Chapter Twenty-Six
The rejection of the marriage was a simple matter of Zelgadis signing the rejection and handing it to Naga. Acquiring rooms was also a simple matter, though there had never been any illusion of why Naga had insisted they leave the tower.
In the Advisor's Hall, Lina leaned across the table and looked to Naga. "You knew, all along, didn't you? Erina's parentage, Jedah's devotion… you've been in the Palace the entire time, haven't you?" It was a viable question, and Lina was surprised when Naga shook her head.
"No, in all honesty, I didn't realize that Erina was truly Jedah's child until a few months ago. I wasn't here when…" Naga choked for a moment, coughed and cleared her throat before continuing. "I have been traveling, securing those trade routes and ensuring that my father's work wasn't for nothing."
Zelgadis turned to look to Naga. "And how much of this had you planned? How could you be sure that it went in a direction where all would be pleased by the end result?" Naga certainly had risen to the occasion, come up with a solid resolution that had cleaned up nearly all of the loose ends.
Naga shook her head. "None of it, Zelgadis. Once you gifted Jedah with the title of Ambervale, that opened all of the doors. I reason that Jedah is known enough to the people as one of those closest to Amelia… to them it will seem only a natural progression." She set her seal on the document of rejection, casting the binding spell into it, officiating the decision to refuse Slidell.
Lina sat slowly, looking at Naga thoughtfully. "And you said Amelia had grown up without you, Naga. Were you even listening to yourself as you single-handedly plucked a triumph out from the wreckage of emotion in that tower?" She shook her head, smiling. "You're a hell of a leader, Naga."
Naga blushed, casting a look across the table to Lina as she folded the letter closed. "I did what had to be done, Lina. We've all grown, even you. Time and events shape us, mold us and move us forwards so that we never truly stop adapting. That's all I did: adapt." She had to admit, Lina was right.
A servant entered the room, a tray of foodstuffs on a cart, and she began assembling the food on the table. As Zelgadis moved across to sit next to Lina, Naga leaned forwards and snagged a glass of wine, looking at it thoughtfully before passing it to Lina. "Here. I haven't had alcohol in almost three years. I don't think I'll start now."
Zelgadis stared. "But I thought… Jedah said that you'd run up quite the bill after Philionel's funeral?" He'd known Naga's capacity for drinking, had seen her with goblets and flasks, and assumed that she was drinking the same alcohol that everyone else was. It had never occurred to him that she had something entirely different within them.
Naga grinned as she chose a goblet of water. "I did. But the alcohol was used as gifts… bribes if you will. A case of this, a barrel of that… it goes far farther towards a signed trade agreement than many negotiations." She chuckled softly, adding a thought after she sipped her water. "In some cases, they don't even recall agreeing."
Lina faceplanted onto the table, narrowly missing the plate of food that the servant was bringing to her. "If you can't beat them sober, get them drunk and then talk them into signing it." She looked up, taking the plate from the startled servant. "Amazing. Just amazing."
Zelgadis looked to Lina for a moment. "It's a time-honored tradition, Lina. In fact, some leaders who plan to agree simply hold out for the bribe. There's nothing new about it." He took the plate handed to him with a small nod to the servant. "It's when the bribe isn't available that things often become problematic."
"So what gets sent back to Slidell to keep them from becoming a problem?" Lina asked between mouthfuls of food. "Or is that what Xellos is for? To scare them into being quiet about the whole thing, and leaving Amelia alone?" She took a healthy drink from her wine and turned back to her food without waiting for a reply.
Naga's gaze lifted to Zelgadis for a moment, and his returned gaze was placid, unreadable. "I'd imagine that Xellos is more than capable of making Slidell an offer that would be impossible to refuse. Especially as he's powerful enough to be able to back up any threats he might need to place."
Zelgadis studied his plate for a moment, and then looked up to Naga. "He knows the limitations, and I do not believe that he will cross those lines. Xellos may be a pain in the ass, but he listens when it's important." He looked over as Lina coughed in response, lifting an eyebrow, but saying nothing.
"I can't deny that having you three around can be considered a valuable asset and a dangerous liability," Naga said conversationally. "I'm certain that some sort of accord can be reached where we all find a decently stable common ground." She set her fork down, looking to Zelgadis. "I'm not stupid; I know that Jedah's presence will nearly guarantee Xellos'. But can I trust Jedah to keep Xellos in line? We all recall what happened before you returned from the seeming dead, Zelgadis."
"Xellos was trying to use Amelia to get to me, though, Naga," Lina replied. "In the end, all he got was… Jedah." Realization hit her, and she looked over at Zelgadis in surprise. "All of this happened because of Xellos. He's the one who turned on you, who pushed you past that fight, the one who took up with Amelia to get to me and bring you back to drag Jedah out of hiding…"
Zelgadis nodded as Lina spoke. "And in the end, Xellos was reunited with Jedah. He's a master of manipulations indeed. But, for once, I won't complain." He took a drink of wine and looked to Lina. "I ended up happily married to you, and I daresay we're all a good deal better off than we were." He lifted his goblet, saluted, and took another drink to seal the silent toast. Naga and Lina had to agree, each lifting their drinks and sipping contemplatively.