Rebirth and Second Chances

Chapter 155: Ransom

"Where am I supposed to get that much Silinium" Hugo asked finally entering the conversation. I glanced at him indifferently, the chains still holding him securely. His question was meant more for Liotonis than me. I couldn't care less where he got the Silinium, as long as the ransom was paid. If I wasn't going to be able to use him as a bargaining chip with the Unseelie Court, then I was going to get some financial remuneration.

"The resources of the sea have been yours to exploit," I pointed out.

"Are you trying to tell me that you haven't come across Silinium nodes in any of the deep trenches you travel? Or that you haven't found a way to filter the sea's water and extract metals and salts as you'd like?" I asked dismissively.

"I don't care how you come up with the funds," I said mockingly, I didn't think for a second that he didn't have access to rich deposits of wealth.

"Auntie?" He begged. "I'll pay you back tomorrow."

That statement made so much about this scenario clear. Hugo and Liotonis were tied by more than fealty and oaths. There were ties of blood. Liotonis would consider it her duty to do all that she could for someone that was of her bloodline.

It was also a bit of fresh news that I, and I'm sure not many others knew. The information that Liotonis had living relatives could be used to pressure or force her into action. The same way Wynne had been forced to enter the CERN dungeon and use her House's abilities to mine for information and equipment.

"Fine," Liotonis agreed angered more at Hugo for giving away a secret that she had gone to great lengths to protect than at me. She walked a short distance away before emptying a pile of Silinium on the ground, the metal unprocessed. Raw ore that was waiting for shaping and enchantment.

"250 pounds of Silinium, that should be more than equal to his weight," she said moving to retake her seat.

"I think there is has been some confusion," I said anticipating his rage with what I was about to say, "Lord Hugo attacked and was defeated in his Selkie form. I believe his weight is closer to ten or fifteen tons in that form."

Lord Hugo's outrage was overshadowed as his face blanched white, the realization of exactly what this was going to cost him finally registering. Speechless, he could only gasp like a landed fish, his reaction priceless. Liotonis actually laughed out loud at my audacity, before she gestured and allowed a cascade of Silinium to empty out of her storage device.

"Twenty tons of Silinium," she agreed easily.

"Auntie!" Hugo exclaimed in glee when he realized his ransom was going to be paid by Liotonis, "I knew I could count on you."

It seemed Lord Kel wasn't the only one to spoil his family; it was a failing of the Sidhe. Children were precious and valued. Too often coddled and treated as treasures to be cherished. It was nice to know that Unseelie had the same failing as Seelie.

"I'll send my Majordomo to collect the twenty tons in a day or so," she replied casually.

It seemed Lord Hugo hadn't been expecting that. I believe he honestly thought Liotonis would gift him that large of an amount of ore. I would check and see what the market price was for this amount of Silinium off-world later, but for now, I knew that this amount represented an amazing amount of wealth.

That Liotonis had it was no surprise. She'd had hundreds of thousands of years to amass wealth, what was surprising was that she carried with her. Even if it was stored in a spatial device, why bother? Still, this was probably not even a dent in her accumulated stockpile of ore. Hugo, on the other hand, looked like he might be sick.

"I may need a bit more time to gather that much Silinium," Hugo admitted reluctantly.

"Oh? How much more time? I suppose I can allow you a few days. Anything longer than that and I will begin charging interest," She warned. It seemed Auntie Liotonis did not fool around when it came to debts, not even for relatives. It made me think better of her, maybe she didn't just ignore and trivialize any negative behavior from her family.

Her response made her relatable, less a Goddess of vengeance, and a more concerned despot. Benevolence when possible but refusing to allow anyone to cross a line of action or expectations she set for herself and those around her. She would help, but she would not be taken advantage of.

I wanted her as part of my Council even more after seeing these actions. That she wasn't going to brush Hugo's actions aside said much about the kind of woman she was. The consequences may not be as dire as being forced to appear in front of the Unseelie Court for Earl Hugo, but at least she wasn't going to pretend nothing happened and let him believe his actions did not have consequences.

Her explanation for stymieing his Rank and levels, her belief that she needed time, time to work on tempering him, to mold him into a Ranked that met her standards made sense. It was even more logical now that I knew they were related. I thought it something I would implement.

I knew as the Kingdom's highest Ranked; I could use the System to offer quests. It seemed a resource that would be almost criminal to ignore. I was envisioning a multi-tiered questline. Each Fief, Demesne, and Province required to complete a quest before being awarded enough land to construct a city, colony, herd, or cluster. The amount of land made available would increase with quest milestones. Gather population that satisfies a metric that would be monitored by System, similar to Faction ratings, and upgrade the amount of territory you could hold.

Ranked that had negative favorable faction with their residents would be replaced. Their Ranks couldn't be removed, but their authority within my Kingdom could be. Negative actions, things like incurring massive debts, hoarding resources, practicing favoritism, and cronyism would impact faction negatively.

For most, it would become an intricate high-wire balancing act, as they attempted to wade the shoals between selfish and selfless. If I rewarded those few that embraced the new archetype, elevating Rank for those that had a significant beneficial impact on their community, businesses, and residents that made that community home, just maybe, I would be able to slowly change the world view.

It was better to proctor change with rewards than punishment. People were more inclined to adapt and change when there was something in it for them. I would make the attempt but make no mistake, I would be King, and if it was required, then I would askew the carrot and brandish the stick.

The System had been rewarding and encouraging certain behavior since inception. I would borrow that strategy. Not for some altruistic reason, but because it worked. And a well-treated, happy populace made for a more productive and expansive Kingdom.

"As for the offer of Vassalage, it is refused," Liotonis declared returning to our discussion. Before I could raise an objection, she stopped me, motioning me to be patient that she wasn't finished speaking.

"I won't subject myself to Vassalage, but I will bind my rule to yours with an Oath of Benefice. The ties that bind us together will offer greater freedom for each of us, and greater protections. I suggest you require anyone that you are considering awarding a seat on your Council be required to enter into a Benefice Oath.

"We become one with this Oath. My concerns are yours, yours are mine. We rise and fall together, so if my House is destroyed the House of Teigh will likewise fall. You should be warned. And be careful who you invite to sit on a Council created by those sworn with Benefice. If you allow a traitor or someone easily bought and swayed, they can destroy us all simply by allowing their House to be broken."

I hadn't considered offering Benefice even though Duchess Wynne and I had that type of binding. The practice was long out of favor, vassalage had ascended as Benefice had declined, and I understood why. A House would not care to risk destruction by linking itself too closely with other Sidhe. It was too hard to discern honorable Sidhe's intention from Sidhe's trickery and deceit.

Still, I thought her idea had merit. A Benefice was a sacrifice on both sides because the Oath could be both a boon and a curse. But there was one immediate benefit to accepting her proposal. I was a King with a Kingdom but no citizens. Most countries would have too many people and not enough land. I needed people desperately to get my territory up and running, and Princess Liotonis and her Vassals had legions of people that might be interested.

Certainly, more than the hundred or so that I had hired or adopted to House Teigh. Definitely more than the fifty or so Knockers that Duchess Wynne had managed to save and salvage after dealing with Olympian and Asgardian trickery and deceit.

And with the added eyes of the Aziza and Caraid to help me discern truth from TRUTH, Benefice would allow me to create my own version of Camelot.