"Ability is nothing without opportunity."
Napoleon Bonaparte.
…
...
Even if she had foreseen that things would be tense today, Louise had completely underestimated how heavy the atmosphere in the palace would become.
There were guards everywhere. During the past meetings, none of the nobles had seemed to pay any attention to her partner bringing an exiled noble into the Great Hall, and Napoleon had not been the only one to bring in someone. General Gramont had brought one of his sons in to help him around earlier. As Louise looked up towards the high table, she once again saw Robert standing at attention behind his father.
But today, about half of the nobles had brought in someone to stand behind them. Louise could see that some of them were family relations, whether one of their siblings or children. However, just as many of these new arrivals were ordinary toughs, muscular figures with swords and other weapons dangling from their side. They adhered themselves with the same etiquette as everyone else in the hall while they rigidly stood at attention, but Louise observed that many of them shot short, suspicious glances at everyone else in the hall. While her mother, Guldenhorf, and Wardes did not carry a bodyguard with them, a young man with dark hair and a thin sword strapped to his belt stood behind the Duke of Walloon. He looked over at Louise and stared directly at her. Strong feelings emanated from that gaze, but it was not hatred, but rather something closer to contempt and pity.
The old her would have trembled and looked away, but Louise knew that she had to be strong now. The knife which Matilda had given her rested in her skirt pocket, and Louise grasped it to steady herself as she glared directly back at the young man. He raised an eyebrow in surprise at her gesture, but then with a small chuckle that only she noticed, he looked away from her and towards the Hall itself. Louise knew better than anyone else how small and insignificant what she had done truly was, but nevertheless congratulated herself on her victory.
Yet the additional guards were not the only indication of an air that felt as if it would ignite at the slightest spark. The interactions between the nobles had completely changed in comparison to the first day of the conference. Where before they had attempted to make conversation, however tepid and insignificant, now they merely stared at each other with eyes of suspicion. Sweat trickled off the brows of the less calm as they mopped their foreheads with rags. Even Walloon and Gramont on the high table appeared to be nervous. Karin and Guldenhorf by contrast appeared to be perfectly calm, while Louise noticed with considerable distaste that Wardes was trying but failing to keep a devious grin off of his face.
And directly in front of Louise, Napoleon sat with his arms folded in front of him, his face utterly blank. He almost seemed to ignore the crowd of nobles as he waited for the conference to begin. And as Mazarin finally stepped in front of the high table, the nobles shifted ever more restlessly as the Cardinal cleared his throat.
"My friends, my brothers." He began. "These are difficult and dark times. I know, perhaps better than anyone here, of the discord and strife which have entered our ranks. Avarice and envy are deadly tools through which the unity of our country can be broken, and thus I have seen arguments which have stalled the progress of these talks. As the mediator of these talks, my personal opinions and thoughts on these quarrels are of no importance except in one regard – that Brimir has taught us the importance of peace and of fellowship between ourselves.
Let us not forget, great nobles of Tristain, the responsibility and deeds which your position demands of you. You are the light and leaders of our fair country. It is through the example of your virtue and your courage that Brimir gave your forefathers the gifts of magic and wisdom. I beg all of you to use them well and work together create a bright future for our land. Let us have peace and tranquility for all of Tristain, compromise with one another, and determine the next leader of this country."
He finished his speech and bowed in appreciation, but only a smattering of polite applause followed. It had not even died down before the Duke of Guldenhorf stood up.
"Thank you very much, Cardinal." He smoothly intoned. "I too, believe in the importance of ensuring that all of the nobles here today reach a consensus. We must present a united front. Tristain is a small country, surrounded by many enemies. In the aftermath of the horrible invasion from Albion, we are now more than ever aware of the importance of ensuring that the country is safeguarded.
However, Mazarin, there is a point in your speech that I feel must be slightly corrected. While there have been certain difficulties in the negotiations, the discussion to determine the future of this country has made significant progress. When we first sat down here, we did not possess even the slightest idea of who would rule this country. But now, I believe everyone in this room is generally aware of the options that lie before us. For while our country must work together to battle external threats, we must also be concerned about the possibility of destruction from within.
Either we can succumb to tyranny and the loss of our ancient rights, which our fathers and grandfathers worked to protect. Or we can work together to establish a fair and equitable system between us nobles and the crown. It is the creation of that system which must be the highest priority. Our rights must be protected, even if it may be necessary for us to take…extreme measures."
The nobles in the hall murmured amongst themselves in response to that last statement, but Guldenhorf did not let that perturb him as he continued.
"Of course, we should not speak of those things for now. As no one in this room wishes for any unfortunate events to befall any of us, I think I can declare that they are highly unlikely to occur as long as our rights are respected. But let us not forget that even the smallest mouse, with enough luck, courage, and aid from Brimir, can fell the mightiest lion.
That is all I have to say, and I shall now end my speech and defer to you, Lady Valliere. We all here know that it is up to you determine the future of this country. Would you kindly tell the nobility how you intend to protect us and all of Tristain in order to create a world where our rights are safeguarded?"
Guldenhorf gracefully bowed in Karin's direction, and many of the nobles on the lower tables, notably Count Kundera and Wardes, applauded while he did so. However, Karin made no effort to acknowledge Guldenhorf's gesture. She stood up automatically but instead of the other nobles, she looked in Louise's direction. For several long seconds, she stared directly at her daughter, her expression inscrutable.
"Lady Valliere? Do you have an offer?"
Guldenhorf did not look at what Karin was staring at, but a small frown crossed his face. Almost as if she hadn't heard the speech, Karin jumped slightly at Guldenhorf's repeated remark and then looked over at him.
"Yes," she finally said. "I do."
But she said nothing more as her gaze shifted back to Louise. Louise had successfully stared down the young man from earlier, but now she shifted about uncomfortably. Of course, being stared at by her own mother, the one who had exiled her, was frightening. But it was also confusing to Louise. Her mother had no reason to look at her during this important time.
The nobles began to whisper to each other as they observed Karin's silence, though like Guldenhorf, none of them seemed to notice who she was looking at. Finally, one of the nobles from the lower table stood up.
"What is the meaning of this, Lady Valliere?" He shouted. "Do you have an offer or not for how you intend to protect our rights? Or do you intend to mock us nobles by ignoring our questions?"
Once again, Karin seemed to awaken. She lightly slapped her own cheeks as she tore her gaze away from Louise and then cleared her throat.
"Of course," she declared. "This is an offer which I've gone to extensive lengths to secure and represents a great sacrifice on my end. I hope, Cardinal Mazarin, that it will be satisfactory for your definition of compromise."
Mazarin gave a small nod of appreciation, but Guldenhorf glowered at Karin's remarks. Her statement had made it perfectly that she cared little for his definition.
"Well, what is it, Karin?" He said with a polite smile. "I am sure that any proposal which you make will respect us as much as you have respected me throughout the beginning of this meeting."
"It is quite simple, Duke Guldenhorf." Karin said. "I will not take the throne. I will not exercise any power over the throne. Instead, my daughter, Cattleya Yvette La Baume Le Blanc de La Fontaine, will be the one to succeed to the throne. I would retire to manage the Valliere estate. Of course, I could communicate with my daughter if she so desired and simply because a mother should be allowed to speak to her daughter, but I would take care to avoid influencing her in a direction which would hurt Tristain.
I realize of course that there are concerns about her health. Thus, in order to ensure the long-term health of the throne, Cattleya would be required to marry before she became Queen of Tristain. It would be up to the nobles to select a husband, but no husband can marry my daughter without my approval, and she would still remain the main authority of power within Tristain as opposed to her husband. She is well-educated and intelligent, and thus I am confident that my daughter would be able to rule Tristain justly and equitably to both the nobles and commoners alike. "
She finished her statement and looked out over the hall. But a deep, long silence was the only response. No one said anything, and one nobleman's jaw dropped slightly open upon hearing Karin's offer. The Duchess's eyebrows creased in confusion at this reaction.
"Well, what is it?" She asked. "I believe that this is an excellent offer for the nobility and for you, Guldenhorf. I must admit that I would not approve of Cattleya marrying a Guldenhorf, even if you did have someone who could-"
"Is this a joke?"
"Excuse me?"
The lower nobles began to once again whisper amongst each other, but before any of them could say a word, Guldenhorf responded with a hoarse whisper.
"Is this offer your idea of a joke, Lady Valliere? Because this is not even remotely amusing to myself, to the other nobles, or to ANYONE IN. THIS. ROOM!"
His statement punctuated with an explosion of noise as his calm, loose demeanor fell away. Without waiting for a response for Karin, he continued.
"We already received that offer, Lady Valliere. Everyone in this room is aware of it. Even before your husband died, we had received an offer of Eleanor taking the throne instead of you. And if you had actually shown up on the second day of negotiations, you would have known that."
Karin visibly bristled at those words.
"Are you insulting the Valliere name, Guldenhorf!? You know perfectly well why I didn't come! It's because my husband DIED, for Brimir's sake!"
"We already know that, and as I told you the minute I learned about your husband's passing, Lady Valliere, you have my sincerest regrets and apologies. He was an honorable man. But you could have told us. Instead, you walked out on us and abandoned us while we waited for you!"
"But I-"
"Yes, yes, we all know what you are going to say." Wardes broke in. "You sent it, but it got lost in the process. That doesn't really change the fact that you had plenty of time to learn of our reaction to the offer of your daughters taking the throne. And now you go and offer it to us again? While calling it your new offer which you sacrificed a lot for?"
Karin visibly gnashed her teeth together as her eyes stared from Wardes to Guldenhorf, but she said nothing in response. Guldenhorf took the opportunity to continue.
"Furthermore, while you were gone, we've already discussed why we will not allow Eleanor or Cattleya to take the throne and leave it at that. It does nothing to solve our concerns of total Valliere control. And there is only one way to solve that problem."
"The plan where Lady Valliere hands over the estate to you?" Gramont sarcastically asked.
"It would be split among the nobility, Gramont. It is as Touraine suggested during the first meeting. Karin, it is quite simple. The Vallieres can hold on to their ancestral lands or they can rule. You cannot have both. That is the only way to safeguard the future of this country and our rights."
"From who?" Karin said.
"What?"
Karin sat down in her chair. She took a moment to adjust it so that it faced Guldenhorf's seat directly, and then she began to respond.
"I would first note, Guldenhorf that Touraine had suggested that I lose half of the Valliere lands, not all of them. The fact that that has changed to me indicates that you are merely adjusting the figures to a degree that you believe I won't accept."
"W-well, I didn't actually say all of it. Something more around the figures of three-quarters would-"
"Let me finish, please." Karin interrupted. "Secondly, you have it backwards, Guldenhorf. You have always had it backwards when you stated that your fathers and grandfathers worked to secure your rights. All the noble families, whether Valliere or Guldenhorf or even Noyon, have acknowledged the greatness of the monarch, of how we fight to protect him above all. Every single one of us here took an oath to serve Princess Henrietta and protect her. We failed in that duty. All of us did, but especially for those who were in Albion."
She paused for a moment to look at some of the men who were in the hall. First at Touraine, then at a few of the other nobles, and then finally at Napoleon and Louise. Guldenhorf in the meantime regained his composure.
"Yes, Her Majesty is dead, but that is why we are here." He retorted. "What in the slightest does this have to do with protecting ourselves?"
"Because you may mourn Her Majesty's death, Guldenhorf, but you seem to have forgotten who she died protecting this country from. It was from Albion, from foreign invaders. That is who our threat lies against. A country as small as Tristain can barely hope to defend itself from Gallia or Germania, much less create a great empire. Even though the Albion war was short and our armies victorious, our country still suffered greatly. The murderer who slew my husband and who will someday face the arm of justice and Brimir? She was a victim. That does not excuse her horrible crimes, but it shows that now, more than over, that our country needs PEACE! And the Vallieres will provide it. We are the only ones who can provide it for this country!"
Karin slammed her fist on the table.
"You talk of extreme measures, Guldenhorf, but do not hide behind empty words and rhetoric. You mean war. You are willing to go to war, to tear this country apart once again even after the Albion conflict for your petty pride and arrogance! And you will weaken our lands and the people through your war. That, I will never brook nor will I accept. The Vallieres will rule, and you can accept it, Guldenhorf, or be cast aside when we take the throne!"
Many of the nobles burst into a thunderous applause at those words. Some rose up to indicate their approval, and Guldenhorf's expression appeared as if he had swallowed a lemon. Even Karin allowed herself an almost invisible smile at the reaction as she continued to watch her opponent stammer in confusion.
But then, as the applause began to die down, General Bonaparte stood up.
"That was an impressive speech, Lady Valliere." He smoothly noted. "But there are a few things which I admit that I am rather confused about."
She knew. Years of politicking and combat had served Karin well. She knew that there was a trap behind Napoleon's words, but she didn't know what.
She couldn't have. After all, in reality no error had been made. So she charged in and accepted his challenge.
"Well, what is it?"
"Remind me again, Lady Valliere. Earlier in your speech. Who did you say would be the ones to bring peace in Tristain?"
"I said that the Vallieres will provide peace, just as we always hav-"
"No, you didn't. I remember it clearly. You said you would. You said that you, Karin Desiree de la Valliere, would be the ones to provide peace for this country. Am I wrong?"
The crowd looked at each other in confusion at Bonaparte's remarks.
"Is this some idea of a joke, General Bonaparte?" Karin shouted. "I know perfectly well what I said, and I know I did not say that!"
"And I know perfectly well what I heard." Napoleon said. "You said that you would provide peace. Not the Vallieres. But is this only going to be true if you really intend to-"
"General Bonaparte, please." Cardinal Mazarin interjected. "I must admit that I did not hear what you heard. I only heard Lady Valliere talk about the importance of peace and of the necessity of a Valliere monarch. I am sure of it. And furthermore, even if she did, what importance does it make? It was just a slip of a tongue."
"And how truly certain about that are you, Cardinal?" Napoleon asked. "Would you swear on Brimir's name that that was Karin said? Because I would swear on Brimir's name that I heard what I heard, and I am not sure you would if you could discuss the possibility of 'if she said it'.
Furthermore, this is from my perspective of serious importance. Knowing how the Vallieres truly intend to govern the throne is a serious concern. Surely wouldn't you agree, Cardinal?"
"I must concur with the General, for I heard the same thing." Wardes suddenly assented. "It had been something which I know I found troubling during the speech, but he beat me to questioning Lady Valliere first. So, Karin, how exactly do you intend to rule Tristain after all? Will Eleanor be your puppet or Cattleya instead? Or maybe, instead of them, you could use Lou-"
"If you intend to further mock me, Wardes, I WILL challenge you to a duel." Karin hissed with untempered hostility.
The old man only cackled at those words.
"Gah ha ha ha ha. Temper, Lady Valliere, temper. You should keep it. Though I think even you know that you with all of your capabilities would not lightly challenge me.
But that is beside the point." He continued as he looked out into the crowd. "General Bonaparte and I say that Karin misspoke, that she intended to rule Tristain. You are all aware of implications of such a statement. It would mean that her proposal was a sham, designed to lure us to sleep while she placed a puppet on the throne.
Moreover, she talks of peace. Peace? What about justice? She, the follower of the Rule of Steel, would abandon her code of justice so easily? How incredible for a ruler."
The nobles began to whisper to each other. Many of them were certain. Karin had not said anything like that. She had mentioned the Vallieres. Given the feud between Wardes and her, it was not impossible to believe that he was simply making this up in order to provoke suspicion.
But…were they really sure about the truth? What was the truth, anyways?
If they were utterly certain that the Lady Valliere would not place on a puppet on the throne to seize power for herself, they would have denied it without a moment's hesitation. And for some, they believed that it was so. They believed in her and did not doubt her commitment to justice and the law. But other nobles…
Yes, Wardes may be disliked, and General Bonaparte was merely a commoner. Both clearly were not on the best terms with Lady Valliere and in that way should be dismissed.
But if they had told the truth, then…
The mood began to shift among the crowd. Before, they had been entirely enthusiastic about the Vallieres taking the crown after she had used her tongue to utterly dismantle Guldenhorf. But now, they grew suspicious and muttered among each other as they looked towards Karin. Guldenhorf, initially stunned by the speech which Karin had delivered, finally took the time to clear his throat.
"It really is… incredible." He said. "But I do agree with what others have stated about the Lady Valliere's statements that she said that she would rule the throne. Obviously this must be considered in any future proposals and so I suggest-"
"I'm done."
Karin stood up from her chair. While her words were soft, there was a hard edge to them which no one, not even Louise, had ever heard before.
"I am done negotiating." She repeated. "I have had my fill of liars, knaves, and fools who will pick apart my name and my honor for their quarrels. They threaten to destroy the country as a result. I think after all this time, it is clear that there are those who will not accept me no matter what I do."
She looked over at Guldenhorf, her eyes burning.
"Do you want war, Guldenhorf? A war a thousand times terrible and hellish than what occurred during this conflict in Albion? Because while I do not want war, I will give it to you if you ask. The Vallieres will rule Tristain. It is our right through our bloodline and it is our right through our power and honor. I no longer care whether you oppose me with your will, Guldenhorf. But if you have the courage to come at me and not snivel in the shadows like the coward you are, I will fight you to the bitter end."
"Wha-"
Ignoring the blonde nobleman, Karin turned her gaze to the rest of the lower nobles.
"I will leave for the Valliere estate by sunset tomorrow. No sooner and no later. Every nobleman here, regardless of high or low his rank is, will have until then to swear his allegiance to the Valliere family as the new rulers of Tristain. Those who do not, I will persuade you afterwards of the error of your ways."
"Lady Valliere!"
Karin looked over at Cardinal Mazarin for a moment and gave a small sad smile.
"I am sorry, Cardinal. I hate to break up your meeting. But the time for talk is now all but over. The time to determine who will rule this country will be decided through other means. May the conflict be short and decisive."
And with those words, Karin Desiree de la Valliere walked out of the entrance hall. For a few moments, no one said anything. Louise noted that Bonaparte appeared to be mildly surprised.
"Well, now you've done it, Guldenhorf, Wardes." Marshal Gramont growled as Karin left. "I should have known it would end up like this. I assume that you two aren't going to crawl to her after what you pulled here?"
"She never answered our question about our rights." Guldenhorf declared. "Until that is resolved-"
"Oh, hang your rights and privileges, Guldenhorf!" Gramont snarled. "You know what is worse than losing a few noble rights? Losing everything. And that is what this war will do to you. I will tell you this right now, Guldenhorf, as an old man who has seen much. Wars never go as they plan, and they almost never give you what you desire even if you win. You have unleashed forces beyond your wildest imagination; things which you will think you can control, but never can. And they will destroy you in the end. I promise you that."
The old man snapped his fingers, and Robert instantly came forward to wheel his father out of the hall.
"Glory to the Valliere name, the true ruler of Tristain!" He shouted. "Long live Tristain and its people!"
And with those words, the Gramonts left. The Duke of Walloon stood up afterwards.
"The Vallieres are the rightful heirs to the Crown. It is the will of Brimir. Those who oppose him and the family will be crushed."
The third of the five great families left the Great Hall. The rest of the nobles looked at each other as they made their decisions. But as they did so, Napoleon Bonaparte quietly laughed to himself.
There had been no error. There had been no mistake. Karin's speech had been perfect, from her perspective. The reality was that she had never said the words he had claimed she had said, and he knew it. She had only talked of the Vallieres. Not of herself.
But then again, reality had once bent to his will. A long time ago, in a French palace as he sought to escape the Sixth Coalition. So all he had to do was to bend it again. Now, in the minds of many of the nobles, their reality was that Karin had accidentally revealed the "truth" that she intended to control Cattleya. Wardes the Elder had been clever to realize that what Karin said was nowhere as important as what the nobles believed she had said, and had instantly jumped in. It was a gamble which Napoleon had known was not likely to work, but it had succeeded in blunting the effects of Karin's speech and had reignited the suspicion towards her from the crowd. And his antics had proven to be the final spark to force Karin to make her biggest mistake yet.
Karin had had enough. In the name of peace, she would plunge Tristain into war once again.
…
…
"You're back again, lady!"
Gim ran around on the orphanage roof as Matilda watched the boy. The boy seemed to make it a habit to come up here to "explore for treasure." She had come up here a few more times since the first time she saw him back on the day of the first conference, always with a sweet or two with him. It was good to talk to him about the orphanage and about Tiffania through another source. Besides, he was a sweet boy, with the dreams which every child had at that age of becoming a great hero and slaying dragons. Matilda couldn't help but remember her own childhood when she had those ideals as well.
"Yes." She said. "I am. I'm waiting for my master to return."
"Your master?" The boy said. "You have a master? He must be a very powerful mage!"
Matilda nodded at those words, and the boy went back into his daydreams. He continued to run around the court, but she could see that he was thinking of that powerful mage. For now, she planned to wait up here until she heard any news about the conference. Matilda was very certain that the result would be disaster, but that wasn't for her to think about. Improving Louise's combat instincts was taking priority.
Her hand touched a slight cut on her cheek, and Matilda grinned as she felt it. She had actually offered to fight Louise, with the handicap that Louise would be allowed to use her new knife while Fouquet had to fight with her bare hands. She had known at the time that it was been a foolhardy proposition. Even someone with Matilda's training at hand-to-hand combat would prefer to avoid a fight against a completely untrained individual armed with a knife. But part of that training was simply to see if Louise would seriously attack with the knife at all.
She had. Matilda had still won in the end, but repeating a fight like that was not a prospect which she looked forward to any time soon. After all, even if none of them were gravely serious, that cut on her cheek had not been her only wound.
Thump thump thump.
Someone knocked on the trapdoor to the roof. Matilda drew back slightly, but the boy gave a wide grin.
"That's Big Sis's knocking! Hi, Big Sis Tiffania!"
"Gim?" Tiffania asked through the door. "Are you out there?"
The boy enthusiastically nodded and opened the door. Before Tiffania could say anything, he reached through and tried to tug her onto the roof.
"Come on, Big Sis!" He cried. "Take a look at the clouds! It's really gray out here!"
Tiffania resisted for a moment, but she relented and clambered up to the roof. As she saw Matilda, she gave a shy smile.
"Oh, this is a surprise. How did you get up here, Mary?"
"It's Matilda." She responded. "At any rate, how are you doing these days?"
Tiffania reached into her pockets as she spoke and pulled out some crackers.
"We're doing quite well these days, actually. The children are really settling down these days. Would you like one?"
"No. Save them for the kids, not me."
From there, the two of them chatted upon little things and watched Gim run around the roof. But as they did so, a part of Matilda's heart chided her lack of self-courage.
Tiffania was her sister. Well, half-sister, born from the same human father. But Tiffania had never known that she had an older sister. As the legendary thief Fouquet, Matilda had protected her, whether from bandits or through stealing artifacts to send money to her. Yet the day that she had rested in her orphanage, the day she had been captured, was the first time that Tiffania had ever actually seen her. She had told herself at the time that heading to the orphanage was a bad idea, but with the younger Wardes, Albion, Tristain, and half of Helgekinia pursuing her for something or another, she had wanted to make sure Tiffania was safe. However, it had worked for both Matilda and Tiffania better than she had ever imagined.
Matilda still hadn't told her about their relation. She told herself that it was so Tiffania didn't need to worry herself about her. The elf girl had had enough to handle with her orphans and the difficulties of simply surviving as an elf in a land which looked upon them with suspicion and fear. But now…
"Gim, could you go down? It looks like it will rain soon. I'll be down after you."
Tiffania pointed to the door and her charge quietly obeyed. He yawned as he climbed down the steps into the building and then closed the door. Tiffania giggled abruptly for no reason.
"What is it?" Matilda asked.
"I just wanted to thank you." Tiffania said. "There aren't many humans who are willing to talk to me like that. I like you a lot, Matilda."
"O-of course." Matilda responded. "Of course. I'm always willing to help you, Tiffania."
She really needed to leave, she thought. She could tell Tiffania the truth later. So, with a last bow to her sister, she walked over to the edge of the roof and prepared to-
Wait, what?
"Matilda, is something wrong? You've gone pale as a-EEK!"
Matilda suddenly ran to the center of the roof and tackled Tiffania. Before the elf could say anything, Matilda put a finger to her lips. Tiffania understood and for a few moments, the two women just lay on the roof without uttering a word. Matilda barely dared to breathe.
But she knew what she had seen. Two men, one with white and one with blonde hair, both with scars covering their faces. And while their bodies were covered by traveling cloaks, she had seen from their form underneath that the blonde-haired man was missing his right arm.
Wardes the younger. And Menvil, that insane fire mage. What in Brimir's name are they doing in Tristania?
…
…
The hotel where Karin was staying in had transformed into a fortress.
There were no royal guards, but many of the toughs who had been hired stationed themselves at the entrance. Anyone who did not have at least two generations of noble lineage was forbidden to enter, no matter how powerful, wealthy, or famous he was.
Still, while the guards functioned to keep the rabble out, it was not a huge priority. For who would dare attack a building where over half of the nobles of Tristain, all of them mages of varying degrees and skill, currently sat? One of the dining halls had been taken over, and now around three dozen nobles crowded around it as dishes were served.
"Lady Karin," a nobleman asked as his hand held a chicken leg, "Do you think that we will have to fight?"
Karin sat at the head of the table. As a servant placed a dish in front of her, she shrugged her shoulders.
"I have no way of knowing. Guldenhorf and Wardes will hold out for a while, but I do think that if enough of the nobles acknowledge me as the rightful ruler of Tristain, they will be forced to cave or face extinction. But so far, as you can see, there are many empty seats. I have no way of knowing, but at this rate, I think a little over half of the nobles will acknowledge the Vallieres by the imposed deadline.
As for now, we need to handle how Tristain will be governed given this likely state of emergency." She continued. "I think that we can wait to crown Cattleya, especially since we will need to discuss her marriage and-"
"Pardon me, Lady Valliere?" Gramont promptly asked. "Did you say Cattleya?"
"Well, yes." Karin responded quizzically. "That was the proposal we had discussed in the palace today, after all."
"True, true." Walloon shrugged. "But you made that proposal in an attempt to placate Guldenhorf. There is no longer any reason for us to do so, and I will admit that I feel more comfortable leaving the country in your hands as opposed to, well…"
Walloon broke and did not finish his sentence. But nobles at the table stirred at the proposal which had been all but declared by him. They talked to one another, but the tone was generally positive.
"Are you sure about this?" Karin asked. "After all, I do not actually possess royal blood. It flowed through my husband's veins and then my daughters."
"Oh, come now, come now." Count Grandple stated. "It is not as if it would be such a surprising thing. Princess Henrietta may have ruled this country, but we all know that if it wasn't for her mother's precarious mental state, she would have likely ruled when the last King died. Yes, your husband had not been crowned yet, but the principle still stands. I personally would have no problem with the Lady Karin taking the throne.
"I would." One nobleman declared. "That is not to say that I do not trust you, Lady Karin, but the law is the law. And even if there is a precedent, the fact is that Henrietta ruled. I believe that Cattleya must rule."
However, no one else moved to agree with that man. The mood of the rest of the noblemen was clear. They would have little concern if Karin was to go ahead and take the throne for herself, with Cattleya and Eleanor as the presumptive heirs.
But Karin did not respond. Instead, she stood up from her seat at the table.
"If you will please pardon me, gentlemen." She said. "I would like to take a moment to ponder this decision by myself."
Without a word, she quietly left the room. Walloon leaned into Gramont's shoulder.
"She really adheres to the rules, doesn't she?" He whispered.
"That's how she is." Gramont whispered back. "Still, it's a shame. We all know that she'll make a better ruler than Cattleya, but she'll probably abdicate anyways."
…
A weak ruler is better than no ruler.
Karin knew that better than anyone. Henrietta may have been liked by nearly everyone, especially the commoners. But she had never been a powerful ruler. However much Guldenhorf's opposition was due to the fact that the two hated each other, Karin knew that he was sincerely concerned that placing a Valliere on the throne would end the old system. That old system where he got away with only providing token aid to defend his country against Albion.
But even so, that system was better than the current chaos which had engulfed Tristain ever since her death. And so, the proper thing to do would be to appoint a ruler as soon as possible. Even these negotiations had delayed the process far too long. Putting Cattleya on the throne would only make it worse, as the marriage would have to be decided first and there would be plenty of negotiations about that if she took the throne. That didn't even account for the problems that the likely upcoming war would bring.
But the law dictated that Cattleya take the throne. She didn't care about precedent or whatever Malicorne had said. Henrietta had ruled. And Cattleya possessed the bloodline through her father that Karin would never have.
But she would be a better ruler than her daughter. She knew it. Karin could rule. No one would stop her. And with that power, she could protect the family and create a better future, both for the Vallieres and Tristain, than Cattleya ever could. Her daughter would have good intentions when she took the throne, but so did Henrietta. And while it was a horrible thing to admit, Henrietta had failed. She had to go to Albion merely to keep the invading army coherent as Bonaparte and De Poitiers fought with one another. A stronger ruler would not have had to be there. A stronger ruler wouldn't have-
She shook her head to dispel those thoughts. But the facts would not go away. Her beliefs, her pride, meant that she should let her daughter have the throne. But could she be truly absolute? Would she let her beliefs destroy this country, dishonor the family? Because she couldn't forget what letting Cattleya take the throne would do to the Vallieres. Cattleya would effectively become the head of the family. Karin would be left to manage the estates while Louise returned to the family and she would be shunted aside.
That didn't concern Karin. She had no interest in power for power's sake. But if she couldn't count on Cattleya to truly run the country properly, with so little experience…
Karin wandered the halls of the hotel with her thoughts as she agonized and thought. But the more she thought, the more obvious the decision appeared to her.
She would compromise on the Rule of Steel. Just a little. After all, she wasn't taking power for herself. She wasn't even doing it for the Vallieres – the shame of returning Louise to the family was nothing compared to the shame if Tristain fell under weak leadership. She was doing it for the country she served above all else. She would take the throne, become a strong ruler, crush those who opposed her, and lead Tristain to peace and happiness.
So, that would make it okay, right?
…
Hours after Lady Valliere left the palace, the Great Hall remained occupied.
As no one had ever actually proposed a serious alternative to the concept of Valliere rule, none of the nobles who were concerned about that prospect had any desire to meet in any of their homes now. Given the increasingly tense context compared to the first meeting, to meet in any home would give the appearance of power to that family. In fact, in order to continue to avoid that appearance, Guldenhorf and Wardes had moved themselves from the higher to the lower table.
So while many of the nobles as well as a visibly upset Cardinal Mazarin had left since the departure of three of the Great Families, the rest convened in the Great Hall. Everyone also knew that not everyone who had left necessarily supported Karin. Instead, they were willing to wait and see.
But that did not mean the situation was easy for the opposition. For only about 20 families remained there. And aside from a general opposition to the Vallieres, none of them were truly certain what to stand for.
"Well then", Guldenhorf inquired, "Is this everyone who is willing to stand up for what we have earned?"
"Earned, huh?" One nobleman repeated. "Fact is that Karin probably going to strip us of most of our power at this point, so I guess that yeah, I'm opposed to her taking the throne. I don't know whether Karin said one thing or another today. But I don't think I can trust her."
The others nodded in assent, but the nobleman continued.
"But the fact is that I really don't trust you either, Guldenhorf. I think I should make that perfectly clear. I wouldn't support you to be king of Tristain any more than I would Karin."
"I'm fine with that." Guldenhorf responded. "Tristain has a long history, and there have been moments where there is no monarch. During those periods, the nobles set up an emergency temporary council. I propose that we simply set up one of those councils here where all of us would jointly rule. I think at this point, it's perfectly clear we can't trust the Vallieres to take the throne. So we'll just have to persuade them to give up their claim, and then we can determine a new king."
"I am fine with name." Count Kundera agreed. "We can call it Council or Alliance. Something simple, since I do not think conflict will last very long."
A murmur of assent confirmed the names. But then another nobleman, his blue eyes thin and sharp, gave off a massive sigh of protest.
"I am opposed to the Vallieres taking the throne as much as the rest of you. And I do harbor considerable concern about what Karin will do when she takes the throne. But I must ask, since this question has concerned me as long as you guys have been sitting here planning your opposition:
How in Brimir's name do you hope to win? How do you intend to persuade Karin to give up their claim?"
"W-what are you talking about, Earl Richter?" Guldenhorf stammered. "It's obvious! We'll present an united front and-"
"United front?" Richter repeated in a high sing-song voice. "You think a united front will make the Vallieres back down? Guldenhorf, don't be ridiculous. You know Karin perfectly well. For something as important as the monarchy, she would not budge even if every single family in Tristain opposed her. And while we don't know who's supporting her and who isn't, I highly suspect that it's quite a few more than 20. And to make things worse, two of the great families are definitely supporting her as well. Gramont commands the respect of most of the Royal and National Army, and Walloon can easily get the support of the Church on his side. And if the Pope calls a crusade on us…"
The nobleman stopped for a moment and shook his head.
"Look, I know what you intend to do, Guldenhorf. And I think your cause is right. But you need to ask yourself this question? How are we going to win against the Vallieres and what they can amass?"
"Use the commoners."
The nobles were confused at first. They recognized that voice, but it took them a moment to realize where it came from. Then, Kundera whipped his head towards the high table which Guldenhorf and Wardes had vacated.
"General Bonaparte?" The nobleman asked. "What are you doing there?"
"I fancied the view." Napoleon responded.
"And your partner, Louise, is sitting beside you because-"
"She was tired from standing all day. You must forgive her." Napoleon remarked.
A few of the nobles took the moment to look behind them at the guards that they had brought in surprise towards this statement. While they did so, Napoleon continued.
"Earl Richter is right. Your chances of victory against Karin currently are not in your favor. She has more of the families on her side. She has more of the great families on her side. Not to mention, she is no slouch with magic and can likely attract many key groups, such as the Church.
So, what you need to do is to call other groups to your side. The merchants and the commoners are your two best bets from my perspective."
"The commoners? Are you serious?" Guldenhorf spat. "They don't have the proper bloodlines! How much could they help us? I mean, they could be useful at unimportant tasks, but-"
"Harrumph."
A long, hoarse cough, almost a growl, erupted from the Wardes's throat. Guldenhorf stopped speaking and looked at the Duke, but the old man then placed a thin, shaking hand on Guldenhorf's shoulder.
"I am very sorry, General Bonaparte." Wardes said. "But would it possible for you and Louise to leave this hall for a moment? I have something I would like to discuss with my colleagues, if you would not mind. A proposition."
Without a moment's hesitation, Napoleon complied. He stood up from his chair and gave a great bow to the rest of the nobles. Then, with Louise following him, he left through a side door into another hallway.
"What is it?" Louise asked as Napoleon closed the door. "Is everything going to be all right?"
Napoleon said nothing at first. But then, he bent down and abruptly tousled Louise's hair.
"There's nothing to worry about." He said to her. "Everything will be fine."
His words were reassuring, but Louise noticed something as he looked forward. His eyes were triumphant, confident, almost as if he knew that he had already won a battle before it had even started. She knew then that it would be good news when they re-entered the hallway.
For the next 15 minutes, the two of them waited by the door. Napoleon leaned his back against it while Louise sat on a nearby chair. As the door was thick and wooden, it was almost impossible to hear the nobles talk, but bits and pieces of conversation managed to slip through.
"-unacceptable."
"It's the only way."
"Really, not like anything will change."
"Final victory."
After waiting a bit longer, Count Kundera reopened the door. As Napoleon and Louise reentered the room, every nobleman stared right at them. Louise could not help but feel a twinge of nervousness in the face of so many inquiring eyes.
And then, the nobles did something that Louise, the youngest daughter of the proudest noble family in Tristain, had never seen before. All of them, even Guldenhorf and Wardes, stood up in Napoleon's presence. And at the end of the table, a seat was clearly left open for him.
As Napoleon took his seat without a word, Count Guldenhorf, sitting to his right began to speak.
"General Bonaparte. While of course this Council's goal is to work together in order to end the possibility of Valliere tyranny, we have come to the conclusion that we do need a leader. Someone who is outside the quarrels which I know many of us nobles possess. Someone who possesses many talents and great intelligence. I believe that no one could do a better job than you.
Of course, our goal is to end the prospect of the Vallieres doing as they please, so there will be restrictions, and you would still be a commoner. Still, I believe that these terms would be acceptable to you? I know that it will be a great honor for you, General Bonaparte."
"Of course." Napoleon instantly replied. "I would be honored."
The nobles responded with applause. It was polite, formal, and barely lasted ten seconds. When it was finished, Guldenhorf nodded in approval.
"Well then." He said. "We must now be honest. This is all but certainly going to end up in war. A war to preserve our rights from the Vallieres. We must marshal our forces as quickly as possible, which necessitates that we return to our homes. We must all keep in touch with each other in order to coordinate our forces and prevent them from being destroyed piece-meal by the Vallieres."
The rest of the noble gave looks of assent and Guldenhorf looked at Napoleon.
"General Bonaparte. We nobles have our forces to protect ourselves with, but I do not believe you have anything. I would like to offer you some of my own men as protection."
"I would gladly accept them, on two conditions."
"And that is?"
"First, that I would have the right to dismiss them as I see fit. If I believe that they cannot help me, then I will have them return to your service."
"Very well." Guldenhorf said. "And the second?"
"I also reserve the right to command and deploy them as I see fit."
Guldenhorf took a moment longer to mull over that condition, but he finally nodded.
"Of course. I shall send them to your home as soon as I can. It will take some time as we organize our own forces. But we shall take care to write with each other to look out for our interests, right?"
With those words, Guldenhorf stood up from the seat and made his own preparations to leave. Everything that had to be discussed had been discussed.
"I wish the best luck of all of you, gentlemen. May Brimir guide us all to victory."
…
"I don't get it."
Louise finally muttered those words as she and Napoleon entered a waiting carriage. As they bumped along the road, her thoughts grew more confused by what had just transpired.
"What is it, Louise?"
"You didn't notice?" She asked. "They made you their leader, but it felt…wrong. Unnatural. As if they don't trust you but they still-"
"Louise." Napoleon interrupted. "They didn't make me their leader."
She wasn't even surprised, really. She had harbored the same suspicions herself. If anything, the fact that Napoleon said that served to calm down her down she finished his train of thought.
"They've made you their puppet."
"More or less." Napoleon shrugged. "The nobles opposing Karin realized that they likely will need assistance from the commoners to win. The easiest path to do that would be to grant various reforms, but they'll never do that. Especially Guldenhorf, given his background.
So, if they're unwilling to grant reforms to the commoners, the next best method to get their support is to prop up a commoner to a high position and use him to proclaim that they are interested in their plight. And that's what they have done to me. I'm someone who Guldenhorf and the others will use to draw commoners to fight for them and not much more. If there had been a homeless commoner beggar sitting at the table at that exact moment, they likely would have propped him up to be their supposed leader."
"Not much more? Does that mean there's more to it?"
"Well, I'm not just their puppet; I'm their chance to escape. For that matter, so are you."
"Me?" Louise asked.
"There's a very good chance that Guldenhorf and his group will lose anyways." Napoleon said. "They made me their leader to avoid the worst punishment in that scenario. If Karin wins, they'll likely turn on me, turn me over to Karin, and declare that I was the instigator of the rebellion, and you as my partner are also responsible. It won't help them escape punishment, but if Karin is feeling merciful and they beg hard enough, she'll only execute the two of us. No doubt we'll probably be tortured for a while as traitors, then hung, drawn, and quartered."
His tone remained light throughout that entire monologue, but Louise visibly blanched at his words.
"D-does that mean that we should do everything we can to help Guldenhorf win?"
"Hardly. If Guldenhorf wins, we'll likely receive the same fate as well."
"WHAT?! But we're on the same side!"
"Not really. Guldenhorf just wants me to attract the commoners to his side. But if he wins, he'll no longer need that from me. In fact, I will be a giant nuisance as the commoners will continue to use me as a symbol. So no doubt at the end, he'll use me – I'm sorry, us – as a scapegoat for some mistake his side committed during the war and accuse us of treason. Guldenhorf offered those bodyguards after all to keep watch over me for that very reason."
Louise couldn't believe how calm her partner was about this piece of news.
"B-but, does that mean we're doomed no matter what?" She quavered with no small amount of fear.
"Of course not. We're just doomed if your mother or the Council which I supposedly lead wins. Those are not the only two possible options, Louise."
Louise's eyes still remained wide with shock, as the carriage rolled on. Napoleon stared at her face for a moment and then looked out the window.
"Good grief." He muttered to himself. "Well, I guess I do owe that to her."
He leaned forwards towards his partner, who looked at him in confusion. Then his hands shot to her chest.
"W-w-w-w-w-whhhhhhaaaaaatttttt? What do you think you're doing, you stupid-"
She stopped. He hadn't actually touched her. Instead, he grabbed her wand and ripped it right out of her chest pocket. Before she could ask what he was doing, he pointed the tip at his left hand, right at the runes. They began to glow upon contact with their master's wand.
"There is a third option which I'm willing to give to you, Louise. One which you can still take right here in this carriage. You can end the contract, jump out of the carriage, and flee for your life."
"What?"
Louise couldn't believe what he said, but she instantly thought of a similar scenario. One where she had been presented with options about what to do with a thief, the wrong option which would have led to her death. But Napoleon shook his head.
"This isn't like then, Louise. It's far too late for a test. If you want to leave the carriage, I won't stop you. I will demand that you end the contract between us before you do that, but once you do, we can go our separate ways and you can try to save yourself."
"B-but where would I –"
"Go? That wouldn't be my concern. Maybe you could beg your mother or Wardes for mercy. Maybe you could flee to the Prince of Wales, or Gallia or Germania. It wouldn't be my concern. But if you are really, truly scared for your life, this is your last chance."
He folded his arms and waited for Louise's answer. The girl looked down at the carriage floor for a moment, but said nothing. With another sigh, Napoleon continued.
"Like I said, you have until the carriage ride ends. If you don't say anything by then, I'll assume you're going to stay with me."
"I don't need that long."
"Really? So what is it?"
SNATCH.
Louise jumped forward and grabbed her wand out of Napoleon's hand, and then smacked his head.
"You, you, you IDIOT! You inhuman monster! What kind of person wouldn't be utterly terrified for his life after what you just told me? You stupid, miserable dog!"
Tears and snot flowed down Louise's face as she tried to wipe herself, gripping her wand the entire time. She tried to speak for a moment, but the liquids in her throat caused to choke as she collected herself. Only after a few minutes more of crying could she manage to continue.
"You…think I can run away? I…am Louise Francoise le Blanc de la Valliere. Exile. Void mage. And partner to a stupid and impulsive idiot. But you know what, Bonaparte?"
She finally wiped her face and tried to laugh through her tears.
"I think we're going to be just fine."
Napoleon couldn't help it as he grinned back at her.
"You are right. So when we get home, we will have plenty of work to do if our skulls aren't going to end up on top of a pike on a bridge. I'll call forth my guard, and you get to work with your magic and skills. We are walking a delicate and dangerous tightrope, Louise.
But it's at those moments when you truly know you are alive."
He held out his hand to her. Not as a familiar, not as a general, not even as an Emperor. But as an equal to her. And with a savage grin plastered on her face, Louise grasped it in return.
END OF PART III