Author's Notes: Some of you have been asking if I intend to address the destruction of the mages alluded to by Robert. Oh yeah! I will be going into it. In fact I promise you, the readers, nothing less than a front row seat to the events leading up to the death of the mages. I have it all planned out.
I will be wrapping up this story arc in a few chapters and beginning the next one shortly after, which will be the second book in my planned trilogy. That is when I will go into what happened to the mages. I've integrated that story into the overall plot.
If I may make a suggestion for a musical selection, the theme for the confrontation scene between Queen Josette and Bishop Viscido is track 12 of the Battlestar Galactica season 4 OST. It is titled "Laura's Baptism." I actually came up with the idea for that scene while listening to that.
Alright, that's enough from me. Enjoy the chapter, and as always, don't forget to leave a review.
**Begin Story**
Auric Grindelwald pored over the documents obtained by his runner Galen Solet. The package contained plans for the security detail that would be guarding the Pope and Bishop Viscido during the Pope's goodwill visit to Lutece. Auric could not help but shake his head at the thought. After months and months of sham executions, and the outright murder of thousands of innocent people, how could the Pope possibly expect there to be any goodwill left? Some were even calling for the removal of the Pope's own head in retaliation for this reign of terror orchestrated by the Church.
Auric and the other members of the resistance movement had spent several days planning an assault of the Royal Palace of Lutece. Though the official palatial estate was located in Versailles, there was an additional residence located in Lutece for visiting Royals and their guests. It was there that the coronation of Queen Charlotte had taken place.
However, something about this whole thing did not sit well with Auric. As they sometimes said on another world, "something smells fishy." Surely the Pope must know that he was not just unpopular by now, but downright hated, almost as hated as Viscido himself who was sent by the Pope to administer the Church Gallia. Also, Auric and his crew had been very successful in creating chaos and confusion among the Romalian Knights who terrorized Gallian citizens. The whole point of these attacks was to let the Church establishment know that their campaign of terror against the commoners had not only failed, but had actually sown the seeds of their own demise as well. So the fact of the deeply resentful sentiments the people held for the Pope coupled with the unstable security situation made a visit to this Kingdom by his Holiness seem irrational at best.
Auric was a man who had a unique ability to see the method behind the madness where other men would simply see disorder. For example, many failed to see what the Pope hoped to gain staging such horrific displays of horror for the commoners. What was the point of all those executions?
Auric, however understood perfectly: It was all about the crusades. With all the Kingdoms of Halkeginia fighting off the commoner insurrection, there would be no enthusiasm for mounting another campaign to take back the Founder's Holy Land. Since the death of Vittorio, the new Pope has made it quite clear that his priority was to launch a new crusade as soon as possible. Unfortunately Robert de Sable and his band of misfits threw the proverbial monkey wrench into those plans. So the Pope decided to use these methods of intimidation to shock the commoners into coming to heel.
So Auric understood the reasoning behind the reign of terror, yet he could not see any sense behind the Pope's willingness to put his own personal safety at risk by visiting a country where the people hated him so.
Using this reasoning as a guide, Auric followed his thoughts to their only natural conclusion:
This is a trap.
Again, the reasoning was simple. When faced with an elusive quarry that is extremely adept at hiding in the shadows and striking from them, one would need an irresistible bait to draw it out into the open.
So why not plant a little false information and use the source that has been delivering said information to the resistance as a means of enticement?
The resistance then takes the bait and springs the trap.
Score another victory for the Church.
Auric's thoughts need only make another small leap to reach the next conclusion:
Galen's source has been compromised.
This source of Galen's, whoever he was, had obviously been captured or tricked into being used as a means of eliminating the resistance. This revelation made Auric's heart ache a little; this brave soul had paid the ultimate price to help the people of Gallia.
"Auric?"
The resistance leader turned his head to locate the source of the voice that had just called his name.
It was his wife, the shopkeeper for the Pottery Shack, a store which acted as a frontto conceal the resistance movement's base of operations from the government.
"What is it Miranda?"
"You have a visitor."
Auric was puzzled. Any resistance members would have simply used the trap door to enter the organization's sanctum in the basement where Auric was currently pondering the fate of Galen's source.
Anyone else would not know that Auric was even here.
"Who would be calling for me in such a manner as this?"
"It's Beckett, he's come from Albion. Apparently he was sent by Robert himself."
Auric bolted upright
"Robert?"
"But he's dead! He was killed trying to kidnap Queen Henrietta and Queen Charlotte."
"That's not all. He…..has brought someone with him. It's-"
But Auric would not let his wife finish, he gently brushed his wife aside and strode into the basement's next room.
What greeted Auric was a sight that he would carry with him until he died a toothless old man in his bed.
There were two people waiting for Grindelwald in the next room. One was Beckett, second in command to Robert de Sable, and standing next to him was…..
"Queen Josette-Your Majesty-please forgive me, I had no idea!" Auric stammered as he fell prostrate to the floor.
"Actually," replied Beckett, who stood next to the Queen. "This is not Josette."
Auric looked up at the short, blue haired woman in front of him.
No! It couldn't be!
Then again if Robert was alive, then this too must be so.
"Queen Charlotte?"
Beckett nodded.
Auric slowly stood and approached the Queen.
Your Majesty, I am honored to have you in my….." Auric paused and looked around the rather austere surroundings of the basement.
"…..home." he finished.
"Need to talk." Tabitha said.
"Of course Your Majesty" Auric said, and gestured for them to follow him back into the next room.
Once seated, the Queen wasted no time getting to business.
"What has been happening in my Kingdom?"
"Well Your Highness" Auric began. "As with the other Kingdoms of Halkeginia we the commoners have been engaged in a rebellion against the nobility. However, some months ago, the Pope sent representatives to each Kingdom in Halkeginia to try to frighten the commoners into surrendering. The representative in Gallia is Archbishop Franco Viscido. He has been holding summary inquiries daily and executing those deemed as heretics with these new beheading machines he brought from Romalia."
Despite being on the side of the commoners, Auric decided that it would be best if he gave a non partisan assessment of the events that have transpired since Charlotte vanished.
"The Bishop rules with the consent of the Queen, Her Royal Highness Josette. In truth, the Queen…"
Auric paused to consider his words. If Charlotte has been alive this whole time, then Josette was never legitimately Queen.
"….uh your sister," Auric corrected, "has been a virtual prisoner in the palace of Versailles. The Bishop is the one who holds the real power in Gallia. Josette has been made into nothing more than a figurehead. Bishop Viscido rules with absolute authority. He had Gallia's official Mage Knight Corp disbanded, and now controls the kingdom with a cadre of Romalian troops."
"If we restore Charlotte to the throne, she can order that the Bishop be expelled from the Kingdom." Beckett added.
"The people do not wish for that monster to be simply expelled. He must be made to pay for the crimes he has committed against the people of Gallia!" Auric demanded.
"We cannot try him." said Tabitha.
"That's right Auric; he is an official of the Church, and thus has immunity from all possible prosecution. His position puts him above the law."
"What are we to do then Beckett? Simply ignore what has happened these past months? You were not here to witness the horrors this man has visited upon the people! You did not witness the sweeps, the inquiries where innocents were sentenced to die without a shred of evidence against them! You did not see the stacks of corpses, or smell them as they baked in the afternoon sun, because the Bishop refused to allow them to be buried until he felt that the maximum amount of fear had been imparted to those who were forced to walk past them!"
Auric stood up and leaned over the table, both hands pressed firmly against the wooden surface.
"Viscido must die! That is the only possible ending that will satisfy the Gallian people."
He turned to look at Queen Charlotte.
"That is the only way to ensure that the people will welcome you back with any sort of enthusiasm Your Majesty."
Tabitha thought deeply about the situation. She recalled a time when she had the opportunity to kill her uncle King Joseph. Joseph had ascended to the throne by murdering his own brother, Tabitha's father; he then tried to have Tabitha drink a poisonous potion that her mother drank in her stead. When an enraged Tabitha finally caught up to Joseph, she wanted nothing more than to kill him then and there for his crimes. Saito however gave Tabitha a choice. She did not have to become a murderer like her uncle. She could be merciful, and put herself above revenge by letting Joseph face justice. In the end she decided to spare her uncle's life, and Saito respected her for that.
She found herself wondering what Saito would say to her now.
"First I must return to the capital." Tabitha said.
She then gave Auric a serious look.
"Will you help me?"
Auric thought for a moment, slowly choosing what to say to the Queen.
"Very well Your Highness, we will help you. However it would do you well to remember why this rebellion began in the first place. The people will not stand being pawns in the political games of the nobility any longer. We want the right to determine our own destinies."
He leaned forward to emphasize just how serious he was to the Queen.
"Make no mistake Queen Charlotte; the days of the nobility toying with the lives of the commoners are over. If you forget that, you will find us to be adversaries very soon."
Tabitha nodded.
Auric smiled.
"Very well Your Majesty. I know it's not much, but I welcome you to enjoy our hospitality this evening."
Auric stood and motioned to the door.
"Please allow my wife to show you where you'll be staying."
**Scene Break**
The next morning, some miles from Lutece, in the dungeon below the Royal Palace in Versailles, Julio Chesare sat in a cell awaiting his fate. A fate that he was certain would involve the removal of his head.
The dungeon was eerily quiet this morning. Normally the cells would be filled with the noise of prisoners incarcerated for various offenses, everything from petty theft to murder. But the Bishop's recent reforms of the Gallian justice system meant that jails were largely unnecessary. Defendants were often tried, convicted, and executed all on the same day.
In fact, Julio was fairly certain that he was the only prisoner being housed in here.
He sat against the rear wall of his cell, his head dangling between his arms, which in turn rested atop his knees. He thought of the decisions that he made to get here, and he had to admit, despite his impending execution; he had no regrets. If given the choice he'd do it all over again.
Not that betraying the Church had been an easy decision to make. Julio was once the familiar of none other than the Pope himself. Pope Vittorio, AKA St. Aegis the 32nd. Julio recalled watching in horror as his master was eaten alive by the Ancient Dragon, his void powers fueling the beast even more and giving it the ability to fly and bring death and destruction to Halkeginia that much sooner.
After the death of Vittorio, Julio was never the same. Even after Josette became a void mage and summoned Julio as her familiar, he never quite got over the death of his first master.
Julio believed in the Church and what it had been trying to accomplish. Vittorio may have proven to be a bit extreme in his machinations to get the Kingdoms and their Void Mages to go on the crusade to retake the Holy Land, but his intentions were pure. He truly believed that he was doing nothing less than saving Halkeginia and all of mankind in the process.
Vittorio was, when one got down to it, a decent man.
The same could not be said of the current Pope, nor could it be said of his mad dog, the Bishop Viscido.
This Pope simply wanted to be known as the one who completed Vittorio's noble quest. He wanted recognition in the history books.
Bishop Viscido however, was something else entirely.
Despite having a grandfatherly appearance: slightly plump in the middle with thinning silver hair, he emanated a positively toxic aura.
Something truly evil dwelled within this man, and Julio knew it.
Julio also knew that someone must oppose him, no matter what.
When faced with that reality, his decision to stand against the Church may not have been an easy one, but it was an obvious one.
Suddenly Julio raised his head. The sound of jangling keys getting his attention.
Someone was coming.
His cell door opened and four guards quickly entered.
Two of the guards hoisted Julio up by his arms and manacled him to the wall by his wrists.
The other two guards secured Julio's ankles with chains.
Julio narrowed his eyes at his cell door. He had a visitor.
Bishop Viscido had come to check on his former servant.
The Bishop slowly entered the cell, his eyes firmly fixed on the man who betrayed him.
"My dear boy." The Bishop said in a mournful tone. "Words simply cannot describe how truly disappointed I am in you."
Julio simply stared ahead, leaving his expression blank. He would not give this monster the satisfaction of seeing the contempt he felt.
"I would have offered you no less than the world at your feet. Together, you and I could have saved Halkeginia from the elves, saved it from being overrun by the filth of the commoners, but now-"
The Bishop looked Julio up and down from head to toe.
"I'm afraid I'll just have to make do without you."
He smiled at Julio malevolently.
"Say. I wonder if Josette would appreciate being on the arm of the most powerful man in Halkeginia."
Julio flew towards the Bishop only to be stopped by the chains firmly anchoring him to the wall.
"No?" The Bishop asked playfully. "Well, it was just a thought. Pity really, she is quite lovely in her own special way."
Julio hocked his throat and spit in Viscido's face.
Two guards each delivered devastating blows to Julio's midsection.
Julio hung by his wrists, coughing and struggling to regain his breath after having the wind knocked out of him.
As Bishop Viscido wiped his face off with a handkerchief he heard Julio mumble something unintelligibly.
"What was that?" He asked, bending low and presenting his left ear to Julio.
"Care to repeat that?"
Julio took several deep breaths, filling his lungs with much needed air. He lifted his head and smiled at Viscido.
"You'll-You'll never be Pope."
"WRONG!"
The Bishop screamed as the back of his hand found Julio's cheekbone.
He reached over and grabbed Julio by the hair. He pulled the chained man's face up to his own. Julio could smell and feel the Bishop's hot breath as he continued to berate him.
"You do not speak to me! You have no right to address me!"
Viscido released Julio and reached to smooth out his robes. He was slightly embarrassed over his momentary loss of control. He looked back to Julio, smiled and held up a finger.
"One thing you and the rest of the commoners do not understand, is that it's not about whose more popular or most idealistic. It's about whose in control; it's about power, and the willingness to project that power."
"Halkeginia is in chaos! Commoners are rebelling everywhere, the Pope is declaring war on Tristain, and now this resistance movement is stirring up trouble in Gallia. It's all such a mess. When all is said and done, the Cardinals in Romalia are going to want someone who will bring order to the chaos. Someone with the vision and force of will to save us from the anarchy that threatens to consume us all."
"Whenever things look bleak, the people will always turn to the one who can bring them stability, and security."
The Bishop began pacing back and forth in Julio's cell as he continued his monologue.
"But for the Pope, it's not just about having power over others; it's about having the ultimate power. Tell me Julio, have you ever heard of the Founder's Blessing?"
Viscido waited several moments as Julio remained silent.
The Bishop sighed heavily.
"Yes Julio, you may speak now."
Julio lifted his head up.
"No, never heard of it."
"Well, it's something that I came across during my years at the seminary. The Founder's Blessing is a magical artifact. In fact I am sure that none of the other Popes were ever aware of this artifact's existence, otherwise they would have used it. I'm sure that you're already familiar with the Founder's other artifacts, the Round Mirror, the Incense Burner, the Founder's Prayer Book, and Music Box."
"Well it turns out that towards the end of his life, Brimir became aware that he may not live to see the Holy Land taken back from the elves, a notion that proved to be correct when he was betrayed and murdered by his familiar. So he devised an object that was meant to be used after his death as a vessel to contain his soul. Using the power of Void to keep his essence intact until a way could be found to resurrect him."
"But that's not even the best part. You are doubtlessly aware of the Founder's flair for producing portals to other worlds. This artifact doesn't just open portals to other locations. It opens gateways to history."
The Bishop's eyes filled with zeal as he began to describe the possibilities that awaited one who controlled such power.
"Just think of it Julio! The ability to go back and fix all the Founder's failures, the power to reshape history in any manner you see fit! The one who controls this artifact can become the master of time itself!"
Julio looked up at the Bishop.
"But the Founder's writings mention nothing about the ability to manipulate time. Such feats are not possible!"
"Yes, but think logically Julio! The Founder cast a spell to create portals to transport strange and exotic weapons from another world to Halkeginia, yet he lived over six thousand years before these weapons existed! How could he possibly know that those commoners from another world would become so inventive?"
Julio hung from his manacles, staring blankly at the Bishop.
Viscido made a fist and slammed it into the palm of his other hand.
"He knew because he'd been there! He could see through the ages just what those people would create!"
"What does this have to with you becoming Pope?"
"Ahh, thank you Julio I was just coming to that."
"You see my boy; the artifact only works if one possesses the key. This key is only passed down from Pope to Pope, and he wears it on his finger."
Julio's eyes lit up as his mind made the connection.
"The Ruby of Fire."
"That's right Julio, the red ring worn by the Pope. I'd heard a rumor that when the Ring went missing over twenty years ago, an entire village was burned to the ground in order to retrieve it. This revelation explains why it was so important to get it back."
"The artifact is located in Romalia beneath the Pope's residence. My status as Bishop of Gallia will enable me to gain access to it easily, but it is worthless to me if I cannot use it. I need that ring, and the only way to possess it is to become Pope."
Visido was as a man possessed. He rubbed his hands together as he elucidated his ambitions
"Don't you understand Julio? With this artifact under my control I don't need to launch any more crusades. I can go back to a time when the elves were less powerful, and destroy them then. We will be saved!"
Julio, still hanging by his wrists, merely shook his head.
But then with a look of profound disappointment the Bishop said, "Sadly, thanks to your betrayal it is an adventure you will not be accompanying me on. I'm afraid that Halkeginia's future will no longer be your concern."
With that he patted Julio's cheek, and left his cell.
Once the Bishop was a safe distance away, the guard released his manacles and left Julio to lie on the floor of his cell. He thought of Josette, and wondered what would become of her after he was gone.
**Scene Break**
Saito yawned as the carriage rolled to a stop just outside of the Royal Palace of Tristain. It had been a long and exhausting carriage ride from the refugee camps near the Gallian border back to the Palace. Saito wondered if he would be able to get any rest before speaking with these representatives from Germania and Albion.
He wagered that answer would probably be no.
After coming to a complete stop, a Royal Guardsman reached and opened the carriage door. First to exit was Cardinal Mazarin and finally the King himself.
Saito never had quite gotten used to all the pomp and circumstance that came being a monarch. Even now several months after being crowned King of Tristain, Saito still gasped each time he saw the long red carpet lined on either side with knights that saluted him, and led all the way to the inside of the Palace Main Hall.
Upon reaching the main entrance to the Hall, Saito was immediately set upon by a familiar face.
"Saito-San!"
Glomp!
Upon seeing her master, Siesta, the King's personal maid, ran up to him and wrapped him up in bear hug.
The force of her body's impact brought both maid and monarch crashing to the ground.
"Saito-san! I missed you so much!"
Lying flat on his back with Siesta's ample cleavage staring him in the face, Saito blushed crimson.
"T-t-thank you Siesta" the King said nervously "I m-m-missed you too."
"Hee-hee!" Siesta giggled. "I made you your favorite yosenabe soup! But if you're not hungry for dinner I'll understand."
Siesta looked lustily into her master's eyes before bringing her breasts up to rest directly on Saito's face.
"We can skip right to dessert!"
"Please Siesta!" Saito pleaded. "You need to let me get up! Quickly before-"
"SAITO!"
Too late.
As fast as her slender legs could carry her, Louise Francoise Le Blanc de Hiraga, the Queen of Tristain, strode over to her husband, now lying under the curvaceous flesh of Siesta.
She planted one foot against the side of the maid and pushed her off of Saito.
"Hey maid! Horny milk maid! Go dust the furniture or something, Saito is mine!"
Saito fearfully looked up at his wife who now stood over him. In that instant his expression went from terror to perverted voyeurism.
Saito, who was still lying flat on his back, could see under his wife's dress, and all the up Louise's silky slender legs. His eyes followed them up to Louise's underwear.
Ooo Pink with lace today.
It was a lot easier to appreciate his wife's choice in undergarments when he no longer had to wash them.
Louise looked down at her familiar; she had known him long enough to understand the meaning behind his dreamy eyed look coupled with that mischievous smile he wore.
"Hey Dog!"
At the sound of her voice Saito snapped out of it and looked up at his wife.
"Enjoying the view?"
"AAAAAAAAHHHHH!"
The King immediately covered his face with his hands and went into the fetal position to prepare himself for the Explosion he knew would be coming next.
After several moments of silence, Saito cautiously opened his eyes. Whatever he thought he might be expecting to see, he was not expecting this.
Louise was bent over and smiling at Saito, her outstretched hand offering to help him up.
Saito slowly accepted his master's hand, and was pulled to his feet.
He looked at Louise with confusion.
"Ok who are you and what have you done with Louise?" Saito asked.
The next instant Saito's eyes went wide and his face red. His hands were cradling his genitals as they screamed in pain.
He sank to his knees and moaned.
"There, satisfied?" Louise asked as she removed her foot from Saito's nether region and began to walk away.
"Whenever you're finished pulling yourself together," Louise called back as she continued up the stairs, "we have guests waiting."
**Scene Break**
Saito shifted uncomfortably in his chair in the Palace's main sitting room. It was hard to find a position which didn't aggravate his still smarting male parts even more.
"Your Highness."
Saito looked over to Cardinal Mazarin.
"Your Highness, are you alright?"
"I'll be fine" Saito replied.
Eventually, he thought while casting an annoyed glance at his wife.
Louise simply glared back at her husband and stuck out her tongue.
Seated in chairs across from Cardinal Mazarin and the Royal couple, were two representatives from Germania and Albion.
They both nervously drummed their fingers against the conference table.
Duke Winthrop Morgenthau hailed from Albion. He had a small fiefdom outside of Londonium, and as a Lord who depended on peasant labor to get his crops and wine to market, he understood all too well the impact the labor shortage was having on the overall economy, and of course the impending famine.
Then there was Ernst von Braun. Though not a land owner, his position as Germania's treasury minister also gave him a front row seat to the economic chaos caused by the rebellion.
The problem in both kingdoms was actually quite simple: The shockingly brutal and indiscriminate suppression tactics employed by the Church were not working. If anything they were fanning the fires of this revolution even more. The servants had left the fields, opting to pick up a sword or a firearm rather than a plow. The merchants were going broke from the lack of customers. After all, not many would feel like shopping when just the simple act of venturing outside one's home could cost you your head.
The nobility had limitless zeal in their quest to put these impudent peasants in their place; however that seemingly limitless enthusiasm quickly evaporated once this struggle began to affect their pocket books, not to mention their bellies.
The royal families were ready to deal.
Saito had spent most of the carriage ride over explaining to Mazarin just what the Magna Carta was. He explained that on his world many centuries ago, Earth looked a great deal like Halkeginia, there were kings and queens who lived in castles, as well as knights who fought for their feudal landowner bosses. There was also a nobility class, and peasants who lived in fear of all of them. In fact, the only real difference was a lack of magic. Everything else was pretty much the same. However, much like the peasantry here, the people of the Earthly Kingdoms grew weary of this system and rebelled against it. After a protracted struggle, they managed to force their king to sign a document which guaranteed basic freedoms for the common man or woman. This document became known as the Magna Carta, or Great Charter.
Saito believed that the same type of document would work here…..if he could convince the Royalty to get on board.
Saito eyed both men intently.
"Gentlemen" Saito began, "I understand how important the old traditions of nobility are to you, however, I'm here to tell you that the old way of doing things in Halkeginia are over."
The nobles immediately pounced on Saito's words.
"The traditions of nobility were put forth by the Founder himself. It is a system that has worked for six thousand years!" said the Duke.
"If we throw that away, what will we be left with?" Asked Ernst von Braun.
Careful Saito, he thought to himself, don't hit them with too much at once. Remember, change comes slowly.
"I'm not saying that you can no longer be nobles" Saito continued, "I just mean that things have to change for the commoners if you expect them to stop the fighting."
"What do you propose?"
"First, all commoners should have the right to send representatives to the King to speak on their behalf. For example, if the monarchy is going to impose new taxes, or any new laws that affect the peasantry, they should have the right to voice their opinions on how that law is to be written."
The two representatives stiffened at Saito's proposal. Commoners dictating policy to the King? The idea was absurd.
"Next, commoners will decide who they work for, and what work they perform."
This was especially important to Saito. He remembered how it felt to be taken from his home world and basically be enslaved by Louise when she made him her familiar. He also recalled how shortly after his arrival, poor Siesta was traded like a piece of property to Count Mott. Officially, she was to serve as his maid. In truth, the Count merely wanted to make Siesta his little sex slave.
"What this means is that commoners will be free to leave their noble employers anytime they wish. If you want them to stay, treat them well."
Again, both representatives grimaced. While these ideas were common place on Saito's world, here these proposals were nothing short of radical, and disruptive.
"Also, every person born in Halkeginia, whether noble or peasant will have the right to be educated. Every child will have the right to go to school."
Saito could not help but smile at this. Saito was never what you would call a model student. In fact it would be safe to say that Saito hated going to school. And yet here he was, far away from home, making the case for universal education.
The King understood that while he can make the push to secure rights for the commoners, it will be up to future generations to keep them. An educated and well informed citizenry stood a much better chance at doing that, then those who could not read or write.
"Also, commoners will have the right to own property."
Even Louise gasped at this one. The right to own land was one of the fundamental privileges that separated the nobles from the commoners. If a commoner could own land, he could become a baron, or a duke. True, Queen Henrietta bestowed a domain on Saito when he was a commoner, but that was a special case done in gratitude for the services that Saito had performed for the Kingdom, and even then it took a special order from the Queen to make it happen. What Saito was proposing, would make it possible for a commoner to purchase land at will.
"Finally, each person in Halkegina, regardless of social status, will be viewed the same in the eyes of the law. That is each person will have the same rights and responsibilities as everyone else. If a crime is committed by a noble, he or she will face the same consequences as a commoner would."
The two royal envoys eyed each other nervously. The King of Tristain told them that he was not asking them to stop being nobles, but these proposals were basically taking away every advantage that came with being the nobility.
Saito could tell they were less than pleased by what he had just told them, but he pressed on undaunted.
"Gentlemen, it is as I said, the old way of doing things is over. If the nobility is to survive, if Halkeginian society is to survive, things have to change. The commoners will not accept the status quoi. Furthermore, if the commoners are to accept these rights, they have to be granted irrevocably. That means that no king or queen, from now until eternity, will have the power to rescind these rights. They belong to the people forever."
After a brief silence, Lord Morgenthau spoke up.
"Uhh we will have to confer with our governments before agreeing to….to…..this."
"Certainly, but understand this. If you do not grant these freedoms to the commoners, they will not stop fighting until they've taken them from you. If these rights can only be won over your own cold, dead corpses, then so be it."
Louise sat in absolute stunned silence. To say that she was impressed with her husband was an understatement. She couldn't believe how much Saito's speaking and negotiating skills had grown since ascending to the throne. Her familiar had come a long way since dropping out of the sky over the Vestri Courtyard at the Magic Academy during the Spring Summoning Ceremony all those years ago.
Saito seemed to pick up on his wife's thoughts; he puffed out his chest a little as Louise eyed him. He knew he had done well, of course he'd had a lot of coaching from Alexander before leaving the refugee camps, but Louise didn't need to know that.
Saito, Louise, and Cardinal Mazarin spent the remainder of the evening putting these proposals down on parchment in order to give the representatives something to take back to their kingdoms. Saito set the example by being the first monarch to sign the document. After fixing his own signature to each copy, he handed the quill to Louise.
Louise looked at her husband and smiled. They truly were making history, and as Louise added her signature to Saito's own, he too marveled at just how far Louise had come since their first days together. To Louise, a commoner was someone to be ignored most of the time, and punished if not obedient enough. Now here she was part of the movement granting universal liberties to them all.
Saito thought of an old song from an American artist.
It was from Bob Dylan wasn't it? Saito asked himself.
"Oh the times they are a changin."
**Scene Break**
Queen Josette lay in her bed hugging her pillow tightly. She was crying uncontrollably. The Queen had received word earlier that evening that her lover Julio Chesare, was to be executed in the morning for treason against the Church of Brimir. Apparently he'd been unmasked as the one who had been passing information to the resistance in Lutece.
A few hours ago, the Queen had gone to the dungeon to see her beloved. Unfortunately the Romalian guards who ensured his incarceration did not answer to her. They answered to Bishop Viscido.
"I…. AM… THE QUEEN OF GALLIA!" she screamed at them. "I ORDER YOU TO LET ME IN!"
The guards stood stoically, and ignored the monarch's command.
So now she sat helplessly in her room, watching the hours pass until the Church that she once faithfully served took the one thing remaining in her life that still brought her joy. The only thing that gave her life any meaning: Julio, the man she would love for eternity.
And as dusk became night, and the night gave way to the dawn, the Queen had plenty of time to mull things over. Her mind played over and over, the events that led up to this moment.
The mind, while incredibly resilient, can also be quite fragile at the same time. When subject to enough pressure, parts of the psyche can become unstable, and eventually snap, causing a person to act out in ways that were previously unthinkable.
The Queen's own damaged psyche had just reached a fateful decision.
She glanced at a corner of her room and saw that an object ordinarily filling that space was no longer there. The guards it would seem had confiscated her staff. Another pair of guards stood outside her door with orders not to let her out for any reason.
Apparently the Bishop did not trust the Queen of Gallia.
And for good reason, she thought.
Josette wondered just how thorough the guards were in doing their duty. She knelt down to the floor and pried up a loose board. After the Bishop came to Gallia and stole her Kingdom, Josette had decided that certain precautions had to be taken. As she finished prying up the board and she'd found what she was looking for, she was grateful for her ability to foresee this need.
**Scene Break**
Julio Chesare watched as the morning sun began to peek through the bars that dominated his window. He sighed quietly.
It won't be long now.
**Scene Break**
Bishop Viscido had taken his customary place on the balcony above the machine that would carry out this morning's execution. He had announced to the gathered crowd that today's beheading would be a special occasion. The traitor that had sold out the people of Gallia to aid a ruthless organization bent on destroying the government of Gallia and delivering them all into anarchy had been found, and that on this day, God's justice would prevail.
Just as he finished speaking, the door leading from the dungeons to the courtyard opened. Four guards escorted the prisoner to his fate.
**Scene Break**
The door to Queen Josette's quarters stood open, the room's occupant gone. The guards who been assigned to watch her were nowhere to be seen. In their place were two small piles of ash. A few stray, glowing embers floated above them.
**Scene Break**
Julio Chesare was led into the courtyard where the death machine waited for him. It would be only moments before he would be ensnared in its savage embrace. He was led up the steps to the platform where the device stood. He could see the large contingent of the Romalian Mage Knights standing guard on the upper balcony that wrapped itself around the courtyard on three sides. Wand canes drawn and spells precast, ready to be unleashed at the slightest sign of trouble. The hooded executioner began the process of placing Julio into the machine.
**Scene Break**
Bishop Viscido sat on the upper balcony, waiting for the execution to begin. He smiled with satisfaction at having eliminated the source of the resistance's flow of information. However, he also understood that executing Julio meant that sooner or later, he would have to take steps in dealing with Julio's lover, the Queen. There was no doubt in his mind that the Queen would now have to be eliminated. He just needed the right pretense to make it happen. He was just beginning to consider his options in this matter, when the guard to his immediate right burst into ashes. One moment he was there and the next he was gone. Floating embers glowed red and orange as they fluttered along miniature air currents. The Bishop and the remaining guards stood up and turned around.
Queen Josette stood before them, a wand clutched firmly in her hand. The Bishop remembered that he ordered the guards to remove her staff from her room as a precaution against just this sort of action. Yet it would seem that despite that prudent precaution, Viscido had still managed to underestimate the petite and diminutive Queen.
Apparently, she was smart enough to keep a spare wand concealed where she could get to it.
The sight that greeted Viscido and his remaining guards was a frightening one. Queen Josette was still dressed in her night gown. Her eyes were sunken, and bloodshot from a night spent crying, her face bearing a dazed and empty expression. The Queen's hair was blown askance, and no footwear was present to come between her feet and the cold stones they tread upon.
The Queen truly looked an awful mess.
She stood pointing her spare wand at the Bishop and his cronies. At the sight of the one man who had caused her so much pain and anguish, the Queen began to shed tears again, however, her overall expression remained hard and unbreakable.
She was a woman that had clearly reached her breaking point.
She was a woman with murder on her mind.
The Bishop, despite being at a profound disadvantage, kept his expression neutral.
"Something I can do for you Your Majesty?" he asked calmly.
Just then the guard on the Bishop's other side made a move toward the Queen. She waved her wand slightly and he too disintegrated into a whirling cloud of glowing ash.
The Bishop maintained his stoic expression.
"Impressive Your Highness, you truly are the Void Mage of Gallia."
Shortly after the death of King Joseph, Josette had inherited her uncle's void powers, and like Louise, Josette was capable of chanting Explosion. However unlike Louise's spell, which was more powerful, but capable of affecting a wider area, Josette's Explosion could be concentrated into a smaller area, and could thus be used for a more potent effect.
Like turning a person to ash by unleashing the spell's energy from within a target's own body.
"You're not killing any more of my people." said the Queen in a calm rational voice.
She pointed her wand directly at the Bishop.
"Release Julio."
"Be reasonable Your Majesty, Julio Chesare was caught passing state secrets to the enemy, which is an act of treason. I'm afraid the law is quite clear on this matter."
"Release him or die."
"I know just how much you would love to kill me Josette." He said, calling the Queen by name.
"But killing me will not stop what is about to happen. However…." The Bishop gave his trademark calculating smile. "…if you would be willing to provide some mitigating evidence on his behalf, I could be persuaded to reconsider the death sentence."
The Bishop's smile grew even wider as he spoke that last sentence.
Josette stood silently, her wand still pointed at Viscdo's head. Every fiber of her being, every particle of matter that made up her entire existence was begging, no demanding that she just cast her spell and end him forever.
But if she gave into those desires, if she became the one to send Viscido to the eternal damnation that he so richly deserved, Julio would die as well.
And no matter how tempting it was to just chant be done with it, she could not bear to watch the love of her life die.
That was what it meant to love someone as unconditionally as she did Julio.
And now Viscido was about to use that love to make all of Gallia his, without any hindrances or restrictions. In the Queen's desperate love for Julio, he had found an opportunity to secure his final victory.
Everyone on the upper balcony could hear the headsman begin to read the list of charges from the bill of execution.
The Bishop, sensing Josette's hesitation, decided to give her some coaxing.
"Decide quickly Your Majesty, once the charges are read, the blade drops."
Josette stood rigidly, still threatening Viscido with her wand. Both knew that the standoff was about to be decided. The only question was, when the Queen spoke next, would it be an incantation, or the "mitigating evidence" that the Bishop wanted to hear?
After a few moments that seemed to stretch into the life span of a universe, the Queen finally opened her mouth to speak.
**Scene Break**
Julio Chesare lay flat on his belly, fully encased by the machine that would end his life. While staring straight down at the basket that was to receive his head, he could hear the headsman reading the charges that had been brought against him. Suddenly the headsman finished speaking, and rolled up the bill of execution. Julio closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
It was time for the blade to drop.
Julio had made peace with his impending death, he was going to God with the clear conscience of a man who did everything he believed was right.
It was Josette that he worried for.
What would become of her once he was gone?
In his peripheral vision he could see the headsman reach for the release switch that would drop the blade.
He closed his eyes for the final time.
"HOLD!"
The headsman turned and looked toward the source of the intrusion.
It was Bishop Viscido.
"Release the prisoner!"
Julio could hear things being undone and unfastened. Soon he was hauled to his feet. He looked around at the gathered crowd, wondering what had brought about his unexpected salvation.
He then took in a sight that made his world stop completely.
On the upper balcony overlooking the courtyard stood Bishop Viscido as he did at every execution, but standing next to him was Josette.
Julio's mind put the pieces together instantly.
Josette, had made a deal, a deal to spare Julio his life.
"NO!" Julio cried out to his love.
"Damn you foolish woman WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?"
Julio made a move to step off the platform and was immediately seized by several pairs of hands.
As he struggled against the guards, the Myozunitonirun runes on Julio's forehead blazed to life.
Suddenly every wand from every mage knight leap from their owners grasp and pointed right back at them.
"Release her!" Julio cried out. Or I swear by the Founder I will kill every one of you with your own wands!"
The mage knights looked around, unsure of what to do. Unsure of what they could do with their own wands being used against them.
Suddenly, and without warning a guard struck Julio in the head from behind with a musket stock. The light faded from his runes as the Void Familiar lost consciousness, and dropped to the platform.
The wands of the Mage Knights clattered to the floor in front of them.
A guard kicked Julio off the execution platform and his unconscious form fell to the mud below.
Bishop Viscido began to address the crowd.
"My fellow devotees of the Brimiric flock!" he began.
"It is with a heavy heart that I tell you, that our own Queen Josette has confessed to being the driving force behind the plot to enable the resistance to disrupt our peaceful harmony!"
"It would appear that Julio Chesare was not a perpetrator but an pawn, duped by her Majesty the Queen into carrying out the subversive activities meant to sow fear and discord among the populace."
"The Queen has agreed to suffer the ultimate penalty for her transgression, and in return for this act of penance, I will show poor Chesare the mercy granted by our benevolent, and enlightened Founder."
The crowd erupted as Josette was led down the stairs and into the courtyard. As she approached the execution platform, she broke free of the guards and ran over to her unconscious lover.
Queen Josette knelt and pressed her lips against Julio's one last time.
"Goodbye" she whispered tearfully as the guards took her and marched her the remaining steps that led to the platform, and up to the machine.
The crowd grew more and more energetic as she was strapped to the board and lowered into the frame waiting to secure her head.
When all preparations were complete, the headsman looked to the Bishop, still seated on the upper balcony.
Viscido nodded his head, and the headsman reached up and pressed the blade release.
Swish!
The Queen's head dropped into the basket.
Suddenly, Julio screamed and thrashed violently as the runes of Myozunitonirun slowly faded from his forehead. Once they were gone, he was silent once more.
The headsman removed Josette's head from the basket, and holding it by the hair, displayed it to the raucous crowd.
Jossete d' Orleans, twin sister to Charlotte, and briefly Queen of Gallia, was no more.
A guard approached the Bishop.
"What do we do with him?" The guard asked gesturing to Julio, who was still lying unconscious in the mud.
"Return him to his cell. Let him mourn his loss, we'll execute him in the morning."
The headsman continue to move about the platform, from corner to corner displaying the Queen's severed head.
The Bishop smiled with satisfaction.
Gallia is mine.