With the homes gone, many of the tribes elected to remain in the Crimson Army camp until the prairie land began to regrow. There would be no harvest until next year, but things would start to grow in the autumn months and even in winter.
They'd probably start to see the first buds in the next few days. Fire was incredibly good for nature when it wasn't being used to inspire terror. The wild wheat harvest for the next few years would probably be double what it had been for the last decade, which was the basis for Chenzhou's agreement with the tribes.
They refused to accept any help that wasn't paid for, but they had nothing to pay with now. Nothing that Chenzhou would accept, which he finally managed to convey after turning down slaves, horses, and a few sons and daughters. There'd even been a few offered for Eirian, though they seemed more like sacrifices than rewards.
And they'd looked utterly terrified.
"It might actually be wise to accept a few," Mingzhe said quietly, once the offerings had been displayed and left and the Beng Shen and the other leaders had left them to discuss.
Both Chenzhou and Eirian turned to him in horrified surprise, and he immediately threw up his hands and clarified. "Not as slaves or bedmates. Of course not." He scowled as they relaxed. "Perhaps as attending ladies? Or squires?"
"I have Marian." Eirian countered.
"Marian is Matron of the Camelia. She has far too many responsibilities to serve as your attending at the same time. My mother has four attending ladies, and they're always busy, and the house she manages is tiny compared to the Camelia."
Chenzhou and Eirian shared a look that involved raised eyebrows and disbelief. Neither of them believed it was the house that kept Mingzhe's mother busy. From the stories he'd told, it sounded like she still had her hands in a lot of things she technically shouldn't, but no one was willing to tell her to stop. Her attending ladies were probably better with blades and shadows than needles and parties.
Maybe it wouldn't be too bad to have a few, Eirian considered.
Chenzhou saw it in her face and immediately foresaw the madness that could come from a handful of young women trying to impress and support Eirian.
The Camelia probably wouldn't survive.
"Maybe Marian would like to choose them with you," Chenzhou suggested, trying to find some way to temper the danger.
Eirian looked contemplative at the suggestion.
"She'd probably have some suggestions on who to choose from the court as well," Mingzhe added.
Eirian grimaced. Typical attending ladies were the unmarried daughters of noble families, and it was very political to choose who ascended to the position and who didn't. It made sense that if Eirian chose some from the tribes, she'd have to pick an equal amount from the Camelia's court…which was a lot of people fussing over her every day.
Eirian didn't mind Marian, because the older woman often made herself scarce after the morning, unless Eirian had some kind of event later in the day. Marian was overworked, though; she'd kept some of the responsibilities that were meant for Eirian because Eirian didn't have the time or inclination to deal with them.
And now, she'd be healing on top of everything else. She'd slept nearly twenty hours after dinner with Chenzhou and Mingzhe, and the tribal leaders had put off their visit until she'd finally woken up.
She was healing, and her magic was helping. She didn't look quite as frightening as she had the day before, but she still looked rather…inhuman. Patches of skin were still getting ready to fall off and regrowing in others. Her hair was still a mess, hanging on by a thread, and Eirian's insistence that no one touch it. Once she was back at the Camelia, she could treat it with potions and oils and hopefully save the majority of it.
Marian would help, and Eirian could talk to her about this attendant business. If the tribes agreed and she did choose any number of them, it would change the dynamic of the relationship significantly. She wasn't eager to deal with a political hostage situation, nor did she think Marian wanted to have to deal with the extensive training they'd require.
"Maybe there's another solution," she frowned. "What about an ambassador of some kind?"
Chenzhou and Mingzhe looked thoughtful. "As long as the tribes can agree on whoever it is." Mingzhe nodded and glanced at his notes from the meeting.
"Maybe just one to start?" Chenzhou mussed. "The tribes need everyone they can get to rebuild, but we have to have some open line of communication or things will just go back to the way they were."
"I don't think anyone they offered today is a viable option for an ambassador." Eirian frowned. Everyone the tribes had offered had clearly been picked because they were young and attractive, designed to appeal to baser instincts. They needed someone with experience and a strong enough personality to stand up to leadership on both sides.
"We can ask Beng Shen if she has an idea," Chenzhou suggested. "It's likely to be someone from the Bandri anyway."
"There won't be many that are willing to leave their families right now, but we can't stay in the camp forever." Mingzhe put his notes away with a sigh. "We need to get back to the Camelia and manage things from there."
Eirian nodded, eager to return and find out if Eric had written with any news from Aontacht.
~ tbc