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Siamak swallowed hard. Had the messenger sent to his sister been so inept as not to tell Gjeelea what was going on? Had not his sister asked? In his own grief he felt contemptuous (rightfully so or not) at Gjeelea for not being more knowledgeable of the situation. Something needed to be done; there was not time to be standing around explaining the situation. If he thought about it, though, Siamak would have known that this was not a fair outlook at all; however, his new thirst for action was an escape from thinking. Careful thinker as he was, thoughts of his mother would tear him apart. He had loved her, in his way; he had not spent much time with her in recent times but always she was there, the comforting presence that ran the palace while his father dealt with more important affairs. No, despite his earlier desire for time to think, no longer did he want such time. Nevertheless, he held himself together as his father explained to Gjeelea.
“Daughter, your mother was murdered earlier today in her apartments. We do not know by whom or how.” The king paused a moment for Gjeelea to digest this information. It stung worse every time Siamak heard it. Faroz continued, “Also, word has come that Pashtia is being attacked by Alanzians. They were aided by creatures as we have never seen before; however, they match the description provided by the Emissary of an enemy race from his lands called orcs. The aid of the Lord Annatar’s people would be of great aid to us in dealing with these creatures, but we can not ask for such help unless an alliance has been established between our nations. The time has come for you and Siamak to decide in this matter of alliance. What say you?” the king repeated.
Siamak jumped in before Gjeelea had opportunity to respond. He had been sitting the fence before, but no longer in light of this new information. Forgotten was his uneasiness around the Emissary, forgotten were all doubts. He had finally heard some evidence that accepting or declining the offer would directly affect Pashtia. His choice now was clear. He addressed himself to Gjeelea, though he knew the whole court could hear. “Gjeelea, we have considered this offer long and hard. I think that Father is right; the Emissary’s aid in dealing with such a foe would be helpful indeed. As far as I can tell, there is only one decision we can make.” As he spoke, he slowly gathered his emotions in and his voice steadied. Thinking about the Alanzians and the Emissary was not so hard. “I think we should accept the Lord Annatar’s offer of alliance.”
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