The Witcher: Aethan of Cidaris

Chapter 9: The Meeting of Kings

(Hagge, Mouth of the Pontar Valley, Pontar Valley, Kingdom of Aedirn, Witcher-Verse)
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(Time-Skip: Four Months Later)

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(King Aethan I Jaenerys of Cidaris POV)

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Aethan wouldn't call Hagge beautiful, but rather the Castle as much as it was beautiful in its construction, what truly made the Castle beautiful was the fact that its design was able to incorporate three separate types of Castle. The Castle being at the mouth of the Pontar made it a Coercion Castle, but the design was that of a Concentric Castle and its position at the mouth of the Pontar indicates that it was a Lowlands Castle of the Valley Castle subcategory.

Didn't really matter a lot, to be honest, Aethan was waiting to get a fight going with Henselt. The old rapist hadn't been shy in glaring at him, Aethan had no desire to have anything to do with the man. But this meeting was one that he called, and it was regrettably crucial to involve him. 

''Let us not commit a mistake.'' Said King Vizimir II, the King of Redania as he slid his ringed fingers through the hair at his temples. ''We can't afford to make a blunder or a mistake now.'' He added.

Aethan watched as those around him said nothing, the assembled royals of the North not uttering a word. Not Demavend III, ruler of Aedirn, sprawled in his armchair staring at the tankard of beer resting on his belly. Nor Aethan's father-in-law, King Foltest I, the Lord of Temeria, Pontar, Mahakam and Sodden, presented his noble profile to everyone by turning his head towards the window. Neither did King Henselt I of Kaedwen, sitting at the opposite end of the table running his small, piercing eyes - glistening from a face as bearded as brigands - over the other participants in the room. Meve, Queen of Lyria and Rivia toyed pensively with the enormous rubies in her necklace, occasionally twisting her beautiful full lips into an ambiguous grimace.

Then there was him, King Aethan I Jaenerys of Cidaris. Aethan was not at the table, rather he was leaning up against the wall with his arms folded. Mostly he kept his eyes closed, but he opened them when Vizirmir spoke. He carried his Ofiri Saber at his hip, the hilt of the blade glistened with Silver Fish and Gold. Beneath the scabbard, there were runes in the blade, he had gotten his runewright.

Aethan had arrived with Prince var Attre, but var Attre had been humiliated by King Henselt and Aethan had told him to cool off. King's Niedamir and Esterad hadn't shown up, and Niedamir was never going to really rally against Nilfgaard, Esterad on the other hand would do so covertly.

Aethan wouldn't hold Niedamir's refusal against him despite the pact between them. Elliana was still as of yet unable to marry his son, so they weren't family yet. Aethan however would be taking advantage in the build-up to war as he already had.

With his economic problems at home dealt with, Aethan was able to begin to stockpile a lot of resources. Hattori was on over time as was the new Master Smith he'd recruited. But armor and weapons weren't all he'd bought, Aethan had bought an excess of Food and other goods. Wasn't cheap, but it wasn't as expensive as it could've been, since Aethan made a show of publicly taking control of Trade in his Kingdom. The Merchants were largely pissed, but because the trade league oh so conveniently didn't raise a stink over it, and in fact made a show of welcoming his presence, it calmed a lot of them down.

The price was still higher though.

Every Major Stronghold in Cidaris now had an excess in supplies. Aethan had also hired large numbers of Mercenaries, signing the groups to three-year contracts. It was worth noting that the mercenaries in question were some of the most loyal in question. Now it was admittedly strange to call mercs loyal, but Aethan had done his research and these particular groups had either neither broken a contract or they had only broken contracts because their tasks in question ended up being considered suicidal.