23 Chapter 23 — Negotiations

It was dawn in the Lands Between; another day had passed in this never-ending war, although the last night was peaceful. Melina and I found ourselves on the walls of the fort, watching the sunrise while everyone slept.

"…Then, the sea of lava churned and a huge, metallic, flaming monster appeared, spreading its gigantic wings and roaring furiously into the skies before charging towards me."

"Impressive, facing such a beast must have required a monumental effort." Melina said awed, listening to my story attentively.

"Certainly, although I died more times to the hole in the arena than to the monster itself." I muttered, looking away in embarrassment.

"What did you say?" Melina asked, raising a questioning eyebrow.

"Nothing! Continuing, in the future, I learned that the monster was the Old Iron King after his creation reduced him to ashes, and his remains encountered something ancient and powerful in the depths of the lava sea." I quickly corrected myself.

"A small lord became a great king, only to devolve into a tyrant consumed by his vanity and greed, and a monster in his final moments. To think that there is a keep made entirely of iron in a faraway land, I would love to see it." Melina responded with a certain sparkle in her eyes.

"And why not do that? Just take a ship when this war is over and sail to Drangleic, I can show you the Iron Keep when we arrive." I suggested, smiling at Melina, but my smile disappeared when I saw her reaction or lack thereof.

Melina stared at the horizon with a distant look and a thoughtful face, and then she slowly turned her head towards me, and stared at me in silence for a few seconds. I felt like she wanted to tell me something, but I did not press the issue.

"Melina, is everything okay?" I asked, worriedly.

"Yes, I'm just tired; I didn't sleep much last night, although it was nice to meet the inhabitants of the fort. If you need nothing else, then I will retire to rest." Melina replied, smiling slightly, but I noticed a certain tremor in her expression.

I frowned at this reaction. I am not the best judge of character, but there was something wrong here. Melina was hiding something from me, but I cannot judge, because I have my secrets. I just hope I do not regret the trust I placed in her in the future.

"There is something you can do for me. I believe I have accumulated enough runes to increase my abilities considerably. Could you use them to strengthen me?"

My question brought Melina out of her previous thoughts and seemed to cheer her up, as she soon assumed a more professional demeanor.

"Of course, let my hand rest in yours for a moment, share with me, your thoughts, your ambitions, the principles you follow." Melina spoke cryptically, offering her hand.

Hm… I wonder if acting mysteriously is a prerequisite for becoming a person who strengthens warriors. However, putting that aside, I accepted Melina's hand and watched as she shivered slightly.

"Is there a problem?" I asked again, raising a questioning eyebrow.

"You have icy hands. Wait, I mean…" Melina muttered but soon realized what she said and tried to apologize.

"Don't worry, I'm not offended." I replied, making her sigh in relief.

"I'm happy about that. What skills do you want to improve?"

"I want you to improve my strength and dexterity, please."

Melina nodded in confirmation and closed her eyes, I watched closely as our hands shone a golden light and the runes quickly floated around us, giving an ethereal air to the maiden in front of me, before running up my arm and disappearing into my body.

I felt pleasant warmth in my chest and a small twitch in my muscles. Then the Golden light dimmed and the runes disappeared.

"Phew, it's done; I hope the power of the runes aids you on your journey." Melina replied tiredly.

"Thank you very much, Melina, I will make sure to put them to good use." I replied, bowing slightly.

"May you have a safe journey, Alden, and until we meet again." Melina responded, returning the bow and waving at me as she smiled.

I returned the wave and smile with my own, and watched as Melina disappeared into golden particles carried by the wind.

I spent a few seconds in silence, observing the spot where Melina stood previously, and then I took a deep breath and looked around with my hands on my hips, thinking about what I should do next.

Then I flexed my arms, watching, as the muscles seemed bigger than before. I threw a flurry of punches into the air and realized that I moved faster.

I smiled at the remarkable increase in my abilities, but I jumped back slightly, holding back a surprised cry when I saw Godwyn staring at me, leaning against the battlements of the walls as he smiled from ear to ear.

"What?" I asked disconcerted.

"Nothing, I just noticed that Melina and you seem closer." Godwyn teased, moving his eyebrows strangely.

"As much as it pains me to admit it, you're right. I noticed that Melina seemed lonely, and I didn't want us to continue acting like strangers who only meet occasionally." I shrugged.

"Sure, sure, just don't forget to invite me to the wedding." Godwyn commented, failing miserably to hide his laughter.

I let out a mixture of an irritated grumble and an amused laugh, and then went back to watching the sunrise, this time with Godwyn beside me. Unfortunately, my curiosity got the best of me and I broke the peaceful silence around us.

"Godwyn, what happened on the Weeping Peninsula? Why did you disappear after seeing the dead Misbegotten?"

Godwyn frowned, his face contorting into a frustrated grimace before he took a deep breath and asked calmly.

"Alden, what do you know about the Golden Order?"

"Hm… Nothing, Enia, and Rogier mentioned it before but never delved deeper into the subject, but I cannot judge since I did not question them either. Does this have anything to do with the Golden Lineage that Godrick made sure to shout in my face?"

"Not exactly, the Golden Lineage refers to the descendants of Godfrey, Marika, and Radagon, those who have divine blood running through their veins, even if diluted. The Golden Order is a philosophical and theological movement founded in the Lands Between, the largest set of beliefs, with the Elden Ring, the Erdtree, and my mother, Queen Marika, as the main symbols of faith."

"Doesn't that make you some kind of saint for being Marika's son?" I asked in surprise.

"Certainly, although I currently serve as a martyr and possible savior for Those Who Live in Death, I apparently will not be free of people kneeling and praying in front of me, calling out my name and bathing me in glory, not even in death. It became annoying after the third time." Godwyn laughed.

I tried to put myself in Godwyn's shoes and shuddered as I imagined people treating me like a saint or something similar, I would probably ask if they had gone mad.

It would be a nightmare, I prefer to go unnoticed and stay with the companions I currently have. Pushing these thoughts aside, I signaled Godwyn to continue.

"The Golden Order was created when my mother confined the Rune of Death, making her immortal along with all demigods, myself included. The Order works through the principle propagated by the Two Fingers, that my mother is the true and only God. The Order proved capable of integrating other conflicting beliefs and philosophies with its fundamental principles, but anything that threatened to break that Order was considered heresy, such as Life in Death."

"Wait, does that mean I'm a walking heresy?" I asked, placing a hand on the back of my neck.

"Exactly! Congratulations, Alden, you have acquired yet another negative point for your bad reputation with the Golden Order thanks to the mark on your neck!" Godwyn spoke excitedly while clapping his hands.

I let out a series of insults that echoed off the walls of the fort, causing some guards to look my way, but igniting my flame and creating a fireball made them immediately look away.

Great, as if the rumors of me being the individual or being related to the person who tried to poison Marika, murder Godwyn, and fight Godrick, Malenia, and Radhan weren't enough, now I'm something that the main religion of these lands hates.

By the Gods, I was better off with people hatting me just for being Undead!

"Please continue your story before I throw myself over this wall to escape your litany." I replied, rubbing the bridge of my nose and making Godwyn laugh amusedly.

"Okay, as you wish. We will focus on the Erdtree to understand why the Misbegotten are hated and enslaved. The Elden Ring blessed The Lands Between and is the source of the Erdtree, and heart of the Golden Order. The golden light in people's eyes, also known as Grace, represents the blessings given by these symbols of power. However, it was not always like that, before the Erdtree, there was something called the Crucible, Crucible of Life, or Crucible of Primordial Life. The Crucible was the primordial state of the Erdtree, closer to the concept of nature than ever before, represented by its red tinge, and being the place where all life existed blended."

Therefore, the Erdtree is a magical artifact of creation, similar to the First Flame, although this conflicts with the story of the Old Lords finding the Lord Souls and the origin of humanity, and other races.

Would it be possible for there to be more than one origin of life? Well, Archdragons existed even before Lords, when the world knew no disparity.

If so, how did the Lands Between exist without the influence of the Lords that spread throughout the rest of the world, and echoed through history? However, the last thing Godwyn mentioned captured my attention.

"Godwyn, what do you mean by 'life existed blended'?"

"I'm glad you asked, as we've reached the point of our conversation. Animal features grew on people in the past thanks to this uncontrolled blending, such as feathers, tails, horns, and tusks. These remains of the Crucible were considered symbols of the divine from ancient times, but they became disdained as society advanced, being considered impurities."

I remained silent for a few seconds, processing the information revealed. Slowly, connections formed in my mind, and I felt something burning in my chest. I grimaced as I pressed on the battlements of the walls, cracking the stone slightly.

"Are you telling me that Misbegotten are hated because they remind the inhabitants of the Lands Between of their animalistic ancestry?" I spoke slowly and without emotion.

"Exactly, the time of the Crucible was chaotic, a world full of brutal beasts and powerful warriors, carrying the characteristics of various animals in their bodies. A time when the strong ruled and the weak died. A time when everything was acquired with strength and strength alone. And the Misbegotten contacted the Crucible somehow."

"And now that civilizations have advanced, they try to hide their past."

"Yes, the commoners not so much, as they are not educated enough to know, but the nobles, scholar and well-educated people, on the other hand, let's say they think they are too refined to be descendants of the impure beasts of the past. And anything that says otherwise is considered a serious offense, although they would never have the courage to say it to my father's face."

"Is your father related to the Crucible?"

"It may not seem like it, but my father is very old and completely human. I don't know his exact age, but I believe he lived during the Crucible era, after all, a person doesn't grow that much normally, and sometimes the fangs and claws would appear when my father was angry." Godwyn spoke thoughtfully.

"Hump! Your father seems like a calm and reasonable person." I laughed.

"Sure, I'd like to see you say that before he had Serosh grafted onto his back. Honestly, the only time my father considered ripping Serosh off his back and returning to his former self was when my mother ordered my brothers to be…"

Then Godwyn fell silent, interrupting his speech abruptly with the bite of his tongue. The demigod looked at the horizon with a sad gleam in his eyes, and then he shook his head, sighing tiredly.

"Godwyn, are you okay? You can tell me if something is bothering you." I asked, worriedly, extending a hand to him.

"It's nothing; I just realized I delved too deeply into the subject. Now you know what the Golden Order and the Crucible are, but in the future, we will talk about the Elden Ring, the Two Fingers, the Empyreans, and the Erdtree after the Crucible… Moreover, the Omens. The Golden Order is not perfect; it has plenty of flaws that my mother did not bother to fix. This would have avoided several problems." Godwyn spoke, muttering the last part.

We fell silent again, this time with a palpable tension in the air. Damn, the situation is worse than I imagined! I wanted to do the right thing, and I do not regret my choices, but I have doubts whether I will achieve any positive results from all my efforts.

"Godwyn, we will not change centuries of hatred and prejudice overnight." I spoke with regret.

"Yes, I am aware of that, but we should try than to stand by and watch others suffer. You took a step in the right direction by offering the Misbegotten an opportunity, now you will have to work to make it bear fruit. Otherwise, everything will return to the way it was before. Miquella would approve of your actions."

"Miquella, I've heard that name before. Could he be related to Malenia in some way?"

"Miquella and Malenia, the prodigy twins, but both cursed at their birth. They are my younger siblings, although that is a conversation for another day as our guests have arrived." Godwyn replied, pointing to something in the distance.

I removed my binoculars from my bag and looked where Godwyn pointed. I saw a small procession of Misbegotten passing through the ruins and approaching the woods. They would reach the fort soon.

"Well, they arrived sooner than I expected." I told Godwyn, putting away my binoculars.

"It is time to welcome our guests, Alden." Godwyn smiled, creating a goblet of wine in his hand before following me down the stairs.

-XXXXXX-

Godwyn and I stood outside the fort, near the exit of the forest, and with a detachment of Kenneth's soldiers behind us.

Fortunately, Kenneth warned his men and the refugees about the Misbegotten, so the chance of an incident is lower; although that does not lessen the tension, we felt.

In addition, by we, I mean the soldiers. As far as I know, they are normal people without a single rune on their bodies, mostly young, but trained brutally by veterans who strengthened themselves with a few runes.

That did not change the fact that a bunch of angry Misbegotten would easily kill them if they committed a mistake. I remember the many human corpses scattered around Castle Morne.

I put those thoughts aside when I spotted the Misbegotten leaving the woods, with the Leonine Misbegotten from before leading them and carrying a Greatsword as a replacement for the Grafted Sword I took for myself.

Two Scaly Misbegotten carrying Great Axes accompanied the Leonine Misbegotten, with ten normal Misbegotten carrying Cleavers following close behind.

Finally, six Winged Misbegotten hovered above the group, carrying bows and quivers full of arrows.

"He brought impressive force to a simple negotiation." Godwyn commented curiously, surveying the newcomers as he drank from his goblet.

"Impressive but not unnecessary, they came prepared for the worst." I replied, glimpsing the soldiers next to me sweating nervously.

"I can't judge, considering the way they are treated." Godwyn replied.

I put on my Ring of Whispers and approached the Misbegotten before any of the soldiers did something stupid.

The Misbegotten stopped for a moment and showed their fangs as they tightened their grip on their weapons. I lifted the front of my helmet, showing my face to the group and causing them to calm down in a mixture of relief and fear.

"Greetings, I'm glad to see you had a safe travel." I said, bowing politely.

"No, some creatures and soldiers got in our way, but they were not the same as the ones behind you." The Leonine Misbegotten replied seriously.

I half-closed my eyes and saw dried bloodstains on the Misbegotten' weapons. Hm… We are already off to a bad start.

"The soldiers you speak of are the men of the late Demigod, Godrick the Golden, or as some prefer to call him, the Grafted, and former lord of your tormentors at Castle Morne."

The Misbegotten let out a series of roars and growls upon hearing my words as they swung their weapons, making the soldiers behind me shudder slightly.

"And where is Godrick?" The Leonine Misbegotten asked.

"Dead, by my hands."

The Misbegotten let out another series of roars and growls, more like laughs and cheers rather than angry screams, as the closest thing to a smile appeared on their animalistic features.

"I'm glad about that, that's good news. But I am sad that I won't show the bastard who the Misbegotten is." The Leonine Misbegotten laughed.

"We can talk more at the fort if you wish. Kenneth awaits your presence for negotiations, that's why you're here, isn't it?" I suggested, pointing to the fort with a gentle movement of my arm.

"Of course, lead the way. I want to see the one who will listen to us. I just hope I don't encounter any problems, we are prepared to fight for our lives."

"Most of the people here are war refugees trying to survive; I doubt they can do you any harm other than incomprehensible insults due to the language barrier."

"You use big words, but I think I understand what you mean."

Therefore, the soldiers and I escorted the Misbegotten toward the fort, watching for any signs of mutual aggression. Fortunately, we had no problems, but I had my doubts when we arrived at the campsite.

The refugees widened their eyes and immediately backed away, mothers and fathers grabbed their children and ran away, people closed the tarpaulins of tents and wagons, and others watched with a mixture of curiosity and fear.

My instincts alerted me to the dozens of eyes staring intently at us as we crossed camp, and my keen ears picked up the whispers the wind carried.

"What are these things doing here?"

"I thought this place was safe!"

"Have they gone crazy? Why are they taking the Misbegotten to the fort?"

"Father, mother, who are they?"

"Queen Marika, protect us!"

I frowned and grumbled irritably. This was not the same level of hatred shown at Castle Morne, but I expected less.

We passed through the fort's gate, leaving the Normal and Winged Misbegotten behind with Kenneth's soldiers, while I led the Scaly and Leonine Misbegotten through the fort's halls.

I opened a pair of ornate wooden double doors, revealing a large, luxurious meeting room, with Kenneth and Rennala sitting around a wooden table waiting for us.

"Oh, welcome to my glorious fort! My name is Kenneth Height, Lord of Fort Height, Servant of the True Order, and Repudiator of the False!" Kenneth spoke with his usual pomp and exaggerated gestures.

"My name is Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon; it's a pleasure to meet you." Rennala spoke politely, being more humble in her presentation.

The Misbegotten looked in disbelief and bewilderment at the people in front of them, with mouths open in surprise and a slight twitch in their eyes.

I translated Kenneth and Rennala's lines for the Misbegotten, snapping them out of their stupor.

"What a bunch of weirdos!" The Leonine Misbegotten exclaimed loudly. I do not think it is a good idea to translate this.

"What did he say?" Kenneth asked curiously.

"He said he is honored to meet the great Kenneth Height, the great servant of the True Order, and the beautiful Rennala, the Rightful Queen of the Full Moon." I replied, making them both smile in approval.

Simultaneously, I smiled devilishly beneath my helmet, considering that I am the only one here who can understand what both parties are saying; I do not see any harm in altering the translations a little so the negotiations can flow smoothly.

Looking to the side, I saw Godwyn staring at me with his devilish smile, as if he knew exactly what I planned to do.

I led the Misbegotten toward the table and pulled out a chair for each, and stood next to the table once they sat down.

Let the negotiations begin!

-XXXXXX-

Moreover, that is exactly what happened. Two weeks of negotiations passed, although most of it felt like a history lesson, as the Leonine Misbegotten had no education whatsoever due to being born a slave.

He did not know how to read, write, or have basic knowledge of history or mathematics. I explained to him the history of the Lands Between, at least what I knew.

I talked about Marika, The Elden Ring, the Erdtree, the Elden Lord, the Demigods, and all the events that brought us to this point.

With that done, we move on to the important part of the negotiations. Castle Morne and everything within it belonged to the Misbegotten now, including the useful land outside, but we delimited it before it got too close to any human settlements.

After all, we did not want to create panic with both sides meeting too soon or invading each other's territory, both Misbegotten and humans needed fertile land to farm.

Speaking of the settlements, the Leonine Misbegotten agreed not to pillage the abandoned villages and not to attack any humans without being provoked first, but I knew conflicts were bound to happen.

Then, the long drawn-out process of determining the division of resources came, animals to hunt, wood to cut, and ores to mine.

We considered it all, unfortunately, not all of the resources were within the delimited lands of humans and misbegotten, so they would have to share for now, only extracting a pre-determined amount.

Finally, there were mutual help agreements. The Misbegotten would use their superior strength to slay monsters and create a safe passage from the Weeping Peninsula to Fort Height, with Kenneth's soldiers ensuring guard of the route when the job ended.

Surprisingly, the Leonine Misbegotten asked for materials that required dexterity work, something they did not have, in return. Clothes, medical supplies, small tools, and various everyday objects that would make their lives in the castle easier.

I hope that we could create a merchant route from Castle Morne to Fort Height.

I wonder if Kalé could contact other merchants and call them here, I believe trade between humans and Misbegotten would help lessen the animosity between the two.

I admit that I may have made some changes to the agreement thanks to my translation skills, but this was for the greater good.

Eventually, it was time for the Misbegotten to Leave; the Leonine Misbegotten had to return to his people before they thought something happened. Rennala and I had to explore the Peninsula in search of the other half of the medallion.

However, this created a problem. Who would serve as a translator? I could leave my Ring of Whispers with Kenneth, but I would lose the ability to communicate with other races that did not speak human language.

After much consideration, an idea appeared into my mind. If everything went well, we would have a translator without me letting go of one of my equipment.

-XXXXXX-

"Attention, everyone! Can I have a moment of your attention?" I shouted to the humans and Misbegotten in the fort.

The Leonine Misbegotten, Kenneth, and Rennala stared, curious at what I was about to say.

"As you may know, the negotiations are not over, but our guests need to return to their homes. On the other hand, Rennala and I have to continue our journey. Unfortunately, I won't be able to work as a translator constantly."

Everyone present gave me surprised and hesitant looks, but I spoke quickly before they asked any question.

"But fear not, for I have thought of a solution to this problem!"

Then I stepped to the side, revealing a small monkey wearing green clothes, standing behind me.

"Boc, can you understand the language of the Misbegotten?" I asked the little demi-human.

"Yes, Master Alden. Misbegotten and demi-humans are closer than they seem, so language is not an issue. But why the question?" Boc asked curiously.

"Perfect! I appoint Boc as my temporary replacement until my affairs are finished!" I exclaimed, extending both arms towards the demi-human.

"W-what?!? M-master A-alden, what are you doing?!?" Boc stuttered nervously.

"Don't worry, Boc, I made sure to write down everything about the negotiations for you!" I responded, taking a mountain of papers out of my bag and handing them to Boc, blocking his view as he tried to keep his balance under the weight.

"M-master A-alden, wait! Anything, I beg you, anything but that! I don't have the nerve for this kind of work!" Boc shouted, but I was already close to the grace of the fort with Rennala beside me.

"Look at you! You handed over all your work to a subordinate, instead of taking on your responsibilities and doing it yourself! You are learning to be a true leader!" Godwyn spoke, clapping his hands.

"What can I say? Negotiations will be of no use if both sides only do so because they fear my power. They need to collaborate of their own free will, not because of the demand of a greater force, and learn from their mistakes and successes." I responded, touching the grace.

"You're just talking nonsense so you don't have to admit that you were bored with the paperwork." Godwyn provoked me.

"Maybe yes, maybe no. I'm trying to become a better person, I've already done more than I normally would, and it's time for others to do this too, towards a better future."

"Now you're just quoting what you read in a book." Godwyn teased me again.

"Oh, shut up!" I responded irritably, transporting myself to the Weeping Peninsula.

"I'm just kidding, Miquella would be so proud of you!" Godwyn laughed before also disappearing amidst the golden light.

END OF CHAPTER