Sovereign

"North Asturia Dam collapsed! Thousands of women and children are trapped in the affected regions, with heavy flooding expected to cause hundreds of casualties. Men's rampant recklessness is clearly resulting in disasters we must not tolerate!"

- Le Feminine News

"No rescue for men. Approximately twenty thousand workers near the North Asturia Dam on the mines, factories, and industrial zones that dotted it had been reported to be missing. Gallic occupiers so far prioritized rescuing women and children in the affected zones of North Asturia, all while blocking ARDF requests to send 'humanitarian rescue teams' to occupied industrial disaster zones. All eyes of the world are once again on the images of women, as there are no eyes to even look at the dead men close to the destroyed dam."

- The Front Newspaper

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"Hopelessness, it's an easy drug to sell."

Amelie never really saw Adam, her eldest brother, much before he died. Yet that word stuck to her, especially now. Why he said that, she didn't know at the time. She remembered it as a day too tiring for her, as she had just left the tiring schoolday that afternoon.

He was driving her back to their residential estate near the Palace. But they were held up in front of a massive traffic jam. Up ahead, she heard him mutter comments about, "a bombing", or whatever it was.

It was just one of the strings of pre-Great War terror activities of the 'International Brotherhood'.

It was a centuries-old organization, born out of the ashes of the Arcane Wars. From what she had gleaned on world history, the International Brotherhood sponsored and organized 'national resistance movements' across Pollos.

They were originally formed by noblemen stripped of their noble rights. Over the centuries, their goal of restoring the old Kings grew more and more unpopular, until their movement died off into the fringes, now completely replaced by republican men who clamored for their rights.

"Agent Twelve? Or was it Ronald Hertz?"

The man sat in front of her, both of them inside a dimly lit room. She had ordered Marie to remove the bag on his head. While he was tied, he wasn't really harmed during his captivity.

Still, he sported many wounds. Marie certainly was rough when she captured him.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"The Queen."

"I don't recognize that title."

Marie seemed so offended that she seemed like she wanted nothing but to strike his head down, but Amelie gave her a gesture not to. She just wanted to have a talk. She had never conversed with any of these "extremists" in a controlled environment after all.

And she wanted to hear them out. Perhaps, there was something about them that she could understand. To understand the enemy, after all, was how to fight wars.

And she had an inkling of an idea that even if she beat these men off the fields, their ideology would never die.

"Why?"

"Let me ask you, 'Queen', who gave you that title?"

"Would you ask the same question if I was a King?"

She didn't really answer him. She knew that the idea of the 'divine right to rule' existed before magic. Before women ruled. Until now, her rule was justified for the same reason. She was appointed by the Goddess to rule her land.

Of course, many changed from the days of absolutism. Like the power of the Parliament, along with many others. But that was what gave her power. It was what gave her the title of 'Queen'.

He scoffed.

"Who cares about Kings? They do not exist anymore. Oh, I see. King-Consorts? I think they're spineless fools."

That was a direct strike to her dead father. Truthfully, it wasn't far off from the truth. Her father had always been withdrawn in life, as far as she remembered. And all he really did was be her mother's appeaser of men.

He was never popular with his fellow men. Much less to their republican majority.

"What about the past ones?"

"Before magic?"

She nodded, and he grew angrier.

"Tyrants. Wolves that ate the sheep around them."

"...Don't they represent the time when men ruled?"

"Men ruled? So what? I don't descend from any noble line, and neither do ninety-nine percent of my brothers. Do you think we look back at the past fondly? When a group of elite men and their wives used us as fodder, just as you do today?!"

So he wasn't a fan of the Patriarchy. Many today believe that men were conducting a grand scheme to return the rule of men. Yet…it seemed that this OIA agent didn't believe in those ideas.

How strange. I expected them to be like that.

"...Then-"

"Do you think I'm fighting to be the one to drive this fucked up society because I am born male?"

"Then why?"

"Fuck the goddess and her mindless favoritism. That is why I do not recognize you as 'Queen'! Who is she to pick who must rule? Who is she to pick who must have magic and who must not? Who is she to decree that generations of men must pay for the sins of our long-gone fathers?!"

His long tirade left his face red. Amelie didn't really budge from her seat, as she kept listening to him. To fight the Goddess? How ambitious.

"And most of all…screw all of you women. How dare you act so righteous and above the rest of us. You murdered all of my friends and comrades, and you two act better than me?! You look down on me?! See me as a mere terrorist?! What the hell are you?!"

"Terrorism is all about using terror to achieve political goals, is it not?" Amelie asked back, as she tried her best not to be angered by his accusations.

"And who used their terrifying divine powers first to pursue political goals? Was Queen Alexandria a terrorist then? Are you a terrorist?!"

"Are you accusing us women of being terrorists because of our magic?"

"You can slice a dozen men with your will! Can you just imagine the terror that generates?! And you ask us why we are so maniacal when facing you? It's the only way not to turn insane!"

"That's enough! Amelie, why are we doing this? He's clearly hostile to you." Marie said as she seemed to be at her wit's end at holding herself from striking down the man.

"That's why I wanted him here. To hear them out."

"There's no point listening to rabid men."

"See!" Ronald said as he laughed, almost to himself. "Rabid men! That's how all of you women see us. I bet that's why you're such a reformist too! You see us as rabid men that you must tame to your side so we won't destroy your precious luxuries in life. Dogs! Pawns to win over-"

For some reason, that line crossed Amelie's line of acceptable insults, and her hand slapped the OIA agent's face before he finished. Those accusations stung so deeply that her hand almost moved itself.

She looked down at her hand, almost equally shocked at what she did, and full of fury at the man.

Why…did I lose restraint so suddenly?

She looked back at the OIA agent, who's head looked down at the floor, with a smile so deranged, it almost left a chill in her spine. His right cheek was still red, the mark of her slap clearly visible.

Immediately, Amelie felt shame.

"I…I apologize. I don't know what came over me."

"I was right." He said, almost a whisper. "All your sweet promises are not for us men. It's for you. You do not care about us. You just want us on your side."

I…don't have a response on that. All this time, yes, I…I did say I cared. I tried my best to make things better. I…but…

All those reforms. All those changes. All the aid that she gave to men was all for one thing at its core - avoiding civil war. Avoiding collapse. Avoiding…her death.

Did she really care then? Or was she just buttering them up to serve her? So that she would have more pawns to save her skin?

"Is that…how you see me? I'm a liar to you?"

He shook his head.

"I once wished you weren't. But they were right. It's all hopeless. No one's on our side."

"Then…"

He fights because it's hopeless. Perhaps, the more I drive them to defeat, the more they will fight. Brother…you were right. Hopelessness indeed is a powerful drug.

A drug that would make men fight like a cornered dog. Was that why it was always said in literature about war? That to deny the foe any retreat would only make them fight harder?

Women certainly denied men any retreat for centuries. They cornered them in their punitive system. All of it was designed to simply teach the old generation of men away from their crimes against women. But not all of them committed those crimes. Most hadn't.

And their sons, distant sons, didn't. That was why these men would fight. The matriarchy's punitive and 'righteous' justice…was collective punishment extended to generations. And they were the cornered dogs of it.

Death to the Goddess. One of their slogans. Against her. That's why…they want her gone because of her form of justice.

And death to her, the Queen, as well. The symbol of every 'righteous' woman that upholded the system that cornered them.

Is that why?

"It's better to die standing at least. But now, you rob that for me. At least torture me for information. Anything."

"I don't torture captives."

"...She would, won't she?"

Marie shook her head.

"It's a disgusting method. Only men are deranged enough to think their 'enhanced interrogation techniques' will yield accurate information."

"Heh…you're right. You have the magic to know everything. How convenient. Must make you feel better for yourself, no? Being morally better?"

He observed his listless response. He didn't seem very enthusiastic about their defeat in Marie's hands. Of course, no one would, that Amelie knew. But it seemed as if he subtly expected it.

"You knew you wouldn't win. Why?"

"Win?" He looked up at her. "What does it mean? To win?"

"Isn't that what you fight for? Don't you believe your side will win?"

"The revolution must triumph at all cost, yes."

"Isn't that winning?"

He shook his head.

"I have no concept of that."

"Why?"

"I doubt any man has any concept of winning. It's ridiculous." He laughed to himself. "But I guess you women know that well. It must taste nice."

"But you want to triumph against me."

"The only fate we can achieve is a pyrrhic victory. To triumph is something we can all look forward to. Maybe something good will come from it. But we men won't win. We never had the right to taste that."

"You're confusing."

"Understanding our reasons is too meaningless for you. Of course…you won't."

Marie seemed to be getting twitchy at his cryptic words. Amelie sighed at it. It didn't seem like she would get much more from this man, aside from his rants of how women were bad and the goddess was bad.

With that, she left the interrogation room, giving him final assurances that he would be treated with dignity. Naturally, he scoffed at it, but she didn't mind it any further.

It was all too confusing to her. Their reasons… seemed to be too confusing. Rights and equality, she understood. But all the other reasons? All the other justifications? Their true beliefs? These men… truly seemed to have gone through a deep nightmare to think in such ways.

Ways that seemed irrational to her. Yet somehow, their conclusions were way too rational. And way too painful to hear.

What kind of life could someone live, to say something like that?

To only believe in a pyrrhic victory? They didn't believe in change that would brighten the world. No…only a fiery, soulless one.

Men won't win. Men…won't win. Why would he believe that?

She repeated those words as she walked through the hallways. It lingered in her mind. Did Albert…did William…did Adam believe that?

She saw him again…Adam was leaving for the front that day.

All of the noblewomen, and the Queen talked of victory against the Larissans.

But he…he only gave her a grim nod in that military parade.

The last time he saw him.

Hopelessness…he didn't believe in victory.