"Do you think I should wear royal crimson or dignitary gold?"
"What colour am I wearing, Alerith?" Her reply was flat as she smoothed out the invisible wrinkles in her attire
"Verdant green" It was said more as a question than a statement
"Good, wear the same; we can’t show up wearing different colours. Matching attire is a sign of unity"
knock knock knock
"Come in!" both said in unison
Slowly, the door creaked open as a chambermaid stepped in.
"Your Majesties," her head dipped in a polite bow, "The foreigners have arrived and are currently being escorted by palace footmen to their guest chambers, as per your instructions. The kitchen staff also report that they will need a minimum of 20 minutes more before the course is complete." Her head was still bowed as she added.
"20 minutes... hm... Let them settle in for 5 more minutes; then have the footmen escort them to the pond gazebo" Aithara’s gaze drifted to the now approaching Alerith. "I hope you’re ready"
"Not quite; I can’t find my mantle", Alerith’s voice came out, a sheepish murmur as he scratched his head.
"Wear mine. I have a second one, 3rd drawer to the left, 5th from the top; try not to misplace it before you find yours or have a new one sewn" Aithara’s gaze shifted back to the chambermaid. "Back to you, my dear. After passing the message on to the footmen, please ensure the gazebo is in prim and proper shape; if it isn’t, have palace maidens whip it into perfection as quickly as they can. You’re dismissed"
"Yes, thank you, Your Majesty"
...
The midday sun hung high above the west wing as Aithara and Alerith strolled unhurriedly across the gardens, making small talk about the upcoming diplomatic meeting, the possible personalities of the foreign diplomatic figures, and, of course, the food they’ll eat.
As they drew near the gazebo, the distant sound of their conversation began to mingle with the hushed chatter of the already seated dignitaries and the soft gurgling of the pond the gazebo stood above.
"Apologies for keeping you all waiting; my husband and I had some matters to attend to", Aithara greeted with a polite curtsy, as she waited for Alerith to say something in kind.
"..."
"Vael sereth ka Kareth corn-stalk, en velari te [Stop standing like a Kareth corn stalk and offer your greetings.]" Her tone was tight as she reminded her husband, making sure to say it in Vasytrian to avoid alerting their guests to his slight.
"Oh right! It is just as my wife said," he spat out hurriedly. "That aside," his tone slowed as he added, "I am King Alerith Glacei Farath, and this beautiful dawnpetal beside me is Queen Aithara Glacei Farath, the Sovereign Matriarch of Vasyti" After letting the words hang in the air for a moment, he offered a slight, almost imperceptible bow of his head, then took his seat.
"Okay," Aithara brought her hands together in a clap. "Although it appears to me that you all are well acquainted, let’s begin with a round of introductions for the sake of first-time formality. Before we get into the crux of this meeting."
"Alright" A pale-skinned lady, with bark-brown hair held together in a flower-decorated bun, wearing attire of an almost similar shade of green as Aithara and Alerith, spoke up first. "Representing Eryndor, I am Princess Elowen Ilyra; my pleasure to meet your Majesties" She remained seated as she said this; Eryndri culture or masked disrespect, I wasn’t sure.
A brown-skinned man got up to speak next, his curly hair hanging short down his face, his neck and fingers adorned with jewels sporting a crimson-orange hue. "Representing Kharvos, I am the Merchant Prince Marvek Darem. It is a pleasure to be here, and I must say, Queen Aithara, that shade of green really makes your pearlescent pale blue eyes pop." Alerith’s eyes narrowed as he heard the boy say this.
"It’s a pleasure to have you here", Alerith cut in tersely
"Oh... uhm, thank you, sir?" Marvek sat as he said.
"On behalf of all Alrians, I am King Orrek Tharven, and this is my wife, Queen Elryn Tharven. I trust this meeting will prove beneficial to us both," a slight bow of his head came after his simple introduction. King Tharven was a heavy-set man, presumably ripped too, due to the visible muscle definition despite the layers of clothing he had on. His wife’s skin was a warm cream colour; her features were a blend of the desirable feminine softness and the definition of a lady who knew how to put in work
The last to stand up was a younger girl; her skin, the colour of obsidian, glimmered softly in the midday sun. "I am Crowned Princess Nerisa Syren, here to represent Veylith," she offered a soft curtsy, then returned to her seated position.
Aithara waited until Nerisa had settled back into her seat before she finally spoke.
"Well, now that we have established who everyone is, I believe it is only appropriate that we establish why everyone is here."
Her gaze moved across the table, lingering briefly on each person there
"As you are all aware, Vasyti has undergone an unprecedented expansion. Land that did not exist within our borders weeks ago now connects us to territories we have had no direct contact with. That presents opportunities. It also presents problems."
Her hands folded before her as she paused, letting the obvious implication linger in the air
"So let us begin with the most obvious question. What does each of your kingdoms intend to do with this new connection?"
The gazebo fell into a deafening silence; Even Alerith was uncharacteristically serious as he watched each of them intently, almost as if he could see the gears turning within their heads
Princess Elowen was the first to break it.
"Eryndor wishes to establish formal passage through the newly opened territory. Our people have already begun studying the vegetation along the border that our scouts extracted, and there are several species we have never encountered before, as well as other species that had been rumoured to have gone extinct"
Her eyes shifted briefly toward the garden beyond the pond.
"Lord Astrael’s protection is a horticultural miracle, one that, if utilised by the people carefully, makes the possibilities for agricultural exchange and botanical exchange almost endless."
"Carefully?" Marvek repeated, his eyebrow arching.
Elowen turned toward him. "Yes. Carefully."
"Why the emphasis?"
"Because I don’t believe it requires explaining."
"I disagree."
"Of course you do."
Marvek leaned back in his chair.
"Eryndor has already begun studying the vegetation, Princess. Forgive me if I find it amusing that you’re already discussing how carefully everyone else should utilise it."
"We have studied what we found. We have not harvested it for profit."
"Yet."
Elowen’s expression hardened.
"You seem awfully eager to accuse people of things they haven’t done."
"And you seem awfully eager to defend yourself."
"I don’t need to defend myself."
"Then stop doing it."
"Enough," Aithara said, though the faint edge in her voice suggested she was already becoming irritated.
She gave a small nod.
"And botanical exchange."
"Kharvos would be interested in something rather less... academic."
Marvek leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
"Trade?" Aithara asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Straight to the point."
"It is what we are good at."
Alerith muttered something under his breath.
"At least he’s honest."
Marvek pretended not to hear him.
"Your new territory has resources. We have merchants capable of moving them. Your people have goods we have never had access to, and our merchants have goods you may not even know you need yet."
"And I suppose your merchants will simply walk through Vasyti, take what they need, and leave?" Elowen asked.
Marvek’s head snapped toward her.
"I never said that."
"You implied it."
"No, I didn’t."
"You said your merchants are capable of moving our resources."
"Moving resources is not the same as taking them."
"Then what exactly are you proposing?"
"A trade agreement."
"With terms favourable to whom?"
Marvek’s eyes narrowed.
"That depends on what you have."
"So you came here without knowing what you wanted?"
"I came here knowing that Vasyti has something worth trading."
"That’s remarkably vague."
"And you’re remarkably suspicious."
"Because you’re being vague."
"Because I don’t negotiate a contract before I know what’s on the other side of the table!"
The words came out louder than intended, briefly echoing beneath the gazebo.
Alerith’s fingers tapped once against the table.
"Then perhaps you should lower your voice."
Marvek looked toward him.
"Perhaps you should stop treating every question as a challenge."
"And perhaps you should stop answering every question like you’re selling something."
"I am a merchant!"
"I noticed."
Aithara pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Wonderful."
Her lips twitched despite herself.
"That sounds suspiciously like a sales pitch."
"It would be a poor one if I were trying to hide that fact."
"You’re not helping yourself."
"I’m not trying to."
Aithara’s lips twitched.
"Fair enough."
Her attention shifted toward the Alrian couple.
"And Thalor?"
King Orrek exchanged a brief glance with his wife before answering.
"Resources."
Elowen’s head turned.
"That’s it?"
Orrek’s expression remained stoic.
"That is what we came for."
"At least he’s honest," Marvek remarked.
"Nobody asked you," Alerith said.
"I wasn’t aware honesty required permission."
"It doesn’t. Silence does."
Marvek gave him a look.
"Are you always this pleasant?"
"Only when merchants are involved."
"Then I suppose I’m honoured."
Queen Elryn quietly placed a hand over her husband’s wrist before he could respond.
Orrek ignored the exchange entirely.
"Thalor requires access to raw materials. Timber, ores, fertile land, anything that can support our industries. Your expansion has given Vasyti access to all three."
"And what does Thalor intend to give in exchange?" Aithara asked.
"Coin."
"Only coin?"
"What else would you expect?"
"Something proportional to what you’re asking for."
"We are offering fair market value."
"Your market value or ours?"
Orrek’s brow furrowed.
"Is there a difference?"
Aithara’s expression sharpened.
"Of course there is."
"Then perhaps we should establish a common valuation before we discuss trade."
"Perhaps."
Elowen leaned back.
"Which brings us back to the problem of passage."
Marvek looked toward her.
"What problem?"
"Who controls it."
The atmosphere shifted.
Aithara’s gaze moved between them.
"Vasyti does."
"Naturally," Marvek said.
"That sounded sarcastic."
"It was."
"Marvek."
"Your Majesty."
"If your kingdom wishes to use Vasyti’s territory, you will follow Vasyti’s rules."
"And if those rules make trade impractical?"
"Then you won’t trade."
The Merchant Prince stared at her for a moment.
"You drive a hard bargain."
"I haven’t offered you a bargain yet."
A brief silence followed; whatever thin layer of formality had existed at its beginning had begun to crack beneath the weight of competing interests.