It was a few more weeks before Silas arrived in the capital, and I spent that time researching geography and discussing with the queen and Nero where it would be best to have them for public safety and traveler’s convenience.

The dragon tears and cookies went over surprisingly well for my image, and I had a knack for baking. The various methods for making cookies were more diverse than I had expected at first. In my personal opinion, my cookies had improved tremendously, but it was hard to tell if my guests really agreed or if they were just flattering me because I was a princess.

A messenger entered my office. “A merchant named Silas Toll would like to inform you that he has arrived in the capital as you invited.”

“Good,” I said and smiled, “Invite him to the castle. I have a lot to discuss with him.”

The messenger left.

From what I knew Silas had left around the same time we had. Travelling must be more time consuming for merchants. All the more reason he should support my train proposal. As I waited for Silas to arrive I thought over all of the details again to be sure I did not leave out anything important and started planning how best to approach the subject.

I had to be careful not to charge in blindly either. Silas was a man with good insight. I needed to leave an opening for him to offer his own opinions.

A knock on the door jarred me from my thoughts. “Silas Toll has arrived,” the messenger announced.

“That was fast,” I replied, “Send him in.”

Silas stepped in only a moment later and gave a short bow. “I believe in being ready for my client’s needs and desires,” he told me, “How can I help you today, princess?”

“I wished to speak to you about Tethia’s methods of travel,” I replied, “As you may know they are rather lacking. Slow, inconvenient, and most of all, uncomfortable. Roads might be part of the problem but we can only fix them so much before they are ruined again. As it is we rely on magic for their smoothness.”

“So you seek a more reliable method of transportation, or just an improvement on the old one?” Silas asked.

“A little of both, but mostly the first one,” I replied, “No new method of travel is going to be perfect, especially not the one I have in mind.”

“Oh? You have something in mind?” Silas asked with interest. He seemed to be enjoying himself quite a bit.

“Trains,” I answered, “It is a system that already exists in Beraud, a country we are allies with. I intend to propose teamwork and trade, If possible I would like to leave openings so that the tracks could extend over the entire continent.”

Silas’ smile grew. “Quite the ambitious idea. It won’t be easily pulled off, and if this project fails your superiors will definitely hold you accountable.”

“I am aware,” I promised, “I also know that this is a project that will require a huge budget and a large amount of time. That is why we should also find ways to improve our current methods of travel.”

“As it so happens I have happened upon a new magical formula that I was planning on turning into a business,” Silas informed me, “Flight enchantment. It works best on aerodynamic objects and cannot be used on the individuals themselves. After I finish testing the best object for enchantment I intend to start a sky taxi service.”

“This would definitely help with transportation, but I can see certain drawbacks already,” I replied, “I cannot give you full monopoly but if everyone starts just flying around there will be near constant accidents.”

“You could require flight training,” Silas replied, “I would be willing to assist with that.”

“How about for now, we restrict flight enchantments to business use with proper training,” I agreed, “but not until proper testing is done, and if the right item does turn out to be broomsticks, at least try to make them more comfortable.”

“Why would I use broomsticks?” Silas asked, as if the idea had not even occur to him.

I paused. “It is just something I heard of once.”

“I will look into it, but a taxi service riding on cleaning supplies won’t be well looked on so it will be a last resort.”

“Of course,” I told him, holding back my sigh of relief, “As for the trains, what would be the best thing to negotiate for trade with Beraud?”

“In the simplest terms, you are asking Beraud for access to their technology. They will want access to magic in return.”

Magic… Of course. The answer was just as obvious as Silas had stated, but it wasn’t as easy to give them magic as it was for them to give us technology. Or was it?

“If I was able to get a hold of something that could generate magic for a single user, do you think that would work?”

“That would be more than enough to speed negotiations as a gift to the king,” Silas answered, “but they will likely have terms of their own.”

“Can I ask for your support in this?” I requested, “Your name will be a huge benefit here, and I don’t intend to use it for free.”

“A trade of favors? Are you sure that is something you should do, princess?” Silas questioned, “I won’t let you back out.”

For some reason I felt a slight chill when he said that, but this was no place to back down. “If this project succeeds it will open the way for hundreds of opportunities,” I replied calmly, “I think that is worth one favor to a merchant.”

Silas chuckled. “I really do like you,” he said, “It is rare to have such agreeable clients. I will help you however I can with this project.”

“Thank you, and good luck with your research on the flying enchantment,” I told him, “I will call you again when I have more concrete information on the item I mentioned previously.”

“I will be waiting,” Silas replied with a smile. He left the room immediately with the fast-paced stride of a busy man.

It was time I got to work as well. First things first, I needed to talk to Keane and Caleb.