Claiming an Ally Ch. 01

"And that makes it right? The existence of many depends on the harmony they feel towards their neighbors. When it is the policy of the king to view the neighboring country as a rival, those who live on the border are risked, though they have just as much value as those living in the capitol. An ordinary man, who seeks to take over the property of the man next to him, and then the next, many would see as a greedy parasite, not interested in the welfare of anyone besides himself. He is a detriment to society and should be gotten rid of."

"Do you call the king a parasite?" the gray man asked.

"No, sir, I simply seek to put the actions of the entire country into perspective. I mean no disrespect," she turned to the king, extending an unspoken apology. She was finding it harder and harder to not argue with the king as an equal. But someone had to make him see his actions were wrong. "You claim the king of Adalynd is incompetent. Have you not spoken to him? Alerted him to why your soldiers are encamped into his many villages?"

"No," again, he felt as though she were laying a trap.

"Have you spoken with the king about your intentions for the land you have...placed under your protection?"

"No."

"If the king were committed to protecting his land from the outlaws, would you relinquish his lands?"

"No."

"Even if it meant avoiding war?"

He harrumphed at that. "No." She sat in quiet contention. The man was insufferable. He had no honorable intentions. He didn't secure the villages to keep peace, rather used the conflict as an excuse for taking what was not his. She stared openly into his challenging gaze. Just before he spoke, the gray man interrupted.

"The boar you caught was quite delicious, Miss. Thank you for the meal." The general stood and bowed to the two. The men surrounding them followed. Eventually, Emera looked up at the king who was eyeing her severely.

"You take great interest in my actions."

"Should not all of your citizens take concern in the actions of their leaders? Does it not show loyalty and support?"

"Is it the right of citizens to question their king?"

"Sometimes questions are helpful in determining a line of thinking, establishing what are good and just actions."

"Again, is it a citizen's right to question their king?"

"Is a country's leader not responsible to be a just leader?"

"You are avoiding my question."

"As you are avoiding mine." There was silence; they were sitting alone in the tent. Suddenly she felt uneasy, the heat of the discussion gone, only her vulnerable position was left. "I am sorry if I sound disrespectful, My Lord. I am only concerned with the welfare of my nation, as I am certain you are as well." She bowed her head and made to get up, but grimaced. Once she had sat after walking all day, her muscles were tight and sore. But she hid her discomfort and took his plate with hers.

It wasn't the first time he had noticed her pain with movement. As someone with a keen eye for weakness in an opponent, he was an excellent observer in a person's movement. He knew that she moved gracefully only that morning, so he surmised her pain and discomfort were due to the long walk. He mulled over the fact that she walked instead of her maid. Her behavior touting her selfless character and her argument over foreign policy intrigued him while simultaneously infuriating him.

That night she slept on her pallet with Glenna. Though she was tired and her muscles ached, her mind wouldn't stop churning over her interaction with the king. Clearly he was a strong leader bent on taking over as much land as possible. However, she didn't feel his aggression was malicious, just perhaps unreasonable. She wondered if he would back off if the borderlands were better patrolled for outlaws by her own soldiers. That had been, after all, his argument. Could he be dissuaded from further encroaching on Adalynd territory? Perhaps even more importantly, would he ever give back the land he had taken so far?

Edrich lied on his make-shift bed staring into the dark. He could not remove the beautiful girl from his mind. In one day's time, she had gone from being his savior, to an enchantress, to a belligerent youth, to a challenging heroine. When he first had met her, he had thought to make her a delightful bed partner, but as their interactions shifted through the day, ending with her brave, though slightly cheeky behavior at dinner, his attitude altered. It wasn't that his desire for her diminished; if anything, it increased ten-fold. However, he became increasingly interested in hearing her speak, though granted that was second on his agenda with her. Tomorrow, he determined, tomorrow he would satisfy himself with her. One way or the other.