Chapter 309: Rallying Cry and the Plot in the Palace

Theodoric sat atop his horse, leading his armies as they marched across the Nogrovod border. The wind blew through his hair as he looked around at his men, who all had strange looks in their eyes. Some didn’t want to be here, having already fought the enemy many times now without getting a single result. Others looked at him with hate and some with indifference.

It was dangerous, and Theodoric could tell. If at least one person in the army looked at him with anything resembling pride or happiness, he couldn’t see them. He kept a blank look on his face. It was dangerous to show anything else right now. Lots were indifferent to the war, and some were close to rebellion if it failed again. He couldn’t give them a reason.

Despite all that, Theodoric wasn’t worried. The church had no way to interfere in the war, and even if they wanted to, he had learned that a majority of the Templars had already gone to the Commonwealth to fight the Empire. Nogrovod was facing a two-front war. The only issue was Vladmire. If they decided to betray him at the final moment, he wasn’t sure if he could win.

Vladmire had made itself as strong as the final days of the Silesian Empire. Although it was the weakest point in the EMpire’s history, its power was still superior to the Gotics. Theodoric knew everything rested on how much he could trust Vladmire. He thought about Alexei. He was a cautious man who didn’t take risks without benefit. He trusted him as the Grand Prince of Vladmire, but thinking of his son made him frown.

Ivan was an anomaly. He knew the man was smart, but he was extremely impulsive. One single whimp would be all it took for him to try and convince his father to continue his attack and reclaim all the lost land of the Silesian Empire. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the thought from his mind.

’It’s no use worrying now. First, we deal with Nogrovod. We have to deal with them before anything else.’ Theodoric tightened his grip around the horse’s reigns and looked ahead at the first fort that signalled the start of the Nogrovod defences.

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"Father." Ivan happily called out to Alexei, walked over with a smug face, and hugged him. Alexei tried to stop him, but Ivan was too quick to bring him in. "It’s finally happening." He quietly whispered with the excitement of a child who had a new toy.

Alexei pushed him away and looked at his son with a soft smile. "We won’t get a chance like this again, Ivan. I need you right now."

Ivan chuckled and looked around. Seeing Mikhail talking to a few nobles, he smiled and walked past his father with his arms spread wide. "There’s the old bastard." Mikhail turned around and, seeing Ivan, quickly bowed. Ivan waved his hand and brought the man in. "Godfather. There is no need."

Mikahil was more receptive to the hug and smiled. "How was your joureny, my Prince?"

"Amazing. I tell you, the Empire has some nice things. It’s a shame I couldn’t see what Dimitri saw that last time, however." He looked around and saw everyone looking at him with different looks. The younger nobles had slight disdain, with few not, whilst the older and wiser all felt wary around him. It took everything he had to not laugh aloud.

"I’m glad to hear you are alright. You must be tired. A tent has been set up for you." Ivan shook his head at the mention of resting and walked through the camp. Walking past ordinary soldiers, he shook their hands and asked a few how their days were. Their mood instantly lifted as Ivan became increasingly friendly.

Seeing a noble, he just smiled and walked past without engaging. ’It’s so easy.’ Making commoners feel valued was something he found to be the easiest job. He knew his reputation amongst the nobility was fractured. All he could do while he worked to rebuild it was get close to their peasants and make it so that when he claimed the throne and they ever tried to do anything, the common people wouldn’t wish to join the cause.

Seeing a Trebuchet at the edge of the camp, he quickly climbed up it and grabbed one of the support beams. Hanging off it, he made Alexei and Mikhail hold their breaths, terrified he may fall. Ivan’s smile was infectious as he looked out at the soldiers and nobles around.

"Brethren, countrymen, the holy and not so much," Ivan shouted with a joyful voice as the section of camp he was addressing silenced. Alexei could only shake his head in embarrassment and look away. His son’s antics were always too much for him.

"To the common man, I understand this war may not mean much to you. What is the difference between being a part of Vladmire or the old Silesian Empire? You couldn’t care less. Your issues are harvesting and putting food on the table for your wives, children, and parents. But you are all brave men and despite this come when summoned and fight for your lords. I commend you; you are the backbone of our way of life, and without you, we would be nothing."

The commoners conscripted as levies felt proud at Ivan’s words and held their heads slightly higher. Ivan nodded, seeing this, and carried on. "But this war does concern you. Because this war, it’s a chance. A chance to prove yourself to your lords, to yourselves and to your Gods. And when you return home, you can proudly look at your family and friends and tell them, I fought for the future. I created history. None of you are insignificant. Every man has a destiny, and yours led you here. I ask you, no, I implore you to fight with all your might and become a footnote in the history books."

The commoners let out a loud cheer as the cries of Prince Ivan echoed in the camp. Raising his free hand, Ivan calmed them down and looked out again. "And to my fellow nobility. You understand what this war is about. Resotring lost pride. Some of you, including myself, don’t remember the glory of Silesia, and it saddens me." Ivan’s voice broke, and Alexei groaned at the fakness of it all.

"I need you all. All of you to help me, help yourselves witness glory once again. To no longer be the laughing stocks of the continent. ’The fallen Empire’. The legacy of one single man can’t define us. And when this is all done, you shall be rich beyond your imagination. Material wealth and legacy. You will have it all. Pick up your arms. Lead your knights, and in the future, you will not be nobles of Vladmire but the nobility of an Empire. Priase the Pantheon of the Gods, but most importantly, praise the gloriest future that awaits us."

The commoners quickly began to scream the words back at him, while some nobles joined in. Alexei watched as Ivan soaked up their cheers and egged them on to be louder. "He knows how to rally the men, at least," Mikhail said with a slight chuckle.

"He is a really good liar." Mikhail didn’t disagree with Alexei’s remark as Ivan hung from the side of the Trebuchet and waved his hand to make them shout louder once again.

"Have there been any changes in the Nogrovod camp?" Alexei ignored the cries around him, dedicated to Iavn, and focused back on the war. Mikhail nodded and looked across the distant river.

"It seems Theodoric has begun. While it wasn’t much, they slowly moved troops away. In a week or two, we should be ready to attack." Alexei nodded and fell into thought.

"If they try to block or detroy any river crossings, have men stop them. I don’t want to delay when the Gotics are already attacking."

"That could escalate into an early war."

"It doesn’t matter. My brother knows I’m coming now. Even if it kicks off early, it will be fine. Have Ivan and the others meet in my tent later tonight. We will begin our plans." Mikhail bowed and walked off, leaving Alexie alone to watch as Ivan finally smiled and jumped off the Trebuchet.

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Kam sat in the dining hall for the servants with cold eyes as he watched the door in the distance. If his fellow conspiritors walked in, it meant the plan was to go ahead. If not, then he had to leave while he still could. He waited patiently, eating his food alone, watching. Some who knew him tried to come over and speak but quickly gave up, seeing he wasn’t in a good mood. He couldn’t risk any distractions. Minutes felt like hours as he watched the doors.

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"Excuse me?" One of the servants working with Kam went to the Royal Guard in front of Edward’s room and softly spoke, trying to hide the fear in their voice. The guard looked at him with cold eyes. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"What?" His voice was deep but not threatening, not daring to treat someone in the palace harshly. The servant smiled and passed a note to him. Whilst they couldn’t forge the Prime minister’s handwriting, it was easy to steal his seal and quickly use it to forge a letter."

"The Prime Minister summoned you. He gave me this and told me to tell you to see him. It was urgent, it seemed." The guard looked at the seal and, seeing it was Issac’s, nodded and left. A servant in the distance saw the guard leave and quickly ran to the dining hall.

Kam saw the signal, and after fixing the blade he had hidden, he and a few others got up at the same time and quickly left.