In this chapter, Eric (king of Aerials) has been summoned by Iceking Ryan, a giant nation who Eric wants to ally with. Eric knows that a war is going to happen with an adversary and that Ryan will also be in conflict with this adversary; therefore, in Eric's eyes, it only makes sense to forge some sort of military binding. However, there has been previous history between these two. Eric had stolen a large diamond from Ryan before (which he then used to forge the ring for his wife, so it was kind of a big deal). Because Eric had done this, Ryan did not come to Eric's aid when Eric's city of Aerials got attacked as well; needless to say, tensions run high between these two.
Alright, I told myself—I could see two figures in the distance. One of them must be Ryan. So, with an open mind and a smile on my face, I readied myself for the impending conversation.
When the lobby led to a chamber, a sinking feeling tightened my stomach. My palms were sweating, as the grandeur nature of the palace sunk in. War and battles flashed in my mind. The Battle of Salkire: the one where I met Ryan for the first time. There he was, with the same stance and sly posture from that day. He stood near the entrance, talking to someone who looked important.
Ryan and I locked eyes. He raised an index finger.
Very well, I could wait a moment. It would be smart to get a look at this room, too. The first thing my eyes caught was a grand slab of glass in front of me; it peered outward into the vast ocean across the other side. Many ships sailed near, but not too close to where I could see its sailors. Right next to this massive display was a throne no larger than Mianite’s, embellished with many gems and such.
I turned away, thinking it would be rude to stare at it for long. So my focus turned to the walls where various paintings were hung. They were beautifully drawn. The canvases acted like little portals, foretelling histories unknown. The first to catch my eye was one of Trianite: the Goddess of Water and Ice.
She was the last God I needed to meet.
But then, the shadow of an even bigger painting captured my attention.
Ryan, himself.
In the painting, he was dressed in a mage’s outfit, resembling a blue-dyed monk with his back to the sea. He gave the aura of a poised trainee, resting quietly as he heard the waves crash against the rocks behind him.
“Yes, and have it ready.” My ears picked up from Ryan’s conversation. I could tell he was wrapping it up. “And one more thing,” the Iceking said, “tell Wewan to have our guests enter through Ra’Sasha, not the palace entrance.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“I want them to see the city, not skip it.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“That’s all.”
“Very well, my lord.” The man left the chamber.
Ryan knew I was eavesdropping on the conversation, considering my face was turned towards them and my eyebrows lifted when he referred me. “Certainly,” he approached me, “I wanted you to see the city.”
I didn’t want to make a big deal about it, but he continued.
“You see, Eric, you really get to know a ruler with just five minutes walking down Main Street. It’s not about the palace, the church, or the wars they’ve won; it’s all about what others have to say.”
“Wow. I—” I never would’ve taken Ryan as that sort of person, but if he really does care, then, I had to admire that. “Yeah, I can see that.”
“So excuse Wewan’s poor entrance. I’m teaching him but he has a lot to learn.”
“Yeah, no worries.”
“So,” Ryan placed himself almost shoulder to shoulder with me and faced his throne, “what are your thoughts?”
“My—uh, my thoughts… on?”
“This throne, of course. How do you like it?”
“It’s… it’s good.”
“Exactly! It’s not great. It’s not spectacular. It’s not grandiose!”
“Yeah…”
“I was thinking of a remodel. How would you feel if the throne would be a bit bigger?”
“I… I’m not so sure?”
“Well, me neither. Something needs to be added, though, something that can grab your attention immediately.”
“Right.”
“Because, I’m sure when you entered, the view of the ocean was the first thing you saw. And that’s great and all, but I want the throne to be the first thing you see.”
“Uh… yeah, I guess I can see that.”
“Look at this,” Ryan brought out a massive diamond; it was the size of my palm. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”
He handed it to me. “Sure is… wow.”
“Toss it.” I didn’t even notice he walked to his throne. Although, when he caught the diamond, he hovered it over the headrest. “Would this be a good look?”
“I—I guess. I’m not so sure.”
“Eric!” Ryan strutted over to me. “Be honest. Does it look good or not?”
“I—why, why exactly are we?”
“Why what? Who else would I summon for help on this throne? You know where diamonds go, considering you went to great lengths to get one like this.”
So it was about that. He brought up Katsir, of course he did, but why? At the time, though, I was a bit shocked. “I—I’m not so sure, I’m not that good at decorating and…”
“But you know the importance of a good diamond, do you? You know the gasp someone makes when they marvel at it. I want the same. I want a silence of pure awe or a gawk of pure jealousy.”
“I—sure, the diamond at the headrest was a… a good choice.”
“Are you sure?”
“I…”
“I just don’t want a thief coming in and stealing it too—I’m sure you know a lot about that, what’s your take? Would you steal this?” He wiggled the diamond in his hand.
“No.”
“Really? So maybe it’s not as shiny as I thought it was.”
“I’m sorry, I—I thought you summoned me to talk about the war that’s going to happen with you and Mianite.
“Why would I do that?”
“Well—” It was then that my mind realized something: how could Ryan know I was declaring independence? I almost felt stupid for believing he would just know and this opportunity of talking to him was about that. “My—oh my, I’m sorry, my bad.”
“What?”
“Well, you see, Ryan, I want to declare independence from Mianite. This union that he and I have going on is… not working out. And, if I could just get some help, it would really mean a lot. The preparations for declaring independence are underway, too, so this isn’t a last-minute decision or anything, you know?”
Ryan nodded his head; he was thinking, he grimaced as he let out a long sigh. “Okay.”
“Yeah… your help would be… great.”
“And…” Ryan looked me straight in the eye. “How will this benefit me?”
Certainly, this was a question I was not prepared for. Not only was it demanding, but it was sort of offensive in a way. “I—I’m—”
“I just don’t see how I would benefit in that relationship.”
Perhaps, I thought—he was talking about the throne room. Maybe he wanted me to help him there first? “Well, if you—if you want, I can help with the throne and we can… we can do a trade of some sort.”
The rhythmic sound of waves tapped the wall.
“Or—or we could—”
“No. Go on.”
“Well, if you want to, you can add two pillars around… here.” I put my hands in a parallel formation. “Then, the first thing you’ll see when you enter is the throne.”
“I see.”
“Yup.”
Ryan crossed his arms. “No.”
“Oh. Well, maybe—”
“That was a horrible suggestion.”
“I—I thought you wanted me to help you, so you can help me…”
“I never said that.”
“So you—you actually summoned me here just for your throne?”
“Yes. I already knew about your whole independence thing, and really I don’t think it’s going to work, so why would I buy into it?”
“What do you—”
“And really the only noticeable thing I’ve seen you do is knowing which diamond to steal.”
“After—after all of this? After what you did in Aerials?” I raised my voice. “After you sold out my kingdom, after you caused me to lose the Timelord Trials all of a sudden I owe you? Did I get that right?”
Ryan clicked his tongue. “I invited you here to… have a better relationship. Obviously, you don’t get the full picture, and that’s okay. But, maybe next time, you should try cooperating with me. I’d be good for you.”
“Good for you? What am I to you?”
“Oh, I’m sorry, but one battle almost had your nation capitulate.” Ryan wickedly smiled. I will probably never know why and truly know what was going on in his head. But one thing was for certain: he had insulted me in some way or another. I had already snapped, so I couldn’t address the latter half of his sentence—I was ready to dig our relationship to the grave.
“Really? Fucking really?” Nobody had ever given me shit about my performance in battle, not Noah, not Fernando, not even the fucking Shadows. “Would you like to see Roulette?”
“I’m guessing that’s your sword,” he said dully. “Personally—” he unsheathed his blade so fast it was like he stopped time, “—I wouldn’t.”
The waves slammed across the glass as if a violent thunderstorm had commenced. From my peripheral vision, I could see the water crash against the wall; it was ready to burst.
“Fine then. I’ll be leaving, good luck on your throne.”
“Want me to walk you out?”
“I know the way.”
“Good.”