Chapter Text
Till the End of Times
"Ahora y Para Siempre" originally written in Spanish by Aleksei Volken and published on fanfiction.net
FOREWORD
How can one tell when a war begins? There could be a myriad of reasons, from the ones that start in the very roots of nature by the establishment of states to the ones that delve deep into the psyche of humanity's violence.
Moreover, beyond any reason, philosophical, ideological, or economical… beyond any excuse, war is as it is; a perfectly devised and elaborate plan for appropriation where nothing moves at random. We seize that which does not belong to us thinking we have a right to it.
War as a regime's violence can be "justified" in many different ways; it is not, however, a pathology that can, under any circumstance, be treated and healed. War is a natural condition of the political establishment, and even if under certain conditions it can be delayed, ultimately... it will happen. War can be delayed, however, it cannot be avoided.
Fate Testarossa
Regent to the Belkan Federation, Modern Calendar 1055
"Reflections on and about Warfare"
It is said that around the year 1040 of the Modern Calendar, the powerful Belkan Empire started a very risky expansion campaign and the inevitable signs of war were imminent.
The ruling Hegemon, Precia Testarossa, while still mourning the death of her husband and previous Hegemon, Enzo, is ill-advised by one of the most influential and noble-birth families in the Belkan Empire, the Huckebein, reinforcing the belief that the only way to maintain the hegemony of her kind is by means of conquest and expansion. To strengthen the empire by all means necessary, by force and not by allegiances as the late Hegemon Enzo had firmly believed in. And it is because of such ideas that Enzo Testarossa had been considered by many as a mere parvenu who had become emperor without having the birthright to it. A foreigner that had been graced by the Gods when singled out and chosen by the beloved yet heirless Hegemon Claus Ingvalt at his deathbed. A foreigner whose blood did not belong to the proud Belkan bloodline.
Many old-time families of deep Belkan lineage felt insulted by the Hegemon's choice but conceded after seeing Enzo Tetsarossa's ability, courage, and determination to defend the empire, protecting it while making it grow and flourish.
Very early into his reign to establish a position of power, Enzo married the heiress to one of the most prominent Belkan families, Precia Testarossa, of the Segbrecht family. He might have been a foreigner, but his heirs would be of true Belkan blood and no one would question their birthright to lead the Belkan Empire. Enzo and Precia had two daughters and after the tragic and unexpected death of Enzo when their daughters were only fifteen years of age, Precia, finding herself alone, weak, and fearing to lose her family and her well-being, refused to listen to the advice and counseling of other noble families and launched into warfare.
In ten years, the Belkan Empire would incorporate, by force or by "negotiation", positions that had once been allies: Sapin, Ratio, Gebet, Ustio, Osean… all falling one by one like pieces in a chess masterstroke. After one decade, Precia and her council, from Stier Castle in Dinsmark the Belkan capital, decide it was time to move forward to the consolidation stage. There was however one coveted location and due to its importance, had been left to the very last part of the plan.
Nihon.
Also known as the "Country of the Dawn" due to its location in the easternmost region of the continent, where the red sun rises, it represents the communication gateway with the greatest eastern sea, making it a strategic commercial and defensive position. It is also the closest neighbor to the Belkan Empire.
For ten years, Nihon and its allies, Sudentor, Kvenland, and Angfang watched Dinsmark's expansion campaign, if not with good eyes, at least with tolerant ones… the kind of tolerance that comes with benefits for businesses.
They never thought Dinsmark would set interest in them. The ones that thought about it, lacking strong arguments, were not listened to. Basically, no one ever thought Dinsmark would be as bold to confront them. Until the day they found the Belkan messenger accompanied by an imposing Belkan knight's guard with an ominous missive.
History, as it would be told in the years to come, would say that Nihon had, at least, an alternative that others never had.
In the missive, the reigning Hegemon Precia Testarossa offers Nihon a strategic alliance by means of the marriage of her oldest daughter to the heir and firstborn son of Nihon's Regent Family, peacefully surrendering their country to the Belkan "tutelage".
The regent to the constitutional monarchy of Nihon, Shiro Takamachi, was, with good reason, deeply insulted in all possible ways by the message. The alternative, however, was clear, alliance or conquest. Within five nights, counting by the moment the message had been delivered, the heiress to the empire and renowned Belkan knight Fate Testarossa would peacefully march to Nihon's capital, Heian-kyo to formalize the engagement and establish the conditions. Or she would march in with the beat of the drums of war.
The official chronicles would tell the events that developed from that moment onwards from a political viewpoint that, truth to be told, does not make justice to what really happened with that "strategic allegiance".
In the end, the heiress of the Belkan Empire did not marry who they were expecting her to marry, nor the threats were where they thought they were and the results were not the ones expected. In the end, the enemies turned out not to be the real enemies, and the allies turned out to be not the allies.
Nothing turned out the way it was supposed to.
I was there and I can tell exactly what happened.
My name is Yagami Hayate. I was a counselor to the government of Regent Takamachi during the schism and conflict phase; I was also on the front line of everything that happened from then on and I was involved in many of the events.
This could be regarded as the story of war when in reality, it is a story about love.
This is the true story of how the Belkan Empire was conquered without shedding a single drop of blood.
Yagami Hayate
Memoirs at the Turn of the Century, 1100
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