Lord Minos of Heliopolis

You leave Alexia to do her job; by all the gods, by now you know she does it much better than you ever could. As much as you'd like to stay with her, the Games are due to start within a couple of hours and you have several other emissaries waiting to talk to you. Approaching your tent, you spot Lord Minos one of the royal political advisers to Heliopolis talking to Galeon.

"- married my stubborn cousin so I can't help but find it funny when you complain about how she nags you about getting in trouble." The handsome man a dozen years older than you wearing a formal tunic instead of armor stifles a laugh and, upon seeing your arrival, adds clearly "You have the impossible task my friend, of trying to keep your sovereign from his mad schemes." His eyes leave Galeon's and shift to yours, "Although frankly, I wish you had convinced your King to keep his nose out of this nasty business." You are disappointed that Lord Minos does not approve of your interference, of all the advisors in Heliopolis, he was one of the most level-headed and least blood-thirsty. Minos smiles apologetically at you when you clasp his forearm in yours.

"I know you mean well, your Majesty, but anything that gives those bastards up in the Citadel hope, just prolongs the suffering of the people of Athenapolis."

"What would you have me do, Lord Minos?" You ask with a grimace, "stand by while thousands captive women are chained and sold naked and the Slaver's Guild grows richer still from their suffering?"

"I know you hate the golden-robed slavers, Sire." Lord Minos' voice softens in sympathy. "But your presence here is much more than that stunt you pulled in Crete six months ago." You smile as you recall dropping a full load of a wet dung on Ectereciuos of Miltus and his guards in the middle of one of his auctions." The two men chuckle as well and you decide to explain your reasoning.

"Hey, I wanted to kidnap him to ransom him for the freedom of his slaves and a crate of wine but no, Alexia said that was too risky." They shake their heads. "So what else was I to do but to stage a protest. I'm just glad at least one or two of the slaves escaped during the chaos, and you have to admit it was hilarious." You try to hold back your laughter as you add the best part. "I heard he had to pay a captain three times the average rate to sail him back home and that his wife made him wash five times before even allowing him in the house."

"The King of Crete, and his Riders were none too happy about your little protest, your Majesty." Lord Minos reminds you of the diplomatic scuffle that arose from your prank. "You may think you can do what you please, Sire, but that little prank of yours set back relations between your two city-states by a good twenty years." A little annoyed at Lord Minos' analysis (that pretty much agreed with what Alexia had said at the time) you decide to get to business.

"So, instead of criticizing my hobbies, my friend, why don't you tell me what brings you here today." He smiles and shrugs his shoulders.

"Besides checking in on a friends and family," he bows again to you and Galeon, "I've been asked to use my skills to enlist you in our cause." He lifts his hand before you can even start to protest, "I know, your Majesty, I told them that you were as stubborn as a wild drake, but I am concerned about the cost of this stupid war in both resources and men." He smiles again and stares across the river at the army stationed outside the walls. "Each week we are here costs us thousands of gold ducats, and honestly, I'm growing tired of trying to keep this loosely based alliance of greedy nobles from eight different cities from killing each other over petty grudges."

You too have been struggling with providing for your much smaller ****; every farm within ten leagues has been stripped of all food, fodder and livestock, and just supplying your men is costing you ten times the normal cost. You can only imagine how much harder it would be to keep a **** the size of the United Army fed, even with the barges of supplies that arrive daily from up-river. As your mind tabulates the challenges of keeping an army in the field, Minos continues blandly. "And then, just when the walls are breached and things are looking up, you show up and start making demands."

The loud 'skwawk' of a drake from your roosts is joined by several others announcing the arrival of a dozen Riders wearing the colors of the United Armies, and you watch the precise landing of the four wings with professional interest. Lord Minos waits until the Riders pull off their straps and slide to the ground before engaging you once again.

"Can I at least assure Lord Raxius and his officers that you are not going to strike at us from the rear when this cease-fire ends?" The ambassador from Helios looks at you straight in the eye judging your reaction. "As you know, they are not at all happy with the arrival of several hundred horsemen to swell your ranks."