After the battle, most of the soldiers had begun to deal with the dead. On both sides, at least six thousand lay dead, and hundreds more were wounded. As the gate was still shut, a makeshift hospital and prison camp was set up outside the walls. Those that weren't wounded, both Pryhans and Mainlanders, began to sift through the bodies. Anyone still alive was taken to the hospital if they were wounded, or the camp if they weren't. Meanwhile, Pryhan dead were examined, trying to identify who they were for their families to be contacted. The mainlanders were simply thrown into one of several large bonfires that had been made in the center of the field.

Attempting to get away from the stench of burning bodies, she stalked past the grim working Pedes and watched mainlanders. A pair of the new soldiers came up to her, giving her a better view of their uniforms. The segmented armor appeared to be made of simple iron, covering the entirety of their chests, shoulders, and lower necks, with a second section of it covering the flanks. The royal blue pteryges stuck out over their upper limbs, with a pulled up neck gaiter of the same color covered their faces. Resting his shield on the ground and tucking his lance into the crook of his shoulder, one said, "Princeps Diocletian wants to speak with you and the surviving officers. Please follow us."

Tapping his shield face, she said, "Lead the way then."

He hoisted back up his lance, then the two of them turned and walked off. The path lead them through the tent town. The screams and moans of the wounded filled the air, and the whole area smelt of blood. It made her sick to her stomach, but she simply scrunched up her nose and tried to stop from puking.

On the other side, they came to a small hill in front of the wall, where the Caesar had been standing with her honor guard before. On top of the hill stood four other of the spear-wielding Pedes, a few men in the blue cloaks and large crested helmets of Pryhan officers, and another figure she didn't recognize. He was a demigryph, perhaps a little bit younger than her, with dull brown fur and off-grey feathers with black and red tips. He wore a wolf-skin cloak, an engraved iron cuirass, and a blue subarmalis.

"Ave, Princeps," one of her escorts said to the Demigryph.

He pressed his hand to his shoulder, replying, "Ave, Pedes. Thank you for bringing her. You two are dismissed." Her escorts bowed their heads, then turned and marched off. He then said to her, "You must be Rainbow Dash. A pleasure to finally meet you in the flesh."

"And you must be Diocletian," she said. She scanned him, trying to figure him out.

"In the flesh," he said. "Now, to business." Addressing all of the assembled officers, he said, "Now, I know I am supposed to be in exile. However, I-"

His attention, and in fact the attention of all those that could look over, was taken by a loud, metallic clanging noise. The portcullis was being raised, the gate behind it opening. When it reached the top and was locked into place, a company of Pedes came out at full sprint. The ornately engraved armor, royal purple cloaks, and face-masks on their helmets indicated they were the Caesars honor guard.

They ran up the hill at full tilt, coming to a stop by them. The shield bearers lowered their weapons, but Diocletian gestured for them to stand down. The honor guard surrounded the small group, drawing short swords. Then, a voice from behind the ring of guards stated, "Hello, little brother."

Two guards parted, and the Caesar stepped into it. She still wore her gold-plated, ceremonial armor, but had exchanged the purple crested helmet for her golden circlet. Behind her came several Parliamentarians, also wearing armor and the silver circlets denoting their ranks. "I see you are back. I don't know what you expected to get. You're still an-"

"An exile. I know, I know," he said. "But can you put aside your ego for a few hours to see that I helped save Pryha while you were cowering inside the walls."

The Caesar sputtered, "T-that doesn't matter! You aren't supposed to be here!" Turning to her, she said, "Voluntatem, deal with him."

Rainbow looked at the ground, breathing hard. She remembered the letter she had gotten from Diocletian, what it said she did. She looked up at the two of them, eyes darting between them. On one hand, she still had no confirmation that Drusilla did anything to her. But on the other, it seemed like something she would do, both given what she'd seen and what Diocletian has wrote in his letter. After a few seconds, she lowered her head and backed up.

"What in Damocles' name are you doing!? Fall to command! Kill him!", the Drusilla roared.

Rainbow said back, "Did you do it?"

"What? What are you babbling about? You know what, it doesn't matter. I gave you an order, and you will-"

"Did you hire Dermot and the rest of those fucks? To, to do what they did to me?"

Once again, the Drusilla sputtered. "W-where in the god's name would you get such, such a ridiculous idea?"

Rainbow straightened up, eyes narrowing. "Like you so often say, that's not important. Now, did you?"

"Diocletian," she suddenly yelled, turning to her younger brother. "This is your doing, isn't it!? You plotting, conniving degenerate bastard!"

"Takes one to know one." Turning back to her, he said, "Even after my dear sister planted her evidence to frame me for treason, I still held my contacts within the Frumentarii. They got me all the information I needed. The paperwork was in that letter. You saw it."

"LIES!" By now, Drusilla was practically frothing at the mouth.

"Then why are you denying it so fervently? 'A cornered liar, even without being caught, will choke on their own snare'. Isn't that what father said, sister?"

She turned to the officers, barking, "Kill him already!" The officers developed a sudden and obsessive interest in their Caliagae. "Fall to command! Kill him," she shouted again, this time to her honor guard. None of them moved.

"Face it, sister. No one is loyal to you. You've alienated everyone and performed actions unbefitting of a Pryhan Caesar. Surrender, and I'll let you live."

Drusilla glared at him, pulling out her own sword. Diocletian's Pedes once again lowered their spears, and even the other nearby Pedes looked one nervously. Then, she threw the sword on the ground, scowling at each and everyone assembled on the hill. "So, little brother. Tell me, what do you intend to do once you take over? Sit on a throne and do nothing with your dick in your mouth?"

"No, dear sister," he said. "I intend to restore the glory of the Empire."

Next Chapter: 59~Reforms Estimated time remaining: 4 Hours, 52 Minutes