. There were no people around who might spread word of inappropriate things being said. “And having seen the royal couple, that does sound like something the King would be worried about.”
“As he well should!” said Leonard with a guffaw.
“Discourteous talk from my brother aside, we would have to remind you to be more careful in the Kingdom Down Under,” said Henrietta with a shake of her head at her brother’s actions. She knew that her brother particularly doted on his daughter, which made the girl grow up pretty headstrong, even after she became queen and mother. “There are reportedly still some hardliners who view foreigners of any sort in a hostile way. We didn’t manage to get confirmation on this, but it is likely and matched what we know of the place.”
“So, some old stubborn ones who refuse to move with the times?” asked Eilonwy with a provocative smirk on her face.
“Not a bad way to describe them, yes. The previous king had a pretty hardline policy against foreigners and other races, one reason you only see non-dwarves living in the outer regions and aboveground,” said Henrietta with a nod. “Not everyone had been convinced by the new king and his more peaceful, accepting approach, and while they might not have the guts to go against their own king, they sure dare to mess with visiting foreigners if they thought they could get away with it.”
“And I bet there’d be others like them who would turn a blind eye and pretend that they have no clue who the culprit might be when such crimes happen, no?” asked Kino with a calculative expression. “Others conveniently positioned to affect related investigations on such matters, that is.”
“We cannot confirm nor deny, but that is likely the case,” said Rollie with a sigh. “There have not been many such cases, so most would have considered it normal. What we found abnormal was how so few of such cases had been solved with the perpetrators caught and punished. Specifically cases with foreigners as the victims, mind you. Especially non-dwarven ones.”
“No offense, Miss Aideen, but there is no way your group could pretend to be anything else,” he added with a slight chuckle.
“Eh, if any of the stubborn ones of that persuasion decided to come after us… let them come,” said Aideen confidently. She was quite confident in her ability to keep everyone alive, in the worst case, though given that their group included Kino and Eilonwy, it was likely difficult for any small group to stop them. Kino alone could likely turn most situations around as void mages were something people never expected. “If they come, they can stay as well.”
“Given when mother had told us about you, I know that the confidence is warranted,” said Henrietta with a nod. “Either way, if worse comes to worse and you find yourself on the run, just keep us in mind. I’ve been a little disappointed that Ostmauer had not gotten a chance to do its task as the wall of the east in my tenure. A little skirmish would be welcome.”
“We’ll keep that in mind, sure. You have to appreciate the peace where you can get it, though,” said Aideen with a chuckle at the offer. “It is all too fleeting in this world.”