I just finished Fable 3 and currently working on another play through, but before really getting into it I thought I'd get back into some writing. For some reason, I always have the urge to write just before a new semester starts lol.
I can't really explain the title … it just sounded neat, so it may change later on.
Apologies for any OOC-ness, particularly with Logan :X
Disclaimer: All characters and locations from the Fable-verse belong to Lionhead Studios. Original characters are my own :)
Dancing With Swords
She smelt Bowerstone before she even got there, the dark "clouds" hanging in the sky also signaled that Bowerstone was near.
"We'll be coming into port soon, miss" the ship's captain announced at her side. She gave a small nod of thanks to the captain and turned her eyes to the smoke stacks that came ever closer.
As they came closer to the docks she noticed the same logo on various crates and posters on the building.
"Captain" The ship's captain came to her side right away. "How much of Industrial does Reaver own?" she asked, looking at the captain.
"King Logan lets Mister Reaver do as he wishes and he's the only one with enough money to run so many factories" the captain replied.
She noticed the captain stiffen when he saw something on the docks and she turned to see what it was. A tall man, with a very tall hat in a white suit stood there waiting for the ship to dock, cane in hand. She kept her eyes fixed on him as she got off the boat and the tall man bowed deeply, taking off his hat.
"Your Majesty" he straightened and put his hat back on. "What brings the Empress Telvana to these humble shores of Albion?"
"And you are…?" she asked with a raised brow.
"My apologies, Ma'am. I am Reaver, the owner of Reaver Industries"
Telvana eyed him carefully and Reaver did the same. The Empress looked no older than 24 and short as she was a full two heads shorter than him but the regal air about her made up for the lack of height. She was a pretty girl, he noted. Her long black hair was done up in a bun and held in place with two ornately decorated hair sticks. Her skin was flawless and no makeup adorned her face. Not that she needed it; her features were eye catching on their own.
"I presume you are to be my escort to the castle, then?" she asked, looking up at Reaver.
He motioned to the nearby carriage, "I can give you a whole tour of Bowerstone, if Your Majesty wishes it"
Telvana held her hand up and gave a small shake of her head. "Another day, Master Reaver. I would like to rest" she looked back at the boat. "Tergang!"
A young man, a few years older than the Empress came with luggage in hand and immediately started loading them onto the carriage with the help of the driver. Reaver helped the girl into the carriage and after everything was ready, they set off to Bowerstone Castle.
"If you don't mind me asking, Your Majesty, but you weren't very clear in your letter about why you are here. Managing an empire can't be easy, and yet you have time to come here?" Reaver asked, looking at the Empress from across the carriage.
Telvana had her eyes out the window and seemed distracted, but she heard the question and answered, "I realized I knew nothing of the country we have been trading with for some time," she looked at Reaver, "and even less of the person we have been trading with."
At this, Reaver chuckled. "If it's getting to know each other, we could just head straight to my manor. Whatever business you have with the King could wait"
Reaver noticed a small smirk form at the corner of Telvana's lips and for just a moment, a flash of lust in her eyes. "A tempting proposition, Master Reaver, but I'm afraid I must turn it down at the moment. With the current situation, I believe it would be more profitable for you than it would be for me …" she paused and went back to looking out the window, but she had a smile on her face now, "and I do hate being on the losing end of a bargain"
"'Losing end of a bargain'? I assure you the experience would be well worth it"
The Empress laughed lightly at his comment, "I would hope so, but that is something for another day, Master Reaver" She could see the castle coming up and it was only moments before the carriage stopped in front of Bowerstone Castle. "You have been a fine escort, Master Reaver. I dare say, I enjoyed our conversation. Until next time" she said with a small smile before exiting the carriage.
XXX
The Empress's visit was largely unexpected. Logan knew of a trade agreement a part of her empire had with Reaver, but that was strictly business. Her letter did not address the reasoning for her visit and it worried King Logan. She wasn't going to try and take Albion for her own, would she? He looked at the map of Albion and then glanced at another map on the desk. It was a map of the Kaezen empire, Empress Telvana's kingdom. It was three times the size of Albion, and there were rumors it was still expanding.
"Your Majesty, the Empress is here to see you" Before he could even say 'Let her in', she was already standing there with two boxes in her arms as the servant who showed her in already left.
"Seeing as how I'm a guest in your castle, I thought it appropriate to bring gifts" She was about to open the top box but stopped, as if realizing something. She straightened up and gave a small curtsey. "Pardon my rudeness, King Logan. In my enthusiasm, I seemed to have forgotten my manners. Thank you for your kindness and hospitality, especially with my visit being so sudden and on such short notice" She proceeded to open up one of the boxes and held it out to Logan. It was a bottle of scotch whisky.
"Thank you, Your Majesty" Logan said, taking the box from her hands. It seemed an odd gift to bring, but welcome, none the less.
Telvana seemed to have picked up on the awkwardness of it, "It was from my Grandfather's cellars, his suggestion as well. He said that since I am visiting a King, it only makes sense to bring something that a man would appreciate" She paused and the look on her face was one of hesitancy, "His other suggestion was concubines, but I did not think it would be appropriate?"
The woman may be an Empress but it soon became clear to Logan that she lacked some experience in dealing with other leaders, and may have become Empress only a short time ago.
"You brought something else?" he asked, motioning to the other box. Telvana unwrapped the box and held it out to Logan, showing a bottle of wine. "Something to enjoy with the dinner tonight" she said with a small smile.
Once he had taken that box from her hands she took a step back and gave a small bow. "If you'll excuse me, King Logan, I need to make some preparations before dinner" she said before leaving the room.
XXX
As soon as the door closed behind her, the Empress let her shoulders slump and let out a heavy sigh.
"Now, now, that's no way for an Empress to hold herself" She looked up to see her servant, Tergang walking towards her and she couldn't help but smile.
"I'd much rather be Princess, just like how it is at home" she said with a pout.
"Of course, but we're not at home anymore and you know very well that outside of the three kingdoms you are an Empress, not a Princess" Tergang said with a smirk. He motioned for Telvana to follow and she did. "Everything went smoothly then?" he asked as they walked.
There were a few moments of silence before he heard a reply. "Um … no, more awkward than anything"
Her reply earned a chuckle from the servant as he opened the door to her quarters for her. "You've had plenty of experience dealing with foreign leaders, and all of a sudden you forget?" He chuckled again, "Was it his charming personality that threw you off?"
This time it was Telvana's turn to chuckled. "Charming personality? Master Reaver has a charming personality, King Logan not so much" She paused as sat down at the vanity and undid her hair, "He seemed distracted actually, and he looked as though something's been weighing on his mind heavily"
Tergang busied himself with the luggage, sifting through the contents to find a suitable dress for the evening. "Can't say I blame him, miss. Whispers around the castle speak of a rebellion." He glanced over at his mistress to find her absently combing her hair with her fingers. "They plan to overthrow him" he added, laying out a couple dresses on the bed.
"Miss" Tergang called, noticing that his mistress had become a little lost in thought. When she looked at him he held up the two dresses. One was crimson made of silk chiffon with black lace on the trim and a black sash tied around the waist. The other was the same blue as her eyes and also made of silk chiffon with intricate beadwork that went diagonally across the bodice and trailed to the back of the dress. "Would you like to wear your mother's colors," he held up the crimson dress, "or your father's?" he said as he held up the other one.
"Mother's, of course!" she said with a big smile. Tergang smiled back and put away the other dress. "One of the maids will dress you, call me when you're done and I'll do your hair for you" he said as he laid the chosen dress out on the bed and left the room.
XXX
It was only the King and the Empress at dinner that evening, and rather than sit at the head of the table as he usually did, Logan opted to sit across from the Empress. As the servants started bringing the food in, Tergang came with a couple of wine glasses and the bottle of wine Telvana had given to Logan. He quickly went about to setting the glasses, opening the bottle and poured a glass for the monarchs.
"If you need anything, feel free to call me" Tergang said with a small smile as he replaced the cork on the bottle and left it on the table. "Your Majestys" he gave a bow to each monarch before leaving the room with the rest of the servants.
Telvana shook her head, laughing a little as Tergang exited. "I'm sorry if he seems a bit forward. Queen Syllia often sends him with me whenever I go traveling, and with him being the steward of the Royal Family of Rathesia, he's used to putting servants in order, regardless of whose kingdom he's in"
Logan had to admit, the man moved quickly and efficiently and on his way to the dining hall he had heard the servants grumbling about the steward's demands. His mind didn't linger on that for long as he recalled that there was something he wanted to discuss with the Empress. "Your Majesty, I don't mean to be rude, but your letter wasn't very clear as to the intention of your visit" It was less a question and more a statement, and if the Empress did find it rude she didn't show it.
"Ah, about that" she ran a finger across the rim of her glass as she thoughtfully looked at the candles lighting the room. "I noticed that Reaver Industries has been the only company we've been trading with" she glanced over at Logan from the across the table for a brief before a moment before looking back at the candle light, "I want to do business here in Albion" she said frankly. There was a stretch of silence as the two monarchs ate, and once they had their fill and the table cleared, Telvana brought the subject up once again.
"As it is now, Reaver practically monopolizes the economy here. Good for him, but without competition I don't think there's much room for growth." She finished the rest of the wine in her glass and was about to pour another, but Logan reached the bottle first and poured it for her.
"And you feel that starting a business here could help Albion?" he asked as he poured the wine, refilling his own glass as well.
"Well, that is not for me to decide" she replied with a smile. "I will put together a proposal and whether it is approved or not is up to you"
He sipped at his wine thoughtfully, mulling over what the Empress had said. "You didn't come here with a proposal already in hand?"
"Hmm," Telvana took a sip from her glass before replying, "Admittedly, I don't know enough about Albion to make a proper proposal. I wanted to see first what is already present and what may be needed. Though, first impressions tell me that even just opening up factories that accomplish the same things as Reaver's would be fine. If he is the only one producing certain goods, then he can dictate how it will be sold." She took another sip from her glass before setting it down and fixed her gaze on Logan. "Say, you bring in a competitor that sells similar products but at a cheaper price for the same quality. Naturally, people will go for something that is more affordable. This will also keep more money in their pockets, money that can be spent elsewhere." She leaned back in her chair, glass in hand once again as she took a sip. "There's also job creation to think about. More people working means more taxable income, don't you think?" she took another sip and flashed a small smile, "and you know more than anyone else that an empty treasury is no good for a kingdom"
Telvana watched the King across from her carefully, trying to read any sort of reaction. He still had that same distracted look from earlier and it made her recall Tergang's words earlier. She made a mental note to ask him if he's heard anything else of this rebellion. She didn't dare ask the King about it. Maybe he knew, maybe he didn't, but whether he did or not wasn't any of her business. It wasn't her kingdom.
She sighed a little as she took another sip from her glass, contemplating whether or not she should say anything else. When she looked across the table her eyes met with Logan's. The times their eyes met previously, his mind always seemed to be somewhere else but his eyes didn't have that distracted look to them this time. It actually felt like they were really looking at each other. She smiled and finished the rest of the wine in her glass and set it down on the table. Without a word, Logan refilled her glass. The sound of liquid being poured was all that broke the silence, and when it faded the atmosphere was no longer awkward, but peaceful.
Not a single word was exchanged between the two as they enjoyed their wine. The Empress watching the flicker of the candlelight, the King in quiet contemplation as he watched the clouds pass over the moon. It wasn't until they retired for the evening that small goodbyes were exchanged as they retreated to their quarters.
Once in the privacy of their quarters the Empress set about writing drafts for her proposal and the King shuffled through reports of his sister's activity.
OOO
Hope you enjoyed this first chapter. Comments, questions or suggestion? Feel free to leave them in a review or pm :)
