"...We can shoot him to pieces right now, my Lord."
"Are you an idiot?" Lothair exclaimed, glaring at the commander. "He's sitting in the open, unarmed, and he's poured out two silver cups. Clearly, they don't want to shoot him, and neither should we... he wants to negotiate."
Though Lothair was paranoid about the road and the lack of tracks, killing an unarmed envoy was a terrible mistake.
If this man was here to offer a surrender, or even a temporary truce, shooting him would trigger whatever trap King Erik had laid out in the hills.
"A negotiation?" Gauzlin scoffed, his southern pride slowly returning to his chest. "He sits there like a king while we have an army at his throat. He is arrogant."
"I will go talk to him," Gauzlin declared, puffing out his chest. "I will see what this northern dog wants."
However, Lothair didn't stop him.
He needed to know what the Iron Kingdom was planning, and Gauzlin was the perfect bait to test the waters.
