Page 140 of Oath of Rebellion

Chapter 48

EIRWYN SQUEEZED KNOX' hand and leaned over to whisper. "Can I try something?"

He nodded, and she stood. She was used to telling stories for the tavern, but this was a much larger crowd. All eyes turned to her, and she took a deep breath.

"It might help to show you what the plans are of the– are you called a Council?"

One druid pushed up his glasses and said, "We prefer Confederation."

She nodded and threw a kaleidoscope of lights into the air, then twisted her hands to form shapes. "The Confederation is the law governing body and will be composed of the king, the druid judges, and the ranking members of the Robins. They have come together and created a plan for economic and political stability. Let me show you."

She showed Vidrland as it was now, then she led them through each step that was on the papers John had passed out.

"First, we will build shelters. This is the plan for the town of Vidrland. See the market district will be here and the houses here. All house lots will be the same size, so there will not be a ghetto or a noble district. You can build whatever house you want as long as it fits on your lot."

"Aye, but we ran into this god forsaken forest with only the clothes on our backs. How are we going to pay for these houses?" someone shouted.

Eirwyn shifted the dancing lights, shrinking the town to show a map of the forest and surrounding nations. "Excellent point. We have two primary options and a third, longer option. First, we can set up a trade agreement with Glathen. Once we get them to formally recognize us as a nation state, we will have access to their resources. We have a monopoly on the lumber industry, but did you know that the mountains to the north are full of gems? Gems that have been inaccessible for hundreds of years."

Excited chatter echoed through the room as Eirwyn showed them her vision of what she understood.

John pointed above their heads. "There used to be two mining operations by Glathen and Busparia, but when they killed off the dragons, they lost access to the mountains right there. See that valley? We could develop a mining town there on the shores of the river."

Knox pointed to another spot on her map of lights. "There are also technology items that the dwarves have invented. We can set up an assembly line factory to produce those technology items and sell them. There's a way to put a spell on each item so that no other nation can duplicate the technology."

He summarized half a dozen items they'd used on their way to Hartsgrove, and Eirwyn threw a light burst at the ceiling for each one, showing the crowd what they looked like.

Then Knox pointed to another spot. "This is Hartsgrove manor. It's the castle built by my ancestors and my birthright. Even if you do not elect me as king, I will keep what is mine."

He gave a hard stare across the crowd and some murmurs died to whispers.

Lailant slammed her cane on the floor twice and said, "To serve and protect is his birthright. To ask him to do neither is like telling a fish not to swim."

Eirwyn showed them the next steps to a treaty with the Growlers and a port in the treacherous northern border to export goods through the mountains.

"So there are plans in place to make money, and the opportunities are solid businesses. If you put in the work, you can absolutely afford a house."

"I just want to go home," a woman cried out.

Eirwyn frowned and nodded sadly. "I know, me too. But we might not have a home to go back to. We need to research so we don't walk back into a death trap. There is also a proposal to send delegates into Busparia via the Southern Road to see how far the curse spreads. We–Knox and I–have books in Hartsgrove that might help us find a reversal spell. If not, then we intend to ask Glathen for access to their libraries."

"We can't trust Glathen," someone shouted.

Eirwyn shrugged. "We don't know yet if we can or not. But these plans are moot if we don't have a leader. They won't recognize a Confederation of citizens all united as one. The kingdom needs a face to represent us to the world, someone with a a strong hand and a brilliant mind, someone who will listen to concerns and take action to solve problems."

"That would be you, princess," another cried.

Eirwyn laughed and the lights on the ceiling danced in a rainbow of colors. "I'm more than willing, but I've never been a leader. Gastone kept me out of politics. The only way this is going to work is for Knox and I to rule together."

Ashur banged his hand on the table, and papers jumped. "Aye, on that note, I would like to make a motion for both Knox to be proclaimed king and Eirwyn be our Queen of the Feral Forest until either of them cannot perform their duties, at which time we will hold another election."

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