“Three frigates, Your Grace, including the Eastern Honor, commanded by Roland Jarmann.” Whispers spread throughout the room. “A pair of sloops were damaged so severely that we found them abandoned along the coast of Black Isle.”
“Very good, Admiral.” Eadric nodded and then stood. “Many of the lesser lords and knights of the territories of Kerberos stood against my forces, but I understand the situation that you were placed in. The nobles whom you served had joined in open rebellion against me and some of your own neighbors had joined in that rebellion of their own will. Therefore, any lesser lord or knight who will sign a pledge of loyalty and swear their lives and service to my throne will receive a full pardon for their crimes. You do not need to present your pledges to me now, but every territory will be expected to answer for their crimes one way or another.”
No one moved.
“Bring in the traitors.”
The massive doors at the end of the hallway groaned open and after a moment a procession of guards and prisoners was led through them. They were dirty and bloody, and most of them hadn’t been allowed to sleep in days. They were the head of the snake that had risen up at Eadric’s back; it wouldn’t happen again. Magnus Jarmann was the first prisoner in the procession. His blonde hair was dirty and matted with blood, his strong jaw was set in a defiant grimace, but his cold gray eyes held nothing. He was a defeated man and he knew it.
The men were brought through the crowds and stood in front of the throne. Eadric looked at each man but none of them would meet his gaze.
“Lord Magnus Jarmann, Duke of Agilard, you stand accused of treason against the Crown of Ansgar, inciting your fellow citizens to treasons, murder of Ansgari citizens in the service of the Crown, and inciting others to murder their fellow citizens. Those nobles who stand with you now and those that have fled the grasp of my army stand similarly accused,” Eadric announced. His voice boomed and echoed off of the walls. No one whispered. “How would you answer to these charges?”
“Nothing I can say that will change my fate,” Magnus said. His voice was low, almost a whisper; Eadric had to step closer to hear him better. “My people were once an independent nation. We have suffered under the heel of the Ansgari boot for a century and we would have no more of it.”
“Your nation was conquered and your great-great-grandfather, our great-great-grandfather, realized that he was defeated and surrendered his throne. Now you’ve gone and re-opened a century-old wound and caused me to divert from the real threat to my nation to crush your pathetic rebellion.” Eadric shook his head and sat back on the throne. “Lord Jarmann, as you are the last of your line—”
Magnus’ eyes flew open and his head snapped up.
“Oh yes, your son’s ship was sunk,” Eadric said. “And since they have not been located in the city, I can only assume that you forced your wife, my sister, to take your other children with her aboard Roland’s vessel. Perhaps you should have thought before putting all of your eggs aboard the Eastern Honor.”
Magnus’ head slumped again and Eadric didn’t even try to hide his smile.
“As you are the last of your line, it falls to me to declare your heir. As the only remaining male descendant of Duke Ivan Jarmann of Agilard, I stand as the direct heir to the title of the Duchy of Agilard. Are there any here who would contest my right to ascend to the title of Lord of the Agilard based on the validity of my claim, my capacity to serve as a Noble of Ansgar or my fitness to take on this role?”
Eadric waited a moment and then continued.
“As the true and rightful King of Ansgar and the territories known as Kerberos, I declare myself as heir to the title of Duke of Agilard. Furthermore, without a statement in your own defense, I declare you guilty of the charges that I have set before you. The nobles that have fled will be considered exiles and will stand for their crimes should they ever set foot on Angari soil again.” Eadric steepled his fingers under his chin. “As for you, Magnus, I sentence you and the nobles that stand with you now to death by beheading. To be carried out immediately.”
Shouts erupted from half of the room and the King’s Shields brought their muskets to their shoulders to deter any disruptions. Kendall Shield stepped down from the small dais and waited as the guards forced their prisoners to their knees.
Chapter 31 - Hadrian
The train station was swarming with people as Hadrian and his guards approached. Thousands of soldiers were climbing out of the train cars. Their various uniforms marked them as men from nearly every barony in the West. Silver with gold accents from Arndell, the white jackets and blue trousers of West End, even the garish orange with blue collars from Sea Watch.
I’ll be glad to see that change, Hadrian thought as he dismounted. He opened his pocket watch and nodded; still ahead of schedule.
After his ascension to the title of South Griffin Cliffs and its unification with his own territory had been confirmed by the Assembly, the gathering of nobles had moved on to more pressing matters. Each of the dukes had been allotted a full day for themselves and their sworn nobles to bring forth topics of discussion. Each issue had been put to a vote on its merit for further debate.
Most of the matters—disputes about territorial borders, requests for certain exemptions from one law or another for certain patrons, or things as mundane as the order in which the territories were placed in the roll call—were voted down and ignored. But a dozen major topics had been set aside for further debate and Hadrian’s suggestion that the armies of the West adopt a uniform had been passed for further discussion.
The lack of uniforms had caused confusion nearly a dozen times already. Several times a Western regiment had charged another Western regiment because they thought that they were attacking a loyalist force. Another several times a loyalist unit had been allowed within rifle range before someone realized that they were a foe.
Hadrian’s suggestion of gray with gold highlights had been met with some debate from nobles sworn to the other dukes, but he had pointed out that gray dye was the least expensive of the three major colors. Orange would stand out too greatly and blue was an extremely common color. Aside from the orange of Sea Watch, gray was also the least common color in the sigils of the Ansgari nobility.
After several hours of debate, the Assembly finally declared that the uniform of their armies would consist of gray trousers and jacket with highlights based on the duke that the regiment was sworn to. The contrast of colors served to eliminate confusion caused by a single uniform color and satisfy all three dukes in the process.
The first batch of uniforms would not be ready for several weeks yet, but once all of the textile mills in the west received the orders, they would begin producing the uniforms until all of the levies were provided with them and there were enough extra for additional forces.
The debate over uniforms had brought up the issue of a regular army to replace the levies and volunteer units that made up the Western forces. While the levies had fought well, eventually they would need to return to their homes to tend to their farms and families. A dedicated force of enlisted soldiers would provide for a more consistent level of training and would give the Western forces a sense of stability.
Before the issue of a regular army could be resolved, however, the matter of taxes had been raised. The first Assembly had declared that each of the territories would be responsible for providing a portion of their taxes to the common defense equal to the amount that they had been sending to Aetheston as taxes. That had been a temporary measure, however, and the dukes knew that a more permanent resolution had to be made.
The Assembly had spent nearly ten days drafting the Articles of Alliance, the treaty that would bind the western nobles together under a single flag. It had been made clear at the beginning of the debate that the Articles would be a temporary solution to the problem, meant to hold their territories together until such time as a more permanent set of laws could be drafted.
The Westgar Alliance of Nobles had been formed
by those articles. While they fought for their freedom from Ansgar, the three dukes would handle the day-to-day affairs of their lands and the lands of their sworn nobles, convening only to handle major matters. The full Assembly would gather twice a year to vote on major matters of state. Taxes would be collected and used to fund the newly formed military.
Where the volunteer soldiers were given a daily stipend of a single copper penny, soldiers and sailors that enlisted for a two-year term of service would receive three coppers per day and a bonus of a silver shield per month. Enlistments of five years would earn the men five pennies per month and an additional five shields on the first of every month.
The knights and commissioned officers that would command the regular forces would also receive a monthly stipend. For the knights, those funds would be drawn from the noble and lesser lord that they claimed as their liege. Many of those knights were already retained by the nobles that they served, so the extra money would represent less of an expense than paying for a regular army.
Lord Putnam Seward had been placed in command of the Westgari Army and Navy for a two-year term, Lord Croutcher was given the task of coordinating foreign affairs, and Lord Ridley had been asked to build a support infrastructure within the nation. Their roles would rotate every two years to give each aspect of the government a new look on a regular basis.
As their new nation’s foreign minister, Dalton had been quick to choose envoys to send to the other nations of Zaria. Lesser lords and the lesser children of Westgari nobles, most of them trained from birth to serve as envoys for their fathers and elder brothers, were given the major share of the assignments.
Reports had also reached the west that Agilard City had fallen and that Eadric had executed every Kerberosi noble he could lay his hands on. The others had been declared fugitives and had fled their homes to take refuge in Beldane and Steimor.
That news had caused panic in the Assembly but Dalton had been quick to point out that the Kerberosi had murdered one of Eadric’s closest friends and advisors under the pretense of a peace summit. He had also noted that their defenses were much better than the Kerberosi and that the supply lines for Eadric’s army would be far longer in the west than it had been in the east. Lord William Richards had been responsible for at least two decisive victories against the Kerberosi and without his strategic vision and tactical knowledge, Eadric would have to rely on lesser commanders on the battlefield.
Hadrian climbed the long stairs to the top of the platform and the crowds parted before him. Even if none of the commoners and soldiers had ever seen him before, everyone knew there was only one noble in Ansgar that was as tall as he was. The company of guards at his heels would confirm his identity to anyone that still doubted that he was a man of power.
Power and influence, Hadrian thought as he waited for the last of the soldiers to disembark from the train.
Chapter 32 - Eadric
The city of Agilard still smelled like smoke, burned flesh, and dying men. Eadric would be happy to get out of the dying city. He had lost more soldiers in the defeat of the Kerberosi than he had expected, but conscripts throughout central Ansgar continued to replace the losses. Except for that embarrassing battle at Green Hills and the loss of Fort Hart, his western armies were untouched. His remaining eastern divisions and the conscripts that his generals were gathering from the Kerberosi territories would increase his active force by seven full divisions.
Nearly every lesser lord and knight that had been brought before him had sworn his fealty to Eadric’s cause. The overwhelming support he had received showed Eadric that those lesser lords, and the people that they represented, had been forced by their nobles to rebel against him and that they wanted to be a part of the Ansgari nations. He had ordered the Kerberosi lesser lords and knights to be assigned to his forward units, where they would be the first to face the western nobles and his troops would be able to keep an eye on their newfound allies.
The most difficult task had been arranging for trains to carry the troops and artillery from Kerberos to the western front: only one major line between Agilard City and Aetheston had been rebuilt. Trains were being brought in from the west to carry soldiers and equipment to the other side of the nation, but they had to be meticulously scheduled to avoid collisions between trains heading in opposite directions.
His advisors had informed him that even with the most aggressive schedule, and assuming that a third of his forces remained in Kerberos to maintain peace and order, it would take well into the new year, more than two full months, to move all of his soldiers to the western front. It would take another two months to move most of the artillery to join the fight on the other side of Ansgar, and half of the guns would have to be disassembled for the journey.
Of course, those estimates assumed the other major lines remained out of use. If Eadric’s engineers were able to restore even one more line, it would cut the transport estimate in half. He had already sent them to assess which of the lines would require the least amount of work to return to working order and had ordered that they receive as much logistical support as they needed to complete the restoration of the rail network.
“Your Majesty, we have a number of lesser lords and a handful of nobles that would like to have an audience with you on the train,” Sinclair Dohr said. He carried a ledger today, likely marked with all of the appointments that he had made for his king.
“I will have no visitors except for my council,” Eadric said. “Kendall, I want my guard doubled immediately. The western nobles will have seen that their rebellion is doomed to failure. If they are not willing to submit to my rule and accept the consequences of their action, they may become desperate enough to attempt an assassination.”
“My lord.” Kendall tried to keep the doubt out of his voice; he failed.
“I have spoken, Kendall. I want all visitors screened to ensure that they are not carrying weapons or poison. Those who my council feel are urgent enough for me to speak with directly will be allowed in my presence. The others will have to wait for my decisions.”
“As you command,” Kendall said.
They were in the merchant quarter of the city of Agilard. Warehouses dominated the streets and the smell of smoke was lessened. Eadric, through his generals, had made it very clear that the warehouses were to be left intact and the merchants were not to be harassed. The economy of Kerberos had already taken a fall thanks to this rebellion and Peter Wellstone would hem and haw if he had to find a way to support a failing economy in the middle of crushing another rebellion.
If the Kerberosi economy could keep itself afloat, it would be less of a burden on the general economy of Ansgar. And keeping the merchants happy was the key to maintaining the strength of their economy. Several of them had been allowed special tax arrangements in order to maintain their businesses, and merchant ships were already sailing out of Hellhound Harbor with holds full of goods.
Too many of the pre-rebellion Kerberosi merchant ships had sunk, either as victims of blockades, merchant raiding or sabotage, or had fled Ansgari waters to try their hand at the carrying trade elsewhere in the world. Some of the merchant ships from the rest of Ansgar would need to be diverted to pick up the slack, but with the western ports closed to any ship with an Ansgari flag, there were plenty of empty holds to go around.
The loss of the western taxes and trade income had struck another blow to the Ansgari economy and Eadric wondered how long it would take to restore it to its former state. The other nations of Zaria would likely be hesitant to invest in the rebuilding effort.
Eadric shook his head. He had spent most of his life trying to improve the image of Ansgar in the eyes of the other nations of the world. His nation had been feared by its neighbors for years, and his years of diplomatic maneuvering and trade alliances had gone a long way to establishing a relationship with the nations in the south.
All of that had been destroyed by the pair of rebellions that had split Ansgar. Eadric would bring the full migh
t of the Ansgari army down on the rebels that had cost him so much, and his fury would be terrible.
Chapter 33 - Raedan
“Should be just on the other side of that ridge,” Captain Silas Heritage said.
He had served as a satisfactory— if not particularly talkative— guide for the men assigned to travel across the Vast Sea in the name of the newly formed Westgari government. The cavalry officer had served under Hadrian at the Battle of Green Hills and had been assigned to this task because of his actions in that battle. His company followed behind them, carbines at the ready.
“Thank you, Captain,” Ahlrick Cheston called from behind Raedan.
Ahlrick was one of Putnam Seward’s bastard sons and had inherited the look of his father’s family. He had a tangled mane of fiery orange hair and dark brown eyes. He stood a few inches more than six feet tall and had a bookish look to him.
“Do you know what kind of ship we’ll be sailing in?” Pyt Ansell asked.
Pyt was one of Lord Ridley’s most trusted and respected lesser lords and had been assigned to this mission because of his knowledge of several of the languages used on the other side of the Vast Sea. He was a year younger than Raedan and stood nearly a foot shorter, with dirty black hair and green eyes.
“From what I understand, Lord Seward has contracted a dragonship from Laine to carry you across the sea,” Damon Kor said from the rear of their group. “If it’s like any of the other dragonships that I’ve seen, it will be much faster than anything near its size.”
Raedan rode silently behind their guide, his eyes on the horizon as they approached yet another line of hills. Once they had passed the White Ridge Mountains, the hills had grown too steep for the trains and the column had been forced to take to horseback. That had been four days earlier. They were finally approaching the city of Falmere and White Ridge Harbor.
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