Eric entered the room expecting a large gathering of nobles like one would see in movies, but what greeted him was instead rows of perfectly aligned soldiers in the armor that he had seen earlier. "Posturing." Eric thought as he began to re-evaluate the potential for threats. Eric continued to walk forward, his eyes scanning towards the front. He then locked eyes with the king. The king sat on his throne, scanning Eric in the same manner he was being scanned.
"Welcome to my kingdom, Master Sergeant Dryer." The king said as Eric, Mia, and the LT approached the throne. The LT and Mia kneeled. Eric did not. "Thank you for your courtesy, your highness." Eric responded while gesturing to the soldiers surrounding them. "Is this not a negotiation?" He said while looking at Ayeolla. "I see no reason as to why we should be host to such treatment." The LT began shaking behind Eric as sweat dripped down his neck. He prayed to the Goddess as he felt fear he had never felt before. It is one thing to test the reaper by battling, it was another to test royalty with disrespect. "I'm dead." The LT thought inwardly, almost crying as he realized this might be the end. "I've never even kissed a girl." He thought in silence.
"Eric." Mia whispered, still kneeling. She was horrified at what her husband was doing, and could feel her heart threatening to explode out of her chest. She tried to grab his wrist to make him kneel, but he had not done so. Suddenly, the room exploded with laughter. The king keeled over his throne as he looked at Eric, a smirk on his face. "Very well lad. You are right." He then clapped his hands, and all the soldiers in the room disappeared. "I wanted to test the man whom had stolen the heart of my niece, and this was the best way I thought of to do so."
Eric stood stock still, not able to respond. "What?" he responded, unable to measure the king's words or actions. Gone was the first image he had of the man, seeming more like Hammond to Eric. Mia stood up behind Eric, hugging his arm. "Yes, this is my over-eager uncle." She explained with a pointed glare. "In public he is a wise and dignified man, when it is just family…" Her words cut off as she gestured to the man still chuckling like a madman. "Eric, meet my Uncle; King Remory Riemskin. 15th king of the Riemskin alliance." The king was dressed in purple robes that hugged his muscular frame, he had a well kept beard, with graying evident in his beard. His green eyes stared at Eric with the intensity of a hawk as he seemed to study the young man. He grinned happily as his niece introduced him. "Yep, definitely Hammond." Eric thought with a groan.
Eric nodded as Mia gave her uncle's introduction. "It is a pleasure to meet you, sir." Eric said, dropping all formality. He then looked to the queen and bowing. She was dressed in a purple dress that echoed out a feeling of power and feminine charm. Gold accents trailed the sides, with the lion crest on her shoulder. Her crown gleamed brightly on her head, almost as if was made to absorb sunlight. "That must make you Queen Lilith. It is a pleasure to meet you both." He stood up. "Princess, I am pleased to see you are well." After the pleasantries were out of the way, Eric sighed and turned around. His LT was still kneeling, unsure of how to act. "Get up kid. Introduce yourself." Chuckling rang out from the princess. Eric pretended to not hear it.
The LT stood up shakily, still choosing to not make eye contact. "Good afternoon, your majesties. He said while trembling. "My name is Second Lieutenant Michael Stryer." Ayeolla smiled in response as she looked at Michael. "It is good to see you again, Lieutenant." She said while curtsying. "Father, shall we proceed to the reception chambers?" the princess intoned while nodding to a door adjacent to the throne. Remory ran his fingers through his beard while looking at the LT. "Very well. We have much to discuss, and very little time to do so." Eric nodded to the king before turning back to Mia and Michael. "What could that mean?" He thought to himself. He gave Michael a look that said "I'll wring your neck later", while smirking at Mia's glare that was now aimed at him. Looked like he would be sleeping on the couch tonight.
Eric, Mia, and Michael followed the royal family to the next room. Eric realized the room was quite simple while looking around. The chandelier hanging from the ceiling was made of a silver that gleamed brightly, and it was the only opulent object in the room. A table stood in front of the entourage, with a total of four chairs. The king sat at the head of the table. The queen sat to his left, and his daughter on the right. Eric chose to sit on the opposite side of the table, while Mia and the LT stood behind him. After everyone was settled, Remory made eye contact with Eric, sighing. "Setting formalities aside, my wife and I decided to test you because quite frankly, the situation right now is dire." The king began grimly. "We needed to ensure that the man we would negotiate with could handle diplomatic pressure while maintaining a proffesional demeanor. I must apologize for that little test." Eric waved his hand in response. "Think nothing of it sir. I understand that this war has been kind to no one. Mia has informed me extensively about how dire the situation is." The king sighed and responded in a melancholic tone; "It has gotten worse. Bring him a map." Remory called out, and a world map was placed in front of Eric. "Here is land the Empire controls." He said, drawing a line with a quill. "Everything from this line to the coast behind these mountains is controlled by the empire." Eric studied the map in shock, "Fuck." He said inwardly. He thought they had been making progress, but the battalion footprint was a small dot compared to the land the alliance held, and it was a grain of sand compared to the land the Empire controlled.
"Your unit has successfully warded out approximately two of the enemy's corps at this point, but…
They have ten more." The king said bluntly.