Chapter 4: The Five Kingdoms Meet

Two years after Leon and Lilynette were made King and Queen, they managed to convince the other Kings and Queens of the neighboring kingdoms to meet in one location together and discus a form of alliance. They met in Baile since it is centered in the middle of the country. The name of the King of Sil'nyy is Bryan, and the Queen's name is Birgit. The name of the King of Kholodno is Kliment, and the Queen's name is Jekaterina. The name of the King of Croga is Fedor, and the Queen's name is Galina. And the name of the King of Cath Reidh is Kevin, and the Queen's name is Aideen. These are the Kings and Queens of our story.

They all gathered in a room with a giant round table, here is where they will discus their alliance. There are chairs of equal length and height placed at the table for everyone. This was Leon's idea, a way to show that everyone is on an equal level.

King Kevin "I'll be the first to say it. If this is a trap, you will regret it."

Leon "relax. We are all friends here, and there are no traps in motion either."

Queen Galina "talk is cheap. Prove to us that your intentions are pure."

Lilynette rises from her seat "do you think that my husband and myself are some kind of back stabbers?" she said angrily.

Leon "Lilynette, please calm down. We are all allies here." He pats her head and she calms down, then sits back down.

King Kliment "It takes more than kind words and a couple hours to trust someone you barely know. Some of us in here can be trusted, but not all of us." He then gives an evil stare to King Kevin.

King Kevin "why are you only looking at me?!"

King Kliment stands and says with furry in his voice "out of everyone here you are the only one here to attack others just for the hell of it!"

King Kevin "what about Fedor?!"

King Fedor stands and yells at King Kevin, "How dare you accuse me of such a thing! At least I'm not a coward! Unlike you I do not hide behind a wall of soldiers and dead bodies! When I fight I am on the front lines!"

Queen Birgit "you two cannot talk so highly since you both brought weapons."

Queen Aideen "says the ketal to the pot."

After that everyone except Leon and Lilynette, stood up and argued with each other. They went back and forth, on and on for what felt like hours. Unable to take it anymore, Leon slams his spear on the ground and the sound echoes throughout the room. "ENOUGH!"

Everyone stops, shuts up, and sits back down. They give Leon their full attention. Except for Lilynette who was the only one unfazed by the spear.

Leon "none of us have the right to talk of treachery or deceiving each other. We are all strangers and know little about one another. We all have brought a weapon of some sort. Whether it is a sword, axe, a dagger, or a spear, but this doesn't necessarily mean that there can be no trust among us."

Everyone gives him a look of confusion and curiosity.

Queen Jekaterina "I don't quite understand."

King Kliment "Yes, could you please explain?"

Leon nods and stands to address everyone clearly; "When someone wants or intends to betray another, he or she will be unarmed. As a way to make themselves seem innocent and unthreatening. The fact that all of us have come here armed means that we have an equal level of understanding and willing. The willing to reach out and give one another our trust. But there is still tension among us."

King Bryan "What do you recommend then?"

Leon and Lilynette set their weapons on the table. Everyone gets the idea and places their weapons that they brought on the table as well.

Leon "there, now if any of us intends to kill anyone the only weapons are in front of us all. Now we are truly on equal ground."

King Fedor "so what happens next?"

Leon "now, we discuss an alliance. One that shall also act as a treaty between our kingdoms."

King Bryan "about that. This alliance slash treaty, it will be fare for all of us, right?"

Leon "of course, I wouldn't have it any other way."

King Fedor "well I'm convinced. You have quite a way with words, King Leon."

Lilynette hugs Leon's arm and says, "he sure does."

Queen Galina "I don't like this. Calling it a treaty makes it sound like we're at war with each other."

Queen Jekaterina "I agree. It needs a gentler name. A more trusting name. After all treaties never really work out or last."

Leon "then we shall just call it an alliance. But it will be more than that, it will also be a bond. A bond between our kingdoms, and our people."

King Kevin "perfect."

King Fedor "very well, let us sign it already. Where's the ink?"

Leon "we are not signing it with ink."

Everyone turns and looks at Leon confused, and a couple of them worried by what he just said.

Leon "for something so important and meaningful, we need something more powerful than ink. We will sign it with our own blood. It will be our blood pact."

Everyone takes a few moments to think it over. In the end they all agree that this is the best way to form an alliance and keep it from falling out in the end. Lilynette pulls out an already written alliance parchment out, one that Leon had prepared a couple of days before and grabs the dagger from the center of the table. Everyone pricks their finger and signs their name. Everyone bows to each other in respect and goes back to their kingdom.

Soon after Leon and Lilynette retired to their bedroom. The following day they created their own system in Baile. It's pretty simple, when a neighboring Kingdom needs help Leon will send a group of soldiers lead by one or more of his children, depending on how much help they need, and depending on how dangerous the situation is. And if needed Leon and Lilynette will go themselves. Now that we've got that out of the way lets move on with the story.