Chapter Four

It had been three days since the first two delegations had arrived. Life in the castle had gotten much livelier, as expected. Most people were jittery, skittish, and it was understandable. Especially with a group of raiders in the surrounding area. However, visitors soon discovered that they were truly a very warm and friendly people. As a whole, the Skandians often spent time joking with their new friends or doing whatever they could to help prepare for the arrival of the next two delegations.

Gilan spent a lot of time bonding with the Heron crew, often joining in on their sparring sessions along with Horace, who had become fast friends with Stig. Will had also bonded with Hal, the Heron skirl and the two of them would talk long into the night about various ideas or plans that they had come up with in the past. The Mangler, the giant crossbow that Hal had fitted onto his ship, was a point of fascination for the apprentice Ranger, especially once he learned of the system he had developed to judge distances for the massive weapon.

Erak and Borsa spent most of their time around Duncan and Fausto. All of them were taking the time to 'test the waters' and see what everyone was going to expect from the peace talks. Everyone was apprehensive about the whole idea, but no one had outright stated their opinion yet. It seemed like everyone was waiting to hear from the other countries's leaders before commiting to the treaty, but there seemed to be no indication that it would fail just yet.

Nel, for her part, spent much of her time teaching Edvin or helping in the castle's hospital. As Duncan left the doors open for the use of the townspeople, there were always plenty of injuries that needed tending to.

The hospital wasn't really in the castle itself, but was close to it, on the edge of town. The king had relocated it there after Morgarath's most recent attempt on the throne and, over the past five years, it had proven to be a wise decision. The town's growing population saw that there was more than enough business for it.

The hospital, which sometimes seemed more like a clinic, was run by an older lady named Marion, who was one of the most well known healers in all of Araluen. Nel, having studied for three years with Malcolm, was a welcome addition to the staff there. The two story building, constantly filled with the scent of herbs and salves, had a welcoming atmosphere, but would easily become overrun with patients if there was any sort of emergency in town.

Edvin, as it turned out, was an eager student and had a knack for healing. He could become a great doctor one day, should he choose to pursue the career. He was constantly asking questions and taking notes. In his spare time, he studied Nel's books on medicine, which she was happy to let him borrow. She also encouraged him to volunteer in the hospital. After all, it was one thing to study how to apply medicine and another to actually do so.

She rarely saw her father or friends except at mealtimes. The last two delegations were due to arrive any moment, making the rest of the castle's occupants busier than ever. It was a little lonely at times, but with the world at war and Araluen on the brink of joining it, loneliness seemed a small price to pay for a chance at peace.

In one of the rare quiet moments she had, Nel sat in her room, perched at her window with her sketchbook in hand. The scene she was drawing, the knights on patrol up on the hill, was proving to be far more entertaining than what she was supposed to be working on.

The encyclopedia lay open on her desk, forgotten once she had looked out the window. She had started the encyclopedia a year ago, but only worked on it in her spare time. She was still in the 'A's, the notes about angelica root staring at her accusingly.

She was finding it very hard to care at the moment, so wrapped up in drawing the trees on the skyline.

Nel loved drawing. It was her release.

She knew that she wasn't the best artist, her animals never turned out right no matter what she did, but she was far from the worst. She drew constantly, so she had plenty of practice. Whenever she felt panicked, overwhelmed, or just had a hard time expressing herself with words, she would put pen or charcoal to paper and let her drawings do the rest. As soon as the picture was down, it was like a weight was lifted off her shoulders. She didn't have to explain anything. Her hands didn't shake. Her breathing didn't speed up. Her words didn't stutter. For one second, the world made sense.

It was a hobby that her father had encouraged and now she had multiple sketch books filled and sitting on her shelf.

After a few more minutes Nel studied her current picture before deeming the trees done for the moment. Her hand was covered in charcoal dust from all of the shading she had been doing, something that she had gotten used to over the years.

A knock on her door broke her away from her thoughts.

"Yes?"

Will poked his head in the room, "The officials from Nihon-Ja are here. Everyone's meeting at the front gate. Wanna come?"

Nel was silent for a long moment before eventually nodding. Quickly she put her things away and tied her hair back, wiping the charcoal off her hand on a rag before following Will down to the entrance hall.

She was actually very excited to meet the Emperor of Nihon-Ja. On the few occasions that she had seen Horace since arriving at Castle Araluen, he had done almost nothing except speak very highly of Emperor Shigeru. According to the young knight, the Emperor was a fair man, loved by his people and, more importantly, deserving of that love. Anyone who spent any amount of time talking to Horace about Nihon-Ja could see how genuinely he admired its leader.

The two of them reached the front gate minutes before the delegation arrived, everyone else already there. She sent a quick smile towards her father before turning to the gate. In moments the Nihon-Ja delegation was there, being led by Horace and Crowley. Horace was practically skipping, the joy radiating off his face at the reunion.

At the front of the group was a short man with dark hair, his robes clearly marking him as the Emperor. As soon as he saw the group at the front gate, he smiled warmly.

Crowley stepped forward, much like he had done for the Skandians, "May I present Shigeru, Emperor of Nihon-Ja, and his delegates."

Duncan walked forward, extending his hand, "Hello, and welcome to Araluen."

Shigeru looked at his hand in confusion for a moment, but reached for it tentatively, bowing as he did so.

"King Duncan. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. Kurokuma has told me much."

Duncan bowed back, although not nearly as graceful, "All good things I hope."

"Of course!" Shigeru smiled again, glancing at Horace, "Kurokuma spoke nothing but praise about everyone."

"What's Kurokuma mean?" Will whispered to Gilan.

Shigeru heard him, turning to the Ranger with a mischievous look, "It's a term of great respect."

Horace rolled his eyes, "Translated, that means it's some sort of joke he still won't explain."

Most of the Nihon-Ja delegation began to laugh at the inside joke, inviting an amiable and relaxed atmosphere. Horace laughed himself, showing that he really didn't mind. Duncan took quick advantage of this, inviting everyone inside and introducing them along the way. Nel listened with light amusement as those from Nijon-Ja tried to say their names. They either became very deliberate with each syllable, like with Casssandra's name, or changed the name itself. Halt became Halto and Will became Wirru. Most didn't even attempt the Skandian's names, although she couldn't blame them for that. How exactly would they have even tried to say Svengal? Or Ingvar?

As soon as they were inside, Duncan sent for coffee and tea.

The groups began to mingle and Nel saw Duncan breath a sigh of relief. Another introduction had gone well. Nel felt pity for him. He was risking so much. If this treaty failed, all the blame would fall on Araluen and, by extension, him.

She turned back to the rest of the group, watching as they became acquainted. Horace was talking animatedly with many of the Nihon-Ja delegates, catching up with old friends. Will and Gilan were talking with a man named Shukin and, from the looks of things, had apparently discovered something wonderful. For a second, Nel wondered if she should worry about that. The last time they had looked so pleased was when they had successfully snuck some of Master Chubb's tarts away from his kitchen.

"Excuse me?" a voice cut through her thoughts.

She turned and came face to face with Shigeru. Immediately a blush rose to her cheeks, embarrassed to have not noticed the Emperor himself walking up to her. However, he seemed to realize her shock, raising a hand gently to calm her down, "I'm sorry. I did not mean to startle you."

"I-It's ok," she stammered out, bowing her head as Horace had said to do.

He bowed his in response, "May I ask your name?"

"Aranel. But, um, most everyone calls me Nel."

"Airaneh," he said, emphasizing the first part and skipping the L entirely, "It is nice to meet you."

"You as well." Shigeru had a wide smile and kind eyes. Nel found herself instantly liking him, being reminded of Malcolm.

The Emperor handed her a handkerchief, pointing slightly to her temple, "A mark, Airaneh-san."

The blush came right back and she hurried to wipe the area he pointed out, "Oh, thank you. I-I didn't realize. I, well I was-"

He smiled gently, waving away her concerns, "Do not worry. Everyone has done it before."

Nel sighed, relaxing a bit, "Thank you."

"Anytime. Tell me, were you drawing something?"

Her eyes widened, "Yes, I was. How could you tell?"

"You seem like an artist."

"Thank you, again."

"Are you part of the delegation here?" he asked, taking back the cloth when she offered it.

"Oh, no, I'm not," she muttered shyly, "I'm, I'm just a healer. My father is one of the advisors though."

He raised his eyebrows in surprise, "A doctor? So young? Remarkable."

"Thank you?" it was more of a question than actual gratitude. She didn't think 24 was that young for a doctor. Perhaps it was different in Nihon-Ja?

"I do not mean that as an insult Airaneh-san." Shigeru said, looking at her kindly, "I am impressed. Our doctors study for many years."

"Oh," she said quietly, "That makes more sense. I'm afraid I don't know much about healers in Nihon-Ja."

Shigeru smiled warmly at her, eyes lighting up in excitement, "Perhaps we could change that? We could use this as a chance to exchange more than just troops and agreements. Knowledge as well."

Nel's face adopted a similar expression, "That would be wonderful! I'm sure everyone else will agree!"

He laughed at her sudden enthusiasm, "I'll discuss it with the king then?"

Nel tried to hold her eager response in, but couldn't. Her mind was already racing at the possibility of new medical texts to read, "Please."

"Consider it done," he smiled affectionately, "Now, I do hope to see some of your artwork, if you wouldn't mind?"

Nel felt herself smiling back, "Um, maybe after the negotiations are over?"

"Of course." he bowed again, "I look forward to it Kujaku-san."

He strode away, entering into a conversation with Erak easily and leaving her in confusion.

"Kujaku?" she muttered to herself.

"A term of great respect." her father suddenly said.

Like with Gilan the other day, Nel jumped a little in shock at the Ranger's appearance, but wasn't terribly surprised by it, "At least, that's the only answer we seem to be getting."

"They are fond of nicknames, aren't they?"

He shrugged, "It's easier for them."

"Does that mean you have one?"

"Not yet."

Nel gave him a quick smile which he returned.

"What are you doing tomorrow?"

"Oh, I was going to volunteer at the hospital and then work on salves with Edvin."

"Any chance you could reschedule?"

She looked at him curiously, "Why?"

"Can't I want to spend some time with my daughter without some sort of underhanded reason?" Halt huffed.

Nel smiled at him, "Isn't the last delegation arriving tomorrow?"

When Halt didn't respond, her smile widened before she asked, "What's going on dad?"

He sighed, dropping his voice to a whisper, "Look, the Arridi arrive tomorrow and the negotiations start the morning after."

"Yes? And?"

"I've been here three months already. I'd like a quick breath before we dive right into the next step." His voice took on an annoyed tone as he looked at her pointedly.

She pressed her lips together, giving him a concerned look, "And by break you mean…"

Halt glared at her, "Just taking a ride with my daughter! Honestly, even you don't trust me!"

Nel laughed quietly, "It's always good to double check."

"Whatever happened to just believing your parents?"

She gave him a rare smirk, "I got you as a dad."

Halt rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath.

A moment later, her smirk turned into an equally scarce sly smile and she whispered, "Uncle Crowley ordered you out of the castle tomorrow so you'd stop driving him insane with all your sarcastic comments, didn't he?"

"Shut up!"

Their ride ended up being cut short. As they went through the town, the two of them passed by the hospital, absolutely flooded with patients. Apparently there had been an accident at a blacksmith's, the roof caving in over the forge due to damage from the last storm that had never been repaired. Halt took one look at Nel's worried face, looking up at him as if asking for permission, before he waved her away, insisting that she go work. Nel barely registered him grabbing her horse and leading it back to the castle before she grabbed the nearest package of bandages and went to the first patient. It was hours before she made it back, but when she did, she could tell that the final delegation had arrived.

Nel gulped, suddenly nervous. In her haste at the hospital, she had completely forgotten that the officials from Arrida were due to arrive that day. This had been the first contact with Arrida since the incident sixteen years ago, shortly after Duncan became king. She knew that this was the meeting that everyone had been worried about. The one that could make or break their efforts.

She had, luckily, gotten back just in time for dinner. When she walked into the Banquet Hall, no one had started eating yet, but were all talking. Nel took the first seat available, which ended up being between Will and Lydia, the only female in the Skandian delegation. They hadn't talked much, but Nel had found that she was friendly, if blunt.

Sparing a glance down the table, Nel saw that the leaders of each country were seated together, genuine smiles on their faces as they conversed. She turned to Will, impatient to ask how the introductions had gone.

"You're late," Will whispered, unknowingly cutting her off, "You were supposed to be back in time to greet the Emrikir."

"I know, I'm sorry," she whispered back, looking at her plate guiltily, "The hospital was flooded with people."

"What do you mean?"

"The roof collapsed in a forge."

Will looked at her with a worried expression, "Is everyone ok?"

She nodded assuringly, "They will be. It wasn't anything serious, luckily. Just a lot of small injuries. I lost track of time."

"It's ok," Will sighed, seemingly untroubled now that he knew the reason behind her tardiness, "Halt just didn't give many details when he got back. Everyone was too preoccupied with the Arridi. It's actually kind of lucky that you weren't able to go for your ride. Everyone seems to be arriving early."

"Well, it kind of makes sense. It's an important meeting, for everyone."

He nodded his agreement.

"How did it go?" she asked, trying not to seem too eager. She was certain she was failing at that though.

Will reached for some bread before responding, "Really well. The Emrikir seems like a friendly man. He's spent more time joking with everyone than he has talking about anything else."

A roar of laughter from Erak down the table punctuated Will's statement, proving his point. Nel spared another glance, studying the Emrikir. He looked about average height, although he didn't look like he had a warrior's build at all. There was no tension in his body language though, and he seemed to be enjoying himself as Duncan began telling a story.

"That's good."

Will took a quick drink, "He even brought a bunch of his private stock of kafay beans as a gift."

"Kafay beans?" she raised an eyebrow at him.

He pointed to her cup, "Coffee. They used it for tonight's dinner. Try it."

Hesitantly, she did. And her mouth seemed to explode with the richest flavor she'd ever tasted.

"This is amazing!" she exclaimed before she could stop herself.

Lydia heard her, arching an eyebrow in amusement, "Isn't it? I'm half tempted to move to Arrida just so I can have this every day."

Nel smiled while Will laughed, "Me too."

"So, um, what else happened?" Nel asked.

Lydia shrugged, very nonchalant, "Not much. Atanyan, that's the Emrikir's name, has been interacting with everyone. But he hasn't brought up the treaty at all really."

Nel gave Will a nervous look, "Have any of the Arridi mentioned, well, what happened?"

"Only once," he said softly, "When they first arrived. He said that the past is the past. That we need to worry about the future before our countries no longer have one."

"That's...inspiring."

Will gave a grunt of agreement, studying the Emrikir.

"Is everything ok?" she asked.

He was quiet a long moment before responding, his voice very thoughtful, "It just doesn't make sense. I get that the Temujai are a major threat, but after what happened? To just sweep it under the rug like that? They vowed to get revenge and have avoided all contact with Araluen for sixteen years. Now they're acting like it never happened. I just, I don't trust it. Something else is going on."

"Maybe they're just deciding that it is more important to deal with the Temujai first?" Nel suggested, although it sounded half-hearted even to herself.

"Hmmm," Will obviously wasn't convinced either.

"What exactly happened?" Lydia asked, "No one's told me yet."

"What's happened? You mean between Araluen and Arrida?" Will clarified.

She nodded, "All I know is that there's some bad blood between the two countries cause something happened years ago."

"Bit of a long story."

Lydia looked around the room where everyone had just started eating, before raising an eyebrow at him sarcastically, "I think we have time."

Will sighed, looked to see if anyone else was listening, and, after seeing that no one was, began to explain.

"About fifty years ago, Duncan's father, King Oswald, negotiated a treaty with Arrida. It was fairly simple, a trade agreement really. But they renegotiated it every five years, like all treaties."

"What happened then?" Lydia asked, taking a bite of her own food, "How did you all end up as enemies?"

"Morgarath." Nel whispered timidly, not looking up.

Lydia looked at Will in confusion, "Who?"

"Morgarath. He was the Baron of Gorlan fief. He wanted to be king and, twenty years ago, instigated a rebellion to try to take the throne. Almost worked, except Duncan, Crowley, and Halt were able to find a way to stop him and he was banished to the Mountains of Rain and Night."

"Cheerful place I'm assuming?" Lydia said grimly.

Will chuckled, "Perfect vacation spot."

"How lovely," she smirked, "But what does his rebellion have to do with the Arridi?"

"Well, during Morgarath's first rebellion-"

"First?"

"He tried again five years ago. Horace killed him. It's a separate story, about two books worth," Will explained quickly, brushing off her other questions, "But, during his first attempt, Oswald ended up dying. Duncan became king."

"That's horrible." her brows furrowed and she looked at the king sympathetically.

Nel and Will nodded their agreement before he continued, "It took a long time for Araluen to get back on it's feet after all that. Morgarath had done a lot of damage and it had ripple effects all across the country. But, not long after Duncan became king, it came time to renegotiate with Arrida. He was only twenty years old or so. The treaty had been in place thirty years at that point."

Lydia grimaced, "The negotiations didn't go well, did they?"

"They didn't go at all." Will said, "Duncan called off the treaty."

Her jaw dropped in amazement, "What? Why would he go and do a stupid thing like that?!"

"Shh," Will looked around again, but no one seemed to notice her outburst.

She had the good sense to look guilty.

"Sorry." she whispered.

"It's ok. To be fair, most everyone thought the same thing." he admitted quietly, "Almost everyone counseled him against breaking it off."

"So why did he?"

"Well, I'm not going to lie. Halt says that Duncan's inexperience was part of it. That's why Cassandra's been such a big part of these preparations. But the treaty and trade with Arrida had also become rather...stagnant. The king saw no point in keeping it around if it wasn't helping the country. Finally, the king was angry with Arrida. That was what had mostly fueled his decision."

"He was angry with them?" her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "What for?"

"What else?" Morgarath's invasion."

"But, that doesn't make any sense. They didn't have anything to do with the invasion."

"Exactly. They didn't have anything to do with it." he said pointedly, "Duncan had sent for aid as the treaty stated that in times of war, each country would send troops to the other. But it never stipulated what to do in the case of a civil war. So they didn't send any help at all. Duncan wasn't happy about that and broke off the treaty because of it."

"That's just a simple misunderstanding though. It doesn't seem like either side did anything wrong except not think things through." Her tone implied that she thought it should have been obvious.

"That's right." Will agreed, "But the Arridi weren't thrilled that Duncan broke off a thirty year alliance."

"No one would be." Lydia huffed.

"Right. The Emrikir of that time claimed to never again enter into a treaty with Araluen again. And it gets worse. As they left Araluen after Duncan broke off the treaty, they were ambushed, right before boarding their boat. The Emrikir was killed."

The astonishment on Lydia's face grew.

Will shook his head, moving a few bites of food around his plate without eating any of it, "The Arridi blamed Duncan for his death, but no one knows who actually killed him. Some say bandits, some say assassins, some say Duncan made a Ranger do it. But it happened on Araluen soil, and they vowed revenge ever since. That's the last time we had any contact with the Arridi, until now."

Lydia looked at the Arridi around the table, the other two following her gaze. Unlike their Emrikir, they seemed tense, constantly scanning the room and it's occupants.

"Could it be a trick?" Lydia whispered, "That they aren't really here for the treaty?"

He shrugged, but his eyes still watched the Arridi cautiously, "We don't know. But it's a risk that Duncan is willing to take. I know he regrets his decision from the first time."

"He'd better," Lydia huffed, folding her arms and leaning them on the table, "I've been listening. This alliance needs the Arridi. We can't beat the Temujai without them. If Duncan's past mistakes screw this up, we're done for."

Once again, Nel and Will could only nod in agreement.

Special thanks to North Peach for beta reading this chapter! Hope you all enjoyed it. Please review!