The sitting area boasted numerous cushions and poufs scattered on woollen rugs, and a fire crackled in a polished jade hearth. Paintings of hounds and horses, probably the familiars of long dead nobles, relieved the plethora of tapestries depicting hunting scenes. A vast four-poster bed dominated the bed chamber, hung with silk and velvet and covered with a snow cat fur spread. An ironwood wardrobe stood against one wall, its doors chiselled with crude designs.
To achieve even such slight patterns in ironwood was a great feat, since the wood was legendary for its hardness. Only young ironwood trees could be felled without blunting numberless axes and exhausting armies of men. Once the tree had been chopped down, it had to be sawn into planks and carved before the wood dried, or else there was no hope of doing so. Legend had it that there was a time, in an Age of Trees, when swords were made from it.
A curtained washing alcove housed a brass tub and an ironwood table with a basin and pitcher of water upon it, as well as a selection of soft towels, scented soaps and sponges.
Chiana left him to return to the Queen, and the servant came forward to offer his services. Blade ordered a meal and a bath, and found the former already awaiting him in an adjoining dining room furnished with a jade-topped smokewood table. The service and accommodations made him wonder to what rank he was being elevated, and he wished that he had asked the Queen. Tomorrow he would find out.
Kerrion glanced around at his room, which was almost devoid of furnishings. Two cream-coloured linen cushions were piled together in the centre of the sitting area, next to a low puffwood table topped with glass. A narrow bed stood in the far corner, a plain chest of drawers beside it. Within curtained alcove was a brass tub, a rough towel and a table with a basin and pitcher of water on it. A solitary, rather threadbare tapestry covered one wall, and another had two lead-paned windows in it, a puffwood tree blocking the view.
The room was either that of a servant that had been refurnished for him, or a junior advisor's humble quarters. The implication was obvious. He was, at best, an unwelcome guest, at worst, little more than a prisoner.
Two guards stood at the door, and a sullen manservant obeyed him with grudging tardiness. Once bathed, he dressed in the clothes provided, which, though quite fine, did not come up to his standards. A soft linen shirt of pale fawn hung below his hips in the fashion of the Jashimari. Well-fitting velvet leggings tucked into calf-high boots of soft brown leather with a matching silver-studded belt. All that remained to show his Princely status was his silver circlet, which the servant polished with great reluctance. After a simple meal of grilled butter fish and dellbeans with capelot greens, he was told to await the Queen's pleasure, which he did for most of the afternoon, fuming with impatience.
Finally, the advisor arrived to show him into the Queen's presence once more. Minna-Satu glanced up at his entrance, setting aside the papers she had been reading. He approached and stopped before her. She did not acknowledge him any further than to watch him, and, having never confronted a queen before, Kerrion was unsure of what to do. Certainly he was not about to prostrate himself, as Blade had forced him to do earlier. He accorded her a stiff bow, as he would his father.
The Queen gestured to the cushions in front of her. "Sit."
Kerrion found it a little awkward, since the Cotti used chairs, and he was unused to lounging about on a plethora of cushions.
Minna studied him, and the intelligence in her eyes and her proud demeanour struck him.
"I trust you are now comfortable, Prince Kerrion?"
He nodded. "The room is adequate."
"Good. I regret the death of your father. It was necessary, I am afraid. I ordered it to put you on the throne, thereby giving our people a chance for peace."
"Kidnapping me will only escalate the war, Queen Minna-Satu, and elevate my brother Lerton to the throne."
"I know that. You will regain your power when you return to the desert, once we have made our peace."
"So, you do wish to negotiate a treaty then?"
"In a manner of speaking."
"But you must know that neither of our peoples will allow it. After so many generations of war, they are so used to it that they will not want to simply walk away and return to their homes. The men know nothing but soldiering, and our nobles profit from it. We may be king and queen of our realms, but to announce an end to the war may well spark a revolt."
Minna raised a hand. "I am aware of all this. Please do not mistake me for a fool. My plan has many conditions. My changes will be sweeping and final. When I am finished, my people and yours will have no choice but to accept peace."
"You sound certain. How do you intend to achieve this? I have not agreed to anything, yet you speak as if the deed is done. How do you know that I want peace?"
The Queen shook her head. "Your wishes are irrelevant, but your co-operation would be beneficial. As of yet, it is too early to divulge my plans to you. I wish to know you better first."
He stared at her in confusion. "What bearing can that have? It matters not whether we know each other. We need not be friends to negotiate a treaty."
"Then you would be willing to?"
"If the lands your people have stolen are returned to the Cotti, perhaps an agreement can be reached."
Minna's brows rose. "What lands are those?"
"The land between the mountains and the Lelgara River, which was the border before your ancestors invaded them."
Minna shook her head, a slight smile tugging at her lips, and Kerrion marvelled at her poise. Unlike the dusky Cotti maidens, the Queen had a pale, delicate beauty, which he likened to that of an orchid, as opposed to a bright daisy.
"We stole no lands from you. According to our records, the Cotti kings tried to invade Jashimari lands, and we have been defending them ever since."
"Then your records lie, and we will never have an end to this war if we cannot even agree on what started it."
"No, the reason for its beginning has no bearing on its end. We have only to agree to end it, and it is over."
Kerrion frowned. "That will not satisfy my people. They have not fought so long and hard to gain nothing for their sacrifice in the end."
"Nor will mine be content to give away the soil they have striven to defend for generations."
"Then we are already at an impasse."
"Do you wish to end the war?"
Kerrion shrugged, meeting her gaze without attempting to hide the amusement in his eyes. Minna-Satu frowned, clearly unused to such bold glances. From what he had been taught of Jashimari culture, the men were spineless cowards. Her subjects rarely met her eyes in such a forthright manner, and even her most senior lords did not dare to stare her down in such a fashion.
The Prince smiled at her discomfort. "It is not something to which I have given much thought. My kingdom thrives on war and my people prosper from it. Without the war, many powerful men would lose their livelihood. Arms merchants and mine owners, armourers who have spent years crafting fine weapons and inventing new ones. What use could they put their skills to, if there was no demand for their products?"
"What about the cost? The thousands of lives lost every year in battle, the bereaved families, destitute widows?" Minna asked.
"You speak of a woman's concerns. The men are proud of their sons' glorious achievements and honourable death in battle. Widows are compensated for the loss of their husbands and sons, they would be poorer if their menfolk lived than if they die."