The air was tense as the Metzger troops entered the town of Nerea, the capital of Frimasvale. The bre of a horn had signified their arrival, as rge iron gates were pushed open to allow the guests entry.

  The Metzger soldiers filed through in neat rows, horse hooves thudding against the ice-slicked wood as they approached. Theron Metzger, second heir to the Metzger throne, was towards the front of his soldiers, leading the way. His blond hair peeked out through the winter hood he had on, his dark brown eyes sweeping through the crowd as he wore an easy smile on his face. His golden coat was grand, clearly woven out of exquisite material and matching his hair.

  Next to him, astride a tall grey steed, was the Grand Marshal of Metzger - Wulfe Alvar. He wore the traditional monochromatic colours of the Metzger troops, making his golden eyes stand out in stark contrast to the dark armour and his tan skin. He had a bck cape wrapped around his armour, dispying the Metzger symbol: a thorny rose wound around a lion. His hair was pitch bck, chopped and parted in the front to avoid obscuring his vision mid-combat.

  As the Metzger procession drew closer, Verde could see Theron picking him out from the crowd, the prince of Metzger raising a hand to wave in greeting. To his side, Wulfe’s gaze darted over to the Frimasvale leader, his brilliant golden eyes narrowing, piercing through Verde.

  As Verde watched on from the front of his manor, he could feel a shiver running down his spine. The st time he saw Wulfe, he had been impaled upon the Metzger general’s sword - the very same sword that Verde could see was sheathed and strapped to his waist. Verde’s throat ran dry as he steeled himself, clenching his fists to remind himself of the future that he was trying to rewrite.

  “Wow, I’ve not been a part of the welcoming party before!” Adeise gasped from beside Verde, turning to her brother. “Is it always this grand?”

  Her green eyes sparkled with innocent curiosity, as Verde tried to ignore the pang of guilt at her words.

  He never allowed Adeise to be around during high-profile visits, mostly because he didn’t want Adeise to get involved with the outside world. Foreign politics was messy and boring, and Verde had thought that Adeise would never need to worry about these matters anyway, not when he was there to take care of it for her. There was also the small part that wanted to hide his sister away from the prying eyes of the other kingdoms, to stop any possible suitors entering the picture. But after reading the book, Verde thought that his efforts only achieved the opposite effect, creating resentment in his sister for her isotion.

  He looked at her and forced a smile on his face.

  ”It’s not always this exciting, I assure you.”

  Adeise nodded and hummed in agreement, seemingly too caught up in the procession to properly hear him.

  “Hm, it’s the first time I’m seeing him up close,” Elisee mused from her spot on the other side of Verde. “He’s not as intimidating as I expected.”

  Verde followed her gaze and saw Wulfe again. The man still wore a scowl on his face, his eyes now scanning the crowd, as if still wary of threats.

  “Are you sure?” Verde muttered under his breath in reply. “That Grand Marshal looks just as expected to me, it’s no wonder his opponents withdraw whenever they learn he's participating in the same tournament.”

  “What? No, I’m not talking about Sir Alvar.” Elisee tilted her head towards Theron. “I'm referring to Prince Theron, of course.”

  “Oh. Yes. Him… Uh, I suppose you’re right.”

  “Of course I’m not referring to Sir Alvar - he’s terrifying! It looked like he was going to split me in two with just his gaze just now.”

  —

  The meeting room was a sizeable space, located within Verde's manor. It was neatly cleaned in preparation, a rge roundtable pnted in the middle. The bookshelves that bordered the room were stuffed with reading materials, from the dozens of citizen registries, to a variety of research books that expined in unnecessary detail the findings of Frimasvale flora and fauna.

  Currently, the room only had two occupants: Verde and Wulfe.

  Verde was doing his best to maintain his calm as he sat in his chair, his eyes looking at every in the room except for Wulfe.

  How did it come to this?

  He had welcomed Theron once they crossed the bridge and made their way towards Verde's manor. As Verde expected, Theron and his men were all the more eager to get off their horses and shrug off their travel clothes, weary from the long trek from their home.

  Verde knew that the guests would take time to get themselves ready for the meeting, however he found himself in the meeting room early due to his nerves. He had to make sure that the meeting would go smoothly, or else his previous life might just repeat itself.

  While he was sitting in the empty room ruminating on what he had to do, practicing his smiles and making sure the chairs were perfectly positioned, he was startled when he heard the door swinging open.

  "You're early, Prince Th-" Verde had put on one of his practiced smiles, however it fell off immediately when the door revealed a tall and imposing figure, cd in bck armour.

  It was Wulfe.

  Verde did not prepare himself to be alone with the knight, and he could feel a shiver running up his spine when Wulfe regarded him with his golden eyes, like he was looking right through the noble.

  Was he supposed to be here so early? Verde remembered that Wulfe came into the meeting room at the same time as Theron in his previous life. Was Verde's earliness already throwing the narrative in the book off its written path?

  "Ah, um... Greetings, Sir Alvar," Verde corrected himself quickly, trying to mask his nerves by putting on the smile again.

  Wulfe, still standing, raised an eyebrow at Verde as he looked down at the noble.

  "Lord Emerys. I didn't expect you to know my name when we've not met before," he stated ftly. His voice was low and cautious, like the warning growl of a predator.

  Verde inwardly cursed at his carelessness.

  This was supposed to be their first meeting, of course. Being in a room alone with his killer was affecting Verde more than he wanted to admit.

  "Of course I've heard of you, Sir Alvar," Verde waved his hand, trying to sound dismissive as he worked to cover up his mistake. "It would be zy of me to not learn the name of Metzger's Grand Marshal, not after all of your achievements under your belt."

  "Oh? My reputation precedes me." Wulfe smirked as he settled into the chair, his eyes boring into Verde. "What have you heard about me?"

  A bit of fttery seemed to go a long way, and Verde was all the more happy to continue fanning the knight's ego.

  "Well, I was impressed by your leadership when you repelled the Orne forces recently, I heard that you and your men were able to stand your ground well despite how much more advanced Orne weaponry is. You were already turning heads with your various tournaments and championships that you fought your way through - Prince Theron chose his Grand Marshal well."

  Verde prattled on, repeating snippets of Wulfe's history that he gleaned from the book. He was an orphan with no background beforehand, befriending Theron through pure chance when their paths crossed during their childhood. Because of it, Theron had gotten Wulfe into a variety of sparring tournaments that established the knight's name and gave him his reputation, along with his deep-seated loyalty to the Metzger prince.

  Verde would have carried on, but he stopped abruptly when Wulfe pced his sword on the table in an abrupt and deliberate fashion.

  "Your knowledge of the Orne assault is quite detailed, Lord Emerys." Wulfe said, his shoulders tensed as he glowered at the noble. "How did you come by that information so soon?"

  Verde cmmed his mouth shut. Did he say too much?

  "W-Well, given my position, I tend to hear a lot of whispers and rumours from the courtesans," he stammered in expnation.

  Wulfe scoffed.

  "Gossiping behind closed doors, is that all you nobles are good for?" He clenched his fist, looking like he was ready to strike at Verde at any moment.

  Before he could respond, however, it was like something in Wulfe snapped, as he instantly rexed and leaned back on his chair.

  "Forgive me for my questions." The knight curled his lips into a smile, though it was painted with scorn. "I have been in this position for a mere few months, so it's only natural that I am wary of anyone who knows so much about me, a lowly commoner with no background."

  Verde felt his heart sinking. The meeting didn't even start yet, and it was already proving to be an absolute disaster.

  He opened and closed his mouth like a fish, torn between the need to salvage the situation and the fear that anything he could say would make it somehow worse.

  When the door swung open to reveal his council members escorting Theron into the room, he felt an immense wave of relief at the interruption.

  "Wulfe! Early as usual," Theron grinned as he cpped the knight on the shoulder.

  Wulfe only grunted in response, crossing his arms and sending another death gre in Verde's direction.

  "You're here early," Elisee whispered as she took her seat next to Verde. "Was Sir Alvar pleasant company?"

  Verde grimaced in her direction, which she seemed to find amusing.

  "I hope you know what you're doing," Hugues muttered to Verde as he sat down.

  “I was surprised to see that you were in attendance for our welcome party, Lord Emerys,” Theron turned his attention to Verde as he settled into his chair.

  Theron Metzger sat across from Verde, a calm smile on his face as he looked Verde straight in the eyes. The second son of the Metzger nobility was tall with tousled golden hair, and he carried with him a regal air, with his perfect poise and commanding presence in the room. It was how he was created, Verde idly thought, as the perfect partner to the protagonist of the story.

  “Of course, it’s only polite for a host to greet his guests,” he replied, mirroring Theron’s smile.

  Wulfe did not move a muscle from his position behind Theron, his eyes still trained on Verde, as if analysing him. Theron seemed to be more than happy to let his mad dog off the leash, not bothering to reprimand his knight for his hostile behaviour. Verde tried his best to ignore the stares.

  “I couldn’t agree more, it seems like the rumours about the lord in the north having a heart as frozen as his nds are unfounded,” Theron broke out into a grin.

  He was speaking the exact words as his character from the novel, as if he was reading out the script of a py. Initially, Verde took this as an act of provocation, however from the novel he inferred that Theron was an honest man, and one that didn’t buy into rumours.

  "It's all baseless talk, it's not like many have what it takes to come up here and visit us in person," Elisee remarked with a wave of her hand.

  “I am gd to know that you aren’t the type of noble who falls prey to courtroom gossip,” Verde replied, to which Theron let out a snort of ughter.

  “No, that stuff is all very boring for me. Let’s cut to the chase, shall we? We came here to discuss what you wrote down in your message - an alliance.”

  “Yes, of course,” Verde leaned forward, his hands csped together. “I'm sorry to hear about the ailing health of your father, however you are surely aware of the situation that you may end up in.”

  “Starting off with the hard topics, aren’t we, Lord Emerys?” Theron said with a chuckle. “Yes, your observation is right. With father gone, Tristain and I will be locked in a power struggle. The old man is unwilling to name an heir, as he insists he will live on, however we both know that’s not going to happen.”

  “Exactly, and that is why I am offering my strength now as an ally, in order to bolster your cim to the crown.”

  “I’m honoured by the offer, Lord Emerys, but you’re also aware that this is very strange behaviour, right?”

  Verde grimaced at that. He was hoping that Theron wouldn’t have caught on, but it seemed like his reputation was much worse than he’d anticipated.

  He had always been a recluse, holing himself up in the north and refusing trade. Scarcity of the iron and ore that created the sturdiest weaponry was one of the few assets Frimasvale had, and Verde only used it when it was required - after all, he didn’t enjoy the idea of supplying his enemies with the means to strengthen their military.

  “Well, a change in times calls for a change in mindset,” he replied, waving his hand dismissively.

  “How astute of you.”

  “Of course, it’s a requirement for a leader to see all possible paths ahead and forge towards the one best for his people.”

  Wulfe snorted, while Theron chuckled.

  “It’s evident that the rumours are very wrong. I must learn from you, Lord Emerys.”

  “You’re not falling for this, are you?” Wulfe muttered, though Verde ignored the knight. He could see Hugues tensing next to him, however he cleared his throat and spoke up.

  “You are still young - Metzger will benefit greatly from your youth and vigor, and I can see that you have the potential to grow into a fine leader for your nd.”

  Verde raised his hand, signaling to Pascal. At the gesture, his stewardmaster immediately ducked towards the back of the room, returning with an elegantly carved teapot and cups in his hands.

  “Please, as a gesture of my hospitality,” Verde said as Pascal set the porcein onto the table. “This is brewed from freshly picked Weissalle flowers in the nd.”

  The flower was one of the few coveted resources that Frimasvale was willing to trade, as it was an exquisite ingredient in tea. Because of its environment, the flower rarely survived outside of the frigid winter.

  “Can’t say I’ve had the pleasure of trying such a rare tea before, I’m grateful for the offer,” Theron nodded in appreciation as Pascal filled each cup with the tea.

  “Careful, this may not be safe to drink,” Wulfe interjected from his position next to Theron, as he narrowed his eyes towards Verde. “How do we know that this hasn't been tampered with?”

  Originally, this was the part where Verde indeed did poison the drink in order to lull the Metzgers into unconsciousness, though Wulfe didn’t speak up during that time. He blinked in surprise, thrown off by the change.

  “O-Of course, what benefit would I have to poison the both of you?” He retorted, though he was unable to keep the tremor out of his voice. At that, he could see Wulfe beginning to scowl.

  "How rude of you to accuse your host of such a treacherous thing!" Hugues jolted from his seat, unaware of the irony behind his statement. He gred viciously at Wulfe, who returned the gesture twofold.

  “Prince Theron is a high-ranking official, why wouldn’t you benefit from having him in your grasp?” Wulfe replied, voice low. “People like you aren’t afraid to resort to such trickery in order to gain an advantage.”

  Verde felt his eyebrow twitch. Was he always this rude? Wulfe was infamous for despising nobles, however he had few interactions with the knight before.

  "My, my. It's not good to forge an alliance off suspicions and accusations," Elisee sighed.

  "My Lord, are you going to stand for this?" Hugues demanded.

  Verde put a hand up to calm his warmaster. They couldn't afford any hostility at this moment, even if Wulfe seemed intent on it.

  “I can assure you, I don’t mean any harm-“

  “Words only go so far, and all you’ve been doing is talking.” Wulfe interrupted with a derisive sneer. “Don’t you have more important things to do, or-"

  Verde’s patience snapped under Wulfe’s insults.

  “Fine! If you need me to prove it, then I will!” Verde burst out, leaning forward and grabbing a random cup. He took a swig of it, almost finishing the entire thing before smming it down and gring at Wulfe.

  “There. I’m not keeling over, aren’t I?” He huffed.

  There was a beat of silence, giving Verde time to shrink back onto his seat and realise that he was being wildly inappropriate. Everyone in the room seemed dumbfounded, especially Verde’s council, as they stared at him.

  Just when he was about to stammer a hasty apology, the attention was turned to Wulfe again as the knight let out a huff.

  “It could've been a fluke,” he muttered, crossing his arms stubbornly.

  “Are you joking-“ Verde was about to get riled up again, but he stopped when he saw Theron and the rest of his council members picking up their cups and taking a sip.

  “Bitter and yet aromatic, it’s quite a unique taste,” Theron said, nodding as he set down his cup. “Please excuse Sir Alvar, he is just overly cautious - it’s his first time in Frimasvale.”

  He could then see Theron subtly nudging Wulfe, prompting the knight to scoff and begrudgingly take up his own cup. He felt a petty sense of joy when he saw Wulfe's face scrunching up at the taste, evidently displeased by the taste.

  “Your proposal is tempting, I assume this also means you’d be willing to share your supplies of ore with us?” He asked, getting back on topic.

  Verde nodded, causing him to grin.

  “Then I see no reason to refuse, Frimasvale steel has always been the most valuable in the nd. If conflict does break out, my men would benefit greatly from your weapons. Would you be able to share these resources with us, so we may begin building up our supplies in preparation for war?”

  Wulfe looked like he was about to say something, but Verde leaned over, extending a hand to Theron.

  “Of course, we are happy to abide by those terms. It’s agreed then, we will work as allies, and you will return the favour if conflict ever spills onto our nd?”

  Theron grasped his hand firmly.

  “Of course, you have my word,” he smiled as they shook on it.

  Pleased, Verde sat back down.

  “Wonderful, my men will work with yours to draw up a contract to formalise this agreement. In the meantime, you are free to stay and recuperate from your journey”

  “Thank you for your offer, we certainly will be taking you up on it. We’re not used to the harsh winters. Some rest would do us good before we go back home.”

  At that, Theron and Verde both got up from their chairs, while everyone else followed suit.

  “Pascal, please show Theron and his men to their guest quarters,” Verde instructed.

  Pascal nodded and bowed towards the visitors, gesturing for them to follow.

  “I look forward to our next meeting, Lord Emerys,” Theron waved at Verde before departing.

  His knight followed suit, though he gred at Verde before nodding in acknowledgement and swiftly turning his heel to follow the prince.

  Once the Metzgers cleared out of the room, he let out a sigh he didn't realise he'd been holding back.

  "A little rocky at the start, however we got it in the end," Elisee noted with a smile. "Your negotiation skills have improved since the st time I saw them."

  "I don't like that knight," Hugues interjected with a scowl. "How could we just stand there and watch him ridicule you?"

  Verde shook his head.

  "It's fine, we need to look at the bigger picture. I'd rather endure his attitude rather than his sword." Suddenly, Verde felt like he was hit with a wave of tiredness. He stood up from his chair, making his way for the door. "Pascal should be taking care of the guests now. If there are any problems, come and find me."

  "What are we supposed to do with the guests? I'm appointed as a warmaster, not a host-"

  "Hush, Hugues! Let him rest, he looks like he needs it."

  He heard Elisee and Hugues beginning to bicker behind him. Not wanting to stay around and get caught in the middle of it, Verde quickly left, retreating into the safety of his room. He colpsed in exhaustion on his bed, welcoming the soft mattress that sank under his weight. Wulfe aside, it felt like he’d crossed a major hurdle by pledging allegiance with Theron, however he knew that this was only the beginning. Their territories were soon going to be thrown into conflict, and Verde had to ensure that he and his people were protected when that time came.

  Theron seemed easy enough to negotiate with, however the Grand Marshal was stubborn and cautious. Verde idly wondered if Wulfe was going to pose a bigger obstacle than he expected, though he quickly drifted off as he sank deeper into his mattress.