Riegan Manor - Noon - Clear
Vridel von Hresvelg
Vridel had to admit, the retaking of Derdriu had felt... good.
It would have been better if they'd never lost it in the first place, but technically they hadn't. It had come under siege, but an ultimately unsuccessful one, thanks first to Alaric and then to a timely rescue. In any case, they were back, and the combination of Alliance and Duscur troops might be enough to start winning back the rest of Leicester. It wouldn't, normally, but the Imperials were spread thin, between here and Brigid and two different fronts in Faerghus. Arianrhod and the Fraldarius border. It meant that if they were smart about how they did this, they had a chance.
Of course, there was also bad news. That Derdriu had come under siege at all meant the Great Bridge of Myrddin had been captured, and that was a loss, one they'd have a hard fight to take back before they could finally, finally, push into new territory.
“Has Bergliez been in contact yet?" He couldn't imagine it was that difficult to find out who was leading one's own army, but he at least hadn't heard anything from the Imperial general yet. He might have contacted Mercer instead, though—Vridel might be rightful Emperor of Adrestia, but Mercer was leader of this army, and he certainly wouldn't object if communication went through that way instead.
Mercer shook his head.
“We haven't heard anything from him, yet, but I'd say that he hasn't betrayed us or anything. If he had, chances are that we'd have lost the battle for Derdriu. Reinforcements would have been sent if he'd said anything," he stated, furrowing his brows lightly. “Chances are he's still waiting for the right moment before he does anything. I don't know if it's harder for him with the Imperial army or what, but... we'll just have to wait and see. Sen has a few of her scouts out so chances are, he can contact one of them. And when Alaric releases Rey back into our ranks," he huffed lightly, “we can have him on the look out as well."
“Are we sure he will?" Vridel asked wryly, finding himself grinning. Reynard was not sitting in on this meeting; it was actually just himself, Mercer, Cyril, Senka, and Sorcha. Thea and Sofi were training this afternoon—he wasn't sure exactly where Dev and Sylvi were, or Deirdre, but they all had jobs to be doing, no doubt.
This particular setup however meant they could poke fun of their absent friend with impunity. “They seem... awfully attached." Alaric was so closeted it was almost painful, but the truth was there for anyone observant enough to see it nonetheless, and Vridel was quite good with that kind of thing.
Mercer outright laughed while Senka snorted softly, nearly choking on her cup of water. “You mean to say that Alaric hasn't rectified his feelings for Rey, yet?" Senka spoke, a little surprised by the information, it seemed. Mercer only laughed a little harder before he took in a deep breath to calm himself.
“Honestly, it might be a long time yet before we see Rey, again. With Al being all, well, you know, protective and what not," Mercer finally spoke, snickering softly. “And they're attached at the hip at this point, it feels like. At least not physically," he added.
“Yet."
Mercer laughed again.
Sorcha rolled her eyes, but it was good-natured, and surprisingly enough there was a little smile to go with it. Vridel had spotted few of those since her return; they were always nice to see.
“Frankly I don't think any of us have any room to talk, really," the Professor noted wryly. “But then I suppose he mocked us plenty before."
He had, at that. Vridel snorted. “Still, more fun to mock him to his face. What're we planning today, anyway?"
“Well," Mercer began, glancing at the map that was in front of them. “We all know the obvious: Myrddin Bridge has fallen," he stated, placing a few markers near the Bridge.
“Next step would be to reclaim it, would it not?" Senka stated, causing Mercer to nod his head.
“It would be. If we can get the Bridge back, then we can finally press forward with the attack on the Imperial army. The Bridge is what will either break us, or give us the opportunity that we need. As you all know," he began, placing a few more markers on both the Alliance side and the Empire's. “Myrddin Bridge is a strategic advantage to whomever holds it. They can invade either the Alliance or Empire freely."
“Which means that since the Empire has it, we're at a disadvantage."
“Precisely. With our troop numbers, though, we should be able to retake it. The only problem is..." he trailed off, pursing his lips together.
“We don't know who's holding Myrddin at the moment, and we don't know what kind of army they have. It could be just a human army, or it could be a mix of Cornelia's altered golems or beasts," Senka filled in. Mercer nodded his head.
“And we're back to the issue with Bergliez," Cyril added with a short sigh. “I suppose we could strike out for the destination and hope he's able to get something to us on the way. If he's not, it's not any worse than what we'd have to do regardless."
Vridel nodded. “At this point, they've not held it too long. We'd be better off not letting them get too firm a foothold. If you ask me we've got to strike as fast as possible. End of the month, if we can manage it, but it's going to be a fight just to get there." Because all the land between the bridge and Derdriu was occupied now, too.
“There are villages between, right? Castles and the like too, where nobles manage their territory?" Sorcha frowned. “What's the most direct line of capturable points from us to the bridge?"
Mercer pursed his lips together as he stared at the map. “The obvious path would be to take the direct route from Riegan and Gloucester territory," he stated, but his brows were furrowed.
“But that would be hazardous in itself. If we go through Gloucester's territory, there's no telling what we'd be dealing with. He might not be so willing to let us pass after the debacle six years ago," Senka stated, referring to the roundtable conference in which Mercer announced Sorcha as his intended. The resulting incident was Gloucester losing territory to Acheron. Mercer nodded his head.
“If we can go around through Goneril's territory," Mercer began, moving a marker where Duke Goneril's territory was located, “we'd have a chance of getting to Myrddin whilst also liberating any villages that have been overrun, especially in Lady Ordelia's territory."
“Isn't that still risky? We'd be making a wide berth just to avoid Gloucester's territory," Senka stated, her brows furrowing softly.
“It's either that, or we take our chances with Gloucester. I like our chances making the wide berth, better, though," Mercer stated, eyes flickering towards Vridel and the others.
“Who is Gloucester?" Sorcha blinked, brow furrowed in confusion.
Vridel could understand why; the ease with which the others discussed him implied that he was someone she'd know, and the reference to six years ago would make it something she'd been around for to her knowledge. But the memory was clearly not there; personally Vridel didn't think it was as much of a loss as some things. But it had to be terrible anyway.
He wasn't sure there was a short version to give her—the long one seemed like something that should be handled with a bit more care later. “Asshole, basically, but one of the members of the roundtable conference and the second most powerful Duke in Leicester. You met him and didn't like him either."
She nodded slightly. “Well... he could need help," she said, “if his lands are under Imperial control now. But you're worried he'd try something?"
Mercer sighed heavily. “Yes, because he's still angry with both of us," he stated, glancing in Sorcha's direction. “You were supposed to marry him, but you chose me, instead. It pissed him off, and it cost him nearly three miles of land when he had a mock battle with Acheron. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if he's aligned with the Empire," he continued.
“You think he'd take it that far?" Senka asked, and Mercer grimaced slightly.
“I do, actually. Gloucester holds grudges like no one's business, and the way Sorcha and I humilated him? If there's even a chance he can get back at me for that, I wouldn't doubt that he'd try it. But... I would rather still not take that chance."
“If that's what you decide to do, then we should leave as soon as possible for the Myrddin Bridge. If we have to make that wide of a berth to avoid Gloucester's territory, it's best if we leave in a week's time to ensure we retake the bridge as soon as possible. If... you decide to go through Gloucester's territory, and make a straight path, then it gives us time to recuperate from retaking Derdriu, and gives our troops enough time to gather the necessary supplies."
Mercer turned his attention towards Cyril, then. “What do you think, Teach? Gloucester or Goneril?"
He shook his head. “Vridel was right earlier. Even the most direct line would be enough of a fight just to move forward that we couldn't afford the extra rest. That makes the side route the smarter choice, but we're going to have to be wary of flanks, if Gloucester is Empire-aligned. But I think clearing out some of Ordelia's villages will give us leverage when we want her troops in Faerghus, so we should do it anyway."
Mercer grinned slightly. “Alright, we have a plan, then. We'll leave in about a week from now for Goneril and then Ordelia. Everyone, you should get some rest, until then," Mercer stated, arching a brow in Vridel and Cyril's direction. “Though I'm not sure how much rest you'll be getting all things considered."
Senka sputtered on her glass of water, her face turning a deep shade of red as she turned her attention towards Mercer. “That is none of your concern, Mercer von Riegan," she stated, narrowing her eyes in his direction. Mercer just laughed.
Vridel laughed too, suppressing a counter in deference to Sorcha's situation. One day, though. One day he was going to ask about that last day before the attack. “Someone's mind's in the gutter," he drawled, flicking his eyes to his stepsister. “Do be careful, Sorcha."
To his surprise, she arched a brow. “Oh don't worry about me. I can handle him."
He thought maybe she was going to be all right, after all.
“But I don't see you denying it, either, so..." Mercer replied, grinning broadly before shrugging his shoulders. Senka merely rolled her eyes.
“If anyone can handle Mercer, it'd be Sorcha," Senka stated, smiling in her friend's direction.
“Hm, well, yes, this is true. But at least I know how to keep my hands to myself for the time being. Unlike some touchy feely people I know," Mercer stated, winking in Senka's direction. She arched a brow at him before turning her attention towards Cyril.
“You haven't seen touchy feely, yet, Mercer. I wouldn't mind putting on a show, though, if Cyril doesn't mind," she stated, a strange grin crossing her features. She looked like she was almost daring him to say anything further. Mercer nearly fell out of his chair, laughing.
Cyril looked entirely unperturbed. “If you're so inclined, my love, you need only say so."
Vridel was grinning so widely it was starting to hurt his face. “I think I'll pass on the demonstrations, thank you. I prefer the touching and feeling in my life take place between myself and my fiancée." Come to think of it, he wondered what time Thea's training would finish today. He should probably get a bit of his own in before he got too distracted.
Standing, he waved a hand almost in playful dismissiveness. “Since we seem to have a battle plan, I'm going to leave before Sen tries to climb the Professor like a tree. The rest of you have fun." Shooting them all a wink, he did just that.
Back to work, for the moment.
It would have been better if they'd never lost it in the first place, but technically they hadn't. It had come under siege, but an ultimately unsuccessful one, thanks first to Alaric and then to a timely rescue. In any case, they were back, and the combination of Alliance and Duscur troops might be enough to start winning back the rest of Leicester. It wouldn't, normally, but the Imperials were spread thin, between here and Brigid and two different fronts in Faerghus. Arianrhod and the Fraldarius border. It meant that if they were smart about how they did this, they had a chance.
Of course, there was also bad news. That Derdriu had come under siege at all meant the Great Bridge of Myrddin had been captured, and that was a loss, one they'd have a hard fight to take back before they could finally, finally, push into new territory.
“Has Bergliez been in contact yet?" He couldn't imagine it was that difficult to find out who was leading one's own army, but he at least hadn't heard anything from the Imperial general yet. He might have contacted Mercer instead, though—Vridel might be rightful Emperor of Adrestia, but Mercer was leader of this army, and he certainly wouldn't object if communication went through that way instead.
Mercer shook his head.
“We haven't heard anything from him, yet, but I'd say that he hasn't betrayed us or anything. If he had, chances are that we'd have lost the battle for Derdriu. Reinforcements would have been sent if he'd said anything," he stated, furrowing his brows lightly. “Chances are he's still waiting for the right moment before he does anything. I don't know if it's harder for him with the Imperial army or what, but... we'll just have to wait and see. Sen has a few of her scouts out so chances are, he can contact one of them. And when Alaric releases Rey back into our ranks," he huffed lightly, “we can have him on the look out as well."
“Are we sure he will?" Vridel asked wryly, finding himself grinning. Reynard was not sitting in on this meeting; it was actually just himself, Mercer, Cyril, Senka, and Sorcha. Thea and Sofi were training this afternoon—he wasn't sure exactly where Dev and Sylvi were, or Deirdre, but they all had jobs to be doing, no doubt.
This particular setup however meant they could poke fun of their absent friend with impunity. “They seem... awfully attached." Alaric was so closeted it was almost painful, but the truth was there for anyone observant enough to see it nonetheless, and Vridel was quite good with that kind of thing.
Mercer outright laughed while Senka snorted softly, nearly choking on her cup of water. “You mean to say that Alaric hasn't rectified his feelings for Rey, yet?" Senka spoke, a little surprised by the information, it seemed. Mercer only laughed a little harder before he took in a deep breath to calm himself.
“Honestly, it might be a long time yet before we see Rey, again. With Al being all, well, you know, protective and what not," Mercer finally spoke, snickering softly. “And they're attached at the hip at this point, it feels like. At least not physically," he added.
“Yet."
Mercer laughed again.
Sorcha rolled her eyes, but it was good-natured, and surprisingly enough there was a little smile to go with it. Vridel had spotted few of those since her return; they were always nice to see.
“Frankly I don't think any of us have any room to talk, really," the Professor noted wryly. “But then I suppose he mocked us plenty before."
He had, at that. Vridel snorted. “Still, more fun to mock him to his face. What're we planning today, anyway?"
“Well," Mercer began, glancing at the map that was in front of them. “We all know the obvious: Myrddin Bridge has fallen," he stated, placing a few markers near the Bridge.
“Next step would be to reclaim it, would it not?" Senka stated, causing Mercer to nod his head.
“It would be. If we can get the Bridge back, then we can finally press forward with the attack on the Imperial army. The Bridge is what will either break us, or give us the opportunity that we need. As you all know," he began, placing a few more markers on both the Alliance side and the Empire's. “Myrddin Bridge is a strategic advantage to whomever holds it. They can invade either the Alliance or Empire freely."
“Which means that since the Empire has it, we're at a disadvantage."
“Precisely. With our troop numbers, though, we should be able to retake it. The only problem is..." he trailed off, pursing his lips together.
“We don't know who's holding Myrddin at the moment, and we don't know what kind of army they have. It could be just a human army, or it could be a mix of Cornelia's altered golems or beasts," Senka filled in. Mercer nodded his head.
“And we're back to the issue with Bergliez," Cyril added with a short sigh. “I suppose we could strike out for the destination and hope he's able to get something to us on the way. If he's not, it's not any worse than what we'd have to do regardless."
Vridel nodded. “At this point, they've not held it too long. We'd be better off not letting them get too firm a foothold. If you ask me we've got to strike as fast as possible. End of the month, if we can manage it, but it's going to be a fight just to get there." Because all the land between the bridge and Derdriu was occupied now, too.
“There are villages between, right? Castles and the like too, where nobles manage their territory?" Sorcha frowned. “What's the most direct line of capturable points from us to the bridge?"
Mercer pursed his lips together as he stared at the map. “The obvious path would be to take the direct route from Riegan and Gloucester territory," he stated, but his brows were furrowed.
“But that would be hazardous in itself. If we go through Gloucester's territory, there's no telling what we'd be dealing with. He might not be so willing to let us pass after the debacle six years ago," Senka stated, referring to the roundtable conference in which Mercer announced Sorcha as his intended. The resulting incident was Gloucester losing territory to Acheron. Mercer nodded his head.
“If we can go around through Goneril's territory," Mercer began, moving a marker where Duke Goneril's territory was located, “we'd have a chance of getting to Myrddin whilst also liberating any villages that have been overrun, especially in Lady Ordelia's territory."
“Isn't that still risky? We'd be making a wide berth just to avoid Gloucester's territory," Senka stated, her brows furrowing softly.
“It's either that, or we take our chances with Gloucester. I like our chances making the wide berth, better, though," Mercer stated, eyes flickering towards Vridel and the others.
“Who is Gloucester?" Sorcha blinked, brow furrowed in confusion.
Vridel could understand why; the ease with which the others discussed him implied that he was someone she'd know, and the reference to six years ago would make it something she'd been around for to her knowledge. But the memory was clearly not there; personally Vridel didn't think it was as much of a loss as some things. But it had to be terrible anyway.
He wasn't sure there was a short version to give her—the long one seemed like something that should be handled with a bit more care later. “Asshole, basically, but one of the members of the roundtable conference and the second most powerful Duke in Leicester. You met him and didn't like him either."
She nodded slightly. “Well... he could need help," she said, “if his lands are under Imperial control now. But you're worried he'd try something?"
Mercer sighed heavily. “Yes, because he's still angry with both of us," he stated, glancing in Sorcha's direction. “You were supposed to marry him, but you chose me, instead. It pissed him off, and it cost him nearly three miles of land when he had a mock battle with Acheron. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if he's aligned with the Empire," he continued.
“You think he'd take it that far?" Senka asked, and Mercer grimaced slightly.
“I do, actually. Gloucester holds grudges like no one's business, and the way Sorcha and I humilated him? If there's even a chance he can get back at me for that, I wouldn't doubt that he'd try it. But... I would rather still not take that chance."
“If that's what you decide to do, then we should leave as soon as possible for the Myrddin Bridge. If we have to make that wide of a berth to avoid Gloucester's territory, it's best if we leave in a week's time to ensure we retake the bridge as soon as possible. If... you decide to go through Gloucester's territory, and make a straight path, then it gives us time to recuperate from retaking Derdriu, and gives our troops enough time to gather the necessary supplies."
Mercer turned his attention towards Cyril, then. “What do you think, Teach? Gloucester or Goneril?"
He shook his head. “Vridel was right earlier. Even the most direct line would be enough of a fight just to move forward that we couldn't afford the extra rest. That makes the side route the smarter choice, but we're going to have to be wary of flanks, if Gloucester is Empire-aligned. But I think clearing out some of Ordelia's villages will give us leverage when we want her troops in Faerghus, so we should do it anyway."
Mercer grinned slightly. “Alright, we have a plan, then. We'll leave in about a week from now for Goneril and then Ordelia. Everyone, you should get some rest, until then," Mercer stated, arching a brow in Vridel and Cyril's direction. “Though I'm not sure how much rest you'll be getting all things considered."
Senka sputtered on her glass of water, her face turning a deep shade of red as she turned her attention towards Mercer. “That is none of your concern, Mercer von Riegan," she stated, narrowing her eyes in his direction. Mercer just laughed.
Vridel laughed too, suppressing a counter in deference to Sorcha's situation. One day, though. One day he was going to ask about that last day before the attack. “Someone's mind's in the gutter," he drawled, flicking his eyes to his stepsister. “Do be careful, Sorcha."
To his surprise, she arched a brow. “Oh don't worry about me. I can handle him."
He thought maybe she was going to be all right, after all.
“But I don't see you denying it, either, so..." Mercer replied, grinning broadly before shrugging his shoulders. Senka merely rolled her eyes.
“If anyone can handle Mercer, it'd be Sorcha," Senka stated, smiling in her friend's direction.
“Hm, well, yes, this is true. But at least I know how to keep my hands to myself for the time being. Unlike some touchy feely people I know," Mercer stated, winking in Senka's direction. She arched a brow at him before turning her attention towards Cyril.
“You haven't seen touchy feely, yet, Mercer. I wouldn't mind putting on a show, though, if Cyril doesn't mind," she stated, a strange grin crossing her features. She looked like she was almost daring him to say anything further. Mercer nearly fell out of his chair, laughing.
Cyril looked entirely unperturbed. “If you're so inclined, my love, you need only say so."
Vridel was grinning so widely it was starting to hurt his face. “I think I'll pass on the demonstrations, thank you. I prefer the touching and feeling in my life take place between myself and my fiancée." Come to think of it, he wondered what time Thea's training would finish today. He should probably get a bit of his own in before he got too distracted.
Standing, he waved a hand almost in playful dismissiveness. “Since we seem to have a battle plan, I'm going to leave before Sen tries to climb the Professor like a tree. The rest of you have fun." Shooting them all a wink, he did just that.
Back to work, for the moment.