Many of the Round Table brotherhood were now present: Lancelot, Bedivere, Kay, Lionel, Cador, Caradoc, Claudin, Griflet, Tristan and others.
It was Lancelot who spoke up. Son of King Ban and the only Frankish-born warrior present, he was a huge, brawny, thickset fellow, with a tawny mane like a lion’s and a thick beard and moustache. He was Arthur’s champion, but he interrupted the King’s discourse freely; all Arthur’s knights were encouraged to speak their minds.
“Nevertheless, sire, Emperor Lucius has consciously manoeuvred himself into a position where, if he were to back down from a fight with us now, it would cost him face. He has told his people that he will deliver the Western Empire. Not to do so because it would involve war with Britain would be a humiliation, from which, politically, he might never recover.”
Arthur nodded. “I agree. We have spies all over Gaul, and have seen his legions assembling. So we can be under no illusions. But at present I think a war between New Rome and Britain can only occur as an end-game. There may be ways to divert it. For example, one thing we do not know is where the Holy Father stands. If New Rome were to invade Britain tomorrow, it would be a blatant act of aggression by one Christian power against another. Pope Simplicius should condemn it outright.”
“He should declare it a crime!” Sir Cador said. He was a tall, raw-boned man, with a mop of red hair and a wild beard. Though he was Duke of Cornwall and a dependable soldier, he was also prone to excitableness. His voice rose as he ranted. “His Holiness should go further… he should excommunicate the main aggressor, and put the whole of New Rome under interdict!”
“He wouldn’t dare,” Bedivere replied. “Not with Lucius the new buttress of western Christianity.”
“That depends,” Arthur said. “Pope Simplicius keeps close counsel, but I hear rumours that he hasn’t welcomed the emergence of this Imperial rival. Moreover, he may find that he has friends in this matter in Constantinople — Emperor Leo,11 not to mention the Patriarch. Until recently, the light of the Roman world shone from the East. Will they welcome the resurrection of the West?”
“You’re not saying the Pope will side with us,” Kay said. As often, his tone was sardonic and critical.
“We can’t rely on it,” Arthur replied. “Not if the Romans raise the issue of British religious observances, as I suspect they will. We have no cardinal in Rome to rebuff any outlandish charges. This also means that we don’t know the character of Simplicius as well as we might. Is he an honest churchman, or does he seek material gains? Is he even now putting price-tags on the dioceses of the British Isles?”
Bedivere spoke again. “Most likely, if Rome does attack us, the Pope will decry the act, but do no more than that. If he seeks to make a peace and in the process casts both Rome and Camelot as equal transgressors, that will suit New Rome nicely, so long as they have already made gains.”
They pondered this. The only sound was the hissing of the fire as it fed on the last of the winter logs. Lucan sat closest to the flames, his chin propped on his fist.
“You’re unusually quiet, Sir Lucan,” the King said.
Lucan glanced up. “Forgive me, sire.”
“You have more important things on your mind?”
Lucan was conscious that all eyes were fixed on him, yet felt strangely unmoved. He did have other things on his mind, but he wasn’t going to air them here. When he finally addressed the matter at hand it was with simple pragmatism.
“As I see it, my liege, tomorrow we must decide whether we are hawks or doves.”
“Indeed?”
Lucan continued. “The Romans have arrived with smiling faces. But that is the way their murderers always arrived. Julius Caesar discovered that.”
“And?”
“To avoid a similar fate, we must know exactly what our own intentions are.” He spoke slowly, thoughtfully. “If we are doves, and conciliate with New Rome… it may be deemed a sign of weakness, and may encourage them to attack.”
“It may also confuse them,” Cador argued. “It may counter the intelligence their spies have no doubt gleaned that we are a strong island, not to be trifled with.”
“That too,” Lucan agreed. “It’s a thorny issue. Equally so if we are hawks, and threaten resistance. That may frighten them into retreating, or it may provoke them.”
“And your recommendation?” Arthur asked.
Lucan sighed. “I wonder if it’s even worthwhile playing their silly game. I anticipate that New Rome will make many offers to us tomorrow, none of which we will find acceptable. They will prod us and provoke us, to test our reaction.”
“I expect so too,” Arthur said.
“Then my recommendation, sire, is that we resist. In no-nonsense fashion. As Lancelot pointed out, Emperor Lucius has backed himself into a corner. He must ultimately be prepared to fight. This positioning and re-positioning on the European chessboard is merely a device by which he can gain maximum advantage… militarily, politically, probably both.”
“So you advise that we be hawks?” Arthur said.
“It’s not something I want, sire. But life in the North has taught me a lesson the Romans learned a long time ago; namely, that it isn’t the righteous who take everything, it’s the ruthless. We may have right on our side, but that won’t be enough. If we don’t show a willingness to fight, they will continue with this intimidation, growing ever more belligerent and, presumably, ever stronger.”
There was a long, brooding silence, finally broken by Kay.
“Sire, there may be another way. Perhaps we can… give something to the Romans?”
Arthur turned to him. “What do you propose?”
Despite being Arthur’s sibling, Kay was an odd character. There were times when he appeared to resent being Arthur’s inferior, even though he knew he was neither as clever nor as much a warrior. Yet he was a blunt-spoken fellow who was useful to have around for his forthrightness.
“It seems to me that New Rome has engulfed the whole of continental Christendom apart from one parcel of land,” he said. “And that is Brittany. Why not offer it as a gift?”
Cador jumped to his feet. “Brittany is our ally.”
Kay eyed him warily. “Yes, but to what end? Would Brittany ever come to us in a time of crisis? What could King Hoel ever offer us if we were in need?”
“He helped in our battles before,” Cador asserted.
“But now?” Kay persisted. “What could he offer us now that we are strong?”
“We have a treaty with Brittany,” Bedivere reminded him.
Kay waved this away. “Treaties are written on paper. They can be torn up or burned.”
“There’s the not insignificant matter of honour,” Lancelot said.
“Is honour more significant than survival?” Kay wondered. “We may beat New Rome in battle. Or we may not. Numerically, their fighting men outnumber ours ten to one.”
“You think,” Arthur replied, “that if we offer them a free hand in Brittany, they will leave us alone?”
“It’s possible that Brittany is all they want, and the entire purpose of their mission here is to investigate our attitude on that matter. It would be geographically convenient for them to incorporate Brittany into their new empire. Britain, on the other hand — well, we are offshore. It would not be an easy fight to take us, regardless of what I’ve just said. Surely, on that basis, we can hammer out some kind of agreement?”