Chapter 221 - A new Friendship

"Who would have thought it," the queen spoke with a sign.

"Unexpected, but we should leave the unanswered questions alone," he voiced unimpressed by the current events.

"Shall we get back to our meet?" now sat where she first was, Gallienne waited with her mind filled with information about what Queen Mother Sely had said.

'In fairness, the book was the only thing that linked my past and present together. Guess it's time to move on,' folded and neatly rested on his lap – Staxius thought. "If father gave you this," he broke the ice, "-then it's best that it remains by thy side," with a gentle motion, the book was returned to its owner.

"Are you sure about this?" Gallienne asked.

"Yes, at one point it would have been useful," the head shook, "-however, it's now just a relic that links two eras together. It would be best kept in thy hands, majesty," no second feelings nor second thoughts, Staxius had made peace with all the unanswered questions long ago. Today came as a surprise, all happened spontaneously that there was no way to predict such a development.

"Thank you," she replied with a smile, one gentle and relieved, "-shall we get back to the thing at hand?" 

"With pleasure," he nodded in agreement.

"As Master Serlo has already told you, this meet today is concerning the Platinum quest and the promotion in rank. I'll spare the details for it's unworthy and not necessary," her hands reached underneath her desk, "-here," a small box, almost like a treasure chest, was placed onto the table. Lined with silvery lines in a rose-like design, the lock opened with a gentle click, almost like a bell. "May I have the guild card, and the guild necklace?" she asked courteously. The strange devices inside said chest was laid for all to see. Obliged, he did what was told.

"You must be thinking why a Queen would do such a task," she said whilst manipulating the intricate devices. A glance at Staxius's face later, she continued her explanation, "-it may seem out of order and out of place, but tis an honor. Being able to promote and see the people who might bring everlasting change to our kingdom. I've personally met a few of the golden-ranked adventurers, though their visits were less lively than ours," she giggled a little for the encounter with her mother a few minutes prior brought joy. "In any case," the guild card now updated, was pushed towards her guest.

[Staxius Haggard]

[Guild Leader: Kniq]

[Ranking: Gold]

[Potential: Platinum]

"Is it that simple to update a guild card?" a relatively mindless question.

"No," her reply fast and swift, "-there's a lot of procedures first. From the Guild Master to the Sages of the Order then finally I, prerequisites have to be met," her eyes focused onto the necklace, "-quite peculiar," she voiced deeply intrigued, "-silver, gold, and platinum. The three top-tier rankings on a single piece of jewelry, I dare say it's amusing."

A few seconds later, "-the usual order would have been to replace the necklace with one new and updated. Honestly, I'm at a loss for words here," she scratched her head forgetting her prestige as queen.

"I do prefer the weirder looking necklace; no change is needed on that front," 

"No harm done," a smile later, "-onto the rewards," a card similar to the one the bank uses got taken out the same box. "Use this at the bank, they'll know to transfer the funds."

"What about the funds I collected from monster slaying?" 

"Those are in Serlo's possession, for some reason the man was adamant on handling the procedure personally," thus the meet ended.

"Before you leave," he whispered and leaned closer to the table.

"What is it?" she asked intrigued by what he had in mind.

"Is there any way I can purchase property in the noble district. This does, in fact, sound extremely presumptuous and rude – to ask such a thing without being a member of thy court…"

"King Staxius," she interjected, "-I apologize for cutting you off, but what you ask is…" her eyes narrowed, "-it's completely fine, there's no need to be threatened," to which each relaxed. "Normally, this transgression would be punished, normally that is. I'm queen, therefore my word is the law. Firstly, as the son of someone I looked up too, and the king of the first nation to ever ally themselves under the same banner, it would be an honor to allow thee to take up residence in the noble district," her voice and aura felt innocent and pure, no ulterior motive, what she said was true. 

"You sure have changed," he added perplexed by how easy that was.

"I supposed you thought that the heartless princess would refuse and rein havoc," she asked with a coy look.

"I do apologize," 

"No worries, my friend, I'm grateful that my misgivings in the past have been overlooked. Thank you very much, turning Arda into an ally was the last thing on the agenda. One that had the highest difficulty, once again, I'm grateful for all that has been done, words can't describe how much I appreciate thy actions, Majesty," she bowed yet again.

"A queen should not lower her head so often," the voice sharp, "-majesty, do be mindful of thy stature. There's no better pleasure than to see someone strive to become a better person. Being referred to as a friend by Queen Gallienne herself is a great honor. As a way to show my appreciation, I can promise one thing, if ever I see that you might be straying off the path of thy own ideals – I'll personally endeavor to guide thee back to said path. Of course, that means if people have to be killed, they will be killed," he spoke in a casual yet firm manner, "-as your friend, if the time ever comes where help is needed, don't be afraid to reach out," he held out a hand. 

"I see that I'm not the only one who's changing," she added in a smug yet casual tone to which they shook hands. "As for the right to buy, I've got a few properties on the line. It will cost a lot – but their worth each coin. Do you have anything particular in mind?"

"Let me see," he thought, "-the mansion must be big, a yard on which two to three helicopters can land, a garage that can hold five to six vehicles," it was said sarcastically.

"I've got the perfect location then," she didn't catch onto the fact that it was meant as a joke, "-there's a mansion, with a yard as big as required sitting alone. The place is secluded and near the start of the noble district. I'd go as far as to say that the property is the more luxurious one to be built," she paused and laughed, "-I sound like an estate agent," Staxius joined with her laughter. "As I was saying," her mind recomposed, "-the estate is surrounded by a wall after which trees span across the barrier. By what was said earlier, the place you need must be secretive."

"You sure are witty, a place at the start of the noble district and secluded to boot. With that, there's no risk of the other nobles to be on edge. Taking its secluded nature into account – I fear for the people who are on thy bad side." 

"Care to visit?" 

"Sure," 

"Then let's get going," she spoke with determination.

"Are you coming along, what about your duties?" he asked confused about her sudden change in persona.

"It won't take long, besides, there's that teleportation spell." 

In said manner, Gallienne exited the castle walls without much trouble. Staxius managed to collect the reward from Serlo. After a few minute's ride, they arrived. The place wasn't as the queen had described. The roads did, in fact, led to the castle. Along said path, prestigious mansions were built, those of Viscount and lower. UnInhabited, for the most part, it didn't seem as lonely as one might think. The streets were cleaned regularly. 

Hidden from prying eyes thanks to elevated stone-brick walls – the duo entered the property. A medium-size road led up a small hill – to the right, a massive yard on which three to four helicopters might land. They were surrounded by trees and plants, all well maintained. The drive continued up the road till it curved to the right. There, on the left, a gigantic mansion that held two floors with slated roofs. It was a third of the length of the yard. The design was elegant for the front had differing heights all with slated roofs. It all mixed in with the main building, one that had a creme and blueish-grey rooftop. The windows were of the same blueish hue – the level of intricacies of the design reflected the architect's skill. Further up the path, after the mansion, laid another building with a similar design – the garage. 

"How…" the car stopped before the entrance, "-who in their right mind would build such a thing," the eyes wandered from left to right. Inside these walls, it seemed like a different world, a haven inside the capital.

"The culprit is right here," Gallienne mumbled.

"I see," he faced the yard, both now leaned on Void, "-want to tell me more?" 

"There's nothing much to it, I decided to build it on a whim. I thought that one day the castle might become a place of fighting and hate – thus this place. I wanted to live alone, away from everyone else. It did take around five to six years to complete; I never had the guts to head out and live on my own," heaviness filled her voice.

"It doesn't really matter, this place sure is a haven," he smiled, "-I like the feel it has. A place where one can feel safe," their eyes met, "-without looking inside I can tell that this place was built to resemble home," the glances broke, he stared at the entourage – it sure was peaceful. "How much," the tone serious.

"W-what?" her face lit with shock; never did she think that someone would grow to like what she had done. It was sure built for comfort but buyers always thought of it being way too extravagant, none saw what she wanted to emulate. "We haven't even looked inside yet, what do you mean price?" 

"I care not, tell me the price," the voice adamant.

"I spent 150,000 Gold to do everything," she added in a shy tone. 

"Nonsense," he sighed, "-this place is worth far more than 150,000 gold. It's like a whole other world – I couldn't put a price even if I wanted too," the hands reached for a cigar, "-how about this," he took a good look around the vicinity again, "200,000 gold for it all, it includes the right to the land as well." 

"Are you insane?" throwing around that big of a price tag as if it was nothing sure was insanity. Even for royalty, that amount of gold was a fortune – the reason why she spoke in such a shy tone was that the 150,000 came from the underground – one of her many dark schemes.

"Call me insane I care not; this place is perfect. I'm willing to pay right now," the stance determined and face serious.

"You're not pulling my leg, are you?" she asked with a smile. Someone had acknowledged that this estate was worth its value. Most wanted to buy for no less than 85,000 gold. "I'll sell it for 175,000 gold, keep the rest," she smiled, this negotiation was completely inverted. As opposed to raising the price, the seller was lowering the price whilst the buyer wanted to pay more. The idiocy in that transaction made them both laughed, "-eccentric is what fits us best."

"You're right," the deal was settled, "-180,000 for the property, the lands, and all the rights."

"Deal," she smiled – both were happy. For a piece of land this big and in the capital no less, that price was a bargain. Not to mention it came from the Queen herself. A quick visit inside later, they returned to the castle – the details had to be finalized.