Chapter Seventy: Pomerium

The fighting in the Gallows once I had been freed was short and bloody.

The pirates did not fight like pirates. They fought like religious zealots, like jihadis, seeking death as long as two or three of ours were taken with them.

They were pretty solid competition for the Templars where zeal was concerned, although their means were different. The Templars had no mages, but had blackpowder grenades. The pirates had plenty of mages, and every single one of them was a shapeshifter.

The battle was more like a massive parody of a safari hunt than a contest of arms.

We won out nonetheless.

And before the fighting had truly ended, the noble leadership of Kirkwall were being rowed across the harbour to us in chains. Most of it, at any rate. Our supporters, those that had proposed our intervention in the first place and their in-laws, were kept in Hightown.

As I had ordered, the treacherous were lined up together to be shot at the docks. The sight of them, and knowing what had almost been, was too much for the garrison to bear however. Loading and firing a firelance took longer than they had patience for.

The Great and Good of Kirkwall were instead bayoneted to death by my vengeful troops as soon as the weapons the pirates had taken were returned. The bodies were often so badly cut up that they fell apart when hoisted onto the walls for display to the city.

The mood in Kirkwall was grim, as was obvious to me in the face of Aveline Vallen when she came to the Gallows herself in pursuit of the nobles. She was pacing back and forth on the docks, where the Foreign Legion had stopped her. She did not see me approach, which was why I was able to see the knots of iron in her face as she waited. None of her companions were with her, it was her alone.

I mention this only because her face changed utterly on her finally seeing me, covered as I was with the blood of Kirce. The gore of an Orlesian Great Bear is not easily scrubbed, and I hadn't even tried. If anything, the blood of pirates had been added to it, splattered here and there on the private's uniform I had been given. Anger turned to fear. Fear that she had made the worst mistake of her life by showing up.

It wasn't.

"Governor Vallen," I said politely but firmly, addressing her by the new title I had granted her without any real authority to do so, "Welcome to the Trojan People's fortress at the Gallows. What can I do for you?"

I hoped the formality would make it clear that our intent was not mindless slaughter, but a lesson. One the world ought to be quick to take note of. Vallen was one vector by which the message would get out, I knew.

"You marched the nobles out of the keep and brought them here," Vallen said, accusingly, "Now their bodies are hanging from the ruined walls, and you expect me to go along with your little charade?"

She was genuinely outraged. Part of me was astounded. She must have known the nobles were involved in the hostage situation. The same part of me wanted to send her to join the nobles on a spike atop the walls.

But I recalled she hadn't been within them to see and hear Ianto. It was good she was the first to say something in ignorance. It taught me that others would not understand until it was explained. So explain, I did.

"Do you know what happened these past weeks, Governor?" I asked in reply, "Every realm in the Marches, the Qunari and the Armada have been preparing to attack, despite our country having elected a government dedicated pig-headedly to peace. I have been reminded thoroughly of the calibre of leadership in this world. I've been forced to take potions that do things you can't even imagine. I've been forced to..."

I stopped. Vallen didn't need to know anything else.

"Your nobles were part of the conspiracy. They were a part of everything wrong with this city. They were a part of everything wrong with this world. And my patience with the world, my faith that it will change on its own, is utterly gone. My dear wife is right. It needs to be cleansed in the fires of a revolutionary war. My only regret is that I didn't declare it myself. Your nobles have seen to it."

Vallen stared at me blankly. Hard to fault her for that. How do you reasonably respond to someone who wants to declare war on the entire world? Or at least, the forces that have ruled it for so very long.

I approached her, hands up to show her I meant no harm, and took her hand.

"I chose you to be Governor for one simple reason," I said, "I know you're a good person, but you also have an iron will. I can't let Kirkwall go. Its strategic importance is too great. I can't rule it myself, and I don't want to. That leaves me with only one option; you."

"I can't accept it," Vallen said, "It isn't legitimate. It isn't lawful."

"Hold an election and make it lawful," I replied, releasing her hand, "In fact, if you don't, you should be prepared to face the full might of Valhalla. Maybe not immediately, but eventually. Your choice. I gave you full autonomy. Doesn't mean you can make yourself Queen."

Vallen's face screwed up in a way that made it appear as if I had insulted her. I laughed for the first time since everything had happened.

Mariette tapped on my shoulder, having moved with her customary stealth. I felt a strange sensation on seeing her. It wasn't awkwardness about what had happened, it was a sort of thirst. For her to some degree, yes, but for the narcotic as well. She stayed well away from me too, which told me she felt the same.

"They brought over another eluvian," she said, "Doesn't look like any pirates are alive. We can leave."

I nodded to her, and turned back to Vallen. "Our deal still stands. I won't send troops into Kirkwall, excepting if you betray us or request it."

And with that said, I left.

The eluvian had been placed in Ianto's office, because it was intact unlike the hall the original one had been in. All of the bastard's documents were in a box by his desk, which had been flipped on its side and moved out of the way. Legionnaires were around the place, waiting to come through with us.

With me as I waited for the eluvian to be opened from the other side were Marcus and Mariette. Whenever I am travelling through the eluvians, they are often opened from the other side, as my anti-magical 'aura' can sometimes interfere even beyond the distance within which I prevent the portals from opening at all. Marcus was there to make sure that didn't happen.

I was still covered in caked or smudged blood, the washing facilities of the Gallows also destroyed, but my uniform was clean at least.

As for Mariette... the situation was complicated. She had to resume her duties as head of the OSS, naturally. There was no one who could replace her. The consequences of what had happened to us would have to be dealt with, of which two were weighing heavily on my mind.

"Have you made a decision?" I asked her quietly, being deliberately vague as we were in earshot of others. I had told no one of what had happened. No one had been... impertinent enough to ask what the hell I was doing naked in a room with a shapeshifter either.

"I have," Mariette responded firmly. She left it at that.

I made my own assumptions about what that meant, which I probably shouldn't have, and moved on.

"Did Ianto's documents have the formula for that... substance?" I asked, as casual as can be.

"They did," Mariette replied flatly, "Not a cheap list of ingredients. It had a detailed description of the effects too."

She elaborated in a whispered tone what I have already relayed on the matter; the drug is not physically addictive or harmful in theory, but rather hijacks the existing sexual pleasure centres, and thus is addictive for the same reason that sex is.

A messenger rushed from behind us to Marcus, who was handed a piece of paper and marched out of the room. Something to do with the Kirkwallers, probably. He could handle it, and I never wanted to look upon the city or the Gallows ever again.

"There's some good news at least," I said gently, "Doesn't sound like going cold turkey will be a problem."

Gotta love the optimism.

"I'm not so sure," Mariette replied, a little more animated now, "Withdrawal might not kill us, but I felt so good when we were... I'm not certain I can live the rest of my life never feeling that way again."

Neither was I, and I wanted to say so... but I needed to resist as far as I could. Julie, Tam, Aurelia, and now Mariette. I would've seriously considered becoming celibate for a year or two simply to prevent the danger of Yet. More. Damn. Kids if it wasn't for the good ol' Silk Cocaine.

The legionnaires around us shuffled uncomfortably.

"We're going to have to try," I said, just loud enough to be heard, "We have responsibilities. We can't be drug-addled wrecks. Too many people are counting on us. I'm only a few weeks off becoming a father, I can't be stuck in bed like I'm hitting the pipe in a god forsaken opium den. And you're the eyes and ears of our country. I'm replaceable in role as Supreme Commander. You're not in the role as head of intelligence."

Mariette nodded, conceding the point without a fight.

"Just promise me if I have problems, you'll be there to help," she said, "There's literally no one else I could turn to if..."

"I know," I interrupted as Marcus returned, "If that time comes, I'll help however I can. I owe you that much. If only so you'll forgive me for being so wrong when Ianto had that private on the table."

"All is already forgiven," she said, "As long as you'll let me hunt Ianto."

No problem there.

"Permission granted," I said, before turning to Marcus, "What was the problem?"

Marcus shook his head. "The Military Governor raised the city's harbour chains," he said, "Just as the Oceane and the rest of the flotilla was putting to sea. The ships made it out in time, but only just. Guess she was trying to get her hands on a bargaining chip."

I frowned. Vallen was more crafty than I thought, or she had gotten good advice on the matter at the very least. Her failure didn't require a response, and even if it had, we had bigger fish to fry.

The eluvian glowed and activated, the way to the Crossroads open.

Marcus stepped forward and on through, Mariette following, and finally, I did. The eluvian shut off as soon as I was clear, and I blinked as the bright light of the magical sunrays soaked me. My headache started almost immediately.

The gate guards were pleased to see me, but the sight of the blood all over my face had them murmuring to each other. Good, I thought, I wanted the sight of me to shock. Though it still didn't dampen their enthusiasm for my return. It was a bad sign.

A sergeant of Rangers saluted us as we came. "If you'll follow me Marquis, Generals," he said, "The way home is already open. General Soprano is waiting."

No surprise at all that she

We were brought through the labyrinthine three-dimensional defences, to the massive main gateroom at its very centre. There was a few more eluvians there than I had previously known. There, an honour guard of Highlanders was waiting for me at the only open eluvian, Asala leading them. Their weapons were held presented.

"At ease," I said, "Good to see you Asala."

The Qunari did not seem perturbed by my appearance in the slightest. Nor did the Highlanders.

"It is good to see you too, Marquis," Asala replied, "The Lady foresaw your return perfectly."

She waved the honour guard through the eluvian's arch, which sent the platoon shouldering arms and filing along.

"How is the situation?" Mariette asked her, "Are we ready for war?"

Asala said nothing for a moment, staring at the open eluvian and the troops on the move rather than at us. Finally, she turned to the three of us, and spoke.

"The leadership is paralysed," she said, "The city is uneasy. The Assembly can't agree on what to talk about, never mind what to do."

"So it is chaos," Mariette stated, as she looked up at me, "I wonder if our friend has anything to do with it." Meaning she suspected Ianto's letterwriting campaign had reached our own city.

"The politicians can be incompetent without being traitorous," I said.

"Trust me, Marquis," Marcus said flatly, "It is a very good thing you have returned. My sister and General Soprano have ideas about resolving these matters that require your presence."

How ominous, I mused to myself, that a former elvhen whore and the most blue-blooded of Tevinter magisters would be plotting together. Only in Troy was this possible of course, which is to our great benefit. Naturally.

We completed our transition to Troy without incident. We exited into the headquarters complex on the Mont de Mars. The room with the eluvian is on the outer edge of the complex, its walls the only thing between the inside and a spectacular view of the settlement. Which is why, through the wooden walls, we could hear the chanting and shouting beyond.

"What in the name of God is going on?" I asked Asala and Marcus. They had no answers for me.

A mixture of panic and anger moving through me like a hot poker, I rushed out of the room. I could hear the others following behind, as I went straight for the nearest exit.

Outside, it was sunny and humid, although the sea breeze could still be felt off the Bay. Those few that saw me were utterly taken aback, and ran off, presumably to tell someone I was alive and back. I went straight to the abatis line, towards the source of the noise.

Below me, at the bottom of the hill, was a large crowd. They were standing on and around the small bridge that went over the small stream which ran between the Mont de Mars and the Capitoline Hill where the Assembly building stands. There were at least two thousand of them, all of them civilians according to their dress. Relatively new arrivals, in other words. They were shouting, chanting, roaring incoherently (to my ears at least).

Between them and both hills stood a regiment of Marines, armoured and armed with shields and swords, rather than firelances. They stood in a two-rank line facing north. The reason for this loadout became apparent when a shower of dry mud clots came flying over the heads of the crowd and exploded in a cloud of brown dust against the Marines' shields. A cheer went up with every hit, and the Jaderite marines were displaying great discipline in not charging home in retaliation.

I leaned forwards on a wooden railing and hung my head with exasperation. What the hell was going on? Why was this disorder being tolerated at all? What had provoked it?

This is of course quite a judgemental set of questions, based on an assumption that my absence was at least part cause of this chaos. In truth, that was arrogant of me. If I had been around, it is unlikely that I could have prevented affairs getting to that state. If anything, my absence had now armed me to better settle matters.

But for the moment, I was disappointed, even a little angry that Julie and Velarana had let it go that far. I watched for some time, as the Marines advanced menacingly, and the crowd retreated slowly for a while. At least, until some of them realised the orders were to harm no one if possible, then the clots began flying again.

"By the head of Andraste," Mariette muttered beside me, "They're losing their minds."

"I think I am too," I said back, "How did it get this far?"

Someone cleared their throat behind me. I turned and found Soprano standing there, in full dress uniform, her long black hair tied back under my turquoise Peacekeeper beret. She smiled, snapped off a quick salute, and joined us at the railing. Evidently, she had had complete faith that I would return.

She must have heard my question, because she began to explain.

"Qunari dreadnoughts have been spotted off the coast of Hercinia, and the pirates that would otherwise challenge them are suddenly missing."

"The new arrivals are terrified, demanding to return to Jader, because we couldn't contain that information. The Navy refuses to take the risk of escorting vessels away, which would leave the bay exposed."

"The veterans of the war in Orlais are demanding we initiate battle ourselves, and are restless."

"And worst of all, the Assembly cannot make up its mind what to do. Three votes to declare war on Hercinia have failed, and four to order the Navy to sea either to escort transports or attack the dreadnoughts have failed as well."

Soprano took a breath, having said all of that more or less as quickly as anyone could while still being understood. It must've been a prepared statement, because she knew what I needed to make a decision about what she said next.

"The politicians can't decide which side of the bed to get out of in the morning," the General continued, "Marquis, I say that we initiate Valkyrie, declare a state of emergency, dissolve the National Assembly, and march on Hercinia at once."

I had seen this coming from a mile off, and knew exactly why she was asking me, rather than having done it herself. She had command of the Peacekeepers. She could've ordered it done, in theory. But in practice...

"You don't have the support of the other generals, do you?" I stated, the question entirely rhetorical, "And maybe the troops, having fought so long for democracy, are uneasy about handing you absolute power? Even if it is necessary."

"You have no such limitations, Marquis," Soprano agreed, "We act now, or the Republic collapses before the enemy even closes in."

"That is treason, General," Mariette growled, "The law says..."

"The Constitution is not yet complete," Soprano growled back in interruption, "Another failure of the Assembly, I might add. Oh, they can choose a flag and a song, even who gets to join us here, but they still can't agree how power should work. Which is the important piece of labour they were elected to do. Even Anders' trial was a slapped-together joke."

"Enough," I said, in Stern Officer Tone No.1, "I am not initiating Valkyrie until I've spoken with the civilian leadership. We have new information. The situation is worse than any of you know, and we have the documents to prove it. The High Chancellor will listen."

Soprano snorted derisively. "The High Chancellor ordered the Peacekeepers back to barracks, and ordered the Marines and Gendarmes in to keep order instead," she said venomously, "And refuses to allow any messengers through to her today at the Assembly, which is in I quote 'closed session'."

"She'll listen to me," I replied, sure of myself, "Your sympathies and dislikes are well known, Soprano, and Velarana likely sees you as a gigantic threat to her own power. Not to mention her life."

"The Chancellor wants peace at any cost," Soprano continued, "She..."

"Will listen to me," I said, ending the matter, "Call the High Command together. You need to be briefed."

The entire assembled command staff did not give away their feelings on seeing me, falling into the professional demeanour I knew they had maintained throughout my absence. It seemed a bit contrived, perhaps an anticipation of what my desire would be. It would not have been hard to guess that I would have wanted immediate action rather than sympathy. They stood around the command table, a map of the Marches before us, awaiting what I had to say.

Nonetheless, the eagerness to get started that I saw in the flashing eyes of my officers made me feel supremely confident. Soprano, McNulty, Mike, Isewen, Marcus, Louise, Asala, Cormac, Aoife and Aurelia were all present.

I greeted Aurelia with a hug, and joined them.

"Where is Tam and Armen?" I asked, "Julie is not an officer, but both of them are. I sent notes to all three, what happened?"

"The notes did not make it in the door of the Assembly," Soprano stated, "As expected."

"I guess that's what I get for just sending a runner," I replied, rolling my eyes, "We'll start without them." No time to lose. If I could get the entire High Command behind me, then the Chancellor would be sure to listen.

I began by explaining all that we knew.

That the conspiracy by Starkhaven in fact stretched far further than we knew, involving almost every Marcher state and every major power bordering it, including the Qun and factions aligned against the Tiberian dynasty.

I presented the documents to prove it, which were passed around and commented on greatly. With each revelation, counters were placed on the map, pebbles from the beach. Each represented an army gathering against us, or a fleet moving to invade.

It was broadly agreed that the Antivan funding and the Qunari involvement was the worst of the news. Numbers were what Gaspard had used to drive us to Hearth during the Vindargent Campaign, and the Qunari had the technical skill to copy our inventions to some degree. Which is what led to the next conversation.

"I think this documentation and our existing intel match up," I said, gesturing to the paper, "I want your unanimous endorsement for a delegation led by one of you to go to the Assembly, and inform it of the situation. It has to be all of you, or it doesn't work."

Louise de Villars stepped forward to the table's edge.

"Who will lead the delegation?" she asked.

"You will," I replied, "As an aristocrat, it will be harder for the Marines to reject you. The Jaderites are more... traditional than the rest of us."

A lupine smile spread from underneath Louise's skull mask, an equal to her cousin's with ease. "How crafty," she said, "The Game continues."

I shook my head. "The military alerts the government to a threat, the government allows the military to do its job. When the Chancellor receives you and sees this, I'm she'll act. She's not an idiot."

Velarana is a very rational person, albeit not always seeing the big picture. Her every move is considered, and most of her words are carefully chosen. She and Julie have much in common in that respect, albeit their divergent methodologies make them seem very different.

Mike cleared her throat, with her customary volume, forcing all heads to turn her way.

"We need to discuss the worst case scenario," she said, "What happens if we're unable to stop the enemy? If the enemy reaches the gates of Troy?"

The questions plunged the room into silence.

We all knew it was a distinct possibility, despite our advantages. We had allies, we had high hills and thick forests around us, we had the firelance and the rocket, we had magic and science and eluvians. We were the pinnacle of civilisation, and the bringer of hellfire.

But we were only sixty thousand, allies aside, in a sea of millions.

Our allies relied on us for intelligence and organisation, and the enemy knew it. Troy was the head of the snake, as far as the powers-that-be were concerned. Cut it off, the rest fell into place. And much more besides. Everyone wanted what we had.

"Are you asking if there will be a repeat of Hearth?" I said, "The answer is no. You were there when we wrote the war plans."

"It doesn't matter," McNulty pointed out, his eyes narrowed, "There's no way our enemies shall negotiate with us as Gaspard did. The Grand-Duke only let us go because assaulting Hearth would've weakened him against Celene, and because he wanted to weaken Ferelden. It turned out great for him. This time, there's no one person to negotiate with."

"And so we fight to the death," Louise said dismissively, "There is no point discussing this, we have already agreed the plan."

"I still think that civilian evacuations..." Mike began.

"To evacuate would be a disaster for morale," Louise interrupted, straightening up to her full height, "We can put anyone unwilling or unable to fight onto the Isle of Dogs under protection of Fort Independence. That's the plan."

"And we'll need the Navy to keep the sea supply lanes open," McNulty added, with a great deal more conciliation in his tone, "It would take far too many trips to move everyone back to Jader, and the Qunari could attack the ships on the way."

Mike choked on her words, shaking her head. She was deeply uncomfortable with keeping the civilians around if it came to a siege, but Louise and McNulty were right. I felt guilt stir in my throat, and there wasn't room for it in my heart.

"Look, I don't like it either," I said, "But we are going to need every advantage to win this. Every last shred of help. "

"We're not going to get much," said a familiar voice from behind.

Mariette elbowed her way past her taller cousin, slapped another set of papers on the table, scattering the counters. She pointed at them, and spoke. "We are fucked."

"What now?" I asked.

"Nevarra has joined our enemies openly. They've signed a treaty of alliance with Starkhaven, and have pledged their armies to stopping Tevinter interference."

I rubbed my face. "They got tipped off that Tiberius is about to march south."

Which meant the best my grandfather-in-law could do was continue the bout of Nevarran-Tevene border conflicts that had raged for centuries.

At least, the best he could do without the support of the rest of the Imperium, which would mean putting that realm on the backfoot against the Qunari. I'm sure Qunandar were utterly delighted when they heard the news that predicament had put the Archon.

"It gets worse," Mariette continues, "In my absence, it seems our Marcher allies got overconfident. Several of our friendly nobles brought their chevauchées together to try and take a town under Starkhaven's protection, and were routed by a counterattack led by Marshal Fenris."

Soprano muttered something about the folly of aristos under her breath beside me, a sentiment I shared. "What is the damage?" she asked.

"We now have no way of preventing Prince Vael from gathering the supplies he needs to march on Markham," Mariette said, "We can't harass him on the roads. We don't even know where his army is at the moment. Our allies were not just denying him supplies, they were gathering excellent information about his army. Most of the other Marcher contingents haven't joined up yet, so now we won't know how big that army will eventually be and what it will look like."

"On the bright side, at least they'll take a very long time to get here," McNulty said half in jest, "Think of what happened on the road to Sahrnia, but five times as bad. Vael isn't King of the Marches, he can't command the camp followers to leave or the nobles to leave behind useless shit."

"It won't matter," Mariette stated through her teeth, "Because the Qunari clearly have a beachhead in Hercinia. They're preparing pontoons to cross the Alba and invade us directly. They'll bottle us up, and Vael's horde will bypass Markham to join the siege."

It was Soprano's turn to give the table a whack with her hand, and the thing shook despite its sturdy build. "We need to march on Hercina immediately," she said, "Marquis, I urge you to initiate Valkyrie and end this farce."

"Valkyrie?" Marcus asked, "What is Valkyrie?"

There was another awkward pause.

"A necessary plan," Soprano said, "To seize control of the city in the event of an emergency."

"A coup," Mike said flatly, "That's your idea? What happened to democracy?"

"Does it look that the government has the support of the people?" Soprano snapped back, "They throw so much mud and shit at the Marines, you could use the material scraped off their shields to fertilise half of the Hearthlands."

"Not to mention that the government has lost votes in the Assembly," McNulty shrugged, "They're supposed to call elections when that happens. Where is the declaration from the Chancellor calling them?"

"After all we've just heard, do you think an election is really the best idea?" Mike replied coolly, "We're about to go to war."

"That hasn't been..."

"Enough!," I shouted, cutting in to end the argument. Clearly, it was a continuation of one from before, and I was having none of it. "Louise, take the news to the Chancellor. Include the new information, and tell her I wish to implement Warplan Black at once."

Warplan Black was the plan for invading Hercinia, black being the colour of pirate flags.

"And Valkyrie, Marquis?" Soprano asked.

"First, I will give the Assembly every chance to do the right thing."