Enlightened Empire

Chapter 417: Winners, Losers, DNF

On the Forty-Seventh Day of Spring, in the sixth year of the Era of Strife, the civil war within the Southern Kingdom of Medala ended with the signing of the Peace of Antila.

In the final peace agreement, the two arcavian kingdoms of Cahlia and Borna gave up control over Port Ulta, their only possession on medalan territory. At the same time, the kingdoms agreed to retreat their fleets from the Verduic Sea, which acknowledged the Sea as Medala's sphere of influence for years to come.

Although the arcavian side was not willing to admit defeat in an official capacity due to the impact such a loss would have had to the overseas projects of the countries, a nominal payment of war reparations was deemed acceptable by both sides, as it implied an admission of guilt from the two kingdoms.

In return, the arcavian side retained full access to the southern kingdom's markets, and all prisoners of the southern army were returned unharmed, and with no further hostage payment, as was custom at the time.

Although the southern kingdom emerged victorious from the war, direct combat in foreign lands had proven far too costly and inefficient for the arcavian side. As a result, they were equally happy with the agreed terms, eager to return to a pre-war relationship with Medala in pursuit of a less aggressive overseas strategy.

- excerpt from 'A Comprehensive History of Medala Part III: The Era of Strife'

"Impossible! The sons of Arcavus would never agree to such humiliating terms!" Hakon of Padrava screamed. At first, he had shown up all happy to see his former ally Corco. He had even looked happy when he had seen that Antila had been lost already, though Corco could tell that he was secretly clenching his fists.

However, once they had retreated into this quiet room of Lord Sucopia's manor to begin negotiations and Corco had presented his kingdom's conditions for an end to the fighting, the margrave had immediately lost his composure. Yet in contrast to the screaming Lord of Padrava, Corco remained calm, seated with his legs crossed and a tea in front of him, as if he was on a summer outing in the countryside.

"That's what happens when you lose a war," he explained. "You get humiliated. How is this a surprise to you, Hakon?"

As always, he would be polite and patient towards his friends. Back when he was still a merchant in Arcavia, Corco had cultivated good relations with Hakon of Padrava, so he kindly reminded him of the current power imbalance between their sides. Although the lord seemed to take the hint rather poorly, he finally sat down after a few more seconds of huffing and puffing.

Meanwhile, Fadelio was quietly cleaning up the mess around their guest.

"Even so, these conditions are too much," the margrave finally complained. "I understand returning control over Port Ulta. That was a condition I was willing to offer in the first place. However, forcing all of our merchants to leave the territory without compensation is too much."

"Kindly fuck off, will you?" Corco made another well-meaning offer. "You know how these guys got that land, and the dumping prices they bought it for. I understand that Devaerter and the other greedy bastards will make trouble for you back home for recovering the money that they've rightfully robbed from my people. But again, that's what you get for losing the war."

However, in the face of reality, Hakon still insisted on arguments.

"It is not a matter of money alone. These merchants cannot simply be forced to take their business and leave from one day to the next. It is unjust."

But all those Medalans displaced in the war could do that no problem, right?

Although Corco was annoyed by Hakon's shamelessness, he slowly sipped his tea to stay level-headed. Thus calmed by the soothing bitterness, he made a new offer.

"In that case, they are free to repurchase the land they've just lost. They'll just have to pay market prices this time. It's prime real estate in my kingdom's best port on the east coast, so they better pay what they owe."

"If the southern kingdom wishes to negotiate like this, humiliating a country that has always remained a staunch ally, then there is no need to talk at all."

With another huffed complaint, Hakon jumped up again to leave the negotiating table. Meanwhile, Corco still calmly sipped his tea.

"Alright, that's fine too," he said. "In that case, I wish you good luck trying to defend Port Ulta once our army starts marching east."

In Hakon's most eloquent response yet, he just grumbled under his breath for a few seconds, before he sat back down yet again. After all, the Arcavians were much more eager for a peace than Corco right now. Now that the cheap bluff had been called, the king once more explained his opponents position, out of the goodness of his heart.

"Listen up, friend, since I won't repeat myself again. Right now, you still have a few cards left to play. Not many, since you delivered Epunamo Villca straight to our hands, but still, a few. There's still things I want that you can provide us with, like an intact Port Ulta. But if you don't sign something soon, the only choice you'll be left with is unconditional surrender. Once we reach that point, you can forget about routing your trade lines through my lands at all."

Finally, the threat of sanctions to Cahlia's economic lifeline showed results. Hakon sank into his seat, visibly deflated.

"Fine. However, we will not pay this ridiculous compensation. These numbers are unacceptable."

In response, Corco raised his tea-cup in the direction of the open window.

"Look outside," he said, much to Hakon's confusion.

"Pardon me?"

"I'm asking you to look out the window," the king repeated. "It's a simple request."

Finally, Hakon stood up for a third time in minutes, and walked up to view the outside. Although the king remained seated, he knew exactly what the city looked like from here. After all, he hadn't chosen this room at random. From this high vantage point, his guest would have a perfect vantage point over the ruin that was once Antila.

"This is the horror your country has caused in mine," Corco explained, his voice now cold. "So, as far as I'm concerned, our offer is perfectly reasonable. We've made our own calculations. The amount of reparations stipulated is equal to the amount of money we will need to feed, clothe and shelter the people who have suffered from the destruction of Kapra and Antila for a year. That is a cost we will have to bear as they slowly rebuild their homes."

Of course, the figures were inflated to account for future negotiations. However, It seemed like Hakon had more pressing concerns. He spun around to face his back on the ruined city and shouted: "That had nothing to do with our kingdom!"

Anxiety written all over his face, the margrave walked towards Corco, which prompted a response from the guards around the king as well. First however, Corco's fist landed on the table. Now he had finally lost his patience with Hakon's deceptive arguments. Luckily, the cup was already empty, so it spilled no tea when it fell over from the impact. Everyone else froze as the king berated his former ally.

"Neither Mayu, nor House Ogulno, nor the pirate lords of the Verdant Isles, nor any of the others would have dared to stab us in the back if they hadn't been secretly supported by you!" he threw the truth in Hakon's face. "While Kapra was razed by those lords who acted with your tacit approval, your own knights were still pretending to be bandits in the midland hills, covering the advance of the rebels and creating fake internal issues, which the traitorous lords used for political capital. So don't give me that 'nothing to do with us' shit. Say again that it had nothing to do with you, just one more time, and you'll have to crawl back to Port Ulta on all fours."

Throughout his speech, Corco's voice grew quieter, but also deeper. Yet despite the pressure, Hakon was still stubborn.

"I can guarantee on my honor, the kingdom of Cahlia was never-"

"Fuck you. Borna was involved then," the king interrupted him quickly, in an even calmer, quieter voice.

"However, we are separate kingdoms," Hakon tried again, but Corco wasn't fooled. Instead, he simply pointed out the truth to uncover the cheap lies.

"Yet here you are, ready to sign an agreement on their behalf."

"You killed Duke Herak of Balit!" Hakon argued, fake indignation on his face. "Now that their leader has been so viciously slain, there is no one else left who could sign for the Kingdom of Borna."

All the melodrama somehow calmed Corco down again. Even after all these years, he was still too quick to lose his cool. Now however, his mind was clear once more, and the margrave's ridiculous arguments almost made him laugh.

"Oh come on," he joked. "Since when have Cahlians and Bornish ever been friends? I got rid of an enemy for you, you should be happy. You're not gonna hold that against me, are you?"

Finally, Hakon was speechless, so the king continued the conversation for him.

"I get it. You guys were betting on both sides. One kingdom supports a policy of violent conquest, and the other continues to play friendly with us, in case the first plan doesn't work out. But you got too greedy too fast. Now that one side has failed so spectacularly, you'll both have to pay up. Tough luck."

Such a sudden encounter with the truth seemed to have shocked Hakon awake. Rather than rage around the room some more, he silently returned to his seat. Only after a few seconds of deep thought did, he reply again.

"Even so, paying this much will be impossible for the kingdom," he finally replied after coming up with more lies. "Yes, the kingdom's finances are abundant, but this is not only a matter of money. It is also a matter of prestige."

Of course, Corco understood the argument, and it was actually a pretty decent one this time. For years now, overseas trade and expansion had been the main foreign policy direction of Cahlia. If they had to admit to such a costly failure, their king's entire long-term strategy would be put into question. However, Corco had the perfect solution for the problem.

"In that case, we can just give a public figure that's much lower than the real number," he suggested. "That way you can pretend that your little overseas plans are still going well. You will be paying the proper sum, of course. I won't pay the tab for the crimes you've committed."

Once again, Hakon had to sigh.

"Very well," he said, now completely deflated once more. "However, the final demand in your offer is simply impossible. We cannot be asked to remove all of our ships from the Verduic Sea. Ever since our merchants have begun to use trade routes from Medala to Chutwa, they have repeatedly become victims of pirate attacks. Our ships are only present in the west to protect the property of our citizens. Denying us basic protection is unreasonable."

"If you didn't want pirates, you shouldn't have supported the pirates there to start a pirate war. Just a little tip for the future." Corco almost laughed at Hakon's miserable look. "If your people feel unsafe, then maybe once your guys disappear, the lord of the Verdant Isles can win their civil war, and then pirate activity will slow down immediately."

Though of course, Corco didn't have to mention that the lord of the Verdant Isles was his wife, or that the only ones who would be safe from pirate attacks in the future would be the merchants who had routed their trade through the southern kingdom. Naturally, both parties at the table understood the truth very well.

Once Sumaci won her war in the west, the safety of the trade route would be completely under control of the southern kingdom, thus bankrupting the arcavian strategy of playing the medalan kingdoms against each other.

Almost brought to tears, Hakon tried one last time. This time, he no longer appealed to reason. All that was left was emotional blackmail.

"King Corco. Please look upon our past relationship and show leniency. I cannot go back and present such a deal. If I am held responsible for ruining the king's plan, even my title could be in danger. Remember how I helped you back when you were still a merchant in Arcavia. Please help me out at least on this final point, for the sake of our old friendship."

However, Corco only had a cold sneer to offer in reply.

"Helped me out?" He scoffed. "You mean when you bought my property at rock-bottom prices once I was forced to rush back home?"

Before Hakon could argue again, Corco interrupted him.

"And if you want to talk about scamming Herak, that cost you nothing, and even benefited you. We can stop talking about the pirates now, since I won't budge on this point. My wife is involved in that war in the Verduic Sea, you know? She's the rightful ruler there. Mark my words: There can be no peace between us so long there's still a chance for you to support her enemies again."

Finally, Hakon sighed one final time, before he picked up the feather quill to sign the preliminary agreement between both sides. Of course, their officials would work out the exact details of the contract, but with this signature, the war was as good as over.

Finally, as he watched peace return to the lands which had seen so much war as of late, a genuine smile returned to Corco face.

"On the plus side, at least all your guys stuck in the Verduic Sea finally get to go home now, right?" he joked in front of his defeated opponent. "I'm sure they will be very happy to hear that."

Though at least for one of the brave Arcavians who were fighting for their lives among the Verdant Isles, such news came a bit too late.

While the great lords were fighting over benefits in Antila, an entirely different conflict was being staged on an unnamed island in the center of the Verdant Isles.

"Let go," Felian Northdale ordered in a stern voice, while trying to drag a small, one-man sailboat towards the shore. By now, he had spent years in the wet heat of the Verdant Isles, fighting a losing battle with no supplies and no men. In the process, his master Herak of Balit had blamed him for every single failure, especially those that had been the duke's fault. Now, finally, after years of patience, Felian was done.

He would just leave their latest battlefield, and live the rest of his days in peace and quiet, on some uninhabited island somewhere. At least that had been the plan. Unfortunately, Felian's equally unlucky attendant had spotted his attempt, and now he was desperately holding on to the other end of the boat.

"Sire, please," Attendant Arlon begged. "We cannot continue without you."

"Bad luck, you will have to," Felian just said, and pulled the boat another half foot further down the beach.

"But sire, the men need you. We are all relying on you."

Strangely, Arlon wasn't even talking about desertion, something Felian was grateful for. After all, he had given too much over these years, and their situation was too dire. Now he knew that no one would really blame him for abandoning his unreasonable lord. Still, despite the gratitude, Felian remained unmoved.

"Rely on someone else," he said, as he continued to pull the boat towards the water, despite his attendant's best efforts. Gravity was on his side, so he would win out sooner or later.

"Sire, lord duke has relied on you so much, surely you will receive a great reward."

Now, the attendant was trying to appeal to Felian's greed, but the knight wasn't fooled.

"Oh, what will it be this time? Another impossible mission, half a world away from my home?" he laughed bitterly. "Forget that. Before that damn duke shows up again, I have to disappear. Otherwise, I will be tasked with yet more suicidal tasks. The worst thing I did in my life was show my ability in front of that bastard."

Although he insulted their master, neither man was shocked, nor mentioned another word of it. Instead, Arlon's face became determined.

"Only if I cannot stop you from leaving, sire," he finally said. For a second, the two men stared at each other, as Arlon's plan slowly dawned on Felian.

"Help!" the attendant shouted towards their camp further inland.

"Fine, fine! Shut up, will you!?" Felian begged. Once Arlon had finally stopped shouting, the knight sighed. It looked like he wouldn't be allowed to go until he had explained himself.

"You want to know why I want to leave so badly?"

In response to his question, Arlon just nodded.

"Apart from all the everything, the endless war, the disease, the constant exploitation, never getting rewarded for my hard work... apart from all of that, I've received a letter."

He pulled out the letter from his breast pocket and threw it in Arlon's general direction. Although its contents were extremely private, Felian didn't care. He wasn't expecting to meet his attendant again anyways, or anyone mentioned in the letter, for that matter.

"That letter that was delivered with the last batch of supplies." The attendant understood.

"Yeah. It came from my family," Felian explained. "Looks like my fiancee got married recently."

Arlon picked up the letter and began to read.

"But sire, you are still here," the attendant replied dumbly after a while, which almost made the accomplished knight laugh.

"Yes, I noticed that," he finally said. "Anyways, I have decided that I do not want to return home. From now on, I would rather rely on myself than rely on others, least of all that bastard Herak. Before he can force me into any more impossible tasks, I would rather leave and strike out on my own. Worse, what if he rewards me with a return and I am forced to meet my fiancee's new husband? If you have ever considered me your master, if you have ever felt indebted to me, I would like you to make good on that debt now, and let go of the boat."

Finally, Arlon looked back up from the letter. His hand slid off the boat's hull, and he stepped back.

"Sire, what will you do in the future?" he simply asked. In response, Felian looked out into the Verduic Sea, the place which had brought him so much misery, but suddenly smelled so much like hope.

"I don't know yet," he said. "But this is something I should have done years ago. With my fate in my hands again, I am sure there will be many sunny days ahead.

Thus, his hands firmed on the boat again, he finally managed to push the vessel into the water. Not long after, Felian's last battlefield disappeared on the distant horizon.