Escalation Tendency (2)

My assumption over the campaign proved to be correct.

The Franks had started to move by the border with a considerably numerous army as a possible invasion force to stab us in the rear. It wasn't a nice development and I definitely didn't plan to sit this one out considering the full extent of a pincer maneuver like that one. After making sure that things were fine at home, I left together with Gareth and Lancelot for the Francian border to intercept the possible assault from that side of the region. Tristan was a defensive leader, so I had him instructed to check by the Naval force that was garrisoned by the east coast and make sure that no sneak attack unfolded from that general direction. I also sent a few letters, first to the main force handling Syagrius' troops to alert of this circumstance, and then one to Ria to be ready to reinforce her father-in-law in case he wanted to spare soldiers to this new front. I had been quite 'restrained' when it came to 'talk' or 'message' the young woman ever since Mordred was born as I knew that was still a sore spot for her to handle. The news had spread that I had decided to adopt a child that had been forsaken by her parents.

Princess Mordred was due to be baptized and properly recognized as a ward of the Royal Family, with most of the more important questions answered through the very proclamation that announced her 'adoption'. She wasn't the heir to the kingdom and yet she was recognized as a child of mine due to circumstances. It was particularly odd for people that weren't aware of this unusual function, but some Romans recognized it as an altered version of what old Rome tended to see as a practice to expand one's family. There was widespread acceptance of the news, with just a few hints of skepticism towards where I found the child and why she was so important for the king himself to adopt her. I had to take a few steps into making sure that no one came up with the notion that I would just adopt any child that I ended up finding around during any trip either within Londinium or around my realm. So I came up with the backstory that tied up to a degree of divine signs that made Mordred to be a blessed child of sorts which urged both me and Mya to adopt her. And while this very issue was defused for the time being, the news brought up a very complicated question to answer.

When will the king and queen produce an heir?

Differently from Ria's situation, there were more people interested and even invested upon this predicament and I knew that it wasn't going to explain how draining the paperwork was at times and how Mya's interest in making every night a fun one wasn't exactly a thing in her mind. In fact, she mostly favored cuddling and I didn't have the heart to be more forceful about it. It didn't help that Scathach offered assistance by claiming that she had an 'unquestionable source of knowledge on the matter' and she managed to gain the attention of Mya in that regard. Just the attention, but nothing serious beyond… Well, me worrying about any surprises happening once I got back home. Because now I had another issue to face which was a bit more serious than… that worrisome matter. And I remembered one thing I had forgotten considering how long it's been since I made a boat trip that long to pass through the Channel and right to land in Normandy.

I don't like boat trips.

Not because I had anything particular or biological like seasickness. It was more like I just didn't like the idea of spending so much time in the middle of salty water, with not much to do or say considering that we were out on a serious occasion. The waves, instead of keeping me calm, left me even more unnerved than before I entered that blasted ship. Sure, the wood was strong and prevented any accidents from happening about any water infiltration, but the constant wobbling made writing a tiresome task. Especially when I had to also handle a certain 'slave' taking this chance to boast about her previous conquests and fighting back at home, and how she ascended to her position by waging 'countless wars' and winning them all. Knowing that it wasn't her fault she inherited the late Roman idea of elevate the height of the obstacles faced to make her deed more impressive, I merely told her to not say or do anything stupid or I would have retaliated by putting a muzzle on her mouth. Really frustrating, but at least it wasn't a battle. Yet. Or maybe not. I wasn't exactly sure if the Franks were going to cross the border the moment they saw my army making sure they didn't do anything cheeky on the main force handling the final bits of the war with Soissons. Clovis was known to be bold even from current reports beyond what I knew of him historically. He was the one that claimed Gallia and turned it into 'Francia' through the destruction of Soissons, but he wasn't someone that struck out of boldness alone, but also common sense. The hold Syagrius had in his country was already weak at the time the Franks overran the Roman Kingdom, so it was clear his attack was a precise and calibrated one first and foremost, with boldness acting as drive or 'fuel' for the full-scale invasion.

The locals greeted us with a mixed reaction. At first they were curious but distrustful of me since I was the king that ordained this assault. I had given precise orders to the new governors that were administering the newly-conquered areas to not be aggressive on the natives and focus most of the military might into any loyalists to the previous leadership controlling those zones. A speech was much needed as I stopped just for a few hours to grant this much to the locals and ultimately bring up what was going to happen. The theme was simple: this isn't a conquest which imposed them on a foreign king, but a 'restoration of order' and the 'creation of a proper kingdom' led by someone that was born within these lands and represents them through fairness and example. Any hints of uncertainty seemed to vanish at that promise, while some confusion how this was going to work considering I was still expanding my influence into modern-day France and not just 'making things right'. But first, I had to handle a minor crisis before it became a major and concerning and deadly one. After the force was done disembarking, we rushed out from modern-day Caen and marched right near Cambrai where the border with the Franks was supposed to be.

It took a full day to arrive at our destination, and the sight was far from idyllic when we finally stopped to spot the lurking army beyond but still near the border line. Clovis was in charge of the force itself from what Lancelot pointed out, pointing right at where the guy currently was. I felt nervous at the sight of someone that was clearly taller and strutting with confidence rather than arrogance. No hints of weakness and doubt, and… yep, that's a full squadron of Myas with annoyed but focused looks. No limitations, no chains and shackles. They were treated fairly by the Franks from the looks of it and these women were definitely going to work as a counter to the artillery. If a battle was to erupt out of this, it wasn't going to end up a bloodless win. It was definitely going to be won but… I had some reservations about it ending up nicely in that scenario. Much to my surprise, the standoff didn't last for long as something unexpected unfolded. Something that tied up with Clovis himself advancing towards us on his own with his horse keeping a modest pace. It was surprising but… I could see he wanted to parlay.

Sighing, I spared a look at Lancelot. The knight looked back and I could see Gareth sparing me a tense glance by tilting on the side so she could see me despite having a tall Lancelot between her gaze and me. The girl had the duty of keep an eye out for Lucy so she didn't try anything stupid as she was already muttering something about rushing in and putting an end to this.

"I'll take this chance. I really don't want to get bloodshed if we can afford to avoid it without losing anything important here today."

The 'bodyguard' gave me an uneasy look as I was asking to put myself in danger by offering a degree of honor in that instance. "Your highness, are you sure?"

I nodded. "I have to try."

There wasn't much else to say as I slowly urged my horse to approach the fellow monarch and… soon I stood in front of him. Clovis had shoulder-length blond hair and dark-brown eyes, looking close to a thug with his serious expression that was just about to have him ask me for some lunch money or something of that kind. Not like I would bow down to that kind of BS, but I wouldn't have been surprised if he said something of that kind. He was wearing a dark-green cloak with a fur-collar and edges, his armor mostly consisting of pauldrons, boots and gauntlets made of reinforced iron. He donned a dark yellow tunic that reached just above his knees and he also had a pair of dark-brown pants to match the whole outfit. I descended from my horse just as quickly as we did and… soon we were staring right at each other. The man didn't say anything for a while, merely staring and judging, while I expected a response of sorts. Anything to just understand what he was thinking at that very moment.

"King Joseph of Britannia."

"Chieftain Clovis of the Franks."

He blinked. "I didn't expect for you to personally take interest in my… check up."

"I was around. A day or two off between crossing the channel and taking a quick stroll to the border."

"I suppose it's quite nice of you to be there. The weather is truly lovely today, so I guess I can discuss this with someone of similar status."

I was definitely of a higher rank, but I dared not rebuke that claim, not when I was perceiving something familiar yet… raw about this conversation.

"So, what brings you here in 'Gallia', King Joseph?" He ultimately asked, finally probing for a serious answer.

I hummed, perceiving a degree of issues coming my way if I replied wrong. So… I went for the same behavior Clovis was aiming for.

"I've heard the weather is nice this part of the year. Coincidentally, I can see you too sharing this thought with me."

"Truly a coincidence and… I suppose that army, made by so many sharp-eyed and minded warriors, is your guarding force," Clovis pressured with a hum.

"Indeed. And yours, so professional and battle-ready, looks quite eager to guard you tightly."

…

"So, beyond the usual 'acting around' about us not being there to stop an eventual invasion of yours, may I ask why you needed to parlay?" I decided to sharply twist the conversation into something more serious.

The blond offered a hum, a bit surprised by the sudden change of pace, but also relieved we were playing around no more.

"We can avoid this war if you just allow us to claim some of the lands there. We don't need to truly clash, we just need to… expand our resources."

"So you wish to conquer some territory by the border to expand… what precisely?"

"Vineyards."

…

"Wine? You are actually doing this to expand your wine production?" I pressed on with a frown.

"Despite what it might seem, a kingdom also requires the luxury of the sweet nectar."

I sighed, shaking my head at that stupid reasoning. Was that also why the OTL Clovis went to war or was this an unusual divergence tied up to this specific timeline? Truly a dilemma, but not as big as what I was supposed to say to make things even. Was this even a negotiation attempt? Hopefully yes, and I think I got the right counter-proposal to his original deal.

"How about we go for something that would be more convenient to you?" I inquired with a careful tone of voice, gaining the blond's attention as he slowly nodded at me to continue. "You don't take new land, but we establish a trade agreement to export wine in exchange for resources which you're capable of providing in abundance."

He didn't look so sure about it, and I had a clue or two as to why.

"But why would you even consider this idea?" He asked with a hint of perplexity. "Aren't you… a descendant of 'Rome' or something like it? I'm a barbarian."

"And if you hadn't noticed, most of my army and subjects are made by 'barbarians' too. As far as I'm concerned, the term is stupid and limits the potential an Empire can achieve by having strong allies. Like your tribes."

"We wouldn't bend the knee-"

"And that's not what I'm asking. I don't seek to rule over your lands, Chieftain Clovis. I want to give you an opportunity to gain an alliance in exchange for not raiding these lands," I interrupted flatly.

"...You truly are something, King Joseph," He admitted with a big smile, taking the chance of planting a solid slap on my shoulders with both his hands.

I merely nodded, but as I prepared to push more on the topic, the man decided to spin things back to a degree of weirdness that eventually… brought me to clarity about what I felt familiar about Clovis and his unusually jovial personality.

"By the way, a quick question that I was asked from a friend of mine… is it true that you have married an… 'Einzbern'? I think that's how they define themselves."

I frowned. "Yes?"

"Oh, I wasn't truly sure since much of the news from the Isles has been restrained by that pesky Syagrius and… I see you have captured Lucius," He answered politely and truthfully.

"I wasn't aware of this," I admitted, caught off guard by the fact that Soissons had been acting as a material obstacle for the spread of the news that the Isles were now united. Perhaps they didn't want the idea of solid competitors being noticed by more moderate Catholics that could turn their support to us.

"Still, my friend told me that she heard rumors about it and… yes, it's Eliasviel, that girl over there," He muttered before turning around and pointing his finger at one of the Homunculi that looked similar to Mya.

The girl herself seemed to take notice of the newfound attention, her cheeks flaring before she moved on to double facepalm in an effort to cover her embarrassment. A mirthful smile appeared on the young woman beside her, while others merely shook their heads at the circumstance. And it finally came to my mind why this guy, this infuriatingly good guy with a thug face was so familiar with his behavior. This guy, the one that would have become King Clovis I of the Franks, was a man of culture of the fluff kind. And I got confirmation of it when, as I inquired about the chances of him being quite close to the 'Einzberns' due to their affiliation to his leadership, he said that they were, and I quote, his 'Cuddle Pack'. The King of the Franks was a potential Weeb in the making. Had Anime been a thing at this point, he would have been hooked to the whole thing instead of going for the warrior path from the looks of it. It took monumental effort to not break into an endless laugh at that absurd and insane situation. It was either laughing or suffering through this madness that tore through my poor sanity in that very moment. Because I saw none of that coming my way and it all struck me out of nowhere.

Despite the shocking discovery, I still managed to avert a crisis to fully unfold as we eventually settled to share the same encampment for the day and take this opportunity to explore properly what to do with the trade deal. I also had the opportunity of meeting the Homunculi and… there were a couple that were curious about knowing their distant 'cousin' Mya. I had enough from that lengthy conversation with the group of white-haired red-eyed girls to give my dearest wife more than enough desire to make a trip to meet them. Of course, I would have favored first for them to visit as I wasn't trusting just yet of their capacity to protect VIPs in this troubling situation with the Saxon still lingering around the Northernmost Germany region. And then I was stuck back chatting with Clovis, whom I started to like as a drinking buddy as much as I grew to somewhat despise him the more he grew drunker. His mouth lost any filter and he took a real effort to avoid him to go through some of the more crazier topics a man with that much alcohol in his body should be able to think about in these circumstances. I could already imagine the expression on Ria's face when she would end up receiving a letter from me which detailed how I had found someone crazier than me in Clovis.

Still, as the little 'party' to make sure the idea of peaceful contact stuck by the minds of the soldiers and then our respective people came to an end by the next morning, we parted from Clovis' own group to reach Lutetia Parisiorum (modern day Paris) as the war had seemingly came to an end late the previous night. Marcus had requested for me to join forces in the planned capital of the new kingdom in the making so we could get through with the last preparations to finally proclaim the birth of the Kingdom of Gallia.

Now it was about time we found someone worthy enough to bear the crown and the burden of the fledgling monarchy...

"King Joseph, Lutetia is yours," Marcus greeted politely despite how curt his introduction was.

The entrance in the city was somewhat triumphal as most of the people there found it a joyous day that a king with a big army bearing the standards of old Roman Britannia and the new flag that mirrored the Union Jack except the blue parts of the St. Andrew's Cross were replaced by red ones. Romans, Gallians, and even Iberians greeted us in jubilation as we made our way to the former building owned by the city's previous administration. There we found Marcus chiding Gaheris for something he had said out loud but the two interrupted the interaction the moment I entered the strategy room. I already told Gareth that she could have gone to hug her brother if she felt the need the moment she spotted him and I almost chuckled in pure amusement when the girl, which had initially refused the 'embarrassing permission', eagerly rushed up to her twin brother and pulled him in a tight embrace much to his surprise and the fat laugh coming straight from Marcus himself. That scene wasn't meant to last for long, not when soon, in this very room, I would end up facing several nobles which had staunchly opposed Syagrius and were now convening to give me candidates to serve as monarchs. They might pick up their 'champions' so to speak, but I was the final judge if any of those was capable enough to rule as the new king of these lands.

They brought forth three individuals, both looked fairly… unique in their own way. It was a long scrutiny, especially because the nobles went to thoroughly explain why the first two were of pedigree and had 'experience' by working for their rich relatives. I had nothing against them, personally at least, as they didn't seem outright bad at first glance. But I could already tell they weren't what I was looking at as their relatives just wanted to have a hand in the big cake that was ruling over the slice of Gallia we ended up gaining. The third one was a bit of a shocker if I had to be honest. The reason why he was the last one to be introduced tied up to the very fact that the previous two candidates had been rushed in to try and give me a positive impression and get picked as quickly as possible. Sadly, this tactic didn't work and now I was working with this curious individual. Short brown hair, sharp brown eyes- he looked particularly calm and collected but also stubborn and determined. He was wearing full body armor, his helmet held around his right arm while his longsword was kept by the other side.

Vallius of Lutetia was a commander who revolted against Syagrius for a time and managed to have the upper hand with the support of the people. He ended up captured by an ambush which led him to receive the scar from his last defeat before being captured that ran from one upper side of the cheek to another, over his nose. He was freed shortly after the beginning of the invasion by some conspirators that wanted him to take charge of the city garrison and establish a peaceful reach with our army. We got a friend in the enemy's lines which allowed us to better pierce through the defensive lines created by the 'Romans'. In the end, even Marcus admitted that he was a bit stunned by his quick-thinking and overall loyalty to the Gallian people's cause. When I started to inquire about his current ambitions, he gave an interesting answer that left me stunned for a time.

"I shall seek to better the conditions of my people. Not only the Romans, but also those that have lost rights within the nation due to the previous administrations' insane focus on reviving a nation that missed its legitimate people."

I slowly nodded at this, taking a while to digest these words. Still, I decided to ask the very question that I thought was the best one to define a good king from a puppet king.

"If I was to give the crown to one of the others in this room, someone that I deem fit to promote my will upon these lands, what would be your reaction, Vallius?"

The two previous candidates bowed their heads before accepting that, if it was my will, then it was absolute. And that promptly had them ruled out from holding any major seat for the time being. I didn't need yes men at the time. I needed someone that not only had some experience in organizing people, but also had the will and the good heart to go through the interests of the nation first rather than bowing down to a 'superior nation' for some perspectives.

He blinked, thinking about it for some time before nodding. "It depends on whether the rights of all people are preserved or not."

A fair counterpoint. "What if it's likely they still support Romans? What if that happens? And please, Vallius, I wish for your honesty in this. You might end up becoming a King, like your peers here, so I want the true opinion you have on the topic, no matter how bitter or controversial that would be for others."

...

"I would… I would wage war against the new king and Britannia, for perpetrating the greatest betrayal to the people of this damaged country," The brunet announced strongly, looking at me straight in the eyes while saying this.

I heard some gasps, people tensed up but… I hummed. Despite the shocking proclamation which might horrify some of the nobles at the pure bluntness of the reply, I could only feel my respect for this guy growing by the minutes. Finally I smiled as I could tell I found the rightful king here from the way he was handling my questions.

"You really love your country and your people. And you would do anything to make sure that they are protected by the injustice they had suffered for so long now under those harsh rulers," I affirmed with a kind but still serious voice. "If you bear that crown, it means you will have to learn how to show that love and will to protect beyond the iron of blades and the harshness of orders. It's a journey not many like you can do because they stick too much by the old ways or… even try to make things new by bringing the military as a factor. Be better than them, be better for those you seek to hail as your most precious subjects."

"I will," Vallius muttered softly and soon I asked him to kneel. No hesitation, no confusion and no fear even as I unsheathed Aurea Mors and hovered the blade near him. There was tension and pressure, but his resolve remained unbroken as I slowly and softly delivered two pats with the tip of the blade by his armored shoulders.

"By the Right of Conquest and by the Good Grace of Our Lord, I bestow you with the Crown of this new nation, reborn from the ashes of delusion to create a new hope for the people subjugated by obsolete ideals," I proclaimed solemnly, closing the process by sheathing my sword. "Please, rise up to the duty and burden, but also the right and honor of being King of Gallia, Vallius I of Lutetia."

He stood up, a bright smile on his face as he was given the crown for him to put upon his head. Here he was, the new king of these lands and our newest ally for the coming decades. I would have worked for a more expensive ceremony, but I thought it best to make this first king legitimized quickly rather than wasting too much time on it. Maybe the next one could get a flashier event, but it was only for the best to get a ruler loyal to the people but also loyal to Britannia to form his cabinet and its first roles as a monarch. And as I looked at Vallius, a sense of pride and realization striking his face, I couldn't help but now perceive some bits of his face that I had initially mistaken as just being youthful and sharp due to the circumstance. But now that his face was relaxed, I could see that my early assumption was quite wrong. The 'man' I had appointed as the newest king, the one that sounded tough, experienced and fiercely bound to Gallians and Romans alike, was none other than a Woman. I just caused a 'Merlin' situation to happen and… yep, Ria was going to definitely poke fun at me for finally mistaking someone's gender like that. To be fair, the blonde's hair and lack of toughness in her expression made it easier to catch on that trick, Vallius (or Vallia) was way more difficult to identify than that.

Still… this was definitely going to be a situation I would need to keep track of. There was no way that Vallia was going to pull it through with the need of an heir which will eventually come up as a reason for nobles to try and shove her out of her new position. Very upsetting, but hopefully it was fixable somehow. With this mess put on the backburner for the time being as I decided to wait until I was back home to plan out a solution to it (because I was sure as hell going to get a solution to that problem ASAP), I finally had the chance to meet someone that I had just heard about until that very day. I was minding my business with Lancelot, the man mentioning that he had seen a lady he had first met a few years ago. While I was inquiring about the chances of this being Galahad's mother, I found myself suddenly grasping my left shoulder from behind and almost compelled to turn around to greet the guy that sneaked up on me.

A little bit taller than me, the big-bearded brunet greeted me with a serious frown. A frown which I returned to now I realized the man looked extremely familiar for some reasons. Lancelot was confused by this interruption, even more by the fact he recognized the nobleman immediately and yet remained quiet as I struggled to remember his name. The tension sparked, it rose up until it was time for words to be pronounced.

"King Joseph of Britannia, my sweet daughter told me that you are a friend of hers and her foolish husband."

A scowl formed in my face at the backhanded insult at Ria. "King Leodegrance. You should know better that insulting my good friend Arthur is quite annoying for me to hear. Especially when I think your daughter and him make for a cute couple."

"Oh? And do you wish to discuss this in a private setting?" The big man asked menacingly.

"I wouldn't mind," I strongly remarked, still staring back strongly at the older monarch before we parted away from the spot to find a quieter location to continue with our fierce argumentation. Lancelot followed, a nervous look on his face as he had heard from Mya that Guinevere told her of her father's unique rage when someone walked the thin line of discussing his daughter's marriage, even to support his son-in-law.

This could be even worse than the close calls we had seen up until this point… or even worse. The birth of a deadly friendship between stubborn kings.