Chapter 13: The Marshal (Part Two)
(Author's Note: I apologize for the simplicity of the title. This chapter, while not lending itself to a more elaborate name, was crucial for establishing loyalties, expanding the lore, and other important elements. "I Swear My Loyalty," although accurate in content, sounded too cliché.)
"It seems the young prince has managed to raise the people's spirits," commented Murat, glancing sideways at the evident enthusiasm of the population. Despite having been annexed to the glorious empire less than a week ago, and coming from the probably tyrannical management of a bastard who had bled them dry, reducing them to only two thousand inhabitants and turning the place into a small village, the people's spirit was renewed.
"He has potential… it will require work, but I believe if you allow me to take charge, Father, we could even turn this village into the capital of our own kingdom," commented the young princess of Naples calmly.
"This is not Naples, my precious Aurélie, the lands belong to your fiancé," Murat reprimanded her.
Despite his loyalty and honor towards the great unifier, Murat was, first and foremost, a man of politics and action. He had not brought his cherished daughter to these godforsaken lands merely on a whim. Rose was next in the line of succession, and although it might be considered an abuse, the condition he had imposed to come and protect the young prince was precisely a marriage contract between his beloved princess and the light of the empire.
"I'm sorry, Father… all of this is still very new to me," the young golden-haired woman apologized. She was so accustomed to only needing her father's authorization that the idea of soon becoming the empire's consort, and if all went well, queen of these lands alongside Rose as her king (even before he was emperor), hadn't fully sunk in.
Naturally, the conversation soon reached the ears of all residents, who couldn't help but look at the greatest marshal of the wars with total disbelief. Even though they had only heard stories about this man's power and he wasn't considered one of the ten great lords of the heavens, he was still one of the emperor's most trusted men and one of the best under his command.
They didn't understand why such a high-profile figure from the empire, to which they had recently belonged, had arrived so suddenly in their town. However, when they heard the young woman call the great marshal "Father" and how he reprimanded her, reminding her that these lands belonged to her soon-to-be husband, everything started to make more sense.
If she was the young prince's fiancée, it was logical for them that she would be by her fiancé's side at that moment. And her father, being the best marshal of the wars of unification, it was natural that he would come with his daughter to protect her.
The presence of someone so powerful, known for his ability to overcome the most adverse circumstances, coupled with the certainty that this man would fight alongside their young prince when the band of outlaws arrived, lifted the people's spirits. Where there was only hope before, now there was the certainty that they would not only survive but even prosper.
"That's a good way to raise morale," Queen Caroline commented with a smile. It seemed that, even without his faithful men, her husband possessed the ability to inspire people.
"Raise morale?" Murat asked, genuinely perplexed, before noticing how, suddenly, the villagers, both men and women, looked even happier and more optimistic than a few moments ago. "Oh, I suppose that makes sense. People love to feel protected," he concluded logically. After all, protecting Rose was, by a simple rule of three, also protecting this village.
Not long after, they finally reached the castle entrance. To everyone's surprise, Rose stormed out in a state of uncontrolled fury, wielding Desmos as if ready to strike down anyone in his path. However, he stopped dead in his tracks when he encountered a completely unexpected scene.
"Marshal Murat?" Rose asked, utterly bewildered. I mean, what the hell was the King of Cavalry doing in the Wastelands?
"It's a pleasure to see you, my young prince," said the marshal, looking somewhat concerned about his prince's attitude. Rose was a calm boy; truthfully, there were few things that could anger him, and even fewer that could make him lose control.
Rose stared at his father's most trusted man for an instant. The truth was, he felt a terrible urge to kill something… a couple of bears, Carter, a couple of wolves, impale Carter, foxes, gut Carter… had he mentioned Carter yet?
But seeing his father's best man, the Queen of Naples, and his old friend Aurélie, accompanied by ten of Murat's best men, that homicidal desire still beating in his chest took a backseat. He was thus able to focus on what was important: being a good host for his father's confidant.
"Come in," he said, as he turned to open the door and allow the royal family of the Kingdom of Naples to enter.
As he walked, Rose took advantage of the journey toward a living room, which was mostly tidy, to calm down. Midway, they both looked with slight strangeness at the feline woman who, apparently, was chasing the young prince.
"Did you get a Therianthrope?" asked Aurelie.
"It's a long story," Rose replied, dropping onto one of the sofas. "Great! Even this needs to be reupholstered," he complained, wriggling uncomfortably to try and find a minimally comfortable position.
"You seem to be having trouble, my lord," Murat asked calmly, sitting on the three-seater sofa. His prince was right; new furniture was needed. These things were stiffer than a metal chair.
"I bought these lands and the title of baron for a hundred ounces of gold, Marshal. I didn't expect to have as many problems as I am having," Rose replied calmly. After all, Murat was someone he preferred not to anger.
He should have thought a little more before buying that from a stranger in a bar, but at the time, he was only thinking about securing a permanent base of operations to work more efficiently. He never expected that everything on this continent, and especially in Sedena, would be... basically, a damned death trap about to close in on him.
"I understand what you mean. We heard about the 'robbers' party' on the way here," Murat said. Although Rose had no military training, he was a born warrior, like his father, and not a mere soldier; so even he understood what Murat meant without the need for further explanation.
Rose simply sighed; of course he knew what he was referring to; after all, he was just an individual, and although he was powerful in his own right, he did not compare to his father, whose strength was still light years away from his.
"I went home and stocked up to withstand an assault, but I need your help, Marshal. You have much more military experience," Rose said, looking directly into the eyes of the King of Cavalry.
Murat could only grimace. He knew Qin wouldn't take it well. That man had severe OCD, and even though Rose had left a very meticulous report for the Grand Emperor, it was likely to give him a nervous breakdown. Of course, it would pass after a small crisis and he would soon be his usual self, but Rose would undoubtedly be in serious trouble when all this was over.
"I'm not as young as I used to be, my lord… Besides, with the number of men I brought, we couldn't withstand a prolonged battle. Even if these robbers aren't very strong, the Mongols didn't give us so much trouble because of their strength, but because of their numbers," Murat explained.
About twenty or even fifteen years ago, he probably would have been able to sweep away an entire army of bandits single-handedly and come out with his head held high and an elegant pose. But at almost sixty years old… well, let's just say he was no longer the dashing young man who rode with only eleven thousand men at Eylau.
"I wasn't planning a frontal combat… this is a war, Marshal, not a duel of honor," Rose said. He scoffed at the idea of facing the robbers face-to-face, because although he was a warrior and a prince, he was not suicidal.
"I'm glad to hear that," the marshal said. For a few seconds, his gaze was lost in the void. Guerrilla warfare was not his specialty; it was more the domain of Caesar or perhaps Regulus. However, he had studied that strategy a bit and knew there were ways to get out of the current situation.
The ditch option was ruled out. It would require too much time and more men than they had. Even with Desmos and his ability to break the earth, that maneuver would be more dangerous than beneficial for the strategy they sought to implement.
"What did you take?" the marshal asked. He would have liked to know how many weapons they had and which ones to use to devise a better plan.
"Crossbows enough to arm a legion, fifty rolls of barbed wire, a metric ton of iron spikes, and containment wall blocks," Rose explained seriously.
"We can work with that… We'll need to map the terrain, work at a forced pace, but we can overcome it… especially since the Providence is within firing distance," the marshal assured. Of course, he would never leave such a powerful resource as an Imperial Navy destroyer far from his reach. Unlike the prince, he did have the authority to command them. Although the Providence was not one of the super destroyers that carried the empire's most powerful weapons, it had enough firepower to be useful, although he would prefer to use it as his last resort.
End of chapter.