"She"s being modest," said Charlaine. "She"s downplaying the fleet’s role, but she has a point. We know the Halvarians and what they"re capable of."
"I hate to admit it, especially in the presence of my wife, but perhaps we might be better off avoiding war and capitulating. Does it really matter who sits on the throne so long as our lands prosper?"
"I’ve seen for myself the effects of a Halvarian occupation. They will move in, seizing anything of value and place their own people in this keep. And as for your townsfolk, they’ll force many of them into service in their provincial companies, then immediately march them off to war."
"A dire prospect, but our losses could be even worse if we choose to fight them. What hope have we against such a colossus?"
"That does not mean we meekly surr
