News of Lodi's capture did not take long to reach the capital. The city of Roma was only two weeks away from Lodi. A messenger pigeon would take a day or two to reach the glorious capital of Zandar.
In the magnificent throne room of Zandar, a blue-haired man with silver eyes sat upon a gilded throne, reading a letter. His thin frame could barely fill out the seat, while his expensive-looking clothes did not fit tightly on him.
His brow furrowed and his face scrunched up as he read the letter's contents. "Lodi, captured. Count Falcone and the army, defeated. What the fuck!" Prince Lorenzo Visconte grumbled.
Lorenzo's anger could not even be manifested; it was too abundant that there was no energy for him to spiral out of control and break stuff. The city that acted as a shield for his lands had now been captured. The army, which was meant to be the tool that would bring his half-brother's demise, now lay dead and defeated.
The damage to his position was heavy-hitting. The stalemate that had kept the factions in check had been broken. Now a clear favourite had emerged, and it was not Lorenzo's. Losing the main army was an incredible blow; it would take forced conscription and other means to reform an army half that size.
While Lorenzo was moping in his anger and frustration, an older woman who shared the same physical features entered the throne room. For a woman in her mid-sixties, she looked ever youthful.
"What is the matter, my son? Has there been any word from Lodi? Did our troops begin their invasion?" Asked Maria, the former Queen of the Kingdom of Zandar. Her son seemed annoyed by the question, which caused her to grow worried.
"Our army was crushingly defeated by King Victor Luxenberg and his battle-hardened army. They proceeded to join the Green Visconte Army and capture Lodi. We should be expecting them to march towards Roma soon." Lorenzo reported.
Maria did not hesitate to throw out ideas on how to strengthen their own position. "My brother, Tomasso and your father-in-law, Pietro Garbisi, should still have soldiers and militia in reserve; we can muster them and reform our army."
Lorenzo did not share his mother's optimism. "Mother, it would not matter if we could summon all the militia and leftover soldiers in our domain, our numbers are but a sliver of our enemy's combined strength. Even the Pope's army would not turn the tide in our favour. Our best hope is to prepare for a siege and pray that we can repel them."
No matter her son's harsh facts, Maria continued to believe that there was a way to prevail in these troubled times. "Count Beluga and Count Lamaro still have troops in their territories; have them raid the enemy from behind." Maria was unaware of their demises, and Lorenzo had to reveal this to his mother.
"Both of them had been swiftly crushed as soon as King Luxenberg arrived in Zandar. I had been keeping this quiet since I did not want the other nobles to panic and begin to contemplate switching sides."
With our army's defeat and Lodi conquered, we may see some nobles turn traitor. It is a massive blow to additionally lose Count Demarco and Count Falcone, without their support, keeping the less influential nobles on our side becomes a lot harder."
The harsh reality was slowly setting into Maria's mind. With a single devastating loss, their position, which had remained firm for two decades, was now hanging in the balance. It was a difficult pill for Maria to swallow. She had worked tirelessly to secure support for Lorenzo in the days leading up to the former king's death. A marriage alliance with the Garbisi family really boosted their faction's power, as more nobles flocked to join them in their coup.
With her brother, Marquis Tomasso Florent and Marquis Pietro Garbisi heading the faction, their power rivalled that of the formidable Duke Dante Sozzini. With the old Duke's declining health, now was their time to strike. For them to fail so miserably was a blunder of epic proportion that cost them dearly.
Maria could not bear to feel so defeated, so she stormed off to brainstorm more ways to prevent their downfall. She believed that there was some way that they could prevail, even if it meant forsaking everything they stood for.
As she left, Lorenzo sat on his throne that was stolen from his brother. He did not feel guilty about stealing it, but he hated that war had to come from it. When he was made aware of his mother's actions and the support he had gained, he was eager to begin ruling the masses and establish a legacy eclipsing his father.
But those thoughts were quick to fade away as Duke Sozzini and other northern nobles declared their support for Alphonse and declared that Lorenzo and his mother were nothing more than usurpers and their supporters as traitors.
A two-decade-long war had left both brothers eager to end the war. The only way that would happen was if one faction were crushed. The feud between the factions would no doubt continue if both princes died; their children would continue to press their claims.
Alphonse had one son who was nearing adulthood, while Lorenzo had two boys who were a similar age to Anton and Isabella. They would see to it that their fathers' claims were realised, even if it meant continuing such a long and pointless war.
Lorenzo would only lament on this sad reality for a moment before turning his attention to more pressing matters, the imminent siege of Roma. Alphonse was now poised to send forth a devastating assault into the Red Visconte territory. Lodi would now act as the staging ground for such a siege and further incursions southward.
The siege could begin within a fortnight or a month; Lorenzo could not be sure, but he did not wish to be caught unprepared. With that being said, he began to muster his remaining forces and plan the defence of the capital.