“I understand, General, that you’re a man who likes good wine.”
General Graten didn’t bother turning around. He knew the voice was Catherine. Who else could it be? He didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of acting surprised. So he just chuckled softly. “You think you can buy me with wine?”
“No, of course not. The wine is for free,” she handed him a goblet of red liquid.
Graten eyed it briefly. There was a longing in his eye, but he handed it back.
“Oh please, General. You’re not afraid of being poisoned, are you? If I wanted to kill you, you’d already be dead.”
“What do you want?”
“Fine, don’t take the wine. The wine was just a little sweetener anyway. I didn’t imagine I could buy you with a glass of wine, but…” Catherine smiled, “you can be bought. I know your type. It’s just a matter of finding the right price. Or have I misjudged you, General? Do stop me if I’ve offended your honor.”
“Well, you’re not completely wrong,” General Graten said. “I’m not a man of honor, that’s for sure. But I’m not a soldier for hire, either. I’ve always thought the life of a mercenary was a bit precarious. Oh, sure you can get paid well one day. But there’s no stability in it.”
“I see. Well, what do you want then, General?”
“I like to have friends. Good friends. True friends. And if I can find a real, true friend, I am loyal in return. But good friends are hard to find.”
“They are indeed, General, they are indeed. Trust me, you’re talking to a woman who knows all too well. I thought once upon a time that I could trust the people in this castle. Well, General, let’s not be coy with each other. I desire your services. What do I have to do to show that I’m your friend?”
“Ah, see, you’re still not getting it. I’ve already told you that my services aren’t for sale. It’s my loyalty you want. But you can’t buy loyalty. You have to earn it.”
“Very well. How do I earn it?”
“Well that’s simple. You give me some sort of share in your Kingdom. Then I am loyal to you, because I know that my share in this kingdom is only good for as long as you’re in power. And you’ll stay loyal to me, because you need me to support the kingdom.”
“Ah, you want to be a co-ruler?”
“A loyal vassal will be fine.”
“Perhaps we could work something out. I understand a number of your former soldiers are living in the kingdom.”
“They are.”
“How loyal are your soldiers to you?”
“Did Talon not tell you the story?” Graten asked.
“He did. I just wanted to confirm it. It sounds like your soldiers were not very loyal to you.”
“King Carlyle was smarter than I was. He knew that the soldiers would only stay loyal to the army as long as they had a stake in it. And he gave them a reason to opt out. To get them back in the army again, I’d need to give them a reason to opt back in.”
“What reason were you thinking?”
“King Carlyle’s been good to them, all things considered. But they don’t have anywhere to call their own yet. They’re living as guests in other people’s homes. If they could be given houses and lands in your kingdom, they would be your most loyal soldiers.”
“This isn’t the farmlands of Mora,” said Catherine. “There’s no land for me to give them. Not any amount to speak of, anyway. Everything in this part of the forest is controlled by the trees. We are just the guardians. But I’ll see what I can do about the houses.”
“They’re already living in houses,” Graten reminded her. “They’re just living there as guests. They don’t control the place that they are living in. But it should be easy enough to fix that.”
“You’re a clever man, Graten. All right, I will look into it,” said Catherine.
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