Letter 19

The following entries were all written by Tacitus in 332 YBCE. They detail Lady Julia’s return to Exeter, her decrees upon her return, her and her allies’ reunions with their family and friends, and her focus on the coming war against Fafnir and the approaching Hellands.

- E. Celestina

We finally returned to Exeter just yesterday. Julia is resting in the bed next to me, and I was told that if I wasn’t laying next to her within the next hour, she would force me to eat the wintermelons we had preserved on our journey, so I will keep this recounting brief. Our return was met with great fanfare, with the crowds of our people laughing and cheering the Princeps’ name as we paraded our way to the Exetian Square on horseback. Though, amongst the cheerings in the crowd, I could see a scant few desperate wives, mothers, fathers and husbands and friends searching for those that they had let go on our journey, and I was saddened when they realized that they were not with us. Julia postponed her entering the Capital Palace to reunite with her family immediately, and chose instead to make a decree in the square immediately. It was a choice that I found brazen, though when she told me two nights ago that she already had her notes written, I indulged her in her haste. Thus was her words, as best as I can remember, standing at the podium high above our people:

“I will deliver the mournful news first: of the hundred we marched with, only thirty-three have returned. It is a number I regret, for I had hand picked each one, and many of them I considered my close friends, but know that we had given them their funeral rites in Colchester, and if the families wish, we will do so again tonight. But, foremostly, we have accomplished what we went on that journey for. In my hands is the great spear of Akhellion, the hero that brought down Arcadia. But here, I must ask you all a question from our childhood: what was the trick, so long ago, that slayed Arcadia’s invincible walls? It was never mentioned in any history books, aside from being one of Olympion’s deceptions. You are looking at it! It’s here! This spear, with the lost name Kataklusmos, is the spear that my men and women gave their honorable lives for us to obtain! And with it, Fafnir will be slain, and with it, we will bring about a bright tomorrow!”

The crowds cheered so loudly, then. I had asked Julia afterward why she had not mentioned Briseis, nor King Phaethon’s bravery, or any of the other secrets that she revealed to us that day. Her explanation was pragmatic, almost to a fault. “The people right now only want answers and hope. I do not wish to complicate their minds. That is your job, my love. Right now, they wish to see a tomorrow. And we will grant it to them.”

After Augusta’s decree, we returned to the Capital Palace, where our soldier’s parents, lovers, children, friends, were waiting for us. I found my mother first, and this time, it was her turn to cry as I comforted her in my arms. We found Marcus’ mother soon after, and Cassian and his own parents took the time to calm her. After emotions had settled, I was called later into the inner palace chambers, where Lady Alexandria was waiting for me alongside Julia. She told me that her daughter had told her of our relationship and that, while she had no say or power in our private matters, that she was proud of us regardless. She embraced me then, and I knew not of what to do in that moment except thank her. There was no other mother-daughter pair in the world I have ever known to be as strong as them.

Shortly after, Lady Andromeda came, much to Julia’s surprise as she practically jumped into her arms. After their reunion, Andromeda asked to see her brother again, and so Julia presented the Great Spear, and after a bright glow, the shade of Anaxagoras appeared. Andromeda sobbed when she saw him, for it was just her second time seeing him in his current state, and tried to embrace him, but I was saddened to see her arms simply pass through. Our Pedagogue, who remained strong perhaps for her sake, told her kind words and asked calmly if they had found his wife, for even when we had left on our journey to Arcadia, the fate of our Pedagogue’s wife was still unknown. It was then that Andromeda guided us all to a private cleric room, and within the bed lay a beautiful woman, hair golden like wheat and eyes green like olives, yet her body was terribly bandaged, and I noted a lack of a bump in the bed where her left leg should have been.

Their interaction, which I have my Pedagogue’s permission to record, brought me to tears when I witnessed it.

“You know of my condition, correct?” he had told her.

“Yes, but please, tell me of it in detail.”

“For the longest time, within the gem, then this spear, I had known that I had a wife. I recall first meeting you at your tailor shop. I recall my pathetic attempts to court you. I recall our walks along Thebia’s shores. I know of our marriage. I know…I know of our years of trying to give you the child you always wanted, and it never coming to fruition.”

He collapsed, then, by her bedside, and grabbed her hand, though it only passed through.

“Yet I cannot remember the in-between of those times, and I cannot remember your name! I disallowed anyone else from reminding me, because I wanted you to tell me. Now that I know that you’re here, in front of me, please, tell me your name.”

His wife smiled down at him.

“It is Thalia, my dear Anaxa.”

It was the first time I heard our Pedagogue truly break down. Thalia looked upon us, and nodded for us to allow them privacy. The words they exchanged afterward, belong only to them.

Yesterday, Augusta gathered all relevant officers for a war meeting. It lasted several hours, though I will provide the necessary information here:

The first and most notable change in the war is that, days before Augusta had returned to Exeter, Fafnir had vacated the front lines and returned to the heartlands of the Hellands. While we had no definitive proof, Augusta theorized that this must be because he sensed the danger of the spear through some sort of supernatural trait he possessed, and thus retreated behind all of his underlings. This provided us with both good and bad news, the obvious good being that, without their leader tearing apart our front ranks, we could finally make progress through the Hellands. The bad news came right alongside it: with Fafnir gone from the front lines, we were now forced to chase him through enemy territory.

The heart of the Hellands was five-hundred miles from Exeter, which given the horrid, hot and unbearable temperatures of those lands, would be impossible to bring any army deeply through without a completely supported supply chain, which in of itself was improbable to reliably anchor in lands so dangerous. It was then that our Scholar Adviser, Perseus, reported his solution: months ago, he had sent riders to the Dragonshards to give great rewards to any adventurers who would scale the Dragonshards and return with Everfreeze, the ice that made up Albion’s Ridge, as well as requesting to neighboring cities if they possessed any, though chances were slim. He told us that we already possessed a modest amount from returning adventurers, and that he predicted within the next month or two, much more will report to the Capital en masse with the Everfreeze and requests of their rewards. Augusta asked Perseus, then, how much he had offered those adventurers.

“Five Gold Coins for every pound of Everfreeze they returned,” he said.

“Five!?” Augusta had exclaimed to him. “Make it at least ten! I marched up and down those mountains, and I must admit, it is the least those brave fools deserve!”

Still, it gave our plan some certainty. Other junior officers reported that they had sent word to the City of Magic for Warlocks, which would further help with keeping our legions cool and give us much-needed offensive power. With the Everfreeze, overheating would no longer be an issue, and thanks to the recipes that Dozmary had given us, we now learned that Dragonkin were edible, though not ideal. Augusta told us she would do her best to keep supply lines with proper foodstuffs, especially with the Everfreeze as preservation, but for now, to simply hold the line and push forward steadily.

After the war meeting, I asked her if she would join the front lines. “You already know the answer to that, Taci. I will, but we only just returned yesterday, so after we have had our rest. Yes, we. Come along.”

29 MoC 422

I once again have permission to recount this story, and the woman who gave me the aforementioned consent has her arms draped around my shoulders, watching as I write these words, and so:

There are two nights left until we begin our march deep into Hellands territory. There have been an ample amount of Everfreeze delivered to Exeter, roughly two hundred tons now, sitting in our secure vaults and ready for distribution. Each soldier would receive one half-pound bag of the substance, which, since it never sublimated nor melted, would keep them cool in their vital areas for the duration of the campaign. We would begin our march on the first day of the Month of Aignech, mostly due to superstition: to start our offensive after our enemy’s month of Chaos, and into the month of the High King who slayed him, we saw as bringing good fortune. As of this point, our legions are almost prepared to go on their march, and our route and supply chain have been mapped out. Thus, with all the work done, the Princeps and I took our little time left to recollect.

Earlier this week, Julia had returned from the front lines after fighting for nearly two weeks straight. I had struck a deal with her since our return: while I managed the bureaucracy of Exeter, for every two weeks she fought, she would return for one to rest and bring morale up for the citizenry. She had, much to my satisfaction, honored my advice to the letter.

She invited me to a walk this evening, and thus, under the late dusk, I found her next to me at Augustin once again. Julia was only superficially injured, with bandage wrappings around her thigh, on her calf and arm, but she assured me that they would heal within days. I remember my heart beating fast then, simply because the thought of her not returning drove me insane. It was then that she grabbed my face, and asked me, gently, what had happened the last time we were at this lake. I knew, but before I could open my mouth to answer, she had claimed it.

Normally this is where I would stop describing, but she is insisting I keep writing. While our lips were pressed, I felt her hands unclip my coat, and, knowing exactly her intention, I let her remove it and put it on herself.

“I think this looks better on me, right?” she said. “Oh, and also, I hereby transfer you again to Tribune. My Tribune.”

I thanked her by just embracing her, and she caught me on the lips again. It was a really, really comforting kiss. I could only close my eyes and hold her. She told me, between breaths, that she wanted us to have a memory of Lake Augustin that was happy and hopeful rather than heartbreaking and regretful. And, much to my love’s neverending credit, she succeeded wholeheartedly. So, thank you. And please, let’s go to bed now.