Chapter 484: A Deal on the Tears

Silence was all that followed after Octavius told what had happened to Constance and Julius. After a week and a half of travelling, he had learnt that his men had managed to leave the Ammary land and were slowly returning to Severia. On top of that, Silesia had broken through the Gotic lines and was slowly pushing forward, being held at every chokepoint they faced.

Constance started to chuckle, walking around the room, holding his head, unable to believe what he had heard. "He killed Gabriel." Bitterly laughing, he deeply sighed afterwards, looking to the sky and forming a symbol of Sol. Taking out his necklace, he finished his prayer, kissing it.

"We need to make a decision," Julius said coldly, ignoring the sad mood Constance was in. Constance paced around, frowning and nodding along. Taking a deep breath, he sat down and closed his eyes.

"You’re right. You’re right. Thedoric is likely to lose his war without our assistance, and Lisa’s march gets closer every day." Pausing, he tapped the desk, "Octavius. You saw everything. What do you make of this war?"

"Honestly?" The two nodded. Octavius looked to the ground, remembering every detail during his time as a hostage. "He won’t stop." Looking up, and the two he scoffed, "If you refuse to meet him, I don’t know when the next time he will offer peace will be. What I do know is he will burn cities to force you to accept." Octavius shook his head, "He was mad after what happened to his daughter, but what he did in Teia, I think, calmed him. There won’t be a better chance."

Julius looked to Constance, "You know him better than I. What do you say?" Constance sat with his eye locked on the floor. Playing with the necklace in his hand, he thought deeply.

"He is a man led by his emotions more than anything. As Octavius said, we may not get a better chance than now." The change was instant; the sadness that radiated from Constance vanished as he slipped back into his role as Pope. Staying silent for a minute, he sighed and clicked his tongue, "Let’s meet him. He is complete scum, but he is also smart. Any deal won’t be completely unfair."

"The loss to our reputation will be hard." Julius countered, getting a smirk from his brother.

"We have no choice. Besides, it can be won back by defeating the Lisaponics." Constance groaned and ran his hand through his hair. "We’re playing to his tune. It’s sickening."

"We have no other choice?" Julius said, looking to Octavius, "This weapon. Was it really that bad?"

"On land, we can overrun it, but on the sea, we have no way to counter it. Not yet, at least." He paused and smiled, "We need to figure out how it was made first, and luckily, I was close. The cannon itself is simple. An iron barrel with a fuse inside to launch cast iron balls. It’s what’s used to fire the ball, I’m not sure about. Sulfur was mixed in, the smell obvious, but it couldn’t have just been that, the powder was black after all."

The two looked at one another and smiled, "There will be a trail. All we have to do is find it. What shift has happened in the Empire? What they mine or trade for more. People in charge of creating the powder are still alive. There is always a trail." Julius said, getting a nod from the two.

"Some survivors from Gabriel’s convoy are alive as well." Otavius spoke again, "Speak to them. Maybe we can get an idea." Constance nodded and leaned back, looking at the ceiling.

"First, let us speak to him. The attack west failed, and Lisa is now a threat." The two nodded as Octavius bowed.

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Alfred sat on his ship, a large table set on the deck, waiting, holding a note that said the two would meet him. All around the water, large ships stood, watching, ready for anything that may arise.

"A SHIP IS APPROACHING!" The captain cried out, and Alfred looked up into the distant water. After two weeks of waiting for a reply from Octavius, he had drifted around, helping out Ivan and Alexei occasionally. The ship that entered the Tears from one of its rivers was large, too big to be a merchant ship, but the flags it flew weren’t those of the Holy Seat or Cosmatos dynasty, taking care not to reveal its identity.

Behind Alfred, Unyielding soldiers took their place, ready to deal with any surprises that may arise. The waters were calm, the waves hardly making a sound, as if affected by the tension. Slowly, the single ship edged closer, arriving alongside Alfred’s. On it, he saw Severian troops and Templars slowly move, ready to attack as soon as the order was given.

Alfred didn’t react; instead, he looked behind him at one of the sailors. "Get cups and bring some wine, please." Similing, the sound of a wooden plank slamming echoed across the water. Across the narrow path, Elijah moved, watching for any threats. A few extra Templars and Severian troops piled on, forming a protective circle around the landing, closely followed by Julius and Constance.

Julius moved first, his silver mask reflecting the sunlight, covering the deep scar and side of his skull that no longer had hair. Dressed in luxurious clothing adorned with gold and silver, he paced forward. The blend was perfect: not too showy, yet extravagant enough to convey the immense wealth and power he wielded.

Behind him, Contance calmly strolled, in a long white robe, with gold lining. His hair danced just above his shoulders as his Emerald eyes radiated a peaceful glow. The two made eye contact with Alfred and made their way over, taking a seat at the table prepared. The sailor returned, placing and pouring a glass of cheap wine for each of them, spilling some as his hands shook from nervousness.

Only when he left, Alfred spoke, "Constance. It has been how many years?" The seething tension between the three made the air heavy as they tried to mask it with friendly smiles.

"I think it’s been twelve years," Consatnce said, like an old friend, his eyes cold as ice. Lifting the cup of wine, he took a sip, making a face. Alfred smiled and took a large gulp of his own cup.

"Twelve years. How have you been during that time?"

"Better. I recently just lost the man I would consider my closest friend after all." Constance squinted, staring deep into Alfred’s eyes. Shrugging his shoulders, Alfred took another sip of wine.

"If I remember correctly, that happened to me as well. Wasn’t it what caused my schism?" Chuckling, he looked Constance up and down, "I’m surprised you didn’t dress like a woman again. I’ve heard you do that quite a lot."

"The things we do to keep our subjects in line. I prefer a more elegant way of doing it, but butchering and terryfying your own people is also another way." The two shared a smile as Alfred turned to Julius.

"We have never met, Emperor Cosmatos." Resting his hand on his chest, he didn’t lower his head, "Alfred Lindonfall." Looking at his mask and seeing the large scar that escaped from behind he smiled, "It is an amazing day to meet another Blessed One. Tell me, what is your name?"

"You know my name."

"No." Alfred paused and looked at Constance, "I mean the name you had before becoming Julius Cosmatos." Constance frowned, understanding the deeper meaning behind Alfred’s words. The few seconds of silence were all Alfred needed to confirm that Julius’ resurrection was fake, "Don’t worry, I won’t say anything. It would look poorly on me to do so. As if I want to be the only one chosen by Sol."

"Did you invite us to share idle chatter, Alfred?" Julius spoke up, feeling Alfred was completely controlling the conversation, "Don’t we have important things to discuss?"

"Yes. I will be blunt, because I don’t want to waste my time. First, the Holy Seat will reverse Orders 3, 5, and 57. I will be cleared of all crimes and reinstated into all of the Church’s teachings as a Saint, like the previous Blessed Ones before me who were not unfairly tried and sentenced." Constance clicked his tongue, but nodded, expecting the offer. "Secondly, Severia and the Church will pay reparations for all damages. I believe 2 tons of gold will suffice."

The two brothers looked at one another. The deal was much fairer than they had expected, easily made up. The two nodded again, and Alfred smiled, "Thirdly, you will acknowledge the legitimacy of the Pantheon as a religion."

"Absolutely not," Constance said in an instant, not even thinking of the matter. "You can’t expect me to agree to that. Not with its teachings about Khors."

"I don’t think you have much choice. I am already going to be a Saint of your Church. How can I be a Saint and a Heathen, unless you aren’t going to make me one?" Alfred asked as Constance chuckled.

"This is an easy solve, Alfred. You were noble in the way you lived, but tricked by Khors because of your pure heart. After all, the first Man and woman are considered saints still, and they dammned humnaity." Alfred laughed as Constance leaned forward, "I won’t legitimise anything about your religion, so don’t bring it up. If you want to bomb the Holy Seat for it, be my guest, but you will lose the war if you do that."

"So, you won’t legitimise the Pantheon?" Constance shook his head, and Alfred sighed. Tapping the table, he stayed silent for a few seconds. "Okay, in that case, I have another offer. Emperor Julius Cosmatos will step down from the Severian throne and cede it to the rightful heir, Bardas Ammorian."

"Did you invite us here to just gloat about your victory. Is this it?" Julius said coldly, "Rightful heir, he’s a bastard; he doesn’t even have a claim."

"No, he is not. Your father legitimised him by giving him a title. I didn’t believe it at first, but he showed proof, and one noble in your Empire has it as well." Alfred smiled, "Duke Elias. He has the other copy of The Emperor’s decree." Alfred shrugged, "Although Bardas isn’t older than you, lying about being a Blessed One is enough to invoke Order 3, 5, and 57. Is it not Constance?"

"You’re lying. Or at least he is." Julius snapped, getting a chuckle from Alfred.

"I had my best people analyse the seals on the document he showed me. They are all real, Emperor Julius, signed and stamped by your father’s hand. Believe me, I know that Bardas is a worm who silthers into any power he can get, but this is real. Ask Elias when you return home." Looking between the two, they could see his eyes light up smugly, "Do you agree to this offer?"

"Of course not." Julius quickly said." You said you didn’t wish to waste your time, so why are you still giving us offers you know that we will not accept?"

"I had hoped you would accept one." Alfred sighed, picking the glass of wine up. Taking a sip, he spoke. "Fine, a final offer. If you don’t accept this, then we have nothing more to discuss. All trade between Ammar and Severia will be untaxed for the next ten years. All Ammary goods have priority over goods from any other nation for the next ten years. The Church will hand over all information they have on the Blessed Ones and any relics the Blessed Ones have left behind to the Pantheon, other than those too old or in too poor condition to transfer. Both Severia and the Church will step aside during the Silesian-Gotic war, providing no support to either side."

Alfred smiled, "Finally, you will formally apologise for your unjust treatment of Ammar as well as the Blessed Ones who have come before me. Failure to do so will be seen as a breach of our terms and will mean war once more." Alfred leaned forward, "Do you agree?"

The two looked at one another and frowned. The offer was effectively handing over their ally to Alfred and stripping the Church of parts of its history. Constance rubbed his eyes, thinking about the relics. Handing over the relics was a type of legitimacy, just a more subtle one. "The relics. You can have half." Constance countered.

Alfred smiled, "Half is fine."

"Five years," Julius countered next.

"Ten." Quickly replying, Alfred watched as Julius took a deep breath. Tapping his mask, the man clicked his tongue.

"Seven."

"Seven." Saying to himself, Alfred looked to the sky, "Seven will work." Looking back at them, he carried on, "We agree on everything else."

"We do." Constance forced the words out of his mouth. Julius coldly nodded, not saying a word as Alfred waved a man over. The man stood up with a parchment covered in fresh ink, a quill and ink alongside a pot of red wax. Taking the quill, Alfred quickly signed the bottom and applied his seal next to it. Flipping it around, he slid it over and smiled at the two.

Constance read through it and seeing nothing was thrown in, picked up the quill, signing his name and stamping the Seal of the Pope. Julius was next doing the same. Alfred smiled and stood up, "This is a monumental day for all of us." Grabbing his glass, he waited for the parchment to be taken away before lifting his glass, "Let us toast."

Both Constance and Julius refused to pick their drinks up as Alfred finished the rest of his own, "To a brighter future. When they tell of this day, they will remember the peace that was brought to us. For decades to come."

Constance smirked and looked around, his gaze lingering on the cannon for a few seconds. "To a peaceful future."