link Dimitri volume_up
They descended upon us like a storm.
link Matthias volume_up
I've never seen the people of Sreng fight with such ferocity—and their leader was a pure terror.
link Matthias volume_up
Still, I'd thought that man more discerning than to simply attempt to batter his way into Faerghus.
link Shez volume_up
Sounds like someone lit a fire under them.
link Shez volume_up
Sounds like someone lit a fire under them.
link Shez volume_up
Probably convinced them this was their chance to take out the Kingdom, what with our being occupied with the Empire and all.
link Shez volume_up
Probably convinced them this was their chance to take out the Kingdom, what with our being occupied with the Empire and all.
link Dimitri volume_up
But who would this flame-stoker be? Someone from Adrestia, perhaps?
link Rodrigue volume_up
We can't discount Cornelia and her ilk. They're like a bad rash that won't go away.
link Shez volume_up
Probably didn't realize how outmatched they were. I mean, they never could've expected that the king himself would show up to stop them.
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Probably didn't realize how outmatched they were. I mean, they never could've expected that the king himself would show up to stop them.
link Sylvain volume_up
But the three northern houses have always fought as one against the forces of Sreng.
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Plus, they know the entire Kingdom will fall on them if they press the issue too far.
link Dimitri volume_up
Sylvain is right. This was no miscalculation—instead, I think someone was whispering suggestions in their collective ears.
link Rodrigue volume_up
Espionage by the Empire? Or perhaps Cornelia's fell group.
link Matthias volume_up
It will take time to pin down the truth.
link Matthias volume_up
But even if this is the result of some outside influence on the Sreng clans, the fault still lies with me. I never should've educated that man.
link Sylvain volume_up
Don't blame yourself, Father.
link Matthias volume_up
The people of Sreng do not speak the language of Fódlan. Had he never learned it...
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Yet Sylvain was only able to get through to him as a result of your teachings.
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And though his words lacked compassion, it was still quite remarkable to hear him speak at all.
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I was raised to think of the Sreng people as demons who emerged unbidden from the snowy tundra.
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Considering that, exchanging even a few meager sentences with them feels like a miracle.
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...
link Sylvain volume_up
I agree with His Majesty. We will never achieve peace without understanding each other.
link Sylvain volume_up
And you know we can't end this through sheer force of arms alone, Father.
link Matthias volume_up
We already understand our enemy perfectly well. They fight for a port that is not choked with ice, and for land that is warm and fertile.
link Matthias volume_up
Yet Faerghus is hardly a region of abundance, and there is nothing we can spare them.
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So how exactly do you hope to achieve peace amidst such scarcity?
link Sylvain volume_up
I don't know—yet. But I'll keep searching for a way, even if it takes my entire life.
link Matthias volume_up
Pah! You remain as naïve as ever, boy!
link Rodrigue volume_up
Matthias, wait! Apologies, Your Majesty. I will go speak with him. You should make ready to head back.
link Dimitri volume_up
What the margrave says is reasonable, yet I sense an earnestness in your words as well, Sylvain.
link Sylvain volume_up
Oh, I'm earnest, all right. I'll drag our people kicking and screaming to peace if that's what I have to do.
link Shez volume_up
Peace with Sreng doesn't sound like some hopeless ideal to me. I'm sure you'll find a way to pull it off.
link Shez volume_up
Peace with Sreng doesn't sound like some hopeless ideal to me. I'm sure you'll find a way to pull it off.
link Sylvain volume_up
Heh, thanks. That...means a lot.
link Shez volume_up
Are you serious? They fought us to the last, and the only one we could even talk to was the commander. How do you make peace with that?
link Shez volume_up
Are you serious? They fought us to the last, and the only one we could even talk to was the commander. How do you make peace with that?
link Sylvain volume_up
This will probably come as a shock, but I actually speak a little of the Sreng language.
link Dimitri volume_up
Regardless, we must eliminate this threat if we ever hope to free ourselves from the power of the Relics.
link Dimitri volume_up
Still, there's no reason we must do so through military might and bloodshed if another way will suffice.
link Dimitri volume_up
I appreciate the way you think, Sylvain. I truly do.
link Sylvain volume_up
And I'm always impressed with how much you hate warfare, considering how good you are at it.
link Shez volume_up
Is your father going to be OK? He didn't exactly take well to your opinion back there.
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Is your father going to be OK? He didn't exactly take well to your opinion back there.
link Sylvain volume_up
Trust me, I've been his son for long enough to know that the feelings he keeps private can fill a library.
link Sylvain volume_up
If he really thought I was some kind of naïve idiot, he'd have kept it to himself.
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There's something else weighing on his mind here. I'm certain of it.
link Rodrigue volume_up
There you are, Matthias.
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Do you remember the night of the ball, Rodrigue? Back in our days at the academy?
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You, me, and Lambert grew weary of the festivities and stole away to train by ourselves.
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How could I forget? The stars in that sky were a true sight to behold.
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We talked about all sorts of things that night. It was the first time we ever discussed our dreams for the future—and the last, as well.
link Matthias volume_up
Lambert told us how he hoped to forge a peace between Faerghus and the people of Sreng and Duscur.
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Ha! He certainly did. And once he was named king, the man did his best to see it through.
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Sreng may have been a lost cause, but he worked tirelessly to bring Duscur into the fold.
link Matthias volume_up
I called him naïve that night. His dream sounded like the thing of childhood storybooks and cradle tales.
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But these days, I wonder if I wasn't the naïve one.
link Matthias volume_up
He always took the long view of things—saw the whole continent unfolding before him.
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But me? I've lost too many over the years, and their blood clouds my vision. I could never see things now as he once did.
link Matthias volume_up
Could there really be a pathway to peace?
link Rodrigue volume_up
You haven't changed one bit, Matthias.
link Rodrigue volume_up
If you regret what you said to Sylvain, I suggest you find him and apologize before this goes any further.
link Matthias volume_up
Yes... Yes, you're right.