Beng Shai’s idea of peace wasn’t unwelco. He stood across from Chenzhou and laid out a ceasefire offer for the fighting season. He wanted to focus his tribe’s attention on the harvest in preparation for a harsh winter predicted by the tribe’s shamans.
“We t with the other tribes to discuss the winter.”
“Did their people predict the sa?” Chenzhou asked, curious.
Beng Shai nodded. “It is rare that we are all in agreent.”
Mingzhe shot Eirian a significant look, and she fought down a smile. There was no land on the rock that had leadership that was always in complete agreent. The event was practically a miracle that could be attributed to the great sun god Ceres.
It also ant that there was, in fact, a harsh winter coming, and the Calia would need to prepare as well.
“What are the terms of the ceasefire?” Chenzhou tried hard not to sound demanding, but it didn’t matter why if they couldn’t agree on how, first and foremost.
“I will keep my people on our lands in the north.”
“There are villages we agreed to protect in that area.”
Beng Shai nodded, though the woman on his right didn’t look pleased. “They will not be bothered.” She shifted and shot him a warning look. “As long as they agree to trade with us at a fair price.”
Chenzhou shared a thoughtful look with Eirian. “What do you consider a fair price?” Trade with the villages that dotted the prairie was a valuable market, but one that the tribes struggled to benefit from as they purchased little compared to what they sold and couldn’t barter in equal amounts. Most of the wealthy tradesn shied away from dealing with the tribes because they didn’t bring in enough money to be worth the trouble, and those less reputable traders who did, didn’t fear double-crossing anyone.
Many of the attacks on the villages were a result of trade deals going bad.
The Calia’s resources guaranteed that the estate could always pay what was asked, but also ant they had more than a little influence on what others paid. Chenzhou’s father had purposely driven up the trade prices to try and starve out the tribes during his tenure, but they’d hung on so long it had started to have a negative impact on the villages, and he’d been forced to stop.
One of the n accompanying Beng Shai, who shared his eye color but not much else, held out a scroll, and Yuze took it.
The prices the Bandri had laid out were less than the current values for all items, but they weren’t so low that anyone in the supply chain would suddenly be starving on the streets.
They were surprisingly realistic, actually. The Bandri must have put a significant amount of work into coming up with these numbers.
Chenzhou took the scroll and studied it. “If we agreed to this, there would need to be so kind of guarantee. We can’t control every single trader in the borderland; there’s bound to be soone who will try to overcharge.”
“Then we will trade with soone else.” Beng Shei seed sure of himself and his idea.
Eirian supposed that putting forward an idea so drastically different from anything his people had done before required that level of self-assurance. It was probably what had propelled him into leadership in the first place.
“And you will hear us out fairly if it becos a matter that involves the Calia.” Beng Shai added.
“That is not an unfair request,” Chenzhou admitted. “But we would need to agree on more than just the prices beforehand. Our laws are not entirely compatible.”
Honor killings had fallen out of favor in Sorrow, but they were still practiced among the tribes, and that was generally what the tribes claid their attacks on the villages were.
There were other challenges as well. The tribes didn’t record their laws, and they changed depending on who was in charge. Major changes were even voted on by the entire tribe, and the outcos of those votes had proven to be surprisingly hard to predict.
Beng Shai had an answer for that, too. “Another eting. We will discuss further.”
“What about the other tribes?” The Bandri were significant, but if the other tribes refused to fall in line, the entire borderland would eventually be sucked back in, and any effort at peace would be ruined.
“They will co. Most of us are in agreent that there has been too much fighting.” He glanced at the man and woman to his left. “You were honorable during the war. If you continue to be honorable, we will treat you as such.”
Chenzhou stayed silent for a mont, contemplating. It was his decision in the end, and he would bear all responsibility for whatever happened, but he slotted a glance at Eirian briefly and, pleased, she inclined her head in the barest of nods.
No risk, no reward.
Chenzhou extended a hand to Beng Shai. Typically, a bow was more formal or official, but the Bandri despised the rigid social practices of Sorrow, and Song and Snow, and Chenzhou didn’t want to destroy a chance at peace over sothing so insignificant.
Beng Shai didn’t hesitate to take his hand, and the strength of his grip was not surprising, but reassuring.
They parted ways with a few words after that. The Bandri had recognized Mingzhe and Captain Li, but he wasn’t sure if they knew who Eirian was. Aside from his wife, of course.
The tribes knew of the king, of course, but their only real dealings with Sorrow were with the Calia.
Fox, who’d stayed back with the guards during the eting, spoke up on the ride back to the Calia, warning them against taking Beng Shai at his word. He didn’t hold out much hope that the tribes would stick to their word. “They’ll start fighting one another and forget there was ever a peace agreent.”
“Are there any permanent agreents between the tribes?” Eirian asked. The first laws of Sorrow were on display in the capital, and fewer had changed than most people realized.
“They do not recognize permanence. Things only last as long as a person’s mory.” Fox sounded oddly vehent. “Nothing lasts past a turn of the seasons.”
~ tbc
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