132 War Summons

Sierra's hazel eyes stared at Freyr. She saw a myriad of emotions playing across his face as he digested the information she delivered. The steady rhythm of a clock ticked in the background as the time passed.

This was an important decision that the King alone needed to make. All the advisors already gave their points, and he retired into his office to contemplate the situation. Since it would affect Marseille, she did not want to rush him.

The Kochi-Toowoomba war was getting heated and Phocée lent Toowoomba some troops. Without a doubt, if Toowoomba won, they would support Phocée because of this aid. This new development forced his hand to help Kochi outwardly with the war.

Upon hearing the report on Phocée's actions, Freyr leaned his head back against his seat. His blue eyes stared at the ceiling while he considered his options.

He swiveled his chair, so the city's skyline filled his view. He wanted to cry out in frustration. War was not something he ever craved to go through again, but he understood it seemed like an unavoidable future.

In the distance, the people of Marseille worked and played peacefully. He wished their happiness could continue uninterrupted.

A deep sigh escaped his lips, and he turned to face Sierra again. Resolute in his decision, he ordered, "Call in the guild leaders. I need to inform them of the situation." During times like this, when a war was involved, it was the requirement of the guilds to lend aid for the battles. He would send some of his own troops, but they also required each guild to assist.

The tension with Phocée seemed to increase no matter what he did. After he rejected the marriage proposal, they appeared to be hell-bent on starting a war. His father once warned him about Phocée. He expected Marseille would eventually go to war with them again.

Since taking the throne, Freyr invested a lot of money into weapon development in case they were forced to fight again. If he ever needed to force his people into another war, he wanted to make sure they won.

He despised large-scale conflicts but understood if one had to fight, one had to be victorious. That was why he trained daily, unwilling to grow fat and complacent.

Many of the younger generations forgot the terrors that war brought. They did not see the value in fighting and scoffed at the elder generations who pushed them to train. To counter the younger generation's views on battle training, he set up countless programs with guilds to have children take classes on self-defense. It helped the guilds recruit people and ensured the younger generation had some sort of introduction to fighting. He knew the sporadic lessons were no match for actual dedication, but it was better than nothing.

****

A few hours later, Freyr sat at a large round table. The large room had floor to ceiling windows that looked out to one of the palace gardens. The sunlight streamed through the windows, letting its cheerful rays into the room. It was a stark contrast to the overall mood that everyone felt.

The table allowed him to witness everyone's reactions while he spoke. Thirteen other chairs were placed at the table. At those seats, the guild leaders from the city looked him with discontent written on their faces.

He had revealed the situation and awaited their response. He sat in his high-backed chair scanning the unhappy expressions of the men and women who met with him.

Tai Shan, the new guild leader for the Carnelian Kumas, stood up. "What? My wife is pregnant. She's about to give birth any day now. Is there no other option?" He clenched his jaw, upset by the news.

Ode, the leader of the Azure Bengals, tapped her forefinger on the table. She ignored the man's outburst. Her sultry voice announced, "I will go with nineteen members from my guild to assist in the conflict. Hopefully, we can end this quickly."

Her daughter, Kurbiika, was also pregnant, and she wanted to ensure a Phocée-Marseille war did not happen in the next few years. Her grandchild needed time to train and grow before any fighting ensued. The last thing she wished for was Toowoomba winning and giving Phocée a stronger backing.

The assistance Ode offered, set the tone for what would be expected from the other groups. Everyone else needed to act accordingly. Guilds like the merchant guild could not offer fighters, so they donated money instead.

Tyr remained silent. As the other leaders begrudgingly pledged their donation efforts, he watched the King. No one else here understood how difficult this decision must have been for his cousin. By nature, Freyr was a peace-loving man who enjoyed the arts. Things like war were perversions to him. While they were growing up, his cousin only mastered how to fight in order to stop battles quickly.

His thoughts then wandered to Macha. Ode and some of the other leaders were going to join in the skirmishes. Since he was the King's own cousin and a guild leader, he needed to go as well. This meant he would be away from her for months, maybe even years.

Tyr wished he could bring her with him, but it would be too dangerous. There was no way he would drag her into a war at this stage of her training. Although he wanted to be selfish, he worried for her safety too much.

Everyone stared at him, waiting for him to speak. Tyr's eyes locked with Freyr's. An expression of apology crossed the man's face. Ignoring the look, Tyr voiced, "I'll go with nineteen of my members as well. We will also donate five percent of any profit we make while the war wages to the war fund."

He understood he was lucky. His family's finances permitted him to not worry about money. This granted him the ability to give a percentage of his guild's profits and donate troops.

The meeting ended and Freyr set the deployment date for two weeks. He wanted everyone to get their affairs in order. He understood he asked a lot of them and felt bad for Tai Shan's situation. When the meeting finished, Tyr remained behind to talk with his relative. He needed to make sure Freyr was all right.

The last person left, and the door closed. Tyr walked beside his cousin. They both looked out to the garden. Small birds bathed in a fountain and the flowers bloomed.

He put his hand on Freyr's shoulder, "You going to be all right while I'm gone?" he asked. There had been whispers that a handful of nobles continued to be upset because of Jarnvid's trial. Freyr was still cleaning up that mess and discontent with the upper-class could be dangerous for him.

Feeling his cousin's hand on his shoulder gave Freyr some peace. This had been a difficult year for him. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Just focus on returning safely." He forced a smile on his face and patted Tyr's back, "If you take too long, Macha will become upset."

Since Tyr needed to go to war, he did not want his cousin to worry about the disputes that happened at home. The issue with the nobles was a problem he brought on himself when he decided to drag Jarnvid to the courthouse.

Tyr hesitated, there was a possibility that he would die. His mouth had set in a line while he figured out if he wanted to say what was on his mind. "Freyr, if something happens to me," he began.

"Stop," Freyr commanded in a forceful voice. His eyes snapped to gaze at Tyr and shook his head. He did not want his cousin to finish that train of thought. War was dangerous, but Tyr should not mention the worst-case scenarios.

His eyebrows drew together, pushing out the thought of his surviving relatives dying. He lost his sister during the last war and did not wish to lose anyone else to the senseless fighting war created. He hated that countries refused to talk things out and come to mutually beneficial agreements.

Tyr did not want anything to happen to him, but he needed to have the peace of mind that someone would be there for Macha. He planned to take Luna and Krystof with him and he did not trust anyone else in Marseille more than Freyr. It was very possible they could all die. If that happened, he did not know what she would do since she had no family here.

He shook his head, "No, I want you to take care of Macha if something happens to me." He paused, "I know you still love her." He wanted Freyr to understand that if something did happen to him, he would not hold it against his cousin if they ended up together.

The words Tyr said caused a cold lump to form in Freyr's throat. It was never his choice whether he took care of Macha or not. She was an independent woman.

Freyr closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath before replying, "Nothing is going to happen to you. Come back, that is an order." He wished he could fight alongside them, but he needed to stay here.

Although he loved Macha, he would never hope for his cousin's death. "Now go prepare. Spend time with her."