The Union

"Home" Freya answered. "Inkit, Hadea, Canton and of course Vanadis had all cut their ties to Castonia. Our allies abandoned us and only relations with Wismar remains. Only Wismarine merchants remain in the city. If this continues, Castonia will face hard times."

"I can"t blame them though" Henry leaned on the wall of Solon. "What your King did was dishonorable. Trying to kill your own guest is a vile crime that shouldn"t exist even in imagination."

Freya also leaned on the wall beside Henry "Is killing your own guest a crime in the book of knights?"

"It"s not specifically written, but I believe that"s because the first Grandmaster never thought that such vileness could exist in this world. And even if it isn"t a crime, a person"s wickedness should have a limit. May the Omniscient guide King Leopold"s soul into the light. May his power lead the King to repentance."

Freya pursed her lips to prevent her smile from being seen. She was amused by Henry"s firm belief in justice and righteousness. Although Henry had committed crimes before, he was trying to fix his mistakes. She was impressed.

Also, Freya knew that it was the Wismarines who perpetrated the a.s.sa.s.sination attempt against Lucia. Although King Leopold wasn"t faultless, Freya knew that the King did not want this. Castonia had become weaker than ever. Nevertheless, the other nations blamed Castonia for the crime. Inkit, Hadea and Canton who were allied to Castonia were on the process of sending soldiers to help the fight against Tulosa. When the news of Lucia"s failed a.s.sa.s.sination spread, the three Kingdoms withdrew their troops, recalled their amba.s.sadors and broke the alliance and trade agreement with Castonia. Vanadis, on the other hand, was on the verge of declaring war. Rumors say that King Edmund just hired 30 companies of mercenaries.

"I"m not worried though." Freya said "Timothy will fix this. Even though the people now hate King Leopold, they still trust Timothy. And the news of Timothy rushing with his guards to rescue Lucia was spread by yours truly" she made a mocking bow.

Henry laughed at little but then his face returned to its usual serious state.

Freya was shocked. He laughed! Ever since she met him a month ago, Freya had never seen Henry laugh. He was always serious and gloomy as if he was carrying all of the world"s problems.

"You laughed!" Freya pointed at Henry

Henry was equally shocked. "I did?" he asked

"Yes you did! We must thank the Omniscient for this wonderful day!" she announced "You should laugh more Henry. You"re cute when you- I mean your face looks better when you"re not your usual gloomy self."

Henry smiled "You think so?"

"Yes" Freya nodded with a smile on her face.

"Then thank you for your advice. I"ll keep it in mind." Henry then looked towards the hundreds of wagons exiting the city. "Are you not worried about him? He"s been missing for days"

Freya also looked at the wagons. "I am. His life is in danger. I can"t sleep well at night because I"m worried about him."

"May I ask you a question?"

Freya nodded.

"You really do love him, don"t you?"

Freya did not expect that Henry would question her about this. As for her answer, she doesn"t know. The pain from Timothy"s rejection was gone. Of course she was worried about Tim"s safety, but it was different from what she felt back in Nirvana. She really doesn"t know how to answer.

"Yes" she said halfheartedly.

"Oh" Henry went back to his gloomy self. "I see"

After that, the two of them were silent for a long time. There was an atmosphere of awkwardness.

Suddenly their silence was interrupted by a shout.

"Prince Timothy is back! He"s back!"

The merchants stopped their wagons and made a commotion. Freya and Henry looked at each other. They went closer to the gate to take a closer look.

After a few moments, men on horseback entered the city. Freya saw that the one at the front was Timothy and beside him was Lucia. The people surrounded their party.

"Prince Timothy!"

"It"s Princess Lucia. She"s safe!" A Vanadian merchant shouted.

"Prince Timothy please save Castonia!"

Shouts and cheers mixed in the air until Timothy raised his hand to silence the crowd. In less than a minute, the crowd hushed and listened carefully to what Timothy was going to say.

"Castonia is in ruins!" he started "Our honor has been tarnished and our allies had abandoned us. These are dark times for our Kingdom."

He then balled his fist and gritted his teeth. "But I promise you that I will fix this. I am here and you don"t have to be afraid anymore. We shall restore what we lost. Lucia Vanadis will stay by my side and she will give me her support. Isn"t that right, Princess Lucia Vanadis?"

He turned his head towards Lucia.

"I will." Lucia said firmly. Her resolve was absolute

"Now it"s my turn to ask you. Will you support me? Will you give me your strength?"

Like a furious storm, his words captivated the ma.s.ses. The people"s cheers boomed like thunder. In that moment, Timothy became the light for the people. He had become the personification of hope.

The people then let the party proceed. Timothy, Lucia and their retinue went to Earl Mathias" villa.

"Freya" Henry tugged her arm

"I know Henry, I know" Freya looked at the direction Timothy"s retinue went to "War is coming"

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After a few days of preparation, everything was ready. Timothy"s supporters had gathered inside Earl Mathias villa.

"Aren"t you afraid?" Lucia asked him before they entered the room. Timothy stopped and looked at her.

"I will be lying if I said that I wasn"t" he smiled "I am afraid. The next time I pa.s.s through this door, everything would have already changed. But I still have to do it. I"m scared, but I have a responsibility to the people. So I must do this. Besides.." he held her waist and looked at her. "I have you so I"m not that scared"

"Yes, you have me. Vanadis will support you in this"

"I"m not taking about Vanadis. I"m taking about you. You are smart and capable. I need you to help me make decisions."

"Is that so?" Lucia slightly blushed.

Timothy nodded and kissed her forehead. "Let"s go" he then said.

They opened the door and Timothy saw dozens of people already seated around the long table. They were all powerful people in the Western Region. He had already informed them of his plan.

Timothy went to the front and straightened his back. His wound still hurts, but he endured.

"You know why we are here" he said "Our dear Castonia is in peril and it is our duty to defend our Kingdom."

He then surveyed them. Most of them were loyal to their cause. Of course some of them could betray him in the future, but he will deal with that later.

"We must act. We must make a choice and ask ourselves, Am I a Castonian? Do I care for the people? Because King Leopold doesn"t! He conspired with the Wismarines to kill Lucia Vanadis and look at the result!" he pounded his fist on the table.

"I did not want to do this, but King Leopold forced my hand. I have a responsibility to the people of Castonia to raise my banner in revolt and restore Castonia"s honor!" He paused because his next words were the most important ones.

"I declare war against King Leopold. I will inherit the throne and drag Castonia away from the darkness. I will unsheathe my sword and raise the banner of civil war. Are you with me?"

The first one to react was General Marvin. He stood up and knelt in front of Timothy.

"I have fought with you before and I will fight with you again. The men of Knightsend are yours"

Earl Mathias stood up and did the same

"I did not fight with you in the past and I regret that. But now I will. My sword is yours, my loyalty is yours, and the city of Solon is yours."

The next one who moved was General Bourgis.

"King Leopold"s actions shamed Castonia. I am compelled to offer you my strength. Restore our lost honor. The garrison of Thespelae is yours to command"

General Hoover, the General of Castle Munico also knelt in front of Timothy.

"My men will kill me if I did not join you" his jest drew laughter inside the room "Munico is yours!" he shouted.

The other n.o.bles and powerful people offered their loyalty to Timothy one by one. The last who spoke was Lucia. Since she was still the Princess of a foreign country, she did not kneel.

"Vanadis will support you in this war and I am yours in victory and defeat. I will never abandon you and I will stay with you until the end. My loyalty is yours, my life is yours, my heart is yours."

It was a new day, a day of blood, but a new day nonetheless. Change is coming, change is inevitable, but change is good. The civil war had now officially begun. Thousands will die and chaos will rule. But in the ashes, a new Castonia will be born.

The people inside the room chanted one powerful line. It was a line highlighting their willingness to accept change. A line that will forever change the world.

"All hail King Timothy!"