"This is not just Veridia's fight," Lorian continued, as his voice was full of conviction.
"This is our fight.
All of us.
We share this sea, these trade routes, this civilization.
If we allow this cancer of piracy to consume one of us, it will consume us all.
We must, therefore, stand together.
Not in blame, but in unity. Not in fear, but in resolve."
He extended a hand, a gesture of alliance, "Let us, here and now, forge a true alliance.
Let us pool our resources, our knowledge, and our might and finish this menace of piracy once and for all.
Let us make these seas safe again, not just for Veridia, but for all our homes, for all our people."
Lorian finished his speech and looked at the guests at the table, as all eyes were still fixed on him.
Zara Zohanar was the first to break the silence
"Indeed a great speech, young prince. I am exhilarated, excited, and entertained." she replied with a smile, "However, my good prince, it was all good for a speech and raising morale and solidarity…but…what is the actual plan? What are you expecting from us in particular!"
Although Thane Borin Stoneheart's face was covered with a thick red bush of beards; Lorian could notice the smirk on his lips.
"A very relevant question indeed, milady," Lorian bowed slightly towards Zara, "as expected from the leader of the great trading city of Port Azure!
However, as it had already been discussed, without proper, sufficient, and reliable information, we cannot formulate an effective plan.
Without an effective plan, how can I ask you which specific help Veridia would require from its comrades?"
As Lady Zara's primary objective was to shake Lorian's confidence and throw him off the rail, she did not appreciate this answer and pressed on, "Woah, so the prodigal prince proposes a plan that is no plan at all but futile and fake, a failure!"
Before Lorian could refute or even react, Lady Serana hissed,
"If you are done feeling great by trying to bully a kid, who has already proven his worthiness to claim a seat among all the adults by his own right, would you mind sharing your valuable input, like what better idea you have? If not, then please maintain the dignity of this time and place and people!"
Lady Zara's eyes glared once and quickly became normal with a cool smile, "I am specifically and sincerely sorry if my jovial joke hurt our pretty prince's fragile feelings!"
High Druid Oakhaven cleared his throat and asked, "It is alright. No need to drag on unnecessary banter that might create an unnecessary diplomatic issue. I ask Veridian leadership, What exactly do they propose for now?"
Lorian looked at Lord Elmsworth, who nodded at him in permission.
Lorian nodded back at his father and started addressing the table,
"As our main obstacle is lack of information, I propose each of you gather as much information as you can from your end and regularly exchange information among ourselves, with measures to update immediately if any of us get hold of serious or crucial information.
When we collectively decide that we have enough information to make a move, we WILL make a move, and if needed, we would seek your help at that time!"
Unexpectedly, this time support came from Thane Borin Stoneheart, who nodded and agreed to the proposal.
With this the meeting came to a positive closure, and everyone focused on finishing their breakfast while exchanging playful banter and gossip about various parts of the world.
Although most were largely gossip over various factions in the continent, one particular gossip caught his attention, and that is about Prince Ahiran Aghaz, who is going to be next in line in the Indoris Empire.
He harbored the same dreams as his forefather had—to capture all of Tir Luthar.
And he has the support of all important factions, like the Church, the military, or the royal court.
Only the Merchant Faction and Noble Faction are against him gaining the power.
The Merchant Faction is supporting Princess Aria Aghaz, while the Noble Faction is supporting Prince Ahan Aghaz.
But any gambler on the continent would place their bet on Ahiran Aghaz winning the throne.
Rumor was that he had already started acting like a shadow king, dispatching orders, scheming plots, and pulling strings in the name of the old king.
Lorian made a mental note to keep a tab on this person.
He seemed to be bad news.
After that, the next few days went smoothly.
Lorian came to know this girl, who accompanied Lady Serana, was actually her daughter.
Well, it was complete news to him.
However, more surprise was awaiting him.
Lady Serana had a mind to leave her daughter here, in Veridia.
Lorian felt it was really odd!
Of course Valoria and Veridia were on friendly terms, and Lady Serana and Lady Seraphina were close friends; still, leaving their daughter, the Princess of Valoria, with another city-state sounded strange to him.
He did not know the reason; neither his parents nor Lady Serana informed him or asked his opinion about it.
It's something Eldard Alsnow had overheard and thus shared.
He decided to ask his parents regarding it.
So when the Lord and Lady were enjoying their evening tea in private he sought permission to join them, which he was given promptly.
But when he shared what he had heard, to his surprise, the air in the room got a bit tense.
Suddenly Lord Elmsworth asked him in his firm voice, "What was the motive behind you asking this, Lorian Thorne?"
Lorian suddenly found himself unable to reply.
He cast a quick glance to his dear mother for support, but her face was grim as well.
Rather, she suddenly asked, "Your father, the Lord of the House, has asked you something, my son!"
Lorian fumbled, "Erm… I mean…I did not…."
"And may I know," Lord Elmsworth pressed on, "who was the person who shared this news with you?"
At this point, Lorian knew if he had named Eldred Alsnow, that guy would be in danger for real.