ESCAFLOWNE WEEK 2021: Day 5: CONFLICT | JUSTICE

Fiat justitia ruat caelum

NOTE:

The concluding chapter. I leave the rest to your imagination.

I figure this might as well be called "the birth of democracy in Gaea" because of the whole "abolish the monarchy" theme. But again, I don't have time for some epic piece, only laying the foundations and letting the characters figure it out afterwards.

This was a heavy one to write and I am quite relieved that it is over. I left some of the details a bit vague but I hope the overall picture is clear. Again, very ambitious but it was an interesting exercise into thinking about how things work in Gaea.

Just a short chapter this time but an interesting conversation between Van and Eries, who do not always interact in fics. They cannot avoid discussing Folken's death but at least it is a topic that brings them together somehow. I do think they would get along quite well, once things settle down and the war ends. I feel he would always have a great respect for her and she would find things about him to admire as well.

Enjoy and let me know what you think. Thank you!

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"My brother had always wanted to change the world for the better," Van Fanel mused sadly, "It is so unfair that he did not live to see his wish come true."

Eries looked at the young king sympathetically. He had been in the throes of mourning his brother's death when she had shown him what the latter had left behind and, as concisely as she could, explained what all this implied. His position as king of Fanelia would be questioned as well, and he needed to be prepared.

He was the same age as her younger sister, but he seemed younger somehow. While he had proven himself to be a capable warrior on the battlefield, he had barely ascended to his throne before Zaibach had attacked and destroyed his country. Since then, he had known nothing but conflict and it occurred to Eries that he had almost as much experience in ruling his country as her nephew in Freid.

It was unfair that he had to deal with his brother's last legacy, but Eries could see that the younger Fanel would see it through, not only to honor his brother's memory, but because it was the right thing to do. On the surface, the two Panels had seemed so different, the elder one always calm and collected and the younger constantly hostile and brash.

But Eries realized too that, for all the differences in their manner, they were the same in essentials. Whatever poisonous force that had corrupted previous generations of Fanels had not tainted them. Even Folken, who had taken a drastically different path, had still found his way back to the right one in the end.

"Your brother would have been pleased and proud that you agreed to this," Eries said simply, "He knows that it is a lot to ask of anyone in your position."

"You and your family are in the same position," Van replied, "And you didn't need too much convincing."

"It was still a difficult decision to make, to go against everything that I had believed in, to risk destroying the life I had always striven to protect," Eries conceded, "But this is much greater than you and I. And we owe it to our people to give them the choice of how they want to live their lives. Any power we have must always come from them and only them."

"You are so wise," Van told her admiringly, "I can see why my brother trusted you with something this important. He made a lot of mistakes in his life, but where it mattered, he made the right decision."

"I am honored by his trust," Eries said humbly, "And I can only hope I have done enough."

"I am sure you have done more than enough," Van told her, "And your sister and your nephew will agree."

Eries smiled for a moment before turning serious once more. She was glad that she had staunch allies in her court as they embarked on this momentous endeavor.

"Are you ready then, King of Fanelia?" she asked formally.

Van nodded resolutely.

"Then, we shall set fire to the world as we know it," she declared purposefully, "So that a new and better Gaea can be reborn from the ashes."