With all three gathered, the meeting had begun.
Victor made an opening statement to the meeting. "I do not need to say why I am here. It is well known around the world what is transpiring in this city, in this continent. It has gotten to the point that I can not ignore it."
Both the Pope and Alphonse glanced at each other, showing a hint of annoyance and shame.
"Victor, you must know that I have had no part in fanning the flames of this. I have tried to maintain peace," Alphonse emphasised.
"Maintain peace? Matteo Vegni supposedly killing his own father; is that the peace you speak of?" Victor snapped.
"I had no idea he would do that. There was no order to do so, nor would I endorse such a depraved action." Alphonse defended.
Victor shook his head, "You may not have endorsed such an action, but you just sat on your throne and watched as people in your faction have propelled the situation closer to war."
"Fratricide is a serious sin; to allow that to be unpunished is a grave injustice. Your leadership is not what this continent needs." The Pope chimed in.
Victor snapped again, "You should not be piping up, Your Holiness. Do not think that I am unaware of your shady dealings. The blame for this brewing shit storm is shared between the two of you."
The Pope was offended by Victor's lack of respect. "How dare you speak to me in such a manner?" Cardinal Ruffus and Naso showed their disapproval of Victor's tone and words. But Victor paid them no mind.
"But I do dare, Your Holiness." Victor sharply replied. "This continent has been ravaged by civil war for too long. It barely has had time to heal from those wounds, and now you two would see it plunged in chaos again."
Both men remained silent, and the onlooking guards and cardinals did not dare interject and interrupt Victor.
Victor turned to Alphonse and spoke directly to him. "You are a king, your priority is to the people of this continent. Why the hell would you not rise above this immature type of politics and ask me for help? If you had refrained from jumping headfirst into this stupidity, I would have easily sided with you."
Alphonse could not conjure any words of protest; there were no excuses for what he had done. Or more importantly, there were no excuses for him for doing nothing while members of his faction were causing more trouble.
Victor then turned to the Pope. "Your Holiness, are your personal ambitions greater than serving God and his followers? Why would you see followers of the almighty march to death in a war that could be avoided? Your ambition has clouded all reason and propelled the continent into further division."
The Pope and his cardinals looked to protest, but Victor carried on talking, not allowing them to interrupt. "If both of you wish to plunge this continent into war, then go ahead. But be warned, the Luxenberg Army will act in the best interest of this continent."
Alphonse gulped nervously and asked, "What do you mean by act in the best interest of this continent?"
Victor got right into Alphonse's face and said, "If I decide that both of you are a cancer to this continent, I will not hesitate to cut you out. No matter my loyalty to the Christian faith. No matter my alliance, bound by blood."
The Pope looked back at Cardinal Rufus. He saw the cardinal nod his head confidently. Seeing this, the Pope said, "If that is your position, King Victor, then you stand in the way of progress. Your vain attempt to be the voice of reason clouds your better judgment. The Army of Christ will deal with you and your traitorous flock."
Alphonse also piped up in defiance. "Victor, my friend. You walk into my kingdom with an army at your back, talking about peace? There is no peace while an ambitious, greed-filled, pious bastard like Constatine remains head of the church. If you are not with us, then you are clearly against us."
Victor's attempt to bring the two together for peace had failed spectacularly. Instead, he had propelled them to war, and what is worse. Both now see him as an obstacle, not a threat. It was the worst possible outcome. And now war was ever more certain.
With no last-ditch attempt to plead or power play to force peace, Victor could only watch as the small entourages left the villa.
Victor knew that now he could remain in Zandar, especially in the heart of the continent. His best bet was to pull back to Prato, which was under his rule, and then make haste to Sinolla. If by some chance Alphonse or the Pope were to move against him, they could leave Victor stranded on Zandar with no chance of him and his army returning to Bulgar.
Within 24 hours, Victor's army marched away to Prato. It was over an 8-week march to his city, but a certain level of caution was needed. With Alphonse ever emboldened by his own ignorance and the Pope being as ambitious as he is, Victor would need to be careful.
For over two months, the Luxenberg army marched. As they went through each territory, they could see tensions rising. Peasants were disgruntled, many with divided loyalties. Some were to crown, and others were to faith, and a few chose abstain from picking sides.
The growing feud that had begun in Roma had spread like a plague, infecting every corner of the continent. There were to be no winners from this, only the suffering of Christendom. The Sultan would sit back in his magnificent palace and laugh as the Christians slaughtered each other.
When Victor finally arrived in Prato, General Orion Valerius greeted him with troubling tidings. An attempt on Otto Visconte's life had occurred during their travels. It was said his wine was poisoned. Fortunately for Alphonse, his son and heir did not die, but he was left bedridden and in no condition to be moving around for some time.
This would be the last straw.