The Chronicles of a Court Ch. 03

Sooner or later we all knew we would have to enter court politics. As much as we wanted to avoid it, we were too weak, too isolated and too uncertain of what transpired in the wider courts to survive otherwise. By this stage we had grown of course. From the beginning where it had been just me and Carliah we now numbered over a dozen.

Most were outcasts and exiles like us, alone and adrift looking for a place to find themselves again. We were what we were. We had magic and we had a degree of power even then. If people did know of our existence, then likely Carliah's presence kept them at bay. That or they considered us beneath their presence still. That would change in time. It had already begun to.

Someone somewhere had already begun to spread our word. It was whispered in the air by someone, picked up and taken away from us cast out into the void beyond. Valric and Halatia were proof of that fact. They wondered into the camp one morning and settled in close by discovering themselves what exactly the truth was in those words.

They spoke to all of us in turn or together. It was late at night when they met with me and Carliah. We talked the four of us. Long into the darkness so that by the time it ended light was beginning to show again rising across the far side of valley we had made our home. Whatever they heard it had worked well enough. They stayed and brought their own unique talents to our growing band.

At that point any skill was useful, although most of us were already working on different things. We were too few not to pitch in working in other areas. They offered new things that we desperately needed if not to survive then at least to make ourselves stronger than we had been.

We had started our own halls although they were at best rough and not in a fit state to host any kind of gathering to the extent that court politics would require. It limited our options, especially when I had not dabbled in court politics when I was at court let alone now. There was also the fact that given our current weakness the moment we rose and made ourselves known one or a few of the other courts would move and strike us down.

There were however other options. Some of us myself included had been more versed than some of the others. We knew of places outside the courts. We knew of gatherings of different people, we knew of other bands some more wild and uncontrollable that we didn't want to risk encounters with.

When discussing our options one evening one name came to mind, someone me and Carliah both knew at least in passing. That was the self-styled Queen Sienna. The courts often sent representatives to her although they were openly dismissive of her self-proclaimed title. It meant nothing to the courts she wasn't one of them she was something entirely different and therefore easily ignored.

For our purposes though she held an advantage. We knew of her at least a little. I had seen her even if I hadn't spoken. Carliah had spent time there before as well. We knew that as dismissive as the courts were of her, they still often visited her. Her power did not match the weakest of the courts, but she held power none the less.

She was less of a threat to us, at least directly she couldn't openly match even our power. But the fact she met with all kinds of people courts included meant we would be safer beginning there. A visit by court members would be unremarkable unless someone was looking for us specifically something that wasn't the case as yet.

It would be a good start for us to begin to venture out. If we succeeded, we might gain some potential benefits. If we failed, then we would lose little. So, we had sent a messenger requesting a meeting. We had no immediate reply to our messenger, they'd been politely hosted and then told a reply would be sent after consideration.

This may have been a ploy. It may have been while Sienna herself considered her options. It may simply have been surprise on her part. Maybe the courts weren't so formal with her, and she wasn't sure if some plot or scheme lay behind it. We couldn't be certain. Instead, a few weeks afterwards when we had started discussing other options a short message arrived inviting several of us to a banquet.

It named me personally which was the most surprising and intriguing part of it all. It formally requested my presence along with a few fellow guests to a banquet the Queen was holding. Again, we had sat and considered the risks. None of us were certain what we were getting involved in. Eventually however we agreed we needed to start somewhere.

A reply was sent, a date arranged and at the given time me, Carliah and several of the others left to travel to the court. It was a longer trip something we were conscious of as it left our new home relatively unprotected given Carliah was probably still the most formidable asset we held although she'd disagree.

But we found ourselves entering politics again something I was acutely aware of when I found myself seated at the high table alongside the Queen herself. My companions were all seated on another table. In places of honour of course but away from me none the less. It was just me and the Queen on our table. All the better to discuss things perhaps.

We enjoyed dinner, shared polite small talk and until the entertainment began did little else. The Queen herself was in high spirits that evening. It was the closest I'd been to her, and she had an undeniable presence. The courts might mock her, evenly openly at times but that evening she clearly taken the time to make an impression and she held a degree of power even if it wasn't the same as our own.

She was a shapeshifter. Normally when I'd seen her before she drifted between forms suiting her own moods. That evening she was much more like us. Either trying to make us more comfortable by assuming our identity or else mimicking it for some motive that we couldn't see openly. There were some differences.

Whilst she could change her shape and form it took effort. She was a foot shorter than me. Sat beside me at the table her head just reached my shoulder. The second was her eyes. She could change many things but those she couldn't match. Her own were just dark orbs. But otherwise, she had an aura about her.

She had striking features, all sharp angles. A sleek figure small, petite and tightly formed. Her hair normally on the few occasions I'd seen her was usually unbound and flew wildly as she moved. Tonight, it was far more styled and formal a blonde colour with darker streaks.

She was also wearing a sheer green gown. It was like a second skin showing the body beneath in it's entirety something I had been aware of when she'd greeted us earlier that evening. She had offered me a small, pointed smile and dipped her head in greeting when she'd taken my hand making sure I took all of her in as we shared pleasantries.

She was I reminded myself as we came to the point of being there as sharp as they came and as deadly in her own way as any of the courts if I didn't tread carefully. At that point I had been away from the courts to long. The intricacies of court politics and careful negotiations through words, deeds and gestures had escaped me.

Instead, I fell back on what I was good at. At that moment it was simply being honest and dealing with her fairly. After the food had been cleared, as the dancing and music began, we sat back and watched each other wearily.

"You can imagine my surprise of course when your messenger arrived." She began as we started our negotiations.

I offered her a small smile of my own inclining my head.

"I can count on one hand the number of times a court has openly asked to meet me." She continued.

"Technically I'm not sure we constitute a court as of yet." I replied.

"Maybe, although it isn't what I hear. If nothing else, you are all from the courts in some way or shape."

"Largely I suppose although not entirely. Several of our group has had no dealings with the courts." I gave her the information freely that time trying to convey my wish to deal with her fairly.

"Really?" She queried me softly one elegant brow arching as she looked at me.

"Truly yes." I continued. "One came into her power only after we met. She is not a pure breed court member; it must have been someone dabbling outside the courts circle perhaps. She has never set foot in a court."

"And you took her in?" She asked me softly.

I shrugged as I looked at her. "We did yes by chance mostly. We discovered her and during the discovery her talents were sparked into life. Her Court powers were awakened, and she joined with us then we were really her own answer. The courts wouldn't have her, and when her powers awakened, she'd have struggled to survive on her own."

"And yet you did." She asked again.

"I inclined my head in a nod and then dipped it towards Carliah. "I did as do others. It is not impossible although I'd say it could be considered existing rather than living."

"Interesting." She murmured thoughtfully sipping from the glass at her side briefly before we resumed our conversation.

She set it down again running the tip of her finger around the rim as we studied one another. "So, what is it you would like from us. Wanting a meeting you surely were after something?" She asked me her voice soft as she spoke.

I smiled a little as I watched her. "I'm surely not alone in that though, am I? I mean we could have held a simple meeting together to discuss matters. Instead, I find myself seated at your table with a whole banquet and evening of entertainment. Surely you are trying to impress us by going to this much trouble or else we would have merely met."

"Perhaps, perhaps not." She replied softly. "The courts don't come here openly, certainly not to discuss things we can offer one another. I find it intriguing that you do, however. That is worth a little celebration I feel." She smiled at me slowly.

"You are a most gracious host my Queen." I inclined my head towards her again. I almost read the surprise on her face as I spoke. It lasted no more than a moment, but it was there. We looked at one another closely.

"Why do you call me that?" She asked me softly.

I inclined my head towards her. "Because that is the title you use is it not?" I answered softly.

"That I use yes, the courts however don't recognise it. They've never used it. So why do you?" She enquired softly.

"Why not?" I countered. "It makes no difference to me what title you use, or what name you prefer to go by. Neither is important in the end. I'd rather work on knowing you first that is far more important than titles anyway. It cost me nothing to offer you that if it is important to you." I continued.

She looked at me thoughtfully. I could see I had surprised her. She gripped and released her glass several times as if contemplating something. In the end she lifted it and drank again before she spoke once more. "Why did you ask for a meeting then, what is it you want from me?" She asked me.

It was my turn to look at her now. I was wondering how open I should be. How much I should tell her about our situation and what we required. My instincts and senses told me being truthful with her was likely a better option it would make dealing with things simpler. Plus, I suspected making sure I stood out as different from the other courts would be better in the long term.

"My Queen." I began slowly. "As you said if we are a court then we are a new one. We are not established, and many threats remain all of which might bring us down before we've had a chance to establish ourselves. I am not alone now I have people with me that rely on me to keep them safe I would do much to make sure that happens. I suspect that few of the courts pay much attention to you and yours. I suspect that you accumulate a wealth of knowledge and intelligence as well as knowing all the recent coming and goings of the courts." I paused and took a drink myself before continuing.

"To put it bluntly I would like everything you have. All your intelligence, all your gossip all the knowledge you gain however big or small I would like you to pass directly onto us. We may be small and unnoticed now, but we will only grow stronger. If you join us early in this great endeavour, there could be a lot of gain for us both here." I fell silent as I watched her.

She looked thoughtful as she looked at me her finger once more circling the rim of her glass as she looked back at me. "You ask for a lot still. You must know that. If I did what you asked and one of the courts found out, we'd last less time than yourselves." She pointed out.

It was something I could well understand something I had to work around and find a solution to. I decided to keep up the honest approach I'd started with. "I can understand that my Queen. It is a lot I ask. The rewards however and the potential could be great. If we are dealing plainly with one another let me ask you this. What would it take to secure such an agreement? What would you like from me that I could perhaps provide?"

She pursed her lips and dabbed at them with the very tip of her tongue as she looked back at me. I could see that she was battling some instinct. Something tugging at her as she looked at me debating whether to speak what she was thinking. It was a sign at least that she hadn't dismissed the idea as impossible. That gave me some hope that some arrangement could be made.

She opened her mouth to speak and then closed it again her hand gripping the edge of the table beside me. "Speaking plainly?" She added softly glancing at me.

"Please do." I gestured with my hand inviting her to speak.

She looked at me again, she didn't even blink as she stared her eyes dark and focused on me. Then she just leaned close her voice barely above a whisper as she murmured to me. "And what if you can't give me what I want?" She added.

I shrugged as I looked at her. "Maybe I can't, maybe I wouldn't want to. That's the risk you take in talking to me. But you must be tempted otherwise you wouldn't have gone to the trouble of inviting us in the first place. You'd have sent a polite denial. So, you must be at least unsure what I'd do one way or another." I fell silent and then mirrored her leaning close.

"You have two things that can happen my Queen. You can ask and I'll say no, or just maybe if you ask me, I'll say yes, and you'll get exactly what you want. Either way you can't lose. I won't get what I'd like unless we agree to terms. Speak yours and let us see what there is we can bargain with." I watched her and waited.

She licked her lips again almost flustered. I didn't know her well. I couldn't read her like I could read others, even so I had surprised her. She was debating still, her mind busy thinking it over. Eventually though I think she realised I had spoken true and the temptation of getting what she wanted made her push past her caution.

She tilted her head back and stared at me simply. "I want you." She murmured slowly.

I raised an eyebrow as I looked at her. That wasn't a response I had expected truthfully. The surprise must have shown as she jerked backwards and turned her attention back to the ongoing festivities in front of us. It was hard to read her still, but I saw the mixture of emotions that rushed through her then. Dismay, disappointment, frustration a good amount of anger as well. It hadn't been my intention, but I had hurt her then with my reaction as inadvertent as it had been. I needed to make amends.

"Forgive me my Queen. That was not something I expected you to say." I murmured quickly. I didn't think, I went on instinct and reached over across. Her hands were clenched at her side, and I covered the nearest with my own just sliding my hand over hers and feeling the warmth of her skin. I felt her shiver just the feintest of movements but there none the less. She turned slightly and glanced at me.

"Am I to take it that you mean it in the most direct literal sense then?" I enquired softly.

Beside me she licked her lips and then slowly nodded her head. I frowned at her curious. It couldn't simply be that easy, could it? I studied her carefully. "So, all you'd want for a full alliance and to pass on all your intelligence and information is for me to sleep with you?" I asked her again assuring myself of her terms.

She was quiet again clearly debating, her mind turning over the details Relaxing back in my chair I gave her time looking out over the audience my hand still absently placed over hers. I felt her radiating heat and turned my attention towards it and realised what she was doing.

"You're using your power on me?" I questioned her lightly. She jerked again colour rising in her cheeks although she made no effort to deny the fact.

"Is it working?" She asked instead.

"Not in the sense you'd like I imagine." I smiled at her. "Your power won't work on us like that you'd have to know that or otherwise you've never tried using it on us before or at least dared using it. That or you thought I'd be more susceptible to it. Which is it?" I asked curious.

She took her hand back drawing it away although I felt like it took her some effort to do so. "A little of both." She replied softly. "I didn't think it would work, or so I've been told, normally I don't bother trying or particularly bother to. Tonight, I thought I'd see."

I grunted thoughtfully. "You must be confident I won't react badly to do that." I added amused.

"Worth the risk when you came here seeking help especially in such a situation. For this I'd risk more than normal. I think it would have been worth it." She shrugged something that cost her, I think.

We were both silent then contemplating our situation as we looked out over the tables below. I looked around my eyes drifting across my own people and what tonight could mean. There was an element of risk for us all. I knew it. The situation was delicate, but she had told me enough to give me something to work with now.

I leaned over a little closer so I could speak to her. "Your power won't work on us as you'd think. It can't make me feel what you want it to. You can't seduce me or blind me beyond reason so I lose my will, which was what I suspect you just tried. That was no mean feat the power you just struck me with." She turned her head slightly again her eyes watchful.

"What you might find it interesting to know however from recent personal experience is that your power does enhance feelings that are there. You can pull and intensify existing emotions to a degree. What does that tell you, my Queen?" I murmured softly to her.

I watched my words sink in, watched the realisation strike her like a jolt of power. Her head swung around to look at me more closely and I watched as she parted her mouth and just stared. "That you want me?" She breathed out slowly.

"That I want you." I agreed softly. I watched her shudder at the thought the colour in her cheeks flaring up.

"So, we have an understanding then?" I asked her my voice more assured now, confident as we spoke. I watched her fight that urge to accept straight away she wanted it, but she was busy thinking of something else. The prospect of getting something she wanted so desperately fought with the urge to strike a lasting bargain.

Fortunately for her, or maybe the fact it was my first time negotiating with someone I didn't take advantage of the situation. I could have distracted her enough I think that she'd have agreed to that alone. Or maybe not, her power had been well timed and well struck. Whilst it hadn't had the effect, she wanted it had an effect. At that moment I really did want her, and it was distracting.

"Not yet." She breathed out eventually. We have the basis of something to start from." She continued.

"Ah a negotiation then. I can work with that. Let us discuss terms." I settled back in my seat comfortably and drew my glass up to take a drink.