"So all of that was just a convoluted test?"

I asked, skeptically.  "It would be extremely convenient to simply say that, after your plan didn't work out."

"My plan included several possible outcomes," Ash sniffed.

"Did you take into account the possibility that I might not want someone so Unseelie working for me?"

"Poppycock," Ash poohed.  "Compared to many major historical figures in Faerie, my tactics are positively mild. How many did Irenaeus kill?"

"That's different," I insisted.  "Irenaeus mowed down his enemies in battle.  He didn't murder them by treachery."

"He was reckless and indiscriminate," Ash scoffed.  "They called him 'The Bloodthirsty' with good reason.  I plan mine very carefully to get maximum reward with minimum waste.  You see, I removed Walnut Marten's siblings to place him in a desperate and vulnerable position which I then saved him from, allowing me to reap the rewards of his gratitude.  I did the same thing to the younger Marten siblings with their now-lost brother, for the same reason.  Gratitude is one of the most valuable currencies around, but sometimes it must be encouraged by some slight artifice; cultivated, one might say.  Also, let me point out that your first emperor massacred elves by the hundreds.  I have never treated elves as if they were disposable.  There were assassinations, of course, but those were dispatched with dignity.  Lowfolk aren't people, though.  They're vermin.  They should consider themselves lucky to be useful for anything.  By Fuma, don't tell me you pity them?"

"It's not right, what you do," I insisted.

"Look," Ash explained.  "The path I am opening up to you is valuable because it allows you to finally be independent.  With my assistance you can cultivate a vast amount of resources that will be entirely yours.  You won't have to rely on allies of convenience or people trying to turn you into a puppet.  It'll just be you and your perfect plan."

"Wouldn't you be an ally I would have to rely on?" I pointed out.

"Well, yes," Ash admitted.  "But my motivations are straightforward.  I just want to go home, and I am prepared to swear an oath, if you require one, that I will never bother you with any additional requests.  Think about it:  No shadowy Sisterhood trying to castrate and lobotomize you, no Duchess trying to force you into a marriage, no more deals with cretins who will either forget their mission or outright betray you a week later.  Honestly, how many times have you tried doing things the Seelie way and how many times has it worked out?  Maybe, just maybe it's time to try something different."

PREV http://www.patreon.com/posts/46188557

NEXT http://www.patreon.com/posts/46762498