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You explain your motives and admit that she is right but that you also do this out of your own goodwill.

She hops off the horse and then you can see that she is actually almost a head shorter than you.

"I accept then, Houlandin of Luathbas. I am Serinda and I will be your wife."

---

"EXCUSE ME!?" Your elven mother looks at both you and Princess Serinda (sans Stjolf, who coincidentally disappeared just before you turned corner towards your mother's chambers) explain yourself in her bedroom.

"I will be his wife and he will be my husband." Serinda wraps herself around your arm. "And I heard he is only two years older than me, so it's a perfect match!" You don't get even a moment to do the math.

"Ethelwulf!" Aolineniya stands up from the chair and approaches you. "This is simply ridiculous. Not only she brings nothing to strengthen our country that is already so weak, but she is - from what I understand - on the run from the Kiwis? Your grandfather got murdered by them and there is ton of migrants from Kiwi Empire already. Call for the guards to find her atendants and have this girl escorted to the eastern border - you need a better wife than her!"

A) Deny your mother as you're King of Luathbas and it is you who ultimately decides whom you gonna marry!
B) Agree with her, apologize to the Princess and have her sent away with escort.

You identify yourself with your formal and regnal names. The girl's men murmur a little between themselves as the girl looks down at you.

"My princess, please note that we are scant on supplies and we already sold most of your family trinkets..."

She keeps looking down at you.

"He is a honorable and brave man, miss." Stjolf bows deeply. "Truly one straight out of heroic tale."

She keeps staring at you.

"Princess, is he not... adequate?" Stjolf's friend asks his princess, and she shakes her head.

"It's not that... I'm just waiting to see if he says that he loves me."

A) Explain that you need a Queen for the good of your country, and also for your courtiers to stop nagging.
B) Say that you need a wife to provide you heirs, or just one heir if she does not like you that much.
C) Tell her that you just want to provide her with safe haven, and all the rest is just a bonus for you.
D) Profoundly express your love in a dramatic way to impress her.

He tips his feathered hat and bows.

"Why, I haven't heard the last part of the tale, but all good omens seem to indicate that this could be the truth! I will ask my friend about that."


After a performance during a feast, Stjolf approaches you and tips his hat.

"My liege! I have learned the continuation of the tale I told you about few weeks ago. It seems that one starry night under the crescent moon, shortly after Midsummer passes the calendar, the young princess on the run shall meet with a young yet powerful man in a forested glade near the palace of the King of Luathbas, far from whispering ears and hostile hands of her Kiwi uncle. Sounds romantic, doesn't it?"

A) "Indeed, I would gladly be in that man's place if that was ever possible."
B) "Indeed, pity that I do not have time for such secretive, dangerous adventures."

You reject the deal.

"Ahh, this truly rends my heart! To see that, despite all my efforts, you still decide not to normalize terms with the followers of the peaceful and benevolent father of all humans, blessed Damed!" You explain him what you think of that religion.

"Ah, no, no! These are simple misunderstandings! In fact the sixteenth law states "nor shall you bring harm to the ones not enlightened, yet instead you shall lead them to the light of enlightment so they can see it themselves.", and those scuffles that I heard about are merely results of misunderstanding and aggression coming from drunken peasants. As for the mugging of the Hurthling that I also happen to have knowledge of, well - a terrible incident but the three men responsible has been fined by your governors so no harm's done, especially that the little creature didn't suffer more than few bruises."

"How about you reconsider the deal but with different condition: instead of allowing the worshippers in, you will allow the holy books of Damed into your libraries, personal and public? So instead of preaching, your subjects, the open-minded and less zealous ones, will have at least a chance to glimpse at the tenets of our faith, so it brings better understanding and perhaps later in the time, less violence and such nonsensical hostility toward Damed's worshippers, hmm?"

A) Accept this for return of Southern Territories.
B) Remind him that you already said 'no'.
C) Accept this for all three gifts; the territories, the necklace, and the tax cuts for merchants.

You accept his request and write a letter in which you invite him to your palace.


The advisor pays you a visit and presents the scrolls to you:

Happiness: 2
Population: 6
Economy: 3
Army: 3

"There's nothing we can really do about these numbers this year, is there?" The advisor sighs.

"No, sire, I'm afraid not."


As the first flowers began to show up on the trees, the Governor of Lametania arrives with a wealthy entourage of white horses, banner-bearers and the heavy infantry which some of your older courtiers remember seeing on the battlefield scant few years ago.

The Governor himself is rather short and pudgy man, who resembles a barrel, to be blunt. He has pitch black hair and very bright skin. He bows only slightly.

"Hail, noble and valiant King of Luathbas! I heard so many tales of your brave deeds and your prosperous and just rule that I simply had to meet with you. It is already a great honour to see you in person." You treat him to a drink and then you seat around a table.

"Well, as I forwarded the offer to meet, I should present my terms, hmm? First of all, it happens to be a matter of fact that my vault is hosting certain necklace that, I heard, was first crafted by the dwarves for your venerable grandfather! Truly a marvelous item." He gesticulates a lot, you note.

"If you were to allow our humble missionaries to cross into your territory and live here safely I could return that item to your without further delay. I know! I know what you want to say, your Majesty!" He claps his hands.

"I cannot trade political things for personal ones, so how about we also allow special tax cuts for the merchants of your prosperous nation? I have happened, by coincidence, to hear that you have close yet not particularily profitable ties with the Parsians. If you were to trade with us and only us, I can assure you of profits and quality of goods, and even security, as our professionally trained soldiers would guard your merchants and their items with their own lives. What do you say? Let me repeat that all I want to ask for in return is that the ones worshipping Damed be no longer treated as enemies of the more traditional of your folk."

A) Reject the deal.
B) Accept the deal.
C) Ask for a better deal.

At the risk of spoiling my own fun, I feel the need to point out that Hakkar has fortune and thus, Shaelynn can't critsplode his bones.

:vc

v:

:v

Fix'd. I should be dutiful and stuff sometimes at least.

"I'm waiting for a good opportunity that could help the kingdom diplomatically."

"Then why you didn't marry that Parsian girl, for Pantheon's sake!"

"...I had a headache and Ahab Hahalol isn't the type to stay around for explanations." Your aunt facepalms audibly.

"My dear boy, there is something really wrong with your head. Maybe some bad blood did pass on when my parents - your grandparents - had children each other. This too happens in such close relations." She stares at you.

"Fine! Rule the kingdom and find wives as you wish. If you allow me, my family and some certain dissatisfied noblemen into self-exile to the northern kingdoms, I'm ready to call defeat. I already have several marriage proposals for my girls from there on hold so I might just as well marry into the northerners' lineages and forget about this part of the world in the meanwhile. Just make sure your noblemen don't come running to me if Luathbas suddenly faces another succession crisis." She crosses her arms.

A) "Surrender or not, you and everyone who supported will be executed along with you!"
B) "Great! Pack your luggage and off with you, dear Aunt, I've wasted enough time and men on this war."
C) "I can let your children go, but you and other major conspirators will have to be punished for treason."