Emperor of Zero (ZnT/Napoleon Bonaparte) Thread 2
- Thread starter Largo
- Start date
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- familiar of zero
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- Little Rock, AR
It was going to go places, good ones. Then Bonaparte wants to pull bullshit that turn mtoher against daughter then stand there smirking.Rodyle said:
- Location
- Little Rock, AR
That doesn't sound like a person to give any perssonal trust to whatsoever unless you've convienently alligned yourself and continued postive benifits to be absolutely indispensible.majorbau said:
- Location
- Little Rock, AR
aren't the rune obviously affecting him by now?KaPe said:
SirLagginton
Shadow Cabal Caerbannog Bun-Bun
- Location
- Arrrghhh
Windalfr or Myozunitonirun would have been a lot more suitable for old Boney.KaPe said:
logiccosmic
the Prince of Word Crimes
- Location
- the Hague, formerly
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Windalfr for the whole command deal;
Myo-whatever would be hella broken.
Myo-whatever would be hella broken.
- Location
- Little Rock, AR
What about the fostering emotional bonds and encouraging to positively bond with your summoner part?Rodyle said:
Yes Yes I did read back then. The ability of a Gandalfr to kill their summoner is never something I've held in question. He said he'd kill her if she ordered him to kill fouquet yes. That Napoleon Bonaparte calls Bomber-chan 'partner' in his own head is something I would chalk to time and runework. As well as his headaches.KaPe said:
- Location
- Little Rock, AR
Huh that was cold and not particularly seeing as he then had no legitimate in to power among the nobles unless he some how spun everything into her betraying the princess in fact. It also would have royally pissed off the pope too and he has guns. MAchine guns and assaasins and Giant effing dragons.KaPe said:
SirLagginton
Shadow Cabal Caerbannog Bun-Bun
- Location
- Arrrghhh
Living artillery against future enemies.KaPe said:
SirLagginton
Shadow Cabal Caerbannog Bun-Bun
- Location
- Arrrghhh
It's Napoleon, he always thinks about the long term.KaPe said:
- Location
- Little Rock, AR
Of course Tristain would have been much better off than it would be with Napoleon at the head if Henrietta was at the head with Napoleon as an honest and loyal mentor with a love for the country.KaPe said:
Well him and Joseph who was funding the Reconquista movement and had his familiar on the ground floor strategic decisions, and spying and all. And who likely has more than a few method of getting or compelling the truth. Then there's the fact the Pope may be able to scry past and pull it up with a religious artifact.NMS said:
- Location
- Little Rock, AR
The second.KaPe said:
Henrietta had an order of merit based commoner body guards, a commoner trusted aid with a revenge carte blanche on any noble, and was very pro commoner right liberal. The town was Tarbes and he proposed burning it down to stop and invasion and she did do it after weighing everything and listening to his explanation. He had a place at her war table where he could argue with the same ear as the other noble generals. The Public logistic strategy she said no to was stripping the land on the march through albion which beyond being morally reprehnsible had a whole slew of tactical and cultural flaws for their army and aims and would have been counter productive to the aim of reclaiming Albion a aiding heroes.
second Albion ignored the cease fire on Impetus from the Sheffield Manipulator and the OCP Artifact there doesn't that thier would be any traditional impetus or functional way for the same thing to happen and be nearly as effective as it was.
Obviously, I'm staying out of these debates, but one thing that I personally find interesting about this is that I think it's one of the rare FoZ alternate summons where despite all of Napoleon's genius and will and charisma, there's a legitimate argument that Helgekinia would have been better off if Louise had just summoned Saito.
Also, sadly for this story, but happily for me, I am now employed.
- Location
- Little Rock, AR
This opinion has merit. Much Merit.Domow2210 said:
Congratulations on the Job.Largo said:
logiccosmic
the Prince of Word Crimes
- Location
- the Hague, formerly
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Napoleonic Code vs ~pretty perfect princess~?
Put a bullet in her!
Put a bullet in her!
- Location
- Little Rock, AR
Beaten then slow roasted and eaten.Cadet_Commisar said:
Crowd: "No!"SmallTips said:
Would have gotten this chapter up this morning if it hadn't been for the server. But yay. The next two chapters or so I think will be some of the most important in this entire story, so it's good to wrap most of the other loose ends for now.
...
"In my viewpoint you are the ones I can't understand. To seek for justice in a place like a battlefield is what's strange."
…
…
"Hmmm…."
Louise stirred a bit as she lazily opened her eyes. The bed…felt familiar. It was rough, and worn, but there was something safe and comforting about it.
She rolled around on it for a little while and then yawned and stretched as she rose up. But as she looked to her right side, she gave a small jump. Her partner sat on a chair right next to the bed. The entire scene gave Louise a strong sense of déjà vu as she realized where she was. This was Giono's room. She had slept here once before and had woken up to find her partner next to her, and now here he was again. However, unlike last time where he had fallen asleep, he now stared directly at Louise.
"Good morning, Louise."
There was something odd about him, Louise thought. His tone was different, as if he was seriously concerned about her for some reason.
"Good morning, Napoleon. How are you doing this morning?"
Napoleon blinked for a moment and tilted his head.
"Are you fine? Louise, tell me, are you really feeling better?"
"What are you talking about?" Louise said. "I guess I'm fine. Did something happen?"
She gave a wide yawn but then looked down at herself. That was strange. Normally, she undressed herself before she went to sleep. But she now wore her olive coat and uniform as if she had just collapsed on the bed. How did this happen? Did something knock her out and-
Oh.
At that moment, she remembered what had happened last night. Her mother's wrath, completely directed at her as she made it clear that Louise had to die. Nothing had compared to it. Other bad memories and feelings like her fear at La Rochelle and the despair which she felt at Her Majesty's death had become small insignificant trifles compared to the hatred which Karin had felt for her. As the memories returned and the feeling of pain and despair confronted her, the energy she had gained through sleep drained out of her and she slumped back on the bed, her face turned white as snow.
"I guess," Napoleon quietly observed as he watched her reaction, "The answer to my question was a no."
He leaned back into his chair and said nothing more. He waited for Louise to recover and speak, to ask him questions. For some time, she continued to shiver and crawl on the bed like a worm. But she finally took a few deep breaths, before expelling the question which she knew she had to ask.
"What happened, Napoleon? Why did it happen?"
"What?" he asked. "Judging from your reaction, I believe that you remember what occurred in the palace last night."
"Yes. I remember." Louise said. "I remember the feeling of drowning, of suffocating under that pressure. I realized that my own mother wanted to kill me. I guess you saved me; otherwise I would be dead right now.
But why, Napoleon? Why is she trying to kill me? I'm her daughter. I know she scolded me without end because of my failures at magic. But she knew. She knows I'm a Void Mage and that I'm no longer a Zero. So why did she try to kill me there? And what am I supposed to do about that?"
She huffed out a dry sob afterwards, but Napoleon did nothing more than shake his head.
"I can't say, Louise. After all you know your own mother better than I do. But I do know this. You've done nothing wrong. I know you as well as anyone, and I'm honestly proud of you."
"Are you sure about that?" Louse whispered.
"Come again?"
But she didn't repeat herself. Instead, Louise looked down at the bed and then out the window. Napoleon for a moment wondered whether it was best to leave her alone. But he refused. There was so little time these days, and so much to do.
"Rather, Louise. I have a question to ask you. It's absolutely critical."
"Yes?"
"When you visited the castle, did you see Siesta while you were there?"
"Siesta?"
Napoleon nodded his expression serious. Louise could see that this question was of deadly importance to him, and thus tried to remember.
If she thought about it, she hadn't seen Siesta at the academy. That wasn't a surprise. She had been busy training with Colbert and had barely talked with anyone. Even though she knew that they were still at the Academy, she had never seen Kirche or Tabitha the entire time. Aside from telling Montmorency about Guiche and how he was doing these, Louise hadn't really interacted with the few students that were there. So no, she hadn't seen Siesta.
But she could tell that Napoleon was trying to find her. So when was the last time she had seen Siesta?
For a few minutes, she furrowed her brow and stared at the bed sheets, deep in thought. Napoleon watched her expression. She stayed like that, her expression stern and determined as she pondered the answer to his question. But then, her eyes slowly widened.
"No…no…no…"
As those words tumbled out of her mouth, Louise's face grew steadily paler. And at last, with a horrified expression, she looked up at Napoleon.
"Napoleon…are you telling me that I killed Siesta?"
"Huh?"
He realized too late the conclusion which Louise had drawn. The last time he had seen Siesta had been at Tarbes, when he had first discovered those books. It appeared that the same was true with Louise, and that she had not seen Siesta at the academy.
But Louise had destroyed the entire village when she had destroyed that plane.
"No, you didn't." Napoleon firmly stated. "You didn't kill Siesta."
She seemed to ignore his response. Louise just raised her hands to her eyes and stared at them.
"Are you sure about that? You know that you don't have to lie, Napoleon. I have so much blood on these hands already. I destroyed an entire Albion army. I destroyed a peasant village, a Tristanian village, and failed to save my friend and princess. So what does it matter if one more family, and a commoner family at that, dies right? That's the truth, isn't it Napoleon?"
She gave a tiny giggle and waved her hands in front of her.
"That's what mother taught me, you know? Commoners serve the nobles, and the nobles serve the princess. So if a thousand commoners die to save a noble, that's just how it is, right? But then shouldn't that mean that a thousand nobles should have died to save Henrietta?"
"You didn't kill her, Louise."
She stopped waving her hands at those words. They slowly came down, and as they gripped the sheets, Louise looked over at Napoleon with wild and panicked eyes.
"D-don't lie to me, Napoleon."
"I am not lying. You did not kill Siesta."
"DON'T LIE TO ME!" Louise shrieked. "You're just trying to protect me by hiding the truth! That's what you're doing, right! Because I'm still a failure! I killed Siesta! I lost to another mage because I was stupid and arrogant! And I failed to protect Henrietta and have killed so many soldiers and…"
She turned her face back onto her knees and began to cry, overwhelmed by everything which had hit her since she left the Academy. But it only served to humiliate her further, and so she cried even harder. How could she face her own partner anymore like this?
"….sorry."
Napoleon had mumbled something. Louise glanced up as snot dribbled out of her nose.
"W-what?"
Napoleon had looked down at the ground after those unheard words. But now he looked down at Louise.
"I said, 'I'm sorry for what I'm about to do'."
WHAM
With all of his strength, he openly punched Louise's left cheek, and she dropped on the mattress like a sack of bricks. Interestingly, it didn't actually hurt that much. Or maybe she was still too stunned about what had just happened.
"…You hit me."
After a few seconds, she only managed to say those few words, muffled as they were due to her face implanted on the mattress. But she had no time to think or do anything else, as Napoleon reached down and grabbed her by her collar.
"Did you forget, Louise? What I told you when you panicked over your lack of power when we rode back to Tristain?"
It was strange, she thought. In contrast to his actions, his voice filled was sorrow. But Louise remembered. He had told her that an Emperor should never show pity, and that he always demands the best out of his subjects. But that had not been the only thing he had told when she still believed she was a failure named Zero.
"Thus, if I believe you are great, I will say so. And Valliere, if I believed that you were a pathetic failure of a mage, I would tell you that. But even then, I would not let you cower in fear because of your failures. If you summoned me, Valliere, then no doubt you wished for greatness. I will bring that to you, but only if you can bring me the will that shows you want it!"
She gave a slow nod. Napoleon took his hand off her collar and gripped her shoulders.
"You are a killer, Louise. I won't deny that. There's no escaping that fate. You have a power unmatched by any mage in thousands of years. And you have to accept that you'll use it. You can choose to use it for yourself, but you can also choose to use it to protect your country and your home. If you want to do that, you can't run away and ignore those who you've killed."
"I want to ignore it." Louise quavered. "It's terrifying to see."
"Yeah." Napoleon said. "It is."
He let go of her shoulders. But now his hands gave her a tousle as they rested there.
"But you can't ignore your mistakes and those who you've killed. If you try to do that, those memories will catch up to you, haunt you, and eventually destroy you. You have to challenge them. Acknowledge the reason you have for fighting, and remind yourself of your greatness, Louise. That's how you can defeat your anxiety and fear.
Don't forget them, Louise. Never forget those who you failed to protect. But resolve yourself to use your strength to do better."
She trembled at his words.
"So…I should accept my power to kill?"
"Not mindlessly. Fight for your country with your power, Louise. In fact, fight for any reason which you may desire. But I can tell you, Louise. You did not kill Siesta. She's alive, and I'm looking for her."
Louise slowly nodded at those words.
"I guess some of the books did escape and that she has them?"
"What?" Napoleon said.
"I can't think of another reason you would look for her at this point." Louise responded.
He tousled her hair one more time in response. Then he stood up from the bed, a smile on his face.
"I'm genuinely impressed. But do you always have to think the worst about me?"
Louise tried to chuckle at his jest, but the snot and tears which covered her face quickly turned it into a cough. Napoleon sat beside and hit her on the back in an attempt to calm her down. However, Louise laughed at that gesture, which only served to increase her coughing, which thus meant that Napoleon continued to hit her back. The strange cycle continued for a minute or so, until Louise finished coughing and began to laugh in earnest. Napoleon smiled and returned to his chair by the bed.
"You should smile more, Louise. It suits you."
Louise blushed at those words, and threw the covers over her head. But without waiting, Napoleon continued.
"So, she wasn't at the Academy while you were there?"
"Siesta could have been there." Louise said. "I didn't spend as much time at the Academy as I should have talking to the students. I just trained. Maybe when we return, we can see if she's there."
"Return?"
Louise felt it. There was something…strange about how he had repeated that word, and she looked at him in her confusion.
"Is there something wrong with that, Napoleon?"
Napoleon said nothing. He took a long, slow look at Louise and then covered his face.
"Are you sure you want to hear this? I guess you haven't had a moment to realize it."
"What is it?" Louise asked. "What's wrong?"
He gave a deep sigh. For possibly the first time that Louise had ever seen him, Napoleon seemed to hesitate to say what he wanted to say it. He hemmed and hawed and rubbed his hands together. Then at last, he gave a deep breath and spoke.
"Your mother tried to kill you, Louise."
Louise nodded.
"Yes. I know that. But what are you talking about?"
"Louise, if your mother would go so far as to try to kill you for whatever reason she possessed, there's no doubt in my mind that she'll disown you."
Louise blankly stared at that statement.
"What?"
"I know you heard me." Napoleon said. "She's almost certainly disowned you. That would also mean that Karin will withdraw you from the Academy and your family will no longer send you any money."
He waited after he finished those words and watched Louise's face for a long time. But her expression didn't change. She slowly nodded as she understood the implications of Napoleon's conclusion.
"So, I'm a disowned noble now."
"Yes."
"And I'll probably never return to the estate again either."
"Yes."
"And I'll probably never see Cattleya again."
"Yes."
"And I'm still stuck with a mad lunatic with a weird hat who rants about how he was an Emperor."
"No."
"Darn." Louise said. "I thought you would fall for it."
Napoleon shook his head, but he continued to gaze at Louise. She looked back at him for a moment.
"Don't worry, Napoleon. I'm not going to explode or cry. I've done enough of that for today."
And with those words, she finally moved out of her bed. As she reached the door, he called out the question he needed to know.
"Are you sure you're not upset?"
She stopped as her hand rested on the doorknob.
"Of course I'm upset. I'm scared and frightened and terrified. I've lost my status and my money, and to make things worse, I don't even know why my mother is so angry at all. I can't think of a reason
But I'll persevere. I'll work hard and become a great mage and convince mother to make me a Valliere again. I can do it, Napoleon. After all, I've met other disowned nobles during the fighting. There's Martin, for example."
"And there's me."
Louise heard a voice, smooth and melodious, from the other side of the door. But then without warning, someone pulled open the door to Giono's room. As she had been holding the door knob, Louise stumbled forward, and her head collided with the person on the other side of the door.
"Ack! Sorry-huh?"
She looked up and was stunned at the sight before her. Louise had collided with a woman she had never seen before. She had short golden hair, and wore a simple woolen green and white dress. A pair of small glasses rested on her nose as she looked down on Louise. As the other woman looked down on Louise, she gave a warm and gentle smile.
"It's a pleasure to see you, master. I've been worried about you."
Louise's face turned red at the address by this beautiful woman.
"M-m-master? You must be mistaken, I don't know you! W-wait, unless you're Fou-"
"I am Matilda Duvall from Albion, Louise. Not Fouquet. Not anymore."
"Matilda? But how? This isn't you! You look completely…different! How did this happen?"
She snapped her head back towards Napoleon, who shrugged.
"Giono knows people. They've been busy last night."
Louise gaped at those words.
"Then, where is he?"
"He went out," Napoleon said. "He'll be back in a couple of hours."
"O-okay. But, Matilda, how! This is…is…"
"It's the beginning of a new life." Fouquet said. "I'll admit I have to thank you, Louise. I can now protect myself from my enemies as well as my sister. There's nothing else in the world that I want."
She gave a deep bow to Louise, who blushed even harder. And as Napoleon looked at Louise's new servant, he gave a small smile of appreciation.
…
…
"Advance!"
Robert de Gramont shouted those words at the soldiers who stood in front of him. Assembled in a closed-rank formation, they quickly obeyed the orders of their commanding officer and marched forward in a single, unified step.
"Present arms!"
With those words, the soldiers stopped and held out their weapons to Gramont. But as Gramont inspected every inch of their weapons and uniforms, it proved to be redundant. Every soldier in the Tristanian army had worked himself to the bone to present his best face for the march that would occur in a few hours. Even the new black armbands which they had received for the funeral seemed messy in comparison with their sparkling uniforms.
"That will be good enough, Gramont."
Napoleon rode up to his lieutenant. Gramont promptly turned and snapped off an impressive salute, and every soldier who saw their leader repeated the gesture.
"General Bonaparte. Congratulations on your promotion."
"I'll admit I'm surprised myself." Napoleon said. "I didn't expect Mazarin to give that to me in front of the crowd at yesterday's victory parade. I know certain nobles are upset about that."
"He may be only the temporary leader of Tristain, but he is our leader," Gramont stated. "So he had every right to give it to you. Besides, with our general staff so devastated by Albion's attack at Saxe-Gotha, he had to select quite a few new figures to command our armies."
Napoleon nodded, and then looked at the soldiers.
"You know your positions. Assemble in the city and line the streets in which Her Majesty's hearse shall pass through. Make sure that the way ahead is clean and clear. Go!"
The soldiers once again saluted, and began to march off. Gramont looked over at Napoleon.
"Are you not going to lead them?" He asked.
"Of course not." Napoleon responded. "I thought I already told you. The officers who will not line the street will escort the hearse through the streets and to the Grand Cathedral. That includes us."
"I understand."
With those words, Gramont looked away from Napoleon and out at the marching soldiers. The Emperor sighed and scuffed some dirt with his foot.
"Well," Napoleon finally said. "I heard that you rejected an offer at promotion yourself. Are you sure you intend to go back and just control your family's private army?"
"That's what I commanded before the disaster at Saxe-Gotha forced us to reorganize ourselves." Gramont said.
"There's no higher honor I can think of."
"Is that so?" Napoleon observed. "But Gramont, why do you serve your family?"
The young man looked over at Napoleon as his blond locks fell over his face.
"That is an odd question, General. Why wouldn't I serve my family?"
"You serve your family, but your family serves your nation." Napoleon said. "So why don't you just serve Tristain directly?"
"And join the Royal Army? Father would never allow for it. He views the Royal Army officers as a bunch of commoner thugs with no pride or honor."
"Well," asked Napoleon. "Do you think that I am a commoner thug with no pride or honor?"
Gramont looked over at Napoleon. He in turn stared out at the army.
"Don't let yourself be bound by petty rules, Gramont. You should work where you'll have the greatest chance of making an impact and becoming a truly great individual.
But come. Let us march with our comrades."
Napoleon walked over to a nearby horse and mounted it, leaving Gramont alone with his thoughts. The young, stern man watched his commanding officer's back as Napoleon rode off.
…
…
"Forgive her and have mercy on her.
Keep her safe from her troubles, and honor her services and remember all that she has performed in your service.
Wash her with water and snow, and dress her with white linen and lilies
And cleanse of all the sins she has committed.
Oh Brimir, admit this soul to paradise, and protect her from the torment of the grave and of evil.
Make her tomb spacious and clean and fill it with your light."
Mazarin closed the book he held, and bowed his head. Everyone in the cathedral who had listened to his prayer followed the gesture, including Napoleon. Louise sat to his right as she wore a long black dress, and Matilda sat to Louise's right.
The Cardinal set the book aside and then pulled out a sheet of paper. He then looked out at the crowd which occupied every inch of the pews in front of him. Every important member of the nobility, as well as quite a few unimportant ones, sat as two coffins rested at the front of the cathedral. He could see the Vallieres, the Walloons, the Gramonts, Touraine, the Montmorencies, and so many peers and nobles.
There were only two exceptions to the crowd of nobles. At the front sat Napoleon along with his partner, the youngest Valliere daughter, and her bodyguard. He couldn't forget the scene that had occurred between mother and daughter a few days ago, and worried about another incident. But today, he had seen Karin do everything in her power to avoid looking at her daughter. It was less conspicuous, but almost as cruel.
In addition, at the back sat Barbaras and Giono. Mazarin hadn't really wanted to invite either of them. The nobility despised the former for his lending policies, and also disliked Giono for some of the pieces he had written on some noble families. But Barbaras had asked Mazarin for permission, and had even paid the Cardinal handsomely in return for a seat at the Cathedral. Even as almost every noble had glanced askance at his presence as they walked in, he paid utterly no heed to them as he looked ahead at the coffin.
All of the powerful people in Tristain were here. Almost all of them would attend the conference that would begin after five days of mourning to determine the future ruler of Tristain. Which made the funeral oration which Mazarin had prepared all the more important.
"We gather today to mourn our leader. Someone who was kind, and fair, and just. Someone who took care of everyone within this country, regardless of who he was or where he came from. She was a graceful and charming woman who loved every single one of her subjects.
When we join her in the dust, and future generations will discuss about her too-short reign, they will talk about the future she could have built. She was placed upon her throne thanks to the many maladies which her mother suffered. But she did not shirk from her duty. Instead, she endured and worked through difficult times and triumphs. She led our country through enemy attack, and yet while she did not witness the end, she built what became the foundations for our final victory.
There are no words today which can summarize and conceal the grief which I know I and everyone in this room and across the country shares at this moment. But it is because of that grief that we must remember the legacy which Princess Henrietta left us.
She wished for us to stand united. When the war with Albion began, and I and many others panicked and discussed about what to do, she rose up to the challenge. She told us to stand strong for the country, and that she would fight herself to defend her home. It was a profound and important moment. Without it, I believe that our country would have stayed disunited and we would have lost the war.
But that moment showed her greatness and her belief in her country. And so, as we consign her to Brimir's hand, we must follow her legacy. We must work with one another, with peace and mercy, to build the future that she cannot witness from this world. Let us remember our great Princess as Tristain shall continue forward to a world where each day shall become better than the last."
Mazarin finished, and bowed his head. The audience in the church politely applauded. Afterwards, twelve people stood up from the rows. Mazarin had designated them to serve as the pallbearers. They would take the coffins out to the yard behind the church. In that yard, a magnificent tomb signified the final resting place of the King of Tristain. He would now be joined with his wife and daughter.
Yet despite Mazarin's speech for unity, there was an air of hostility around Henrietta's corpse as the cardinal led both coffins. Napoleon had been selected as one of her pallbearers. And behind him, the Duchess of Valliere stared at him with hostility.
Yet they said nothing to each other, nor did Karin draw her wand and cause any trouble. The procession made its way to the tomb and they set down the coffins. The prayers and the chants began as Mazarin prayed to Brimir for deliverance.
Finally, after half an hour, the ceremony was over and the tomb closed. The funeral had come to an end. Mazarin and most of the pallbearers departed, but then the Cardinal looked back. Napoleon and Karin stood side by side as they gazed at the tomb in front of them. For a moment, the Cardinal worried and thought about intervening. But he finally made the decision to leave as the two were left alone. As the wind blew through and signified the emptiness of the cemetery, Napoleon made the decision to speak first.
"What is it, Karin?" he mockingly asked. "Are you still angry at me because I prevented you from killing your own daughter?"
"You're as much of a traitor as she is." Karin responded as she still stared at the tomb. "You failed to protect Henrietta. So did your army, and so did your lieutenants and every soldier in your army. The minute your army realized that she was dead, every single one as well as you should have all killed themselves out of their shame."
She was sincere, Napoleon knew. Karin really would have done that. If she had been on the battlefield and had failed to protect Henrietta, she would have killed herself without hesitation.
"So why stop?" he asked. "You could kill me right now, I'm sure. There isn't even anyone watching, and I didn't bring my sword."
"You can live with your dishonor, though I don't know how you do such a thing." Karin said. "But Louise is different. She doesn't dishonor only herself. Every minute she walks on this earth after abandoning Her Majesty, she brings shame to the entire Valliere family. I cannot permit her to live as long as she does so."
Silence followed her words for a moment as the two stared at the tomb.
"Well, Karin," he said, "If that's the way you view things, why don't we make a deal?"
The Duchess's eyes narrowed with suspicion.
"And what kind of deal would I want with a traitor and coward like you?"
"It's really quite simple." Napoleon said. "I'll give you Louise and let you do what you like with her. In return, you give me Siesta and all of those books she possesses."
"What?"
Karin finally whirled towards Napoleon in shock.
"How did you know? Who told you that Siesta was under my service?"
He gave a long, slow, smile to that question.
"You just did. My sincerest thanks."
He gave a small chuckle as Karin realized the trick he had just pulled, and her face reddened in shame and anger.
"You slimy demon-"
"Oh, come now, come now" Napoleon grumbled. "Are you telling me that you've survived this long as Duchess without resorting to any tricks?"
"That was different." She spat. "That was a low trick meant to distract me while I mourn, something only a coward would do."
"If you say so. But how about a serious offer?"
She glared suspiciously at him.
"What do you want now?"
Napoleon cut her off and looked directly at Karin.
"If Louise really is that much of a shame to your family, then disown her. But killing her is unnecessary."
"Is that so?" Karin asked. "And are you going to stop me?"
He turned his body and took a single large step towards Karin. Out of pure instinct, she jumped back but then looked back at Napoleon. He continued to walk forward towards her, and only stopped when he stood directly in front of Karin. He then leaned forward and their foreheads touched as the two stared at each other.
"Of course I will." He growled. "You will not lay a single finger on Louise or I will destroy you, Karin. I will destroy you, your family, your estate, your honor, and anything and everything you value. I will make it so that when people talk about the Vallieres in a thousand years from now, they won't remember your honor or glory, but instead they'll talk about the miserable way in which your family was extinguished as you crawled with blood spurting out of your mouth. That will be your legacy.
I'm not going to pretend you aren't my enemy. You are. But there are lines I don't intend to cross. You attempt to physically harm Louise, and I will cross them. Mark my words."
The two stared at each other with such ferocity and from a distance where a stranger might have assumed that they were lovers. But at last, Karin turned away from Napoleon with a huff.
"Fine. I will accept merely banishing Louise as a punishment for her disgrace. But I know this, Napoleon. We are enemies. And if you, or Louise, stand in the way of my rightful throne, I will kill both of you."
With a final glare, she left the cemetery and Napoleon watched her depart. He simply looked back at Henrietta's tomb, completely alone.
"Sorry, Henrietta…"
And as he said those words, his mouth twisted upwards to a wide, devilish grin.
"But I win."
…
…
"Wake up, Louise. It's time to get up."
"…bweeehhhh….murgle blurgle blaarrgggghhhh…"
Louise sleepily waved her arms as she was shaken awake, but as she finally opened her eyes, she noticed something odd. She felt refreshed. For the first night in what she had believed to be ages, Louise had not dreamt of death, or destruction, or of battlefields. The result was that she felt alert in a way that she normally never felt in the mornings.
Still, it took her a moment to see that Fouquet – no, Matilda – was shaking her awake. As Louise sat up, Fouquet leaned back by the tent wall.
"Good morning, Louise. I'm glad to see you're properly awake. We need to get going."
"Going?" Louise repeated. "The funeral was yesterday. There's nowhere we need to go right now."
"You asked me to be your teacher." Fouquet calmly responded. "Therefore, our lessons are going to begin right now."
"Right now?" Louise said as she gazed out of the tent. "The sun isn't even up yet."
"The sooner they begin the better."
With those words, Fouquet stood up and walked towards the exit. Louise couldn't help it as her eyes fell on her short golden hair. The hairstyle reminded her of Guiche, she thought.
"I'll be waiting outside the tent for you to get dressed." The former thief said as she left. "There's a pair of horses outside. We'll be taking them into the city."
Louise nodded and finally removed herself from her bed. Thirty minutes later, both of them rode past Tristania's walls.
"So," Louise said as she finally broached the courage to ask, "Where are we going that I can learn about magic so early?"
"Magic?"
Fouquet stopped in the middle of the city street and looked at Louise.
"Louise, you remember what Napoleon told you last night after the funeral? About how you have been formally removed from the family?"
"How could I forget?" Louise said.
It was a plain question, without the slightest hint of sadness or bitterness. Fouquet couldn't but wonder about her charge.
She's taking her loss of status far better than I did when it happened to me.
"Well, you may have your magic, but you're now basically a commoner." Fouquet said. "However, you've been raised as a noble girl your entire life. That will create problems for you in the future if we don't do something about it."
"What do you mean by 'do something about it?'" Louise asked.
Fouquet kicked her horse and began to trot along the streets again.
"Well, it means that you're going to have to learn how to be a commoner. You'll have to know how to act like a commoner, think like a commoner, eat like a commoner, and so on. We'll have to take everything about manners and etiquette that you learned about when you grew as a child of the Valliere family and throw it all away.
Now, obviously I can't teach you to act like a commoner overnight, and Napoleon also asked you last night to attend the nobles' conference with him and you accepted. Therefore, I can't plan any lessons out for the long term. But for today, and the next few days, there are a few things I can do."
Louise nodded, but then Fouquet stopped again. The former thief pointed at a small nondescript building. Louise didn't know why… but it seemed oddly familiar.
"We'll be staying here for the next three days." Fouquet said. "It may not be the ideal place for your first lessons, but the innkeeper is a good friend of mine. We can trust him."
She dismounted and led her horse to a stable near the inn, and Louise did the same. And as the two walked in, Louise stopped for a moment glanced at the small sign which had been placed by the door.
Charming Fairie Inn.
She shrugged at those words. Fouquet had walked on ahead and Louise could hear her chatting with someone inside of the inn. Louise entered the main room of the inn.
And upon seeing and recognizing the person Matilda was talking to, Louise wondered whether surrendering to her mother really was the worst possible option. She didn't really remember the inn that well. When Napoleon and Louise had travelled to Tristania on the Day of the Void so long ago, she had been so exhausted from searching for a place to stay that she barely looked at the inn before she collapsed onto a bed. But she had remembered one thing. While she hadn't remembered the innkeeper, she realized something that she had never thought about this entire time.
Despite all the battles and conflicts which her partner had participated in, meeting the owner of the Charming Fairy Inn had been the only time he had shown fear in front of Louise. And now, she understood why, as she looked at the barkeeper as it flexed its muscles and posed while talking with Matilda.
"Ah, yes, yes, I see! So, the girl, she is a former noble, then!"
He twirled around on one foot. While Louise stared with horror, Matilda calmly nodded.
"Yes. So, I'd like her to work here for a few days. Could you make room?"
"WHAT?!?"
Louise could only shriek out that single word in response. But as the owner of the Charming Fairy Inn looked over, he gave a happy smile and danced over to Louise.
"Ah, oui oui! Such a cute and precious little girl, with such a loud voice! That shows her determination! And dearest Matilda can vouch for her? C'est bien, c'est bien. I shall put her to work immeadiatement!"
"W-wh-wh-wh-wh-"
Louise only managed to stammer those words out, but Fouquet put a hand on the owner's shoulder.
"Scarron. I would like to speak with Louise, please?"
"Mais of course!" he squealed. "Please, take all the time you wish! I still have time to spare!"
Fouquet gave a smile of thanks to Scarron, and then moved closer to Louise. She put a hand over her charge's shoulder.
"Just what is this?" Louise squeaked. "What are you doing, Fouquet?"
"It's called working, Louise." Fouquet smiled. "You'll be doing a bit more of this as a commoner. And I can promise that this job pays well and is perfectly safe. For someone in your position, it's as good of a start as you can get."
"But he's terrifying!" Louise quietly shrieked.
"Terrifying?" Fouquet responded. "Oh, Scarron?"
"Yes!"
"Louise, there's plenty more terrifying people out there in this city, never mind Tristain." Fouquet calmly stated. "I know Scarron. He's helped me out a lot. Just try to do your best, okay?"
"A-alright." Louise said. "I know you'll be able to help me, so I'll be fine, right?"
"No."
"What?"
"Well, the thing is that I came to Tristain today for two reasons. This is one. I think you know what the other one is."
Louise took a moment to think about the second reason, but then her eyes lit up.
"You're going to check on Tiffania?"
"Napoleon told me she's been fine working at the orphanage located in this city." Fouquet said. "But I want to see it for myself and make sure she's alright."
She lifted her arm and stood up.
"Don't worry, Louise. I'll be back in a few hours. But that also means that if you screw up too much, I'll know about it. So work hard, okay?"
She waved to Louise and walked out of the inn. Louise tried to smile back at her. She had to appear confident and show that she knew what she was doing.
"You have said your farewells, dear Louise? Come along then. Dear Scarron shall now teach you the ancient and most mysterious arts of your work. And do not forget to call me "mi mademoiselle!"
Still, she thought as she looked at Scarron, perhaps the battlefield really isn't just such a terrifying place after all.
…
…
"Present arms!"
Napoleon's lieutenants shouted their orders as the men fell into line. It had now been four days since the funeral. Today was the last day of mourning for Henrietta, and the next day would be the beginning of the conference. But because of that, he had been forced to make a risky proposition.
The Tristanian Army he commanded currently consisted of the bulk of the entire country's army. As of this moment, he was currently in command of over 25,000 soldiers. By the standards of a small nation such as Tristain, that constituted a formidable fighting force under his command.
And now he would cut its strength by more than half. 15,000 men were assembled at a field outside of Tristania. They had received notices that they were to return home to their families and lives.
Ultimately, Napoleon had had no choice. The Tristanian army normally had two sections. The Crown commanded the Royal Army, and the nobles created contingents of soldiers which formed the national army. In the aftermath of the Saxe-Gotha disaster, he had managed to integrate both forces into one army in preparation for the victory he had planned. But now that he had returned to Tristania, where other generals with his rank existed who could challenge his military authority, he no longer possessed the ability to retain his sole command.
So, rather than fight off political attacks from other generals and the nobles, he simply ordered those men to
return home. In addition to removing a force which could prove troublesome should the nobility succeed in reclaiming command, he would also gain the gratitude of those men in the National Army.
He watched as the men took their weapons and stacked them before they returned to him. Unfortunately, he had no way of speaking to all of them at once, and Giono could hardly be expected to print out over 15,000 pamphlets on a few days' notice. Still, he had given orders that anyone who wishes for help should stop by his tent, and he would do anything in his power to assist them.
Thus as the lieutenants read out his orders for the National Army to disband and return to their homes, he waited at his tent for the first person to arrive with complaints. In the meantime, he continued to write. Advising Wales from Tristain was difficult so far, but the Prince seemed to have adjusted well. Still, he continually proposed measures which would improve his country such as a standardization of measurements and further internal improvements.
The tent flap opened, and Napoleon looked up to see the first person who would come in with concerns. But after seeing who it was, he set down his pen and folded his hands in front of him.
"Now this is a surprise. I didn't expect you to show up, Guiche."
The young man nodded. But Napoleon then saw that Foucard and Martin accompanied Guiche. The pair of soldiers glowered at the young boy as he walked towards Napoleon.
"You know, Guiche, when you signed up for my guard, you joined the Royal Army, not the National Army. The Army will be redeployed and organized, but you guys will stay right here with me. So, what are you here for?"
"Well, that's the thing. I'd like to return to the Tristanian Academy to continue my studies." Guiche said.
Foucard shook his head.
"What's the matter with you? You barely got your ears wet fighting, young lad. And now you want to go home?"
"But the war's over." Guiche said. "Martin, I know you talked to me about negotiating and stuff, but I'm not needed any more. I'd like to go back and make myself a great mage, and then I'll return."
"You just don't get it, do you Guiche?" Martin said. "I told you. There's going to be a civil war."
"And that doesn't make sense, Martin! That won't happen. Just because Henrietta's dead without an heir doesn't mean-"
"So, you want to go home?"
Napoleon interrupted their argument and Guiche turned away from Martin and to Napoleon.
"Yes."
"You are aware that you have no right to make such a request, correct?"
Guiche de Gramont twitched at those words, but then looked down at the ground.
"Yes. I know. I know you can order me to return to the camp."
"So," Napoleon asked. "If I told you to shut up, return to the camp, and completely refuse to grant you leave, what would you do?"
"I would return to the camp and wait." Guiche instantly replied.
Napoleon nodded.
"That's a good answer. You have learned, Guiche. I'll be happy to grant you leave to return to your studies."
"What?" Foucard said. "But sir-"
"Education is important, Foucard." Napoleon said. "It is a worthy cause especially since I know Guiche will return to us."
He gave a warm smile to Guiche, but the boy stared at Napoleon with determination. Then he stepped forward and bowed on one knee.
"I want to swear it, Napoleon. If I am going to leave the Guards, then I need to promise on my honor that I will return. Please, sir. Allow me to swear my loyalty to you."
Martin gave a low whistle.
"Guiche, that is not something you should do lightly."
"I don't care!" Guiche shouted. "My honor as a member of the Gramont family demands it. Please, Napoleon, let me commit to your service."
He kept his head bended away from Napoleon, and Napoleon in turn looked at Guiche. Then he once again smiled, though this one was imperceptibly different compared to the warm one he had given Guiche earlier.
"Very well, Guiche. Repeat these words after myself. 'I, Guiche de Gramont.'"
"I, Guiche de Gramont."
"Do solemnly swear in the name of Brimir to serve and be eternally loyal to Napoleon Bonaparte and to obey any order he gives and defend his person unto death."
Guiche did not hesitate for a moment and repeated Napoleon's words to the letter.
"Rise, Guiche de Gramont." Napoleon said. "You have completed your oath. And I am honored that you would swear such an oath for me."
"And I'm honored to swear such an oath." Guiche proclaimed as he stood up and looked at the Emperor. "Thank you, General Bonaparte. I promise that I shall never regret this moment!"
Napoleon nodded. With a wave of his hand, he indicated that the three men were dismissed. But as they walked out, he spoke up again.
"Martin. A word alone, if you please."
The wind mage stopped and waited in front of Bonaparte as the other two left as Napoleon once again folded his hands.
"What exactly did you mean when you said there's going to be a civil war?" Napoleon asked.
"I don't know." Martin said. "I've got a feeling in my gut that says it's going to happen. After all, Tristain doesn't really have a ruler right now."
"But there's going to be a conference to determine who will run the country."
"Perhaps." Martin mused. "It doesn't really concern me. I don't care who runs Tristain, and fighting is the only thing I'm good at anyways. Maybe I'm just looking forward to some more action. After all, you're going to be one of the most important figures if there is a war."
"You really think that?"
"You've risen pretty fast in the ranks, General. People notice. Important people take notice. That's how the world works. So you'll play a role. And well, I know you. You're not a bad person, so maybe we'll be fine if you do run things."
Napoleon slowly nodded.
"I see, Martin. You're dismissed."
Martin crispy saluted Napoleon, but then slouched down as he strolled out of his tent. Napoleon look back after the wind mage for a moment before another soldier, this time from the National Army, came in to discuss his troubles. He calmly set his pen down and began to listen to their complaints.
...
"In my viewpoint you are the ones I can't understand. To seek for justice in a place like a battlefield is what's strange."
…
…
"Hmmm…."
Louise stirred a bit as she lazily opened her eyes. The bed…felt familiar. It was rough, and worn, but there was something safe and comforting about it.
She rolled around on it for a little while and then yawned and stretched as she rose up. But as she looked to her right side, she gave a small jump. Her partner sat on a chair right next to the bed. The entire scene gave Louise a strong sense of déjà vu as she realized where she was. This was Giono's room. She had slept here once before and had woken up to find her partner next to her, and now here he was again. However, unlike last time where he had fallen asleep, he now stared directly at Louise.
"Good morning, Louise."
There was something odd about him, Louise thought. His tone was different, as if he was seriously concerned about her for some reason.
"Good morning, Napoleon. How are you doing this morning?"
Napoleon blinked for a moment and tilted his head.
"Are you fine? Louise, tell me, are you really feeling better?"
"What are you talking about?" Louise said. "I guess I'm fine. Did something happen?"
She gave a wide yawn but then looked down at herself. That was strange. Normally, she undressed herself before she went to sleep. But she now wore her olive coat and uniform as if she had just collapsed on the bed. How did this happen? Did something knock her out and-
Oh.
At that moment, she remembered what had happened last night. Her mother's wrath, completely directed at her as she made it clear that Louise had to die. Nothing had compared to it. Other bad memories and feelings like her fear at La Rochelle and the despair which she felt at Her Majesty's death had become small insignificant trifles compared to the hatred which Karin had felt for her. As the memories returned and the feeling of pain and despair confronted her, the energy she had gained through sleep drained out of her and she slumped back on the bed, her face turned white as snow.
"I guess," Napoleon quietly observed as he watched her reaction, "The answer to my question was a no."
He leaned back into his chair and said nothing more. He waited for Louise to recover and speak, to ask him questions. For some time, she continued to shiver and crawl on the bed like a worm. But she finally took a few deep breaths, before expelling the question which she knew she had to ask.
"What happened, Napoleon? Why did it happen?"
"What?" he asked. "Judging from your reaction, I believe that you remember what occurred in the palace last night."
"Yes. I remember." Louise said. "I remember the feeling of drowning, of suffocating under that pressure. I realized that my own mother wanted to kill me. I guess you saved me; otherwise I would be dead right now.
But why, Napoleon? Why is she trying to kill me? I'm her daughter. I know she scolded me without end because of my failures at magic. But she knew. She knows I'm a Void Mage and that I'm no longer a Zero. So why did she try to kill me there? And what am I supposed to do about that?"
She huffed out a dry sob afterwards, but Napoleon did nothing more than shake his head.
"I can't say, Louise. After all you know your own mother better than I do. But I do know this. You've done nothing wrong. I know you as well as anyone, and I'm honestly proud of you."
"Are you sure about that?" Louse whispered.
"Come again?"
But she didn't repeat herself. Instead, Louise looked down at the bed and then out the window. Napoleon for a moment wondered whether it was best to leave her alone. But he refused. There was so little time these days, and so much to do.
"Rather, Louise. I have a question to ask you. It's absolutely critical."
"Yes?"
"When you visited the castle, did you see Siesta while you were there?"
"Siesta?"
Napoleon nodded his expression serious. Louise could see that this question was of deadly importance to him, and thus tried to remember.
If she thought about it, she hadn't seen Siesta at the academy. That wasn't a surprise. She had been busy training with Colbert and had barely talked with anyone. Even though she knew that they were still at the Academy, she had never seen Kirche or Tabitha the entire time. Aside from telling Montmorency about Guiche and how he was doing these, Louise hadn't really interacted with the few students that were there. So no, she hadn't seen Siesta.
But she could tell that Napoleon was trying to find her. So when was the last time she had seen Siesta?
For a few minutes, she furrowed her brow and stared at the bed sheets, deep in thought. Napoleon watched her expression. She stayed like that, her expression stern and determined as she pondered the answer to his question. But then, her eyes slowly widened.
"No…no…no…"
As those words tumbled out of her mouth, Louise's face grew steadily paler. And at last, with a horrified expression, she looked up at Napoleon.
"Napoleon…are you telling me that I killed Siesta?"
"Huh?"
He realized too late the conclusion which Louise had drawn. The last time he had seen Siesta had been at Tarbes, when he had first discovered those books. It appeared that the same was true with Louise, and that she had not seen Siesta at the academy.
But Louise had destroyed the entire village when she had destroyed that plane.
"No, you didn't." Napoleon firmly stated. "You didn't kill Siesta."
She seemed to ignore his response. Louise just raised her hands to her eyes and stared at them.
"Are you sure about that? You know that you don't have to lie, Napoleon. I have so much blood on these hands already. I destroyed an entire Albion army. I destroyed a peasant village, a Tristanian village, and failed to save my friend and princess. So what does it matter if one more family, and a commoner family at that, dies right? That's the truth, isn't it Napoleon?"
She gave a tiny giggle and waved her hands in front of her.
"That's what mother taught me, you know? Commoners serve the nobles, and the nobles serve the princess. So if a thousand commoners die to save a noble, that's just how it is, right? But then shouldn't that mean that a thousand nobles should have died to save Henrietta?"
"You didn't kill her, Louise."
She stopped waving her hands at those words. They slowly came down, and as they gripped the sheets, Louise looked over at Napoleon with wild and panicked eyes.
"D-don't lie to me, Napoleon."
"I am not lying. You did not kill Siesta."
"DON'T LIE TO ME!" Louise shrieked. "You're just trying to protect me by hiding the truth! That's what you're doing, right! Because I'm still a failure! I killed Siesta! I lost to another mage because I was stupid and arrogant! And I failed to protect Henrietta and have killed so many soldiers and…"
She turned her face back onto her knees and began to cry, overwhelmed by everything which had hit her since she left the Academy. But it only served to humiliate her further, and so she cried even harder. How could she face her own partner anymore like this?
"….sorry."
Napoleon had mumbled something. Louise glanced up as snot dribbled out of her nose.
"W-what?"
Napoleon had looked down at the ground after those unheard words. But now he looked down at Louise.
"I said, 'I'm sorry for what I'm about to do'."
WHAM
With all of his strength, he openly punched Louise's left cheek, and she dropped on the mattress like a sack of bricks. Interestingly, it didn't actually hurt that much. Or maybe she was still too stunned about what had just happened.
"…You hit me."
After a few seconds, she only managed to say those few words, muffled as they were due to her face implanted on the mattress. But she had no time to think or do anything else, as Napoleon reached down and grabbed her by her collar.
"Did you forget, Louise? What I told you when you panicked over your lack of power when we rode back to Tristain?"
It was strange, she thought. In contrast to his actions, his voice filled was sorrow. But Louise remembered. He had told her that an Emperor should never show pity, and that he always demands the best out of his subjects. But that had not been the only thing he had told when she still believed she was a failure named Zero.
"Thus, if I believe you are great, I will say so. And Valliere, if I believed that you were a pathetic failure of a mage, I would tell you that. But even then, I would not let you cower in fear because of your failures. If you summoned me, Valliere, then no doubt you wished for greatness. I will bring that to you, but only if you can bring me the will that shows you want it!"
She gave a slow nod. Napoleon took his hand off her collar and gripped her shoulders.
"You are a killer, Louise. I won't deny that. There's no escaping that fate. You have a power unmatched by any mage in thousands of years. And you have to accept that you'll use it. You can choose to use it for yourself, but you can also choose to use it to protect your country and your home. If you want to do that, you can't run away and ignore those who you've killed."
"I want to ignore it." Louise quavered. "It's terrifying to see."
"Yeah." Napoleon said. "It is."
He let go of her shoulders. But now his hands gave her a tousle as they rested there.
"But you can't ignore your mistakes and those who you've killed. If you try to do that, those memories will catch up to you, haunt you, and eventually destroy you. You have to challenge them. Acknowledge the reason you have for fighting, and remind yourself of your greatness, Louise. That's how you can defeat your anxiety and fear.
Don't forget them, Louise. Never forget those who you failed to protect. But resolve yourself to use your strength to do better."
She trembled at his words.
"So…I should accept my power to kill?"
"Not mindlessly. Fight for your country with your power, Louise. In fact, fight for any reason which you may desire. But I can tell you, Louise. You did not kill Siesta. She's alive, and I'm looking for her."
Louise slowly nodded at those words.
"I guess some of the books did escape and that she has them?"
"What?" Napoleon said.
"I can't think of another reason you would look for her at this point." Louise responded.
He tousled her hair one more time in response. Then he stood up from the bed, a smile on his face.
"I'm genuinely impressed. But do you always have to think the worst about me?"
Louise tried to chuckle at his jest, but the snot and tears which covered her face quickly turned it into a cough. Napoleon sat beside and hit her on the back in an attempt to calm her down. However, Louise laughed at that gesture, which only served to increase her coughing, which thus meant that Napoleon continued to hit her back. The strange cycle continued for a minute or so, until Louise finished coughing and began to laugh in earnest. Napoleon smiled and returned to his chair by the bed.
"You should smile more, Louise. It suits you."
Louise blushed at those words, and threw the covers over her head. But without waiting, Napoleon continued.
"So, she wasn't at the Academy while you were there?"
"Siesta could have been there." Louise said. "I didn't spend as much time at the Academy as I should have talking to the students. I just trained. Maybe when we return, we can see if she's there."
"Return?"
Louise felt it. There was something…strange about how he had repeated that word, and she looked at him in her confusion.
"Is there something wrong with that, Napoleon?"
Napoleon said nothing. He took a long, slow look at Louise and then covered his face.
"Are you sure you want to hear this? I guess you haven't had a moment to realize it."
"What is it?" Louise asked. "What's wrong?"
He gave a deep sigh. For possibly the first time that Louise had ever seen him, Napoleon seemed to hesitate to say what he wanted to say it. He hemmed and hawed and rubbed his hands together. Then at last, he gave a deep breath and spoke.
"Your mother tried to kill you, Louise."
Louise nodded.
"Yes. I know that. But what are you talking about?"
"Louise, if your mother would go so far as to try to kill you for whatever reason she possessed, there's no doubt in my mind that she'll disown you."
Louise blankly stared at that statement.
"What?"
"I know you heard me." Napoleon said. "She's almost certainly disowned you. That would also mean that Karin will withdraw you from the Academy and your family will no longer send you any money."
He waited after he finished those words and watched Louise's face for a long time. But her expression didn't change. She slowly nodded as she understood the implications of Napoleon's conclusion.
"So, I'm a disowned noble now."
"Yes."
"And I'll probably never return to the estate again either."
"Yes."
"And I'll probably never see Cattleya again."
"Yes."
"And I'm still stuck with a mad lunatic with a weird hat who rants about how he was an Emperor."
"No."
"Darn." Louise said. "I thought you would fall for it."
Napoleon shook his head, but he continued to gaze at Louise. She looked back at him for a moment.
"Don't worry, Napoleon. I'm not going to explode or cry. I've done enough of that for today."
And with those words, she finally moved out of her bed. As she reached the door, he called out the question he needed to know.
"Are you sure you're not upset?"
She stopped as her hand rested on the doorknob.
"Of course I'm upset. I'm scared and frightened and terrified. I've lost my status and my money, and to make things worse, I don't even know why my mother is so angry at all. I can't think of a reason
But I'll persevere. I'll work hard and become a great mage and convince mother to make me a Valliere again. I can do it, Napoleon. After all, I've met other disowned nobles during the fighting. There's Martin, for example."
"And there's me."
Louise heard a voice, smooth and melodious, from the other side of the door. But then without warning, someone pulled open the door to Giono's room. As she had been holding the door knob, Louise stumbled forward, and her head collided with the person on the other side of the door.
"Ack! Sorry-huh?"
She looked up and was stunned at the sight before her. Louise had collided with a woman she had never seen before. She had short golden hair, and wore a simple woolen green and white dress. A pair of small glasses rested on her nose as she looked down on Louise. As the other woman looked down on Louise, she gave a warm and gentle smile.
"It's a pleasure to see you, master. I've been worried about you."
Louise's face turned red at the address by this beautiful woman.
"M-m-master? You must be mistaken, I don't know you! W-wait, unless you're Fou-"
"I am Matilda Duvall from Albion, Louise. Not Fouquet. Not anymore."
"Matilda? But how? This isn't you! You look completely…different! How did this happen?"
She snapped her head back towards Napoleon, who shrugged.
"Giono knows people. They've been busy last night."
Louise gaped at those words.
"Then, where is he?"
"He went out," Napoleon said. "He'll be back in a couple of hours."
"O-okay. But, Matilda, how! This is…is…"
"It's the beginning of a new life." Fouquet said. "I'll admit I have to thank you, Louise. I can now protect myself from my enemies as well as my sister. There's nothing else in the world that I want."
She gave a deep bow to Louise, who blushed even harder. And as Napoleon looked at Louise's new servant, he gave a small smile of appreciation.
…
…
"Advance!"
Robert de Gramont shouted those words at the soldiers who stood in front of him. Assembled in a closed-rank formation, they quickly obeyed the orders of their commanding officer and marched forward in a single, unified step.
"Present arms!"
With those words, the soldiers stopped and held out their weapons to Gramont. But as Gramont inspected every inch of their weapons and uniforms, it proved to be redundant. Every soldier in the Tristanian army had worked himself to the bone to present his best face for the march that would occur in a few hours. Even the new black armbands which they had received for the funeral seemed messy in comparison with their sparkling uniforms.
"That will be good enough, Gramont."
Napoleon rode up to his lieutenant. Gramont promptly turned and snapped off an impressive salute, and every soldier who saw their leader repeated the gesture.
"General Bonaparte. Congratulations on your promotion."
"I'll admit I'm surprised myself." Napoleon said. "I didn't expect Mazarin to give that to me in front of the crowd at yesterday's victory parade. I know certain nobles are upset about that."
"He may be only the temporary leader of Tristain, but he is our leader," Gramont stated. "So he had every right to give it to you. Besides, with our general staff so devastated by Albion's attack at Saxe-Gotha, he had to select quite a few new figures to command our armies."
Napoleon nodded, and then looked at the soldiers.
"You know your positions. Assemble in the city and line the streets in which Her Majesty's hearse shall pass through. Make sure that the way ahead is clean and clear. Go!"
The soldiers once again saluted, and began to march off. Gramont looked over at Napoleon.
"Are you not going to lead them?" He asked.
"Of course not." Napoleon responded. "I thought I already told you. The officers who will not line the street will escort the hearse through the streets and to the Grand Cathedral. That includes us."
"I understand."
With those words, Gramont looked away from Napoleon and out at the marching soldiers. The Emperor sighed and scuffed some dirt with his foot.
"Well," Napoleon finally said. "I heard that you rejected an offer at promotion yourself. Are you sure you intend to go back and just control your family's private army?"
"That's what I commanded before the disaster at Saxe-Gotha forced us to reorganize ourselves." Gramont said.
"There's no higher honor I can think of."
"Is that so?" Napoleon observed. "But Gramont, why do you serve your family?"
The young man looked over at Napoleon as his blond locks fell over his face.
"That is an odd question, General. Why wouldn't I serve my family?"
"You serve your family, but your family serves your nation." Napoleon said. "So why don't you just serve Tristain directly?"
"And join the Royal Army? Father would never allow for it. He views the Royal Army officers as a bunch of commoner thugs with no pride or honor."
"Well," asked Napoleon. "Do you think that I am a commoner thug with no pride or honor?"
Gramont looked over at Napoleon. He in turn stared out at the army.
"Don't let yourself be bound by petty rules, Gramont. You should work where you'll have the greatest chance of making an impact and becoming a truly great individual.
But come. Let us march with our comrades."
Napoleon walked over to a nearby horse and mounted it, leaving Gramont alone with his thoughts. The young, stern man watched his commanding officer's back as Napoleon rode off.
…
…
"Forgive her and have mercy on her.
Keep her safe from her troubles, and honor her services and remember all that she has performed in your service.
Wash her with water and snow, and dress her with white linen and lilies
And cleanse of all the sins she has committed.
Oh Brimir, admit this soul to paradise, and protect her from the torment of the grave and of evil.
Make her tomb spacious and clean and fill it with your light."
Mazarin closed the book he held, and bowed his head. Everyone in the cathedral who had listened to his prayer followed the gesture, including Napoleon. Louise sat to his right as she wore a long black dress, and Matilda sat to Louise's right.
The Cardinal set the book aside and then pulled out a sheet of paper. He then looked out at the crowd which occupied every inch of the pews in front of him. Every important member of the nobility, as well as quite a few unimportant ones, sat as two coffins rested at the front of the cathedral. He could see the Vallieres, the Walloons, the Gramonts, Touraine, the Montmorencies, and so many peers and nobles.
There were only two exceptions to the crowd of nobles. At the front sat Napoleon along with his partner, the youngest Valliere daughter, and her bodyguard. He couldn't forget the scene that had occurred between mother and daughter a few days ago, and worried about another incident. But today, he had seen Karin do everything in her power to avoid looking at her daughter. It was less conspicuous, but almost as cruel.
In addition, at the back sat Barbaras and Giono. Mazarin hadn't really wanted to invite either of them. The nobility despised the former for his lending policies, and also disliked Giono for some of the pieces he had written on some noble families. But Barbaras had asked Mazarin for permission, and had even paid the Cardinal handsomely in return for a seat at the Cathedral. Even as almost every noble had glanced askance at his presence as they walked in, he paid utterly no heed to them as he looked ahead at the coffin.
All of the powerful people in Tristain were here. Almost all of them would attend the conference that would begin after five days of mourning to determine the future ruler of Tristain. Which made the funeral oration which Mazarin had prepared all the more important.
"We gather today to mourn our leader. Someone who was kind, and fair, and just. Someone who took care of everyone within this country, regardless of who he was or where he came from. She was a graceful and charming woman who loved every single one of her subjects.
When we join her in the dust, and future generations will discuss about her too-short reign, they will talk about the future she could have built. She was placed upon her throne thanks to the many maladies which her mother suffered. But she did not shirk from her duty. Instead, she endured and worked through difficult times and triumphs. She led our country through enemy attack, and yet while she did not witness the end, she built what became the foundations for our final victory.
There are no words today which can summarize and conceal the grief which I know I and everyone in this room and across the country shares at this moment. But it is because of that grief that we must remember the legacy which Princess Henrietta left us.
She wished for us to stand united. When the war with Albion began, and I and many others panicked and discussed about what to do, she rose up to the challenge. She told us to stand strong for the country, and that she would fight herself to defend her home. It was a profound and important moment. Without it, I believe that our country would have stayed disunited and we would have lost the war.
But that moment showed her greatness and her belief in her country. And so, as we consign her to Brimir's hand, we must follow her legacy. We must work with one another, with peace and mercy, to build the future that she cannot witness from this world. Let us remember our great Princess as Tristain shall continue forward to a world where each day shall become better than the last."
Mazarin finished, and bowed his head. The audience in the church politely applauded. Afterwards, twelve people stood up from the rows. Mazarin had designated them to serve as the pallbearers. They would take the coffins out to the yard behind the church. In that yard, a magnificent tomb signified the final resting place of the King of Tristain. He would now be joined with his wife and daughter.
Yet despite Mazarin's speech for unity, there was an air of hostility around Henrietta's corpse as the cardinal led both coffins. Napoleon had been selected as one of her pallbearers. And behind him, the Duchess of Valliere stared at him with hostility.
Yet they said nothing to each other, nor did Karin draw her wand and cause any trouble. The procession made its way to the tomb and they set down the coffins. The prayers and the chants began as Mazarin prayed to Brimir for deliverance.
Finally, after half an hour, the ceremony was over and the tomb closed. The funeral had come to an end. Mazarin and most of the pallbearers departed, but then the Cardinal looked back. Napoleon and Karin stood side by side as they gazed at the tomb in front of them. For a moment, the Cardinal worried and thought about intervening. But he finally made the decision to leave as the two were left alone. As the wind blew through and signified the emptiness of the cemetery, Napoleon made the decision to speak first.
"What is it, Karin?" he mockingly asked. "Are you still angry at me because I prevented you from killing your own daughter?"
"You're as much of a traitor as she is." Karin responded as she still stared at the tomb. "You failed to protect Henrietta. So did your army, and so did your lieutenants and every soldier in your army. The minute your army realized that she was dead, every single one as well as you should have all killed themselves out of their shame."
She was sincere, Napoleon knew. Karin really would have done that. If she had been on the battlefield and had failed to protect Henrietta, she would have killed herself without hesitation.
"So why stop?" he asked. "You could kill me right now, I'm sure. There isn't even anyone watching, and I didn't bring my sword."
"You can live with your dishonor, though I don't know how you do such a thing." Karin said. "But Louise is different. She doesn't dishonor only herself. Every minute she walks on this earth after abandoning Her Majesty, she brings shame to the entire Valliere family. I cannot permit her to live as long as she does so."
Silence followed her words for a moment as the two stared at the tomb.
"Well, Karin," he said, "If that's the way you view things, why don't we make a deal?"
The Duchess's eyes narrowed with suspicion.
"And what kind of deal would I want with a traitor and coward like you?"
"It's really quite simple." Napoleon said. "I'll give you Louise and let you do what you like with her. In return, you give me Siesta and all of those books she possesses."
"What?"
Karin finally whirled towards Napoleon in shock.
"How did you know? Who told you that Siesta was under my service?"
He gave a long, slow, smile to that question.
"You just did. My sincerest thanks."
He gave a small chuckle as Karin realized the trick he had just pulled, and her face reddened in shame and anger.
"You slimy demon-"
"Oh, come now, come now" Napoleon grumbled. "Are you telling me that you've survived this long as Duchess without resorting to any tricks?"
"That was different." She spat. "That was a low trick meant to distract me while I mourn, something only a coward would do."
"If you say so. But how about a serious offer?"
She glared suspiciously at him.
"What do you want now?"
Napoleon cut her off and looked directly at Karin.
"If Louise really is that much of a shame to your family, then disown her. But killing her is unnecessary."
"Is that so?" Karin asked. "And are you going to stop me?"
He turned his body and took a single large step towards Karin. Out of pure instinct, she jumped back but then looked back at Napoleon. He continued to walk forward towards her, and only stopped when he stood directly in front of Karin. He then leaned forward and their foreheads touched as the two stared at each other.
"Of course I will." He growled. "You will not lay a single finger on Louise or I will destroy you, Karin. I will destroy you, your family, your estate, your honor, and anything and everything you value. I will make it so that when people talk about the Vallieres in a thousand years from now, they won't remember your honor or glory, but instead they'll talk about the miserable way in which your family was extinguished as you crawled with blood spurting out of your mouth. That will be your legacy.
I'm not going to pretend you aren't my enemy. You are. But there are lines I don't intend to cross. You attempt to physically harm Louise, and I will cross them. Mark my words."
The two stared at each other with such ferocity and from a distance where a stranger might have assumed that they were lovers. But at last, Karin turned away from Napoleon with a huff.
"Fine. I will accept merely banishing Louise as a punishment for her disgrace. But I know this, Napoleon. We are enemies. And if you, or Louise, stand in the way of my rightful throne, I will kill both of you."
With a final glare, she left the cemetery and Napoleon watched her depart. He simply looked back at Henrietta's tomb, completely alone.
"Sorry, Henrietta…"
And as he said those words, his mouth twisted upwards to a wide, devilish grin.
"But I win."
…
…
"Wake up, Louise. It's time to get up."
"…bweeehhhh….murgle blurgle blaarrgggghhhh…"
Louise sleepily waved her arms as she was shaken awake, but as she finally opened her eyes, she noticed something odd. She felt refreshed. For the first night in what she had believed to be ages, Louise had not dreamt of death, or destruction, or of battlefields. The result was that she felt alert in a way that she normally never felt in the mornings.
Still, it took her a moment to see that Fouquet – no, Matilda – was shaking her awake. As Louise sat up, Fouquet leaned back by the tent wall.
"Good morning, Louise. I'm glad to see you're properly awake. We need to get going."
"Going?" Louise repeated. "The funeral was yesterday. There's nowhere we need to go right now."
"You asked me to be your teacher." Fouquet calmly responded. "Therefore, our lessons are going to begin right now."
"Right now?" Louise said as she gazed out of the tent. "The sun isn't even up yet."
"The sooner they begin the better."
With those words, Fouquet stood up and walked towards the exit. Louise couldn't help it as her eyes fell on her short golden hair. The hairstyle reminded her of Guiche, she thought.
"I'll be waiting outside the tent for you to get dressed." The former thief said as she left. "There's a pair of horses outside. We'll be taking them into the city."
Louise nodded and finally removed herself from her bed. Thirty minutes later, both of them rode past Tristania's walls.
"So," Louise said as she finally broached the courage to ask, "Where are we going that I can learn about magic so early?"
"Magic?"
Fouquet stopped in the middle of the city street and looked at Louise.
"Louise, you remember what Napoleon told you last night after the funeral? About how you have been formally removed from the family?"
"How could I forget?" Louise said.
It was a plain question, without the slightest hint of sadness or bitterness. Fouquet couldn't but wonder about her charge.
She's taking her loss of status far better than I did when it happened to me.
"Well, you may have your magic, but you're now basically a commoner." Fouquet said. "However, you've been raised as a noble girl your entire life. That will create problems for you in the future if we don't do something about it."
"What do you mean by 'do something about it?'" Louise asked.
Fouquet kicked her horse and began to trot along the streets again.
"Well, it means that you're going to have to learn how to be a commoner. You'll have to know how to act like a commoner, think like a commoner, eat like a commoner, and so on. We'll have to take everything about manners and etiquette that you learned about when you grew as a child of the Valliere family and throw it all away.
Now, obviously I can't teach you to act like a commoner overnight, and Napoleon also asked you last night to attend the nobles' conference with him and you accepted. Therefore, I can't plan any lessons out for the long term. But for today, and the next few days, there are a few things I can do."
Louise nodded, but then Fouquet stopped again. The former thief pointed at a small nondescript building. Louise didn't know why… but it seemed oddly familiar.
"We'll be staying here for the next three days." Fouquet said. "It may not be the ideal place for your first lessons, but the innkeeper is a good friend of mine. We can trust him."
She dismounted and led her horse to a stable near the inn, and Louise did the same. And as the two walked in, Louise stopped for a moment glanced at the small sign which had been placed by the door.
Charming Fairie Inn.
She shrugged at those words. Fouquet had walked on ahead and Louise could hear her chatting with someone inside of the inn. Louise entered the main room of the inn.
And upon seeing and recognizing the person Matilda was talking to, Louise wondered whether surrendering to her mother really was the worst possible option. She didn't really remember the inn that well. When Napoleon and Louise had travelled to Tristania on the Day of the Void so long ago, she had been so exhausted from searching for a place to stay that she barely looked at the inn before she collapsed onto a bed. But she had remembered one thing. While she hadn't remembered the innkeeper, she realized something that she had never thought about this entire time.
Despite all the battles and conflicts which her partner had participated in, meeting the owner of the Charming Fairy Inn had been the only time he had shown fear in front of Louise. And now, she understood why, as she looked at the barkeeper as it flexed its muscles and posed while talking with Matilda.
"Ah, yes, yes, I see! So, the girl, she is a former noble, then!"
He twirled around on one foot. While Louise stared with horror, Matilda calmly nodded.
"Yes. So, I'd like her to work here for a few days. Could you make room?"
"WHAT?!?"
Louise could only shriek out that single word in response. But as the owner of the Charming Fairy Inn looked over, he gave a happy smile and danced over to Louise.
"Ah, oui oui! Such a cute and precious little girl, with such a loud voice! That shows her determination! And dearest Matilda can vouch for her? C'est bien, c'est bien. I shall put her to work immeadiatement!"
"W-wh-wh-wh-wh-"
Louise only managed to stammer those words out, but Fouquet put a hand on the owner's shoulder.
"Scarron. I would like to speak with Louise, please?"
"Mais of course!" he squealed. "Please, take all the time you wish! I still have time to spare!"
Fouquet gave a smile of thanks to Scarron, and then moved closer to Louise. She put a hand over her charge's shoulder.
"Just what is this?" Louise squeaked. "What are you doing, Fouquet?"
"It's called working, Louise." Fouquet smiled. "You'll be doing a bit more of this as a commoner. And I can promise that this job pays well and is perfectly safe. For someone in your position, it's as good of a start as you can get."
"But he's terrifying!" Louise quietly shrieked.
"Terrifying?" Fouquet responded. "Oh, Scarron?"
"Yes!"
"Louise, there's plenty more terrifying people out there in this city, never mind Tristain." Fouquet calmly stated. "I know Scarron. He's helped me out a lot. Just try to do your best, okay?"
"A-alright." Louise said. "I know you'll be able to help me, so I'll be fine, right?"
"No."
"What?"
"Well, the thing is that I came to Tristain today for two reasons. This is one. I think you know what the other one is."
Louise took a moment to think about the second reason, but then her eyes lit up.
"You're going to check on Tiffania?"
"Napoleon told me she's been fine working at the orphanage located in this city." Fouquet said. "But I want to see it for myself and make sure she's alright."
She lifted her arm and stood up.
"Don't worry, Louise. I'll be back in a few hours. But that also means that if you screw up too much, I'll know about it. So work hard, okay?"
She waved to Louise and walked out of the inn. Louise tried to smile back at her. She had to appear confident and show that she knew what she was doing.
"You have said your farewells, dear Louise? Come along then. Dear Scarron shall now teach you the ancient and most mysterious arts of your work. And do not forget to call me "mi mademoiselle!"
Still, she thought as she looked at Scarron, perhaps the battlefield really isn't just such a terrifying place after all.
…
…
"Present arms!"
Napoleon's lieutenants shouted their orders as the men fell into line. It had now been four days since the funeral. Today was the last day of mourning for Henrietta, and the next day would be the beginning of the conference. But because of that, he had been forced to make a risky proposition.
The Tristanian Army he commanded currently consisted of the bulk of the entire country's army. As of this moment, he was currently in command of over 25,000 soldiers. By the standards of a small nation such as Tristain, that constituted a formidable fighting force under his command.
And now he would cut its strength by more than half. 15,000 men were assembled at a field outside of Tristania. They had received notices that they were to return home to their families and lives.
Ultimately, Napoleon had had no choice. The Tristanian army normally had two sections. The Crown commanded the Royal Army, and the nobles created contingents of soldiers which formed the national army. In the aftermath of the Saxe-Gotha disaster, he had managed to integrate both forces into one army in preparation for the victory he had planned. But now that he had returned to Tristania, where other generals with his rank existed who could challenge his military authority, he no longer possessed the ability to retain his sole command.
So, rather than fight off political attacks from other generals and the nobles, he simply ordered those men to
return home. In addition to removing a force which could prove troublesome should the nobility succeed in reclaiming command, he would also gain the gratitude of those men in the National Army.
He watched as the men took their weapons and stacked them before they returned to him. Unfortunately, he had no way of speaking to all of them at once, and Giono could hardly be expected to print out over 15,000 pamphlets on a few days' notice. Still, he had given orders that anyone who wishes for help should stop by his tent, and he would do anything in his power to assist them.
Thus as the lieutenants read out his orders for the National Army to disband and return to their homes, he waited at his tent for the first person to arrive with complaints. In the meantime, he continued to write. Advising Wales from Tristain was difficult so far, but the Prince seemed to have adjusted well. Still, he continually proposed measures which would improve his country such as a standardization of measurements and further internal improvements.
The tent flap opened, and Napoleon looked up to see the first person who would come in with concerns. But after seeing who it was, he set down his pen and folded his hands in front of him.
"Now this is a surprise. I didn't expect you to show up, Guiche."
The young man nodded. But Napoleon then saw that Foucard and Martin accompanied Guiche. The pair of soldiers glowered at the young boy as he walked towards Napoleon.
"You know, Guiche, when you signed up for my guard, you joined the Royal Army, not the National Army. The Army will be redeployed and organized, but you guys will stay right here with me. So, what are you here for?"
"Well, that's the thing. I'd like to return to the Tristanian Academy to continue my studies." Guiche said.
Foucard shook his head.
"What's the matter with you? You barely got your ears wet fighting, young lad. And now you want to go home?"
"But the war's over." Guiche said. "Martin, I know you talked to me about negotiating and stuff, but I'm not needed any more. I'd like to go back and make myself a great mage, and then I'll return."
"You just don't get it, do you Guiche?" Martin said. "I told you. There's going to be a civil war."
"And that doesn't make sense, Martin! That won't happen. Just because Henrietta's dead without an heir doesn't mean-"
"So, you want to go home?"
Napoleon interrupted their argument and Guiche turned away from Martin and to Napoleon.
"Yes."
"You are aware that you have no right to make such a request, correct?"
Guiche de Gramont twitched at those words, but then looked down at the ground.
"Yes. I know. I know you can order me to return to the camp."
"So," Napoleon asked. "If I told you to shut up, return to the camp, and completely refuse to grant you leave, what would you do?"
"I would return to the camp and wait." Guiche instantly replied.
Napoleon nodded.
"That's a good answer. You have learned, Guiche. I'll be happy to grant you leave to return to your studies."
"What?" Foucard said. "But sir-"
"Education is important, Foucard." Napoleon said. "It is a worthy cause especially since I know Guiche will return to us."
He gave a warm smile to Guiche, but the boy stared at Napoleon with determination. Then he stepped forward and bowed on one knee.
"I want to swear it, Napoleon. If I am going to leave the Guards, then I need to promise on my honor that I will return. Please, sir. Allow me to swear my loyalty to you."
Martin gave a low whistle.
"Guiche, that is not something you should do lightly."
"I don't care!" Guiche shouted. "My honor as a member of the Gramont family demands it. Please, Napoleon, let me commit to your service."
He kept his head bended away from Napoleon, and Napoleon in turn looked at Guiche. Then he once again smiled, though this one was imperceptibly different compared to the warm one he had given Guiche earlier.
"Very well, Guiche. Repeat these words after myself. 'I, Guiche de Gramont.'"
"I, Guiche de Gramont."
"Do solemnly swear in the name of Brimir to serve and be eternally loyal to Napoleon Bonaparte and to obey any order he gives and defend his person unto death."
Guiche did not hesitate for a moment and repeated Napoleon's words to the letter.
"Rise, Guiche de Gramont." Napoleon said. "You have completed your oath. And I am honored that you would swear such an oath for me."
"And I'm honored to swear such an oath." Guiche proclaimed as he stood up and looked at the Emperor. "Thank you, General Bonaparte. I promise that I shall never regret this moment!"
Napoleon nodded. With a wave of his hand, he indicated that the three men were dismissed. But as they walked out, he spoke up again.
"Martin. A word alone, if you please."
The wind mage stopped and waited in front of Bonaparte as the other two left as Napoleon once again folded his hands.
"What exactly did you mean when you said there's going to be a civil war?" Napoleon asked.
"I don't know." Martin said. "I've got a feeling in my gut that says it's going to happen. After all, Tristain doesn't really have a ruler right now."
"But there's going to be a conference to determine who will run the country."
"Perhaps." Martin mused. "It doesn't really concern me. I don't care who runs Tristain, and fighting is the only thing I'm good at anyways. Maybe I'm just looking forward to some more action. After all, you're going to be one of the most important figures if there is a war."
"You really think that?"
"You've risen pretty fast in the ranks, General. People notice. Important people take notice. That's how the world works. So you'll play a role. And well, I know you. You're not a bad person, so maybe we'll be fine if you do run things."
Napoleon slowly nodded.
"I see, Martin. You're dismissed."
Martin crispy saluted Napoleon, but then slouched down as he strolled out of his tent. Napoleon look back after the wind mage for a moment before another soldier, this time from the National Army, came in to discuss his troubles. He calmly set his pen down and began to listen to their complaints.
Unfortunately, after planning the outline of the next chapter, I have changed my mind.KaPe said:Damn tease.
Well, at least there's *one* actual canon arc here - been a while since I recognized something from plotOf course, knowing this story, it will turn out to be something completely different, but that's all good.
Next chapter's basically going to be an omake and sort of a speed run through the whole Charming Fairy Inn as well as a few relatively less important scenes, as all of those scenes are just too way too jarring with the theme of the next serious chapter ( beginning of the noble conference) and screws with my timeline too much. And I don't think it's exactly a spoiler to proclaim that not everyone who leaves the conference is going to be perfectly happy.
