De Foedis et Imperiis (2)

The idea of a meeting to establish a stable status quo came out the very day I had that heartfelt talk with Ria. The plan was simple, and she wholeheartedly agreed to it due to its principal points.

A proper unification would be impossible to accomplish due to the war-related trouble that would come out of such necessity. Diplomacy would be worse to handle in that circumstance due to the pretenses of the nobles of one side, and the people from the other. Everyone would have liked a united Britannia to stand over the ashes of the civil war, but doing so would entail rekindling conflict one last time. Something neither me nor Ria were willing to consider. To prevent this, the proclamation of a genuine treaty to establish a permanent alliance would quell any interest to go back to war. Soldiers were tired, any reason that could be used would sound fake and willed by greedier purposes, and the chance to stabilize everything with a treaty of friendship sounded way too appealing for the people of both countries to say no to.

With the mindset established, the next trouble proved to be the setting of such a reunion. The choice was blatant, but not without some reluctance from both sides. Venta Belgarum was still the focal region that would allow for a safe reunion without either monarchs being left in harm's way. It was also the location of our first meeting, giving it a symbolic connotation that enticed many diplomats to pick this possibility. With Morgan's trial having gone by and my wedding with Mya finalized, it was about time I took charge of diplomacy once more and moved to stop the chances of clashes between our kingdoms from ever happening. Location, date, agreements with the holder of the major city- everything was set to make this event go through without an itch. Or so logically-wise it appeared to be.

I had three big reasons to be concerned about heated debates, starting with Morgan herself. The representatives sent by Ria to assist in the trial were fairly vocal about the lack of 'proper harshness' towards the monster that was the witch. They tried to argue that I could actually sway that decision and punish her further, an argument that was dismantled as soon as I brought up the fact that I wasn't planning to make an example to my people by having their capacity to decide subverted so radically. Minimally changed? Yes. But rebuked completely? That would easily become ground for popular opposition just as soon as I started to introduce democratization in the country. While the power would still be mine, I refused to allow the noble to ruin the chances of a meritocratic society to arise out of this situation.

Ria herself was… annoyed by this decision, but not opposed. She argued that Morgan would have found a way to subvert the contract despite the geas had been filled with lines that took care of any insanity that could come out of the woman's brain. Something that was highlighted with immense frustration by Morgan herself as she took the time to read the paper and realize how much limited that made her compared to what she imagined out of her own submission. An awkward defeat for her, but one that at least prevented her death for the time being. Despite this first bump, the rest of the situation between me and King Ria herself was fine.

The next problem was more tied to her family, the one conceived by Morgan's cunning. While Agravaine didn't seem to care enough about any family member joining my ranks of personal guards, that didn't extend to someone that had just recently had the 'round table'. Gawain was one of the knights I thought would have taken years to come by and either join Ria or me, but I was impressed well enough that the blond had managed to join the group led by the girl without me noticing… until Ria herself brought it up to me. It was a mess. A terrible mess. Starting with the fact he strongly believed I had manipulated his younger siblings into joining my army, to being allied with Morgan and having agreed to spare her life due to loyalty. Both accusations were met with Ria's own iron on the matter. She might be sympathetic to the adventures taken by her nephew, but that didn't mean he was free to accuse people like that. She excused this as his experience of the Middle East having left him detached from how nobles worked in Europe. Something that I was fine to forgive through a letter, but unsure if it was going to be a problem I was meant to face during that circumstance.

Finally, the last issue itself and… the one I couldn't really call an issue since I was unsure it was going to be one or not. The fact that Guinevere was going to come to the meeting together with her 'husband' just like I was going to bring Mya to the event had me panicking over one possible situation. What if Lancelot behaved bad? What if he messed things up?

The reasoning was legitimate due to the knowledge I had of his relationship with Ria's queen but… I was far from convinced that it was going to happen without due reason. Due reason that was missing since Lancelot getting the chance to stay by the woman's side even if he fell madly in love with her. Because, I was definitely not going to allow it to proceed beyond a mere thought without base within reality. So I had asked Gareth to pay extra attention to her teacher while we were around, at least the few times I was to remain alone and without guard. The request was met with confusion, but I was quick to reassure her that it was more to protect Lancelot than anything else. More confusion, but she seemed confident enough to not inquire more on the matter.

The party was composed by me, Mya, Felicianus, the twins, Lancelot, Marcus (the jerk has been whining to get onboard the next trip, making me realize how much of a brat he tended to be when the chances of him being stuck with Paperwork), and… Scathach. It was a little surprise, but not one I hadn't expected from her part. While the woman was still tied to the Land of Shadows, that didn't prevent her to at least stay away from it for a full month before it collapsed. She was free to leave it for that duration, with the sole requirement being that she had to be back to avoid a full collapse. The reasoning behind this decision came from a couple of conversations I shared with the proud warrior queen. Conversations tied to Merlin and the chances of him casting a trick or two during the diplomatic event and making a mess out of it.

Albeit that was the primary goal, her true reasoning seemed to be more tied to curiosity and… boredom. She was really interested to study the sword and lance I described to her, the one that Ria had gained (one being Excalibur, with the other one an unknown element from the Arthurian Myth I hadn't studied.) as the potential and power were easily driven by magic rather than simple magecraft. The boredom-related predicaments were… tied to the current status quo I had with her and Mya. Mya was fine with the cuddling, but I was distinctly noticing how the woman had taken a more aggressive approach with the kissing. Not like Scathach was trying to deepen anything, nor try to ask anything. I actually inquired with her about it and… she replied by just declining the first theory and went to answer her behavior with a single word.

"Reminder."

A reminder to what? That's what I wasted hours trying to make sense of before ultimately connecting dots. The woman was worried that, since I was now married, I was now going to spend more time with Mya. Which… meant she was actually looking for more than just kissing, except not in the physical interactions side of things. It was baffling how difficult and frustrating it was to understand women, specifically the one I can't ponder about for too long before getting noticed and properly interrogated. And knowing Scathach and her bluntness, I knew said interrogation would just end up making things awkward.

Despite that, there wasn't an inherent problem with the group. Altuos was set to be left in charge of Londinium for a few days, just for the trip and the event itself. The man was instructed to keep a close watch over any reports regarding foreign ships coming from the south or the east seas and to send messages with the codes he was going to find within the reports right to me. With the creation of an Admiralty, I also saw reason to introduce simple coding. Specific words that were to be used to describe general situations. I didn't have the time to further expand the list beyond two pages of possible codenames, but I was sure those were going to be enough to introduce the concept in the navy.

The situation with Northern France was still one that pressed onto my head. The diplomat had returned much to my relief, but he couldn't give me any information about who we were dealing with. I was confirmed that they were part of the Roman Kingdom of Soissons, but it was unclear if the leadership was the same as the one I was more familiar with. Considering the aggressive nature and the unwillingness to directly meet with the diplomat, it was blatant that it was none of the standard Roman rulers I was aware of. And that meant we were dealing with some enemy I wasn't prepared for. With that in mind, I left plans and contingencies to follow in case of invasion since the ships had yet to be finished to be repaired or built and because the only defense we had were some defensive buildings by the coastal sections that were easier to reach from major French ports. Cannons were stationed, ammunition was provided, and expert cannoneers were employed to keep maintenance of these areas. I knew more attacks were going to come, but I doubted they were aware of what was happening within the Isles to prepare the best timing to strike.

It was a thought that kept me wary on the matter, and one I planned to discuss with Ria thoroughly once the meeting started. The trip took as long as the first time around and the entrance was as impressive as I remember it being. This time around, I found myself enjoying the day of 'rest' granted by Quintus to both the Camelot's entourage and the one from Londinium. The man argued that this development was tied to what happened last time and how he needed to use this opportunity to properly gauge if the castle was safe to conduct a diplomatic meeting without any interruption. Without Morgan, I doubt that was going to be a problem and… I found myself relaxing as I finished drawing some emergency runes as Scathach had instructed me to do.

Speaking of which, I also saw to complete the full restoration and upgrade of the Gamon Gauntlet as the planning and the execution had been fairly… intense. The potential offered by the weapon was incredible and could be expanded due to the gold used for the runes and how much was available to draw more powerful ones onto it. One to create a wind barrier was the first addition, followed by an 'elemental shuffle' of other similar abilities that were tied to water, fire and ice. Of course, the inclusion of other elements entailed a greater drain on the user due to its potential, so I was careful enough to not over use it in case of a serious fight.

It was a refreshing evening the one that followed after a pleasant round of lunch, but something interesting and potentially dangerous unfolded just as I was asked by Lancelot to come to his room and help him with a matter of 'great urgency'. Someone had asked him for help, the kind of help he himself couldn't offer without me knowing what was going on. Something that had me fairly tense and curious at the same time and… within good reasons.

Two individuals, man and woman. Both looked fairly uneasy as soon as Lancelot returned with me on tow and… I was unable to recognize them due to their features. The young man had red hair that trailed down to just a bit below his shoulders. His eyes were half-closed, as if reluctant to show an expression that exceeded the degree of sadness sticking by his face. He was clearly a strong warrior due to the armor he was bearing, the strange harp-like bow sitting beside him by the chair.

The woman had pretty blonde hair that was combed so that they didn't reach lower than her shoulder-height. She had brown eyes that didn't bother hiding a fair amount of dread. She was wearing a lovely azure dress that was pretty standard compared to other maiden of the time, but that had seen better days since there were minor cuts at the edge of the skirt and by the sleeves.

A sigh left my lips as I had a strong feeling that the way Lancelot was sparing me quite the pained look meant this was going to be troublesome to handle all at once. And much as expected, I was provided with quite a mind boggling situation to discuss with Ria as soon as possible. Good news, I might have found a new guard- the bad news was that said guard might enrage one of the bigger vassals under Ria and force action against him and me for harboring the guy.

I really need to stop taking in people just because of their tragic stories. Like, why did Tristan and Iseult come to ask help from me instead of Ria herself!

"This is going to be problematic," Ria commented flatly, lying on one of the benches as I shadow-sparred with one of the wooden swords I found around. Just like the first time we met, we were using this opportunity to not only bond some more but also discuss things without going through a set of careful actions and reactions meant to dignify our status as monarchs. Much to my surprise, Quintus didn't do anything to prevent us from actually reuniting in that circumstance. The man knew we weren't doing anything suspicious and maybe it was just for the best for two monarchs to chit-chat without hearing conflicts explode around. Either that, or he was just too amused by the madness tied to the brand 'Jojo & Ria'.

"I know and I'm sorry. I really am," I replied, pushing all the frustration onto the sword-swinging. "It came out of nowhere and their story is legitimate."

Could I actually blame myself for having not recognized the two individuals within the Arthurian Circle? It wasn't like they appeared to be like the representations known about the two. And their story was also different considering that King Mark was the one that was interested in Iseult and not one of his courtiers, an evil one at that. This change easily worsened the height of the myth since one thing was dealing with an average guy filled with malicious-intent, another was trying to deal with Tristan's own uncle which was the 'King' of Cornwall from what I was aware about. He was Ria's vassal, but still a strong one that could cause a ruckus if not kept satisfied or content with a compromise or another.

"That will not lessen the chances of King Mark from accusing you of being Morgan's puppet. The story of the aphrodisiac is-"

"A massive load of lies," I interjected, gaining a frown out of her. "Hear me out. The effects of an aphrodisiac can be intensified to last for a couple of months, but the sheer intensity displayed within their love for each other, and the lack of symptoms that would suggest the key element of said potion, which is 'Absolute Love', proves that the story is just the creation of envious courtier at his court."

"That might be something he will rule out without trustworthy proof."

A legitimate concern, but one that I actually spared some time pondering about. When one is trying to do the right thing, sometimes he has to take some crazy routes that could easily dampen a relationship with someone that… to be fair I didn't mind ruining.

"What about Merlin?" I inquired, causing her to sit up and gave me a deeper frown.

"Why would he want to help you with this? Where is the win for him?"

"Help you. Not me, you," I remarked, making her sigh as she realized what I was trying to say.

"You want him to confirm this story for you so King Mark doesn't have ground to stand on in case he tries to accuse you of being loyal to Morgan by defending me for being too lenient on any decision I take this matter, right?" Ria asked rhetorically, clearly understanding where my logic was aimed in that precise moment. "How do you know he will not just… twist the matter so you're still accused of being with Morgan."

A good rebuttal, but one that was wrong on a single basis.

"He cannot do that."

…

"What?" At this point the blonde stood up and gave me a serious look. "Are we talking of the same person?"

"We are. But I will give you a hint on why I know he will not try anything funny about this circumstance," I argued calmly. "When the trial was over, I gave your representatives a copy of the geas I had Morgan sign plus a well-detailed plan over the kind of guarding system I had her assigned to."

"I remember, yes but… why does this matter?"

"Do you remember the clause I had when it came to the geas itself? The one thing I asked you to do with Merlin about it?"

She blinked, something clicked in her mind as she slowly realized where I was going with this conversation. "You asked me to have it checked by Merlin and then you wanted him to give a judgment of it out in the public and before me."

I nodded. "And?"

"And he admitted with 'pure honesty' that the contract was more than satisfactory as it effectively rendered Morgan unable to use magic to commit any threat to me, my family and my kingdom. He also said something about 'it being a good way to preserve a life while also nullifying the chances of her controlling you or anyone at court'."

My smile widened at that explanation, being the same, or at least similar, to the one she wrote down in one of our latest letters. "And?

…

"And that would mean he can't support any accusation without indirectly bringing himself out as a liar," Ria pointed out, her eyes widening as she finally grasped why I wasn't worried about the circumstance itself. "With him confessing that magically speaking Morgan couldn't have controlled you, the accusation of this being a plot ordained by Morgan would fall before it could gain substance."

"Yes. And that's why I know it will be impossible to even present as a substantial accusation once I require Merlin to verify together with a trustworthy magician that both individuals are devoid of the effects of aphrodisiac."

"But that wouldn't stop King Mark from hating you for doing this."

From the way Tristan described him, he was going to be forgiven eventually. They are family, uncle and nephew, where the oldest of the two took care of the redhead when Tristan's father died in the battlefield and his mother perished after bringing him to life. While that was going to leave a bitter stint to their relationship, I doubted all bridges had been burned. The same couldn't be said about me. I was a neutral party that had grown interested in this matter. Mark was going to hate me to the grave, something that I doubted Tristan was going to clean up for me if the two managed to patch things up. You can forgive family for big stuff, you can do the same for a stranger. Still, I didn't mind because of the simplest reason possible.

"He is older than me. The chances of him dying are high and I know that it's the kind of offense that is tied to the person rather than the house," I rebuked mirthfully, finally stopping shadow-sparring. I was a little sweaty, and I didn't need Scathach to think crazy things had ensued in the little stroll I went through when I left her to cuddle up with Mya. "Like, imagine this one heir that declares war to 'avenge the fact the woman his father or uncle loved did not return his affection and married to one of his best knights'."

"What if he manages to send an assassin?"

Fair point, I thought silently, but not the first time I found myself debating about this very point. Since assassination was a common way to die, a knowledge that I learned through medieval studies and playing CK2 into oblivion, I had plenty of time to think to solutions and counters to these attempts. I wasn't going to die just because some petty bastard wanted me to choke with my spit thanks to poisonous cake.

"I've already taken steps to prevent that kind of trouble months ago," I assured with a small smile. "I tend to overthink when it comes to possible assassinations, so I'm one step ahead of these circumstances."

"I assume you're not just saying this to make me feel less worried," She guessed and I nodded.

"There's no need to be concerned about it. I know how easy it is to make one false step and trip onto some upward standing dagger, and I'm not planning to do that," I pointed out mirthfully, something that was replied with a huff from the blonde. There was a brief moment of silence as I decided to walk up to the bench and sit together with Ria. The girl spared me a curious look and… rekindled the conversation, this time bringing up a topic related to the one we just concluded.

"How did you… know that it wasn't absolute love?"

I blinked, caught off-guard by that query. "Uh? What do you mean?"

"How did you realize that it wasn't aphrodisiac? I mean, certainly you have an explanation for this but… I would like to actually know since..."

"You're afraid someone might slip some love potion while you're not looking?"

"More like this happening to Guinevere if I have to be honest," Ria commented truthfully. "While I can fight off any external influence, she doesn't have the same protection and I can… worry about her."

I nodded. "That sounds like a constant worry of yours and… well, it's pretty simple. Aphrodisiacs of that kind don't induce real love, but a high-powered version of crushes."

…

"What is a… crush?"

Oh right, the concept wasn't really that common at the time… Silly me.

"Did you ever get the chance of seeing some children, may those be boys or girls, look at a model individual, a knight or a fair lady, and be… 'interested by them' despite being young?" I asked with a serious tone, the girl responding with a slow nod.

"I… I think I saw something like this, yes," The blonde confirmed. "They admire these older individuals and… would like to marry them?"

It is within human nature to seek those that they feel they can trust. So why not trust more those that stand out as shining models that resonate with their morality? Some just admire, others just go further and… develop crushes. Sometimes it's cute, sometimes it's life-teaching, and a few times it can actually kill people.

"Yes. You see, this kind of attraction is defined as a 'crush' since it means any logic regarding normal love crashing due to infatuation rather than legitimate attraction," I started to explain. "They don't care for flaws, they only latch on the good qualities that they have. Sometimes it can lead to unpleasant relationships since it would be an immature form of love, a really flawed one. Love potions work similarly as they create that same situation but for the individual it is keyed to. And it's stronger."

"So they 'love' someone but… they can't sense anything wrong about them? They can't perceive any of their flaws or mistakes."

I nodded. "They are completely submitted to the idea of loving their best and ignoring their worst. While in a mature love both partners know that there are flaws on both sides, which is why the union serves to work on these issues and create the best of both through it."

She hummed. "You tend to be quite overconfident at times."

What a sudden jab! The cheeky girl is back and she isn't sparing anyone!

"Well, you tend to be stubborn when you think you are right about something when it's not really the case," I argued with a tiny smile. "You can be right a fair amount of times, but you still tend to be too much 'tied' to some ideas that are silly and self-harming."

"I-I'm not that bad."

"You are not. But that doesn't mean you should just ignore that."

Ria huffed and… she was soon pressing her forehead onto my chest. I blinked just once as I realized that she had set herself in a situation where I was just a moment away from hugging her. And then it happened since it wasn't really unusual just… unplanned. She nuzzled at my chest and I nuzzled back with my chin over her head, allowing the little strand of air protruding from the top of her head and arched in a soft upward curve to poke at my nose.

The embrace was the last meaningful detail of that encounter. We were both tired, and there was still the formal reunion for tomorrow. Having already discussed most of the more important things with the girl without going into details, I knew I wasn't going to find a hostile side to satisfy by the time I had to sit in the negotiation table. It didn't spare me from worrying about Gawain, but it still prevented me from worrying about Lancelot as I saw him assigned to worry about Tristain and Iseult as I wanted them to be recognized as citizens of Londinium and grant the redhead a seat in the little guard group I had with me. I would have to vet him but… I could tell the quiet kid was just sad and that's all.

Just as I managed to get back to my bedroom, I paused from slipping inside the bed when I noticed that a little candle was lit up. It wasn't something unusual since it was tied to a little rune array I had created through the collaboration of Scathach and Altuos. It was something that allowed distant messages to be filtered from afar. Differently from possible radios, it was meant to send written messages, like an email or something based around this concept.

I approached the table, right where the stack of papers meant to be used for this array had now a written report standing atop its small tower of white. Frowning, I leaned forward and read the message sent by Altuos. It was very brief, it detailed a brief skirmish by the southern region. Few ships, not enough to be an invasion force and they were quick to engage the defenses rather than avoid confrontations. It was a clear scout mission, and I was provided for a few codes confirming that not much was damaged during the naval defense. The problem? I knew this meant much more than this and… then there was this last sentence, this one a transcription of a man that was fished from the sea after falling off one of the ships and given the chance to speak before being captured.

The two words sent me in a brief state of dread, as I quickly scribbled down through the array an order of partial mobilization and the deployment of the available troops over the 'blind spots' of the fortifications. I doubted a real invasion was meant to happen in a few days but… precaution was never a bad move when it came to this kind of proclamation from Rome.

'Londinium destruetur.'

Londinium will be destroyed.