Records: Aquitaine's Southern Frontier (1379)

## **Coming Home from the East**

The southern frontier, including Armagnac and Foix, had seen the winds of change as early as the first *Glow Stones*, but they'd thrown their lot in with Charles V before that, leading to the pretense of the previous French king to break the Treaty of Brétigny in the first place.

After the march of Richard's Irregulars, slowly taking back Edwardian Aquitaine and capping it (so to speak) with the non-battle of Poitiers, the southern instigators were desperate to find allies or find peace. By the Edwardian conquest of France, word quickly traveled from Paris south.

Given their long history of instigation against each other, much less other regional forces, *much less against his father and grandfather*, it was time to bring those destructive ambitions to a close. Richard gave them both the opportunity to die on their feet, in single combat, with the King of Aquitaine.

John II, Count of Armagnac fell, his titles and territories confiscated. His titles included the Count of Armagnac, of Fézensac, Rodez (1371–1379) and Count of Charolais (1364–1379), Viscount Lomagne and Auvillars. This solidified the return of Province of Armagnac.

Gaston III, Count of Foix, whom had been a long-time neighbor and rival of Armagnac had only recently made peace with him. Gaston was the eleventh and last count of Foix (as Gaston III) and viscount of Béarn (as Gaston X) from 1343 until his death. This transition secured Béarn (Pau) and Foix (whose capital was also cleverly named Foix)*.*

### **The Navarrese Resolution**

Navarre was a dangling loose-end. Aquitaine was still technically at war with Navarre over the stolen *Glow Stones* intercepted before they could be delivered to Castile and Paris.

The matter was resolved with a prompt surrender at the arrival of Prince Richard. Charles II died at the sight of the approaching, magically-armed, 8,000-man army (presumably of a heart attack).

His son, "Charles the Noble," was allowed to retain the area, but it was downgraded to a duchy and made a vassal of John I's Castile. The act comes to be known as the *Mercy of the Magus*.

Significant chatter in European courts: Rick didn't retain the Duchy of Navarre, but instead kept to the principle of geographic contiguity and contributed to his Uncle John's kingdom.

## **Dinner and a Show**

The annexation of Navarre was near the end of July and the St. George Regiment, now in Bayonne, was a long way from home. It had been a mostly polite, occasionally violent roll through northern France, western Germania and northwestern Italy. The amount of ground covered in that time was unprecedented, even for the Mongol-Turkic cavalry armies of the mid-asian steppes.

As it appeared combat would take a hiatus, Rickard sent the St. George Regiment home. While they were already being paid professional wages by the Crown of England, the Crown of Aquitaine provided combat bonuses, as well as combat ribbons and honors before releasing them back to England.

After award presentations, the Regiment was sent back to Calais by ground. They would be taking a leisurely course back east, along the Mediterranean, then north through the recently consolidated Arelat to do so – and were furnished with enough gold to stop and purchase food at every stop, all the way up.

By now, their armor was clean and smelling good and their tabards were on. As they rolled through, it was a military parade – an impressive display for the times, no matter the city size. That these soldiers were spending like sailors on the way up, it was an economic boon to every town they rolled through. It was different, when an army marched past, that they spent coin with the locals rather than sacking the place.

### **Bayonne and Gone Again**

The Aquitaine Bayonne Regiment was at its home barracks – and it was perhaps the first time this semi-newly created army was able to stand down without an immediate wartime objective hanging over their head. The Regiment was granted staggered vacation time, recovery and recuperation periods before they settled back into a steady training regimen that would keep them sharp between deployments.

As the Bayonne soldiers settled in, Bordeaux and Le Mans were released for a slow ride back to their home cities. With a similar mission to visit and spend money in depressed areas, both went slightly out of their way on the trip home, buying dinner locally and basically becoming the show traveling through town.

Mostly, though, it was a chance to spread the morale. It was unprecedented for armies to return from the field with more than 95% of the force they'd set out with. These soldiers were returning home conquering heroes, well-fed, well-paid, decorated, with guaranteed prestige jobs in the King's armies.

### **Bordeaux and the French Invasion**

By the return of the Bordeaux Regiment, they found an influx of French in their training areas – all going through the same crucible they had, being formed into Plantagenet-quality troops.

In fact, only half the French trainees were actually in Bordeaux; the other half had gone north, training in London at the St. George facility. This included all branches of the Royal Arms, with the Army the most visible and the Royal Guard a close second, especially as there was still threat from the east (much less the oddities of the incidents). The French Royal Navy and Marines had a different, almost otherworldly atmosphere as the French would become part of the phenomena that had reduced the Bastille to rubble.