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Taming the Gypsy Trade (Valanaer)

The elf certainly was satisfied with the room, and set her things aside in areas that would be proper for them while she was on the trip. They weren't sure how long the talks would take, but if things worked, Tari would be staying there much longer. She took a minute to herself and sat on the bed, instantly pleased with how soft it was. In her home town, the bed she had was far better then what she had in the gypsy caravan, but it still was nothing compared to what they had in the castle. With a soft sigh, the woman fell back, staring up at the ceiling before calmly closing her eyes, taking in a few deep breaths to think about what exactly she was planning on doing here.

It didn't take her very long to have her moment of silence and she rose again, taking another look around the room. Tari had her mission in the back of her mind, to come and make peace with the humans, to get the city on their side in case of another attack, and find out exactly what happened to Kilel. There was still an uneasy feeling in everyone's stomach at ground zero of the attack and one of the reasons they came was to bring back a shred of proof that Kilel was taken care of for good. Seeing the city bustling again gave several of the travellers hope and the beginning of the proof they needed, but there was still so much more they wanted before they could truly feel safe. Tari knew that would take some work, as the last time she saw the king, she hadn't been the most polite person around, but it was her most important goal.

But first, she had to deal with the emotional elephant in the room before anything else could be done. And since she had the evening to herself for the most part, or at least a few hours, she had the perfect chance to do so. She stood up from the bed, removed her dark leather rider's jacket, only to drop it back on the bed, and started out of the room, crossing right to Saren's room, making a quick sweep of the hallway behind her, before knocking on the door.
 
Saren could hardly work knowing that Tari was right next door, the knowledge driving him a little nuts. He did his best though, getting through a good deal of the paperwork before the knock at his door came. Immediately he stood up, sitting the quill down in the ink and taking a few deep breaths to make sure he didn't get overly excited once again, as he was assuming it was Tari behind the door and not one of his knights or another visitor. The prince walked over after settling himself down, opening the door and seeing Tari standing behind it. Saren smiled, "Come on in Milady" He stepped back, holding the door and allowing her full entrance to his room, a part of him wanting to be less civil and simply pull her in but he still wasn't quite sure where they stood, he wasn't sure if there were still feelings for him left inside the Elven woman and until he saw some hint towards that he couldn't just let his lust and longing take over, he had to be the good host.

Not much had changed in his room since Tari last saw it, the table being lined with papers and a few extra books scattered around were the main differences. Of course he had new trinkets here and there, a few things of beauty and some practical weapons from other counties that he found interesting but nothing major, it wasn't lined with animal furs or trophies and was quite modest save for the jewels and rare materials that made up his various trinkets. The prince walked over to his desk, grabbing the quill and signing one last thing before turning back around and giving her his full attention, walking over standing near her. "What did you need Tari?" His voice was kind and warm, his eyes drawn to her own. He hoped she had not come to speak business quite yet, he would much prefer it to be a personal visit, all the things he wanted to catch up on and all the desire he had pent up needed to be satisfied and although he could talk seriously if it was what Tari wanted, it would be much easier to do so with some of the personal out of the way.
 
Tari entered the room and did her normal check over, noting what may have been important in the future. The room was still clear of furs and trophies and there was still the slight mess on the desk and of course, the smell of Saren that she had missed since their parting. "I already told you, we need to catch up." She turned on her heel to face the man again, this time with a light smile sitting on her lips. "Not business, of course. They'll be plenty of that later. But more like, how you'd been? And how you've taken to your new position." It was a polite, hidden way of asking how many girls Saren had rebounded to after he returned, and honestly how things had gone for him. Tari wasn't ready to admit what she truly thought of the human, but she could ask and even go so far as tease him, if she had the chance.

Taking it slow, Tari inched towards the bed, the next largest piece of furniture in the room and hands down the most comfortable. She took a seat at the edge of the bed and let herself look over Saren, taking him in again in a different light now that they were alone.
 
It was a relief to the prince that he did not have to think about business matters yet, the personal chit chat the only thing he really felt like doing. So as she entered the room he listened, his eyes following her as she walked over and sat on the edge of the bed which brought back so many emotions as he recalled just what they had done on that bed. The man took a few steps towards her, stopping with only a couple of steps separating them. "Well, I have been pretty well recently but it took a lot of effort to get to this point, a lot of fighting and even an assassination attempt on yours truly. All that finally ended though and I have been working day and night to turn the city into what it is now, flourishing with trade, all races welcome. Not what I would have chosen for myself to be totally honest, I have never been the hard working type, but when I get to see what all my work accomplishes it isn't that bad..." Saren turned, breaking eye contact for a moment and looking out the window, proud of what he had made of his city.

He turned back to Tari after a moment, a smirk on his face, "Now, you have to tell me how you've been doing, I mean all I have done is worked and trained, you look changed. So tell me, how is your village? How have things been?" Saren had always hoped that more of her clan had shown up after he had left her, that she had been lucky enough to have more friends and family make it through. He also wanted to ask if by chance she had found another mate in her clan but he couldn't directly bring that up. He wouldn't doubt that she had found someone, it seemed the clans were working together from what little he had heard and with Tari being the woman she was her having suitors wouldn't shock him in the least.
 
As her thoughts were verified, Tari listened to the man in front of her. There was no doubt that Saren was in charge of making the city more welcoming to the other races and now that the king was on his side, his life seemed to be going better. The assassination attempt wasn't exactly a surprise, yet Tari's stomach still clenched at the thought of the man getting so close to death. She swiftly relaxed though, and nodded with a sweet smile. "You city looks like it's a whole new one," she told him. The people looked proud of their city and happy to be working there, compared to having it laced with beggars and old shops, which would have trouble attracting even the poorest of people.

When the conversation turned to elf's life, she shrugged her shoulders. "I've been working mostly. There was quite a bit of feelings to repair between both my clan and the Salamanders. And they were nothing compared to the humans." She had learned a bit about the history between the three groups and it was full of pain, anger and most of all, theft. Her tribe wasn't exactly the most welcoming to the humans at the edge of the forest and in return, they were as cold as could be towards them. She removed that thought from her mind and smiled at the man. "A few more of my clan arrived after you left, including my father. He's been a large help when it comes to peace keeping. I'm really beginning to think that humans love their alcohol more the dirt gnomes do!" She laughed after giving the racist slang comment towards dwarves, passing it off like it was nothing. "But things have settled down now. Our cities have joined barriers and the humans are working well with us now. My work has paid off. I've been a bit too busy to focus on anything else."
 
Saren was proud of the city and as Tari told him it seemed entirely new he couldn't help but smile. He remembered when they walked around before, getting odd stares and surprised looks, now it would be nothing out of the ordinary. Sure there were still racists, humans who believed the other elder races were lower than they were but it went both ways and it had become better over the last few months. It was good to hear that the same thing was happening between the Elven clans and the border city as well and it came with news of Tari's father surviving which was great news. It seemed like they had both been working hard to smooth things between the races and no doubt that was why she had come to visit, to strengthen that bond even further, although he hoped one of the reasons she came was to see him and them catching up gave him reason to believe that was the case.

Saren walked over to the edge of the bed and took a seat next to Tari, looking over at her and thinking over her last sentence. He hoped it meant she had no time for other men and he decided to take it that way. "Well, I am glad to hear that your father is alright, I do hope that all your responsibilities haven't dulled all of your skills. Actually I think that once all of the talking is done that you should come with me and see the knights, I know many of them are looking forward to seeing you again, especially Roran because he wants to have a rematch." Saren's voice fell silent and took a deep breath, looking into Tari's eyes and just enjoying it for moment, just seeing her again lifting his spirits to a new level. He finally just spoke his mind, putting everything else to the side for a bit, "It is good to see you again Tari... I missed you." A smile came on his face as he looked at her, glad they would be able to catch up but at the same time just looking at her was enough for him, just being able to see him.
 
Knowing that the knights were ready to welcome her back was great to know. Tari smiled at the idea of having the group to spar with again and was fully ready to take Roran on again in a match. Before she could speak again, Saren's body language changed and Tari felt the need to remain silent until he spoke again. When he did, the woman's eyes fell into her lap before raising them once again to meet the prince's. "I missed you as well," she told him. She had never admitted it to anyone, and for good reason, but if she couldn't now, then she didn't know when she could have.

"I have to thank you for letting me go. They really needed my help back home. Hopefully I'll have a chance to make it up to you." She had an idea of how she wanted to make it up to him, by staying longer this time around and getting to know not only his city, but him as well.
 
"It wasn't easy for me to let you go you know, I mean there is no way I could have kept you from your home but it was still a hard decision. I am glad I did though..." When he thought about it letting her go was the only option, keeping her with him would have been selfish and ultimately cruel. She probably would have ended up hating him if he took her back to the castle and no doubt things with Kilel would have been much more difficult. Besides, while he had bought her and she was technically a slave, he had never really wanted a slave, he had wanted the beautiful free woman sitting next to him now and all he wanted was time with her. "I do hope that we have more time, a couple of days just isn't enough."

Saren smiled, still unable to truly express how much he had missed her as he was nervous, nervous about what she would do if he suddenly leaned in and kissed her. The thought that she no longer felt that way about him was stuck in the back of his mind, sure if she didn't feel that way he would still want to talk with her, but Tari still held his heart and he wanted more. It was not the time though, serious discussion lay before them later and until that was over he couldn't make such a risky move for if she denied him it would be too heartbreaking. It wasn't easy to hold back but he did, although there was one question he had been wanting to ask, regardless of the answer, "I am curious, and the answer isn't very important but... Does anyone back at your home know of what went on between us?" His voice was casual, just a question he had been wondering. He knew it wasn't someone to go off telling everyone because it was probably shameful but he couldn't help but wonder if she shared what went on between them with anyone, or if she had kept it to herself all those months.
 
"No, no one ever found out," Tari told him. Her body tensed when Saren asked the question, knowing that it would come up in the conversation soon enough. Despite that, she hadn't thought about what she was going to tell Saren about it. She hadn't told anyone at home for several reasons, one of which being that they may look down upon it. Even on the outskirts of town, Saren was known as a playboy and to find out that Tari had slept with him would be an embarrassment to many of those around her. "It never came up. We've all been so busy with repairing everything that the subject just wasn't mentioned.

I heard you had some drunk conversations with Ashal," she teased with a smile. "And that you've stopped sleeping with everything with a chest. Is that true?" Perhaps she had done something to change the man in front of her, and hopefully for the better. If Saren removed his playboy title, there was a good chance that Tari could think about being with him without being ashamed or embarrass her family. Although they wouldn't accept her with a human right away, to have a high powered prince around would be helpful and far more reasonable then if he was just another human.
 
It was slightly disappointing to hear that nobody knew, that she hadn't shared what happened between them with anyone, but he didn't let it bother him. He knew that his image had never been good and he would not want Tari's family to look down upon her because of him. So he just nodded, a small smile to let her know he didn't mind. When she mentioned drunken conversation with Ashal his mood changed a bit though and he knew that his friend had said more than he should have. "If we are going total honesty here I haven't slept with anyone since you left..." Saren nearly blushed when he said it, the admittance that he hadn't been with anyone in so long quite embarrassing. It truly shocked his knights and his parents that Saren, who use to sleep with a new woman every couple of nights if not every night, had stopped sleeping around all together.

The only reason he had stopped sleeping with other women was because they weren't Tari, there was no woman like her. No woman who would challenge him the way she did, in every aspect. He truly loved her, a concept that had been so foreign to him that he hadn't recognized it until the day they parted and it had hurt like hell. Now with her sitting beside him it all seemed worth it though, the waiting and hardships, none of it was important, the only important thing was her. "If I didn't know any better I would think you cast some spell on me Tari. Hell I am sure everyone else thinks you have, making me, the playboy prince stop sleeping around after several days... Making me want responsibility." He wasn't going to be cliche and say she made him a better man, but it was true, she made him a better man. "Hard to believe isn't it?" He said with a smirk his hand going up and brushing her cheek, not making a move but he had longed to touch her.
 
The suggestion of a spell made the Elven woman chuckle. She, of course, didn't know any spell like that, but the idea was entertaining and there was a possibility that to anyone who didn't know her magic, they would believe that. "I was in the drink," she joked. When the prince touched her cheek, she fell silent and watched the prince in front of her with quite a bit of interest. She lifted her hand and lightly set it on the man's own before speaking again. "It is a bit hard, yes. But it's a relief." She smiled and ran her thumb over Saren's hand.

It was nice to know that the man hadn't gone after anyone else after her though. It gave her a bit of a relief knowing that he still had feelings for her, just as she had for him. "How did your family take it? Surprised, I bet..." She cracked another smile and dared to inch closer to the man, hoping for a chance to get from him what she wanted from him.
 
Saren was relieved when Tari reciprocated some of the affection, her own hand going over his and her thumb rubbing over it. It gave him that level of confidence he needed not to worry about the what if of her not loving him. "My family is happy that I no longer 'sully the name' by being with so many different women. I think it is one of the reasons we get along so well now, but that is not important..." Saren's voice grew soft at the end, his eyes glued to Tari's and without further hesitation he did what he had wanted to do since the moment he saw her, he leaned in and kissed her. The softness of Tari's lips was a sensation he had dearly missed, the connection making him forget about everything else and get sucked into the moment. His skill was no worse than months ago though, his first kiss in so long going off as if he still practiced every day.

When he pulled back the all too familiar smirk rose upon his face and he let his hand slide away from her body, "I'm afraid if I don't stop now I won't be able to stop because I missed you far to much to have much self-control and you know if that happens there won't be enough time today to have any official meeting. The prince was so happy, Tari was back, they both had at least some degree of feelings left for each other, and this time around he could try and fully explore those feelings. There was no slave title to get in the way and the race difference didn't seem as troublesome with all of the changes. The only problem was the time, how long she would be with him and while she hadn't said so yet he was going to take advantage of every single day.
 
Tari nodded at Saren's answer, understanding his parent's relief at his new image. There was a point in Tari's life that she didn't give her family the best name and their relief when she grew out of that stage was more happiness then she had ever seen them feel. She had a feeling it was just about the same with his family. Those thoughts were soon lost as Saren's body language changed and their lips met. They were just as she remembered them, soft yet holding onto the prince's cocky attitude. Although Tari had been apart from him and was without any sort of romantic contact with any of her own kind, the muscle memory kicked into gear and she returned the intimate motion.

The elf's smile returned, matching Saren's signature look as he let it take over. She was on the same path as the man, although she believed her self control would be able to last far longer then Saren's, but she wasn't about to put it to the test. "I don't blame you," she softly agreed, inching back to remove any temptation either of them would have. The meeting was the most important thing to complete on this trip and if either of them were late, it would certainly not help either side's arguments. "We'll have time. If you allow me to stay, that is."
 
There was no denying the longing behind his kiss and he could tell Tari wanted more a well, something that meant more than words could explain, but there were other matters of more importance to see to. It helped when she asked if he would allow her to stay though and that immediately brought a smile to his face and he went as far as to laugh a bit out of joy. "Come now, you are allowed to stay as long as you wish. The hard part however will be finding a way to let me release you again because that was a hard day." Saren took a deep breath before standing up, walking over to a small little wooden box sitting next to his larger chest. He picked it up and walked back over to Tari, opening it up and facing it before her, "I actually bought this for you about a month ago, not sure why but when I saw it I thought it would look beautiful on you..." Inside the box was a brilliant amulet, a bright red ruby setting inside a brilliant gold setting. The gem wasn't gigantic but it was tasteful, able to be worn beneath or over clothing.

Saren just stood there with the box open, it was no ring or anything as serious as that but it was a rather beautiful gift and had meaning behind it. It was funny, he had bought it while she wasn't even around, perhaps that was pathetic but he was glad he had. Of course nobody besides the dwarf who sold it to him saw him purchase it either which was one of the good things about it, it meant that Tari could wear it wherever she wanted and not have to tell people where she got it unless she wished to. "What do you think, is it to you liking or will I have to try and find something more beautiful to compliment your natural given grace?" His voice was smooth and he didn't really care if she wore it, he just wanted her to take it and at the very least keep it around as a token from him. Sure they would have to go to the meeting before too long but until then, he was going to spoil her a bit.
 
Tari's spirit lifted as Saren told her she was allowed to stay. She had already set things in place for her to stay for as long as she wanted, in case she got the proper permission. When Saren left the bed, the elf took a chance to resettle herself into a more comfortable position as she waited for him to come back over. Her curiosity was grabbed when she spotted the box in his hand and a look of shock crossed her face when her eyes fell on the amulet inside. It was dwarf made, that was for sure, and shimmered even in the slightest of light that had entered the room. It had far more flash then she would normally wear, but because of the gesture, she took it from the box and gave it a better look over, turning it in her hands.

"It's quite grand," she admitted, running her finger lightly over the crystal. "Far more so then I would normally wear, but for special occasions, it would be perfect." She smiled and looked back at the prince. She folded the chain into her hand and closed it around the gem, holding it safe. "Thank you. It's wonderful."
 
Saren had a feeling it didn't quite meet Tari's everyday taste but he did believe that it fit her well and should she choose to wear it everyone would have their eyes on her. She seemed to like it for special occasions though and just knowing she would wear it was good enough for him. He knew he would be spoiling her during her stay so it wasn't like she wouldn't be getting anything else but he rarely bought any kind of jewelry for anyone, in fact it was probably the first gift he bought for any woman of such beauty or quality. His favorite things to buy were blades and trinkets anyways, but there were other things he had in mind. That was not the point of course, he was not buying her and he wouldn't act as if he could but he did have a want to spoil her and like it or not he would be doing just that for the duration of their time together.

"Well I am glad you like it, I don't expect you to wear it everyday or anything as it is quite flashy but when I saw it I thought it would look beautiful on you..." Saren sat the small chest down next to her on the bed and took a few steps back and looking at the woman for a brief moment. "I haven't said it yet but your new look is breathtaking... So breathtaking. It is hard to just look at you without letting my emotions take hold and pushing you onto your back... If we're still being honest that is." With a smirk he took a couple of steps towards the door, "Luckily I am sure everyone else has settled in and we can start the talks before I stop being so polite and turn back into the lustful beast I am. So, what do you say, shall we head to the meeting hall?" Saren wanted to get the talking over with as quickly as possible, not to come back and ravage Tari afterwards, it had never been about that, but he wanted to be intimate and really just be with her and whatever that included would be better suited for after they finished their serious discussion, when they had serious time to themselves.
 
Tari gave a small nod before she stood up, taking away any craving that Saren could have, simply by making it harder to do. She followed the man out of the room and swiftly opened her room's door. "I just have to grab something first. Go ahead down or wait." She let the door shut slightly and began to gather several items she would need for the meeting and leaving the necklace beside her bed before leaving again. With or without Saren, she came down to the main hall, where several people were waiting outside for a member of the royal family to let them in. Tari greeted them with a nod, stepping to the side to speak with them while she had a chance. She gave them a quick run down of what they would be discussing that night before the doors could open.

Several of the group were still admiring the surroundings while they could. They seemed to have changed their clothing into something nicer for the meeting, while Tari hadn't bothered. What she wore into the city was still neat enough that there wasn't a reason or a need to change. If there was another meeting the next day, which was entirely possible since this would be quite an important topic, if all goes well.
 
Saren didn't wait for Tari after she went into her room, instead choosing to go see to his father since the man deserved to be in on any talks, even if he was letting Saren have his way with the final decision. In fact it seemed that his father was trying to get him in as the primary decision maker for most things recently, whether it was due to his sudden illness or Kilel's betrayal Saren wasn't sure, but it did bring them closer together. So he went to his parents room and got his father out of bed, the naps being a tradition for the man, and walked with him to the large council room they used for meetings. The went in on one side, followed by several advisers, among which was Ashal. The advisers and his father took their seats, sitting on one side of a large wooden table, easily big enough for twenty on each side, although only ten slots in the center were being taken up by the royal advisers, Saren's spot being saved in the center of the bunch.

As they took their seats Saren opened up the doors, welcoming in the people who had traveled all the way to speak with them, including Tari whom Saren couldn't hold back a smile for. He was being professional though and as such he didn't stick to her side and instead took his seat immediately after welcoming the others inside. He allowed everyone to get situated, giving them plenty of time as it seemed some were quite astounded by the sheer size of the room, a feeling he no longer felt, although the tapestries and objects that lined the long walls were quite astounding. When he was sure everyone was settled down he looked to Tari, whom he had assumed from the start was the main spokesperson, and opened the floor, in common of course, "We are glad to welcome you to the city and the castle, I think I speak for everyone here when I say we are eager to hear what you have to say today."
 
The travellers wandered in and quickly took their seats around the table. Many of them fell silent, intimidated by the size of the room and the family they were now sitting in front of. Tari on the other hand, had dropped her typically joyful demeanour in exchange for a far more serious one. She took a seat, setting her hands on the table in front of her and, along with the rest of her group, nodded at Saren's greeting. "Let's get right into this then," she requested and continued by looking at the paper she had brought along with her. She glanced to one of the men on the visitor's half of the table and gave him a nod, giving him the floor.

The man was human and held himself like part of the warrior class in the smaller village. He cleared his throat and took in a slow breath before beginning his argument. "First, I thank you all for agreeing to this meeting. This means quite a lot to us. But on that note, over the years, there have been several complaints from not only my village, but several others in the area, believe that you have... well forgotten that we are there." He paused, hoping that wasn't about to offend anyone at the table. "You send us supplies, but the first time we saw your soldiers in years were after the attacks. Is there any time in the near future that you plan on giving us more protection or more of a presence?"
 
Protection seemed to be the first topic of discussion and as Tari gave the floor to one of her acquaintances Saren turned his attention to the human. This was not the first he had heard of the outlying villages wanting more protection and truthfully he didn't think it was a silly thing of them to ask but it was a difficult situation to give an immediate answer. So even after the question was asked Saren took some time to really think about his answer, and it was obvious he wasn't just sitting there silently for no reason. When he finally had his mind wrapped around his answer he looked at the people in front of him and spoke, his voice giving off the same confidence as ever but for the first time, at least to the new group of people in front of him, it also had a sense of authority to it as someone who spoke with the power to actually do something.

"The truth is that while we are not currently stretched for troops or at war it is difficult to provide every village or city with a military force. That being said none of us sitting here believe that is an answer because some protection still needs to be provided. We just need to figure out what the best way to do this. Now we could attempt to send out massive numbers of troops to protect all the villages and that is the most obvious solution but it is also the most taxing. The simpler solution would be attempting to ship a few soldiers to each town to oversee militia and possibly set up small outposts in each region in case extra support is needed." He took a moment and a deep breath, leaning back before continuing, "The question is would your village and many other smaller villages be able to support any kind of effective militia? Now if that is an acceptable solution it can be accomplished quiet easily, if the smaller villages cannot protect themselves, or need more help, then more serious solutions will need to be discussed."

It was a reasonable suggestion, to bring a few soldiers in and train a decent militia, it would give true leadership from trained military soldiers and the militia's skill would be enough for the more simple needs. If they had outposts in the bigger cities, as they did in a few already, it would mean no need for armies from the castle to be deployed unless emergency situations arose and provide enough protection to ward off most attacks. The problem of smaller villages was a hard one to solve though and while he would hear whatever was to be said about the smaller places he knew the easiest solution would be to have them move and while it seemed simple it brought up a good bit of emotional baggage into the discussion. Sure he hoped his suggestion would be well received and give enough information to show they were already considering it, but at the same time he wasn't sure if it would be enough.
 
The man seemed to debate that over in his head and glanced to the woman beside him. The two of them didn't say a word, yet they somehow knew what the other was saying. "It's either we organize a small militia, with your assistance, or we rely on the elves to protect us. And th--"

"We'll demand payment." One of the thin male elves interrupted the human, his eyes setting directly on the king across the table. "We won't simply protect your city for nothing. We have our own land to worry about." The hate in his voice was obvious, but it was quickly scolded by the woman beside him. She gave him a sharp look along with a harsh word which was hard for anyone in the room to catch, no matter what language they spoke. He let out a half sigh and turned his attention back to the king. "You understand that, don't you? We won't do such a thing for no reason."

Tari let out a true sigh as she turned to look at the elf. She understood where he was coming from and would back him up if needed, but at the same time, she knew no one could demand things this early in the discussion.
 
Saren was not angry at the small outburst, it was slightly rude but there were reasons behind the hate in his voice, past transgressions that would take longer than a few months to heal. Saren did however wait for the Elf to say his piece before once again addressing the table. "It is understandable that you would seek payment to provide a service, I also believe that providing a trained militia with military aid is a better solution for the simple fact that we are trying to take this country in a direction where if the Elven settlements ever come under attack that we will be in a position to render aid to them as well. That being said, a militia and outposts would bring extra defensive and law without weakening your clans." He then looked to the man again, "Ashal is my head knight, he is the knowledgeable about the lands on the outskirts of the kingdom and if we move forward with a militia as our plan then I believe we could begin doing so rather quickly."

Saren turned back to the elf that had spoken previously once he finished addressing the human male, "Now, if you would perhaps be willing to lend some additional assistance until that militia is trained we could pay you for your help." With that he gave a look that he was done, the militia would be their direction as long as nobody objected, he would have no problem handing that over to Ashal, and with the protection of the Elven settlements it would allow them to train the militia's without having to worry in the meantime. He assumed that was not the only reason the group had come though, as Tari had not said much on the Elven side of things. He did hope the hostility would stay to a minimum though, as his father had been changing and trying to continue changing his attitude towards other races but if showed disrespect it could get ugly. Saren would just have to keep control of the conversation and hope nothing flared up.
 
The human was content with the thought of having the protection of the militia, until they had their own protective group. The elf on the other hand, didn't enjoy that he was silenced to quickly, but he didn't argue or bring it up again. The next topic was swiftly brought up, this time on the much more peaceful topic of trading and exchanging between first the main city and their own, followed by their city and the Elvin town. One of the female humans at the table led the discussion on their side of what was to be traded, what they could possibly supply the large city and of course, what they would need from it in return. Another elf, with a thick Elvin accent, was speaking on behalf of the elves.

Tari didn't do much of the speaking in any of the conversations, and seemed to be taking a neutral middle to the whole idea. It was one reason why she had her position and the new decoration on her forehead. For the months that she was gone, she took the middle ground, attempting to keep as much peace as she could around the two sides. This case was no different. She had lived in both areas in this discussion and could easily calm either side down, if it were to come to a point that there was a heated discussion.
 
Moving on from protection to trading was a relief, it was a much easier topic to discuss without anything getting heated. Not only that but trading with the Elven towns would be a step in the right direction and bring a good deal of business to the marketplace. He in turn offered to trade for the requested supplies to each of them, discussing it with a rather plump man, a merchant he had brought on to the board, and decided to also offer them a spot on the market row, which would allow them to come in and trade extra good for whatever they needed at any time. Even he and his father had a small whispered discussion during the talk and it just furthered them on the way to accepting the terms of the trade agreement, though they had to negotiate some of quantity issues they didn't try to make too much.

Essentially the entire meeting was going over as if Saren was the only one deciding anything which meant that the people would get what they wanted for the best deal he could afford to give them and keep things running. He did speak with the merchant at the table and his father to ensure everyone would be happy with the deal but he didn't hesitate or try and make anything past what was agreed upon for matters of greed. Just as the militia he hadn't found it unreasonable to pay the Elves or start up such a big movement, because his people came first and their protection was not a new concern for him. He did look around the table though, wondering what else they could have to discuss because while he had things he could add at the end it was them who had come to the city so only they knew what they really needed.
 
Once the topic of trading had come to a stop, an uneasy air settled on one side of the table and each person exchanged a glance. Tari was the one who spoke up first, and she sat forward towards the table, turning her upper body to face the royal family. "And where is Kilel? I assume we won't be seeing him again." The elves on the side of the table obviously tensed at the man's name while the humans weren't bothered as much. They didn't like hearing the man's name, but two or three of them still were uneasy about having their crowned prince turn against them for what seemed to be no reason.

But the elves weren't about to forgive the humans or the royal family so easily. They had left both the city and the small town alone since the humans set them up. There was no reason for them to be attacked and they were not going to let this sort of thing slide so lightly. They were trying to set up a peaceful relationship now that they had an alliance with the smaller city and reason to visit the palace. But just as they were working, the humans would have to put in effort as well. Luckily, they were impressed with what was being laid out in front of them so far and there was a good chance that things would continue on a good path.
 
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