Looking at the deep blue wax seal, I forced myself to breathe slowly, pushing down the panic crawling around in my chest. The messenger sipped our grape wine, oblivious to the way my pulse hammered.

  The document incriminating Zock didn’t mention or even hint at any plans to attack the King. We had no idea it was going to happen. That should exonerate us, but trusting a grieving daughter to act rationally would be the height of stupidity.

  I wanted to clutch my head, sit down in the dirt and beg the world to stop making my life harder. Instead, I gathered my courage and cracked open the new reigning Queen's seal with clammy hands. A faint lavender smell wafted from the high quality vellum. The penmanship was elegant and deliberate, each word a performance:

  Dear Neighbors,

  I truly regret the actions of Count Zock, which were not sanctioned by the Crown of Nanon. I wish for relations between our powerful realms to be cordial. To that end, I invite you to visit me in the capital, Aldersthron, so we may discuss how to move past this unfortunate incident and forge a better, safer future together. I promise safe conduct to your entourage. A royal representative will arrive to accompany you on the date you provide.

  Sincerely,

  Laira the First, Queen of the Nanon Kingdom.

  I let out a long breath. No vows of vengeance. No threats, veiled or overt. A smile crept upon my face as the hidden meaning revealed itself. She acknowledges that we are powerful and wants Nanon to be safe. A woman after my own heart.

  I told my mind to tone down the self-congratulation, and focused on the intent. Those words did not guarantee that the elegant strokes were penned by a well wisher. The politeness might be a fa?ade to hide a mind plotting betrayal. What to do? I couldn't just ignore the letter.

  I tried to figure out the Queen's personality. My surroundings vanished as the letter became my world.

  One of her Counts was killed, yet she tries to be cordial with his killers, whom she knows nothing about. Doesn’t that signal desperation? Maybe she is so desperate she doesn’t care if it shows. After all, it is a private letter, not a public declaration.

  If she has competent investigators, she would know that his men were badly defeated by a less numerous but far superior force. She very likely wants that kind of edge, quite likely against the threat of the Zoran Empire.

  If she doesn’t, she is plotting betrayal.

  If she meant to betray us, I would make sure it costs her dearly.

  But, if she genuinely wanted help to protect her realm, I wouldn’t mind giving her some repeating crossbows and bows in exchange for mountains of coal, bronze, gunpowder ingredients and the Cha hidden in Nanon.

  “Well?” Lothar asked.

  I handed him the letter. His eyes tracked the script, lips tightening, and handed it back.

  “It’s almost as if you wrote it yourself.”

  “How so?”

  “It’s very pragmatic. No posturing, no moralizing. Not the usual noble fare.”

  A faint smirk tugged at his lips. “How will you respond, Supreme Leader?”

  “I’ll go meet her. I think we can come to a mutually beneficial agreement.”

  “The nobles don’t do mutually beneficial agreements,” he added. “They see others’ gain as their loss.”

  “I get it. It’s their first instinct, but maybe the new Queen is not that kind of noble. She might be actually noble, or at least pragmatic.”

  “It’s still risky, though, and Chadom cannot afford to lose you. Without the weapons, knowledge and techniques you introduced, we would all be dead, or ruled by that brigand.”

  “You exaggerate, my friend. The Cha are a strong people; you would have survived somehow. Besides, I’m imparting as much knowledge I can, as fast as I can, into Aramid, Kovar, you and my pupils. You already have the seeds of a great and powerful nation within you, and you know this,” I shook the parchment, “is a risk worth taking. I don’t want to take unnecessary risks either, but the upside is too high to ignore.”

  He nodded in understanding.

  “Would anyone among us know anything about this new Queen’s character?” I whispered to him meaningfully. I was pretty sure by now that Lothar was a nobleman in hiding.

  He shook his head weakly in response.

  I decided to trust in the Queen and told the messenger to expect us at their border with the Bog in three weeks.

  “Three weeks?” Lothar asked.

  “It’ll take more than a week to just build a carriage fit for the leader of our glorious nation. Can't have them thinking we're just a bunch of refugees, can we? Then there are other preparations to make.”

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  I didn’t care much for status symbols, but appearances were very important to nobles. If I was going to visit their home, I would have to play by their stupid rules.

  We didn’t have the bright, exotic silks and other accoutrements they liked to adorn their carriages with, but we did have steel; a lot more than them. High quality steel that would gleam brighter than any gem. Covered in the precious metal meant for armor and weapons of the nobility, my new carriage would no doubt look impressive, but also very militaristic.

  Fine by me. I would follow Sun Tzu’s advice: Appear strong when you are weak. We would visit as equals, not vassals or beggars.

  So I again disturbed my tired master craftsmen and asked them to build an ornate carriage with wide wheels and leaf springs. Aramid and Kovar whined about the timeline until I agreed to let them scavenge parts from existing wagons. The former jeweler, Zevan, lit up at my request to make the decorations from steel, brass and gems.

  The Elders, however, were furious with me.

  “You made the decision without consulting us first?” Elder Weber demanded.

  “I should have asked. I apologize for that, but there was no other alternative,” I tried to placate them. “We cannot invite her here, and I will be in danger outside of Chadom, no matter the location. If I go to the Queen’s seat of power, at least she will be more relaxed, and maybe more trusting. She might even think our position weak, which would be to our benefit.”

  “But our position is weak!” he protested.

  “Not that weak, Elder, and it will only get stronger over time.”

  “How?”

  “I will give you a demonstration before leaving,” I teased him.

  “Maybe we should go instead?” he asked weakly.

  “No. I have a lot of bargaining chips in my head. It has to be me.”

  “Knowledge you can use to betray us,” Hyde muttered in a low tone. Our overwhelming victory had splintered his faction, but his attitude hadn’t changed.

  “Betray what? I don’t think the Queen cares one whit about a few thousand refugees, Elder. She wants a way to safeguard her much bigger realm, and I want to likewise safeguard Chadom.”

  “So you plan to give her our weapons?” he asked angrily.

  “Yes.”

  “That is betrayal!”

  I suppressed a scoff. “A stronger Nanon will shield us against the Zoran Empire.”

  Their brows knitted at that.

  “The Nanoan messenger told us that Zoranians have taken Amlain. Only three realms stand between them and their total control of the continent. If that happens, you know that we will be wiped out, right?”

  That made the Elders blanch. Even Hyde paled. While Nanon merely tolerated its religious zealots, Zoran sanctioned them. Even far away, people feared the state-backed lunatics who burned heretics and themselves with equal fervor.

  “I want Nanon to be strong enough to keep Zoran at bay, but not stronger than us,” I told them gently.

  “How? Those repeating bows and crossbows guarantee our safety! And now you want to give them away!” Hyde shouted.

  “Since you are so worried about our safety, let me assure you that I’m already preparing our next generation of weapons. They will make the current ones look like sticks and stones.”

  The Elders’ eyes widened at that.

  Hyde’s old eyes narrowed. “You’ve never mentioned them before.”

  “They weren’t ready. There are many secrets I will reveal only when necessary. It’s a matter of security; I’m sure you understand.” I looked him in the eyes. If the fool thought he could launch a coup in my absence, he would get quite a surprise.

  “Oh, and do remember nobody can produce steel in large quantities like us. That technology remains ours. We will be the ones selling the steel to build their crossbows. They turn hostile, we cut off the supply.”

  That seemed to mollify the Elders and they finally agreed to my plan.

  Aprilia, on the other hand, was not willing to budge.

  Her shock quickly turned to anger when I told her about my decision. She backed away from me, eyes glowering. She was adorable when she pouted, but I didn’t dare say that out loud.

  “It’s important I go myself, baby,” I said softly.

  “Why can’t the Elders go?” she snapped. “They are our original leaders!”

  “You want that crotchety Elder Hyde representing us?”

  “No, but I don’t want you walking into a trap!”

  “The Queen seems like a reasonable woman.” I tried to put my hands on her generous hips, but she stepped back further. “She guarantees us safe conduct. A monarch’s words carry a lot of weight, especially when we will let the public know about her promise. Walking them back would cost her a lot.”

  “I don’t care! You’re gambling with your life!”

  “I’ll come back, I promise.”

  Her glare hardened. “You always think you can outsmart everyone.”

  “Not always. Just most of the time. I’ll be very careful at every step, I promise.”

  “Until you stumble.”

  “I can’t just ignore it. Let me take your worries away.” I said in a low tone, flicking my tongue out.

  She looked at me as if I were a disgusting insect and stomped toward the door.

  “Where are you going?”

  “To my parents’ home!” she shouted without looking back at me and left, without closing the door.

  .

  I could’ve been a petty asshole and reminded her I put them in the front of the line for one, but I kept my mouth shut. “Say hi to them from me!” I shouted after her.

  The next day, her mother received me with a sympathetic smile. I handed her the sketch of our new coat of arms to be stitched onto the banners: a glowing white spear rising from a green valley, a crimson river cutting through it.

  “Trouble in paradise?” she teased, as we sat on a bench. She was barely into her forties, not much older than my previous self, and clearly the source of Aprilia’s beauty. I diverted my thoughts from going that way.

  “Any advice?” I asked.

  “Marry her,” she said without hesitation.

  “If only I could. Maybe after this visit, if I can secure an alliance with Nanon.”

  Her smile faded. “You don’t see the problem?”

  “I get she’s mad at me for putting myself in danger, but there’s no better alternative.”

  “For a Messiah, you sure miss some obvious things.”

  I looked at her with a blank expression, hoping for an explanation.

  “This Queen. Isn’t she a young unwed woman?”

  “Yes… Oh!” Comprehension hit me like a brick.

  “I had some Count or Baron’s daughter in mind for a political marriage. What are the chances of a Queen agreeing to that?”

  “You tell me, Supreme Leader. I’m just a simple housewife,” she said mockingly. I guess as my unofficial mother-in-law, she had the right to that tone.

  I spent some time thinking. “There are offers I could make that might make her consider marrying me. It would be the best outcome for all of our people.”

  “What about my daughter?” she asked in an icy tone.

  I looked her in the eyes to emphasize my sincerity. “Madam, I will never abandon your daughter under any circumstances. She is very precious to me. If the Queen asks me to leave her as the condition for an alliance, I will flatly refuse. I think I have enough leverage to make her agree to a deal on different terms.”

  “I didn’t understand all of what you said, but I believe you were sincere.” Her expression softened. “Fine. I will talk to her, but don’t expect quick results. She is as stubborn as her father.”

  I smiled in return and bowed low.

  Just like she had said, there were no immediate results. Aprilia would come home to do chores only when I wasn’t there, then leave for her parents’ home. I had hot food and fresh bed sheets, but no one to share them with. Her mother reassured me that she would soften with time.

  Until then, I focused on my ever growing list of tasks. I would leave Chadom powerful, on the path of greatness. The forges roared and metal went under hammers. Each clang was another step towards the future.

  If the Queen wanted to see power, I would show her.

  And if she meant treachery, I would show her that too.

  Thank you for reading the chapter!

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