Silvertree Chronicles Bk. 01 Ch. 10

Charlemagne sighed, "I knew about the attack. I was mad at myself for not being there to protect her. I was helping my future husband at the time with his home. We were on our way back from the capital with some supplies. He was still having some issues keeping the place up after his wife died.

I think that was part of the reason she hated him. I also knew the man was dead, but I didn't know my father's first-hand involvement. Also, the fact that he left her in the hands of healers without me there. The fact that he left to take revenge just infuriates me!"

Annette continued, "I was mad about what happened, the loss of my future husband, and my father who was lying. I guess that anger extended to all men, especially the one who my sister married shortly thereafter. He was alright, I guess. He treated her well, but he could never look me in the eye, none of them could. I left the village."

He looked at her, "You want to address the issues with your father when you get back?"

Annette nodded, "I cannot run anymore, and he needs to understand he was part of the reason I left. I wanted my father, but he was more concerned about killing the man, instead of being there for me."

He looked at Charlemagne, "The same question."

She nodded, "It's time we get that issue out in the open."

He turned back to Annette, "You feel like you don't have anything. Would you want the wreck of an inn, if only to see it put to proper use?"

She looked at Eldar, "You have something in mind, and alluded to it in our talk. Does it involve that place? I'm not sure I would want to run an inn in that building."

He shook his head, "I asked if you would want it; it's yours, you know."

Now they both stared at him. Annette asked, "How is it mine?"

Eldar shook off some bread crumbs and smiled, "Elven treaty with the bordering human kingdom, dealing with attacks on Elves. Rape and murder are a couple of the big ones in the treaty. They deal with compensating the victim or victim's family from the criminal's assets, like his partially constructed inn."

Annette looked at Eldar, "I would be inclined to burn the place down before making an inn at that spot!"

Eldar smiled, "I never said you should make it an inn. It would be too far gone after all this time to be a good start for an inn. Now, a really large stable with a coral next to it, with an inn further down the road? At least 20-30 feet away would be a different matter.

Rip out the flooring, and turn any part of a second-level into one large feed and grain storage. Having every four-legged creature traveling the roads relieve themselves on that man's dreams would be just as satisfying."

Annette snorted then started giggling, "Oh Gods, that would be such a fitting thing to do; but the elders wouldn't allow it."

Eldar smiled back, "They haven't talked to me yet. By Elven law, they cannot stop you from claiming the property. Even if they burned it down, you would still have the right to own that location. You see, Elves being so long-lived and taking their time with everything. The treaty gives anybody 100 years to make their claim."

Charlemagne smirked, "I have no reason to doubt you, but what makes you think they will let you build an inn or store there?"

Eldar smiled back as he had both of their interest now, "I want more land than that. A lot more."

Annette piped in, "How much?"

Eldar looked at Annette, "Several hundred square miles worth."

Annette laughed again, "You think they are going to just turn that over to you? Charlemagne, I think that mind link might have hurt him. How do you think you'll pull that off?"

Charlemagne started laughing, "You might be right, but he takes tactically sound chances. Give us small bits at a time, and explain what is going through that mind of yours."

Eldar looked at them, "It has been over 85 years since the Hordda War ended; for almost the last millennium, there has been a new uprising from them about every 100-140 years, when they calm down enough to unite behind a strong leader and try again. Give or take a decade. The Elven Capital has no army in that area, and they are relying on the dwarves and humans to give them any updates.

That went SO well the last 200 years; that over 200 square miles of forest between here and there were lost in the last several engagements. Who benefited from that? Mostly the humans, as far as the maps go. They haven't built into that area because of the cycle of destruction. The purpose of the Knights is to keep things small and launch preemptive strikes. The only way we can affect any change in that area is if the Knights do it."

He paused to hand his glass to Charlemagne so she could fill it again. "We don't go in as the Knights; we don't have the manpower. We petition under another treaty for a multi-racial cross-border mercenary charter. These are things already in the books, so we can use them.

We can claim an operational area of several hundred square miles, as long as the land being covered is fairly equally divided... like, say, 200 hundred square miles of former and undeveloped Elven forests, and another 200 square miles right along the south fork of the road, along the southern edge of the Elven forests."

Charlemagne piped in, "Why would we want that land?"

He smirked, "That brings in yet another treaty, but this one is with the dwarves."

Charlemagne groaned, looked at him, and smiled, "That area holds the trade route to the dwarven strongholds!"

Eldar smiled, "Exactly! If we provide forced protection of those trade routes from both the elves and humans, we can get their support in other ways, like say, building a garrison right across the way from our inn and general store.

We would look at building the structures near the barn and corral, and setting up 6 pull-offs for camping on the south side of the road, and heading south--two on each, for all the trade caravans on that T-intersection."

Annette jumped in, "Why would we expect many trade caravans?"

Eldar looked to Charlemagne, "Do you know?"

Charlemagne shook her head, "But you do."

Eldar smirked, "Yes, I do. One of the reasons that route was popular is because it saved 4 days each way to dwarven settlements and another 2-3 days to places like Grand Falls in each direction. Which, of course, significantly lowers expenses.

Even with a modest fee for renting the turnouts to caravans, they still save a bunch of money and additional time, without fearing getting shot by Wood Elves."

Annette looked at him, "Explain that last part."

Eldar looked at her, "You gave me the idea for that part. One of the issues the Wood Elves had with the inn-builder was that they didn't like him in the woods, foraging, cutting down trees, or gathering firewood. Every reason they wanted him gone. One of the things Wood Elves especially hate is an encroachment into their lands, and the taking of their resources with nothing returned.

You have seen how we gather things along the road and take it with us to the next campsite. The reason we started doing that? Not enough wood for fires at those larger turn-outs to work with big caravans. We could stock the turn-outs with firewood for the campsites, charge a small safety fee, and split the money between the 3 participating villages."

Charlemagne shook her head, "Where did we get 3 villages?"

He smiled, "Your home village, my mother's village, and the village of Quatarsia."

Charlemagne sighed, "I have never heard of that village, and I know the routes."

Eldar nodded, "That's because it hasn't been founded yet, at the crossroads, and heading south to the next crossroads."

Annette snorted, "You want to create a village called 'Tolerance' to the humans. What makes you think the other 2 villages will want that?"

He shrugged, "I could use some more wine, I'm getting parched from all this talking. But to answer your question, they don't want humans, Half-Elves, or Impure Elves like me in my mother's village, living among them.

With mercenaries also come families they would not want. They could be assigned a home on the south fork, away from the other 2 Elven villages, right into the human lands that aren't currently claimed, and could be annexed as part of the deal."

Charlemagne shouted, "Annexing human land?!"

He nodded, "I got a kick out of that little hole in the treaties. For a mercenary company to be formed, they have to be assigned out of a village or a town. As this would be a mercenary company operating in both territories, and neither wants them in an existing village or city, a village would have to be formed."

Charlemagne asked, "How are your balls feeling?"

He looked at Annette, "How did they feel before I released into her?"

Annette laughed, "Like I had to piss, but had to hold it all day! The closest comparison I have."

He nodded, "Speaking of which, your table needs to move to use the chamber pot. To answer your question, much better now, why do you ask?"

Charlemagne used her best sultry voice, "If mind-blowing sex gets you thinking like this, I don't want it to run down tonight! When you're done, get back in bed, because I'm going to see how your thinking works while I'm sucking your cock."

Annette laughed at her. Eldar took care of business and got back to bed with yet another full glass of wine, and took his place between them.

He screamed, "Ah ah ah! If I have to keep my tongue off your clit, you don't try sucking my balls into your mouth. Sucking my cock is fine; the balls are off-limits."

They both laughed at him until he fired back, "After you're done, I could let you two do a little tongue-and-clit action on each other with my help!"

Charlemagne nodded, "Got it, balls need to be left alone."

Eldar smiled, "I thought that would get my point across."

Charlemagne got her talented tongue and started dancing around his cock. He got back into the conversation, "I left off with the new village; you know what else a new village needs? Besides a stable? Farms. Now, about half of the forty square miles of undeveloped land south of the forests would make for good farmland, except for the pesky rocks and boooullldders..."

Charlemagne tried to blow his concentration as well as his cock. "Boulders and rock are good for building garrisons and watchtowers along the dwarven trading route."

Annette asked, "How do these men get paid?"

Eldar looked at her, "Good question. As it's a joint effort across 3 kingdoms, each one would divide the cost of their services to best protect this frontier. Inside of 5 years, we could be at 100 men, with up to 200 inside of 10 years. That would cap out the mercenary charter allowed, so that would be fine.

Now, before you ask about the garrison size versus the headcount, each tower could house 6 soldiers each, which takes up to 170. That leaves 30 for...oh GODS, keep doing that...special assignments, like long-range patrols, and guard duty for high-value caravans, which could be hired out as needed.

Here is where things get, oh, so good! Gods, you know what you're doing. Even better. The company now becomes a training ground and recruitment operation for the Knights. We get Jarron and my father to establish the mercenary company. Not all Knight, but a couple of Knight leaders running it and they would have to be called out in the charter. That is, it...YES!"

Charlemagne gagged and some shot up her nose, and over her face. She looked at Eldar, "What happened to the warning?"

He laughed, "You expected me to hold back after your last ride? I can only do so much when you torture me so well, and while you're trying to distract me..."

She growled at him and went for a towel. "Besides, I'm still the one sleeping on the wet spot."

He asked Annette, "You feeling any better about how you can play into this?"

She looked at him like she was trying to find the words, until she spoke, "Tell me one thing. What brought all of this on tonight? You have thought about it for a while."

Eldar shook his head, "Not really, I store a lot of information, some which I may never use. You, however, inspired the whole thing tonight. When you told me what happened, it started a cascading effect inside my head as to how it could be put together. That's why I might have seemed emotionally isolated about what happened to you. I was trying to figure out a way to get you to a better place instead."

She nodded and started to fall asleep on him. He got up and went to the washbasin and tried to get some of the day's adventure off of him. Annette fell asleep.

He whispered to Charlemagne, "Get dressed, and bring your sword, just in case, but skip the armor. I want to talk to you for a few minutes. Just you."

She nodded. They got dressed quietly, grabbing their swords, and slipped out of the room. They headed down to the dining room which was nearly vacant and grabbed a corner table.

Charlemagne asked, "What's wrong?

Eldar shook his head, "Everything and nothing."

She grabbed his hand, "Something's bothering you."

He nodded, "Your sister. When I felt her emotions...you felt them too?"

She nodded, "Yes, I felt them all."

He sighed, "I felt hurt, raw, shattered, petrified; longing, anger, fear and..."

He paused and she nodded and answered, "She loves you, and she loves me."

He looked at her, "I told you once, I don't know how to love more than one at a time, like that. I have to admit, she's challenging every fiber of my being on that notion, on that concept. I want to know how you are doing it? I just need to get a handle on how to deal with this."

Eldar could tell he caught her off guard, and she scrambled to find the words, then looked calmly as she stared at him, "The heart wants what the heart wants. You remember me saying that to you..."

He nodded. "You allowed me to have both."

He turned to Charlemagne, "Is that what you were hoping for? That I would love your sister just as I love you? Is that what you're doing, allowing me to have both of you? I'm trying to understand what is happening, that's all. I haven't stopped loving you at all.

If anything, our love has grown. I want you to understand something. I see some of myself in her. A bit disillusioned, spiteful of my father, broken in body, like when you first took me into your bed.

You may not realize this, but I felt I had nothing to live for; no home, no family...sound familiar? I was looking for acceptance, and I found love. She has done the same, and I don't know how to respond."

Charlemagne thought about what he said. Eldar could see how she was as conflicted as he was about this turn of events. They sat in silence for a long while before he finally broke it, "I know you love me and agreed to be my wife, but if you hadn't gotten pregnant, would my journal entry telling you how I felt have scared you off?"

Charlemagne started to cry and he grabbed her, "This isn't what I want. I don't want you upset. What I need is for you to tell me how to deal with this journal entry that we just read. She said she didn't want to be a second wife.

Now, I don't know what she wants, other than us both. We should get back upstairs before we're missed. Remember, the reason I'm asking you is that we have agreed to be open and honest with each other."

She grabbed his hand and held him in place and looked at him, "Was I hoping you would love her as much as you love me? A part of me is holding onto that hope. I don't want you to think I tricked you into letting her into our lives. Would I have been scared off? I was scared, but not scared off.

I just didn't know how you would deal with my sister when you told me that, or how she would deal with you. I would have waited until I saw her, to tell her what I was feeling for you. That I couldn't deny the impact you made on me. Which I did, just not with those exact words."

Charlemagne sighed, "As to letting you have us both...yes. Heck, I wanted nieces and nephews, remember? But I understood your reasoning."

Eldar looked her in the eye, "How do we deal with the journal entry we just read? I don't want to crush her. I'm not even sure that I could, after everything we have been through together. Should we talk with Doc to find out what the church view is on the matter? Do we even know what the Lady of Dreams' view on this is?"

Charlemagne looked at him, "You don't want to crush her? I thought you were trying to tell me you could never love her."

Eldar sighed as he looked at Charlie, "Don't hit me, let me finish, alright..." She nodded. "I look at you two, and I see one soul. Different parts of you, split between the two. She's the moody, reclusive, and cautious one. You're the free-spirited, commanding, and funny part.

Other parts are evenly split, like your nurturing side, and once we got past her heartbreaking experience, her loving side. If I knew of a way to love you both, to marry you both, so I would never have bastard children, then I would do it, for you, for her, for me, and us."

---

The Lady of Dreams turned to Corellon, "You still want to wait after seeing this? He is looking to regain the lands lost, fix the Knights, protect our people, use our treaties as they exist, and potentially expand upon them. He wants to find and eliminate our enemies as a Blade Singer would do. He wants to marry them both and you want plural marriages back! These are all his ideas! No influence, just like Tallion but different."

The other Elven Gods looked to Corellon with knowing smiles. Corellon smiled and nodded, "He will be a worthy champion. Send them visions for his wedding and a sign that we are watching them. No direct contact until the prophecy location is reached.

Otherwise, I have my Champion. We will work to see he gets what he needs from our rulers. Else, we will replace them with a theocracy. No warnings on that last aspect and no discussion of Amulets yet. Let us see what he chooses on his own when the time comes. We are past the first 7,000 years of the 6th age as predicted."

---

Eldar and Annette noticed that someone was at the edge of the table. They looked up and saw Annette crying, "You would? Oh, Gods, I would so love that, too!"

She sat on the other side and hugged him, "It means the world to me to know that you love me enough to admit that. I still want you to marry my sister, don't get me wrong, but if it were allowed, I would marry you too."

He looked at Charlemagne, "You ready to hit me now?"

She drew back her fist and grabbed his neck with it, and pulled him in to kiss her. "No, not unless she commands me to slap you again. I wanted you to love her as you do me, and I know your issue with bastard children. What you have confessed to me means the world to me as well."

The hug was interrupted by yet another disruption. A hum came from within his shirt. He reached inside and pulled out the amulet they had found those many weeks ago in the bear cave, the first night Charlemagne made love to him.

The crystal pulsed for a few seconds and returned to normal. He looked at Charlemagne, "I know you read my journal, but what made you sure I would select this from the group of trinkets?"

She smiled, "Your journal entry and your birthmark."

Eldar looked at her with all seriousness, "What birthmark?"

She stuttered, "I thought you knew! My late husband told me about it, though I haven't seen it. He said it was above the hairline on the back of your head. I figured you knew, given your choice of wedding dates."

Eldar looked at Annette, "I chose the date because I was born under a Double Cresent and I was blessed with magic. Look, please."

She looked at the back of his head, "Two purple crescent moons a few inches above your hairline. Right in the middle. About a couple inches, almost, if not exactly, the size of the ones on the pendant."

Eldar looked at the two of them, "I think it's time we go get some sleep, it's time for dreams."