"We need to know how a king would act in a given situation. But where would we...?" Adykon looked over and saw the King of Minbenthac himself, sitting on his throne, looking quite bored and annoyed with all of his rather panicky generals. Normally, one would expect a ruler of a major city to maintain an air of decorum, but this one was sitting slumped sideways on his golden chair, leaning on his right shoulder on the right side of the thone, with his legs dangling out over the left side. Maybe he could use a break from all of this.
Adykon walked over to the king, whose eyes lit up as he noticed the warrior's approach, eager to talk to someone else, anyone else. His generals despaired at the situation in front of them; all of the upper echelons of Minbenthac's military could only see a war in which their city took on Dememoras alone; an impossible task for one city to do, however great it was.
"Your highness. May I have a moment of your-"
"Granted, Adykon. Please, no need to bow. I've had enough people kissing my tail for one day. You may speak freely."
"Yes sir. In any event, I have concluded that there is no way Minbenthac can take on the threat of Dememoras alone, so we shall-"
"We AREN'T taking him on alone, sell-sword scum!" One of the generals shouted at Adykon, angry to have the king listen to a low-born fighter over a noble of high birth such as himself. "Our city has vassals, allies, mercenaries, and the might of its own people to form an army capable of defeating ANY foe. We neither need nor desire the 'help' of outsiders for this."
"Isn't it true that our city has fought beside other cities before? Alliances have been known to exist from time to time, when it was in the interest of both cities to fight for a common cause." Adykon retorted angrily.
"I have discussed the matter of calling for allies with the other cities before, and have defused that idea on the ground that no other city will risk the wrath of the Dark Master, and even if they were brave enough or foolish enough to do so, they would take as much from us as possible in the ensuing confusion. Even if Dememoras is gone, we will still suffer when they force us to make concessions in exchange for their help. They will take our most valuable mines, seize vital trade routes, force us to into unfavorable commercial agreements, force us to cede critical farmland, and even sleep with our wives and dau-"
"That's ENOUGH!" The king was in no mood to hear it from his stuck-up general. "I have listened to your banter all day. Now let the hero speak. He IS the warrior of prophecy, remember? He's our great fighter, our ally, our friend, or... how did you describe him? Our "asset"? Or was it "our bargaining chip"?! He shall have the right to talk. Any more out of you, and I'll send you to the dungeons to cool off for a week. Now, Adykon, please continue."
"Thank you, sire. Anyway, this is the first threat that every city in the Dracon lands has faced at the same time. As such, it falls to reason that all of the other kings will want allies, but will be too proud, blind, or dare I say afraid, to call on the others. Dememoras knows that if we stand together, we will be able to beat him. His armies and powers are vast, and our city is only one link in the chain needed to stop him. Like it or not, we need the help of other cities... and they need us."
"Hmm. What you say is true. It is how I would have acted, that part about blindness.
Of course, part of that blindness comes from the 'advice' I have been receiving from my general staff. There is one question, though. I am sure that the mages of the other city-states have been detecting Dememoras's return as much as ours have. Surely, they know of him. Now, besides Minbenthac and Hekaga, there are six city-states. I would imagine that one of the would have sent out diplomats asking for an alliance by now."
Adykon saw what the problem was. None of the cities wanted to take the first step towards cooperation. Each one was content to let the others do it. The problem with that scenario was, if everyone expects someone else to do something, who is actually going to do anything?
"My king, the odds were already far against me being able to suggest an alliance with the other cities. As it is, the events which led me here were a long-shot, and I'M supposed to be this destiny-prophecy warrior of fate or whatever it is they call me. The odds that another city-state will send us a diplomat first are very slim indeed. My advice to you would be to take the first step. Send an envoy out to whatever cities you wish to, and see how it works. If we can unite even a couple of cities to a common cause, we stand a much better chance of beating Dememoras."
The king looked at Adykon, and a sparkle could be seen in his eyes. Surely, he would listen, but then...
"What about the ramifications? Surely, we risk other cities wanting our resources. It is what I would try to do if someone sent an envoy to me, asking for my help. In exchange, I would want something of theirs, like a vassal city, a rich mine, cash, control of a trade route, a strategic fortress, land, or maybe even the contract for a mercenary company, or... a quarry at the very, very least. What will this cost my city. What will it cost ME?"
"I don't know, sire, but I do know this. If we cannot stand with the others, you will certainly lose EVERYTHING. Surely, your kingdom and all that is in it is worth a mine or two? And what you lose, if anything, can always be redeemed later."
The king thought for a moment, his mind caught on a razor's edge between his general and Adykon. For a moment, he was stuck in a sort of mental limbo. Then...
"Alright. I will do it. In a few days, I shall dispatch envoys to several cities. I will also look into the possibility of sending magical messages as well, even though Kluthu has told me that such communications can be tapped by an outsider, as Dememoras will surely try to do. Thank you for your input. This concludes our discussion, gentlemen. I'm off to my chambers now. Do not disturb me. Do make sure to send some of my wives to the master bedroom. I'll sort things out when I'm there."
"Is there any specific females you want me to-" a servant spoke, before being cut off.
"Just send whichever ones you can find, alright. Except for Malinda. She's been rather... touchy.
Adykon turned back to Eriol, his task complete for now.
