Markana's Meetings

TWO DAYS LATER:

Gilla is currently pacing around, nervously chewing at her nails as she awaits Oliver's arrival. Sydna is sitting down at the head of the table, watching her wife walk back-and-forth as she says, "Hun, please, take a seat. You're making my head hurt walking around like that."

Gilla then stops for a moment before heading back to her seat and sitting down. "I'm sorry. I just... I wish he would hurry up and get here, so we can get this over with."

"Why are you so worried? You have nerves of steel when men the size of towers are staring you down, yet, Oliver wants a parley and you turn to jelly? Where is my chisled-in-stone wife who doesn't have a fear in her body?"

Gilla takes a few moments to think on those words. She takes a few deep inhales and exhales before eventually relaxing. "You're right. This is nothing more than another meeting in a month of them. I've settled harder deals than this, and I won't let anyone, much less Oliver, throw me off my game."

Sydna chuckles before quickly kissing Gilla. "There she is. Now, I assume you've already went over the different paths the conversation could go?"

"Of course. I wrote down almost a dozen of pages of responses to what he may say. I have prepared everything almost everything I can think of. Kyuala, Virra and Amilia shall stand outside along with my guard, just in case Oliver's men try something. John, Lani, and Terra will be in here, along with two more guards. If Oliver is a man of his word, he would be foolish to try something with the limited number he's supposedly bringing."

"We know full well that he is that type of fool." Sydna quickly comments, earning a quick giggle from Gilla.

A few moments later, the door to the room opens and in walks John along with the others. John then says, "The scout just came back. He said that your brother should be here in about an hour. He's also got two carts of men with him."

"Alright. We need to get ready. You all know your positions, yes?"

Amilia quickly butts in. "I still say I'd be better off in here. I could just seduce the dumb bastard and make him give you what you want."

"And as good as that may be, we don't need seduction here, dear Amilia. This is an important meeting, and attempting to sabotage his negotiations with a cat seductress may throw a potential wrench in the machine as it were. Plus, I believe his adviser will be sure to keep his head in check, or more accurately, both of them."

MEANWHILE - IN OLIVER'S CARRIAGE:

"I still don't understand. Why should I broker for peace? I'm in charge here, so why should I present myself as weak?" Oliver asks.

"Because, sire, if you are to present yourself as the losing side of this struggle, your sister shall take pity on you. You know as well as I do how easily your sister can fall for a fabricated sob story and a false tear. If we make her think that we are weak, we may earn sympathy and make her present weakness to help her blood. Then, and only then, is when we strike, and push the dagger in, per se."

Oliver takes a deep breath. "It's easy to say that, but I know my sister. She always has an ace up her sleeve."

"And so do I." Haket says before looking out of the carriage with a smile on his face. Oliver just looks at his adviser, wondering what he meant by that, but if he's learned anything since meeting Haket, it's that he should believe Haket no matter what.

Oliver then looks out his window, and sees the familiar land that he dreamt about ruling ever since he was nothing more than a shrub in the forest of his lineage. Now, he has a chance to become the towering tree that the future of his bloodline will look upon in awe. The only thing that stands in his way is Gilla, and he will do anything if it means he shall sit upon the seat that his father left behind.

FIFTY FIVE MINUTES LATER:

The group along with Gilla and Sydna are passing the time until Oliver and his men show up. Kyuala, Virra, Amilia and John are playing Fucknowswhat's equivalent of blackjack known as flacksack. Luckily for John, the rules are somewhat the same, and the cards are similar enough so there's no confusion for him. The only thing that's strange is the ace card, which is a woman getting her neck kissed by two other figures. John inquired about the strange imagery, and was told that it's meant to depict one of the Elder Queens, who was said to have two husbands. John doesn't inquire more than that at the moment, but keeps it in mind for a potential conversation topic during the ride to meet Braxxas.

Amilia throws her cards down as she laughs, winning for the fourth time in a row. Everyone else just scoffs or sighs as the dealer aka Kyuala flips her cards over and reveals a twenty. Amilia then scoops up the copper placed on the table as she says, "Damn, I'm hot as hell today, and I'm pretty good at cards as well."

"You do know that it is a game of chance, right?" Terra genuinely asks.

"Oh, I do. It just happens to be a game of no fuckin' chance for these guys!" Amilia then annoyingly laughs as she scoops the copper into her purse.

Kyuala then collects the cards and starts to shuffle them, but just before she begins to deal, the door is flung open by a guard. "Miss Gilla! Your brother has arrived!"

"Alright. Everyone, get into position!" Gilla calls out, and the others begin to follow the order.

Everyone quickly scrambles to get up from the table to get into their positions. Kyuala heads to the door with Virra, but as they look back, they see Amilia scooping the last of the copper into her purse before quickly following the other two out of the room.

Terra and John then get behind their assigned seats with Lani resting on John's shoulder. Gilla and Sydna also stand behind their seats, holding one another hand as Gilla's nerves begin to come back.

A few minutes pass by, and Gilla is just managing to keep herself contained as they wait for Oliver to walk in the room. Eventually, they begin to hear footsteps getting closer and closer to the meeting room along with the muffled voices getting louder.

The door opens up, and in walks one of Gilla's butlers. "Madame Gilla. It is my honour to introduce to you, your brother, Oliver."

Just then, Oliver enters the room with his nose turned up and his shoulders held high as he walks in like the pompous bastard he portrays himself to be. Quickly following behind is his adviser, Haket. The man is unfamiliar to Gilla, but just based on first impressions, she knows that he isn't anything good.

Gilla then moves her gaze to focus on her brother, and it's almost like no time has passed. His skin is still pale, making his hexagonal gem stand out a little more than a regular Geminae. His long hair still looks perpetually slicked back, and he still has their mothers kind eyes. However, she notes that he still looks too thin, something that they're mother was always worried about.

Gilla isn't the only one who is examining their sibling as Oliver is doing the exact same thing. He looks at Gilla and also sees that nothing has change since they saw each other last. Gilla has their shared pale skin, and her oval gem almost illuminates against it. The long, flowing raven hair still looks as silky as ever. He then realizes that his sister looks more muscular than before, and almost chuckles as their father was always proud of how well she kept in tip-top shape.

Eventually, Oliver is brought out of his silent examination as he hears Gilla says, "Oliver. It's a pleasure to see you. However, you should probably eat a couple more sandwiches at some point."

Oliver chuckles. "It's good to see you too, dear sister. You look well. I am concerned though because it looks like you have been drinking nothing but strength juice from Qilapha since I left."

Gilla is the one who chuckles this time and is joined by Oliver as the two siblings have a sort of bonding moment after all this time apart.

The laughter quickly dies down, which makes the awkwardness immediately come back. Eventually, Gilla clears her throat before saying, "Well, please, take a seat and let's get this parley started."

Everyone then begins to take their seats, and soon, the tension begins to slowly start to build. Each side of the table has four people sitting down with two guards behind them. Gilla is obviously sat next to Sydna with Terra and John, Lani on his shoulder, sitting in front of them, along with two of Gilla's guards standing in the middle of the room. On the opposite end, Oliver is sat next to Haket with two sellsword looking men ahead of them and two more of Oliver's men standing on their side of the room.

"So, Oliver, since you were the one who requested this parley, I shall let you speak your terms first." Gilla starts, laying the foundation for the conversation.

"Very well..." Oliver starts.

Oliver clears his throat, ready to begin, but is quickly cut off by Haket who begins. "My sire and I have discussed our terms many times, and we believe them to be most agreeable. As you may have noticed, we have managed to accrue a respectable amount of resources that once belonged to you. However, we would be willing to give you the complete profits instead of simple taxes, and in exchange, we simply request the two sectors around our current land. Of course, peace is guaranteed, and sibling civility is restored, which is the real reason why we are here."

"If sibling civility is why you're here, why not just give the lands back and come back under my wife's rule? You would still have great wealth, and have the ability to do what you wish." Sydna retorts.

"I'm sorry, I assumed the adults would be the ones involved in this crucial conversation." Haket quips back with a proud smile.

"You are correct. However, I also assumed that this meeting would be a family affair. So, you must clearly be an estranged great grandfather or something, right?"

Oliver quickly interjects by saying, "Sister, I must ask you to keep your wife in check. I will not have my most trusted friend and adviser be insulted by those who married into our great family name."

Gilla is pissed off because of that comment, but manages to keep it under control for now. "As much as I understand that your friend may feel insulted, you shall both do well to remember that this is my home, and that you called for a parley with me. However, if your friend wishes to not have a verbal rally, then I suggest we do keep the talking between us."

"If the parley is truly supposed to be between you and my sire, then why are these two here?" Haket asks, gesturing between John and Terra.

Sydna is quick to respond. "My sister and her friend are here because I wished for them to be. They are here to merely serve as a witness to the parley and to remain silent, something you should take note of, just for reference, of course."

Haket's face then curls into a scowl, and it's obvious that he wishes to respond, but Oliver puts his hand up, stopping Haket from responding. Oliver then says, "Anyway, what my adviser said is true, that is my offer. If you wish to discuss it with your friends, I would be more than happy to give you time to do so."

Gilla is silent for a few moments before saying, "I will admit, I was not expecting you to come so prepared for this. I had believed that you would simply come and have a ridiculous request, so I must apologize for my assumption. As for time to think upon your offer, I will graciously accept it, and shall have my men escort you and your men to the sitting room. There shall be an assortment of treats and drinks for you whilst you wait."

Oliver chuckles. "Just like mother would say. I should've expected nothing less from you, Gilla. You've become more like her since last we met." Oliver and Haket then stand up. "We shall await your decision, and hope that we can come to an agreement. Come on, Haket. Let's feast on the fine dining from the Markana kitchen staff."

Oliver and Haket then follow one of the guards out of the room, and the door closes behind them.

"What a pompous arse." Terra comments.

"Agreed." Sydna replies.

John then asks, "Was it just me, or did he seem like he was trying to be the one in charge?"

"I noticed that as well. I don't know if it was planned between them, or if Oliver was happy to let him have the reigns, but it seemed... weird." Terra answers.

"Whether it was planned or not, I still want to punch the old bastard in his wrinkled face." Sydna quickly adds as she thinks back to how he talked to her.

Gilla is obviously silent whilst the others are talking, and Lani notices this, so she asks Gilla. "Miss Gilla, what are you thinking about?"

Gilla keeps her eyes straightforward, fixated on Haket's chair as she says, "That name... Haket.... I think I've heard of that name before."

"You have? From where?" Sydna asks.

"If I recall correctly, my father spoke about a man named Haket a few times whilst he was talking to his most trusted associates. He was rumoured to be the son of a disgraced noble, why he was disgraced I do not know, but that doesn't matter. If this Haket is the one that I have heard about, and he has his claws into my brother... then I fear that our reservations about Oliver's true intentions may come true."

IN THE SITTING ROOM:

"Man, I have missed these muffins. There isn't a treat the comes even close to these divine delights." Oliver says just before he stuffs what remains of a muffin into his mouth.

Haket is less eager to eat the treats on the platter ahead of them. He looks them over, and whilst they look fine, gorgeous even, but he does not trust the Markana family even a minuscule amount. Oliver sees that Haket is hesitant to indulge in the baked good, so he says, "Come on, Haket, try one. They are simply heavenly." Oliver then grabs another treat and begins to dig in.

Haket is annoyed by Oliver's indulgence, and so, he says, "Sire, with all due respect, we should be preparing for the next steps."

"What next steps? We already have our backup terms figured out if they don't like the initial agreement."

Haket sighs. "I mean, the next steps for getting you on the throne, today."

"Wait, today?" Oliver asks surprised, almost choking on the cupcake.

"Yes, today. We have the perfect opportunity to put you where you rightfully belong. Gilla is nothing but a seat warmer. She's sitting in there, practically mocking you by pretending to be on the same level as you. She even admitted it when she admitted to thinking that you didn't have a real offer! She is beneath you, and you don't see it!"

Oliver is stunned by Haket's sudden aggression. "Shouldn't we wait to see what she offers first?"

Haket quickly responds. "No. We have to strike now whilst they least expect it."

Oliver is taken aback. Everything seems to be coming at him so quick. Haket is practically pushing for him to take the throne from Gilla, but is he actually ready? Dreaming about being in charge is one thing, but to actually be the head of Nillork... could he actually, do it?

Haket sees that Oliver is conflicted about the idea, and Haket is frustrated that his plan is potentially crumbling in front of his eyes. Luckily for Haket, he crafted a backup plan just in case this happened. Haket then goes to the door and opens it up. One of the guards then leans over to Haket, who says, "Begin the Northern Climb."

The guard then nods his head before gesturing to the other guards who follow behind. As Haket is closing the door, he sees the guards begin to draw their weapons and attack Gilla's guards. Haket's face curls into a twisted smile as he fully closes the door.

Haket then turns back to Oliver who has a shocked look on his face. "Haket... what have you done?"

"I did what is best for you, sire. Now, we shall await for your sudden ascension to the throne."

Oliver is stunned, unable to get out any words as he hears the muffled cries of soldiers being cut down by steel.