Hegemony in the North ( part one ).

 A small fire had been lit at the center of the main room of the house. The people gathered around it held brown mugs and a roll of bread each . As they sat there chatting amongst themselves , a hot jug of green tea started being passed around . The small child who had opened the door for them and then disappeared into the group suddenly appeared carrying two mugs which he gave to Mei .

 " I am sorry but not everyone gets bread , father said it won't be enough," the child timidly apologized .

 Mei quickly put her palm softly on the child's head and stroked his hair gently , " It's okay dear , we are already very grateful for the tea." Having lived a life of hardship and want , Mei understood that having a cup of tea to drink , leave alone one to hand out to strangers , was a rarity to among these people.

 When the child left , Mei turned around to Lan who had silently been standing behind her . She gave him one of the mugs then asked him to follow her to a far corner of the house where there were less people.

 " They are more than I expected , " he noticed , walking closely behind her. The multitude consisted of all manner of people who by their appearances seemed to have come from all over the world . Some were very old , others were young and beautiful while some were just children that were desperately hungry for just a morsel of food .

 " Though they work around the royal residences , these people lead very poor lives . They can't protest against their lower wages and mistreatment , if they tried that their supervisors would just report them as illegal workers and after that they'd be deported , which would be the best they can hope for , " Mei explained , spotted an old fellow quietly drinking some ale and waved at him . The man waved back and started walking towards them , smiling brightly at Lan . Watching him come over , Mei kept pondering over how Lan had come to find out about her .

 " When you said that a certain member of the royal family wanted to see us , I had no idea you meant the prince Lan Montreal himself . You're highness , please accept my gratitude for saving my brothers and sisters from the smuggling business , " the man started when he reached them . He bowed his head in respect and waited for Lan to permit him to raise it again.

 " He is our leader , Henry Frere ,and has helped connect most of us with employers in the capital . He is a very good head hunter , prince Lan and can find the best person for any job , " Mei introduced him .

 " You may rise Mr. Frere . You look like a busy man and so I will not be taking up much of your time . All I want is answers , Mei could you give us some privacy ?" Lan took over the conversation.

 As Mei obediently left , Henry returned Lan's question ," I may be the middle man in this operation my prince , but there may be things that even I am not privy to."

 " Don't worry yourself too much , you'll be privy enough to what I got for you. The northern gold mining scheme run by the Marjories has a total of five mines . Why hasn't an official report been filed yet , to inform the crown that four of the mines are depleted , the last one of them going out two months ago ? And I'm not finished just yet , why are these mines still registered as operational , forcing the crown to pay the wages of the employees who apparently work there ?" Lan finished , not letting Henry interrupt him in the middle of it . 

From the look on his face , Lan confirmed that the allegation was true even before Henry could answer .

 " Indeed , she was right about you. My Lord , please follow me and I will take you to someone who will answer everything and tell you all about what is going on up there in the North , " Henry finally spoke after taking a moment of contemplation .

 " That was not part of the arrangement , should I start letting my men in Mr. Frere ? " Lan took up a defensive tone .

 " There is no need for that your highness , the person I am talking about is lady Vivian Marjorie herself . She is downstairs my lord , and was expecting you depending on the outcome of our interaction . Please follow me your highness and I will take you straight to her . " Henry quickly cooled off the tension building up between them , finally understanding that he was dealing with someone who could have him and his entire household deleted before the sun went down.

 " I will follow you on one condition , one of my men will have to enter this house and take Mei hostage. She will come with us to see that Marjorie woman and if even for a moment I get the feeling that my life is in danger , all my men will come pouring down and reduce this place and all people in it into a pile of rubble . Refuse this order and they enter any way , " Lan was not blinking , his silver blue eyes peering down on Henry like ice cold daggers.

 " Yes my Lord , I agree with everything you have just said ," Henry , who had lost the gentleman composure he had just a few moments before , cowered into submission . He turned to his left and waved . The small boy who opened the door before emerged from hiding amongst the crowd and went for the door . As soon as it was opened , a woman with a cloak over her face let herself in and headed straight to where Mei stood . She grabbed her , secretly pointed a blade to her side for a brief second , then forcefully pulled her to where Lan and Henry stood .

 " It's like you had this all planned out , " Mei scoffed , stubbornly trying to free herself from the grip the other woman had on her .

 " Lucinda is one of the strongest there is , so stop resisting . Now Henry , lets not keep Vivian Marjorie waiting , " Lan said , gesturing for Henry to start leading the way .