Herald of Steel

Jtaama was a week-long pilgrimage for the followers of Ramuh performed centering the Life sea.

This included praying, chanting, and various other ritualistic activities, combined with celebrations like dancing, bathing in the sea, sacrifice, and much more.

It was the most holy occasion for the followers of Ramuh and whoever had the means and way to get to Adhan would surely try to get there.

Almost all the nobles or their representatives would attend the festival and many nobles, even pashas whose territories were thousands of kilometers from Adhan would occasionally personally come to take part in the last day afterparty.

And as Amenheraft and his retainers were mostly religious in nature, barring them from performing their pilgrimage was impossible.

Just like Ptolomy and his forces would not take a no in the acquisition of Zanzan, Amenheraft saw no point in a ceasefire if they couldn't have access to their holy site.

"I'm willing to allow protection and safety to all allied, neutral, and belligerent parties during the week of Jtaama. But they won't be allowed to bring any weapons into the city," Ptolomy stated his condition.

"No weapons? Is this a joke!" Pasha Muazz flared up at the absurd condition.

"No harm will come to them. We swear in the name of Ramuh," Ptolomy sincerely proclaimed.

He really was serious about not harming a single pilgrim, even his mortal enemies in that time period.

"Hah, you people are priest killers, temple looters, and king slayers! Do you think your swears mean anything?" Manuk bellowed in rage, brushing off Ptolomy's proclamation as garbage.

'Smart man,' Alexander smirked in his heart.

Even if Ptolomy had no intention to kill these men, Alexander didn't think he could let such defenseless ducks go.

After all, he never gave made any promises to these men, and he would a fool to let go of this golden opportunity.

"Then we will allow them to carry a single-sheathed sword," Alexander offered the compromise with a smile.

"We are not warriors. And you outnumber us." Manuk frowned as he revealed their problems.

He then wanted, "A contingent of a thousand soldiers as bodyguards must be allowed to accompany us."

"If you people are so scared to come to perform pilgrimage, then don't come," Pasha Farzah blew away all of Manuk's whining as he brusquely waved his hand.

"That's right. We are already showing courtesy of the highest level by not charging you a premium to enter the city. It's our city after all," Alexander loudly reminded.

"The city of Adhan will be a safe sanctuary for all pilgrims during the week of Jtaama. I swear it!" Ptolomy solemnity promised again.

Manuk gazed deep into the king's eyes and could see no pretense, only sincerity.

But still, he hesitated.

He didn't like the idea of letting Amenheraft be unguarded.

Seeing this Alexander reasoned, "Bringing bodyguards will make us bring bodyguards. And those soldiers tend to be overzealous about their masters. If it's just the nobles, they will think twice about starting a conflict without their lackeys there to do the fighting for them."

This made Manuk go silent for a bit, as he ruminated on Alexander's words, huddling up with his partner and whispering something.

And after a while, he nodded, "Okay, we agree,"

And thus, with the major issues done, after a lot of grumbling, recess, and haggling, the day-long meeting finally ended at dusk, whereupon, even with the insistence of Ptolomy to rest and spend the night in Adhan, Manuk and Pasha Muazz decided to leave the city and soon met up with Amenheraft three days later.

In the end, these were the terms that were agreed upon:

1. An armistice of six years would last between the forces of Polomy and Amenheraft.

Any noble may enter a covenant with either party, Ptolomy or Amenheraft. Whoever enters into any one of the parties will be considered part of that party. Likewise, any sort of aggression against them will be considered aggression against that party.

2. Four hundred million ropals will be paid to Amenheraft, with half exchanged for goods and half given as loans.

3. Adhan will become a safe sanctuary for all during the week of Jtaama.

4. Tariffs between provinces will follow their pre-conflict time rate.

5. All captured nobles were to be released.

This came to be known as the Treaty of Unease as it failed to address a huge problem- Zanzan.

Although Amenheraft agreed to acknowledge Alexander as the city's ruler, they refused to recognize him as its pasha, and the matter of how the nobles under him would be treated couldn't be agreed upon.

While Ptolomy argued that Alexander had the full right to demand the loyalty of the nobles of Zanzan and even execute them if refused, Manuk pointed to the fact that those nobles had a covenant with Amenheraft and thus that would violate the ceasefire as stipulated in the first point.

Ptolomy refused to recognize this argument saying that a Pasha could appoint new nobles and since Alexander as the new pasha did not recognize any noble who didn't swear fealty to him, they were not nobles, and thus the first agreement didn't apply to them.

Manuk naturally refused to accept this argument as they saw Alexander only as an occupier and unable to come to any written terms, the debate was finally left with an uneasy verbal assurance that Alexander would not harm the nobles and vice versa.

Hence came the name 'Treaty of Unease', as both sides knew it was only a matter of time before Alexander or the nobles in his land became the belligerent party and destroyed the ceasefire.

The treaty also subtly proved just how weak Ptolomy's faction was.

Even after they had won so decisively, the terms of the treaty greatly favored Amenheraft.

He got all his captured nobles back bolstering his image and weakening Ptolomy's.

He got the highly desirable Legumum and also two hundred million free roplas, which, although on paper a loan, neither side expected Amenheraft to pay it back.

He even got to attend Jtaama and lastly he managed to effectively half the desired time of truce by Ptolomy.

Whereas Ptolomy, for all his efforts, for all his victory, and for the five hundred million roplas he spent on each of the nine pashas, and two and a half billion on the hundreds of nobles and priests, just bought himself six years of peace and a few minor nobles to his side.

Even the question about Zanzan was left decided, which could be the powder keg to start the conflict at any time.

'*Sigh*is this how Hannibal felt after his victory at Cannae?' Alexander ruefully commented as he gazed at the thin piece of papyrus where the agreement was written, thinking back on how the Carthaginian general had killed fifty to seventy thousand out of eighty thousand Romans in that battle, and still, lost the war in the end.

To put into context how devasting Cannae was, Rome only had a population of four million at that time, which meant that the country had lost around two percent of the entire population in just a single day and a fourth of its adult male population.

But the Romans fought on undeterred and unfazed,

That's how tough the Romans were, and if Amenheraft and his retainers of fanatical loyalists had such zeal, Alexander was fucked.

But fortunately for Alexander, it didn't seem to be the case as they came to the negotiating table after a bit of setback and some heavy bribes, meaning Alexander would just need the time to slowly carve off the meat from the giant creature and devour it slowly.

And with those calming thoughts, Alexander retired for the day.

And soon, three days later the date for his departure had come.

The day after the negotiations concluded, Alexander attended the king's coronation where priests appointed by Ptolomy proclaimed him king.

The ceremony was lackluster at best with just one of the original elven pashas attending, and no other high-ranking noble present.

The priests looked very lonely as they douched the king with holy water, performed various rituals, burnt incense, and rubbed mer (a kind of balm), before proclaiming him divine and putting the crown on his head.

This ceremony was also where Alexander was officially announced as the Pasha of Zanzan and a great feast was held.

Here he finally got to formally meet Pasha Farzah's entourage and met many of his retainers.

There he also met the city lord of Agnirat, Inayah, the famous lady who was one-third of the piece that poisoned the previous king.

She was tall, with an ebony complexion and a mature oblong face, her auburn hair draping over both sides of her ornate, pearl-white dress.

And next to her was a silver-haired, fair maiden introducing herself as Pasha Farzah's daughter Mikaya, wearing a full-sleeved black dress with a pearled necklace, the one who would be accompanying him to Zanzan.

He exchanged some general pleasantries with them and then went to socialize with the other men, little knowing that he would the meeting the two ladies again tomorrow and under much different circumstances.