The Truce - 8. Chapter 8

Alexandre sat with Carl on a bench that was part of a ring in a large stone courtyard. There was an enormous fire in the center of it, and a table that wrapped around to pass by several other benches. They all faced inwards towards the fire, which poked up through a hole in the middle of the table. Luca and Eamon sat on the bench to their left, and Jared Coyne and Marion Monciet sat across from the Cathcart Prince and Nabian General. To Alexandre’s right was another bench that was empty. Servants from the Monciet Castle carried dishes back and forth from the Monciet castle to this courtyard, and there was tense silence as they all got settled.

Alex reflected on the last time he had been here. He didn’t visit this courtyard specifically, but it’s location gave fantastic views of the spiraling towers of the Monciets’ ancestral home. It really is beautiful, Alex thought. The last time I saw it, it was nothing more than an objective – a means to an end. My father assigned me the duty of taking it down, so I did. I should have stopped to appreciate the grandeur and beauty that it held. He looked up at the silhouette produced by the building against a full moon and felt bad about the damage that he had done. This place is a reminder of a grander time in Ironia’s past, when the world cared about flourish and fanfare more than who would be the next to die.

Carl nudged Alexandre’s leg with his, and Alex brought his gaze back down to the table before them. He caught eyes with Jared Coyne, who had been staring at him with singular focus since they had arrived.

“Shall we begin?” asked Carl in a cheery tone that felt a bit strained to Alex’s ears.

“Yes,” said Marion, glaring across the table. The light of the fire danced off of her face, and Alex couldn’t help but feel that she looked much scarier since that last time he had seen her.

She’s shaved her head. And her eyes… she harbors so much anger. Alex could relate to that, but he never let that kind of thing show so plainly. This is certainly not the scared, crying girl that cowered in the corner while her family was killed.

“General,” started Jared Coyne, “it’s… good to see you again.” This earned Jared a glare from Marion, and he corrected himself. “Err, thank you for coming. I hope the journey wasn’t too bad?”

“There were no problems,” Alex said smoothly.

“Well… that’s good. Before we eat, we thought it would be best to go over the agenda of this conference. I will warn you,” Jared said with a look towards Marion, “that we will not tolerate any deviance or bad-faith negotiations.”

“I expect nothing less.” Alex looked around discreetly, noting that he probably would be killed with a misstep.

They probably have archers or something rearing to go. Perhaps it was foolish of me to come. My fate is in your hands, Ironian Prince. It wasn’t the first time that Alex had placed his trust in a foreign prince, and he sincerely hoped it wouldn’t be his last.

“Good. I will admit that this was my idea, and that my cousin is not convinced. That being said, we wish to procure a contract that will be beneficial to both our parties. I alluded to our terms in the invitation that was sent, and they haven’t changed much since.”

“Please lay them out.”

“We demand the return of the Monciet Castle to Marion Monciet, and the reestablishment of her rule and authority here. All occupying forces should be returned to Nabius, and Marion’s marriage to the commander will be annulled.”

“And what do I get in return?” Alex saw Marion’s look darken at that, and realized that he probably should be a bit more friendly in this meeting. Ironians wouldn’t respond to strength and cold, calculated distance in the same way that a Nabian would. He tried to relax his face and appear kindlier.

“Nothing,” said Marion. She was clearly annoyed, and Alex hoped he hadn’t already messed up. “Nothing, save the lack of attention from our armies in conjunction with your enemies. And we’ll let you leave here with your life.” That last sentence made Alex nervous, but he had been expecting threats.

“I thought we were negotiating in good faith,” Carl pointed out. “Threats against our lives is not a kindly way to begin.”

“We make no threats against you, Prince Cathcart.” Alex knew what that meant, and frowned. When Carl opened up his mouth to argue more, he placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

“I see,” Alex said. “I find those terms agreeable.” There was a long pause after that, and Marion’s face slowly transformed from bitter to surprised. Jared wore a cocky smirk that indicated this had played out how he had wanted, and Alex wondered briefly if he was telling his cousin ‘I told you so’ silently.

“I… well, good. I’m glad to hear it,” Marion said. “This is a good start.”

“Indeed. I have placed my trust in you both, hoping that you would not betray me. Prince Coyne,” Alex spoke while looking at Jared “has been a valuable instrument in helping me to restore this world to what it should be. Without him, this never could have happened. I want to both thank, and apologize to you both. Our hold on your lands… was misguided. I apologize for the pain that we – I – have caused. To me, this was never more than a mission. To you, I can imagine it would be devastating. You have my deepest apologies, and I am in your debt.” Marion and Jared both sobered up after that, and Jared nodded.

“That’s not all,” Jared said. “I do appreciate your statement, but in order to satisfy that debt we have other terms. In the condition that you win your war, the kingdoms, tribes, and people of Ironia demand a truce to keep war off of our doorstep. You must swear that you will never sanction any attack or raid against us again.”

“Done,” said Carl, with Alex nodding. “We’ve been prepared for that. We want to offer the same terms between Ironia and Nabius as were offered between Tomacia and Nabius. Additionally, I speak for Tomacia when I say that we will offer a treaty between our two nations as well.” Marion raised an eyebrow at that, and addressed Carl. Alex noticed that she seemed to be much less hostile towards his husband, which made sense.

“Was Ironia ever in danger of a conflict with Tomacia?” she asked dryly.

“Of course not,” replied Carl. “But I don’t think it hurts.”

“Very well,” said Jared. “We would be happy to accept that as well.”

“Finally,” Marion piped up, “we demand reparations made for the lives of our people. My father and brothers, and all of the Ironians that have been scarred by the deplorable ideas of Nabius deserve recompense.”

“What kind of reparations are you asking for?” asked Alex.

“Lives. I want every Ironian servant, slave, warrior, or otherwise to return to Ironia.” This request did surprise Alex, but he found that it was logical.

“I don’t control every Ironian in Nabius,” he pointed out.

“We’re aware of that. If you win your war, we presume that you would have the authority to make such a call, yes?”

“I suppose that’s true.”

“Good. This portion of our contract can be fulfilled at the conclusion of your rebellion. For now, I only demand the Ironians under your command to be released to us. That can start with him,” Marion said while pointing to Luca. Luca looked caught off guard by that, and looked at Alex. After a moment, he cleared his throat.

“I assume that your clause allows Ironians free will, does it not?”

“Of course it does,” Marion snapped.

“Excellent. I will return to Nabius, then.” Marion’s mouth dropped open at that, as if she couldn’t fathom the idea of an Ironian not wanting to return to their homelands.

Thank you, Luca, Alexandre thought while internally celebrating the win. His response and conviction had been immediate, and Alex wondered if he knew just how much his testimony could help. Maybe he was just born with dipolmacy as a gift.

“Why on earth would you not want to come back?” Luca reflected on that for a moment before answering, and Alex could tell he was doing his best to appear friendly and polite.

“My home is in Nabius now. Though it’s true that I did not initially go to the country willingly… I have made my place there. And Alexandre and Carlisle are forging a new future that I want to be a part of.” Marion began to open her mouth, but Alex spoke up faster so that he could avoid dwelling on the topic. If Marion wanted to question Luca later, she would be more than welcome to.

“I think that we have sufficient records to give all Ironians the chance to leave. I give you my word that I will allow it. If a large number of them choose to depart, however, note that this may hurt my efforts in the war.”

“That’s not my problem,” Marion said. Alex looked to Jared for mercy but found none there. He supposed that was to be expected.

Hopefully I don’t lose too many men. I don’t think I will as all of the men under my command are paid and given decent living standards, but I guess that’s just a consequence of this all. Hopefully any Ironians that leave are offset by the Nabians that were once my father’s being returned from the Monciet territory. That at least should help.

“Okay,” Alex said. “I agree to that. Should I be crippled as a result, do I have leave to request military assistance from Ironia? You have a regional advantage on several territories of Nabius, and we could close in on a few generals in a vice grip if we work together.”

“You have your leave to request all you like,” said Marion with a scoff. “It doesn’t mean that we’ll come to your aid.” Alex looked at Jared for confirmation, and he wore a neutral expression.

“Marion and I discussed this prior to this meeting. We will not provide any military assistance to your war effort. Should your rebellion fail, it would only make things worse for us on the backend.”

“Should the rebellion fail, things will be bad for you already.”

“I know. I’m sorry, but we just can’t risk our peoples’ lives for a Nabian cause. We’ve lost too much already.” This was not the news that Alex wanted to hear, but he had been prepared for this as well. Gaining military power through Ironia had been extremely unlikely, especially given his history with the Ironian leaders.

“I understand.”

“Good,” said Marion. “That brings us to our last condition. Once this is all over, you will stand trial in Ironia for the murder of my family.” Carl began to protest, speaking loudly.

“You can’t just offer a treaty and then condemn the other party to – “

“Done,” Alex said. “I’ll do it.” This stunned both Marion and Carl into silence, and Jared had his gaze fixed on Alex.

He’s looking for signs that I’m lying, Alex knew.

“I’ll come back here when everything is in order. Should the changes I institute and the foundation I create not outweigh the harm that I’ve caused, I will accept the consequences that you place on me. I don’t intend for some people to be held accountable while others are not. I would be happy to face your trial.”

“Okay,” Jared said quietly. “I guess that settles that. We’ll get it all in writing as we eat. You are all welcome to stay within the castle – we’ve had rooms prepared for you.”

“Okay,” said Alex. He wanted to breathe a sigh of relief at having gotten through the opening of the night on a relatively good note, but the tension returned to his chest when Marion spoke up again.

“One more thing,” she said. “Actually, two. Any of the Nabians that have committed a crime while they’re here – what do you expect to be done with them?”

“Crime?”

“Many have raped or killed during their stay in our lands. Thievery is rampant, and the general treatment of my people has been awful.”

“Try them as you see fit,” Alex said with a shrug. “If they’ve committed crimes, they deserve the punishment for it. Execute them, if it was severe enough. This is your call.” Alex realized too late that his nonchalance around suggesting execution probably didn’t do anything to tame Marion’s assumption that he was a cold-blooded killer, but he hoped it wouldn’t set him back too much.

“I see. That’s very fair.” Alex nodded, glad she thought that he was being reasonable.

This is almost going too easily.

“And my husband?”

“I’ve heard he was a drunken mess, even when under my father’s command. Did he commit an offense as well?”

“He beat and defiled me for many months after our marriage.” That admission couldn’t have been easy, and Alex felt guilty.

“Then kill him. I’ve heard you have maimed him anyway – it may be time to put him out of his misery.” Marion nodded again, agreeing with the assessment.

“Okay, I will.”

“Good.”

That was another easy question.

“What was your other topic to bring up?” Carl asked.

“Ah, yes,” Marion said. “When we toast to begin this meeting please don’t drink the wine, general. It’s laced with peanut – I’ve heard you’re deathly allergic.”

Oh, Alex thought with a frown. There it is. I knew this had gone too well.

“Thank you for the warning,” Alex said.

How in all the hells did she know about that? No one outside of my family and Alfie knows about that.

“Sure. Well, let’s begin. A toast!” Marion said while holding her goblet up.

“Hear hear,” said Jared, raising his as well. Everyone around the table raised a glass, and Alex went for the water.

“To the future,” Jared said.

***

The remainder of the feast went very well in Luca’s view. Getting the details of the contract ironed out had taken several hours, and there had been input on all sides. Marion Monciet had been critical of every aspect of the writing, and nitpicked at every clause that she could. Luca thought that Alexandre had done a marvelous job at being accommodating and agreeable, and let her get her way for the most part. There were a couple of times that he didn’t back down, and either Jared or Carl had intervened to find a neutral solution. Luca had only chimed in a couple of times around the more practical aspects of managing putting the treaty into action, but otherwise silently observed and picked at the feast that was set before him. Eamon held his hand under the table the entire time, slowly stroking his thumb on the back of Luca’s hand.

Luca gave Eamon’s hand a squeeze when things eventually wrapped up, and Eamon returned it shortly afterwards. Marion mentioned that she would walk them to their rooms. Luca piped up that he and Eamon could share a room, and Marion gave a surprised glance between them.

“Oh,” she said. “I see.” Luca got up, and walked ahead of Eamon while linking fingers with him from behind. Luca guided him, and Eamon used a staff to form gentle sweeps around his feet as he walked. Before they entered the castle, Marion turned around towards Luca. There were several meters from the center of the Courtyard, where Jared, Carl, and Alex still sat talking.

“Your name is Luca, correct?”

“Yes, your highness.”

“You may call me Marion.”

“Yes, Marion.”

“Did you really mean what you said back there? If you were intimidated into saying that you would rather stay in Nabius, know that we could take you in. Jared can protect you.” Luca smiled, having anticipated that Marion would ask.

“I meant every word.” Marion gave Eamon a long look up and down, and rephrased the question.

“Is the sexy bodyguard the only reason you’re staying in Nabius?” Luca felt himself go red at that, and was surprised by Marion's disregard for propriety.

“I’m right here, you know,” said Eamon. “Blind, not deaf.” Marion cracked a smile at that, and so did Luca.

“Sorry.”

“No worries.”

“To answer your question,” Luca said, “the answer is still that I meant every word. Sure Eamon is a part of it… but the world needs more people like Alex, not less. He’s not a bad guy you know.” Marion’s face went a little darker, but Luca thought that he saw traces of sadness, rather than the anger that had been on display all evening before this.

“I have evidence to the contrary. I witnessed it myself.” Luca felt as if he wasn’t sure what he should say, or how to respond.

“I’m sure… he regrets it…” Luca said slowly. He let that hang in the air for a while, until eventually Marion sighed.

“I imagined that he would be easier to hate. Like all of the worst qualities of my current husband, magnified. You know I was once going to be married to Alex, right?”

“I know,” Luca said. “It was one of the things that he thought was the most unfair of all. Both to him and you. As a matter of fact, that’s one of the things that started this whole war.”

“How so?” Luca could tell that he had sparked curiosity in the Ironian monarch and hoped that the story would help.

“It’s part of why he ran. Instead of marrying you, he left the estate and joined a gladiatorial slave ring. As one of the slaves,” Luca added, when Marion clearly began to question what Luca was saying. “He thought it was wrong to have to marry you after what he had done to your family, and had eyes on another anyway.”

“I can see that,” noted Marion with a glance in Carl’s direction. He had noticed her admiring the other Prince during dinner, but couldn’t really blame her.

After all, I think Carl is handsome too. As is Alex, for that matter.

“That’s where I met him. In the ring. I was a slave at the time.”

“And he bought you?”

“No,” said Luca with a laugh. The statement brought a smile to Eamon’s face as well, and Marion looked between them. “He merely befriended me. I escaped on my own, and made my way to him. He’s protected me ever since.” The curiosity in Marion’s eyes died, and her bitterness returned.

“So he didn’t actually do a thing to get you out. Got it.”

“No,” Luca contradicted her. “He has been liberating prisoners of war since meeting Carl. He started a war to fight for people like me.”

“He started a war so he could bed who he wants to,” Marion said with a roll of her eyes.

“That isn’t true. Even if it’s part of the reason, he does have the best intentions. Pardon my frankness Marion, but you need to recognize the difference between abusers and leaders. Alex is one of the latter, and I’ve seen him quash the former with steadfast determination. By no means is he perfect, but he's not pure evil either.” Marion seemed to be receptive to listening again after that, and she rubbed a hand over her bald head.

“Okay. I’ll try to keep an open mind. Jared – Prince Coyne – told me to do the same thing. If there’s anyone to trust here tonight, it’s an Ironian former slave. I’m sorry that you’ve been through what you have,” she said. Luca felt that her words were sincere, and he accepted them gratefully.

“I’m sorry that you’ve been through what you have as well. I know it’s not easy.” Tears welled up in Marion’s eyes, and she used the cuffs of her dress to wipe at them.

“Yeah. Lets hope that we do get more leaders, and less abusers in the world someday.”

“I’m certain that we will.” Luca did his best to give a confident smile, and hoped that it would reach through to Marion.

“Speaking of,” said Eamon. “I don’t mean to be indelicate, as I know you two are having a moment here… but there’s something that Luca and I wanted to address with you, Marion.”

“What is that?” she asked. Her emotions had clearly been taken on a ride that evening, and Luca felt bad for her.

“We know that you’ve been associating with one of the worst abusers of all Nabius for quite some time. Why?”

“What…”

“Jezebel Di Coteau,” Luca said flatly. He could see the panic on her face when he spoke the name, which had confirmed his guess. Eamon had picked up on it as well, and they wanted to investigate the connection.

“How do you know about that? How do you know I know her?”

“The peanut allergy. It’s a weakness that only a select few are aware of. It’s how she killed her uncle, and I saw her do it.”

“Oh.” Luca saw relief hit her, and this immediately raised his suspicions. He wondered about their connection, and why it came as a relief to her that they had deduced it from that rather than by some other means. He knew that there was more to that story but catalogued that for the future. “Yes, we’ve been in contact.”

“Marion…” Luca began, “Jezebel is quite literally the exact thing that you described hating. I promise that she is far worse than your husband could ever be and has caused far more harm to more people than Alex has or will in his live. Even starting a war, I doubt he could match creating the anguish that Jezebel inflicts on her victims just for pleasure.” Marion looked shocked at this, and Eamon reaffirmed Luca’s assertions.

“It’s true. She’s the reason I’m blind, and she’s cruel beyond belief. She’s tried to kill us all at some point or another, and I have no doubt she’ll turn on you given half a chance.”

“Adder venom,” Marion said with a nod. She reached out and touched the skin around Eamon’s face, and he stood still while she examined him. “I recognized the marks from the poison as soon as I saw you. It leaves such distinct marks on the skin. You’ve healed nicely from it though – it just looks like there’s a little pink around your eyes. Had I not known otherwise, I would barely be able to tell that you were blind. Have your eyes always been gray? You practically look unaffected, still so very handsome.” Marion had meant that last statement to be gracious, but Luca rolled his eyes while knowing that it would go to Eamon’s head.

Like he needs a bigger ego.

“It’s true,” Luca added. He undid some of the string that kept his white linen shirt closed towards the top of his chest, and showed Marion the mark that Jezebel had given him by pouring acid on him when he was being tortured. “I have marks all over my body, and almost none of them are from my time in slavery – they’re from her.” Marion went a little pale at that, and Luca closed his shirt back up.

“I guess… I thought… I didn’t know she is like that. We’ve only met a few times, and always under good pretenses. Thank you for letting me know. I’ll make sure to take that into consideration.” Luca nodded, feeling accomplished.

“Great.”

If nothing else, at least we’ve given her something else to think about. This whole thing might actually work out, Luca thought cheerfully. Now I’m ready for bed.

***

After Luca, Marion, and Eamon had gone into the castle to retire for the night, Carl stayed in the courtyard with Alex and Jared. The three had broken out a barrel of ale, which Carl knew Alexandre much preferred to wine. After getting through all of the tediousness of creating a contract, Carl was glad that the three could meet on more cordial grounds. Carl hoped that this would help to solidify their relationship with Ironia. Tensions were still a bit too high for any of them to have more than two ales, but their conversation had moved to less tense subjects toward the conclusion of the evening.

“I know I’ve never seen an ox that large,” Alex said with disbelief. “That can’t possibly be true.”

“It is,” insisted Jared. “Ironia has wildlife that only stays in our lands. The ecosystems here can support much larger animals, though the sightings of certain species have declined dramatically in the past few decades. You know, I once was playing in a field as child when I saw an entire hill move. At first I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. As it turns out, it was just a great tortoise. They’re so large and slow that full trees and bushes can grow on the tops of their shells.”

“No way,” said Carl with a smile. “That’s impossible.”

“I don’t jest,” said Jared. “We have a few species here in the Monciet lands. I can take you to see some tomorrow before you depart.”

“I’ll look forward to it,” said Alex.

“Great. Have you ever been to Ironia before? I mean… besides then?” Jared became a little more somber when he asked that, and Carl noticed that Alex came close to flinching when he brought up the subject.

“No, I haven’t. I spent all of my life learning how to fight prior to my first time here.”

“I see. How about you, Carl?”

“Ah, yes. I’ve been before, but only a few times when I was younger. I came with my parents on business – I don’t really remember much.”

“Ah, that makes sense. They would have come during order meetings.”

“Order?” Alexandre’s confused question resonated with Carl, and he realized that he hadn’t explained too much about what his parents had told him when he was back in Tomacia.

“The Hallowed Order,” he replied. My parents and all of the Cathcarts before them were members. I know that there are others, but I’m not sure who or how many. From what I understand, it’s a secret society founded to… fight… bad things?” He finished the last statement with a question directed at Jared, who presumably would know more. The Ironian prince smiled at that, and nodded.

“That’s it, in a nutshell. Mostly, they’re dedicated to facing down existential threats that face everyone – national borders and political concerns aside. There are certainly some that use it to gain influence, but most members have the common good in mind. That’s as much as I can say.”

“I see,” said Alex. “Are there any Nabians in the order?”

“Yes, of course,” said Jared with surprise. “I’m surprised that you don’t know more. I’d give you some names if I could… but I can’t. I’ll say that you definitely know a few of them, and some are closer than you might expect.” Alexandre’s eyebrows furrowed at that, and Carl’s mind began to wander too. “Actually,” said Jared with a look at Carl, “I’m surprised you don’t know more too Prince Cathcart. Didn’t your parents ever tell you about us?”

“No. I mean, they had me read up on some history about it and had planned to introduce me once this was all over. As far as I could tell, the order wasn’t really much to gawk over.”

“Interesting,” said Jared. “I’m not sure what their motivations were for not inducting you sooner, but all is well. I do think you both should consider joining in the aftermath of this war. Based on our conversation tonight and your current stance on the way of the world, I think you would be excellent candidates for membership.”

“What is the benefit to us?” asked Alexandre. Carl cringed inwardly at his husband’s direct pragmatism, but also had the question on his mind.

“It’s altruistic,” Jared said plainly.

“I see. We will certainly reach out to you in the case that it’s something we would like to pursue.”

“Excellent. I’ll look forward to it. I think there are many ways that we can work more closely together in the future. But be warned – betray us, and we will not hesitate in crushing you. Even if we don’t win against you in a fight, Ironia will do everything in it’s power to bring Nabius down should you fail to uphold our bargain.” Alex smiled at that last statement, and Carl could tell that he respected the Prince for his show of bravado.

“I knew I would like you. I’m glad that we came.”

***

Jared did one last sweep of the courtyard once everyone from the summit had gone into the castle, and made sure that the servants in attendance wouldn’t have to stay out too late to clean up. Their days started early, and Jared always felt bad when he was a host of a late night event. He helped clean a few things himself and carried dishes into the servant’s quarters. Everyone working asked him not to do this and debase himself with petty chores, but Jared waved them off amicably. On his last round for the night, he saw a new wagon being pulled into the storage area. He didn’t recognize it or realize that shipments were in the habit of coming in so late, so he walked over to the girl who commandeered the horses that were pulling it.

“Excuse me miss,” he said. The girl turned around, and her eyes widened slightly when she took in his royal garb.

“Prince Coyne,” she said with a curtsy. “How may I help you?”

“Do they always make you work so late? How often do overnight shipments come in?”

“Oh, not too often,” she said dismissively. Jared noticed that she didn’t make eye contact, and balled up a fistful of dress when she spoke.

Why is she nervous?

“Isn’t it a bit risky to travel alone with a wagon full of supplies in the middle of the night?”

“I… I suppose it could be, your highness. I’m not paid to ask such questions.”

“And who pays you?” This caught the girl off guard, and Jared could feel his suspicions growing by the second.

“Lady Marion, of course.”

“What’s in the wagon? It smells.” Jared could now smell the scent more strongly, and felt like it was getting stronger.

“Oh, just some alchemical supplies.”

“A whole wagon full?”

“Again your highness, I’m not paid to question deliveries.”

“Please let me inspect.”

“I’m really not supposed to – “

“Now.” The girl grimaced, and unlaced the canvas covering overtop the storage area. Jared saw a heap of black powder, and the memory of that same substance came rushing back to him.

I knew I had smelled that somewhere before. Images of enemies rushing the field before the wallfort came flooding through Jared’s mind in quick flashes. Enemies rode their horses through the woods to charge towards the most ostentatious tent in Alexandre’s encampment. When they finally made it there, Alex gave the signal to apply fire to the very same substance Jared was looking at now, and the reaction was catastrophic. The ensuing explosion had severely maimed Dmitri Orr’s army, and had been a key to victory. This is a weapon.

Jared looked back towards the woman he had been questioning and fixed a hard stare on her. “Who really sent you?” The girl made to run, but Jared had drawn his sword and held the tip at her throat faster than she could even react.

“Don’t think about it. Were you alone?” She nodded, too nervous to say anything.

“Good. You’re coming with me. Let’s have a chat with Marion about this.”