299 Parley (1/2)
Orwell's Point, North Defense Line
A simple tent with its sides rolled up, sat on the top of the small rise. Inside the tent, a simple table and half a dozen chairs were placed over the night.
Lady Titanna sat on one of the chairs, nestling a cup of tea nervously as she waited for her people to come. She kept glancing out towards the forest while Mills laid on his back at the side of the tent.
Soon, the thumping of hooves could be felt as a dozen cavalry bearing streamers of blue and silver rode out of the forest edge. They stopped at the foot of the rise and dismounted while three armored men climbed up the gentle slope and stopped before the tent.
”Lord Father!” Titanna rose up and greeted the greying man in a full set of ornate armor.
Moel Rothschild's eyes warmed when he saw his daughter was doing well and placed his full faced helm on the table and locked eyes with the seated soldier at the head of the table. ”I have come as you demanded!”
Joseph nodded and gestured his guests to sit down. ”Refreshments?”
”I am not here to drink with the enemy!” Moel growled as he sat down on the chair which creaked under his weight.”Tell me, what do you want in return for the release of my children!”
Joseph observed the other two men standing next to Moel and mentally take note of them. Both men extruded a gloomy aura and were dressed in full plate mail and helms that covered their features with a motif of a twin tailed scorpion was displayed fully on their chest plate.
”I want twenty five thousand able bodied slaves for the release for both your daughter and son,” Joseph bluntly stated. ”And another two hundred thousand gold crowns for the rest of your people and as compensation for the broken parley.”
”TWENTY FIVE THOUSAND SLAVES?” Moel's face turned red in anger. ”Impossible!”
”That is the price for the release of your children!” Joseph's expression remained stern as he stared down at the older man. ”Pay up or leave!”
”You want war? I give you WAR!” The older man slammed his fists on the table in anger. ”Do not beg me to kill you when I get my hands on you!”
”Father!” Titanna cried out. ”No! You can't send the troops in! The Knights are all destroyed and if your troops are destroyed too... The barons will revolt!”
”Titanna!” Moel shot a warning look at her. ”You need not fret about it! I have summoned all the baron lords here!”
Moel turned to the quietly waiting Joseph and growled. ”Release my daughter and son now, and I will give you a chance to run away with your life.”
”Are you deaf?” Joseph sighed. ”Twenty five thousand slaves, or no deal!”
Moel's face turned redder as he glared at Joseph. Suddenly one of the Knight in black armor spoke, ”Enough, there is nothing more to be said.”
Moel's face turned slightly grey and Joseph was amazed that the old man's expressions could keep changing. He gave another look at his daughter before he stood up and without a word, exited the tent with the two Knights in tow.
”Father! Do not recklessly attack them!” Titanna called out a warning after her departing father. ”They have weapons stronger than what the Knights are capab-!”
”Hey,” Mills clamped his hand over Titanna's shoulder, making her jump. ”Stop spilling our secrets!”
”But!” Titanna looked at her father walking away. ”My people will be ruined! My family will be destroyed!”
”In life,” Joseph suddenly said beside Titanna, ”You have to make choices, and once these choices are made, you have to keep walking that path.”
”Your father has long chosen his path,” Joseph said. ”One must be man enough to keep on his path and accept the things he has done.”
”If your family hasn't suppressed or treated the rest of the baron lords of this region badly,” Joseph continued. ”Why would you be afraid if you lose the support of your troops and Knights?”
With that, Joseph left the tent while Titanna muddled over his words in anxiety.
-----
”They are purposely forcing your hand,” The Rock said as he removed his full face helm. ”And you fell for their taunts.”
”Who are they?” Moel hissed as he tossed his helm to a footman. ”Where did they come from?”
The Rock handed his helm to another servant and took a goblet of wine. ”My sources tell me that these people might be the remnants of the Goldrose Kingdom.”
”A bunch of defeated peons?” Moel forcefully removed his gauntlets and slapped them down on the table. ”Yet they have the strength to defeat my daughter's army and my highly trained Knights!”
Moel eyed the bald commander suspiciously, ”What are you holding back from me?”
The Rock gave a cold smile, ”What I know, naturally I will share. These... people calling themselves the United Nations are a thorn to the Emperor's will.”
”And I shall destroy them by any means necessary!” He declared and finished his wine in a single gulp.
”Hmmm...” Moel frowned as he sat down. ”I pray that is so, they already proven to have quite the magic power to defeat my Knights.”
”That is why my Bronze men are here,” The Rock declared. ”With a body stronger than iron, they feel no pain nor fear and they are partially immune to magic attacks.”
”Those... abominations...” Moel shivered as he remembered the ranks and ranks of emotionless eyes staring at him. ”Why would the Emperor resort to such creatures?”
”Efficiency,” The Rock simply explained. ”They need no food nor water, nor will they tire. Should any part of the Bronze Men is damaged, they only require maintenance by the Organ Mages to repair them and refuel them.”
”Still... those things give me the creeps!” Moel shuddered.
”Imagine an entire army of Bronze Men,” The Rock's smile widened. ”We will no longer need to draft farmers and slaves to battlefields, and with a constant workforce without any disruptions, what do you will happen?”