Chapter 13
They all made their way into the castle, Justin's mind moved quickly and he looked at Anton, a glimmer of an idea formed in his mind. Going back to destroy the altar was important, but there was an opportunity here that shouldn't be thrown away.
He waited until they were eating, the scared servants jumped to keep them happy which just reinforced the idea in his mind. He considered Ross and the three mages, and wondered if he would have any issues there, but he dove in and made the suggestion.
"Anton, I think you should keep the troops and talents we brought with us, and the two mages, and claim the kingdom of Egeria."
At the shocked look on everyone's face, he thought maybe he should have led up to it a little better. Still, it seemed obvious to him. He glanced meaningfully at Sara, who looked calm, so he hadn't ruffled any feathers from the Uleni yet.
Anton coughed and said, "You think what?" Anton looked a little shocked at the idea.
He blew out a breath, then said carefully, "Well, let's look at the state of things. Riese killed or converted all the mages here, as well as the nobility. The kingdom of Egeria needs direction and a strong hand. If we make it yours, Abelaweth gains a peaceful neighbor to the south that until now has been a threat. You are already royalty, so no one is going to argue with you too much since you have the only troops in the area as well as the strongest magic.
"On top of that, this place needs to move away from its brutal practices toward women, a view I know you share with me. What better way to do so, than to lead them from the top. It won't be easy, but it will happen over time. Especially with your troops coming from Abelaweth, they won't look the other way when a man rapes a woman or beats her like others from Egeria who grew up expecting it.
"None of it would be easy, I would understand if you refused, but really, if you do the people down here will remain downtrodden, and your enemy. Did you see how terrified the servants looked? Or the towns we passed through? The city? With a firm but gentle hand you could turn this place around, make them an ally. The common people certainly won't complain, and there aren't enough of the entitled left to squeak."
Anton said dubiously, "I had always expected to rule Abelaweth when my father passed. What if we simply absorbed Egeria, made it ours?"
He frowned and shook his head. "There are a few issues with that. One, the people will resent it, they are Egerians. Instead of a new king they could trust, they would be conquered in essence and never truly feel a part of the kingdom.
"Second, it's too much ground to properly rule from so far away, we are two weeks from the capitol in Abelaweth, things wouldn't change as quickly, and your father couldn't deal with them as effectively as you could close up. There are too many problems here to clean up at a distance.
"Lastly, and I think Ross might back me up on it, if Abelaweth swallows this kingdom, the new peace which is still fragile with Uleni might break. For those not here, the decision will seem to be self serving and your father seen as having plans to rule the whole continent. They would be suspicious of your father's true intentions. Keeping it a separate kingdom will be hard enough for them to deal with.
"There is still time on the succession issue it would cause in Abelaweth. You should think about it, but not too long, you'll need to move quickly on it if it's going to work."
Anton turned to Ross and asked, "How do you feel about this, and if I do what the Flame suggests do you think Uleni would object?"
Ross looked thoughtful for a second, then smiled, "Not if it was a joint effort, if you would appoint me as the head of your military?" Ross rubbed his chin thoughtfully then continued, "And perhaps one of these two mages on your council? I think Uleni would trust we wouldn't attack them if you did those things. Just a suggestion... your majesty."
Anton frowned, and they all ate in silence as the young man thought it over. It was a shit storm he had offered him, but also a chance to make a real difference. He liked the idea of Ross, the man had grown on him, and he certainly wasn't against woman mages, or the abuse of woman.
Anton scowled at him when they finished lunch, but immediately started making plans.
"Very well, Ross, I need you to prepare twenty troops for each town with either a fast moving shape shifter or air talent in each. I am going to go over the laws, make changes, and give them to the groups tomorrow. If any of the village elders have a problem with the changes, they should send back a report. Either way, the soldiers should stay a month, make sure they have enough cash to pay their way, they should be examples of how we want the people to act, understood?"
Ross nodded. "It will be done your majesty."
Anton said, "We can handle the city after they leave. I'll also review the taxes, I have a feeling they are much too high, so at least we can give them good news along with the stuff they won't want to swallow," turning to Nicole he said, "Nicci, you'll have to explain all this to father, and make sure he knows it was your man's idea, would you?"
Nicole laughed vibrantly and said, "You bet I will. I'm sure our father will have words with him about the succession."
He tried to look innocent and failed. He already had an idea about that. Actually a couple, but he didn't think the world was ready for a queen yet, which was a shame. Nicole would look incredibly hot in purple, and be a brilliant leader. Of course, if the dragon child they had was a girl, they might not have a choice, unless the king gets another mate...
Still, it was the best thing he thought, putting Anton in charge here, for Abelaweth, for the people of Egeria, and hopefully for peace...
They decided to leave in the morning and head back to Uleni, possibly stopping at the capitol of Abelaweth on the way and letting the king in on Anton's plans that he reluctantly admitted was suggested by him. The now King Anton, had the servants set them up a permanent suite in the guest wing. No doubt he would miss his sister and hope for visits in the future. This suite actually had three bedrooms, the extra for Trina.
Still, just moving as their group it would take two or three days instead of two weeks to visit, if it wasn't so dangerous he might try and persuade Sally to learn travelling. He hoped however that their constant trips across the continent would be cut down drastically in the future.
At dinner Anton looked annoyed and filled them in.
