The Land Below our Feet III (Legacy)

CONFRONTATION

Ussiariah walked into the rampaging confrontation in a fully alerted state. His eyes panning quickly from left to right across the room while swiftly gathering the details he needed to make an initial assessment of the situation.

His mind making fast calculations as he paced inside the room with heavy steps, taking note of the plenty of drawn Cahenean sabers and the equally numerous Laheshian hatchets.

After taking a brief glance at this tense scene, it was clear to him that the entire hall had been split into two main groups… One led by the Sand Valley’s own King and his fierce bearded men, and the other one heterogeneously comprised by the diverse feral clans, even though it was more than evident that their chieftains didn't all share the same state of mind, as only one of them seemed to be really committed to charge while the others were apparently trying to hold him back.

He could see a lot of green and violet bearings gathered on the Cahenean side, as well as some archers and yute-attired men, so that told him exactly who Ishtun, Favena, Histya and the Wetlanders sympathized with in this fight.

Unsurprisingly, Pithan and Najanka, the Sigerdeen twins of Muhonos and Vihant boondocks had taken the Laheshian side, just as Kings Garialt and Goefemhir from Berantha and Karellhya´s mines had.

Speaking of mines… Osghunt, Watombe´s designated chief, and their sole delegate to attend the party this time, had limited himself to calmly stand aside with an amused look and his arms crossed over his chest, watching things play out before him along with the other bystander group, composed mostly by the councillors of Hathengatt and the representatives from other minor towns, like Tanmudt, Phenjal, and Opanth.

Xabael, ruler of the Lohefordian pastures, had remained comfortably seated... Not even bothering to approach the center of the hall, where all the curious watchers gathered.

Strangely, Savghor and his Midlander companions had also chosen to remain equally neutral to the developing conflict, which struck Ussi as rather odd, but he let it slide momentarily as he returned his full attention to the antagonist factions.

To the warrior’s utter relief, both the Crimson Guard and the Yahurian army had positioned themselves in the middle of the dispute, and they seemed to have prevented it from escalating any further at the time. So, there was no immediate need for him to intervene.

-Put your weapons down! – Sehira-Xe´s voice loudly commanded while she extended her arms towards both parties in an appeasing gesture – You are all threatening the peace of what was always supposed to be an amicable reunion and disregarding the hospitality of our hosts. So, let this be your first and final warning, as Yahur will not tolerate this hostile behavior at all!

-Shut up, damn Yahun b***h! - Rujhart, the old Laheshian chieftain standing in the center of the entire argument shouted, ignoring her order and turning to face the Cahenean ruler with a defiant stare instead – Take it back, you, desert scum! Take it back!

-You first – The mentioned monarch shrugged off indifferently, staring at him with visible disdain – You were the one who started it in the first place!

-You called me a savage! – The tribesman cried out in an offended tone as he tried to free himself from his peers´ grip, to no avail.

-And you called me stingy! – The Sand Valley’s regent defended himself – What the hell did you expect me to say?

-Enough! I will not put up with your disrespect! – Souna yelled as she entered the precinct and stomped her way towards her seat, plopping heavily on it – We invited you all to celebrate a joyous occasion, not to attack each other at the slightest provocation!

Ussi could barely keep his face straight listening to her make that bold statement aloud, as he knew perfectly well that facing them against one another was the exact reason why they had summoned them all there that day.

An almost imperceptible smirk appeared briefly on his lips as he took his place beside her and looked in the adversaries´ direction expectantly with a raised eyebrow, awaiting their response.

-Apologies, sweetie – Hethan finally said, being the first one to break the awkward silence that had settled between them with a gentle bow and a frozen smile on his face – It was never my intention to come across as impolite… But that is a very difficult thing to do when one has to deal with such a feral class.

-Who the hell do you think you are calling feral? – Rujhart barked at him. Attempting to pounce forward once more but being contained by a pair of his fellow Laheshian chieftains, who were whispering calming words into his ear uselessly – I will have your head for that, you insolent prick!

-Nobody is having anyone’s head tonight – Ussiariah spoke at last. Eyeing them all with a piercing gaze that would make them all instantly freeze in place.

-Finally! – The Cahenean monarch sighed, glaring smugly at his rival, then smiling at him – I knew you would be the voice of reason, Yahun! Thank you!

-Yeah… That doesn’t mean that I’m agreeing with you, Hethan – The warrior coldly replied, turning his attention towards the Laheshian clansmen and nodding at them – Now, does anyone care to explain what the hell is going on here?

-We just want what is fair, Commander - King Wimhar, one of the two strong men holding Rujhart back said – And we saw an opportunity to renegotiate the terms of our agreement with Cahen, that’s all.

-Renegotiate? No! All you want is to rip me off! – The Cahenean ruler screamed, pointing an accusing finger at them, then turning towards Ussiariah and giving him a sharp nod –Tell me why should I give the tribes any more oil than we are already giving them, uh?

-Because we need it! - King Stenthfor, the other man standing by Rujhart´s side, pleaded to him – Winter is here, and our people will freeze to death if you don’t! Isn’t that enough?

-And what do I get in return, uh? – Hethan cried out obstinately – There is nothing about that deal that I am benefiting from. All you have got to offer is fur, and we have no use for that in Cahen!

-Maybe you don’t, but we do - Xabael, the massive dark-haired prairie man intervened, standing up lazily before the crowd and parading his large body around, which was regally covered in a luxurious jaguar’s pelt – And you surely need the food that we keep sending your way every month. That is your true profit, it has always been. And you’ve known it since the very beginning of our settlement… So please, stop playing dumb.

-A settlement that was signed in my absence, and which I never entirely agreed to! – The monarch defended himself – I have started to believe that there is no reason for me to maintain such a disadvantageous treaty after all these years.

-You say well – Ussiariah interjected, raising his open palm towards him – It’s been years… Fifteen long ones, to be exact, during which Cahen has enjoyed a mostly unaltered peace. You avoided a war coming to your doors, and you have been profiting plenty from that deal too, as I can recall.

He paused, looking purposely at him before continuing his speech in a calm voice.

-Because the Laheshians may not have been able to offer you a lot of produce in return, but they did give you all their manpower to vanquish the rebel factions when you needed it the most... So, for your own safety, I would strongly suggest that you continue honoring this deal with all you’ve got.

-Is that a threat, Yahun? – Hethan hissed in a low tone, narrowing his eyes and staring audaciously his way.

-Not mine – The warrior simply responded – But I am sure that once you reconsider your position, you will also agree that terminating your relationship with the two realms that have been feeding and defending your land all this time is a very dangerous thing to do.

There was a pregnant moment of silence in which the monarch’s thick eyebrows gravely frowned, a deep wrinkle forming between them as his fists furiously balled.

-Fine! – He finally spat, looking at Rujhart dead in the eye – I’ll give Lahesh what they want. But you better not forget my generosity when I summon your savage ass to fight in another war.

-War is not here yet, and this is a party, Hethan – Souna called out, intending to defuse the situation with a broad smile plastered on her face – So please... Grab some food, drink some wine, and let us all celebrate tonight.