Chapter Twenty Two - Family Matters
The Manticore Knights assumed full control of the vessel. Much of the crew was still able to work and were made to work. Being surrounded by Manticores flying around them, and Knights on the deck making sure they co-operated was a powerful motivator. Karin ordered their ship brought into position for a landing near Luberon.
Julio leaned back against the back bulwark of the ship's quarterdeck and observed while Calista was getting a lesson in the operation of the vessel. The lesson covered steering of the airship from the helmsman himself. As he observed, the Jedi believed her childlike interest and curiosity about the ship would rate among the most entertaining things he'd ever witnessed in his life. He felt a stirring in the Force and turned around with a pleased expression on his face upon seeing a purple wind dragon in the distance behind the airship and closing in quickly.
"She could learn a thing or two about timing from Lady Tabitha. I'll let the Commander know we have an ally coming."
Calista turned the helm slightly and nodded at Julio. "Before you go…"
Julio stopped before going down the steps off the quarterdeck and turned his head to Calista to hear her out. When she spoke, it was in an awkward and uncomfortable tone which even her posh Imperial accent couldn't mask entirely, "Thank you for bringing me along. You could have done it without me but... I needed this."
Julio wanted to accept the olive branch, but he wasn't under any pretenses. He knew she was grateful for this opportunity to do something productive. However nothing would change between them. By the end of the day, they would be enemies again. But it was something at least. Something other than the imperatives of both the Jedi and Sith orders. All he could do was bring her back into her comfort zone for now. "Arrrrgh. A good admiral always uses all of his assets… Even a pirate admiral using a corsair princess. You don't owe me any thanks my lady. We simply had a mission that needed to get done." answered Julio with a smile.
"Naturally. Ya still ain't earned yer place in me crew," said Calista with a sly grin.
"Arrrgh. Of course," concluded Julio with a polite bow of his head.
Calista turned her full attention back to the helm, her eyes set upon a compass in front of her.
"Ship like this mi'lady, ya fly by that compass, and your ears, if you hear the howling port and star, you're against the wind and that's bad, so one ear always for the deck, yeah? But the most important thing is the nose. All winds smell different, if you can smell it all's left is the feel, be one with the old gal and know what she wants to do. But ya gotta to be firm, old gals have their moods."
"I understand," said Calista before taking a deep breath of the cold air. "This is what flying should be. Your feelings and senses. Not computers and automation. So how will we land this now?"
"That's simple mi'lady. All we gotta do is keep her on course and circle around while the mages lower the ship through the windstones. See this tube over here? This goes all the way to the windstone room. With this we let the mages know by how much to lower our altitude. Our job is just to be sure that the ship is in the right place at the right moment. Keep yer eyes on that compass, and your timepiece. Three minutes north now, then hard to port and I'll tell ya what's next," explained the helmsman.
Azzurro landed below the Airship while it was circling overhead and gradually reducing in altitude. Then the purple Wind Dragon he spotted early landed a few meters ahead of him and sat down to rest while its rider dismounted and started walking towards Julio who in turn dismounted and started walking to greet the newcomer.
"Master! It wasn't easy to find you!," said the young woman. She had light brown hair tied up neatly in a ponytail and dressed similarly to Julio, except for a lower cut coat under her white cloak and fine jewelry around her neck.
Julio bowed to her in response, "It's good to see you Padawan Eponine, but I am curious, where is your Master? Have you come alone?"
"The Pope felt that you might need a hand since you were taking so long and haven't sent word. So I'm here to deliver a letter from His Holiness and take back any information you wish to convey to him," she said while approaching and pulling a letter out of her bag and offered it to Julio who in turn accepted it.
"I understand, but, why are you here without your Master? Surely the Pope hasn't forgotten the rules of our order…"
"Forgive me Master Chesare. I had the only available Wind Dragon to get here in a timely manner. As for my Master, he felt I could handle this humble task on my own."
"Very well. That's good enough I suppose. You and your dragon must be tired from the journey. Let's go get you both fed and rested."
Morlaix
"Dammit Gimli! I was there! I heard what you said to her. You're lucky we were moving out, but when we get back, if she sees you. You're doomed."
"It was a joke! And if I recall, it was your idea to suggest that she's always screaming at everyone because she doesn't get to-"
"Don't repeat it! Please. It was the weakest of my witty repartee and I'd rather not be reminded. But honestly though, can you blame us? She's like… Louise the Zero, but blonde, with tits, and glasses," said Reynald with a wistful look on his face.
"That's weak. Don't try to dodge justice for what you said while leaving me as the only one accepting responsibility. Poor Malicorne already paid for both of us."
"He needed the exercise. He came dangerously close to being the first person to ever literally drown in a glass of wine."
"I can't believe he didn't know water mages could work with anything liquid. How does he get by in class? On hopes and dreams? Oh and speak of the devil… Here he comes now." The two looked up the road from them at their friend who was pulling three horses behind him and looking exhausted. "Why doesn't he just ride one of the horses?" asked Gimli.
"You really have to ask? He's exercising. He was doing that ever since the Zero's familiar gave him that lecture about eating and running."
"Now that you mention it. Yeah. I never asked him about that."
"Don't. Leave it be for now. Trust me. Just trust me. It'll be a hell of lot funnier when we see why. Just believe me on this one."
Gimli's eyes drifted from Malicorne to a lone oak tree standing just outside the town. There wasn't anything particularly special about the tree except for the feeling it gave him. Gimli was suddenly nauseated and couldn't turn away from it quickly enough. He bent over slightly and made sure his cloak was out of the way, just in case.
"Gimli, how are you doing right now?" asked Reynald who put a hand on his friend's shoulder.
"I'm hanging- I mean, I'm… I'm alright," answered a Gimli in a shaky voice.
"You're not going to throw up again are you?"
"If I had anything left in my stomach, I probably would."
"We'll be back in Luberon in a few hours. So just hang in there."
"Bad choice of words Reynald… Grrr! Could Malicorne be any slower?! Those poor people in the tree could have run faster…"
"Yes. But they obviously weren't fast enough."
"Damn it! The more I try to avoid it, the more I end up talking about it. And why would you say something so cold?!"
"I'm sorry. It just came out. I didn't mean it. But if you feel you need to say something about it Gimli. Don't hold it in. It's just us right now," said Reynald in a solemn tone.
"I knew those people Reynald. They were good people. Friends of our family. I used to watch their kids when they came over to our family home. I just saw them last winter. I taught the little boy how to play cards… And then they were just… Hanging there. Off that tree. As if they were… As if they were… Those people got off easy. We should have strung them up after we got done beating them with their own severed limbs just for good measure… Hanging a whole family off a damn tree! Who does this?!"
"I understand how you feel. But we're going to see a lot worse than that if we keep going with this. So I need to know if you're still in. Because I'm sure as hell having second thoughts, but I'm not turning my back on you, So are you in or out?"
"In or out? Is that even a question Reynald? We're noblemen. We don't turn coward and run when we see bad things. The sight of that just makes me want to do more bad things to them!"
"Then we'd be no better. Though, after what we were ordered to do in retaliation, I dare say we're hardly on the moral high ground right now."
"Let's not talk about it anymore… Please?"
"Sure Gimli."
Lutece
Business was booming at the Enchanted Fairy Inn. Carnal urges weren't set aside during times of crisis, in fact the demand exceeded the supply so much that prices went up four fold and were still being eagerly paid.
"So how does it feel to spent a night with a former Count? I do believe all those "my lords" were directed to me personally, not my former status?"
"It was…. Enchanting, my dear. If you have a quarter of the strength and passion in battle that you have in the bedroom then truly no army could face you in combat."
Marleene was smiling, she knew what all her clients wanted to hear. She'd dealt with much worse and managed to lull them into bliss. But by no stretch did she believe this particular client was in the category of her worst. She rather enjoyed his company since it wasn't exactly hard work, and he always tipped well. Some, like him wanted their egos stroked more than their erogenous areas. His family married him to a much older woman and so he became a regular client who needed the company of someone who could offer him what his wife couldn't, or wouldn't.
"You always know just what to say Marleene. Perhaps when all this is over and the law of the land becomes more reasonable, and I may leave my wife without fear of retribution from either of our families… Perhaps you'd consider being my wife?"
"You honor me my lord. But surely there are more suitable matches waiting for you to be free for them? Your situation will change and many new possibilities will be open to you. You shouldn't rush into new things."
"Truly wise beyond your station my dear. It only proves the righteousness of our cause. Even more reason to marry you before anyone else does."
"A Germanian wife is not an easy thing for a Tristanian man to handle. She can drink you under the table, beat you at cards, beat up your friends, and she won't sit quietly and be told what to do. She sets the rules of the house, and you follow them or face the consequences," explained Marlene with a wink.
The former noble smiled before bursting into a fit of happy laughter. "Fine. I'll take my time to reconsider my life and my future. But if I still see you in it, I'll be back for you."
"You know where to find me. By the way, the hour is past, so you should leave before the Mademoiselle comes to charge you for another hour."
"Ahh, that's yet another reason I respect you. You don't let me get ripped off in here. I do appreciate it."
"I always strive to be fair. You know this," she said in a gentle voice before giving him a tender kiss to the cheek.
"I'll see you in few days then Marleene."
"I await you eagerly."
Marleene took a moment to look at the candle on her bedside table after he left. She heard the break out was a success, but still she was worried about Kirche. Every flame reminded her of their time together. She missed her, but all she could do was hope she was safe. All she heard about since she left was about how good things will be in Tristain for everyone after a new government is formed. She didn't see what was so good about it. Nothing would change for her, or anyone else. Different countries, different rulers, different laws, but human suffering was the only constant. The only thing that mattered to her was that one person who in a few days made life more interesting and exciting. Anything else, simply wasn't her problem.
"I hope we'll be together again soon..." she said to herself before blowing the candle out and going to sleep.
But sleep couldn't find her. The thought of Kirche got stuck in her mind. What was different about her? She didn't come to her as a client was the first. She was genuine in her desire for their friendship. What came next, just happened. Now she was gone, just like everyone else comes and goes. She couldn't come back even if she wanted to. She didn't even really know if she did want to come back. It easy to allow herself to wish for her, and think of her. But, even if that did come, what next? It was so wrong in so many ways. Kirche was a noble, and she was a commoner. Kirche got angry at her for thinking like that, but it was true.
The man just now was proud to no longer be considered a noble. That would never be Kirche, she knew that. Kirche was proud of her heritage, proud of who and what she was. She just didn't want it getting between them. Even if these revolutionaries won their battle, they still couldn't be openly together. Some taboos wouldn't just go away. But there was one thing she learned about all their rhetoric that did stick with her. The right to express ideas. Would the world really change enough to accept the idea of two women being together? Or at least change enough that it wouldn't be considered a crime? But the biggest question wasn't any of that at all. The real question she pondered was if it was worth it to try? She wouldn't know that until she could see her again and find out.
Luberon
Calista sat on a tree stump where she could see the airship clearly. She had a book on her lap, on top of that book was some blank paper. In her hand she held a crude pencil she obtained from one of the locals for this project with which she began to draw what she saw. She couldn't remember the last time she took the time to paint, or draw. Or even what her last work actually was.
"It's been far too long…" she said to herself softly.
It was the scene before her which compelled her. The ship was beautiful in its simplicity. Nothing at all like what she was used to. The technology she was accustomed to certainly had a grand scale, but she never cared for Imperial designs. Function over form was the design philosophy in the Sith Empire. But this wooden airship was as much a work of art as it was a functioning vessel.
Her moment of serenity was interrupted by a loud roar. She looked over to her right and saw Tabitha's dragon walking away with her head lowered from the purple newcomer who was now sitting proudly beside Julio's white dragon. Suddenly she was overcome with a profound sense of empathy for the light blue dragon and stood up to walk over to her.
It was a strange feeling, to find an animal relatable. The sight of Sylphid being driven from the rest of her kind provoked vivid memories of her visit to Eshan, and how her own kind were quick to reject her. The experience gave her a feeling of kinship with the sad looking beast she was approaching. When she arrived she placed a hand gently upon Sylphid's head and looked into her big green eyes.
"Sylphid my friend. You shouldn't let that bitch dominate you like that. You have fought in real battles. You are a fighter! Do not be intimidated by a jealous twat like her. If you would like to be friends with Azzurro, she will have to accept that or she should be the one to leave. Not you. You two have fought together side by side have you not?"
The look in the dragon's eyes drew an especially curious look from the petite Echani. It was as if the creature was actually considering her words.
"Then you should go over there and show her who the alpha dragon around here really is." concluded Calista.
Suddenly Sylphid picked up her head and started walking away at a brisk pace leaving Calista in her tracks with a stunned expression on her face. The big blue dragon actually walked up to the other two and shoved herself in between them, forcing the purple female to step aside and growl at her menacingly. But this time Sylphid did not back down and roared in her face loudly enough to cause the handlers and soldiers around them to become nervous. The tension in the air lifted when the purple dragon simply sat down next to Sylphid and didn't make another sound.
"Thank you," said Tabitha.
Calista looked to her left at the slightly shorter bluenette and shrugged her shoulders. "Thank you for what? I didn't do anything."
"Encouragement," replied Tabitha.
"Encouragement? Tell me something… Just how intelligent are those dragons? When I spoke to Sylphid, I could have sworn she not only understood me, but comprehended me. It was like she acted on what I said. That wasn't just instinct."
"Very intelligent," was her monotone response.
Calista knew that was all she was getting from the girl because she said nothing more and started walking away with a book in her hands that she was opening to read.
Calista shook her head after taking another look at the three dragons. "Very interesting…"
"WHAT?!" screamed Kirche towards Guiche and Louise who were seated on the bed opposite her while waiting for the healer to return.
"She can't hear a word we're saying. I hope it isn't permanent," said Louise with a sad frown.
Kirche meanwhile was forcing herself to yawn, and then started rubbing her ears in a vain attempt to get the ringing to stop. Louise was quick to her side and grabbed a hold of her hands to make her stop.
"Stop it Kirche! The healer said not to do that or you'll make it worse!" yelled Louise as loud as she could.
"Give it up Louise. Your words are quite literally falling on deaf ears…" said Guiche as he lay back on his bed.
"What's got you in such a bad mood all of a sudden?" asked Louise who turned her attention to Guiche while holding onto Kirche's hands to keep her from rubbing her ears again.
"Nothing at all. Besides having to see my friend sitting there completely deaf from a misadventure you passed up on to stay here and watch over me instead of being there to perhaps prevent this unnecessary suffering. What could possibly be around to sour my mood? How dense are you to ask such a stupid question?!"
"You think this is my fault!? What could I possibly have done to help? At best I would have just been in the way!"
"Awww! Poor little Louise can storm a prison to save her mother, but won't lift a finger for the friend who helped her do it because she thinks she can't do anything useful! Look at your damn self! You're right back where you started Louise! Helpless."
"Just as helpless as you were to help your friend over there?" said a snide Louise with a gesture to the bed where Lazare laid unconscious.
"Bitch."
"Got a more valid argument? Or does this dog have no bite to back up his bark?"
"You have real power now. But instead of going out and using it to make a difference, you chose to stay behind. You chose to make yourself less useful than the mules pulling the wagons, at least they contribute something to our efforts here. You did nothing when presented with the opportunity."
"Don't you dare talk like you understand me and my situation! You have no idea-"
"I have a better idea than you give me credit for! You're afraid! I'm laying here because I have no choice. But you do have a choice! And you made the wrong choice. And now you're sitting beside the consequences!"
"Shut up Guiche!"
"No I will NOT! Damn it Louise! When you were utterly powerless you were willing to throw your own life away to protect that commoner friend of your's. Now that you have power, you do not make use of it! Is her life more valuable than your own? Is her life more valuable than Kirche's? Tabitha's? Even Calista's?! What about all the other soldiers? Do you not value them at all? Why are you even still here if you're going to do nothing?! This is an army! We're here to fight! We're not in school anymore!"
"Shut up! Just Shut up!"
"No! You wanted a dog. Well this one does have a bite! So are you going to just sit there and take it? Or will you actually do something useful for a change?!"
"I want to! But no one will let me!"
"Excuses! I don't recall you ever asking permission when we went after Count Mott. What makes you think you need to start asking now? Your new talents can help us all immeasurably! But only if the powers that be know what you are capable of!"
"I gave my word…."
"And you kept it. I'm fine. I'll be killing dragons in hours. My father will be proud of you."
"You don't understand! I promised my mother I would stay safe! She'd worry about me if I got involved, and she wouldn't be able to do her job!"
"Take a good look around Louise! And make a decision instead of an excuse!"
"IF THE HEALER ARRIVES WHILE YOU TWO ARE STILL GOING AT IT TELL HIM TO COME BACK AFTER YOU'RE DONE! I DON'T NEED MORE LOOSE CANNONS MAKING MY EARS BLEED!" yelled Kirche.
Meanwhile, outside the village Agnes and her veteran Musketeers were drilling their new recruits. Young volunteers from the army selected by the veteran Musketeers. The entire morning had been spent in training with only short breaks to attend to their various other duties duties. Agnes called for the new recruits to assemble around her.
"Which one of you can explain what the Musketeers are?" asked Agnes and then pointed to one of the young men who raised his hand.
"People who use Muskets?" he asked.
"I see we have a thinking man among us. Outstanding. Keep this up and I'll let you test the power of honey to repel bears! Now somebody tell me what we actually do for a living!"
"Protect the Queen?" said one of the other new recruits.
"That's a big part of our duty, yes. What else do we do?" Agnes looked around and sighed at the lack of answers.
"We are not just the Queen's bodyguards. We are her personal enforcers. When bad things happen, it is our duty to put a stop to it. That could be a rogue mage, an exceptional criminal, or for you new people, washing chamber pots if you don't start paying attention!"
Next, Agnes had her recruits drilling with their muskets. Much to her displeasure, few of them had even seen the weapon before much less fired one. Getting them comfortable with the muskets was a daunting task that tested the limits of her patience. Especially one recruit who was looking down into the barrel…
"Everyone stop! You… What do you think you're doing?!"
"Checking?" he said in a small voice.
"Checking to see if that gun will go off in your face to put you out of my misery?! Never, ever, let the muzzle ever come across any part of your body!"
With that, Agnes ripped the Musket from the young man's hands and began instructing him the proper procedures to handle and operate the weapon. Her actions were smooth, practiced, and the young man could only admire the passion she had in every movement and action she employed with the weapon.
"We call these things 'Flinch Locks' because there's a slight delay from when you pull the trigger until it fires, during that time you'll have this fire going off in your face and you have to keep it on target. If you flinch, you'll miss. That's why we're going to be drilling with this weapon until you can load, fire, and reload this weapon in your sleep. Next time someone violates basic weapon safety they spending the day shining shoes!"
"You're all sloppy with your Muskets…" started Agnes while pacing about before the new recruits. "But some of you are worse than others…" she concluded before stopping in front of two of the recruits, a young man and woman. "What do you two have to say for yourselves?"
"My Lady… It was only our first day," said the young girl.
"Always train like today is your last. Because if you don't meet my expectations, It will be! After this next session I want you all back at the firing range where you will continue to fire your weapons until you can do it without thinking about it. For now though… You, young lady, are going to do push ups."
"Push ups? How many?" she asked curiously.
"More," stated Agnes with a deadpan expression.
"More?"
"Even more!" yelled Agnes while pointing to the ground.
"I don't care how strong or experienced any of you think you are. In my eyes, you are less than useless. Pitiful beyond belief. You!" she yelled while pointing to one man who was probably slightly older than she herself was. "What do you think you're doing? Who told you to stop?"
"But ma'am? I just finished cleaning my weapon!"
"If you can clean a musket that fast you can help your comrades by cleaning all of theirs as well!"
Agnes carefully inspected the weapon with her trained eye, going over every subtle detail of every part and frowned in severe dissatisfaction. "You call this clean? If this is what you call clean then you must be the result of an Elf having an affair with a Cave Troll, who then produced a child who fucked a horse that shat you out and put you here to spoil my Muskets! Learn to clean! Or I'll clean you!"
Training at swordplay was a routine event in an army camp. Everyone with any sense took every opportunity to keep sharp. But that wasn't good enough for Agnes.
"I can see you've all been trained. That's good. Most of you are excellent. But before you let that go to your head. Understand that in my eyes, excellence is just pathetic and perfection is marginal. Miracles are acceptable to me, but to become a Musketeer, you have to be one with your weapon."
Agnes reached out and grabbed onto the arms of one of her recruits to stop him mid swing. "That sword is not a blunt weapon. It has an edge. Use it."
"With all due respect my lady. I know what I'm doing. I've bloodied this weapon in war!"
"Oh you know what you're doing? I'm sorry. You're obviously a seasoned warrior! A real tough guy that nobody should ever mess with. Right?"
"Yes my lady!"
"Alright then. Prove it. Take me down!" yelled Agnes while drawing her sword and taking a slice across his torso in the same motion. Though he evaded the strike, it left no doubt in his mind that she would seriously hurt or maim him if he allowed her to.
He was bigger than her, stronger. This should not have been a problem for him but she easily evaded every one of his swings with fancy footwork before catching his sword and a parry lock and twisting it out of her way. He was stronger and he managed to reverse the lock and push her out of the way, but then instead of standing her ground she sidestepped him and grabbed his wrist with her free hand. Before he knew what had happened she had kicked out the back of his knee sending him to the ground while twisting his wrist around until he felt an immense pain shooting up through his arm and a grotesque breaking noise echoing through his bones.
His sword dropped, his wrist broken, Agnes stood over him with her sword over her shoulder with a triumphant smirk. "Hacking and cleaving is enough to get you into the army but it won't get you anywhere in a real fight where you're expected to be more than cannon fodder. Is that clear?"
"Yes my lady!"
"If you treat your weapon as nothing more than a means to fight a war you are never going to get the most out of it. You have to make your weapon an extension of yourself. It should be just as difficult to part you from your weapons as it would be for me to rip your arm clean out of its socket! In this case, it wasn't difficult for me to do either."
She then looked around at the other recruits and veterans who gave her their undivided attention. She held up her sword to illustrate her point. "This is not only a weapon. It is a tool. It is the means by which you carry out justice. As a wise man said to me that I now say to you. Justice without force is powerless. And force without justice is tyranny. That is what the Musketeers were created to be. That was the vision her Highness laid out when she tasked me with creating this elite group of soldiers. That is what you will be. And it starts with how you wield your weapon! Now get a healer down here to attend to this man and start again!"
Agnes watched as the trainees practiced their sword drills as shown by the veteran Musketeers. She paced around in between them and continued to make her points to them. "Anyone can swing a sword to cleave an enemy. That's also what butchers do. That's not who we are, that's not what we do. We carry out the will of her majesty the Queen. She is none of those things, and as we act on her behalf, we must conduct ourselves accordingly. As such, I will decide what's best, not your egos!"
Julio stood a comfortable distance away from the Musketeer's training, silently observing their activities with a blank expression. The world around them paid no heed, but he certainly took careful note of how violent Agnes was being with her trainees. Yet, one thing about it that kept his judgement reserved was how disciplined Agnes and her veteran Musketeers were. The same discipline they were working to instill in their recruits. She had her ways, just as the Jedi had theirs, and the Republic Clone Army had their own ways as well. He couldn't judge the means without understanding the end result.
He took a quick glance at the rest of his surroundings before closing his eyes and reaching out with his senses where he could perceive a very different reality of the world around him. He could see the Force being affected by the people gathering, training, patrolling, planning. Their grim, determined moods left its marks upon the living Force for him to read like an option book. The tension, apprehension, anger, hatred, and unadulterated fury were laid bare before him. It wasn't the first time he'd senses such feelings in a war zone, but it never stopped affecting him. Apathy towards such feelings would be a sure sign of the inevitable fall of any Jedi.
He could also see the shroud of the Dark Side surrounding the small Echani woman, working with her apprentice no doubt as he could sense the slightest hint of the Dark Side coming from her as well. No. That wasn't it, they were apart. The Jedi then sensed Calista's attempt to block his senses but she was no match for him. He simply applied a gentle pressure to her defenses, a subtle reminder to the young woman of her vulnerability and inexperience. He wanted her to know he was watching, and could sense her no matter what.
Calista felt the pressure on her mind and suppressed the urge to lash out at him. Instead she choose to make use of him to train her powers. This amused Julio as he sensed her deep in meditation working to strengthen her defenses. She put all her effort into hiding herself from him by masking her aura. At one time, she was able to hide from him. But now that he was aware of her, it wouldn't be enough.
"Perhaps with more training, 'captain'..." Julio said to himself while suppressing a smirk.
"Pardon me master? Who are you talking to?" asked a voice from behind him.
Julio shook his head and replied in a soft tone, "Ahh, Padawan. It's nothing you need be concerned with. How may I help you?"
Eponine mustered a small polite smile before she spoke. "I'm just curious Master. It seems like you've been through a lot since your departure. You intend to help these people with their conflict, but you always said we shouldn't interfere in other people's conflicts."
"Adversity is a constant in life. As for your question Padawan, our duty is to keep the peace. There are times when doing that means taking an active role in disempowering those who would threaten to create and spread conflict. There is also a wild card in play here that we must be mindful of."
"A wild card? What are you talking about?"
"A Sith Lord. Brought here the same way I was."
"Like the ones who caused all that trouble where you come from?"
"The same. But, different. She isn't like those Sith, she's not as powerful. But do not underestimate her. She's powerful enough."
"Is she pretty?" asked Eponine in a shy tone.
Julio raised an inquisitive eyebrow at the younger woman before him. "She is dangerous. She's capable of things you can't imagine in your worst nightmares. And yes some may find her attractive. But for a Sith, that is just another weapon in their arsenal. Now, why would her looks be of any concern at all?"
"I… I was just trying to grasp the full scale of her abilities, so I can make a full report to his Holiness. In this world, being pretty opens doors for people, so it could be a factor..."
"You are a terrible liar, Padawan."
"Master!"
"Seeking rivals everywhere is your flaw. Same as pride in your distinguished looks. Your true strength and beauty comes from your wits and resolve, not from your lucky draw in the genetic lottery."
With a faint blush Eponine answered in a small voice "Yes, Master. But, what's a genetic lottery?"
"Hmm… Remind me to teach you and your fellows more about science when we return. For now. We have much work to do. Come with me."
Lutece Royal Palace
Brinvilliers looked at the reports that were coming back to him from the entire country. They were grim. The carnage was even worse than he had anticipated. While it was disappointing to him, it didn't matter in the long run. It was just a bloody period like so many others in history. Tristain was strong, and it could endure the pain. Just as a mother must embraces the pains of birth. He flinched for a moment. That wasn't the metaphor he was looking for. He inked his quill while gathering his thoughts. It was more like a resurrection, a rebirth, not unlike the power his ring granted him.
Tristain was dead long before he started his quest for power and then for freedom. The fires raging across the country were merely a funeral pyre for the old decadent country that would have to be destroyed in order to build a new and stronger nation that would rise from the ashes of the old one.
It amused him when all the metaphors about fire came so easily to mind when all he needed to do was look out the window behind him to see the still smoldering ruins of the buildings Marianne had set ablaze during her escape. One thing is for sure… This nation will endure a lot of burning pains before it can change.
Brinvilliers looked up at the painting again, all of them there save for one who was now on his mind. The artist himself. "I wonder if you would have approved? This kind of barbarism and savagery was your thing anyway. Never mine."
Luberon
Karin sat in a chair in her private tent where she was carefully changing the bandages on her hands. Between her time and prison and punishing her prisoner, she felt fortunate her wounds had not turned gangrenous. Standing behind her, Eleonore was arguing passionately about her plan, which her mother had thrown out as soon as she assumed command. It was beginning to wear on Karin's patience.
"Why can't you look at the plan in its proper context? I've had to furiously rework it twice because of your recklessness. I'm telling you that-"
"Eleonore! You get a lot of leeway being my daughter. But right now I'm not your mother! I'm the Military Commander of this war effort! I will not be lectured by a spoiled brat who thinks it's acceptable to reduce the lives of everyone fighting in this war to numbers on paper! You might do that with your Father and his employees, but war is a bloody business I've worked all my life to make sure you'd never have to experience!"
"That has nothing to do with anything... That isn't even fair! I know damn well what the numbers represent! If you would just read my proposals! Then you wouldn't have been surprised by that warship the enemy captured."
"You are walking walking on thin ice… The only surprise I had was the fact that it dared to fly over our heads!"
"My first plan mentioned the possibility that the fleet based on La Rochelle could have been compromised and called for contingencies to be put in place to deal with them. Instead we sat on our thumbs and spread our forces out thin! It was only by sheer luck that we got the one back under our control! If it weren't for those Dragons our entire forces could have been bombed or worse!"
"I don't deal in 'what ifs' I work with facts and not supposition! And which exact simulation showed two or wait… Now three dragons on our side?"
"It's still two. The third isn't staying. To answer your question, none of of them per say. At the time they were questionable assets that we were unsure would fully commit and thus couldn't plan anything reliant upon them. This was mentioned in my proposals. And my second, third, fourth and-"
"So you see that your calculations can be flawed! Fact! Your plan called for us to sit around and prepare a lengthy siege to the capital. We don't have time for that! Every moment our country is destabilized is another moment our enemies can use to prepare to invade us!"
"My calculations are perfect! At this time Brinvillers will have all the other ships standing ready to defend the capital. All your Knights would be slaughtered, and our war ship would be reduced to cinders!"
"Again you're calculations tell me nothing useful! You have no idea how battles are waged. How people can overcome challenges. Mathematics can't predict the Human spirit!"
"But they can predict what we'll be up against and let you plan accordingly! Why can't you understand that?!"
"This conversation is over now. Unless you have something to tell me about our supply situation, you're dismissed!"
"That's all you ever do! Dismiss me! I bet you'd listen if Aunt Marie was the one telling you all this!"
"Eleonore… Don't go there," said Karin with a seething tone.
"Right now she'd tell you to stop being stupid and start thinking!"
Karin stood up with a very sharp inhale and took two steps towards Eleonore, into her personal space before she could even react and slapped her across the face hard enough to send her down to the floor.
"I don't care that you're my first born, my subordinate, or anything! No one… Talks to me like that! Now if I don't see you getting back to work I'll really start to treat you like I would anyone else under my command. Learn when to keep your mouth shut. That's always been your problem your whole life. I tolerate it at home, but I won't tolerate it here!"
Kirche rubbed the last of the ringing out of her hears while stepping out of the infirmary. She forced her mouth open as wide as it would go until she felt the pressure in her ears sharply release to her immense relief.
"Are you better now?" asked Tabitha who was leaning beside the door with her face in a book.
"Much better now that I can hear your sweet voice again instead of Louise and Guiche's insufferable quarreling. Half blind is bad enough. Deafness? No thank you," said Kirche with a firm nod.
"I'm glad," stated Tabitha. "Come," she quickly added.
"Where are we going?"
"To practice."
"Practice what?"
"Spell combination."
"We do that all the time though?"
"I learned something new."
Kirche was intrigued and stared at Tabitha for a long moment while she walked away from her. "This should be interesting," said the redhead before briskly walking to catch up to her petite friend.
"So what do you have in mind?" asked Kirche.
Tabitha responded by opening her book to a marked page and handing it to Kirche with her finger pointed at a set of instructions. Kirche stopped to read it while Tabitha kept walking. Kirche tried to keep pace but had no idea how her friend could walk and read at the same time. Or for that matter how she managed to multitask reading and everything else she did.
"These are instructions for a water spell though? How does this apply to us?" she wondered aloud.
"Different magic, same technique."
"This looks complicated. Are you sure we can pull this off?"
"Manageable but difficult. He over explains details. I made it simpler," said Tabitha while handing Kirche a rolled up parchment for her to read.
The taller redhead unrolled the paper and examined it with a raised brow. "You call this a simplification?"
"Yes," was Tabitha's brief response.
"I'm not sure this is going to work. You need a lot out of me here, and I just don't know about it…"
"Try."
When they arrived at the location Tabitha had selected for their practice she held up her staff and looked at Kirche who slowly drew out her wand and bit her lower lip with a narrowed eye.
"I'm really not sure about this…"
No spell had ever backfired on Kirche since her first year of school, and even that was under special circumstances. Under normal circumstances, having a spell backfire in such a way that would make Louise Valliere seem like a competent mage would be an unspeakable humiliation. However, these were not normal circumstances and the consequences were equally abnormal for the pair.
The flames were out of control, blazing and roaring. It was taking everything the two mages had to prevent an explosion the likes of which the previously mentioned pink haired mage couldn't conjure up in her worst nightmares. Neither Kirche nor Tabitha had ever seen magic of this magnitude.
The spell had a mind of its own. It refused all attempts to be contained or controlled. The flames kept getting brighter and had no shortage of energy. She knew of course where she went wrong with the spell. Tabitha's instructions were perfectly clear once she read and understood them. There was one part she didn't follow to the letter. One part which now turned out to be more important than she realized. She held back. Kirche held back at the critical moment in the cast which threw Tabitha off her's, and ultimately caused the spell to go crazy.
Now she was on the verge of magical exhaustion from her efforts to neutralize the spell, but deep inside she knew what the end result was going to be. When magic goes wrong, it went all the way wrong.
Tabitha opened her mouth to utter one single word, "Fuck…"
The very next moment there was a sudden burst of fire and wind in all directions as the spell collapsed and the two had to duck, cover, and pray they wouldn't be consumed by it.
Germania
Three years ago
"No!" screamed Kirche with indignant fury. The last thing she heard was the sound of her own voice trailing off as everything went mute.
She didn't know how much, if any time had passed. The young mage slowly fell to her knees while the whole world was crumbling around around her. It didn't feel at all like reality. Some experiences are so intense the brain can't process events fast enough, in this case, it was sight without sound that caused reality to come into question. How could all sound in the world suddenly go away? Was this what it felt like to die? But the pain she felt from her ravaged face, her constant companion in life, was ever present to remind her that this was in fact real. If death was coming or not, it really made no difference to her one way or the other.
Blazing flames were all around in her, filling her limited field of vision. It brought a smile to her lips. The fire was dancing for her. It was a blissful feeling she couldn't explain, but thoroughly enjoyed. Everything was burning down around her, for her own personal entertainment. Through the flames she heard some people screaming, she couldn't tell if they were real or not. But what caught her attention about it was that the screams were to her like a chorus to accompany the symphony of sounds filling her ears from the all-consuming flames.
A flaming figure past through her sight. Panic stricken, the figure wailed about desperate for relief from the flames engulfing it. A dance of life and death set to the symphony of flames. She couldn't help finding it entertaining. The whole world had been transformed for her. Remade in her image. Everything which now existed did so for her personal amusement. The thought gave her a rush of excitement she'd never experienced before. This place had sought to make her into the entertainment. To make her fight for their amusement. But now it burned for her's.
Her eye was tearing from the heat, so she blinked furiously to clear it. She didn't want to miss a moment of this. But as she blinked she noticed the world went dark and couldn't understand why that was happening.
"Oh right… I'm missing an eye," she said to herself in a serene tone.
For some reason she found that thought hilarious and burst into laughter. The wall of the building collapsed covering some small human like shapes buried under burning rubble.
"You know… At first I didn't like this place. Seems all it needed was a little of the Kirche touch," she said while raising a vial of red liquid to the burning people and drinking its contents, renewing and intensifying her rush of euphoria.
She felt arms try to wrap around her and pull. Disgust replaced her euphoria. She heard sounds in her ears attempting to drown out the music she was enjoying. She had no idea what the voice was trying to say. It had dared to intrude on her and pull her away from her beautiful symphony. Kirche had her wand in her hand. She didn't know how long she'd been holding it or why, but she just needed to mumble a simple spell to push him away and direct him to where he could be of entertainment to her. Right on a sharp edged splinter of burnt wood. Kirche narrowed her eye at him while he avoided death by impalement. He had the audacity to extinguish a beautiful flame from his sleeve!
She found that so very sad. Did that flame do anything wrong? It had just been birthed on the fabric of whatever covered this abominable man. It was like his child. Born of him and the fire he touched. It had every right to exist! It was just a helpless little spark. All it wanted was to consume, grow, and burn. Like fire is meant to. To see the world with two glorious eyes. To blaze brightly and banish the darkness. "How could he?" she asked aloud as she raised her wand. "I will avenge you, my beautiful flame!" and with a short chant, ignited the man. Punishing him with flames that ravaged his body with the wrath of their caster's fury.
"Now you know how it feels to be snuffed out..."
Louise stopped in her tracks while holding a plate of food in her hands. Her gaze settled across the camp. She observed with seething fury as Guiche walked towards the scouts. From what she could tell they were all busy doing maintenance. Cleaning boots, weapons, restringing bows. She watched Guiche look around for something to help with and saw him sit down with one of the Scouts who was busy cleaning their leather armor and picked something up to clean.
"Damn it all! I told him to stay! Now the only thing that mutt's getting is a fresh helping of ASS KICKING!"
As Louise stepped forward towards the target of her anger she felt a hand on her shoulder pull her back a step. Before she could redirect her anger she heard a man speak in a soft tone. "I understand your frustration young lady, but there's really no point. It's not easy for a man to just sit around on idle hands."
Louise looked over her shoulder and saw that it was Guiche's father who was restraining her. "But he was told to stay in the infirmary until given permission to leave? Why aren't you-"
"Oh I am angry. But I've also been there. So I can't exactly punish him for following my example now can I? Part of being in an army is learning to understand your comrades, and especially your subordinates. Everyone needs to be useful. So you need to learn to figure out how to make them feel useful at all times."
"If he wants to be useful, he should focus on his recovery!" said Louise through clenched teeth.
"And what have you done exactly to make him agree with that statement?"
"What should I have done?" asked Louise with a resigned tone.
"Well it depends on the individual. What Guiche needs is to keep his mind occupied. When you have a soldier who's restless in the infirmary, they need something to keep them busy. Usually they manage on their own just fine. I remember one soldier who had his arm amputated and kept getting out of bed to help the healers with their work however he could."
"What did you do about that?"
"Nothing. He was where he was suppose to be, and felt useful. That's my point. You have to get to know the people under your command and figure out how they function. Not just as soldiers, but as people."
"Hmm. He kept asking about the other Scout who's still unconscious," Louise wondered aloud.
"Scout Lazare, this was suppose to be his last deployment. And?"
"Well. What if I told him his orders were to keep an eye on that man?"
"Do you think that'll keep his mind occupied, make him feel useful, and keep him in the infirmary?"
"I doubt it. He's stubborn. He keeps wanting to be out here. Thing is though. I get what he's feeling. I also want to be useful, and feel held back."
"Are you sure about that? From my experience no rational person wants to be in the middle of a war. It's just that everyone expresses that fear in different ways. For Guiche, I just think he doesn't want to be alone, and he's found a comradery among those scouts. For you though. Well, you'll have to tell me."
"Because fighting feels like the right thing to do."
"Right for whom I wonder?"
Louise looked up at the General with a confused expression.
"Everyone has a reason to fight. It's easy to find reasons to fight. The hardest thing is deciding when not to fight. Even when you have every reason to fight. For your mother and I, it's personal. For my soldiers, they fight because they believe in our cause. What about you?"
"What about Guiche?"
"Why would his reasons have any effect on yours?"
"I suppose 'Because it feels right' isn't a good enough answer?"
"No."
"Then I don't know… I suppose it's because, I expect it of myself. Because of my mother. And now because of-"
"No. Stop right there. Let's be perfectly honest shall we? Your mother has a personal grudge in this war, that's one thing. But the reason she fights at all? It's because she's good at it. There's nothing more to it than that. Karin fights because that's all she knows how to do. You can question her competence at anything else. But not in battle."
"I'm not sure I understand?" asked a timid and confused Louise.
"When your life's ambition can only be found in combat. Your whole life becomes a war. But it's a war without any victories. Just battles, and casualties. It leaves you empty inside. On the battlefield. Life is cheap. It's gone in an instant. That's no way to live your life. Fighting for something, or living to fight. It's an important difference."
"That man had… Aunt… I mean... He killed the Queen. Henrietta is my friend. No. I suppose she's like my sister now. My mother is her Godmother. I want to fight, so she won't have to. I want to fight so nobody-"
"So nobody else has to die? So you'll kill to prevent deaths?"
"I just want to fight!" yelled Louise before covering her mouth in horror.
"Finally. Some honesty! Now tell me why. Where does that desire come from?"
"Because I want to matter. I want to make a difference! I want to live!"
"So your mother is right to hold you back. You're not ready for this."
"Why?!"
"If you just want find a good fight go visit a tavern and start a brawl. You have no idea how many times I've had to bail your mother out of those. I won't let anyone fight in this army who's only looking to, pardon the expression, prove the size of their rune stones."
"I've already done the tavern brawl… And I didn't need anyone to bail me out of it! I'm not looking to prove anything to anyone but myself!"
"You just made my point for me Louise. You're a danger to yourself, and to your comrades."
"You mentioned these 'Clone Wars' before Master. But, you never went into much detail about the Sith before. Are they truly as terrible as you say? How can anyone be so horrific?" asked Eponine with a reserved tone.
Julio closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he mustered his explanation. "The Dark Side of the Force does things to the mind you can't even begin to imagine. It's power comes from the absence of restraint. From giving in to your darkest emotions. Imagine for a moment what you might be capable of if you abandoned your sense of right and wrong and gave in to every negative emotion?"
"Sometimes I feel subtle urges like you suggest. For example when someone says something to offend me my first instinct is to hurt them. But I train myself to take the second option as you teach us to do."
"Think harder about it. What holds you back when you feel the temptation to do something you know is wrong?"
"Fear of the consequences."
"What if you believed there were no consequences? What do you think you'd be capable of?"
"I don't want to imagine that. I don't want to believe anyone could be that way. And if I can be honest Master. I don't think you believe it either... If she's as you say, why hasn't she used her power yet?"
"Has she, or hasn't she? We don't know everything yet. That's why I'm telling you all of this. We must be vigilant. The way of the Sith is deception. They are masters of manipulation. Be aware," explained Julio in a stern tone.
"Yes Master. I shall be ever vigilant. Freedom shall be maintained. I will resist oppression wherever I find it."
"You've come a long way Padawan. Remain mindful and remember what I said before. Don't go looking for conflicts where there are none."
Eponine blushed slightly. "Yes Master."