The King's Gamma (Previously The King's Beta)

Seventy three

The dwarven army made way for their King, their horde having created a menacing wall of iron in between the demons and their fortress kingdom built into the face of the giant mountain. The King, a broad dwarf known for his exploits from his younger years, stood tall amidst his soldiers and bellowed out towards the Demons, swearing that he would never allow any of their or the beast sort on his soil, much less allow them to agree to any kind of allegiance their sort could come up with.

Heiji, biding Millicent's soft commands, opened the palanquin door and held her hand like a true gentleman, while escorting her to the very front of the stunned King. 

She took her crown off, showing that she had no horns, and gave it to Heiji.

"You may not want Demons and Beast people on your soil, but will you allow a human?" she smiled at the King, holding out her hand for a shake. "You can call me Millicent Mazgannek, adoptive daughter of the demon King and Queen, and princess to their realm. We can even set up a tent here if it makes you more comfortable to not have me in your Kingdom either?"

The King was still too stunned to speak. Not because she was a human, nor because of the miasma he could see surrounding her, but simply because she was a woman. Why, you ask? Because he had heard of the heir a few times. He was, after all, on relatively good terms with the Ogre and Oni races, both of which had quite a bit of information on the allegiance between the Demons and Beasts, but everything he'd heard was levelheaded and calculated. Something he could not equate to the dainty-looking little woman before him. 

His assumptions were not so outlandish either. After hearing the heir was human, he too did some digging on humans as the other royal houses of the different races did, and paid little mind to the information on women after learning that they were simply treated either as extremely precious commodities, never allowed outside, or slave-like breeders. There was no in-between with their treatment. Women were never schooled, and the ones treated well were, simply put, meek idiots.

The woman before him was nothing like he expected a human woman to be. 

"You're the heir?" He asked, staring at her for a while more. He turned to those closest to him, his son and daughter, and turned back to her, eyeing her for a while longer. "How do you fair with a drink?"

"I can enjoy myself a fair bit. Heiji, stay here."

She followed the King, not seeming at all bothered by the hesitant or hostile eyes on her. The King did not lead her far. Only a mere twenty meters into the kingdom gates, he gestured for her to sit down by a table where another dwarf quickly served tankards filled with something sweet smelling. And, it stung her nose.

Having sharp senses always served her well.

"Truth serum?" She smiled as she gulped the liquid down nonetheless. "Quite bold of you to serve this to the heir of the Demon Kingdom."

Somewhat stunned, the King stared at her continuing to drink the liquid they'd boldly served her. "You knew and you still drank it?"

"You are seeking the truth for the good of your people, as well as their safety. I can't fault you for that. It would be more correct to state that I approve of this. You're much more careful than the Beast people."

"So why did you come?"

"To establish an alliance with your people. As we stated in the letter."

"With an army at your back? An envoy never brings an entire army."

"You refused Heiji when he came alone. You also refused communication when we attempted to establish it through courier. The army is mostly for my safety. Not a threat to you or your people."

"The request for an alliance was never a fluke?" he seemed genuinely surprised by this, looking into her eyes and confirming that the serum was still flowing in her veins. 

"I think we can find mutual benefit from an alliance. Although, I based my calculations and suggestions around the possibilities of what you may request of the other nations in the alliance, so you're free to refuse my suggestions or make requests of your own."

"Can you walk me through your suggestions?"

She spoke at length, advising about the mines in the other nations, about the guilds and all other details that had been worked out between Demons and Beasts up until this point and made some more suggestions based solely on what she smelt, heard and saw around her. She asked questions and answered them in equal measure, adjusting her plans and suggestions accordingly every time, until finally, he noticed that the princess in front of him was much more intelligent than any of the information they had gathered thus far. The alliance she spoke of, as well as plans, never once stopped involving all the pros and cons for each nation and its surroundings.

"May I ask you something more personal?" The King finally asked, somewhat curious.

She nodded, a small smile on her lips.

"Why are you, a human, helping us? Why all the plans to unite so many?"

"Why not?"

"What?"

"I'm asking why not?" She took another swig of the sweet mead. "I don't see a reason keeping me from creating such alliances. Nor do I see any benefit in keeping the nations as they have been for millennia. Working against each other, stealing land and resources, warring inside and outside our courts... why would I do such a childish thing when I can simply hoard it all under one rule?"

For the first time that day, a chill crept up the spine of the King, as he watched the human in front of him eye him the way a predator would watch their prey.

"Of course, you are free to refuse."

***-***-***

Much like in the Beast Kingdom, they allowed Millicent in with her entourage and took some days to fully discuss the three-way alliance. After that first day the King never dared to use any serums on her again, and his respect for her and her intelligence grew as much as his fear for her and for what making an enemy of such a person would entail. By the third day, she returned to the Demon Kingdom, the alliance sealed and a trove of dwarves with them to settle near the five already established guilds in the other nations. By the time they were fully established a month later, their shops and mines up and running, three other nations had word reach them of the Dwarves allying with the Beasts and Demons, along with a short letter from the Dwarf King himself.

These letters were sent to the Oni, Orcs as well as Elves respectively, containing information on the heir. Unlike the Beasts' prior notifications to the rest of the nations, no praises for the heir were sung. Instead, it stipulated very clearly that the heir was a force they could not compete with. The King never once experienced her combatant strength or saw her use any powers to elicit such a response. No. Simply, his very being was shouting at him to obey and concede even as he calmly discussed the terms that he had to admit were very lucrative for his kingdom nonetheless. 

But there was absolutely no way that he would ever forget the words of the princess, nor the predatory look in her eyes that first day. A look he had never seen even in the Beast people.