Chapter 13: Negotiation
"You know you don't have to, right?" The whisper was low to make sure the butler didn't catch his words.
Of course.
Shizuo wanted to give his fiance the opportunity to return to her chambers without losing face.
It was a gentle gesture, but Izaya shook his head.
"Who would I be to break my promise at the first chance available?" Doubt reflected in Shizuo's expression as they made their way down the hall.
Dozens of decorations consisting of gold and jewels hung from the high walls, serving as a quick reminder as to just how many battles the former king had won and just how many lands he had subjugated with his power.
Starting war by accident, huh?
Izaya had taken Shizuo's words as slightly exaggerated, but right now they rang far more true than he thought.
The former king ruled with sheer power and fear. His cruelty was well known throughout the lands.
With a son that didn't serve even half of his malice they would be sure to jump the opportunity to seize power for themselves.
"Aren't you tired from the ride?" the king questioned softly, again serving the perfect excuse to return to his chambers. A glance was shot towards his chest and ankle- it was obvious Shizuo was worried how his future wife was truly holding up.
Quickly snatching a piece of fabric from the dozen ornaments, Izaya wrapped it around his neck like an asset to his dress.
It served to hide the injury as it would cause a lot of unwanted questions.
"I'm fine." Izaya repeated, very much aware that Shizuo wasn't buying his act.
A soft sigh followed as they stepped up to the one of the many chambers of the castle.
Doors were opened and a small staircase led to what seemed to serve as a study.
Bookshelves sat left and right only leaving room for a single large window crafted with the finest material.
Two couches, facing each other with a small table in between, formed the center of the chamber and two elderly men rose to their feet upon their sight.
"The lordships, lord Hebaron and lord Dunxton have come to negotiate future transactions and boundaries of the land," the butler announced, bowing curtly as he showed the two in.
A hand sneaked around Izaya's waist as he stepped onto the few stairs leading down into the room.
Shizuo was trying to make sure Izaya wouldn't stumble and make a fool of himself as much as of the king.
It was a common action, not specifically tied to his injuries, yet Izaya couldn't help but feel abashed by the action.
More than unfamiliar it caused a set of mixed feelings to be manhandled by the king himself.
"Ah, greetings my king!" The lords quickly bowed as they welcomed their desired counterpart.
"My lords," Shizuo quickly returned the favor, albeit ignoring the bow. "This is my fiance," he quickly gestured to Izaya, who knew to play his part as he fell into a ladylike bow.
"My lords," he spoke in the softest voice he managed.
"My lady." The men bowed once more, wrapping up the pretense that was an aristocratic greeting.
Pointing towards the couch, Shizuo followed and took a seat.
Documents, geographical maps and calculations laid bare on the table.
Eyes skimming over the contents briefly, Izaya took a seat next to the king.
"Can we get straight to the matters at hand, your highness?" Lord Dunxton requested quickly, pulling out even more documents from the hidden pocket inside his jacket. He was old and obviously indulged in too many banquets as his stomach would put shame on pregnant women.
"It would be much preferred," his companion, lord Hebaron agreed, almost the opposite, at least in appearance. Scrawny, thin and with the slightest hint of restlessness he quickly arranged the papers orderly as he adjusted a round pair of too large glasses on his nose.
"Do elaborate." Shizuo signed for them to get to the point, relieving them both from the looks of it.
"As you are aware, the boundary of the kingdom has become unstable. Mercenaries are getting abducted and the kingdom wants to see someone stand strong against the forces of the neighboring kingdom. We are trying to defend the borders, especially Istal as it is the farthest and most prone to assaults," the fat lord continued, his expression showing nothing but exhaustion and sadness at the situation. "We were lucky so far. They only sent small troops, but our men are getting tired," he continued and Shizuo swallowed shortly.
This was yet another prime example of why he wasn't suited to be king, wasn't it?
But at least the topic was his forte. Having gone to wars himself and fought endlessly long battles he knew of the despair men had to face in those fights.
"Alright, what do you need, to maintain your position?"
"Sir, we need munition, more food, more clothing- in short more money to purchase said needs for the knights at war," lord Hebaron quickly spoke in a stressed fashion.
Funds it is.
Shizuo was aware his father accumulated quite a lot of wealth over the last decade. Some stemmed from raids, most from the sheerly inhumane taxes he had decided to uphold.
"How much are we talking about?" Shizuo asked. If worse came to worst he had enough wealth to finance a war.
"Ah, my king that of course is for you to decide, but if I may humbly suggest, instead of trading money for time I would be willing to extend my hand." Lord Hebaron quickly threw in, changing the direction of the negotiation.
"That's right, it's the reason both of us appeared today. Lord Hebaron offered to provide said necessities along with soldier's from his own ranks. It would reduce the overall cost and effort as they are located not far from the border." Lord Dunxton explained with a quick smile of relief on his lips.
Shizuo felt the same as he took a deep breath.
Gratitude reflected in his eyes as he faced the scrawny lord.
"That would be a great help."
Bowing shortly to show his devotion he nodded.
"All for my king. But to travel safely and keep our transactions at a minimum, how about we extend the border of my country?"
The maps having been placed on top of the desk were quickly expanded as they showed the exact border they were talking about.
"Just a little into the east so that my troops can follow up smoothly without preaching through Lord Kelvin's lands," Lord Hebaron suggested, letting his index finger trail along the route his troops were to take.
Looking at the plan at hand Shizuo hummed. It was indeed the shortest connection. Avoiding lord Kelvin's lands would lead to an unnecessary trip over a mountain. It was neither wished for healthy troops to exhaust themselves on the way nor was it efficient.
It was when his future wife shifted that Shizuo's gaze turned to her.
Having raised her hand she brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.
Their eyes met, and with the subtlest flicker of her eyes she looked towards the door they came from.
Understanding the hint Shizuo quickly cleared his voice.
"If you would excuse me for a second, my lords, I need to think about your offer."
Devoted smiles spread across their faces as they nodded eagerly.
"Of course my king, take all the time you need."
It took lord Dunxton a rather ungraceful set of two attempts to get up from the couch while lord Hebaron already headed for the door.
Taking the hint to give the king some time even the butler left the chamber, advising the lordships to follow his lead for some refreshments.
Looking up from the documents he glanced at his future wife.
"What do you say?" he asked, unsure of how he had handled the situation.
The matters at hand were clear and he hadn't caused any bad blood either in his speech or actions.
But to his disappointment Kururi didn't seem quite as positive as she looked at the documents scattered on the desk.
"They are trying to cheat you of your wealth."
As harsh as the words sounded, their meaning was worse.
"What do you mean?"
"Extending his border without doing so much as inform the lord beforehand? That's like asking for havoc to break loose on your command." Kururi continued without pausing to blink as she sorted through all the alleged evidence of war. "All of this? Nothing but random documents showing calculations on ownerships and flow of wealth. They aren't proving anything except for the fact that lord Dunxton likes to spend money." A short break followed on which his future wife tore her sight from the papers to direct it at Shizuo. "Have you actually seen the situation at hand?"
It was somewhat humiliating.
Competence and confidence radiated from her words while Shizuo hadn't even thought of going through the papers.
"... no."
"See that's where he got you first. 'As you know'- bullshit there is nothing to know about he was just trying to sell you facts that aren't true." Kururi went on, putting the papers aside with a sigh.
Bitterness swayed with her words as Shizuo frowned.
He had known lord Dunxton for a long time. It hadn't been his first visit and he knew his father trusted him to a fault.
…his father did.
The sheer overwhelming presence managed to suffocate Shizuo even after his death as he realized just how little his own lords thought of him.
"How do you know? There might be a war going on after all. What if he speaks the truth?" Shizuo tried, he wasn't doubting Kururi's conclusion, but it was infuriating. How could she be this perceptive when he didn't even doubt them?
Fixing the provisorial scarf Kururi had used to cover her chest with, she continued.
"I happened to speak to a mercenary just a day ago, and his lands were at peace. He originates from the very same location that lord feigned to have seen war in."
So they really were trying to trick him.
"... that son of a whore." Shizuo cursed, grasping his forehead as he sighed. "I didn't realize a thing."
"Yeah, I noticed that." Kururi laughed, only to immediately cut herself short. "Sorry-"
Shizuo snorted.
Well, at least he had finally managed to make her smile.
"Do speak your mind. I can stomach a little bit of truth," he chuckled, then turned his gaze towards the topology of his lands, "So? What do we do? Tell him to take his lies and leave?"
"Seeing how you are asking me you know that's not how you can handle this."
Right.
"... he might start a war himself, or come up with something else if he feels we are onto his lies."
"Exactly."
And suddenly Kururi smiled with a hint of mischief in her eyes. "So what you are going to do is play dumb."
Expression sweet as an angel the woman just looked at him as though she had drawn the most logical conclusion. Shizuo on the other hand struggled to comprehend what she was trying to say.
"...excuse me?"
Smile not wavering for a second she raised her hand, gesturing away as she explained in more details.
"You are a knight. A monster on the battlefield from what I heard and he knows that. He doesn't expect you to know about political affairs or aristocratic schemes. And we are going to use that. A good-hearted knight, maybe not the wittiest, but genuinely trying his best to provide for his people and lands equally, how does that rumor sound?"
Oh wow.
A soft frown drew across his forehead.
"You want to make them think I'm stupid?"
"I want to make them think you care." Izaya paused shortly, trying to come up with a more proper explanation. Shizuo didn't exactly seem like he liked the plan. "Your father ruled with fear. The people will welcome a gentle ruler with open arms," he tried and Shizuo's expression softened a bit.
"... and you think they will believe that?"
It was funny, in the light of the sun gleaming through the painted glass the king's expression seemed similar to a kicked puppy.
It made Izaya want to support his lost confidence as he smiled a gentle smile.
"It's not too far from the truth, right?"
His words were like balm to Shizuo's ears and he nodded in agreement.
The plan his future wife had come up with might not be the best, but it was better than anything he could have done.
Rising to his feet the king quickly walked over to the door.
Not too far the lords were standing, chattering happily as their gazes traversed the multiple accessories his father had hung in the hallway.
"My lords," Shizuo announced, his deep timber voice cutting through the hall like an ax in the middle of a wood.
Quickly bringing their words to a halt they diverted their attention.
"My lord, have you come to a conclusion?" Lord Dunxton was heaving just from coming over, while Lord Hebaron already took a seat back on the couch.
Taking his time Shizuo recapped what Izaya had told him to say before sitting down himself.
Hands were folded and his eyes serious as he cleared his throat.
"I am very honored to have my lord look out for me to this extent. Sadly I cannot split lands at will despite my status. I will be riding out tomorrow to confirm the situation at hand and try to negotiate with the king instead."
Izaya felt the involuntary urge to grin. Perfect.
He couldn't have worded it better.
Faces falling the lords suddenly missed their gleeful expression.
Of course.
All their requests relied on, was the lie of a war.
Once Shizuo went there he would see the lie- and even if they weren't scared of Shizuo's regiment, their status, lands and titles would lose credibility if word came around.
It was particularly funny because they had been quite meticulous in their trap.
No king would offer to visit the area of war himself, just to check.
They would send a courier.
A courier that could be bought by the lords. Every human was willing to act according to their wishes as long as the price was high enough.
While some people weren't easily bribed, most of the couriers were.
Not so the king, who owned more wealth than they could possibly provide to apologize for their faux.
"Oh no it's not necessary for your highness to-" Lord Hebaron was the first to lose his cool as he raised his voice, but Shizuo quickly cut him off.
"It is, I insist. I would like to accompany you on your way back, just to make sure you arrive safely. I am well known for my sword skills so you can rest assured."
Oh god, this was perfect.
Izaya felt the need to bite his tongue to remain his stoic impression while lord Dunxton seemed to piss himself in his seat.
They got them just where they wanted.
"My king, I am honored you are willing to go this far, but it's not necessary. As it just so happens I just received word from my lands, and it seems the forces are shrinking in numbers."
Oh! Grandiose lie.
"You still need protection for the land. What about the route? It will be hard on your soldier's to travel back and forth," Shizuo continued further, adding a finishing pull to the rope that had tightened around those lords' greedy necks.
"Lord Hebaron is willing to sell me his troops so there is no more action needed."
Shizuo's expression showed delight as he showed both of his guests his best smile.
"I am really blessed with generous lords."
Izaya was somewhat surprised. Considering how much the king loathed those two for lying to his face he really played his part well.
…then again, Shizuo was trying to bring peace to his lands.
Opposite to the former king he actually cared about their well being.
Showing a false smile like this, for the greater sake of protecting that peace showed just much pressure the blond felt in his newfound position.
"... I thank you for the praise, my lord." Lord Dunxton replied, and Shizuo rose to his feet.
"Alright then the issue has been resolved."
to be continued~
Well well~ the king got himself a smart wife, now didn't he? xD and Izaya is having the time of his life too xD
The only question is ... for how long? C: xD
See you next Saturday~ C; xDDD
PS.: Ast will not update today as I need to make some final adjustments xD I finally thought of the perfect end for the story and needa revise a few things xD As for SD- similar reason, I am adjust the plot somewhat and therefor gonna spend some more time thinking about what exactly will happen next chapter xD