The Price of Amber

by De Writer

Chapter 4

In Gaiparee, King Leiuee was huddled with his General Staff. His mood was not lightened by the tall windows, fine curtains and gilt friezes depicting the heroic deeds of the past. His ornate chair, comfortable as it was, brought him no cheer.

“I do wonder, my good Generals, if I ought to have listened to you. Countess Arianne, in spite of this incredible conquest, has offered Us peace terms that are most generous.”

General Falshort reassured the King, “Your Highness, it should not be long now before we have word of General Triard's advance. In tests, we were able to bring a 6000 pony army together in under an hour. It should take no more than another hour to unload the supply train and equip the army. His advance will cut the upstart Arianne's thinly spread army into halves that we can easily break. For practical purposes, this war will be decided by this afternoon.”

“I do hope so, Falshort. It is near to eleven of the clock and We have heard nothing. She is presently holding prisoner almost a third of Our whole standing army.”

Before the General could answer, a Court Baron entered. “Sire, I know that you did not wish disturbance but what our Ambassador to the Court of Canterlot wishes to communicate to you includes news of General Triard's offensive.”

Sitting back in self satisfaction, General Falshort replied, “A protest, no doubt! How far past the Grimald river has he penetrated?”

The Baron cringed but extended a Magic Net mirror in his magic. “Your Majesty, please speak to the Ambassador yourself.”

King Leiuee took the mirror with his own magic and listened. He spoke, expostulating silently. The spell on the mirror prevented any but Him from hearing what was said by either side of the conversation.

Soon, His Majesty Leiuee, by the Grace of the Creators, Ruler of Prance, set down the mirror and slumped into his chair. Bleakly he informed His staff, “General Triard and his army were taken with but few losses. He surrendered at 9:30 AM when his situation was shown to be untenable. I was allowed to speak directly to him and to Countess Ariane. Princesses Celestia and Luna back her.

“She now holds prisoner just over a full half of the entire standing army of Prance. Besides that, she holds the whole northeastern quarter of Our nation, taken intact with a rich harvest to come.

“If We will give over the war and request peace, Countess Arianne will allow our buyers into the captured area to bid on the crops in fair competition with Equestria's buyers while negotiations are ongoing. She offers to return the whole of the captured territory in return for certain guarantees to prevent any further invasion attempts and the right to continue free and unrestricted trade with the whole region north of the Grimald river.”

General Falshort gave an eye squinted, tight lipped smile as he pointed out, “That could be our golden opportunity! Sue for peace. Then, while we drag the negotiations on for weeks, we infiltrate our strike force, disguised as grain and other crop traders. The sudden surprise strike will split Arianne's forces and recover our stolen territories.”

King Leiuee nodded slowly. “We could try such a thing, Falshort. As well as she has managed the rest of this invasion, I would be astonished if she has not already anticipated you and taken precautions against it.”

He picked up the Magic Net mirror and made a relatively short call. Placing the mirror on the table, he turned to the head of his General Staff and placed both front hooves together while leaning back in the comfortable chair.

“My Generals, I asked Countess Arianne what name she had planned for the new province, should peace negotiation fail and she keeps the land that she has taken. Her choice of name was revealing. She plans to call it the Principality of Falshortia. She will, in that case, bar us from any of the produce of the area's farms or mines. In other words, she has absolutely foreseen your notion. I have given her Our surrender and requested Peace.

“She agreed at once. She will maintain the border sealed until the written terms that she has offered are signed by Myself, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna and herself.”

In Canterlot, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna and the Ambassador from Prance were looking over the peace terms that Arianne, Countess Corbiestep had sent by Magic Net mirror.

He looked up, brow wrinkled, ears pointing forward and low, “What is this demand for two and a half million gold Farthings?”

Princess Luna replied thoughtfully, “I asked that myself. She showed me the documents. It seems that she is regarding the civil population that she is holding as her subjects until they are returned to Prance by the treaty. She will continue to take care of them later, through the treaty's terms.

“She found out that your nation's buyers for crops, mines, quarrys and forest products have been paying for purchases with notes of payment instead of currency. For the last three years, they have refused to give the miners, farm cooperatives, or pretty much any others, the gold due them. They have presented the notes for payment repeatedly and they have not been honored. Beyond this, there have been many notices of foreclosure or of late payments for debits owed to the Nobility further south in Prance. Those nobles will not honor drafts drawn against their own notes of payment.

“Arianne has not only totaled all of the notes of payment, she has added penalties for each time that they were dishonored. That is what the two and a half million gold Farthings are for. She is further demanding that all future buyers allowed by the peace terms pay for goods or services only in gold or silver currency.”

The Ambassador nodded, “I see. Um, is this a draft for negotiation?”

Celestia chuckled deep in her chest as she replied, “The only changes that Arianne will allow are to make the terms clearer and easier to understand.”

In his personal study in the Royal Palace in Gaiparee, King Leiuee was studying the document of Surrender by the Land of Prance to their Highnesses Celestia and Luna, offered by their Leader of the Equestrian Expeditionary Forces, Arianne, Countess Corbiestep. As such things went, it was remarkably clear and straightforward. Several things mentioned and covered solidly bothered him a great deal.

First, he tiredly picked up a Magic Net mirror. A note attached to the Surrender Document gave him several codes. Consulting it, he tapped one of the codes. In only seconds, he was looking directly at the young mare who had dealt his kingdom such a massive blow.

Arianne, Countess Corbiestep, Leader of Equestria's Expeditionary Force in Prance, began simply, “Your Royal Majesty, King Leiuee, I see by the code group that you have called by that you have received my terms. Is there a problem with their clarity or wording? I did have some help from local legal and government ponies but your language is not mine.”

“No, Countess Arianne. The language is most clear and easily understood by any reader. I am wondering about the two and a half million golden Farthings payment on debits owed to you personally. What debit does my Kingdom owe to you?”

“Your Majesty, did you get my gift sent by one of your postal couriers?”

“You mean the rather handsome desk frame of your Occupation Currency? Yes, I did get that. Why did you bother with an Occupation currency? Especially as you do point out in the accompanying letter that your coin is precisely matched to Ours in weights and purity for simplifying exchange.”

“When I took this place from you, it was near to total economic collapse for want of circulating money.”

“What! That is madness! My nobles have told me that they have had to raise the prices paid for all the produce from those three provinces twice in the last three years!”

Suddenly Arianne's ears shot up! Her lips pursed into an O as she sucked in a breath of surprise! Her face relaxed into a nearly diabolical grin as she asked, “Do you have laws regarding the issuance of false Notes of Payment? I have been putting my Occupation Currency into the economy by the redemption of what appear to be falsely issued Notes of Payment. Many of them are up to three years old and ALL of them have been presented multiple times and refused for payment. For the last three years, no shipment for any sort fodder, forest products, quarry, or mine has been paid for by anything but Notes of Payment that are not being honored. My clerks calculate the interest due on the overdue notes plus a penalty for each failed redemption attempt. That is what I am paying to each Note holder.

“In doing so, I assume these debits. There will be no Peace or withdrawal from the occupied territory until I am fully paid for these false Notes.”

King Leiuee went as dead still as a snake about to strike! “Countess Arianne, do believe me when I say that I knew nothing of this fraud. Can you transmit to me copies of the falsely issued Notes along with your accounting of interest and penalties for each one? I realize that I am asking a great deal of trouble on your part to do it. I will accept a further penalty for increasing your costs to do it.”

Arianne instantly nodded, “Completely agreeable. My clerks already have the Notes sorted by noble backers and banking houses. What you receive will be fully organized for collections.” She paused to snicker as she added, “Don't forget to tack on YOUR expenses too! There is no reason why you should suffer a loss in this deal. Send me the mirror code to use in providing you with these documents.

“As soon as I have the amended terms approved and translated, you can expect the new document of Surrender.

“Sire, it has been a pleasure to meet you. I would wish it were under better circumstances.”

Somewhat later, in Canterlot, Celestia and Luna chortling over the latest version of the Surrender Terms and news given them by their Ambassador to Prance. Luna was pointing to a page of the report.

“I wish that I had seen this Court, Tia! The faces of Leiuee's nobles must have been priceless when he gave them written copies of the banking laws regarding Notes of Payment.”

Tia interrupted, “And then started handing about all of those overdue and refused for redemption Notes of Payment. I would bet that they came close to revolt when he simply ordered that all the Notes be properly paid within thirty days!”

The Ambassador joined their merriment. “I do believe that your Highnesses are correct! My contacts in my Service and a few in the Court have told me that they near rioted when told that the Crown of Prance will no longer accept Notes of Payment on any debit at all. His Majesty Leiuee is considering outlawing them entirely.

“He, like you, has a Royal Intelligence Service. They have dug up proof that a cadre of nobles were plotting to seize that whole rich region and require the populace to labor for them to clear off the false debits. King Leiuee is not a happy pony!

“In a private conversation that leaked to my ears, His Majesty stated that he has come to like and admire the Countess of Corbiestep. He has been consulting with her quite regularly, since he found out that she has been doing so much to improve the lives of his populace that are presently under her rule.”

Princess Luna gave a deep chuckle and signaled for a page pony. “Would you please get the document on my desk that bears three Provincial Seals from Prance? I do thank you, Ridor.”

In moments the page Ridor returned with the document. The Ambassador's eyes opened wide and his ears shot forward as he saw the Prance Provincial seals for the area that Countess Arianne was holding.

Luna explained gently, “I have verified that our good Corbiestep had no hoof in this. The Governors and Councils got together on their own and drafted this, which they sent, concealed among a largish bunch of paperwork about upcoming crop yields.”

Opening the folded and sealed sheet, the Ambassador blinked several times and put the paper down as if it were a deadly serpent! “The Councils and Governors have petitioned you to anex their lands under the rule of Arianne, Countess Corbiestep? What have you answered?”

“We have not done so, yet. Should Arianne decide to retain her conquest, We as her Sovereigns, will present this granted petition to her as part of her redrawn Patent of Title and Grant of Lands.”

“I see, your Highnesses. Why have you made me privy to this?”

“We did think that if you were to leak the presence of this document to King Leiuee, he could use it as a lever to pry fractious nobles back into line. The real desire of these people is not to leave Prance, but to have good and honest governance. Should it prove needful to leave Prance to get it, they will. They do hope that their King will do what is needful to restore proper and honest rule.”