Chapter 17: I'm in a peerage negotiation of minerals?
As we rode our horses back to the royal capital, the weight of what we had accomplished hung heavy on our minds. The Knights of the Cross had done their duty and secured the safety of the eastern border, while Garret, Genny, and I had gathered every scrap of loot we could find. Despite the victory, a sense of sadness lingered among us as we thought about the knights who lost their lives in the line of duty.
Garret, always the talkative one, tried to lift the mood with a bit of humor. "So, who's going to tell the king about our adventures with Insidius?" he asked with a grin.
Genny, ever the practical one, replied, "Oh, I'm sure he'll hear about it. News travels fast in the royal court."
I chid in, "And I'm sure Father will have plenty to say about our little adventure."
The ntion of our father made the conversation more sobering. As two of us (Genevieve and Lumiere) were the king's children, we knew that our victory would be greatly celebrated, but also heavily scrutinized.
"We should prepare for our audience with the king," I said. "We need to be ready to explain why we brought back so much loot."
Garret shrugged. "We did what we had to do to survive. And besides, it's not like we're keeping it for ourselves."
Genny nodded in agreent. "We know the protocol. The royal court will buy back our loot at a fair price."
As we drew closer to the capital, the conversation for Genny and I turned to tense speculation about our father's reaction to our news. We knew that our duty was to serve the kingdom with honor and integrity, but we also understood the intense scrutiny that ca with being part of the royal family.
Still, we rode on, ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead and to make our father, the king, and our realm proud.
So days passed.
As we arrived at the royal capital, we were greeted by the burly and bearded personal guard of King Grey, Sir Reginald. "Welco back, young knights," he bellowed. "The king has been eagerly awaiting your safe return."
The throne room was magnificent as always, with tall ceilings and walls decorated with tapestries honoring the royal family's victories and history.
The king sat proudly on his throne, dressed in his finest robes and wearing his crown.
As we approached, he waved at Genny and I, attempting to be lighthearted, but quickly snapped back into a formal deanor.
"Ah, my dear children," he said. "I am glad to see that you have returned... (~smolders) safely." Always with the dramatic emphasis on the last word. He paused before adding, "Though I trust that you have not co back... (~smolders) empty-handed."
I felt a twinge of unease in my stomach. We had returned with a substantial amount of loot, but I wasn't sure how my father would feel about it. Garret and Genny, however, didn't seem to share my reservations.
"We've got quite the story to tell, Father," Genny boasted.
"As expected of my lovely... (~smolders) daughter." (Grey)
"The Dark Mage was no match for us." (Garret)
A smug smile crossed the king's face. "I see that the blood of your mother - may she rest in peace- still runs hot in your veins, Garret." He turned his attention to . "And dear Lumiere, I trust you fought valiantly as well?"
I nodded, feeling the pressure of his expectant gaze. "We fought with all our might, Father," I replied. "And we've brought back the spoils of our victory to be assessed and sold back to the kingdom at a fair price."
The king raised an eyebrow as he considered this. "Very good, Lumiere. You have fought honorably and fulfilled your duty to the realm. Now tell , what more can you tell ? What else did you see... (~smolders) out there?"
And so the debriefing began, with Garret, Genny and I recounting every detail of our journey, from the dark creatures to the Dark Mage - Insidius Black to our victory.
Sir Reginald listened attentively and murmured his approval. The king listened quietly, occasionally asking a pointed question, but mostly letting us speak our piece.
As we finished our report, the king leaned back in his throne and nodded. "Well done, my children. You have honorably served the kingdom and defeated a great threat. I am proud of you both. The sa goes for you too... (~smolders) Garret."
I nervously entered the room, flanked by Genny and Garret, our arms laden with the hard-won loot. The two aristocrats at the table seed to be Lord Commissioners, one in charge of the kingdom's mineral trade, while the other handled the comrcial aspects of the kingdom. The first aristocrat, a thin-faced man with long curly hair tied back in a tight bun, introduced himself as Lord Gandalf and began flipping through the ledgers, his eyes darting through the pages with quick precision.
The other aristocrat, a pudgy man with rosy cheeks and a thick beard, introduced himself as Lord Marcus. He seed much more relaxed than the first, and he wasted no ti in sharing his ideas on how the minerals could be put to use.
"Ah, mithril!" he exclaid. "Excellent for weapons and armor. And these magic crystals… why, they could be used for many things."
Lord Gandalf nodded in agreent. "Indeed. With the right research, we could mass-produce weapons and armor of unbeatable strength. And with the powerful illusion staff, we could create illusions on a scale never before seen!"
The minerals were priced at 100,000 copper coins, and at this, the more pessimistic aristocrat - Lord Gandalf furrowed his brow. "That's quite a steep price, isn't it?" he said.
The jovial aristocrat - Lord Marcus shook his head. "Nonsense, my dear friend. We can't be stingy when it cos to the lives of our brave warriors. It's the least we can do to compensate them for the risks they took in battle."
Lord Gandalf sighed. "I understand your sentint, but we simply don't have enough in our budget to be so favorable, especially just because the king's children were involved."
I cleared my throat, feeling ignored. "Excuse , gentlen, but I think-"
But Lord Marcus cut off. "And imagine the profits we could make! The markets for these products would be endless!"
Lord Gandalf sighed. "Of course, but we must be prudent with our finances. This is a sizable purchase, after all."
They continued talking over , their debate becoming more heated with each passing mont. Eventually, Lord Gandalf and Lord Marcus ca to an agreent on a price of 350,000 copper coins. Lord Gandalf looked dissatisfied, but Lord Marcus was beaming.
"That's a fair price, my good sirs, and a good investnt in the kingdom's future!" (Marcus)
I frowned. It seed that Lord Marcus was using us in his efforts to develop the military and markets for more profit on his side, while Lord Gandalf wanted to reduce the amount of money spent on us.
Suddenly, an idea struck . "Excuse , Lords, but I have a counter offer."
Lord Gandalf raised an eyebrow. "And what might that be?"
I took a deep breath and smiled. "Instead of taking money, why not pay us in magic crystals and mithril? That way, you can study them for your research and production, while we get sothing of equal value for our efforts."
There was a mont of silence as Lord Gandalf and Lord Marcus exchanged a look. Finally, Lord Marcus spoke up. "That's an interesting proposition. How much do you want in magic crystals and mithril?"
I quickly did so ntal math and replied, "We would like 150,000 copper coins worth of magic crystals and 200,000 copper coins worth of mithril."
Lord Gandalf looked skeptical. "That's a lot of resources. Are you sure that's a fair trade?"
I nodded confidently. "Absolutely, my lord. These minerals are rare and valuable, and we know their true worth. Plus, it saves you the hassle of having to acquire them yourself."
Lord Marcus smiled. "I like this idea. It's a win-win situation."
After so deliberation, Lord Gandalf and Lord Marcus agreed to our proposal. We watched as they gathered the minerals and crystals we requested and handed them over to us.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
[POV: The omniscient Akashic Records]
After Genny, Garret, and Lumiere left the room, the aristocrats gathered around the king to discuss the genius of Lumiere's idea that solved the mistake in their negotiation. The king praised his illegitimate son, and the aristocrats were shocked when they found out.
"Your Majesty, I didn't know you had an illegitimate son," Lord Marcus said, surprised.
The king smiled and replied, "Indeed, Lumiere is my son. He may be illegitimate, but his talents and intellect are undeniable."
"I must say, Lumiere's solution was impressive," Lord Gandalf added, nodding in agreent.
The conversation soon turned to the idea of Lumiere becoming a Duke or supporting Arthur, the Crown Prince. However, the king knew this was impossible due to Lumiere's status.
"I would love nothing more than to see Lumiere rise to greatness, but the people would never accept it," the king said, sighing.
"It is a sha, Your Majesty. He truly has the talent and charisma to be a great leader," Lord Marcus said, shaking his head.
The group fell silent for a mont, all deep in their own thoughts. Despite Lumiere's undeniable talent, his illegitimacy would always be a barrier for him. The king couldn't help but feel frustrated at the unfairness of it all.
In the end, they all shared a laugh, but the king couldn't shake the feeling that Lumiere deserved so much more.
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