“… and they haven’t moved since?” August asked as he stared down from the cliffside battlements at the Central Consul’s army.

“No, Your Highness, they’ve been maintaining their position, but they haven’t so much as pissed in our direction,” Brimstone replied.

It had been three days since the latest assault where the Central Consul had sent Legion soldiers to die in the thousands through tunnels beneath the Augustine defenses. Just as Leon had suspected, Minerva had been tracking the course of those tunnels with the earth mages at her disposal, but a few tunnels escaped her notice. Still, Octavius’ soldiers were fought off and the tunnels were brought crashing down around them.

Not long after, August arrived at the castle overlooking the pass. He’d been in Ironford coordinating with the Legions and Lords of the Eastern Territories to ensure that he had the support needed to wage his side of this war. His first demand was to be given a report of their current situation, so Minerva gathered the entire command staff—including Leon—and brought August out to the battlements where he could see their situation for himself. With everyone together, they were a group of two-and-a-half dozen, plus dozens more attendants and adjutants nearby.

“That’s good to hear, I suppose,” August replied.

“You ‘suppose’?” Minerva asked with anger that she didn’t even try to hide. “We’ve lost over a thousand good fighters holding this ground. We’ve killed thousands more, and all so that you can sit your pretty ass down upon this Kingdom’s throne and behead those who murdered Prince Trajan! I hope you can muster more than supposition when we win victories; Kings are decisive, and if you’re anything less, then I’ll find someone else to take your place!”

Her short tirade was accompanied by a wave of killing intent that sent shivers down just about everyone’s spine, and just about sent August reeling right over the battlements. Standing not too far away, Leon had to admit that he was quietly impressed that Minerva was willing to be so forceful in her use of power. It reminded him a great deal of Trajan, and that attitude had been one of the reasons why Leon had been willing to follow the Prince.

“I… apologize, Dame Minerva,” August hesitatingly replied, his face rapidly losing what color it had as he seemed to shrink and wither under her furious gaze. “I meant no offense, it’s just that the past couple of weeks have been very stressful and I’ve forgotten myself a little. I should not allow myself to forget basic manners, especially when speaking with a friend. Please forgive me.”

Minerva glared at him for a moment, but she quickly sighed and softened her expression. “I’m sorry, too, Your Highness. We’ve lost many in these past couple of weeks, some of whom I served with under Prince Trajan for years. My patience has… frayed…”

“Think nothing of it,” August said with a wave of his hand. He knew that some would frown on him forgiving insubordination and even apologizing to a subordinate so easily, but he didn’t much care. “I’ve managed to renew most of my alliances with the eastern Lords thanks to this victory. They’re mustering their forces, but it’ll take time. At least a month, probably two before they arrive at Ironford.”

“How many are coming?” Roland asked, eager to move away from topics that would have their highest leaders arguing amongst themselves.

“At least fifty-thousand,” August replied. “Marquis Aeneas alone is bringing ten-thousand. He even thanked me for finding something for his knights and men-at-arms to do; apparently, the stone giants have been rather passive for the past few years, and so he hasn’t had to defend the eastern border as vigorously as he’s had to in recent decades.” August paired that statement with a nod to Leon to acknowledge his part in pacifying the stone giants.

“That’s good to hear, we can certainly put these newcomers to work,” Minerva said.

“Have any ideas on that front?” August inquired.

“I do,” Minerva replied. “If possible, I’d like to have our eastern Legions go on offense while the noble armies take up the role of defense. Have the professionals take the fight to Octavius while those who have a stake in keeping the Eastern Territories secure do just that.”

August nodded in agreement with Minerva’s logic. “Sounds good to me.” The Prince turned his eyes back westward. “I hope we can get this done quickly…”

“I hope so, too, but wars are rarely ever so agreeable,” Minerva replied with a grim expression.

---

“A QUARTER fucking Legion! Less than that! A quarter fucking Legion stopped us?!” Octavius roared in anger as he slammed his hands down upon his desk, splintering the wood and sending papers flying throughout his office. The dozens of ministers and Legion knights who were there to witness his anger paled a bit and remained quiet as the Prince angrily muttered to himself and did his best to remain composed.

All except one, however.

“Nephew, perhaps we would have had better luck if you allowed us to—” the Earthshaker Paladin began in a tone that was both conciliatory and accusatory, but that only enflamed Octavius’ wrath.

“SILENCE!” he bellowed, the force of his unrestrained fifth-tier power shaking the room a bit despite the protective wards in the walls. “I will not be second-guessed!”

Earthshaker sat down in his chair seemingly cowed, though the expression didn’t quite reach his eyes, which leisurely drifted around the room, quietly taking in the reactions of everyone else.

The Prince, however, didn’t spare his uncle another look and instead turned to look out of the windows behind his desk. As it so happened, these windows faced north, roughly in the direction of his father’s private villa where the King lay in repose. King Julius hadn’t improved in the past few years, but neither had his condition worsened. The doctor from the Sacred Golden Empire assured Octavius that the King’s condition shouldn’t deteriorate, but he was still having some trouble securing the ingredients for the King’s restorative potion.

But that didn’t mean too much to Octavius. Whether King Julius was conscious or not, he could still feel his father’s gaze upon him, judging him, finding him wanting. Octavius could feel his father’s disappointment—after all, despite outnumbering August’s forces by such a huge margin, Octavius had still failed to secure victory.

“Traitors and incompetents… Traitors and incompetents…” Octavius muttered quietly, but his voice carried in the dead-silent office. Everyone heard him, and they began to grow nervous. When Octavius addressed them again, his voice had returned to a normal volume, but his eyes hadn’t lost even the tiniest amount of his monumental rage. “It seems that I didn’t go far enough in banishing the baseborn from my administration, for I am still surrounded by traitors and incompetents! That is the only explanation for these abject, repeated failures! It seems that before I deal with my traitor of a brother, I’m going to have to clean this house, and I must be even more thorough!”

“Your Royal Highness—” began one of Octavius’ personal stewards, but the Prince silenced him with a glare.

“I want everyone with ties to the Eastern Territories imprisoned,” Octavius growled. “Sertor Arellius will be stripped of his command. Recall Avidius, he’s clearly not up to the task that I have given him.”

After a tense moment of silence, Earthshaker quietly asked, “And what of Avidius’ army? Should we leave the 1st and 4th to secure the Iron Road west of Ironford?”

“What point is there?! It’s not like it’ll be an effective siege now that fucking Tarsus has proven just how much of a fool he was! Keeping those soldiers out there is a burden on our supplies, so bring them back!”

Many in Octavius’ office disagreed, but not a single person spoke up to keep those soldiers where they were. With the Prince in this state, all most of them could think about was trying to keep their heads—it was obvious to them all that many people were going to be getting uncomfortably intimate with the headsman’s block, and none of them wanted to join those ranks.

“Have there been any moves from Heaven’s Eye?” Octavius demanded of the office.

“Heaven’s Eye?” the Countess of Lindinis asked with confusion written all over her face, seeking clarification.

“Yes, isn’t that barbarian who’s fucking that Heaven’s Eye girl in August’s camp? Has Heaven’s Eye made any moves to support my bastard brother?!”

“… None that we can discern,” the Countess replied as she cast her gaze around at the other faces in the room looking for back-up.

“Heaven’s Eye has made no moves against us, Octavius,” the Sapphire Paladin whispered as she strode forward and shamelessly pressed herself against her Prince. “Even if they did, all we would have to do is send word to their headquarters in Ilion and they’d immediately replace Lady Emilie. Heaven’s Eye is neutral, and they take that stance extraordinarily seriously. No matter what happens here, they will not get involved.”

With his lover staring into his eyes and pushing herself against him, Octavius began to calm down and act with a bit more Royal dignity, which was exactly the result that Sapphire had wanted.

After a few long seconds that almost felt more like minutes, Octavius began to think out loud. “… I had thought that August’s escape would be useful, as it would prove the strength of the forces loyal to me. Instead, it has led to humiliation and defeat, and that is not how my reign will begin! Something has to be done!”

“Your Royal Highness, if I may…” one of the Legion knights began, drawing the attention of everyone else in the room along—along with quite a few pitying and awed glances at a man who would invite the attention of an irate Prince.

“What?!” Octavius snapped before catching himself and repeating in a much softer tone, “What?”

“August’s forces have blocked both most of the approaches to Ironford, but those ways are not the only ways into the east. There are paths through the cliffs of the Great Plateau that were built by House Raime that lead to the Eastern Territories, not to mention the paths that are watched over by the Bull’s Horns. If we secure the great cities of the north and east—Teira and Ariminium, respectively—then we would have all the methods of entry into the Eastern Territories that we would ever need. Even if August were to have the support of all the Legions in the east, he’s still outnumbered, and he can’t defend every point of entry that exists.”

“Hmmm….” Octavius hummed as he thought about that proposal. And the more he thought about it, the more he liked it. “I’m… inclined to…” The Prince paused and glanced around the room. Both Tarsus and the Central Consul were gone, and Octavius had thought them his best military leaders. With Tarsus now dead and the Central Consul now a proven failure, Octavius would have to replace them before anything could be done, not to mention the purges he had in mind…

Octavius gently pushed Sapphire away from him, straightened himself up, and said, “Send word to the Consul of Discord. I want his fleet prepared to move on Ariminium. He will coordinate with the Consul of the South for the taking of the city. Call up the Consul of the West and have him march his Legions here. He will take command of the Central Legions and then march north to secure the Great Plateau. Issue an ultimatum to the Consul of the North: either he pledges his fealty to me, or he will be arrested and charged with treason. There will be no more equivocating from him, he’s either with me or against me.

“Furthermore, I want our Legions and those in this government who hold sympathies for those rebels and traitors in the east to be placed under arrest. I will not have a repeat of the 2nd Legion’s failure to attack when ordered!

“You’re all dismissed. Get to work.”

Those around the Prince’s office answered with a chorus of, “Yes, Your Royal Highness!” and began to file out of the office. Only Octavius’ two Paladins remained behind. They waited for a long and awkward moment for Octavius to acknowledge them, but the Prince remained silent and lost in his thoughts. It was only when Sapphire spoke up that he glanced at them and seemed to fully realize that they were still present.

“My Love, are we just going to leave August alone?” she asked.

“For now,” Octavius replied, his voice even but carrying a thick undercurrent of killing intent.

“What if he moves before we do? It’ll be easier for his people to move around than ours…”

Earthshaker responded before Octavius, giving a loud boast, “If he leaves those hills in the east, then he’ll die that much faster. I’ll see to it personally! By the way, Nephew, I don’t think that the eastern sympathizers are the only ones we need to worry about…”

“Explain,” Octavius demanded.

“There are others who don’t support you here in the palace, not just in the administration. Others who might support August in memory of Trajan.”

“Who?”

“Men like the Chancellor or the Spymaster.”

“Straighten your fucking tongue and speak plainly. What are you suggesting?”

Despite Octavius’ harsh rebuke, Earthshaker’s lips began to turn upward in a shallow smile. “I’m suggesting that getting rid of the relatives and sympathizers of August and the eastern Lords in your ranks might not be enough. There are many here in the palace that were loyal to Trajan and might transfer that loyalty to August now that Dame Minerva has sided with him. We should expand the scope of this purge so that we can be sure we’ve gotten rid of all dissidents.”

Octavius silently stared at Earthshaker in contemplation. Going after the highest officials was risky, but they were men that his father had appointed. For that reason alone, Octavius wanted them gone. After a few seconds, he quietly nodded his head in as Princely a manner as he was able to in his current mental state and said, “Bring me a list and we’ll see.”

“Thank you, Your Royal Highness.”