Chapter 67: Chapter 63: A King’s Burden

The rest of the expedition team’s conversions had gone well; they had upgraded the botanist’s Job to be…well, a better botanist with lots of nature magic, and two of the others had been changed into assistants for Camelia and Dahlia, but the last was the most interesting by far.

She had been a monster tamer of sorts, and when Lia had seen that her conversion options had lots of bits about managing animals, and even one that would let her cocoon members of the swarm for use in a second conversion, she had immediately sent for bees. She had a feeling that putting this new recruit into a position where she would be able to manage pretty much every part of the swarm’s biological needs from reproduction to retuning abilities would be a good idea, as she wasn’t sure when she would get anyone remotely as capable.

The conversions had, of course, completed without any complications, and the new recruits were waiting patiently in the dorm’s lobby for Lia to come inspect them. As Lia, Rose, and Ophelia entered, Ophelia’s eyes lit up, and she rushed over to the members of her team, tails wagging excitedly. “Look at you all!” She said, her three bodies circling around the four recruits and taking in their new appearances. “How’s it feel?”

“Captain?” The monster tamer, now a large bee-woman, said tentatively. “Is that…you?”

“Yup!” Ophelia said happily. “All three of these bodies are mine, pretty neat, huh?”

“You seem…more different than the rest of us.” The monster tamer continued. “It just caught me off-guard.”

“I’m fine, Allie!” Ophelia said. “Still just riding out the high from the conversion, I’ll be back to normal-ish in…probably an hour or two.”

One of the others, the one who was going to be Dahlia’s assistant, smirked. “I can’t wait to see the look on your face when you look back on this.” She said. “You’re going to be mortified.”

“Probably!” Ophelia admitted cheerfully. “But, I mean, this is the greatest thing that every happened to me, aside from meeting Mary, so I think I have a right to be cheerful for a bit.”

“Can’t argue with that logic.” The botanist muttered. “I feel so…connected to plants, way more than I ever have before.”

Lia let them enjoy meeting back up for a few minutes, then stepped forward. “Alright, I’ll give you some more time to reacquaint yourselves later, but right now I need Ophelia to come help plan some things with me, so I’m going to have to cut it short, okay?”

“Yes, Mistress!” Ophelia said, prompting some snorts from Ophelia’s teammates. On hearing these, Ophelia turned back, frowning. “What?”

“Nothing, Captain.” Allie said. “Just looking forward to the future.” She turned back to Lia, giving her a nod. “We’ll be taking our leave, my Queen.” She said. “I look forward to serving under you.”

“I expect good things.” Lia replied. She gave a quick set of instructions to each of the new recruits, sending the botanist and Allie to work under Lily, and the scouts under their respective superiors. When they had left, she, Ophelia, and Rose left for the room Amelia was staying in. Since Rose and Lia were sharing their room, Amelia had chosen to live in one on the different side of that floor, near Lia’s family.

“Oh, yeah, how did you get my cocoon to fit in these rooms, Mistress?” Ophelia asked as they walked. “I’m pretty sure the cerberus was bigger than these rooms, so…how?”

“Your cocoon shrunk drastically within the first few minutes.” Lia replied. “And, since we hadn’t converted something so strong before, we brought you to a more secluded place in case of complications.”

The walk to Amelia’s room was short, so they really didn’t have time to do much more than finish that conversation before they were at her doorstep. Taking a deep breath, Lia stepped forward and knocked. “Amelia, it’s me!” She called out. “I need you!”

There was the sound of furious shuffling within the room, and moments later the door flew open, revealing a panting Amelia and some slightly disheveled furniture behind her. “How can I help?” She asked.

“I told Ophelia that I would help save her family.” Lia explained. “And you’re the only one with anywhere close to the power we would need to do it. Also…I figured that, after we make a plan, we can talk about us.”

Amelia’s eyes gleamed, and she shot a not-so-subtle smug look at Rose. “So, an extraction, like with your family?” She said. “I’m not as strong as before, but since I’m protecting them, I can make something work…probably.”

“It’s not as simple as that.” Lia said. “The situation is…complicated.”

Amelia nodded knowingly, then absentmindedly waved a hand towards the room and all the furniture returned to a pristine state. “Please, come in.”

Once seated, Lia and Rose explained the situation to Amelia. There was quite a bit of back and forth on the details up until the point where Rose brought up an idea Lia hadn’t even considered.

“Why don’t we try diplomacy?” Rose said. “The Glens don’t have any leverage on us, but we hold a great deal of power here. If we just, say, agree to a non-aggression period until a while after the Lord of Monsters has been defeated, and also make explicit that we will be defeating the Lord of Monsters, that should mollify their concerns, and as long as we’re careful in our wording we’ll lose basically nothing. Amelia, how are you with long-distance magic in this form?” Rose asked.

“Passable. At the very least, I’ll be able to get over the wards they have at the palace, those weren’t built to deal with someone of my caliber, and since I’m protecting these people, I have leeway.”

Ophelia frowned. “Protecting is a bit of a strong word, isn’t it? They’re not in –”

“I’m not listening!” Amelia said, clamping her hands over her ears. “They’re very clearly in immediate danger which we will be saving them from through tense negotiations!”

“What?” Ophelia said, casting confused glances at the others. “I don’t…”

“We’ll explain later.” Lia said. “Just don’t press the subject for now.”

“As I was saying,” Amelia said, taking her hands off of her ears and continuing as if nothing had happened, “it’s no problem at all.”

“Good.” Rose replied. “Then, let’s hammer out some details, and make a call to the king, shall we?”

---

Brom, King of the Glens, was sitting at his desk with his head in his hands. The loss of Owen was crippling, and he had no doubt that any force he sent would meet the same fate. Any force of a size large enough to potentially detain Amelia was far too obvious for a trek through the Spine, and his small team of elites had been crushed, though admittedly there was some sort of trickery involved.

“Brom.” Amelia’s voice rang out in front of him. “We need to talk.”

Brom nearly jumped out of his skin at the unexpected voice, glancing up to see an image of Amelia standing in front of him. His palace should have been warded against all magic short of siege magic, but…Amelia didn’t follow the normal rules.

“Amelia.” He said carefully. “This is rather sudden. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Cut the niceties, we both know the situation.” Amelia said flatly. “And, against my better judgement, I am here to offer you a deal.”

Brom frowned, picking his next words carefully. “A deal? I am not against the idea, depending on the contents.”

“First, let me make something clear.” Amelia said, waving a hand. An intense flare of pain erupted from Brom’s arm, and he was barely able to hold back a scream as he looked down. A dagger was pinning his arm to the table, fit exactly to the size of the wound it made and preventing even a drop of blood from being shed. This…this had to be all in his mind; Heroes couldn’t hurt people, not –

Amelia waved her hand again, and the dagger was lying beside Brom on the table, his wound having sealed completely. “I know you are under the impression that Heroes cannot hurt people, and while you would normally be right, I have figured out a way around that. I say this because I want to make it clear that if I so chose, I could come and take everything I wanted myself. However, Lia wishes to be diplomatic, so I will do things her way for now.”

Amelia paused, then nodded. “She wishes to speak to you personally, so I will allow her to be the face of this call. Do not disappoint me, and remember that I am still able to hear and see everything you say or do.”

Amelia’s image fuzzed, replaced with the image of Lia, or…whatever Amelia had made her into. “Your majesty,” Lia said, a hint of nervousness in her tone, “it is a pleasure to speak to you.”

“Likewise.” Brom said guardedly. “I understand you have a deal for me?”

Lia nodded. “I assume you have already watched the footage from the monitoring orb?”

Brom wasn’t particularly surprised that they knew about the orb; Amelia was an unprecedented genius in magic, and deciphering the spells contained within was likely a trivial task for her. “I have, yes.” He paused, studying Lia’s face, then continued. “If I may, before we proceed, may I ask you a question? Not as a king, but as a person.”

Lia paused for a moment, glancing to the side, then nodded. “Provided it is not unreasonable, I will give an answer.”

While it appeared that Amelia was still calling the shots in some regard, Brom had to admit he was glad that he was talking with Lia and not Amelia; he had not paid too much attention to the reports on her, but it had seemed that she was a much kinder person than Amelia. She likely was not the same as she had been before, but dealing with Amelia often felt like trying to handle a live monster, and Lia was more…personable, if no less dangerous.

“May I ask what you have done with Owen?” Brom asked. “He is a dear friend to me, and I would like to know what to tell his family.”

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“While he is not what he once was, I will say that he is safe and happy.” Lia said. “In fact, it is on his behalf that I am talking to you now.”

Brom’s heart skipped a beat in his chest. “He is? But his magical signature…”

“Has irrevocably changed. But he and the rest of his team are unharmed, nor are not being treated as prisoners or anything of the sort. I will even let you speak to him at the end of this call, provided negotiations do not break down.”

It was a clear ploy to try and push Brom towards agreeing with their deal, whatever it was, but Brom refused to let it sway him. If their deal was beneficial for his people, he would take it. If not, he would deny…though he had to keep in mind Amelia’s clear threats.

He surreptitiously twisted one of his rings, letting it crumble into nothingness as the magic within was unleashed. A soothing feeling washed over him, cleansing him of any mental tampering; it was a precious artifact, one that had been forged in the days of the Ruby Emperor, and it contained enough power to work against even Amelia’s spells. And if it didn’t…then whether or not it was used was pointless; Amelia would be able to make him do whatever she wished.

He glanced over to the side, noting with a sinking feeling that the dagger was still lying on the table. It would appear that Amelia had been telling the truth; she could hurt people, and she could likely ruin the country if he caused too much offense. So, he sucked in a breath, carefully picking his next words. “Very well, thank you for indulging me. Would I be correct in assuming that this deal would affect more than just me personally?”

Lia nodded. “It would affect your entire country, yes.”

Her image fuzzed, and Amelia replaced it. “To pre-empt your question, this deal will be made as an Oath under the Goddess of Law between our fledgling nation and the Glens. However, I believe this deal is rather favorable for you, so I would suggest not dismissing it outright.”

Her image fuzzed, and was once again replaced by Lia. “Apologies.” Lia said. “Amelia made an assumption. What were you going to say?”

“That was my question.” Brom confirmed. He leaned forward on his desk, making direct eye contact with the projection of Lia. “Lay out your deal.”

“As Amelia has said, we are building our own nation out here. We are well aware of your concerns about the Lord of Monsters, and it is obviously something we are worried about ourselves. Before we proceed to negotiations, I would like to state that, regardless of the outcome of these negotiations, we will be defeating the Lord of Monsters. We are not unreasonable, and we know that refusing to deal with the Lord of Monsters out of some desire to treat it as a bargaining chip is a danger to all sapient people.

“For our part of this bargain, we are willing to offer a non-aggression pact, valid until three years after the defeat of the Lord of Monsters. Within this time, we will not knowingly harm you or your citizens, nor will we purposefully attempt to pillage your lands or steal from you.”

Brom frowned as she spoke. The fact that they were offering this as their side of the deal and that it was for a limited time meant that this new nation was to be aggressive, one that would see much conflict in the future. And…with the Hero backing them, their size was irrelevant; their armies were sure to be a force to be reckoned with.

“This pact does not include free passage into your lands, nor does it include free passage into ours. Should passage be desired, it must be negotiated for separately.” Lia continued. “If you wish to contact us about this, or about other potential deals in the future, Amelia will check her room in her family’s estates every Friday at noon. Leave a marked letter there, and we will respond.

“However, in return, we have three small requests. First, you are not to share any information about us to any outside person or organization, aside from the fact that we will be defeating the Lord of Monsters. We are aware that you have already sent the monitoring orb’s footage to the other countries, and we will not prevent you from talking about things that are already known.

“Second, should a Hero be summoned and enter your lands, we are allowed access to your lands explicitly to interact with the Hero. A summoned Hero, if they appear in your lands when summoned, will not be subject to any terms of this agreement, nor will this agreement protect them in any way. Attempts to keep us from the Hero will be treated as aggressive actions, and thereby prevented by the Oath.

“Finally, we ask for the spouses and children of the five people you sent to spy on us. If the children have spouses and children of their own, they are to be brought as well, not including any people that have previously been explicitly disowned. We will check for them in the castle courtyard at noon each day for two weeks, but they are to be brought as soon as possible. If you are physically unable to bring some of them before the deadline, leave a note in the courtyard and we will work something out. These people are to be welcomed as full citizens of our nation, and will be treated well. Do you have any questions?”

Brom shifted uncomfortably. There wasn’t anything directly disadvantageous to him in this deal, but it felt…strange. “Why the stipulation about summoned Heroes?” He asked. “Surely that’s unnecessary.”

“We felt that the other countries would not believe that we will defeat the Lord of Monsters, and will attempt to summon a Hero.” Lia explained. “Should the summoning succeed, we wish to be able to communicate with the Hero freely, and do not wish this deal to be used to unfairly shelter them from us.”

They weren’t telling the full truth, but Brom wouldn’t press the point further; Amelia was likely to get…upset should he pry too much. “If that is the case, may I ask that we add to the contract a section dictating that your nation, and Amelia in particular, will do its utmost to defeat the Lord of Monsters?”

“We have no issues with that.” Lia said.

“And what of our scouts?” Brom asked. “We would like to ensure that they are likewise treated fairly; they were just following orders.”

“We will add it into the contract, but rest assured that they have already agreed to become citizens of our nation. They wished to be able to stay with their families, thus the third clause of the contract.”

Brom frowned. There was no way that the scouts had chosen to join under their own volition; they were loyal people, not the type to jump ship to some new nation for no reason. Whatever Amelia did to make their magical signatures vanish must have messed with their minds, as well. “Then, will you, as part of the contract, allow them to return home if they desire? This decision must be made while they are not under the effects of any spells or mind-altering effects. And, if they do choose to return, their families must be free to come back with them, if the families also wish to return.”

“We have no arguments with that, either.” Lia replied. “Do you find these terms acceptable?”

Brom shifted uncomfortably. There was clearly something wrong with this negotiation, but he couldn’t figure out what. If this had been any other nation, in any other situation, he would have been content with these terms, but this situation was just…strange. Amelia had disappeared for months, likely to work on this nation, and then she comes back with this deal after the scouting party was defeated?

It was highly suspicious. Yet…try as he might, Brom couldn’t decline the deal upon suspicion alone. The terms were fine, and rejecting the relatively reasonable requests when Amelia had made threats was foolhardy. So, he sighed, and gave Lia a nod. “I, Brom, King of the Glens, find these terms acceptable, and swear this Oath under the name of the Goddess of Law.”

“And I, Lia, Queen of the Swarm, likewise find these terms acceptable, and swear this Oath under the name of the Goddess of Law.”

There was a wrenching sensation as the Oath took effect, binding both of their respective governments to follow the terms laid out in it. Still, Brom was unsatisfied; the circumstances had been strange, and Lia’s title was distinctly off-putting. But…with no other information, and Amelia’s threats, he didn’t really have a choice.

“I believe I said I would let you speak with Owen.” Lia said. “Do you have any last questions with me before I hand you over?”

Brom shook his head. “No, thank you for asking.”

The image blurred, and then expanded, three identical wolfkin girls appearing before him. “Brom,” they said, “thank you for agreeing to send our families back, it means a lot to us.”

“Owen?” Brom asked. “Is that you?”

The girls nodded. “Yes, though I go by Ophelia now. All three of these bodies are mine, but rest assured that I am mostly the same as I was before.”

Brom’s heart sank. “Mostly?”

“Well, I’m more doglike now.” Owen replied. “But other than that, I have all of my memories, emotions, and personality.”

“Amelia,” Brom said, “as per the Oath, would you please put him in an unmodified state of mind now? I would like to hear whether he truly wishes to join your nation.”

“I am in an unmodified state of mind.” Owen said. “It’s not the same as it was before, but this is my new unmodified, both body and mind.”

“That’s…”

“Not possible?” Owen…no, Ophelia said. “I would have thought so too. But…from one friend to another, Amelia is far more capable than either of us thought. I know you must be feeling frustrated, but you made the right call; if Amelia truly wished, she could ruin the Glens. It’s really only thanks to Mistress that she’s been kept in check.”

“Mistress?”

“Lia.” Ophelia said. “Sorry, her proper title is Queen, but…doglike, remember?”

“Right. Is she…the same as she used to be?”

“Mostly.” Ophelia replied. “Amelia changed her sexuality, but that’s all the difference I’ve been able to see. Anyway, I should be getting going soon, it was nice to talk with you again.”

“I…you as well, Ow- Ophelia.”

The image turned off, and Brom collapsed onto his desk. He wasn’t fully sure just yet, but…he might have made a bigger mistake than he had initially expected. Now, all that was left to do was pray it wouldn’t bring the kingdom to ruin.