Maladimbáh. Early Autumn...
"Did he say what he wants?" asks lord Walashàele "No, nothing" replies Galacithàné Walashàele as the two of them walk along a hallway in the manse of house Walashàele "Though I'm guessing he's here to table the same offer he gave to lord Haldéilv" adds the younger Walashàele cousin.
"No guessing about it, that's exactly why he's here" says the head of house Walashàele as the two come up towards a bay window, the two elven nobles stop at the window, and look down at the main courtyard of the manse.
There at the far end of the large courtyard, crouch a pair of wyverns from the city of Falnic in the region of Belinswae to the southwest, on the otherside of the Nomad's Plains.
The pair of wyverns, along with the justifier's guards with them, look more than a little nervous. Probably because of lord Walashàele's griffon on the rooftop above, is occasionally squawking in anger at the presence of the two wyverns at the other end of the main courtyard.
Lord Walashàele who has just been up to calm his griffon, which would of attacked the two wyverns from the coast if he hadn't, says to his younger cousin "Let's go and hear what he has to say" the younger elven noble nods his head to that as they get underway again.
The two elven nobles, one of whom is the most powerful lord, not just in the south of Maladimbáh now, but in all the principality. Make their way downstairs, and onto the ground floor of the manse, they're met by lord Walashàele's children, Jalindílth and Yamethé, in a hallway to the reception room.
Looking at the twins who are his offspring, the lord of house Walashàele says to them "I guess you've figured out why he's here". "We have" says Yamethé Walashàele, looking at his daughter Jalindílth, lord Walashàele faintly grimaces when she says "Father, tell him to fuck off" the attractive elven maid then adds "We'll get nothing out of the deal that's for sure, and besides i bet he won't offer anything better than what he did lord Haldéilv".
With that lord Walashàele certainly agrees with his daughter. Who like him was injured in the battle against house Haldéilv at the end of summer. The two of them had to be healed fairly immediately by magical means on that day or they would of ended up being dead.
The head of house Walashàele, a elf who is often overbearing, is also pragmatic about things. And he couldn't of cared less if they had lost the battle against his rival and neighbour, lord Haldéilv.
But to lose his daughter that day would of been unforgivable, something he keeps in mind when he enters the antechamber of the reception room with his younger cousin Galacithàné. While his offspring, the twins remain out in the hallway.
With the door to the hallway closing behind them, Galacithàné Walashàele casts a spell to stop anyone from hearing or seeing anything in both the antechamber and the reception room beyond.
"How was he again on the day of the battle?" asks lord Walashàele "He fled just like i did" says the younger of the two cousins, who continues in a slightly dry tone with "I can't blame him there".
The head of house Walashàele nods in understanding, as he's been informed by his younger cousin Galacithàné all about what happened in the tower of house Haldéilv on the day of the battle at the end of summer.
And how their guest in the reception room, who was a guest at that time of lord Haldéilv. Escaped with his life like Galacithàné, from those who attacked the tower, to kill lord Haldéilv's illegitimate daughter, Kaldeàlil.
"For a mage, you would of thought he would of stuck up more of a fight" muses lord Walashàele "Maybe" quietly says the elven noble who is the second in command of the army of house Walashàele.
Galacithàné Walashàele continues with "That lot were a nightmare, i doubt anyone could of stopped them" the elven magic user then adds "And besides it wasn't his fight".
Lord Walashàele nods his head in agreement with that, then he quietly says "They've been wanting to expand their borders for centuries, not just into the plains, but also south and north along the coast".
"Good luck with that" dryly murmurs Galacithàné, the head of house Walashàele smiles in agreement with that sentiment, then his younger cousin quietly asks him "Will you grant them access to house their guards in our lands so they can raid easily into the plains of the nomad's?".
After a few moments of silence, lord Walashàele slightly shakes his head, and quietly says "No" followed by "No matter how much he and the others of his kind want to pay" the elven lord, who now rules the lands directly to his west, which was once ruled by his neighbour and bitter rival, lord Haldéilv, adds in a slightly dry tone of voice "Though i won't be as abrupt as Jalin suggested".
The younger of the two elven nobles softly chuckles, then as lord Walashàele starts making his way to the door of the reception room, his second in command quietly asks him "Any reason why?".
The head of house Walashàele stops for a moment, and he looks at his cousin Galacithàné, and says to him "Because the prick asked Haldéilv first that's why".
The two of them enter the reception room, as they do, the ground pixie Palamarc lands upon the left shoulder of lord Walashàele. The tiny winged creature who is attached to the elven lord, the elven lord who is the only one who can see him, starts whispering to lord Walashàele what's been happening in the reception room while the two elven nobles have been making their way here.
In the large room, are a number of the elven lord's personal guards, who are spread out, mostly out of sight behind columns, while those in plain view are up against the walls. Also in the room is lord Walashàele's chamberlain, who is quietly talking with their guest from the city of Falnic in the region of Belinswae.
The justifier and mage Kaellin, who was here in the elven principality of Maladimbáh at the end of summer. Who was a guest of lord Haldéilv, who was staying at the tower of house Haldéilv when it was attacked twice. Once on the day of the battle when lord Walashàele killed his neighbour and rival lord Haldéilv. And once before that, the night two weeks earlier, when the palace like tower of house Haldéilv was also attacked.
The two elven nobles share a brief look, then they make their way to where the human mage is talking with the house chamberlain.
Once they approach and the chamberlain introduces the two of them to the justifier from the coastal city of Falnic. The chamberlain along with Galacithàné Walashàele step back and move away, while lord Walashàele speaks with the mage Kaellin.
The head of house Walashàele is mostly silent as he listens to the proposal from the powerful human spellcaster from Belinswae. Though at one stage, lord Walashàele gets the justifier's attention when he says "So you're telling me that you couldn't come to agreement with Haldéilv, so you've come to me now, as if I'm second best?".
It's from there that the mage Kaellin figures out no matter what he says, or how much he offers. That he isn't going to get what he wants from the elven lord who has a bit of a prickly nature at the best of times.
And though their conversation continues for quite some time into the day, the justifier from the city of Falnic isn't going to get his way, and that a second trip across the nomad's plains in less than two months has been a waste of time.
It's in the afternoon when the meeting ends, not going the way the mage Kaellin was hoping. But as he expected once he started speaking to the head of house Walashàele.
The justifier from the city of Falnic walks from the main building of the Walashàele manse, he's met by a pair of his senior guards who have been waiting outside for him since they arrived here this morning.
They head across the main courtyard of the manse followed at a discreet distance by the house chamberlain and pair a of Walashàele house guards. They maybe following at a discreet distance, but the mage knows the elves can hear what he and his senior guards say.
"Successful?" asks the justifier's guard Barsel, the mage Kaellin slightly shakes his head in the negative, and replies with "Unfortunately no". The justifier who is one of the leaders of the region of Belinswae, is calm and even in his response, as he was when he was putting his proposal to lord Walashàele. Even though internally, the mage is seething in rage at not getting his way.
As they cross the main courtyard of the manse to where the two wyverns and the rest of the justifier's guards are waiting. Yarmeed, the second of the senior guards to accompany the mage Kaellin here to the principality of Maladimbáh, asks "What now for our plans to raid into the plains?".
"For now nothing" says the justifier, who magically is the most powerful of the leaders of Belinswae. Though he isn't the most important or influential. He's near to it though.
"We continue as always in our campaign to wipe out the nomad scum" adds Kaellin the mage, who continues with "We'll make the usual push again in spring when the weather turns to our advantage".
For the raids into the Nomad's Plains taper off now in autumn, and are non existent in winter as they are during the height of summer.
The justifier who is silent for a few moments as he thinks about something as they approach the two wyverns and the rest of the squad from Falnic. Then quietly tells his two senior guards "Which might not be a bad thing considering what's happened recently elsewhere".
The guards Yarmeed and Barsel share a knowing look, as they like a lot of their fellow guards who serve the mage Kaellin know of what's been happening recently in Belinswae, in particular the manoeuvring politically of most of the justifiers in Falnic and elsewhere concerning trade.
They reach the two wyverns, and after the justifier Kaellin turns and briefly talks to the house chamberlain who walks up and wishes them farewell. The mage, his senior guards, and the rest of the squad mount up, and the wyverns are soon in the air, and the party from the city of Falnic are flying south, and west as they begin their journey back to the region of Belinswae.
Watching the wyverns fly away in the afternoon sunshine as they stand upon the roof of the main building of the manse, Galacithàné Walashàele says "I wonder if they'll return and make another offer?".
"Probably" says lord Walashàele who has just turned and told his griffon to hush up as it squawks in displeasure at the departing wyverns "Either him or another justifier no doubt" adds the head of house Walashàele who is now the most important noble in the principality of Maladimbáh after he defeated his rival lord Haldéilv in battle.
"And they'll get the same answer?" asks the elven lord's second in command "They will" says lord Walashàele, who after a brief pause, and a shake of his head, adds "The idiots, they're the same people, and they still try to wipe them out".
Galacithàné Walashàele nods his head in agreement, for as most of elven kind in Maladimbáh, and for that matter elven kind north of the equator on the western side of the continent. Know that the humans of Belinswae, and the nomads of the vast, arid plains south of Maladimbáh, are infact the same people, who went different ways tens of thousands of years ago.
As they watch the wyverns flying away in the distance, Galacithàné Walashàele quietly says "You notice he looked a little distracted by something as they were leaving?" the younger of the two nobleborn cousins then adds "And i don't necessarily think it was your decision".
"I did" quietly says lord Walashàele, who as they watch the wyverns from Belinswae head southwest, continues with "He's definitely got something else on his mind" . . . . . .
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