GLADIUS // Eret X Reader

11

You spent the rest of the night in Eret's company, sampling the food from the buffet and spinning around the dance floor a few more times. Every now and again, you would catch sight of Maven and Simon in their own little bubble, talking and laughing throughout the night. Spending time with Eret was surprisingly fun - not what you had expected from a king. 

It did have to come to an end eventually though, as there was a court session bright and early the next morning. 

You retired to your suite around midnight, and went straight to bed, determined to get as much sleep as you could before you would need to be making your case for the king in the court - explaining the logistics of the war and how much support you would need. As nice as Eret seemed, you were sure that at least some of that was going to change once you got into the real reason you were here. 

When you woke up again, breakfast was already waiting for you. You ate as you dressed, rehearsing your points in your head - you'd memorized statistics and probabilities to use to convince Eret and his court that their support would turn the tide and the war was worth getting involved in. You'd been banking on the fact that you would be able to convince him to join the war for glory - but knowing Eret now, you had a feeling that wouldn't work.

Once you were dressed and had eaten, you knocked on the door between you and Simon's suite - only to receive no response. You knocked again, a little louder - still nothing. It was then that you opened the door peering into Simon's suite. The room was still dark, and you could see him softly breathing on the bed, still asleep.

You were on your own for the meeting then. 

You backed out, closing the door as softly as you could. You knew you didn't actually need him for this, but it would have been nice to have the familiar face. Eret and Maven would be there though, so you supposed you wouldn't be completely on your own. Heading out into the hallway, you started down the now familiar path to the throne room.

When you arrived, it was completely different from last night. The throne was back on the dias where it had been before, and a variety of seats had been arranged in a circle around the room - places for the members of the court to sit. People were already mingling about when you arrived, and Eret was wearing another skirt - this time a deep earthy green, still with the mirrored glasses. He was talking to Maven, but looked up when you walked into the room. 

You waved to him as you descended down the stairs. Eret smiled, walking over to meet you and extending a hand to help you down the last few steps. "Good morning Y/N." He greeted. 

"Good morning your-" You stopped yourself. "Eret. Good morning Eret."

Eret raised an eyebrow. "Your Eret?"

"You don't like formalities." You said. "It was almost 'your highness'."

"Ah." Eret said, guiding you over towards one of the seats nearer to his throne in the circle. "How was your rest? And is Simon alright?"

"He's still asleep, I didn't want to wake him." You said. "But, I myself slept fine, thank you."

You slid into your seat and Eret returned to his throne, sitting down as well. As he sat, the rest of the court took the cue and meandered to their seats as well. Your eyes scanned over the faces - surprised to see more than just human faces assembling. There were evokers, and vindicators and a few Endermen present as well.

When they were all seated, Eret clapped his hands, smiling. "Good morning everyone! I'm sure you all know why we're gathered here today - we have a guest from King Etienne, who was a friend of my father's, as you know." He gestured to you, and you smiled as the eyes of the court turned to you. "Y/N comes with a request - military support. And from what I understand, it's a war against pillaging tribes."

A few looks were traded between the non human members of Eret's court, but no one said anything. Eret nodded to you, giving you the floor. You nodded back, took a calming breath, and started your spiel. 

"For months now, pillaging tribes that used to live in peace within the kingdom have been attacking villages with increased intensity, endangering our people." You said, putting on your court voice. "Of course, in response King Etienne organized a military response, but it's been a back and forth for weeks now with no end in sight. An extra push in the form of outside support could tip the scales in the kingdom's favor and save countless villages."

Eret hummed thoughtfully. "If it's not too much to ask, why did the pillaging tribes start attacking in the first place?"

Eret's question was logical enough, but you were keenly aware of the eyes of the vindicators and evokers in the room on you. If you wanted their support, you were going to have to be careful about what you said. 

"The death of one of their own." You said. "They fly a flag with his likeness as retaliation, but they only cause more lives to end in his legacy."

It was a half truth, but a necessary one. And judging from the neutral looks of the non-human members of the court, you'd done alright. You could tell by the way they traded glances though that there were a lot more questions coming - but you had been expecting that. The hard part was over now with the original address given though. You looked to Eret signaling that you were done, and received a smile in return. 

You returned the gesture, a little fuzzy feeling filling up your chest. Even when you were technically on opposite sides, Eret went out of his way to make sure you were comfortable.