Chapter 5: The Son

Grannvale Empire, 764

Tailtyu didn't speak to Bloom on the way back to Grannvale, nor did she say anything for the month he spent in Friege before leaving to fulfil his duty as King of Munster. Parting from the twins hurt him more than he imagined it would. He wanted nothing more than to remain at Friege to raise them, but Alvis had remained true to his word and now Bloom had to honour his.

Alvis' previous ambassador, Cowen, had not done a bad job running the country. However, most of the experienced rulers from Leinster and Munster had been killed in the war, leaving opportunists, glory seekers and undeserving citizens of Grannvale to fill the open positions. Much of Bloom's first year was spent getting acquainted with the various dukes and barons that made up the country.

Munster District, Ulster, 765

"Do you have any children," Bloom asked King Conor one day. They were standing on the ramparts of the castle. Ulster sat at the top of a hill, surrounded by a large plain. From the top of the castle, one could see for miles.

"I do," Conor said. "A daughter. She was born not long after the invasion."

"About the same age as my two then. Do you get to see her much?"

"Eh, yes. I have a lot of free time, ever since you took charge of things."

"We still give you some administrative duties to keep you busy."

"Ah yes, of course. I didn't mean to suggest you had stolen my role. In fact, King Crete and I were speaking. He wants me to ask you about Leinster and Connacht's kings." Crete was the King of the Munster province. He had managed to survive the war and accepted Grannvale's rule, but he wasn't a fan of Bloom and preferred to have Conor act as an intermediate. Of course Conor was so spineless, he barely ever brought Crete's grievances to Bloom's attention.

"Leinster and Connacht don't have kings," Bloom said. "They both died in the war."

"Yes, but, well, that's the point. The territories need new kings.

"Prince Leif is still alive. Leinster can't get a new king while there is still an heir to the old one. That'll only bring trouble in a few years. And if I give the Kingship to Connacht, without also aiding Leinster, then people will use it as an excuse to say Grannvale is bias against Leinster. It's a no win scenario. Things are more stable if the northern regions lack kings."

"King Crete is afraid we'll, that is to say he and I, will be deposed if Leinster and Connacht lack a proper ruler."

"They have proper rulers," Bloom pointed out. "All my reports say General Muhammad and Baron Raydrik are capable rulers. I don't think declaring them kings would make them any better."

"Oh heavens, no!" Conor exclaimed. "We couldn't make them kings! Muhammad is a Grannvalian and Raydrik committed regicide! Ah, not that there's anything wrong with Grannvalian rule. You are of course from Grannvale and you make for a wonderful king."

"Who would you make king?" Bloom asked.

Conor hadn't expected this question. "Ah. Well I haven't really thought about it. I suppose…Really this was all King Crete's idea. I had very little to do with it."

Bloom cast his eyes northwards. Even though he couldn't see it, he knew the city of Leinster lay beyond the horizon. "Well if you find a suitable pair of candidates that don't make Grannvale look like their subverting Leinster, I will consider it."

Conor was silent for a moment. It seemed like he was gathering his thoughts. "What if we were to crown young Prince Leif?"

"We don't know where Prince Leif is." Bloom turned his gaze back to Conor. "Isn't that right?"

Conor almost jumped out of his skin. "Ah, yes. I, or I should say we, have no idea where the Prince of Leinster evacuated to. Munster probably, as they were allies with Leinster in the war. Then again, his parents were supporters of Sigurd's rebellion, so he's probably fled to Sileese." Conor's speech gradually grew more and more rapid until it became incoherent babbling as he somehow managed to theorize that Prince Leif had fled to every nation on the continent.

"Enough," said Bloom. "As I said before, if you find suitable candidates, be they Leif or some other member of the royal family who has a legitimate claim, then bring them to me. Otherwise the whole question is moot."

Munster District, Ulster, 765

"The Empire is putting pressure on me," Cowen said. Bloom was playing chess against the ambassador in his study. "The whole continent is at peace, but there's unrest in Munster."

Bloom scoffed. "I've reduced tensions in the city of Munster to that of Ulster and Connacht."

Cowen shrugged. "I know, you've been doing as good a job as anyone. But that's not the way the people back home see it. Munster, or more specifically, Leinster. It's the stain on Alvis' utopia. If a riot happens in Leinster, then there will be repercussions."

Bloom noticed that Cowen's conversation was twofold. He was trying to set up a trap for him in the game as they spoke. He pretended to not noticed, and set himself up in a more advantageous position that would let him deal with the trap later. "I almost hope there is a riot," he said. "I never wanted this job in the first place. Alvis can appoint someone else and I can see my children again."

"That's not the kind of repercussions I was talking about. This is serious Bloom, you could be executed."

"Alvis wouldn't do that. He's my friend. He knows what kind of situation I'm in."

"He was Sigurd's friend too," Cowen reminded him. "And look how that turned out."

"That's different."

"Not as different as you might think. Sigurd was placed in charge of Agustria. He too failed to supress the rebellions there, and, for his troubles, he was branded a traitor."

Bloom picked up one of Cowen's defeated pawns and started to thread it through his fingers. "You don't think Sigurd was a traitor then?"

"I know he wasn't a traitor," Cowen confessed. "My daughter told me everything. Check."

Bloom looked down at the board. A two pronged attack! The sly devil did succeed in distracting me. "What does your daughter have to do with any of it?"

"She's the one who gained him Alvis' trust. By betraying your father in the heat of battle."

Bloom dropped the pawn. "What!?"

"She led the Roten Ritter during the final battle. They turned on Reptor and assisted Sigurd in defeating him. Then, they led Sigurd's army to Barhara under a guise of friendship and swiftly betrayed them. It was a master stroke from Alvis, eliminating two enemies at once."

Bloom had known about Sigurd's innocence ever since Sileese, but he had not known the true circumstances of Reptor's death. "Your daughter killed my father?"

"Yes, on Alvis' orders. Check."

Bloom ignored the game. He stood up and started pacing. "Why are you telling me this?"

"So you know what kind of man Alvis is. He's willing to do whatever it takes to strengthen the Empire. It's what makes him a good leader, but one you must be wary of."

Bloom opened the door and ordered the soldier standing guard outside to ready a carriage for him.

"What are you doing?" Cowen asked, a hint of outrage in his voice.

"I'm going to see Alvis. To get to the truth of the matter."

"I advise against that. You're needed here. We've already quelled Munster, just a few more months to get Leinster under control and you won't need to worry about anything."

"I don't care!" Bloom shouted. "He killed my father! I must know why."

Grannvale Empire, Barhara, 765

Bloom arrived at Barhara unannounced. Alvis wasn't there. He was off on one of his mysterious trips that he told no one about. When he did return, they tried to tell Bloom he was too busy to take visitors. Bloom had grown more confident since that day, four years ago, when he had been forced to wait with the priest from Edda. He demanded to see Alvis immediately, and his demands were met. The meeting did not take place in a corridor. It was in the throne room, yet it still wasn't like Bloom had originally envisioned. For some reason, no one had lit the room. Alvis sat in the darkness, with only a sliver of moonlight illuminating his feet. Bloom stood at the bottom of the steps leading up to the throne. The wrath he had felt in Ulster had not diminished in the weeks it had taken to get this meeting. He had carefully rationed the anger, making sure it was reserved and ready for this crucial moment.

"What are you doing here, Bloom?" Alvis asked. His voice was filled with exasperation and irritance.

"I've come to learn the truth! Did you order the death of my father?"

Alvis was quiet for a moment. The silence was overbearing. The hall was so big an empty, it felt like the only room in the world. He tried to focus on Alvis' face, to guess what was passing through the emperor's mind, but the shadows enveloped Alvis, revealing nothing.

"Who told you that?" Alvis eventually asked.

"Does it matter!? Just tell me if it's true."

Again, a lengthy silence passed before Alvis deigned to answer. "It is."

"Why!? He trusted you! Sigurd trusted you! And you betrayed them both!"

"Reptor didn't trust me," Alvis snapped. "If he were in my position, he would have done the exact same thing. Your father was a power hungry fool. And unlike me, he didn't want that power for any reason other than to have it. He didn't want to rule this kingdom, he wanted it to bow to him. If I had let him survive that battle, he would have murdered me, just like he murdered my wife's father!"

Bloom's fists shook. "Maybe so, but he was still my father. How would you feel if I killed the man who raised you?"

Alvis leaned forward, allowing the moon to illuminate his face. He looked just as angry as Bloom. "I would have thanked you. My father was a lecherous drunk who drove my mother insane. I would have killed him myself if given half the chance."

It was Bloom's turn to grow quiet. He didn't know how he wanted to respond. He wanted Alvis to understand his pain, his horror, but there was no common ground to empathize with.

"These past few months have not been kind to me," Alvis said, his voice was less angry now, though it was still far from gentle. "If you have nothing further to discuss with me, then please leave."

"Is that all you have to say? You won't even apologise?"

"No. I won't. Because I did it for the good of the continent. We have peace now. Neither Sigurd, nor Reptor could have brought that. Only I could have."

"Oh we have peace," Bloom said mockingly. "Well actions have consequences, Alvis. You won't have peace if I gather the armies of Munster and march against Grannvale!"

"You wouldn't dare."

"Do you want to test that? You made me a king. I have that right."

"You would really go to war over this grievance? Think about how many fathers you will kill with that decision."

"The question isn't if I would really do it. The question is, would you really let me?"

"Oh, so you want me to beg, do you?" Alvis' voice began to rise again. "I've already given you a kingship and a wife, what more could you possibly want!?"

"The head of the woman who murdered my father."

Alvis paused. "You mean Aida?"

"Yes. Aida. Your most trusted general. Is her life worth more to you than peace on this continent?"

"If you rebel, Bloom, then I swear I'll-"

"I said is her life worth more to you than peace!?" Bloom roared.

Again, silence descended. Bloom didn't know what Alvis would say. It looked like Alvis didn't know what he would say either. "Yes," he eventually muttered. "She is my friend. I will not let you have her."

"Then it seems you have some degree of loyalty for those that serve you." Bloom twirled on the spot and began to walk away. His heavy footsteps echoed across the hall.

Jugdral, 765

Bloom did not go to war with Alvis. He would have, if Alvis did willingly surrender Aida. It would have proven that he was not worthy of loyalty. Bloom had to face the facts, Alvis had been right about Reptor. Bloom knew he needed to be more than Reptor. He needed to forgive Alvis, for his own sake, and for the sake of all the people on the continent, his children included.