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“What of that friend of yours?” replied King Maksim. “The one who visited us last fall. What was her name?”
“You mean Natalia?” said Svetlana.
“Yes, that’s her. She returned to Karslev, didn’t she?”
“She did, though I’m not sure she’s still there.”
“Perhaps you should write and ask her to intercede on our behalf?”
“To what end, sire?”
“To convince those around her to support our cause. A word from the family in the right places could do wonders. Who knows, they might even persuade Ostrova to leave us alone.”
Svetlana blushed. “I’m afraid my pleas would fall on deaf ears, Lord King. My treatment of her during our time at the Volstrum was abysmal, as was that of my classmates.”
“She seemed friendly enough when I met them.”
“She is a Stormwind through and through,” she replied, “trained in diplomacy and etiquette. I’m afraid the appearance of friendliness was simply the result of her upbringing. To act in any other way would go against her strict code of conduct.”
“Perhaps,” said the king, “but I did them a favour by arranging their transport to Porovka. Surely that accounts for something?”
“You raise an interesting point, sire. I’ll inquire about Natalia’s current position, although I must warn you if she’s been reassigned, it may take some time for my letter to reach her.”
“And what will this letter say?” asked Lord Thalmund. “You can’t just simply beg for assistance.”
“I shall remind her of the great favour His Majesty bestowed upon them and ask her to use her influence to convince the family to take up our cause.”
“Our cause being?”
“That we desire peace with Ostrova,” replied Svetlana.
Thalmund frowned. “I doubt that will work.”
“And yet we must try something,” said the king, then his face softened. “Thank you, my dear. I appreciate your efforts even if others don’t.” He sent a scathing look towards Lord Thalmund, but the fellow was too engrossed in his drink to notice. “We shall meet again in the spring. We can but hope Ostrova finds something else to occupy its time by then.”
The three barons departed, leaving Svetlana and the king alone in the room. She moved closer to Maksim, taking his hand in hers. “Is it truly as bad as you say?”
“At the risk of sounding like a defeatist, there’s a real possibility that the Kingdom of Carlingen will no longer exist by this time next year.”
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