Chapter 23: The Pup and the Unruly (4)
"That's… troublesome."
My words were a clear reaction to the letter that had come straight from Camelot.
I should have predicted for something to go wrong. At least in the realm of chaos that was Ria's diplomatic quandary. While she had managed to hold her kingdom together long enough to confirm herself as the ruler of those lands, she still ended up embroiled in a war against her uncle.
Vortigern was, by all definitions, someone I still didn't have the chance to meet. Nor do I believe I was going to meet anytime soon considering the circumstances. With Ria busy trying to not get her kingdom ruined by her bastard of an uncle, I found myself alone in front of many difficult decisions regarding the Northern front. No diplomatic meeting, no chances for a proper alliance.
With a month having gone since I last ordained the capture of the rebellious territory that Lot had conquered off the Germanic invaders, the success of that operation had to have irked Morgan well enough to return to an aggressive mindset. There was no doubt in my mind that the sudden hostility of Vortigern was somehow tied to the enchantress, and with how things were right now, it was almost ironic that she still didn't have the advantage.
A month is a lot to make plans and moves to further centralize my power. With the first territorial acquisition from the Lothian being more than enough to rekindle an interest of my military to do something beyond guarding and patrolling important routes from rare bandits hanging around by deep forests.
Soldiers were eager for the battlefield, and as much this was a pleasant development to hear about from a giddy Marcus, I also knew that this behavior could turn in a double-edged way to raise jingoism in my country. And that was good right now for the vast territory that I could take in a powerful sweeping move, but it was going to be bad if I didn't find a way to moderate it once peace was needed.
So, after finalizing my steps needed to bring the Petty Kingdoms between the main enemy and Londinium down through bribery and assassinations. I finally found myself in a convenient situation where I could strike at my enemy and push them away from England proper before they could mobilize. The key was… planning out the blitzkrieg.
I still had to be rather formal when it came to declare war, but I ended up crafting the most devious and quite infuriating idea for when Morgan discovered the treachery I was planning to employ for the occasion.
Three days were issued for a big army to be prepared. Men flocked around to get their hands on armors and weapons, while women were encouraged to join the nurse corps together with those that were deemed better fit to be doctors instead of infantry. The rally was incredibly successful much to my relief, but I also had the displeasure of having to part way with Mya as I had to take charge of the army for this occasion. With how complex the big war plan was, I needed to be in the heart of the army if I wanted it to work properly.
I promised her a wedding at my return, and she demanded from me letters on a daily basis. It was tougher trying to make things fit when it came about Scathach. The month that had followed that bizarre development between us sure had me questioning on multiple occasions if accepting the offer she concocted with my fiance's blessing was really a good thing or not. I sure wasn't going to say now that I had made the big step, but I was still unsure how long this was meant to hold.
It was clear that the Queen of Shadows wanted more, but that she was willing to oblige the rules she had accepted from Mya's deal. The snuggling was awfully delightful, especially since I found myself sandwiched between two lovely ladies, yet it also led to some embarrassing mornings as both would be clinging on me particularly madly. Somehow the status quo was holding, and I had reason to believe it had to do with the fact these two had other agreements I wasn't aware of. Nothing important from that I could tell but… it was still something interesting to see unfold for the time being.
Nonetheless, Scathach decided to give me a parting gift before allowing me to properly leave. It was a sword… a familiar one, yet not. Aurea Mors was something I knew was going to be my legendary weapon the moment I was handed it over by Scathach herself. She defined it as a masterpiece, and 'a tool that should still be treated with caution'. The combo of the fragments from what was left of Caliburn, mixed with the damaged frame of Crocea Mors and coupled with minor additions from a copy of Gae Bolg led to the creation of something that was way stronger than anything expected. A legendary blade that, much to my surprise, had a particular requirement about its true power's usage.
Only those that have shown willpower before death itself shall be capable of using it to achieve ultimate victory.
While the ominous requirement which came to be after mixing the three distinct weapons would assure that there was a catch behind its full usage, the truth was that it was… a blade beyond the boundaries of legendary swords. Scathach suspected it was something related to its origin, commenting how the 'shattering of one, and the rebinding by three' could have 'disoriented' nature itself on the matter.
Magic was odd, but Mystery was the base from which True Magic usually originated. So when something anew is created from known objects, rules seemed to go into a gray area nobody but a few have explored.
When Gae Bolg was first created, Scathach mentioned, the lance was given a divine nature through the 'unknown nature' it came from. It was the woman herself that 'picked' the 'once activated, the heart of the enemy is targeted until its destroyed', since her dead-related self-nature allowed this element to come to be as the absolute truth of Gae Bolg. That and with the usage of runes to guarantee the powerful ability to come to be as she wanted.
She explained how she had tried to do the same with Aurea Mors, but the blade seemed to 'refuse being tainted', suggesting that it had a degree of consciousness and understanding. It was when I first touched it that she realized that it came from Crocea Mors since it seemed to accept me as its wielder.
I was perplexed by this very discussion, but I accepted the upgraded blade nonetheless. A powerful object I would come to test soon considering what kind of marvelous and somewhat suicidal plan I had prepared for the occasion.
Strike at the bear while it is showing your back.
And in this case, the priority wasn't to completely overwhelm the Picts with what we had, but to push them out of the territory beyond the Hadrian's Wall. It was time to make an effort and… retake Britain 'for Rome'. It was doable, mostly because of how well-prepared my army was and how ill-prepared the early defenses were going to be. If there were going to be any with the idea I had about the proclamation of war.
I saw the idea of sending a message through normal instruments as a doubtful one since it would have given the time for the men taking the message at the border to read its content and mount up a defensive line by the border. Instead, I planned for Morgan to receive the declaration without having to wait that much, right to her desk.
Magecraft wasn't real magic, but it still allowed for magicians to pass to each other messages if the 'gates were open'. I wasn't sure what the terms really were since this knowledge came from a digression Altuos had gone through during one of our lessons about magecraft. It was possible for Morgan to have her 'end' open to accept messages since deadly tricks couldn't be used through that kind of magecraft.
But it still required resources and time to get the message packing. So I gave the guild master the time to get the letter prepared to be sent and then… it was time to go. The moment the message was slammed on the witch's face, I knew it was time to pack my things and lead the army north to start making some conquering.
Humming 'Ride Forth Victoriously' as I started the march for the border, I was happy when after two days we arrived at our first stop, Lindum (modern day Lincoln), and we found no garrison beyond the city's militia. The men didn't even put up a fight with how big the difference was in terms of strength and because they didn't mind being taken away by the Picts' rule. Taking the city, the next few conquests proved to be faster than expected as we found no resistance waiting for us by the Roman-made roads that connected to other major settlements. Three more days passed and Mancunium (Manchester) followed the same fate of Lindum, but we were also blessed with numerous volunteers joining the levy and taking part in the campaign.
It was a successful blitz. But one that I knew would have to eventually stop before we stretch ourselves too far. Which is why, when we arrived at Eboracum (York) needed to take a break until we had our first battle. It's been long enough for Loth to have massed a substantial army, and I wanted to get a true victory by crushing it in a defensive battle. He would need to come to us, especially when Cataractonium (Catterick) was taken with its forts and turned in a forward defensive position.
Setting up a triangular perimeter between Mancunium, Eboracum and Cataractonium was the best way of handling any assaults since it prevented any efforts from an enemy army from the north from managing in encircling one of the three settlements without the other forces breaking the encirclement down. I knew from reports from the scouts that the enemies were bound to come quite soon and we just had the time to finish setting up some traps, consolidate the defenses and… prepare for the spectacle.
Today was the day the world was shown the true ferocity of 'future warfare' in its majestic but horrifying glory. A day to remember, either with a smile or in complete infamy.
Maybe both.
I sat down by the table I had ordered placed down in the open so I could start dealing with the planning with Marcus.
"Marcus, how long did the scouts say it would take for the Picts to arrive?"
"A few hours, maybe less," The man hummed as he stared at the maps we managed to recover for the occasions. Eboracum was one of the greatest settlements here in Northern England.
Having served as a major city for Emperors visiting England to rest in, Eboracum was also famous for being the death place to Roman Emperor Lucius Septimius Severus, the founder of the Severan Dynasty. A place where many ambitious and daring plans of conquering Scotland had been made by Rome many centuries early and was now the place where I could redefine the borders to once again fit with the former Roman Rule.
I just needed to win this battle and finally close the distance to Hadrian's Wall. Only at that point negotiations were going to be possible, and I doubted those were going as peaceful as those were meant to be. Not with Morgan possibly trying to be there one way or another. So I patiently tried to see where this was going to go and… hopefully nothing bad was going to happen.
I doubted this was going to be the case, especially since our positions were reinforced with a special brand of weaponry I had the delight to have already tested and standardized for the occasions. With the idea of getting rifles to work going a little less smoother than planned, I decided to dabble in the art of Artillery.
And the results were… way better than my first efforts of getting rifles so quickly. The Rifleman regiment was still a thing, but they were now limited to a few loyal men, but Cannons were… way more difficult for those to be stolen by a single man. Heavier and bulkier than rifles, the large-caliber howitzers I had ordered to be created were the closest to what I could remember from those used during the Napoleonic Wars.
A Twelve-Pounder, a weapon that, if used in modest numbers, was going to make attacking and defending quite easy for the army owning those. And I was the only one capable of mustering such deadly equipment. The army was already accustomed with it, and even the two blond twins that had accompanied me for this campaign had the chance of seeing those in action.
Gareth was mostly unfazed by those, having some minor worries just early on when she saw those at work. Gaheris was… the opposite. A boy being a boy, he found the explosive nature of the shells used by the cannons interesting and it wasn't unusual to find him around when there were practice shootings happening. The artillery pieces were going to shred through the lines of our current problem in the north. No matter the size of their forces, or how determined they were.
With the perimeter set, it was time to see how long it was going to take for the Lothians to try and break onto it. The distant roaring began and I saw some light coming from Cataractonium and I waited patiently as I expected to see some minor group managing to get around the first line and trying to get to us. I was so convinced that this was going to be an exciting battle that I forgot that there was an element that made Lot's armies… different than many others.
Tribes. The backbone was made by levies coming from not-so loyal groups under his banner, and… when 'mercenaries' were put for the first time through the horror of cannonades, then the resulting effect that was the 'shellshock' was going to be far more disruptive and significant than in a professional army.
So when I saw two to three men once in a while rushing away and towards us, holding nothing in their hands, I was confused. Why would they send disarmed people to us? Why did they look so frightened? Maybe they were used as suicide bombers? No. As much as I expected this to be possible if my opponent had that degree of inhumanity, I was quite sure Morgan would never think up of something so horrible. It was just beyond disgusting and… 'uncouth'.
A blink, then two gone as I tried to make sense of the sight. Finally the realization of what was happening settled as I realized why I wasn't seeing any attempt to continue the attack. The fright effect had been more than enough to disorganize and shatter the core of the enemy army.
I was eventually given confirmation of these suspicions when a messenger from the settlement up in the north. The rush of soldiers was broken with just the two volleys of explosive shells. The loud noise prior to the impact, the destruction it created on the infantry's ranks and the ground around the survivors- everything counted as a factor that could put many brave men's will to test. No one likes being subjected to an artillery barrage, especially when you are a tribe warrior from medieval times.
As I relaxed on my chair, I noticed that a certain young woman was having some trouble handling the absurd news we were just relayed. I didn't blame Gareth for being this shocked over the unexpected turn of events, but I could tell that the truth was a different one.
"I- Your highness, can I ask a frank question?"
I hummed, giving a nod towards her, noticing fairly quickly the girl's surprised tone at the news.
"W-Wasn't this battle supposed to be tougher?"
…
"Yes. I thought it was going to be more difficult myself," I agreed with a nod. "But I failed to take into account a couple of elements. Like the fact these soldiers don't have much of a purpose beyond fighting, killing and looting."
"And… what does it have to do with what just happened?"
I narrowed my eyes at Gaheris, the boy tensing up as Marcus appeared from behind him to squeeze his right shoulder.
"Ya forgot to ask for permission to give that question, boyo."
…
"Your highness-"
"Without a purpose to fuel their desire to fight, the first fright shook them in a panic. They don't have a major reason to be there to attack us. They aren't defending something they consider theirs," I explained, interrupting his request. "Lot is a tyrant despite how many people have accepted him as their liege. And he returns the disappointment his subjects have for him with scorn and faux ignorance. For once I will… forgive you for forgetting to ask for permission. I can accept if we are back in the castle, but there is a reason why the army has a chain of command, Sir Gaheris."
His eyes widened at the extra title and it took him a moment to formulate a response. A single nod, but a respectful one at that. Marcus released him and we both were back at the table as we debated what we were meant to do next. It was clear that the first good step was waiting a day, allowing the soldiers to properly recover from the previous march, and then resume our path to the Hadrian's Wall.
At this point, we were close enough to seal the deal. With the men hailing from Eboracum seemingly loyal to our cause, I decided that a mixed brigade of Londinium soldiers and people from this settlement would man the Wall once we arrived at our destination. I planned for a bi-monthly guard-change to happen, with parts of the army to be constantly put under the duty of guarding something that was known to hold very dangerous people beyond.
And it was while I was engrossed on the papers that I paused at the sound of someone humming. Not the kind of humming I wanted to hear since I easily recognized the voice I was listening to. And from the fact both Gareth and Gaheris reacted by tensing up their guards and unsheathing their weapons was enough to confirm that I was dealing with an unexpected intrusion.
I sighed, looking to the side of the table, and noticing the woman already sitting by a chair that wasn't previously there. She didn't look any different since the last time I saw her- okay, maybe she was less bruised and injured, but the woman was still the bitch I remembered her being.
"Morgan."
The woman blinked, her eyes shining through her veil with some curiosity at my lacking greeting.
"Joseph."
Marcus almost jumped at the exchange, finally realizing what was going on. Still, he didn't attack, realizing how 'calm' I currently was. There was no magic at hand, at least not in my current being from what I could tell in that moment. The issue was about Morgan. Something about her calm demeanor just left me nervous and cautious when it came at 'how easy' it would be to attack her. Something was… just off.
And then, I saw some runes glowing beneath her sleeves. Runes that I recognized being some advanced stuff that I had tried and failed to get on living beings since… engraving on skin was kind of awkward and disgusting. Still, the woman decided to go for it on her own arms and she seemed fine with it despite the fact it had to hurt a lot.
Still, kudos for her for having put herself in a situation where nobody couldn't harm her without suffering their own damage on themselves. That kind of rune was known to protect an object, or a living being for any 'metal' individual willing to cut runes on their own flesh, by mirroring the damage suffered back on the sender. If someone decided to attack her at that moment, they would possibly die by their own hand.
"You saw," Morgan scoffed, almost irked that I had messed up her cheeky efforts by intruding without any guards or protections.
"It's been a while," I replied with a confident tone. "I guess you're angry."
"Mildly," She quickly remarked. "But I can't decide if I should be more infuriated with my foolish children for pursuing a change of allegiances to serve you, or be angered by your blatant thievery."
"We never served you," Gaheris replied heatedly, gaining his mother's bored stare.
"Stupid boy, you were born from my womb. You served me from the moment you were birthed by me."
"By that definition, you should have submitted to your father's decree to have Arthur to be his descendant," I recalled flatly. "Yet, you decided to refuse his rule and fight for what you believe is right."
"You think this is a parallel?" The woman pressed, clearly irked by my intervention in what had seemed to be a brief family-only exchange. One look at Gareth, and I could say that the girl was holding just well enough before the presence of her mother.
"I think bad things tend to come back at people. Especially to those that don't understand they are only doing wrong with their actions."
"Truly an impressive display of disgusting greed," She lamented, tilting her head to the side as she regarded me with extreme boredom. "You're trying to lecture me even though you are the one intruding in my reign like a thief to steal people and plots of lands from me."
"You aren't the King-"
"Inconsequential. 'King' or not, a title given out so easily to someone with luck no longer defines who is a true ruler of something," The enchantress stated with a serious tone. "Power, magic, wisdom… charisma. My brother has the capacity to keep that crown of his right now, but… what about you."
"You know, magicking your way into people's minds so they can nod at any of your sentences, doesn't exactly make you charismatic," I remarked. "Also, I don't want to sound offensive, but I recall you being a little less… inclined to keep this moral high ground."
"Are you perhaps assuming I don't own an inkling of what charisma is?"
"Only that you don't have any," I pointed out, ignoring her little threat with ease. "Else this battle would have been longer. Your men weren't that tough."
"That's because those weren't my 'men', Joseph. You should recognize the fact I don't pick foolish sellswords for tasks as delicate as dealing with you," The woman affirmed. "In fact, let's say that they did a fine job doing what they were really employed for."
I frowned. "What?"
"You stopped. Even for a single day, you were forced to pause before the Wall," She explained with a hint of mirthfulness. "And that offered me enough time to prepare for your ultimate demise."
…
"That sounds terribly overconfident. I assume you have something interesting planned, but let me ask you this," I said with a curious tone. "Is the 'surprise' meant to spring in action before or after the wall?"
"Only time will tell-"
"Then I will take a risk and stop by the Wall."
…
"Wait, what did you just say?"
"You said that there is a chance it can happen before or after the wall. Since I don't want to risk any ambushes in uncharted territories," I elaborated. "Plus, I don't have much plans to stretch my supplies too much. I don't have enough to handle right now what you might be hiding as a trap in your innermost fief, so I will wait, improve my new lands and then handle you with extreme caution."
From her furious glare, I could tell I had been correct with that claim. She was indeed trying to have me step beyond the wall, to clash against her loyalists in lands she had possibly filled with traps of normal and magical kind. But now that she knew that all that work was to waste, I could finally take this real victory with a big grin.
"You will die, Joseph of Britannia" She coldly affirmed and I stared back at her with a frown.
"And I will destroy you, Morgan Pendragon."
Her eyes narrowed as I used her first surname, ignoring the one she inherited through her marriage. It wasn't a refusal to recognize that union, rather my genuine understanding that the marriage she had with Lot wasn't a real one. But one for her convenience.
…
"Your eyes… they are different than last time I saw them," The woman commented quietly. "Still afraid, still weak- but now stronger and… fearless. You really are a confusing pretender, Joseph."
I didn't reply to that, allowing her to stand up from her seat. The blonde didn't do much beyond walking away and… going through a portal she decided to create for her leave. My stare was on the spot she previously occupied, and the silence continued until Marcus' hand calmly patted at the table.
My stare moved to the man and the commander sighed.
"That was some tense scene."
"Yes," I curtly agreed to his point. "She had runes that returned any damage she suffered back to the sender."
He nodded in understanding at why I was so unwilling to attack her. The comment seemed to effectively defuse any doubts the twins had over my lack of action. One thing was being paranoid, but I did recognize her runes as legitimate ones from the glow, the way they were engraved and the magical output those were creating.
Despite that victorious day, I couldn't help but feel upset by her last words. Afraid and weak, but strong and fearless… why? Why did this feel so familiar?
Weekly Power Status
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