Parley?

[sunnysweeney]

Parley (parli or parlei) is a discussion or conference, especially one between enemies over terms of truce or other matters. The root of the word parley is parlée, which is from the French verb parler "to speak"., specifically the conjugation "parlez" "you(pl) speak", whether as imperative or indicative.

Beginning in the High Middle Ages with the expansion of monarchs, a parley, or "talk", was a meeting held between kings and their chief retainers. Parleys were part of the many changes in Europe, especially regarding governments. These meetings can be attributed to the formation of parliaments, which are derived from a similar root, parliamentum, simply meaning "talking".