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Chapter 15 - Ch15: Merchant investment

The journey to the heart of the Galen lands was a study in contrasts. The landscape grew softer, the rough stone of the Vexin mountains giving way to lush, green plains and meticulously kept farmlands. The Galen stronghold was not a fortress built for war, but a sprawling manor of gleaming white stone and polished wood, a monument to a different kind of power. Damon, in his worn leathers and with his sword at his side, felt like a wolf in a sheep pen.

He was ushered into the presence of Lord Elmsworth Galen, a man whose presence was as commanding as any king's. Elmsworth was older, with a shrewd intelligence that shone in his eyes. He sat behind a large desk, a mountain of ledgers and scrolls before him. He was not a man of blunt words, but of calculated numbers.

"Lord Vexin," Elmsworth said, his voice as smooth as silk. "A pleasure. I assume your unexpected visit is related to our recent trade agreement?"

"In a way, yes," Damon replied, choosing his words carefully. He was a warrior in a world of words, and he had to remember the lessons Isolde had taught him. "I have come to propose a marriage between our houses. Between my brother, Arion, and your daughter, Lysa."

Elmsworth's polite smile vanished. He leaned back in his chair, his eyes assessing Damon with a cold, hard glare. "No. That is not possible."

Damon's jaw tightened. "I understand your hesitation. You see my house as a risk."

"A risk?" Elmsworth scoffed. "You are not a risk, Lord Vexin. You are a dying investment. The king has made it clear he intends to crush your house. Your defiant alliance with us, your clever handling of the northern rebellion—these are not triumphs. They are a death sentence. To bind my daughter to your house would be to sign her death warrant."

Damon remained calm, his expression betraying none of the frustration he felt. This was not a battle he could win with a sword. "What is the king's true ambition, Lord Galen? Is it simply to destroy me? Or is it to destroy all who stand in his way?"

Elmsworth's expression turned to one of confusion. "What do you mean?"

"The king is not a fool," Damon continued, his voice firm and steady. "He is a master of political games. Today, he is focused on me. But what happens once I am gone? Who will be the next obstacle? The next house to stand against his will? The merchants, with their vast wealth and influence. He will not stop until every house in the kingdom is under his heel. He will impose his will on your trade routes, he will tax your profits, and he will claim your wealth for his own. He will do to you what he is trying to do to me. The only difference is that your men carry ledgers, and mine carry swords."

Damon stood up, walking to a large window that overlooked the Galen farmlands. "You see my house as a vulnerability. But my house is a shield. Our sword protects your coin, just as your coin gives our sword purpose. Alone, we are targets. Together, we are an unbreakable force. This is not a risk, Lord Galen. It is an investment in your own future. An investment in a kingdom where power is balanced, not a tyranny where one man controls all."

Elmsworth stared at Damon, his shrewd eyes finally seeing the bigger picture. He had been so focused on the immediate risks of the king's wrath that he had failed to see the long-term threat. He had been thinking like a merchant, while Damon had been thinking like a king.

A slow smile spread across Elmsworth's face, a smile of a man who had just seen a brilliant new opportunity. "You are not the simple warrior I took you for, Lord Vexin. You have an understanding of power that is... unexpected." He stood up, walking over to Damon. "A man who can see past the immediate game to the long-term investment. Such a man is a valuable ally."

He extended his hand. "Very well. The House of Galen will be honored to form a permanent alliance with the House of Vexin. My daughter, Lysa, will become the bride of your brother, Arion. A union of sword and coin, a partnership that will be unbreakable."

Damon shook his hand, a sense of quiet triumph settling over him. He had won another battle, not with steel, but with a new kind of power. He had gone to the merchant's home a wolf, but he was leaving as a king.

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