Enlightened Empire

With measured steps, the warrior marched to the large table with the outline of a triquetra and sat on one of the three sides. The table itself was still fresh, specially built to symbolize the unity of House Pluritac and the Medala Empire, despite everyone"s better knowledge. After the n.o.bles" a.s.sembly had split Medala between the princes, it had been decided that the three new kings of Medala would meet here every ten days. Even though the new kings should have jointly administered the empire from this room, two of the kings hadn"t shown up for any of the previous two meetings.

While one of the Fastgrade clerks took a seat next to Fadelio, representative of the still absent King Corco, the warrior himself acknowledged the presence of the other parties in the room with a short nod. To his right sat Amautu, the only king who had attended every single Triumvirate Meeting so far. From across the table, the King of the North replied in kind, before he turned to his side, where Amautu"s ever-present shadow, the Chutwa teacher Ichtaka, sat ready to offer his advice to the young king.

Unhappy with the influence the strange teacher had gained within the court, Fadelio turned his head further, to the quiet priest who occupied a corner of the room. Since no one else had been deemed impartial enough during the succession, the priests had been tasked with hosting the Triumvirate Meeting, although their role was mostly ceremonial.

After Fadelio had taken a seat, he looked at the final, still emptied side of the table. King Pachacutec"s representative was late. So far, Lord Divitius Ichilia had represented King Pacha, and done little more than block motions put forth by the other two kings. However, Divitius had left the capital two days prior. If rumor was to be believed, there had been a violent disagreement between the Ichilia lord and his nephew before his departure, so the warrior was curious who would replace Divitius in the upcoming meeting. In spite of his best guesses, answer to his question shocked him.

Soon after all others had taken their seats, the door to Fadelio"s left opened and the last member of the triumvirate stepped inside. Fadelio"s clerk halted the feather quill in his hand as he realized just who had come to represent the central kingdom. To everyone"s surprise, King Pacha himself had appeared at the table, although Fadelio had a hard time to connect the strange man before him to King Pacha"s previous self.

Rather than the long, unbound hair which had made him famous in Arguna, the young hero had shorn his head completely. Overcome with some madness, he hadn"t even left behind the hair Corco had spared in their duel. His lack of hair only further accentuated his deformed face. Although the wounds and bruises from Pacha"s fight with Corco had disappeared, the hero"s straight nose had become crooked, and his left eye socket had moved up, which gave the king"s left eye an eternal squint.

Unlike his previous dress code, the king didn"t wear his gaudy, golden armor either. Instead, he had put on a simple red tunic, while his injured right arm was solidly bound to his side with strips of silk. With a grim face, and without taking notice of his fellow triumvirate members, Pacha stepped up to the table and took a seat.

*Interesting.*

The change in appearance together with rumors of disunity within the central kingdom had given Fadelio all kinds of ideas. Not only Pacha"s change was remarkable, he had also come without any adjutant beyond a few low-ranked servants, foregoing the advice of his mother or father in governance. As the warrior was still focused on the implications of Pacha"s sudden change, the small, quiet priest in the corner stood and moved up to the table"s point, opposite of King Pacha, before he rang a small gong and began to speak.

"Once more the kings unite, to decide the fate of their people. As the third Meeting of Kings, today"s speaker shall be King Pachacutec, King of the Center. Blessed with the authority of emperor, the speaker shall propose measures to further the greatness inherent within the immortal Empire of Medala. Once more, ratification of the speaker"s proposal shall depend upon agreement from one of the remaining two kingdoms. Word lies with the speaker."

After another sound of his gong, the priest sat back down again. His simple, dry speech finished, the priests role in the proceedings was already over. In his stead, Pacha pulled a few pieces of paper from his left sleeve and cleared his throat. Sunk into his own doc.u.ments, the king read read for a while before he looked over to Fadelio from the corner of his narrowed eyes.

"The central kingdom motions to raise an army from its estates. The troops will march to suppress the chaos King Corcopaca"s inability has caused in the south, and deliver justice for the greedy King Corcopaca"s selfish acts."

Rather than focus on the immovable Pacha, Fadelio looked over to Amautu, who furrowed his brow in response to the bold motion.

"King Pachacutec, do you believe it wise to begin another war with the south at this time? The foreigners are still active after all. The kings should show unity, at least until a better deal can be achieved with the merchants of Arcavia."

Amautu alluded to a motion which had pa.s.sed without much trouble in a previous meeting. After the a.s.sa.s.sination of two foreign merchants at the hands of the former prime minister, the tone in negotiations between Borna and Cahlia on one side and Medala on the other had become much rougher. In response, Amautu had proposed for the kings to coordinate themselves in further negotiations with foreign dignitaries, as well as an unconditional ceasefire between the kingdoms until the foreign threat could be detained. Not only Divitius Ichilia, Fadelio himself had also agreed to the motion. After all, any duration of peace would give them more time to build up strength. With enough time, Corco"s kingdom would crush any enemies to face them.

"Uncle Divitius does not speak for this king," Pacha answered curtly. "Rather than be focused on some benign foreign merchants, this king believes it more prudent to quell the unrest caused by uprisings in the south, as well as to stand up to injustice and regain the property of the imperial clan."

While Pacha made his outrageous case, Fadelio turned to look at the clerk he had brought with him. After the man had stenographed the central king"s words, Fadelio looked up to see that both parties had waited for his response. He himself pretended to think for a few more seconds, just enough to imply a slow reaction, before he answered with a confused frown.

"King Pacha, what uprisings would those be?"

"First would be the troubles within the Villca estate. This king has been informed that the land is now split between multiple pretenders for the seat of patriarch. These uncertainties need to be resolved as soon as possible, as Cashan is a central trading hub for Medala. Any disruption within the territory could radiate out and cause unrest in all our lands. In order to stabilize Cashan, a single ruler needs to be elected soon, with the help of outside force if necessary. However, since King Corcopaca seems to lack the strength to reign in his people, the armies of the empire will provide a.s.sistance." Pacha answered with the same grim look as before, but this time there was an unmistakable twinkle in his eye.

*Another transparent ploy, huh?*

Annoyed by the new king"s lack of subtlety, Fadelio shot back.

"True. As we all know, giving the land to one single ruler would be best for the people and for the empire." With narrowed eyes, the warrior stared at Pacha for a while, but the king wouldn"t budge, despite his obvious hypocrisy. It would be up to Fadelio himself to move the conversation along. "In that case, which of the potential successors should inherit the Villca estate, if King Pachacutec won"t mind my asking?"

"This king believes that the oldest son Epunamo would be the most fitting successor to represent the House. Not only is he the oldest heir, with the strongest claim according to tradition, he is also a more moderate force compared to his warmongering brothers. Once young master Epunamo is in power, there would be no more reason for conflict between north and south."

Although a grin crept onto Pacha"s face, it wasn"t enough to tell if he had established a solid alliance with the Villca heir or just grasped the excuse to have his men invade in the south. If Fadelio wanted to find out the truth, he would have to push some more.

"Indeed. The oldest son, as well as the most moderate, willing to pacify conflict between the two isles, should always be the one to inherit his father"s lands." With great earnestness, Fadelio nodded his head, while a fake snort answered him from Amautu"s side of the table. The coordination of the northern and southern kingdoms was enough to enrage the center at the table. Thus, King Pacha spoke again, with a scowl tinged in anger.

"Oh, so the matter of civil unrest is humorous to the kings of the north and the south? Unlike the fringe kings, this king holds the center of Medalan power, and thus has to be concerned with the continued stability of our region. To this king"s great misfortune, King Corcopaca has ignored the troubles in his own administration in favor of breaking the family rules of House Pluritac, playing mad tyrant for all to see."

"Shocking indeed. How has this king not heard about these transgressions? Please, King Pacha, tell us more." With an eager face, Amautu leaned forward in his seat, towards Pacha"s side. It seemed as if for now, the northern king was content to poke the weak points of both sides and see if he could stir up a conflict. It was an idea Fadelio himself wasn"t opposed to.

"Dear brother," Pacha started with faked sadness, "a great tragedy has befallen the southern Pluritac territories of Saniya and Qarasi Castle. While the proper kings sit in the capital, busied with the matters of the empire, the fake Sachay king has chosen to attack the ancient lands of Pluritac. Not only has he denounced and deposed of the administrator of Saniya without confirmation from the House or its elders, he even set up thousands of foreigners inside the town and castle, in order to enforce his tyrannical rule. It is the duty of the Pluritac men to end this wanton exploitation of Pluritac land."

If nothing else, the great hero seemed much improved in terms of deceit. Fadelio was almost proud of the fake hero. Even so, he could never let this slander stand of course.

"All soldiers under King Corco have been sworn in as his official warriors, as was his right as crown prince of Medala and as is his right as King of the South. This official wonders: Does King Pachacutec believe that foreign men should be denied status as warriors of the imperial family?"

Rather than focus on Pacha, Fadelio looked towards Amautu, and towards his stoic Chutwa teacher who sat by his side. Once the northern king"s own teacher and closest advisor was attacked, Amautu lost his playful att.i.tude and began to frown as well.

"So long as they are warriors sworn in on the royal family, their status as foreigners changes nothing. Calling them foreign does not const.i.tute a violation."

"This might be true, brother, but the Sachay king"s case lies different," Pacha held against. "If the foreigners are legitimate troops under the king, why would he need to take the town of Saniya by force, and detain thousands of good Pluritac warriors in the process."

"So the troops in Saniya were legitimate then? They were peasants, forcefully raised by the administrator Sawo d"Ichilia to take control of the territory." Still calm, Fadelio countered the king"s jab.

"How would you know whether or not they are legitimate, servant? Since you have not been in Medala for long, you could hardly know the details of these troops. However, this king can guarantee that the detained men were genuine Pluritac warriors, appointed by Queen Spuria as the head of House Pluritac," Pacha said with a smile, secure in his victory. For a second, Fadelio was dumbfounded. Pacha couldn"t possibly be this useless, right?

"Wait... if the warriors in Saniya were legitimate imperial troops, wouldn"t that mean that King Corco"s warriors managed to overwhelm four thousand genuine Medala warriors, no less without a single loss? If this official remembers correctly, King Pachacutec justified his invasion into Sachay with the inability of King Corco to restore order to the region. However, with such a powerful army, controlling the south should be easy. This official wonders how both statements can be reconciled."

At last, all grandeur left the central king. Even after all of his setbacks, Pacha was still as weak as ever, his competence skin deep. Fl.u.s.tered, the king"s eyes darted around the room for a few second, before he replied with a stutter.

"This... this king has claimed no such thing. The troops need to be raised based on the Sachay king"s vile attack on the n.o.ble warriors of Pluritac, nothing more."

"One moment," Fadelio said, before he turned to his stenographer and took one of the papers from the stack before him. After a short search, the warrior had found his evidence. "Ah, yes, here it is: King Pachacutec said: "Since King Corcopaca seems to lack the strength to reign in his people, the armies of the empire will provide a.s.sistance"."

"You have copied down this king"s words?" In his confusion, Pacha didn"t even consider doubling down on his lie. With enlarged eyes, the King of the Center stared at Fadelio and his a.s.sistant. However, the warrior retained his calm as he shielded the shivering clerk behind his broad back.

"This official thought it important to keep everyone honest. No offense was intended."

"A servant questions my honesty!? How dare you!" Enraged, the giant Pacha shot up from his seat and shouted at his accuser. However, despite his shivering hands, the stenographer kept putting down the words.

"Stop writing, you lowly b.a.s.t.a.r.d!" A shiver ran from Pacha"s fist all the way through the table. Still, even the king"s imperious. .h.i.t at the triquetra couldn"t dissuade the dutiful minute taker. "This king commands you to stop!"

Finally, the last of Pacha"s patience has been used up, and the king began to march around the table, to punish the disobedient servant. However, he didn"t expect opposition, as always. Before Pacha reached the small accountant, he saw himself confronted with Fadelio, the warrior"s frame no less ma.s.sive than his own.

"Although this official would prefer to avoid a fight, he has been tasked to protect King Corco"s servants at all cost. Would King Pacha fancy a duel?"

Though his voice was still mild, Fadelio"s tensed body showed everyone that he was ready for battle. For a moment, the two men stared each other down, before the still injured Pacha left behind a final, low grow, turned and left the Triumvirate Meeting. On his first day as speaker, King Pacha hadn"t even managed to reach the voting stage for a single proposal. Even so, Fadelio observed the retreating back of the injured beast with worry. Pacha wouldn"t be bound by the rules of the meeting. It was time to prepare for the worst.