175 Request For Peace (1/2)
A carriage stopped just outside Nirvana. A white flag it hosted and a message of peace it presented. With the carriage were armed soldiers. There was a special group in the party composed of malnourished men with tied hands. A few hundred of them were being dragged in chains.
From the top of the wall, Timothy massaged his jaw. He raised his arm and then dropped it to signal his order. The gate of Nirvana was raised. As it creaked open, Castonian soldiers poured out. They surrounded the carriage and disarmed the Tulosans. Those in chains were taken and put in a line.
The door of the carriage opened. The person inside set foot on the carriage's steps. She looked at the walls and the city and permitted a smile.
”Is that her?” Timothy asked Henry
”I confirm Your Majesty. That is Princess Emily of Tulosa”
Timothy stared at the Princess. She was young- about a year younger than him. With straight flowing auburn hair and tall stature, she was a beauty. Not as beautiful as Lucia- not even worth comparing- but the royal blood was apparent in her looks.
Princess Emily looked innocent. But from what he heard from Henry, she was a person to be wary of.
”Bring her in the palace” Timothy said to Henry as he turned around ”Permit two of her guards. Two, nothing more”
**********
”I was told that the King of Castonia has looks to match his ferocity” Princess Emily lifted her cup and took a sip of the tea. She shrugged and put down the cup ”I was not told wrong”
”You were not” Queen Lucia said. ”He is a great catch for me”
”I envy you Queen Lucia. I once had someone in my life..
Henry cleared his throat ”Princess, you have a proposition for the King and the Queen?”
Princess Emily eyed him then smiled. ”You haven't changed Prefect. Still not a fan of small talks or reminiscing the past. Well I do have proposition Prefect Henry. As we all know, last year Tulosa invaded Castonia. And last year we were defeated twice. You Castonians play a little too rough when it comes to war. Us simple horse-riders were decimated by marauding lions” The smugness in her expression remained ”Now that spring is here, let us set aside our differences and bury the hatred in the past. We want peace. The few hundred prisoners outside are our gift. But a transgression as heavy as an invasion can't be solved by a simple gift right? So name your price. Although please be lenient as we Tulosans are poor”
”Justice” Lucia said ”We only want justice. We want the rest of them. Gather those who led the invasion and all the soldiers who participated in the butcher of our citizens. Bring them to us. We want justice for what we have suffered. We also want Knightsend back”
Princess Emily was silenced. She smiled smugly ”A queer request I must say. Tulosa is defenseless. You have destroyed our army. We are at your mercy already”
”And I dare say when in the negotiating table one must not lower her position”
”Honesty itself has its merits in the negotiating table. And Tulosa, honestly, has lost against you. I trust you two are smart enough to see that. Now name your price for peace”
”We just told you our price” Lucia said ”We don't want your gold. Vanadis is rich enough. It will also make the Union look weak. We don't want your lands. It will make the Union look like the aggressor. All we want is justice. If we can force you to hand over the people responsible for what happened, the other nations will grow to fear us. They will respect us.”
”That is...a valid statement. I must admit, you are right. But handing over the people responsible for the invasion is a little tricky. Some of them hold high position in our government you see. Just plucking them out wouldn't be nice”
”As what you said, Tulosa is at the mercy of the Union. It's either that or we will send our army to capture your capital. We could do so. You know we could”
The Princess' smile vanished. ”We cannot promise to hand over everyone. My father himself had some hand in the invasion. We cannot hand over our King”
”A few exceptions will be granted”
”Then fine. We agree on these terms. In return you will not retaliate. Castonia and Tulosa will remain indifferent to each other. Shall we write the terms on paper and sign it now?”
”Not yet. We still have something else to discuss” Lucia's lips curved into a smile. ”He's dead, isn't he? The Grand Master of Knights- Grand Master Nelson is dead. Tulosa is on the brink of civil war. That's why you came here. That's why you want peace”
The Queen's statement made everyone in the room look at her. Princess Emily chuckled.
”Who? Ah that old man. You're wrong, he's still breathing”