Harry Potter In The Witcher [85]

His own soldiers, who were currently surrounding the room for his "protection," didn't seem that impressed either. Harry himself wasn't the strongest, or most skilled, swordsman in the world, but he had a very large, and very heavy, Skelligan named Grogik who trained them, relentlessly. They were both highly skilled, and brutally savage, in combat. Harry also made sure that all of his soldiers, every last one of them, received the same, high-quality, standardized equipment and training, unlike most of the other kingdoms, who would only properly train their men-at-arms, but not their peasant soldiers.

"You want me," Harry began, his voice dangerously calm, "to give my land, my holdings, as well as the entire Dragon Pass, to the kingdom of Kovir and Poviss, because your Duke of Velhad thinks that, despite never having had any access to it before, all land beyond the Dragon Mountains should, by some divine right, be his. He now also sends a pathetic little envoy, with a handful of shiny soldiers, to try and… intimidate me. It sounds to me like you're declaring war on me, on my kingdom. Is that an accurate analysis?".

Harry asked, as he continued to both magically chill the room and put a heavy, crushing magical pressure into the air around his unwanted "guests."

The soldiers were better at hiding their discomfort, but the little messenger was not. He seemed to be unconsciously shivering every few moments, and he was constantly wiping his sweaty forehead with a small, silk handkerchief.

He was a little, mousy-looking man, with black, stringy hair and a small, unimpressive build.

"N-not war, my lord," the man stammered. "Duke Lambart… he offers you vassalage, under him. You will gain a lordship, and…"

"You mean King Esterad Thyssen," Harry interrupted him, his voice cold. "I am no fool. I am well aware that your king simply wishes to have plausible deniability, in case his little, expansionist plan fails. He wishes to test me, and my capabilities. I have expected this. There will be no arrangement. You may go back to your duke, and you may tell him that I will be there, in his lands, in one week from today. And we shall have our war."

Immediately, the little man paled to a ghostly white, and the soldiers behind him started shuffling around nervously. The messenger gulped, bowed his head so low his nose almost touched his knees, and then quickly, almost comically, departed, his guards scrambling after him. Harry watched him go, a cold, predatory smile on his face.

Merri had stood, silent and watchful, at his side during the whole, tense exchange. As the group of would-be diplomats and soldiers filed out of the room, she moved in front of him and stared at him, a thousand unspoken questions clear in her sharp, intelligent eyes. He made a subtle gesture with his hands, and the remaining soldiers in the room left as well, closing the great doors behind them. With a wave of his hand, he conjured a seat for her, and she took it.

"I'm… confused," she stated simply.

"About what?" Harry questioned, though he was pretty sure he had a good idea.

"Why are we going to invade Velhad?" Merri asked, her voice sharp, confused. "We control the Dragon Pass now. We know the mountains, and we know the lands on this side of it, far better than they do. It would be infinitely easier to defend this pass than to attack their fortified duchy, would it not? Also," she pointed out, her practical, tactical mind clearly at work, "we only have about three hundred men-at-arms, now. That's… that's not nearly enough to go up against the full might of Kovir and Poviss."

"I will use the dragons," Harry said simply, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

 "That's why I have them in the first place, Merri. You would not be scared of an enemy who had a powerful, terrifying weapon, but who did not know how, or did not want, to actually use it. I need to show them, all of them, that I am not only willing, but more than able, to use the dragons, and this is the perfect opportunity to do so. Although," he added, a thoughtful look on his face, "I doubt they even believe we actually have them. Their little envoy came during one of the few times the dragons were all out hunting, so they probably did not see them. Still, invading will not be a problem. But do you know what the true issue will be?" Harry asked her, a challenging glint in his eye.

Merri thought about it, her brow furrowed in concentration, and she stayed silent for a long time. "Holding it?" she finally asked, her voice uncertain.

Harry smiled, a genuine, pleased smile. He was glad she had gotten it correct so quickly. "Indeed," he confirmed.

 "Dragons are an amazing, almost unbeatable conquering tool. But once you actually have the land, they are practically useless for actually governing it. Three hundred men can't possibly hold all of Velhad, and even if they somehow could, that would leave our own city, Avalon, completely defenseless. 

So," he asked her, leaning forward slightly, "if you were in my shoes, Merri, knowing what I can do, and what resources I have at my disposal, what would you do?"

Again, Merri dipped her head down in thought as she tried to imagine what he, with his immense, almost god-like power, could possibly do in such a situation. "Threaten them, maybe?" she suggested. "You don't need to actually have the dragons there, burning their cities all the time. But if you just show them the dragons, and then threaten them to fall in line, to follow your rule… I'm sure most of them would."

"Yes, and no," Harry countered. "That would certainly work for many of the common folk, for a time. But there will always be some, the smarter ones, the more ambitious ones, who will be smart enough to realize that the dragons can't be everywhere, forever. 

“They will scheme, and they will plot, and they will possibly even turn to guerilla tactics against me. I can't have that, nor would I want to rule through fear and intimidation, even if I could. No, there is a much simpler, and far more effective, option that you are not realizing."