Chapter 285 - Persuasion or Force

 At the time the wedding banquet in Saniya took place, another important meeting was being held over a thousand kilometers away. Stuck between the various main islands of the Verdant Isles sat a small piece of land, called Nakatara. This island was shaped like a bean, the sea being hugged by a long, concave beach. And in the center of that beach sat a solitary building, called Tullpuna Court.

For centuries, Tullpuna Court had been the place the Colored Kings of the Verdant Isles had used to settle their differences and plan their common future. It was a place that guaranteed them neutral ground for their talks, as it didn't allow for bloodshed of any kind within its walls.   

Many generations ago, the first of the Colored Kings had met here with the local high priests. Together, they spoke an oath and formed the allied Verdant Isles. Through the ritual, they sealed their cooperation, and agreed to work together to repel all foreign threats to the Isles. At the same time, the Pacha priests spoke a curse. Should any of the Colored Kings, or any of their descendants, forget the ancient oaths, and should they spill blood within Tullpuna Court, the ancient oath of unity would reverse. The islands would be torn apart and the absolute rule of the Colored Kings would end in disaster.

Like many Yaku buildings, the colored court was built in an open manner, in harmony with the nature around it. However, the court took these ancient principles to the extreme. The large room was only supported on three sides. Its west-facing wall was missing, and the space opened up to the beautiful bay of Nakatara island behind them. Not only did this feature create a unique backdrop for the talks between kings, it also let the kings show off power in case of disagreements.   

As a race of warriors, part of verduic negotiations had always been the show of force. Thus, the serene bay had been disrupted today by the arrival of many ships from the various different lords. Sometimes, if negotiations were especially stiff, the Colored Kings would settle their differences with fights between their respective crews. In those cases, the kings would watch the bloodshed in the distance from within the court. This way, the rulers were far enough away from the fight that no oaths would be broken. However, Taoco didn't intend to let his men fight today, at least not so long as the other kings knew what was good for them. Thus, the ships only formed a backdrop to the negotiations for now.

Thus, everyone was relieved to meet in this place even for heated discussions, knowing full well that none of them would dare to fight on this ground. Just the same, the Green King Taoco Hulpatec and his son Wacoca had no reservations to feud with the other Colored Kings here, especially with the blue king Raoman.   

Although the green king didn't intend to start a fight, he had to get ready in the face of the blue king, who had already sold his soul to outside forces. Compared to him who only relied on foreign powers, Taoco had spent the last few years amassing his own strength. With it, he hoped to convince his peers to follow him, ally with the southern kingdom of Medala and move towards a bright future for the Verdant Isles. Thus, he had called this meeting in this place, where the current colored kings could negotiate without fear of bloodshed, just like their ancestors had done.

Though at first, the priests took the stage and once again swore all the kings into brotherhood. Once their seemingly endless rituals were done at last, the priests left the room and only left the colored kings behind. Now that they were finally alone, the rulers of the Verdant Isles took a seat on the colored mats on the floor, one each corresponding to each of the main islands.   

According to old agreements, everyone was allowed to bring a servant warrior or heir, who sat behind them on the floor. As the first among his peers, Green King Taoco sat in the head position, with his son Wacoca behind him. Their backs were towards the open wall of the king's court, the bay of Nakatara and the Ships within.

“Fellow kings, brothers. Thank you for heeding my summons and assembling here with me to hear me blabber on,” Taoco opened. “Now that those antiquated priests are done with their song-and-dance numbers, we can get to the interesting parts.”

His rude words earned laughter from his fellow lords. After all, despite their adherence to traditions and their faith in Pacha, all of them were pirates in the end. They never put much value in ceremony or empty traditions, and instead valued more direct, personal connections.   

Of course, these connections were always backed by concrete benefits and military might. Otherwise, any cooperation would be hollow. That was why Taoco was so convinced that he would succeed today. He had brought more benefits and strength than the other kings may be able to imagine.

“Surely you have all wondered why I called you here today,” the green king continued. “The Colored Kings haven't met in this place for a long time, and there is no immediate threat to the Isles that needs to be addressed. But that doesn't mean that we are safe. I argue that our current threat, while silent and hidden, is greater than any we have ever faced. Because times are changing. Everyone should have noticed it over the past ten years or so, how all our neighbors have been moving. Chutwa and its tributaries have become more active on the water, which restricts our actions and makes our raids more difficult and less fruitful. The Medalans in the east gave up their isolation and returned to compete for the waters of the Verdant Isles. Later, they even targeted our Yaku traditions. Even more, strange foreigners have begun to appear from Medalan shores, people from distant lands far away who bring with them smoke and fire.”

All the kings nodded at Taoco's introduction, even the blue king. Indeed, much had changed for them in the past few years, and it had been hard for them to adapt. Thus, no one had been surprised when Taoco had invoked the council, and neither would they be surprised by his next words.

“Now more than ever, if we want to survive, we need to face these changes, and change ourselves.”

Although Taoco's words were self-evident, most of the kings remained silent, seemingly unconvinced. Only one spoke up, and not in agreement. As expected, the first discordant voice came from the blue king Raoman.   

“There is no need to change anything. We have survived for centuries without any adjustments to the land dwellers around us. Our ancestors have supplied us with the methods of survival within the Verduic Sea. Here, we are the only masters, now and forever. What reason is there to change?”   

“We have indeed survived for long, and the old methods have served us well,” Taoco admitted, “but the walls are closing in. All around us are nothing but enemies, and they are gathering strength, each and every one of them. Even worse, they are targeting the seas more than ever before, trying to force their way into our domain. All mighty powers of the world are staring towards the Verduic Sea these days, and soon their forces will clash atop our green waves. No matter how well we know the sea, no matter how brave our warriors are, we cannot dominate the waters if most of the ships in it belong to our enemies. If we stubbornly adhere to our old ways, we will be pressed further and further, until we run out of living space. How can you not see that?”

As Taoco spoke, his voice became louder and louder. This was a threat he had been keenly aware of for years now. His fellow kings couldn't possibly be this blind and remain unaware, right? Still, the other kings remained quiet like the windless sea. Just as he began to lose his confidence, another voice chimed in to support his argument.

“I agree. We cannot blindly rely on faith to get us through the danger. And we all know that there is danger.” The one who had spoken up this time was the red king. Of all the Colored Kings, he had always been the closest to Taoco. Not only was he Taoco's cousin through marriage, the green and red islands also had a long-standing cooperative alliance which was much closer than those of the other islands.   

“We all know that King Taoco is brave and worthy of our respect, and we are all aware of the troubles around us,” the red king continued. “So why not actively listen to his suggestion before we put his every word on a scale or condemn him for trying to advance the Verdant Isles?”

The red king's eyes brushed over the blue king, who had already opened his mouth to refute again. This time, the troublemaker was silenced. At last, Taoco could continue.

“Thank you, brother.” To Taoco's grateful words, the red king nodded back. “In fact, the solution to our troubles is simple. Everyone else is strengthening their forces and developing new weapons and industries, so we should just do the same.”   

He leaned forward, closer to his fellow kings.

“Now the question is: How will the Verdant Isles develop to keep up with the changes of the outsiders? Change almost always comes from outside, so the fastest way to improve is to get foreign support. What we need in these times is a solid ally, with a military strong enough to with us stand against the strong powers who threaten our lands and seas. At the same time, we also need someone who can work with us in the future, and help us keep up with the technological advances around us. Because if we want to survive, we need to develop, and only with outside help can we speed up this process. Now then, who will we chose to ally with?”

He looked around, into the blank faces of the other kings. Even the red king had put on the mask of a politician. Only the blue king showed emotion. His sneer proved that he already knew Taoco's answer. Yet even so, the green king wasn't worried. There was nothing the little blue man could do to prevent the following words.

“Since we are surrounded by enemies, there are certain foreigners we can exclude as potential allies. We have fought against the Chutwa folk and their dogs for so long, don't believe they will forget their shame of defeat. Those arrogant bastards want us eradicated, nothing more. They will never work with us, no matter what we offer. Meanwhile, the Orientals from far away are unknown to us, and they are stuck across Yakuallpa. They are hard to talk to, harder to read, and they cannot help us much with their fleets stuck across the Twin Isles,” the green king explained slowly. “Thus, the most reasonable allies for us can only be our brothers from Medala. They are Yaku like us, and like us, they are under threat from the outside forces around them. Our alliance would be logical, and mutually beneficial. I believe there is no reason to hesitate any further.”

“And I imagine the Medalans in your mouth are those weaklings of the southern kingdom?” All throughout Taoco's argument, the blue king's sneer had never left him. Now he took the chance to ridicule Taoco's plans again.

“Weaklings?” the green king scoffed. “They won their war against the north, and have been developing well in the past few years. If nothing else, they have developed faster than the other two kingdoms, that much is guaranteed. They control the entire southern half of the Twin Isles, and parts of northern Medala as well. Their influence is also quite large in the other kingdoms, especially in eastern Medala. No matter from which aspect they are viewed, be it military, technology or political reach, they are in no way inferior to the other kingdoms, and they are on the rise. Even better, we already have good connections with them.”

“No, you, and your son, and your daughter have good connections with them.” The blue king looked over to Wacoca behind Taoco with a provocative look. “And you would be the only one to benefit from closer cooperation. As for us poor kings, we would remain on the outside even if we were to agree. All we can do is watch as you and those outsiders grow closer and closer.”

“I do not deny that we have a good relationship with the south,” Taoco said in a grumpy tone. How could this guy's mouth produce so much nonsense? “But there is no reason why you would not be able to get just as close as we have. You are free to work with King Corcopaca whenever you please, just like us. The King of the South is a reasonable man who prefers cooperation over bloodshed. He will never snub more allies, and will never treat them poorly. Whether you came early or late does not matter. What matters is your sincerity and the benefits you can bring to his kingdom. In that respect, the southern king is very simple, and very easy to get along with. Even better, his political reputation is immaculate,. Even among his enemies. Not only is he our only choice for an alliance, he is also the best ally one could imagine, by far.”

“Calling him the only choice seems a bit hasty,” the red king said in a careful tone. However, the other Colored Kings weren't that polite.

“Yes, calling the southern king the only choice is foolish when there are so many players in the game,” another of the kings argued. “For one, what about the other Medalan kings? Medala's north has always been richer than the south. Even split in half they should be viable options, should they not?”

“The other kingdoms cannot compare to the south.” Taoco's words came from the heart. After interacting with the southern kingdom for a few years, he realized more and more just how far ahead they were of everyone else. “Although they do not have the most impressive history, their current position lets them compete with all forces within Medala, and soon they will gain a total upper hand on the Twin Isles. The future will belong to them. If you care about the future of the Verdant Isles, I implore you to believe me on this.”

“What is there to believe? You are not the only one with contacts in Medala. All of us know quite well about the circumstances of the three kingdoms,” the blue king argued. “While the south has a lot of land, most of it is icy wasteland. They are the least prosperous and least developed of all three kingdoms. They managed to win the last war because the central kingdom's nobility was not unified and was stabbed in the back by the northern kingdom's armies at a critical moment. The outcome had nothing to do with the strength of the south. Even then, with so many great advantages, the southerners just barely managed to hold off the center, and gained almost nothing from their victory, if it can even be called one.”   

Again, the blue king sneered towards Taoco to show off his bad manners, before he continued towards the other kings.

“As for the future? Not only are the center and the north far more populous and wealthy than the south, they also have much stronger contacts to the outside world. You are bothered by the foreigners from east and west, are you not? Well, the central kingdom has strong connections to the oriental foreigners, and the northern kingdom has strong connections to the Chutwa Empire. Why join that little southern kingdom in the hopeless fight against those powerful forces, rather than make good with the winning sides? Compared to the other two kingdoms, the southerners are far too weak. For the life of me I cannot see where their value lies.”

“Hah, that is easy to say for someone who won't even try to understand the new political landscape of Medala.” After his exaggerated laugh, Taoco showed off a wide grin to stimulate his rival. “But I am not surprised by your sudden blindness. We all know that you have been bought by one of the other kingdoms, or worse, by the foreigners. How else would you be able to afford all those new ships of yours?”

“How dare you slander me!?”

King Raoman slammed the ground and shot from his knees onto his feet in moments. After the conversation had broken down, Taoco was glad to do the same and teach the blue king a lesson in hand-to-hand combat. But before he had the chance to stand up, someone else chimed in.

“Brother Raoman, this is a place of oath!” The red king shouted in anger. “Do you intend to shed blood here!?”

“Am I not allowed to defend my honor!? This brother here spat in my face. How can I continue to ignore it?” The blue king glanced over to Taoco with a stony face. In response, the red king sighed.

“Indeed. Brother Taoco, your words were a bit excessive as well. Rather than being ripped apart by outside interests like this, we should work together.”

Indeed, Taoco himself understood that he had gone too far. Although everyone in the room knew that Raoman had unclear dealings with one of the Medalan kingdoms, the blue king had been sneaky in his plots. So far, the green king had not been able to find any solid proof for his actions. Thus, any accusation like this would be considered terrible form by the other kings. After all, despite their differences, they were still brothers in name and had to keep up appearances. Taoco gave the red king a grateful look. Without his intervention, the entire meeting would have been derailed and the blue kin g would have had an excuse to simply storm off. At that point, all of today's preparations would have been futile.

“Fine, I apologize,” he said towards the blue king, though he didn't bow his head. “Brother needs to excuse my rudeness. The changes in Medala are something I feel very passionate about, so I was rash. I think the developments in the southern kingdom are the key to our future as well, which is why I am so determined to convince everyone of the same ideas. Though since you are unconvinced, please allow me to do so with more than just words. This way, I am sure we will find an agreement soon. Prince Wacoca, let the servants bring in the treasures.”

All throughout the negotiations, Wacoca had been a silent shadow behind his father, but now he stood up and left the room. When he returned only moments later, he came back with several of the green king's warrior servants, led by Captain Tayali, Rasacopa's most important commander.   

Of course, the warriors didn't carry their weapons in honor of Nakatara's oath. Instead, they were armed with wooden boxes. In front of every king, one such box was placed, for them to inspect. When the kings opened their presents, they were confronted with glittering gold and silver, rare dyes and other precious treasures.

Over the top of his own box, a satisfied Taoco began to explain.

“All of these treasures have been acquired either from or through trade with the southern kingdom of Medala. Now that you have all these treasures in front of your own noses, maybe you will believe in the strength of the south. In fact, there is no need to talk about the future, you can already see the changes that cooperation with the southern kingdom has brought us. With their help, we have started to transform the Green Island and all of its subservient islands over the past few years. For one, the southern king has provided us with plenty of cheap metal tools to help us clear out the forests in the centers of the islands. The Verdant Folk have been given the greatest, richest land in the world, yet we have failed to make the best use of them all these generations. Most of our land is still controlled by birds and beasts, our mighty warriors too scared to march inland. Instead of tigers and mosquitoes, we should be the masters of this land, and we should have control over the inland.”

The other kings nodded their heads. They themselves had been frustrated by the ferocity of nature on the Verdant Isles. Although they called themselves the kings of the islands, in many cases they could control less than a tenth of their own territory, while the rest was covered in wild jungle. It was a common problem, and a solution to it could unite the kings. Now that even the blue king agreed with his reasoning, Taoco once again saw hope for peaceful cooperation.   

“We also received the permission to buy the southern kingdom's fertilizer, the only foreign nation to attain this privilege,” Taoco continued with more enthusiasm. “After years of using the fertilizer and opening up the land, our harvests have increased by ten times over. On top of that, we can freely travel to the southern kingdom to buy and sell products. There are many things they need and pay good money for, and we can buy their products cheap and sell them to other nations around us, all for a hefty profit. That is even better and easier money than robbing merchants or raiding the shores. In the future, the southern kingdom will continue to grow, and take us with them to the top. On top of that, we have negotiated deals about technological support from the southern kingdom, which will put us on par, or above, our enemies when it comes to the use and production of modern weapons. If nothing else, their shipwright technology will make us strong enough to withstand the mounting foreign pressure.”   

Taoco paused for dramatic effect, before he stressed his position one final time.

“Their physicians have created rare miracle cures, and will soon develop a medicine for tropical fever. Together with the cheap iron tools and a concentrated effort by all our servants, we will fully conquer the jungles of the Verdant Isles and become their true masters. At the same time, cooperation with the southern kingdom will bring us great riches and strength. Believe me, with the southern kingdom, our enemies are nothing to speak of, and our future looks bright.”

Although Taoco's speech had been enthusiastic, and detailed to boot, the other kings looked a bit embarrassed, while the blue king still sneered at him. In the end, it was once more the red king, who spoke up.

“The future is beautiful because it could be anything,” he began. His words were careful, taking care not to offend anyone. “It is easy to say this thing or that thing will happen, but so long as there is no proof for any of them, an alliance with the southern kingdom, and offending the other two, seems like an unreasonable risk. After all, the southern kingdom has technology and strength, but so do the others. If all the new Medalan knowledge comes from the eastern foreigners, would it not be better to work with those who are closer to the orientals?”

Taoco shook his head.

“The northern kingdoms are mere pawns for the foreigners. They have not been entrusted with any important technologies. On the other hand, the King of the South himself has lived in the Orient for years and gained his own subordinates there. Thus, he has a critical advantage over the other kings, which is reflected in the strength of his kingdom. Again, seeing is believing. If you do not trust my words, you are free to visit their capital of Saniya for yourselves and see just what has been happening there. In fact, you do not even have to travel that far. My son has spent much of his previous few years in the city, and can inform you exactly on their development during that time.”

“Thank you, honorable father.”   

Once he was called upon again, Wacoca stood up to speak. First he bowed to his father, and then to the rest of the Colored Kings, who listened to his words without expressions.

“Honorable Colored Kings, this junior has been on diplomatic missions in Medala for half a decade now. In fact, this junior was present when the Medala Empire was first split into the three kingdoms. Even more, this junior and arrived to live in the southern kingdom's capital shortly after King Corcopaca took over the land. At the time, their capital of Saniya was simply a quaint little Yaku town, with no more than ten thousand people in it. In only four years, the city's size has swelled to almost four times that number. In that time, they have established free schooling for all servants of the king, which include most people in the city by now. They also built public bath houses, sewers all throughout the city, a giant shipyard which uses modern technologies from the east to mass-produce modern ships and many other great achievements that most countries would need to spend decades of effort on.”

While Wacoca paused for effect, his father observed the other kings. Most of them still didn't show their emotions, but the blue king finally showed a frown. At last, Taoco's opponent began to look worried.

“Within those short few years, that quaint little town has developed into one of the greatest cities of Medala,” Wacoca continued, “and it is still growing. In Saniya's ports, one can see ships from all over the Verduic Sea come and go every day. This junior has grown up in Rasacopa, and has also been a guest in Medala's capital of Arguna before. Among all the places this junior has experienced, Saniya has been the liveliest and most energetic. On every street, there are large building projects, private or public. Around every corner are opportunities, or new things never before seen in these parts of the world. At its current speed of development, Saniya will become the center of Medalan culture, economy and politics in less than ten years. If the Verdant Isles become their allies now, when they are still weak and underestimated by the world, we will be highly valued by them in the future and we get the chance to grow with them and compete with them in the future. If we only join their ranks after they have dominance over the Twin Isles, there will be no gains for us. Thus, this junior believes that today is the time to make a decision.”

Satisfied with his son's words, Taoco nodded his head. Wacoca's explanation had been calm and honest. At the same time, he had properly shown those kings the right path ahead and stressed the urgency of their position. At this point, the green king was sure that he already had the other kings in the bag. However, before any of the Colored Kings could be convinced by his son's testimony, the blue king's discordant voice interrupted again.

“And what do you know about anything, brat? Are the words of a single boy enough to sway the minds of kings? Did you count the number of people in that town yourself? You could have been fooled by the foreigners, only shown what they wanted you to see. Even worse, you could have already been bought. Maybe you and your entire kingdom are already in their pockets, and now you are making up stories to make us hounds of that southern king, just the same as you.” The blue king spoke in a loud voice, but he was completely calm, as if everything was within his control. “In the end, you are nothing but a foreign dog, just like your father.”    

“You dare to repeat that, you pretender!?”

Although he had restrained himself before, now all of Taoco's patience was used up. He rushed to his feet and reached for his weapon, only to realize that his belt was devoid of his axe today. All the while, the blue king continued as if he hadn't heard Taoco's threat.

“As for those so-called 'treasures' you put under our noses: Any third-rate kingdom could come up with this much gold and silver, even your backwards town of Rasacopa. All other promises and claims you have made are fleeting clouds, empty promises, fancy words. Face it, your precious southern kingdom has nothing to offer except pretty lies, as do you.”

Although the blue king continued with his nonsense, none of the other kings spoke up.

At this point, Taoco didn't get angry anymore. He had no leisure to bother with anger. With a solemn expression, he looked at the other kings in the room. Some of them looked calm, some of them dodged his eyes. Either way, the situation didn't look too good for him. Not even the red king, Taoco's closest ally, spoke up to interrupt Raoman.

Although Taoco had come prepared, it was clear now that none of his fellow kings were willing to believe in his vision of the future. That could be seen in their current silence alone. When Taoco had insulted Raoman, the red king had spoken up to mediate. Now that Raoman had insulted Taoco in an even more vicious manner, the other kings remained silent. All of a sudden, the green king felt isolated among his brothers.

This was something he had been worried about for a while now, and it had been his biggest fear in today's conference. Ever since his first contact with King Corco, the green island and Rasacopa had been gaining in strength at an explosive rate. Even before then, the green king had been the most powerful of all the colored kings. With the added strength, all the remaining kings would be afraid of a hegemony of Rasacopa over the Verdant Isles. By now, it seemed like this fear had crystallized into action and had led the other kingdoms to form a loose alliance, which would guarantee that the green king wouldn't dominate them.   

With a sigh, Taoco realized that he could no longer win over his brothers with words. No matter how good his intentions were, they would be seen as hidden attempts at conquest. With his options cut off, there was only one choice left, though he had hoped that it wouldn't have to come to that.

“Fine,” he began, as his face firmed up, “You do not want to believe in my words. You treat my good intentions as malicious, and would rather retain your power on a waning kingdom than to help the Verdant Folk rise up. Since my good words have fallen on deaf ears, there are other ways to negotiate.”

Taoco knew that once he made this decision, there was no way back, no more chance left for a peaceful Verdant Isles. After this, there would be war. Even so, he didn't hesitate for a second. He opened the treasure chest his servants had put in front of him before, the only one that had remained unopened. The inside of this chest was just as sparkling and glittering as the others, but it was a much colder glint that greeted Taoco. As soon as he opened the chest, the warriors behind him stepped up and reached inside. Each of them retrieved one of the short swords hidden inside the box, as did Taoco and Wacoca.

At first, all the other kings looked shocked and confused. By the time they had realized their predicament and jumped to their feet, the situation was already decided. Two of Taoco's warriors stood ready at the only entrance to the room, while the open wall to the beach was completely blocked by the other four warriors, as well as the father and son duo.

For once, the blue king's sneer had disappeared and was replaced by a blank stare.

“King Taoco, what does this mean!?” he shouted to show strength, though his voice was suppressed, to prove his weakness. “Do you intend to destroy the Verdant Isles?”

Rather than answer, Taoco reached into the box again, to take out the last object hidden inside. This time, he retrieved a short-barreled firearm, a mortar pistol his son had brought from Saniya after his last visit there. Although the other kings stepped back in fear of the weapon, Taoco had no intentions of harming them, at least not for now. Instead, he faced the open ocean and pulled the trigger.

Soon enough, the weapon released its projectile and a bright white star that rose over the coastline of Nakatara island. After the signal had been given, Taoco turned around again, to resume negotiations. This time, he was no longer worried about resistance from the other kings. This time, he held all the cards.

“What is it you are trying to do, Brother Taoco? Do you wish to spill blood in this court?” the red king tried to keep his voice calm, but couldn't hide the shaking inside. “Everything can be talked about. There is no reason to threaten violence.”

“I never wanted to threaten anyone, but it seems like all of you made your decision long before you arrived here. I have talked and talked, but in your eyes, it seems I am nothing but a joke.”

“No, brother. We certainly never-”

“Since you are unconvinced by my words, maybe my strength will play a better role.”

With his men at the back, Taoco no longer had any reason to be polite with his former equals. They had revoked that privilege the moment they had brushed off his efforts like nothing. After today, if they were smart, they would no longer have the right to talk with him on the same level. If they weren't, they would never be able to speak again.

“I talk to you about the strengths of the south, but you do not believe me. I show you their wealth, put it right in front of your faces, and you do not believe me. Well, in that case, I will see how you deny a knife to your throat. In these years, Rasacopa hasn't only gained money from our cooperation with the southerners. Money and connections can also buy us a lot of weapons.”

“A few knives, that's all. Tricks of cheats and thieves, not something one can win a war with.” Even now, in such a dire position, the blue king was still putting up a brave front.

“Hah. The childish stubbornness is what I expected of you, Raoman.” Taoco didn't even call the blue king by his title anymore. Even if the other kings were to give in and escape their fate today, Taoco was determined to make the blue king give up his role as king, either by choice or by force. “If you are not convinced by the knives in front of your face, then maybe you will be convinced by the ships behind me.”

By now, his signal flare would have been seen by his fleet, and they would have appeared from behind their cover on the edges of the island. Taoco had planned the details for today's conference for a long time. He knew that the blue king already had intimate contact with at least one of the other Medalan kingdoms, and he wasn't sure about any of the other kings. So he wouldn't be so naive to believe that he could still convince them with good arguments alone.   

On the Verdant Isles, strength always spoke the loudest, so he had to back up his words with enough force. Thus, he had spent much of his recent income on new ships and new crews. Before the strife in Medala had carried over to them a few years back, the green king had already been the strongest among all the Colored Kings. With the additional ships and the element of surprise, he had a complete advantage. After today, he would be the ruler of the Verduic Sea, and they would have to follow. His initial intention had been to convince his fellow kings and cooperate in harmony, but if he was honest, he preferred this current method over boring compromises.

With a grin, he observed his former brothers. However, he couldn't find any of the panic and confusion he had expected in their faces. Instead, they only looked conflicted, while the red king had furrowed his brows in worry.  Only the blue king had returned to his gloating expression from before.

“Now look at this, fellow kings,” Raoman said as he waved his hands in Taoco's vague direction. “There stands the great green king, ready to destroy us on hallowed ground, breaking ancient vows, all in the service of outsiders. No longer one of us, his warrior spirit gone and replaced by that of a base thief, his captain's heart replaced by a merchant's. Just like I said, this one is a traitor, a servant to foreign dogs, not fit to stand among us. I believe it is time to begin.”

While he was confused by Raoman's guts, Taoco wouldn't be swayed by false bravado.

“Begin?” he asked in derision. “What, do you think you still have any sway here?”   

Just as Taoco's words were finished, he was interrupted by a series of bangs from behind him. In shock, he turned around, only to see a picture he had expected the least today. His own ships had indeed left their hiding spots and showed up within the bay. However, they were already surrounded. Along with them had come eight or so strange-looking vessels with large sails and high hulls, which towered over Taoco's own ships.

“Eastern galleons,” his son muttered next to him. “How are they here?”

As he had thought, the strange ships were of oriental make, as were the cannons that had produced the smoke around them. Before anyone had realized what was going on, the enemy ships had come out of nowhere and opened fire on his own. Already, one of his own ships had begun to slant starboard. This attack had been planned for as long as his own. Taoco had been had.

“Did you think you were the only one with allies, or the only one who gathered strength these years?” the blue king's sneer sounded out again. “None of your tricks and ploys will work here, no matter how sneaky you are, thief.”

In anger, Taoco turned around and stepped towards the Colored Kings. How dare this coward accuse him like this?

“You call me a thief, yet you will not even use your own ships to stab me in the back! You call me a traitor, yet you lead these foreigners from the east towards hallowed ground, to attack good Verdant folk! Don't be so smug yet! Do not forget that I am still in control of this-”

As he marched towards King Raoman in anger, Taoco suddenly realized that something was wrong. All throughout this meeting, the blue king had remained calm and arrogant. That didn't fit at all with his character, which had always been cautious to the point of timidity. Even now, threatened by Taoco's men, he didn't seem worried, as if he had everything under control. At last, the green king realized that something was wrong, but at this point it was already too late.

“Father!” At the same time his son shouted the warning, Taoco felt the body behind him move. He only had time to turn half around until a needle of pain pricked his right side. He looked down and saw the silver glint of the short sword being swallowed by the ruby of his own flesh and blood. When he followed the arm attached to the weapon, he met a familiar face, the last one he would have expected to betray him.

“I am sorry, master,” Captain Tayali said, his face distorted in pain as if he had stabbed himself, and not the lord he had been sworn to since birth. “But we are raiders, not merchants.”

Although the pain of betrayal hit Taoco harder than the pain of the knife, he had no time to listen to his former captain.

“Son!” He shouted, and rushed past Tayali. In the back of the hall, Wacoca was already surrounded by House Hulpatec's warriors on all sides, their knives stabbing down on him without remorse. Already on one knee, the green prince screamed in pain and swung his own sword to fight back, but it was no use. The sneak attack had taken him completely by surprise, and then sheer numbers had overwhelmed the injured Wacoca. By the time the father reached his son, the young body had begun to cool down.

Numb, either from the shock or from the loss of blood, Taoco fell down to the ground as well, into the red puddle created by his son's own blood. The knife finally fell out of his flank and ripped a bloody hole, but he didn't care. In the distance, two of his ships had already sunk, and the rest were scattering in panic to escape the superior firepower and position of the foreigners. Around Taoco stood his former warrior servants, the most trusted of all. They stood as if they were honoring the dead in a wake, their actions just more hypocrisy after their betrayal. However, none of it mattered. His son was dead.

Around him, the Colored Kings stood up one by one, and all picked up one of the short swords Taoco had taken so much thought and care to smuggle into Tullpuna Court. One by one, they stabbed into the body of the green king, to become active accomplices in the conspiracy, to tear apart one oath and seal a new one in blood. Some had faces stiff like masks, others made excuses to him, but none of it mattered anymore to Taoco. When the red king arrived to contribute his stab, it was straight into Taoco's heart, to end his suffering.

At least Raoman won't get a turn.

With this irrelevant thought, Taoco Hulpatec II, Green King of Rasacopa and head of the Colored Kings, breathed his last breath.