"A good compromise makes everyone mad."
…
…
"May Brimir watch over you. I wish you the best of luck, Lady Karin."
A nobleman graciously bowed to the Duchess before he departed her hotel room. As she sat on a posh wooden chair, Karin watched the closed door for a moment and then looked out the window at the setting evening sun. Below her, the hustle and the bustle of the markets lessened as merchants packed their wares.
"Have I mentioned how much I detest this city, Gramont?"
She looked over at the Marshal. The old man's eyes were closed, but he opened them upon hearing Karin's question. Robert stood behind him so rigidly that he might have just been a piece of furniture.
"From what I understand, it's been a long time since you've actually been to any city, much less Tristania. Are you not interested in what has changed?"
"Nothing has changed since the last time I was here. Sure, buildings and markets have changed, but the interior, the soul of Tristania is still the same. It's just the usual money-grubbing swindling that accompanies these places. Everything's just about who has the most coin, as opposed to honor or prestige or virtue, and the people, whether commoner or noble, are corrupted as they lose their true identity in this swilling mass of men. I'm not going to say it's disgusting, but a few days in this city tires me out more than any one of my fifteen-mile runs."
A bottle of white wine and a glass sat on a nearby table. Karin poured herself a drink as she continued to talk.
"The last nobleman just now. How many nobles have come to declare their loyalty to my husband and me? Twenty-two?
"Twenty-one of the lesser nobles, in fact. That does not include me or Walloon. We all believe that you would serve as Queen and your husband as King. That will create the best future for this country, and no doubt other nobles will come tomorrow."
"Still, far fewer have come than I expected." Karin muttered. "I'll admit I'm somewhat concerned."
"Perhaps you should give it more time then?" Gramont asked. "Let them stew in their own juices?"
Karin shook her head.
"Tristain is at an important moment in its history, which means we need a leader as soon as possible. This isn't a time to sit around a table and bicker about one legal detail after another because a few petty nobles despise me.
I walked out explicitly because I had hoped to force the hands of the nobles who had just sat there and complained without providing a reasonable alternative. Since I already had the support of most of the great families, I thought that most of the other nobles would have accepted and fallen into line when they realized that I wouldn't deal with them. And from what some of the lesser nobles told me throughout the day, the nobles nearly did just that. Until…"
"Wardes."
Karin disdainfully grunted upon hearing that word.
"I had expected General Bonaparte to try something at the conference. I didn't expect Wardes. But it makes sense. For all Wardes professes to disdain his son for betraying Tristain, he still won't accept that Jacques became a traitor. He blames me and our former friendship as a way to avoid blaming his son.
Still, he apparently riled up the other nobles and even Guldenhorf against me. They're meeting tonight, separately. Brimir knows if they would just accept reality…"
Her eyes flashed with irritation and she tilted the glass back.
"Pardon me, Lady Karin, but may I ask you a question?"
Robert's eyes had opened, but he did not look directly at Karin's face nor did he move from his rigid position. Karin looked over at him for a moment before she nodded.
"Lady Karin, you seem to be highly familiar with General Bonaparte?"
"We have met before." Karin coolly responded. "Why do you ask?"
"Well, the General and I did fight together. My question is when the Vallieres rule Tristain, what do you intend to do with General Bonaparte?"
"Reward him, naturally."
"Huh?"
Both of the Gramonts looked at Karin in confusion. The elder Gramont had spoken with Karin before and had heard her opinions on Napoleon, and even Robert could tell that the two were not on friendly terms.
"What exactly do you mean by that?" Robert asked.
"I'll give him a promotion, reassign him to Fort Pesante." Karin said. "It's a lovely, ancient fort set in the middle of Tristain. There are no goblins, no bandits, and nothing that will really give Bonaparte trouble over there. He'll have plenty of time for leisure and to work on his piece of mind, and really for a commoner, it's quite the honor."
"Is that necessarily the best thing to do? I am not a fool, Lady Karin. I think everyone in this room knows that what you're proposing is essentially exile. Why not instead use him for the good of the country?"
"That's right." Karin observed. "You served under him at Albion even though he was a commoner and you were a noble. You know, Robert, just why did you do that? I'm sure if you made enough of a fuss, you could have commanded the army. I know why Touraine didn't do that, lazy fool that he is, but what about you?"
"The aftermath of the La Rochelle disaster was not the best time to make a fuss, Lady Karin. And I had talked with Bonaparte with the past and knew he knew many things about the military and leading an army. When one considered that he had already served directly under Princess Henrietta, I saw no reason to interfere when he seized command during that time of emergency."
"I guess I can understand your reasoning, though I still think you should have asserted command. Still, you have a bright future ahead of you, Robert de Gramont. When you succeed your father, I have no doubt you'll be as capable of a tactician as he is."
"I doubt that, Lady Karin." Robert said as he bowed in appreciation.
"However, there's quite a bit about General Bonaparte that I don't think he's bothered to tell you that I know. Now is as good of a time as any to start. To begin wit-"
Tap tap tap.
Karin was interrupted as someone lightly rapped on the door. After a moment, a voice which they recognized as a servant spoke.
"Pardon the interruption, but I have another guest. He would like to speak with you."
The Gramont elder looked over and nodded at his son, who walked over to open the door. A moment later, he returned, followed by Cardinal Mazarin.
"A pleasant evening to both of you." He said. "I understand that you have been very busy."
As Robert returned to his place by the wall, the Cardinal strode over to Karin. The Duchess got out of her chair and bowed before him.
"A pleasure to meet you, Mazarin. Would you like a glass?"
The Cardinal politely raised a hand.
"Not tonight, Lady Karin. I promise you that the next time I visit, I will partake of what you have to offer me. But I do not plan to stay here for long."
"Well then, what can I do for you?"
"I want you to return to the conference." Mazarin said. "I want a clean slate, where this time the nobles of this country, every single one, will work together to determine the succession to the throne as well as the future of this country."
"You're asking quite a lot from Karin, Mazarin." Gramont interjected. "She has been insulted throughout the entire conference even though her family is the only one that possesses the appropriate bloodline and the right to rule. It would be a great dishonor for her to crawl back to the table and talk with them; especially since she is the one who chose to end the negotiations."
"I must admit that I disagree, Gramont. I think that if Lady Karin came back to the conference and we started these negotiations all over again, it would show that she would be willing to reconsider and rethink her decisions. That is an important quality for a monarch to have."
"'Rethink', Cardinal, implies that my initial decision to walk away was incorrect." Karin quietly stated. "Is that what you're telling me?"
"Frankly, yes." Mazarin responded instantly. "You are not doing the right thing, Karin. I do believe that you have the best intentions, as you only want to end this unfortunate bickering and install a ruler as soon as possible. I understand that completely. However, your tactics are only driving the other nobles into a corner. They're terrified – irrationally, of course, but terrified of the prospect of you becoming a tyrant. Frankly, I do not believe you have done anything of significance to quell them.
I'm not expecting you to crawl back or apologize. I understand your reasoning and acknowledge that many nobles have not treated the Vallieres with the appropriate respect. But this is about the entire country and our future and is arguably the most important event of our lives. All of us must show patience and understanding.
So please, Lady Karin. I think that it would be best for both sides to take a few days off to ensure that all of our tempers have cooled, but then I beg you to resume negotiations."
Despite the harsh words, Karin did not react with her normal fury. Instead, she watched the Cardinal and pondered over his words. But as an uncomfortable silence began to drape over the hotel room, she asked a question.
"Is that all you had to say?"
"What?"
"I'm asking if that's all you had to say." Karin repeated. "Cardinal, we've known each other for a long time. You know perfectly well that it'll take more than a flattering speech for me to change my mind, especially since you didn't propose a means to fix anything. Guldenhorf and Wardes don't want me because of their petty quarrels, not because they're afraid of a tyranny. They're the problems. So, how do you propose I deal with them?"
Mazarin puckered his lips and nervously rubbed his hands together for some time before he finally responded.
"You wouldn't take the throne."
"What?"
Gramont bounced up in his wheelchair in surprise, but Karin raised a hand in the old man's direction before she looked at the Cardinal.
"You must have a very good reason if you're willing to propose that directly to my face, Cardinal. I suggest you explain it."
"My proposal would be that Eleanor would take the throne. She would marry some noble which would solidify her claim and show the Valliere's commitment to partner with the other nobles. If he had not betrayed Tristain, Wardes's son would have been a perfect fit. However, I would suggest Touraine under the current circumstances."
"I like Touraine better." Karin responded. "He has enough prestige to make the rest of the nobles happy, but would be too lazy to actually do any of the running. Thus, I – excuse me, the Vallieres would be able to run the country without interference or whining about tyranny."
"At the same time, the nobles would be less interested in that offer explicitly because they would be concerned about his laziness."
"True." Karin observed. "Still, I guess that is a potential offer, good enough for me to think about."
Mazarin nodded and then looked up at a clock which hung up on the wall.
"I must go attend to the evening services." He said as he stood up. "So, do you promise to come back in a few days?"
"Fine. I will promise to attend." Karin responded. "But what about the other nobles? How do you intend to make sure they appear if they're as annoyed with me as you make them out to be?"
"Don't worry about that. I talked to someone who will be at Wardes's meeting. He will make sure that nothing gets out of hand tonight."
…
"I may not like your mother," Napoleon muttered to Louise as his eyes moved around the room, "but at least she has a sense of artistic taste."
Louise solemnly nodded behind him as a servant led the pair through the Duke of Wardes's estate. From the outside, the estate seemed normal. It was not as large as the Valliere estate, but it was a fine building with luxurious grounds and a large fountain in the center. Napoleon noted that while it obviously went under a different name, the pillars at the front and the highly finished walls reminded him of the Renaissance-era buildings he had seen as a young commander in Italy.
But the estate felt completely different from the inside. Even accounting for the late hour, the rooms felt incredibly dark and stifling as the moon's light somehow failed to penetrate the windows. The darkly-colored furniture and paintings combined with the general lack of lamps only served to accentuate the effect.
Louise suddenly jumped for a moment, and Napoleon turned to look back at her.
"What is it?"
"Did you hear that?"
Napoleon shook his head. He looked over at the servant, but only received a small shrug in response.
"What kind of noise was it anyways?" Napoleon asked.
"I'm…not sure." Louise said. "It was weird, like something was running past us. I know I didn't like it. I never liked coming in this house when I was a child. "
"Has it always been like this?"
"Yes. My father decided that I would marry the Duke's son, Jacques, when I was a young girl, and we remained engaged until he betrayed Tristain. I played with him a lot back then. We normally spent our time outside in the garden or by the terrace as opposed to the house. In fact, like I said at the conference, I almost never saw his father outside of when we ate together. When I did come in the house, his wife was always the one to welcome us. I remember that she was very kind, though she seemed to get sick frequently."
"'Was'?"
"She died five years ago. It was an accident, though Wardes would never tell me the details. I actually haven't been back to this estate nor have I even seen Wardes ever since that event."
Napoleon perked his ears up and tried to catch the sound again. But he could not hear a thing.
"I doubt it's important." He decided. "Come on, Louise. We should get to the dining room."
A few minutes later, they arrived at the dining hall. It was a room just as gloomy as the others in this estate. The burning lamps seemed to emit less light than normal, and a few animal skulls rested on a pair of tables on opposite sides of the room. At the table in the center, the Duke of Wardes sat along with Guldenhorf and an additional two dozen nobles. Napoleon recognized one of them as the Count who had sat across from him and had been so bitter towards Karin.
"Ah, General Bonaparte and Louise." Wardes cried as he gave a wave of appreciation. "I am glad you have arrived. I was beginning to wonder if you wouldn't come after all."
"I wanted to wait and see how many nobles showed up first." Napoleon said. "I'll admit fewer have appeared than I have anticipated."
"There are quite a few nobles who are sympathetic to us but have chosen not to attend tonight." Guldenhorf stated. "They would prefer to bide their time and for the moment await future events. I know that the Marquis of Touraine falls among those ranks."
"Touraine? He probably wanted to come here, but he forgot and fell asleep instead." Another nobleman with a slight accent and a gray beard quipped.
In the meantime, Napoleon took a seat at the table, and Louise sat down next to him. But then the same nobleman who had made that small joke about the Marquis looked at her.
"I had wondered during conference, General Bonaparte, but exactly why is Karin's daughter with you anyways?"
"She is my partner." Bonaparte responded. "I'm sure the entire story would be long and uninteresting to you gentlemen, especially when we have much to do. Let me simply observe that it is my duty to protect her, especially after she was thrown out of her family."
"But why? Why are you supposed to-"
The noble was interrupted as Wardes all of a sudden began to violently cough, and the rest of the nobles looked in his direction as the old man hacked and wheezed. After a few seconds, it finally subsided and the Duke cleared his throat.
"That's better." He said. "But I don't think it's all that important or interesting to worry about Louise, Count Kundera. At any rate, it's not like we can actually believe she did anything wrong when Karin tossed her out. Poor girl probably dropped a sewing needle or something and that bat began to screech about the dishonor of the Vallieres."
A few members of the table chuckled to Wardes's jest, and Napoleon used the moment to shoot an aside glance at Louise's reaction. She seemed to pay the statement no heed as she looked around the room. After the short laughter died down, Wardes looked kindly upon Louise.
"Please, Louise. Make yourself at home. You have nothing to worry about. Now fortunately, we were just starting when you arrived, General Bonaparte."
"That is good to know. But the fact is that I'm still fairly uncertain about the exact purpose of this meeting."
"General Bonaparte has good point. It worries me too." Kundera stated. "We are here to discuss problem of Valliere tyranny, yes? What do you have to say, Wardes?"
Wardes leaned forward and put his arm on the table. As he began to speak, the white rat named Lady popped out of his sleeve and scurried onto the table.
"I'm not here for any rousing calls of action or anything like that." He began. "I'm simply here to assess who among the nobility understands the importance of keeping our privileged rights and preventing Karin from becoming a tyrant. It's really as simple as that. For now, I think it's important that we nobles work together to prevent that possibility. Nothing more."
"Do you intend go back and continue negotiations with Karin?" Napoleon asked.
"That depends on her. If Karin chooses not to negotiate, then that could be a problem. We could focus then on getting as many undecided nobles to understand our concerns as soon as possible, but we would have to deal with the Vallieres one way or the other. Negotiation is preferable to other alternatives, however."
"Then there is nothing to be worried about." Guldenhorf stated. "I have reason to confidently believe that Karin will attempt to re-open negotiations with us again."
"And why is that?"
"I talked to Mazarin after the conference. I persuaded him to ask Karin come back to the conference. Since he is the official mediator and is generally friendly with her, I'm sure he will succeed."
The nobles murmured amongst themselves in response to this piece of news, but Guldenhorf continued, a smile on his face.
"Furthermore, I have a proposal which I think she might listen to and which might end this sordid mess. What if Eleanor was to take the throne?"
Wardes slowly watched Guldenhorf with his unblinking white eyes.
"That is very surprising from you, Guldenhorf." He slowly observed. "Why Eleanor?"
"It prevents Karin from becoming a tyrant as she wouldn't rule. Of course, Eleanor, Karin's eldest daughter, would have to find a suitable king for a husband."
"You have son, but he is married, Guldenhorf." Kundera acidly stated. "And even if he was not, Karin would never accept marriage between her eldest daughter and a Guldenhorf, so do not suggest it."
"I'm not a complete idiot, Kundera. I never said it had to be me. The point I'm trying to make is that if Eleanor takes the throne, then obviously Karin won't. And that should solve our problem."
Guldenhorf gave a small smile of triumph as he sat back in the chair.
"Well, what do you think? Do you think that it would work in resolving this crisis?"
"Guldenhorf does have a point." One nobleman said. "We should work on solving the problem as soon as possible, and this proposal seems to-"
"Do what? This proposal doesn't solve anything about this country aside from your quarrel with the Vallieres, Guldenhorf. Actually, please let me correct myself; it does not even solve that."
Napoleon heavily sighed as he finished his sentence, and Guldenhorf looked over at him in irritation.
"Would you then care to kindly explain what's wrong?"
"Let me ask a question first. Why are you concerned about Karin becoming a tyrant?"
"Huh?" Guldenhorf asked. "I know I discussed it during the conference. If the power of the Valliere estate is merged with the power the throne possesses, Karin would be able to destroy all of us if she became queen."
"If your concern is the merging of Valliere and royal power, then how does placing Eleanor on the throne solve that at all? The fact is that it does not matter which Valliere takes the throne, whether it is Karin and her husband, Eleanor, or Cattleya. All three of those choices come with the same potential tyranny. The possibility is stronger if Karin is placed on the throne, but when you consider that Karin will still remain the head of the family, how can you ignore the possibility that she'll just manipulate the throne and make Eleanor a puppet?"
Napoleon's argument was met with silence. The nobles looked at each other as they wondered what to make of what he had said. Guldenhorf took deep sigh as he thought for a moment and then retorted.
"Much of what you have said is true, General Bonaparte, but for better or for worse, a Valliere must take the throne. They are the only ones who have the proper legitimacy and bloodline. Now we nobles can limit the power that the Valliere Duke or Eleanor or possibly Cattleya would possess before they take the throne, but one of them will have to take it because of their bloodline."
"Do you not notice the contradiction in your words, Guldenhorf?"
"What?"
"It's really quite simple." Napoleon said. "If the Vallieres are really the best, no the only candidates who can rule Tristain because of their bloodline…
Why are you trying so hard to restrict their power? Is not their bloodline blessed by Brimir? If the Vallieres are truly blessed, should you not trust them to be their ruler?"
"Do you actually believe that Karin should lead Tristain, General Bonaparte?" Guldenhorf slowly asked.
"She's a possible ruler, but that isn't relevant." Napoleon replied. "I'm simply pointing out that if you really believed that Karin's bloodline is what makes her the legitimate ruler of Tristain, you would have no problems. Obviously, you do. What that means is that you implicitly accept the concept that while the bloodline may determine if a king is legitimate, it does not determine if the king will be a good ruler. And it is that second problem which understandably concerns you.
I agree with that thinking, but in fact I would take it a step forward and propose a simple statement. A good ruler with no legitimacy is superior to a bad ruler who does possess the legitimacy. Therefore, if you come to the conclusion that the Vallieres will be inherently bad rulers because of the potential of tyranny, than you should believe that without being hindered by the idea that her bloodline is the important factor."
"So, what then do you propose? Do you believe that the Vallieres should not take the crown?"
"No. The ideal situation for Tristain is a good ruler with good legitimacy. Only a Valliere can fulfill the latter requirement, but the key is that the first quality is the more important. Ideally, a Valliere should rule, and you should continue to negotiate with Karin so that she can show that she and her husband will be a fair ruler who will listen to your wishes. But if she proves recalcitrant, or stubborn, do not let yourself despair with the thought that only a Valliere can rule. There are always alternatives."
As Napoleon finished his speech, the dining room turned into silence. The only noise that could be heard was Lady as she scurried about on top of the table. She stopped in front of every noble and looked at them for a moment before she groomed herself. As the process was finished, she ran around for a bit and then moved in front of another.
"General Bonaparte…is correct." Kundera finally acknowledged. "We should not be restricted with idea that only Valliere can take the throne. That is best scenario, but better ruler may appear, yes?"
"That is only a worst-case contingency, Kundera, nothing more." Wardes responded. "Still, there is one thing that is true. Letting Eleanor take the throne will not significantly improve matters for us. Perhaps a better prospect would be to simply limit the direct power that they can wield."
"What do you propose, then?" Guldenhorf said.
"Perhaps we could break up her estate. Karin and her husband can take the throne. In exchange, she has to distribute the old Valliere lands to us which will limit how much she can do."
"I doubt either Karin or her husband will accept that." Noyon grumbled.
"She does not need to give up all of it." Guldenhorf interjected. "If half of the Valliere land were surrendered to the nobility, Karin could no longer dominate all of us with only that much territory. The point is that we can negotiate about the percentage, and we know that there are…alternatives if she refuses to talk with us.
We can start working on the details now anyways. If we are going to give Karin a proposal which will limit the power of the Vallieres, we should work to close loopholes and think of contingencies. We will have plenty of time anyways. Mazarin requested a pause of two days so that we may cool our heads."
…
Louise couldn't help but sigh as she looked at the hands on the wall clock on the dining hall. The meeting had continued for an hour after they had discussed the prospect of breaking up the Valliere estate. It had since devolved into a giant mess of technical and economic issues, as the nobles talked with one another about various means to limit the power of her mother. She barely listened to what they said, but she did know that much of the time had been spent discussing who would get what slice of the Valliere estate in the event that Karin accepted their proposal. The entire process irked her. She may have been disowned from the family, but she had grown up as a Valliere. The thought of her home being broken up for the sake of politics disgusted her.
She sneaked a glance over at Napoleon. For some reason, he had said very little over the past hour and he had openly slumped down into his chair. He had noted little details and corrections here and there, enough that she could see that he was paying attention, but that was about it.
A few minutes later, her partner finally stood up. He declared to the other nobles that he needed to leave and wished them good night. The nobles politely returned the compliment and Louise took off after him as he left the estate. While they walked through the grounds in silence, she finally decided to ask him the minute they passed the gate.
"Why didn't you say anything for the last hour? Wardes and Guldenhorf were proposing all sorts of plans and discussing how they would or would not work, and you didn't say anything. Was something wrong?"
"Are you saying that you do not mind them attempting to mess with the amount of power your mother controls?"
"Erk."
"Hm?"
She stopped. The question was bigger than that, she knew that much. Her partner wasn't just asking her about the power her mother wielded. Napoleon wanted to know what she thought about the relationship between herself and the family she had once belonged to.
She had spent the last hour pondering that question. Cattleya wasn't a problem. Louise loved her, without hesitation or reservation. She would do anything, anything to protect her, as she had made perfectly clear to the Duke of Wardes when he had ranted against revenge on her former family.
But what did she think of the others? Mother, who had disowned her. Father, who had consented to mother's decision. Eleanor, who had always berated her for her failures as a magician. Would she protect them? Would she fight them? She knew that this was something which she had to answer soon, all the more so because of the animosity between Napoleon and Karin. Currently, Napoleon was her partner. But what would she do if he really did battle with her mother?
She stammered and mumbled, but no proper words came out of her mouth. Napoleon stared at her for a long time, but then began to walk away.
"Well, I didn't expect an answer from you anyways. But to answer your question, everything that those nobles were talking about was completely pointless. They can make all the discussions and contingencies they want, but it won't help them when the negotiations resume. And I had accomplished what I had set out to do the minute they acknowledged that a Valliere didn't necessarily have to take the throne. If I could have, I would have left right then."
"So, do you think that someone else should take the throne? Do you believe that Guldenhorf or Wardes would make better candidates?"
"Not exactly. All I want to do is to slowly change the mindset of the other nobles. It's going to be a slow, long process which should take some time as long as nothing unexpected occurs."
He nodded in satisfaction to Louise as they reached an intersection, whose mind became even more befuddled by what he said. She numbly watched as he moved forward.
Wait, forward?
"Napoleon, wait a minute!"
She called out after him as she pointed to her left.
"The Charming Fairy Inn's this way. Where are you going?"
"What?" Napoleon slowly intoned. "Louise, did you think that we were going to stay there?"
"W-well, of course? That's where we slept last night."
"Louise, the Charming Fairy Inn does quite a bit of business. We were able to get rooms last night because Jessica was so sorry, but we can't count on her trying to murder you repeatedly just to get a free room."
"Napoleon." Louise stammered. "You didn't answer my question. Where are we staying tonight?"
Napoleon merely looked at her and shook his head for a moment. Then without a word, he turned around and started to walk forward again. As he did so, a slow, heavy weight descended upon Louise's heart as she began to panic. She dashed up to Napoleon, yelling all the way.
"Hold on, Napoleon! We're not sleeping in a p-park or something like that, right? I mean, there are tons of places we could stay, right? Like we could go to Giono's house or go back to Wardes or-
"I bought a house."
"…"
"…"
A crowd cawed in the distance as Louise stood, stunned.
"What?"
"I bought a house. Well, Matilda did. Did you not wonder where she's been all day?"
"I just assumed she was with her sister, the elf girl…"
"Her name's Tiffania, Louise. And while you're right that Matilda did spend some time over there, you should not just make assumptions about where people are. I won many battles because I knew where the enemy was while they didn't know my location.
Anyways, she went and got a house for us to live in while we stay in Tristania for the foreseeable future. It's probably a bit cheaper than what you're used to, but it'll be fine. And if you're wondering about money, I do draw a salary as a general."
"Well, that's good." Louise slowly stated. "How much did you spend to get it?"
"100 gold."
This time, Louise's jaw dropped. A perfect portrait of shock and horror formed on her face.
"Um…uh, Napoleon?"
"Yes?"
"I spent 100 gold to get you Derflinger. A rusty, beaten up sword which the shopkeeper was trying to get rid of cost me a hundred gold. And you brought a house with that much money?"
"Well, like I said, it's probably a bit cheaper than what you're used to. It's all right. I noticed the house when I was camped outside of Tristain. I've lived in worse places."
"I…I…"
"So let's get going. Matilda is waiting for us there."
Napoleon set off down the street. Louise followed after him like a machine, forcing herself to drag one foot after another. As she did so, all sorts of horrifying images and fantasies flashed through her heard as she pictured the house in her mind.
"Will it have water? Will I have to walk half an hour to get water? And if I don't have water, what am I going to do about cleaning? Or my hair? Am I going to cut it off and sell it to some wig shop in order to get clean water? Or light? And where will we get food or something like that? Am I going to have to eat rats or crows and say farewell to lamb soup and blueberry pie and everything I like?"
She kept following Napoleon as they walked through the streets. But as Louise continued to think, she began to wonder whether getting murdered by her mother was that terrible of a fate.
…
"Good to see you, Napoleon, Louise. I hope everything has turned out well."
"Everything's fine, Matilda." Napoleon said to the former thief. "I trust there were no problems with purchasing the house?"
"None at all. So what do you think about your new home, Louise?"
Louise just stood there, her mouth glued shut. Her eyebrows twitched and her small hands balled together into fists as she stared daggers in her partner's direction.
"Did…you…enjoy…lying…to me, Napoleon? Were you just walking to this house watching me freak out the entire time?"
"To be honest, yes." Napoleon responded. "The best part was when you still continued to panic even after we entered the High Quarter.
But I'm not lying about the price, Louise. I really did get it for a hundred gold."
"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?! THIS IS A PROPER NOBLE VILLA! NOBLES WILL STAY HERE WHEN THEY INTEND TO LIVE IN TRISTAINIA WITH THEIR FAMILIESFOR A LONG TIME AND DEAL WITH IMPORTANT BUSINESS! A PLACE LIKE THIS IS 1800 NEW GOLD AT LEAST, AND PROBABLY MORE! HOW DID YOU GET THIS FOR ONLY A HUNDRED GOLD?!"
"You should know that it's a long stor-"
"I DON'T CARE!" Louise roared. "YOU JUST HAD ME PANIC ABOUT ME CUTTING OFF MY HAIR AND SELLING IT TO A WIG SHOP! FOR HALF AN HOUR! YOU OWE ME AN EXPLANATION, FOR BRIMIR'S SAKE! SO TELL ME, OR I SWEAR I WILL BLOW YOU TO GERMANIA WITH MY VOID MAGIC, AND I WON'T CARE ABOUT THE FUTURE CONSEQUENCES!"
Louise panted heavily as she finished yelling. Matilda widened her eyes and even Napoleon waved his hands in apology.
"Okay, okay, maybe I went a little too far-"
"A LITTLE?!"
"Okay, I went too far. But you want the explanation now, right?"
The villa was a pretty red brick house. It was not too small and yet also avoided the problem of being oversized for merely three people. A small patio complete with a pond was located in front of the main entrance. With a huff, Louise strode over and forcefully sat down on a large rock as she waited for Napoleon's explanation.
"Well, Louise, have you ever heard of Count Mott?"
"Mott?" Louise repeated. "The name's familiar. So he's the nobleman who owned this house? Did you buy it from him?"
"Not exactly. As you said, Count Mott was a nobleman, but he really was a particularly nasty person even by my standards. He conducted all sorts of sick experiments on his servants and commoners, he whipped them, he put electric collars on them, and that's not even half of it. I don't know half of what he did, and frankly I don't really gain anything by knowing.
Anyways, there had been all sorts of rumors about him for years, so Giono did some investigating. He uncovered everything. It was absolutely ridiculous how much info he managed to obtain on the noble. And after a few weeks of work, he published an article detailing all of the evil things he had done.
This was before the Albion invasion, so Henrietta arrested him. He managed to take poison in jail and escape the gallows, but that left the issue of how to deal with his property. Most of it was seized by the crown to help pay for the war, but a local official managed to grab this villa in the chaos. He had hoped to sell it to some nobleman to line his own pockets. However, everyone was busy with the war and no one really wanted a villa which had been used by a madman. Apparently he conducted some of his experiments down here in the basement."
"Wait, what?"
"Don't worry, that's all been tossed out. I asked Matilda today to check the house for any unsavory surprises or traps. Anyways, Giono found out what the official was up to and basically struck a deal. He sells me the house for almost nothing and Giono doesn't write a piece on corruption of local officials in Tristania. That's particularly valuable when a person as obsessed as upholding the law as your mother is a realistic candidate for the throne.
"So," Louise grumbled. "You got this villa for this price because it was owned by a decadent madman and you then had Giono blackmail a corrupt official?
"If you're still complaining, we really could go get a hovel by the sewers if that suits your taste. We would probably need to stop by a barber first, however. Can't maintain hair like that down there."
Louise lightly shoved Napoleon in response. Then with a final, annoyed glance she opened the door to the villa and moved to storm inside.
"Wait, Louise."
Matilda spoke up before she could cross the threshold.
"There is something that I think we need to discuss now before any of us enter this home."
"Is it about the traps?" Louise asked. "That stupid idiot of a partner just said that you checked the house and removed all of them."
Matilda shook her head. As the other two watched her, Napoleon leaned against the wall of the villa.
"It's not about that." She finally said. "I checked everywhere, but Mott was far too obvious about where he placed them. It's about another threat that I think we need to discuss. One that affects both of us."
"Well, what is it?"
"Louise, what do you think about Wardes?"
The young girl scrunched her face up in confusion.
"Wardes? He tries to act nice to me, but I don't trust him and think he's more than a little creepy. I don't like that rat that's always hanging around him, and he threatened Cattleya and – what is it?"
Matilda had lifted her hand, as if to interrupt Louise.
"You misunderstand, though I guess I should have been clearer," she said. "I'm asking about his son. Jacques, the one who betrayed Tristania. I heard that he was your fiancé. You should have known him very well, right?"
Louise couldn't help but reminiscence over the question. The younger Wardes had been her fiancé from a long time ago. Of course, now that he had become a traitor and she had been kicked out of the Valliere family, the political reasons which had created the marriage in the first place had vanished. And what she had told his father and Napoleon was true. Louise had not seen Wardes in five years, back when his mother was still alive. As far as she had known, Wardes had busied himself with mission after mission as the Captain of the Griffin Knights for Tristania. Perhaps he had turned traitor because of his mother's death and had secretly fought for Albion all this time? Perhaps it had been earlier than that? When she had seen him for the last time, had he already pledged his loyalty to a foreign country?
She thought back to the last she had seen him. As a young girl who had believed herself to be a failure, she had run out of the Valliere estate after another scolding from her mother for her lack of magical aptitude. As she had run and hid through the bushes, she could hear the gossip of the servants.
"That girl… a noble who can't use magic…"
"I wish that little girl was more proficient. Madam tries her best to conceal it, but she's so much more irritable after she talks with Louise. Why, just the other day…"
As the servants giggled amongst themselves, she slipped away to her hiding spot, the one place where she felt secure in the mansion. At one end of a small boat, she hugged her knees and cradled her body as she pitied herself.
"Maybe I am not a true Valliere?" she murmured to herself. She had doubted herself. She always had, both before she had entered the Academy and before she had summoned…him, and learned of her true power. But that day was particularly bad. She just sat there morosely on the boat, wondering what she was to do and how she could talk to her mother.
"Louise, is something the matter?"
He had appeared. Without her noticing, he had sat down at the opposite end of the boat from her. His eyes were covered by the gigantic plumed hat on his head, but Louise could see the kind smile on his face.
They talked for a long time. Wardes told him that there was nothing to be ashamed of and that he would calm down her mother. And she always knew, even after he left, that he was always kind to her.
And yet…
"I'm not sure what to think, Matilda." She finally stated. "My former fiancé is a traitor, an enemy of Tristania. As a servant of the crown and my country, I will ensure that he pays for his crimes when I see him."
"But what about-"
"What do I think, Matilda? I honestly don't know. It has been a long time since I talked to him. But why are you asking this question?"
"Because Wardes didn't betray Tristain to fight for Albion."
"What?" Louise stated. "What do you mean? From what I heard, he helped you escape to Albion."
"That's true. But Wardes wasn't working for the Albion government. He was working for Cromwell's secretary. That woman was the real ruler of Albion, Cromwell was just a puppet. She was a terrifying woman, Sheffield. I'll never forget her-"
"Sheffield?"
Napoleon's eyes flitted towards Matilda.
"You said her name was Sheffield? Dark-haired woman, has some paint right underneath her eyes?"
"Wait, yes." Matilda breathed. "But how did you-"
"And you say that Wardes works for her? And that Wardes is after you?"
"Yes. But-"
"Waitwaitwait!" Louise shouted. "Wardes is after Matilda? And Wardes works for the true ruler of Albion or something like that, and you know her, Napoleon?"
Napoleon said nothing in response. He looked at Matilda, then at Louise, and then at the villa. Finally his eyes rested on the patio behind the villa.
"We are going over there." He said. "I don't like the conclusions I've drawn, but there isn't much of a choice. We might as well begin preparing sooner rather than later."
…
…
The patio contained a table and a few chairs. Napoleon and Louise looked across from each other, while Matilda stood behind her master. Louise's eyes visibly twitched as she stared straight ahead.
"So let me see if I have this straight, Napoleon."
"Alright then."
"I'm not the only Void mage."
"Correct."
"The King of Gallia is also a Void mage."
"Correct."
"He also has a Void familiar, Myozunitonirun. She goes by Sheffield and was the one actually running Albion during the war."
"Correct."
"So essentially, King Joseph Gaul was trying to destroy our country by using Albion."
"Correct."
"And Wardes works for this Sheffield character."
"Correct."
"She is the person who ordered Matilda to steal the Staff of Destruction and as a result destroy my school."
"Correct." Matilda said.
"And after you were finished, she intended to kill you as you were a loose end."
"She gave me orders later. She told me to attack your school and attempt to kill as many of the students as I could, so that I could destroy the flower of the Tristain nobility. But in reality, it was a suicide mission to eliminate me. Both Sheffield and I knew it, and she knew I would have to do it to protect the orphanage."
"But since you're now my servant and my partner's relocated the orphanage, you have no intention of fulfilling that mission. Which means that Sheffield – or by extension, the King of Gallia - will send someone to take you out. This will also mean that she will send someone to take me out."
"It's not completely certain that Joseph will attempt to have you removed, but it is highly likely." Napoleon responded. "I just told you, after all. If I were a Void mage and in a position of high power, I'd likely want to eliminate any other Void mages given how rare they are. I don't know when Joseph will strike, but I'm sure it'll happen eventually. We need to be prepared."
"Well, what do we do?" Louise asked.
"I intend to begin weaving defensive spells to protect this place tomorrow." Matilda said. "Fortunately, it's fairly secluded from other houses, so that will be easy. A few earth traps on the yard and the nearby streets will help a lot, and I intend to create a barrier that can detect any intruders."
But honestly, what's important is to protect you, Louise, as you are my master. So we need to train to focus on your own protection."
"I guess you want to teach me more magic?" Louise asked. "I've learned a lot from Colbert, Matilda. I don't necessarily know how much you can help with that."
Matilda quietly laughed at those words.
"No, no, no. I know you know a lot about magic, Louise. I watched you fight Touraine. But you see…"
Matilda bent and placed her arms on Louise's shoulders…
"I also know from watching that that you know absolutely nothing about fighting."
And then her right arm snaked down and locked Louise in a chokehold.
"Gurrkh!?"
Louise's eyes shot open in shock as her arms instinctively reached up to attack her assailant in any way she could. But as she looked up at Matilda, she noticed that Napoleon did not react at all to this provocation.
"Too slow."
The former thief muttered those words before she effortlessly lifted Louise out of her chair and tossed her onto the grass.
"Guh!"
Louise gasped as her back hit the ground. As she struggled to pick herself up, Matilda strode over and stepped on her right wrist.
"Napoleon told me that he tried to physically train you before the war began, and there are some fruits that came from it – my arms do hurt from your punches. But that's not the same as fighting. Let me ask you, Louise. What would you do if you've lost your wand?"
"What? I-I don't know and ow! "
Matilda's foot ground down a little harder on her wrist.
"'I don't know' should NEVER be an answer to any combat situation, Louise. I've had situations as a thief where I couldn't use my wand, so I had to improvise. The obvious answer then, is to learn to fight without magic."
"So I will help you on that. And will start by sparring, right here and right now. Or rather, we will fight here, and you will try not to get beaten to a bloody pulp. Your goal for now is to simply survive. Do you understand?"
"Yesyesyes! Now please, get off me, Matilda!"
Matilda nodded and lifted the pressure off of Louise's wrist. As Louise, she gingerly rubbed her back and wrists as she stared at her servant. She raised her hands up in front of her in a combat stance, but her entire body visibly trembled as she looked at her now hostile servant.
"Do you intend to go easy on me?"
Matilda bent her head slightly to the side, cracking the joints in her neck.
"Of course not. Here I come, Louise. You better have enough stamina for this battle."