Complications (Act III)

It had been weeks since returning to the Diamond City with the dwarves in tow. Braun and his kin wasted no time in turning the ruins into habitable spaces. Forseeing the future work ahead, they confined themselves to a small area to live and work in communally. Distinctive of their kind, as you imagine most human transplants would spread out widely through the city in order to put space and privacy between them and others, and possibly compete for the best.

Not only was their communal tendencies on display, but their methodical nature that they brought to all things, especially war. Queen Vercion was being shown designs and plans daily for every step of the rebuilding, some of them foreseeing more than a decade out into the future. They would turn this pile of rubble into a veritable fortress Braun wanted to ensure that the rebuilding of Agito would not lead to a puppet state. the Queen was given final approval, and at times it seems that Braun would not leave unless he could coax Vercion to instruct a stylistic change or ask to reconsider a plan. These plans contained immense walls and the construction of massive and terrifying weapons to repel invaders and besiegement. It was thorough and exact; if it could ever be completed, it would be one of the most well defended cities in all of T'sara. This would be necessary, given the stubbornness of the Immortal Emperor. Trying to understand all of the plans without having a craftsman's or general's mind was exhausting for the Queen, and no less so for you. It was becoming clear that having gotten to this point in your mission could be described as "the easy part".

Having just finished such a meeting in a swiftly reconstructed but sparse throne room, you look to see the Queen in an odd way. She's fidgeting, which is unlike her, she's pressing her lips together in anxiety, and she won't take her eyes off of you.

"Your Majesty? Is something wrong?" You ask, stepping closer

"I don't know if something's wrong, but something doesn't feel right."

"Well," you begin "walk me through it. If you say it out loud, maybe you'll figure it out."

"It's just" she lets out a groan "I don't know. There's just so much going on. I'm doing my best to be the Queen that everyone expects me to be, and I don't know how long I can do that and still just be myself."

"I get that, Your Majesty" You guide her to sit in a simple, hastily assembled chair, as you do the same "There's a lot of change for you, and there's a lot to ask. The crown sits heavy upon the brow."

"Yaaaa" she trails off "Michael, can you do me a favor?"

"Of Course Your Majesty," You respond swiftly "You have but to ask"

"When nobody else is around, I'm just Vercion." It's a simple thing, but you see a weight lift from her shoulders from simply asking

"Absolutely." The Queen reaches forward to grab your hand, and squeezes it.

"Thank You," She says gently, staring into your eyes again. "Michael, I'm scared."

"The enemy's not at our gates just yet. For now, you can rest easy."

"No, it's not that. I'm afraid of something else. I'm afraid that the thing I want is going to ruin things..."

"How could-" You begin to ask, but before you get it out, Vercion closed her eyes and thrust her lips towards yours, holding your strong frame in her hands. It was a surprise, one that your body and your brain begin to have a fued about. You haven't had a romantic partner in a long time, Chirogax's interlude not withstanding, and Vercion is a lovely young woman. In the back of your mind, trying to speak over the voices of instinct and desperation, is your voice of honor. This is not how this is supposed to work. This is how knights fail to do what is necessary and how kingdoms can fall apart. Coup plots start this way. Vercion continues to kiss and push on, and seems like she might be trying to go even further, as it seems like she's trying to pull your clothes off.

You don't have to tell her to stop, as you hear a loud horn blowing in the distance. The Queen breaks her kiss, and you both rise to look through a window, seeing a congregation of humans arriving, with a conspicious female paladin leading them on horseback.

"It's Gabrielle" You say "She's back already."

"How could she have gotten to the Imperial City and back so soon?" Vercion asks.

"Don't know. That's a lot of road to cover in not a lot of time. We'll find out soon enough."

The two of you head through the streets of Agito to find her. The paladin is, for a moment, buoyant to see you.

"Michael, My Lady" She greets you both with a bow "It's good to see that you're both well, and you've clearly had better fortune than I. Dwarves and even orcs as allies. I wouldn't have believed it had I not seen it with my own eyes."

"Were you not able to find any record of Vercion's heritage?" You ask.

"I'm afraid it's worse than that. The Emperor is making war in the minds of his citizens."

"What do you mean? Is he preparing to attack already" Vercion asks nervously.

"No. The empire is claiming that they have found the last heir to Agito, and this false Queen can supposedly be found in the Imperial City singing the praises of her tyrannical conquerers."

You and the Queen look at each other, confused. Neither of you had factored that in as a possibility.

"So, what does that mean?"

"It means we have a chance" Gabrielle replied "I brought with me some of the Agitian diaspora that were unconvinced of the Emperor's lies. If we can show to the people who the Queen truly is, we can beat him at his own game"

"This sounds like a trap" You reply morbidly "Almost like bait. The Emperor wants us to try and fight the narrative. We make ourselves commonly known, easier to excuse the killing."

"You may be onto something." Gabrielle nods in agreement. "It's a dare, seemingly"

"So what do we do now?" Vercion asks.

"We keep building, My Lady" Gabrielle replies "Every day he plays this game is a day we have to even the odds. Come" The paladin extends her hands "your subjects would like to meet you, Your Highness"