Edward still could not quite believe that, only yesterday, he had been at home with his wife and children.
But then, he could not quite believe that he was now living in New Albion either.
Nor could he believe that a people so seemingly primitive had set up this meeting.
It all came back, he thought, to Columbus's fateful encounter. A man, standing on the air itself, had overlooked his return journey. The man had thought it a blessing from god, and when they arrived back in Europe, one of his men had gained the capacity for flight himself, flapping his arms and soaring through the skies.
Columbus had thought it providence, a blessing from god, and had immediately been granted the funds for further expeditions to the new world. He had set out to conquer the locals and found a colony. For an entire day, he was successful. His small army had overtaken a local village, killing the men and taking the women for themselves.
After that, things became less clear, for only a single ship returned. From what was known, however, it quickly became clear that magical prowess did not discriminate. Something had happened, and almost the entire expedition had been slaughtered, including its leader. After that, the Spanish had become far more cautious, funding only a small number of expeditions over the years, most failing.
The English colony at Roanoke, however, had been successful, due to cooperation and trade with the locals. Quickly, it had grown larger and larger, attracting both colonists and native inhabitants. This increased growth and wealth had meant that, six years ago, King James had sent one of his most capable people, the Moorish Thomas Calvert, as a governor. To Edward had fallen the duty of protecting the man. Something which would be a lot easier if he had known what exactly the man could do. So far, he had shown no sign of powers but for the silhouette behind him.
Now, halfway across the world, he missed his allies, the other knights of the round table, as well as their leader, Merlin. Unlike most politically active organizations of its kind, the knights identified themselves by a description, rather than their name. Even though, in many cases, their names were quite well known. He himself was known as The Relentless. Then there was The Aegis, their newest member, who perpetually found himself in conflict with The Bastion. Of course, The Crusader and The Hammer were not to be forgotten, both powerful warriors, for different reasons. And then, of course, there were the twins, the only female members of their group, who had, to differentiate themselves from the meek womenfolk of modern day England, named themselves after Viking myths. Edward's wife had been very displeased indeed when she heard about their induction into the order.
Today, however, he was alone. Or rather, he was alone in the crowd, the only white man who had ever come this far west. The great gathering place looked out over a lake so massive it could have been called a sea. All around him stood men, and sometimes women, of the different peoples of the northern continent. He only recognized a few of them. There was the chieftain of the nearby tribes, Manteo, the only man he could really speak to here, as it was the only man that spoke English. He also recognized the young girl that had allowed for their quick travel, WachĂchihĂ©, or something similar, he had heard her called. She was from a group of people called the Lakota. Her name, Manteo had told him, meant something like "jumps-over-mountains", something he could very well believe from the way the child had folded their path until very little distance remained. Behind the young girl, he could "see" abstract ideas, loneliness perhaps, homesickness for her people.. Perhaps he could ask her to assist in easing travel back to the homeland. Then again, depending on how this meeting went, that could become exactly what they did not want to happen.
He also recognized Thasunke Witko, again, a name he knew he had botched, better known as Crazy Horse. This was not someone he knew for his magic, no, this was someone he knew for his military strategy and prowess, and this was also the reason he had been invited here.
He looked around more, and recognized a woman he knew by the name of Charging Bear, or Setimika. If he remembered correctly, she was from the Miwok people. Around her, ghostly bears walked around. Behind her, he saw the shadow of bear that was far more real.
He scanned further, but could barely recognize the different tribes present, let alone people within them.
"They're beginning" Manteo said, guiding him towards his location.
The meeting was massive, and involved disputes large and small. Most of those, he knew, would later be worked out, being mentioned for a few seconds simply to let people know what was going on. Manteo translated some things for him, but the plethora of languages sometimes made it hard for the man to understand, let alone translate.
Eventually, the main topic was breached. The war in the south. Crazy Horse, commander of the allied legion, spoke about battles against the blood-lord's armies, and great victories against overwhelming odds. The losses, Edward knew, would quietly be ignored for now. This was not the time for minutia.
It was strange how quickly Crazy Horse had adapted the natives to Horse Combat. Slightly more than a hundred years ago, the continent had not known what a horse was. Today, Edward thought, Thasunke's Cavalry would hold up favourably against most European counterparts.
After the war speech, the different chieftains spoke up, offering their war contributions. The more war-like tribes brought forth young warriors. Other tribes had focussed upon breeding more horses for those warriors to ride. The more Eastern tribes, closer to Roanoke, offered pistols and bullets that they had made after sending apprentices to Roanoke's gunsmiths. After that, surplus trade goods were presented.
The natives had tried, and had advanced quickly, but their weaponry was still far more prone to misfire, and less accurate, than their European counterparts. This is what the trade goods were for, and this is where Edward's problem lay.
"Speak up, I shall translate" Manteo said.
Edward stood up, clearing his throat, hoping this would go well.
"Hello everyone." He started. Manteo translated, and in turn, others translated what Manteo had said. Then, people started returning what he presumed were greetings in their native languages.
He felt silly, covered in steel armour amongst these people, but then again, he needed everything he could get here.
"I am Edward the relentless, Protector of the Colony. I come bearing direful tidings, and pleading for help. My people, the English, are part of a tribe that lives far beyond the sea, in a land called Europe."
As Manteo translated, some people nodded. This, they knew. Most of them had heard about the source of horses and weaponry that had allowed them to fight of Aztec armies.
"Our Chieftain, King James, rules there, and by our laws, he also rules us, even though we are very far away from him.
"Trade, cooperation and unity have brought our people great prosperity, and our Colony has become like, well, like a great bowl of soup, with people from all over the world each adding their own unique ingredients, creating a greater whole together.
"However, our Chieftain has become jealous of our wealth, and has raised a tax that is too high. For everything that goes on a ship, one fifth goes to him. This includes food, cloth, furs and weapons."
At this, he heard people gasp, discuss things. He waited until they had some time to talk about this and realize what it meant.
"In addition to this, he demands we trade by ship only with the people in our homeland. This all will greatly influence our Colony, as well as the incoming weaponry necessary for the war."
He waited again, unsure of what to say next. He'd had something prepared, but it was always difficult to see how such things would translate so such different cultures.
"We are afraid that, if we do not send King James these taxes, he will send soldiers, and force us with violence. And bountiful as the Colony is, it is nothing compared to his majesties armies."
He was unsure of what so say next. His purpose here had mostly been to judge the mood, find out where these people stood. Governor Calvert had not yet decided what to do. And although Edward thought the taxes and regulations too stringent, he was not quite sure if he was ready to fight his fellow knights.
Then, before he could continue, Crazy Horse stood up, shouting something he could not understand, riling up the crowd. He talked fast, with madness in his eyes. Then, Manteo started translating what the man had said.
"Thasunke is saying that the greatest purpose of our people is to fight the war against the lord of blood. That it is what has brought us together in a way that nothing could ever have done. He is calling upon the void in the sky. He is saying that all who oppose the war efforts are enemies of the living."
Then, Thasunke came closer, standing in front of Edward, and speaking just a few words, Edward recognized the king's name in there. Then, he smiled his crazy smile
"He is saying that, if Chieftain James wishes to send soldiers to take what is yours, you should let them come."
"I take it, then, that we have his support in case of a conflict?" he asked.
Manteo translated, and Crazy Horse didn't say anything in reply, he just smiled even more, and nodded.
Thomas looked over the preliminary document, and thought back to how he'd gotten his post.
In the past, he had been a fool. His power allowed him to pick between two possibilities, and he had used it frivolously. Troop placements, patrol routes, other such things. It had been foolish of him, activating it several times a day. And although it had gotten him far in life, going from nothing to being a confidante of his royal highness, he had not actually achieved anything at all.
He looked back to the other world, the one that this one had split from just over six years ago. There, his actions had caused the defeat of Lustrum and her band of anarchists, and the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire had unleashed a war of religion upon Europe, people slaughtering each other because they worshipped the same god in a slightly different way. There, Thomas lived comfortably in the British court, using his expertise and knowledge to send expeditions to conquer, read: plunder, the natives on the eastern coast.
He had risen high there, much higher than a governor of a colony that, all things considered, had been an afterthought. However, in that world, Europe was at war, the lord of blood had expanded much further Northward, and Native-British relations were at an all-time low.
For the first time in so many years, he caused a collapse, destroying the timeline where he had remained in Europe. All that remained of that time were his memories and expertise.
He returned his attention to the document before him, the document that, in all likelihood, would dominate the next several years of one of his timelines.
Edward had told him of the response of the natives, the last little Calvert had needed.
He closed one pair of eyes, and opened two.
In one reality, he threw the document in the small hearth located in his office.
In another reality, he called together his council.
It was a gamble, but it was a relatively safe one.
If the taxes turned out too high, or if they lost their bid for independence, there was always the alternative.