Chronicles of Arya

A Deal

Everyone was currently at a standstill. Iola was still being held back, but he'd stopped struggling. His wife, the traitor, was on her knees and refused to look anywhere else.

"What do you mean?" Scarlet asked as she stepped towards Iola.

"That woman is my wife," Iola said. "Your Highness, please explain to me why she's being bound like that. She's done nothing wrong!"

Scarlet glanced at Iola's wife. "It appears that you don't know." She turned to the guards. "Take them to the prison cells. No one is to speak with them without my permission."

The guards nodded as they took both Iola and his wife to prison. Everyone starts to disperse after that.

Eiko came just in time to see them get taken away. "It seems I missed something."

"We will talk about it later," Scarlet said. "Have your men settle in. Liliora could help you with that. You're familiar with her, yes?"

Eiko nodded. "She's been a tremendous help to me. Thank you, Your Highness."

Scarlet turned to Isaac and sighed. "This complicates things."

Isaac nodded. "We tried looking for his wife when we were in Losteria. We couldn't find her. Didn't think that she'd be the traitor." Isaac looked around to see if anyone was listening in on them. "Did you have to send both of them in jail?"

"I can't risk it," Scarlet said. "Iola's not thinking rationally right now. He might try to free her." She cursed under her breath. "He might even have influenced some soldiers with him. If he follows his wife, then they could all turn on us."

Isaac understood her concerns. The worst kind of enemies to have are the ones who are on the inside.

"I'll talk to Iola and his wife tonight," Isaac said. "Can I have your permission?"

"I'll come with you," Scarlet said but Isaac shook his head.

"Let me go alone. His wife might not cooperate as much if you're there." Isaac said.

Scarlet wanted to argue, but she knew that he was right. "Fine." She relented.

Just when they were about to leave, Isaac saw Polus running toward him and giving him a bear hug. "Ow, ow, ow!" Isaac said.

"My friend!" Polus exclaimed happily. "We made it!"

"Yep, we did," Isaac said. When Polus let go of him, Scarlet raised an eyebrow. "Ah, where are my manners? Scarlet, this is Polus Longleaf. Finest merchant west of Arya."

Polus bowed politely. His demeanor completely changed when it comes between Isaac and strangers. "Polus Longleaf, at your service," Polus said. "And who might this beautiful lady be?"

"Scarlet Snow." Scarlet introduced herself. "Queen of the White Kingdom."

Polus's jaw dropped. He looked at Isaac for confirmation and Isaac nodded. Polus immediately bowed even lower. "Forgive my rudeness, Your Highness!"

Scarlet remained calm but from her twitching lips, Isaac knew she wanted to smile. "It's fine."

"Your Highness, pardon my belligerent disrespect, but may I have your permission to set up shop here?" Polus asked. "I promise, it will be worth your while."

Scarlet raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? Well, Isaac here did say you're the finest merchant west of Arya."

"The finest!" Polus repeated. "You won't regret it! I can even give you some special services if you wish."

Isaac remembered what kind of services Polus offered. "Let's talk about that another time," Isaac interjected. "But I think the Queen would have no problem letting Polus and the other merchants set up their businesses here, right? They are merchants after all. It's what they do."