Chapter Text
“...They’re alive.”
“Yes sir. Mina and Thorne were hiding together.”
“...This letter says they are...lovers?”
“I don’t know if I’d believe that sir.”
“...So. They didn’t die in a blaze of glory after all. I suppose all is well. This works better for us.”
“How do you mean that sir?”
Splayed on a sofa in silver leaf , navy drapings, and plush pillows, the leader of the Integrists poured himself another cup of tea.
“We get to kill them and frame one of the leftist groups. Probably the republican guard. I haven’t decided yet.”
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“Has anyone else seen this letter?”
“I believe the letter goes public in an hour in the house chamber.”
“Hmm…”
“Sir? What’s your plan?”
He opened a secret place on the mahogany desk and ushered his secretary over for a fountain pen. On the letterhead in bold letters was the insignia of the Anarchists.
“We’re going to kill Mina. Maybe Thorne too. And we’re going to get the Integrists to do it.”
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“That’s enough out of both of you! Leave me to think!”
“...Very well. It’s late. We’ll come back tomorrow.”
The two officers walked out of the office, watching the prime minister unceremoniously spill a drink all over his desk, before running over to slam the door in their faces.
“...We should head to the floor. Try and see everyone’s reaction to the news.”
“Please. Everyone will be a statue. If we’ve got this message, then everyone’s got it by now.”
“...The vanguards—”
“We are not getting help from the vanguards!”
-----
Nowhere but the lower decks of a brigantine could one find such a humid and sweltering place in the noon and a soul-crushing chill in the midnight hours. Corpses of fish and poultry reeked in from the adjoining room. Jagged, ugly quarters filled with fetid waste and refuse wreaked havoc on the senses. One yearned for ruined islands yet again, a paradise lost. Thorne resisted the urge to wipe his brow and lay back down in exhaustion as the hallway jail door opened again. It was him.
“I saw your camp on the island. Bread and wine. What a diet! You know the older priests used to be really fat. They ate merrily. Now all the young priests are pale, gaunt little sticks. You both look no better than them!”
“Grace and peace to you too. Marshal.” Thorne snippily growled out. He finally had a moment to give his wary eyes a proper sizing up of his savior and captor, who had fished them from a watery escape a few hours ago.
“Here. I brought you both a hot meal. Your good humor will return in no time.” Thorne did not touch his tray as it slid in through the little slot on the door.
Mina was staring intently as well. “...You’re Xavier.”
“Ah! My reputation precedes me.” He slid Mina’s tray in next and gave her a warm smile with it. “Please, dig in!”
Mina took the bowl to her lips, but looked at Thorne, whose eyes were still piercing out the bars.
Xavier turned his attention back to him. “...I understand. I’m glad you still have your wits about you. Plenty of factions, even on this ship would love to poison you. They’ll all be quite disappointed at my letter announcing your safe passage back to the island. I myself am quite happy to see you both alive and...healthy as one can be having jumped into an ocean to escape an island I suppose!” Xavier took the tray back and produced a second brass spoon from his pocket before taking a spoonful for himself, and pushing the tray back.
Thorne’s voice lost no ice from his long dive in the cold waters. “Should I feel the same way to see you?” The iron bars didn’t wilt away, but Xavier’s relaxed demeanor seemed to a little.
“...You’re the Marshal now...again? Correct?” Mina spoke up again.
“Please. Just Xavier.”
Mina suppressed a giggle with some difficulty before continuing. “Okay Xavier...How did you manage to survive? We both read your last letter to us and thought you were dead. I will eat the meal if you explain to us the new state of affairs and your role in it.” She looked to Thorne, who was a statue.
Xavier took a seat on the floor of the cells and nodded his head. “It wouldn’t be polite to keep a lady from her food for so long. You’ll forgive me I hope, because I’m not quite sure where to start...”
-----
“This government will not tolerate any reforms to the military service requirements during our times of trouble!”
The chamber erupted in a cacophony of jeers from the legislative body.
“And furthermore! Anddddd furthermore! The government will not accept any land reform proposal as long as the remnants of Thorne’s forces continue to pillage and defile the lands!”
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“The National Ossex Front shot themselves in the foot with picking that guy as their leader. I think the first republic lasted for about twelve hours after that before parliament was dissolved.”
“The National Ossex Front?” Mina looked at her soup again briefly.
“They were briefly the largest right-wing party leading a center-right coalition of political interests. But their leader had absolutely no interest in land reform. When he bluntly announced that, he lost every business-minded moderate in the chamber. Then he lost the confidence of the landowners who were the core of his coalition. He had this wicked temper with them, and was assassinated a day after his resignation. I think. I was still being tortured at the time.”
Thorne did not show a reaction, but spoke again. “How do you know what they said if you were in prison?”
Xavier looked around and visually double checked the lock on the holding area. “I had a sympathetic friend keeping me informed. He couldn’t get me out of the torture. Just gave me news one day at a time.”
Mina brought her bowl closer to her nose, if only to keep out the other stenches wafting through. “I’m sorry that you went through that.” She thought for another moment before taking a tentative sip.
Xavier cleared his throat and moved on quickly. “Well, yes. Not to worry about me. Anyway, the Syndicalists decided to take control in a military coup, dissolving the republic completely, and for two nights they barricaded themselves in the old parliament building...”
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“We are not recruiting from Thorne’s rebels! They’re all tainted!”
“You ideological purists are such little sunflowers! Thorne’s troops aren’t political anathema! How are you going to hold onto this coup without any additional recruitment?”
The Integrist leader spoke up. “I don’t see why you don’t just kill all the rebels. Clearly none of them can help us.”
-----
“Thankfully, the Syndicalists couldn’t find a working agreement with the Mousquetaire Guard or the Integrists. Instead, they backpedaled and claimed they took control to rewrite a new constitution. God willing, the first military dictatorship managed to come and go with little bloodshed. After that—”
“Wait.” Mina gulped down the entire rest of her soup. “I apologize, I’m not sure I understand all the different factions so far.”
“The apologies are mine. Let me try to clarify. I’m not clear on all the details, but my best understanding is something like this. The Mousquetaire Guard are the most centrist and pragmatic portion of the right wing. They’re made up of a lot of aristocracy and want to return to as much of the status quo as possible, and were the ones to eventually arrange a general amnesty for Thorne’s remaining rebels who weren’t yet executed. Make no mistake though.” Xavier turned to Thorne. “I have no love for them. I’m just more useful alive than dead, as you are. Thorne.”
Thorne still did not look up.
“...Well. The Syndicalists are the somewhat smaller minority of the nobility, but they have support because of their nominal commitment to land reform. They would get along with The Integrists, because they have almost identical platforms. The Syndicalists however wanted to banish me and the rest of Thorne’s troops out of Ossex for life, while the Integrists wanted to kill us all. The Integrists also want to reverse Baron Lionel’s minor land reforms from five years ago and completely corporatize all public land. Off the record, they want to give new holdings to who they consider to be favorable species and races. That means they have a lot of internal splits based on race, but their party is rather large and still dangerous. The Little Landers are the other right wing party looking to rewrite land laws, and are mostly made up of landowners of course. They want to rewrite the laws to give even more rights to existing landowners at the expense of the small business owners and homeless population, but they don’t get along with the Integrists or Syndicalists who both have mercantilist trade policies, whereas the Little Landers see an opportunity to expand mass industry through free trade and foreign investment.”
“It sounds like the Little Landers...are a bit of a misnomer.” Mina had moved on to her salad and spoke between bites.
“There are a lot of ultra-wealthy business owners who are unconcerned with politics outside of their money in that party, that’s true.”
“And what of that...Ossex Front you mentioned at the beginning?”
“The Nationalist Ossex Front is the big tent party. They might be the only right wing party that wants a republic, but they it to be weak and dominated by right wing institutions. There’s a loud minority within that faction that sees the republic as a way to move back towards a monarchy, but there’s plenty of other airbags who truly see themselves as defenders of a republic. If it weren’t for them and the Mousquetaires, the right wing would have no reason to have given up their military coup taking over the capitol.”
Thorne finally stirred from his seat. “So...the military dictatorship failed because they calculated they wouldn’t have enough military support, even though presumably the right-wing is much bigger than the left.”
Xavier gave a solemn nod. “That’s my understanding as well.”
“...You were let out. Presumably for your military talents.”
Xavier’s back stiffened up. “That...we’d have to talk about the second republic.”
-----
“Xavier...wake up Xavier. Don’t worry. I’m bringing you good news. We’re letting you go...here, you can’t even see me. I brought some plasma with me...there, there...who left you in such a state?”
Xavier, having been chained to the rack upside down, was taken from his chains. Never had the cold, cobble ground felt so good against his aching head.
“What’s the catch?”
“Please. No catch. We just need you to sign something for your release. I can guide your paw…”
“...Let me read what...what I’m signing.”
“...Don’t be like that. Marshal. We’re restoring your old position. I have it on orders from the Prime Minister. It’s total amnesty. Let me help you sign the paper…”
-----
“The government was supposedly giving us a chance. We would be given complete amnesty with no prosecution for our actions during the rebellion.”
Thorne’s gaze hardened. “If you signed.”
“Yes sir...We were asked to sign a loyalty oath. If we didn’t, we would be executed on the same day.”
“Loyalty. To what?”
“It was an oath to uphold the republic. And it included a stipulation...We were to denounce your actions, claiming we were misled by you. If you were to come to trial, we would have to pledge to testify to that effect.”
Thorne reached out through the bars, toppling his food tray over to grab onto Xavier’s scruff of the neck, but found his strength completely depleted. Instead, Xavier was the one who let his face be pulled to the bars.
“I didn’t sign the paper!”
“Merde! You saved yourself!”
“No sir! Never!”
“You’re alive and well, aren’t you?!”
“...No sir!” His voice wavered.
“No? You tell me what’s in your heart then why don’t you?”
“Why would I sign my death warrant?...The second republic was led by a Syndicalist coalition, but the Integrists went behind their backs to meet us in prison. If we signed the papers, we’d be confessing that we were following a traitor. If we didn’t sign, they would summarily execute us. My captor intended for me to die no matter what I did. Why betray my brother who has only been good to me? Look at my hands at the wrists. They dragged me in front of the entire prison and sawed off my hands. Don’t believe my words. I don’t have any good words for this. Believe the scars on my arms. They took my hands and told me to sign. It was because I refused that they sawed off my hands. Then it was because of the cruelty done to me that even the prison guards were disgusted and revolted against them. They had brought a photographer you see. The Integrists wanted to have a keepsake of this achievement, but it got sold off to the newspapers. So what happened to me was used for good. No other soldier after me had to suffer in captivity. You see sir? It was good what happened to me. You’ll be able to see proof in the papers when you come back home…”
Xavier’s voice trembled, but remained quiet and controlled the entire way through his open weeping. Eventually he stopped talking as Thorne took back his hands.
“Xavier. I am a conceited moron. My foul temper wishes to destroy yet another friend.”
“No sir. Please forgive me for capturing you. I would not send you to the wolves to be torn apart. You must believe me that I look for a way to honor your good name.”
“My name has hardly been much good to you…” Thorne turned away from Xavier’s gaze in shame.
Mina got up from her spot on the floor and came to wipe away Xavier’s tears. “Wash your face. If you spend too much time with us, it sounds like you may become a target along with us. Please continue to graciously protect us from troubles aboard this vessel.” She tried to comfort him as best as she could.
With little other words, Xavier rinsed himself off from a washbasin and then made for the door.
“There’s a lot more to explain. I’ll come back later with another meal. We’re on the fourth republic now...that is a much bigger mess…Well. Sir. Ma’am.”
As he was about to head out the door, Thorne called out in a lilting hush.
“...Xavier.”
“…”
“If you do not hate my name, it’s still Thorne.”
“...As you wish. Thorne.”
As Xavier finally left, Thorne finally slumped to the floor as Mina went over to him.
“…I still have my fruit. Here. You should eat that and the bread you were given.”
“…”
“…It’s good that we have another friend who can help us. If we’re going to be taken back to Ossex, maybe we’ll get a chance to explain everything. That’s our new hope for us. We have a real goal that’s bigger than just us two again.”
“...Little sunflower.”
“...What’s that?”
“Xavier…He is a little sunflower. All he has ever done is brought me joy and strength when I’ve worked with him. His ideals have always proudly shone through…”
“Don’t say anything else.” Mina firmly gripped on his shoulder. “He has already forgiven you, can’t you tell?”
“Hmm.” He kept his mouth closed as Mina brought a piece of fruit to his mouth. “Where’s that radiant optimism founded in?” He reluctantly ate the piece he was given.
“I don’t know. I suppose I’m just I’m just a little sunflower as well.”
After this, Thorne stopped protesting.