The Union 68 Loyalty's Shackle

"Do you know that we have the best allies in the world?" Timothy said while shuffling through the letters on his desk. He turned his head towards Lucia who was eating her meal. "It took them more than a month just to muster their armies when the Tulosans invaded. But when presented with the opportunity to support a side in a civil war, it only took them less than a week. I mean, wow. We are blessed with such allies."

Lucia laughed and went to Timothy's desk. She then put a lump of bread in his mouth. "What did you expect? Not everyone is as reliable as my father as an ally."

Timothy chewed the bread and swallowed. "Not everyone has a daughter as smart and capable as you"

He then pulled Lucia into his lap. He embraced her and savored the appeasing scent of her hair.

"So, how bad is our situation?" Lucia asked

"How bad do you think it is?" Timothy put his chin on Lucia's shoulder. "My father threatens us from the east, the Tulosans will soon come back and attack us from the west, and our own allies are scheming against us. It is apparent in their letters that our allies wanted something in return for their help."

"Like what?" Lucia asked

Timothy grabbed three letters from his desk.

"Inkit is sending one of their Magistrates to lead their army. I think the Magistrate will try to control and make a puppet out of me." He put down the letter that had the seal of the five Magistrates of Inkit.

"Canton is also sending troops, but they said that they could probably send more if I cede the city of Ledega and the surrounding area to them once the war is over" he put down Canton's letter

"And then there's Hadea" Timothy paused and sighed. "I think Hadea's King is coaxing me to make his daughter my queen after I won the throne." Timothy was about to put down the letter when Lucia grabbed it from his hand.

She then read it out loud. "King Timothy Castonia, My young and sweet daughter Isabelle is in need of a husband. Her beauty transcends imagination and her heart is more pure than the whitest snow. The great mountains of Ninev howl her name as praise. The heat of the Ghambit desert can't be compared to the warmness of her being."

Lucia then looked at him with a confused face "I don't know if it's a letter or a poem"

The two of them then laughed. "I was also confused the first time I read it. And then I remembered that Hadea's King is as ambitious as my father." He caressed Lucia's hair "Aren't you jealous Princess Lucia Vanadis?"

Lucia put her two palms on both of Timothy's cheeks. She then leaned her forehead on Timothy's "Of course I am. You have to take responsibility Your Majesty"

Timothy was about to press his lips against hers when Lucia lifted her head. "On second thought, I want to punish you for making me feel like that. Enduring will be your punishment." Lucia said with a playful smile.

Timothy grunted.

"It's not my fault. I even refused his offer without second thought. And I only want you anyway" he murmured like a child while burying his face on Lucia's back.

Lucia giggled. But after a while she asked, "And what about Marquis Connel?"

"He will remain neutral in this conflict. With Erik in the hands of my father, he can't support us. He said in his letter that he will take men to Knightsend and repair it. He will serve as buffer between us the Tulosans. We don't have to worry about the Tulosans for a while."

"I have good news too. The mercenaries my father sent are on their way. He will also fund most of the cost of this war." Lucia said.

"That's good then. We need the support of Vanadis. I think Wismar will also send troops. This war looks like a civil war on the outside, but it's actually a messy affair between nations." Timothy commented.

Someone then knocked on the door.

"Your Majesty, the Prefect and Centurions of the Leons request an audience with you" the voice belongs to James.

Timothy gave a long sigh. So they will do it after all, he thought. He had actually expected this to happen but he was still hoping that they will change their mind. He stood up and grabbed Lucia's hand. "Come on, let's meet them" he then pursed his lips "I have a feeling that we are about to lose our heavy cavalry"

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Four people were already inside the room when Timothy and Lucia entered. After seeing them, the four men knelt.

"Prince Timothy, thank you for seeing us" the tall man in the middle said. He was a man in his late thirties that had an aura of a seasoned soldier. The man's name was Solomon and he was the Prefect of the contingent of Leons that had provided Timothy support for the last two months.

But the way Solomon addressed Timothy confirmed his expectations. Unlike the regular soldiers and the militia, the Leons were part of the Royal Guards. They had sworn an oath to the King. Timothy knew that most, if not all of the Leons, were loyal to their oaths. They had a duty to defend his father.

"You may rise" Timothy said. The four men then stood up.

"I know what you want to talk about. Can't I change your mind?" Timothy's voice was bitter. Even though he understands that the Leons made their oath to his father, the loss of four hundred heavy cavalry will be a hard blow to his military power.

Solomon shook his head. "We are sorry Your Highness. Although you have the moral high ground, we can't break our vows. We have a responsibility to the crown."

"What about your responsibility to the people? You know that the Wismarines don't care about the Castonians. They want to make my father their puppet. You also have a responsibility to prevent that." He tried his best to reason with the Leons. But he knew that his chances of changing their minds were slim.

"Our vows are both our shackle and our sword, Prince Timothy" Solomon looked at him. Timothy could see the sadness in his eyes. "When we believe in the person whom we made our vows to, we gain courage. But if the person we have sworn to serve does something that is against our principles, then we are shackled. When we made our vows to your father, we understood that someday this may happen. Nevertheless we made our vows and we will not break it."

Timothy slowly nodded after hearing Solomon's determined answer. Although their decision to leave put him into a disadvantageous position, Timothy was still awed by their loyalty. It was blind loyalty, but loyalty nonetheless. He had no choice but to let them go.

Timothy put both of his hands behind. "I will not hold you back. Like what you said, I have the moral high ground in this war. I will not lose that by preventing loyal men from fulfilling their duties. I only have one request though."

"What is it Your Highness. As long as it is within our power, we will do it."

"In exchange for the food and supplies that I will give you for your journey to Nirvana, leave your horses behind. Your horses did not swear an oath to my father I suppose?" Timothy said with a smile.

Solomon chuckled. "They did not, Your Highness. Very well, we will leave our horses to you. Treat them as our parting gift." He then balled his fist and saluted. The three Centurions also did the same. "You are a good man, Prince Timothy. I think you will become a great King if you win. So do your best for Castonia. Defeat us and become King. It's a shame we can't help you. Also, thank you for letting us go even though we will fight against you in the future. We will remember your kindness." He then smiled "May we go now, Your Highness?"

"You may." Timothy answered with a weak voice.

"Then please excuse us" They bowed and walked away. But before opening the door, Solomon stopped and turned his head towards Timothy.

"The next time we meet, we will be enemies. Nevertheless, you will always have my respect." With these words, the Leons left and Timothy was left staring at the door.

"So, like what you said, we just lost our heavy cavalry. Do you have a plan?" Lucia asked

"I do." He answered "But many people will be against it. Also, I'm not sure if he's going to accept"