This is actually something of a sequel to my other fire emblem story about Colm and Neimi. This one starts a year after the war, but will soon jump ahead 23 years, to after my other one ended. Even if you don't read that one, you should be able to get this one.
"It's one thing to talk about rebuilding Grado," Duessel said to his young companion as their horses trotted down the road, "But another thing entirely too actually attempt it." His companion, a young blond haired girl named Amelia, looked at him worriedly. She was clad from head to toe in the scarlet armor of a Grado Paladin and had a long thin spear strapped across her back and a sword at her hip.
"But, we have to do something." She protested nervously. She still got nervous talking with the great General Duessel, a distinguished veteran of many battles and the one who had reunited her and her mother after their separation years ago. During the War of the Stones, they had fought side by side, with Duessel serving as a mentor for her.
"The people are tired of inaction." She continued, "They want to stop all this talk of recovering and begin advancing. You know, restore Grado to its former glory and all that."
Duessel shook his head. "The problem with that is that reconstruction takes time. The war and the earthquake that followed have severely damaged Grado's infrastructure, and if we try to run before we crawl, we'll only fall."
Amelia nodded in agreement and set her eyes back on the dirt road, carefully guiding her horse over any pitfalls or obstacles. She had agreed to follow General Duessel to this meeting only because he had practically begged her to. If anyone else had asked, she probably would have told them no flat out. Afterall, she was supposed to be in the service of Renais now, and being called to a meeting of the leaders of Grado seemed like an easy way to have split loyalties.
Still, General Duessel had asked her, and she not only wanted to help the old general, but felt she owed him for his help in finding her mother and in training her. They'd been traveling for several days, and so far, no problems had arisen. The usual bandits and raiders had been just as damaged by the disasters that had struck Grado, and even if they hadn't, the two soldiers would have been more than enough to handle any ill-trained bandits.
"So, who will be there do you think?" Amelia asked to break the silence. "Anyone from the war?"
Duessel nodded and smiled. "Yes, I sent messages to Cormag and Natasha. As for Knoll…well, I have no idea where the man is, but he may have heard about it and decided to come anyways. It's in his nature. Beyond that, most of the remaining villages and cities have agreed to send representatives, so perhaps we can get an idea of what exactly each area needs." Privately, Amelia thought that bringing together so many differing opinions may make making decisions difficult, but she kept these thoughts to herself.
"And what about you?" Duessel said looking at Amelia. "I hear your commission in Renais has gone well so far, though I was disappointed to hear you didn't wish to return to Grado." Amelia bowed her head, flushing slightly.
"There were extenuating circumstances." She said, thinking of Franz. "Besides, it's easy for you to return to Grado. Despite your defecting, the people could never doubt your loyalty. Nor could they doubt Cormag's because of his connection to General Glen. And nobody would ever accuse Natasha and Knoll of being traitors, being a part of the royal court as they are. Me though," she said shrugging, "The only thing people know about me is that I joined Grado's army as a recruit and defected in my first battle. Not exactly the same."
Duessel looked at his companion pitifully, feeling shame at not having remembered that Amelia's station didn't grant her as much leniency as his did.
"Don't worry." He said reassuringly. "The people now understand how the Emperor and his son had gone mad. It's those who profited from that madness, like that coward Valter, who were the traitors."
"Besides," he continued drawing an axe from his belt, "Just tell me if anyone speaks badly of your loyalty. I may be old, but this old war horse still has some teeth." He grinned to let Amelia know he was joking. And they laughed lightly, any worry over the upcoming meeting gone.
Cormag let his wyvern drop through the air, its massive wings beating the air as he fell to the ground. His mount roared loudly, sending flights of birds soaring for the sky.
"Easy boy." He said patting the panting wyvern's neck. It had been a long trip and the powerful beast was hungry and had the urge to hunt. Cormag jumped of his back and turned.
"All right." He said with a smile as the wyvern anxiously looked at the flocks of birds. "Go ahead, but be back soon." The wyvern nodded in understanding and shot into the air with a powerful thrust from its legs.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" a voice yelled from behind him. Cormag turned and saw Tana falling gently to the ground on the back of her pegasus. "What if we have to leave and he's not back?"
"He will be." Cormag assured. "He'll hunt for a while and return quickly. After all, this meeting will take at least a couple hours."
"More like a couple days." Tana said observing the ruins of Grado's once proud capital city. Most of it had survived the war, but the earthquake a year later had decimated whatever was left, leaving many homeless and living in the ruins. "I can't even imagine where to begin. So much of Grado is destroyed…"
"Still," Cormag said confidently, "It doesn't matter how we begin or where. All that matters is that we begin."
"Ohh," Tana teased, "Look whose suddenly become so wise." Cormag grinned at her and led her down the streets of Grado Keep.
"Comes with the territory I suppose."
Duessel rubbed his temples, trying to block out the clutter of noise emanating around him. The various representatives of the various villages and cities, some of the smartest men in the Empire, were all around him. And getting nowhere. Somehow, a debate had broken out over who should lead the proceedings, either Duessel, who had not even submitted his name, or Rotrai, the decided leader of many of the western cities, who had survived much of the damage of the earthquake. For the past two hours, nobody had been able to break the stalemate. Rotrai, a lord and distant relative of the former Emperor, seemed to have gained quite a following and was pushing for the improvement of the western areas, stating that the war had damaged their lands substantially and that they would use the improvements and the ensuing economic prosperity to help the eastern villages recover. Of course, the eastern villages opposed him, saying that their homes had been almost completely wiped out by the earthquake and that they were in danger of destruction if they didn't receive aid.
Personally, Duessel agreed with the eastern villages. Not only were they the most vulnerable, but just strengthening the western villages would lead to an imbalance and could leave the eastern cities and villages vulnerable. Plus, Grado Keep, their capital, was a part of the eastern districts. Being one of the most populace cities and the seat of power, its stability was essential to the Empire's survival. And, to be honest, Duessel didn't trust this Rotrai. He was a veteran of the War of the Stones who had returned from the front to find his home destroyed during the fighting between Imperial and Ephraim's forces.
"We must stand together!" Rotrai proclaimed in elegant speech, "And for that to happen, there must be trust. So, trust us to assist you once our homes are rebuilt and are business prospers. That way, the Empire will be able to thrive and keep its prestige around the world while it recovers."
"Your words make sense Rotrai." One elderly eastern village man said quietly. "But I fear your words have other motives.
"You would leave our people to freeze while your economy thrives." Another accused. An uproar of shouts and accusations rose up again, and Duessel sighed, resigning himself to a whole night of listening to their bickering.
"Told you." Amelia's voice whispered behind him. He leaned back in his chair to listen to her.
"As long as they remain this disunited, we don't have a chance of getting anything done. What we need is a leader." Duessel sighed, knowing what she was getting at.
"The problem with that Amelia is that the Emperor's line is broken with the death of Prince Lyon."
"Then maybe it's time to start a new line." She said. Duessel snorted.
"And who will head this line. These squabbling village leaders, barons, and lords." He shook his head. "No Amelia, we can no more appoint an emperor then we can turn back the clock and wish all the war's results away."
"I disagree." Cormag said entering the conversation. "General Duessel, unless someone grabs the reins of the Empire, it is doomed to fall apart. It cannot be any of these people; they only look after themselves. It must be someone who's used to giving orders and has been in situations where the lives of many were at stake. General Duess-"
"If you're even considering me, you can forget it." General Duessel said angrily. "Me taking over the Empire would be nothing short of a military coup, and I will play no part in it." Amelia and Cormag fell silent, surprised by their general's reaction.
"Fine General." Cormag said finally, "But if this body cannot come to a decision in two weeks, we may have to take steps to begin the reconstruction on our own. Not doing so would be a betrayal of all our beliefs and a betrayal to those, like my brother, who died fighting to restore our empire." Sitting back, Cormag turned his attention to the debates, leaving General Duessel to ponder his words.
Thirteen days later, the council had done little to change the state of affairs in Grado. Their constant bickering had continued until Duessel had finally told them he had no intention of accepting a role as mediator of the meeting. Rotrai now headed the council and General Duessel quickly came to regret the decision.
Rotrai was cunning, intelligent, and had a distinguished record in the Grado army. He was the perfect politician and had soon begun forcing the eastern districts to capitulate to several of the western favored acts with his biased opinion. Soon, the eastern states had their backs to the wall, trying desperately to lobby for the distribution of food to their areas. Of course, Rotrai fought them, saying that their larger population and close proximity to important ports made food an essential to their trade. Unable to take it anymore, Duessel rose, much to the surprise of both Amelia and Cormag.
"Rotrai, you can't possibly expect food to also be sent to your districts." He said in a dangerously quiet voice. "You've already managed to upset the balance of this council, so why don't you simply give the food to the-"
"General Duessel," Rotrai said in a serious yet seemingly kind voice. "You are merely an observer here, and while you may have the right to give council, I don't believe they yet extend to speaking out of turn in this committee." Duessel stared at the young man in disbelief. In all his years of command, he had never had a man speak so obstinately about him. The crowd of lords and barons murmured as he slowly took his seat, just as shocked as he was.
The meeting continued for another hour before a man from the eastern districts called for a half hour recess. This was quickly agreed upon as the room was sweltering hot and the various leaders poured out of the room and into the castle courtyard.
Outside, Duessel found Amelia and Natasha in deep conversation with Cormag, who was making angry gestures at the building.
"What's wrong?" he asked Cormag, who turned to him, face immediately calming.
"Knoll's here." He answered simply. "He arrived several minutes ago, specifically saying he wanted to talk to you. Of what…He didn't say."
"Really," Duessel said looking up to the balconies surrounding the courtyard. He could see a dark cloaked figure looking down on them, surveying the scene.
"Well," He said walking towards the stairs. "Better not keep an old friend waiting, ehh." Once he reached the top of the stairs and first saw Knoll, he was surprised to see how the man looked. He was emaciated. It looked as though he hadn't eaten in weeks and his gaunt face stretched over his bones as he smiled.
"General." He greeted, bowing his head. "It is good to see you again." Duessel composed himself and stepped forward, grabbing his friend's shoulder in a friendly grip.
"It's good to see you as well Knoll, but I must know; how long has it been since you've eaten?" Knoll smiled weakly, and gracefully sat on a nearby bench overlooking the courtyard.
"I have been traveling Grado, trying to help people anyway I can." He sighed tiredly. "My skills are not the same as Natasha's, but when I can, I help people survive. Particularly in the east." Knoll looked up at Duessel, eyes confused. "I must know; what have you been doing here Duessel? While the east starves, the western districts are trying to gain control of the grain shipments so they can grow stronger. Tell me; what have you been doing?" Duessel bowed his head, unable to look his old friend in the eye.
"I'm afraid…the negotiations have taken longer than we thought." Duessel admitted ashamedly. "We can't seem to get any one side to agree. And Rotrai has gained a large following by now. Some are calling for him to step up as Emperor. After all, he has royal blood in him somewhere."
"But not noble blood Duessel." Knoll said quietly. "If he is appointed Emperor, we will have a man who only looks out for those who look out for him. Right now, that is the last thing we need."
"I know." Duessel said turning away. "I know my popularity is still strong amongst the people and military, but I don't want the new regime to be won by blood. I'd rather serve then lead."
"Duessel," his friend said getting to his feet. "I understand your reluctance, but most of the people in there would vote for you in a second. You heard their reaction when Rotrai disrespected you. They were furious."
"Popularity doesn't entitle me to rule." Duessel shot back. Knoll, face a mask of anger, raised his finger, jabbing it in the old General's face.
""If you don't take charge, Rotrai will. And then, Grado will burn around us. I have foreseen it." He sat back down with a deep sigh, breathing hard. Duessel got on a knee, asking his friend if he was all right and if he needed Natasha, but he waved him away.
"Duessel," he continued, "Ruling is now your duty. General Glen is dead. General Selena is dead. Only you are left to carry out your emperors will."
Duessel was silent, deep in thought. He knew he needed to do something, but did this have to be it. Did he have to take control?
"If you still have doubts," Knoll said reaching into his cloak, "Then read this." He had a small slip of parchment in his hands. It was rough and tattered, but Duessel could see some rough handwriting on it. Picking it up, Duessel read through it, his face becoming more and more horrified as the meaning of the writing became clear.
"Where'd you find this?" He asked incredulously as he gave the parchment back to him.
"Colm." Knoll answered simply. "He needed money. Something about wanting to build a new home. Anyways, I had him tail Rotrai. Turns out, Rotrai has given a large amount of gifts to much of the council. You will notice that many of the names on there coincide to those who follow Rotrai's example." Knoll stood calmly, waiting for the Generals response.
"I-I know what I have to do." He said hoarsely. "I'll have Amelia and Cormag rally some of our forces. If we can capture Rotrai here, we can end this bloodlessly."
"You should know," Knoll said reassuringly, "I've already spoken too many of the leaders. Most of them agree that this is the best course of action."
"They know!" Duessel said his voice incredulous. Knoll nodded.
"Yes, and the eastern districts, plus half of the western districts all agree that you would be the best choice." Knoll steepled his fingers contemplatively.
"If they support me," Duessel said in a confused voice, "Why did they vote against me?"
"Bribes." Knoll answered. "The majority of them were acting out of self interest for themselves. Still, if you offer yourself as the Emperor, or if you force their hand, I'm certain they will support you."
"Why?" He asked. Knoll chuckled a little, and began coughing.
"Because," he said when the hacking stopped, "My bribe was bigger."
Thanks for reading. Please review so I can get that feeling of accomplishment. Constructive critiscism, suggestions, and requests are welcome.
