Steel and Sorrow: Rise of the Mercenary king Chapter 202: Private Dinner

Alpheo sat at a small, sturdy wooden table in his chamber, the midday light spilling through the narrow window and casting a warm glow over the stone walls. Across from him sat Jarza, his face calm but his eyes alert as he took a sip of wine from a modest silver goblet.

The supper was simple yet hearty, laid out on the table between them: slices of crusty bread, a platter of cured ats, and a bowl of stewed vegetables with a savory aroma that filled the chamber. Alpheo reached for a piece of bread, tearing it thoughtfully as he watched Jarza from across the table, the quiet between them more comfortable than tense.

The sound of a distant bell tolled softly from the outer keep, marking the noon hour as they settled into the al. Between bites, Alpheo occasionally cast his gaze out the window, the view showing only a narrow slice of the courtyard below, where banners fluttered lazily in the midday sun.

Ratto stood near the small table, a clay urn of wine cradled in his hands as he poured the deep red liquid into goblets, the dark fluid falling into Jarza's cup.

Alpheo watched him for a mont before breaking the silence. ''Have you eaten yet?" he asked, his tone casual but curious.

"Yes, Your Grace," Ratto replied quickly, but the slight hesitation in his voice hinted at the truth.

Alpheo raised an eyebrow, a knowing smile creeping onto his lips. "I can tell you haven't," he said gently. "Co, sit with us, and have sothing "

Ratto glanced down at the table, then back at Alpheo, the invitation clearly tugging at him. With a slight nod, he set the urn down and took a seat at the table, a grin breaking across his face. "Alright, I suppose I could use a bite or two."

As Ratto settled into his seat, Alpheo leaned back, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. "I saw you training earlier this morning," he remarked, observing Ratto with a hint of pride in his eyes.

Jarza's lips curled into a smile at the ntion of Ratto's training. "Was he any good?" he asked, leaning forward with interest.

"He fought well," Alpheo replied, nodding in approval. "I can already see him as a strong knight."

Ratto bead at the complint, but Jarza wasn't done. "So, are you planning to take up the sword yourself? Perhaps you'll even start training in your free ti?You would do good with a bit more muscle"

Alpheo chuckled softly, shaking his head. "I wish I could, but I simply have no ti for it. The administration here is heavy enough without adding swordplay to the mix. Until my reforms are in place, I can't afford the distraction." He sighed, the weight of his responsibilities evident in his voice. "It's a luxury I can't indulge in right now."

Jarza scoffed lightly, shaking his head as he took a sip from his cup. "Co on, Alpheo. Even before you picked up that quill and ink, you were never the brawny type," he teased, a playful glint in his eye.

Alpheo chuckled, a warm smile spreading across his face as he bit onto a piece of at "True enough," he admitted, a hint of amusent in his tone. "But we have bigger things to worry about before we stroke gold.As surviving for example, or rather yet preparing for our next conflict''

Alpheo continued, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. "Regarding that , I had the honor of eting the heir to the lordship while watching Ratto's training session earlier." He glanced at Jarza, who raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"What did you talk about?" Jarza asked, leaning forward slightly, his interest piqued.

Alpheo paused mid-bite, setting his fork down on the table as he considered how to fra his words. "He started saying so rather strange things," he began, his tone growing more serious. "He spoke of his father's obsession with avenging his brother. It seems this fixation has clouded his judgnt, leading the lordship into significant debt due to his petty wars against the turn cloak lord."

Alpheo leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms as he reflected on the conversation with Caelum, his brow furrowing slightly. "To be honest, he seed rather fed up with it all," he murmured, more to himself than to Jarza. "Frustrated, even.Not that I bla him, if I saw my own father leading my heritage to the ground , I would be angry too..."

Jarza's curiosity sharpened as he leaned forward, his expression keen. "Did he share anything else of interest?"

Alpheo gave a wry smile, his eyes narrowing with a mixture of amusent and calculation. "Yes, in fact. He tried to convince that the sorry state of Bracum affects us all—that it's sohow in our best interest to help pull them from the muck. He seems convinced that our only path forward is to rally as many lords to our side as we can muster, especially with the noble houses practically shrugging off the royal crown's authority."

Jarza let out a soft, amused chuckle, a gleam of understanding in his eye. "And… isn't he right about that?"

Alpheo inclined his head in a small nod. "The reasoning itself is sound, I'll admit that much. But he miscalculated sothing crucial about the arrangent."

Jarza raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to elaborate.

Alpheo's smile turned sharper, almost predatory. "Caelum seed to think we're the ones who need him, that sohow, our success hinges on having Bracum's backing. But he's missed the truth entirely." He leaned forward, voice dropping with a quiet intensity. "The reality is that we don't require his family's support to get what we need. What we truly need," he said, pausing for emphasis, "is soone willing to let us train hundreds of foot soldiers—glorified at shields really- to absorb the brunt of any siege against Arduronaven."

Alpheo glanced at Jarza, his eyes glinting with amusent. "And who better than a man already so consud with vengeance that he'd drain his lands to the last coin and sword to see it done?So I guess they'll do "

Jarza raised an eyebrow, glancing thoughtfully at Alpheo. "So… we're not going to help them then?"

"That's not what I ant," Alpheo replied, waving off the suggestion. "Caelum was right in so respects. Having Bracum's lord on our side would certainly be an asset. His insight wasn't entirely wrong, there is always sothing to gain to have a proxy."

''What's that?'' Ratto asked in confusion, sothing that Alpheo could see that Jarza shared too

''Basically a second party that is used to do things by another, usually it being much stronger than the first''

Jarza tilted his head, considering this. "Then what's the issue?Don't we want sothing like that?"

Alpheo leaned forward, an edge creeping into his voice. "It was the way he presented it, as if aligning with them would be our boon more than theirs—as if we're just as desperate as they are," he said, his voice laced with irritation, as just the presumption that they were forced to help them out irked him a bit.

"But… that doesn't an we can't lend a hand. We've enough coin to help foster a loyal noble to our side. With the right support, even Bracum could beco sothing worthwhile."

Jarza took a slow sip from his cup, squinting at Alpheo with a bemused smile. "You know, talking to you sotis feels like untying a knot " he chuckled, swirling the wine thoughtfully. "You start off all clear, leading one way, and then—snap—I find out you were tangling up in a whole other direction the entire ti."

Alpheo threw his head back, smirking a bit "Always keeping you on your toes, aren't I?" He leaned in, his voice lowering as he looked at Jarza. "Anyway, I need soone sharp and trustworthy to help train that hundred-man regint we're raising out of Bracum. We need them ready if the fighting breaks out sooner than expected. So, what do you say? Care to lend a hand?"

Jarza arched a brow, his mouth curving into a mischievous grin. "Oh, so I'm to be promoted to drill sergeant, then? Is this your way of saying you're stripping of command of my units?"

Alpheo scoffed, waving a dismissive hand. "And who would I put in your place, pray tell? Sir Robert?" He smirked at the thought, shaking his head. "No, Jarza, this is just a temporary swap. As soon as the war drums start up, you'll be back in command of your n. Once we reunite in the field, it'll be as though you never left.I'll just have soone train our units back in Yarzat in your place, while you do the sa taske here''

Jarza chuckled, his eyes crinkling with mirth as he leaned forward. "I was just tugging at your reins, Alpheo. Whatever you need, consider it done already. And if that ans turning Bracum's fresh recruits into soldiers, well… that'll be a damn sight easier than trying to make sense of your conversations."

Both n erupted in laughter, the sound filling the room and cutting through the formal quiet of the midday al. Alpheo's deep, hearty chuckle mingled with Jarza's lighter, more bemused laugh, and for a mont, they seed like old friends without a care in the world.

Across the table, Ratto looked up from his plate, eyes shifting between the two n with a mixture of curiosity and slight confusion. He continued to chew slowly, his brow furrowing as he tried to piece together what had them in such good spirits. But even as he puzzled over it, a small, reluctant smile began to tug at the corner of his mouth, caught up in the warmth of the shared laughter, though he hadn't the faintest idea why , as politics was a completely different world for him.