Aelia in the Kingdom of Farran Ch. 04

"It will look like the gods blessed their king with the smartest, most beautiful woman in the world as his lover. And besides, we still have a lot of interesting things to experience. Stay" he added with a sincere pleading look. If his playful arguments did not convince her, his last gesture did. And they did not fall asleep until the early hours of the morning.

The next day...

Rowald sat down at the head of the large oak table which occupied the centre of the council hall and gestured to his generals and advisors to do the same. Maelwyn was sitting on his right side and next to him was lord Blair of Xanar, whose timely intervention had helped tilt the balance of the recent battle in Farran's favour. All around the table sat fierce-looking men, some with scars on their faces, some young and some older, all donned in black leather, steel and gold.

As the only woman in the room, and sitting by the king's side, Aelia naturally drew the men's attention. Most seemed just curious and overall positive about her, as they were familiar with the instrumental role she had played in their victory over the traditional enemy of Farran. Some were openly manifesting admiration towards her for fulfilling what they all thought was an impossible task. Others, especially the younger ones, were eyeing her stunning beauty. Sensing her discomfort, Maelwyn gave her a reassuring smile. However, the man sitting besides him did not seem as friendly; in fact, every time he looked at her, she got the distinct impression that he would have preferred not to see her there at all. She knew who he was, lord Blair of Xanax, powerful chieftain of the largest province of Farran. Maelwyn had told her that his family had descended from kings of Farran several generations ago; he was powerful enough to be a threat to Rowald's rule if he decided to start a civil war, but he had never showed any signs of disloyalty to the former king Aldric, and he had just recently showed that he was a reliable supporter of Rowald. For some reason, though, she found it hard to trust this man, but she resolved to keep her intuition to herself for now, while still keeping a discreet eye on him.

"My lords", Rowald began, "our kingdom has been through a terrible ordeal; hundreds have perished under the treacherous blades of the enemy, including our father and king." Murmurs and growls broke out around the table; Aldric had been a beloved monarch and a close friend to many of the men present.

"We cannot leave such deeds unpunished", the young king continued. "All of Farran will rise to avenge our dead. We will march east, put all of Syrta through fire and blade and vanquish these dogs once and for all." Cheers of enthusiasm erupted from most of the men; Maelwyn, Eilert and Liodar were the most reserved. Maelwyn and Aelia exchanged looks; this was exactly what he was afraid of, that his good friend would allow grief to lead him into a bloody war against the neighbouring kingdom, bringing only more damage and suffering to everyone.

"Your Majesty, you know I loved your father as if he were my own brother", Eilert was the first to speak.

"Yes, general, I do. And as such, I trust I have your full support on the upcoming war."

"If this is Your Majesty's wish, you shall have it without hesitation. But I request permission to speak my mind."

"Granted."

"A full war with Syrta would ruin us. Although we would probably win, eventually, it will be a bitter victory. All the kingdom's resources would need to be thrown into the fight. All men able to hold a weapon would have to be drafted; many will surely perish. The war will drag on for years, as Syrta is strong enough to slow our advance into the heart of the country. In the meantime, fields will remain untended; next year, we will have no crops to feed our people. We would win, but we would also lose everything."

"Would you have me stand by idly and take no action?!" Rowald was angry, all the more so because he knew Eilert spoke the truth.

"No, Your Majesty. I am just saying that we need to think this through and plan a campaign we can manage."

Rowald looked at Maelwyn and read the same concern in his eyes. He then turned to Aelia and she nodded softly; she had more to say on the issue but was saving it for a private discussion. This was a deeply patriarchal society, as she had discovered in the short time she had spent here; it would not help if she were to speak her mind with determination in this council. She was grateful to Rowald, however, for making it clear to these men that he valued her opinion. She still had no idea what her position was in this strange land, so she preferred to thread lightly. And then there was the question of trying to return to her own world, which didn't sound as appealing anymore, for some reason.

"Very well. Your opinions are duly noted and I will reflect on the course of action to be taken. I want each of you to prepare a report on the troops and resources you have at your disposal. Also, I want full accounts of the situation of your respective provinces and fiefdoms: people, livestock, crops, potential problems. We will reconvene tomorrow and make the final decision." Rowald was fighting the urge to order an all-out invasion of Syrta immediately. He knew that everyone at the table would have supported him fully even if they disagreed (except, perhaps, his new lover, but she wasn't exactly a military power). But he knew they were right. Victory would be too costly and he refused to lose his kingdom over it.

The king's gesture of quietly seeking the advice of the red-headed stranger did not go unnoticed in the council. Lord Blair shot her another dark glare and spoke:

"Your Highness, if I may move to the next important issue for discussion."

"And what might that be, milord?" Rowald's head was aching and all he wanted was to close this meeting and take Aelia back to his bedroom. She was sitting so close to him he could scent her hair and her skin and that was driving him mad with desire.

"Sire, you have become king earlier than expected. You have no brothers and no sons. Should anything befall you, the royal house of Farran would die out. You must marry and produce heirs as soon as possible. It is time for the agreement I set with your late father to be put into practice: you and my eldest daughter must marry immediately."

Rowald turned his head to Aelia; she was calm and still as a statue but her face, pale by default, had become even whiter.Damn, he cursed to himself as he turned back to the man he suddenly had the urge to kill.