Chapter 106: The Aftermath of Rebellion (rewrite)

The Aftermath of Rebellion

"No," Altria said firmly, her voice leaving no room for doubt.

Tristan's brow furrowed in suspicion as he looked at Altria. "But, your teacher..."

Altria's gaze hardened. "The teacher is the teacher, and I am me."

Tristan had heard much about Merlin during his time in the Chalk City, but he couldn't quite grasp the nature of his relationship with Altria. Altria's expression darkened further. She was troubled by the notion that prolonged association with Merlin might somehow alter her character or appetite for interaction with others. If this were true, it would make her reluctant to engage with people at all.

She understood that Camelot could not survive if everyone were as unrestrained as she feared some might be. The country's resources couldn't withstand such consumption, no matter how capable its leaders were.

The nobles, unlike Louis, faced the relentless pursuit of the Knights of the Round Table. Their resistance was to be expected. Altria and Tristan, under Morgan's orders, responded swiftly with an assault. The noble armed men had failed to defeat the Knights on the night of the rebellion, and now Altria and Tristan, coordinating their efforts in close combat and ranged attacks, proved too formidable for them.

As the fighting progressed, the nobles began mobilizing their forces to resist Lott and Morgan. Some of these forces were remnants of the nobles' armies. However, facing the Orkney army, the odds were decidedly in Morgan's favour. It was clear that the outcome was already decided.

Ultimately, the nobles were captured. Those guilty of capital crimes were executed by hanging. While killing all of them would have been excessive, executing nine out of ten was considered a necessary measure to prevent many from slipping through the cracks.

Meanwhile, Morgan sat on a bench in the palace garden with Lott, who was holding Little Gawain and resting the baby on Morgan's lap. Morgan was confident of her victory in the ongoing conflict.

Looking at Little Gawain, who seemed about to cry, Morgan spoke. "Lott, pass Gawain to the nanny. She seems hungry."

Morgan shot a pointed look at Lott. Gawain was now fully reliant on the nanny, and Morgan's milk was in surplus, but not enough to satisfy both Gawain and Lott, who had his own needs.

Lott noticed Morgan's gaze and showed a hint of jealousy. Morgan, in turn, felt a mix of exasperation and affection towards Lott. His shamelessness was almost on par with that of the nobles, yet it only made her love him more.

Thinking about the nobles, Morgan felt that their shamelessness only made her want to punish them more severely.

As Morgan pondered, Lott produced a stack of paper from his robes. "Huh? What are these?" Morgan asked, intrigued by the pile of papers.

"Well... you'll find out soon," Lott replied cryptically.

The papers contained engravings, and Lott was excited about starting literacy initiatives with them. "With these engravings, we can promote literacy. Increasing literacy will help us replace the current nobles," Lott explained.

Morgan was momentarily puzzled by the idea of literacy. She saw its potential to diminish the power of the nobles. "But first, we need to deal with illiteracy before we tackle the nobles," she mused.

Seeing Morgan's sudden worry, Lott asked, "What's wrong?"

Morgan's voice was weak. "I just realized I might have made a mistake."

Lott, noticing Morgan's distress, asked quickly, "What's wrong? Morgan, you're not suggesting that the nanny who took Gawain is a spy from Vortigern, are you? Is she planning to steal Gawain?"

Morgan looked at Lott with disbelief. "Lott? Do you think everyone is as devious as you? Vortigern wouldn't think of such a scheme."

Still, Morgan considered the idea, realizing it could be useful to threaten enemies using their children. However, she dismissed it as impractical since Vortigern had no children of his own.

Lott, relieved that the cook had not been dismissed and Gawain was in safe hands, asked, "What's the matter then? Just tell me."

Morgan explained, "Well, Lott, what should I do if I've ended up killing all the nobles?"

"You killed all the nobles!? That's a good thing. I've wanted to see those nobles punished for a long time," Lott responded without hesitation.

In his mind, Lott considered the potential issues this could cause due to the low literacy rate. Though he didn't voice this concern, he thought it would be better to support Morgan and handle the implications quietly.

Morgan smiled at Lott's response, appreciating his support despite the complexities involved. "I'll leave these matters to you. I need to continue with other preparations," she said with a smile.

"What preparations?" Lott asked.

Morgan replied, "As a good wife, I should prepare food for my hardworking husband."

"Please, don't feel the need to be a 'qualified wife'," Lott joked.

Morgan, with a playful tone, asked, "Are you doubting me?"

"No, I'm just sure you'll struggle with it," Lott quipped.

Morgan could only respond with a laugh as Lott left cheerfully.

Morgan, left alone, reflected on Lott's caring nature. She appreciated his concern, even if it was sometimes exasperating.

Finally, Lott approached the court and summoned Kay. "Tell me, how many of the nobles are left?" he asked.