Section Thirty-Eight: Councilor Kidd, Part One

Led up the steps of the city hall, the party followed Princess Helen all the way to the second floor. There, the desks and chairs once used by the city hall had been shoved into a messy jumble, leaving a vast open space in the center.

Elite Fisher warriors stood in ranks along both sides, while in the cleared middle space there was a splendid long table covered with all manner of wines.

The Fisher warriors gathered around it watched the liquor with secret drool at the corners of their mouths, but none dared step forward to snatch it away, for the wine upon that table belonged to one man alone: the Fisher crown prince, Philip.

By human standards, Philip was also a handsome and radiant young man, tall and powerfully built, with a massive crown of red coral and deep-sea sapphire upon his head. Though its design was not especially delicate, the gems and coral alone were enough to leave one in awe. The crown had originally belonged to his father, Sargon, but for this campaign it had been temporarily granted to him, symbolizing the dignity of the Sirens and embodying Sargon’s supreme authority.

He had only just set down his wine bowl when Helen rushed at him, shouting, “Brother!”

The beautiful girl threw herself upon Philip like a child in front of everyone, wrapping her arms around his neck and spinning once in the air.

“Get down,” Philip said sternly, setting his sister back on her feet. “Do you know what a disaster you caused? You ran off to human lands without saying a word, angering Father terribly. Do you know how many warriors have been sent out to search for you?”

Hearing the Fisher crown prince describe the seizure of Heldassine as a search for someone, Kyd, Raven, and Spielberg exchanged only wry smiles. Kyd coughed softly and signaled Raven to remind Helen that, at this moment, the one who could speak most effectively before the crown prince was unquestionably his sister.

Raven winked at Helen. Helen secretly made a face in return, then said to Philip, “You’re the ones making a fuss. I’m already an adult Siren noble. I can protect myself, and I should be traveling the world. Am I meant to stay under your wings for the rest of my life? Have you forgotten that even seabirds make their chicks learn to fly when they are nearly grown?”

Philip assumed Helen’s face was meant for him. The Sirens lived long lives, but their numbers were small, and both he and Emperor Sargon doted on Helen dearly. Moreover, for his own private reasons, he had long wanted to come see the land for himself. Helen’s running away had, in fact, given him the perfect excuse to call the humans to account. During these few days of occupying Heldassine, he had discovered that the land too held many interesting things, far richer than the monotonous life of the sea.

“So long as you’ve come back, that is enough. Seeing you puts my mind at ease. Otherwise...” Philip turned to Councilman Kyd and the others. “Otherwise, I would make you understand that the anger of the Fishers is by no means confined to the sea.”

Councilman Kyd maintained his smile. At a time like this, there was no need to say anything hard. Better to wait for Helen to help speak on their behalf, so that negotiations with Philip could begin.

As expected, Helen cooed at Philip, “Brother, don’t frighten them. They’ve come to negotiate with you.”

“Negotiate?” Only then did Philip’s expression turn serious. He gave a cold laugh. “And what, exactly, do they have to negotiate with me?”

“Just listen to them,” Helen said, tugging at the sleeve of seaweed weaving on Philip’s arm, studded with tiny gems as though all the stars in the sky had been plucked down and set upon it.

“Very well. Since they found you for me, I’ll hear what they have to say.” Philip looked lazily at the three of them. “Who will speak first?”

“Allow me,” said Councilman Kyd, stepping forward and offering Philip the respect due to the noble in the manner customary among humans.

Though Philip did not understand the finer points of human etiquette, during these days after occupying Heldassine, a number of humans had come to curry favor with him. Their manner of bowing allowed him to understand the meaning behind Kyd’s gesture, and he was quite pleased with the other man’s deference. It gave him a favorable first impression of the councilman.

“Your Highness, Crown Prince Philip, allow me to introduce myself. I am a councilman of Randia, and my name is Kyd,” he said.

“And what do you wish to say to me?” Philip replied coldly.

“The reason Your Highness launched an attack on Heldassine was Princess Helen. Now that Her Highness has been found and the misunderstanding cleared up, we hope you will lift the blockade of the port and withdraw from our land. In addition, I have another idea: Randia would like to conduct trade with the Fishers—that is, to do business.” Kyd seemed not to feel the slightest chill in the prince’s tone.

“Hm, then I must thank you for helping me recover my sister. On that point, you may rest assured: we Fishers are masters of the sea, and our hearts are as vast as the ocean. We are not unreasonable. Since Helen has returned, we shall leave sooner or later. As for your other matter—trade?” The Fisher crown prince looked surprised. “What do you have to trade with me? The whole ocean belongs to us.”

“No, you are still lacking certain things,” Kyd said loudly. He pointed to the wine on the table. “For example, I understand that your soldiers are very fond of this sort of thing. I believe Your Highness is quite fond of it as well?”

Philip’s cheeks colored slightly. As for wine, it had indeed been love at first taste. There was nothing like this exhilarating thing in the sea; drinking it felt as if one were burning oneself alive.

“Humans certainly cannot compare to your wealth. You are the master of the sea,” Kyd continued to flatter him. Then his tone shifted. “But though we humans are poor in resources, that very scarcity has taught us to make proper use of every bit we have. For instance, there are precious things beneath the sea, but you cannot deny that after our workmanship, even the coral from the deepest depths can be turned into beautiful jewelry.”

“Yes, I rather like the pieces they make. Not like ours, which are left in their primitive state,” Helen interjected, fingering the jewelry she wore.

“Likewise, you have so many brave warriors, yet your equipment is still insufficient because of your forging ability. But all of that we have. That is why I believe there is a basis for cooperation. We can do business,” Kyd said with confidence to Philip.

“Heh, that does make some sense,” Philip said, clapping his hands in praise. “I was almost persuaded by you. But you have forgotten one thing: we can land on shore just as we are now and simply take everything you have just mentioned.”

Kyd burst out laughing. Philip grew somewhat annoyed and shouted angrily, “What are you laughing at? Do you dare look down on what I just said? Even our lower castes can now come ashore. We could occupy a city forever.”

P.S. I messed up yesterday and posted section 39 by mistake. Kill me if you must. Sorry.