All Hail The Queen

Chapter 18 - State in Decay

 Queen Suzuka was laying dormant in the Main Hall of the Imperial palace when news came of a letter written to her from the Eastlands. "Report!" yelled a messenger solider as he ran up the stairs to the palace. Panting he announced, "A letter has arrived from one of the warlords in the Eastlands by the name of Laeric." On one knee the messenger presented the note to the disinterested Queen sitting on her throne. She took one glance at the item and immediately looked away. "Give it to Adviser Xzar and be on your way," ordered the Queen. When Adviser Xzar was given the letter she looked at Suzuka.

"Is there something wrong, My Queen?" asked Xzar, "Is this not what you have been waiting for over the last couple of months? You've finally gotten an answer and you dare not to read what Laeric has to say?"

"What's the point in reading it when I already know the answer? The letter probably starts off by praising me of my past accomplishments before telling me that they have decided to not take my offer. If you would like to confirm this you have my permission to read the letter yourself."

 Adviser Xzar's eyes widened after skimming through the letter before putting it down and chuckling under her breath. "You are right. It is just as you said that they are not willing to join us. How did you know without batting an ounce of doubt?" "When you've been surrounded around politics for as long as I have, it becomes second nature; a sixth sense, if you will, when it comes to dealing with other people. From the moment I heard that it was a letter from Laeric I knew then and there they rejected my proposal. Everything else that followed can be deduced with common sense." "Amazing. Absolutely remarkable! Then can I safely assume that you also knew you weren't the only one who wanted to form an allegiance with them?" The Queen's face expressed anger as she rose an eyebrow. "What?! Someone else was also eyeing assistance from the Eastlands? Did he specify in the letter?" "I'm afraid not. He only referred to them as a 'rebel force' and nothing more. Perhaps this is also the same rebel force that took our territories not too long ago." "More than likely that is the case."

  "To the rebel leader Moa Kikuchi,

       I hope you have been blessed with joy and good tidings since our last formal contact. My apologies that I could not have responded sooner but not much can be done when one is surrounded by people of strong will and stubborn hearts. After much debate and deliberation for the past couple of months, I can finally relay to you the majority of the warlords have come to a conclusion. Please accept my dearest and most sincere apology as it pains me to not have been able to rally them behind your worthy cause. They gave me three reasons as to why joining your group would be ill-advised.

1. 'You have no land in which to call your own'. In order to be recognized as a legitimate contender for hegemony one must, first, have had established a foundation in which their authority can be centralized and independent. Because you are currently stationed in Westland territory and distances away from the Eastlands, they fear you will not be able to uphold your oath of aiding us in our time of need nor will we be able to aid you in yours. It will also be difficult for us to lend our troops to a state that doesn't not belong to you nor will let us pass without due purpose.

2. 'Lack of a sufficient army'. I was met with laughter and ridicule when I revealed to them you had no more than a little over fifty thousand in military forces. Although I personally do not believe that battles are won via a large army but rather through wit and intellect, a large enough army is crucial when trying to outlast and overpower enemy forces. They also worry that even though your military is small you are a charismatic, awe-inspiring leader and will not hesitate to annex the troops we send as reinforcements to fight for you like they were your own, building your army out of our inconvenience, manpower and resources. We have a large military presence but that does not make them expendable. I know you have a good heart and will never dare to act in a way as pictured above but a good heart cannot mend a troubled mind.