Chapter 34

7 days after William's battle in Mapleharrow. Back at the castle in Crownspire, the princess is wrapping up a meeting with her father while the heroes wait in the hall for her to address them.

"It doesn't matter what you think of them, the fact remains that the nobles fund our war. They hold more power than I would like as well, but there is nothing to do about it at the moment. If you wish to one day have a role in politics, you will need to learn when to garner favor and when to wield status. Leverage is your weapon." Father said.

Tch. How annoying. Simply reminding them who holds actual power is leverage too. 

"Sorry, father. I didn't mean to infer that I was refusing. I was simply expressing my feelings on the situation. I will inform the heroes as soon as we're done here." I explained.

"Good. Were nearly done. What do you think about the lord of Korrindral?"

"His lands are prosperous, but his people are simple and-"

"Not his lands or his people, the lord. He has a son who is coming of age soon. Our kingdom is not on the best of terms with his. We could use more hands in the war, and I have information that the dragonkin in the west may be plotting something. Possibly looking to take advantage while we're distracted at the eastern front. It would be a beneficial alliance for both of us."

"You tell me to think about him, but you're also only thinking of the things you can gain."

"Just answer the question. It would a beneficial marriage. You would get your opportunity to hold some power politics. You can even take your heroes with you."

Nice try. You only want to be rid of me, because you fear me. 

"What kind of power would a princess hold in another lord's domain, married to a young prince?" I asked.

"Whatever you can take, Alenya. Your MY daughter. I know you hunger for power. Consider it a trial or a test of your wit and ambition. Either way, consider it. I'm not saying it will happen, and I will try to respect your choice, but understand that it is a possibility if you don't accept a suitor eventually."

It's not that those things don't excite me, but you're more short-sighted than I thought if you can't see what I'm building here. Even still, if it came to that, I had no doubt I would thrive.

"... Yes father. I'll consider it. Are we done then?"

"Almost. Apollyon! Enter."

That "thing" opened the door and entered the room. By sheer instinct alone, I took a step back and averted my eyes. Despite him being around the castle all my life, I would never get used to it. Back before I knew demons were a real thing and just believed them to be nightmarish creatures, Apollyon would've been what I imagined. A nightmare given form and placed into a suit of armor. I took every opportunity and precaution to avoid him when I could. Why was he here now?

"Regarding the death of your royal guard, I was consider-"

"No! No, thank you, father. That's very kind, but I actually have a few candidates in mind. I couldn't possibly take yours. You are the king, after all. Don't worry about me. I have the heroes for now."

"Hahaha. Still afraid of him, are you? I thought you would've grown out of that by now, but you've still got a bit of that innocent little girl in you. Fine. I'll leave the matter alone for now, but pick one sooner rather than later. Otherwise, I might send Apollyon to guard your room."

I had never heard such a horrifying threat, and I had no idea how father could bear to be around it. 

"Have a good evening, father, Mr. Apollyon. Thank you for your visit."

They left. I still had to address the heroes, but I wanted to get my nerves under control first. On my way to the hall, I considered whether this agitated state would actually be beneficial in some sort of performance for them, but decided it wouldn't. This was a rather boring meeting at the behest of some incompetent nobles. I put a smile on, opened the door, and crossed the room to stand in front of the throne.

"Heroes! You may rise. Welcome home. I've heard great news of your success in the mountains to the north. You've accomplished in under two weeks, more than any soldiers managed in months. As expected, a smaller force of powerful individuals, such as yourselves, was the solution to the rebel problem there. 

Ryan spoke first. 

"Thank you, your majesty. But Why-" He was interrupted by Chris nudging him. 

He was improving, but still had a ways to go. It probably helped that they all looked tired from camping and hiking for days in the mountains. It made them a bit more obedient, and extra sensitive to rewards.

"It's fine Chris. Ryan, you want to know why we called you back when you were doing so well, correct? There's been a tragic event we'll talk about, but first, I wanted to reward your efforts. There will be a festival tomorrow in your names. It's important to take breaks and remember what you're fighting for. Eat and drink to your hearts content, and show the people you can celebrate as hard as you fight."

It didn't take much, and they were already excited. It was like trying to keep children focused. I still had things to say, and I didn't want to waste too much of my team here waiting for them today. 

"Ahem! Heroes? I'm sorry, but there's one small thing that needs addressing first. Ryan, some of the captains have complained about you starting fights with them unprovoked. I understand if you still feel pain from the loss of Lawrence, we all do, but that isn't how he would've wanted you to act.  If you admired him, try living up to his expectations or imitating his character."

"I'm sorry, your majesty, but it's not unprovoked! Sometimes I can hear them talking about him. Telling lies and insulting him. I can't stand it. He was a great man. Better than any of them!"

"I understand. But others didn't know him personally like you all did. To them, he was a great man, but this may be their way of coping with his loss. It's easier for some to believe he may have been bad or less talented than he was, because it means his death is less significant and easier for them to accept."

He considered it then nodded. Controlling them was fun, but managing them all was difficult. They drained my time, strained my connections, emptied my purse, and weighed on my mind. In exchange, they gave me opportunities to expand my control. Father was right. The nobles had too much sway, but If I could make them owe me, then I would have leverage over them in the future. Maybe rather than an annoyance, this was more of an opportunity. Better to make them think it's more out of concern, though. 

"Now that the minor problems are out of the way, let's talk about why you were called back. A week ago, a patrol to the west, in a town called Mapleharrow, sadly met its end. The town's people claim that a monster had had been terrorizing the woods nearby for a while, and the brave soldiers sought to defeat it for them since no adventurers were answering their requests. I would like to send 2 of you to deal with this threat, and save the town. Owen, I've chosen you because your blessing excels in combat and your more tame demeanor will reassure the town's people, and Ryan, for a few reasons. Your blessing exerts control over magical beasts, and that might be what we're dealing with. That same gift can also be used to search for it and travel there and back quickly using wyverns."

There was some grumbling. Ryan mostly wanted to continue he's search for William in the mountains. Owen didn't seem to care much either way. 

"You'll leave in 3 days. It gives you time to enjoy the festival, and there's another gift I would like to give you. They should be ready before you leave. Dr. Borscht has made something for each of you that I think you'll really like..."

Things were progressing smoothly, despite losing William. Though, I suppose he was never part of the original plan anyway. As soon as father heard about his gift, he immediately began monopolizing his resources, anyway. If I was able to get him back I wanted his power to myself. Whether by hiding his existence... or through force if necessary. 

Until then, I needed to grow my influence. The Heroes were becoming well-trained and obedient, Dr. Borscht was practically falling at my feet with the freedom and resources I allowed him, the nobles would be a good next step. If Farther bent to them, and they bent to me in turn, that would be a good start.