Chapter 747 (2/2)

“In a few more years, the separate tribes would have starved,” Talim countered, habitually falling back into this old argument they had. “Without unification-”

“Unification need not mean bloodshed,” Allica said quietly.

Talim shook his head. “You are too sheltered. Your time taking care of the estates has left you out of touch with the world. I have ridden across this land, and naught but the sword can convince the population. Believe me.”

“I don’t.” Allica’s tone was icy. It was a strange coldness that was emerging from her core, flowing outward through her veins. Her arms and legs tingled, slowly numbing underneath the strange frozen sensation. “You are wrong.”

Talim sighed dramatically, shaking his head.

Something inside Allica snapped. A torrent of frozen rage burst out of a damn in her chest and flooded her system.

“Listen to me, Talim. You know nothing of the world. Do you think your pursuit of violence taught you of the world? You are grievously mistaken. The world is not a battlefield. It is not a place of compromise or death. Ultimately, we do not live in that contrived land of constant necessity that you common warlords so applaud,” Allica said. “The world is not can or cannot. It is will or won’t. It is a choice between shitty alternatives. It is responsibility and respect and duty. It is not the pursuit of the empire or-”

“The responsibility of a leader,” Talim growled. “Is to lead the people toward a better life. To protect them at the cost of all else, if necessary.”

“No. Well… just no, Talim.” Allica leaned back and looked at the ceiling. She was tired again and had half a mind to just allow Talim to pull her along in his wake. The simplicity of it… but no, she would not take that path. Because she knew that the figure in front of her might be her brother, but it might as well be a reaper wearing a mask. To follow him was to follow death. He would bleed this land dry to chase an old story.

Although Allica had met ‘royalty’ in many forms and roles, she found her mind going toward a certain prince with eyes of emerald flame. “A leader… a leader does not demand fealty with threat of force or by using the long whips of fear. A leader does not insist their dream is the only dream. And a true leader would never insist that they will never err.

“No… a leader works to build. A leader’s job isn’t to invent the dream for each person, but to dream of a world where the small dreams of the common man have room to grow,” As Allica spoke, she felt the room falling away. All she could feel was the flood of cold in her veins, coiling through her like threads of arctic hunger. And as they moved, they flowed upward toward her forehead. There, they began to gather and condense. The violent chill grew even stronger so that her head was throbbing with the cold. It was simultaneously the most distracting and invigorating thing she had ever experienced.

Yet still, she continued to speak, even as she pictured the slender form of Randidly carrying stones half his size. “Sometimes, the now becomes the most important element to create an Empire. The Earth Golems have fallen into a cycle of believing that they must destroy themselves to accomplish their dreams. Is it really so strange that their dreams have become so bitter? We need a new dream, Talim. A dream where it is okay to not be perfect. A dream where we don’t see our only path forward as devouring others. Only then will we find the Empire we are seeking.”

For several seconds, Talim was quiet. From the expression on his face, Allica could tell he was confused. But they were alike in that. Those words she had just said… she believed in them yes, but… they weren’t from her. But after that frozen core of an idea formed in her head, calmness and serenity. It was like a piece she had been reaching for was finally found. It fit, and things suddenly clicked.

Finally, Talim said, “Your pretty words cannot escape the reality of the world. The weather variations will kill us, Allica. Crop yields have dropped for generations. And with this war… it was not just our economy that was affected. If we do not conquer, our people will die. Your precious estates will wither and rot. Is that truly the choice you are making? To remain still and allow those counting on you to die?”

“You paint such a stark picture. That is not the world we live in, Talim. Ten years ago, mechs were oversized industrial fixtures. Now they have enough killing power to defeat us, the Earth Golems.” Allica spread her hands over the desk.

“Which is exactly why-” Talim began, right on cue. But then Allica gave him a look that contained a shred of the frigid will she had finally found. His words stopped abruptly, giving her space to continue.

“Paths emerge because you look for them. For too long, we have chased the same dream without questioning its validity. So much is possible right where we are. And you would have us go a-conquering to another world? No, Talim. The same dream elsewhere is still useless. It is time for us to imagine other dreams. Perhaps then our people’s children will sleep less fitfully.”

Their gazes locked. Talim opened his mouth and slowly said, “It is not your decision to make. Without you, without the money even, Earth Golems are drawn toward glory. Despite your madness, blood will show through. When the High King rides on a Crusade, the people will follow.”

With ice in her veins, Allica smiled. “I’m sure your procession of ghosts and orphans will strike fear into the hearts of your enemies.”