Before long medics arrived and tended to Henry. After a quick check up it was clear that Henrietta was uninjured and merely under the influence of the drug used upon her. Henry watched suspiciously, unwilling to trust anyone at that moment, but the medic who was tending to the young woman merely undid the effects with a spell of some kind and she quickly awoke in a state of confusion.

Henry smiled weakly but the medics who were tending to him seemed to be very skilled and he watched as the main wound in his abdomen was closed up; the skin knitting together at an accelerated rate. They also tended to his hand and head although those injuries were far less severe.

"We cannot replace the blood you've lost but you can do that yourself with rest, food and drink." One of the medics informed him. A pair of guards; Henry had no idea where they came from as he had not seen any at all on the Academy's grounds, were taking the unconscious assailant away. Thoughts whirled through his mind but he pushed them to the back of his head as the two of them where shepherded to a room in the medical ward; clearly a different one to that used earlier.

They arrived to find Elaeria waiting inside with a nervous looking messenger who held two cloth bags. The look of relief on his face was replaced with horror when he saw Henry's bloodstained clothes but the young noble waved him away.

"Don't worry, I've been seen to. What's so important that you've come all this way so soon?" He asked with a plummeting feeling. Elaeria was unusually quiet, even a little pale, and the messenger was even more shocked; almost afraid of the packages he had brought with him. The young man, probably younger than Henry himself, handed over the cloth bags.

"I was told to give them to you directly, sir." He said, bobbing his head. Henry pulled open the tube inside one bag and glanced at the seal before opening the scroll.

Sir Henry,

I write to you in this manner of urgency as what was foreseen has come about. As I put these words to paper the palace is falling even now to our attackers, who bear arms unfamiliar to us and fly flags never before seen in our known world. We are utterly surrounded but I have every confidence that this message will reach you.

I have sent the messenger with the Crown Jewels, Royal Sceptre and the Holy Oil for future monarchs to be anointed and to keep these sacred items out of the hands of our nameless enemy. I do not know what fate has in store for you but I wish you luck and victory.

Yours sincerely,
Henrietta

Henry closed his eyes for a moment, offering a prayer up to the brave young maid before looking up at the young woman who had entered the room with him; the one who bore the image of Henrietta.

"It has come to pass, your Majesty."

Elaeria's head shot up as she heard the level tone in the young lord's voice and then stared at the hitherto nervous and withdrawn girl whose entire posture had changed. She reached for the necklace that had hung around her neck, hidden by her dress, and pulled the amulet away. The moment the jewel was free her body was consumed in light and in place of the meek Henrietta stood the proud and strong Queen Louise of Elianst.

"Then we pray for their souls, Sir Henry. We tried to warn them but they dismissed my visions as hearsay; there was nothing more we could do. Samuel, stop crying and go the banquet, tell the headmaster that Eleshir was attacked and all within the palace killed. Do not mention my presence here." The young messenger knelt briefly with tears of joy streaming down his face before rushing from the room with Henry close behind.

"The kidnapper. He knew your identity, your Majesty. They'll assume everyone in that carriage was aware of the switch." Worry was etched into his face but Elaeria, who had grasped the situation despite the quick pace of events, stood up and crossed to the door.

"You're weak from your injuries still, I'll go and find Lady Ashburn. Escort the Queen to... wherever your plan takes you next." There was a note of irritation in her voice at having been deceived but then she was gone. The Queen crossed to the other bag and took out the box inside. Opening it revealed the promised items of the Royal Office Henrietta had promised would be delivered. Queen Louise picked up the Crown and placed it on her head before taking the Sceptre and turned to Henry.

"Now, let us go to this banquet and show them that Elianst is far from fallen."

---

The Banquet Hall

The headmaster sat at the head table, on the dais overlooking the entire hall and listened intently to the young messenger's urgent words. He nodded grimly, rising to his feet. His tall frame was immediately noticeable and silence fell across the room as the students felt an announcement coming. Some chattered quietly but even that noise fell away as the silence began to stretch and the old man's fearsome gaze swept across the room.

"Young ladies and gentlemen, Eleshir has been attacked by a hitherto unknown enemy. The palace has fallen and all inside slaughtered." A short, shocked moment of silence was followed by yelled demands and wails of horror; largely from those of Elianst; although a substantial number of those from other nations were equally as shocked. No one had ever breached the city's walls let alone be able to attack the palace directly in the city's entire history; it's fall was unthinkable.

"For your safety and protection no one is allowed to leave the Academy until further notice. Lessons will continue as per normal until we know more. That is all."

Caroline sat in stunned silence after she heard the headmaster's announcement. What he said got stuck in her head, each word cutting at her self control as they echoed through her thoughts. Eleshir attacked. The palace has fallen. All slaughtered. Caroline felt her control start to break, and abruptly stood. Tears in her eyes, she ran from the hall, wind already picking up around her. She needed to find someplace safe, someplace private with nobody around. Just as she was passing one of the towers, she felt herself being pulled off the ground. Just as she was about to scream, she heard a familiar voice. "There, there Carol, what could have my little genius all worked up?" Caroline looked up at the woman who was holding her, blinking through the blur of tears. "M-mother?" she asked tentatively, afraid that she was wrong and not understanding how she could be right.

Elizabeth McArthur held her daughter for a while, stroking her hair and humming softly, and once she had calmed down asked "Now tell me what could make my daughter, a girl who didn't shed a single tear after breaking her arm as a child, cry like that." As Caroline repeated what the headmaster had said, Elizabeth's expression went from concern to astonishment, through despair and into rage. Quickly suppressing the anger for now, Elizabeth stood up and started walking toward the assembly hall. Pushing the doors open in front of her, she strode into the hall with Caroline on her heel, trying to get her mother to calm down. Cutting directly across the room toward the headmaster, she stopped directly in front of him and glared at him, a look that had caused many proud men to think twice about challenging her. "Where did you obtain this news? I was in the palace just yesterday, and there was no sign of any invasion. Surely the queen would have..." she trailed off, realization suddenly dawning on her. "Is that it?" she mumbled to herself, falling into the nearest chair. "I knew the queen wasn't acting like herself. Why would she keep such a secret from me?" She looked around the room, as if someone there might be able to give her an answer.

"Your Majesty, with one of the Royal Knights being a traitor I don't feel this is the wisest course of action..." Henry said, somewhat nervously, as he kept a weather eye out for any dangers around them. The Academy was silent with not a single soul present outside of the banquet hall. With a slight start he saw a low shadow moving towards them but he relaxed when he recognised the Queen's familiar. Cal, Henrietta's silver fox cub familiar, had been back at the Palace under the same illusion spell that the Queen and Henrietta had been under.

Therefore, in place of Cal, a great lion padded out of the darkness. While minuscule compared to Granthar's tremendous bulk, the Queen's familiar was still bigger than the average horse and a lot faster; he made the perfect guardian for a monarch with the ability to slay dozens of armoured men with contemptuous ease. Bearing his teeth the lion greeted Henry amiably before falling into a slow pace next to Queen Louise.

"With Lux here there really won't be any trouble, I think." She said mildly, her confidence winning Henry's nerves over. Before they reached the banquet hall they could hear the uproar inside and it was plain that it was not the usual noise of a feast. Stopping briefly out of sight at the base of the steps the Queen took a brief moment to ensure she looked regal, if not plain while still wearing Henrietta's dress, before climbing the steps with Lux on one side and Henry on the other with Granthar's massive frame as their backdrop. The great beast halted at the doors but the entrance of his head into the room was enough to catch most anyone's attention and a hush fell across the room as Queen Louise entered; the Crown proudly seated on her head and her Sceptre clearly held in one hand.

"The Queen lives!" Someone cried out from the massed students and a cheer went up, and not just from those from Elianst. If the Queen of Elianst had been slaughtered then war would have been on its way. Queen Louise held up a hand and silence quickly fell, all there keen to hear her words.

"Eleshir has fallen." She said, her calm voice ringing out across the entire room. She paused for effect, casting her gaze across everyone there. "Mysterious attackers from beyond the Great North Sea landed and headed straight for our capital. If not for my gift as a Seer my life would have been lost in the attack also; unfortunately my advisers refused to take such visions seriously and remained in the Palace when the attack took place." She paused again, letting all those understand that it was by her own power that she alone had survived.

"These warriors bear weapons that are alien to this land, spitting fire and death with no magic involved. They are technologically superior to us and intend to conquer all four nations and I believe that without an Alliance they will be able to." Mutterings sounded from those of other nations but a low growl from Lux quickly quietened them.

"There was no way to prove this would be so without this event having occurred; had I told the rulers of each nation about my vision there would not have been peace let alone an alliance. With this single strike by the enemy I believe proof enough has been given that they are a force to be reckoned with; after all, how many armies have broken through Eleshir's gates?" There was silence for they all knew the answer: none.

Queen Louise walked forwards and up to the dais with everyone parting before her, Lux and Henry quick to stay on either side of her in case anyone attempted an assassination although such an act would bring quick death. The Queen stopped when she stood in front of Elizabeth and held the woman's hands in hers.

"Lady McArthur, rest assured you did not fail in your duties. I am glad to see at least one of my councilors survived this slaughter." Her gaze caught on a adolescent dressed in traditional Helgland clothing with a fearsome looking woman seated on one side and a man from Anstarm on the other. The Queen's quick mind dredged up the boy's name and she crossed towards them, ignoring the stunned silence in the rest of the hall.

"Prince Jochi." She greeted him. It was customary for the one of lower rank to announce themself first but she had the momentum of her entrance behind her and she wanted to make the most of its effect with every eye in the room on her at that moment. "I would like to discuss some... politics with you, if you wouldn't mind. With Princess Elaeria also, I believe you may find them to be most profitable." She smiled knowingly before turning to Henry.

"Now, I believe we should enjoy this banquet before we get down to business, Sir Henry. Hard times are to come and I'd like to enter them on a high note." Henry nodded and pulled a seat out for the Queen before taking one next to her, sitting himself next to Revaz. Despite the Queen's presence and security taking up most of his attention Henry's mind kept drifting towards Gwen; Elaeria's continued absence still worried him.

Both Elizabeth and Caroline were too surprised to speak when they saw the queen walk in. Elizabeth recovered first. When the queen approached her, she said "Your majesty, when I heard that the palace was taken I assumed the worst. I thank the gods above that you are alive." she quickly regained her composure and wiped the wetness from her eyes, took Caroline's hand and led her to a place in the back of the hall near where the queen sat. As she passed, she spoke so that only the queen could hear her. "From now on I won't be sent away, no matter how many times you tell me to. Next time your life could really be in danger, and I refuse to attend your funeral. You are not only my queen, you are my friend." Then, as an afterthought, she added "But good work, changing places with a commoner was good thinking." Then she was gone, finding a place nearby where she could watch the entire room and stay close.

The assembly of 3 turned toward the queen with some amount of surprise on Jochi's face, anger on both Revaz and Beowulf. When the queen finished talking, it was Revaz that spoke before Jochi, fixating the queen. "My gods you've got guts to come at this table." Jochi, knowing where this was going raised his hand to stop Revaz from continuing. "I am terribly sorry that Her Lordship Samarkand is unable to greet you with a smile, we however were discussing the... motives of the Academy closing its doors. We found it hard for us to not see this as you taking us as a guarantee that no nation would use this moment of weakness to attempt any... bold political moves." Revaz crossed her arms. "In short, we're you're damn hostages since you don't trust us not to break the truce." It was Beowulf that finished this by muttering. "Not that we can blame you."

Jochi didn't bother to try and lessen the words of those at his table, for he knew it wouldn't change anything and for he shared their sentiment. "I will not spit at the chance of negotiations, but I will mention that I have have high doubt they will come to expect the need of our nations and some people may have doubt to your willingness to grant anything after a possible war against the foreigners without your kingdom forcing Helgland in a truce by allying with everyone else in the continent, again. I will admit we on this table have been contemplating the idea that perhaps... your side is not the one that would be the most profitable to be on." Not all that subtle, and extremely clear. You're not just negotiating to have us on your side, but also to make sure we're not on the other.

Caroline opened her mouth so speak, but Elizabeth put her hand on her daughter's arm. "With your permission, my liege, I would speak, as much to confirm my understanding of the situation as to convey it unto others." after she got the go ahead, she continued, "From the reports I've heard so far, few as they may be, the force that is invading has technology far more advanced than ours, weapons we cannot understand that do not use magic, but kill just as effectively, far superior numbers and in your opinion could conquer all four kingdoms alone?" as her points were confirmed, she turned her gaze toward Jochi, her eyes calculating as if deciding whether this person was a friend or a foe. "Now tell me, Prince, why a force like that would desire to share the land they are taking with you. I find it much more likely that they would take the opportunity you give them by approaching and slaughter you." The tone of her voice gave no offense, but neither did it contain sympathy or remorse.

The Queen grimaced at the harsh assessment but it was the simple truth. She turned to Jochi, forcing a calm smile.

"I'm honoured that you believe my influence stretches as far as this Academy but I'm afraid the treaty specifically mentions that it is independent of all nations; indeed, it is its own nation. The Headmaster himself is not from Elianst, he even fought against us several times during the past wars so I really have little control over this Academy in reality. No more than any other ruler, that is." She turned to Revaz, her smile turning slightly darker.

"I would not take hostages, it is not my style of conducting negotiations or warfare. We either fight with complete honour or none at all, there is no middle ground in my reign." There was a sharp edge to the Queen's words; few understood how dangerous and deadly a mind hid behind the beautiful, smiling facade she put up. She turned back to Jochi, the calmer smile returning to take the edge off of her words.

"Well, I will start by winning your complete attention. The land on your northern border which gives you access to the sea and the rich fishing grounds there... I will cede it to Helgland as a gesture of faith." She pushed on, ignoring the half-voiced complaints of her companions. She had seen the gleam of interest, as well as surprise, in Jochi's face. She had read him well, it was apparent.

"You could, of course, return to raiding our lands for your food and wealth but there are mutually beneficial ways of obtaining this. For example, I can issue a charter giving Helgland's merchants exemption from import tariffs and taxes as well as priority for our food surplus; the main resource I believe your nation lacks. Again, you could simply side with the enemy and take it but that's if the enemy wishes to ally themselves with any nation." She closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath before she continued.

"They appear to have had spies in every court for some time now, they certainly knew when my double and the Privy Council were due to meet and attack at the precise moment. Their strength of arms alone makes them a problem for you; not once has anyone come close to breaching the city's walls let alone the Palace gates but they did so in a single day. They have no need of an alliance when a mere expeditionary force can accomplish in one day what entire nations have failed to do for centuries." She smiled sadly as her vision was dredged up again; 'her' head and those of the Privy Council mounted on poles and paraded back out of the city. These aggressors had no honour, none at all.

"Finally, if you still feel that Elianst may turn around and betray you at any point then I speak to you alone in this, Prince Jochi." She was well aware that he would not inherit any wealth or authority himself and she needed a strong, cunning man to sit next to her. "I suggest that in exchange for that which I've already detailed and to solidify our alliance, not simply for the near future but in perpetuity, that we tie our royal houses together to ensure a lasting, mutually beneficial, relationship between our nations. As far as I'm aware, you're the only unmarried member of your dynasty and I am the only surviving one of mine. I don't think I need to spell out what it is that I am suggesting."

This time it was Elizabeth who opened her mouth to speak, but Caroline managed to cover her mother's mouth before the harsh words she was preparing could be spoken. Her eyes showed the chaos in her mind at the queen's suggestion. Confusion mixed with rage, sorrow, regret, and outrage, and maybe a bit of betrayal and pain. Hundreds of years of war and hatred would not just fade away, peace or not, and even Elizabeth's ironclad self control could not fight against her instinct. Eventually she managed to control herself again, although the doubt she had didn't vanish.

Elizabeth's near outburst went largely unnoticed, with nearly everyone's attention rooted on the queen herself. In the back of her mind, Caroline heard a sound like a crystal bell, or a laugh. A couple of vague words flashed through her mind, and a name; 'Nalsiet'. Before she could focus on it the feeling was gone, so she turned her attention back to the spectacle before her.

Jochi was silent for a moment. Revaz stared at him coldly, he knew what she thought. Beowulf however decided to start eating and so a loud *splort* interrupted the silence as he took mashed potato and added it to his dish.. Jochi spoke. "First and foremost, I would like to answer to Lady Elizabeth and state that my belief that the strangers will not bother invading us comes from war experience, in the fact that one invades only if the land he seeks is both worth holding and is holdable. Helgland is neither. The Earth does not bless us with crops or gems, but with earth quakes and volcanoes. If they will come to us to exterminate us, I salute their bravery. Now. I highly doubt that these foreigners are as bad as you would describe them and while their weapons may be fearsome indeed, I believe surprise, demilitarization following the end of the war as well as an admiralty too focused on enemies coming from in-land rather than from the sea..." He gave a side look to Henry while Revaz had a chuckle. "...could have caused you to suffer such a catastrophic defeat. As for your offer of marriage your majesty..."

Beowulf stopped eating while Revaz rolled her eyes. Jochi took the time to chose his words and proceeded hesitantly. "While I am quite certain my father would appreciate one of his grand son ruling Elianst and this would indeed cement a permanent alliance between our countries... Well." He stopped for a few seconds, but realized that there was no way to refuse this. "Well, I guess I can hardly refuse now can I." He said so with no real enthusiasm. Beowulf nodded negatively and muttered to himself. Revaz on the other hand got up and left, not before dropping a cynical comment. "Of course you take the easy way out, fucking cowardly traitor. Good luck for the rest, king Jochi of Elianst." Jochi grind his teeth but kept his composure. "It will take time for both our people to accept this, but this if for the better, for all of us. We will take control of the region you offer us immediately and I will message my father to mobilize his armies. You... we will do the same in Elianst. I trust you have deals to bring the other nations into the fold as well?"

Caroline heard the voice in her head again, but this time the words were a bit clearer. ...centuries, and they're only just now... Reivaer owes me an ale. Caroline tried to isolate the voice, but it was gone again before she could pick it out. A brief vision of a dark cave and an ancient suit of armor flashed through her mind, and was gone. I'll get it next time, for sure. she thought to herself, settling down and concentrating.

Elizabeth stood slowly, keeping herself composed. She walked to where the queen was sitting, coming up behind her chair. She raised a fist to her mouth, planning to clear her throat for attention, stopped, opened her mouth to speak, stopped again, then finally she simply placed her hand gently on the queen's shoulder. "My liege," she began, trying to keep her voice level, and knowing full well that the only person in the room who wouldn't be fooled was the person she was trying to hide her emotions from. "With your permission, I would like to inspect the academy's defenses myself, as well as the placement of troops and the integrity of the perimeter. If everything is as you fear, these walls will surely be our final line of defense."

Delete

Men came from the castle and they went about helping Henry and Henrietta. Granthar stood watch over his injured master keeping an eye on everyone. Fenrir observed as well. When Henry unmasked the assailant, he spoke a name “Gerald”. A look of pain flitted across his face and Fenrir saw the hurt of betrayal. This Gerald was a friend to Henry. Did Gwendolyn know Gerald too?

Guards came to take Gerald away and Fenrir stood too. They hesitated, testing to see if Fenrir was hostile because they too saw the blood on his mouth and fur. But Fenrir did nothing as they lifted the man and carried him away. Fenrir followed them. Gwendolyn would want some confirmation that the assailant was securely imprisoned and she had commanded him to stay with the body until then. His eyes flicked over Granthar and he inclined his head to signal his departure. The tiger did the same.

The guards were nervous with the large wolf trailing them. Fenrir could smell it even though they tried to hide their unease. They asked him to return to his master, but Fenrir ignored their requests. Gwendolyn had commanded him to stay with Gerald. They gave up trying to shoo the wolf away when they entered the castle and into the underground. These weren’t dungeons but they were… holding rooms. The guards put Gerald down on a cot in one of these rooms and the healers went about doing their job. Fenrir sat by the doorway and observed.

His ears perked up and a deep throated growl emanated from his clenched teeth. Panic. Gwendolyn was scared. It was faint, but he could sense it. The healer stopped his work and turned around waiting for the wolf familiar to bark or attack, but Fenrir had already gone.
The wolf ran with the grace and strength of a predator hunting its prey. Startled humans jumped out of the path but the wolf didn’t pay them any attention. He could smell Gwendolyn’s scent. It was fresh and he followed. He came back to the medical ward and stopped. He sniffed the air and around the spot where his master’s scent was the strongest. A small red stain was on the wall… it was her blood. The fur on his neck stood on end. He sniffed the air again to memorize her scent and the scent of her attacker. It was another man. His scent was covered by the same earthy dampness that Gerald also wore. This scents were fresh, they couldn’t have gone too far. Fenrir was only minutes away. Without any hesitation the large wolf set off on a sprint, following the trail of his master.

***

Gwen woke up to a headache. Her neck was stiff and she the ringing in her ear wouldn’t stop. She tried to raise a hand to rub her temples, but she couldn’t. With a jerk she sat up straight. Her hands and legs were bound but other than the headache she felt alright.

“Sleeping beauty finally wakes up eh?” A voice called to her. The accent was thick and foreign which made his words hard to understand. It was his voice that sent shivers down her spine. The words were like grease. There was slimy texture to that voice that the only word she could describe it was ‘swarmy’. A hand jerked her face around and her eyes met the owner of that voice. “Oh my, what pretty eyes you have.”

Gwen’s stomach churned. Although the man wasn’t ugly his voice made her sick.

“I’ll ask nicely. What is your Queen planning?”

It took the girl a moment to understand, but even then she didn’t understand quite what he was implying. Was he talking about the Academy? “This Academy was built to bring in an era of peace. Our plan is to strengthen ties with all the other countries.” The strike was quick. Gwen didn’t know she was slapped until she felt her cheek stinging.

“She saw it didn’t she? I’ve heard of rumors of her ‘visions’. She saw our attack and switched places with that servant girl. What else does she have up her sleeve?” Whatever gentless was gone from that voice and it took all of Gwen’s willpower to not flinch.

Attack? Are these people going to attack the Academy?! But that didn’t make sense…. What he said about the queen and the servant girl… Henrietta… It finally clicked. Henrietta was the Queen in disguise. But...then Eleshir.

The next strike was harder and faster. Gwen was knocked down by the blow. Someone entered the room and spoke softly to the man while Gwen recovered.

“I wanted a Queen not her purse keeper! That doesn’t matter now. Even with Gerald’s failure we might have some use for you yet. Tell me girl how much are you worth to your Queen?” He grabbed chin and forced her to look at him again.

Gerald? Gerald?! The Queen’s guard Gerald? That was the kidnapper? Him of all people betrayed the Queen? The man’s smile grew more vicious at her confusion. “Time to go, girl. You should feel honored. You’ll get the best seat to watch the Queen’s greatest work burn.”

Not allowing herself to show too much relief, Queen Louise nodded to Jochi's acceptance of her terms with her mind whirring quickly. She barely nodded as Elizabeth requested to go and inspect the defences; she had anticipated resistance or at the very least some anxiety to her proposals.

"Of course, the moment our alliance is formally signed you may occupy the offered region immediately. As for stepping up your forces... for now that is unnecessary." She could see the confusion in the King-to-be's face. After all, she had just offered a huge amount in exchange for an alliance. "The enemy right now is an expeditionary force and I wish to show that Elianst's might alone is enough to defeat a small force even if their technology outranks ours. My purpose in forging an alliance for what comes after; Lord Henry, if you would." She leaned back to allow Henry to have the attention of the Prince and his companion.

"There would only be one reason for striking so deliberately at the Elianst government and monarchy; they were attempting to remove all centralized control. If they had fully succeeded we would be running clueless and unorganized giving this... enemy a chance to land a much larger invasion force on our Northern shores. In other words this is a pre-emptive strike and a much large invasion will be coming; large enough I fear to try and conquer the entire continent and all four nations." He nodded to the Queen, a sudden pang of sorrow hitting him at the Queen's use of his new title; he had not yet had time to mourn his recently deceased father although he had been preparing himself for it for some months now.

"I intend to try and meet their invasion with a unified force from all four nations; by joining together and working with our individual expertise we will be able to create a much stronger war effort against them rather than fighting and being crushed one by one. As for the other nations... Prince Elaeria is my cousin and will support my actions on this; the King in Fristha is young, ailing and weak and she is his successor as well as popular with the people there. As for Anstarn..." She glanced here at Beowulf and noticed his attire, "I believe they will join an alliance consisting of the other three nations so as not to be isolated. Moreover I believe Elaeria is taking steps to forge a more secure alliance between Fristha and Anstarn." She smiled, the mixture of a young woman's sweet smile and the cold determination of a Queen.

"As you can see, I am well prepared to throw these monsters back into the sea for attacking my country. By any means necessary."

---

Elaeria swung her leg over the saddle, the horse sensing her rush had already begun to trot so as to not waste time before she was properly in the saddle. She could sense Gardos communicating with her.

What do you need, Little One?

A flash of annoyance at the way he addressed her was quashed quickly by her focussing on the pursuit. She had no way of knowing whether the assailant was taking Gwen from the Academy, hiding her somewhere on the grounds or simply killing her and dumping the body to be found later. The splash of reasonably fresh blood on the wall near the Medical Ward had not been at all encouraging.

Take to the air and see if anyone is heading for a gate, either by carriage or on horseback with a bedroll of some kind across its back.

The dragon assented to her commands and she could faintly see his dark shape against the light from the moon and stars in the sky above. She received no word from him for some time and made it to one of the gatehouses before he contacted her. The guards there stepped into her path.

"We need to see your pass before we can let you go through, my lady." One of them said politely.

"I don't intend to pass. I'm in pursuit of an abductor. Has anyone passed this way by carriage or horseback?" She asked. The guards looked at each other and shook their heads.

"No, my lady. Have the Academy staff been informed of this? Wait, my lady!" Elaeria had already turned her mount around and was galloping back towards the Academy to check another gate when Gardos contacted her.

Little one, there are a multitude of camp fires in the distance. An army is heading this way.

Elaeria pulled on the reins hard, pulling the horse to a quick stop.

From Elianst?

The lack of reply told her all she needed to know. She kicked her heels back again and the horse set off towards the Academy. The next target was all those currently feasting, unaware of the danger coming for them on the morrow.

Elizabeth's thoughts were in turmoil as she walked in the direction of the academy gates. She knew that not only was an alliance good, but necassary. Still, she couldn't keep herself from thinking about the queen's proposal as a betrayal. Over and over the thoguht flashed in her mind, and she chastised herself for such childish thinking. The queen could, and was expected to, make her own desisions for the good of her land.

Elizabeth was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she almost didn't see the horse barreling toward her until it was too late. She dove out of the way, then stood up quickly and chased after, using magic to keep up. 'Hey, watch where you're..." she began to yell at the rider, then stopped when she saw who it was. "Forgive me princess, I spoke out of turn. What has you riding so hard?"

---

Caroline heard the voice speak again, this time clearly. "The queen is brave. I begine to see the resemblance." Focusing on the voice and holding it, she tentatively reached out. "Who are you?" the voice was silent for a mement, then spoke again, this time to Caroline. "You can hear me? The time is getting close for us to meet then. There is no time to explain in words, so I will give you memories." suddenly Caroline's mind filled with images and sounds, flashing by so fast that she couldn't make them out. Caroline gave a short cry and collapsed, unconscious. Instantly Spark appeared above her, crackling harshly at anyone who came near, save the queen. Anyone who ignored the warning got hit by a small bolt of lightning, and quickly reconsidered.

Jochi considered what had been said and nodded. "Bypassing the king of Fristha and forcing Anstarn in a bad or worst choice... It is cunning your majesty... I do hope that this isn't the start of a trend however, as you said earlier 'We either fight with complete honour or none at all, there is no middle ground in your reign.'... I believe we may not share the same conception of honor, but I will follow your lead." Beowulf loudly crashed his hands on the table and got up. Jochi jumped a little at the sudden action right next to him. The man of Anstarn spoke with his accent (Think Arnold Schwarzenegger). "I agree with Jochi about questioning your notion of honor. I for one will follow my king, but..." He leaned closer toward the princess across the table. "...I hope for all of our sake that my fellow countrymen will not have the same definition of honor as you. Them deciding it is best to be 'Pushing away a weak king for a popular princess more cooperative to their ideas' could be a very bad news for this alliance of yours. You are not so cunning as you think and if this alliance is built on convenient opportunism it is doomed, as are we all." He pushed himself away from the table. "I'll wait for words from my king and from my king alone before taking a stance about this. It is a shame, but not all unexpected, to see Jochi, Revaz and Helgland in general, the most openly willing to strike at your weakness, to be the one to gain the most of this alliance proposal. At the end of the day, my people will still starve every winter without your damn handouts. Perhaps Revaz was right and the only way for Anstarn to survive and thrive in this world is to take every opportunity to move forward, even if it means straying from the path that is Righteous."

Beowulf walked away leaving a moment of silence around the table. Jochi finally broke it. "Then so be it. We will however have to discuss about the command structure of this army, no Helgland will ever fight under the banner of an Elianst general. And of course, there is still the matter of the conservatives among Helgland. I'm thinking of giving the land you are offering to Revaz, of all people. If we get her on board most of the hardliners should follow and-" Jochi was interrupted by Caroline's cry and collapse. "W-what's going on?! What's wrong with her?"

---

Music

Revaz loudly slammed the door of her room shut behind her and began to pace in her room. She knew Jochi was shifty but she didn't expect him to betray her like that, marry the damn queen and let her down like a used rag now that he had better prospects for his own future. Asshole. Revaz fell heavily on her bed without bothering to take off her armor or boots and she began to think. She couldn't just mass her army and go tear a new asshole to Elianst while they were busy alone. Even if she managed to somehow ally with the invaders they were sure to back stab her later on and she'd never have the resources to fight them alone. The voice of her familiar came to her ear, she felt him slithering on the bed. "Now, now, Revaz... We know what we want, don't we? Wealth, power, land... But do we not think we may approach thisss on the wrong angle?" Revaz rolled her eyes and didn't bother to look at the snake. "Oh, aren't you the insightful little thing? Why don't you shut up for a change? I don't need your damn advices."

It continued... the voice was a little bit different this time it seemed. "I'm just saying... don't you think you may be thinking too... small." Revaz was about to rebuke the snake, but there was something strange to this, she frowned. "Think of it." Yes, the voice was distinctively feminine. Realizing this Revaz turned to face the snake and to her surprised faced... herself, with the arrogant half-smile she always had. In her surprise she pushed herself away, but it wasn't that large of a bed and she quickly found there was no more bed to fall back on and began to fall to the ground. With lightning reflex however her copy grabbed her forearm and prevented her fall. The double continued to speak. "Think of it? How did your father went from a goat herder to a lord? How has any war ever been won? It's not by fighting like Elianst, and certainly not like Fristha, although that one princess may be an exception." The copy pulled Revaz back over the edge and on the bed, inches from its face. "How? Tell me!" Revaz tried to lunch a kick toward... her other self, but she found it blocked. As she looked down to see how she had managed to block it without ever looking down, the copy got on top of her and pinned her down. It leaned toward her. "Revaz Samarkand, how do you win a war?!" It was almost as if it was going to kiss her so Revaz turned her head before answering. "By attacking!"

A triumphant smile appeared on the copy and loosened her hold and leaned back, still looking at her but this time with a large grind. "That's right! By stealing the lives their peasants and enslave them before they can be trained into soldier! By stealing their ore before they can make swords out of them! By stealing their precious and valuable gold and gems before they can use it to pay for this pitiful war of theirs... By making all that is theirs yours and when you have sapped their strength and hope to win, they are at your mercy to get what we want, what you want. Don't you see it?! It's the key! At. Their. Home. Turf. Elianst? Why do you think so small!? We're better then this! Play this game, their game, that of the 3 others, so happy to defend their homes and loved ones, but even they know that you can't win by blocking all arrows if you can't get the archer on the other side of the sea... Make their fire weapons yours, make their tactics your own, make their gold flow into your own pockets and finally, claim them, body and soul, as yours to command... You've stolen gold and lives, but it's time to play a bigger game and steal yourself a kingdom, an empire! But for this you need them, your 'allies', to use them, if only as a distraction, and this game they will play with you, because as much as you need them, they need... you..."

As she finished the sentence the double placed a single finger before its face and began to advance it toward Revaz's. Mesmerized, she could only follow the digit and the face of her double began to fade in the distance as a black shadow. When the finger touched her nose, Revaz blinked. In front of her, was her snake. "Now, now, Revaz, are we alright? We heard us speak in our sleep." A dream? No, it couldn't have been, it felt so real! Out of a reflex she gave side chop with her hand at the snake. It didn't mind, bending with the hit and twisting itself around the arm and moving on to the body. "Are we alright? We are sssweaty. It seems like it was quite the vivid dream." Revaz took a moment to place her ideas back in order. "Revaz?" She ignored her familiar and began to lean back. Yes, it was genius! Why didn't she think of it earlier? The alliance, Elianst, it was all... manageable, something that could be used for something greater. What was Elianst, but a petty little nation, getting its capital overwhelmed in mere hours? There was so much more potential for herself.

Queen Louise remained silent as Beowulf voiced his contempt of her and then stalked away. She looked after the large man sadly; she had seen visions of Anstarn as well; they would join the alliance and through no meddling by herself. Jochi began to speak again when Caroline collapsed, apparently in a fit. The familiar appeared immediately to protect her and it took all her self control for the Queen not to jump. Instead she reached carefully to check that the young girl was still breathing before turning to Henry.

"Lord Henry, if you would ensure Caroline is taken to the Medical Ward. I do not think she is any danger but nevertheless we should be cautious." Henry hesitated for a moment but the standoff-ish atmosphere had vanished from the table and so he felt it was safe to leave the Queen in the care of her familiar and her soon-to-be-husband. Standing up he collected the girl easily in his strong arms and began to carry her out of the banquet hall. It would appear that only as he had been given the command by the Queen had Caroline's familiar not fended him away. Meanwhile Queen Louise turned back to Jochi.

"I'm afraid the tension may have been too much for her." She didn't believe a word of her explanation and she didn't expect Jochi to either but it meant they could continue with the matter at hand. "I feel the best way to ensure no friction within a unified army is for ourselves to command it directly; those from Helgland will be under the command of their own lords and the same goes for those from Elianst. I doubt, however, that we will fight a pitched battle side by side. The riders from Helgland are skilled in skirmish and raiding warfare as well as cavalry tactics while those from Elianst are specialists in pitched, defensive battles; the tactics we will most likely employ suggest that a single command would be unsuitable in the first place." The Queen had an apt mind for strategy, despite her being a woman; it was no coincidence that Elianst had been in a position to lead peace talks after she came to the throne.

"I believe that the hardliners in Helgland and Anstarn will be difficult to persuade and first hand experience of the invaders will be the best solution. Elianst will not be an issue because the attack on our capital will have shocked the populace into understanding and Fristha has been our ally for some time. Princess Elaeria already has command of the army, by virtue of the current King and his Privy Council and those from Anstarn respect her as if she were one of their own; ironically because of the effectiveness of her slaughter against them in the war. Bringing Anstarn into the fold will be made easy shortly as well... I had visions of more than one invasion force landing on this continent's shores. Although I have warned the King of Anstarn I suspect he has dismissed my communications. After the attack on Eleshir he may take things more seriously however... if they have already fought against the invaders then I am afraid his army will have been crushed." The sad smile returned to her face.

"You see, Prince Jochi, it is only in the face of inevitable defeat that we will unify ourselves against this common enemy." As she finished there was the clatter of hooves up the steps to the banquet hall making all turn to look at who was breaking etiquette so seriously. Elaeria was dismounting at the door with Elizabeth McArthur by her side. They made their way quickly over to the Queen's table with all eyes on them.

"Gardos saw the camp fires of an army to the North along the road from Eleshir." Elaeria said, briefly nodding to Jochi; the time for manners had passed. "Until daybreak we can't be sure who they belong to but I think we can make safe assumptions." She looked between the two. "Between us we can command the loyalty of most everyone here; there's no time for a relief force to arrive and I'd rather not run from an enemy we can defeat with my tail between my legs. If Eleshir was any sign then they'll break through the gatehouse within hours of their attack; we have horses and weapons aplenty here." Louise nodded again and turned to Jochi.

"Might I suggest a joint command... between the Lady Revaz and Lord Henry? I believe they've fought against one another many times. Let us see what they can accomplish when the fight on the same side."

Gwen’s green eyes did not leave the man who was guarding her. The man could feel the anger radiating off of her.

“Lyn, please eat. Its not poisoned. You need to keep your strength up.” Her guard was a familiar face to Gwen. He was tall with broad shoulders and a face with deep set lines. His hair was only starting to grey. And he was Matthew, a Queen’s guard and her father’s oath brother.

Gwen’s stare only sharpened. “Uncle Matthew please! Be reasonable. You’re a Queen’s guard. Have you no shame to break your oaths to your liege? Queen Louise is a good Queen, why would you do this to her?”

“There are some things you don’t understand.”

“Please, uncle. Let me go. If you have any love for our Queen show me you are still loyal!” Gwen’s stare broke. She blinked away more tears. She hadn’t shed so many tears in a day since her father’s funeral. “I’ll beg the Queen for her mercy. Please, let me go.”

“I can’t do that Lyn.” His voice was still the deep gentle voice she remembered. Gwen could hear the strain in his words.

This was the same conversation repeated many times throughout the night. It was dawn now and there was still no change. They sat in silence again, both lost in their own thoughts. It was the screams that caught their attention.

The door to the hut was kicked up but Matthew was prepared for a fight. He stopped when he saw the scum with the slick voice. The man only gestured for them to follow and Matthew pulled Gwen up by her arm and half dragged her out. That was when the golden haired girl saw the fire. Bright flames danced across the rooftops of the wooden houses feasting on the homes of the citizens. She flinched from the smoke that blew into her eyes. The winds were strong today and it wouldn’t be long before the fire spread throughout the district.

From the corner of her eye she saw Fenrir. It was only for a moment and far away but she was sure it was her familiar. The scum shouted at Matthew to take her somewhere and again Gwen was dragged around, but this time there was a chance for escape. The fire had spread quicker than expected and the townspeople gave up any chance of saving their homes and businesses. They took what they could carry and ran out of the fire’s path.

In the ensuing crowd Matthew couldn’t keep a grip on Gwen and that was the chance of her to escape. And she called out to Fenrir through their bonding knowing that the wolf will guide her. She managed to enter an empty intersection.

“Lyn!”

Out of years of habit she turned around for Matthew’s voice. He held his rapier inscribed with his house seal on the blade. “Go.” He looked like he wanted to say more but he didn’t.

Gwen couldn’t help herself from laughing. Maybe it was all that had happened yesterday, but the stress seemed to have finally gotten to her. “Now you let me go?” She marched up to the older man. “You’re coming with me!” And she took his hand and tried to pull him along. “You’re letting me go now, so you’re going with me to see the Queen.” She was quite a bit shorter and smaller than Matthew but she didn’t budge.

“I’m sorry Lyn, but I cannot.”

Gwen was going to argue when she felt a jerk. The next thing she knew was her being shielded by Matthew’s body. His teeth was gritted in pain as he clutched at his side. Blood seeped through his fingers. An arrow was lodged just above his hip.

“She’s not going anywhere.” The scum had another arrow ready on his bow.

“Go!” Matthew shouted and pushed Gwen behind him. Just as the other man was about to release the arrow, Fenrir lept and knocked him down. Before anyone could recover from the sudden appearance of the wolf, Fenrir ripped the man’s throat out. The wolf stepped over the corpse and growled at Matthew. Gwen edged around and joined Fenrir.

“Get her back to the Academy,” Matthew commanded the wolf. “There’s an attack coming to Unity. Warn everyone.” Fenrir made a motion to leave, but Gwen stopped him by laying a hand on his neck.

“You’re coming with us.”

“No, I’m not Lyn. There’s still too much I need to do. Now go.” And reluctantly Gwen left her Uncle Matthew standing there surrounded by the burning homes.

Caroline's eyes fluttered open, and for a minute she couldn't figure out where she was. Memories still flashed by her eyes, visions of times that weren't hers, but soon they faded into the background, and she saw the world around her again. Looking up, she saw the face of ine of the other students, suddenly realizing she was being carried somewhere. She struggled a bit, getting his attention, and when he put her down she said "We have to see the queen. I know something that can help in the war." When she spoke her voice sounded far off, like she wasn't paying attention. Find us, the voice of Belaria said, And add our power to your force.

Henry stared at Caroline as she woke suddenly and put her down safely. Something in the young woman's tone stopped him from dismissing her words.

"She'll want to hear but before the war we have a battle to win." Henry said, nodding out over the Academy. He had heard Elaeria's message but before that he had seen the nervous excitement etched in her face; a battle was coming. "The enemy who attacked Eleshir are heading here and there's no standing army; we're all that's in the way."

---

The following morning

Henry stood atop the wall and watched as the North of Unity burned below him. Smoke threatened to make tears spring to his eyes but he blinked it clear and tried to make out the enemy positions. Beside him the Queen and her betrothed also watched. Elaeria was there, representing Fristha, and Revaz had come at Jochi's call; the lure of battle was hard to resist for hardened warriors such as them.

"They broke down the gate at Eleshir without much difficulty and the magicks there were much older and stronger than here; they'll come right through. They'll probably be over confident after Eleshir too. After all, we're merely young nobles and there's barely a full suit of armour to be had between all of us."

They had catalogued the armoury overnight and there was no shortage of weapons; blunted words had been whetted to a razor edge and there was a good supply of various bow forms and arrows but there was very little in the way of armour beyond boiled leather. He turned away from the fires and looked down at the ground around the gate with a thoughtful frown on his face.

"We have two options. We can either attempt to bottleneck them in the gateway or we draw them out and then crush them with skirmishing tactics and cavalry charges." He eyed the ground and found it more than suitable for cavalry maneuvers and looked at Revaz. He had engaged her people several times in the previous wars and had a weary admiration of their horse archery.

"If we have your horse archers thin their ranks and have a barricade set up maybe... half a league down this road with archer platforms to stop them in their tracks we can reduce their numbers to the point one or two shock cavalry charges will either wipe them out or at least rout them." He pointed out to the locations he had mentioned and turned to those assembled but behind them he saw a hulking shape appear in the flames. He blinked, swearing he was seeing things, before he saw the shape again and he ran to the crenelations and focused on that area with no regard for the smoke billowing up around him and into his eyes. It was Fenrir.

"Open the gates!" He shouted down to those below. "Friends approaching!" He quickly bowed to Queen Louise and Jochi before bounding down the steps to greet the familiar. He had seen a figure on his back but in the fire and smoke he hadn't been able to make out who it was but he dared to hope. Elaeria's bad news the previous night had put him in a strange state of turmoil; turmoil even war had not created.

Up on the wall Queen Louise looked after her favoured knight with a faint smile of amusement playing across her lips.

"I thought Henry had crushed his own heart and soul in order to become the perfect warrior. It appears there's some of the young boy I grew up hidden away in there." She turned to Jochi, forgetting that he knew nothing of her long friendship with the knight. "Let us go, Jochi. It's time to stir up the troops." Elaeria joined them.

"I'll come with you. The rural tribes from Anstarn have agreed to follow me rather than be left out of the fight; the remaining few will probably join us rather than let their 'barbarian' cousins out-do them in courage. It's a strange irony that they will follow me because I was so effective at their slaughter." There was no mirth in the grim smile spread across her face; a battle was coming and the pent up anxiety in her was just waiting to be released.

Revaz crossed her arms on her horse and looked down at Henry. This wasn't off to a great start. "This is stupid. They are overconfident but you aren't exploiting this to the full potential we have here." She pointed toward the horizon and then turned her finger right, toward the forest. "You go there and make it seem like you're putting up a fight, once the bulk of their forces come in, you yourself route toward the forest. They think they're invincible, they'll follow, and since we have no armors we're lightweight so we can move faster. Once they're in the forest, we set it on fire. All of it. We're a magical power house here! All of us together we should be able to set the fire and control the winds enough to smoke them out. Once they leave their flaming death, I'll wait them. I'd suggest to attract them in a city, they'll be easier to control and more likely to take the bait, but I doubt you'd let me do that now would you?" She looked down on Henry. She had no home, as such she didn't felt the slightest emotion at the idea of burning down that of others.

"Direct confrontation could work, but considering I hear a lot of 'Horse Archery' and 'Archers' followed by 'Cavalry Charge', while I'm no coward and neither are any of my men, I'd like it if it wasn't all the people willing to actually charge down the army that took down your capital that took the loses." She rolled her eyes. "Didn't I hear your queen say 'Something something Elianst has to show the invaders it can't be beaten so easily'? Jochi might be a turn coat but I ain't about to fight for your own damn glory."