The Radiant War

Chapter 31c

     The palace surrendered early the next morning.

     The Princess's army remained camped outside the fence, where everyone in the palace could see them, making themselves more visible by lighting torches and singing songs of freedom and revolution that carried easily in the still night air. They wanted to make sure that everyone in the palace was constantly reminded of their presence. Constantly reminded that the rest of the city, and probably the rest of the country, had turned against them. The Brigadier doubted that anyone in the palace got any sleep that night. They would have been talking endlessly, everyone from the King himself down to the lowliest servant, with a few strong willed individuals eventually convincing everyone around them that their suggestion was the only sensible possibility.

     At around midnight the sound of gunshots was heard coming from the palace. Evidently there was some disagreement, probably between the royals and their servants. It went on for ten minutes or so, and then an ominous silence fell, leaving the besieging army to guess which side had won. Grim though things must have been in the palace, though, spirits were much higher amongst the besieging crowd where people were celebrating with dances and the copious consumption of alcoholic drinks. The Brigadier had frowned at this, but there was nothing he could do about it. The Princess’s hold over these people was so fragile, so tenuous, that they might well have turned against her if she'd tried to stop their celebrations, and the Brigadier had to simply accept the fact that half of his army was likely to be either passed out drunk or suffering from hangovers just when he needed them most.

     At around nine in the morning a small group of people was seen leaving the palace and heading to the gate in the perimeter fence. The Brigadier went forward to meet them, and this time the Princess went with him. The Brigadier made only a token attempt to stop her. If he was reading the mood of the palace correctly, the danger of violence had passed. This was going to be a negotiation, not a confrontation. They were accompanied by Den Wilks, who had assumed the position of mediator between the Helberians and the people of Charnox, and Briggs, who seemed to regard himself as the head of the Princess’s bodyguard. It was a position that rightfully belonged to the Brigadier, but he was happy to leave the man to his delusions for the sake of a smooth collaboration between them.

     Darniss also came, accompanied by a gaslighter called Tomwell whom the Brigadier had assigned to keep an eye on her. Now that King Nilon’s regime seemed to be over he was concerned that she might try to slip away and escape, but until and unless Leothan pardoned her she was still a convicted traitor and it was the Brigadier’s duty to keep her in custody. Darniss endured it stoically, and treated the man as if he were her personal servant and bodyguard.

     As they stood waiting, just out of accurate gunshot range, the small pedestrian gate opened and two men emerged. One wearing the uniform of a senior house servant, the other in the uniform of the palace guard with shoulder pins that signified they he held an honorary rank equivalent to a Colonel of the army. The Brigadier allowed his face to show no sign of what he thought of honorary military ranks.

     “I am Colonel Connor Fell,” the guardsmen said. “This is Philip Towen, the Master Butler. We have come to tell you that Nilon Alabaster Bellatrix, former King of Carrow, is dead. George Tiberius Bellatrix, his son, has therefore technically ascended to the throne, but he, the rest of the royal family and some members of the former King's staff are being held confined to their chambers. They did not wish to surrender. The majority of us, though...” He looked at the massed ranks of the crowd arranged behind the Princess and her retinue. “The rest of us see the folly of dragging this situation out any longer. We all have families. We want to return to them. We are willing to surrender if reasonable terms can be agreed upon.”

     “If everyone lays down their weapons and gives themselves up, I give you my assurance that they will not be harmed,” replied the Princess. “Unfortunately, you will need to be kept under confinement for a time until a proper investigation can be carried out, but I suspect that the people you already have under confinement are the only ones who need have any fear.”

     “Are you sure you can control that... Your people?” asked the Master Butler doubtfully. “We don't doubt your honour, your Highness, but once we have surrendered our means of defending ourselves, what guarantee do we have that they won't ignore your commands and massacre us all?”

     Den Wilks stood forward. “I am a member of the city's militia,” he said, looking the Master Butler straight in the eye, “and I can speak for my people. If Princess Ardria makes a promise on our behalf, we will abide by it.”

     The Brigadier also stepped forward, to speak to the Princess. “I would recommend that no members of the, er...” He gave Den Wilks a doubtful look, then returned his attention to the Princess. “The militia, be allowed within the perimeter of the palace grounds,” he said. ”They will man the palace gates and control who enters and leaves, but the people currently staffing the palace should be allowed to remain at their posts, performing their duties, so long as those under confinement remain under confinement.”

     The Princess nodded. “That seems reasonable,” she said. “Would that be agreeable to you, Mister Towen?”

     The Master Butler looked greatly relieved. “It would,” he replied. He glanced at the palace guardsman, who also nodded. The guard then unbuckled his pistol and sword and handed them to the Brigadier, who took them. Behind them, the watching crowd gave a great sigh of satisfaction and relief.

     “I will choose some people to enter the palace to collect up your weapons,” said the Princess. “We will then search the palace, looking for any other weapons that some of your people might have hidden without your knowledge. Please return to the palace and tell your people what we have agreed. I will tell my own people. We will enter at midday. Please be ready for us.” The two men nodded and turned to go.

     “There is one other thing first,” said Ardria, though. “Has there been any recent telegraph communication with my father, or with any senior officials in Helberion?”

     “Nothing that can be believed,” replied the guardsmen. “Only outrageous claims that we assume are attempts to deceive us and strengthen your position here. King Leothan’s claim to have destroyed our entire army, for instance. It's true that we haven't been able to contact our army for some time, but a simple broken telegraph cable could account for that. The fact that King Leothan is still in control of Paisley Palace’s telegraph machine does suggest that our army has had setbacks in conquering the city, it's true, but to suggest that be has somehow managed to destroy our entire army stretches credulity somewhat.”

     “What other outrageous claims did he make?” asked the Princess.

     “He claims that, shortly after his miraculous military victory, Marboll was attacked by hundreds of Radiants intent on cursing the entire city.”

     Both Ardria and the Brigadier tensed up in shock, but the Brigadier was more successful in hiding his feelings than the Princess. "The attack failed, I take it," he said.

     'Leothan claims that he was able to repel the attack when his scientists created a machine whose radiations they are, apparently, unable to tolerate. He even sent a series of instructions telling us how to create such a machine.”

     “Follow the instructions,” ordered the Princess. “Build the machine.”

     The guardsmen stared at her. “Your Highness, there is no need to continue the deception. You have won here, at least until our army returns and we find our positions reversed...”

     “I said build the machine!” repeated the Princess. “If your army has indeed been victorious in Helberion and returns to restore King George to the throne of Carrow, then you can destroy it, but in the meantime you will build it. See that it is done.” Both men bowed to her.

     “Secondly,” continued Ardria, “have a telegraph machine brought out here, to the guard post, on the end of an extension cable. I want to talk to my father. Whatever he tells me, I know it will be the truth. Then you and I will both know exactly where we stand.”

     “With your leave, then, we will go to carry out your commands,” said the Master Butler.

     The Princess nodded, and the parley ended as both parties returned to inform their respective peoples what had just been decided.