25 C24 Meeting at the Middle
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When the clock struck noon, my father and I left the safety of the fort with Grandmother and another elder as guards. We rode to the middle and sat at the chairs waiting for the arrival of the other side. A minute later and four people came riding out of the enemy camp. Duke Freemont, the former Queen Liviana, and two guards. One of the guards is the woman in the blue robe that grandma was fighting. As they rode to the center, I can see the blue-robed woman glaring at my grandmother. When I looked over at my grandmother, she seems to be smiling at her with glee. She seems to enjoy the infuriated look on the blue-robed woman's face.
"Hey, grandma, who's that lady glaring at you?" I ask.
"That is Delilah, my self proclaimed nemesis. She has hated me for a very long time, and I take great pleasure in it." She explains.
"Why did she name herself your nemesis?" I ask.
"We've been like that since we were girls. When we went to school together, she would always be slightly behind me in every subject. She saw me as a mountain to overcome, but after so long she still hasn't beaten me. She only joined this war to get a chance at finally winning." Amelia got a faraway look in her eye and seemed to be looking back on her younger days.
"Huh, so she's pissed because she hasn't ever won against you. Even after all these years, you're still ahead. That would drive me insane." I say.
"Yes, but I wouldn't say she's insane. Just hungry for a win."
When they arrived, they dismounted their horses and took a seat in front of us. They were giving me a weird look as if asking 'why is this kid here?'. Then they shrugged it off since I'm the one to give them the terms of surrender. When everyone got comfortable, the field grew quiet as we all waited for someone to speak. Especially Liviana who wouldn't look anywhere but the table.
"Well, since no one has anything to say, I'll start. Do you accept the deal I offered yesterday, or not?" I spoke first.
"We would like to make sure that this deal is approved by your father first." Duke Freemont says. Next to him, I could see Delilah glaring at my grandmother. This could be a problem later on, so I should fix it. If she's willing to join a rebel army just to beat grandmother, then she may be willing to join the Malum Kingdom on their next attack.
"Yes, it's approved by me." My father says.
"Then we will gladly accept. I wanted my grandson to be king, but with the way this war is going, we will lose. Even if we persevered through this and somehow won, the losses wouldn't be worth it. He would be the king of a doomed kingdom when Malum hears of our declining army. With our surrender, we may lose our lives, but the kingdom will survive, and with it our families." He says.
"Good, now please read this over and sign where I've marked." Father says handing him a few pieces of paper.
"Do the rest of the Nobles have to sign that too?" I asked, not really sure how this usually goes.
"As the representative of the rebel army, his signature alone is enough." Father explains.
The papers themselves state that the rebel army is surrendering, and the stipulations of that surrender. No hidden clauses to trap them in servitude or anything untoward. After reading the papers multiple times, Duke Freemont signs in the designated places.
"Thank you for your kindness in sparing our families." He says and stands to bow. He then hands over the contract to the king.
"Good, now that this mess is over let's have a celebratory event." I say.
"Event?" Father asks.
"Yes, an event to determine the strongest in the kingdom! A single-elimination tournament that anyone can enter. The matches will be chosen at random, and the main event will be the match to decide the strongest in the kingdom." As I say this I can see a twinkle appear in Delilahs' eye. "Amelia Fortis vs. Delilah... *cough* what's your last name?" I look at Delilah for an answer.
"Delilah Rothman." She says.
"Amelia Fortis vs. Delilah Rothman. We will make rules of course, but that can be decided later." I say.
"I think it's a splendid idea!" Delilah exclaims.
"Yes, but there's one stipulation." I say raising a single finger. "This match will decide who is stronger, and the feud ends." I look between Amelia and Delilah. "Delilah, you were willing to join a rebellion just to sate your hunger to win against Amelia. This is unacceptable. This match will decide the final outcome of your rivalry. Who knows maybe some interesting people will join the tournament, and we can recruit them into the army." I explain.
"I agree, good idea son. We will have to make some rules, like no killing or crippling your opponent. We'll also need time to set everything up, and recover from the war." The king says.
"How about we schedule it for a year from now. This way everyone has a year to get to their physical best before the fight. This also gives us time to clean up after the war." I say.
"Good, I like it. Now back to the topic at hand." The king says motioning towards the other side of the table. "Your sides army is to lay down their weapons and line up outside the walls of the fortress. Those who are meant to surrender themselves are to go to the gate. Do you have any questions?"
"Yes, what is to happen to me and my son." Liviana asks.
"You and Alexander will be banished to the outskirts of the kingdom. I've been advised that I should have you two killed, as to put a stop to any future wars over the crown, but I don't have it in me to kill my own son and his mother. I'll give you some land, guards, and enough money to live peacefully. This is the last kindness you will ever have from me." He says resolutely. I just sat there in my seat with a raised eyebrow. This isn't smart. I know it must be hard to give the order for your son and wife's death, but keeping them alive could cause many problems.
"Thank you, for your kindness, Henry." Liviana sighs and bows to the king.
"Your welcome, Liviana. That will conclude this meeting. Get everyone to the walls before sundown. I want to get back to the capital and start cleaning up this mess." Father says and we get on our horses and ride back to the fort. On the way back I was thinking of what I should do with this mess my father is making. As long as they're alive and breathing, my rule as king after my father won't have a solid foundation. Those who disagree with my policies or laws could easily go to Alexander and start another rebellion. It's sad, but I may have to fix this myself. I don't blame my father for not killing his wife and child, so hopefully, he won't blame me for what I do. That is if he ever finds out.
(A/N: Want to read ahead of what I've posted so far? Go to my patreòn and get early access chapters. https://www.patreón.com/AlienWarlord
Get on Discord https://discord.gg/JhVeZn5
I'm hoping to get top three in the rankings this week, so give me some power stones please. Thanks for reading!)
