[ - Author's Note - ]
Whew. Okay this chapter was... longer then planned... I say that a lot, it seems...
Before anything else I want to thank one reviewer in particular which is not something I usually do but I felt the need; Dark White Fang. While most reviewers very quickly sided with Alison and felt sorry for her he took a contrarian position; not claiming her evil or the like but rather more ignorant. We had a bit of a PM chat and while we had our disagreements on her it was polite and, to be frank, insightful. I often ask for constructive criticism and what he offered was constructive. This chapter will explore both Juno and Alison and it gave me a couple of thoughts as I wrote. So once more DWF, thanks.
Beyond that what will we have?
The fallout of what Cyrus pulled (Duh), some little character bits, we see a bit more into Roxford's politics and situation...
...and explore what people do when they are hurt in a deeper way then the physical...
So, no more chatter, let's get to it!
Also; there will be a fair bit of Google Translated French... minus ticks over the 'e's as the HTML converter I use doesn't seem to like them. I... hope it all makes sense.
[ - Act IV - Chapter IV: Les Peches du Passe - ]
Justical is called the 'Kingdom of Knights' for good reason; they have an overabundance of knightly houses. Indeed, the amount of knighted people within Justical is, compared to Eostia, five to one. They have always favored heavily armed and armored units as their main forces with lighter forces and magical support to aid their heavy pushes. In addition their lands are rich with myhtril veins and ores in addition to iron; thus much of the army uses some form of steel/mythril alloy as armor with the most elite of their forces wearing pure mythril plate.
What this means, overall, is that they deploy smaller forces when compared to their peer nations but those forces are usually better armed, armored and trained then their counterparts. Even Eostian regulars, some of the most battle hardened and trained on the continent, are widely considered inferior to their Justical counterparts and I speak that as no insult to my kingdom's military forces; they are considered the best for good reason. Well trained, well educated, largely battle hardened, heavily equipped and disciplined to an exceptional level it is said a regular of Justical can fight, on even terms, against two Eostian regulars at once. Traditionally that has never been tested and their main rival has been Balanar with other nearby nations, such as Qulona and Roxford, being other targets of their attempts to 'bring justice to all'.
Roxford in particular would be a choice target; between the Connection Canal under construction and that it would give Justical new angles to attack Balanar from means they've a keen interest in bringing them low and they made an attempt after the Bloody Revolution; only an awkward alliance of Camafran and Balanar cut off their supplies and let the revolution push the Knight's Kingdom out. For the moment they seem more interested in another conflict with Balanar but in Roxford's current condition it could be a tempting target.
~Dominic James Pencraft, Sererus: A Collection of History and Powers
[-]
The ball carried on after Cyrus lost his eye and... yeah, it was a thing.
I opted to say my good nights and Prim and Alicia joined me for some cuddling. Cele, Juno and Xerander opted to have a talk to work out what should be done and all three agreed on three major points of what had happened.
Point One: Cyrus was the aggressor and likely was looking to pick a fight from the start. In addition Balin, according to Channer, egged him on with some hurtful truths.
Point Two: It was a fair duel and I conducted myself honorably. By contrast rushing my back with a dagger outside of the duel was not honorable and had this been in Eostia he would be fucked; he tried to stab someone in the back with clearly murderous intent and a lord at that. Even his father's influence wouldn't have saved him were we in my home kingdom. In fact the only reason he wasn't being shown a new, hemp necktie was that Xerander and his old man pleaded with Juno for leniency with a suggestion that what she choose would effect further relations with Balanar if she gave 'unfair' treatment.
Point Three: I had acted in self defense and before the challenge was laid out I had attempted to deescalate the situation. I had the L'Agrentunes, Lynette's friends and Dax's words backing me up on that one. As such they decided on what would be fair... or rather 'fair'.
Because fucking politics. I hate it so much...
Regardless I was told to offer up a spell stone to Cyrus; Channer would take and use it to make a prosthetic eye out of it. I didn't skimp on quality so no one would think I was being bitter or anything. I took his eye, I gave one back. 'Fair is fair.'
(Cele and Juno both would later admit to me that they didn't think it was fair but Roxford needed Balanar to at least be not hostile to them. Juno outright said that if she could get away with it Cyrus would have been introduced to the guillotine by being put into it.)
That's not to say Cyrus was getting off the hook; he was ordered to pay five full platinum to me (Far more then the cost of the spell stone I offered) coupled with an apology before the leaders gathered and once Channer was finished with his new eye he was to be banished from Roxford. Juno also strongly stated that John would need to be able to control himself and his son if he wanted to do business in the republic. More over Cele had Cyrus banished from Eostia and stated, in no uncertain terms, that if he set foot inside the Alliance she would have him sent directly to Mungale in chains and leave his fate to my whims. John didn't like that but Xerander conceded it was fair and promised further punishment for Cyrus once they were all home.
(Another thing I'd later hear was that the only reason Xerander was able to convince Juno to be lenient was because of Cyrus' lost eye. Otherwise there could have been jail time for him in the span of years. In a sense losing his eye was lucky, in a sense.)
It was a little annoying for me as the idiot got away with a stern slap on the wrist and a new eye but that's the situation. As for myself; it was agreed I didn't do anything wrong with Xerander admitting if he was in my shoes he would have done worse. Regardless that's not to say there wouldn't be more problems; Cyrus' actions would reflect poorly on House Mandeville as a whole and once word got out about what he pulled they'd lose a lot of business in Eostia for trying to back stab a Champion of Eostia.
That all said Cyrus would get his; it was a question of when, not if. He's not always going to have politics to shield him.
With the morning came the morning meeting and after that some time off to visit the city; doubly so as the afternoon meeting was postponed because Juno and her council needed to meet for a chat, likely over what Cyrus pulled. Politics. Our stay would likely expand by a day or two due to the assassination attempt on Alison canceling a meeting but we could deal with that... which led me to going into town with... a couple of ladies. "Why do you insist on hanging off his arm?"
"Because it's a nice arm." I sighed and tried to not look annoyed.
"Come ladies, we can behave and enjoy ourselves for a day, right?" I let off as Lynette glared over to my left side... where Celestine Celestia hung onto my arm and pressed those giant mounds to my arm. Dear lord, those large tracts of land... "Alright?" I let off as Lynette huffed.
Lynette had asked me to come out to Elouan City with her and once we arrived we ran into Celestine who rushed out to greet me. It was clear what Lynette wanted to do; trying to get 'a mood' going for a second time. Our run in with Celestine seemed to be by chance... but some women can be devious; she might have planned to catch me for her own reasons. I don't know. Worse I wanted to talk with her anyway in regards to Alison being brought to Roxford, but in private.
I trusted Alison when she said she was just here to spend sometime in her home and try to speak with Juno while she can but she was brought in by Victor Celestia, the King of Camafran and Celestine's father. He could have done it as a favor to Alison but as a king he needed to play politics and he might have been making some sort of play. What play he was making I didn't know but he was clearly making a play. To that end I asked Riri and Makoto if they could go off and seek out rumors about the princess and what the feelings of the common folk were in her regards. I'd rather do it myself but I had my hands full, so to speak. On that end I asked if Channer knew if King Victor had any plans in regards to Alison; he didn't but he'd opt to ask around himself.
I also asked Maia to do more digging when she wasn't watching Alison; she opted to let Alicia handle guard duty while she went out to work and took Lulu and Prim with her. I had a lot of things I wanted to know to piece the picture together... But for the moment... "Ohhh, a magic shop."
"Whoa!" Celestine spotted a magic shop I hadn't on my other trips and yanked me towards it with more power then I expected of her frame. "Easy there!"
"Hey!" Lynette let off as she gave chase; I was sure our collective escort were either sighing in annoyance or chuckling in bemusement at what they were seeing. I was a bit annoyed but as a mage I was always up to browse in a new magical shop. Celestine would go straight for the magical jewelry and let go of my arm, finally. I shrugged and turned towards the books; I was well kitted now and aside from new, useful spell stones. Lynette sighed and moved to stand by me as I browsed. "She is a pushy girl." She whined as I chuckled.
"I've met worse." I chuckled. I flipped through a few books as I sought out a title that would catch my eye or at least seem like it had something different then my other books. A glance told me Celestine was bent over a case of jewels and talking to the shopkeeper so I lowered my voice a little. "If I can ask; Juno's request..." Lynette blushed but her face turned serious as I brought it up. "Why did you ask for it?"
"W-well, I'll admit it's mostly for the nation more then myself." She said, coughing to her hand. "There's a worry about who will... be the heroes of tomorrow, you know? Given Roxford's state there's questions of who will keep the Flames of Liberty lit..." She said, the 'Flames of Liberty' being a common rallying cry for the Revolutions (I'd later learn it was, at times, more literal as things were set on fire, like noble homes.) as she sighed. "And... we will be longer lived then most... there's a pressure for me to lead more of the nation someday..." That was... something I never really thought about... we were Dragonborne and depending on how things go... I'd... outlive almost everyone I knew... It... wasn't a great thought... "I will need an heir of my own and... if he or she could also be so long lived... so I'm not outliving them..."
That was... understandable... Hell, I'd watch all my fiancees grow old and feeble and still be young... and if none of my children were dragonborne then...
"That's... a heavy thought, I'll admit..." I said after a moment, setting a book I was browsing back on the shelf, not picking up another as I just left my hand there and thought. "Fuck."
"Yeah, about my response once I started to think about it..." She said, setting a hand on my shoulder. "...Humans as a whole are a short lived race compared to the elves... Ours is not one to think of what we'll do in a century because few of us can live past a century. We... we will have to hold onto something come that time, to ward off the sorrows we'll face overtime..."
"..." I had nothing to say... This started with me and two girls who were not seeing eye to eye and now I had a lot of thinking to do...
[-]
Council of the Starlight
Palace of the Starlight
Elouan City, Capital of Roxford
The meeting room that the republic had been using for the canal meeting was normally used by previous royals as a place to gather their nobles, their aides, their generals and their champions together for discussions, war meetings and more. While the golden throne had been removed, melted down to mint coins and replaced with a podium little else had changed as Juno took her place. In her mind the throne in what was the throne room and the crown passed down the line of DesCieux should have both been melted down as well but the former was kept in trust by one faction of the Golden Revolution and the crown by the other, both wishing to preserve them for the reasons of 'history'.
She believed it in regards to the throne at least... and she disagreed with both...
She glanced to the right wing of the room sitting on all but the back row. Those there held onto the throne; Les Sept Lances or the Seven Spears. They were the more militaristic part of the revolution and bore the largest amount of those who fought in the Bloody Revolution; each one turning on the bloodies as their tyranny grew worse and worse. Even so they were the biggest hardliners of the current council; of the ten (Now eleven) assassination attempts made on Alison DesCieux only two came from the bloodies while another four came from the Spears. They wanted to place the throne into a museum of Roxford's revolutions as a trophy of war and allow all to seat in it as an insult to the kings who once rested their arses upon it.
Given the name it was little surprise they had the largest focus on the military and ensuring a martial force that could maintain and protect the new Republic... in public. She was well aware what goals laid under it all; to start and support revolutions in other kingdoms and bring down any monarch or noble. To them it wasn't enough to build a single republic and leave it at that; they felt the need to tear down any and all kingdoms and, as such, wanted the means to invade. They were all in on the canal project to get the funding to start their conquest and permitted Juno to rise to power despite her opposition to such warmongering; to them she was a great general and she agreed they needed a strong military, although to protect the Republic and not invade other nations.
She glanced to the left of the room. Once more, save the back row, one group sat; Les Flammes de la Liberte or the Flames of Liberty were made up mostly of those who didn't join the Bloody Revolution but joined the Golden Revolution. In contrast to the other two parties present they were fully on board with her in destroying the symbols of the fallen kingdom's power and turning them to something new; they even melted down the golden mythril scepter of House DesCieux, reshaped it's spell stone and metal and presented it to her as a spear. She even had it announced to the world at large that the L'Autorite du Ciel, the Heaven's Authority, had been reforged and turned into the Lumiere du Peuple, Light of the People. Of the three she would admit she was the closest in alignment to them.
Their main issues was trying to work out what the people's rights and responsibilities were as well as they strongest voice wanting to concentrate the power of the Republic to only a few figures. More over they wanted more power to civilians and less to the military by making the armies of Roxford answerable to the people of Roxford; or at least those voted to represent them... however it was to the point of wanting to ban conscription at a time where enemies were all around them, wanting publicly funded healthcare at a time where affording it was impossible and transition to a new form of paper currency which seemed a bit silly as it would give anyone with a printing press the means to flood currency into their lands without a means to prove what was legitimate and what wasn't. She might have been the closest in alignment to them but that didn't mean she wasn't frustrated by them.
And then there was the group in the back row; Les Bonnes Couronnes, The Good Crowns. They called themselves 'The Official Opposition' or 'Loyal Opposition' in reference to Rycall which recognized such. Most were from the upper classes who fled the Bloody Revolution and returned after the Golden one and managed to keep hold of the Crown of Roxford. She didn't believe it was kept for historical reasons given what their goals were; bringing back House DesCieux, something the rest of the council strongly opposed... but also to maintain old traditions and promote old glories. 'Never forget that history must be remembered lest we repeat or echo it's worst excesses'.
That said she knew little of what they wanted behind closed doors (Beyond to make more money; the merchant leeches...); she was sure that restoring the monarchy to power was part of it but she heard rumors of combining a republic and monarchy in some strange mix. She would admit, such an arrangement would be more palatable to the nations around them but she needed to make the republic for the people of Roxford, not prissy kings and queens outside of it. Sadly they managed to be elected to a nearly equal number to the Flames who were slightly larger then the Spears... making the council difficult at times as there was never a majority to almost anything. For all her issues with the Crowns, down to their name, they were the most vocal about limiting the government's power and the most vocal about adding checks and balances to ensure the people were protected from the government. If she had the power to remove them she would have, at least until Roxford could be remade to the correct image, but she would admit they had some good ideas. It was annoying the only ones to question her were the ones she didn't wish to listen to.
Of course getting three groups like this in one room... "You let that snotty brat live?" ...was a recipe for headaches. "You should have had him slain in public right in front of his king." Juno looked over to the speaker for a moment. Corin Rocher of the Spears; he bore a well groomed, red beard, a low, shoulder length ponytail and came dressed in a heavy looking, red great coat. Green eyes from the six foot man looked to her as he frowned.
"As much as you might dislike it, and I am not a fan of it either, we need Balanar to be not hostile to us." Juno replied. "House Mandeville bears enough influence in Balanar and other nations that we can only do so much against them. We cannot afford unneeded hostilities right now; at least not when our sovereignty isn't under threat."
Corin frowned but the next to speak was at the opposite side of the room, Avuka L'Avant. "Should we care? He attempted to kill a bloody lordling. It's none of our concern." The woman stood at five eight and bore mere B-Cups held in a blue dress that was missing the front of it's skirt, showcasing white pants. Her hair was kept short and was a dark, teal color as red eyes glared over to her Spear counterpart. "It would have been better if the bastard managed it."
"Careful Avuka." Pepin, present and leading the Good Crowns as he looked back as he spoke calmly. "He is a hero to Eostia, not by birth but by deed. And let us not forget that Juno herself was born a noble." Avuka glared hard to him but didn't interrupt as he kept speaking. "We cannot forget that a republic is revolutionary to our neighbors and our own people. Many from small villages and towns would rather the monarchy return because of the chaos caused over the last ten years. Do we wish to invite more problems from our neighbors before we're able to deal with them?"
Juno managed to not sigh; while the comments on the smaller settlements was something he shouldn't have brought up (True as they were, to her annoyance) Pepin at least helped calm things down. "Cyrus is already on his way out of our nation. In truth I worry about Eostia's relations with Balanar after this... but that is not the Republic's concern. We have our own concerns with who is here as opposed to who is leaving; Alison DesCieux."
"That chienne..." Avuka let off as one of her aides within her party scoffed.
"We tried to kill her ten times... and she still survived..." Said aide let off as he crossed his arms. "How did they all fail..?" Juno's face darkened as she tried to control her reaction.
"Bad luck." One of the Spears let off. "As well as Camafran isn't lacking in skilled bodyguards and soldiers. Still, we have a chance here and now to-"
"Non." Juno let off firmly as she clenched her hand. "We cannot afford a fight with Camafran right now and were she to die here we'd lose the support of Celestine."
"The King's daughter is as much of a chienne as-"
"Lucross." Juno cut off Avuka as her mouth shut quickly. "Eostia is one of the few supportive voices we have; beyond all others we cannot offend their High Queen."
"Not to mention killing a person who has done no crime is against the values of the republic, non?" Pepin added to Juno's annoyance. "In truth there's no reason to even keep her banished."
"Her family is responsible for-"
"Their own actions." Pepin cut off Avuka as Corin frowned and glared as the man kept speaking. "She was fourteen when the revolution first began; are you to argue she could have changed what her father or uncles or cousins or anyone else in her family had done?"
"House DesCieux is to be no more." Corin let off firmly, slapping a hand to the table before him. "They should be dead to the last!"
"Something I would expect from a such a man willing to kill a baby." Pepin retorted with his own firm glare as Corin snarled.
"I killed a DesCieux." The Spear retorted.
"Montel wasn't even a year old when you cast him to the ground, you heartless batard." Pepin let off as he tried to avoid snarling at him. "But I suppose you'd need to understand morals to be ashamed."
"Listen you puffed up batard-" Juno pinched her nose as she tried to tune it out. As much as she wanted DesCieux destroyed to the last even she felt what happened to Montel was a bit much... In truth she would have demanded the babe be simply sterilized and put up for adoption to solve that issue. It was why she (Secretly) ordered a total of seventeen assassination missions against the fallen house; four towards Alison, five against Rodrick and eight other actions against members of that cursed clan slaying a total of ten DesCieuxes. That said the two bigger problems were Rodrick (The most vocal about taking command of Roxfrod) and Alison (The only surviving child of the last heir).Naturally none of that endeared them to their neighbors but the threat posed by House DesCieux simply surviving and the risk one of them might have brought the name and line back was something the Republic could not accept; she would admit that not all of the House deserved to die, Alison among them, but allowing the House to live was not an option.
Not to mention one of her attempts on Alison cost her personally and she was unwilling to forgive that...
Some might claim what Lucien had done to her and her family was clouding her judgment on the subject, that it was too personal for her to be the judge of the fates of House DesCieux. She would admit that, yes, she had a personal grudge with the house; anyone who went through what she had would. But it was more then that; to many of the people of her nation House DesCieux was Roxford and so long as one person with a legitimate claim to the name lived the chances of the people deciding to reinstate them would exist; to return to the line that caused them such problems to begin with that a revolution was required...
It was so frustrating to have Alison so close and be unable to do nothing about it...
"Enough!" Juno barked out as Avuka joined the yelling. "Alison can live. For now. So long as she's under Celestia's protection we will do nothing to her." She said giving everyone in the room a stern look. "But for now we need to focus. We need to stress as one-" She said while giving Pepin a stern look, one he seemed unaffected by. "-that she is not welcome here and is never to return. It cannot be allowed to have House DesCieux return... Never."
"We can agree to disagree." Pepin let off simply as she turned her stern look to a glare. His aides seemed to shiver under her gaze but Pepin himself did not. It was good to have someone able to call her out but did he have to on this subject?
"We'll move onto the Canal then..." Juno said moving to look at her papers. "Let's see... ah, the water on the southern end is deep enough for large cogs to travel from the lake, so-"
And the meeting would carry on... but in the back of her mind Juno knew things were unstable. House DeLiberte had no heir but neither did the Republic... and in the current state of things no one could step into place and be accepted... not in that moment. If something were to happen to her there was a... greater then zero chance that the Spears and Flames would start a fight that could escalate to something worse and who knew what the Crowns would do...
'All I need... All I need is for things to go smoothly and to not encounter more surprises...'
One could only hope...
[-]
Location Unknown
Presumed Within Elouan City
"My, my, such a reaction... I didn't expect it." A chuckle followed with a grin. "They are that afraid of Alison?"
"Non, they do not fear her... they fear what she represents." A voice with a shrug and soft smile. "DesCieux is, to many, Roxford and any of the house breathing is unacceptable to some. Of the Council only the Crowns are supportive to the old rulers... and I've heard my peers grumble; some don't want DesCieux back as they once were, or at least not without cutting their power down."
"Hmm-heh-he-he... If they only knew..." A wide smile following the chuckle. "Indeed... The Kingdom will rise once more under... new custodians... In regards to the Spears and Flames; following Juno as they do they are the most notable problems. Can we track them when the time comes?"
"Even better..." A wide smile and spreading of arms. "Both will be holding their own, individual meetings and, as luck would have it, at the same time as the fool's chess tournament."
A grin. "Is that so?"
"Indeed; they use particular rooms for them. A little planning, a couple of agents, deal with the guards outside the room..." A smile as the figure leaned back. "We can decapitate them all at once... The Crowns are likewise holding a meeting, if you want to-"
"No, they boast the wealth we'll need access to." A shake of the head. "We'll eliminate those unwilling to swear fealty and claim their holdings if it comes to it. But they are more useful to us alive, if we can get their loyalty."
"Excellent." A wide smile and grin. "The crown will rise upon out flag once more... I cannot wait..."
[-]
As much as I hated to admit it Lynette gave me more to think about then I was ready for and our day out was dampened a hint but was still, overall, enjoyable. It gave me something to talk to with Celestine later, I felt, but instead I went to my quarters with a book I had bought; one on alchemy. It wasn't my subject but knowing what could be done with it on a better level wouldn't hurt. In truth I was waiting for a few reports.
Riri and Makoto were the first two to report in on their findings; there was unrest under the surface of the city... and Riri overheard that a lot of people were visiting from a city called Deux Ruisseaux. What that meant I didn't know; I'd need to know more about the place first. There was a lot of talk about how many problems came with the revolutions and there wasn't any consensus on if the Kingdom or Republic was better and some even mentioned they'd welcome the return of House DesCieux.
Channer got back to me after they did and we shared some tea. I admit; I didn't expect much. Not that Channer was incapable but rather that King Celestia was likely playing his cards close to his chest. To my pleasant surprise he did get a bit... just by charming one of his female aides.
Go Channer.
As I had thought Victor's motives weren't just for Alison's sake; he was looking for an excuse to attack... in part, for Alison's sake but not against the Republic but rather Juno as he suspected she ordered at least four of the assassination attempts on Alison's life. I didn't know if that was true or not but if it was... it was not going to reflect well on Juno... If she did I could see a lot of instantly lost support. The other thing he was hoping was to get proof of Juno's hand in the attempt... and if he could...
I imagine Celestine (Lucross) would be very unhappy about it. If nothing else four of those attempts happened when she was in office.
...
Five now.
More over I could see how this could compound with the unrest; if King Celestia could prove it and do so to the general public... well, the revolution will have a revolution to deal with... one that might welcome Camafran coming in and installing Alison to the throne... or if something were to happen to her another DesCieux; I knew House Flotte in Eostia's Ironside County was hosting Adam DesCieux and while he wasn't of age yet (He's only twelve) I imagine if the situation called for it Camafran would ask him to take the crown with a chancellor ruling in his stead. That it would give Camafran some say in Roxford, and thus the canal, was a cherry on top.
Once he finished I got to mull over it a bit before a knock came to my door. "Come in." I set my book aside and started to fill a second cup as Maia opened the door and slipped in, walking over.
"Yo." She let off as she walked over to the table I sat at as I leaned over and picked up something I pulled off my ship earlier; a bottle of rum. "Ohhh, you know how to treat a girl."
"Let's just say I knew you'd want more then tea." I replied as I moved to sip my own tea. She dropped into the seat opposite of me, grabbed the bottle and popped the lid with her thumb and a light Combat Art. "That and I hoped what you found out was worth the reward." She nodded before she took a swig of her drink before sighing.
"Well... dug up a few things." She let off, leaning back and lifting a foot up to the table and crossing the other over it. "Not much of it comforting." She took another swig and sighed. "For starters, we have a lot of people of the... La Gloire du Ciel...? ...from Deux Ruisseaux City in town. Like over a hundred."
"Heaven's Glory or Glory of Heaven I think?"
"Don't know; never learned prissy speak." Maia replied to my attempt at a translation as she shrugged. "But they're supposedly old fans of the royals." I frowned in thought and crossed my arms.
"Are they here for the meeting? Hoping to get the attention of visiting leaders?" I let off as I thought. "Or Alison? I doubt that; her arrival wasn't announced..."
"Dunno, I didn't get to ask." Maia said before taking another swig and pointing to me with her bottle holding hand and speaking after she swallowed. "But I think it's safe to say they are here for the meeting, but I don't know why. I have heard a rumor, however, that they were seen speaking to the guards and maybe bribing them."
"Hmmm..." I let off as I frowned hard. "You should let Juno know that... I don't know what's going on but it sounds like trouble."
"Yeah, Prim's off to do that for me." She said with a shrug. "Figured you could handle my type of blunt talk better."
I made a very obvious glance to her tits. "I don't see much blunt there."
"Ha, Ha." She let off dryly... even as she smiled... for a moment. "But there's more; I heard a little rumor and I opted to chase it down; ever hear of Oil... Oily... Da Ombry?" She let off, having a hard time recalling the Roxian/French pronunciation while I tried to puzzle it out... then came realization.
"Oeil D'Ombre?" I asked as I got a nod from her. "Shadow Eye... The old Kingdom's version of the Black Watch..."
"Yup." She said with a nod. "I heard that to ensure they were kept loyal they were given something special." Maia then reached back with her free hand and tapped the back of my neck as I blinked.
"Spell bind tattoos..." I let off frowning deeply. "...Then that assassin... But that wouldn't make any sense..."
"I asked Alison about it; the top of the top in the Shadow Eye was House DesCieux only and, this is important, there's only five guys, pre-war, who could give these guys orders." Maia explained, holding up a finger for each name she would list off. "King Lucien, his brother Leonard, Fawkes, Arsen and Dawkin. All of them are supposed to be dead... Supposed to be."
"Do you know something?" Maia shook her head for a moment, took a swig and then began to speak.
"No, but while chasing those rumors I leaned a bit about Dawkin; supposedly he was the real spymaster and known to be a bit paranoid." The redhead told me as I considered her words. "A body double isn't out of the question."
"We should also consider that Dawkin is dead but a body double survived and is playing the part of Dawkin." I pointed out as she blinked. "Some sort of spell stone brooch or earring or, hell, a false eye with an Illusion spell, coupled with some magic to alter the voice... it would be a bit tricky to get everything just right so you didn't look like you wore the same outfit day after day but for a talented enchanter it's more then doable and pre-war Roxford had a good amount of them. Hell, I doubt the name Fabrice Armoise means much to you but he founded an amazing school for enchanting in Roxford which trained quality mages and he enchanted the L'Autorite du Ciel, the scepter that was the symbol of DesCieux's authority... until it was reforged into a spear." I added the last bit with some disdain.
As an enchanter the L'Autorite du Ciel wasn't just a symbol of Roxford's royal authority it was a work of art. A shaft of golden mythril that thickened near the head like a baseball bat, thick bands wrapping around a grade one spell stone shaped in the Fleur De Lis in a round cage, a rounded counter weight on the bottom and carvings from the top to the bottom. Intricate patterns covered it along with the tale of Roxford's founding carved along the shaft and single, large diamond fixed to the top of it all. It was a potent clubbing weapon and magical focus both and much of it's secrets weren't well known outside of House DesCieux...
And it was turned into a basic, uncarved, hardly decorated fucking spear. For an enchanter it was like taking the Mona Lisa and painting over it with modern, abstract art; it was considered vandalism of such a well made artifact. "But yeah; before the revolution Roxford had a thriving enchanting community."
It was annoying. Maia blinked at my change of tone but shrugged and kept going. "That's a fair point; I know paranoia isn't uncommon in the Black Watch and if the guy with art on his neck at least thinks the guy giving orders can be one of the five then it should work, right?" She asked as I nodded. "I imagine there's not much of these Shadow Eyes left... but we have to guess there's a handful, right?"
"Not just that." I said as I thought about it. "Old palaces and castles might have hidden passages and exits hidden here and there; not to the point as Castle Xenera but still... and the Shadow Eyes would more then likely know any such passages like the back of their hands..."
"Shit." She let off, looking about the room to see if she could spot any such hidden door. Yeah, at that thought I'd keep Ring of Alarm up during the night. "Okay, you're the smart one... What the fuck is the endgame for this?"
"... I don't know. That depends on the mastermind, or masterminds, behind this..." I took a moment to sip my tea as I thought. "... But if we're right and the assassins are Shadow Eyes and they are under the command of a surviving DesCieux or someone standing in for them... ... There's two reasons they would attack Alison... one; they want to splash her blood onto Juno's hands and turn everyone against the Republic... or two; they want to remove Alison to allow another DesCieux to be considered an heir... like Rodrick."
"What do you know about this Rodrick guy?"
"Not a damn thing." I replied quickly with a sigh. "Based on what I've heard he was in Roxford's south when the revolution hit. He quashed the uprisings in the region for a time but when his father, Fawkes, fell in combat they became overwhelmed. They tried to regroup with other, royalist forces but were cut off and pushed to the Snake's Tongue and in desperation crossed into Justical. Their military clashed with the Republican Guard but it's not fully known what happened to Rodrick's forces. That said he was given sanctuary and once the Republic won it's said he declared himself 'King in Exile'... although..."
"Although...?"
After she spoke I took sometime to think, sipping my tea and gathering my thoughts before speaking. "... We don't have an ambassador in Justical and without Balanar's permission to extend boosters towards them we don't have good contact with our spies there... To us a lot of what goes on inside Justical is a blank and comes more from those who leave it... Who knows how much is what he wants to do versus what Justical wants him to do... Really, without knowing Rodrick's character it's impossible to tell."
"This situation is a fucking mess..." Maia let off with a long, deep sigh.
I couldn't agree more.
[-]
Elouan City, Capital of Roxford
Merchant's District
"Ooooh, so pretty." Miika let off as she looking about the windows and inside as she looked to a series of small dolls and toys. Her tail swished about in excitement as she grinned and looked over the, usually wooden, items. Her father moved behind her with a soft grunt as Miria moved to kneel next to her with a smile.
"You thinking of getting one?" She asked as Miika nodded quickly. She wasn't worried about money at the moment; her brother was happy to spot her some money to set up her own enterprise inside of Agron City. While she had none of her brother's enchanting talents she did have an idea and opted to work with him and his merchant friend Endmund to get a printing press and print books, mostly reprinting children's books. That, by itself, wasn't impressive but with a small, enchanted spell stone it could read itself and even highlight words as it read itself... and hopefully, teach children to read. Her brother was more then happy to pitch in and she, of course, would cut him a share of the profits (It wouldn't work without him, of course) but it gave her an independent income. By all accounts while the self reading books had only been on the market for a month there was a lot of interest from the Faith and their orphanages, other orphanages, schools and more wealthy families with young children or those expecting children.
Luckily they had a young, illiterate child to test them on and it earned her some coin. "I find these cities confounding." Her birth father let off as Miria turned her head and stood back up. He was looking to and fro as he frowned; more in thought then any sort of upset. "There's so much to trade for and see... It's much more overwhelming then the Savannah."
"It can be." She said with a grin. "But it's always easy to buy some food if your hunt goes poorly." He grunted in reply; he'd seen the trophies she had (And glad she ate the meat before stuffing and mounting the heads) including the oversized bear head and... well, was glad for the story and that his daughter didn't die during it. She was an able hunter and as the snow left Mungale they had opted to hunt deer together. The forests within Mungale were a much different place to chase game and it took a slightly different set of skills but he adapted well. When the time came they would bring Miika on a hunt for her to catch her first game.
"Hmm. I imagine it's a case of different benefits and problems, then." He let off before Miria led them into the store. It was mostly a toy store but had puppets and such on for sale as well... and, she noted, Battle Fleet games.
Odd how far those reached...
"Oooooh, so many..." Miika let off looking down a shelf that was chin height to Miria, slowly walking. There were dolls of all kinds where she was looking from teddy bears to baby dolls to even ones in armor shaped felt. Mokria sighed and moved to follow her down the aisle as Miria smiled; it was nice to be able to have fun and enjoy a day out with her family... well, her birth family...
It was a bit odd to have two fathers... but also very pleasant.
"I can't believe who's on the bloody council... More like Council of Bloodies..."
"Mind your tongue! I'm here to shop for something for my daughters, not talk politics."
And then there were two voices, one grumbling and one hissing while keeping their voices down. She spotted them from the side of her eye; two men in well dressed outfits. Great coat, shirt, tie, pants, boots, Jacob's collar. The first was a blond in black colored clothing, the other in more a charcoal gray with black hair. She would move a bit closer, keeping her back to them and folding one ear down and turning the other; Catalan ear now tuned to eavesdrop clearly.
"I know, I know! But it frustrates me that les Sept Lances are as... gung-ho as they are about wanting to assassinate that poor girl again." Blonde let off. Assassinate a poor girl? Alison? "Les Flammes de la Liberte aren't much better in that regard..."
"At least Juno has her head screwed on straight... Keeping the Lances and Flammes in check can't be that easy..." Black hair let off as Blonde scoffed.
"She was on the council when the bloodies ruled; you don't think she had a hand in it?" Miria stiffened a bit, glad for the shelf hiding her reaction from any possible gaze of theirs. Juno might have had a hand in the assassination orders?
That was... distressing... Black Hair spoke once more. "You don't think..."
"She hates DesCieux... been quiet on what happened to her but... well, the rumors are there..."
"Putain." Black let off to Blonde's comment. "I know, I heard it too... but still..."
"I mean, oui, no one knows if she made the orders or not; plausible deniability and all..." Blonde replied. From the corner of her eye she saw Miika looking to toys for a moment before looking at her, confused. A smile and finger to her lips was Miria's reply as Black talked once more.
"I... I hope not... I mean of all people she's meant to be above it..."
"We're all human though... more or less." Miria frowned and while she knew she shouldn't let this dampen her day out she also knew her brother would want to hear about this...
[-]
Elsewhere in Elouan City, Capital of Roxford
Cafe Tasses et Livres
"I must admit... This place is a novel idea..." Klaus let off as he sipped a cup of coffee as he sat across from his wife. It was an odd place they found; shelves full of books on white shelves with one wall boasting a small section for baking pastries and bread, roasting beans for coffee as well as brewing that drink and tea with various flavorings to add. One was allowed to come and sit down with a small treat, a drink and read whatever book was available and, thanks to the printing press, there was a wide selection to choose from.
The place was built two hundred years ago and commissioned by Queen Joelle DesCieux as a means to grant more access to books to the common man; it was originally just a library but a man came up with the idea of selling pastries outside people could buy and bring in with them. Once the queen took note of this she opted to have a small bakery added into the library and it all but became an institution... although supposedly much of the books needed to replaced as they were burned in the revolutions. "Hmmm... Perhaps we should think about sponsoring something like this back home?" Claudia let off with a smile.
"Hmmm... with the cost of books it would be a heavy upfront investment... but over time I can see it making that investment back several times." Klaus mused. Both, of course, had open books before them; a history of Roxford before Klaus that survived until now and a Roxfordian romance novel before Claudia. "I do wish there was more time to enjoy Roxford, but I imagine it will end in a few days. But it's a good thing in it's own way; Eostia does need us."
"Indeed... Given how rushed we were on the way out I do worry a bit but we've all able aides under us." His wife replied with a smile. "Oh. Thank you." She let off as a waitress brought over a small selection of croissants on two plates, each one with a blood orange in the center, although oddly Klaus' was cut in half and showing the red flesh of the citrus. He opted to peel one of his orange halves before speaking once more.
"Having said that I wonder what will become of this place." He said as he looked off to a man by the door; he had accosted them as they entered briefly with a large book filled with signatures of dozens on a page and a book over a third full. He was having citizen sign a petition with one aim; to return House DesCieux back into Roxford. Not back to power but to, as the man said, 'bring back our Legacy of the Heavens'. Both politely declined and he opted to not press the issue, doubly so once he was told they were Eostian. "This is... There is a schism here; revolutionary and royalist both have wants but oppose the others, even wants that don't conflict with their own. Both sides hurt but seem unwilling to let the other heal... I fear Juno will be unable to mend this divide."
"Why do you say so? She seems an able ruler." Claudia asked. The voice was calm, level and even with no surprise or judgment; a mere request for his position to be explained.
"She is an able leader, do not doubt I know that but we both know of her outburst." He said as she gave him a nod. Klaus was, of course, by Celestine's side as an aide for her meetings. "However that outburst comes from two places; a place of hurt from House DesCieux, no matter the form it took-" There were only rumors of what happened to House DeLiberte at the hands of the last king... and none suggested anything good. "-she was wounded by them on a level more then physical. But the other is a belief in the Republic as an institution; I think she honestly believes that the republic is the answer to every problem Roxford has when the answer is good rulership and not the form it takes. More over a republic operates by listening to it's populace... but I am not sure how open she would be to hearing something that would lessen the republic or her image of it."
Claudia frowned as Klaus moved to eat some of his fruit, a bit of the juice leaking down his chin as she thought it over. "Hmm... Okay then, I can see how that's a problem. What's the solution?"
"That's... I'm not sure myself." Klaus said as he said as he set the fruit down and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his mouth with. "The issue is we need someone who wants to bring the people together and not merely press one idea down... And yet Juno is the only leader the people, at large, can agree upon, regardless of flaws."
"So she's the only one who can lead... and yet, in a way, is not the best choice..." Claudia said as she took a croissant and lifted it to her lips for a bite as she took a moment to think. "The best option then would be a more moderate aide she trusts... but is there one?"
"That's a question... Celestine doesn't think there is one." He sighed in reply. "Celestine has you but I don't think Juno has an equivalent."
"I don't think she ever forgave me for that ass pinch..." Claudia let off. It was in her first year as the Dawn Templar's commander while Celestine was making a speech at a podium to several lords and she had meant to tug on her hair in a subtle way to get her attention over a flub she had made... and accidentally pinched the royal derriere in doing so.
"Yes. She has. She has said so. Five dozen times." Klaus sighed out as he took his own croissant. "But back to topic; Juno either lacks the sound advice she needs or the advice is there but she's either not being told it or she's not listening."
"So... what would make her listen?" Claudia asked as Klaus sighed.
"I'm not sure I have the answer for that..."
[-]
I ended up with a... new and interesting report on my lap courtesy of a little, opportune eavesdropping by my sister (After her sister showed off a white cat doll and black cat doll; Miika wanted two so one didn't get lonely); rumors that Juno had a hand in some (The last four), maybe even all, of the assassination attempts on Alison... If true (And I stress 'if' as I know of no proof) that was a bad look on her and the republic as a whole. I relayed the information to Celestine and she agreed with me; a bad look if true but there wasn't enough to go off on.
It was a bit frustrating to know that Juno having a hand in that was very much possible and still have to act like I didn't know that during dinner that day. I had intended to spend time with Prim and Alicia at dinner but Prim bowed out to talk with and sit with Miika (Didn't blame her for wanting that) and gave her seat up to Lynette.
Yeah... back to this.
(If it sounds like I'm whining or complaining about this, well, I guess I kind of am but you need to understand my position; due to my situation I was fully aware of the world I was set to but also that of my old world so in spite of it all there was a sort of culture shock that, while lessening, I was still subject to. Trust me, having sex with dozens of sexy women wasn't a chore (Most of the time) but it was still a bit odd to have someone who was set to marry me point at someone and say 'go get'em, Tiger'. I just wish Eostia wouldn't Eostia so much... doubly so in Roxford.)
That said since our little talk I had gone from unsure about knocking her up to heavily considering it due to my new consideration of my... our unusually long live spans and how she doesn't want to outlive her children... and having to accept that's a good chance. It's a bit heavy, really. After dinner she and her mother invited me to come sit and chat with them and I opted to do so.
I hadn't expected it to be in Lynette's quarters, but hindsight is twenty-twenty. That said both ladies had me wait outside their room to change into something more comfortable (I was in my Armor Weave outfit, for reference) and I was wondering if they would dress in something comfortable, underwear or nothing at all. With my luck all three were on the table. "Come in!" Acadia's voice let off as I pushed off the wall I'd been leaning into, coat tucked under an arm, then opened the door and step inside...
...and they were in matching nightgowns... sexy ones, of course; thin straps around the back of the neck holding up thin material that showed off cleavage and had a tie under the breasts to pull it to the body and show off the curves of their breasts better. They kept going down and stopped short of the hips, transitioning into a loincloth-like front and back, leaving the sides of their hips bare and showing, yes, there were no panties. The only changes were the colors; Acadia's was pure white (And a hint semi-transparent over the breasts) and Lynette's was baby blue. "Ladies." I let off as I shut the door behind me and set my coat on a chair as I walked over.
"Well, you don't seem surprised." Acadia let off as I chuckled and got close enough to set a hand on her hip and pull her closer, pecking her lips softly.
"This isn't new to me. ... Well, the mother and daughter part at once is." I chuckled as I half hugged Acadia, her daughter moving to my other side to fish for her own kiss; one I gladly parted with as I held her as well... with Lynette's own hands moving to undo my shirt. "Although I will admit, I didn't think you'd all be so eager."
"Roxford women do seek to leave... an impression." Lynette replied as her mother worked on my pants. I opted to move my hand from Acadia's hip to her daughter's breast, cupping and squeezing softly as the younger girl moaned and stepped in to give me a deeper kiss. I moved my arms back to slip my shirt off but returned my hands to Lynette's body as Acadia giggled.
"And trust us, we will make an impression; as much as you will on my little virgin daughter." Annnnd that comment broke the kiss as Lynette's head turned to her mother's.
"I am not a virgin!" She let off as her mother giggled.
"You've done it once; that's still quite virginal." Came the response, one that left Lynette blushing and pouting at her mother. I opted to end that argument by giving Acadia's plush and generous rump a firm spank, making her yelp.
"Now, now, don't tease her too much." I said, moving to pull the MILF's head down so I could kiss her forehead as she giggled in reply and knelt, moving to fully strip my pants off. After a moment she helped me step out of them as Lynette pulled my back to a kiss, my hand moving under her nightie to cup her sex and grind to it with my palm; she was soaked and wet and dripping to my palm.
As I slipped two fingers up into the daughter the mother pressed her lips to my now nearly full mast cock and took it into her lips, sucking down onto it with a soft moan. It took little time for 'nearly' to become 'completely' as she bobbed down quite a bit as I groaned into her daughter's lips. I had to wonder if the willingness of Roxford women stemmed from something in the old Imperium? Would explain Eostia too...
(If there was... there were few records remaining after the First Age of Conflict to help prove or disprove it...)
Lynette's hands would move to stroke my back and chest before she moved her lips to kiss at my neck; I tilted my head a little as I worked my digits into her. I had chosen to let my Contraception spell drop for Lynette's sake in this case. This would be the second time I did this and the first that wouldn't be a secret. Lynette gave a moan and softly pushed my hand from her sex to kneel with her mother, the elder slipping my cock from her lips and letting her daughter take it into her own. I groaned once more as Lynette bobbed her head, much quicker then her other had as said mother stood up as kissed me in turn. I moved my hands to her larger breasts, pressing them together as I gave them a good squeeze.
I groaned harder and longer for a moment before pushing Lynette's head back softly. "Much as I'm enjoying this-" I let off, as I looked down to her. "-I don't want to spill anything into the upper lips tonight."
"Ahh, of course... F-forgive me..." Lynette let off as she blushed and stood, hands moving to cover reddening cheeks. "I'm just a bit... nervous... Tis' a woman's duty to bring the next line to birth but-whooooa!" Lynette's words were cut off as her mother grabbed her from behind and backed to the bed and fell onto it, dragging her daughter with her.
"Now, now... Motherhood is something special; believe me as I say it." Acadia let off as I walked closer as she wrestled her daughter back to the center of the bed; not that Lynette fought against her as she was moved. As I reached the bed she blushed harder and parted her legs on her own. I could assume they took something to help ensure they were impregnated so I opted to not worry on it as I knelt on the bed and came closer; my legs straddling Acadia's and between Lynette's. Finally I slapped my cock onto her pussy lips.
"Last chance to back out if you're not ready." I told Lynette as she smiled and bit her lip.
"I'm not... But I wasn't ready for battle either..." She replied with. "So... come here, M'Lord... impregne-moi de ta semence..." I had an idea of what she said as I nodded and set my cock to her sex and pressed in softly until her folds caved to the pressure and let me slip in. She mewled softly as I shifted closer as I started to rock my hips into her, my hands moving to her thighs to push them back a little. I opted to go gentle at first to both avoid over stimulating myself but also to let her adjust; if her mother's comments were right she wasn't that experienced so it would be best to give her a chance to relax and enjoy it. She moved her hands down to the sheets to grip them as I drove in a bit deeper.
Once her sex accepted what I was giving it I moved my legs a hint forwards once more so on the following stroke I buried my bone fully in the wet hole before me as I moved to lean over the pair of women before humping harder into her. "Maybe not a virgin but tight as one." I let off... as Acadia pouted softly.
Geeze, you can tease people but you don't want to be teased?
Regardless of that; Lynette moaned under me as I rocked down harder and faster once I was sure she could take it as she moaned under me. I moved a hand to her sex, setting my thumb to her clit and rubbing it softly to further pleasure her as she leaned her head back, muttering something in Roxian/French I didn't catch. I had hoped to climax with her but I was the one to cum first, still pumping my hips for a few moments more as she climaxed while my semen spilled out from me to fill up her insides; although humping her as I came scraped some along her love tunnel. I slammed in a bit harder as I finished up my climax as I shivered over her, groaning over her as she quivered on her mother. Finally I slipped out my cock from the younger and took a moment to breathe and use the Minor Heal spell to reinvigorate myself as Acadia cooed to her daughter. "See... you should be all knocked upppppp!"
As she started to speak I moved my leg to lift Acadia's up and push them back a hint as I moved in to set my cock to her lower lips and pressed into her, making her groan as I started on her now; Lynette taking the moment to roll off of her mother which gave me a chance to push the elder L'Argentune's legs further back and scoot in. I would start to rock into her but much harder then with her daughter and once I bottomed out I moved in closer and grabbed those large, glorious breasts of her. "Let's see how well you can take it." I quipped as I started to really hammer her hips with mine; to the point that I even popped Reflex Boost for that extra speed.
(Lynette would say my hips blurred for a moment then; might have been why she moaned hard and deep.)
Acadia cried out as she gripped my biceps with her hands tightly; enduring the hammering I gave her as her head leaned back while Lynette moved back over, leaning her head to mine. I would lean back to her and kiss her lips fully as I groaned into her while her mother panting and gasped under me as flesh slapping flesh sounded in the room. I was a bit surprised when Acadia came with a long, audible cry as she shivered under me; I held on for a moment before slamming in hard and spilling my seed deep into her, groaning into the daughter of the woman I was fucking.
Was I done? Not yet... I'd slip out of Acadia and pull Lynette over her mother, on all fours now, and moved to press back into her...
[-]
At That Moment
Quarters of Alison DesCieux
Palace of the Starlight
"I am jealous of your hair you know? It's so soft and silvery..."
"Well it's hard not to be jealous of your breasts you know?" Celestine Celestia giggled at Alison's reply as she worked on the silvery, platinum hair before her with a brush. Ever since Alison arrived all those years ago it was like having a little sister around. It was... not a good time for the Roxford girl when she and her escort had arrived.
Alison was shivering and scared when she came to their palace; nearly having died at least five times on the trip to their home as she was smuggled away. When they left Elouan City the girl had a party of ten, loyal servants; when she arrived she only had four left and she saw nearly all of those who fell die with her own eyes. It took three months before Alison confessed one of them died when a revolutionary slammed her to the ground and started strangling her before an aged, family butler tackled her off him. She crawled to a wall to help herself up and when she turned both men drew blades (A dagger and a sword) and ended up stabbing one another through the chest; the butler living long enough to give instructions on where to flee to.
It was a month and a half long journey that was filled with danger, terrors, blood and death. The first time she saw Alison she had a thousand yard stare and a face streaked with tear marks, shaking like a leaf and backing away from the guards as they came closer. It was as if the girl was given a tour of hell itself and shown the worst of the horrors it had to offer before being thrown back out like unwanted trash. It took almost a year before she seemed normal once more, recovered and started finding a bit of joy in her life.
Then the assassination attempts began.
To her it was frustrating as neither of them asked to be born princesses; that was just the luck of life and Alison didn't deserve to have the sins of her father thrown unto her shoulders by brutes using their pain as an excuse to inflict pain on those they considered deserving without stopping to question who was deserving and in doing so scarred a fourteen year old girl's soul for things she had no power to change.
King Harold DesCieux suffered pain when his wives died in an assassination attempt aimed at him, women who didn't deserve it. He passed that pain unto the people under his rule as well as his sons, including his heir Lucien already suffering from a lost mother; those who didn't deserve it. Lucien spared his daughter those pains but not the people under his rule who didn't deserve it. And in turn the people turned their pain unto the royalty and nobility, including those who didn't deserve it.
Pain was used to spread pain which in turn spread pain which in turn spread pain which in turn spread pain which in turn spread pain which in turn spread pain...
That was the current Roxford; trapped in a cycle of pain... and by all accounts it's leadership, including the Prime Minister, was still suffering that pain... and she worried who this pain would be aimed towards in turn. "Copper for your thoughts, ma soeur?" Alison asked her; looking to her eyes via the mirror before them both. Celestine stiffened for a moment before smiling softly.
"I was... just thinking... I attempted to speak on your behalf to Prime Minister Juno. She... would hear nothing of it." Alison sighed as she leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms as she moved her left hand to her right wrist and rubbed there as she frowned, fiddling with the bracelet there as she looked to it.
"...I know your father brought me here to try and garner support for the royalists..." Alison began as she looked back to the mirror. "That he hoped it would strain the Republic's hold... But all I came was to make peace. To come home after so long... To heal; myself and my country. Is it so wrong to want to stop hurting..? To stop feeling a hole in my heart?"
"You know you could try and rally the people. Take your father's throne back by force." Celestine told her, even knowing the answer. "Father would support you as would, I imagine, Qulona. Perhaps even Balanar; you know there are-"
"We both know the answer; non." The younger of the girls replied with a shake of her head. "Non. I understand that your father does not like the Republic... and to be honest for all it's done a part of me wants to hate it for all the blood spilled and not merely my family's..." She said before half turning in her seat to turn her head and looked at Celestine directly in the eye. "But that would merely cause more pain and hurt within Roxford and that's what I want to avoid. If I were to, somehow, claim the throne it would be by force of peace, not war. And... to be honest I'm not sure I have the ability to rule; your father ensured I was tutored in statecraft but there's more to rulership then learning."
"I know. But still wanted to hear you say it... So... what do you think you can do to speak to Juno?" Alison turned back to sit correctly in her seat as she leaned back and thought about it.
...
There was a way... but it would require her to make a threat towards Juno and while it would be empty... she would need some form of insurance...
It was... ... ...Empty or not, making a threat did not sit right with her... was it worth it..?
[-]
"Fuuuuuck!"
"Oooooh goddessssss!" Acadia was face down on the bed and her daughter was face up on her back as I was slamming my cock into the latter... while trying something new with the former... and it worked rather well, I found. What was I doing?
I made an Arcane Shield that was around the size and shape of my dick and with some effort and concentration tied it's motions to my hips. The effect was I, more or less, could fuck both of them at once. It took more focus then usual on my end but hearing their moans mixed together and cried as one as I rammed them deeper and deeper, groaning over them as I panted; my hands interlocked with Lynette's as I looked down at her lustful face. "Fuuuck, you two..." I let off, groaning deeper and louder as I slammed my hips down into them. I would have to do this with Prim and Alicia later. Maybe with Kaguya added into the mix...
...
Fuck, I was missing Kaguya right now.
"Ahhhh, yes!" Lynette let off, her legs wrapped about my hips as she tried to draw me in deeper and deeper as her mother howled under her as well before she came first and hard under the daughter of the pair, back arching. I felt Lynette whimper next before she came next, squeezing hard on my cock as she arched her back as well; thankfully their heads missed the other as they howled in pleasure and climax. However I wasn't ready to cum just yet and I was able to plow on and plow themas my hips kept going; I even picked up speed as they quivered and howled together. "Fu-fuck! Too much!"
"I'm cumming! I'm cumming again!" Acadia let off under her as she rocked and bucked her hips up into the magical dildo made via a shield spell while Lynette rocked hers up into the real cock within her as I focused on not cumming and hammering their waiting sexes hard and fast, groaning and grunting as I kept myself under control as best as able. As i felt Lynette's sex shivered and clench down once more that fight ended and I finally came into her one last time for the night...
I buried my cock and shield into the pair, groaning out as my balls squeezed on themselves and forced cum up into Lynette's waiting sex. It would be sometime before anyone knew if it took but after tonight no one would blame a lack of trying... Finally I pulled out and a hint of cum leaked out of Lynette while I ended the shield. The pair collapsed onto the bed together, slumping and, after a moment, Lynette half rolled/half slumped over to one side as the two panted and groaned before, after a moment, settling down and...
...falling asleep... I wasn't sure if I should take it as an insult or a complement. Either way I would dress, leave and return to my room... and found a sleeping Riri on my bed. I would chuckle, take a moment to bathe and change into sleepwear before bringing a book to bed, gently pulling her head to my lap. She squirmed for a moment but quickly went back to sleep once more.
It was nice... to have people to care about...
Even if I knew I'd outlive them...
[Fucked List]
Banged Acadia L'Argentune=100xp
Banged Lynette L'Argentune=100xp
Multi Girl Bonus=10 x 2 Girls=20xp
Mother + Daughter Bonus=20+(1x30)=50xp
+20% Hero of Eostia Bonus
Gain 324xp Total
[-]
I made it a point to find Prim and Alicia for breakfast to spend time with them after... well, Forestside Politics, and talk a bit. I had wanted to avoid the conversation of knocking up two, related women but Prim kept asked for questions and once I mentioned the Shield Dildo...
You could see she got ideas.
Alicia seemed less excited and, at first, tried to deflect Prim's attempts at bringing up the parts of my sex life that didn't include them... but seemed to pay too much attention to it once I was prompted to start. I... I think Prim was sexually corrupting Alicia...
Hoo boy...
I had intended, post breakfast, to spend more time with them but one of the aides from the Camafran entourage approached and informed me that Princess Alison wanted a moment of my time to ask a favor. Prim's smirk was annoying and vanished once I told her it likely wasn't going to lead to anything sexual.
I mean with my life that's not impossible but I didn't see it happening this time around.
That led us to borrowing a horse as Alison rode pillion behind me, legs to one side of the saddle, with two Camafran guards riding behind us on a cobblestone path that hadn't been tended to and was getting a bit overgrown.. The horse I was riding was a chestnut colored stallion named Wind Up, of all things. He was... okay, if a bit finicky as a steed. He was no White Peach; I'll say that. He was fine however, it just made me miss my horse. Alison guided me on our way but refused to say where we were visiting; it was on the island the Palace sat on but we rode out of the back gate and out of the walls to go there. Where there was Alison didn't say but as we got closer I could feel her shift behind me; honestly with the look on her I assumed it was important but... Well, she hasn't visited in the ten years since her exile, so I assumed she wasn't sure what she'd find either.
Or rather she knew she just... wouldn't be sure what state it was in.
Come the end of our fairly short journey we would reach a rather short hill and, upon seeing it, Alison would give a deep sigh. "We are here..." She said softly as I brought Wind Up to a halt. Alison would slide off, holding onto me to slow her decent, and once on the ground I would give Arcane Weapon a good charge and drive a makeshift post I made with it into the ground, setting the reigns to it. As she started up the hill as I moved to follow; the path ended at the foot of the hill and leading to it's top was a series of steps, a mix of bricks at the edges of the steps and cobblestone for the flat part. Each step was maybe thirty inches long, helping people up the rather shallow slope with one of the bodyguards following up, although maintaining some distance. Alison had asked that we have as much privacy as safety could afford. Given I had saved her life once and my overall reputation I imagined they were willing to put up with it, expecting me to guard her if worse came to worse.
She reached the top first and sucked in a breath; her body stiffened and I could see her fists clench tightly. Something she saw (Or didn't see) upset her... and once I stepped up next to her and saw what was there to see which... wasn't much.
The top of the hill was flat and the cobblestone path led to... a foundation of stone of some sort. The foundation was oval in shape and was likely a part of a building once. Bits of stone were littered about; not rounded stones but broken chunks and bits and sharped fragments and colored a faded white on one side. More over while the foundation was worn but with the whitewashed stone there was a series of gray stone laid down like a panel. It wasn't made in a smooth, clean manner and the bricks were uneven when laid given me the idea they were set there more recently.
A building was here once, clearly. One of some importance to Alison, and likely her family as a whole. Then someone (Or rather a lot of someones) came along and tore it down. The panel covered something and if they tore down the building there had to be something to cover; I doubt they went through the work to make a brand new foundation when nothing seemed to be being done here. More over the top of the hill was littered with foot and change length stones, not quite thick stones that were only a couple of inches high and a couple thick. Well, I had to ask. "What was here before?" I asked, looking to Alison who walked closer to the foundation then stepped on it; I followed behind her. She moved to the panel of new brick at the back of the foundation before kneeling down and setting her hand on it and sucking in a breath before giving a soft sob.
"...They sealed it too... I'm not sure I want to know what they did inside of here..." She said softly before turning to look at me; tears were threatening to spill from her eyes. "This is... ... This was my family's mausoleum. The stairs once here led to where they were placed to rest. Surrounding it was the graves of many Heroes of Roxford... and their grave markers." Oh...
Ohhhh...
Oooohhhhhhhhhh... Fuck...
This wasn't just destruction, it was desecration. "Alison..." I let off, moving by her as I set a hand on her shoulder as she looked back down. "I'm sorry..."
"I... I understand why... I understand why Juno and her ilk would dislike my father... my grandfather even..." She began as she moved to kneel on both knees as she sat on her calves. "The war was ongoing when I was pulled from the Palace and fled to Camafran... We were planning to run but... that... that time... it was a blur to me... I recall moments but mostly just fear, wondering who would try and kill me next. The Revolution somehow learned our escape route, activated agents inside our own walls, servants I thought trusted... and... ... For my sake too many died... Too many... My father would fight for a month after I arrived and then a spell paper letter arrived from him... posthumously... I think... I think in those moments he finally realized how much his actions caused the rebellion and it's anger... Regret that came to late to fix anything... I doubt he expected mercy..."
She looked around before finally standing as I moved my hand. "I... I wish it was still here... I was told it was torn down but the mausoleum was capped with a small temple to Larentia. There was a statue before the stairs-" She pointed to the panel of uneven bricks, where the stairs would have been. "-of her that had her hands spread. There was a plaque upon it's base. 'We will lead the way to the heavens so all may follow us there.' The... the motto of our House... There... We... Every DesCieux since Lucien the First was buried here. Laid to rest. At least until these wars... Each winter and spring we would come and lay down flowers... say a prayer and give thanks to the sacrifices of our ancestors and reflect on how we too could add to this legacy. ... A legacy broken and in ruins..."
Finally she turned to face me, sadness clear in her face and eyes as she looked up to my eyes. "I... I wish to come home and stay here... Rebuild my family... but... I fear how much was destroyed... How much cannot be replaced... How much cannot be rebuilt... I... ... My family, for over two millennia... our family made a legacy here... We... we had failures and faults like all others but everywhere I go it is like all of that history has been... set to the torch... and in under a decade all that is left is ash and tears..."
"I'm sorry. There's no words that I could say to really help." I said. I could, I'll admit, see how an argument for trying to banish or assassinate House DesCieux makes sense from the Republic's point of view; the risk of one of them returning and reestablishing the throne would be there even if every single member of the House renounced their right to rule as there would be a risk of a future DesCieux reclaiming it or someone outside the house trying to bring them back regardless. But this? These people were dead. Long dead. They couldn't cause any more harm and while not everyone buried here were good people, I was sure, it included founders and heroes of the nation. In a way they were burying their own history and heritage for the sake of remolding the nation into a new image... but history is history; it's there to be learned from... to know the mistakes of what to avoid.
"It is fine. I... heard the rumors, but I wanted to see it for myself." She said as she hung her head low, clearly not fine. "I had... I had hoped they had the decency to at least leave this be... Not even a small shrine was spared simply because of what was under it..." She took in a deep breath as she clenched her hands as she moved to the edge of the foundation. On the short hill you could see out to the farmlands in the distance as I moved to stand by her, looking to her face and... flinched.
The sadness was giving way to rage and hate. She was started to have long, deep pants as I saw her shoulders rise and fall as her arms quivered as she contained what was bubbling inside of her. "Alison?"
"...I... I am sorry..." She let off as I blinked as she hissed a bit of her words out. "I... I cannot let myself hate..." She let off as she grit her teeth. "It will not help... It will just cause more hurt..."
"Maybe... But holding in that level of emotion can't be good either." I said as I started to cast; waving my hand. "I'll put up a silencing spell."
"What good will-!" She started to shout before catching her raise volume as she sucked in a breath, shut her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath before opening them. "What good would that do?" She asked as I set my hands on her shoulders.
"Alison... listen... You are in pain, I get that." I began to speak to her softly. "And you don't want to spread that hurt... But you need to let it out... Get it out of you and vent it before it condenses. Rage at me, yell, rant, scream, howl... Do what you need but you need to let those emotions out. I've seen someone consumed by rage before... It's not pretty." Admittedly Bronka was always angry, but my point stood.
She shook in anger for a moment, fists clenched as she quivered; tears started to leak from her eyes, spilling down her cheeks as teeth bared as her lips started to snarl. For a moment it looked like she was going to keep fighting to contain those emotions but finally they came out as that containment cracked; starting with a stiff punch to my armored chest. "I HATE THEM! I hate what they've done to my family! I understand the pain, I understand the hurt but they took everything I had! They took my home! My father! My family! My brother! My baby brother!" Her fists kept coming, no longer punching but pounding to my chest as she let her feelings spill out. "My baby brother was cast from the palace like trash! A harmless baby! All because he was a DesCieux! He was stolen before we could escape and they killed him! I'll never hold him in my arms again! Hear his giggles!"
Her pounding became stronger as I endured it with retaliative ease as she kept ranting. "There was maybe five dozen of my family before it started! The Bloodies reduced us to under fifteen! We'll never meet in the Palace for another Blessmas! Never! They stole my family's history! They stole our home! They stole my life, my sense of self! And after they took it all they came for more still! I have suffered an attempt on my life almost once a year... I think only in two did no one try and kill me..." She let off, her volume reducing but her ranting carrying on as her hands moved to rest her palms to my chest. "The first was... on my fifteenth birthday... a bomb, smuggled into the cake. It was... it was a moment... for all I missed then it was a moment of some joy and peace as Victor did his best to make me feel welcome in his home; safe and protected from the harms of the world. I was... I was about to lean in and blow out the candles... make a wish... I... I forget what it was but the chair under me broke a leg. Victor leaned over to help me up when the bomb went off... Had the chair not broke it would have gone off in my face and my ears rung for a day... Splinters from the table had to be plucked from my skin."
She stepped from me, holding her arms close to her chest, shivering, her voice more normal but the... sorrow and disdain of her thoughts filtered into her tone. "And then there was a day out... I... I went to see fireworks show with Celestine and our guard behind us... The city had a fair and we were having fun... I stumbled over... something and a dart laced with a poison got tangled into my hair... When I was sixteen an assassin managed to get in as a maid. She worked for months before she attacked me with a hatchet... I... tried to fend her off with my magic but in the struggle..." Her look turned then...
Fearful... Pained as a hallow gaze came to her as she moved her left arm to her right, moving the bracelet at her wrist, and pulled it up a bit... revealing a thin, white line. "...she cut off my hand... If one of the guards hadn't planned to have a moment with another maid, if he hadn't walked in... ... ...I was... lucky they could reattach it... It feels as it should be but sometimes... sometimes I clench my hand and I feel nothing; as if a phantom void overtakes it. I think... I think one of the years they didn't try was my twentieth; the civil war within the revolution happened then. But they returned on the twenty-first... It was a man; how he got into my room I don't know. I was ill at the time and he pinned me to the bed and beat my face with his fist; broke my nose and my arm when I tried to fight back... I later learned he wore a titanium ring and so long as he held me I couldn't cast spells... he tore my clothing off, saying I would suffer before he let me die. If Victor hadn't come in to check on me I would no longer be a virgin... let alone alive... They say DesCieux is the 'Heaven's Favorite House'... If this is being a member of the favorite house of the heavens then I'd hate to be an unfavorite..."
"I get letters too, you know?" She said, looking to my eyes as she quivered. "From people in Roxford. Some wishing me ill but most wishing me well... telling me of how Roxford is... some saying they wished for me to come and rule... Many wishing that I could come home. And someone laced a letter with powdered spell stone that was set to explode when opened... honestly; the letter was heavy enough that I opened it within a shield. It was the only one that didn't almost kill me... ... It's funny; they banish me from their borders, denounce me, declare I am no longer of Roxford... yet for all this rejection they seem bound and determined to see me subject to their judgment..."
"No one ever took them to task for it all?" I asked as she snorted, starting to pace about as she set her hands on her hips.
"Of course people tried. The Republic denounced it all and claimed to have done nothing but I suspect they only expected people inside Roxford to buy it." She said with a huff. "Non, but each attempt to invade Roxford just... just fails and ends with more pain for everyone... And with Dominious to the north Victor was always worried about fully committing to attacking. A... ... ...A part of me wants Victor to charge in; with Dominious in turmoil it would be the perfect time to just... unseat the fucking Republic... but what then? What then..?" She said as she slumped her shoulders, pausing her pacing as she looked back out to the distance. "What then? It would be yet another war in Roxford that tears old wounds anew and rips new ones open... It would cause more death and pain... It would cause more destruction atop of what was already ruined and... ...and... ... ...and if we won I would be queen and... ... I know I said, when we first spoke, I would take the throne if the people wished it but I... I am not ready... I am not ready to rule... I'm not sure I should..." She looked to me as she shook in place. "I am hurting... I want to heal but I am hurting... And my worst fear is... is that I would return... take the crown... and then turn that pain unto the people... My grandfather... my father... both turned their pain to the people... I... ... There was enough pain done to Roxford..."
I finally stepped towards her and pulled her to my embrace; arms around her waist as I then moved one to the back of her head and stroked her slowly. "You've been through a lot... and I'm sorry it happened to you... But I'm glad you trusted me enough to let it all out. Do you feel any better?"
"...A hint, I think..." She said, chuckling for a moment. "...The thing is I know... I know no matter my feelings I cannot let my hate show... I cannot act upon it... There is enough pain in Roxford... Enough for a generation... I... I am not ready to be queen, even if the chance arose... And as much pain as the republic has caused me... I can see the benefits democracy brings... I do not trust the Republic in it's current state... but it is the current ruling force in Roxford so I must appeal to it if I am to try and help within my nation... if I am to come home." She said, pushing back as I let her go. "To do that I must appeal to Juno directly but, thus far, she has refused to speak with me. That said... there is... something I know that can be used as... blackmail." She said with word like it left a bitter taste in her mouth. "...Understand; were I to spread this to the public of Roxford there would, more then likely, be some form of revolt against the Republic. How large or strong it would be I couldn't say but Roxford is brittle now... I cannot spread it; I hadn't even told Victor in fear of what he'd do were I to say what it was. I can threaten Juno with the release of this but... ... ...but were she to ignore me once more she will find my threat a simple bluff."
"That... That could be a bit..."
"I'm aware." She said, sighing deeply. "I am... I can guess why Juno wouldn't wish to deal with me; I've heard rumors of what was done to her family and herself... and I do have empathy for that... but I am also aware that if she didn't have a direct hand in the attempts on my life she must have known of them... It is difficult for me but I must confront her... I must confront her one to one and I must show her my intentions are to help Roxford; perhaps not a princess but as a person."
"I could see how that could ugly." I replied; Juno confirmed what Alison had heard, even if she stopped short of saying it. House DesCieux was responsible for all the trauma that had happened to Juno... but on the reverse side of the coin the revolutions were responsible for all the trauma that Alison had suffered as well... and Juno might have had a finger or more in causing it herself. But... speaking to Juno one to one? In what I assumed to be private? I... I didn't expect Juno to do anything rash but I've been wrong on that before with others... and given how much Juno dislikes House DesCieux...
"It is... This is not easy for me... I suspect Juno had some hand in the attempts on my life; at the very least the four since she took office... Ahh, ignoring the eleventh one I suffered days ago." She said as she blushed in a hint of embarrassment but her face stayed serious. "And rumors say she might have had a hand in the others. I am going to confront a woman who, I am sure, wants me dead and I am convinced has made several tries at it through proxies. I... I am... I am aware she may opt to take the matter into her own hands, consequences be damned. I... ... Whatever happens the conversation I seek risks becoming highly heated and for all the trauma I have suffered this last decade because of her and hers the fact is she suffers from her own trauma from that time and what came before it. And while I have caused none of her harms much came from my family and she may place my father's sins upon me. I have to at least try and bring us to an understanding... because the wounds we bear will not close until something changes."
"You know it could make it worse, right?" I replied to her little speech as she sucked in a breath. "Like you said; you are both traumatized. What's to say this meeting, doubly so a forced one, will help with anything? You might end up hurting each other more then healing."
"...I... admit, that is a risk... But some days it feels like breathing is risky..." She replied as she took in a breath. "I can no longer do nothing anymore, I must help my people somehow." Finally she looked back to me as she took a calming breath. "And as such... As such I asked you here to explain myself... to explain where I am coming from... and to ask a favor, if it is not too much?"
"Which is..?" I asked as she took a breath and started to speak...
[-]
That Moment
Elouan City
Capital of the Republic of Roxford
The Palace of Starlight
Rooftop Patio
Juno stood and set her hands on the edges of the patio as she looked out to the city. It was hard to see what was going on within from all the buildings but she could see people ferrying about the river on small boats and some turning into side canals to travel. The odd person could be seen walking up and down the streets but she couldn't make out too many details.
Stabilizing the Republic was troubling before but that damned girl arriving made things worse... She could, in truth, blame few problems on that... naive former princess as much as she wished to; no she was just worsening problems that came from the Council and once she had some distance from their last meeting she realized just what problems she was exacerbating.
The Seven Spears with their military focus had desires to spread revolutions into the lands of their neighbors by force but the last war with Camafran... compromised that goal; due to the conflicts that came before their forces were depleted and she needed to find reinforcements somewhere and, as such, recruited former Bloody Revolutionaries and Royalists to help save Roxford from foreign influence. It let them survive until movements in Dominious forced Camafran to back down and retreat to ensure their lands was cared for; it turned out to be the maneuvers that would eventually see the beginning of the Dominious Civil War but the ceasefire held...
The issue, however, was that they needed to maintain a sizable army to deter their possible foes which meant keeping the Royalists about within the ranks; regardless of the issues and problems that could create. She did her upmost to avoid filling her upper ranks with them but many lower ranking commanders were Royalists as well as two higher commanders that she kept to the north of the nation to avoid letting them have too much influence; currently minding the canal and it's work while her more loyal commanders minded the south. While the bulk of the upper ranks were loyal to the Republic she was well aware that if Alison demanded her House be returned to power she risked her military splitting in two.
Thankfully as foolish as the girl was she wasn't so stupid as to declare such inside Juno's stronghold... it just made her wonder what the girl's aims were; or was she just opting to follow King Celestia's lead? Either way based on all she knew Alison didn't want to split the nation in another conflict; something small to be thankful for... even if her mere presence in the nation risked it.
On the same token the Flames of Liberty also had something exacerbated by Alison's presence in the country; they were the group she was most aligned with and together they opted to destroy the old symbols of the kingdom. There was a row of statues of famous heroes down the road leading to the noble's district and together they tore all of them down; all but one, Nolan DeLiberte, an ancestor of hers. While sparing that one statue was her suggestion it was followed with gusto; a means of reminding those who would pass through in the future the line that helped bring a new era. What would replace the statues was unknown yet; tearing old symbols down was more important right now.
However some of the old symbols remained; horded by collectors in hidden caches smuggled to those outside of Roxford, set to vaults they had yet to break into and held by groups like the Seven Spears or more commonly the Good Crowns; groups she couldn't risk offending by forcing confiscation. Such reminders of what was before the Republic needed to be erased... and Alison was a reminder of those days before and to many of the people she gave a sense of... nostalgia of pre-revolution Roxford. She could, to a point, understand their want; the wars their nation had suffered left scars to the land, people, cities and culture... and some still yearned for the days of old regardless of the tyrant king ruling over them at the time. Carving out the old kingdom's symbols and cultures was needed but some felt it made their scars worse; gripping the past like a comfort blanket.
By contrast the Good Crowns were... well, the Good Crowns; the appearance of Alison hadn't caused them problems and, if anything, it made them want to rally together and apply more pressure to undo the aims of the Republic. While they were right that the vote needed to be expanded as things currently sat she would have a populace that was too uneducated and ignorant to vote in their own interests and until that was rectified she feared expanding the vote...
She had fought too long, she had bled too much, she had lost too many and she had risen too far to allow the Republic to fail. The Republic would stand tall, it would forge it's own future and expand it's ideals into it's neighbors lands not by force as the Spear wished but by being a shining example. The Flames would burn the last of the kingdom away and allow to rise from the ashes a blazing rebirth. And for as much as the Crowns wanted to maintain old traditions they would someday find them in shattered ruins.
The canal was the first step... She just needed to endure...
"You seem lost in thought." Juno flinched but maintained composure as she stood and turned; walking to her was Olga Discordia with her cloak fully around her. She noted the blonde, pony-tailed aide of hers was also present but moved to the other side of the patio; clearly to give her queen space to speak. "Troubled?"
"Of a sort." Juno replied as she half turned to the Queen of Garan. "Tell me; I am told after your defeat in battle and the war's end you opted to begin changing things in your realm, correct?"
"Indeed." Olga let off as she moved to stand next to Juno, looking out to the city now. "I had left more direct rule of my subjects to my high and low houses. I was... unaware of the abuses ongoing until I had my nose rubbed into them. I still find it shameful; even if the act of concealing it from me was their fault that I didn't opt to peel back the layers was a foolish act upon my own part."
"Indeed, as I've heard." Juno let off as she Olga turned to face her. "If I can ask, how did you punish the Houses?"
"I mostly did not." Olga let off as Juno blinked. "I demoted some houses, indeed, but more interested was I in punishing those individuals responsible for the acts. Some members of the houses were uninvolved or, at minimum, had done little and could be corrected. Some were noble if... misguided in their aims. And then there are the youngest in the houses who are innocent or can be taught better."
"You... haven't disbanded them?" Juno let off, surprised. "Or destroyed the houses and those in them?"
"Tempting in some cases, but no. The closest is House Reclusia but that is because they choose to flee then by any decree of mine." Olga replied simply. "Why the question? Did you hope to compare my attempts at change to your own?"
"Well... yes..." Juno admitted as she looked back to the city. "Given your... reputation I half expected them to be razed."
"Once more, tempting but no." Olga replied, looking back to the city as well. "Given the losses we suffered and the struggles to rebuild following our defeat I cannot cast aside the useful and the learned. Did we not, when we arrived, advise you to bring back some of the nobility to places where they could be of use?"
"Indeed... And I admit still it could be useful to bring some of them back." The Prime Minister let off with a sigh. "...But Alison's appearance shifts the calculus on that..."
"I do not understand why you do not invite her back." The Queen of Garan let off, noting the hardening of Juno's gaze as her hand moved to tightly grip the railing before her. "I do not speak to anger you but rather I offer a view untainted by the local troubles past and present; if lacking some context and details as well. Based on my own excursions into the city she is popular and well liked. Your nation struggles with the gap between what was, what is and what you aim the land to be. Would not working with her smooth transitions and soothe fears? Bring those yearning for what was before forwards? I imagine you could solicit her cooperation with relative ease. Why do you not do so?" Juno didn't reply for a long moment as she glared to the distance, frowning deeply. Olga didn't press for a reply and rather gave her the chance to collect her thoughts together.
"...Because even if I could I cannot." Juno replied as if it was answer enough. She, of course, knew it wouldn't so took in a breath. "To many House DesCieux is Roxford. To many they are so woven into the nation that they cannot imagine a Roxford without them. As such we must not allow them to return in any capacity. The few times they were deposed or defeated in the past power would collect around them once more and allow them a return. Nine hundred years ago House DesCieux was reduced to one member; Lefou DesCieux. It took ten years for him to go from a vagabond hiding in the slums to king. Ten. Years." Olga, of course, didn't miss the subtle implication that Alison arrived some ten years after the kingdom was ended. "By all accounts he was more focused on escaping the kingdom then reclaiming the throne and yet people and influence gathered about him. King Leron Jesuisla's rule was stable until it's last four months and he found himself deposed and Lefou being crowned; leaving DesCieux to rule once more."
"You suspect Alison will rise to queen; even if she doesn't seek the crown?"
"There is no crown to seek." Juno replied with a half lie; the Good Crowns kept watch over the physical crown but as an entity it was ended permanently and written into Roxford's new laws... laws some would rather ignore. "But she may find one created around her by force of her name alone. She is a symbol of the old kingdom. That is why she cannot be permitted to remain. Those symbols must be destroyed."
"That is an endeavor you will fail in." Juno was surprised at the simple reply as Olga looked her in the eye as she looked back to the dark elf. "When I first came to power I ordered all relics, symbols and histories of what came before destroyed and ended of the nation I had conquered. Only important records were kept and locked away for those trusted to rule to access. Even so, the name of Arblade and it's symbols reappeared in a populace that opted to rebel as an emblem to rally about eight hundred years after I had them destroyed." Juno's face paled at that as she looked to her. "Those who revived them were not the educated, nor the influential, it was the laborborne, what you would call commoners. They hid bits and pieces, rewrote histories as best able, kept sketches and notes... If you try and destroy the history before the republic you will find it as difficult as as stopping the rain from falling as it wills."
"...Perhaps... But elves are longer lived with longer memories then humans." Juno said as she looked back to the distance once more.
"Are you sure they are so short lived to forget with ease?" Juno gave no response to Olga's question save her jaw tightening. "Likewise if I may; your conflict with Alison may cause more harm to you then her. Even should she die by an order not yours do you think the people wouldn't blame you? What unrest would such news cause?" Her jaw tightened more as Olga spoke. She... was not unaware of that; as news of other slain DesCieuxes reached the people there was a spike of unrest that followed... but as the former crown princess Alison's death, if it was finally accomplished, would cause much more unrest then any other. There was, she would admit, a risk that news of Alison's death would crack the nation apart... and yet allowing her to live risked cracking the republic apart and seeing her placed into the land as queen, regardless.
With a risk of the nation fracturing versus a risk of the republic fracturing she would pick the nation; so long as the republic stood she could pull the nation back together, even if force was needed to reinstate peace. If the republic broke... then everything that she had suffered and bled for, her family had suffered and died for, her friends, countrymen and colleagues fought and fell for, the work they all did, the effort to remake Roxford...
...it would all be for nothing...
"...I... We cannot allow the kingdom the means to return; not even a risk of it." She hissed out as she took in a breath. "King Lucien did too much... his family, his nobles did too much to allow the risk." Her eyes glared forwards as she gripped the railing tighter and tighter. "House DesCieux must never return. They must end. We need to forget the past and even destroy it if we must."
"...You are filled with hate for them."
"...King Lucien... What he did to me... my mother... my sisters... He ordered us raped by his men... Hours... hours..." She let off as she shivered, glaring harder. She still had the nightmares... of the pain, the shame and the defilement... and worse even was her youngest sister who would come to beg for more half way through, lost to the pleasure until the end. She never truly recovered from it, the shame being an anchor on her soul until she was killed. She would take up to five baths a day; unable to remove the dirt, grime and stink only she could see, smell and feel. "Anyone would hate them for it."
"... Ignoring Alison's lack of control or choice in what happened to you, perhaps even knowledge of such, those guilty are dead. You would place your hate unto those who's only guilt is relation?"
"They who bare that name, all of them, bare those sins." Juno replied to Olga's calm question.
"..." Olga shut her eyes for a long moment, calmly thinking before speaking once more. "Tell me... do you know the tale of Bronka the Brave?"
"... I do not..."
"She was of the High House of Nightsong." Olga began, looking back to the city once more as her eyes opened. "Young. Able. But arrogant and angry. She was sent on a mission once to harass Eostia when they were our foes alongside her sister. She would face James Noxdecus in combat... and lost an eye and nearly died; her sister would save her if at the cost of her own life." Juno blinked at her, wondering where the tale was going. "She vowed vengeance and trained relentlessly. When the war resumed she would seek him out and face him in battle time and time again. And each time he would defeat her, defeat those with her and end her allies. When Eostia came to fight at Mooncast City she fought him once more; losing her aunt and an arm to him."
"Finally, in an act of desperation, she agreed to pilot what would become known as the Abomination." Olga carried on as Juno's hand trembled. "In hate and anger she took the controls of it... but a mistake in it's creation made her lose control of herself. She was lost to hate, anger and fury; becoming little more then a beast that moved and fought more on instinct then thought. In her rage she would flatten one of our most important cities, kill thousands and turn many to mindless drones."
"...And James then slew her..." Juno said softly.
"No; he tried to spare her." Juno flinched as Olga said that, surprised. "He acknowledged his part in driving her rage, even if the circumstances offered him little other choice. She did not live long once separated from the Abomination but she was allowed to die as herself. She did not forgive him but came to understand his actions as she passed..."
"...Why tell me this?" Juno asked after a moment.
"Anger drove her to making mistake after mistake, costing her loss after loss." Olga let off as she looked to her. "Her worst traits came to the fore and her best became suppressed as a result of her hate. I understand why your hate exists and I fear it taints your every choice and consideration. I am sure Alison bears flaws and is unready to be a leader of nations, no matter what others think... but you must ask yourself this; what ills does your hate cause you and cause you to see in her?" Juno frowned in thought before Olga turned on her heel. "Regardless I had come to ask a question but this conversation has provided the answers I sought."
"And that question was?" Juno asked as Olga started to walk away.
"If you honestly thought history was easy to rewrite." The Dark Queen let off as Juno looked back to the city.
"...Not as easy as I had hoped..." She said sadly as Chloe moved to follow Olga away from the patio. But she needed people to forget...
If they could forget the past...
...then the future could be anything...
[-]
From there the day progressed. James would escort Alison back to the palace where she went to her quarters and wrote a letter, laying out something she knew that no one else did. A threat was made of that knowledge in the form of paper and ink and for a moment, a brief moment, she hesitated in sending it. In the end she had it passed to Juno via a maid via Pepin, bearing a wax seal with no image on it. Juno would receive it, read the letter and sneer before crushing the letter in one hand. She would look to the Lumiere du Peuple, set on a stand in the corner of her room and grit her teeth. Alison wanted to confront her, then?
Fine.
She would come for a confrontation.
Pepin would finish his brackets for the small chess tournament planned to start in the morning. Olga Discordia verses King Xerander. Merlin Noxdecus versus John Mandeville. Celestine Lucross verses Elizabeth Silentium. There were more, of course; a total of thirty two rulers, aides and others facing off with a chess board between them. He was hoping it would leave a positive memory for the rulers to look back on... no matter the future of Roxford.
Across the Palace and Elouan City members of the Council planned to hold their own meetings in separate rooms within the Palace of the Starlight to discuss their individual moves to come and the best way to accomplish their goals. The Spears, the Flames and the Crowns all had their plans and wants to go over in private as plans of action they wanted to employ and the discussion would come in the morning.
Balin would stand by his balcony that evening; finally loosing track of the spell paper letting flying off, glass of wine in hand as the folded, dark blue sheet vanished into the night sky.
The morning to come would be a day to remember.
[-]
Somewhere in Roxford
Riverside of the Flux Doux River
Near the Town of Endroit Calme
Evening
Terrance Fidele left his home, lantern in hand as he walked towards the river in the chilled, night sky with only a quarter moon and some stars for additional light. As he was told would happen the letter arrived, landing in a box outside the house where no one would see it. It told him all he needed to know; the main plan was going as predicted. The man was dressed in simple gray slacks and a worn, blue shirt. Rather then don boots he walked out as he was; after all his legs were both wooden, he'd be fine.
Once Terrance was a Roxford Regular, serving with honor under the command of the third army's Commander Fawkes DesCieux; an honorable man with good morals who took care of those under his command who, they knew, did his best to limit the worst traits of their king and tried to make his cousin see the troubles of the common man. Perhaps he had a chance to do so...
Then the revolution began...
Growing up from a family of blacksmiths he would sign into the military and served with honors and distinction, not wanting to kill his countrymen but forced to lest he and his brothers die, or his commander. Fawkes and his army did well to contain the opposing rebels and, for a month, it seemed as if they would subdue them. Then Juno DeLiberte appeared at the Battle of Pierre de Ble; before hand she had managed to find a man willing to betray them for coin who leaked their position, plans, disposition and, worst of all, was given a series of fire grenades he would place in the wooden stockade they were using as a base. The battle started before the sun had risen with both the gate and back wall being set on fire as the bombs went off inside their defenses along with other destroying several tents and allowed the rebels, hiding in the forest, to charge at them.
The enemy didn't outnumber them; even after the surprise strike they held a three to two advantage but they were caught off guard with people just waking up and they had to fight the fire before they could deal with the rebels. Worse many of their spears and arrows were lost in the blaze before the fight proper meaning many of them had to rely on side arms or weapons dropped during combat. Some men didn't even have a chance to slip on armor or find shields; losing them to the flames. Despite all of this they took the fight to the dishonorable rebel scum and under Fawke's command they managed to hold their own... only for Juno DeLiberte to face him in single combat. Despite the surprise, despite the sudden wake up to combat Fawkes fought well. Who would have won a fair fight he didn't know but as it stood the betrayal and ambush didn't allow for it and Juno slew Fawkes; disarming him and knocking him out before slaying him.
They slayed everyone; the rebels took no prisoners and even the betrayer was put to their blade. There was six hundred of them at the start of the battle; a mere seventy escaped and had to bear the attacks of rebel cavalry as they fled. He lost his spear (Salvaged off a dead rebel) to kill one man on horseback and had to doff as much of his chain mail armor as he could as he leapt into a river, crossing it to flee.
He would end up in a nearby town as reinforcements came to back up Fawkes and he was reequipped (Although with gambeson as opposed to chain) and debriefed by them; they opted to try and block DeLiberte's growing force before they amassed enough rebels to push too far to the east and cut their south off fully. He fought on the fields of the second Battle of Pierre de Ble but the new commander lacked the capacity of Commander Fawkes and he allowed them to be goaded to give chase as the rebels fled; leading them into a trap. Terrance would lose both of his legs there from the knees down; blown to bits by a fire spell that cauterized the stumps. In pain he crawled away to try and find safety...
Only to be kicked over to his back by DeLiberte herself as she set a boot to his gut and stabbed down into his chest and through his gambeson. She would stand as he fell still in shock, hearing her voice as she called out to her forces. 'Let none remain! No prisoners! We will bring an end to the crown, together! Mort aux tyrans!'
By sheer luck he was able to acquire a vest of leather gambeson while he was reequipping that he wore under his cloth gambeson; he was sure if he didn't have it on him the blade would have gotten that little bit extra to reach his heart. In shock and pain he was left there to die as the rebels slaughtered soldiers left and right; those begging for mercy found none. Those unable to fight weren't granted quarter. They were slaughtered like ill cattle and left to rot. He didn't know how long he laid there, hours maybe, before he could finally find the strength to move and rolled over and started to crawl with arms and stumps that were once legs; clambering over dead comrades and friends to claw at a chance to live. Where he didn't know; the fight was lost and all he wished to do was survive...
He didn't know where and when he passed out but when he awoke he found himself in the care of a farmer and his daughter as they nursed him back to health. He felt weak, helpless and impotent; unable to turn the tide of an overwhelming battle. Four months later news came; King Lucien the Twenty-Ninth of the House of DesCieux was dead and the rebellion declared the kingdom to have died with him forever more. Now the realm would be known at the Roxford Republic. The remains of the House of the Heavens was dead, missing or scattered with the crown princess chased out of the nation and having narrowly avoided death's grasp to reach Camafran.
The princess of his land, the beloved Jewel of Elouan, was chased from her homeland and hunted like a pest. When he heard of the attempts on her life as the decade wore on all it did was fill him with more and more anger; bad enough the rebel scum did their upmost to turn their nation upside down but they couldn't even leave their princess be? Had they no decency? No honor?
That he entered a depression was of little surprise but the farmer and his daughter did their best to help; even prompting him to help with chores in what limited capacities he could. Many educated, upper class sorts and more were fleeing the nation by then and an enchanter fleeing with them ended up being petitioned by the farmer to help Terrance; giving him new legs to stand on, literally. The legs (Carved and made by the farmer) he was given weren't of high quality and neither were the stones in them but they worked. He couldn't move fast and going to a kneel or standing from such was difficult but he could walk once more. He could work fields and mind the animals of the farm, finally no longer being useless and found himself flirting with the daughter. One day she invited him out to the forest to pick mushrooms, herbs and anything else of use...
...only to see smoke off in the distance. He made sure they were out of sight as they approached to see what was going on only to see her father's farm ablaze... and not just his; every farm, farmhouse and barn near the town and the town itself was set to the torch by rebel soldiers, the so-called Republican Guard as the Bloody Revolution began to truly earn it's name. As it turned out they suspected among those fleeing through their town were nobles, possible members of House DesCieux or just 'traitors to the republic' who never wanted to live in the bloody thing. All the farms were set to blaze because 'counter-revolutionaries' might have been hiding in them. Who thought that he'd never know but much of the town perished that day... including the farmer...
He and the farmer's daughter would flee to another town and try to make a new life for themselves; as he knew the trade of smithing he found a job to help hammer iron, steel and more. As it turned out their blacksmith was killed in the war and none left knew the trade allowing him to ply the family craft once more. It was then he ended up hearing about a group called 'the Royal Guard' who were seeking a chance to rise up and bring the fight back to the rebels and while he was no longer fit to fight he could forge weapons and armor. They would help smuggle extra metal and coal to his forge which let him hammer spearheads, arrowheads, mace-heads and more. They wanted a focus on more easily made weapons so he made no swords; just what could be made swiftly including militia clubs as the primary sidearm.
When the so called 'Golden Revolution' arose and when the civil war between the rebels came about the Royal Guard would strike; aiming to decapitate the leadership of both sides of the rebellion...
They had failed; Juno DeLiberte managed to outmaneuver both sides and pitted them against each other in the Battle of Brique Rouge before flanking both. She was finally willing to take prisoners however... from the other side of the rebellion; no such mercy was shown the Royal Guard. Three sides fighting for what they believed in with two sides allowed mercy but one was denied such.
With luck his involvement was unknown leaving him and his now wife unharmed but with nothing to show for his efforts a second time beyond frustration and impotence... and now one of the rebel's favorite generals, Juno 'Fille de Sang' DeLiberte, the woman who nearly killed him with her own blade, was leading the nation. Heroes like Fawkes DesCieux, Harold Bravo, Louis Legitime and Dex Zuna were killed, suffered their bodies being desecrated and defiled before being left to rot and given no respect or even a proper burial while there was talk of making statues of Corin 'Baby Killer' Rocher, Walter 'Torch of Vignoble ' Prairie and David 'Defiler of History' Anderson!
They wanted to remove their glorious past so a blood soaked facsimile could be put up regardless of what anyone else thought. But now he had a chance to do one more thing that could bring down the rebellion and give them a chance to restore the monarchy... restore their nation.
Despite all that had happened to him, to his wife, to his friends and family, to his people he had faith that things could be righted. And so when he was asked to do something, a small thing, to assist in the downfall of the rebellion he needed little convincing; only asking for new legs so he could do better work. They delivered quickly; new wooden legs with new, better stones with myhtril bones within for added strength. He could finally kneel with relative ease, run, jump and more... he felt like a new man!
Whoever was funding this operation came through, he'd say that. He held up his right hand and looked at what was there; a green hued spell stone. He didn't know much about it's grade or what it did just that if the letter said the main plan was proceeding to grab the green stone, if it was the second plan to grab the yellow and if the plan was aborted to grab the red one. "Come alight." He spoke as the stone started to glow a green hue; not overly bright but it's light was clear as he pulled his arm back then threw it into the river; as close to the center as possible. He assumed it would be a signal but for what he didn't know. He turned, ready to go home before stiffening and turning back to the river.
Did... did the water just shift..?
...
... He didn't know... but he hoped he'd see the end of the rebellion soon...
[-]
?-?-?-?
Fire. Fire everywhere. The building behind her was ablaze and the bodies behind her unmoving. Enemies charged from everywhere as she lashed out with her spear and blocked with her shield. When that shield broke she drew her short sword and fought on. She saw foes of every sort that she had fought in her life...
Goblins and ogres she fought as an adventurer; when she was seeking experience for her return to Roxford.
Bandits she slew at the same time; some heartless and some desperate.
Royalists in gambeson or chain mail; fools too loyal to be reasoned with.
Roxfordian nobility; the scum that rose to the top that needed to be scraped away.
Fawkes DesCieux; an oppressor wearing the face of an honorable man that she outsmarted, outmaneuvered and outfought.
Lucien DesCieux; the man she would finally claim revenge from as she ended the rule of his house of evil in her nation.
Soldiers of other nations; sent to undo the efforts paid for in blood, sweat and tears.
The Bloodies; storming her house's home and laying waste to her family.
David Anderson; one of her mentors who failed to see how far gone the revolution had become.
Oxwell JeDirigerai; their original ruler who named himself 'Intern Prime Minister' who refused to hold a vote or hold their worst to account.
And the innocents...
Men and women coming at her; bare handed, with farmers tools or anything that could be used as a weapon...
Those killed on her orders for defying or undermining the Republic...
Those she asked be spared only to be slain by bloodies...
Those slain she hadn't known of until it was too late...
Those who would rebel against the Republic despite that everything she had done was for them; for their own good...
Bodies piled up around her before her spear broke before she was tackled with her sword flying away from her grip... and somehow landed on a bed made of the corpses of her father, mother and sisters before her armor was torn asunder; pulled off as if it was made of tissue... and she found herself in a younger body, screaming herself hoarse as the first man climbed over her. her body pinned she could not fight as the first one defiled her before more and more men gathered around her...
All nude...
All erect...
All ready to defile...
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
[-]
Morning
Quarters of Juno DeLiberte
Palace of the Starlight
"Gahhh!" Juno let off as she bolted up in her bed, panting hard and fast as she shivered, staring straight ahead with eyes wide as she recovered from the nightmare she catapulted out of. Soon her mind caught up to her situation and she covered her face with her hands, moving out of her bed. She wore a modest nightgown as she walked to her attached bathroom. The room was once Lucien's and, when she was named Prime Minister, she opted to take it. Using the room of her hated foe seemed like another fitting revenge; a trophy of war in it's own right. The colors of the room were repainted from white to a pale yellow. Over the fireplace there was a spot for a painting; missing when the Revolution arrived and claimed the palace. What was there she could guess and could only hope it found it's way into a fire.
It it's place was something that was saved from her own home; the last painting she had of her family. Herself standing proudly in armor, spear in hand. Two of her sisters; the eldest and second youngest, Marie and Susan, stood beside her; the former in her Arcane Robes and the latter in her priestess garb. The youngest, Claire, sat on a chair before them in a simple dress; managing to smile for their sake despite the haunting pains of their past. Her parents, Virgil and Tamara, stood behind them in armor and robes respectfully and with matching pride. The border of the painting on the bottom had a simple line carved into it; Liberty Shall Endure.
A phrase both fitting and ironic...
The evening before she was met with a letter; penned by Alison DesCieux and where before she made requests that they talk she finally made it into a demand. In a way it was adorable; that the foolish little girl thought she still had power in a realm where her family's name and influence was being scrubbed away and, in time, would be forgotten.
Then that girl wrote something down that made her freeze once she had read it. Of the assassins she sent to go to Camafran was a trained infiltrator who was an ally and aide when she joined the revolution, supported her as the Golden Revolution came and later turned into friend and lover... growing to more... He was not one she ordered but rather allowed to attempt to make the kill; he knew her thoughts on the dangers of leaving House DesCieux alive and that Alison's survival vexed her. He promised he would handle it and she finally allowed it with two promises; that the ignorant girl's last moments would be the sort of suffering Juno herself endured as a last punishment to her and Lucien both and that he would return alive to her so they could start a family.
He broke both of his promises... and worse it seemed he opened his mouth during the deed... or so the letter said.
If Alison decided to announce what he supposedly said, be it truth or lie, then there would be an outcry and protests against the Republic... at a time she could ill afford it. She was sure Alison was bluffing; she didn't trust the chatte as far as she could spit on her but she was reasonably sure the soft hearted chienne wouldn't want to cause such strife in Roxford. It was a bluff, she was sure about it...
...but there was a chance she wasn't bluffing... or that if her demand wasn't met she might change her mind and shift from a bluff to a call...
That the risk existed was enough to make it serious enough for her to agree to the meeting... but she would make sure the enfant naif knew exactly who she was fucking with. The Royalists nicknamed her 'Fille de Sang'; the Daughter of Blood... and as much as she hated the name it was not unearned.
She would wash up and dress in her padding before donning her armor from the rack set next to the fireplace; it was myhtirl and full plate that was once the armor of the famed Princess Knight Zelda DesCieux. She had the decorations of that cursed house removed and replaced with emblems made of golden and silvered mythril in the wreathed Fleur-de-Lis the Republic had adopted; set to the shoulders and left side of the chest. The armor was, otherwise, plain in decoration save a segmented breastplate to allow an easier range of motion in the torso. The helm was an opened faced one with a blue spell stone in the forehead that set a shield spell over the face as protection while maximizing the vision of the wearer. Once the armor was set on she took the family sword, La Chanson de Liberte or Liberty's Song, from it's place on the wall; a silvered mythril blade with a golden mythril hilt and pommel with a gray handle. A red spell stone was set to the pommel; it wasn't an overly powerful one but bore Blessed Weapon upon it along with strengthening and ever sharp spells.
Once at her hip she looked to the circular shield upon the wall made of mythril like her armor; the rim was golden mythril and upon it was painted the emblem of House DeLiberte; a full orange background with yellow lines crossing over the emblem's center with sixteen in all, evenly spaced. Set over the image with the point down was an image of Liberty's Song upon it.
She would take the shield and move it to her back for the time being before moving to the last item she would grab; the Lumiere du Peuple. Once it was the L'Autorite du Ciel but no more. They didn't find anyone who could erase the enchantments upon it and install new ones (She had taken a moment to request it from the young Blitzhaus he reacted with offense claiming it to be a part of enchanting history and no enchanter worth their salt would agree. She imaged James Noxdecus would have a similar reaction) and much of it's secrets were, thus, unknown to her. The stone that was once the heart of the L'Autorite du Ciel was reforged into an eight inch long blade with inch long prongs to shape it to a Fleur-de-Lis; if with a longer, bladed center. It was the cap to a shaft of golden mythril, once the metal of the scepter, now with diamond shaped etching upon it for an added grip in a simple and functional design. The butt was a simple, rounded butt with a slightly flattened end. She sucked in a breath and turned to the door.
If Alison DesCieux, the banished former princess, wanted to speak then it would be with the Republican Guard's General Juno DeLiberte.
[ - Author's Note - ]
Whew... ya know when I started the Roxford arc I didn't expect so many shades of gray...
I'm well aware that Juno's character looks much darker then it had been before. When we met her she was a fairly noble seeming woman. Last chapter showed some of her dark side and hurt. This chapter explored what she's done in response to that hurt. What I am... trying to do, I should explain, isn't to villianize her or demonize her (Although I admit that this chapter... could seemingly push her over the edge to some) but rather showcase a problem that even good, well meaning people have; where they feel the ends justify the means.
I think we can all point to something in our lives, history or stories where someone decided that they have to do what they do for a greater good or to avert a calamity. Of course the issue with that is how easy it is for 'I did what I had to do' to justify worse and worse things or to cause bigger problems unknowingly... or even go off the slope.
Where Juno is on that scale of 'I did what I had to do' likely depends on your opinion and where you stand on such things. She's not evil... but she is hurt.
Likewise Alison is also hurt in her own ways and dealing with it in her own manner; one of which is trying to hold onto what's left of her lineage and history. In someways holding too tightly to the past can be it's own bag of issues and risks someone being unable to progress forwards. One benefit Alison had over Juno was that being taken in by House Celestia is she was given some space to recover and come to terms while Juno was either stuck waging wars, chasing problems or leading a damaged nation with few friends around them. Not that it was all stress free for Alison; assassination attempts and all.
Oh, and stuff is happening that looks not good. And Justical is connected. Yeah.
As always let me know what you thought; leave a comment, criticism and your thoughts as always. I do hope you enjoyed this grayer arc then I had originally intended and I should see you all next time.
~Eostian Scribe