Gilla's Response

THE NEXT DAY:

"He wants to parley here?!" Gilla loudly asks as she looks at one of her men.

"Apparently so, Madame. The invitation came very early this morning. The messenger was pouring with sweat, and his horse was exhausted by the time he got here. This was the letter that he brought with him."

The guard then hands the letter over to Gilla who immediately takes the letter and begins to quietly read.
'Dear, Gilla Markana. My dearest sister. I am sending you this letter to request a parley at out childhood home. I personally could not think of a more fitting location for us to broker peace than the place we grew up together. As for the parley, I shall be bringing my most trusted adviser and a small group of my men, just for peace of mind which I know you understand. Obviously, I would expect you to do the same. I shall await your response, and if you are to agree to the parley, I shall arrive two days later. I hope we may settle these differences of ours, and become the loving siblings that we once were. Yours truly - Oliver.'

Gilla quickly scans back up and down the letter a few more times. Her eyes rapidly flick across every line before she finally puts the letter down. "That little weasel didn't write a single damned word of this. I know for a fact that he doesn't even know what in the hells a parley is. Plus, the handwriting is far too neat. My brother's handwriting is sloppier than a pyg in mud."

Sydna, who is sitting beside Gilla, takes a look at the letter before asking, "Do you think it's a distraction? Or at least an attempt to throw us off?"

"That I don't know, cupcake." Gilla responds. "My brother definitely isn't smart enough to think of something like that, but as for this trusted adviser... I don't know."

The two go silent as the potential outcomes begin to creep into their minds, but just a few moments later, John, along with the rest of the group, walk in.

"Ahh, good, you're all here." Sydna says as Gilla just looks at her wife with a confused expression.

"You did request our presence after all." Virra jokingly responds as the recent arrivals all take a seat.

"You requested them? What is this?" Gilla whispers to Sydna.

Sydna quickly responds, "You shall soon see." Sydna then turns to the group. "Now, you probably all know by now that I don't like to beat around the bush."

"Guess that means Gilla's clean-shaven." Amilia jokes as she leans over to Terra, causing the elf to laugh at the crude remake.

"Anyway..." Sydna says, obviously hearing Amilia's joke. "You all also know of our issues with Gilla's brother, Oliver. So, I have called you all in here to ask for your help."

"Sydna. We talked about this." Gilla says, her voice just barely hitting a stern tone.

Sydna looks at Gilla as she takes her hand. "I know we did darling, but just hear me out for a second. This parley is quite obviously a trap of sorts, but we just don't know how. He wants the parley here, so I say we have our friends here stand guard, just to make sure he doesn't get the chance to do anything stupid."

"It doesn't matter. I told you that I didn't want to ask for their help." Gilla then turns to the group. "No offence to you all. I just wanted to deal with this in house to avoid any sort of escalation."

"He's been trying to get people to join his side ever since he broke away. Now, he's practically demanding that he comes here for this parley? I'm pretty sure it's escalated enough to warrant worry." Sydna responds.

"If I may..." Terra starts. "Your bother is requesting to come into your town, the heart of your entire prefecture. I may not know the man, but I have grown to become cautious of any sort of gleaming light in darkness thanks to a certain necromancer. One can only assume that your brother has some sort of plan, and to assume and prepare for it to be devious in nature may be a fair course of action."

"Respectfully Terra, it is as you said, you do not know my brother. I know that he is not clever enough to concoct some master plan that would remove me from the throne."

John then asks, "But what about this trusted advisor of his? Your brother might not be the brightest colour in the rainbow, but this so-called advisor might be cut from a completely different material, never mind a cloth."

Gilla sighs, knowing that the group make a good point, but the decision is still a difficult one for her to make. Gilla then stands up before saying, "I'm going to go clear my head for a bit. If I come to a decision, I shall let you all know." Gilla then leaves the room and heads down the hallway.

Back in the meeting room, the group are all sat in a somewhat awkward silence mere moments after Gilla left to go and think. After about thirty seconds of the silence, Amilia says, "So, when's the grub coming? I'm hungry as shit and I've got a mad hankering for that zeer you guys have."

Sydna simply chuckles. "It'll be here momentarily."

As the others begin to talk about how good the food was last night, Sydna begins to worry about Gilla. She knows bringing Virra, Terra and her friends in without telling Gilla was a crappy idea, but Sydna knows that it was necessary. She doesn't trust Oliver as far as she could throw him, but Gilla obviously knows him better than anyone, so, if she doesn't think that the group is needed there, who was Sydna to argue with that?

The door then opens up and the maids walk in with the platters of food before placing them onto the table. Everyone's attention is then diverted to the warm food, but as the platters are placed onto the table, all Sydna can think about it is what Gilla will choose.

ON THE TERRACE:

Gilla is sitting on the cushioned bench that allows her to look out over the lovely grassland that exists outside of the mostly stone and wooden town. Gilla breathes in the fresh, crisp morning air and feels her mind clearing. The influx of information just became a little too much for Gilla in just a few short moments. She's used to having to deal with being given a tonne of information since she runs the vast majority of the Nillork prefecture, but usually the stuff with her brother was a little footnote in that. Now, Oliver is requesting to parley after years of trying to get more land. What could his reasoning be? Why after all this time? What plans could he have? All the possibilities just became a little too much for her, and on top of that, Sydna practically going behind her back to request the groups help when Gilla specifically told her not to? It felt like a quick jab on the jaw. So, the fresh air is an incredibly welcome break from all of that.

A few minutes pass by, and all Gilla can hear is the birdsong coming from the trees, and the gentle wind swishing through the leaves. Everything is at peace. That is, until the peace is interrupted by the sound of the terrace door opening. Gilla immediately looks and sees Kova standing there. Kova then sees Gilla and her expression turns to almost panic. "Uhh, sorry. I didnt know anyone was out here. I'll just head back to my room."

Kova then turns to head out the door, but is stopped as Gilla says, "Wait." Kova then turns around and looks at Gilla who continues. "You don't have to leave. Please, take a seat."

Kova is a little hesitant to move, but eventually takes said seat on the bench. The two then look out at the landscape before them before Gilla strikes up a conversation. "It's a beautiful sight, isn't it?"

"It really is." Kova quickly answers, causing the awkward silence to rapidly set back in. After a few moments of said awkward silence, Kova quickly glances to her left and sees Gilla's face is wrought with indecisiveness and worry. Kova really wants to just forget Gilla is here, but seeing her sister-in-law's expression makes her ask, "Are you... okay?"

"Oh, it's uhh... it's just this situation with my brother." Gilla says before sighing. "I just... I don't know what in the hells to do about it. I mean, I haven't heard so much as a peep from him after he left, but now he wants to suddenly come back and make peace? Then, Sydna goes behind my back and recruits Terra and Virra's friends after I explicitly told her that I didn't want to in case it lit the proverbial tinderbox and started a civil gods-damned war." Gilla then lets out a long exhale. "Sorry for unloading like that."

"It's fine. You seem like you really needed to get it off your chest." Kova replies, attempting to make Gilla feel at least a little bit better.

"Well, thanks for listening." Gilla says as she takes a few moments to recompose herself. After getting back to a more sound state of mind, Gilla then asks something she never thought she would. "What do you think I should do?"

Kova is flabbergasted that Gilla is actually asking for her opinion. Kova can't even remember the last time anyone asked for her opinion on a serious subject like this. Usually, her sisters ask for fashion advice or tips on similar subjects, but never something as big as this. Kova then realizes that she actually has to give an answer, so she thinks about it for a few moments before answering. "Honestly? I think having Terra's friends there would be the best course of action. Even if nothing happens, having them there would be safest in my opinion. They went all out to get Terra back after she was kidnapped, so they won't let anything happen to you or Sydna if push comes to shove. Plus, who in their right mind would want to piss off Kyuala? I mean, she has muscles in places that I didn't even know could be muscular."

Gilla just laughs, making her forget about her problem for just a second. Kova also has a small laugh of her own, allowing her to truly relax for the first time since arriving at the Markana Estate.

Eventually, the laughing dies down and the two sit in a brief silence before Gilla speaks again. "You're right. Even if Oliver is telling the absolute truth and doesn't want any sort of violence, then having the group as a deterrent is the smart choice either way."

Gilla then stands up and takes a deep breath. "Suppose I better let the others know of my decision." Gilla then heads to the terrace door. "You know Kova, it was nice talking to you. I hope we can do this more during your stay here."

Kova is shocked once again, hearing Gilla actually compliment her actually stuns her, and makes her unable to immediately respond. Kova doesn't even get a chance to reply to that because as Gilla opens up the door, she asks, "Before I go. Why did you decide to come out here?"

Kova stammers a little bit before answering. "Uhh, I came out here last night when I couldn't sleep. It helped me relax. There isn't much greenery in Mulvenscroll, so it's a nice change of scenery."

Gilla chuffs. "It sure is. Well, feel free to spend as much time out here as you need. It was my father's favourite spot as well."

Gilla then heads back inside and leaves Kova alone on the terrace. Kova quickly goes back to being confused as all hell. Gilla not only asked for her opinion on an incredibly serious situation, but she complimented her and actually made her feel respected which is a rare feeling for Kova. She isn't adept with magic like some of her sisters. She can't fire a bow or kick ass with badass monk skills, so, to most of the Tarron family ass kissers, Kova is just one of the afterthoughts.

Kova then looks back out at the grasslands, and can't help but feel bad for her actions. For years, she's insulted Gilla behind her back, trashed talked her, and even insulted her in front of her face, yet, Gilla has still been kind to her. A knot filled with guilt forms in Kova's stomach as those actions come back to mind. Kova then sighs as she realizes one thing that she's been too blind to see; Gilla is actually a nice person.

BACK IN THE MEETING ROOM:

Gilla walks into the room to see the group along with Sydna digging into their breakfast, and she just chuckles. Sydna then sees Gilla and stops eating before wiping her hands with a napkin.

Gilla then walks up and gives her wife a kiss on the top of her head before sitting down. Sydna goes to ask Gilla if she's got an answer, but Gilla simply takes her hand which stops Sydna.

Gilla then clears her throat before saying, "Everyone. I have come to a decision." Everyone stops eating, apart from Amilia, waiting to hear Gilla's next few words. "I have decided that having you all there is the best option for this. Even if Oliver keeps the peace, it's better to be prepared for nothing than to not be prepared for anything."

Just then, a butler walks in with an oil pot, quill, and some parchment. The man then places the items down on the table in front of Gilla who then picks up the quill.

"Now, I think it's time I write a little letter to my baby brother."

A DAY LATER:

A young man rushes into Oliver's office, clearly out of breath. The eyes of Oliver, Haket, and a few other men all fall upon the aforementioned young man who says, "Sire. It's a letter for you."

The young man then hands the letter over to Oliver, whose eyes open wide as he realizes who this letter is from upon seeing the wax seal on the envelope. Oliver then tears the envelope open and pulls the letter out before unfolding it. He then clears his throat before beginning to read. "Dear, Oliver Markana. My troublesome baby brother. I must say, I was quite surprised when I received your letter. However, I was even more surprised when I saw that you had asked for a parley. It was my assumption that you wouldn't give a single inch, but here you are, asking for us to peacefully resolve these issues of ours, and at our childhood home of all places. Now, I must commend you on making that decision, and so, I accept your request for a parley, and I await your arrival. Yours truly - Gilla."

Oliver then places the letter down onto his desk. "Ahh, Gilla. You poor, gullible fool. In just two days time, we shall see which one of us is truly the superior Markana sibling."

A smile then appears on Oliver's face as he leans back whilst thinking about the brilliant plan that he believes is his. However, just mere inches behind Oliver stands Haket, who is also smiling, as the true mastermind sees his plan coming to fruition.