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rose_in_winterPairings/Characters: Kain Highwind, plus cast
Rating: R (overall), PG (this chapter)
Warnings: Spoilers. Violence and language. Occasional sexual content.
Notes: This fic belongs to the Lucis Ante Terminum arc. Chapter list is here.
Summary: Though it is possible to return home, it is rarely possible to return affairs to their previous state. Sometimes the only course of action is to move forward.
Wordcount: 4300 this chapter.
Beta:celeloriel
There was a Baronian legend of an ancient king who refused to honour any of his knights above any other, and thus seated them all at a round table, that none might be exalted above the rest. Kain was reminded of that legend when Yang led them to the room where the kings would meet to discuss the business of the conclave. It was a vast chamber, encompassing a round table large enough to seat all of them in comfort. Each chair was draped with the heraldry of a nation. Kain counted quickly as he entered at the end of the procession. On his right, two chairs bore Baron's royal device of crossed swords on a red and green field. One bore Mysidia's sun, moon, and mountains, and one had Eblan's gold and purple cross. The chair next to Eblan's displayed a silver dragon on a green field; he presumed it must be for Mist, though he had never known the village to boast a device in this manner.
To his left, he saw the lyre of Damcyan, which had ever been famed for its musicians, as well as a chair bearing Fabul's device of yin-yang and eagles. There was a chair draped with a green hammer on a red field; he wondered if it were for Mythril. Troia's portrait of an Epopt graced another chair, and Agart's black anvil on red. The last had a silver and white dragon coiled upon a field of black.
Yang walked to the Fabul chair and gestured. His fellow rulers went each to their assigned chair. Troia had sent the eldest of the Eight Epopts to represent her. Mythril had sent a frog to observe the proceedings, and Agart had likewise sent their elder. The Elder of Mysidia had in fact brought both of his assistants with him, who settled into the plain chairs against the wall reserved for the ministers and assistants. Kain stationed himself at the door, still not entirely sure why he was here rather than guarding the room from outside.
"Kain, will you not sit?" Yang asked.
"I beg your pardon, Your Majesty?"
Yang gestured at the chair draped with the dragon emblem. "You fought as we did. You are entitled to join us."
"Your Majesty, with all due respect, you are the ruler of a country. I am not."
Yang smiled faintly. "You have valuable insights. Please, be seated."
Kain reluctantly crossed the room and sat down in the seat that Yang had indicated, all too aware of the vicious glare that Wei fixed him with from the latter's position behind Yang. The chair with the red hammer remained empty; apparently the seat had been intended for Cid, or perhaps Giott, who was not in attendance.
It was a pity indeed that Kain had not escaped earlier to join Cid on the airship.
The Epopt sat with her hands folded on the table before her, a portrait of serenity. The Elder of Mysidia was oddly hunched forward, as though he felt unwell; behind him, both Livius and Solon were preparing to take notes. Edge was sprawled lazily in his chair, as he was wont to do, idly flipping a sheathed dagger back and forth from one hand to the other. Rydia, for her part, sat perfectly upright beside him in the chair with Mist’s device, and rather than paying attention to his antics, conversed in a low voice with Rosa.
The envoy from Mythril was seated immediately to Kain's right, and Yang's servants had arranged for the cushion on which he sat to rest in a pan of water, so that it was damp. He had not brought papers himself, but his aide was a miniature human who scratched diligently with a robin's feather at a desk made to his size.
Yang rose to open the proceedings, with Wei behind him as his aide. Kain saw the look of loathing on Wei's face and fought the urge to unsheath his spear and stand protectively in front of Cecil and Rosa.
Perhaps Cecil was right, and he did overreact, seeing enemies where none existed.
He was distracted from that chain of thought by Yang's opening remarks. "Thank you all for coming to Fabul for this conclave," the King of Fabul was saying. "It is my hope, and the hope of the rulers of Baron, Eblan, and Damcyan, that by meeting in conclave like this on a regular basis, we can address any issues peacefully and within the bounds of law, rather than resorting to violence and war. We hope to arrange trade agreements, and to facilitate the exchange of ideas as well as goods. It is our hope that by doing this, we will never again suffer the troubles that so plagued our collective lands five years past, when Golbez sought to plunge the world entire into darkness."
Kain glanced discreetly around the table to see if any of those in attendance were casting less-than-pleasant looks at the delegation from Baron, but the other rulers seemed content to listen carefully to Yang--with the exception, naturally, of Edge, who seemed to be engaged in seeing how far up Rydia's sleeve his fingertips could wander before she chose to singe them.
"With that being said," Yang continued, and Kain redirected his attention, somewhat guiltily, to the King, "let us begin by laying out the issues that we each face, and we shall see what we can all do to help each other. King Edge, will you go first?"
Edge gave Yang a casual salute in the Eblanese fashion, closed fist resting over his heart. He did not rise to address the conclave, but instead flicked idly through the papers before him. "As you know, Eblan was badly ravaged by the Red Wings. We have rebuilt our buildings, but in doing so, we badly depleted our stocks of building material. If anyone has miners or stonecutters who are willing to temporarily relocate and assist us in building up our stores of metals and stone, we would greatly appreciate it. Engineers would also be helpful, so that we can begin to improve our buildings--they are certainly livable, but we do not know what manner of damage they may have sustained that we are unable to see."
"With the decrease in weaponry orders," the frog from Mythril spoke up, "we have many miners who are idle. We would be happy to assist Eblan."
"Agart can send folk as well," their Elder added.
Edge grinned. "Excellent," he said, and raised his water glass as though in a toast. "Let's talk terms."
Kain watched the negotiations that followed closely, and observed that Edge's lazy demeanour quite gave the lie to his actions. Agart's elder and Mythril's frog were sharp negotiators, and Kain had no doubt that if he himself was trying to barter with them he would have come off much the worse, but somehow Edge came away with an agreement that strongly favoured Eblan. Kain suspected it was due in part to the way Edge negotiated; one tended to underestimate someone who displayed an obvious lack of maturity, and Edge had used that to his advantage.
Kain was unwillingly impressed.
"King Cecil, if you would speak for Baron?" Yang prompted when the negotiations for Eblan were complete.
Cecil shook his head. "At this time, Baron has need of little," he said. "We are more interested in providing assistance elsewhere."
Kain, who was watching Wei closely, saw the man's face twist into an ugly scowl. He moderated his expression when he realized Kain was watching, but the sense of loathing remained. Kain felt a chill run down his spine.
"What does Fabul have need of?" Cecil asked. Kain was sure he must have sensed the tensions running between his second-in-command and Yang’s, but he seemed to think it polite to not notice.
“If it is acceptable,” Yang said, “I would like for Wei to present Fabul’s requests.”
“Sure,” Edge said with a shrug. Edward and Cecil nodded. Yang gestured to Wei, who stepped forward and bowed to the gathered heads of state. "This humble one thanks the exalted King Yang for permitting such an unworthy person to speak in this august company," he said. "The Kingdom of Fabul has many needs at this time, but of course it cannot be expected that other nations will bear our burdens. With that in mind, the Kingdom of Fabul would be greatly honoured if those here assembled would consider these few small and insignificant requests."
Kain saw Edge shifting impatiently in his seat, and sympathized. Thanks to his childhood lessons, he was familiar with the self-effacing and verbose traditions of Fabul's courtiers, but he much preferred the direct speech style of their monks. Yang, fortunately, still had rather more of the latter set of mannerisms than the former.
Fabul's requests were simple: they had need of scribes to train some of their own folk to replace those who had perished in Golbez's attacks, and they also requested white mages from Mysidia, to advance the training of their own healers. When Wei had finished listing these items, he paused, as though to brace himself for his next request. His expression was one of distaste when he resumed speaking. "If the honourable rulers of Baron will be so gracious," he said, in the manner of one who dislikes what he must say but will say it anyway, "Fabul also humbly requests that perhaps we might have the loan of an engineer, that we might learn how to adapt our ship building technology to create cargo airships. This will facilitate trade." He stepped back to allow Yang to complete the actual negotiations.
Kain was mildly surprised that the requests had been so modest; usually such a beginning prefaced an outrageous request.
He wondered what he was missing.
During the resultant discussions of how Fabul's needs would be met, Kain studied Wei closely. It was apparent that he loathed having to ask Baron for anything, but Yang had chosen him specifically to represent Fabul for this discussion. Wei had argued passionately, if indirectly, on Fabul's behalf, and it was clear that his first priority was improving Fabul's lot. His dislike for Baron paled in comparison.
"Baron would be happy to loan engineers to Fabul," Cecil said, breaking into Kain's concentration. "The agreement, then, is to loan four engineers for a period of three years?"
Yang nodded. "To repay Baron for its generosity," he said, "for a period of five years after the completion of our initial complement of four airships, the tariffs on goods sold to Baron and shipped via Fabul's airships will be reduced by one-fourth."
"To clarify," Rosa said, "goods purchased by Baron's merchants but shipped on Baron's airships within the next three years will receive a tariff reduction on Fabul's side of one-tenth, correct?"
"Correct," Yang confirmed. "The one-tenth reduction will expire at the end of three years or the completion of the airship fleet, whichever is sooner."
"Apparently I need airships, too," Edge said to Rydia.
"You do not need anything else to play with," she replied. "You're bad enough with weapons."
"But it would be good for Eblan!" Edge protested.
"And by 'good for Eblan' you mean you can race around like a maniac and probably fall off and kill yourself. No."
Edge sighed.
"Besides, Edge," Edward pointed out, "you had your chance to bargain."
"What, we're only doing one round?" Edge's impression of dismay was comical.
Yang cleared his throat, and Edge grinned and went back to doodling on the parchment in front of him.
Agart and Mythril both declined to request anything. Kain did not find that surprising, as they had suffered very little at Golbez's hands (possessing neither a Crystal nor ninjas, they had been deemed non-threatening and ignored) and both nations had a history of relative isolation compared to Baron or Fabul. He knew that Cecil had concluded separate trade agreements with each of them last year; it was their mining and metallurgy that supplied many of the raw materials Cid needed to manufacture his engines. Kain expected that Yang would be making his own agreements for Fabul once he was familiar with the resources required for his airship fleet.
As the Mythrili frog hopped from the table back to his wet cushion, Edge popped out of his seat like a chestnut from a fire. "Hey, Yang," he said, "I'm all for keeping the meeting going and salvaging world peace through paperwork or whatever, but any chance we could get a snack?"
"I confess that a break would be most welcome," the Mysidian Elder admitted.
Yang bowed slightly. "A repast has been prepared," he said, "and I had planned to suggest such a break before someone took it upon himself to assume host's duties." He fixed Edge with a mock glare.
"What? I asked a perfectly innocent question," Edge protested.
"King Edge, with all the respect in the world, I do not think you have ever in your life had a perfectly innocent thought, never mind word." The words popped out before Kain could quite contain them, and he bit his own lip, abashed at himself. He felt the heat of his face turning red, and cursed his fair complexion.
Rydia's peal of laughter was quickly joined by several of the others at the table. "Speak your mind more often, Kain," she advised, her eyes sparkling with mirth. "You have quite a gift for putting him in his place."
"Dearest, that's your job," Edge protested.
"Yes, and it is quite exhausting," Rydia retorted. "I shall solicit help wherever I may."
"But come, let us adjourn for now," Yang said.
Cecil rose and offered his arm to Rosa, and the members of the conclave made their way to an adjacent dining room, where Yang's chefs had laid out a sizable repast.
Unlike the conference room, the dining room had been furnished with several smaller tables rather than a single large one. Kain chose a table off to the side and seated himself while the royalty divided themselves up; Edge plopped down at the same table as the representatives from Mythril and Agart, while Cecil and Rosa had seated themselves with Rydia. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Solon assisting the Elder to his seat. He could not help but wonder if old age was catching up to the Elder, who seemed far more frail than he had when Kain was in Mysidia three years past.
The Epopt of Troia approached his table. "Captain Highwind," she said politely, "may I join you?"
"Of course, Your Grace," Kain replied, rising quickly to pull out a chair for her.
She smiled and seated herself, and Kain reclaimed his chair as the servants began to bring out the food. "The Conclave proceeds well," she said. "What do you think of our accomplishments thus far?"
"I am pleased to see needs resolved without violence," Kain answered. "More war would not benefit any of us."
"You speak truly," the Epopt said with a nod. "Troia is just now recovering from the effects of having lost our Crystal two years ago, and war is such an unnecessary waste."
"What does Troia seek from the Conclave?" Kain asked her. He did not truly expect her to answer, but he was curious.
She shook her head. "We have need of nothing at this time," she said. "The Earth Crystal provides for all our needs for food and building material. We already have a brisk trade with Baron and Eblan. I am here only to observe, and to report back to my sisters. Of course if new agreements can be formed, that is all well and good, but we do not seek anything in specific." She took a bite of the roast chicken on her plate. "And what does Captain Highwind seek?"
"I am not sure I understand you," he said. "I am here in service to my King only; I have no personal stake in any of these discussions, nor do I have a nation of my own on whose behalf I would negotiate."
"I did not say you sought political or trade concessions," she said. "As Troia has no stake in the proceedings, neither do I need to engage directly in the bargaining. I could not help but notice that you watch each of the negotiations very closely, as though to discern whether they pose a threat to Baron."
This is why you do not send a soldier to do a diplomat's job, Cecil, Kain thought. "And what do you think I would do, Your Grace, if I were to perceive such a threat?"
Instead of answering, she held out her hand. Wary of a trap, Kain reached out slowly to clasp it in his. He felt as though her skin hummed beneath his hand, in a manner vaguely reminiscent of Golbez but not so cold and repulsive; almost he thought that she felt like sun-warmed grass on a summer day, though of course that was foolishness.
She let go his hand and tilted her head slightly. "You fear magic," she said, "yet you treat the Mysidian Elder with respect."
"The Elder has proven himself worthy of honour many times over," Kain answered cautiously.
"You are not half the danger you think yourself to be," she said calmly, and Kain blinked in surprise as he tried to follow the shift in the conversation. "Did you perceive a threat to your King or your nation, Captain Highwind, I think that you would do your best to dissuade Cecil from taking action. Yet if that failed, you would abide by your King's decision. Is it not so?"
"It is, Your Grace." Kain inclined his head to her.
"There are others here, I think, who would not be so generous." She met his eyes directly, and Kain wondered which of the assistants now present she meant.
"But let us speak of more cheerful things," the Epopt said briskly, and she directed the conversation into lighter channels for the remainder of the meal.
They reconvened afterward, some more promptly than others, and Yang called the meeting to order. "I trust we are all now properly refreshed," he said, looking directly at Edge, who seemed to remember halfway through making a rude gesture that one probably ought not do that in the company of the various rulers of the world. "Let us then begin the afternoon's discussions."
Yang nodded to the Elder of Mysidia, who rose slowly and with apparent effort. "If everyone else is amenable," he said, leaning rather heavily against the table, "I would have my assistant Livius speak for Mysidia in my place."
No one objected, so the Elder sank back into his seat. Livius shuffled the parchments in front of him before rising to address the conclave.
"Good afternoon, everyone," he said cheerfully, and bestowed a bright smile upon the assembled rulers. "My apologies for inconveniencing you with my efforts to represent Mysidia; I know we would all much rather have the Elder, but I will do my best. Mysidia needs little in the way of direct materials, engineers, and the like, and we are of a certainty over-supplied with scholarly minds. In point of fact, if any of you would wish to take more of those scholars off our hands, we would welcome the empty desks." Livius's eyes lit up when Edge snickered. When the King of Eblan made no offers to adopt stray mages, however, the sage sighed faintly and continued. "What we would like to establish are new trade agreements--it has been a very long time since we last negotiated with the world at large."
"What do you have need of?" Cecil asked promptly. Kain knew that Baron negotiated from a position of strength—they did, after all, have the military high ground in more ways than one—but he did wish that Cecil would at least wait to be asked before making an offer.
Kain attended closely to Livius's list of requests, but did not hear anything that particularly alarmed him. Most of his items involved luxury fabrics--which Fabul readily agreed to supply, since their weavers were almost as widely known as their monks--or foodstuffs. With the spread of airships, food could be shipped more easily before it began to spoil, and trade in general would become easier once the nations could move past dependence on chocobos or oceangoing vessels.
When Livius at last ran out of things to request and seated himself, Yang nodded to Edward, who was the last to speak.
"Damcyan is in a difficult position," he said. "Many of our people were able to escape the destruction that Golbez wrought, because they were out in the desert at the time. However, even our desert warrior tribes still rely on the castle and its surrounding oases for food and shelter to supplement what they can gather or make themselves. The castle was the hardest hit by the Red Wings." Edward deliberately did not look at anyone from Baron, fixing his gaze instead on the tapestry bearing Fabul's heraldry that hung upon the wall opposite his seat. "We have rebuilt it as best we may, but we simply do not have the people to continue the support network that my forebears had built up. Therefore, I come to you asking for aid not in materials or ideas, but in people. I would not see my nation fall into decline and eventual extinction, and I would not squander what my ancestors built. I respectfully ask that if you have citizens who would enjoy the challenge of rebuilding a nation, that you send them to me. I promise that I will take very good care of them, and once Damcyan is rebuilt, I would be delighted to repay your generosity with trade concessions or other considerations."
As Kain might have expected, Livius was first to leap into the discussion, claiming that Mysidia's mages could help expand the habitable area around Damcyan by redirecting elemental forces. Yang also offered assistance, in keeping with the discussion the night before in Cecil's quarters, as did the Epopt of Troia.
Cecil made no offer initially, which surprised Kain. He could see that Rosa was also surprised by this choice, though she did not speak her questions aloud. However, once Yang, Livius, and Edward had worked out some vague numbers--all, of course, dependent upon the citizens themselves agreeing to relocate; much of the negotiations seemed to center on what manner of assistance and reward the rulers would offer to encourage people to move--Cecil decided to join in the discussion.
"At this time, Baron cannot contribute directly," he said, "but we would offer services in transportation via airship, and also additional trade in foodstuffs until Damcyan is able to better support itself."
"That would be most welcome," Edward replied. "Would you be amenable to considering a reduction in tariffs on foodstuffs, then?"
"I propose that for a period of two years, tariffs will be forgiven on any trades of foodstuffs between Baron and Damcyan," Cecil suggested. "I cannot, and will not, force farmers to set a certain price for their goods, but I can control the tariffs."
"That is quite generous." Edward considered for a moment, his fingertips gliding on the tabletop as though he played his beloved harp. "Yes, that will work nicely. Thank you, Cecil."
"I must insist that Baron not bear the full costs of transporting our people to Damcyan," Livius interjected. "I believe that Mysidia could support a contribution in funds as well as in personnel."
"Please, I insist," Cecil said. "Although it was not my doing that Damcyan was attacked, it was Baron's doing. I would amend what I may of my nation's past mistakes."
Livius smiled and bowed graciously. "Your generosity is most admirable, King Cecil," he said.
Cecil waved off the compliment, and turned to Edward. "Do we have an agreement, then?" he inquired.
"Yes, I believe that we do," Edward said. "Thank you all very much for your assistance. I am grateful, as are the people of Damcyan."
"Does anyone else have additional problems they wish to bring up to the Conclave?" Yang asked.
Edge uttered a muffled exclamation that suggested Rydia had stepped on his foot before he could make a more substantive statement. No one else spoke.
"Your Grace of Troia?" Yang turned to the Epopt. "You have not requested anything."
The Epopt smiled and shook her head. "Troia has need of nothing at this time," she said. "We came only to see what we could offer others."
"Generous of you," Livius said cheerfully, and she inclined her head in acknowledgement.
"Very well," Yang said. "Let us adjourn. We have done good work here."
Kain rose with the others, but waited until everyone else had departed the room. He stood at the table, considering.
They had indeed accomplished a great deal, but it seemed to him that the agreements had come rather too easily. Was it possible that Cecil's vision of a cooperative world, in which they all worked to help each other, could come true? Was he too obsessed with problems to believe in such a solution?
Kain wished he could believe that, but something nagged at him, suggesting that all was not as well as it appeared.
"Kain?" Rosa stood in the doorway. "Will you not join us?"
"At once, Your Majesty." Kain bowed. "Pray, forgive my inattention."
He left the room with her, but when he glanced back, he saw all of the emblems stifled in shadow. It sent a chill down his spine. He told himself he was merely being superstitious, and turned to follow Rosa, but he could not shake the image from his mind.
Rating: R (overall), PG (this chapter)
Warnings: Spoilers. Violence and language. Occasional sexual content.
Notes: This fic belongs to the Lucis Ante Terminum arc. Chapter list is here.
Summary: Though it is possible to return home, it is rarely possible to return affairs to their previous state. Sometimes the only course of action is to move forward.
Wordcount: 4300 this chapter.
Beta:
celelorielThere was a Baronian legend of an ancient king who refused to honour any of his knights above any other, and thus seated them all at a round table, that none might be exalted above the rest. Kain was reminded of that legend when Yang led them to the room where the kings would meet to discuss the business of the conclave. It was a vast chamber, encompassing a round table large enough to seat all of them in comfort. Each chair was draped with the heraldry of a nation. Kain counted quickly as he entered at the end of the procession. On his right, two chairs bore Baron's royal device of crossed swords on a red and green field. One bore Mysidia's sun, moon, and mountains, and one had Eblan's gold and purple cross. The chair next to Eblan's displayed a silver dragon on a green field; he presumed it must be for Mist, though he had never known the village to boast a device in this manner.
To his left, he saw the lyre of Damcyan, which had ever been famed for its musicians, as well as a chair bearing Fabul's device of yin-yang and eagles. There was a chair draped with a green hammer on a red field; he wondered if it were for Mythril. Troia's portrait of an Epopt graced another chair, and Agart's black anvil on red. The last had a silver and white dragon coiled upon a field of black.
Yang walked to the Fabul chair and gestured. His fellow rulers went each to their assigned chair. Troia had sent the eldest of the Eight Epopts to represent her. Mythril had sent a frog to observe the proceedings, and Agart had likewise sent their elder. The Elder of Mysidia had in fact brought both of his assistants with him, who settled into the plain chairs against the wall reserved for the ministers and assistants. Kain stationed himself at the door, still not entirely sure why he was here rather than guarding the room from outside.
"Kain, will you not sit?" Yang asked.
"I beg your pardon, Your Majesty?"
Yang gestured at the chair draped with the dragon emblem. "You fought as we did. You are entitled to join us."
"Your Majesty, with all due respect, you are the ruler of a country. I am not."
Yang smiled faintly. "You have valuable insights. Please, be seated."
Kain reluctantly crossed the room and sat down in the seat that Yang had indicated, all too aware of the vicious glare that Wei fixed him with from the latter's position behind Yang. The chair with the red hammer remained empty; apparently the seat had been intended for Cid, or perhaps Giott, who was not in attendance.
It was a pity indeed that Kain had not escaped earlier to join Cid on the airship.
The Epopt sat with her hands folded on the table before her, a portrait of serenity. The Elder of Mysidia was oddly hunched forward, as though he felt unwell; behind him, both Livius and Solon were preparing to take notes. Edge was sprawled lazily in his chair, as he was wont to do, idly flipping a sheathed dagger back and forth from one hand to the other. Rydia, for her part, sat perfectly upright beside him in the chair with Mist’s device, and rather than paying attention to his antics, conversed in a low voice with Rosa.
The envoy from Mythril was seated immediately to Kain's right, and Yang's servants had arranged for the cushion on which he sat to rest in a pan of water, so that it was damp. He had not brought papers himself, but his aide was a miniature human who scratched diligently with a robin's feather at a desk made to his size.
Yang rose to open the proceedings, with Wei behind him as his aide. Kain saw the look of loathing on Wei's face and fought the urge to unsheath his spear and stand protectively in front of Cecil and Rosa.
Perhaps Cecil was right, and he did overreact, seeing enemies where none existed.
He was distracted from that chain of thought by Yang's opening remarks. "Thank you all for coming to Fabul for this conclave," the King of Fabul was saying. "It is my hope, and the hope of the rulers of Baron, Eblan, and Damcyan, that by meeting in conclave like this on a regular basis, we can address any issues peacefully and within the bounds of law, rather than resorting to violence and war. We hope to arrange trade agreements, and to facilitate the exchange of ideas as well as goods. It is our hope that by doing this, we will never again suffer the troubles that so plagued our collective lands five years past, when Golbez sought to plunge the world entire into darkness."
Kain glanced discreetly around the table to see if any of those in attendance were casting less-than-pleasant looks at the delegation from Baron, but the other rulers seemed content to listen carefully to Yang--with the exception, naturally, of Edge, who seemed to be engaged in seeing how far up Rydia's sleeve his fingertips could wander before she chose to singe them.
"With that being said," Yang continued, and Kain redirected his attention, somewhat guiltily, to the King, "let us begin by laying out the issues that we each face, and we shall see what we can all do to help each other. King Edge, will you go first?"
Edge gave Yang a casual salute in the Eblanese fashion, closed fist resting over his heart. He did not rise to address the conclave, but instead flicked idly through the papers before him. "As you know, Eblan was badly ravaged by the Red Wings. We have rebuilt our buildings, but in doing so, we badly depleted our stocks of building material. If anyone has miners or stonecutters who are willing to temporarily relocate and assist us in building up our stores of metals and stone, we would greatly appreciate it. Engineers would also be helpful, so that we can begin to improve our buildings--they are certainly livable, but we do not know what manner of damage they may have sustained that we are unable to see."
"With the decrease in weaponry orders," the frog from Mythril spoke up, "we have many miners who are idle. We would be happy to assist Eblan."
"Agart can send folk as well," their Elder added.
Edge grinned. "Excellent," he said, and raised his water glass as though in a toast. "Let's talk terms."
Kain watched the negotiations that followed closely, and observed that Edge's lazy demeanour quite gave the lie to his actions. Agart's elder and Mythril's frog were sharp negotiators, and Kain had no doubt that if he himself was trying to barter with them he would have come off much the worse, but somehow Edge came away with an agreement that strongly favoured Eblan. Kain suspected it was due in part to the way Edge negotiated; one tended to underestimate someone who displayed an obvious lack of maturity, and Edge had used that to his advantage.
Kain was unwillingly impressed.
"King Cecil, if you would speak for Baron?" Yang prompted when the negotiations for Eblan were complete.
Cecil shook his head. "At this time, Baron has need of little," he said. "We are more interested in providing assistance elsewhere."
Kain, who was watching Wei closely, saw the man's face twist into an ugly scowl. He moderated his expression when he realized Kain was watching, but the sense of loathing remained. Kain felt a chill run down his spine.
"What does Fabul have need of?" Cecil asked. Kain was sure he must have sensed the tensions running between his second-in-command and Yang’s, but he seemed to think it polite to not notice.
“If it is acceptable,” Yang said, “I would like for Wei to present Fabul’s requests.”
“Sure,” Edge said with a shrug. Edward and Cecil nodded. Yang gestured to Wei, who stepped forward and bowed to the gathered heads of state. "This humble one thanks the exalted King Yang for permitting such an unworthy person to speak in this august company," he said. "The Kingdom of Fabul has many needs at this time, but of course it cannot be expected that other nations will bear our burdens. With that in mind, the Kingdom of Fabul would be greatly honoured if those here assembled would consider these few small and insignificant requests."
Kain saw Edge shifting impatiently in his seat, and sympathized. Thanks to his childhood lessons, he was familiar with the self-effacing and verbose traditions of Fabul's courtiers, but he much preferred the direct speech style of their monks. Yang, fortunately, still had rather more of the latter set of mannerisms than the former.
Fabul's requests were simple: they had need of scribes to train some of their own folk to replace those who had perished in Golbez's attacks, and they also requested white mages from Mysidia, to advance the training of their own healers. When Wei had finished listing these items, he paused, as though to brace himself for his next request. His expression was one of distaste when he resumed speaking. "If the honourable rulers of Baron will be so gracious," he said, in the manner of one who dislikes what he must say but will say it anyway, "Fabul also humbly requests that perhaps we might have the loan of an engineer, that we might learn how to adapt our ship building technology to create cargo airships. This will facilitate trade." He stepped back to allow Yang to complete the actual negotiations.
Kain was mildly surprised that the requests had been so modest; usually such a beginning prefaced an outrageous request.
He wondered what he was missing.
During the resultant discussions of how Fabul's needs would be met, Kain studied Wei closely. It was apparent that he loathed having to ask Baron for anything, but Yang had chosen him specifically to represent Fabul for this discussion. Wei had argued passionately, if indirectly, on Fabul's behalf, and it was clear that his first priority was improving Fabul's lot. His dislike for Baron paled in comparison.
"Baron would be happy to loan engineers to Fabul," Cecil said, breaking into Kain's concentration. "The agreement, then, is to loan four engineers for a period of three years?"
Yang nodded. "To repay Baron for its generosity," he said, "for a period of five years after the completion of our initial complement of four airships, the tariffs on goods sold to Baron and shipped via Fabul's airships will be reduced by one-fourth."
"To clarify," Rosa said, "goods purchased by Baron's merchants but shipped on Baron's airships within the next three years will receive a tariff reduction on Fabul's side of one-tenth, correct?"
"Correct," Yang confirmed. "The one-tenth reduction will expire at the end of three years or the completion of the airship fleet, whichever is sooner."
"Apparently I need airships, too," Edge said to Rydia.
"You do not need anything else to play with," she replied. "You're bad enough with weapons."
"But it would be good for Eblan!" Edge protested.
"And by 'good for Eblan' you mean you can race around like a maniac and probably fall off and kill yourself. No."
Edge sighed.
"Besides, Edge," Edward pointed out, "you had your chance to bargain."
"What, we're only doing one round?" Edge's impression of dismay was comical.
Yang cleared his throat, and Edge grinned and went back to doodling on the parchment in front of him.
Agart and Mythril both declined to request anything. Kain did not find that surprising, as they had suffered very little at Golbez's hands (possessing neither a Crystal nor ninjas, they had been deemed non-threatening and ignored) and both nations had a history of relative isolation compared to Baron or Fabul. He knew that Cecil had concluded separate trade agreements with each of them last year; it was their mining and metallurgy that supplied many of the raw materials Cid needed to manufacture his engines. Kain expected that Yang would be making his own agreements for Fabul once he was familiar with the resources required for his airship fleet.
As the Mythrili frog hopped from the table back to his wet cushion, Edge popped out of his seat like a chestnut from a fire. "Hey, Yang," he said, "I'm all for keeping the meeting going and salvaging world peace through paperwork or whatever, but any chance we could get a snack?"
"I confess that a break would be most welcome," the Mysidian Elder admitted.
Yang bowed slightly. "A repast has been prepared," he said, "and I had planned to suggest such a break before someone took it upon himself to assume host's duties." He fixed Edge with a mock glare.
"What? I asked a perfectly innocent question," Edge protested.
"King Edge, with all the respect in the world, I do not think you have ever in your life had a perfectly innocent thought, never mind word." The words popped out before Kain could quite contain them, and he bit his own lip, abashed at himself. He felt the heat of his face turning red, and cursed his fair complexion.
Rydia's peal of laughter was quickly joined by several of the others at the table. "Speak your mind more often, Kain," she advised, her eyes sparkling with mirth. "You have quite a gift for putting him in his place."
"Dearest, that's your job," Edge protested.
"Yes, and it is quite exhausting," Rydia retorted. "I shall solicit help wherever I may."
"But come, let us adjourn for now," Yang said.
Cecil rose and offered his arm to Rosa, and the members of the conclave made their way to an adjacent dining room, where Yang's chefs had laid out a sizable repast.
Unlike the conference room, the dining room had been furnished with several smaller tables rather than a single large one. Kain chose a table off to the side and seated himself while the royalty divided themselves up; Edge plopped down at the same table as the representatives from Mythril and Agart, while Cecil and Rosa had seated themselves with Rydia. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Solon assisting the Elder to his seat. He could not help but wonder if old age was catching up to the Elder, who seemed far more frail than he had when Kain was in Mysidia three years past.
The Epopt of Troia approached his table. "Captain Highwind," she said politely, "may I join you?"
"Of course, Your Grace," Kain replied, rising quickly to pull out a chair for her.
She smiled and seated herself, and Kain reclaimed his chair as the servants began to bring out the food. "The Conclave proceeds well," she said. "What do you think of our accomplishments thus far?"
"I am pleased to see needs resolved without violence," Kain answered. "More war would not benefit any of us."
"You speak truly," the Epopt said with a nod. "Troia is just now recovering from the effects of having lost our Crystal two years ago, and war is such an unnecessary waste."
"What does Troia seek from the Conclave?" Kain asked her. He did not truly expect her to answer, but he was curious.
She shook her head. "We have need of nothing at this time," she said. "The Earth Crystal provides for all our needs for food and building material. We already have a brisk trade with Baron and Eblan. I am here only to observe, and to report back to my sisters. Of course if new agreements can be formed, that is all well and good, but we do not seek anything in specific." She took a bite of the roast chicken on her plate. "And what does Captain Highwind seek?"
"I am not sure I understand you," he said. "I am here in service to my King only; I have no personal stake in any of these discussions, nor do I have a nation of my own on whose behalf I would negotiate."
"I did not say you sought political or trade concessions," she said. "As Troia has no stake in the proceedings, neither do I need to engage directly in the bargaining. I could not help but notice that you watch each of the negotiations very closely, as though to discern whether they pose a threat to Baron."
This is why you do not send a soldier to do a diplomat's job, Cecil, Kain thought. "And what do you think I would do, Your Grace, if I were to perceive such a threat?"
Instead of answering, she held out her hand. Wary of a trap, Kain reached out slowly to clasp it in his. He felt as though her skin hummed beneath his hand, in a manner vaguely reminiscent of Golbez but not so cold and repulsive; almost he thought that she felt like sun-warmed grass on a summer day, though of course that was foolishness.
She let go his hand and tilted her head slightly. "You fear magic," she said, "yet you treat the Mysidian Elder with respect."
"The Elder has proven himself worthy of honour many times over," Kain answered cautiously.
"You are not half the danger you think yourself to be," she said calmly, and Kain blinked in surprise as he tried to follow the shift in the conversation. "Did you perceive a threat to your King or your nation, Captain Highwind, I think that you would do your best to dissuade Cecil from taking action. Yet if that failed, you would abide by your King's decision. Is it not so?"
"It is, Your Grace." Kain inclined his head to her.
"There are others here, I think, who would not be so generous." She met his eyes directly, and Kain wondered which of the assistants now present she meant.
"But let us speak of more cheerful things," the Epopt said briskly, and she directed the conversation into lighter channels for the remainder of the meal.
They reconvened afterward, some more promptly than others, and Yang called the meeting to order. "I trust we are all now properly refreshed," he said, looking directly at Edge, who seemed to remember halfway through making a rude gesture that one probably ought not do that in the company of the various rulers of the world. "Let us then begin the afternoon's discussions."
Yang nodded to the Elder of Mysidia, who rose slowly and with apparent effort. "If everyone else is amenable," he said, leaning rather heavily against the table, "I would have my assistant Livius speak for Mysidia in my place."
No one objected, so the Elder sank back into his seat. Livius shuffled the parchments in front of him before rising to address the conclave.
"Good afternoon, everyone," he said cheerfully, and bestowed a bright smile upon the assembled rulers. "My apologies for inconveniencing you with my efforts to represent Mysidia; I know we would all much rather have the Elder, but I will do my best. Mysidia needs little in the way of direct materials, engineers, and the like, and we are of a certainty over-supplied with scholarly minds. In point of fact, if any of you would wish to take more of those scholars off our hands, we would welcome the empty desks." Livius's eyes lit up when Edge snickered. When the King of Eblan made no offers to adopt stray mages, however, the sage sighed faintly and continued. "What we would like to establish are new trade agreements--it has been a very long time since we last negotiated with the world at large."
"What do you have need of?" Cecil asked promptly. Kain knew that Baron negotiated from a position of strength—they did, after all, have the military high ground in more ways than one—but he did wish that Cecil would at least wait to be asked before making an offer.
Kain attended closely to Livius's list of requests, but did not hear anything that particularly alarmed him. Most of his items involved luxury fabrics--which Fabul readily agreed to supply, since their weavers were almost as widely known as their monks--or foodstuffs. With the spread of airships, food could be shipped more easily before it began to spoil, and trade in general would become easier once the nations could move past dependence on chocobos or oceangoing vessels.
When Livius at last ran out of things to request and seated himself, Yang nodded to Edward, who was the last to speak.
"Damcyan is in a difficult position," he said. "Many of our people were able to escape the destruction that Golbez wrought, because they were out in the desert at the time. However, even our desert warrior tribes still rely on the castle and its surrounding oases for food and shelter to supplement what they can gather or make themselves. The castle was the hardest hit by the Red Wings." Edward deliberately did not look at anyone from Baron, fixing his gaze instead on the tapestry bearing Fabul's heraldry that hung upon the wall opposite his seat. "We have rebuilt it as best we may, but we simply do not have the people to continue the support network that my forebears had built up. Therefore, I come to you asking for aid not in materials or ideas, but in people. I would not see my nation fall into decline and eventual extinction, and I would not squander what my ancestors built. I respectfully ask that if you have citizens who would enjoy the challenge of rebuilding a nation, that you send them to me. I promise that I will take very good care of them, and once Damcyan is rebuilt, I would be delighted to repay your generosity with trade concessions or other considerations."
As Kain might have expected, Livius was first to leap into the discussion, claiming that Mysidia's mages could help expand the habitable area around Damcyan by redirecting elemental forces. Yang also offered assistance, in keeping with the discussion the night before in Cecil's quarters, as did the Epopt of Troia.
Cecil made no offer initially, which surprised Kain. He could see that Rosa was also surprised by this choice, though she did not speak her questions aloud. However, once Yang, Livius, and Edward had worked out some vague numbers--all, of course, dependent upon the citizens themselves agreeing to relocate; much of the negotiations seemed to center on what manner of assistance and reward the rulers would offer to encourage people to move--Cecil decided to join in the discussion.
"At this time, Baron cannot contribute directly," he said, "but we would offer services in transportation via airship, and also additional trade in foodstuffs until Damcyan is able to better support itself."
"That would be most welcome," Edward replied. "Would you be amenable to considering a reduction in tariffs on foodstuffs, then?"
"I propose that for a period of two years, tariffs will be forgiven on any trades of foodstuffs between Baron and Damcyan," Cecil suggested. "I cannot, and will not, force farmers to set a certain price for their goods, but I can control the tariffs."
"That is quite generous." Edward considered for a moment, his fingertips gliding on the tabletop as though he played his beloved harp. "Yes, that will work nicely. Thank you, Cecil."
"I must insist that Baron not bear the full costs of transporting our people to Damcyan," Livius interjected. "I believe that Mysidia could support a contribution in funds as well as in personnel."
"Please, I insist," Cecil said. "Although it was not my doing that Damcyan was attacked, it was Baron's doing. I would amend what I may of my nation's past mistakes."
Livius smiled and bowed graciously. "Your generosity is most admirable, King Cecil," he said.
Cecil waved off the compliment, and turned to Edward. "Do we have an agreement, then?" he inquired.
"Yes, I believe that we do," Edward said. "Thank you all very much for your assistance. I am grateful, as are the people of Damcyan."
"Does anyone else have additional problems they wish to bring up to the Conclave?" Yang asked.
Edge uttered a muffled exclamation that suggested Rydia had stepped on his foot before he could make a more substantive statement. No one else spoke.
"Your Grace of Troia?" Yang turned to the Epopt. "You have not requested anything."
The Epopt smiled and shook her head. "Troia has need of nothing at this time," she said. "We came only to see what we could offer others."
"Generous of you," Livius said cheerfully, and she inclined her head in acknowledgement.
"Very well," Yang said. "Let us adjourn. We have done good work here."
Kain rose with the others, but waited until everyone else had departed the room. He stood at the table, considering.
They had indeed accomplished a great deal, but it seemed to him that the agreements had come rather too easily. Was it possible that Cecil's vision of a cooperative world, in which they all worked to help each other, could come true? Was he too obsessed with problems to believe in such a solution?
Kain wished he could believe that, but something nagged at him, suggesting that all was not as well as it appeared.
"Kain?" Rosa stood in the doorway. "Will you not join us?"
"At once, Your Majesty." Kain bowed. "Pray, forgive my inattention."
He left the room with her, but when he glanced back, he saw all of the emblems stifled in shadow. It sent a chill down his spine. He told himself he was merely being superstitious, and turned to follow Rosa, but he could not shake the image from his mind.