CHAPTER 8:
RETURN TO ALNUS
Pina stared at Harry as he explained the reasons why they were here. He was no diplomat, but he was trying to explain as best as he could, with Lelei and Rory's help, that the JSDF weren't here to do what she feared. Their main interest was to try and get the Empire to back down, not to destroy or conquer it. This only assured her a little, though Itami's terms for the treaty here helped matters. Pina thought that they were going to demand more than trade concessions and POWs. She even seemed astonished that POWs would be treated humanely. Not to mention the JSDF soldiers who had come with the helicopters were helping the clean-up effort.
However, on discussion with Pina, who revealed that the Rose Knights were coming with reinforcements, and Grey's observations that a few of her subordinates might believe Pina was being held captive, Harry voiced an opinion to Itami that they should delay heading back to Alnus until those subordinates came along, just in case one of them got it into their heads to attack. Itami agreed, though he left notifying HQ to Kuwahara.
In the meantime, after the treaty was finalised, and Itami began rounding up some of the prisoners to bring back to Alnus (including the bird girl Harry captured, whom he learned was a Siren called Myuute Luna Sires), Harry and Shino took a little stroll around the town. Technically, Shino was on patrol, but Itami knew that Shino and Harry needed to talk. "Jeez, talk about culture shock," Shino said, looking down at where Pina, Hamilton and Grey were discussing something in the square below. "I guess I should admire her skill in keeping this town safe until we got here, but that kid's green as anything."
"She's only a year younger than me, Shino," Harry said. "Anyway, the Rose Knights were well-trained, they just hadn't experienced war on this scale like those bandits wanted to wage. To say nothing of choppers and machine guns. Speaking of those bandits, I was called in with Lelei and Rory to help translate. Most of them were deserters from Alnus. Their desire was really to sacrifice this town to Emroy, as well as to give one big fuck you to the Emperor. Rory wanted to kill many of them then and there, and frankly, I would have let her if it weren't for the treaty. Some of them were just desperate men, though, or conscripted like Myuute."
"Glad Rory's on our side. I don't think any modern weapons could put her down for long. Hell, I'm not sure even a nuke would be more than a minor inconvenience," Shino said. "And Japan doesn't have a nuclear arsenal. Then again, considering Hiroshima and Nagasaki…" She shook her head. "Never mind. D'you reckon the princess will hold up her side of the bargain?"
"If she doesn't, it won't be through any fault of her own," Harry said. "I saw the look on her face. She doesn't want anything to happen to her people. The problem is going to be her family, if what Rory said was true. Her father was the one responsible for sending the army through in the first place. And Zorzal is an idiot more set on gaining glory and sex slaves than ruling properly. Plus, Itami has heard from other recon teams that a bunch of villages have had their crops burned and their wells poisoned, with the inhabitants herded elsewhere."
"…Wait a moment…those are scorched earth tactics," Shino hissed in displeasure. "They're trying to deny food and water to invaders. It won't work as much on a modern military in this situation, but the Emperor's deliberately caused his people misery to try and deny our advance! Son of a bitch!"
"I know. Mari was pissed too, as was I. We confronted Pina on that, and she was horrified. While it's a tactical move, she also cares about the people of the Empire. Hell, she actually stated that if it weren't for the fact that I was with the JSDF, she would petition to make me a lord for killing the Flame Dragon, and she was considering it anyway. I kept trying to tell her it was a team effort, that I wouldn't have been able to kill it without your help, but she wouldn't hear of it."
Shino chuckled. Then, her face became solemn. "I wonder how Tuka's father is doing. You can tell the poor girl's worrying her head off. What the Flame Dragon did to her village must've been hell. And to have your own father unable to remember you…"
Harry nodded. "That's got to be hard. And another reason for me not to put the moves on her. She's a mess in the head, and I don't want to take advantage of that. I'd want to comfort her, yes, but not take advantage of her. I'm not like Kurata, geeking out over these fantasy beings. Seriously, when he went to the tavern the other day and met that Bunny Warrior Delilah, he was so bloody loud, it wasn't funny. At least Itami, as much of an otaku as he is, restrains himself."
"Yeah, I'll give him that. I saw Kurata meet one of the Countess' maids, that Catgirl Persia, and I think you can imagine what happened. Thankfully, she was flattered by the interest, or else he'd be looking like a scratching post by now. It's weird, thinking that the old Count had a fetish for demi-humans but had a strict look but don't touch policy. He must've been a gentleman if the demi-humans speak so highly of him after he died. Any of them catch your eye?"
Harry looked askance at Shino. "If I had to pick them on looks, I'd have to pick Mamina. She and Delilah were definitely lookers, plus, they kick arse. But I've got you and Tuka to think about where possible relationships are concerned, I'm not looking to create a harem."
"Good. And Harry, I'm not gonna ask you to choose between Tuka and myself. We're not even remotely at the stage of our relationships where that's going to be a problem yet, and frankly, I like Tuka. Besides, Itami and Kurata are the ones who'd want harems, not you. Then again, you probably deserve some happiness in your life. Hey, speak of the devil, and here she is…"
Tuka was standing at the battlements, looking into the distance. Harry knew that High Elves had keener hearing and sight, albeit the former more than the latter. On their approach, she looked at them, and smiled. "Oh, Harry, Shino!" She was gradually learning English and Japanese, thanks to patient tuition with Harry, Lelei and Rory. "Itami put me here to…watch? For Rose Knights." Her English was broken. "Pina say they here sunset."
Harry switched to the local language. "Tuka, I don't mind acting as a translator when needed. I know you should learn these languages, but you don't have to say them like you did."
"I know, Harry, but I want to practise it. Besides, we Elves generally learn by copying others," Tuka said. "I want to be able to talk like you. Can you teach me how to use that translation charm at least?"
"Maybe, but you use a different kind of magic to us, right? Lelei told me it was spiritual magic innate to Elves," Harry said.
"Well, yes, but there actually isn't anything preventing us from learning other magic, to my knowledge. Only that spiritual magic is innate to us," Tuka said.
"Well, it's one of the more complicated charm out there, so it might be a while." To Shino, he said, "She wants me to teach her the translation charm. It'll take some time to teach her. Do you want to go on, or wait here?"
"I'll go on. If it works, that'd be great," Shino said, before she headed off.
"Now, Tuka, usually, you need a wand for this, but this is how you cast it wandlessly…"
It took the best part of an hour and a half to teach Tuka the spell, but eventually, despite Harry's earlier fears, she managed to get it down. The moment she realised she could understand English, she instantly glomped Harry, laughing with joy.
And just in time, too. They looked to the distance, and saw a dust cloud. Tuka saw, and Harry confirmed with binoculars, that it was a group of horseriders, led by a young woman with blonde hair, and another young woman with short, grey hair. They matched the descriptions Pina had given of Bozes Co Palesti and Panache Fure Kalgi. Touching his wand to his throat, he called out, "Who goes there?!"
The horseriders halted, and Bozes and Panache looked up at them. Bozes declared, haughtily, "I am Bozes Co Palesti, the Gold Rose, second daughter of the Marquis Palesti, and the second in command to Princess Pina Co Lada! Who dares address me in such a brusque manner?"
Harry frowned. He'd been under the impression that Grey was Pina's second in command, and he didn't like this girl's tone. "I dare. The princess is alive and well, as is most of her Rose Knights. She has come to no harm. We helped her defend the city of Italica from the bandits threatening it, and we have negotiated terms. Hamilton Uno Law is present just beyond this gate with a copy of the treaty. Kindly make no move to violate its terms, Gold Rose."
Bozes scowled, but she moved her horse through the gate, as did Panache and some of the others. Harry went to look at the town gate, where Hamilton, upon seeing Bozes, approached her. Harry heard Bozes and Hamilton have a rather heated discussion as to whether Pina was a prisoner of the JSDF, before she headed for the residence of the countess. Hamilton had a considerably less heated discussion with Panache. Harry couldn't hear most of it, but he got the impression that they were worried that Pina was a prisoner of the JSDF.
Thankfully, Bozes and Pina came out, with Itami and Lelei in tow, the latter acting as an interpreter. Eventually, Pina and Bozes seemed to come to a decision, and Itami seemed to reluctantly agree to it after Lelei relayed it to him. "Oi!" he called up to Harry. "We're finally heading back to Alnus, and the princess and her second in command is coming with us. Get ready to move out first thing tomorrow!"
As they travelled back to Alnus early the next morning, Harry and Tuka were in the back of the jeep with Lelei, Pina and Bozes. The two of them had changed into elaborate robes, presumably emissary robes or something. Pina in particular looked morose. "Hey, Princess, at least nobody caused too much ruckus," Harry said. "I told you the JSDF weren't here to conquer you guys."
"Words mean little," Pina said morosely. "I hope at least the JSDF honour parley."
"They should."
They soon got to Alnus, with Pina and Bozes staring through the windows, watching as the JSDF practised using their firearms. "What in the world is this magic?" she hissed.
"It's not magic, Princess. They are a form of tool known as a firearm, that uses a small chemical explosive to propel a crafted piece of metal at high speed," Lelei said. "The technology here is centuries in advance of our own, and would be hard to replicate."
"How did you kill the Flame Dragon, then, Harry?" Bozes asked.
"I used a weapon called a rocket launcher, a weapon that fires a fast-moving explosive. The explosive is designed to go through thick armour." He indicated a tank through the window. "They're designed to destroy that."
Pina looked at it in horror, and then saw the head of the Flame Dragon itself, now mounted on a pike near the entrance to Alnus proper. "…This can't be real. Our Empire…it's over…"
"At the very least, your father, the Emperor, picked the wrong world to invade," Lelei said dispassionately.
"And you don't feel anything about that? The very Empire you yourself are a subject of?" Pina demanded of the teenaged mage.
Lelei was impassive, though Harry got the impression that she didn't like such an insinuation, and was actually rather irritated. "Princess, I am of the Rurudo nomads. Our allegiance is not to the Empire, no matter what your father may believe."
"Hey, just calm down, okay," Harry said quietly. "Anyway, the Princess shouldn't be held accountable for what her father did."
"And what exactly did the Emperor do?" Bozes sniffed.
Harry gave her a glare. "His soldiers looted, pillaged and raped their way through innocent civilians. And before you say that is impossible, I watched it happen right in front of me, as did Sergeant-Major Kuribayashi and 1st Lieutenant Itami. We even have means of recording events as moving images called videos. In truth, you two will probably need bodyguards if you have to speak to someone in Japan, as many people lost their lives in that. And they're stupid enough to blame someone who doesn't deserve it. Believe me, I speak from experience."
Pina and Bozes paled, even as they approached the entrance to Alnus. Harry didn't want to scare them, but he needed to impress on them how much the Emperor had fucked up. Hopefully, Pina would be able to get the Empire to come to the table.
Then again, Sod's Law always had its place in Harry's life…
CHAPTER 8 ANNOTATIONS:
So, Pina and Bozes are heading back to Alnus, Harry, Shino and Tuka are getting closer, and Japan is in the next chapter! Which, admittedly, probably won't be out for a little while, as I want to actually finish writing the Japan visit arc before I post it (about 3, maybe 4 chapters, of which I have written 2 and a half).
It's worth pointing out that, for this fic, the whole debacle of the Americans, Chinese and Russians coming to do their little snatch and grab of the Falmart residents won't be happening in this fic. That's one of the parts of GATE I don't like, and while I did use it to a small degree in Parva Sub Ingenti (albeit without the Americans) and pretty close to GATE canon in GATE: Thus the Chosen One Fought There, here, that's not going to happen. Barack Obama is in the White House in this story, and while some elements of the world's governments are envious of the Japanese for having the Gate, it's going to be restricted more to the UN having a small supervisory presence in Alnus.
Review-answering time! Thanks for your support in removing Yao from the pairing. I'm going to pair her with Itami later.
Gabriel Herrol: Actually, Rory has less than a century. But I like the way I've developed her relationship with Harry here. While I made her more like a cat that's adopted a family in Parva Sub Ingenti, albeit with some deeper moments, it was how I portrayed her in GATE: Thus the Chosen One Fought There that got me to do her as more of a mentor figure. While she's fun as this bloodthirsty pint-sized juggernaut of killing, I wanted to give her some depth, emphasize points that, while there in the anime, aren't as pronounced. As mentioned before, I view her as being a more bloodthirsty version of the Doctor from Doctor Who, giving her some of the pathos of some of them.
JDS62: While I understand your misgivings, the truth is, one of the reasons many of my fics go unfinished is due to motivation and my muse. I can only work on a fic as long as my muse cooperates, and I try to get a story at least up to 20K words or about 8 chapters before I publish it so that, even if it does get abandoned, my readers have something substantial to read. Also, it's worth pointing out that this year, I finished four stories, five if you count my annual Halloween one-shot. Few of my stories are abandoned or dead until I say so, either.
No numbered annotations this time.
