Gate: Thus the Brotherhood of Steel Lyon's Pride Fought in Their Land
Chapter Forty - Princess Pina Co Loda
The death of Baron Greyrat had been one that the Princess found immense dislike for. It had to be done, an example had to be made, but didn't make her feel lighter of better. Her subject truly had not wanted to have anything to happen with the attempted assassination. Instead it had been his wife, acting alone, that had caused the near death. In her scramble for perceived riches and status she had condemned her husband, and herself, to death. The one solace was that she was going to turn a blind eye toward his children. They would escape unharmed as long as they stayed out of the Empire's way.
It wasn't much, but she gave this solace with a glad heart. She breathed out, considering the situation that was truly at hand. There was too much that had to be done, far too little time to do all of it, and she felt herself wishing for the day to simply be shorter. She walked into her study in her mansion. For the moment it was the safest place for her, and she understood exactly what it meant. She wasn't a prisoner in her own home. Far from it she was able to travel anywhere in the empire without issue.
But her brother had a slew of nobles that wanted to see him come to power. The promises of higher status, the declarations of marrying their daughters so that they would become part of the imperial family, all of it was playing to the greed that these nobles had. She didn't believe for an instance that they would hesitate to send another assassin. It meant that he was truly lost to her as well. She hated that, and she hated it for an entire list of reasons. She had believed that her brother was still someone that could be saved, and she had planned on pulling him from that darkness that covered him.
There was no recovering him, not now, and likely it would never happen. At best she could hopefully have him banished. To most it would be a death sentence, but it wouldn't be to him. She understood Zorzal more than most. Her brother was an idiot, there was no denying that, but he was a fighter. The aspects of Grognak that were often herald as strength were certainly inside of him. He was a fighter, a schemer, and someone that had aspirations. He had drive and purpose. All of these things were the very things that made the people revere Grognak.
She knew that Zorzal would find a way to survive, and he would eventually make his way back to the empire. When he did it would be because he'd gathered allies that would be used to deal with them. His belief in their superiority was staggering. He'd been shown exactly how much weaker they truly were. It wasn't just their technology, but it was their training, their entire world that made them so much stronger.
Their world was one that did not harbor the weak. It was a world that demanded the strong live above all else. If those that were weak lived it was because someone strong protected them. The Brotherhood was proof of that. Their desire to ensure the safety of the people of their world was admirable. It was one of the things that truly separated who her husband was from her brother. Adam fully believed in the purpose of protecting those that could not protect themselves. He devoted himself to that cause, and she loved him for it.
She stepped out onto the balcony, admiring the view of her home, and she saw the station below. Her own knights mingled with a group of knights from the Brotherhood. She was thankful that they seemed to get along, and more than that she was thankful that there were true friendships beginning between them. It wasn't just posturing between all of them. She felt some hope that there could be something start for some of her knights.
Hamilton could use someone that would show her the strength she had inside of her. She heard footsteps, familiar ones, and she smiled as her sister-wife stepped out with her, "The weather is truly magnificent today," she remarked, her voice at her side, "And yet it feels like the calm before the storm, does it not?"
She nodded, "It does, and that is what scares me," she admitted after a moment, "Everything that has happened, everything that we've seen, and everything that has been done has only shown the effort that Zorzal is willing to put into what he believes is fixing our course. My brother is truly lost to me, to all of us, and I feel no slight amount of sadness over this," she said, "And yet, I find that I have the resolve to face what will come. Perhaps it is because I have taken to reading the notes left behind by this President Lincoln."
"I have gleaned some of his writing," Bozes admitted, "I apologize for not telling you before hand, but I can see what you mean. His war was different, and yet it seems that we are heading for it. His entire focus was on healing his nation, to keep it from splintering further. It's funny that in his attempt those working against it were trying to find ways of ensuring his complete defeat," she said before she leaned against the railing, "Princess, if we are to consider his actions, he tried to reason with those that sought to completely abandon their nation. Should we do the same?"
Pina nodded, "It would only be right to reason with those we could, but we have to show a united force as well. What happened with Baron Greyrat had to happen. There was no way around it. I feel sick that it had to happen, and I wish that there had been a way to keep it from happening. He was a staunch supporter of of mine, and his wife had thrown it all away," she remarked as she moved a piece of windblown hair behind her ear, "When we catch her, it is only right that she be treated to the same as her husband."
She was quiet for a moment, "And I feel so horrible for even suggesting it. Bozes, there is no recourse from this, is there? I cannot undo what Zorzal has done, and I cannot save him. I must instead move to fix what has been broken. How can I do it? How can I undo the splinters that are happening around us?"
Bozes seemed to consider the question for a few moments, "Princess, Pina, I do not think that there is a way to undo it. I believe that what we have witnessed happening is merely the beginning. Our duty is to protect, and that has not changed. However, I believe that the scope of our mission will change," she admitted after a moment, "I believe that in order to protect the people we will be forced to squash a separatist movement before it gets too far. We will have to make examples, and I despise it completely."
She breathed out, the sound of it was more weary than Pina had heard in quite some time, "To those that would defy the empire, to separate, and to follow Zorzal we will become hated. They will see us as horrible controlling monsters. We will have to make more examples like that of Baron Greyrat, and in truth there will be a good many of them who absolutely will deserve it," she then shook her head, "And there will be many more who do not deserve it. Those who are guilty only by association. This president Lincoln, he faced many of the same choices, and he did so during a war. His actions were forgiven due to the war, and due to the fact that he moved to preserve his country. We cannot allow this to become a war."
She touched Pina's hand, "We cannot allow it because it would be so much unneeded death and destruction, and it would undo all that has been built. Yes, there are parts of the empire that need to be improved. I can see that far more clearly now than I could before. I know that I could be speaking out of turn, and if I displease you I will leave."
Pina gently squeezed her hand, "Bozes, you could not displease me, nor could you displease our husband. I feel that he would do all he could in order to make all of us as happy as he could, but what you say is true. There are parts of the capital that truly need to be improved. The more poverty stricken area for example. The people there are finally beginning to thrive, but it is more due to the presence of our other sister-wife than it is anything else," she admitted, "She has helped the people there to trust her, to trust us by extension, and she has brought them much needed medical care."
She looked down for a moment, "Did you realize that the mortality rate in the slums for infants was three times what it was everywhere else in the capital? That it was twice what it was outside of the capital itself?" she asked as she looked at her feet, "That the mortality rate of the mothers giving birth was five times greater than it was outside of the capital and seven times greater than inside of the rest of the capital? We had failed all of them, so greatly, and it has been the presence of the Brotherhood of Steel that has changed it around for us."
She finally looked up at Bozes, "the people of the slums are beginning to thrive. Additionally, the brotherhood has devised ways for their waste to be carried off safely due to making things closer to how they had on Alnus Hill. They've created places for them to bathe, to do their… business, and to ensure that everything is removed before too much time has occurred. What they have done is astounding."
Bozes nodded, "And we see what it would have taken for things to be turned around for them. It was not merely an easy fix. It took much work, but it was work that they had put in without question. That is the Brotherhood of Steel, that is the kind of people that our husband belongs to. They assist without a question, and they attempt to move and heal without any promise of reward. They are protectors in a way that we should have been from the very beginning."
Pina couldn't argue with that. She didn't want to. Everything that Bozes said was the truth. They were a powerful people, but the Brotherhood had shown them what true power was. And they claimed to protect the people of the empire, and yet it was the Brotherhood that showed them what true protection was. They cared for the lowest of the low. The prostitutes, the disenfranchised, those cast off by their society because of here they were born. It was the Brotherhood that looked into area and saw people worthy of being cared for. Through their examples the people of the slums saw Pina as a worthy ruler.
They would likely rise up and defend her if it came to it, and in truth there were far more people in the slums than there were normal guards. Still, she would not want that to happen. She didn't want to see people harmed without reason or provocation. War was unfortunately necessary at times. There were far too many times that it was something that had to happen. That the people simply had to deal with what would come. It was an unfortunate part of life. But if she could keep the gears of war from turning she would do so with a glad heart.
She would keep their people safe, she would protect them, and she would do all that she could do to live up to the examples that she had been shown. It was the very least that she could do. At least, that was exactly what she wanted to believe, "We face something that is going to happen soon I fear," she admitted as she finally looked up, "I fear that we face a war, and I feel the gears of it turning even now. I do not know if it is something that we can truly protect against or not. I am uncertain how we progress from here."
Bozes squeezed her hand again for her, "We put one foot in front of the other, and we follow in the footsteps that have been laid before us. That is all we can do. Our husband is a knight, a Paladin, and his example allows us to follow in the footsteps he has shown. Let us show the world that we will do what must be done in order to fulfill our mission."
Pina nodded, the answer was the best possible option from what they had. She knew that her oldest brother was lost. Their other brother was quietly doing what he could to preserve the empire in his own way. He was looking into the laws, the treaties, the various bits of governing left behind by Grognak, and he was doing it all in an attempt to show that there was possibility of keeping their world together.
She could not fault him for his desire. After all, he was a good sort, a decent person, and he did this despite his desire to see this other world for himself. He held off the desire to explore in order to maintain. Diabo was not a warrior by any stretch of the imagination. His power resided in knowledge, in understanding, and in directing the state of affairs through the laws already created. He was crafty, intelligent, and someone that was worth having as an advisor. But he would never live up to the ideals of their father.
He would always be just a prince. Zorzal had been the pick to become the next emperor, but his actions toward the Brotherhood of Steel had soured the taste of his potential rule. Pina understood that now her father looked to her to lead. Not because she was capable, but because of her marriage. He sought her to claim the throne because he knew that Adam's people could help her in maintaining their government. That the power of the Brotherhood of Steel could be used for the empire.
Shewanted to crawl into herself, she wanted to disappear for a while, and she wanted Adam. She wanted to be held, to be told it would be okay, that everything would work out fine. It was a weak moment, and her father did not abide weakness. He would want her to show strength before all else. She was to be the next empress, and she knew that. It meant that she had to never publicly show weakness. It meant that her entire life would be focused around ensuring that everyone only saw the strength of the empire.
A small laugh escaped her as she considered the weight of what was before her. Heavy was the crown that she would have to wear. Monstrous were the responsibilities, and dire were the consequences should she fail. The sword of fate would forever be dangling above her, prepared to fall at any given moment, making the entire world witness her destruction. It was humbling, and she realized that it was something that her father lived with every single day. He knew that the sword of fate was always primed to strike against him.
She felt movement, and before she could question it Bozes' softer body pressed against her own. She prepared to say something when she felt the soothing hug. She leaned into it accepting the comfort that was being given. It was a gift, and it was one that she desired greatly. Yes, she desired to do things with Bozes. She would be a fool to say otherwise. The Pheromones that came from the queen ant had altered her to the point where she desired Bozes, Sarah, and Adam. She wanted to be with all three of them.
The Goddesses preserved her, she wanted to be used. To be stripped nude, laid out, and have Adam ravish her while both Bozes and Sarah used her in the most profane manners. Still, her own will power was greater than that. She wouldn't merely bend to the will of her flesh. She was someone that had the ability to tell her more natural impulses that she wouldn't merely bend a need to them. She breathed out, enjoyed the moment of comfort, and then considered the options before her. There was so much to do, and there was so little time to do it in. The time for action was now.
"We must begin soon," she admitted after a moment, "We need to ensure that we act to preserve our empire, and we must do so in order to keep those that would splinter off from completely distancing themselves. I fear that we will be undertaking a task that will take much of our time and resources. But as you said, we will need to make examples. I pray that we are not judged too harshly for them."
"Princess, there is no denying that we will be judged harshly," Bozes answered, "Even Grognak was judged for the way he did things. How he stopped two opposing groups from destroying each other, it is still said to be foolish and true impatience at work. The fact that he married the daughters of the two rules, making his house the combined strength of them both was both brilliant, and incredibly idiotic," she said as she held her, "And yet he is considered the greatest champion of our history. His actions have proven, multiple times, that he truly was someone that sought plenty and prosperity for his people."
Pina nodded, "I know, and hopefully we will be considered the same, the books that we've read, those over this President Lincoln, they all talk about him in an almost reverence sense. Yet, I doubt that he was viewed as such by many of those that were forced to rejoin their land. It may take generations for us to be viewed in the same light."
Bozes gave a small laugh, "Princess, there is never a ruler that is always loved by their people. There will always be some that view their rulers as potentially twisted and dark. We merely need to do our best, hope for the best, and ensure that our people do not suffer needlessly. If that is something that we can do, then I truly believe that our people will see us for the things we were able to do for them."
Pina felt Bozes finally loosen her hold, and she stepped back. Pina looked over the balcony again, watching the Knights and Scribes from the Brotherhood of Steel talking with her own knights. She could see a few getting closer, and she smiled. This was a direction that was worth taking. This was a chance worth having.