Kingdom of Goldrose

Finally, after the food and drinks, those involved with the discussion retired to the meeting room. The elven princess sat at one side of the rectangular of the table, flanked by her general and magister, while the humans Blake and Ford sat on the other side facing them. The rest of the people involved sat behind their respective leaders.

The princess notices the decoration of the room is very similar to the ballroom, with wooden paneled walls, carpeted flooring and magical lights hidden cleverly into the ceilings. A blue flag and a red white flag with an unfamiliar crest design stood on the sides of a huge black rectangular object set onto the wall.

She stood up and said, "I want to thank the hoomans again for coming to our aid during our time of great peril and saving our people. Thank you." She bows, and the rest of her contingent followed suit.

Ford gives a small cough and gestures Sherene to sit down. "Now with that done, we will like to get down to serious business." Ford cut straight to the topic. "What happened? We will like to know what is going on beyond the mountains. And what will your plans be next?"

Sherene glances to Thorn, who gave a slight nod. She sat rod ram straight on the chair and started narrating the events that lead them here.

The Kingdom of Goldrose was a peaceful country consisting of six cities, dozens of towns and farming villages, with a population of roughly 240,000 people living in it. It shares its borders with the Empire of Bluewood.

11 years ago, the Emperor of Bluewood, passed away from illness, and a civil war erupted between the princes which other countries sought to intervene, eyeing the Empire's territory. But the youngest prince managed to unite the whole Empire within a year time and defeated the foreign forces sent to disrupt their empire.

In a short period of four years, the new Emperor, Varacen Bluewood, conquered those countries that attacked them when they were in the civil war, enlarging the Empire. As the Kingdom of Goldrose reminded neutral despite the urging of its ministers to attack the Empire when it was in civil war.

At the same time, Emperor Varacen decreed that all non-people of the Bluewood Empire are lesser beings and that only the green-eyed people of Bluewood are the master race. All lesser people and sub-races were purged and forced into slavery.

Fearing the Empire, the rest of the kingdoms started to fortify their borders including the Kingdom of Goldrose. The Empire sent out goodwill ambassadors to the Kingdom to discuss peace and alliances, and under the urgings of the ministers, the King opened the gates for the ambassadors.

Unknown to the King and majority of the council, several of the ministers were bribed beforehand by the Empire spies, and on that fateful day, they slipped weapons into the castle and assassinated everyone in the council meeting.

With the King dead, the Kingdom was thrown into confusion, and the Empire invaded. Using slaves warriors and sub-races, they swept through the Kingdom forces using human wave tactics, overwhelming the defenses of the Kingdom.

With both her brothers dead from trying to defend the Kingdom, she rejected the Empire calls of surrender, who Emperor Varacen branded them as rebels and instead lead her people and retreated towards the sea, passing through a large stretch of dense forested land, known as the Uncharted Forest before reaching the Sawtooth Mountains and meeting the hoomans.

"That is quite the story there," Blake said after she finished. "So what are your plans now?"

"We will like to settle down here." Sherene looks at the hoomans. "And if possible an alliance too."

Blake glances at the Ford, who nods before saying, "An alliance is possible but with some terms."

"What terms?" Sherene asked, raising eyebrows.

"We will teach you some of our technology and protect you as allies, but we will not help you wage war," Blake listed out the terms. "We will not help you take back your Kingdom, but if you live within our walls, we will protect your people with everything we have."

"And if we live in your city," Sherene's heart rate beats faster as she got excited with the proposal, "We have to live by your rule?"

"Yes, your people have to follow our rules, and our technology must not be shared with others unless they are part of the alliance," Blake states firmly.

So we must bend our knees to him asking, thought Sherene. Blake had totally misunderstood what Sherene meant by rule.

"If we do not agree to your terms?" Magister Thorn spoke up.

"Than there will be no alliance." Blake flatly states. "You can settle down at any part you wish too, but not within one kilometer or 2000 paces of your measurement of Base Colony."

"How about the defenses at the Sawtooth Pass?" Lord General Joesph joined in the discussion.

"We will pull our men out," Blake said. "Our walls are more than enough to stop any enemy from attacking." He gave a bluff, "We will only help members of the alliance."

"If we break your laws?" Sherene asked, "What happens?"

"Depending on the severity of the laws broken," Blake answered, "We have a set of laws in place, that both my people and yours will have to follow. Anyone breaking the law will be punished according to the crime committed."

Blake then added a hook, "We also strongly do not support slavery in our society. If you agree to our terms, we will work out a system for both our people working together. You will still rule your people but you have to learn our ways of life, just as we have to learn yours."

Does he want me as his queen? Sherene eye widens.

The elven party sat back in their chairs and look at each other as they digested the information.

Blake than stood up, followed by everyone else in the room. "Think about it, we discuss it again tomorrow. For now, why don't we show you to your rooms, and later a tour around?"

"Thank you." Sherene nods miserably and suddenly noticed something strange with the hoomans expression. They all started looking their armbands and seems worried about something.

Blake lifts his buzzing communicator up and seeing the priority alert message flashing. Other crew members were all checking their devices as they too release the same message.

Ford mouthed silently, to Blake. An attack.

Blake frowns at the news. Should we bring them to the Bridge? Hell, why not, we did plan to show them as part of the tour later. At least this time we can awe them with our power. He thought.

"Alright, action stations people." Blake turns to the rest. "Ford, head up first. I will bring our guest along shortly, find out what is happening."

"Aye Captain," A chorus of acknowledgments replied Blake.

"Now, " Blake turns towards elves, "There is a slight situation happening now, and I will like to show you something. Please follow me." He gestures towards the door, where all the crew members had already left the room.

Exiting the meeting room, a strange voice was echoing up and down the halls, Sherene could barely understand the words, her party other than Joesph who remained expressionless, while Thorn looks around excitedly, the rest were almost panicking.

The hooman Blake gestures them to follow him and he sets off at a quick pace. Sherene wondered what is happening when they appear out of side hallway and into the main hallway. Dozens of the hoomans were rushing purposely along the way, and soon the hallway was empty except for them and their escorts.

Blake stood before the elevator and held the doors open while for half the elves to enter, while the other group enters the 2nd elevator. They seem slightly alarmed and confused as to they are they standing in an enclosed box. "Don't worry, this is a transportation device, that carries people up or down."

The looks of surprise and amazement on their faces is enough to amuse Blake. Upon reaching the correct level, the doors opened up and the elves pile out of the elevator in relief.

"Captain on Deck!" The Marine guard posted in the bridge yells out as Blake steps in. The bridge crew stood at attention till Blake dismisses them.

Magister Thorn had seen many wondrous and magical events in his life, but when he entered this room, he was dumbfounded. Crystals like mirrors reflecting some magical images and flowing magical runes of light glittered from the walls constantly. What sorcery is this!

As Sherene entered the room, they climbed a small flight of stairs before a huge panorama view appeared. Instead of walls, huge windows showed the scenery outside the castle. Two rows of tables were arranged one below each other had a thin crystal like panel, with glowing runes where the hoomans sat tapping the tiny runes rapidly.

A flat glowing table and a large chair sit in the middle of all the rest. She lookups the ceiling, seeing another one of those crystal-like glass set at an angle facing down, glowing with hundreds of fast scrolling runes. The room was dimly lighted, most of the light coming from the runes and the massives windows.

"Captain, UAV station at the Pass has picked up something new," Ford reports before activating the main display screen.

"We got incoming dragons."