The eastern frontier had never been a comfortable place.
Arvendale’s eastern provinces were separated from the rest of the kingdom by thick forests and rolling hills.
Roads were narrow, villages were scattered, and monsters occasionally wandered down from the deeper wilderness.
For generations, the people living there had learned to live with danger.
But lately, something had changed.
Major Elias Varen stood on a wooden watchtower overlooking the forest.
Beside him, two soldiers scanned the tree line.
“Anything?”
“Nothing, Major.”
Elias lowered the spyglass.
“That’s what worries me.”
The soldier glanced at him.
“Sir?”
“They were here yesterday.”
“And the day before.”
“Exactly.”
Elias turned toward the road.
A supply wagon approached from the south.
Six soldiers escorted it.
Nothing unusual.
Except the wagon was carrying something much more valuable than food.
Weapons.
The eastern garrisons had recently received additional equipment from Valoria.
Better armor.
New crossbows.
Improved bows.
More medical supplies.
And, most importantly, proper food storage.
Adrian had made military logistics one of his priorities.
Elias had noticed the difference immediately.
His soldiers were healthier.
Their equipment was maintained.
Supplies arrived on schedule.
And officers were finally being taught to plan instead of simply reacting.
It made the army stronger.
It also made the eastern frontier harder to intimidate.
Elias looked toward the forest again.
“Send a patrol.”
“How many?”
“Ten.”
The soldier hesitated.
“Ten?”
“Five scouts and five infantry.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And tell them not to cross the border.”
The soldier nodded.
Elias watched them prepare.
Something was happening.
He just didn’t know what.
Yet.
Back in Valoria, Adrian was dealing with a completely different problem.
Taxes.
He stared at the financial report.
“Why is the treasury making less from the southern ports?”
Lord Cedric Marrow, Minister of Finance, cleared his throat.
“Technically, we’re not making less.”
Adrian looked at him.
“We’re making less than projected.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Several merchants have started routing their goods through Valen.”
Adrian frowned.
“Because of our tariffs?”
“Partially.”
“Explain.”
Cedric opened a document.
“Valen has lowered tariffs on several imported goods.
Some merchants can now transport goods through Valen, then sell them in Arvendale.”
Adrian immediately understood.
“They’re avoiding our customs fees.”
“Yes.”
Adrian leaned back.
“How much are we losing?”
“Not enough to hurt us.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
Cedric sighed.
“Approximately four thousand gold pieces per month.”
Adrian frowned.
That was significant.
Not devastating.
But significant.
He looked at Edmund.
“Can we reduce our tariffs?”
“We can.”
“Should we?”
Cedric shook his head.
“Not across the board.”
Adrian nodded.
“Agreed.”
He looked at the reports again.
“Then we need to identify which goods are leaving.”
Cedric nodded.
“We already have.”
He handed Adrian another sheet.
“Luxury goods.”
Adrian read the list.
Fine wine.
Silk.
Jewelry.
Imported spices.
Adrian smiled.
“So we’re losing tax revenue on things people don’t need.”
“Correct.”
“Then I’m not worried.”
Cedric blinked.
“You’re not?”
“No.”
Adrian placed the paper down.
“If merchants want cheaper luxury goods, let them buy them in Valen.”
He pointed toward another report.
“Our grain exports are up.”
“Iron production?”
“Up.”
“Timber?”
“Up.”
“Tools?”
“Up.”
Adrian smiled.
“Then the economy is healthy.”
Cedric nodded.
“Very.”
Adrian stood.
“We shouldn’t chase every lost coin.”
That was another lesson he had learned.
A government could become so obsessed with collecting money that it strangled the economy producing it.
Adrian had no intention of making that mistake.
“Instead, lower tariffs on machinery and industrial equipment.”
Cedric stared at him.
“Imported machinery?”
“Yes.”
“We’ll collect less.”
“Initially.”
Adrian pointed toward Daniel’s workshop.
“But if we make it cheaper to bring in machines, our craftsmen can study them.”
He pointed toward the academy.
“Our engineers can improve them.”
Then toward the city.
“And eventually we’ll build our own.”
Cedric slowly smiled.
“I see.”
Adrian sat down.
“That’s the goal.”
Several days later, the Royal Engineering Corps received an unexpected visitor.
Prince Cedric of Valen.
Daniel stared at him.
“You want to see the workshop?”
Cedric nodded.
“Yes.”
Daniel looked at Adrian.
Adrian shrugged.
“Show him.”
Daniel immediately became enthusiastic.
“Come on.”
He led Cedric through the workshop.
“This is our improved waterwheel.”
Cedric examined it.
“Very impressive.”
“It can power three machines at once.”
“Really?”
“Four if we don’t care how long it lasts.”
Cedric laughed.
Daniel pointed toward another machine.
“And that’s our improved grain mill.”
“How much grain can it process?”
“Almost twice what the old design could.”
Cedric looked impressed.
Adrian watched quietly.
This was exactly what he wanted.
Foreign visitors shouldn’t only see Arvendale’s military.
They should see its factories.
Its farms.
Its schools.
Its engineers.
Its potential.
Because influence didn’t always come from armies.
Sometimes it came from making other people want what you had built.
That evening, Adrian and Cedric walked through the palace gardens.
“You’ve changed this kingdom quickly,” Cedric said.
Adrian smiled.
“I’ve had good people.”
“Your engineers.”
“Some of them.”
“Your military.”
“Still improving.”
“Your ministers.”
“Occasionally useful.”
Cedric laughed.
Adrian glanced at him.
“What?”
“I heard stories about you.”
“I know.”
“The useless prince.”
Adrian sighed.
“That name is getting annoying.”
Cedric smiled.
“I don’t believe it.”
“Most people do.”
“Your reputation says you were lazy, reckless and uninterested in politics.”
“I was.”
Cedric stopped walking.
Adrian looked at him.
Cedric smiled.
“That was honest.”
Adrian shrugged.
“People change.”
Cedric studied him.
“Why?”
Adrian looked toward the city.
“Because my father died.”
The answer was simple.
It was also the closest thing to the truth Adrian could give.
“Becoming king forced me to grow up.”
Cedric nodded.
“Understandable.”
They continued walking.
After a moment, Cedric spoke again.
“There is something I should tell you.”
Adrian looked at him.
“My father is worried about Arvendale.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re becoming powerful.”
Adrian remained silent.
Cedric continued.
“Yet.”
Cedric laughed.
“Fair.”
“But powerful enough to change the balance between our kingdoms.”
Adrian nodded.
“I understand.”
“My father wants assurances.”
“What kind?”
“That Arvendale has no intention of expanding into Valen territory.”
Adrian stopped.
Then smiled.
“Tell your father this.”
Cedric waited.
“Arvendale has enough problems fixing itself.”
Cedric laughed.
“That’s your answer?”
“For now.”
“And later?”
Adrian looked toward the distant mountains.
“Later depends on the world around us.”
Cedric nodded slowly.
“That’s exactly what my father was afraid you’d say.”
Adrian smiled.
“I didn’t say we wanted war.”
“No.”
“You said your father wanted assurances.”
“Yes.”
“Then tell him Arvendale wants peace.”
Cedric nodded.
“But peace requires both sides to respect each other’s interests.”
“Agreed.”
They continued walking.
Neither realized that the conversation would become important years later.
Two days after Cedric left Valoria, Elias’s patrol returned.
Adrian received the report that evening.
He immediately called Elias to the palace.
The major entered the room carrying a folded map.
“We found them.”
Adrian looked up.
“Who?”
“The scouts.”
Elias spread the map across the desk.
“Thirty-two men.”
“Valen?”
“No.”
“Are you certain?”
“Yes.”
Elias pointed toward the markings.
“They were carrying equipment from several different countries.”
Adrian frowned.
“Mercenaries?”
“Most likely.”
“Doing what?”
“Mapping.”
Adrian leaned forward.
“Mapping what?”
“The roads.”
Elias pointed to several locations.
“Bridges.
Villages.
Fortifications.
Watchtowers.”
Adrian’s expression changed.
“Military reconnaissance.”
“That’s what I think.”
“Did they see your patrol?”
“Yes.”
“What happened?”
“They ran.”
Adrian stared at the map.
“Did you catch any?”
“Three.”
Adrian looked up.
“Alive?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
Elias nodded.
“They haven’t said who hired them.”
Adrian walked around the desk.
“Then find out.”
Elias hesitated.
“There’s more.”
“What?”
“The men weren’t just mapping our border.”
He pointed farther east.
“They were also mapping Valen.”
Adrian’s eyes narrowed.
That changed things.
If someone was surveying both kingdoms, this might not be about Arvendale alone.
“Who?”
“We don’t know.”
Adrian looked at the map for several seconds.
Then he smiled faintly.
“Now that’s interesting.”
Elias raised an eyebrow.
“You think so?”
“Yes.”
Adrian tapped the map.
“Someone is studying the region.”
“And?”
“And I want to know why.”
He looked at Elias.
“But until we do…”
Adrian folded the map.
“We don’t start a war.”
Elias nodded.
“Understood.”
Adrian looked out the window.
The world beyond Arvendale was beginning to move.
And for the first time, he was starting to realize that building a powerful kingdom wasn’t only about improving what happened inside its borders.
Sooner or later, he would have to decide how Arvendale fit into the rest of the continent.
And that was a much more complicated problem than building a road.