Chapter 232: Response II


    “Hmm, Avidius always was over-cautious and indecisive,” Trajan mused, “I have no idea why my brother made <em>him</em> into a Consul…”


    Before him was a hovering light projection of August. The younger Prince had arranged for a call with his uncle to discuss the situation with Talfar, but it had been dyed both by August’s difficulties with the Legions in the Central Territories and by Trajan’s evacuation of Florentia.


    “Is there nothing you can do to help, Uncle?” August asked. “I’m doing my best to wrangle some support to bring to the Horns, but I haven’t gotten very far…”


    “I can send a message to Avidius personally, but he’s under no obligation to assist me without a royal decree. This would be a <em>very</em> different thing if I were in the capital, but I can’t leave my post with an enemy army in the field.”


    “I understand,” August said.


    “By the way, how is my Royal Brother?” Trajan asked, doing an expert job at keeping the concern he felt from leaking into his voice while he was surrounded by many of his subordinates.


    “His Majesty is…” August began before hesitating for a long moment as he chose the right words to say, knowing that others could hear their conversation. “His Majesty is doing about as well as can be expected…”


    —


    King Julius’ personal pce wasn’t nearly as grand as his station might imply. With only five rooms built around a small courtyard, it was barely even asrge as the most modest of noble vis out in the city. But what the King loved most about this ce was its istion, as rather than being surrounded by luxurious gardens and other wings of the Royal Pce, it had been built within the small forest that had been cultivated for the pleasure of the royal family. The purpose of this was to fulfill the need for istion and privacy that the Bull King might otherwise be denied in the main pceplex.


    Despite this istion, the small royal vi had a battalion of guards stationed around it at all times, though most of these were, admittedly, made to patrol around the perimeter of the forest.


    August, Rnd, and the Brimstone Pdin were stopped several times by the guards as they hurried toward the vi. The forest wasn’t thatrge, as they could easily walk there from the main pceplex, but it was more than enough space for them to run into no less than three guard patrols who weren’t pleased with their unannounced visit.


    Still, a Prince-Regent apanied by two Pdins wasn’t going to be stopped for long, and August arrived at the gates of the vi before the sun set.


    The vi wasn’t nearly as ostentatious as the rest of the Royal Pce. It had the same white stone walls and red ceramic roof tiles as the rest of the pce and had a huge marble statue of the Sacred Bull outside of it, but itcked the intricate murals and tapestries that covered the walls in the main pce. Much of the floor was covered either in smooth white marble tiles with long ck streaks or thick red carpet, but otherwise, there wasn’t much in the way of decoration. Even the columns within the courtyard were fairly simple,cking the paint that covered most of the other decorative columns in Bull Kingdom architecture.


    The three visitors entered the vi after passing by onest guard detail on the main doors and made their way to the back of the vi, just off the courtyard. Standing guard outside of this room was a truly enormous man covered from head to toe in gleaming armor of interlocking bronze tes,rge boxy pauldrons that emphasized his broad shoulders, and a full-face helmet that had been shaped to have a vague resemnce to a short bird’s beak tucked under his left arm. Along the joints and the seams between the bronze tes, August could see runes glowing a gentle gold.


    “Sir Praecilius!” August said in greeting. The Bronze Pdin barely lifted his gaze to the Prince, and August noticed his hands drifting toward the gigantic bronze battleax strapped prominently on his back.


    “Your Highness,” Praecilius replied in a tone of both greeting and warning as if the Pdin wasn’t sure which to use, his bright brown eyes tracking every movement August made.


    “I’m here to see my Royal Father,” August said. He brokered no room for bargaining, as he walked right past the Pdin to push open the door.


    Fortunately, he was both a Prince and was followed by a pair of Pdins himself, as otherwise, the Bronze Pdin would’ve cut August down before his hand had even touched the door. As it was, the Bronze Pdin warmly smiled to the Brimstone Pdin as he passed, while he gave Rnd little more than a curt nod.


    The King’s bedchamber was exceptionally dimly lit. Even with his fifth-tier senses, August had to take a moment to adjust to theck of light.


    The bedroom wasvishly furnished, though the pieces of furniture themselves weren’t particrly ornate. There were tables,fortable armchairs, a warm firece, a door that lead to a magnificent bathroom, dressers and closets filled with clothes, and in the very back, a massive bed. The Bull King had been arge man, but his bed could’ve fit a dozen people or more—and given the size of his father’s harem, August was certain it had fit even more than that in the past.


    Unfortunately, the King had tried to force his soul realm to grow in a bid to reach the eighth-tier and wound up severely injuring himself. He’d been in aa for more than six years as a result, and his formerly robust and heavily built body had wasted away to the point that August was barely able to still see his father in the dangerously thin and pale man thaty unmoving in the bed.


    The King’s short brown hair had grown while he had been unconscious, with much longer stretches of time between when a trusted servant was allowed toe in and cut it, and there were noticeable streaks of silver within his once rich brown locks. August felt his stomach sink at the sight of how weak his father appeared, just as it always had whenever he visited. It was difficult to reconcile the strong and energetic man he once was with the bag of skin and bones that his injury had reduced him to.


    August walked right over to the side of the bed and quietly kneeled at his father’s side, ignoring the other Pdin that stood guard in the bedchamber itself. This second Pdin was of average height and dressed in shapeless brown robes. He had no hair anywhere on his head, and his face was thin enough to show his unimpressive cheeks and jawline. His deep brown eyes watched August like a hawk while his hands unconsciously curled into fists.


    “Mettius!” the Brimstone Pdin said, trying to be both as quiet and as good-natured as he could.


    “Saturnius,” the Penitent Pdin replied. He practically ignored Rnd’s presence, much to thest Pdin’s chagrin—though it was better than the Bronze Pdin’s almost open hostility.


    “How is His Majesty?” Brimstone asked.


    “He hasn’t changed much sincest you visited,” Penitent replied as he watched August whisper into the King’s ear.


    “Has that doctor from the Sacred Golden Empire made any progress with that potion he was supposed to brew?” Rnd curiously asked.


    “He’s gathered about half of the ingredients, including that Heartwood Amber you retrieved,” Penitent responded.


    Rnd nodded, earnestly hoping that the King could be healed in time to prevent a civil war, but that was looking less and less likely as more time passed.


    After about five minutes, August stood up from his father’s side and looked at the three Pdins standing near the entrance.


    “Get Sir Praecilius in here,” hemanded.


    Penitent frowned a little, but since there was no danger to the King with four Pdins present, he didn’t say anything about Bronze moving from his post outside the door.


    Once all four Pdins were in the bedroom, August calmly and bluntly stated, “My uncle, Prince Trajan, has sent word to me that there is a Talfar army on our borders, and that it seems so likely that they are going to try and seize Ariminium that it would be the height of absurdity to deny it.”


    Both Penitent and Bronze were shocked at this news, but their surprise was mutedpared to their anger.


    “Those traitorous dogs! Did they not learn their lesson thest time?!” Bronze angrily muttered, careful not to raise his voice too loudly when in the presence of the King, his level of consciousness notwithstanding.


    “They will be turned back from the Horns,” Penitent said. He kept his expression neutral, but it was clear from his clenched fists and the subtle way that the magterns in the bedroom began to flicker that he was incensed.


    “I have tried to mobilize several Legions and have them reinforce my uncle’s fortress, but the Consul of the Central Territories has stymied my efforts,” August continued, only slightly exaggerating the truth.


    “It takes a decree from the King or the Assembly to dere war,” Penitent observed, “and the Assembly is not in session. The Consul can’t legally move without a direct order from the King or a unanimous order from his representatives.”


    “Nowhere in thews does it say ‘unanimous’,” Brimstone growled. “His Highness has every right tomand him to ride east, but Avidius is too chicken-shit to do so!”


    Penitent shed Brimstone a quick re at the profanity but otherwise didn’t respond.


    “That doesn’t matter right now,” August said, moving the conversation along before anyone started getting offended. “What matters is who I <em>can</em> bring, as I am <em>not</em> going to leave my uncle out there on his own, with only the resources of the Eastern Territories to call upon!”


    “Why are you telling <em>us</em> this?” asked Bronze.


    “I want your assistance,” August replied.


    “We are sworn to the <em>King</em>, not to the Princes or Princesses,” Penitent reminded August.


    “I’m <em>aware</em> of that,” August snapped back, “but without a direct order from the King, you’re left to your own devices! ‘Your own devices’ right now means that you have taken it upon yourselves to guard His Majesty, but that doesn’t have to be the case! There are enemies at the gates of the Kingdom, <em>literally</em>, and I can’t imagine that the two finest warriors in the entire Kingdom would ever want those gates breached!”


    —


    “And what did they say?” Trajan asked, his tone dropping to freezing-cold anger at the implication behind August pausing at this point.


    August took a deep breath and said, “They gave me no specific promises. I asked them for help in persuading the individual Legates to march with me, but again, they refused tomit to anything. They’re more taken with guarding my father’s… training chamber than they are with protecting the Kingdom!”


    As most of the people in the room with Trajan weren’t aware of King Julius’ current condition, August had to be careful and step around that issue, but he was getting angry enough at his inability to get the Legions moving that he almost lost control.


    “Uncle,” August continued, “you’re still highly respected among the Legion officers here in the capital, as well as in the entire Kingdom! If you were to contact individual Legates, or at least let me speak for you, then I’m sure I can assemble three or four Legions and bring them to you at the Horns! I also have the Brimstone Pdin and the Pdin Rnd Magnusmitted to the cause, and they can together bring another seven thousand knights and men-at-arms as well!”


    Trajan sat in his armchair silently fuming. The bureaucracy of the capital and the arrogance of those who ran it was the main reason why he renounced his im to the throne in favor of his little brother, to begin with. But, if it brought him the reinforcements needed to not just defend Ariminium and the Bull’s Horns but to push the Talfar army back, then he’d certainly help his nephew in any way he could.


    “You can speak for me. I’ll back up whatever you say, within reason,” Trajan said, finally relieving some of the obvious tension in August’s strained expression. “Do as your father once did, and bring me Legions to push Talfar back!”


    August sighed and said, “I will, Uncle, but there’s not much we can do right now, is there?”


    “Not while my brother is still locked away in training,” Trajan said, his face darkening at the lie told for the sake of the knights and Legion officers around him.


    “I’ll do what I can,” August said. “At the very least, you’ll have the Pdins Rnd and Saturnius, plus theirbined seven thousand knights and men-at-arms. And me, for whatever that’s worth.”


    “You know, most nobles would advise that you not humble yourself like that,” Trajan said with a sly smile. “A Prince, a <em>King,</em> would never put himself down so quickly.”


    August chuckled and said, “I’ll remember that, Uncle. Now, I have a lot of work to do to coordinate this, as I’m sure you have as well.”


    “I do, indeed.”


    “Then I’ll let you get to it. Oh, and congrattions on the evacuation of… Florentia?”


    “Thank you, it was not a pleasant experience and we’re still picking up the pieces, but it was an overall sess.”


    With that, the two Princes finished their goodbyes and themunication stones flickered off. Neither wasted any more time and immediately got to work. However, just as Trajan was about to sit down back at his desk and call a meeting with his immediate subordinates, a messenger knocked on his door.


    “Your Highness,” the messenger said, “Sir Ursus has woken up!”


    “He has?!” Trajan said, almost springing to his feet. “Is he all right?”


    “He’s… fine…” the messenger replied, not quite looking Trajan in the eye.


    The Prince’s face dropped, and he immediately left his office, shouting back at his assistants to collect reports from his Legates on how the defenses were being prepared while he made his way to the hospital.


    —


    “And so it seems that August is going to leave the capital to try and deal with this minor threat,” the Consul of the Central Territories reported to an ecstatic Prince Octavius in their ownm stone call.


    “Are you sure?” the Prince delightedly asked from a room in the ducal pce in Valentia simr in aesthetic design to the one at the Bull’s Horns. “Your reports are urate?”


    “Both Pdins that follow him around like leashed pets have called up their knights,” the Consul replied.


    “He’s going to abandon the capital for some petty border skirmishes in the East when he hasn’t left in more than six years…” Octavius whispered to himself. “Wonderful!” he almost shouted to the Consul. “In that case, I will be returning to the capital! It’s a little early for something like this, but I can’t let this opportunity to destroy whatever support thatmon bastard has raised in court slip by!”