Chapter 799: Pre conference(3)
"As far as things stand," Shaza began, shifting in his chair, his rounded belly pushing forward as he leaned back with practiced nonchalance, "we both know where each of us stands and what each of us wants. So let us strip away the niceties, shall we? Things are simple. You return to me the iron mines you so hastily took from Oizen, and I will ensure you keep all the rest of your spoils.
Everything else you carved from that little craven, you may keep, I swear."
He smiled, thin and oily, lifting his cup of wine in a mock-toast. "I am not against your ambition to swallow the whole of Oizen, as far as I care they can go to hell and we can toast on their ashes."
The words were meant to sound generous, but Alpheo could hear the falsehood rattling beneath them like pebbles in a jar. No prince could ever look upon a neighbor growing so bloated without jealousy gnawing at his gut.
And this man was no exception.
"All I want," Shaza continued, smile spreading wider as if his own lie pleased him, "are those small mines. The rest you may devour at your leisure. Do we understand one another?"
The way he asked it, with the air of a magnanimous benefactor bestowing alms, nearly made Alpheo laugh.
Instead, he let his voice cut through that arrogance "I fear we understand one another as much as fire and water, or cat and dog. That is no offer, it is but a pitiful demand dressed up in courtesy."
Shaza’s smile stiffened, though he tried to hide it by sipping at his cup. His eyes gleamed, almost daring the Fox to escalate. "Well then," he said after a moment, lowering the goblet, "you see my wares laid out before you. The decision to accept, or to walk away, rests entirely with you.Maybe others will take an interest on them.’’
As if Sorza would desert the mines toyou, he thought, not liking the man’s greed.
Time to peg him down a bit , to remind him that bluster is no substitute for weight.
"All that I clearly see," he began "is a man who mistakes noise for leverage. A man ignorant of the very foundations of this conversation, so overconfident in the value of his rotting wares, and so blind to the true wants of the buyer."
He let the words hang for a bit before continuing "If this night is to produce anything useful for either of us, then lines must be drawn in this room. And drawn with a steadier hand than yours."
That pricked Shaza at last. His eyes narrowed, and the self-satisfied ease faltered just enough to show he felt the sting. "Your Grace," he said tightly, setting down his cup with more force than needed, "you speak boldly, but your tone leaves something to be desired. If you would have me treat you, at least mask your disdain. Even among rivals, respect is due."
He met the prince’s gaze without blinking."Respect, your Grace, is the foundation of dealings between equals. Yet it seems to me one of us is quick to demand it, and slow to give it. Perhaps when both sides show courtesy, negotiations may proceed as they should. Until then..." He allowed the pause, "it is no wonder this table feels unbalanced.
Alpheo let his fingers drum once against the rim of his goblet, then leaned forward.
"If we are to proceed, let us clear the mist away. I did not come here merely to hold onto what I’ve swallowed. I came for more meat to be thrown upon my plate. I am the one winning this war, and by right of that, I will demand terms more favorable to myself. That is the truth of it, my lord."
Shaza’s brows arched, and he gave a short, almost incredulous laugh, though it carried no mirth."Too greedy, Your Grace. Do you not see the princes standing behind Oizen? You believe they will let you gorge yourself further, even after what you’ve already devoured? No,they will not only stop you from claiming more, they will move to strip from you the very things you boast of now. Greedy... and blind, it seems."
Alpheo’s eyes narrowed a fraction, the faintest twitch of annoyance betraying itself before he mastered his expression again."And what," he asked smoothly, "if I refuse?"
The Prince of Sharjaan gave him a look as though he had just uttered something childishly foolish. His lips curved in a pitying smirk."Then words will turn to swords, and the matter will be settled not here over wine, but upon the field."
"Then steel will answer steel," Alpheo returned calmly, almost lazily. "For if the princes will stand beside Oizen in the field, then so too will the eagle stand beside me."
At that, Shaza’s eye winced. The mask of haughty ease cracked as his eyes widened in genuine astonishment. His mustache twitched as his lips parted, words delayed by sheer disbelief."You lie..." he whispered. "It is unthinkable enough that Romelia lends you its voice at the table. But to take the field for you?" He shook his head, as if trying to clear it. "Impossible."
Alpheo only tilted his head, the faintest glimmer of a smile brushing his lips."Guess again."
Shaza’s jaw worked. He leaned forward, pointing a stubby finger at the Yarzat fox."Would you even dare? Would you truly bring the eagle into our nest? Do you have the courage to summon the Empire itself among us?Do you not recall the history of the South with the Crown of Romelia?"
Alpheo met his fury with a steady, cold gaze. His voice was quiet, but it carried across the table with the weight of iron."I would rather have the eagle fly above me, than see the castles I have taken tumble back into Sorza’s hands. Better to risk his shadow than to crawl backwards into defeat."
For a long moment, Shaza simply stared at him as if he were mad, an upstart prince gone drunk on ambition. His round face twisted with incredulity, his eyes flicking over Alpheo as though to search for cracks in his composure, some hint of jest. None came.
Alpheo let the silence breathe, then sighed lightly, almost as if he were scolding a child."But tell me, my lord, why should it trouble you? Why should you care whether I press for more, or simply hold what I already possess?
Whether my reach falters or succeeds, in the end, you will not be the one paying the price. I will. And you will be paid what is due you, regardless. What matter to you how much meat is heaped upon my plate, so long as your share is delivered?"
That gave Shaza pause. He leaned back, fingers stroking at his moustache as he mulled the words. His eyes flicked down to the untouched slice of beef before him, then back to Alpheo’s steady expression. For all his bluster, the reasoning was sound. What did it matter to him how bloated Yarzat grew or how much it starved?So long as his own purse grew alongside it?
Still...he had not accepted his offer.
Shaza leaned forward, his small eyes gleaming with unrestrained hunger.
"Do I take it, then, that you are willing to part with your mines, Your Grace? To grant them in return for my assistance?"
The notion delighted him to no end, an inheritance of iron he had dreamed of for decades, falling into his lap without the loss of a single soldier or a single aureii.
Alpheo’s expression did not change, but a thin smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. He spoke with quiet precision, each word like a needle."It seems, my lord, that it is my turn to inform you that you are too greedy. The mines will remain in my hands, just as I tore them from Sorza’s grasp. That is non-negotiable."
The prince’s face hardened at once. He slammed his goblet down onto the table, wine sloshing onto the cloth."Then why," Shaza snapped, his mustache twitching with irritation, "are you wasting my time? There is nothing else that I desire from you."
"Now, now, my lord... do not mistake firmness for finality. I said the mines would remain in my hands, but that does not mean I am unwilling to share. What use is it to hold a feast while your neighbors starve?
Sorza’s ruin was that he clutched his possessions too tightly, kept every scrap for himself. He forgot that a king who hoards makes only enemies, never allies. I intend to be wiser."
Shaza blinked, caught off guard by the shift in tone, though suspicion still lingered in his narrowed eyes.
Alpheo gestured lightly toward the untouched dishes between them, as if they themselves were symbols of his meaning."I am not Sorza, Prince of Sharjaan. I am not blind to the truth that even iron, if locked away, rusts. So yes, the mines will remain in my grasp, for they are the prize of this campaign. But their yield, their fruit, their bounty... that is another matter entirely."
He let the words settle, then added with a fox’s grin: "And I am more than willing to share the fruits of my conquests with those who prove, in these confusing times, to be not my rivals, but my friends.
So the question should not be what you can give or what you can take, but rather if we can be friends with one another.
So I ask, can we shake hands together, O Prince of Sharjaan?"