The tension in the room was palpable. Of course it would be. After listening to the Exalted, the Grand Tactician and the mysterious tengu, I decided to summon all the dwarves of high standing in Greshe Khaaran to discuss what we should do about it.

“Gentlemen, as you know, I have called all of you because there is a topic of great importance that I must discuss with you. Several days ago, I was visited by Aurelya, the Exalted, Bereul, the Grand Tactician and a masked tengu accompanying them.”

Of course the names caught the attention of everyone present. Even mentioning the tengu raised some alarm. The tengu were extremely isolationist and for one to be walking around meant that either this policy was about to change and he was an emissary or he was an exile from the Secret Kingdom. I know very little about the tengu, but the little that I do know is that they do not exile weaklings, they execute them. I wouldn't be surprised if that tengu was more troublesome than the other two, no matter how famous they were.

“What would they want with this rotting kingdom? It's not like we have anything to offer. I don't think they came just to mock us, or else we would not be having this conversation.”

Of course the head of the intelligence division would be smart enough to realize that. However, he was overlooking one thing. What someone might want from Greshe Khaaran might be surprisingly obvious.

“Oh, but we do have something to offer them. We can offer them our friends of more than a thousand years: The mountains. The one thing that Greshe Khaaran has not lost following Teldarion's defeat is its secure geographical location.”

The room broke in a hubbub, with people trying to talk over each other. “What?” “Unacceptable!” “There is still dignity left within us!” The captain of the royal guard calmed everyone down.

“Everyone, quiet! We still don't know exactly what the King means by this.” He then turned his intense eyes toward me. “What exactly do you mean by that?”

I let out a bitter laugh. Unfortunately, it's not much different from what they think it means.

“Sorry to disappoint you, they do want every single one of us to bend the knee and recognize Aurelya as our new ruler. Although, supposedly I can keep my title as king...” Confusion broke out again with outraged voices all around. “Quiet! You will listen to me to the end!” They quieted down, but none of them were calm. “From what I understand, Aurelya plans a grand vengeance on the world for the fact that all of her children are dead. For that, she seeks a safe haven, from which she will wreak havoc. It seems that Bereul suggested Greshe Khaaran to her.”

Confusion broke out again. It's starting to get annoying. I summoned these people to calmly think about how to deal with this situation, instead I have grown men in front of me holding their heads, lamenting and losing their temper. Well, at least a few of them were still somewhat calm.

“If you can't calm down, then you should just leave now! We are wasting time here!”

Well, it's not a surprise that the head of the artificer division would keep his calm. The stubborn old man is one of the last few remaining beacons of hope in my crumbling kingdom.

“Thank you.” I take a deep breath and momentarily mull over the words I will say next. “Some of you might not be very happy with what I am about to say next, but I believe that more than a problem, this situation might be an opportunity for us.” They held their reaction. Good, now the conversation might flow. “As you all well know, there are some who believe that opposing Teldarion was a mistake. Are we going to commit the same mistake?”

Some said yes, some said no. The captain of the royal guard did not look too happy.

“With all due respect, my king, the situation is quite different from back then. It's not like the Exalted buys our products. Besides, it is no small matter the ethical implications of siding with a Tyrant. This time, we might just be wiped off the map completely.”

The head of the artifice division scoffed at that.

“Hah! Wipe us off the map? How? Tharaz Eron was able to break us almost completely through trade without lifting a single sword against us. What could they do that would be worse than that? If they come invading us, I say we just slaughter them. But still, now I am intrigued. What would the three of them have to offer us, my King? It must be a good offer if they want the kingdom in exchange.”

Good, the conversation was now going into the direction that I wanted.

“First, Aurelya promises not to kill any citizens of the kingdom that aren't elves.”

The captain of the guard glared and cut me off.

“Are we just abandoning the elves then?”

Voices erupted in response. “They abandoned us first!” “Yeah!” I hit the table with force to quiet them down.

“Quiet down! All of you!” I turned to the captain. “Yes, there is no choice. You haven't seen the hatred in her eyes. Even our own resentment pales in comparison to it. Now, second, they promise a restoration of Greshe Khaaran's dignity. Third, they promise prosperity to Greshe Khaaran.”

Even I knew it sounded too good. The head of intelligence division sounded doubtful as he asked.

“Let me be direct, do they have anything to back these promises.”

Of course not, but there was a more important point at stake.

“You will have to ask them about that, if you are so inclined. However, there is something else that is undeniable. Aurelya could easily just kill every single one of us and take this kingdom for herself afterwards. I'd rather try and make use of her while I have the chance.”

Of course, nobody looked surprised when I said that. Maybe that is why they were all on edge from the start. They knew as well as I did that, in the end, this was an offer we could not truly refuse.

“We are listening, my King.”