January 31st, the Year MCCCXLVI
Merlin’s interrogation was only just completed early this morning. What has been revealed was both welcome and disturbing. There may be more to this situation than what we have seen unfold.
My departure from Canterlot was delayed, and I did not arrive in Manehatten with my company until the evening had already settled. Hearth Fire accompanied me, as well as a spare few of the Royal Guard. Ford stayed behind, keeping watch over the rest until our return.
When we arrived at the station, our presence appeared to be a disturbing one for those that greeted us. The Manehatten Police Commissioner himself welcomed us, though he too seemed displeased at our arrival. Nevertheless, we were taken to the observation room just outside where the interrogation was taking place.
“What has he said so far?” Hearth Fire asked of him.
“Little, beyond rhetoric and curses,” the Commissioner replied. “He has a particular hatred of the country- particularly that of you, Your Majesty. I would request that you do not reveal yourself, in case it worsens his temper.”
“What has he said of me?” I asked.
The Commissioner turned his face from me, apparently embarrassed. “Your Majesty, I hesitate to repeat his word aloud. Again, I would insist that you do not show yourself to him.”
“What information do we have on him?”
The Commissioner snapped his fingers and a folder of paperwork was summoned forth and slammed on the table before us. “Forty-five years of age, no major criminal record, one arrest four years ago for loitering, a second a year ago for public intoxication. No record of violent behavior though there have been altercations with the Manehatten police from that district more than once. All those part of The New Breed originate from Merlin’s home district.”
“Where was he born?” I demanded.
“Griffon Kingdom immigrant, arrived here fifteen years ago,” the Commissioner answered. “Arrived with a visa, became a citizen two years later. Has a contract with the Port and Trade Commission.”
I thought it over, the decision already perfectly clear in my mind from the moment I entered the room. “I will speak with him,” I declared.
The entire room went silent, every eye of every policeman and investigator in the room now bearing upon me.
“Your Majesty, I cannot force you, but do not enter that room. He hates you to the point of bloodlust. He is already demented, you may only make him worse!” The Commissioner protested.
“Is there any record of mental health issues?” I challenged.
“Well, no-”
“Then I trust his sanity, even if it is enraged,” I said. “There is no open motive to this sort of monstrosity, and I want to know what caused such a change.” Without giving them time to respond, I swept from the room and headed into the interrogation chamber.
“Holy sh- hail, Her Majesty!” came the cry of the investigator, who immediately fell to his knee. Across the table, bound to the wall by chains, was a hawk-eyed man with a furrowed brow, his gaze locked upon me as though he was an eagle who had caught sight of his prey.
“You may leave, investigator,” I said calmly, gesturing towards the door. “I would like to speak to him.”
“Uh- oh, uh, yes, Your Majesty,” he stammered, grabbing his things and positively fleeing the room.
It was now only me and the first mass murderer of Equestria’s modern-day. I settled down in the empty seat before me, my gaze studying every inch of the man who sat chained before me.
“I want to strangle you,” he said, stating it so plainly that it hardly seemed worth any emotion to spend.
“I do not doubt it,” I replied, knowing full well he was trying to goad me. “I would not be unhappy if you told me why.”
“You torment my people. My brothers die. My family starves and burns, and you act like an innocent goddess above it all,” he said. “Is that enough?”
“Unfortunately, it is not. I wish to know what you mean by it all.” I smoothed out a wrinkle on my skirt before returning to him. “Merlin is your name, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Is it your only name?”
“It is the only name I have ever known.”
“May I ask you a question, Merlin?”
“Only if I get to ask one of you,” he answered.
“Certainly,” I said agreeably, keeping my tone serene even as his anger mounted. “Merlin, you came to our shores many years ago- you even became a citizen of my kingdom, and I was happy to have you. You have worked hard all these years, raised a family. What has caused such a change of heart, to attack those who you call your countrymen?”
Merlin snarled. “I came here on a lie. That your country loved all who tread upon its land. That all could have a place here. Yet what have I known since I’ve became one of your people? Hatred. Bigotry. Being reviled simply because I was not born here. Distrust because I wore the threads and colors of my family’s homeland. All of these police here? They have watched me, waited for an excuse to hate me ever since I arrived. They taunt me- taunt and torment my people, and all we wanted to do is make a living! We are being extorted and treated like rats!”
“Do you want me to help put a stop to it?” I asked.
Merlin appeared taken aback. I could not tell what had surprised him more, my willingness to believe his words or that his fire had not summoned forth my own. Either way, for a time he sat there stunned. “It doesn’t matter now,” he said finally.
“Because of what you have done?”
“Because there is no turning back now. Because we were not the ones to strike the first blow.”
“Merlin, I may not be able to spare you from a life in prison, but I do not bear hatred towards any of your kin. If there is a way for me to help break the cycle then I will do so-”
“Tell me, woman,” Merlin said angrily. “Why did you attack my home?”
I did not know what he meant. “Excuse me?”
“A little over a year ago, one of your ‘people’ was in the capital city of Griffonstone, and he helped cause a riot that killed twenty people. Eleven months ago, a gang of Equestrian roughnecks burned down a series of farms on the northern shore. Six months ago, in Griffonstone again, another group started attacking young women and children simply for the sake of hating my kin.” Merlin tugged at his chains and I knew his every instinct was to reach out and harm me. “Shipments from your shores, meant to carry crops, come empty. Unrest and threats against the king are made, we are hated and harassed even in our homeland, and more and more your people that have come to the Kingdom’s shores cause unrest. You have brought war upon us!”
Merlin’s rage reached its peak and he immediately spluttered, falling back against his seat and collapsing. He was spent, his every ounce of hatred having worn him ragged until he could hold it no longer. I let the silence fall like a curtain as he soaked in his anger, reveling in the fire and strength it gave him.
“Merlin, tell me something, and I need to know the truth,” I said slowly. “If these accusations are true, then why have none of them reached my ears? Why has no word been sent to me? Your old King remains silent, even as I tried to reach him and understand what had caused this. Yet he says nothing. Are you certain you have not been lied to? Manipulated into hate?”
“I know they are true,” he said furiously. “For one of those who was killed was my brother. I hope that you understand what it means to lose someone like that.”
Unable to answer him, I thanked Merlin for his honesty and departed the room, summoning Hearth Fire to my side as we left the scene.
“Do you actually believe what he said in there, Your Majesty?” Hearth Fire asked of me as we left the city.
“I do not know yet,” I replied. “But the grief and anger he holds at the loss of his brother is genuine, of that I have no doubt.”
“How are we to know whether or not this is true, then?” he asked.
“Send word to Ambassador Faell immediately, see if he can ascertain whether or not it is true. His ship should have arrived on the Griffon shores by now. If he can determine the truth, then –and only then- will we move forward.”
“What if what he says is false?”
“Then he is just another pawn in the game. Manipulated to bring suffering against us and stoke the fires of war.”
“And if he speaks the truth?”
The truth was a far worse alternative. “Then someone is manipulating us both,” I replied.
February 27 - 28th, the Year MCCCXLVI
Lord Faell has returned, and little is well. His arrival was faster than I had expected, and brings the exact kind of news no reasonable soul wished to hear.
I was first forewarned of Lord Faell’s arrival yesterday, being told that he had arrived in the Baltimare port early that morning- and that his injuries were being treated at a nearby hospital.
“Injuries?” I echoed, wondering if I had misheard.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” the messenger answered. “The entire crew of the ship is also currently hospitalized as they are being treated for similar injuries. The ship, The Lucky Maiden, is also being drydocked so as to undergo repairs.
“What did they say happened?” I demanded.
“Lord Faell refuses to give an explanation until he sees you, Your Majesty. The crew is also maintaining their silence. Lord Faell was requesting to see you immediately.”
I obliged, making for an immediate departure to Baltimare, arriving at the Memorial Hospital where Lord Faell was being cared for. When I found him, his face was heavily bruised and marked with a number of gashes that looked to be knife wounds.
“Your Majesty,” he said, trying to stand on his feet and failing.
“Do not try to move,” I implored. “What has happened?”
“Your Majesty, we… we never even met King Peregrine,” Lord Faell said. “I am sorry, but I believe the Griffon Kingdom wants war.”
“Tell me everything- right from the beginning, and spare no details,” I commanded him.
And so he did. As soon as Lord Faell had made landfall on the Griffon shores the sailing party was treated as though they were criminals, with the ship being thoroughly searched for weapons and contraband. After two days of thorough interrogation and vetting of each soul aboard, Lord Faell and the ship’s crew were transported to Griffonstone where they were kept, imprisoned for several days. With little food and water, the entire group was viciously attacked on the regular before finally being returned to their ship- a move I did not fully understand.
“Why send you back?” I asked of him. “You are the ambassador to the Griffon Kingdom, a powerful political hostage. What motive is there for returning you to our shores?” It did not make sense in my mind.
“My lady, they treated us without mercy- without compassion or reason, I do not understand it!” Lord Faell replied, looking stricken as the memories overtook him. “They sent us back as a warning, I believe. That all those who fall under your banner are to be treated likewise, if not worse.”
As panicked as he seemed, I needed him to be of his right mind. “Lord Faell, listen to me. I need to know this- I have received information that some Equestrians who have been in the Griffon Kingdom have been causing trouble on their shores- deaths and destruction, even. Can you confirm this to be true?”
“What..? No, Your Majesty, they would have let me know, I swear it!” he replied.
“Then I need you to heal, and rest. Your work is done for now, so do what you must to care for your wounds. Thank you, Lord Faell,” I said, taking my leave and returning to Canterlot.
The moment I arrived, I called for a meeting of the council, summoning forth every able mind and military leader at my disposal, even recalling Luna from her patrols in the wildlands. The meeting lasted late into the night, with little consensus on the matter.
“I understand your concerns, gentlemen, all of them,” I said. “However, I refuse to believe that King Peregrine, who has long been the sole voice of reason within the Griffon Empire would suddenly conspire against us, particularly when there is no real advantage!”
“Your Majesty, the Griffons have long been unstable politically,” Lord Ghallus, of the Western Provinces, replied. “Their culture has always been war-like, it was only a matter of time before King Peregrine began to follow in the same footsteps as his forebears.”
“They have a powerful military culture, but little way of sustaining it without Equestrian trade,” Hearth Fire said. “They would be seeking a war against a very powerful source of life for their kingdom. It does not make sense in the least.”
Despite my misgivings on the matter, my council simply did not agree, fearing that the long-awaited war between our two kingdoms had finally arrived. I could do little to convince them otherwise. “Luna!” I called for my sister, who had remained unusually silent throughout the deliberations. “Please, say something sensible that will silence this chaos!”
All eyes turned to my sister, whose features were shrouded in darkness and remained unreadable. “The Griffon Kingdom is a warrior’s culture. They are proud, valiant fighters- and never request aid if they can help it. Their farmlands were tainted centuries ago by poisons and disaster, and have yet to recover. If their empire is becoming so desperate for food that their survival was threatened… yes, they would attack. I have no doubt of it,” Luna surmised. “However, there is no way to tell if that is the matter. Equestria has remained safe for centuries because there is no military power strong enough to overcome the power we hold- Equestria’s well-trained military, as well as you and I- and now Twilight and Cadance to boot. We are a widespread territory, and difficult to occupy. It would be a hard gamble if they believed they could take us on.”
“So your point is?” I asked, feeling irritated at how deftly she avoided a true answer.
“The point is that there is no real way of knowing for sure unless we confirm it ourselves,” she replied. “If you wish, I can send a team into the Griffon Kingdom to perform recon and find out what’s really going on. I have a well-trained team of former Griffon soldiers that would be happy to do it.”
“How soon can they make landfall?”
“If the weather is good, three days. I have had them awaiting the order ever since the New Year’s attacks.”
“Send them,” I ordered, before turning to the council. “As for the rest of us, begin warning your provinces to stockpile food. Prepare local militias and increase security along the shoreline. Until Luna’s team returns with real, hard information on what the Griffon Kingdom is planning, we will not initiate an assault. I will not be held responsible for starting a potential genocide, not when there has been peace for hundreds of years. You are dismissed!”
The grumbling was severe, but I held my ground. Exhausted from the day’s long events, I raised the sun for the morning and informed my soldiers that there was to be no Day Court before retiring to my chambers, too exhausted to even fall asleep.
Eventually, after what seemed like hours, slumber found me, and the next thing I saw was that evening had slowly come about. Quickly rushing to set the sun for the day, I again retired back to my chambers.
There was a knock on the door, revealing it to be Commander Hearth Fire. “I bring word from your sister, Your Majesty,” he reported. “Her team will make landfall sometime tomorrow night. They expect their mission to last approximately a week before they can ascertain the truth.”
“Thank you, Commander,” I said to him, taking note of the dark circles around his eyes. “You are exhausted. Get some rest.”
“You hardly seem to have rested yourself, Your Majesty,” he countered. “I know that you negated much of your duties for the day, but I would insist that you have something to eat before I retire for the night.”
His words were sensible, and I saw them as such. “Yes, you are correct. Something simple, I believe.”
“I will send one of my soldiers to bring you something from the kitchens,” he said. “And, Your Majesty?”
“Yes, Commander?”
He hesitated. “We… will follow no matter what end comes,” he said before shutting the door behind him.
They feared the future. Hearth Fire, like any other soldier, knew what the cost would be if war broke out. He was a demanding taskmaster but cared deeply for his soldiers- as they cared for one another. These soldiers had family, spouses, children, friends, and loved ones that they wished to see again and again, not once and evermore as they descended into the earth. The reality of what potential losses lay ahead were real to them. The thought was a lonesome one, and I suddenly found myself wishing for company. Luna would be busy dealing with her operation, I could not ask it of her, and I hadn’t seen Ford in days.
As though on cue, there was a knock at the door and Ford revealed himself, holding a small tray of food in his hands. “I believe you requested a small meal,” he said, setting it on the nightstand beside my bed. His face was heavy and tired- had the Solar Guard not rested throughout this time? However, when he turned to face me, his eyes burned with light as they rested upon my own. “Are you alright?”
“Come to me,” I begged of him, throwing my arms around him as the two of us fell, exhausted, to the ground where we became so intertwined with one another that we became too weary to rise. Finally, after such a time had passed, I relinquished him from my arms. “Promise me something,” I said to him.
“Anything,” Ford replied.
“Live,” I said, leaning in and kissing him gently, time and time again. “Live through this and stay with me.”
Ford smiled at me, a bittersweet thing that shone like a dying sun that faded into night. “Don’t ask for a promise I may not be able to keep,” he warned, kissing me back as we spent our night together.
March 3rd, the Year MCCCXLVI
To the Royal Palace of the Sun and Moon, concerning Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria,
Hail from your neighbors beyond the waters! I, King Peregrine, Son of King Lanner, Lord of the Four Houses, call for your wisdom in troubling times.
To the Princess of Equestria, I request that the contents of this letter be read in private, far away from prying eyes of those around you. I will not provide specific details on paper in case it is traceable, but I wish to inform you that all is not well in the land of the Griffons.
As your ally across the sea, I request a personal visit from Your Majesty so as to discuss these matters in haste, for I am greatly concerned as to troubling news that has only reached my ears very recently. I believe there is trouble brewing within my kingdom, and I wish for you as an advisor in these matters, before the situation deteriorates too rapidly.
I will explain more in person. I have reason to believe spies have become involved. Please move in haste.
King Peregrine,
Son of King Lanner, of the line of Montagu,
Lord of the Four Houses
A copy of the letter I received from King Peregrine this morning. Finally, after two months, a true response, one I did not expect whatsoever.
Our departure is set for three days from now. The entirety of the Royal Guard will be accompanying me, as well as a pair of ships from the Royal Navy acting as guard. Perhaps now, after all this time, we will find the truth we have been seeking.