"So if you'll just bring that Antoine fellow to me then he and I can-"

Lazierte draws her pistol and shoots the King of Samnia in the face. He falls, his crown slipping off his head as he collapses backward, dead before he hits the floor. I can't say I feel sorry for him, a vile man just died and the entire world is a better place for it. I am concerned for the Queen however, and the former King's surviving daughter, who looks on in horror as that same vile man bleeds on the floor, along with his sacrificed son. I slip free of Katarina and take a stumbling step closer. I don't know a word of Samnian but maybe I can offer the woman some comfort. I know I can’t open my heart to her, filling her with intoxicating bravery isn’t an appropriate response to nearly her entire family dying, but-

Lazierte draws her sword and points the tip at the mother and child.

I stumble more urgently, what is Lazierte doing?! She raises the sword above her head, ready to bring it down upon the Queen and her daughter. Her hand is shaking, her breathing is heavy. She’s hesitating. Which gives me just enough time to shamble my way between her and the two Samnians.

"Lazierte!" My arms are out to my sides, I am still hunched over from pain and disorientation... But I can speak again. "What are you doing?!"

"Serena! Get out of the way!" Lazierte is trembling. "... We said we were going to end the Samnian Kingdom. End the monarchy... That's what I'm doing!"

"Lazierte, the King is already dead! The Kingdom's already crumbling as we speak-"

"So long as the line of succession exists someone can try to put a king back on this throne. And people will!" My best friend is short of breath, I can smell her sweating. "Do you really think the people of Samnia are going to simply follow the whims of their foreign conquerors and become a republic? Do you think they even understand the concept of a republic?! I don't! And I'm from Avernia, where the world's biggest republic keeps trying to happen!"

"Lazierte, I know you can't do this. Please, Lazierte. Please, please don't do this to yourself-"

"I have to do it! Otherwise our work will never be done! We'll simply have to conquer Samnia every time some new king or queen is elevated by the mob, and watch it be reconquered by our cowardice! This is the only way to make this war end!" There are tears in Lazierte's eyes. "The war has to end... I can't keep letting it drag the one I love into danger!"

... Lazierte is willing to kill for Her Majesty. I had been willing to do the same, I even did so. But, a child? ... Maybe I have no right to interfere between Lazierte and Katje, but I can't allow Lazierte to do this! I can't let her have this on her conscience.

"Lazierte, I know how you feel. But you can't allow your love to force you to do things you aren't okay with. Things you could never take back. No-one who truly loves you would make you do this-"

"Either I have to do this or you do!" Lazierte is screaming... "And I know you can't, Serena. So I have to be able to! You wanted this monarchy dead, we need this monarchy dead, this is inevitable! There's no other way... I'm sorry!"

"Lazierte..." I close my eyes, shamble forward, and wrap my arms around the poor girl. "... I don't want this. I don't want you to do this. I know you don't want this too... But if you think it must be done... Then give me the sword."

"I... What?!" Lazierte's hesitancy has turned to horror, her entire body convulsing against mine. "Serena, you can't! I won't let you be burdened with this!"

"Then you can see where I'm coming from, can't you? I love you like you love me, Lazierte. I could not bear to see you harmed like this." A lie on my part, admittedly. I know now I love her in a way she can’t love me, far more than I imagine she'd allow.

There is a loud clatter... Lazierte has dropped her sword, and thrown her arms around me, squeezing tightly. "Serena! Serena, I... I'm sorry!"

"Shhhh, it's okay. We'll figure this out, no one else has to die. We'll end the war, in a way we choose."

Lazierte simply weeps, it honestly seems like it’s been a long time coming for her. She simply isn't a steel kind of grown-up in my arms, she’s vulnerable... And I adore that about her. It’s yet another thing I adore about her. And it’s something I’ve tried so hard to hide from all this time.

Will Her Majesty try to turn her into a monster too?

Our little hugging is interrupted by intruders in the palace, militia members with blue armbands with a familiar face among them. The woman, the one who spoke Avernian! She appears to be lugging a musket like the rest of them, despite having apparently been noble enough to be part of the late King's entourage. There’s certainly something noble about it... Seeing the former King dead, his palace torn asunder, and bones and feathers where a monster once stood, the Samnian militia cheer wildly, utterly jubilant with the death of their monarch.

And that familiar woman runs up to meet me again, throwing her musket aside to intrude on Lazierte and I's embrace, wrapping her arms around me. "Serena! You... You really did it! I mean, I knew you could but... I didn't know anyone actually could!"

Lazierte finds a gap in her weeping to glare at the newcomer for her sudden intrusion, her eyes giving me the distinct impression that she is trying to summon her sword back to her hand using pure hatred. "... And who exactly is this woman, Serena?"

Before I can admit I have never been properly introduced to the gentlewoman in question she takes the opportunity to properly introduce herself. "Ah! Forgive me for not offering you my name and personage, signora! I am Lucretia Honorius Romulus, Duchess of The Latin Plains. At your eternal service, our savior!"

... She certainly knows how to lay it on thick, and also knows how to make Lazierte even more murderously angry... I can't help but wonder about her incredibly odd name.

And I am always a little too curious for my own good. "Romulus? Forgive me, your Excellency, but-"

"Please! Just Lucretia. You saved the city of Ravenna, I am not going to force decorum upon you- Ah! But you had a question about my name!" ... This girl, this Lucretia, can certainly talk fast. "Yes, it's an old, traditional name in my duchy. There was once a fierce and bloodthirsty tribe of settlers there who called themselves The Romans. They traced their origin to a man named Romulus. That tribe tried to steal the women of the Sabines, but were driven mad by a Sabine witch and made to tear one another apart. What few of them survived later submitted to Samnian authority, and eventually their culture became a small part of The Latin Plains. If I remember right I actually trace my lineage back to those original Romans, or so I've heard, but-"

"Alright, that's enough of a history lesson!" Lazierte's tears have all dried up, and now there is nothing there but outrage. "You're going to bore my Serena to death at this rate!"

"... Well I think it's quite fascinating." Lucretia tries to pull me away from Lazierte, trying to keep me for herself. "Who even are you, anyway? Why are you hugging this general?"

"Who am I? I'm only her best friend from the Military Academy in Alesia!" Lazierte starts pulling me away from Lucretia in turn, I am being pulled back and forth now. "And I happen to know she doesn't much care for dull history lessons! She also loves cats and seafood and- And you don't know anything about her!"

"Maybe not, but I want to learn!" Lucretia pulls me toward her again, I have to wonder what the Queen and her daughter must think of this sight, let alone Lazierte's troops and Katarina's mercenaries. "You already know everything apparently so surely you can let me borrow her for a while, can't you? Let her celebrate her victory with someone worthy of her?"

This seems to strike a chord with Lazierte... One that really pisses her off, and makes her pull harder. "And that's you, is it?!"

"Well it's certainly not you, you pile of bones!"

"Samnian whore!"

"Vulgar interloper!"

... Why are my friends always the vulgar ones? This back and forth threatens to go on for a while, and it’s not doing miraculous things for my disorientation or my headache. I feel almost sick by the time Katarina wanders up and pulls me toward her, definitively winning the tug-of-war match and sending both Lazierte and Lucretia to the floor for her troubles. Both of them still grumble on the ground, but at least I’m not being pulled around anymore.

Katarina lays my feet gently on the ground, and gives me a brief little kiss for good measure, much to the utter horror of both Lazierte and Lucretia. "Performance bonus. Did well."

I nod, and reach up to pat her head. "Did very well, Katarina."

She smiles and goes to attend to her troops... And the processing of the King and his son. I decide this is a wonderful moment to rush over to the Queen and her daughter and lead them both out of the room before the butchery begins. I only hope Lazierte and Lucretia make their own way out.

Lazierte has never actually witnessed the creation of a meat commissary if memory serves, and I am certain Lucretia hasn't.

I manage to find a nice, stately side room away from all the carving, one where I can address the question that Lazierte made apparent. What is to be done with the new King of Samnia? She looks no older than five. "Mademoiselle... Can you understand me?"

She’s clearly confused, eyeing me suspiciously... Mercifully her mother chimes in, albeit with a very weak voice. "I speak a little Avernian. I can try to translate... Thank you, for saving me and my daughter."

She doesn't sound even remotely grateful, in honesty she sounded despondent beyond all measure, but she at least doesn't seem angry at me. She’s merely sad. She’s sad in a way I have never seen a human being be sad before... Only, I might have... Guilt. She carries the same guilty eyes the Queen had shown towards me. The ones I simply couldn't bear to see.

I focus my attention on the daughter, I will not allow Her Majesty to interfere with this. "Little one... You are technically the King of Samnia now. You're in charge of the Kingdom of Samnia."

She still looks confused, even after having it explained to her, questioning it in an incredibly small voice that her mother dutifully translated for me. "She says she is only little, that it is silly that she would be put in charge of a Kingdom."

I nod, she’s absolutely right. "It is silly... Kingdoms are very silly things. And sometimes they do very silly things, like make a little girl the King simply because her daddy was before her, or they hurt people who don't want to be part of the Kingdom anymore."

She takes this on board, and the Queen shakes as she translates the little girl's question. "She wants to know what became of her father, of her brothers. Victor promised to teach her how to ride a horse tomorrow."

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I audibly swallow. I already have no idea what I’m doing speaking to a child, how am I supposed to answer this?! ... If Xena were handling this she would be honest, and she’s the smartest woman I know. "They're all dead, little one. Your daddy killed your brothers, because he wanted to get the gods to hurt people who didn't want to be part of his Kingdom anymore. The Kingdom ended up hurting your brothers, and that is why we had to kill your father."

The Queen looks at me with mute horror, before slowly and carefully translating. No amount of care could stop that news from making the little girl cry. I reach out a hand to try to comfort her, only for the Queen to slap it away, trying to soothe her daughter herself. Perhaps to be expected, only that little girl reaches out to take my hand in her small ones, giving it a squeeze and sobbing out some words.

Words which The Queen chokes on as she translates. "She wants to know how she can bring them back. Her daddy always said that Kings can do anything."

I shake my head, and the girl starts sobbing again... This is rough. "They've gone to a better place, a place you'll go yourself one day, if you live a good and long life. You'll see them again, a long way from now."

"... She wants to know why she can't go now.”

I’m struck with horror, eyes darting around to find a way to show this five-year-old why she should live. "... Because you'll make your mother very sad. You'd be leaving her all alone down here. And she needs you to keep her safe, to protect her."

Mercifully this works, and the child is able to get a hold of her crying and regain some of her composure.

She even manages to stop terrifying her mother. "She understands, thank the Gods... She wants to know how to keep her mother- Keep me safe."

This I know how to do, even if it feels a little sneaky. "... Stop being the King. Keeping this Kingdom going was the thing that put you and your mother in danger. It's why we had to save all the other mothers and fathers of Ravenna, because the Kingdom was making them sad. If you renounce the throne- If you tell everyone you're not the King anymore, that there are no kings or queens anymore, then no one will have any reason to hurt you. Does that make sense, little one?"

The child's mother glares at me, utterly offended by my suggestion... But she translates, and the little girl gives a nod and speaks. "She says she doesn't want to hurt anyone, or for anyone to have to hurt her. If Kings and Queens hurt people, she doesn't want there to be Kings or Queens anymore."

"Very good!" I give the girl a smile, and despite the best attempts of her mother I reach out and muss up her hair. "I'll make sure all the people with the blue armbands know your decision, and I'll tell them to make sure to keep you and your mother safe."

The little girl sniffles, but nods. Even before her mother translates my words she seems to know she’ll be safe now... But her mother clearly doesn't, staring at me while trying to comfort her daughter, who has lost her momentary clarity and started crying again. There’s obvious hate in her eyes, mixed with a pleading desperation. She whispers, clearly worried that her daughter will pick up on her despondent tone.

"How can you protect my daughter? Maybe you saved her from your little friend, but you're foreigners, and violent ones at that. I couldn't protect my sons and I was their very own mother! What chance do you have?"

It’s a fair question. The Avernian Army will be moving out as soon as we wrap up the last few loose ends in Ravenna and Antoine produces his friendly state. Possibly on to Illyria, or some mad dash north to try and strike at the heartland of the Magyar Empire. It’d be absurd to believe I can protect these two forever.

But I know someone who can, and maybe even will if I asked nicely enough. "Trust in me, Your Grace. I'll see to it that you will be protected even after we in the Avernian Army are gone."

"Your Grace... Hehe, I am the queen of nothing now, you and my daughter will see to that. All I am now is a mother, with only one remaining child."

The venom seems to leave her, and all that’s left is malaise. She can't cry, she’s trying to be strong for her daughter's sake, but I can tell she’ll be a blubbering mess the moment she’s alone. There’s little that this 'violent foreigner' can do to ease her suffering or take away her loss, so I simply leave the two be. I have arrangements to make for the one thing I can control. I have to keep them safe.

By the time I return to the throne room Antoine has arrived there... And Lucretia hasn't left, despite the meat of those dead royals still being carted off by the Leather Priests. She must have a strong stomach, and so must Antoine. The two of them are deep in discussion, probably about something important... Best not to interrupt, and wait my turn to make my requests later.

"Interim president of the Samnian Republic?" Lucretia looks overwhelmed... Admittedly, she is talking about a fairly heavy prospect. "You really think I could take on that role?"

"Mademoiselle, you managed to assemble a very successful militia force, executed a brilliant plan to take over the government, and made friends and allies amongst the Avernian army, all in a single night! If it wasn't for a literal agent of a God interfering with your plans you would have single-handedly ended a war and brought the new republic into being right then and there!" Antoine sure knows how to talk someone up... His theatrics are honestly quite sweet sometimes. "I was concerned that I would not be able to find anyone who I could trust with the new Republic, and now you have proven yourself the perfect candidate! I'm certain the people of Samnia will agree, as soon as elections are able to be held."

"... I'm flattered, but I could only do those things because of Serena." She awkwardly shuffles her feet, apparently her noble and gallant persona is susceptible to humility. "If I hadn't seen her, if I hadn't... Felt, something about her, I doubt I could have done any of this."

Antoine chuckles, I suppose it must be amusing for him to meet yet another woman who has quickly become fascinated by me. "Serena is good at that. Motivating people to be their very best selves. But mademoiselle, even if Serena had inspired you to act, she could not simply give you competence, she could not inspire more from you than you had to give. This was something you were always capable of! Serena merely gave you an excuse to be the best version of yourself."

"... I suppose there is some truth to that. But I am unsure if I will continue to be my best self without her near me. This already was a monumental undertaking, I worry I would require a great deal of 'inspiration' to be the president of a revolutionary new form of government. Elected or not, I'll be spending years putting out fires and... Maybe if you could convince her to marry me-"

"Alright, let's hold our horses, mademoiselle Romulus." This only amuses Antoine further, no matter how hard he tries to hide it. "Haaaah, that girl is already tied to the hip to the love of my life... And sometimes it seems like she might be knotted up with at least five other girls, including a seven-foot-tall beauty who wears a bear everywhere. I don't think she could be convinced to give up her military career and settle down in Samnia at the age of nineteen, she's simply too wild a spirit."

"Well, then I don't know if I can do this, Antoine! Besides, you won most of this campaign, why don't you become the president of Samnia?!"

"The Aeduian Restorationists would see that as a dangerous power grab. I need someone I can trust to take control, someone competent and driven, so I can continue to best serve the interests of Avernia without provoking any dull politics about it. I must confess, the politicians back home are sometimes their own worst enemies, this arrangement simply makes sure they don’t bring themselves any harm by forming unfounded suspicions of me." ... My brother is a lot more savvy about the political angle than he lets on, I can absolutely see The Convention clipping his wings out of fear.

"I am certainly competent, we've proven that. But driven-"

"Look! ... Maybe I can't convince Serena to marry you, but perhaps I can work out some kind of arrangement. How about she visits every..." Antoine was counting months on his fingers, he never was good with time. "Dummanios. Become president of Samnia and I'll make sure she spends the month of Dummanios with you every year. Sound like a deal?"

Lucretia considers this... And then began counting on her fingers as well, humming out loud as she did. "That's nine whole months away!"

"Samonios then!"

"Cantlos or I walk."

"Fine, Cantlos... But you're going to have to help me write the new constitution!"

"Deal! ... What's a constitution?"

"Not sure yet, I'm not quite done inventing it."

"I feel like I may have just fallen for some kind of trap... But Serena is surely worth it."

"I’m sure she is!"

Antoine looks relieved to have finally finished this incredibly geopolitically significant negotiation. It takes a moment for it to sink in that he has more or less married me off, just like I was always trying to avoid, even if he only did so by a small fraction. And admittedly to a woman, which is a better lot than I'd have gotten simply as a debutante... I wonder what life would be like, married to the president of Samnia. She’s hardly a bad girl, she’s certainly good at what she does and what she does is good... And she certainly isn't hard to look at, that short black hair suiting her rather svelte figure well, especially in that very well-fitting tunic and pants... It's something I might have jumped at full-time if I didn’t have so many other loves that I wanted to keep close to me.

... I’ve spent so long staring into space, considering my new one-twelfth wife, that Antoine and Lucretia have already shaken on their new arrangement... And noticed that I’ve been here listening to them the entire time. Lucretia is suddenly horrified, while Antoine knows what shame is for perhaps the first time in his life.

He’s first to speak, Lucretia is too busy with her head in her hands. "... Sis, how much of that did you hear-"

"From a little bit before the negotiations began..." Something about seeing Antoine without his usual cheer emboldens me to put him on the other end of some dissonant joviality. "Selling me off to a foreigner for political reasons. Dad would be proud of you, Antoine."

"Okay listen, I know it sounds bad, but-"

"She'll make an excellent president, brother." I take a few steps forward, and free Lucretia's head from her hands by lifting her chin with two fingers. "I'm certain that whatever a constitution is, you'll write an amazing one."

Lucretia’s eyes twinkle with hope, even as every inch of her is flustered beyond what I thought possible. "You... You mean you'll... You'll be mine? ... For a month of every year at least?"

"Hehe, it's for the peace of Samnia, right? And besides, I think I could stand to be in one place for at least one month a year, so long as someone can tie me to it." Lucretia can’t even meet my gaze… Which will probably make what I have to ask next a little more awkward. "I just have one tiny, teensy thing to ask of you in return."

"Anything!" Lucretia quickly recoils from me and puts a hand over her mouth, realizing just how loud she’s being. "... Ask anything, and I will move the heavens for you. You already know what I'm capable of."

"Hehe, I won't ask you anything that onerous." Oh no, the poor girl is adorable when she isn't being noble... She’s a lot like Pasche in that regard. "The Queen Consort and her daughter, the only remaining members of the Samnian Royal Family... I have convinced the daughter to publicly renounce all claims to the crown of Samnia. I want you to ensure that both she and her mother are well cared for after this, that they do not face any repercussions for the actions of the former King. The mother and child are not to be harmed. Understood?"

"That's all? ... I could do so much for you, Serena."

"And you will. In seven months, sweetling." I need to be more careful with terms of affection in the future, she looks like she’s going to faint. "But for now, you can do me this favor, and spare us having to... Eradicate a bloodline."

"Oh... Then, yes! Absolutely, they will be given full immunity from reprisal. And I will personally ensure their safety!"

And there's that gallant-ness back. If I kiss her, will she die? ... I want to test this. So I do, gently leaning in and pecking her lips.

She passes out. She’s very clearly still alive though, her heart is beating like the thunderous hooves of a stampede of horses. I gently pick her up and place her upon the closest thing to a chair in this room, the throne itself. If she’s going to be the president she has the most right to it. My eyes turn back to Antoine, who is looking upon me with a mixture of awe and guilt.

He tries to formulate some excuse, but I quickly cut him off. "Okay, so you have got to stop offering to sell me! Even as a joke it's likely to get you punched to death by Pasche, or melted by Xena, or shot by Lazierte, or... Yelled at by Katarina until all your skin falls off, or something terrible!"

"... Okay, but the new republic needs a president! Surely your friends will recognize the necessity of that!"

"Oh, I'm certain they'll be very understanding as they kill you. They'll entirely understand the motivations behind your actions, I'm certain..." I pinch the bridge of my nose, I’m probably being overly harsh. "... I'm sure they'll adjust to only having me eleven months of the year, just don't do it again. My life is complicated enough as it is."

"... I promise." Antoine gets on one knee and looks up at me. "I promise I will stop marrying you off to people, even in fractional amounts."

"You better, for your sake." I reach down a hand and stroke Lucretia's hair, the poor girl is still out cold. "You did pick me someone quite gorgeous this time though. She talks a lot, but that's okay. Most of my friends do."

"Hehe... For what it's worth, I think your magic might be less magical than your ability to make 'Friends' everywhere you go. You could probably rule the world with that power of yours."

"And have an entire world of beautiful women constantly disappointed in me... Whatever world I rule would not be a happy one, brother. And I think I'd like to sort out my little patch of it first."

"You're only young, there's still time for world conquest, sis."

"Hehe, I appreciate the vote of confidence, brother... But for now, I think I have to see to my little patch."