After all of them had climbed onto Radluc and gotten situated in a manner so that none of them, including Karaan would fall off Radluc jolted. He ran as fast as he could toward the royal city. He bolted into the large troop that was once an army, knocking people out of his way left and right it didn't take long at all for him to get through. He ran straight for several hours. The grass flew by in a blur. Everyone could swear that no human had ever traveled this fast before, and even though Radluc was pumped up with Karaans magic, it still showed the might of dragons as compared to humans. They reached the royal city before the sun set in the morning. Radluc was completely exhausted. Radluc was a dragon but it would be unimaginable to thing that even he wouldn't be completely exhausted after running for more than eight hours straight. Radluc wasn't the only one that was exhausted though, everyone was. It wasn't unreasonable. They just got out of the biggest battle of their lives. Karaan was still unconscious. Devin was the one to speak up and ask if he was going to be ok. Letholdus replied "Yeah, he'll be fine. I've never seen this before. I don't think anyone has. He has a case of magic overload. His body has been overfilled with magic. It's from his own magic, I don't know what he did or how he did it. But what I do know is that he broke the very laws of magic, the ones that govern the working of our universe. Maybe these laws need to be rethought. Either way he just did the impossible, quite literally. He would have to be a god to not be tired after that. Though I doubt you could really call this tired, I can't imagine how he's feeling right now. Either way, unlike magic exhaustion the laws of magic dictate that the magic in his body should dissipate naturally and he should return to a normal state. Then again after defying the very laws of magic, I can't really be sure that they will save him this time... This is a situation no mage has ever witnessed before, and one that every mage would happily give his life to witness. I was right to stick with him back then..." He began to remember when he and Karaan met, how a fortunate crossing brought them together. Everyone else did the same, they all met Karaan at different times and in different circumstances. Karaan wouldn't think twice about ripping someone off. But he also wouldn't think twice about saving someone in a desperate situation as long as it was within his power. They let him rest and they did as well. They made camp a fair distance from the royal city. It would normally take people two weeks to reach the capital, even a skilled elf runner couldn't reach it in less than four days. They had time to wait, and wait they would. Until everyone was well rested and Karaan was well awake. They camped there for three days before Karaan awoke, he had a massive migraine when he awoke. Letholdus fixed him a thick past that he gave to Karaan to swallow. It wasn't bad. Letholdus had mixed in some berries to give it a slightly sweeter taste and make it not so bitter. It helped after a while. They had a normal morning for the first time in a long time. As they ate the breakfast that Archer and Devin had hunted Karaan looked at Radluc, who was eating a shaw whole. He asked "So you can speak?" Radluc looked at him and quietly shook his head to confirm this suspicion. Letholdus was nervous. This was a miraculous thing. Not only did a dragon understand human tongue but he could speak it as well. Letholdus was both terrified by the fact that everything he had ever learned up to this point was wrong. And amazed at the possibilities and all that he could learn from this creature. Karaan asked "So why didn't you speak sooner?" Radluc shook his head side to side to deny. Karaan was confused by this, but it seemed that he wouldn't talk he would only shake his head to confirm or deny. They thought for a minute and then an epiphany Zevesda asked "Can you speak human tongue?" Radluc shook his head to deny. Then Karaan asked "Then what do you speak... Dragon?" Radluc didn't shake his head. They were at a standstill. Letholdus said "This is still amazing! But let's change the subject. Karaan what was that?" Everyone looked at Karaan with anticipation for his answer. Karaan asked "What do you mean?" Letholdus replied with excitement "That spell, the amazing one that allowed you to defy the law of magic!" Karaan looked at him confused as he thought. He said "Honestly I don't really remember. The last thing that I remember is a story that my father told me. It doesn't really make any sense, but I mean somehow that gave me an epiphany and I just blacked out." Letholdus asked what the story was. Karaan replied "Well I don't know if it will really tell you anything but it was something like... There are five races in this world. The fairy's are the followers of chaos, and their servants the elves. The humans are the slaves of peace, and their followers the dwarves. Then there are the peace keepers, the dragons." Letholdus was confused he said "I think I've heard that before, but I haven't a clue where." Archer spoke up "That's a popular fairah saying. The fairah have a magic that they call chaos magic, very few have ever seen it, outside of the keepers at least. They worship the god that they call chaos. They say that the humans worship the god of peace and use black magic, or peace magic. That's one of the reasons fairah hate humans so much. But I still don't get what it means here. Unless..." Everyone looked at Karaan, they all came to the same conclusion. Zevesda was the first to speak "Karaan can use the magic of the fairah." Everyone stared at him blankly. Letholdus spoke up "But something still doesn't make sense. I thought the fairys were supposed to be all pro-life and pro-peace. So why would they worship a god of chaos, and hate a god of peace?" Devin spoke up "Peace is just a false reality, life it's self is chaotic by nature. Think about it humans cause war, destruction, famine without, humans there would be none of these. They are all creations of life, even the trees in the ground dig up the soil as they grow. All life is chaotic to some degree; to reach ultimate peace you have to destroy all life. Humans seek after the false peace, only to find destruction. But from this point of view the fairys accept chaos in order to find true peace." Letholdus said "That's a good opinion actually. How did you come up to it? Or was it just that you're an assassin?" Devin replied "It's something that's taught to all assassins when joining the guild. More precisely it's a test, you're asked the question. If you were to search for peace or chaos, who would you seek out and why? The correct answer is to seek chaos because peace is a false reality, peace does not exist where life exists, so to seek peace is to seek death. But to seek chaos is to seek life." Any other answer and you will be killed on the spot. Obviously it's not the most popular answer, but that's why the guild isn't overpopulated. They ask it in order to insure that people in the guild aren't killing because they like it or for some righteous reason. That would give the guild a bad name. They want to remain as neutral as possible, neither good nor bad, just people fulfilling a necessity." Letholdus said with a snug "I don't think I'd call it a necessity... but ok." Devin remarked in an almost sarcastic voice "Well as long as someone is willing to pay, someone else will take the job. At least we are an organization with rules." Letholdus couldn't rebuke this claim. Devin was right, if this organization didn't have such strict rules and didn't regulate these criminals then who knows what the world would be like. The subject changed once more. Karaan asked Letholdus "So did I really create magic? And what do you mean, what kind of magic was it?" Letholdus replied "Well it was your white magic, or at least it started out that way... As you know your magic mixed with our natural magic. Everyone's is unique so it would be impossible to use someone else's. But somehow after it mixed with our magic it copied it. It not only strengthened it but copied it and turned into it. I felt overflowing with so much magic that I probably would have ended up in a similar state as you if I hadn't released it." Zevesda agreed saying "Yeah it actually felt like a pressure building up inside me, that is until I released it by using spells. But the spells were so strong." Everyone else shook their heads in agreeance. Karaan remarked "Well maybe I should work on doing that again, if I could remember how I did it then that would be great... oh well. At least we know it's possible now." Karaan smiled and turned around patting on Radluc who was laid beside him They all rested for a couple of hours then started toward the city. When they reached the entrance they met two guards who stopped them. The guards were surprised to see Radluc. They had heard of a dragon, but the one they heard about was two weeks away and the army was going to face it with a team of dwarves specifically to take it on. There was no way it could be here, if it was that would mean... This small group defeated an army of 3,000. Archers, mages, dwarves, warriors with more training than them... Not to mention they traveled this distance in only a few days after taking on such an army. Both guards broke out in a cold sweat as shivers went down their spines. One of the guards spoke out in a stuttering voice "E-everything seems to be, to be in... order... Please enjoy your stay." Karaan grinned saying "Thanks." They walked on. As they reached the edge of the guards sight which was blurred by the sheer pressure they felt one of them collapsed to the ground barely hanging onto his consciousness. They strutted through town, Karaan standing to the left of Radluc followed by Sarah and Devin, then Letholdus on the right followed by Zevesda and Archer. Every eye in the town was on them, they exerted an aura of anger that everyone could feel. No person, not even the guards were willing to get in their way. They reached the castle and there were two guards standing in front of a large wooden door. Karaan cast his magic as they approached. The two guards looked fearful, but as they approached the door one of them shivering so much that his armor was clinging stepped forward and said in a stern yet shaking voice "I'm, I'm sorry... but you can... can't, come through here..." He looked as if he were going to cry. Radluc bent his head down so that he was looking the man who could barely stand now in the eyes. He let out a roar so loud that it shook the ground and air. The man fell to the ground and Karaan spoke in an angry, stern, commanding voice "Move now or be burned alive." Tears ran down the man's face as he quickly scampered out of the way. The other guard didn't need a warning he was already halfway down the street. Radluc let out his fiery breath. The entire door caught ablaze as a large whole quickly formed in the center replaced by a pile of ash. The ground was a red and orange glowing liquid. Letholdus cast an ice spell cooling down the liquid and turning it into a rough black rock. Radluc burst the still flaming door down and they all calmly walked through. Guards from all sides rushed to the entrance, but they all froze seeing Karaan and the others. They expected resistance but the most resistance that they got was the guard at the front gate and another at the main entrance to the castle. When they approached the castle one off the guards crying like a child begged "Please stop... I'm begging you." Radluc had lost his patience with the last one and quickly swung his claw as if swatting an insect out of his face. The guard left the ground with a clank and crack and flew through the air like a baseball that had been hit by a star batter. The guard hit the stone wall surrounding the castle and hung there, shards of his armor that had burst open lodged into the wall and held him hanging against the side. Karaan looking as if he didn't care at all turned his gaze to the other guard who was on the ground crying and slowly crawling away. Karaan said "We will need a guide. Get up." The man slowly and nervously raised himself off of the ground. He could hardly speak from the shaking. He said "Y-y-y-yes" He opened the gate and started walking forward. They walked through a large chamber that had seats around each wall. It had three large hallways, and a balcony. They walked into the middle hallway and up to two large wooden doors that were closed. Several men in the waiting room rushed out as soon as they walked into the hallway. Some were criminals waiting to be judged, others were there to make a request of the king, most likely to lower taxes. The number of them made Karaan that much angrier, Letholdus wasn't excluded from this feeling either. He had seen starving villages before, and kings had more money than they could spend. They raised taxes to brag about how much more money they had when compared to other kings. There were two guards infront of this door aswell. They walked up to the guards frozen in their armor and Karaan said "Well, are you going to keep us waiting?" The guards snapped out of it and quickly scurried to push the large doors open, the guard that had guided them there charged the door and helped. He turned around and asked Karaans name "May I please inquire as to your name?" Karaan spoke saying a single word "Karaan" the man thanked him and rushed in ahead of them. There was a man bowing to the young emperor, he was probably there to make a request, he didn't turn around just stood there. The young emperor looking calm and annoyed asked in a loud voice "What is the meaning of this?" he guard ran in and saluted the emperor by placing his hand on his heart. He shouted at the top of his voice, much louder than he intended to. His voice squeaked as he said "Now announcing the honorable Karaan. Here to see his majesty!" The king shouted "I never made any arrangements to see a Karaan, tell him to come back with an appointment!" Karaan walked in with Radluc. The king said "Is that puny excuse for a dragon supposed to scare me? Get out of my presence immediately!" Radluc growled but Karaan put his hand on his head stopping him, he would have pounced otherwise. Karaan said in a firm, angry, commanding voice "I will say this only once. If you wish to live then get on your knees and bow before me." The young emperor now angered beyond compare stood up and shouted "I'll dare you! Guards, put this man to death immediately!" He started to swing his hand to point at Karaan but before he could Radluc had pounced over the bowing man and bitten it off. He spit it to the side and looking the young king in the eyes shouted in a loud roaring voice that shook the castle so hard it seemed as if the stone bricks composing it would separate from each other and tumble down onto them "BOW!" Every fiber in the young mans being seemed to come loose. The young man had no choice his body moved on its own, it collapsed to the ground. He fell to his knees and onto one hand his body couldn't even shake he was scared as stiff as a board he couldn't move, he struggled to even breath. Karaan calmly walked up to him and picked the crown off of his head. He tossed it into the air. Radluc caught it and after crushing it in his mouth swallowed it jewels and all. He then made a sound like someone enjoying a meal "mmmmm" Karaan said to the young man "Now you get out of my sight!" The young king stayed like that only for enough time to realise what Karaan had said then ran as fast as his legs would carry him out of the room. Karaan said to the guard that led him there "See to it that he gets out of this town promptly and without issue, he no longer rules this kingdom." The man bowed and asked "Thank you for your kindness, may I ask please who is the new king?" Karaan replied "I don't know, I'll find one. Now go!" The man replied "Yes immediately!" before jolting out of the room after the king. Devin walked up and asked Karaan "So what now?" Karaan replied "Well I hadn't thought that far. Honestly I didn't think we'd get this far. So I spent my time revising the battle strategies, I decided to think about this part after we reached it. But then I woke up and we were already at the castle. What about the old man that leads the village? He would make a good ruler." Devin having experience with politics commented "Leading a village and ruling a country are two different things." Letholdus spoke up, "We could hand the country to another kind." Karaan shouted "NO!" Everyone looked at him with surprised expressions, this was probably the most logical answer and yet this was the first thing all day to make him so flustered, why was that. Devin was the first to realize. Karaan spoke out "You all know Marnie and Cindie, her mother. They live in captured territory. It might be different but captured territory always has one thing in common. First of all a newly captured territory will resist a new rule, secondly a king will treat a newly captured territory the same as enemy territory. For one or two generations, the territory will rot, even if it previously belonged to the king. The taxes will be enormous and the laws will be strict. The people will suffer, if we hand this territory over than it will be the same." Zevesda spoke up "Than what are we supposed to do? Leave them kingless?" Sarah spoke up saying "What about Karaan?" Everyone looked at her Karaan asked "What?" in an aggravated voice as if asking "What do you mean?" but in a completely unknowing way. Sarah replied "You could be the king, our king." Karaan replied "I don't know the first thing about ruling a country." Sarah replied "You run the single largest company in the world. It can't be much different. A king decides the rules in to follow, they manage the finances, the intake and output, they manage. It's basically the same." Devin spoke up before Karaan had a chance to speak "No being a king has a lot more responsibility behind it, it's on a whole different level. I mean there isn't much of a difference form an aesthetics point of view, but it's a much larger job, it takes years of training." Letholdus spoke up "He already has the basic training. He was the son of the most powerful mage to ever be born. And the kings most trusted man. He would have certainly chosen Karaan as one of his possible successors. So they would have given Karaan the basic training at least. On top of that he's already demonstrated his leadership and management skills. King would be a title perfect for him. I'm with Sarah on this." Karaan replied "We're talking about things that happened more years ago than I care to remember. I refuse." Zevesda then spoke up with a single word, a single word that would shake the foundation of the entire world for the remainder of the history to come. In a calm, clear, kind, yet concise voice she said "Veena." Karaans eyes widened as he looked over at her. He didn't need to ask what she meant by that. It was painfully clear to him. He stared at her with a blank expression. She had nothing but seriousness on her face. He was lost in thought, but it wasn't long until he came back to his senses. He said one thing in a stiff, stern, and sturdy voice full of conviction. "Bring me my crown!" He walked over to the throne and sat. After setting down he said "I don't have a clue what I'm going to do, or how this is gonna work. But I'm a fast learner I'll make this work. Now as for the name of this new kingdom." He stared at Zevesda "We will call it Veena. After the woman who is responsible for its founding and laws. We will be a kingdom like none other in this world. I will see to it that the wealth is placed in the hands of the people, but regulated fairly. We will do this, and we will do it right!" Everyone agreed but Deving asked "We'll what's next?" Karaan replied "I don't know I didn't think that far. But I will... eventually" Devin continued "Well be careful at least." Karaan said "I know what I'm doing!" after a short pause he continued "Ok, no. I don't have a clue what I'm doing, but I'll figure it out!" He looked around to see guards trembling in their bowed positions." Karaan spoke out. "First thing's first, I can't just sit here and do nothing. Where is the previous kings advisor?" After a short pause with no answer Karaan pointed to the nearest guard "I said. Where is the previous kings advisor? Now don't make me repeat myself again!" He apologized in a shaky voice and said "The previous king fired him, he said that he was incompetent." Karaan asked "He didn't have him put to death?" The guard replied "No your majesty." Karaan trying to cover up a slight chuckled said loudly "Then the previous king was more incompetent that I thought. Hmmm... If someone like that can successfully rule a kingdom then maybe I can without much of an issue." Looking at the guard he continued "First bring to me the guard captain. I hope he still has a job at least." The guard replied "I'm sorry your majesty but the guard captain is off on a mission to suppress a small insurgence, he shouldn't be back for at least two more weeks." Karaan replied "That means he's dead. Crap this king has to make my job harder even after he's left. Why was he so stupid! Gaahhh." The guard lowered his head more. All of the guards did. Karaan had just confirmed their suspicious, and their worst nightmare. This small group defeated the massive army, and even more so the guard captain that they all admired. Karaan asked "Did he at least have a knight captain?" The guards face about to tear up said in a panicked voice. He feared making such a powerful person any angrier. He said "Y-yes. However, I fear that if you find his previous majesty lacking... Th-then you will also find his knight captain lacking." Karaan finally calmed down enough to realize the tension in the air shouted "No one here should fear me! as long as you obey my command properly then you are under my personal protection. I don't care how close you were to the previous king, as long as you bare no ill will toward me and as long as you do not seek vengeance I will guarantee both your safety and position!" The air in the room seemed to flow smoother, even if just a little. Karaan looked at the guard who had been conversing with thus far and said "Is that so, well I won't blame you... you will be a temporary replacement for the guard captian, unless you have any recommendations that can be here immediately." The guard replied "I apologize." Karaan sighed "I don't know what you're apologizing for, anyway." Looking at Devin he said "Devin you will be my temporary advisor." Devin bowed gracefully and Karaan looked back at the guard and said "Now guard captain, you will stay within castle grounds at all times and will not leave my side during daylight hours until I find a new captain. You will command the guards and knights in this city and relay all of my commands and quickly and efficiently as possible. My fist order is to bring me the previous advisor of this kingdom if he still remains in this kingdom. My second order is to bring chairs for my friends. My third order is to bring mattresses that my dragon can lay on. My friends are to be treated as nobles, second only to me, if they give you a command you will only disobey if I myself tell you to. My dragon is the same. His name is Radluc and if he is ever treated as a pet or referred to in an improper or impolite way then he will personally have said persons head in his stomach, me and my friends are the only exceptions to this rule. That means that everyone must refer to him as Sir, Radluc. Do I make myself clear?" The new guard captain replied "Yes, of course." Karaan in a slightly irritated voice said "Well what are you waiting for carry out my commands. Oh and spread the word, the name of your new king. My name is Karaan, Vaishelf, ci-Sex, Monyume, Reshold. No wait that's not correct. Karaan, Vaishelf, ci-Sex, Veena, Monyume, Reshold! That is the name of you're king!" The guard's were all surprised and relieved at the same time. They were surprised because that name could belong to none other than the son of the most powerful mage to ever be born, Mahyuse, Vaishelf, Kinder, Monyume. But at the same time this thought brought relief to their faces, because only someone like this could take on an army the way that he did. They all bowed before Karaan and the guard captain began to stand up, the other guards staid in their positions. As he began to walk out of the room Karaan spoke up "Oh theres one last thing. I have family that ran to a near village before the attack. I would like you to order the solders find and bring them to me. Unharmed of corse. Her name is Marnie, she is a young girl." The guard captain quickly turned and bowed and said "I will order the search immediately." Karaan spoke again "Oh and this should be obvious, but other than dinner see to it that any and all plans and appointments that the previous king made for the day are cancelled. The same for tomorrow, except for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The nobles who were originally going to attend may do so. However, see to it that there are enough seats for my friends here as well. And that my dragon has a suitable place to eat in the same room. Tell the chef he will be cooking for a dragon. A whole shaw would be enough, he may use his best judgement on how to prepare it, roasted, broiled, baked, fried, or even raw is fine." The guard captain still bowing replied "Of course. Anything else your majesty wants?" Karaan thought and said "Well since you asked me and my friends are parched. Have the maids bring us something good to drink. I don't care what it is as long as it's good and doesn't contain alcohol. I need a clear head to think. Oh and speaking of maids. Have all of the castle staff gather in this room after dinner, I don't care if this is their day off or if they are tired and worn out. They will all gather in this room after dinner, the only exception being if they are not in this town." Looking at the severed arm and blood on the floor he added "Oh and get someone to clean this up." The guard bowed and sensing that Karaan had finished he slowly turned around in a bowed stance, waiting until he was facing away from Karaan to raise his head. Karaan watched him leave then pointed his finger at another guard. He said "You come here." The guard nervously stood up and walked toward him. The guard bowed upon approaching him. Karaan said "Raise your head. These formalities make me uneasy." This triggered a short flashback of the days that he lived with his father, he would accompany the king in the throne room and although he thought it was unusual for most of his life that king would do the same, these happy memories filled him with warmth and a smile came to his face as the guard looked up not knowing whether to agree or apologize. Karaan chuckled, he felt something he had never felt before. Accomplishment, he had built the largest and most successful single company in the world, he was richer than some kings, everyone in the world knew his name, he was feared by entire countries. But none of that gave him this simple, happy feeling. He didn't give the guard time to say anything, pointing around to several small doors on the sides of the rooms he asked "Where do these doors lead?" The guard replied "The three to your right lead to restrooms, one for males, one for females, and another for elves and servants." Zevesda sneered at this comment, a shiver went up the already panicked guards spine. He nervously continued "The one to your left leads to a small kitchen that is fit to serve the king and his guests snacks and drinks throughout the day." Karaan asked "Are they connected to any other rooms?" The guard replied "The restrooms are not, the kitchen is." He was nervous he didn't know if that was what Karaan wanted to know, he didn't know if that was enough information, or if saying more would insult Karaans intelligence, this was a man praised for his intelligence after all. Karaan spoke up relieving the guard of his anxiety "Good, thank you. In that case the servant and elvish restroom will be turned into a restroom for my dragon, the servants and elves may use the other two as they please. If they are not clean enough for them then they will not be clean enough for me and my friends. If they are not clean enough for me and my friends then they will not be clean enough for my servants. But I will expect my dragons restroom to be just as clean." The guard couldn't help but think to himself "can a dragon really use a restroom?" In all honesty Karaan had the same question, but he wanted to make a point. He knew that he could ask Radluc to use it and he would, though he would have it specially prepared before that. Either way his point made it across to the other guards fairly well. If he wanted to treat his staff the same as he wanted to treat himself. Either he will be a very good king or a very bad one. No self-respecting king would ever do that, image was very important for kings and this would not look good. However, that's exactly what Karaan wanted to convey, he was not going to be a normal king or one that worried about trivial matters such as appearances. Karaan continued "But that's a matter for later. For now, I would like you and one other guard to go to the kitchen and guard the door from the inside, close the door. You may enter with anyone that has permission to, otherwise guard there." He raised his voice "As for the other guards. You will leave this room and guard the main entrance to this room. You may leave that door open though none of you shall remain in this room. I have some things to discuss with my friends in private." All of the guards bowed before going to their new stations. About the time they had all left the room several maids walked in from the kitchen. The two guards stationed at that door followed them. There were 12 maids. Six of them had chairs, and one of them had a large plate with six glasses of a strange orange drink on it. She stood behind the others. The other eight all had assorted cleaning equipment. One of the maids with a chair asked "Where would you like these chairs your highness?" Karaan replied "Just set them anywhere, my friends aren't so weak that they can't move them where they want to set." All of the maids except the one holding the glasses bowed. Karaan pointed to her and motioned to come forward. She did, she was nervous but these maids were used to this feeling. Because the system for ruling it different to the south of the dwarven mountains, servants and maids are often treated badly by kings and nobles. And if they show nervousness then they will almost certainly be punished. They didn't have much knowledge of the systems in the north so they had no reason to believe that Karaan would be any different. As the maid approached Karaans friends all walked up and picked up a glass. She stopped as they did, frozen in place. She wasn't stopping to let them take a glass. No she was terrified. For anyone to take a glass, or anything before a king was unheard of. The fact that he was a commoner only minutes ago hadn't occurred to her, in fact he held himself up so well it was hard to believe that he wasn't born a prince. She froze in fear not knowing what to do. Was he going to go off on these people who disrespect him? Was he going to punish her for letting them take a glass before him. Was this some kind of cruel test... She couldn't move because she was deep in thought. Hardly a second had passed and everyone but Karaan had their glasses. She twitched as she saw Karaans lips move, as he formed words she could see her fate unravel before her. Karaan said in a joking voice "So am I the only one who doesn't get one? That's kind of rude..." She recognized that it was a joking voice right away and came back to her senses. But for a king to joke like this to a simple maid... The other maids were all afraid. Often the king might think of it as a joke, but there will still be punishment involved. She walked forward and Karaan took the glass with a soft laughter. As she turned around he said "Since you like it so much then feel free to get yourself a glass, I'm sure you deserve it." She bowed and not knowing how to respond silently walked away. Karaan spoke "The same goes to all of you here, once you get back into the kitchen grab yourselves a glass and take a short break." The all bowed. They wanted to know if he was crazy. This drink was specifically prepared by the chef. It was worth more than a gold piece for one glass. And he wanted to just give it away to all of the maids? Most of the maids felt that, that drink was worth more than them. That wasn't incorrect based on the way the previous king had treated them. Honestly Karaan didn't know what it was, he knew that it wasn't cheap but he had never seen anything quite like this before. It had a strange fizz to it. It tingled as it hit the back of a throat and a slight acidic burn only added to the flavor, it was beyond delicious. He didn't know that the chef had prepared it specifically for him. The chef wanted to make a good impression on the new king so he prepared it specifically for Karaan. Though Karaan didn't know what it was Devin did, and he spoke up. "You know this is a very rare and valuable drink right? Why would you offer it to some maids?" Karaan thought and asked "What's its value?" The maids listening as they walked away could tell by this that Karaan was not true royalty... Any king would know right away what this drink was. Devin said "It's worth a gold piece give or take, per glass." The maids questioned their previous assumption when Karaan didn't react to that at all, perhaps he was a nobles' son who had never seen this drink before. The first maid had walked back through the door and Karaan shouted "Oh, before you grab a glass take one to all of the guards surrounding this room first!" Devin didn't think much of it, he merely sighed. He had grown to know Karaan quite well in these months. While Karaan could be said to be a penny pincher worse than a dwarf at times, he could also be said to not care about money at all, at other times. He was an interesting and somewhat scary person. The maids walked out and the last one bowed before leaving the room. This terrified them but simultaneously impressed them. Karaan was someone who didn't care about money at all, a good ruler was one who cared greatly about money, otherwise the kingdom would go bankrupt. But a kind ruler was often one that didn't care about money. They had heard the name Karaan before but they couldn't make the connection. So they were terrified, he seemed nice. But perhaps he would be the downfall of this country. It was then that it hit them that he was only a peasant, they were all terrified of this. A peasant would certainly be a kind king, but they wouldn't have the first clue about how to rule a country. While none of them wanted to admit it a selfish king was needed to rule a country properly. Even if it would improve their lives for a time their country would eventually fall from bankruptcy. All day every day they heard villagers complain of hunger and starvation, this king might solve that for now, but he will only worsen it in the future. But there was nothing they could do about it. They were simple maids, all they could do was ride out this wave and hope they were wrong. The maids cleaning up the mess were fairly quick, three of them were half elves that could use water magic and scrub it very effectively. They argued silently about who would take the arm, they decided to wrap it up in a towel and made one of the half elves take it. After everyone had left the room Zevesda and the others grabbed a chair and pulled them up. Karaan sat on a throne that was on an elevated platform. The floor in the back of this room was higher than the rest. There were two steps only a foot in front of the throne. They pulled their chairs up into a half circle formation with the first step being at the back of the circle and Karaan still on the throne. They sat and discussed the future. Their future, the kingdoms future, everything they could think about. After they had talked for some time the guard captain entered the room once more and seeing how they were seated bowed at the entrance Karaan said to him "You may approach." The guard got up and with his head facing the ground he walked up to the chairs. Karaan said "Raise your head and speak." He did so "Yes I have seen to it that all of your orders have been or are being carried out as we speak. With its lack of manpower this castle will be weakened for the following days, if you wish I can call back the troops before they leave the city." Karaan said "No that's all part of the plan, you've done well. Have you located the advisor?" The guard captain replied "We have not yet. However, we have found a possible lead. We believe that he may be staying temporarily in a small town to the north. We have sent a small scout to acquire more information and if they find him bring him here." Karaan replied "Very good." The guard was relieved that Karaan was at least asking for an experienced adviser. Whether or not he would take the advice of the advisor was to be seen but this was a positive start that put a slight smile on the guards' face. Karaan continued "Next I wish to see the current laws of this kingdom, I will make some changes. I would also like to see the finance report of the kingdoms treasury. Bring me the treasurer if we have one." The guard bowed saying "I will bring him immediately and request a copy of the law." The guard smiled, then he turned around and walked back out of the room. As he was walking toward the back Karaan shouted "Wait up! Before you do that, go in the kitchen and ask for something to drink. You've been working hard I don't need you getting parched on me." The guard thanked him, bowing again and started toward the kitchen. Karaan turned to the others and started discussing things once more. They made a decision, they would wait until tomorrow to make any decisions. Before long the treasurer entered the room, he was a small fat man resembling a dwarf. But his body was much more rounded, so he was obviously human. He was carrying a thick stack of papers. He bowed and introduced himself as Dunmer. He has a shrill annoying voice, it almost sounded like nails on a chalk board. Karaan could care less how he sounded and had learned not to judge a person by their cover. Dunmer appeared to be a noble, he wore thick gold laced clothing colored in bright reds and yellows, a symbol of wealth. He was obviously paid very well. He said "Your majesty requested the expense report for the palace and a copy of the laws of this kingdom. I have both with me, in short we have made a fair profit these last months." Karaan said "I can read, give me the paper work and I'll decide for myself what a fair profit is." Karaan breezed through the expense report like it was nothing, and he clearly understood everything. The expression Dunmers face was obvious, he was expecting to have to explain everything to Karaan, but instead Karaan was even explaining some things to him. Why the markets fluctuated, and how to control that so that towns can afford to pay their taxes, things that the castle would normally ignore. Ideas popped into Karaans head one after another. The rise in taxes was clearly meant to offset a large drop in the market. The treasurer himself recommended it, it kept the kingdom form being forced to reduce the value of its currency and thus reduce its power and negotiating ability. Karaan understood this well, the previous king wasn't as stupid as Karaan had believed, he was just young and wasn't properly educated. Then again most kings wouldn't have this kind of knowledge, it was only because Karaan use to be a merchant, and use to run a large corporation that he knew what he did. The treasurer who had been considered one of the best below the dwarven mountains felt like an idiot in the face of this stranger. He had run his own corporation and become quite successful before the previous king hired him. But this man... it hit him, he finally realized who he was talking to, the genius called Karaan. He bowed, once more, it was out of place but he couldn't help it. This time it wasn't out of fear, or because he was king. But because he truly respected this man Karaan. After realizing who he was he hung onto his every word like a bear after honey. He didn't fear for his job, but he could learn so much from a single conversation with this man that it amazed him. Karaan came up with several directives and before he looked at the law. Now this man was already amazed, but when Karaan suggested changes to the law to offset various coasts, he was completely dumbfounded. He was a treasurer; he was a business man. He knew that lowering the price of items can increase the number sold and by turn the profit from them. But he never imagined that the same principles could be used for taxes as well. It didn't increase the number of taxes people would pay but the number that they could pay. Karaan explained that richer kingdoms often have lower taxes, not because they have enough people to make up the difference but because people move in order to benefit from the difference and in turn make up for the difference themselves. "Sure the kingdom will take a small loss at first, but in the long run it will make a larger profit. And with more people it's easier to offset for market drops like this. But in all honesty this isn't even a large one. I've seen kingdoms fall from much larger problems, but this country was declining because of such a small drop. That's what I find amazing. I'm not blaming you, you're just responsible for the finances of the castle, money coming in and out. And I can tell you are very good at managing the finances. It should have been the advisors job to help offset the drop." Dunmer looking a little relieved commented "Well he tried telling him to wait it out, but the king didn't want to do that. They had an argument and the king fired him. Then he came to me, and obviously I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to suggest he listen to his advisor on this matter because I didn't want to be out of a job. As you could probably tell, it's not easy maintaining this healthy complexion." He jokingly said softly slapping his stomach. "So I suggested the only solution I could think of, raise the taxes." Karaan chuckled "And from your point of view that would have been the correct suggestion, it's the idiot of a king that did this. But there's no reason complaining now. Let's continue." Karaan continued to read the papers." It wasn't long before several guards walked in the room carrying large mattresses. Karaan said "Place them in the center of the room so that they make one large mattress, we'll rearrange them later." The guards bowed and did as he said. Radluc was already asleep on the floor. Dinner came fairly quickly and even though they were clearly setting at this table ordering these people around none of them felt like kings, it all felt like a fantasy. There were no problems with seating, only half of the nobles who were supposed to be there actually showed up. Most of them were probably scared off by the new king, the ones that did show up probably wanted to make a good impression on the new king in spite of their fear. All of Karaans companions joined them, even Radluc was there. The chef didn't have a clue what to prepare for Radluc, but after hearing that he was to be treated as well as the others he didn't want to give him just simple leftovers, at the same time it would take all of the food in the kitchen to prepare a suitable meal for him. So he made him a stew out of the leftovers something that everyone could eat. But it was made with the same quality as the rest. The chef was so impressed with how it turned out that he even served a bowl at the dinner table as a side dish. On their table was an assortment of food that you would expect to see form a king, everything from shaw, to rockshada, and several animals that were unique to this region, that Karaan couldn't identify. One of the nobles told them that they were shell animals from the sea. Karaan had never heard of anyone eating these before but he wasn't a stranger to trying new things either, he liked their taste. But their texture wasn't to his particular tastes.
YOU ARE READING
A Tale of Fortunes Cross
FantasyThis is the story of Karaan a young magic-less merchant, in a world filled with magic and magical creatures. It was party inspired by "Spice and Wolf" But is by no means a "fan-fic". Karaans adventures takes him throughout a wonderful, enormous cont...
