PaulMichaels
patreon
IGIWS: FIRST DRAFT: Chapter 249
🕑 Added 2024-06-29 11:38:57 +0000 UTCDalia was chased by Nieren until they reached the Palace's Dining Hall. Dalia was the one to find it, thanks to her nose. Yuliana was disappointed seeing her daughter's appearance in such a disheveled state, but Rya couldn't help but smile as Nieren's hair was all messed up.
Tayna just sighed, "You know... It's improper to run down the palace hallways, right?" She questioned the two ladies.
Dalia smirked and winked, "Nope! We were in a fierce competition, and I won!"
"She cheated, though," Nieren mumbled.
"Enough!... It doesn't take an elf's ears to hear you two running around like children. Now sit down, or you two won't get supper," Yuliana scolded the two young women.
"I'm sorry, Mother," Nieren bowed and apologized.
Dalia's ears dropped, and her tail was between her legs as she whimpered, "Sorry, Miss Leafy,"
"Humph, sit," Yuliana commanded her daughter and the Wolfkin.
"Yes, Ma'am," Nieren obeyed as Dalia followed suit.
The two girls sat down and waited for the servants to bring out their meals. As they waited, the three elves heard the footsteps of multiple people coming their way.
'Sounds like Quinus is bringing more people to dine with us... I wonder what he's been up to all day?' Rya thought as she, Yuliana, and Nieren stood up.
Tayna and Dalia were confused, and before one of them could ask, Rya spoke first, "Quin's coming with guests."
"Oh!" Tayna said as she stood up, leaving Dalia to look at everyone with confusion.
"Why did you stand up?... I'm confused?" Dalia asked.
Tayna explained, "When royalty arrives, you have to stand up to greet them. That's one of the main rules of etiquette in court."
Dalia thought about it momentarily and remembered when that old dwarven noblewoman, Fyrella Coldforge, tried to teach her about noble etiquette. Still, Dalia thought it was all nonsense at first. Fyrella tried disciplining Dalia, scolding and even punishing her, but the dwarf's methods of getting Dalia to behave were useless. That was until the old dwarf came up with a different approach. That was giving her treats every time Dalia did something correctly. She ensured that Rya and Nieren got more treats than Dalia did so the Wolfkin would follow their example. It became a challenge for Wolfkin to get more treats than the others, and she thought she was getting the upper hand in this deal by doing such simple things. But Fyrella tricked the Wolfkin when she told her that if Dalia did her hair and got dressed properly, she would get a huge treat. When the Wolfkin did what she was asked and did everything correctly, the dwarf gave her a plate full of cookies. The Wolfkin's eyes glowed as her tail wagged, and her ears were raised in happiness. She loved the cookies. From that point on, Fyrella used cookies to get the Wolfkin to behave, and Dalia was none the wiser.
'Hehehe!... It's time for my treat! It's like stealing sweets from a dwarf!' Dalia thought excitedly as she stood up.
The doors opened as Quinus, Johan, Percy, and Sir George were followed by the other Royal Council members.
"Oh?... I didn't realize I was keeping you all waiting," Quinus chuckled.
"Well, you're lucky that I'm not hangry. Or I would have gone ahead and eaten already," Rya smirked.
"Oh no, how would I ever recover if a cute little elf like you were angry with me," Quinus teased.
Gawain and Brice were still unsure about Dark Elves' attitudes towards being teased, but the fact that she reciprocated Quinus' flirtatious behavior eased their minds.
"Hmm, well, I can be quite scary when I'm hangry," Rya giggled.
"I rather not have the rest of the palace be afraid of such a gorgeous and perfect lady," Quinus chuckled as the rest of the councilmen sat down at the table.
"Hmm?... Why would they be afraid of watching me punishing you?... It's not their fault when you've been bad," Rya giggled.
Gawain's face reddened as he and everyone else realized that the Dark Elf was being suggestive and flirting with the Crown Prince.
"Oh my... So should we go somewhere private? Or—"
"Let's just have some dinner first... It's not a punishment if you are looking forward to it, Quinus... So maybe later," Rya smirked as the two had a flirtatious stare down.
Brice and Gawain were stunned at what they just witnessed. They weren't expecting the Dark Elf to be so easygoing. She acted more like a human than they thought a dark elf would.
'This... This is... Not normal,' Brice thought.
'It's almost like she's acting like a human. I thought they were more stoic and cold... Like how she put the Prime Minister and the Duke in their place,' Gawain thought.
"Well then... Let's eat," Quinus smiled.
The servants walked in and set out the food on the table.
"Oh, this is amazing," Rya smiled as she looked at the food on the table. She noticed that Dalia was pouting as she sat down.
'Huh?... Is Dalia hoping to get a treat?... Awe! She's so cute!' Rya thought happily.
"Thank you," the Crown Prince said to the servant.
"Yes, thank you," Rya smiled at the servant, "And can you do me a favor?"
The servant was a little worried about what the Dark Elf would ask.
"Y-yes, my Lady," the servant nervously replied.
"I know desserts don't come out until the main course is over, but could you please get a large plate of cookies for the young wolfkin lady there? She's been on good behavior, and she's earned it," Rya smiled and pointed to Dalia, whose ears perked up.
The servant glanced over and saw the smiling wolfkin lady sitting across from her Alpha. The servant had an internal sigh of relief and smiled at the wolfkin.
"Of course, my Lady," the servant bowed and headed off.
Dalia smirked, 'Hehe! The pout gets them every time... Maybe I can get another plate of sweets if I use these stupid utensils. Yeah!... I'm going to be such a good girl that Alpha and Beta will have to give me all of the sweets I can eat!'
The Wolfkin was on her best behavior when in a noble setting that impressed all the councilmen and staff. They always heard about how rude and crass the Beastkins were and how they were uncivilized barbarians. But the one they've come to see is a well-behaved and polite young woman. The way she's acting now has surprised them. She was tamed without a slave collar or any other magical devices that could have been used.
"Well then, let's dig in," Quinus announced as he cut into the steak.
Rya's mouth watered when she saw the juicy steak and started cutting her own. Her appetite over the past week has seemed to increase, but she wasn't too worried about it since she's been trying to exercise more to rid herself of what she thought was a little weight gain. But in reality, it was her body slowly reacting to a fetus that was no bigger than a bean growing inside of her. Rya's organs were moving to make space, and her body was adjusting to a new life. It was still tough to tell, but her breasts felt heavier. And she could swear her nipples had become more sensitive than usual as her hormones were changing and increasing to prepare her body for what was coming.
Everyone began eating, and they noticed how much the Dark Elf ate.
'That's a lot of food. Even for an Elf,' Brice thought as Rya had a second helping.
The dinner went very well, and Rya had a blast. She even shared the dessert plate with Dalia. Rya was having a wonderful time and had forgotten her troubles for a moment until Quinus cleared his throat.
"Ahem... So, is everything okay on your end, Rya?" Quinus asked as a servant took away his empty plate.
"Everything is going good as can be... But with that Divine Three Princess being here and the Prime Minister angling to kick me out. I don't think things are going to be easy unless there's something new on your end?" Rya asked as she cut another piece of steak.
Quinus sighed, then looked at Lord Brice and Lord Gawain, who nodded.
Lord Brice gestured to the servants to leave the room. Once the doors closed, the two Lords began to discuss their options.
"His Highness says that all of you ladies can be trusted with this information. So, what I'm about to tell you shall not be repeated," Lord Brice said as he looked at all five of the ladies, who all nodded.
Rya looked at Lord Brice with a raised brow, "I'm assuming that things have gotten worse?"
Gawain sighed, and Brice scratched his chin, "I wouldn't say that things have gotten worse, but there's a possibility that war will break out in a month. Between the Alliance and us, Milady."
Rya shook her head slightly and looked at Gawain with a tilted head and a smirk, "If the possibility of war isn't considered getting worse... Then what is Lord Gawain? If you don't mind my asking?"
"Huh?... Well, if a dragon were to wake from its slumber or the Demon Lords united, it would be far more world-shaking and terrifying. Still, it would be considered less dangerous to the population than an actual war," Gawain answered truthfully.
Rya's face morphed into befuddlement before it occurred to her that this was Tertius' nuclear war. It still seemed surreal that a dragon could come out of nowhere and nuke a Continent without a second thought. Maybe it still felt like fiction because she still had not seen a dragon in real life.
"I see. But is the war avoidable?" Rya asked.
Brice's expression turned grim, "Milady, I'm afraid that it is unavoidable at this point. But if we can get most of the Major Houses to accept you as worthy of His Highness's hand, we can avoid a civil war and prepare for the Divine Three's reason."
Rya blinked as she heard those words, which sounded like a bad joke. But her eyes shifted to Dalia, who was happily eating away as if oblivious to what was going on.
'I don't know how she's so calm about the prospect of war?... I guess it's just something that is normal for a Wolfkin.' Rya thought as she glanced over to Quinus.
"How many of the Major Noble Houses have already accepted me into the fold?" Rya asked.
"Well, we only just arrived here, but the obvious ones are Coldforge, Dule, and Valerian... The Earl was impressed with you creating the trade deal on the fly. And he's the King's best friend, so that will only add icing to the cake for having your name approved for marriage," Brice said.
"What about the other houses? How many are there again?" Rya asked, wanting to know more.
"Thirteen, Milady," Gawain said.
'THIRTEEN!?... And I only have three?...' Rya thought with a frown.
Quinus noticed Rya's frown, "I know it's not much right now. But there's a good chance we can swing over a few of them to our side within the month..."
Rya looked confused while Nieren asked, "Why within the month? Shouldn't they like you and Milady by the time Lady Rya gets favor from the Goddess?"
Quinus sighed while Gawain cringed; Johan wanted to answer the question but looked at Lord Brice, who nodded.
"It's Lady Nieren, correct?"
"Prince Nieren... Lord Brice... My daughter's a princess from the Wood Elf Kingdom," Yuliana interjected, making Nieren want to hide under the table.
"My apologies, Princess. You see, the King does have a say in most things to protect the sovereign rights of the nobles and his citizens. But he needs the majority of the Major Lords' votes for approval to enact certain laws, pass trade deals, and make peace treaties or wars... But he has to be careful because he doesn't want to anger the nobles, especially the ones in charge of agriculture or industry. So he must appease the nobles before making a law that will impact them in some way, shape, or form," Brice explained.
"Then wouldn't it be safer if the King just makes a law he must follow as well?" Nieren asked, not sure if that's how the government system worked.
"Yes and No... What changed the governing system to a Parliamentary system was what happened during the War of the Mad King of Marn," Lord Brice said as he nodded to Lord Gawain to continue while Yuliana looked sorry.
"Ahem!... You see... About three hundred years ago, the largest kingdom in the north tried to invade all the surrounding human kingdoms after the Gloomwood Domain decided to become a part of Fiafyr. This is our third most prominent agricultural domain, and the former ruler of the land was a greedy and cruel man who was overthrown by House Blackwood with Fiafyr's help. The Mad King of Marn was furious when he lost the chance to bring that territory under his control.
"So he rallied his army and marched on the Fiafyr Kingdom and the other three human kingdoms to the northeast and southeast of the Mad King's Kingdom. The war lasted almost twenty years and ended when the Mad King's son murdered him once the King became insane and killed off his own family. It took us over a century to rebuild and recover.
"The Major and Minor, Nobles of Fiafyr, were fearful of the Royalty and wished to have a failsafe of one of the future Kings or Queens going mad or turning out like the Mad King. So, they requested that the Major Houses be a part of the King's council and have a voice in laws and decisions. And with the help of House Valerian, Wrightwood, Hawthorne, Lawson, and the Crown Prince at the time, they came up with the solution of having the Lords vote on what's best for the Kingdom."
"But then, wouldn't the King have full power? Why bother with the other Lords if the King already has his council to give him their opinion on laws and decisions?" Nieren asked, wondering what the point was in having a council.
"Yes and no. The King or Queen can ask to suspend the Major Lords' voting rights if there is an absolute emergency. This can only be declared if an invading force is or has already threatened the Kingdom or is an imminent threat. But this has only happened twice in the history of Fiafyr," Brice explained, "And the other reason why this has made the kingdom stronger than others is the fact that this brings up problems to be solved by territories that generally don't interact, like the farmers and the miners or the lumberjacks and the fishermen.
"I don't know about your homeland, but we are blessed to have such a diverse array of land. And it helped prevent a monopoly through the guilds... Supposedly, trying to deal with the guilds back in the past was a nightmare. Especially the Merchant's Guild," Brice said, shuddering at the thought.
"The problem with the guilds is they try to control the market for the betterment of their members and the worse for the customers. This isn't always the case, but since the Creation of the House of Major Lords and the West Wing's council chamber, the guilds haven't had the influence or power over the government that they used to have."
Nieren thought about that and could understand it a little bit better now. Rya smiled at Nieren. 'Yeah... I bet the Wood Elves' system of governing is way less complex. It's probably a lot simpler. Not that I think there is anything wrong with a simple system. Unless someone nefarious comes in to abuse it.'
"Is there anything else you wish to ask, Prince Hilda?" Lord Gawain asked her.
"No, thank you, Lord Gawain. I understand everything that I need to know," Hilda replied, looking up at the older man.
Yuliana looked guilty. "I'm sorry my brother didn't help with the Mad King... Maybe we could have destroyed the Marn Kingdom if only we had the foresight of the future," She apologized.
Everyone looked at Yuliana with surprise and pity.
Rya was the first to speak, "Mom... Hindsight is 20/20... How were you supposed to know that the Elder Tree was dying when the Kingdom of Marn sent the Black Roses to enslave your people?"
Yuliana sighed, "Maybe if my father weren't on his deathbed, we would have helped the humans... Or maybe not..."
Quinus looked at Yuliana and asked her a question, "You said your father was on his deathbed? What happened?"
"My father was over two thousand years old... He only had a couple of decades of life left... So we wished to enjoy his company for as long as possible..."
Nieren patted her mother's shoulder to comfort her.
'Two decades!?... Calm down, Rya... I know I used to be human, but I'm an elf now... And I can live hundreds of years... Haah... I think we should get this meeting back on track... Because there's something else that is bugging me.' Rya thought as she looked over to Quinus.
"There is one thing that still puzzles me. Why did you say that this marriage thing needed to be resolved by a month?" Rya asked Quinus.
"I can answer that, Lady Rya," Sir George chimed in.
The Dark Elf looked at the knight who was standing in the corner.
"Please explain, Sir George," Rya replied.
"That Foreign Prince, Terenthiel Marrell, wasn't too quiet when the Prime Minister tried chasing him down after the Emergency session was called... The Royal Guards heard him threaten Marquess Duval that if the situation isn't resolved once he returns from the Alliance of the Divine Three, he and his Paladins will try to rectify the issue..."
Rya sighed, "Rectify?... As in ridding me of my life, correct?"
Lord Gawain sweated a bit while Lord Brice stepped in, "Well?... What information we got from the General was that they will probably invade the south as they try to rid you, Milady."
Yuliana spoke out, "And are we going just to sit here and let those Alliance idiots walk all over us?"
Lord Gawain looked at Yuliana and said, "Well, Milady. It isn't like we have any choice."
"What do you mean? He's threatened to kill my daughter, and I'm sure they'll come after Me, my older daughter, and Dalia. We are demi-humans, too."
Rya couldn't help but to agree with Yuliana, and an idea came to her mind as she looked toward Quinus.
"I could create my golems and have capture or kill him before he reaches The Divine Three?... It might buy us some more time?" Rya asked her fiance.
Percy, Sir George, Dalia, Nieren, and Yuliana all seemed to like that idea, while Tayna, Johan, Gawain, and Brice all looked concerned.
Quinus looked at Rya with a bit of sadness in his eyes.
'Huh?... Did I say something wrong?... What did I say?' Rya thought as Quinus slowly took her right hand and stared into her azure eyes.
"Are you sure you want to send your golems after Terenthiel when he hasn't openly attacked us?... I know you are capable of succeeding, but I don't want you to lose who you were, Rya... Which is a good person..." Quinus said as his eyes stared into hers.
The Dark Elf blushed, 'B-But what did I say that was bad?... What was so wrong with the idea that Quinus is getting upset?'
"I don't think it's a good idea to kill Terenthiel when all he's done is saber rattling and hasn't attempted to try and attack you like that, Paladin... But I will support you if you think this is the right course of action..."
Rya was a little confused, but then it hit her what Quin was hinting at.
'D-Did, I really just think that killing someone was the easier route?... I-I did, didn't I?... And I could have let those two White Knights and Paladin go without provoking them... I made them attack me so I could kill them... What's happened to me?...' Rya signed and closed her eyes, "I guess what they say about judging someone's character is true..."
Everyone was curious about what she meant.
Tayna was the first to ask, "What do you mean, Lady Rya?"
Rya smiled sadly. "Back from... Where I'm from. There's an old saying about how you can see someone's true character. Some people say that to see someone's true nature, you have to strip them of all their money and things and leave them with nothing. But that isn't true because you will have to do whatever you can to survive."
Rya had everyone's attention now, "If you really want to see someone's true nature... You give them power or money and watch their true colors emerge... And I've been starting to think that eliminating someone before they have done anything is my answer to a problem... Thanks for noticing, Quin... I didn't realize that I was going down this path and throwing away who I was. Thank you for not letting me lose myself..."
"You are most welcome, Rya."
Quinus held her hand a little tighter as she leaned against him.
Rya's mind raced from what Quinus said, 'I need to remember that people are not insects... And I'm not perfect... Haah... How do you not lose yourself with this much power?... I need to be more responsible, or people will die because of me. I've got to be better."
Gawain was surprised to see the Dark Elf in front of him showing regret. He was used to people in power who didn't care and threw away the lives of others, like the Duke. He was even more shocked when the Dark Elf admitted that she had a flaw. He was starting to understand why the Crown Prince would fall in love with such a woman.
"We have time to deal with the Alliance when the time comes. There's still a chance that we can prevent war from happening with the Alliance... I don't know how we can stop it, but war would be guaranteed if Terenthiel was killed within our kingdom," Gawain said.
Everyone looked at the young girl who was deep in thought.
Rya stared off into space as her mind tried to work through the problem and come up with a solution. Her mind came up with all kinds of possibilities and scenarios, but the outcomes seemed impossible at this time, so she decided to shelve it for now.
"Yeah... If the Divine Three declared war, then I will kill Terenthiel and his Paladins, but until that happens, we will avoid war." Rya stated as she looked at everyone.
Comments
Marek Gwalt
TFTC
Micheal Kennedy
Thanks for the chapter!
PaulMichaels
Hey all! There is a little more to the dinner scene but I'm struggle to get it completed while being around family at the moment. So I cut it a little short and I'll get a non-canon draft out next if I can't get any free time. Anywho! I hope you all enjoy your weekend!
