At the moment, between Merida and I, there is an air of tension.

"I think you might have misunderstood. I don't mean to marry me, but-"

"I know who you're talking about and the answer remains the same. No."

I have no idea what is on her mind. Marry the princess? Why would I do that? To begin with, I don't think of her that way. I mean, sure, she's pretty, and as a person of the opposite sex, it lifts my spirit when I see her, but romantic is not what I would describe our relationship. Besides, she's too young, waaay too young for me. Maybe I'll start thinking differently if we wait a few years, but right now it's out of the question. Even if the princess is fine with it, I certainly am not.

"I... I certainly did not expect you to reject so vehemently."

Merida frowns deeply, a reflection of how troubled she is feeling undoubtedly.

"The truth of the matter is, I'm much too old for her. I may look like this, but I'm actually around four to five times her age."

"Five times? Is that true? You certainly don't act like you are though. At most you seem like a slightly more mature child to me."

As expected for an Assassin, she goes for where it hurts most.

"Regardless of what it seems to you, I'm actually a wrinkly, balding old man. You wouldn't have the princess wed someone like that, would you?"

"That's irrelevant."

So she says, with the straightest face I've ever seen.

Well, I suppose in politics during the olden ages, when bloodline determined much of one's position and status in life, marriage is a game where anything goes so long as both parties are of age and have a certain amount of wealth or prestige. It's not so much about romance and more about gains and conveniences. In a sense, it's almost like a business. Even so, even if it is how their society works, this does not sit well with me.

"Irrelevant to you perhaps, but to me it's important."

But how is it important? I would like to be able to explain it to Merida but I can't seem to be able to put it all into words, not towards someone from a completely different word with a completely different set of values. Where do I even begin?

"You become very protective when it comes to the princess, don't you?"

She says as she watches me with a calm look in her eyes, surprisingly lacking in frustration. You'd think she'd be more irritated since I've been stubbornly refusing her all the while not coming up with a proper explanation for her in regards to my behavior.

"She held onto me as I thought I was about to die alone in a place I know nothing about, and she saved my life time and time again. She is precious to me, that being said, my feelings for her remain to be that of adoration, something one may have for a precocious child. It's not enough for me to consider marriage."

"I see, I understand where you're coming from now, but please, at least listen to my explanation. I'll start from the beginning."

"Not saying that it would change my mind, but perhaps you should have done that from the start."

"I'm sorry, I suppose I prefer to cut into the heart of things without beating around the bushes."

Sure, I suppose that's what an Assassin would say.

"So, Aurelius, to put it simply, the princess wishes to join you in the coming battle."

"This again? You know the answer to that already."

"The princess has anticipated that reply as well. Your reaction is not at all unforeseeable by any measure."

Getting snarky are we? Well, not like that would affect me in the slightest.

"But how does this went from that to marriage? That's quite a leap."

"So it would appear, but Aurelius, do tell why you are so opposed to the princess being on the battlefield."

"It's because she is the future ruler of the Beastkins and personally I'd like her to be safe."

"The princess feels the same way about you. Not only are you one of the Champions, you are someone precious to her as well. She would like to stand by your side and ensure your survival, especially for this battle. You and Lady Toto said it too, haven't you, that if we can't win this, there's probably no future for us, that this will be the battle that determines whether this world would fall into darkness or preserve the path to salvation. Isn't it reasonable to ensure we do everything we can to win? Surely, having the princess by your side will be to your advantage, no?"

"You're not wrong, but even if we win, it is not over your realize. If we had won, but the princess had fallen on battle, what then? Who will rule the kingdom then?"

"Your underestimate our system of government, Aurelius. Perhaps your world has a much more advanced civilization than ours, but we are no fools either. Someone will replace the princess if she were to pass away without an heir. In fact, who do you think is running things while the king is bedridden and the princess here in this very camp?"

Damn! It looks like I stretched my argument too far and ended up with one that is flawed. I didn't stop to consider that she might have replacements lined up. No, actually, I somewhat suspected that to be the case, it's not unusual to have next of kin or, lacking that, regents lined up to rule should something happen to the current ruler. The argument I made was a poorly thought out gambit that accomplishes nothing but make me appear condescending towards the kingdom, as well as show off my occasional lack of forethought.

"I apologize if it seem like I was looking down on the kingdom, but even if there is a replacement, will things truly go so smoothly? While is has been fortunate that the princess and many others has viewed the Champions to be highly valuable assets, placing us even above the lives of hundreds of others and granted us a great deal of prestige to us, do every single person in the kingdom believe the same? Will we, the Champions, still be allowed the freedom we have once the princess' influences are no more?"

"You will, if they are wise."

If? In other words, it's not a guarantee that whoever in the position to replace the princess would allow us to do as we please as we have so far? I don't think I'll like the idea of our power being limited. If that happens, I doubt Toto would be able to use up resources to construct the various contraptions she has in her head and I doubt Six would be very happy being told what to do by the people he cares absolutely nothing about. And most of all, we might be forced to fight even if we don't want to. The princess had said that all will be provided for me to live a comfortable life till the inevitable end to this world should I not desire to fight. The next candidate for the throne may not be so kind. I would like to maintain the freedom of choice when it comes to fighting, after all, some of us, those that are here and those that we may find later, they may not desire to fight and some may even be children, children trapped in older looking avatars. If that choice is taken away, I don't think I'll be able to fight alongside this kingdom. I'm not exactly sure what I'll do at this point, but I'm not allowing one of us to be forced onto the battlefield unwillingly, that's for certain.

"And if they are not wise? If they only care about their self-interest? What then?"

Ignorance and greed, these are the two things that can easily ruin anything should they come from a person in the position of power. For argument's sake, even if we win the coming battle, if this sort of person takes power, everything we worked for may go right down the drain. To not only force us into battles unwilling, but to also use us for their personal gain, that cannot be allowed either.

"Yes... I suppose that's not out of the question for those that may inherit the throne after the princess. In fact, should the princess be gone, it is likely they may begin to compete with one another for the crown and whatever little land is left by then. Even with the [Corruption] at our door steps, old habits and stupidity die hard, and the wise are indeed very few."

So there are people like that amongst the Beastkins after all. I was wondering about that since I had been fortunate enough to meet only good and understanding individuals. However, since they do exist, then the princess must put them in check.

"If there's even a single percent of chance that they might get in our way and ruin our chances, then that's a good enough reason as any to ensure the princess' survival. Arguably, she's more useful back in the palace than on the battlefield."

And this should be the final nail in this argument. The princess will have to stay, not just because I personally want her safe, but also that she may protect us from threats within. The conclusion of this debate is clear. Thinking this, I see a smile on Merida's face, a smile that looks, to me, rather wicked. Like that of a cruel hunter watching her prey falling for her trap. Wait a minute... Don' tell me-

"True, you are not wrong, Aurelius, the princess may be more useful in the palace. However, that would be at the cost of your safety. Now with Sir Six and Lady Cecilia gone, you will be more exposed than ever, no? Even with the troops you may take with you, they will have their own mission to carry out and may not be able to protect you at all times and even if they did, the protection they may offer will only be meager at best, and that is at the cost of the overall combat prowess of the platoon. However, there's the princess. While she is not much use in direct combat, she is more than capably to devoting herself to both you and Lady Toto's protection, and you should know how effective she can be with her healing and defensive arts taught to her by the Holy Beast herself. After all, she has saved your life time and time again, has she not?"

So, this is her end game. I can't believe it. I can't believe that I didn't see this coming. Or rather, I had more or less forgotten about it entirely. I was so busy trying to convince Merida that the princess should be off the battlefield that I forgot all about it. She said she prefers not to beat around the bushes but there she was, doing just that, distracting me and made me trap myself with my own rationale. I had thought Merida to be like a hawk, swooping down from above and swiftly snapping the necks of her prey with her talons. However, now I know that she's more like a snake, slithering around the bushes, rattling her tail, turning my attention elsewhere before striking while I'm distracted. For the longest time, I though of her to be more of an Assassin, forgetting that she is also a Knight, one who spent her time beside the princess, observing etiquette and wit undoubtedly required to navigate the aristocratic society.

In the end, the conversation ended up exactly where she wanted and by now, even I know the where the most logical conclusion of this argument lies and what is the best possible choice that may solve all the problems mentioned. Damn it, she must have known that I have a tendency of not backing down from an argument till I made my point. She must have observed my past interactions with the princess very closely.

"But having her on the battlefield would put her in danger. Even if we win, if she dies then..."

I put up the last of my resistance. Perhaps, just perhaps, if I didn't played up the candidate to take the princess' place on the throne to be such a threat, I might still have a chance. Then again, probably not, that would simply lead to arguing that the princess can do more on the battlefield and if she dies, someone else will just replace her, and whoever that is might even do a better job than she can considering that this person would probably not be as eager to go into battle and therefore more suitable to rule. In other words, one way or another, the princess gets what she wants.

"Then, Aurelius, you should marry her. In this case, if she passes away in battle, you would be next in line for the throne. And while you may not have the full support of the nobles or the members of the parliament, your reputation and prowess in battle will be more than sufficient to earn you the support from those in the military, and their support is massive especially in times of turmoil like these, that's more than enough for you to rule without issues."

Honestly, after all that, my head hurts. Thinking on my feet simply isn't my forte, I prefer to sit down and contemplate quietly. Even so, I attempt my last desperate struggle to think of a reason to not do this, a logical reason, or at least a reason that sounds reasonable. To say "no" simply because I don't want to will only make it harder for me in the long run, since I'm sure I'll be making a great number people do what they prefer not to do in the name of victory sometime into the future, just as I've been doing all these time. Everyone's sacrificing themselves here, and so I can't say "no" just because I don't feel like it. In the end, however, I simply could not find a reason to refuse, at least not one that my throbbing head can come up with.

"Very well, I get it. You've talked me into it."

With that, Merida lets loose a sigh of great relieve. She had fought well. Very few had beaten me in a debate, not to say I'm any good at it of course, I'm just really, really stubborn in most cases, something the princess and I have in common I suppose.

"Thank you, Aurelius, the princess will be pleased to hear that you have agreed to her proposal."

"I, on the other hand, am certainly not pleased. I still think she should just stay behind. I... I rather not lose her."

"And she rather not lose you, or any of the Champions. Rest assure, Aurelius, she will do everything to defend you and Lady Toto, and I will do everything to defend her."

***

End of Chapter 39