"A Marriage Alliance?" Dom asked, almost spitting out the drink he was just about to take. His voice probably much louder in both volume and pitch than it should have been. He coughed and lowered his voice, trying to make himself sound more manly in a lower tone, to counter his higher more shocked pitch from earlier. "A Marriage Alliance?"
"Yes, with my Sister Sun Shangxiang." Sun Quan replied in a quiet voice so it didn't spread further, a slight smile on his face at Dom's pitch change. Dom could feel a lot of eyes on him from around the room, as if the majority of the elders in the room were already aware of the conversation. "It is common to have more than one wife for those who are of high importance and status. I know you have one already, but this will tie us closer together. The Sun and Lazarus families."
"I appreciate the offer." Dom began to reply, but Sun Quan cut him off before he had chance to reply, before continuing himself.
"There are others geographically, who are closer to us that could be better choices, both Zhang Zhao and Lu Su had pushed for that; such as someone from the Liu family like Liu Bei or even Cao Cao to the north. Sun Ce had tried a similar arrangement in the past, just look at our brother Sun Kuang. However, if we can share ideas and tactits with you, whilst you can also give my elder brother and precious sister a safe home, then it is a worthy deal for me. My sister is more than just a woman, she's an excellent warrior and highly intelligent. Skills that are wasted here." Sun Quan explained, a sense of honesty and caring for his sibling in his words.
"I am not sure how my wife will feel about this." Dom replied with a smile, trying to calm the situation down, as he looked to Subutai for help. Subutai in turn looked to Xun You beside him for help, who had leant in to hear the conversation and had no one to turn to who could help as Tomyris was staring at him.
"Shang Yang had explained that if a situation like this arose, that we should support it if it was in our favour." Xun You said back in a quiet voice, as the officers around him realised something was happening. "Alliances and deals that can bring stability and push us ahead of our competition at this stage are key."
"It's a worthwhile deal." Sun Ce said, trying to balance his brother, sister and his new Lord. "My brother has a dowry prepared that will help our growth immensely at this stage, and provide us with a valid reason to take the Generals and Warriors with us that we intend to, without causing a political situation. This includes those from the Battle of Jiangxia and others that he will explain."
Dom felt outnumbered, he couldn't disagree that Sun Shangxiang was an attractive woman, exceptionally so, she was eighteen years old and was a woman who could match Meritamen in terms of beauty. Dom wanted to speak with her, but he first had to get through this conversation. He felt cornered, but unlike with Meritamen where he was guaranteed an escape, he didn't feel he had that chance this time.
"Alongside my sister, I will grant you a dowry of a Town with a minimum of eight hundred households, gold, materials and clothing, as well as Warriors and Guards. I haven't promised more in regards to the Town as Xun You has explained that this gift may or may not be taken by you. However the other items are of high quality. Whilst you may have had the highest merits in the battle, you also had the smallest number of contributors, it was Cheng Pu's men that helped your ground attack succeed and our Navy that took the majority of the losses. This combination of our families will mean that my Warriors were your Warriors, and therefore the gains you have claimed and will be given will be valid." Sun Quan began, as Dom listened as if he was making a trade deal for a wife and give reasonings as to why. Dom realised that Sun Quan was more shrewd than he expected, or at least his advisors were. "I have also spoken with General Cheng Pu and have asked him to join you to protect both my sister and my brother. He has accepted that he will join you, with his son, if you do take Sun Shangxiang as your wife."
Dom suddenly felt Subutai give him a hard stare, as if telling him to accept the deal right now. This was an impressive offer, but he wasn't sure he could take a town and the other items with him. Xun You had argued that he should have taken a dowry from Rameses and looking at his face now, he could tell from looking at Xun You's face that he had been a heavy part of the negotiations of this Dowry. Dom also knew that whilst they had been successful with recruitment so far, Cheng Pu was an exceptional General that was underestimated, having been involved in all of the key battles of the Sun Family, with strength almost unmatched.
"Cheng Pu will also take a small detachment of his elites, with a minimum of one thousand Warriors, and we will also give you one of the Louchuan and a small escort fleet to protect it. Not that you will need it if you have a fleet of your own ships. These ships will be crewed by volunteers who are mainly from Ling Tong's direct unit." Zhou Yu added quietly from the side. "Sun Shangxiang also has one hundred of her own elite guards that are all exceptional female warriors. They are not allowed to go to battle here, but seeing how you have so many female warriors, they could excel under you."
"There are also the additional rewards for the battle, which we will grant tomorrow as agreed." Sun Quan continued, "These gifts as the Dowry are a starting point, I will not limit your recruitment of other Warriors and Civilians, however with the amount you have already claimed from Jiangxia and your rewards tomorrow, this is a fair number. I promise you that I have been as fair as I can."
"And what are her thoughts?" Dom asked suddenly, causing the rest of them to go quiet. He didn't want to force something, especially as he wasn't planning on getting a second bride.
"I am happy with the match, as long as you are." She suddenly said, leaning forwards with a cheeky grin on her face, a grin that matched that of Sun Ce's. Dom realised that she had been listening to the conversation and her personality was similar to her elder brothers. Normally she wouldn't have had the chance to be involved with the match, especially at this stage, but the Sun family seemed to treat her with more respect than other traditional families.
"It would be nice to get to know you first." Dom replied, trying to put a pause on things so he could think about it. Subutai and Xun You knew what he was trying, but wouldn't stop him as he was their Lord and they would only push things so far. They both agreed with the deal, however they also would support Dom even if it lead to their deaths. Sun Ce however just smiled in response, knowing that his sister could easily sway Dom if she wanted to. He would have been reluctant if it was anyone else marrying his sister, but he was excited at the opportunity to take his sister home with him. He had a lot of respect for Dom, and was passionate about the Kingdom they were all building together. He also knew that Meritamen was aware of the situation that Dom could take on more wives, as her father had over a hundred.
"We have all evening." She replied with a confident smile, however Dom could see some slight redness on her cheeks that was peeking through her make up. She was eighteen and her marriage was always a highly discussed topic. She could have legally been married from the age of fifteen, but the family were holding it back for her own growth and for the perfect alliance. Where as her younger sister was still below the age of marriage and was treated slightly differently due to having a different mother.
"And what would you want from us in return? I think a marriage alliance with a local ally would be better for you." Dom countered Sun Quan, not knowing how to react. Sun Shangxiang was extremely attractive and after his experiences with Meritamen he was very tempted. If this was reality he wouldn't do it, but the game had definitely pushed him to try different things. The alliance wouldn't help Riverside long term he didn't think, but in the short term the growth and additional warriors would have a huge impact.
"Just a promise to care for her and to always keep her as one of your main wives. I suspect you may take more in the future, but the expectation is she would stay as one of your primary wives." Sun Quan replied in a more serious tone, "It would also be great if you could share any basic knowledge about how your ships were constructed, as if we can build a few of our own, we can better defend our home."
Dom realised that this was what they had actually wanted, the showing from the Enyo and Calypso in the battle had shocked all of the Sun Family Generals and having the Trireme's in their fleet could completely change the dynamics of the area. Dom wasn't sure if he could share the information, as Gan Ning and his captains would have the best knowledge but none of them were Himilco their shipbuilder. If it was a competitor close to home he wouldn't share it, but he felt that to share it with Sun Quan wasn't a bad idea, especially as Sun Ce and some of his Generals were once part of his force. He then realised that this would have already been discussed, and turned to Xun You who was nodding at him in response, letting Dom know that it was acceptable from a strategic trading perspective.
"I will speak with Sun Shangxiang later and we can make a decision together." Dom replied with a large exhale, as she smiled in response and sat back in her seat, with Xiao Qiao beside her looking on.
"A fantastic idea." Sun Quan agreed, "I know it is a big decision, but I believe time is short before you depart and if you are to go ahead with it, I would like our family to witness a short wedding of our beloved Sun Shangxiang."
"I understand." Dom replied, aware that it was a game and that the potential resources he could acquire from this deal were large. However, at the same time, he had built up a relationship with Meritamen, even if it was within a game and part of him felt like he was betraying her. He knew that she would be acceptable of it, but he still felt some guilt. It had also taken him long enough to accept her, and he didn't have the luxury this time.
"That is excellent!" Sun Quan declared, loudly so that the room could hear. "More drinks!"
More drink were brought and the sound of the room increased as more celebrations took place. They then discussed some other things, such as some of the tactics involved in the battle and some of the other Generals involved who were nearby also added some stories of heroics by different Warriors.
....
The food was soon ended and people had began moving around the room to talk with others. It looked like a large reunion as different groups began to mingle amongst each other. The chairs were also moved and Sun Shangxiang was now positioned beside Dom, with Sun Quan swapping his seat with hers. Dom felt that it had been done to show everyone else in the room the important of the alliance, which Dom hadn't yet agreed to.
"What is Riverside like?" Sun Shangxiang asked Dom, her tone confident but Dom could tell there was some nerves there still.
"It's beautiful, placed next to a river and only a day to the sea. It's vibrant and growing, with lots of different cultures combining." He explained, "Behind us is a large mountain, with a hidden city within, and a thick forest of silver trees with purple leaves."
"What else?" She asked, as she leant in and listened as he explained the city.
"It grows and changes by the day, everyone is treated equally with men and women doing all roles. There is miles upon miles of farmlands that leads to the town of Tranquillity. We have three towns currently with Tranquillity being on the River where Elder Qiao is the Mayor, and further to the east we have Serenity, where our access to the sea is." Dom continued, "We have two new towns about to be built, and enough land to compare to a small kingdom. Whilst we are currently small, we are growing at pace, enough that within a year I am confident we will be a terrifying foe for our enemies."
"It's an amazing place." Sun Ce added from the other side of Dom, before his sister gave him a dirty look and he realised he was interrupting her trying to bond with Dom.
"It is amazing, if we decide this is what we want, I am sure that you will enjoy it." Dom agreed with Sun Ce.
"Tell me more about your first wife." She asked politely, hearing about the complexities from her mother.
"Fierce, powerful and loyal." Dom stated quickly, "She is a glue that keeps our kingdom together and does a much better job than I do at managing the different arms of the government. As you can see, they don't listen to me."
She laughed loudly in response, as Sun Ce, Xun You and Subutai all looked away whilst laughing. They would always follow his order, he knew that, but he still felt that they tried to manipulate things behind the scenes such as this situation. He knew that this would have come from Shang Yang, the elder statemen keen for Dom's lineage to continue to maintain the Kingdom they were trying to create, whilst to Dom, he didn't know if World Conquest Online would still be the game he would be playing at that stage.
"She sounds incredible, my brother speaks highly of her, as does Lady Qiao." She said kindly, whilst looking towards Tomoe who had been watching them talk, whilst Tomyris had been trying to distract Tomoe from the conversations taking place. "I've also heard tales of your amazing General, a fierce battle goddess who is undefeatable."
"I heard you also like to fight and have your own female guard?" Dom asked in return, seeing a smile on her face.
"I do, however I only get the opportunity to fight my brothers Generals, I wouldn't be allowed in battle, even though I can defeat some of them." She said with a saddened voice, "My archery is excellent and my swordsmanship is fast and deadly. Here, I am waiting to be married to extend my families alliances and create children to continue the line, but I want to be more than just that. Sorry, I shouldn't have said so much."
"No, I understand!" Dom replied, seeing the sadness in her tone as she spoke, she was intelligent and a warrior, but was held back by the times she was from. His decision was made, even if it was just to give her the chance to excel. "When you come to Riverside, we will make sure that you get a chance to show your skills, be that in battle or somewhere else."
"So you wish to wed me?" She asked him in a surprised tone, as Dom and those around him also realised that he had just said.
"I suppose that is what I just said." Dom accepted in a defeated voice, before turning to Xun You in an accusing tone, "Two is the maximum!"
Those from Riverside suddenly burst out with laughter at Dom's words, whist Sun Shangxiang seemed happy that Dom had accepted her and had no intention of increasing the number of wives he had. Sun Quan and Sun Ce both shared a look of excitement, whilst Sun Quan suddenly turned and whispered to a servant waiting behind him.