In the mirror was a man I wasn't used to seeing. A man dressed in the simple but proud armor of his people, the Helline. The armor was simple steel and thick leather draped in the furs of the great bears of our northern home. These furs, taken from the cold tundra grasslands of this beautiful mountain kingdom I would one day call my own, made me feel confident and arrogant. But today was a day for diplomacy not arrogance. My father and I were supposed to meet Lord Vyncis, King of Braseras, to negotiate the tensions between our two kingdoms.
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The feud had lasted since before I was born and had only eased to speaking terms thirty years ago when my grandfather made a pact with the father of Lord Vyncis. But even ending that war never pillowed the tensions between our two kingdoms, it was just tucked away and treated as if it didn't exist. The ending of that war was the last to happen in these last thirty years of fragile peace, the most the Continent had seen in centuries. Our cities had recovered and thrived since then but I had only seen so much of it happen in person since I was so young once the pact had been signed.
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I focused on my reflection, staring at the dark crimson fabrics and deep brown furs draped across my body. It only needed one more thing, our symbol, the Helline Flame. It was a gold pendant in the shape of a tall and sharp flame that sat in place holding my cape and furs neatly together in one tight knot. No matter how I felt about today, agree or disagree, I had to be the image of my family and our strength. Today would likely change our future significantly and my people depended on that.
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I retreated from the mirror and out of my simple cobblestone bedroom. I made my way through the castle hallways, the pelts of vicious animals and beasts lined the walls and floor. Our family was one of the oldest on the Continent and were famed for our strong warriors and cunning hunters. My people were as hard as the land that birthed them. I remembered as a little boy seeing all of the tall stone fortresses and cities in Helline and knowing they'd been there for hundreds of years and would stand for hundreds more.
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I strode into the main hall of the castle. In the middle of the large room was a table that could seat at least fifty people at once. My father and mother were already sitting there talking to one another, behind them a great fire blazed in the hearth giving the room a cozy feeling. I knew that cozy feeling was too good to be true though because I could see the worry in my mothers eyes as her and father's minds clashed with the possibilities the day could bring. His mind was more hopeful and optimistic while hers was more cynical and realistic which made them good partners, able to see almost every outcome.
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I sat down across from them just in time for my mother to catch sight of me in my formal attire. "Ah, my sweet. You wear that armor like you were born for it." She exclaimed. Even my father had an impressed gleam in his eyes, perhaps returning to memories of his younger days. He stood up in all of his brash grandeur. He was a large man, burly and bearded like most of our countrymen so he fit in very well. He had always been popular, the son of a great war hero and a veteran himself, he had all the great makings for a stable kingship and he had enjoyed it for many years. He was a good man.
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"Looking good won't help him as much as you think. He'll have to have his wits about him today, this is politics." He said, reminding me not to be arrogant. "Don't do or say anything you'll end up regretting. Be presentable, speak respectfully but don't let anyone make you look weak. Know when to force your hand and when to stay it. You'll do fine." He assured me, making some of my anxiety lessen but it would still be there no matter what. No matter what anyone said or did to reassure me I would always have my mothers worry. I always assumed that every outcome of every decision would be the worst case scenario. That way I would never be surprised or disappointed, never hurt.
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"I know father, I'll do my best." I told him. "I know you will, your mother raised you better than me." He said as he put his hand on my shoulder. "Be outside soon, son. I'll be waiting." He walked out of the room through the large stone archway at the back of the hall. I felt the soft hand of my mother rest on my shoulder but her touch was different from his, hers was less expectant of my approval, more comfortable. I turned to meet the gaze of her soft blue eyes, eyes that I trusted with my life. "Elson, you may be going to this meeting with a king but all eyes will be on you today. Be careful, please. Keep that temper leashed." She ordered me as her eyebrows raised, expecting an answer. "I will mother, I promise." I assured her too even as I could feel in my chest the fear of failing.
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I turned to follow my father outside. I could feel my anxiety begin to rise again, welling in my chest. "Elson." My mother called. I turned to meet her gaze once more but this time it was different, her realistic and cynical self returned. "If things go wrong, remember who we are, who you are. And don't hold back." She told me. Her words caught me off guard but I knew what she meant so I nodded in understanding. With that I turned and walked out of the room hoping her warning wouldn't come true.
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My father and I rode for what seemed like an hour before we reached the meeting point. The entire King's Guard had accompanied us. Father no doubt wanted to continue in easing the relationship between our two families but he was no fool, always prepared for a fight. We finally drew over the hill just before Ayrin's Peak, our meeting place, only to reveal a sea of dark blue tents. Braserians. My father might not have been a fool but we were outnumbered today. I prayed that nothing would happen because there were hundreds of them. If Lord Vyncis had any intention of easing tensions it was covered by this display of strength.
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We stopped at the crest of the hill as we were met by Braserian's on horseback. Their gleaming steel armor blanketed in deep blue cloth and their marking, two crossed fists, one made of thick oak and one made of hard stone. It was made to symbolize their family Gift, their ability to manipulate objects and nature. One of the more dangerous Gifts in the world but not comparable to our Gift of fire. They had to learn how to better control their Gifts throughout their entire lives while we were born with a natural tie to our powers both literally and figuratively. Our power was strongest in the sunlight. "Lord Edovin, we welcome you to our camp, King Vyncis is expecting you." The officer spoke. He stood out among the rest, his plumes on his silver squared helm was his giveaway. "I'll escort you." He said as my father nodded in approval, a look of discomfort on his face at his obvious distaste of the small army now surrounding us.
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Our Guard of heavily armed soldiers, both on horseback and on foot kept close to us so as to protect us from any surprises. Something seemed wrong though, there were no soldiers roaming about like a normal camp full of troops. The only Braserian's in sight were the group of almost fifty mounted lancers escorting us to King Vyncis. They could still be a danger but in my mind the more dangerous thought was not knowing where all the rest of the soldiers were. They could be waiting ready to ambush us when we are least expecting it. But nothing happened.
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We started to come to another rising hill in the center of the camp where another larger group of combined tents sat. That was where Vyncis was. Their family symbol was emblazoned on flags decorating the barren hillside, the ugly crossed fists everywhere you looked as if marking this land as their own. That thought angered me but perhaps that wasn't the intent of the Braserian's. I had to think optimistically, today was supposed to be the prospect of a better future for my people.
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We stopped outside the large tents and dismounted our horses. The officer and his entourage simply cantered off to the side and did the same, paying no notion to us, a sign of mutual trust. "You may step inside my lord, he is waiting for you." The officer said to us above the sound of his own men dismounting. My father looked around the parts of the camp he could see, he was paranoid. He knew to be ready for anything. "My lord, we have no ill intentions, please step inside." The officer assured us as he stepped closer to us, a hand raised towards the front flap of the tent. My father simply looked at the front of the tent and hesitated. My anxiety grew as I stood behind him, my hand creeping up to my sword handle.
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He finally stepped toward the tent, breaking my anxiety with relief. I took a deep breath and let go of my sword handle. I had to tell my self to calm down inside in case something did happen. I caught view of the inside of the blue tent as I too stepped forward inside. It was spacious on the inside with a long table made of polished birch wood, fine chairs and cushions sat around it with lanterns hanging on the tent poles to give us light. It would've been homely if not for the skinny glaring man sitting at the head of the great table. King Vyncis of Braseras. His face was more aged than my fathers but I wasn't fooled by age. I could see his past and his wisdom in his eyes, maybe even his cunning as well, he'd been through war just like my father and he'd learned from it just as he had. A long pale scar ran down his face and continued down his neck, disappearing beneath his armored tunic of dark blue. Bushy grey eyebrows arced in a scowl aimed directly at us.
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We paused at the sight of the seemingly disgruntled king. My father waited for Vyncis to stand and did nothing until he did. When the blue king finally stood the two great men just stared at each other for a moment and then bowed deeply to each other and I followed in suit. I felt out of place though, these were two very respected and famed men, I was a babe in the midst of giants. "Please, sit." Vyncis offered with a quiet but deep voice. His hand pointed to the two chairs prepared specifically for us. "I hope you had no trouble getting here. Did my riders treat you with respect?" The king asked. "They did indeed, I'm pleased that you ask." My father replied tactfully, showing appreciation. "Good. And this is your son, Elson?" He asked.
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My father looked at me and nodded in approval. I stood out of respect as I had been taught and bowed to the lord in front of me. "It is a pleasure to meet you, King Vyncis. I am most pleased to see that you made it here safely." I said as respectfully as possible while also trying to not sound like a cowering dog. I would always be respectful to a guest in my home but never stupid, always prepared. "And it is a pleasure to meet you as well, young lord." Vyncis said to me. "I can see that your father taught you how to speak properly." He said as he let a small grin show through his detesting scowl. My father laughed quietly so as not to seem too excited. "He's always learned well." My father confirmed. "Yes well, it's high time we get to it seeing as I have urgent business to attend to at home." The older king said as he made the move to begin discussions.
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"Since the pact was made by our fathers I have seen no violation of it on your part, Edovin so I can only assume that you have no ill will towards us as we have none for you. Perhaps it is time we finally put this bad blood behind us." He suggested, letting the possibility hang in the air. "What is it that you want in return?" My father asked him, wasting no time. Vyncis shrugged his shoulders, an obvious effort to seem oblivious. "Not much. As you know, I don't have an heir to my throne. Unfortunately I will be the last Braserian to rule. We both want peace so I can only see one option." He said as he began to finalize his offer. I knew what he was going to say and it was more dreadful than the violence I'd been praying to prevent. "Your son can take my daughter's hand in marriage, uniting our kingdoms into one as they both rule in our stead."
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I didn't want to believe how much sense his suggestion made but he was right. That plan was intelligent, solid, and could be supported by the people. Everyone loved a wedding. Everyone except me. I'd never met this woman let alone had the time or inclination to fall in love with her. Every part of me wanted to go against this offer. Something inside me was screaming to refuse but it wasn't my place to go against my father. It was my duty to not only my family but my people as well. I caught my fathers gaze as he looked at me intently. He was asking for my approval, surprising me even more. Then I looked at the blue king who was also waiting for my response. I looked down and decided to swallow my pride.
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I nodded in agreeance. "I would be honored to wed your daughter."
