Chapter 12, Consequences

  The Black Forest, Schwarzwald Territory

  The party continued with their journey, being guided by the Jaegers through the Black Forest. The group came across the Green Wolf Refugee Camp, still filled with refugees from the Bluegrass Valley who had been forced from their homes. Even though the Bluegrass Valley had been lost twelve years ago, the refugees still maintained that it was their home and refused to move anywhere else. At this point, their camp was more of a makeshift settlement, with their tents having been replaced with modest but comfortable log cabins and large buildings meant to serve administrative, religious, and mercantile functions.

  Many of the younger refugees proved to be the most eager of recruits and would often stay full-time after their two-year mandatory service. There was even one regiment, The Blue Grass Pack, comprised of refugees, who had sworn a blood oath that until their homes had been returned to them, they would never settle down to start a family or make peace with their foes. It was in this situation that the group was leading a de Garnier, who even though she was a Divine Caller of Lenera still bore the armband of a de Garnier, the most pacifistic and gentle of the Peacock noble families, but still a Peacock. And it was because of this that she began to get unwanted attention.

  At first, it was only whispers, but soon word began to spread through the camp that a Peacock was amongst them. The Jaegers first realized something was off when the crowds began to gather and follow them. Bridgette, Francesco, Sir Frederick, and Ragnar also noticed the heightened tensions, with either their training or experience having prepared them for such situations. They all moved their hands to their weapons, ready to defend themselves and their friend from the mob.

  Madeline, seemingly oblivious to the dangerous situation that she was in, came across a young boy who had fallen and scraped his knee while playing with his friends in the street. Madeline bent down to tend to his wounds. But when the boy looked up from the ground and saw her armband, he grew hostile and ran away from her to his mother who had come to see what all the commotion was about.

  “You stay away from my son you thief; you won’t take him like you took our homes and our fields.” The mother was a harsh-looking woman, gentle with her children, but a woman who had known true pain and suffering after losing everything her family had once owned. And she was not the only one. All around the group, the rest of the crowd began to mutter and grow in hostility toward the interlopers. And then, the real nasty insults began to be hurled at Madeline.

  “Go back to where you came from, land stealer.”

  “Treacherous greedy whore.”

  “Peacock slut.”

  “Spineless thief.”

  “Perfidious manipulator and liar.”

  “Degenerate child molester.”

  “Drug addicted lay about.”

  Madeline was overwhelmed by this torrent of insults and was on the verge of tears from the vitriolic hatred being spewed at her by the refugees.

  The Wolf and the Peacock had never gotten along with each other, with the Wolf proving their might on the field of battle, while the Peacock wielded political power and control over some of the most fertile farmland in the Kingdom of Lions to get what they wanted. The enmity between the nobles extended down to their commoners, and in the Wolf Lands, the commoners had the impression that the Peacock was all about a bunch of decadent degenerates with loose morals, values, and indulgent lifestyles addicted to perverse sexual pleasures at the expense of anything wholesome or valuable.

  The Peacock for their part found the Wolf to be boorish, uncultured, and a bunch of bullies that relied on force to get what they wanted because they were too stupid to learn how to say please and thank you. In this situation, however, Madeline was in even greater trouble as these commoners had suffered greatly at the hands of the Peacock, and they now saw an opportunity to vent their frustrations on someone who hurt them.

  The truth of the matter is that Madeline’s family had long opposed the forced seizure of the Bluegrass Valley through a political marriage and had lobbied their fellows not to go through with it, even still speaking out against it to this day. But the anger of the refugees was real if misplaced, and they did not know or care about this fact.

  At this point, Sir Frederick decided to intervene to save Madeline. “All of you back down now, I am Sir Friedrich von Klinge, Oathsworn of the Order of the Empyrean Blade, and grandson to Archduke Heinrich. Sister Madeline is here under my protection, and you will not disrespect her or threaten her in my presence.”

  The crowd got silent for a moment, then the cries began again, louder, and fiercer than before, except this time it was directed at Sir Frederick.

  “It’s the heir who abandoned his duties and his people.”

  “It’s the coward who ran away from his responsibilities.”

  “It’s the ingrate who betrayed his sister and broke his grandfather’s heart.”

  “It’s the traitor who chose the Oathsworn over his own family.”

  And just like that, the mob turned away from Madeline and on him, as Sir Frederick knew they would. Sir Frederick had no delusions about how his people felt about him, which is why he had spent the past several years trying to avoid his homeland. Count Johann Kristoff looked upon Sir Frederick, having gained some new respect for him. Count Johann Kristoff knew the brave thing Sir Frederick did by revealing himself, he also knew what would happen once he did. While the Jaegers were professional enough not to raise a stink about it, being aware of who he was by appearance and reputation, the commoners, especially these commoners, weren’t as accommodating.

  Sir Frederick bore the slings and arrows with stoic determination, he had been avoiding this for a while, but now he had to face it. Sir Frederick's companions looked upon him, worried about his safety and wellbeing, as well as in awe at Sir Frederick as he endured the assault. While Hezekiah and Madeline had guessed at his true nature, most of the others had been floored that they had been traveling with the grandson of the Old Wolf, Archduke Heinrich von Klinge, all of them except for Ragnar who did not care at all. Even with Damian being the son of Archduchess Cassandra, the name of the Old Wolf was held in great respect across the entire Kingdom, as the epitome of a just, fair, and honorable ruler. Sir Frederick's association with the von Klinge family did not help him in this situation, as his reputation had been forever tarnished by his decision to join the Oathsworn.

  The group did not have to wait for long for aid, as the robed and veiled members of the von Schwarzwald family had arrived to take over the escort of the group from the Jaegers. The members of House von Schwarzwald were infamous for never revealing their physical appearances to anyone outside the family. It was said that their ancestors had placed a horrific curse upon them for the power they received and that any who gazed upon their true forms would be driven insane unless they too were a part of the family. Those who married into the family were afflicted by the curse, and those who married out had the curse removed and refused to talk about it. The nature of their affliction gave House von Schwarzwald a sinister reputation, even among their allies. Only one member of their family had never been afflicted by the curse, an outcast by the name of Ludwig von Schwarzwald, and even though he was estranged from his family and an enemy of the Kingdom of Lions, not even he would reveal what lay underneath the robes to his compatriots.

  What made the von Schwarzwald even more intimidating, was the sinister reputation of the unique brand of magic they practiced. It went by several different names, Ancestral, Bloodline, Blood, or Name Magic, but the results were always the same. The von Schwarzwald could summon forth their ancestors to either guide or fight for them, they could use it to mend wounds and empower their soldiers with the strength of the ages, or they could use it to inflict horrific curses on entire families if they felt like it.

  In the aftermath of the first Sanctioned Bluegrass Valley War, the von Schwarzwald had been able to capture a member of the De Lorme branch that had been sent to rule over the new territory. When the crown refused to return it to the von Klinge the von Schwarzwald took the young woman and placed a curse upon her entire branch of the de Lorme family, claiming that “the Bluegrass Valley will always belong to the Wolf.” Things seemed innocent enough, until a year later, when to the horror of everyone, her sister gave birth to a litter of wolf cubs instead of the child she was expecting.

  Things got weirder from there, as the family became aggressive, and feral, eating their meat raw and running around on all fours, howling and barking like wolves. This continued until one fateful night when a servant who went to make his rounds and check up on his masters discovered that in every bedroom, a De Lorme had been replaced with a ravenous wolf. The servants, fearful opened all the gates in the castle and the wolves left of their own accord into the surrounding woods. The curse had come true, the Bluegrass Valley would always belong to the wolf. Since that day, all nobles who had fought a battle where a von Schwarzwald was present made sure to keep their distance from them, lest they and their loved ones suffer a similar fate.

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  As soon as everyone realized they were there, they went silent and the mob stopped being riled up, the anger was replaced with respect and a wary fear. These refugees were grateful to have shelter in the land of the von Schwarzwald, but they still found their benefactors to be mysterious and unnerving.

  “Who seeks to stir up trouble in our lands with their presence?”

  This was said by a feminine-sounding voice coming from the lead-robed and veiled figure. A smile appears on Sir Frederick’s face.

  “Duchess Isa, it is I, Sir Frederick, my companions and I have come from Wall Visalia with grave news for my grandfather and a request for aid from the Wolf to save the crown.”

  “We know about the invasion already, Fredreich, and that a wayward son has signed on with this threat. It was a mistake for you to return, you will find no warm welcome from anyone in the lands of the Wolf. Not from your grandfather, sister, uncle, the commoners, or even your betrothed.” Duchess Isa put a lot of emphasis on that last part.

  “Told you so.” Count Johann Kristoff whispered in Sir Frederick’s ear.

  “Isa, we can talk about that later, right now I need to get to the Wolf’s Den to speak with my grandfather.”

  Isa let out a chuckle. “The Wolf’s Den, I’m taking you to Ancestor Honor, and I doubt my grandmother will let any of you ever leave.” With that Isa lifted a talisman with nine puppets hanging from it, all of them looking like a member of the group. As they began to glow, so did the bodies of the group, as they went rigid, under Isa’s power.

  “When did you do this?” Frederick asked, infuriated at what had happened.

  “None of you realized that one of the Jaegers had switched out with another. The one who had left had taken strands of your hair and brought them to me. While blood would have been the most effective, the hair is good enough for me to take control of your body long enough to get you to my home.”

  Francesco quipped, “I know I should have just let that Tormag eat me. Also, why in the Dark Mother’s Tits did you keep this from us?”

  Sir Frederick looked ashamed. “It wasn’t relevant anymore, when I joined the Oathsworn, I left my old life behind.”

  “Well, the people of this land seem to have not taken too kindly to that, I hope you haven’t doomed us all.” Francesco, along with his companions, was not having a good day.

  For many, a quick death would be preferable to the kind of fate that awaited those who were brought to the ancestral castle of the von Schwarzwald, Ancestors Honor, for those who came in not of the von Schwarzwald bloodline, rarely left.

  Zarathustra’s Tower, Coastal Pass

  Zarathustra was in his throne room, but not sitting upon his throne, which was now occupied by the Guardian Methuselah. Zarathustra had no idea why the Guardian was here, only that he did not want to displease them too much.

  “What is the occasion that you would grace me with a visit, mighty guardian?”

  “I have a job for you Zarathustra, one I need you to complete for me.”

  “How may this humble lich aid the Guardian?”

  “My replacement is refusing to cooperate with me, she has too many attachments to the outside world. I need you to have your minions murder her family. I’ll do my best to keep them in one location, but you need to be the one to do the deed.”

  “Couldn’t you just kill them without her knowing?” Zarathustra asked.

  “I could, but I don’t want to be the one to give the actual killing blow, that way if she ever tries to get the truth out of me, I won’t be lying when I said I didn’t kill her family. The targets are located at the Good Hearth Inn in the town of Barrington, it’s on your way to Avalon you can’t miss it.”

  “Is there anything else you want me to do?”

  “Yes, devour, destroy, or imprison the souls of her mother and brother, I don’t need her speaking to their souls when she learns the art of plane jumping and decides to visit them in the afterlife. I want no loose ends here, even the slightest possibility that they may give a little clue of my involvement is unacceptable. I need her to depend on me and only me.”

  “Being a bit manipulative, aren’t we?” Zarathustra was feeling a little cheeky.

  “Let’s just say I’m tired of people not cooperating with me, and I’m not going to deal with any more trouble from some snot-nosed brat who thinks she can run away from her responsibilities.” Methuselah had a frustrated look on their face.

  “Why don’t you just give her time, teenagers are difficult and stubborn, let her make her mistakes and grow, let her figure out on her own that she made a mistake as she watches me tear her Kingdom to shreds, you got to have faith that at the end of the day the young will make the right choice.” Zarathustra was trying to impart some wisdom on Methuselah, and Methuselah was not having it.

  “Zarathustra, you were so afraid of death that you abandoned your humanity and become an undead abomination, you have no right to be making speeches about anyone making the right choice. Get the deed done, and I won’t bother you anymore.”

  Zarathustra let out a bitter chuckle. “Abomination I may be, but I’m not the only one in the room who has lost their humanity.”

  Methuselah gave him a murderous look of contempt. “I do what must be done, for the greater good, now do as I say, or you will find just how inhuman I can be.” And with that Methuselah disappeared in a golden flash.

  Zarathustra’s Tower, Later That Afternoon

  Zarathustra’s minions were gathered around him, having been briefed on the mission that they had been assigned by the Guardian.

  “So, the Guardian doesn’t want to get his hands dirty even though he could do it himself.” Bordek accurately summed up the situation.

  “My theory is that he feels guilt over this and that by outsourcing it to us, he frees himself from that guilt. This is still odd considering some of the horrific stuff he has done in the past in the pursuit of his “balance”. That man and what he is capable of terrifies even me, we must move with caution and comply with his demand, lest we lose everything we have worked for.” Zarathustra stated.

  “Ghul-Zar lacks the subtlety needed, Bordek needs to oversee our forces, and there is no way Mari would get it over quickly, leaving me and Cornelia as the best option for this task.” Ludwig volunteered both himself and Cornelia, with Cornelia nodding her head in agreement.

  “What is wrong with making new friends and playing with them, I bet the little boy would be tons of fun to play with. All the other boys and girls you’ve brought me have been fun to play with so far.” Mari had one of her sadistic smiles.

  “Speaking of which, we need to cut back on the number of children we send your way, you go through them way too fast, and with our food reserves running low, we need the young to keep the numbers of our growing herd up, for the long term.” Ghul-Zar tried to move the subject to another topic that was more important to him, to no avail as Ludwig responded to Mari.

  “What do you even do with those children we give you?”

  “Why, I add them to my dolly collection of course, once we're done playing hide and seek, tag, red rover, and mother may I.” Once again Mari was smiling, and Ludwig suspected that those games Mari played were not as wholesome as they sounded.

  “Regardless of Mari’s waste of resources, I agree that Ludwig and Cornelia are the best to handle this delicate job. Being human will help you get by.” Zarathustra said.

  “Getting rid of their souls should be easy, I’m always trying to satiate my appetite. Between Ludwig’s alchemy and my soul-devouring techniques, it will be as if they never existed in the first place.”

  “Well said Cornelia, I am from the von Schwarzwald family, no matter what my parents say, we know how to get the dirty work done without anyone noticing. Believe me, we will not fail you.”

  “Speaking of failure, why are we not past the Seven Gates of Heaven yet?” Zarathustra turned his gaze toward Bordek.

  “With all due respect, the Coastal Pass is narrow, and those seven gates are more like fortresses. All our siege weapons are far in the back of our column and the Peacock defending the gates are proving tougher than the initial armies we faced. Were also facing intense raids on our rear by Bear, Viper, Mustang, and Dep-Gundarr armies, while the Albatross warships with Storm Arc-Bloods lash out at us from the sea. Right as I was coming in, I received word of an entire regiment of Ma-Grib Morag Riders being wiped out by a targeted wave that dragged them out. Any magic you might want to add to this struggle would be appreciated.”

  “There is a limit to my power, and I’m saving up for my showdown with the Galdwin’s. If I could conquer this nation by myself, I would not need all of you as an army. Now I am tired of excuses, get us past these gates so we can strike at the northern half of this kingdom, we are wasting time as it is.” As his minions left, Ludwig stayed behind.

  “I thought you had plans with Bogruta tonight?” Zarathustra asked.

  “This won’t take too long, but I do have my concerns that I need to voice.”

  Zarathustra looked at Ludwig. Ludwig was the one companion he knew he could trust, and so he was the only one who was allowed to question him. “Please proceed.”

  “I don’t trust this Methuselah, it feels like their setting us up.”

  “Methuselah is setting us up, but there is nothing we can do about that, none of us are strong enough to stop them. We just need to play his game for now and hope we come out on top.”

  “Also, Cornelia is beginning to worry me, her soul consumption is increasing at an exponential rate, and I feel like her sanity is starting to crack.”

  Zarathustra gave this more serious thought, he, better than anyone else, understood Cornelia’s condition and the liability she posed in the long term. “Isn’t Mari helping to keep her grounded?”

  “Master, Mari just demanded more children to torment for her amusement, she’s the exact opposite of what Cornelia needs right now.”

  “That’s a fair point, once this war is won, I will seek to help her deal with her malady.”

  “Thank you, master.” And with that, Ludwig left. Zarathustra decided it was better not to tell him how he planned to dispose of Cornelia once the war had been won, as she was becoming a liability.

  Chronicler’s Notes

  On the Humans of the Kingdom of Lions

  The original purpose of the Kingdom of Lions was to serve as a haven for humanity. In the wake of the Collapse, humans around the world found themselves being disenfranchised and pushed out of many nations, and seeing an opportunity, Arthur took it. As a result, the Kingdom of Lions has a vast variety of human skin tones, hair colors, and eye pigmentations, with a few rarer varieties being more regional.

  For instance, wolf-like features such as hairy ears, yellow wolf eyes, and long sharp fingernails were common amongst not only the von Klinges but the common folk as well. The von Reinhardt and their common folk were known for their fiery red hair and piercing blue eyes. These traits even seemed to be common in the giant war wolves they rode into battle.

  In the Albatross Isles, blue hair and aquamarine eyes clashed with the tan skin of the islanders. The slightly pointed ears hinted at an Aelmish ancestor, that wasn’t considered polite conversation in the rest of the Kingdom. It was strongest in House Vitale but still popped up all over the Albatross Isles.

  Even in the Green Plains, home of the Mustang, brown skin with a reddish undertone and black hair may have been the norm, but other phenotypes were not unheard of. What stuck out was the prevalence of gray, hazel, and green eyes amongst all of the inhabitants.

  The Kingdom of Lions was meant to be a haven and celebration of humanity, and for better or worse, it did its job.