[EAW] Independence

by Mitamajr

Decisive action

1st of August, 972

Elio Wingerni stepped around the passed out form of his sister, entering the kitchen of his family's two-room apartment. An empty bottle of cheap alcohol lay next to her. From the floor, he picked up his green waistcoat.

"Morning, ma!" the beige cub called out to his mother. Ella Wingerni, usually weary from her long days of work, turned around with a bright smile.

"Morning," she said, extending her wing for a hug. With a few steps, Elio cut through the cluttered room, slamming into her side and eliciting a pained chuckle. Elio didn't know why she was so happy, but he had decided to enjoy it while it lasted.

"You woke up early."

Elio pulled back. "Elisa snored too loud."

Ella smiled at his antics. She gave his crest of feathers a caring shuffle, before returning her attention to the stove. "Well, breakfast is going to be ready soon. Get yourself ready for school, and then go wake up your sister."

---

"...and Eyr, oh benevolent lady, grant my family comfort in this time of distress." Talonuel finished the prayer, clutching a rosary in his right talon.

Next to him sat Garia. Her head was held low in prayer, and a black veil was draped over her face. Coincidentally, both had woken up early in the morning and met on their way to the chapel located at the palace gardens. For nearly an hour, the two had prayed under the guidance of an ancient prelate, seeking comfort in the presence of gods. It was rare for the royal family to attend religious services, given their strenuous relationship with the archons. When they did so, it was usually under the guidance of Prelate Sirianni.

Sirianni, standing on the other side of a lavishly decorated altar, gestured for the two to rise. In contrast to the intricate and expensive art that filled his temple, the old griffon only donned simple red robes and a brimless woolen cap.

"Rise, children," he said. His voice was parched and weak, yet it carried authority no mortal, king or otherwise, could contradict. "Although a tragedy has befallen us, we can always trust the heavens to offer us guidance. Should you find your hearts burdened by anything, you can always come to me."

"Thank you, father," the two royals answered with a bow. To Talonuel's mild surprise, his mother continued. "If I may, I would like to remain a little longer by the icons."

"But of course! You are permitted to stay as long as you want to," the prelate answered.

Of course. With most of her responsibilities now gone, the queen could spend more time in the chapel. Talonuel envied her for that. He needed guidance as much as her, but his duty called. He apologized and rose to take his leave.

Garia nodded in understanding and leaned in to embrace Talonuel. The two briefly held their foreheads together. Pulling away, Talonuel bowed to his mother and the priest, before turning towards the door. The second he was out of the chapel, its pious and silent atmosphere was replaced with the chirping of birds and the distant sounds of a city waking up.

He slowly walked through the garden, allowing the morning mist to caress his feathers. Exotic birds flew from branch to branch, singing without a care in the world. In the bushes and trees that lined the gravel road, small critters moved about.

As he approached the garden-side entrance to the palace, where the stone path turned to pavement, a griffon a few years senior to Talonuel stood waiting. Dressed in a black suit, he bowed.

"Your majesty. I thought I would find you here." August was Talonuel's aide, had been ever since his teenage years. Unfortunately, the two had grown distant in recent years.

"I assume you have something important?"

"Yes," the owl-faced griffon answered, pulling a folded paper from his breast pocket. "An urgent telegram from Griffenheim. Its contents are not good."

With a nod, Talonuel accepted the paper. He scanned the paper, eyes narrowing in disgust. "...allocate resources to deal with threats of high priority," he muttered the excuse for not investigating the murder out loud. Talonuel handed the slip back and lowered his talon to the ground.

"This is a travesty." He eventually said, blood boiling. He felt filled by energy born of anger that was ready to explode. His claws dug to the

"Damn it!" Talonuel spat. Immediately recovering his polite tone he asked: "How many know?"

"Only the prime minister has been informed. But with the rumor mill being what it is, tomorrow everyone in the government will know. Speaking of," August continued. "You have a meeting with her, do you not?"

"I do," Talonuel Answered, a hint of scorn making its way to his voice. "No doubt that she will bring this up as well."

His father had appointed Rosa Pia as the prime minister, a place well deserved at the time. However, during a trip to New Mareland, she had fallen in love with its Harmonic Democracy, a position the royal family could not tolerate. Unfortunately, she had too much political clout to be simply removed. Therefore she had remained a thorn in the family's side.

August tilted his head, and with some hesitation, said. "Likely yes. But... Garibald, I know you do not trust her, so I ask you to trust me. She is intelligent, and you should not underestimate her advice."

"Maybe so," Talonuel said, marching past his aide. He had work to do. As the brown griffon entered the palace, doubt started to worm into his mind. Maybe he would listen to Lady Pia, out of respect for August's wisdom.

---

Elio dashed through the Old Harbor district of Karthin with spring in his step. The beige cub could not remember when he had last been so happy.

Running through the alley between two warehouses, Elio jumped against the red brick wall, and from there forward. With a leap that was - in the mind of a child - impressive, he emerged to an abandoned dockyard. Spreading his wings, Elio did a barrel roll, gleefully laughing all the way.

It was not a good idea. While Elio managed to catch his felt cap with his tail, his saddlebags emptied their contents on the pavement. Hissing with annoyance, Elio landed and began picking up his stuff. Luckily the place was abandoned, meaning no-one was there to see his embarrassing failure.

That was why there was an angry group of griffons some fifty meters away. To make matters worse, one of them had taken notice.

"Kid, what the hell are you doing here?" A pale gray griffon shouted.

"Going to school," Elio answered, putting his last schoolbook in the bag.

"Through the Old Harbor?"

"Yes, its a shortcut, you know?" Elio wanted to leave but did not dare to until it was clear the group had nothing more to say to him.

"Well, go get a different shortcut. Shoo."

The angry tone snapped Elio out of his stupor. He did not like being told what to do. He responded with one of the nastier things he had learned from his sister before disappearing back into the alley he had come from.

He would be late for school unless he hurried.

---

Martin watched the cub disappear. He then turned to Aurora, worry hidden under an amused smirk.

"I am surprised. Not a single death threat."

Aurora scowled, clearly worried about the child returning. "I have plenty for you unless you stop joking. We took way too long last night. Had that kid come ten minutes earlier, we would have been caught red-handed with the cargo. Kids are such tattletales that we would be screwed."

"Whatever you say, boss," Martin answered, doubtful that a child could cause so much damage. Besides, he could easily silence them.

---

"The death of your father cannot go unanswered!"

Talonuel rose from his seat and walked over to the window making up the back wall of his office, a gaggle of ministers and advisors following in his wake. Unfortunately, Lady Pia had brought the entire government with her, regardless of their importance to the discussion. Talonuel could have handled her alone, but now he was pressed from all sides.

They had all been aware of Gumberto's murder and had vocally expressed their displeasure at the empire following the act. But he had been forced to tell them that there would be no investigation. Even the most level-headed griffs were frothing.

"And what would you have me do?" Talonuel asked the griffon who had spoken, the gaze of his golden eyes at the gardens of the Royal Palace.

"Raise an army and march north. We demand justice."

Talonuel spun around, the group wincing at the sight of his black, white-rimmed face contorting with anger.

"Demand?" he asked, walking around his table and over to the group. "You do not make demands viscount. And you certainly will not demand war against our lords."

Viscount Chiodo, a graying, monocle-wearing griffon retreated under the king's glare. The minister of defense had earned his position through Gumberto's favor, making his bushy mustache his sole qualification.

"Our 'lords' have to answer for the death of his majesty!" the viscount argued. "I know damn well they are guilty."

"Maybe Viscount would like to present his evidence to the rest of us," Talonuel bit back.

"Your Majesty, Viscount. Regardless of who is right, something must be done," Pia spoke. She had remained quiet for most of the time, letting her allies work on the king.

"The Imperial court will see this as a sign of weakness. If we permit them to drop the matter, who knows what they'll do next."

"I am acutely aware of this," Talonuel answered, regal tone hiding his anger. "Do you believe I want to forgive everything?"

When none of his advisors spoke, he continued. "I will make sure justice happens, but that will have to wait. For now, we must keep the kingdom steady."

It was an empty statement meant to calm his ministers. Some of the griffons seemed uncertain before Lady Pia stepped up, bowing as she spoke: "Of course, your majesty."

"Return to your duties," Talonuel ordered, returning to his seat and pulling out a stack of papers. "Except... Pia, Chiodo; stay here.

One by one, the ministers filed out of the room. Once the last one had closed the door, Talonuel sighed. "Lord Chiodo, what is the state of the Royal Army? Numbers and equipment."

Gervasio Chiodo, Wingbardy's minister of defense, an old brown griffon with a bushy befitting his position, cleared his throat and spoke: "Three hundred thousand griffins, equipped with uniforms befitting their station, and the finest weapons the kingdom has."

Talonuel raised an eyebrow. When Chiodo continued staring blankly at him, he elaborated: "and what does that mean? Do you know, minister?"

The silence condemned his dignity, his answer even more. "They are sufficient."

"For hunting bandits? Our army, minister of defense, is outdated by a decade. Our artillery uses black powder, and our uniforms are only useful in ceremonies."

Once he deemed Chiodo to have suffered enough, Talonuel dismissed the useless minister. "I am sorry about that," he said to Pia, who waved it off. "The truth of the matter is that our army cannot enforce our politics at the moment. More discretion is required."

"I understand," Pia nodded. "Is this why you wanted me to remain?"

"Only partially..." The prince breathed slowly, looking down at the table as if to examine the woodwork. For a brief moment, uncertainty took him, but he expelled it with a shake of his head. "Lady Pia, what is the government's opinion of me?"

"Largely neutral. You are an unknown, your highness, and most don't know what to think... But the murder in Griffenheim has garnered you many sympathizers for the time being. It is a strong position. I recommend you take a page from your father's book and exploit it."

Talonuel paused. She was right. Had his grandfather died, Gumberto would have pounced. Talonuel had every intention of being like his father.

"In two hours, the whole world will hear that the investigation was cut short. The outrage will only grow. If you were to try, how long could you stoke the flames? If I were to head north and kick gears into motion, how far would the government back me up?" Talonuel prodded, a new idea forming in his mind.

Pia's poker face morphed into a knowing smile. "For a month, I could make them follow you to the edge of the world. If you give me the force and credibility of Reichstag, the whole nation will stand with you."

"In that case, I believe it is time for the Reichstag of Wingbardy to convene."