The Convention called another emergency session, which has both ruined my planned day with Pasche and left me wondering if they ever meet for anything other than emergencies. I guess I can understand them attempting to minimize their exposure to their dull Convention Hall. Maybe there needs to be a crisis for anyone to want to be anywhere near the place, but they probably should have thought of that before they sacrificed the King. Surely they had to know just how dramatically it might derail their Sunday afternoons. Some of them even aren't wearing their colors, instead dressed for leisurely strolls or for late luncheons, or to watch the sacrifice with their families... It’s all a little ridiculous, but that simply must be the nature of having a government this big, having to organize this many people into a room. Especially in a time of turmoil like this.

I wonder if The Convention works better when I'm not around to cause headaches for them.

"Order! Order, Gentlemen!" The wigged man from before is valiantly trying to keep this assembly on track, an unenviable job given the hundred or so people currently grumbling about their sudden summons, or terrified by recent events. "We are only going to make it through this with calm, rational and insightful decision-making."

Sitting amongst Auguste and his Humanist contemporaries I notice the absence of the old man from last time. Maybe he simply was not informed quickly enough. Or perhaps he simply... Wasn't informed at all. He was the one who was able to command the respect of the entirety of The Convention. Without him... This whole thing is liable to be much, much more difficult.

The crowd manages to calm themselves enough for the session to continue, a mercy to the long-suffering barrister. "Now... We have assembled here to discuss the... Unforeseen conduct of the Late Phillip Crixis."

"Who would have thought there was even a scrap of honor in him?" One of the men in green is quickly quite embarrassed, apparently not knowing just how loud he’s speaking. “I thought it was a foolproof plan.”

"Right." The barrister nods, but is clearly holding back the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. "We had all expected for him to simply skewer the prince and lose all respect from the people. It would have been impossible for him to retaliate against us then. This act of his, however..."

"It might be the first effective political maneuver that our former High King has ever made." One of the men in purple interrupts the barrister much more confidently, willing to take the focus of the meeting hall. "Any popular enthusiasm we had built is gone now, the people don't know what to think."

"I hear some of them are stealing stacks of newspapers and burning them as an act of protest." One of the scaled ones snipes from across the Convention Hall, their tone is quieter than I usually expect from a priest of Steel.

"Well half of them can't read, schooling is too expensive. The newspapers might be more useful to them as kindling than as propaganda." Auguste's little witticism provokes a number of chuckles throughout the hall.

"Yes yes, very droll, Minister Rosierte." The wigged man narrowly resists the urge to roll his eyes, part of me wonders what he must be like when he isn't poisoned by decorum. "However we are not going to be able to reignite republican fervor with jokes. We're here for solutions, gentlemen."

For a moment there's a lull in the hall... No one has any ideas. Not one of these hundred-something 'very important people' have anything worthwhile to say. I'm not even sure why these people are even here! ... If it weren't for Auguste, I wouldn't know why I'm here.

... But he truly thinks this gaggle of rich people can somehow produce a better Alesia, and a better Avernia, so it's worth trying to help them along. "If we can't reach the people by simply saying what we want them to think, maybe we can actually do something to be worthy of their thoughts."

The wigged man frowns in my direction, clearly still not too fond of me after my testimony a week prior. "Minister Rosierte, please keep your little 'guest' quiet. She is not a minister of The Convention; she cannot propose actions."

Auguste puts a hand on my shoulder, a sympathetic one, but a defeated one. I look down, I hate this stupid Convention.

"Now, does any member of The Convention have any actions to propose?"

Silence again, until Auguste speaks once more. "Well, if we can't reach the people by simply saying what we want them to think, maybe we can actually do something to be worthy of their thoughts."

There is another brief exchange of laughter in The Convention, during which Auguste looks my way and gives me a cheeky smile. It’s still frustrating, but I have to admit there’s some humor to be found in it. Women weren't allowed to join The Convention despite the fact they're perfectly capable of steering it.

Actually, that might be an idea of how to get the people back on side! "Psst, 'Minister Rosierte'. This might be a good time to advocate for the rights of women."

He nods, and prepares to speak again... Except the people of The Convention have taken our idea and run with it, and are not interested in slowing down to let the Humanist Salon get a word in.

"What can we do that would be popular among the people?"

"We can't precisely do a giveaway or a dole, most of our resources are going towards the war effort."

"It has to be something cheap."

"Something 'symbolic'."

"And something we can do quickly."

"What are the people gossiping about then? A pretend enemy we can vanquish."

"... Well there are always rumors about the Queen."

... I blink, and the words do not evaporate from my head. That purple shirt did in fact bring the queen into this... I wonder if I can fight everyone in The Convention and win now that I’m mostly better.

"Perfect! She's been ready for a trip to the Groves of Steel for a while now, we'll arrange it posthaste!" That very same purple shirt has much of The Convention nodding along with him now, oh gods.

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I shake. I miss my sword. Will I really have to kill everyone in Alesia just to protect Her Majesty? Auguste picks up on my distress, and to my surprise he turns his attention to the man in purple... Is he agreeing with this plan too?

"Minister Roland." Isn’t Auguste addressing the same man who tried to hug me before my testimony... The same one who led the castigation of me over a week ago. "Her Majesty is, by all records, an innocent woman. What grounds would we even have to sacrifice her?"

"Oh, we'll find something." It's fairly clear that he means that The Convention will make something up, he just can't say it. "It doesn't have to be bulletproof; the people will take anything. And it's not as if anyone will stand in defense of her, right?"

I will... I will kill anyone I have to. There are guards in the room, they have muskets and bayonets, if I can seize one…

"Does abusing our authority to murder our political enemies really sound like a viable solution to us having earned the displeasure of the people by abusing our authority to murder our political enemies?" Auguste is still trying... He’s defending Her Majesty! "This is not a good look for us, Roland, surely you must see that."

"Only a Humanist could hold such an opinion, Rosierte. And the people out there in the streets, the average Alesian? They aren't Humanists. They will not see or care about the contradiction, so long as we're seen to be taking care of long-overdue problems. You have to admit, your moral arguments matter a lot more to you than they do to the people you're advocating for."

"Just because they can't understand why it's wrong doesn't mean it isn't! This is murder, Roland!"

"I never said it wasn't. But whether or not it is murder is simply immaterial to its utility. Besides, The Crown would use murder as a tool to maintain their power too, if you'll recall. Seems foolish to deny ourselves a useful tool because it violates the self-indulgent sensibilities of some of our members, right?"

Madness. They're insane, all of the grown-ups of The Convention are insane.

One of the green shirts gives a nod and stands to his feet. "I believe the Constitutional Monarchist Salon could consent to this prospect. We can spin it as freeing the new king of corrupting influences. We could even explain away our little arrest of poor Charles as the result of things his mother put him up to. I believe we can make this a true compromise."

A scaled priest also stands up and nods at the proposal.

"It will legitimize our claim to be the rightful expression of the will of Steel if we can keep him well fed. The Steel Salon will also support the motion."

"... The Humanist Salon cannot and will not support this motion." Auguste sounds defeated... When I kill everyone in this room, I will allow him to flee. "This is murder, plain and simple. What is the point of building a new Avernia if it will operate just the same as the old one?"

This provokes a frown from the chief purple shirt, this 'Minister Roland' person... "Rosierte, the old man is dying. And your vestigial smattering of loyalists will lose all relevance once he does. So disagree with what you like while you still can. It won't change anything."

Auguste sits down again... The Convention appears to be making plans to murder my goddess around my ears and there's nothing that can be done. There's no realistic way that I am actually going to be able to kill everyone in this room, and I'm not even certain that anything will change even if I do... But I can't do nothing! I can’t just let this happen!

I quickly get to my feet, standing on my chair so I am the tallest thing in the room, I demand to be heard! "Have you no hearts, monsieurs?! Is this what you want power for? To kill the innocent?! To mislead the people of Avernia?! You are no better than the mob, the violent rabble that almost tore the city apart! Every man here belongs in a Grove of Steel more than Her Majesty does, how dare you even suggest bringing her harm! Is there no humanity in The Convention anymore?!

The wigged man looks about ready to burst a blood vessel, stepping off the dais and towards me, having clearly met the limits of political civility. "You do not get to disrespect The Convention! Guards! Have her removed from the Hall immediately!"

The guards move to arrest me, but Minister Roland raises a hand and they immediately cease. What is this purple shirt thinking? ... He almost looks sympathetic to my plight... The hypocrite.

"Now, now, this is the hero of the hour! The one who has saved Alesia over and over these past two weeks. We owe her more than simply casting her out of our hall, we owe her so very much!" ... That smirk... I wonder if I can rush over and punch him before the guards stop me. "Which is why I believe it is our duty to rescind our castigation and allow Mademoiselle Pollineux to return to the front lines! As the General she is. She has more than proven herself brave and dedicated to our cause after all."

... The Convention seems to be humming in agreement, the very same people who recalled me to Alesia, who humiliated me so... Are going to throw me back to the frontlines the moment it suits their convenience... They want me to be their monster, all the while they murder Her Majesty! I won't allow it!

I try to speak, to rebuke this idea, but a prominent green shirt stands up and takes the floor. "Her brother is returning to Samnia tomorrow if I remember correctly. Perhaps she should be allowed to accompany him, win some glory for our brave army there."

Lazierte? ... I shake my head, The Convention cannot tempt me away from my Goddess! Even if they hold my first best friend over me... I prepare for another outburst.

Auguste looks quite down, sitting among the Humanists, watching everything fall apart in an instant... We really have lost, haven't we? There's no winning here. Not against all the purple shirts that money can buy, against the normal that produces them. I slump back into my chair beside him... I heard once that misery loves company.

Roland gives a horribly smug little smile, happy to drop the issue that is my existence. "Oh yes, while we're sending people places, we should send a messenger to tell the crew of the 'Merciful Voyage' to stand down. Phillip will hardly be needing his escape plan now that he's found his own."

Another smattering of laughs in the hall, these people are freaks... Wait, a ship leaving Avernia? All prepped and ready to go?

"That one was in Burdigala, right? It'll be weeks before we can get the message out to them.”

"Why can't we just use the usual method?"

"The Witch we were employing to send messages back and forth is now refusing to work with us…”

“She might make a good opponent for the Queen, in honesty. Might send her a message.”

A ship in Burdigala... That's on the western coast of Avernia. About two weeks hard ride away, three weeks by carriage... I may not be able to fight the entire city of Alesia, and maybe I couldn’t change the city from within The Convention, but I can steal suitable transport for Her Majesty.

I can get her to this ship. I can keep her safe! ... And it's looking like I might be out of any other options.

I scramble up once again, seriously confusing Auguste and drawing the eyes of the people of The Convention. Do they expect me to give another speech? I don't have time for useless speeches! I escape the seating in the Hall as quickly as I can and I start sprinting. I will sprint all the way to the Palace, I will get The Queen out of here.

If only I was as strong as Katarina, I could carry her all the way to Burdigala.