A Pretentious Negotiation, Miraz Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place

"She won't go alone," Susan stepped forward. "I'll go with her, and we'll definitely find Aslan."

"We've had enough dead already," Tumnus said dejectedly to Lucy. "You don't need to take this risk."

"Nikabrik was once my friend, but he lost hope," Trof said. "But Queen Lucy didn't, and neither did I. We believed in Aslan's existence from the very beginning."

Reepicheep drew his sword and gave a standard knightly salute. "For Aslan."

Tumnus was silent for a moment, then said, "Then I'll go with you."

"No, we need you to stay here," Lucy said. "You must hold on until we find Aslan."

"Let's prepare for the negotiations first!" Aaron looked at Caspian. "You know Miraz best. You write the challenge and make sure he can't refuse."

"Okay, no problem." Caspian from the passage. The more sophisticated, grand, and classy the challenge letter was, the less likely King Miraz would refuse it in front of everyone.

"Lucy, leave your bottle here."

Lucy instinctively clutched her medicine bottle, asking with some confusion, "Why this time?"

"It wouldn't hurt to prepare some healing items beforehand for Peter's life-or-death duel!"

Upon hearing this, Lucy glanced at Peter with concern, then took off the red medicine bottle from her waist.

"I hope you won't need it."

Peter gave her a reassuring smile and didn't say anything more.

It's impossible for him not to need it; his swordsmanship level is probably about the same as Miraz's, so injury is inevitable.

However, with this medicine bottle, the odds of winning can be increased to at least 70%.

Two hours later, Edmund, now dressed in armor, arrived at the Telmarine camp with a challenge letter and accompanied by Aaron.

"Why should I come with you?" Aaron asked, frustrated.

"If the negotiations fall apart, at least you can lead me out," Edmund said confidently.

Aaron's lips twitched. "Trust me, you'll be more effective with one Centaur."

"The centaurs are good, but they can't stop their archers."

But you're different. Your fighting prowess is undeniable. With you coming with me to Miraz, even if we refuse a challenge, they won't do anything to us.

Aaron:...

"It's a bit like a fox borrowing the tiger's power, but I have to admit you have good taste."

I'll try my best to cooperate with you later; I have some experience in negotiations.

The two arrived at the Telmarine's camp and were informed of their envoy identity.

The soldiers on guard did not dare to be negligent and immediately sent someone to inform the king.

A short while later, two soldiers returned and led them to the makeshift royal tent.

Miraz sat proudly in the main seat, flanked by General Sophi and Council Elder Puspi, with other generals also seated in the other seats.

He looked at Edmund standing below with amusement, as if he were looking at a monkey.

But when he turned his gaze to the playful Aaron, that playfulness was instantly replaced by wariness.

"You... have come to surrender?" Miraz asked with a smile.

He knew a bit about the Narnian; their nobility wouldn't allow them to surrender to their enemies. He only asked the question to deflate their arrogance.

In negotiations, maintaining control is still very important.

"Pfft!" Aaron couldn't help but chuckle. "Excuse me, Lord Miraz..."

"King," Miraz emphasized, "I am now the king."

"Very well, King Miraz," Aaron said dismissively. "I'm also professionally trained; I won't laugh no matter how funny it is, unless I can't help it."

What do you mean by that?

Aaron pointed at Edmund, "Read it to them, otherwise His Majesty the King might think we're easy to bully!"

Edmund feigned composure, then unfurled a scroll and read aloud in a clear and resonant voice, "I, Peter, by the decree of Aslan, and by election and designation, am the King of Narnia, Cair Paravel, and Emperor of the Lone Islands."

To avoid bloodshed, the usurper Miraz hereby challenges a duel to the death, the prize being the loser's complete surrender.

"Tell me, Prince Edmund," Miraz said calmly.

"Your Majesty," Edmund reminded him.

"What did you say?"

"Actually, it was King Edmund, although Peter was the true king."

I know, it's actually a bit messy.

"Gunnarnia was ruled by four kings: Peter, Susan, Edmund, Lucy, but Peter was the eldest of the four," Aaron explained.

"Yes, that's exactly what I wanted to say."

"Very well, Edmund ...King." Miraz reluctantly accepted the explanation, saying indifferently, "Our army can annihilate you in one fell swoop, why should I risk accepting such a proposal?"

"I also said we should just fight to the death," Aaron said somewhat dissatisfied. "We're bound to lose."

"Pretending to be tough." Miraz looked at Aaron suspiciously, a sneer on his lips. "If you really had that kind of confidence, you wouldn't have waited for us to launch an attack."

"Aren't you underestimating our numbers?" Edmund laughed. "The Narnian were wiped out just a week ago!"

"Now you can just wait to be wiped out!" Miraz said coldly.

"If you don't dare, then you don't dare. Who are you trying to scare with all this bluster?" Aaron mocked without any politeness. "But I understand. After all, King Miraz is over thirty years old. Compared to a young warrior, it's a bit like bullying the weak. No, it's not right. It should be said that the strong are afraid of the young."

Upon hearing this, Miraz's forehead creased with a few more black lines, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "This isn't a question of whether I dare or not."

"Didn't you refuse?"

"I didn't say I refused," Miraz said, enunciating each word clearly, but before he could finish, a general beside him interrupted him.

"We support Your Majesty, whatever your decision may be."

"Your Majesty, our military superiority is the most compelling reason," Puspi chimed in. "It completely avoids unnecessary..."

Upon hearing this, Miraz's eyes widened in astonishment.

What do you mean by putting yourselves this way? Are you trying to put pressure on him? If he doesn't accept the challenge, then he really won't dare to do it.

Miraz immediately drew his Longsword and glared at Puspi, saying, "I didn't intend to avoid anything."

"I just wanted to point out that His Majesty has the right to refuse the duel," Puspi said confidently but sarcastically.

"His Majesty will never refuse," General Sophi suddenly said. "He likes to seize opportunities to let the people demonstrate the courage of the new king."

Miraz was completely dumbfounded. He was clearly the king, yet he had been put in a difficult position by a few words from his subject.

He felt that there might be a traitor in his team, but the people he spoke to all seemed to be thinking of him, and there was nothing wrong with them.

After a few seconds of silence, he pointed his sword at Edmund and said, "You better hope your brother's sword is sharper than his pen."

To prevent Miraz from noticing anything amiss, Edmund maintained an unchanging smile ever since he entered.

Now that he heard Miraz agree to the duel, he finally felt relieved, and the stiff expression on his face almost broke down.

"What a pity." Aaron clicked his tongue with a regretful look. "How could you accept that?"

"You must be secretly thrilled right now!" Miraz almost laughed out of anger.

"No, that's not true at all." Aaron shook his head seriously. "If Peter hadn't Peter worried about a lose-lose situation and wanted to find a gentler way to resolve the issue, I wouldn't have come here at all."

I was just thinking that it would have been better if you had refused; fighting a war fairly and squarely would have been honorable.

"You're getting a good deal and then acting innocent!"

"I've already agreed to the duel. Is there anything else you're not satisfied with?"

"Nonsense, in my opinion this duel is completely meaningless."

Peter lost, he will certainly die, and the remaining Narnian may not surrender. But if you lose, you might be lucky enough to survive, and once you are safe, they will probably sound the horn of attack immediately.

"In short, nobody will abide by the rules of the contract," Aaron said righteously, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the tent, who all instinctively looked away.

"Then you still dare to come?" Miraz asked in surprise.

"The hope is slim, but we still have to try!" Aaron said helplessly. "This is Peter's idea, and it has nothing to do with me."

My idea is simpler: if a duel is unavoidable, it doesn't matter; it's nice to liven up the atmosphere before the official battle.

If we can behead the king, our morale will be greatly boosted, increasing our chances of victory by twofold.

The same applies to you.

Miraz's lips twitched slightly, and he felt like crying but had no tears left to shed.

Peter certainly needed a duel to boost morale, but he didn't; the army could easily overwhelm them and the victory would be secured.

But now that he had agreed to the duel in front of so many people, he, the newly enthroned king, couldn't very well go back on his word.

Winning makes no difference to him, but losing would be a huge mistake; he wouldn't even have a firm grip on his throne before his life would be in danger.

"Let's set a time!" Aaron suggested. "The Telmarine army set up camp this morning, and the entire army hasn't had a proper rest yet."

I won't take advantage of you. How about we set the time for this time tomorrow?

"Okay." Miraz agreed without hesitation.

As soon as the two left the tent, Edmund's legs went weak, and he almost stumbled and fell to the ground.

"That scared me to death."

"That's a rather aggressive statement. Aren't you afraid Miraz will flip the table?"

"He won't," Aaron said calmly. "When the negotiations started, I was less than ten meters away from him. My fighting ability is still a threat to ordinary people. As long as I don't embarrass him too much, he won't make any rash moves."

Although I used a bit of reverse psychology, what truly forced him to make a choice were the Telmarine general and council elders. This backstabbing was sure to make him question his existence.

In the end, the truth is sometimes more convincing than a lie.

I've laid out the meaning and value of this life-or-death duel clearly; he'll never suspect that we're just stalling for time.

Edmund was speechless upon hearing this.

Soon, a relaxed smile spread across his face. "I only wanted to postpone it until the afternoon, but you pushed it all the way to tomorrow, which is more than enough."

"That's not important. What's important is that Miraz's throne is unstable right now." Aaron frowned slightly. "Anyone with eyes can see that refusing the challenge is the best option. It's just that there are three people stirring things up in his tent, forcing him to agree. That's a bit unusual."

"This... it should be alright, right?" Edmund said somewhat uncertainly.

Perhaps!

The struggle for power is often endless.

Currently, Caspian has lost to Miraz, but who can guarantee that others don't covet the throne?

It's a small miracle that you four siblings have been able to rule Narnia for so many years and live in harmony.

Edmund paused for a moment, then scratched his head in confusion. "That's complicated enough."

However, this has little to do with us, and the final battle between the Telmarine and Narnia is about to begin. Even if they want to fight amongst themselves, they should wait until the war is over.

That's true.

After traveling a long distance, the two finally reached the bunker again.

Caspian immediately leaned in and asked, "So? He agreed, right?"

"Of course, with King Edmund personally taking charge, what can't be resolved?" Edmund said smugly. "Not only did we agree, we also postponed the duel to tomorrow noon."

"Great!" Peter clapped his hands, slightly excited. "Digging the tunnel is easy enough, but getting all those flammable materials over there will be a bit more difficult. With the cover of night, they won't be easily discovered."

"We'll set off this afternoon," Susan said seriously. Although Lucy was somewhat confident in finding Aslan, setting off earlier would increase their chances of success.

Caspian nodded slightly and led Lucy and Susan to a black horse.

"Desky is a good horse and has always taken good care of me. It will work well with you."

"Hand in hand?" Lucy laughed. "Shouldn't we say 'hoof' instead of 'horse'?"

Caspian smiled helplessly and helped the two men onto their horses.

He looked at Susan, paused for a few seconds, and said, "Good luck."

Thanks.

"This," Caspian said, taking out the Magic Horn, "Should perhaps be returned to its rightful owner."

"Why don't you keep it safe?" Susan said. "You might need to come to me again."

Caspian paused, a slight blush rising to his face, unsure whether to put down the horn.

"Um... I might have come at the wrong time." Aaron emerged from the shadows apologetically, with a teasing look on his face, "I'm sorry to have disturbed your conversation."

"No." ×2.

Caspian and Susan said in unison, and as soon as they finished speaking, they both turned their faces away in embarrassment.

"Tsk tsk tsk! There's nothing wrong with admitting it."

This kind of mutual attraction is quite rare; you two should cherish it.

"You seem to have a lot of experience," Lucy asked curiously.

"If you have one, no, a group of elders in your family who are urging you to get married as soon as possible, or even arranging blind dates for you before you graduate, you'll know how difficult it is to find someone you like."

"You're only ten years old!" Lucy said in surprise.

"Age has never been a problem," Aaron shrugged. "At least that's what they think."

"What are you doing here?" Caspian asked.

"Don't worry, I'm not interested in your girlfriend." Aaron patted his shoulder and reached into the red Magic Array to take out a silver pistol. "Two girls going deep into the forest can't go without weapons for self-defense. Susan is an excellent archer, and Lucy... well, her dagger is only good for sharpening pencils, in my opinion."

Ten bullets, use them sparingly.