The Great War: Chapter 5
The struggles of royalty in wartime
It could be that he realized that it’s much quieter when Samuel isn’t even in the castle in the first place and leaves him be. It could also be that his father never cared about what Samuel did in the first place. Either way, he was never punished for sneaking out.
It’s nice for Samuel to get away from the castle as well. It gives him room to breathe and explore, rather than being trapped inside cycle-in and cycle-out. Plus, it gets him away from his father for the time being.
“Is it possible for us to build a proper infirmary?” he asks Devin as they pass the long white cloth tent.
“Where would we build it? Who will build it? Where will the materials come from, and how much will it cost?” Devin replies. “It’s not a project we can complete near Eros, nor do we have the time, beings, and steady supply of resources to complete it in a timely manner. The king has already spread our numbers extremely thin; there is little to be devoted to side projects.”
“But a small hillside tent is hardly apt for healing battle-wounded wizards,” Samuel defends, folding his arms in frustration.
“I’m not saying that you don’t have a point. What I am saying is that it’s unfeasible for us to build such a place in a time like this. You could try, but I doubt much meaningful progress will get done.”
The two drift into town and are surrounded by beings going about their lives. Though everything appears normal, there is tension hanging in the air. Beings walk with stiff steps and lowered heads, just wanting to go about their cycle without being bothered. As Samuel and Devin pass, a few look up and stare with hollow gazes. The war isn’t even a season’s length old yet, and citizen moral is already low.
“I wish there was more I could do for them…” Samuel mutters to himself.
“You may not be able to help these beings much,” Devin speaks up, “but there are ships arriving soon with refugees. The first wave left Korodon with little shelter remaining. Maybe you can do something about that?”
“Probably,” Samuel hums.
Devin clears his throat and starts, “Ica is not an ideal place for refugees to stay, as it’s always had the largest homeless population within wizard-controlled territory. Even so, the nearest towns are small farming settlements, and are unfit to house refugees at all. In order to properly house the amount of refugees from the first wave and the upcoming second wave, we may need to sacrifice farmland. Otherwise, there are going to be many beings without proper shelter from the elements.”
“But if we turn farmland into refugee encampments, we may have to use our grain reserves to keep every being properly fed,” Samuel replies slowly. “And the reserves will only hold out at most a year if we’re lucky. Citizens may get upset if we are forced to ration so soon.”
It’s a tough decision. To make refugee housing they will lose crop, meaning that the island will run out of food within a year or two. But if they keep the crop they have to keep the island fed, then more refugees will be left without shelter and may die as a result.
“It is not something you must decide on right away,” Devin assures him. “We can afford to think for at most a few cycles. Nevertheless, it is still important, and something you may want to discuss with your father beforehand.”
Tch, Samuel spits at the mention of his father. He doesn’t want to talk to him, but he has to in order to get anything done. After all, Samuel isn’t king yet, so all he can do is propose ideas.
“From what I’ve heard, he’s been more focused on war plans than managing Korodon,” Devin adds with a long sigh. “They’re very aggressive plans…”
“I thought it was clear beforehand that we have no numbers or adequate firepower to have ‘very aggressive’ plans.”
“It’s what my father told me.”
Samuel bites his bottom lip and stands staring off into the distance.
“Sounds like his frustration is getting to him,” he comments flatly.
“It may be,” his friend nods.
Maybe that’s something else Samuel can think on for a little while, how to increase the strength of their fighters. With wizards having a lack of proper battle experience and training, many only know the very basics of their magical abilities. A training program may be in order if they want to survive just a little bit longer and prevent many needless deaths in the future.
“Do you think,” he asks to Devin, “we have the resources to devote to train wizards and develop their magic?”
Devin shrugs. “That depends on how big you intend the project to be. Even so, the tutor you had is only one of ten tutors that live on Korodon, none specialize in Death, Ice, or Balance, and cost a lot of iron for just one session. Your father spent quite a lot to give you a proper magical education. If we were to hire all of these tutors at once, the castle’s treasury will run dry within a matter of cycles.”
“Sometimes you surprise me with how much you know,” Samuel laughs nervously.
“It’s my job,” Devin simply replies.
“You’re thinking too narrowly, Samuel,” Cero says sternly.
The statement takes Samuel aback. “But father, these refugees could help us fight if we make an effort to help them-”
“That’s enough!” Cero interrupts with a roar, causing Samuel’s voice to die in his throat instantly. The king leans forward on his throne, eyes narrow. “We’re at war now, Samuel. We cannot save nor protect every being from the hardship that is yet to come. The sooner this war ends, the sooner we can find and build these refugees proper homes.”
“And how are you going to do that?” Samuel practically shouts back.
“One cycle, you will understand-”
Samuel folds his arms and turns his head away from Cero. “No, father, I don’t think I will. The citizens of Korodon are just as important as the wizards in battle.”
The king lets out a hum sounding more like a deep growl of anger than anything thoughtful or understanding, or even caring.
“Well, if you don’t care about the refugees, then what about magic training?” Samuel proposes, letting his irritation be heard loud and clear. “The wizards we have already are unskilled with their magic. If we bring in a few for training every cycle, then-”
“No,” Cero replies quickly. Samuel’s mouth hangs open for a moment in surprise. Has his father gone mad?
“We simply do not have the iron to invest in a training program like that,” his father continues, his tone slightly softer this time.
“Have you not asked the tutors that already live on Korodon?” Samuel asks.
“All their prices have risen to meet the current demand for private tutoring,” Killian speaks up from beside the throne, his expression solemn. “Not only are their schedules rather full for the foreseeable future, but we cannot afford to hire even one tutor for longer than a season at the most, let alone four or five for regular training sessions involving even a small group of wizards. The castle’s treasury is best put towards other needs such as materials to bolster our defenses.”
“We cannot force them to provide free service?”
Killian shakes his head. “We would have to send a petition to the Union of Tutors and Scholars on Mirage. And if the information we have on the island is accurate, the Guardians are finalizing their takeover of the ruling council of the island’s only port. We’re currently at a loss for effective magical education.”
“Killian and I have already talked about magical education for the fighting wizards in greater detail,” Cero concludes flatly. “I am fully aware of the benefits it would give us, but it is unfortunately not an option we can act upon.” The king stands suddenly, his bright purple cape unfurling behind him as he does so. “Thank you for your concerns, Samuel. Now, I must go finalize battle plans.”
Samuel is silent, yet nods all the same. He doesn’t watch his father and Killian exit the throne room, nor does he immediately acknowledge Devin appearing at his side mere moments later.
“I’m sorry,” his friend says simply, placing a hand on Samuel’s shoulder.
Samuel shakes his head. His father simply refused to give his own home island any attention at all. Citizens will cry out if the issue isn’t at least addressed in some way, shape, or form.
Then again, his father is also right, much to Samuel’s displeasure. His is thinking a little narrowly, but so is he. While his father focuses on the wizards at sea, Samuel worries about the wizards at home. These two views shouldn’t always be at odds with one another.
“This has to change,” he speaks.
His friend arches an eyebrow with interest. “What has to change?”
“There has to be a balance here,” Samuel explains, lifting his head high. “A balance between the needs of the fighters and the needs of the citizens. Addressing both needs as equally as possible will help boost moral and possibly save more lives in the long term. Though I wonder if father will even listen to me at all…”
“Your father?”
“Father is concerned about the battles, and I’m concerned about the citizens.”
Devin smirks skeptically. “So you wish to collaborate with your father?”
“I know, I know,” Samuel sighs, “I rather not have to. But he’s always talked about caring for the citizens of Korodon in the past. I can’t simply stand by and let him ignore them because we’re at war.”
“I hope you two can come to some sort of agreement,” Devin nods. “It’s a good idea, Sam. Since there are two of you, attention to different issues on different fronts can be more easily divided up, thought through, and solved.”
“Something tells me that the pitch won’t go so well with him, though.”
“Well, at least try. Otherwise, something is going to begin unraveling to the point of no return.”
“And then the war will essentially become forfeit.”
“Exactly.”