Chapter 121 Diplomatic Visits
Elara's POV
"An army of everyone we've defeated?" I stared at the vision fading from the shadow bird's ashes. "That's impossible! They're all dead! Gone!"
"The Eternal King can resurrect," Drakon said grimly. "We knew that. But bringing back everyone at once..." He paused, calculating. "We have two days to prepare for the biggest battle yet."
"And we're hosting six kingdoms' worth of ambassadors!" I grabbed his arm. "We can't fight and negotiate simultaneously!"
Before Drakon could respond, chaos erupted in the courtyard below. Shouting. The clash of weapons.
We ran to the windows. The Desert Kingdom ambassador's guards were fighting the Mountain Clan warriors. Blood already stained the ground.
"Stop this!" I screamed, but they couldn't hear me from so high up.
Drakon shifted immediately and flew down. I ran for the stairs, my mind racing. What happened? They'd been getting along hours ago!
By the time I reached the courtyard, Drakon had separated the fighting groups. Both sides looked furious.
"He called our people savages!" The Mountain warrior pointed at the Desert guard. "Unprovoked insult!"
"Your warrior threatened our ambassador!" The Desert guard shot back. "We were defending him!"
"Both of you, calm down!" I pushed between them despite their weapons. "Tell me exactly what happened."
They spoke over each other, accusations flying. From what I could piece together, a misunderstanding had escalated. Cultural differences creating conflict where none needed to exist.
"The Mountain Clan bow with fists to chest," I said slowly. "The Desert Kingdom sees that gesture as aggressive. But in Mountain culture, it's respectful greeting."
Both groups paused. "Wait, that's what that was?" The Desert guard looked confused. "I thought he was threatening to punch our ambassador!"
"And I thought they were insulting us by not returning the greeting!" The Mountain warrior said.
I closed my eyes, fighting exhaustion. "This is exactly what the Eternal King wants. Us fighting each other instead of preparing to fight him."
Shame crossed several faces. "You're right," the Desert guard admitted. "We're sorry."
"Forgiven." I helped them lower their weapons. "But we need to prevent this from happening again. Tonight, we'll hold a cultural exchange dinner. Every kingdom teaches the others their customs. No more misunderstandings."
That evening's dinner was tense at first. Six kingdoms, dozens of ambassadors, all wary of offending someone.
But I broke the ice by admitting my own ignorance. "I'm just a seamstress who became queen. I barely know my own kingdom's etiquette. Please, teach me your customs. I want to learn."
My honesty disarmed them. Soon, ambassadors were demonstrating greetings, explaining traditions, laughing at cultural confusions.
"In the Merfolk Kingdom, showing teeth is aggressive," one explained. "So we thought the Dragon King's smiles were threats at first!"
"In my mountain home, silence is the highest compliment," another added. "We were confused when everyone kept talking during the feast!"
Understanding grew. Connections formed. I watched six kingdoms begin to trust each other.
"You're good at this," Drakon whispered to me. "Better than any trained diplomat."
"I just treat people like people," I said. "It's not complicated."
But later, reviewing the day's negotiations, Thorne brought troubling news.
"Some of our own nobles are unhappy," he said quietly. "The rapid changes. The unity with other kingdoms. They feel like they're losing power."
"Which nobles?" Drakon asked.
"Lord Blackwood from the North. Lady Ravencrest from the South. At least a dozen others." Thorne handed over a list. "They've been meeting secretly."
"Plotting?" I asked.
"Unknown. But suspicious timing. Right before the biggest battle of our lives." Thorne looked grim. "We might have enemies inside and outside our walls."
The next day brought more proof. Someone sabotaged food supplies meant for the visiting ambassadors. Someone else spread rumors that we were planning to betray the new alliances.
"This is coordinated," I said, reviewing reports. "Someone's trying to destroy our diplomatic progress."
"The secret society," Drakon agreed. "Nobles who want the old ways back. Where they had power and magical creatures were suppressed."
We had one day until the Eternal King's attack. And now we were fighting internal resistance too.
That night, I found a note slipped under our door:
"We gave you a chance to rule properly. You chose unity over tradition. Now you'll pay the price. During tomorrow's battle, when you're distracted, we strike. Your diplomatic allies will be assassinated. The kingdoms will blame you. And you'll face war on all fronts. Surrender now or watch everything burn. -The Order of Pure Blood"
I showed Drakon. His face went pale.
"They're going to kill the ambassadors during the battle," he said. "Frame us for it. Turn our new allies into enemies."
"We stop them," I said firmly.
"How? We can't fight the Eternal King AND protect six kingdoms' worth of diplomats AND root out traitors!" He ran his hands through his hair. "We don't have enough people!"
He was right. We were stretched impossibly thin.
"Then we make a choice," I said quietly. "We can't save everyone. So who do we save? Our diplomatic future or our immediate survival?"
The question hung heavy between us. An impossible choice with no good answer.
And we had less than twenty-four hours to decide.