//------------------------------// // The vilest of games // Story: Forsaken // by Iron_Hooved //------------------------------// "—increase in activity on the eastern borders, mainly the pass between Rosy Hills and the White Forest. Too many soldiers gathering on the Cretan side to be a simple routine military exercise, and shipments from the capital are still coming in. Naturally we've expressed our worries to Chieftain Mighty Horn as to the contents of these crates, but he has dismissed them as needlessly alarmist and insists that the presence of the soldiers is to assist the population in preparation for winter. He also claims the crates carry supplies and we needn't be concerned about those." "Winter, councilor William? Hasn't summer barely begun but a couple of weeks ago?" "These minotaurs are brutes! Now they're treating us like fools! Something must be done to put them in their place!" "Now, hold on General Robert, we can't antagonize them and risk a war! Especially not with our forces stretched thin as it is!" "Minister Frederic is correct, General. Earlier this morning we received word that there's growing discontent amongst the harpies. Apparently there is a shortage of food throughout Harpya. Matriarch Aellai and her sibling, High Priestess Adelpha, are accusing us of having robbed them of their land and forced unfair conditions upon them during the Armistice of Canterlot." "Preposterous! Princess Celestia herself acted as the moderator and there hasn't been a single complaint for the past one hundred and thirty-four years! If those harpy sisters spent less time feuding amongst themselves, and more time tending to their subjects they wouldn't be having these problems!" "Nevertheless chancellor Arthur, their rallying cries of protest have found echo amongst the populace. Need I remind you that gryphons are still as widely unpopular in Harpya as they were during the Northern Peaks War?" "Well it's not like the harpies were defenseless, little pigeons either! If you go down to the royal archives you'll find plenty of reports on the 'Massacre of Prima Nimbus', with accurate depictions of those blasted monsters viciously feasting on gryphon intestines!" "Perhaps if we were to renegotiate the armistice...." "We will not relent a single mountaintop to these savages! Other nations will see us as a bunch of weak cowards, susceptible to intimidation! Next thing you know the diamond dogs to the southeast will be asking for their share of land! Let those beasts sort out their problems on their own!" "Denying the harpies will only feed their anger, I'm sure concessions can be made... what say you, your majesty?" An eery silence fell upon the chamber as all eyes turned to the gryphon sitting at the head of the table. Worried gazes regarded the inert figure of their ruler, anxiously awaiting any sort of sign from him, as the snowy white gryphon contemplated their query with a frozen scowl. For several moments, which seem to stretch into eternity, King Edward of Grypha remained perfectly still, like a hawk waiting to dive towards its unsuspecting prey. His great amber eyes, staring past his crossed golden claws, fixated upon the adjacent wall. Cold, worried, calculating. "To dismiss the harpies on the West with the minotaurs readying for war on the East would be foolish indeed. Should war break out again between the griffin and harpies, Mighty Horn will undoubtedly seize his chance to lay claim to the eastern cities," he spoke in a dreary voice, his every syllable accentuated by the clicking of his beak. "Your majesty—" protested the angry general, ruffling his ebony feathers in indignation. "Silence, Robert. The king speaks..." The sovereign warned him, sending the general a steely gaze that froze his insides. "We cannot prevail against so many," he continued, fumbling his claws in front of him, "but to give in to Aellai's demands would be a mistake. The general is correct in his assessment that a concession of land, in the present circumstances, would impress the image upon the other nations that the once great Grypha is weakening and incapable of defending its own borders. To allow the harpies to rouse the anger of the masses unimpeded would mean to convey our ineptitude and lack of character to the sisters. Immediate action must be taken to make sure these cries are subdued—" "M-my lord, surely you can't be suggesting—" a tawny gryphon sitting on the left side of the conference table stammered, his quavering voice matching the flimsy structure of his body. The king sent a dangerous glare towards his councilor, his pupils contracting into thin slits and at once the gryphon ceased his interruption. Edward's eyes lingered a few more moments upon the trembling gryphon to let him know that further interruptions would not be tolerated, he then resumed his calm demeanor and continued. "As I was saying, to allow the harpies to spread hate towards the griffin would certainly be foolish. That being said, I also have no intention in falling for their bait: they want us to take action against them and use it as an excuse to stir the hornet's nest." Every gryphon in the room fell silent, their anxious eyes trying to decrypt the still features of their ruler in search of an answer. Nobody dared to breathe a single word, in fear of rousing their king's anger with yet another interruption. After a few minutes passed, and without any sign of the king breaking his silence anytime soon, councilor William decided to brave the odds at spending the rest of his life rotting in a dungeon. "What do you suggest we do your majesty?" He whispered, his beak clicking softly whilst he tried to keep a subdued and polite demeanor. The king's eyes shifted towards him and, once more, he felt himself panic at the sight of the great, amber orbs looking directly into his gray ones. He swallowed hard, trying to read into the king's poker face, and found himself relieved to notice a calm, appraising look on those dilated pupils of his. The kings eyes then traveled to the opposite side of the table where a slate grey gryphon sat on the left corner, curling his elongated mustache with a set of claws, seemingly lost in deep thought. "Minister Frederic," the sovereign spoke in a strong, firm voice, and at once the gryphon ceased his musings to regard his king with the fullest of his attention. "Yes, my lord?" He said, with calm curiosity. "How high are the tariffs on imported goods?" "Well, excluding the reduced tariff pertaining to the trade agreement with Equestria, our current tariffs on imported goods stand at thirteen and twenty-one percent the value of the final selling price for consumable goods, and manufactured commodities respectively," he promptly answered. "I see," the king said, with an air of interest, "and how much of the gross domestic product do these tariffs account for?" "The tariffs? Err, I believe about four point fifty-nine percent of the GDP, your majesty," he quickly added, shuffling about a set of papers in front of him, "why?" The white gryphon kept his silence, pondering the data in his head, working out the numbers presented to him. After a moment of deliberation he finally arrived at an answer he favored and opened his beak to speak. "We shall reduce our tariffs to zero for all Harpyan goods. Then we shall temporarily declare the area surrounding the Misty Mounts and Lake Miroir to be privileged economic zones, free of government intervention, and allow the harpies undeterred passage until the shortage in Harpya is addressed." Whispers of protests broke out as the griffin started squabbling over the king's decision. Every gryphon in the room leaned over the table, some of them shifting a few official-looking notes through their claws, in an attempt to gain their ruler's attention. "Silence!" Barked the king, pounding the table with a fist, and instantly the rabble ceased around him. "We will not yield a single strip of land to Aellai or Adelpha, but we will also not allow them to manipulate their subjects into seeing us as some kind of monsters. We will allow the harpies access to our hunting grounds and fertile soils, and then we'll see just how long can the sisters keep up their pretense. This is just a temporary measure, and one we can certainly live with until things are resolved on the Equestrian side." "But sire," chancellor Arthur spoke with an incredulous look, "when will things be resolved in the Equestrian side?" Before the king could address the question however, a distressed voice thundered outside the room, nearly shattering the window glasses in the hallway. The griffin turned around in search of the distraction and heard, with growing concern, the livid rant followed closely by a duo of pleading squeaks, firmly making its way toward their current location. "We seek an audience with the king, out of our way!" "Your majesty, please, King Edward is very busy tending to internal affairs with the privy council." "Thou shalt halt thine efforts to hinder us this instant and inform thine king we wishest to see him!" "Princess, the king hates being disturbed more than anything—" "And we loathe being made to wait more than anything!" "Please, be reasonable your grace, the king will find this interruption most unpleasant—" "He shalt find the feeling of our hoof up his royal arse far more unpleasant!" "Princess please! He'll have our heads for this!" "And we shalt have thine rears unless thou movest out of our way!" The griffin stood aghast as the set of double doors burst open, blasted by a an unknown force. A navy colored mare, nearly six feet in height, stood upon the threshold of the conference room, a magical aura in a hue of blue ominously wrapping her horn, and both her wings spread out in a display of authoritative rage. At either side of her, two griffin clad in silver armor, teetered on their hind legs as they tried to calm her whilst sending apologetic looks towards their king. Princess Luna paid no heed to the visages around her, portraying a varied set of expressions that ranged from fear to outrage, and locked eyes with the king. "Edward! A word if you please!" She thundered in the full might of the Royal Canterlot voice, and at once the griffin counselors turned around, nervous to see how the king would react to this intrusion. The king however, did not lose his composure to the sudden disturbance and, instead, drew a deep breath before addressing his subjects. "Leave us." "B-but your majesty—" "Now!" Not wanting to anger their king any further, the counselors scampered for the exit as quickly as they could, and began filing out of the room until both heads of state we left alone. "Luna, I already now what you're going to say and the answer is still—" "We will not remain hidden whilst our country is thrown into disarray by traitors and conspirators! Already hath the vermin brought harm upon mine sister, and now they wishest to harm her prized pupil!" Luna spoke, her voice so strong it made the wooden surface of the table vibrate. "I know this, but having you return to Canterlot would be playing into their little game!" The gryphon replied brusquely. "And what course of action would thou dost suggest we take? Twilight Sparkle and her friends hath been apprehended, and we can feel Tia's presence growing fainter by the hour! Shalt we fail to act upon such circumstances Equestria will be doomed!" She reprieved, stamping her hoof upon the gray carpeting. The legs of Edward's chair rustled against the floor as he disengaged himself from the table and began pacing his way toward the Princess of the Night, his right claw clasped over his beak as he searched the floor for an answer. "Luna..." the king began, desperately trying to form his thoughts into a cohesive argument. "Thou swore to give us thine support! Thou promised us thou would dost lend us thine army should the necessity arise! Are thou reneging on thine word?!" She challenged him. "No," he firmly answered, drawing to the fullest of his height. "Nor would I renege on my promise to your sister to keep you safe, even from yourself," he added, placing particular emphasis on that last phrase. Luna's eyes twitched at the mention of Celestia and she rounded angrily on the distressed gryphon with renewed annoyance. "Mine sister watched over thine growth after thy father, King Henry, passed away, making sure thou didn't come to harm whilst thy relatives feuded over the throne. Would thou be so ungrateful as to ignore the mare, that protected thou during thine childhood, in her time of need?" It was the gryphon's turn to voice his annoyance, and he did so taking a half-step towards the stubborn princess as he contracted his pupils with anger. "Princess Celestia did more than watch over my growth. It was her who taught me all matters of diplomacy and state, whilst making sure my late-father's mistresses and bastards did not lay claim to the throne or my inheritance!" He replied in an offended tone as Luna cautiously receded a couple of steps, surprised at the king's outrage. "And even if she left me before hairs first sprouted on my chin, I spent enough time under her care to learn most there is to know about politics!" "I shall add this as well dearest Luna! Whoever is behind this is a master of the craft as well, for not only has he managed to disrupt peace around the World, he has also found a way to pit the neighboring nations against us! Flying blindly into Equestria would be playing into the hooves of the perpetrator, and to give him the opportunity to do away with you as well!" "Still thine tongue Edward!" The princess warned him, her eyes flashing dangerously, "thou surely are not suggesting we can be killed by a mere mortal?! Us, who have guided the celestial body of the Moon over the night sky for hundreds of years?!" "So did Celestia with the Sun, and look what happened to her!" The gryphon pointed out, "these traitors and schemers have found a way to harm even the almighty alicorns! How do you think you'll fare should you kick open Canterlot Castle's front door and start demanding answers?!" "We needn't do this alone! If only thou would lend us thine army for such a task..." "No!" bellowed the king, "that's just what they want! An excuse to tear both you and my kingdom apart! You barely resumed your reign but little over a year ago, and the terror of Nightmare Moon is still fresh upon the memories of those who witnessed your return the past summer! How do you think your subjects will react when they see their Princess of the Night descending upon Canterlot with a thousand griffin in tow, especially with your sister in such a delicate state?!" Luna's gaze dropped toward the floor and she shifted awkwardly in her place. "They'll think we're invading! They'll think you've betrayed them! They'll think this was your doing all along!" He sentenced, his chest rising angrily with every breath he took. "And that's not even half of it." Luna felt her chest contract as a burst of adrenaline shot through her. "There's more?" She asked weakly, her eyes wide with disbelief. The king nodded in return. "Our enemies have realized the purpose of your visit and Celestia's plan to bring about peace to the northern nations, and so they've stepped down to the field to match our forces. They're cleverly poking at our sides, spurring the harpies and the minotaurs, goading them to go into war with us." "But surely there's something we can do? Tia said an alliance between Grypha and Equestria, two of the world's superpowers, would dissuade the warring nations from seeking conflict with us," she stated in a soft, yet hopeful tone. "And so your sister and I thought," the king admitted, "but that was before the attempt in her life. Now with Celestia struggling for her life and Equestria falling into anarchy, the World finally sees how vulnerable we truly are. Our enemies are flanking at our sides, gauging our strength, looking for any sort of weakness to be exploited. Should we send an army to aid your cause, our foes will swarm into our undefended territory and end us." "Then we must hurry and sign the treaty before it's too late!" Princess Luna insisted, stepping up to the king. Surprisingly the king shook his head in dissent. "No. If we push the treaty forward the minotaurs and the harpies will think we're desperate and call our bluff. Remember Princess Luna, all war is deception, and so we have to maintain our composure just long enough for our plan to bear fruit." "But time is running short and every day that passes the traitors bolster their forces..." "Relax princess. We have received intelligence that a large supply of gunpowder was lost but a couple of days ago, and while we're no nearer to finding out where this shipment was coming from, or how it was being transported, it remains still a huge setback to their plans. As for your sister and her pupil, plans have been set in motion in order to free them, thanks to one of our contacts on the Equestrian side." Luna wasn't entirely convinced as to the effectiveness of the gryphon's plan, but nonetheless she acknowledged his efforts with a curt nod. "And once we deliver our family and friends from the clutches of these traitors?" She asked, narrowing her eyes with expectancy. "Then my princess, you are free to do as you see fit with them," the king acknowledged with a bow. "There shan't be naught but a smoking crater where they once stood," she said, with barely contained fury. "True. But in the meantime we should take advantage of this whole situation..." the king added with a curious smile. "Advantage?" Repeated the princess in disbelief, "how?" "Our enemies have crafted the illusion that your rule is as legitimate as it ever was, and that you still retain control of Equestria," he explained. "whilst that's not necessarily true, we can still use that to our advantage and continue to act is if nothing's wrong. Our reserved composure should be enough to unnerve the harpies and the minotaurs for the remainder of your stay and until the treaty is signed. They will not dare to attack so long as our performance does not betray a hint of fear nor doubt." The princess, if anything, looked impressed. She could hardly believe the son of the gluttonous Henry had grown into such an astounding young gryphon (well, as young as a gryphon approaching his thirties could be considered to be such), and a craftsman of politics. "Prince Edward, how did thou get so good at this game?" she asked, an amused smile curving her lips. "Well my princess," he replied, "I learned from the very best."