Vol.4 Ch.12 – Negotiations

Chapter 12: Negotiations

The next morning I woke up with a comforting weight on my left side. I opened my eyes and looked at Anna's relaxed face, mere inches away from mine. I smiled and turned to my other side, expecting to find Alisha there, but the bed to my right was empty. I looked around to find my little elf and saw her at the desk, poring over the little notebook she'd earned last night.

I carefully extricated myself from Anna, trying not to wake her up, but when I pulled my arm away and her head dipped a little she opened her eyes.

She smiled at me and then cuddled back into the pillow, not yet wanting to get out of bed as I made my way to Alisha.

I was a little worried. Last night had been really, really intense and after waking up to find her at her desk rather than in bed with us I was worried it might have been too much for her after all. The mere thought of her being upset made me queasy.

My worries only grew worse when I saw Alisha scribbling on a sheet of parchment with increasing frustration as she grumbled under her breath. I wasn't quite sure how to address her when she turned around and looked at me.

Instantly a radiant smile replaced the frown on her face as she said: “Good morning.”

I sagged in relief and leaned down to kiss the top of her head to her giggles. “What's got you so frustrated?" I asked. “Are the ingredients too hard to get?”

She went back to grumbling again.

“What's wrong?" I asked.

In response she held the notebook up for my inspection. “Look at this nonsense. I can't make heads or tails of this.”

I blinked, then focused on the writing. She wasn't wrong. This was gibberish, completely unintelligible. It was a strange combination of normal words in the common tongue, weird pictograms and squiggly lines I couldn't begin to guess at.

I looked over to Anna, who took one look at us trying to decipher her nonsense before she started tittering. “I'm sorry, is my shorthand too much for you?”

“Grrr," Alisha growled. “You tricked me. You knew this would be worthless for me.”

“I didn't trick you," the herbalist said. “I never claimed that the notebook would help you in any way. You assumed that when you tried to take it from me.”

Alisha frowned. “So now what?”

Anna's smile was huge. “Now you give me back my notebook and then we can discuss how you can earn the information you want, just as I wanted from the start.” And then she pulled the blanket away from her naked body and made a very lewd gesture involving one hand close to her lips and the other between her legs.

“Slut," Alisha said, but she was smiling hugely as she said it.

**

After the two of them finished discussing terms we had a quick breakfast before we sat back down with Alisha's father and his wives again. He seemed to have calmed down considerably, thankfully, though if I was honest I was a little disappointed I wouldn't get to fuck with him some more. Annoying petty authoritarians was my favorite pastime, after all.

Much more worrying was the way one of Chief Silvermoon's wives was looking at Alisha and me, amused and ever-so-slightly smug. Now, after visiting my mom and her sister wives there was little about me and my women that I still felt embarrassed about, but I wasn't sure I was fine with Alisha's moms knowing the kinds of things we got up to in the bedroom. Especially not if they already suspected me of forcing myself on her.

“I hope you all have had a good night's rest," the chief said, his voice calm. It didn't even sound strained anymore. I was impressed. Either Sheila had come through and convinced him I wasn't a bad partner for their daughter or he had just managed to bottle his anger up again.

“Yes," Anna said, “thank you.” I walked up next to her and pulled the chair opposite the chief out for her. She sat down and gave me a quiet “Thank you” before she turned back to the chief. “Now then, how about we begin like civilized people? I believe introductions are in order.”

“Of course," he said, sounding a little eager. He was probably hoping Anna would let his previous transgressions slide but I knew damn well she wouldn't. She would merely wait for the opportune moment to leverage the slights he'd dealt us and thus by extension the royal family against him. “My name is Ruaidhrí, chief of the Silvermoon tribe of Wood Elves. You may call me Chief Silvermoon. These are my wives and advisors, Sheila, Niamh and Erin.” He indicated each of his women as he said their names.

Sheila we already knew, of course.

Niamh was the one who had tried to brush aside her husband's improprieties and I was instantly suspicious of her. She was a very attractive woman, curvy for an elf, pale of skin and with midnight-black hair and blood-red lips, but there was a calculating look in her eyes that I didn't much care for. She met my gaze and from the way her expression changed she clearly thought she'd met a kindred spirit.

Erin was a gorgeous redhead, her mane of flowing red hair almost as luxurious as Yume's, and she had a liberal dusting of freckles all the way down to her generous cleavage. She was the one who had been giving Alisha and me the smug look when we'd entered the room.

“Thank you," Anna said, then indicated us. “These four are my bodyguards on this trip as well as my lovers.” She said the last rather pointedly. In any other situation I would have thought she was staking a claim but in this situation I knew she'd said it to emphasize just how much they had fucked up in trying to attack me. “Alisha, of course, needs no introduction, Selene is a paladin of the goddess Freya” – I winced but to my surprise Selene didn't seem to take issue with that statement – “Yume is a spellblade of the southern realm, and Felix is a seasoned adventurer, known far and wide as the Godsforsaken.”

The usual moment of shocked silence didn't come and I wondered just how out of touch with the rest of the kingdom these Wood Elves were.

“Your lovers, huh?" Erin asked quietly as her gaze fell down to the pendant Anna wore.

I loosened the upper button of my tunic so the necklace around my own neck was easier to see. When Yume and Selene noticed Erin's intense gaze their eyes, too, flicked to Anna's throat and I saw them smiling as they noticed it.

But what held my attention was Niamh's reaction. She looked as if she'd just bitten into a pastry and found half a cockroach inside. I only just managed to hide my smile because I understood what the reaction had been about.

She had just realized just how hard her husband had fucked up by threatening me. He hadn't merely threatened a princess' bodyguard, he'd tried to threaten a princess' consort. If Anna declared me her husband the way Alisha had she'd have every right to have the chief executed on the spot. I mean, I knew she wouldn't do that. Even if Anna were that kind of person she knew she would hurt Alisha if she did. Of course that didn't mean she wasn't going to take advantage of the situation in her negotiations, though.

“So, that means Alisha..." the chief began.

“Yes," Anna said plainly. “Technically your daughter is now part of the royal family. So if you fear a loss of face because your daughter broke off her engagement to a Chosen One I believe you are severely misjudging the situation.”

“Well," he began, his tone suggesting that he wanted to argue the point, but before he could continue Niamh's fingers dug into his shoulder and he shut up with a wince.

Well, if he'd married her to gain an advisor he was clearly getting his mun's worth.

“I suppose we should get to why you decided to pay us a visit in the first place," Erin said.

“Certainly," Anna said with a nod. The expression on her face would have looked friendly to someone who hadn't spent the last few weeks getting to know her. “The crown wishes to inquire whether the Wood Elves still stand by their old oaths.” The words sounded oddly formal but then she lost the stilted tone as she finished: “Though given our reception I suppose I already have my answer.”

“Now now," the chief said. “I admit that, in hindsight, I did act rashly but I still hold that I acted reasonably given the information I had been working with.”

Anna was about to rebuke him but he pressed on:

“Which one of the old oaths did the crown wish to speak of?”

Anna took a deep breath and calmed down before she said: “The defense of the realm against the forces from Outside.”

I made sure to study all four of them carefully as Anna said those words and was gratified to see the familiar expression of disgust on all their faces. Even Niamh, schemer that she was, seemed to be genuinely revolted at the mention of the Outsiders.

“Death to the Outer Gods and all their spawn," Chief Silvermoon said. “The oaths were founded on our mutual hatred of those vile beings and we stand by them to this day.”

“In fact," Erin said, “those same oaths were part of the reason we reacted so... poorly to the news the Chosen One had brought us.”

I frowned at that and when I looked at my girls I saw that same confusion on all their faces. Except for Anna. She nodded in understanding.

Thankfully she seemed to realize they'd lost us because she asked, evidently for our benefit: “Are you all familiar with the stories surrounding Great Hero Albrecht?”

I blinked. Of course I knew Great Hero Albrecht. Albrecht, also known as Starfall Albrecht, was practically my idol. He'd slain over a dozen Dark Lords and saved the kingdom from a cult of the King in Yellow. I sometimes hoped I would leave a legacy half as impressive as his, not that that would happen, given that the gods weren't going to keep my tale alive for centuries the way they had done for him.

“Not enough to know how it relates to this," Selene admitted.

Yume was obviously not familiar either, not being from this kingdom, and Alisha seemed confused as well. Even I wasn't sure what exactly his story had to do with the Wood Elves.

Anna nodded. “Great Hero Albrecht counted an elven ranger among his closest companions. A Wood Elf from the Silvermoon tribe, to be precise. And it was in large parts thanks to both of their efforts that they managed to root out the cult of the King in Yellow.”

“I myself am descendant of his line," Sheila said. “It was how my husband ended up as chief of our tribe, by marrying into my family. And for generations my family has honored the tradition of wedding our eldest daughters to Chosen Ones, in the hopes of being part of the next Great Hero's legacy. Alisha was to continue this tradition.”

Alisha tapped her lip before she said: “Well, mother, if you had told me of this legacy earlier I would have dumped the Chosen One much sooner.”

“What?!" the chief asked, getting agitated again.

“Felix here has already killed eleven Dark Lords and assisted in killing over a dozen others. And the five of us are currently doing our best to fend off the schemes of a group of Outsider cultists. He's practically a Great Hero already.”

The chief and his wives looked at me differently then, less hostile and more calculating. Well, except for Erin, who gave me an even more pleasant smile than before. I began to wonder if she might not be even more devious than Niamh underneath that friendliness.

“Did you say you're dealing with an Outsider cult?" the chief asked. “Is this the reason for this visit?”

“In part," Anna said. “The five of us were instrumental in preventing these cultists from enacting a plan that might have seen the capital overrun with creatures loyal to the Black Goat. In the aftermath of this the queen decided to shore up the kingdom's defenses against the Outsiders, calling upon old oaths if need be.”

“And ours if one of those oaths," Sheila summarized.

“Precisely," Anna said. “And so, according to those oaths I was sent to negotiate for your aid in this matter.”

And that was the crux of the matter. They had sworn an oath to assist in such situations but they hadn't sworn to do so for free. Under normal circumstances they would be allowed to bargain for quite a bit in exchange for their assistance, but now Anna would be able to leverage his transgressions in order to bring down the price the crown would have to pay. Quite drastically too, if she did it well.

“In that case it would be an honor to deal with you, princess," the chief said.

Anna nodded, her expression suggesting that she'd been expecting nothing less and that everything that had happened before had merely been a distraction. “Now then, let me begin by reiterating the right of the Silvermoon clan to self-govern, as granted in the aftermath of the Unification War. None of what we discuss today will have any impact on this right.”

Chief Silvermoon nodded.

“Now," Anna continued, “thanks to Alisha we know a little of the troubles your race is facing and how you intend to deal with them.” She was of course referring to their declining birthrates and their idea of cross-breeding with humans and then having the half-elf offspring sire children with purebred elves, as such a union would result in children that were indistinguishable from purebred elves, as evidenced by Alisha.

Chief Silvermoon seemed a little taken aback but when he locked eyes with Alisha he didn't look upset.

“Given these issues I believe I can suggest a mutually beneficial way to strengthen the kingdom's defenses," Anna said.

“Please go on," the chief said.

“I believe it would be most beneficial to set up a barracks for the Royal Guard in your village.”

Chief Silvermoon seemed like he was about to object but Anna pressed on:

“As I already stated, this would not violate your clan's right to self-govern. These Royal Guards would have no authority over you and yours. They would merely be stationed here so that, in case of an Outsider attack, they could be used as focus points for Homeward miracles cast by your clerics so you can quickly send reinforcements out of this forest.”

Chief Silvermoon considered this and nodded.

“Likewise," Anna continued, “we would set up a garrison for some of your soldiers in the capital, so that we may support you in case Outsiders show up here.”

The chief nodded again and then said: “I see the wisdom in this plan, princess. I do not see in what way this helps us with our current problem.”

Before Anna could explain Sheila cut in: “You're expecting these soldiers of either side to... mingle with the population they find themselves in, aren't you?”

“Indeed," Anna said.

“It is an interesting plan," Sheila said. “And I do admit it has the potential to solve our problems for us, but I see an issue.”

“What kind of issue?" Anna asked.

“If such soldiers were to settle down with their new spouses it might affect the place the Homeward miracle keys to when cast upon them, making them useless for their intended purpose.”

Anna nodded. “That would have been my next suggestion. We would create a rotation that would let us cycle through soldiers so that nobody would end up staying so long that their Homeward link might deteriorate. If they found a spouse during their stay they could either take them with them or be given leave to start a family.”

“A rotation," Chief Silvermoon said. “And you are certain this would work?”

“The royal family has been employing a similar system throughout most of the kingdom for centuries," Anna said. “What I have been sent out to do here essentially amounts to bringing some of the more independent territories within the kingdom's borders into the fold, so to speak. Well, minus the exchange program. That is a concession to you.”

Sheila and Erin were subconsciously nodding their heads, eager to accept Anna's proposal. Chief Silvermoon seemed to be considering it still, no doubt imagining how much influence this would gain his tribe.

Niamh, meanwhile, tapped a finger against her lip. “I suppose we should discuss payment, then.”

Anna raised an eyebrow. “I just offered to save your race from extinction. That is your payment.”

Niamh shook her head. “You have to admit, princess, that there is a much higher chance of an invasion happening outside of this forest rather than inside it. So us having to send you help is much more likely than you having to send us help. As such, I believe it is only reasonable for you to pay us. Consider it... upkeep for the troops you would be receiving in case of an emergency.”

It wasn't an unreasonable request. What Anna was asking for was essentially a liege levy. And nobles were normally reimbursed for troops taken as levy. Except...

“Very well then," Anna said. Her tone of voice was sharp enough to cut glass as she continued: “In exchange for your assistance you will gain not only protection in case the Outsiders do decide to attack you rather than us and the ability to save your race from extinction and gain the power and influence of being the tribe that facilitated it, but also forgiveness for your transgressions against me and mine.”

Niamh had that look again of swallowing something vile. Chief Silvermoon was halfway out of his chair and only Erin's hand on his shoulder kept him down.

“Preposterous!" he shouted nevertheless. “That is in no way equivalent!”

Anna stayed perfectly calm at the outburst and said: “Let me explain to you what exactly you did. Your people threatened my consort. Multiple of your guards drew your weapons on us on your orders.”

“I didn't kn—" Chief Silvermoon began but Anna cut him off.

“I do not care. The fact that you threatened without verifying the information you received makes it worse, not better. Now, if I inform the queen of your transgressions the very least you can expect is that you would be publicly flogged and then replaced by an agent of the crown. And that is if she doesn't simply decide to raze this forest in retaliation. “The only reason I'm even considering letting this slide is because of Alisha. I would rather not hurt her by having her family disgraced, but I do have my limits. And you just about reached them when you commanded your guards to arrest Felix even after he already had to defend us from said guards.“And despite this unfathomable insult you gave me I am willing to not only show mercy but actively help you deal with a problem your race is facing. And I am not merely offering to help your race, I am offering your tribe the opportunity to save your race.“I am aware of how Wood Elf politics work. I am aware of the Round Table of tribal chiefs, all of them technically equals but each of them vying for power and control. I am also aware of how powerful the deal I proposed would make the Silvermoon tribe.“So, this is my offer. Take it or leave it and face the consequences.”

Athena's bush. I'd never seen Anna like this. I knew she was smart and I knew she was competent but I never knew she could be this ruthless if necessary.

And the best part was, her proposal was still incredibly beneficial for both parties. She had merely maneuvered them into a corner from which they couldn't even dare to make any more demands. She'd given them exactly what they needed and taken what she wanted.

And still, Niamh tried to haggle: “Now, princess, I'm sure Alisha wouldn't appreciate the way you're forcing us into this.” And then she looked over to Alisha with an almost hopeful expression. Erin and the chief did the same but Sheila looked down at the ground, ashamed. Apparently at least Alisha's mom knew how this would go.

And I savored the moment as Alisha stared at her father and her mother's sister wives. “I don't know what you're trying to appeal to me for. You never gave me a choice in anything I did. Even becoming a priestess was a privilege I fought for, tooth and nail. And the one time I did what I believed was right even if it went against your wishes ended with you threatening my husband.”

All four of them rocked back as if Alisha had slapped them.

“Besides, her offer is giving you everything you wanted. More, really. She merely leveraged your appalling behavior into keeping you from making unreasonable demands," Alisha paused and looked her father dead in the eyes as she finished: “As you are wont to do.”

“You ungrateful little..." Niamh began but both Erin and Sheila clamped a hand over her mouth.

At least the two of them had understood the situation. Right now the entire future of their tribe was in Alisha's hands. Alisha was currently poised to gather more influence and status for their tribe than any elf in living memory had done, but if Alisha decided to disown her family after the way they had treated her then none of that glory would reflect on them. So the very last thing they should do right now was to insult Alisha and alienate her any further.

Except scorn and indifference were pretty much all she'd received from them thus far and I was curious how they would deal with the shift in the power dynamic.

“Alright honey," Sheila said. “You're right. I admit we made mistakes when it came to the way we raised you. And I apologize for that.”

I felt a 'but' coming. I could see the way Sheila wanted to add a 'but' to that sentence. But instead, with a monumental effort, she kept it in, giving Alisha nothing more and nothing less than an admission of guilt.

Alisha gave a terse nod and then looked at the others.

“Are you at least planning to have children with him?" Chief Silvermoon asked his daughter.

“Of course," Alisha said. “And depending on how you treat me from here on out you might even get to meet them.”

He grit his teeth but then visibly calmed down and nodded. “When—”

He was interrupted by Erin. “Don't you worry about the details, love. Judging by the sounds I heard on my way to the bedroom yesterday the two of them are already hard at work. It probably explains why Alisha was in such a foul mood yesterday. The poor girl was moon-drunk and had to sit in a meeting with us for hours.”

Alisha and Sheila both flushed scarlet and my cheeks felt like they were on fire as well. I looked at Erin again and saw a knowing look in her eyes. Yeah, she knew exactly what she was doing. She was diffusing the situation with humor while also reassuring her husband and subtly hinting that she approved of our relationship. Of the chief's three women she was the one I least wanted as an enemy. She was scary smart, politically savvy and despite that she was also genuinely charming. Despite the utterly inappropriate remark I couldn't make myself be mad at her.

“Alright, fine," Chief Silvermoon finally said, quietly and clearly with great reluctance. “We accept your terms, princess.”

**

The rest of the way was spent hashing out the specifics, quotas and rotation times and the like, which I once again found as interesting as watching grass grow. It dragged on and at some point Erin took Alisha, Selene and me with her to get some lunch.

“I apologize for embarrassing you like that," she told us as we sat in the dining room from the night before, large bowls of salad in front of each of us.

The salad was nice, with a flavorful dressing and strips of wild fowl meat, mushrooms and croutons in it, and it was filling.

“I understand why you did it," I said.

Alisha was once again blushing but nodded as well.

“No need to be embarrassed," Erin said. “It's normal. It's just a shame that you aren't pregnant yet, but I doubt it would be all that convenient given the responsibilities you have right now.”

Alisha nodded again. “Right now I simply can't afford to be out of the fight.”

“What happened to you, Alisha?" Erin asked. “You were never this driven before.”

“I stopped listening to your expectations and decided to start doing what's right," Alisha said. “And right now that means ridding the world of these Outsiders. We can start thinking about children once we've made the world safe for them.”

“There's always another threat around the corner," Erin said wistfully.

“Not like this," Selene said. “This isn't just another Dark Lord terrorizing people, this is a threat to the world.”

“I mean yes, Outsiders are bad, but they've been causing trouble since forever," Erin countered.

Alisha took a deep breath, then said: “We met a delegation from Albion a while ago.”

Erin swallowed. “Sheila did mention something like this. Is it really true?”

“It is," Alisha said. “We met Knights of the Round Table. And even they knew something bad was coming. This isn't just some cultists stirring up trouble. They have this leader who calls herself the Holy Maiden. We don't know how strong she is but we know she was strong enough to turn a man into a Dark Lord of Shub-Niggurath.”

Erin shivered all over. “That shouldn't be possible.”

“And yet it was," Alisha said. “We fought him.”

“I don't doubt you," Erin said. “It's just... the idea that they could have that kind of influence on this world...”

“It's concerning," I said with a nod. “What Annabella proposed wasn't meant to put you in your place or anything, we're just genuinely worried. The fact that we just barely saved the capital from being overrun was a bit of a rough awakening for the queen.”

Erin looked me in the eyes and then nodded. “I believe you. I'll work on my husband and the others, make sure they understand the gravity of the situation.” She paused, then looked between me and Alisha. “But just a suggestion, he'll be much less obstinate if you don't threaten him with not getting to see his grandkids anymore.”

Alisha didn't even hesitate. “He can earn the privilege, then.”

Erin huffed in amusement. “Yeah, that's fair.” She paused as she looked at all of us. “Now, let's get some lunch for the others. They're probably famished by now.”