The Distinguished Mr. Rose Chapter 45: Chapter 45: Uh Oh

Read chapter 45 of The Distinguished Mr. Rose by QuiteTheSlacker on NovelPedia.

Chapter 45: Uh Oh Come morning, the fortress’s defenders gathered at the foot of the wall, as they had always done the past few invasions. Their confidence was high, drunk off the prior victories. One would have never assumed them to be the solemn fellows of but a month before. Now, they grabbed their weapons with vigor, and stood side by side with the newly empowered players who no longer cowered at the rear. They did not need to; for the demons no longer yielded them any threat. Frankishmen and otherworlders alike flocked to the frontlines. This was their final battle together; and though they would soon need to part, the stronghold was certain to hold firm thanks to the knowledge exchanged between the two star-crossed cultures. Roncevaux Fortress would receive the supplies they had been cheated: that Sir Ruggiero had promised. Underneath the jolly mood was a darker, more concerning reality. The matter of Ruggiero’s imprisonment was kept a secret to the other players, but Lucius had spied on a conversation between him and Sir Ogier in the morning. “What do you make of this, Ogier?” Ruggiero had said. “When I confronted the tribunal over your plight, they refused to acknowledge the missing aid. Words cannot fully express the chaos I saw then—priests and officials fighting each other in the courts for days without rest. No one was united; they all sought after their own affairs. Was the empire truly this corrupted all this time?” Ogier heaved a sigh and gazed out toward the empty courtyard. As a man of his ailing age, he did not seem surprised by the nation’s supposed friction. “It has always been there. Those curs simply hid it from the likes of us: foreigners granted peerage, but not true acceptance. I was there in the early days of the holy war, before Pepin the Zealot of Tragedy had committed to his dangerous ambition, and it was there that I saw how he was flattered then by the spineless whelps of the court. Even now, they still yet live.” “But to go as far as sabotage… what else am I to suspect other than their wish for this fortress’s fall?” “I do not know, but that is how it has always been. They lie and deceive. You would know better having seen it: Who provoked the most discourse?” Ruggiero scrunched his brow and rubbed his face with barely-contained anger. “It was Sir Ganelon. He and the elders were responsible for my short stay in the gaol.” To that, Ogier looked surprised. “Ganelon? That fellow? How odd. He was among the rare few who treated me as equal.” “That is what vexes me. The Ganelon I knew was the most vocal against his late Holiness’s rampage, and he was also the only one that monster ever treated as friend. I shudder to think what would have become of us had he not interfered, yet now he controls the officials like one would a puppet.” “What of Sir Roland? Did he say nothing?” Ogier clenched his fists. “Sir Roland fought on my behalf, but I saw how it pained him so to clash with his foster father. There is only so much authority he can wield as the Peers’ leader; the other powers belong to the Archbishop and the Head Tribunal.” “I remember Father Turpin. He was a kind man.” “Kind, yes, but easily swayed. Ganelon turned him against me, spouting lies and slander that I sought to harm the heroes chosen by God. All this conflict… my heart boils with a rage I did not think possible. In this time where we must unite more than ever, we are instead divided by hidden blades and tongues laced in venom; and through it all I simply cannot understand what is to be gained from this.” The two Peers had discussed their concerns with each other up to the afternoon. There were many questions, yet no answers. All they could do now was see to the end of the next invasion. Thus, Lucius and his fellows rallied to the forefront once more. The others were none the wiser to the schemes lurking in the background; they were more concerned over completing the mission. “How many points do you guys have?” Mili said, casually picking