“Immortality,” King Doma repeated. “I could see people going to great lengths to obtain that glowing liquid of yours. What exactly was in that bottle, anyway?”
“What Gin drank was a liquid version of the raw vitality present in the Unseen Realm,” I explained. “It revitalizes the spirit, which in turn rejuvenates the body. That was why I thought it could save him. I never imagined it would change him into a Sprigian. It’s possible the dosage was too high, but I suspect the result would have been similar even with a lower dose. It brought him back from the brink of death, and reforged his body. You can see why I would like to keep this a secret. Both kings and commoners alike would hound me relentlessly if they knew.”
“Did you not think that I might wish for it myself, then?” the king asked pointedly.
I looked him right in the eye as I explained my thoughts. “I thought about that, but think of what it would mean for your position. I wouldn’t mind giving you some, but if you changed your form, people wouldn’t follow you so readily anymore. They would become distrustful, thinking you were a spy, or under my control. In the worst-case scenario, either you would be driven out of your own kingdom, or I’d be asked to transform every person in it. The second option may not seem bad at first, but the Unseen Realm wouldn’t be able to handle producing the energy to change that many people all at once—and there would also be those who would resist, fueled by suspicion and hatred. In either case, it could invite conflict into your lands.”
“You make a good point,” Yomas said. “You’ve considered this very thoroughly.”
“They’re all things I was worried might happen to Gin, so I’ve worried over them almost constantly since he changed,” I admitted.
“Milady, you’ve really worried that much for me? I’ve been so thoughtless. I never even considered that anyone might doubt me, or that they would suspect you of trickery,” Gin confessed with a hint of a blush on his cheeks.
“It’s because you’re a good person,” I told him. “People try to see themselves in others, and they tend to assume others would think as they would. Unfortunately, I’m all too familiar with the slings and arrows of hatred and prejudice. It’s only natural I’d be wary of them.”
“I can sense the pain behind those words. You must have endured a lot.” King Doma tried his best to empathize, but I wasn’t sure if he really understood what that was like. Most people could probably think back to a time in their life when they were treated unfairly because they were different, though. I certainly could.
“Not as much as some,” I said. “You might even say I’ve been fortunate. Now then, I propose we put that matter aside for now and discuss the matter of the Grimwood region, and the placement of my towers. If you’d like, we can call in more of your retainers, or hold the meeting in a different venue.”
“I see,” King Doma said. “Before that, what terms would you like? I’m curious as to your motivations.”
“Ah. Well, ideally, I’d like to make towers all along the southern edge of the forest, and have you recognize my claim as queen of the Grimwood region. In exchange, I’ll link the towers together, which will create a wall that would prevent most of the monsters from escaping the forest. That way, you’ll be able to create settlements in the north and farm the land there. I’ll also have my forces patrol the forest near the wall and eliminate any monsters that might try to cross. In addition, I’ll create a safe route through the forest. That way, merchants can eventually travel to the northern countries. In exchange, I’ll claim a modest toll from them.”
“What would that toll be?”
“For now, I’d say about five domels per person. That sounds reasonable, right?”
Yomas nodded. “Perhaps not for the average person, but for a merchant, it sounds fair.”
“Eventually, I want to create a lively marketplace, full of goods from all over the continent. I’d like Grimwood to become an important trade hub. I haven’t made contact with any of the northern countries yet, but once I establish my southern border, that will be my next step. I’d also like to put a few towers along the route from the royal capital to Grimwood. That would make travel much faster.”
“Faster? Not safer?” King Doma asked, confused.
“Faster and safer,” I corrected.
“What Lady Grimwood means, Your Majesty, is that she can create magical gateways within the towers to reduce travel times,” Gin cut in. “However, to create these gates, the towers on either end must be connected to each other. We were able to shave a significant amount of time off of our journey by using one of these gates to warp to Finnelbraugh. Since the travel is near instantaneous, there’s no risk of being attacked during that part of the trip.”
“What Gin said,” I said. Even now, he was a masterful translator.
“Milady, I would also suggest informing His Majesty of what you told me regarding the role of trees in tending to the air.” Gin looked at me meaningfully. Honestly, I didn’t want him to stop.
“Ah, that’s true. It might help silence those who want to cut down the Grimwood.”
I spent a few minutes explaining things about how oxygen worked to the king and Yomas. Incidentally, my towers functioned much the same way trees did; in their case, they also purified the air inside of them. With so many reasons to stay inside, it was a miracle I ever went anywhere. Especially since I could create almost anything while I was inside my towers or in the Unseen Realm. Despite having every reason to stay at home, here I was, still trying to forge relationships. Realistically, I could just ignore the humans and do whatever I wanted...but, well, I’d been human once too.
In the end, I supposed it was human nature to seek relationships with others. What was the quote? “No man is an island, complete unto himself”?
Anyway, after my explanation, I answered some other questions about basic science.
“You’ve given us much to consider,” King Doma declared. “If you’ll wait in an antechamber, I’ll discuss your proposal with my advisors.” It seemed he was finally ready to make a choice. Honestly, though, my behavior probably wouldn’t change much either way.
“Very well. I await a favorable response.”
I exited the room and was met by a pair of maids, who led me to a very fancy waiting room. It seemed this was one of several antechambers connected to the palace’s ballroom; they were furnished this way so ladies could adjust their dresses and makeup while they waited. I sincerely hoped he wasn’t going to ask me to dance. I wouldn’t be able to handle that. I’d danced maybe twice in my previous life, and not at all since becoming Lilac. In the event I was asked to dance, I could probably just float there with my wings and cheat my way through it, but that would make me look bad...
I did get asked to the senior prom in high school, by the way, but my brothers all attended the event as well. Every time my date even looked like he was going to touch me inappropriately, he was instantly bombarded by ominous glares from three different directions. We were both so nervous that our one attempt at actually dancing ended pretty badly, and we spent most of the event by the punch bowl. In the end he was too scared of my brothers to pursue a romantic relationship with me beyond the dance. Not that it would have mattered, really, with how busy I’d always been.
I sat in the antechamber and waited. The king’s answer would determine my relationship with Doma in the future. Would I become a helpful friend and trade partner, or a legend about a strange creature who lived in a tower in the forest?