King Gustave sat with his military advisers, it was no secret that the war was about to turn badly against his country. The reports were unanimous, in no more than a few weeks the Hartshore lines would collapse, allowing the troops of the enemy Juriland to sweep in for victory. But before that happened many thousands of King Gustave's troops as well as a large number of enemy forces would die.
King Gustave raged. Much of his anger was directed at himself, how he and King Julius had blundered into war was scandalous. What had begun as a matter of personal honor became a conflict that was wasting precious lives on both sides. Gustave had always considered himself an enlightened leader so the current situation was a profound embarrassment. Still, he could not simply declare victory and recall his troops. For King Julius the war was a nuance as well. He had made tentative overtures for peace. To Gustave a peace with honor was far better than eventual defeat. Under a banner of truce the two met at a border town declared neutral by both sides.
King Julius, tall, distinguished looking and wearing the grin of a man who knew he held a winning hand entered the meeting room. The town hall had been turned over for the negotiations. King Gustave had arrived first, he tried not to wear a glum expression but failed. Accompanying King Julius was his second son, prince Adam. He was a younger, handsomer version of his father. Gustave's sons were all at the front. Adam wore a military uniform as well. Gustave believed that the knowledge of his heirs remaining behind to fight would reflect well upon him and would impress his rival, King Julius.
The mediators made sure that proper protocol was followed before the two rulers sat down across a wide table from each other.
"Gustave, your excellency, we both seem to be in a spot of trouble, don't we? Of course your troubles are currently greater than mine. We could be here all day but I want this stupid conflict to end. Here is my proposal, We will seek no land and no tribute, in exchange one member of your family shall enter into my household as a symbolic ransom for the lives of the men on both sides who otherwise would have been lost."
King Gustave reeled. Symbolic ransom was an antiquated tradition. It simple terms it meant that a member of his family would be publicly reduced to a level below even that of the lowest peasant, collared and sent to serve as a slave in the royal household of a rival kingdom for the rest of their life. On the one hand, it would bring the war to an end immediately, on the other hand someone that he loved would be placed into the basest form of slavery. It was a bitter pill and a pyrrhic victory at best.
After collecting his thoughts King Gustave replied, "Fair King Julius, surely there must be some other way?"
"Certainly good king Gustave,' replied King Julius," this war could continue to rage for weeks or months costing both of our nations the lives of valuable men and draining our treasuries. I know that you are an intelligent man and a noble ruler, you abhor the loss of life and wealth as much as I do. We both know that I will soon have an insurmountable advantage. Since I was, technically, not the aggressor of this conflict I am willing to take the high road. Certainly one life, not even forfeit, in bondage, is preferable to thousands of dead men."
"Fair Gustave, do you REALLY want to face the widows, the sons and the daughters of the men who will assuredly die? What will you say to a grieving mother when she asks you why you did not accept my current proposal? Are you prepared for defeat? Do you truly desire to be driven from your throne and have to spend the rest of your life in exile? This mercy I am extending you is beyond fair."
Gustave consulted with his men. His counselors favored the proposal. The majority of his generals also saw the wisdom of King Julius' offer. Gustave returned to the table.
"I accept your offer. I will serve as the ransom."
"No." stated King Julius flatly. "We have no interest in you serving as ransom, you are an old man set in his ways, we want someone young whom we can train. We want someone with assets that can be exploited. No King Gustave, you and your people would learn nothing if you served as ransom. Your people expect it. It might give you satisfaction but it will not assuage your citizens who have already lost sons and brothers and fathers to war. They are continuing to die even as we speak. No my friend, the penalty has to sting. If this thing is to be done your daughter, Princess Elle, will become the ransom for your people."
King Gustave paled. Elle was his youngest and his favorite, she had just come to majority and was one of the most beautiful women in all of his kingdom. "No, not my angel!"
King Julius gazed icily across the table at his rival. "She is of age, is she not? Let us explain the proposal to her and let her decide her fate. I am willing to initiate a truce until we hear from your enchanting daughter. Surely she will see the wisdom of saving thousands of lives with her own."
As king Julius spoke, King Gustave could not help but notice the evil leer on the face of prince Adam. Gustave, filled with disgust, placed his head in his hands and wept.
Back at the palace Princess Elle listened to the proposal of King Julius.Her father and a representative from the kingdom of Juriland explained in graphic detail what would be expected of her. Elle knew that she could not permit the truce to end and hostilities to return but the cost to herself was nearly incalculable. She would never get married, she would be humiliated in the extreme and her life would essentially end right now in her eighteenth year. She would be property, to be used at the whims of her captors for the rest of her life. She had been given a week to make her decision.
Elle visited the front where the brief truce was still holding. The nature of war was a painfully eye opening experience for the sheltered young princess. She saw the horrible weapons of war. She met some prisoners of war and spent many hours talking to the recuperating wounded of her own nation.. One particular young man remained seared into her soul. He was her own age and rather handsome, they had struck up a rapport as they spoke. From his cot the young private explained to his princess how he had come to lose his sight and one of his hands in battle during a futile assault on the Juriland defenses.
Elle realized that this boy's old life was over before he had even had a chance to live. Elle realized that if she could prevent just one other soldier from ending up in a similar situation or worse, than her service, as horrible as it might turn out to be, would still be worth every moment. With steel resolve she sent word to her father and the Juriland representative that she had made her decision in the affirmative.
Her father wept a second time on hearing the news. Conversely troops from two separate nations cheered themselves hoarse.
Elle's final week as a princess before she had to report to bondage was filled with activity. All around her stated that they would try to give her a wonderful, memorable time, a source of solace for the hard days to come. Elle was a practical girl however, and wise beyond her years. She told her father, "Sire, the memories I have as your daughter will keep me strong and remind me of who I am once I have become a slave. One more week will not add to those memories. I would prefer to spend the time saying goodbye to my family, you. mother, my brothers and sisters, and the people of our nation."
King Gustave stared at his daughter, She was tall and well built, with long brown hair that cascaded down her back, a row of freckles across the bridge of her nose betrayed her young age. Her eyes were green and luminous, her countenance was an intoxicating mix of his own and his wife's features, she was by far the most beautiful of his three daughters. King Gustave realized that if not for his own blundering, the wondrous creature before him could have been an empress or queen of a nearby nation and adored by her husband and adopted country. Instead she would be reduced to the basest existence. King Gustave took his favorite child into his arms. For her sake he forced himself not to weep, but his grief was profound.
