Gate: Thus the Brotherhood of Steel Lyon's Pride Fought in Their Land
Chapter Twenty - Four - Princess Piña Co Lada
The return to the capital was one that Piña had conflicted feelings about. She was needed in the capital. Her place was to ensure that the Empire continued to do everything that was needed to exist, but it didn't change that it felt wrong at the same time. For one, her brother Zorzal had all but cut all communications with her. He'd show exactly what he thought of her actions, and she knew that their relationship had suffered for it.
It wasn't that she was overly close with her brother, but they had been cordial before. He treated her with some familiarity, and they had engaged as siblings more often than not. Now, now he was determined to not even look at her. She rode alongside the carriage that was reserved for her father at Italica. The fact that the brotherhood of steel had arranged to pick her father up, along with a select number of guards, and transport him to Italica had been welcomed. It allowed him to witness first hand what it was to fly in the heavens.
He'd remarked that the flight had been far more stable that what he remembered of the wyverns. She knew that he had learned how to fly them, but she didn't know that he'd been trained as a warrior as well. It was part of his past that he hadn't mentioned to her. Instead of berating her for allowing herself to be claimed by Adam he had actually praised her, "What you've done is secured our empire," he'd said to her, "You've ensured that we now have access to a massive power. Your sway over him must remain intact. Do all that you can to ensure that both you and your knight are held high in his regard. Whatever he may ask, whatever he may wish, do it. Should we have a need for their might, I want to have access."
There it was. She had never truly wanted to be part of a political marriage, and now she was in one. She was in one that ensured that her father had the strength of a military far exceeding anything that their country currently had. She honestly wished that Sentinel Reeder was nearby. She wanted Adam as well, and in truth she wanted him far more than she dared to admit. But Sentinel Reeder had proven himself to be a wise individual. She longed to hear his advice when it came to this situation. She had no doubt that he would sagely ensure that she was informed of what to expect.
In truth, for all of their short interactions she had come to think of him almost as an uncle. He was nearly family to her, and she hoped that he saw her the same way. She had to admit that she trusted his wisdom, and she believed that he had much of it to share. If he was an imperial citizen she would have ensured that he became one of the highest ranking of her order. But for the moment, she truly just wanted to ask his opinion.
"Princess?" Bozes asked as she rode beside her, "How are you doing?"
She looked toward her knight, her sister-wife, and she shook her head, "We're in a political marriage," she replied, her voice sounding dangerously close to being defeated, "We're in a political marriage, and I never wanted to be part of one. Moreover, I fear that my father may want to use my, no our, sway over Adam. He may want to use what leverage we have over him to strengthen the empire."
Bozes gave a faint nod, "I understand," she replied, "I fear the moment I inform my father and mother. Both had plans on marrying me to a noble that would increase their holding. It is within their right, but now that I've been claimed, married, that will have changed. The one bright side to it is that I am in a marriage with you. That at least will appease them to some degree."
Princess Piña Co Lada looked toward her, "If you need that I should speak to them, I will."
She shook her head, "Princess, Piña if I may so familiar, My battle will be my battle. I am certain that my father will allow me to keep my place within the family, but that will be all that he allows," she replied as they rode, "It is likely that I will lose all access to our lands. Any home that I was to be allowed will be gone. There will be nothing left for me."
Princess Piña Co Lada closed her eyes, "I'm sorry that I've cost you so much," she replied as they rode, "It was never my intention that my knights would suffer from their own family."
Bozes shook her head as they rode together, "It was going to happen," she said, her voice sounding determined, "I would be cut off for refusing to marry while I served. There would be no time for it, and I would not be forced into a marriage where I could not serve as a knight to you. The outcome would be the same, but the difference is that our husband is one that understands our duty. He is not some noble that simply sits back and collects the taxes from his domain."
"You don't have a very positive outlook on the nobility your father wants to associate with," Princess Piña said as they rode, "I would dare say it sounds as if you look at them in contempt."
Bozes Co Palesti seemed quiet and contemplative for a moment, "Because I do," she finally admitted, "They sit upon the spoils that are gathered by those that serve them. They do nothing to protect their domain and instead leave that to those they rule over. You choose to lead us, to ride out, to fight, to lead, and you do it in a position of power you encourage through your actions. They do nothing but feed like a tick. I have no well thoughts of them."
Princess Piña Co Lada gave her a small smile, "Thank you for the praise," she said after a moment, "I hope that I am truly worthy of it. I feel the same about those nobles, but I know their uses. Still, I fear that the day will come for them that all of their accumulated power will mean nothing."
The words were somber, and there was a good reason for it. The collective power of the nobles came from the domains they held. More specifically they came from the people in their domains. The subjects under the rule of each noble made up the bulk of their taxable revenue, they made up their military forces, and they made up the respect that each noble was afforded. The nobility that both she and Bozes had spoken about were nobles rich only in what they lorded over. None of them were of the same cloth as their ancestors.
Their ancestors had been the ones that traveled with Grognak, the ones that made up his adopted tribe, and the ones that fought and bled beside him. If they could see their descendants they would be ashamed of them, "It will happen soon," Bozes said as they rode beside one another, "The time that their collective power will be meaningless. They will flock to the Brotherhood of Steel. They offer houses that are finely built, a place to be safe, and a place to build a life."
Bozes shook her head, "For most staying in the domains they've lived in for so long would be death, and they likely know it."
That was the truth. Princess Piña knew it was the truth. She knew that many of the people that lived in their kingdom would end up suffering and dying under the nobility that ruled them. The nobles themselves were allowed to do what they wished as long as they were loyal to the throne. However, the empire had already expressed that they would view revolts happening in each domain as proof that the noble in charge was unfit to rule.
Some nobles were good enough to rule lightly. They took care of those under them, and they sought to ensure that they were well cared for. Others treated the people that lived upon their lands with utter disdain. They treated them as cattle, fit only to slave and die on their lands. She knew more than a few of them, and all of them turned her stomach when they came to the palace. They would wear the lavish clothes bought with the taxes taken from their people, and they often complained about the unholy amount of work put upon them by the emperor.
They knew nothing of work. They knew nothing of suffering or pain. She had witnessed more than than any of them had ever dreamed, and it was only their ancestors that had any inkling of what it had been like. The bandits that came to Italica, the very bandits that would have seized the city, taken her and Hamilton hostage, and likely taken both of their virtues. She would be bound to some lowly bandit, and instead she was bound to Adam.
She looked ahead, "Their time is coming," she admitted, "But until then they have their uses. It does not mean that I like them, or want to tolerate them. Instead it means that I must tolerate them until the time comes that they are removed of their power."
Bozes nodded, and rode beside her. The ride back to the capital would take some time, and in that time she had understood two things. One, the longing she felt would go undealt with until she could once again travel to the other half of their married set, and the other was that her brother would be a problem, "Bozes," she said as she looked ahead, "What is your thoughts on Zorzal? What do you think my brother will do now that his ego has been pricked?"
There was silence for a moment, "Am I answering my princess, or am I speaking to my sister-wife?" she asked, her voice hesitant, "Because the two answers are far different."
There was a moment of silence form Princess Piña as well, "Please, as your sister wife tell me. I do not want the answer meant for your princess."
There was a nod, "He will retaliate, and he will do so violently," she said as they rode, "You are connected to the ones that pricked his ego. They proved that it would be incredibly easy to deal with him. For all he knows they could come at any given moment and remove his very breath from his body. The one thing has that could hurt any of them is the two of us."
She looked ahead, her gaze steely, "He will attempt to denounce us, he will bring our actions as that of traitors to the nobility that will listen, and of course he will attempt to have us dealt with. I'm certain that he will look to the assassins for that," she said as she rode beside her, "He will come after me first. I am merely a noble's daughter, and now I am one that will be denounced. If I am slaughtered there will not be much said over it. Yes, the fact that I am a political pawn will bear some weight, but not enough for more than a reprimand to him."
She looked toward her, "But Piña, if I am still allowed to address you as such, he will become emboldened, and he will come after you. Maybe he will simply imprison you, perhaps he will enslave you, but he will ensure that you know that you are lower than him. All that was done to their knight, all that she went through, I see him doing that to either or both of us. Our one ray of salvation is that your father sees this as a smart move."
She looked toward the carriage with her brother, "Is he so far gone?"
"Yes," she replied, "The moment he brought Knight Prophet before the council of nobles, the moment he showed what he is truly capable of us, he was lost."
She looked away, "I'm sorry," she said as they rode, "It is not my place to tell you these things, and it is not my place to say such things about your brother. I will accept having my status as a knight stripped. I simply ask that I be allowed to travel to Alnus Hill and remain there."
There was silence, "You will not be driven off, and I will not see you driven out. You are my sister-wife, and we must work together," she replied, "Help me find a way of keeping my brother from destroying the empire."
Bozes nodded as they rode together, "Of course I will," she said, "I will do my best to ensure that he does not bring any more harm to the empire."
Princess Piña gave her a grateful smile. Everything that Bozes had said sounded true, and it bothered her. She didn't hate her brother. She cared for him, but a sinking feeling took residence inside of her gut. The feeling that she had was one that she didn't want to entertain, but it was there regardless. She breathed out, "Is it possible that we can keep everyone alive and still protect the empire."
Bozes looked at her, and then looked toward her brother's carriage, "Again, I ask if you are asking me as your sister-wife, or as your knight. Because once again there are two different answers to that question. I will answer honestly in both ways, but allow me to say that the one that I believe would have the most possibility of working is the answer as your sister-wife."
Princess Piña looked toward her, "As my sister-wife, please."
Bozes gave a nod, "We can keep everyone alive, but not keep it as it is," she replied, "Ultimately your brother will want to retaliate," she replied, "Piña, we've seen how he is, and we know that you've overlooked it for a very long time. Prince Zorzal is more than entitled. He is sadistic, and I honestly believe that he doesn't have the concept of what a life other than his own is worth."
She breathed out slowly, "In order for everyone to live, and for there to be no further issues, Prince Zorzal would likely need to be exiled," she said before she looked back at her, "He would need to be cast out, sent to a place where there are no political ties, and left there. It would be more of a kindness than I am sure several would believe that he deserves."
Princess Piña looked toward Bozes, then she looked toward the carriage with her brother. She didn't want to have to do it. Granted, they hadn't been overly close before, but the idea of specifically attempting to get him exiled bothered her. It bothered her because she wanted to believe that he could be brought back from whatever darkness had taken him. She wanted to believe that he could be saved. The idea that he was far too gone didn't sit right with him.
"There's no possible way that he could be saved then?" she asked, "Do you think that he's simply too far gone?"
Bozes looked toward her and then back at the carriage, "I cannot say for certain," she admitted after a moment, "While I have grown up around you, and I have trained as knight with you since I was small, I have had no real interaction with Zorzal other than to see his actions. I've watched him, from afar, and what I've seen is someone slipping further and further into his own desires and motives."
She looked ahead, "If he was to be saved I doubt that it could happen here," she said, her voice soft, "I believe that it would need to be in the world where Adam comes from. Perhaps there they have a way of reaching him. But here, he will undoubtedly use all of his leverage to keep from being reached."
Princess Piña felt the first stinging group of tears as they began to form. It wasn't specifically for Zorzal, but rather it was because she understood what was going to happen now. She understood beyond a shadow of a doubt that her battle would begin the moment she made it back to the empire. She would need to gather the nobles that wanted peace, and she would need to unify them. She would need to create a faction that was in full support of ensuring that the Empire and the Brotherhood of Steel worked together.
The fact that her father seemed interested would make things easier, but it wasn't the end of the battle. She knew that as hard as she was working Zorzal would be working just as hard to break the peace. He would be working with the nobles that wanted to maintain their power, and he would be feeding them the promises of power to keep them interested. That was the one thing that he would be able to do to maintain their loyalty.
He would promise them greater representation, greater power, more influence, and greater presence in the capital than what they currently have. Those that would pay for it would be the nobles and the citizens that had no true footing. Her brother would see resources, and she was guilty of the same. Being with Adam had helped her realize that all that lived were worth being protected. The Brotherhood of Steel protected because it the was the right thing to do.
She had seen them do so at Italica, and she knew that they had done the same on the other side of the gate. Her own knights protected the empire, but she was ashamed that their protection seemed to focus around points of importance. They didn't reflect every single village. The Brotherhood of Steel had protected a village that meant little to them. They had brought them out, gave them a new residence, and they had even went to a burned elven village and saved the lone survivor there.
They had proven that their creed was true. They protected the people of the land, and did so because it was right. The other creed they had, the one to safe guard technology, she understood it now as well. They were determined to ensure that the mistakes of the past were not repeated in the present. She had seen the war torn land of Adam's birth. She saw the devastation, destruction, and annihilation of what had to have been more people than she could possibly count.
The fact that they wanted to ensure that such a thing would never again happen was not terrible. It was worthy of praise. She was thankful that they were determined to ensure that the same would not happen here. She looked ahead, and already her mind was focusing on what would need to be done. She would first go to the council and state that a hearing was to take place. Once that happened she would ensure that the members who were for establishing peaceful relations with the Brotherhood of Steel were completely informed of the hearing.
The one true bright spot would be that everything would be done with her father's blessing. He saw the Brotherhood of Steel as an army that could be used through her. He saw her relationship with Adam as a means to an end, and he believed that was what motivated her to begin one with him. Likely, he would see her contacting the council members interested in peace as political manipulation. He would respect it, and likely he would even reward those who were pushing for peace.
Still, she would need to ensure that Zorzal didn't do anything that would endanger the peace negotiations. Ultimately, it meant that she needed to ensure that he didn't do anything else to provoke a response. One of the things she would need to check was if there were more slaves taken on the day that Knight Stephanie Prophet had been taken. If so then she needed to ensure that they were returned, and that they were in good health.
She didn't want something to come to light later. It meant possibly breaking the rest of whatever trust her brother had for her. The realization that she would forever be considered an enemy sat heavy in her chest. There was no doubt that the relationship she had with her brother, as distant as it was, was over. He was now little more than a potentially dangerous political enemy.
She looked toward the direction of the Capital, "When we arrive, we need to set everything into motion."
A nod was her response. The day passed, and that night she found herself sharing guard duty with Bozes. The two of them took turns between her father's guards, and of course between the guards that pledged loyalty to Italica and the Brotherhood of Steel themselves. Some of which were individuals from the otherside of the gate. One of which didn't wear traditional guard clothes, but instead wore a long brown coat, a strange hat, and carried a similar weapon to what the Brotherhood of Steel carried.
When it was their turn to sleep she curled up beside Bozes, and that night she fell into a fitful sleep beside her knight. Dreams of a war breaking out between those nobles aligning with her brother and those loyal to her father filled her vision. She saw a bloody war happening before the Brotherhood of Steel arrived. She saw captured orges the nobility had claimed turned loose on the capital, and then she saw the flying metal dragons of the Brotherhood of Steel. She heard their sound, and she knew that the civil war was over.
She felt elighted that Adam was coming to help put and end to it, but no sooner had the feeling filled her then she felt a sharp pain. In her dream she looked down to see a sword sticking out between her breasts. The blade red with her blood, and she felt her entire body go weak. She felt the sword pull back, its sharp blade cleaving her heart in twain, and causing blood to spurt forward.
"I will see that he doesn't save you," Zorzal's voice echoed in her head, "I'll see that his ill begotten cunt is long dead before he arrives."
She was flipped over, her dress ripped open, and there above her was a dark form that looked to be the silhouette of her brother. A sickly green glow made his eyes and mouth, and she saw him laughing at her suffering, "Know that your death was meaningless," he said, his voice harsh and raspy, "And know that I will see your husband burn!"
The way he said that was if he was spitting something foul from his mouth. She tried to block the next strike, but her arms were so tired. He slashed at her, cutting her, leaving deep gouges in her skin, in her muscle, in her breasts, and nothing was left alone. He took sadistic pleasure in cutting her. He seemed to enjoy every moment of pain he caused. She cried out as he continued to cut her apart. Her death should have come long before now, but it was as if he was keeping her alive simply so that her suffering would completely felt.
She wept bitterly as she looked to her side to see Bozes strapped down. Lines of nobles laughed as they used her. She too was tortured, deep gouges cut into her skin, brandings marked her where they had used branding irons on her, and she watched as the sword in his hand changed. A large branding iron, white hot, was moved toward her eyes. She felt it touch her, and the scream that escaped her lips brought her back to the waking world. She sat up, and felt arms around her. She breathed heavily, her eyes frantic as she looked around, "Are we safe?!" she asked, her voice uncertain, "Tell me that we are safe!"
Bozes nodded, "Yes," she said softly, "We are safe."
There was a soft sound, and she looked up at the one that was from the otherside of the gate. He gave a little nod toward her, "Saw some things 'huh?" he asked as he pulled apart something and passed it to her, "Don't worry. It's just a biscuit, simple little thing, but the girl I met in Italica made them for me. I told her how my ma' used to make them."
She gratefully accepted and bit into the surprisingly fluffy piece of bread. There was a hint of butter on it, and he gave a nod, "Name's Paulson," he said as he ate the other half, and then he offered another one two both her and Bozes, "The way you acted, I got to reckon that you've seen things. Be honest miss, I was the same way. I saw things that'd turn you white."
He looked at them and chewed his biscuit slowly, "I met some creatures, lived up in the sky," he said as he pointed up, "Lived on a great big metal platter, and they didn't like us very much. Did a whole lotta bad to a lotta folks. Took me from my youngin and his ma."
She looked at him, "You're married?"
He shook his head, "Not no more ma'am," he replied as he looked at her, "I was taken 'bout four hundred years ago. Took a damn long time for me ta get used ta the idea that ever'thing I knew was gone. Ever'body I knew was gone, and that wasn't countin' the fact that the world had gone and gotten itself all blew up."
"How did you survive learning that?" she asked, "What made you able to survive that?"
He looked toward her, "Well," he said as he pulled a flask and took a drink before passing it to her, "I was a rancher before hand, and I helped with a few lynchin' mobs. Figured that I'd give this whole Regulator thing a try. Kinda like bein' a sheriff, er, a lawman."
He looked at her, "My suggestion is that you think 'bout what it is that you saw, and how it affected ya. I'll be glad to listen and talk if'n ya need it."
She nodded, "Thank you."