Someone Else's Kingdom, BOOK II - Scene LXXII

"Where's the support? We gave the black powder, yet we've got nothing in return."

"I'm sorry," lamented the King of Tunid in response, his obvious sincerity just about placating the rather angered Brynnyfirdian posing the question. Colm looked on, feeling somewhat sympathetic for the foreign, dishevelled king, but nevertheless sharing the want of answers.

"We had to support the Maiden Lands first," pressed the king.

"Your brother, Reach, said nothing about the Maiden Lands."

"I don't know what my brother said, but the Maiden Lands would've completely fallen. So we had.."

Before the King of Tunid got a chance to complete his sentence another Brynnyfirdian jumped in, "But the Harbour Lands have completely fallen." All the faces in the room looked towards the tired king, as if to accentuate the point.

"If the Maiden Lands had fallen we'd have lost control of the entire eastern ocean."

The king sounded slightly more imperious as he raised his tone and stepped into his argument. Suddenly the local sense of a local war was forced to contend with a wider politics. "Here the situation is different," he continued, "The Three Deserts are completely safe, and you - as you have shown - are capable of holding out. Had the east fallen quickly, they'd have been able to focus their entire force here, in the west."

"And in the south," chimed in the same Brynnyfirdian, laconically.

"That's true, it benefits us as well, I don't deny that, but either way, by sending our ships to the east we have helped you, though, I admit, it may not quite seem like that."

This answer only partly satisfied the crowd, and the lack of further information, along with the sense that they were just part of a wider game was jarring.

"So, what now?" asked another of the men.

"We fight on," insisted the king, "..Or, at least that's what I'll be doing, and I hope you will too."

At this point the King of Tunid headed over to Colm and spoke to him more quietly. "It would be good if we could have a private conversation."

"Can you not speak it to everyone?" questioned Colm, not raising his voice, but not lowering it either.

"I will tell everyone of the consequences, but I'd like to speak to you about the details."

Colm felt a degree of hesitance at the thought of private words, but gleaning the desperate desire on the part of the king he nodded his head in reluctant agreement. The king was pleased, but his expression didn't fully show it. At just this point Essen entered the doorway, along with the small ragtag of men he'd brought back from the wars in the Harbour Lands. He looked at the slightly animated assembly and wondered what was going on.