Chapter 162: Side Story 4: Marcus and Alfred

"I received word from Dimitri," Alexei said calmly, holding up a letter in his hands to Ivan.

"Have the plans with the Empire been finalised then?" His voice was giddy as he imagined himself and his father beginning the conquest of the Old Empire’s lands. As if to crush his mood, Alexei shook his head, annoying Ivan.

"The Archbishop is dead. Dimitri has said that plans are looking good for us to begin soon, but this will delay any action the Empire takes as they have to deal with a suspected fallout with the church." His voice was bitter when talking to his son, but he quickly composed himself.

"A shame." Ivan let out a long groan, but it was obvious he didn’t really care about Raven’s death. "Do we move anyway? Kosvo is weak, and the deal we have with the Slathans won’t last forever."

"It’s risky, but it might be worth a shot. Nogrovod is our main concern. They won’t be happy with our expansion, and if I know my Brother, he will do anything to keep us in check." Alexei looked down at the floor and sighed. "We have to be able to move our troops before they catch wind of anything. By the time they want to send support, we must already have conquered them."

"It’s doable." Ivan looked at the letter on the table. "Did Dimitri tell us anything about the Commonwealth situation?"

"It has been dealt with for now. They can’t afford to help Nogrovod, no matter what alliances they get. It seems that Alfred had already made plans for them before Dimitri arrived there."

"Good." Ivan jumped up. "Send me North. I’ll deal with Kosvo. We won’t get a better chance." Alexei looked deep into Ivan’s expectant eyes and sighed, giving a single nod. Like a child who had received a gift he wanted, he flashed a wide smile.

"Just be careful. I can keep things in the dark for a while, but you have to be quick. Two months at most I can keep the mobilisation hidden. As for the invasion, has it been dealt with in four?"

"How much can I use?" Ivan asked, already making plans in his head.

"Nothing from the Safrid land. It’s under control, but we still need a force there to keep things in check. Take from those loyal around the capital, and work a deal with the Northern Lords. In the meantime, I will deal with any fallout here." With Alexie’s blessing, Ivan’s mind went into overdrive.

"Before you leave, I have something to ask." Ivan stopped bouncing around and looked at his father. "Dimitri has told me that Alfred wishes for your daughter to go to the Lindonfall academy whilst his son is there. As a way to build a relationship. It’s your choice."

Ivan frowned but didn’t reject straight away. After a minute of deep thought, he nodded. "From what I’ve heard from my friend who sent their kids there, it is pretty good. Fine. Send word to him." Ivan looked at him, asking with his eyes if there was anything more. Being waved off he ran to begin his plans.

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Marcus sat with his head hung low. He had just returned home from Nakhla, and arriving at the Imperial Palace, he couldn’t help but worry. That being said, he was a soldier. He knew reward and punishment came hand in hand, and for failing to defend the Archbishop in a city under his watch, he was willing to pay the price.

The carriage door opened for him, and Marcus took his helmet off, looking through it. With a deep breath, he got up and left. He felt a series of eyes tracing his body the whole time. He could notice the two Unyielding guards at the front door, but there was more. A window upstairs, behind the trees, from the gardeners, servants, everyone looked towards him as he walked past.

It didn’t help his nerves, but he resolved to come this far; he couldn’t stop now because people looked at him. Pausing before he walked in, he checked his appearance, and seeing everything was right, he took the first step into the Imperial Palace. It felt cold. He knew it was his mind playing tricks and silently cursed.

Walking through its halls, he saw William waiting for him. Unlike the usual suit he wore, he was in his official armour as General. Marcus sped up, nearly breaking out into a jog. He slammed his fist on his chest and nodded, William returning the gesture. With a smile between the two, William and Marcus reached out and grabbed each other’s wrists, shaking.

"I thought it would be good to arrive with you," William said in a sombre voice.

"How bad is it?" Marcus asked, and his nerves didn’t go unnoticed by William.

"Not good. Esmond and I spoke on your behalf, but Raven was His Majesty’s most trusted follower. You must understand that this is a stain you will struggle to remove."

Marcus sighed before clicking his tongue. "It was a massive failure."

Luckily, you came a couple of weeks later. If you arrived when we did, I wouldn’t have been able to guarantee your life in his rage. But he’s calmed down now."

"That doesn’t help with my nerves." Marcus joked, getting a small raise of the lips from William.

"It’s not meant to. Just know that the good words I tried to give to His Majesty on your behalf will be undone. Whilst I still wish for you to take my place when I retire, it won’t be so easy now. The others under me will realise this, and your future may not be so set in stone. Competition will be fierce, and I will try to buy you a couple of years to reclaim your place." Marcus nodded, and as if on cue, a servant opened the door.

"His Majesty will see you now." The two men looked at one another and nodded. Marcus knew that every word he said from now on would have to be perfect.

The doors opened wide, and Marcus saw the sight at the end of the throne room. The cold blue eyes at the end of the long room engulfed everything in their path, having a hypnotic effect where one couldn’t look away. That being said, Marcus steeled himself. He looked around and saw Charles by Alfred’s side. In front of them, Royal Guards lined up protecting Alfred, with Chris at their centre.

Marcus could only give a bitter smile, seeing this. It wasn’t a warm welcome. "NOW ENTERING DUKE WILLIAM FLANDERS, GENERAL OF THE AMARY MILITARY AND SECOND IN COMMAND OF THE MILITARY MARCUS HARDLY!" The servant called out, and the two walked quickly before falling to their knee before the Royal Guard.

Marcus didn’t dare raise his head, but he could feel William did. He felt Alfred’s eyes dig deep into his soul, as they scrutinised his very existence. After what felt like an eternity, he finally spoke. "Raise your head, Marcus." With Alfred’s blessing, he looked up and gulped.

"Whilst I would have liked to meet under better circumstances, your failure has not allowed this." Marcus went to talk, but Alfred raised his hand, stopping him. "Whilst I have thought deeply about how to deal with you, many have spoken in your defence, including Charles here. Which is why I am conflicted in what to do."

Marcus was surprised and looked towards Charles, who had a deadpan expression on his face. Despite that, he gave a small knowing nod, and Marcus suppressed his smile of gratitude. His mind spun on what to try and do. After a few seconds of thought, he remembered William’s words and felt confident. With a deep breath, he spoke. "Your Majesty. Permission to speak." Getting a nod from Alfred, Marcus continued. "I know my failures can not be made up for, but I am a loyal servant. This is why I propose I do something for you in hopes I can even reclaim a fraction of my dignity again."

Alfred looked at him in deep thought but eventually nodded, interested in what he would say. "I know you wish to destroy the Pirate Lords of Chent. Give me this task. Send me to lead the mission. If I die on this, I have paid with my life for my failure, yet if I succeed, it will be the first step in clearing my stained past."

It was a gamble, and Marcus knew it. But he also knew this was a mission that no one wanted. To fight the Pirate Lords was a long, annoying, and dangerous task. Their names were lathered in infamy, and everyone knew that to fight them was to not only see the worst horrors of the planet but to fight a losing battle from the start. Alfred took a deep breath and looked towards the sky.

"And if you succeed, you expect no reward?" Alfred asked, and Marcus gave a deep nod. He knew this mission was nothing but a way to improve his image. Alfred took a second deep breath. "Four years. I will give you four years to eradicate them. If you fail..." His words trailed, but Marcus didn’t need any more.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." His head bowed deeply, and Alfred nodded.

"William, send a new man to take over Marcus’s work in the Safrid lands. Marcus. Whilst this is your punishment, this is a matter that is deeply woven into the future of my Empire. I have plans in mind, and now that you are to head them, you shall be involved. You will have my support, but every action taken out of my reach is on you. Any failure or success, it is you. Do you understand?"

"Of course, Your Majesty." He bowed his head once more, and Alfred stood up.

"Marcus." Hearing his domineering voice, Marcus looked up to meet Alfred’s eyes. "Your loyalty is not in question. If this conversation had never happened, you would have been talking to Esmond instead. I had faith in you due to your abilities during the war, but now I find myself questioning it. You have been saved due to these contributions and the good word of your fellows. Do not fail me a second time."

"William, Charles, come with me. The rest of you are dismissed." They all gave a bow, and Alfred left, followed by the two and Chris. Marcus finally felt like he could breathe properly.

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Alfred fell into his seat, relaxing whilst the other two followed suit, flanking his sides. "Forgive me for this, but there is something we need to discuss. It only came to mind after meeting Marcus."

"William. The Church, depending on who takes Raven’s place, may move against us. Whilst they will be wary around me, the same can’t be said for you. The assassination of an Archbishop is a major blow to our reputation and it may cause them to try and put pressure on us, under the guise of protecting his replacement. You need to be most careful. Marcus will become a target of the church once they find out he was the one leading the protection of the VIP’s in Nakhla. Whatever I feel about Marcus is irrelevant in this. He is my person, not the Churches. I will not allow them to mess with that. Be careful whenever dealing with them and keep an eye on the situation."

"Of course. They may not try anything instantly, but I also had that feeling. They can’t target Esmond as he is unofficial in everything he does, and they can at best pester me." William smiled, "Marcus may not have a strong family name to protect him, but he is my soldier. If the Church dares..." With a shake of his head, he got a smile from Alfred.

"That brings me to you Charles. Depending on how competent the guy they send is they may try and use you. You are Raven’s brother. They also know you have the family and military power to put pressure on the military. If they do approach you, I hope that even if any bad blood exists for Marcus, you will come to me."

"You don’t need to worry." Charles waved off the concerns swiftly. "I don’t blame Marcus. If I did, I would also have to blame Esmond, Her Majesty and everyone with power in Nakhla at the time. My brother knew the risk as did I. Besides, we made a pact. I will not betray that for personal grudges."

"Thank you." Alfred could only get those words out.