Barcea, Southwestern Region - Cyril, Calypso, and Company

For the trio, there was nothing to find besides the broken and dead. For the most part, the group stayed together as Cyril led the way. Every so often Alasa would drift off to look more closely at some of the wrecked buildings, but would return to catch up with the other two quickly enough. Calypso, in contrast, kept her gaze forward for the most part, not really looking to any of the wreckage or corpses. Of the three, though, it was clearly Cyril who was the most distracted despite how he was the one who led the trio. For the most part, though he held his blade at his right side, his gaze remained down to the helmet he held in his free hand. Even he wasn't so certain of why his gaze remained down to the slightly dented hunk of metal in his hands, as if it had some sort of answer or apology to offer. He knew that he wouldn't find one, but still he kept looking.

This should have been expected, and they should have been ready. He had always thought that Gartian would one day strike a low, terrible, and sudden blow like this, and he knew he wasn't the only one either. Still, apparently the patrols along the border by the soldiers stationed there weren't enough... Nor were the efforts of the Sentinels.

It was only a matter time before he was startled out of his unpleasant reverie. Suddenly, from the other side of the village ash and debris began to fly upwards, knocked sky high by some loud force. While the Prince's head snapped up, Alasa swore heavily as he jumped slightly, and Calypso simply blinked (her eyes had finally faded from the red completely, now instead a light blue). For a few moments the three were still and silent as the further destruction happened to the village, until it finally settled down. Finally they would speak again, glancing back and forth between one another.

"That wouldn't be another attack..."

"I agree. There's no point." The Prince said in response to Alasa, giving a slight nod of the head. The hand holding the helmet lowered slightly, while the one holding the blade came up a little. "Still though... We need to investigate. Especially if that was Drosil getting into a fight with another group lying in wait..."

After a returned nod from the Sentinel, the three moved again, at a faster pace than before. They wasted no time in heading in the perceived source of the destruction, taking as few detours as possible around the rubble when they simply couldn't climb over. Thanks to this speed, they reached the location of the magical blasts soon enough... Though the scene they saw wasn't exactly one any of them were expecting.

Upon their initial approach, the first thing they saw were the earth golems. Though the sight of them was enough to make both Cyril and Alasa tense, when it became clear that they weren't hostile and their purpose was to take care of the dead, the group just carefully made their way by the few they saw. They then came upon those who they were looking for, though they wouldn't realize it to begin with. After all, of those they expected, Sir Mauls-a-lot was the only one present. Drosil was nowhere to be seen, and instead there was a rather rugged-looking woman and a... vaguely humanoid shape, a massive seven feet with scales, claws, and deadly looking weapons.

The figure was unlike anything Cyril had seen before, and because of that he simply stared for a moment after the trio came to a stop. After a moment though, he shook his head, keeping his weapon up a little as he prepared to defend himself, while refraining from being too threatening. The helmet remained at his side and a little behind as he surveyed the scene briefly, the surprise on his face clear enough.

"Who… are you? Where's Drosil?"

Behind the Prince, Alasa stood at the ready, quickly glancing between the figure and the woman as he tried to piece together what he was seeing. Calypso, though, seemed not to care about any of it. In what looked either brave or foolish, she passed Cyril to calmly approach Sir Mauls-a-lot, her smile having yet to leave her face. She didn't even glance towards the massive figure or the woman, simply not interested in them at the moment, not with her new friend nearby. Upon reaching the Deathcrawler, her hand came up to pet the creature once again, though this time without the slightest hesitation.

"...~" The blue sparkled in her eyes.

Though perhaps not the case for Alasa, the Prince seemed to be used enough to Calypso's antics to at least not be thrown off by what she did. In fact he barely glanced to her, his gaze instead cautiously focused upon the giant who stood nearby. Despite his fearsome appearance, he seemed calm enough and was apparently drawing or scribbling something away in a notebook, but Cyril still wasn't prepared to let his guard down around this stranger, especially with the scenery around himself. Though the organic-looking armor was dark, the figure at least wasn't wearing the colors of the H'kelan forces.

So focused was he on the larger figure initially he barely looked towards the woman, but as he glanced towards her something about her... confused him. This was clear by the way his brow furrowed and his focus was soon mostly upon her; Alasa could watch the larger figure well enough on his own. For some reason, he couldn't help but feel as if he should know her. There were many citizens in Barcea though, so was she one that he had simply met before? Something about that didn't seem completely right and didn't settle well enough with him. After a moment of this confused look, he turned his head slightly before finally speaking again.

"To you as well: Who are you, and why are you here?"

As the Prince spoke to the woman, his guard lowered ever slightly, both the sword and helmet dropping some. Alasa, in contrast, remained highly wary as he kept his bow and arrow at the ready though not directly pointed at anyone. Calypso meanwhile just kept her entire attention focused on Sir Mauls-a-lot.

Covered by their cloaks the brothers were walking, each on a side of the convoy that was carrying Seraph's treasures of art collections and jewelry, it was rather a small convoy and the brothers could defend it in case of an attack, which could easily happen. It made the brothers alerted by every suspeious move around them, and defenseless were Seraph's staff so they had to be more wary for them too... Because of the country's natural terrain they had to travel down near the borders of H'kela and then turn there to the center, and continue towards the capital. Pillars of smoke could be spotted from afar by the brothers, concerned Chozai for the caravans safety he ordered them to stop and rest so he could talk to his brother and Seraph "Azai, what are your thoughts about that smoke? Could it be that war had finally broken?" Azai stared at Seraph "I can surely assume that. But it seems like a sudden attack, it would be impossible for Barcea's border towns to stop them. They will spread into the land before their government realize it" Seraph was only concerned about his caravan and how would they reach the capital, so he stayed silent to see what the brothers would say "Brother. It's impossible to protect the caravan against H'kela's army... But rest assured I have thought of a plan" Chozai smiled as he placed his hand on his chest "Azai you will scout ahead of us as fast as you can clearing a path and leave marks to indicate it's safe to move through, we will march slowly and I will stay at the rear end incase we are attacked from behind, simple enough I think. But you will need to avoid open space and stick to the woods if you can" Azai smirked as he sprayed some of the left overs of the chemicals he made for the bandit attack on a nearby tree decaying part of it "This is the mark watch for it. I will leave now" Chozai was full of hope by this plan, praying no surprise gets in their way...

Hours had passed and the caravan's advance was slow, Azai on the other hand was speeding through the woods. Clearing a path wasn't that difficult, luckily he had little resistance of solitary soldiers. Nevertheless it was tiring barley catching his breath between each point he searched and cleared. Seraph was relaxed trusted the brothers as he saw their effectiveness with strategy and strength to back it up... The caravan reached Azai and stopped as Seraph and Chozai walked towards Azai to be shocked by a terrible scene, the woods ended and open space was ahead of them and left overs of what used to be a town. Corpses men, women and even the children were lying around and it, Azai could notice the anger in Chozai's eyes while he didn't give much thought about the matter and instead tried to think of a way to get through without being spotted by H'kela's army "Chozai, its not the time to be distracted, we will need to figure a way to get through this town without being noticed, I will scout ahead and return back here.." Chozai interrupted "No, I will scout ahead incase I find some survivors, I can heal them and then head back here" Seraph had more experience in this region so explained to the brothers that if they cross this town they will find a nearby forest that stretches almost to the south, near the capital city...

Small fires still not extinguished, not a single sign of life, only corpses of innocent people who lived in peace, a vision Chozai despised because he couldn't imagine how someone could murder innocent people and especially the children. At the far end of the town when he thought no one survived he heard a woman's scream so he hurried towards her, she was a mother calling for help for her child who was injured "Sir, please, I'm begging you help my daughter. She's all I got in this world... Chozai activated his power through his hands healing the girl and returning color to her paled skin, but what he didn't realize that the mother was mortally wounded by a deep cut from her back, it was too severe to be healed by him and it was too late to do anything leading to her death... Chozai felt helpless for the first time in his life, he couldn't think of something to tell the girl nor he knew how to explain to her this situation they're in, as the girl got up she called for her mother to realize she was dead. The girl was shocked unable to comprehend that her mother and her whole family was gone, and was sitting with a stranger she never knew how could any child comprehend it but the child surprised Chozai as she didn't cry only anger was what he could see, maybe it was will or something else compelling him to not feel helpless "Child my name is Chozai, I healed your wound... I couldn't help your mother, I do not know what to tell you other than my sincere remorse. If you so will, I will take responsiblity for you and will do everything in my power to avenge you. So tell me child, what's your name?" the girl hesitated a bit before answering him "My name is Lily..." Chozai smiled as he reached his hand to her, she grabbed his hand and went back with him to the caravan. He reported to his brother that he couldn't find a trace of H'kela's army in his search, and found the girl that he will be taking her with him, Azai didn't object and figured that army must've headed towards the next town which wasn't on their way. They continued towards the wood with ease and wasn't met with enemies making their journey faster... It was an extraordinary scene for the brothers they have never seen the capital city of Barcea before, it was captivating the walls were shiny white giving a majestic feeling too it. They arrived at the gate awaiting to know what's ahead of them...

Joy did not have to wait long for the Sentinels here strange, scaled companion had warned her about to show up. She propped herself up everso slightly to get a better view of the three. She noted the drawn bow, but before she could completely size up a woman bolted towards Sir Mauls. Joy momentarily thought about warning the statuesque woman about approaching the deathcrawler, but then she caught sight of the third man. She felt herself swiftly shoot up to a sitting position, drawing the attention of the third man. The two momentarily locked eyes. The color fled from her dirtied and tanned face. She felt her chest tighten as a wave of guilt loomed over her. A lump tightening in her throat was the only thing that held her back from shouting in shock. Her mind was alit with confusion, panic, regret, and sorrow. There was no way. Had she finally cracked? No, it was clearly him.

...Olain.

Joy felt like crying as the man she had failed to save stared back her. You coward, she thought she heard him say. Traitor. She wanted to protest, to ask for his forgiveness, to try and explain that she had done everything she could. Liar. Cheater. Murderer. Gripping her fingers tightly into a fist, she lowered her head and gave it a slight shake. Olain was dead; this was nonsense. She took a deep breath. Looking back up, the illusion began to fade away as Cyril's form took shape. Ambrosia, does he look like his father now, she thought, studying Cyril. Her eyes lingered on his lower weapon. A memory of her days as Vesta training the boy to never lower his guard flashed through her mind. Apparently she had failed to make an impression on the boy. Perhaps that was for the best. She highly doubted that she was a topic of pleasant conversation in the Serio family. His questioned confirmed her suspicions: he either had no memory of her, or could no longer see the face of the former guard captain behind the grime and years.

“I-” She cleared her throat. Now was not the time to be emotional or dwell on the past. “I'm nobody of real circumstance.” She took the opportunity of Sir Mauls being distracted by the other woman to stand up, leaning against her scabbard to help her up. She cast a cautious glance over at the archer before returning her gaze back to Cyril. “Then again, the last time I tried to keep my privacy I was held at gunpoint by a boy and his bug,” said Joy, ruffling her hair with her fingers as she thought of a convincing yarn to spin. Her mind was too hazy to think of anything elaborate; simple and vague it was, then.

“My name's Joy. I don't know who that gentleman is, but he might have been that Drosil you mentioned. You can ask him to explain that. I'm just a traveler who's saw smoke and decided to try and do their good deed for the day. Like you Sentinels, I was too late. Then again, judging by the scene I doubt any of us could have done much of anything except add to the total body count.” Tucking her hand into her pocket, she surveyed the destruction. Drosil's addition to the wreckage really helped sell her point, as it had kicked up some of the more foul smells that had previously settled.

“I fear that this is more than a bandit attack. H'kelans, probably, although I don't have solid proof.” She noted the wet blood that was still on the Prince's blade. “But I think you may have already known that. There's a church in the middle of town that could have some more definite answers, but I couldn't get the door open. I came back here to get some supplies to get it open, by my horse had run off in the mean time. Probably smelled that thing,” she jutted a finger towards Sir Mauls, “and booked it.”

She decided to omit the part where Drosil had held her against her will do to him being rightfully suspicious of the woman. Judging by the other woman's familiarity with his creepy crawler friend, Joy felt it would be unwise to try to badmouth the strange man. The last thing she wanted was another standoff, especially one involving Cyril.

“So, what is your course of action now? Go run to your commander and tell him to get his sister to march troops on H'kela?” she asked, pretending not to know the man she was talking to was the Prince.

"Calm down, whelp," Shadar spoke without looking up at Cyril, continuing to work on his sketch as he spoke, easily sensing the young man's apprehension. Unlike Drosil, who couldn't give a damn about politics half the time, Shadar was able to recognize the name of the Barcean prince, and that meant the blind girl must be his sister as well. Interesting companions you've saddled me with, Drosil Shadar gave a sigh as he mutter to himself, wondering whether not he should tell the man the trying circumstances of his birth, which would be required to answer his question, or should he be a vague bastard.

"You're answer is as good as mine, but all you need to know is that he's safe and he'll be back by morning at the latest. Happy, your highness?"

Vague bastard it was, with a tone of condescending ass sprinkled on as well. He might've said more, that familiar tinge of jealousy making it's way into his heart when he talks to people of high standing, living th high life while he was forced into the form of a monster, when the strange pale girl's action took his attention. He saw her approach Sir Mauls, once again making that strange lyrical humming sound, and gave a whistle of his own in impressed amazement as the beast seemed to visible calm down, accepting her touch with a clattering chatter, obviously pleased by her presence. Well then, that's new. She should be missing a hand right now, but instead it looks like she could have Sir Mauls eating out of the palm of her hand. Interesting company indeed.

Shadar, inspired by the action, soon began to sketch out the scene on a new page of his notebook, seeming to be done speaking with those around him at the moment. He hadn't missed the woman's reaction upon seeing Cyril, having sensed the swirl of emotions coming off her, but decided to just tuck that information away for later. He could question the woman on her connection with the royal family later, right now he had to focus on shading. Shading was always such a bitch to do, especially with his malformed hands.

"......" Silence, deathly silence. The kind that can only be created by death and destruction of this magnitude.
Lyrena stood motionless, she felt a tear roll down her cheek, however, no sound could escape her lips. The scene was one of such intense horror that she couldn't properly process it. She managed to find some composure and steeled herself for the horrors that would still lay ahead. She walked past numerous houses, gardens, playgrounds even, all were packed full of people and animals, the only thing lacking was life.
She stopped at one of the playgrounds, feeling her lips quiver and her eyes dampening with tears, she threw her head into her raised hands and sobbed aloud, uncontrollably. She saw the lifeless bodies of children laying unnaturally on the ground, some of them didn't even have time to leave the equipment they were playing on, some had probably been too young to even know what was going on around them as they watched their terrified mothers desoerate attemlts to reach them before their attackers.
Lyrena looked away and moved in the opposite direction as fast as she could, she tried desperately to rid herself of the image she had witnessed, her efforts were in vain.

A noise, perhaps it was just the wind? Or the restless spirits clutching to this world, longing for the lives they lost.
No, it was definitely a sound, human, and close by.
She looked around, her eyes sore from the tears as well as the fumes of the burning houses. However she managed still to locate the source of the noise, a short way off in a clearing to her right she saw an overly large figure accompanied by a few others, she pulled an arrow from her quiver and drew down her bow, unthreatening but prepared was she as she approached the group.

Cyril she noticed first, the young Prince of Barcea, if he was here then this people must be his Sentinels, they definitely would not have played any part in this catastrophe. She looked at him and addressed him personally before any of the others.

"Your royal highness, my name is Lyrena and approach with peace. Please sir, please tell me what happened here, who did this?" She asked, trying to conceal another bout of tears.

---------------

Barcea, Southwestern Region - Cyril, Calypso, and Company

Though the Prince had spoken to the tall, almost monstrous figure first, it was the woman who responded to him first. Judging from her appearance, she had clearly gone through very long and very rough times; Cyril wasn't sure if he wanted to know exactly what she had struggled through. It wasn't because she was dirty or scarred, but rather the way she acted: closed off, distant, and beyond that when she had initially seen him... she almost seemed scared, only shutting down to the previously described traits afterwards. Whatever it was, perhaps it was truly better she didn't know.

He listened to her story and her theory, expression calm and serious, almost grave. She was completely right about it being H'kela, and he gave a slight nod at her words; she seemed to already know, anyway. Before he could actually respond to her, though, the massive figure was speaking to him, the Prince blinking in surprise. Whelp...? Well that was a new one. The Prince bit his tongue and didn't respond immediately, for two reasons: one, he wasn't sure about the capabilities of this imposing figure, and two, Calypso seemed to really like Sir Mauls-a-lot. He wasn't sure what side she would be on if a fight broke out, to be entirely honest.

Though the woman didn't seem to know who he was, and before Drosil hadn't, this... person seemed to know who the Prince actually was. Remaining relatively incognito was becoming more and more difficult, so he just simply gave a nod in the direction of the woman as she spoke about what would happen next, saying, "Something like that." Something about her name, 'Joy,' once again brought a ghost of recognition to the back of his mind, but he didn't have the time to figure out why.

Before he could say or ask anything else, Alasa suddenly whirled, bow coming up. Quickly, the Prince turned as well to face what had alarmed the Sentinel, but he relaxed more quickly than the archer at the approaching figure. Though the young, blonde-haired woman approached with her bow out, she clearly wasn't a threat, and rather explicitly said who he was. Where the older, rougher looking woman may not have been Barcean, if she even lived in any sort of society at all, this younger one knew who he was and was very clearly Barcean.

"Greetings, Lyrena. We won't harm you." The hand that held the blade went out, gently making a lowering gesture to Alasa, who slowly complied. Calypso hadn't even looked in the new woman's direction yet with her focus entirely upon the Deathcrawler, but Cyril felt this was as good of a time as any to simply answer both the question that the newcomer Lyrena had, and confirm the suspicions of Joy in one move. He brought the helmet up then, holding it in few view of everyone as he initially glanced to Joy as he started to speak, before looking back towards Lyrena.

"The church is empty now. Three H'kelans were there... Leftovers from whatever force that did this. That's who did this, the H'kelans; they just started a war." He lowered the H'kelan helmet, his expression remaining completely serious. To Lyrena directly he said, "It's not safe to stay here, and I need to head back to the Capitol. Please, if you are alone come with us."

"I would be honored your highness... I can fight too, I want to be part of any plans you may have."

He gave a nod to the young woman. She had just witnessed a massacre beyond anything she had ever seen before, but despite the emotions she may have been seeing she was still able to say that. He then looked to Joy, briefly contemplating what to do. After a moment he said, "I hope this doesn't inconvenience you too much, but I need you to come with us as well. Your story and evidence might be able to shed more light on the situation."

"Perhaps it would have been an inconvenience, but I doubt I'd have much opportunity for business around this village now. Besides, I suppose it is my natural duty to help avenge these people, yes?" said Joy, standing up with a slight struggle. She place her hand on her heart and gave an unenthusiastic half-bow. "I apologize for not being able to give you a proper curtsy, Your Royal Highness. You have horses, yes? I wouldn't expect a prince to make an injured woman walk the whole way."

"Of course not." After replying to Joy, he finally looked to the tall figure, who he still didn't know the name of yet. There was more hesitance here, but he finally said, "If Drosil is supposed to return soon, then I suppose it would be best if you were to stay with us." At his words Calypso quickly nodded, seeming to more insistently pet Sir Mauls-a-lot, if that was possible.

For a moment, the figure was quiet. Perhaps he was considering it would be best to travel with companions, especially with the threat of an enemy army on the move, perhaps not. Whatever he considered, he eventually said, "May as well help." With that, the decisions had been made, and they would be travelling together.

"Alright, let's go." Without another word, Cyril began to lead the now much larger group away. As he walked, he cleaned his blade with a cloth before sheathing his weapon, not looking back. The sooner they were gone from the village, the better for both his sake and the rest of Barcea's. He wasted no time leading them out of the village, back to the hill where they had left Etsuko and Ayano. Along the way, they picked up the still anguished companion that Lyrena had been travelling with, Oluma, but very little could be done for her. After they were well in sight and began their way up the hill, Ayano sat up suddenly, saying, "They're coming back!"

"We're here, Ayano." He gave a weak sort of smile even if she couldn't see it, before he looked to Etsuko. Behind him Calypso waved as they approached, but he was the one to coninue speaking, simply saying, "It was H'kela. We're heading back to the Capitol, getting out of here. Please, come with us at least to there. It'll be much safer that way." In response had just quietly nodded, and quickly the group made their preparations to leave.

---

Arc One

A War Resumed

---

The Capitol of Barcea

As the walls of the Capitol City of Barcea came into view, Cyril didn't feel the usual sense of safety that he always felt upon returning home. War had stepped over the horizon after all, and it was only a matter of time before the peace that was still felt here melted away.

They had been moving nonstop since mounting up on the hill outside the village. While Joy had been placed on Alasa's horse with the Sentinel, Calypso had silently pulled herself up onto Sir Mauls-a-lot, and after much hesitation Oluma joined her there; that left room for Lyrena to join Cyril on his horse. Despite Cyril's concern for the tall figure was brushed off; apparently, he would simply keep up on foot. Together, the group followed the roads to the east and to the north, making their way in the direction of the Capitol as quickly as possible. They only made a single stop along the way, at a larger village closer to the Capitol (its proximity being the reason why it wasn't targeted), dropping Oluma off on her request and wishing her well before continuing on at their quick pace. They arrived towards the end of the afternoon, the edges of the sky to the east just beginning to tint red.

Their approach was spotted from the walls thanks to the rather alarming appearance of the Deathcrawler, but as they got closer calls began to ring out, the message being passed along that the Prince and Princess had returned. The foot traffic in front of the gates they approached began to quickly clear away, allowing them to pass straight through into the Capitol. Just beyond a group of gates guards had gathered, with civilians behind them. Some had backed up as the group entered because of the Deathcrawler, and some because of the massive figure that stood with the group, but the Captain stepped forwards, eyes on the Prince.

"Your Highnesses, is everything alright-"

Cyril was already cutting him off before the question could be completed, his gaze focused. "They're with me. Set extra watch now, and prepare to keep it up in the coming days. Where's my sister?"

The Captain was struggled to keep up while continuing to use the proper pleasantries. "Of course, your Highness- She's still in the streets, but she may be heading back to the castle soon."

"Thank you." With that, the Prince's gaze went back to the street in front of him as he snapped the reins, bringing the group back in motion once again. The streets beyond were full of the Barcean people, who were out even more than usual that day to see the Queen. Thanks to the Deathcrawler though, the citizens cleared out of the way even more quickly than they normally would have as the Prince led the group through.

Despite the initial surprise (and in some cases, fear) at the sight of the Deathcrawler and the tall, dark individual, the faces of the citizens would light up when they focused upon the Prince and the Princess, and Alasa as well when he was recognized. While the Sentinel just gave nods, the Princess waved in all directions as they passed through the crowd. Despite what she had been near before, Ayano was able to put a smile on her face for the sake of the people.

Cyril wished he was as talented at the appearance game as she was, at the moment. His smile was a little more forced, and his waves brief and stiff. His thoughts were too focused on how he carried the helmet, carefully wrapped in one of the travelling blankets well before they reached the Capitol so that no one would see, and what would probably be coming in the not so distant future. The sooner he reached his sister, the better, so with that goal in mind he kept pressing the group forwards, deeper into the Capitol.

The Capitol had two sets of circular walls, outer and inner. In the space in between both sets was where the general population of the Capitol worked and lived, with their homes, shops, and streets. The royalty, however, lived within the small circle made by the inner walls. On one of the main streets, they were on the shortest path from the outer walls to the gates of the inner walls, though there was a fair distance and a lot of people between their current destination and their objective.

The group with the Prince and Princess wouldn't be able to see them quite yet, but there was another group travelling together in the Capitol with royalty. As it was already know, Kori Serio was visiting the city of the Capitol that day, and had indeed spent her entire day walking at a slow ride through the streets, greeting and interacting with her people. More often than not she would dismount from her horse to enter a shop or some other building, and she had actually eaten while out and about, too.

Kori was a picture of graceful beauty, tall and with elegant features. The bluish hue that the Serios were known for (save for Ayano) was present within her neck-length hair, at a somewhat lighter tint than that of her younger brother. Her dress, though simple considering the need for her travel, was still made of a beautiful fabric that shimmered blue with tasteful bits of white and silver here and there, and upon her head she wore a crown of silver as well.

As she moved through the city, she always had a peaceful, calm, and welcoming smile on her face. Though she went along with a few guards and advisors, anyone was allowed to approach her to talk to her, and she listened carefully to whatever may have been said. Even as the day began to wane, and the entourage began to make its way back towards the gates that led to the castle, she still took her time to talk and listen. This was just one of the many reasons why she was loved, and one of the many reasons why Barcea was now a very different nation compared to a decade before.

Ennis Cade stood on the balcony of his apartment with a letter in hand and a look of utter defeat on his face. Even the charming view of the castle and the city of Barcea to his east and the ever faint illusion of his home to the west did little to uplift his spirits. The chip, pleasant sounds of excited citizens running about their days in hopes of seeing the Queen served as a dissonant background to his gnashing of teeth as he tried to find someway, anyway at all, to possibility reinterpret the letter from his father. He sighed. There would be no mistaking the words; it would be a waste of time to even pretend. Tucking the letter into his shirt, the man took a moment to breath in the fresh Barcean air and to force a pleasant look onto his face before stepping back into his apartment.

The Queen had been kind enough to set Ennis up with a spacious and lavish two-room apartment located above a flower shop in the higher end of the capitol. Thus, the living room smelled of fresh roses and was decorated with fancy woodwork, fine chairs, a decorated fireplace, and was lined drapes and other frivilous things. In H'kela, a foreign ambassador's room would be located in the bottom of the castle dungeon, where one would hope to find a blanket smelling of mildew and, if they were lucky, a bucket without any holes. A small fire was going more for ambience than anything, as the shining sun was enough to brighten and warm up the room. Next to the balcony was a window, and next to that window were two chairs and a sturdy table rich with fine china, a steaming tea kettle, a vase with fresh flowers from the shop below, a plate loaded with scones, and one letter opener left out of place by Ennis.

His guest was currently toying with the object. Her skin was a stark contrast to her dark traveling clothes. Her dirtied traveling clothes implied that she had been riding hard for days without rest, yet the hard look in her dark eyes said that she could still go for a few more. The cup of tea on her platter was untouched, as the scone on the plate next to it. Ennis saw her look up at him as he walked back in, a swath of black hair cutting across her forehead. She had, apparently, been waiting graciously for her host, because as he took his seat she at the scone with two bites and grabbed another. The act forced a smile on Ennis's face. He was glad to see that even after a decade his friend, Nia, hadn't changed—at least not in the way she acted. She was the daughter of his father's adviser, had been his friend since even the days of him being bedridden, had been his second spell ever absorbed, his first kiss, and first love. Of course, now he had Orissa, and Nia had been married to the military because of her magic.

“I don't know how you can stand the tea here,” said Nia, wrinkling her nose as she put the cup down and popped another scone in her mouth. “It's nothing like the kind back home.”

“I had it imported from the Kirun,” said Ennis, taking his hat off and placing it on his lap.

“Must be the Barcean water then,”said Nia. “So, what do you think?”

She was talking about the letter. Ennis looked down at the tucked envelope in his shirt, trying to find a way to put his thoughts into words. His father had gone out of his way to inform him that Gartian had tired of moving troops back and forth near the border like a chained, rabid dog and had given the order to remove the leash. By the time he received the letter, his father said, the first towns would must likely have already fallen. It wouldn't be long before offical word made it back to the Capitol of Barcea. The Queen would be forced to declare war. His father wrote of his fears that the citizens (or rather, “the barbaric animals that ooze false civilities”) would leap at this opportunity and make an example out of the first H'kelan they could find, namely Ambassador Ennis Cade. He had ordered his son and heir to return to the Kirun where he was to govern in his father's place while he joined Gartian on the campaign. In other words, Ennis was to turn tail and flee so he could stay out of harm's way until all of this was over.

Ennis was torn on what he should do. On one hand, he believed that war would be disasterous for H'kela. Yes, they probably had a larger standing army and men hungry for battle, but over the past decade Barcea had been growing in wealth through a golden age brough upon by the Queen. If his family's history had taught him anything it was that well-supplied and well-paid soldiers won wars, not bitter and disorganized ruffians. He believed that it would best if stayed in the Capitol. Yes, he would be targeted by suspicious eyes, but at worst he believed that he would be imprisoned during the time of the war. Somebody would have to be present come time to talk peace, however, and he knew that his voice would be more influential and more helpful than the rambling madness coming from Gartian. Staying would be the best course of action for his country. On the other hand, this was an order from his father. He was obliged to follow and honor his family. Yet there was one thing in the back of his mind that made him worry. Or really, two things. And they were perhaps the most important of all.

“Well, do you have an answer to my question or do you want us to continuing sitting here in uncomfortable silence?” said Nia, crumbles spilling from her mouth as she talked.

“No, sorry,” said Ennis, shaking his head. There was another break in the conversation as he dove back into his mind.

“That's...not really how you can respond to that,” said Nia. She gave an exaggerated sigh and leaned forward, rest her chin on one hand while grabbing a scone with another. Food in mouth, she spoke. “Fine, since you're still twelve apparently I'll just tell you what to do like always. Come home to the Kirun. There's nothing for you in Barcea now, and from the rumors I've heard there never has been anything for you in Barcea.”

“That's not necessary true,” said Ennis with a weak voice as if he was unsure of it himself.

“You're an idiot,” said Nia, punctuating with her palm smacking the table. “You're surrounded by the enemy. Don't let there false pretenses of peace persuade you that these people are anything but monsters. Just because the Queen bitch isn't Olain does not mean she isn't a Serio. Her father killed your brothers. If the Gifted hadn't put that idiot in his place he would have seen all of H'kela burn, too. Don't tell me you've forgotten your country, your family.”

“I haven't--” Ennis paused, realizing he had been shouting, and took a second to lower his voice and cool his nerves. “I will never forget nor forgive the Serio family for what they did to us. But like them, I will learn from the sins of our father. War devestated Barcea, but when they laid down their weapons for peace suddenly things became better for all of their citizens. War devestated H'kela, but when they had an opportunity to improve their country all they did were find ways to keeping fighting—even if meant destroying themselves.”

“That's who we are,” said Nia. “We don't cower behind a Queen's regalia and pretend to be what we aren't.”

“Yes, instead we're loyal to an insane King and pretend that none of us see it,” said Ennis. Nia, whose face had hardened during the conversation, quickly broke under a wave of nervousness as she glanced about as if to make sure nobody had overheard him. Unless the flowers were secretly spies for Gartian, Ennis knew that they would be fine.

“Is that why you are here? Are you actually loyal?” said Nia quietly.

“I am loyal to H'kela,” said Ennis, not missing a beat. “But if I want to protect my family, I will remain here.”

“Gartian wouldn't do anything to your father or the Kirun. He needs their supplies for his war,” said Nia.

“I wasn't talking about them,” said Ennis, the image of his wife and daughter flashing across his mind. He hadn't seen them in nearly a year. He still remembered how he had argued with his father over his arranged marriage to the very day of his wedding, how he declared he could never love a daughter from a rival family. He remembered the first time he saw Orissa. How her beauty had stunned him into silence, only for her brilliance and wit to make him ramble and laugh like an idiot throughout their first night. How she had given his daughter, their daughter life almost at the cost of her own. There wasn't a day where he didn't think about them. Gartian had said he would make sure they were kept guarded while Ennis was away, but the ambassador's time with him had taught him how not to trust the words of the Rabid King. If Gartian caught wind that he had abandoned his post surely he would find a way to justify bringing harm to his loved ones. “He has my wife and daughter.”

Nia was silent. Apparently, the thought hadn't crossed her mind. Perhaps she hadn't even known that he had married. Ennis watched as she fidgeted in her chair, his chin sitting on his bridged hands. The happy voices could still be heard outside; below him he could hear the store owner bidding a customer good day. Finally, after nearly a minute, Nia looked up. Her face was one of vast sadness and it said what she could not. Ennis cast his eyes down to his lap and grimaced. For the longest time, neither spoke. Ennis knew the next thing he said would be an issue, but he needed to say it.

“Nia, I need you to help them make it safely to the Kirun.”

She said nothing.

“I promise you. If I receive word that they are safe then I will return home to them and to my father. Until then, I will continue playing the ignorant and ineffective ambassador. Hopefully I will be able to somehow prevent H'kela's total annihilation as well. Worst case I'll just be held a politcal prisoner until this is all over. It won't be so bad; I'm pretty much used to not having free rein.”

“Of course,” said Nia, standing up to go.

“Here, give this to my wife,” said Ennis, producing a letter for the woman. She snatched it out of his hands. “Thank you. I owe you.”

“More than you know. Farewell.”

Ennis watched as Nia left his apartment, stepping out onto the balcony to watch his childhood friend disappear into the crowd below. He knew his family would be safe under her protection; now he need to worry about his own. The ambassador rang a small bell sitting on his desk; the door to his apartment opened and his servant, Yan, entered. The servant was almost the absolute opposite of Ennis in almost everyway: short and muscular with a rounded pig face, tanned skin, and thinning black hair. Only his nice clothes, paid for and gifted to him by Ennis, made him appear to be anything more than a hired thug.

“Sir?”

“Yan, I'm afraid my situation here has become rather dire. Take however much is required and find me some people who are more loyal to gold and silver than to blood and borders. I have a feeling the Queen is going to require my attention shortly, and I rather have an empty pocket and eyes on my back than a new necktie made out of rope.”

Yan nodded, grabbed some coins out of Ennis's bag, and left the H'kelan alone. Sighing, Ennis sat down at his desk, produced a pen and parchment, and began drafting his will. He didn't know how long until the Queen's men would come knocking, but he knew the knock was certainly going to come.

---

The ride to the Capitol had been wonderfully pleasant for Joy, who had spent the duration of it having a pleasant chat with Alasa that had begun and ended with a single grunt. She had been able to relieve herself of the symptomatic shakes during their short pit stop, dashing off as fast as her knee would allow her to the tavern for a quick pint and a refill of her flask. Overall, the pessimistic woman could hardly even justifying a complaint, although it didn't stop her from muttering the occassional criticism that, apparently, fell on deaf or uncaring ears. The feeling of relief soon turned sour, shifting into a lingering sense of dread as the group came closer to the Capitol. The first time she had come to the Capitol was as a hero, lauded throughout the land for her dueling prowess. Now she came to the city she had failed with only a gambit in her mind and doubt in her heart. The plan had shifted and turned so much during the ride that she no longer knew if she even had the same goal as before in mind, if she even had a goal at all. Perhaps when she was finally recognized she would just be left to rot in a cell somewhere. Perhaps she was fine with that.

A tiny voice in her head told her otherwise.

She kept her head down as the Prince spoke with the Captain. Joy doubted the man had served under her, and doubted even more that he would have recognized her even if he did, but she still wanted to play it safe. Even as the group made their procession throughout the street she kept turning her face from any gaze that lingered long. Fortunately, many eyes fell to the creature that trailed behind them. For once, Joy was thankful that the deathcrawler existed. Still, the overwhelming urge to leap from Alasa's horse and flee was only kept in check by the fact that she knew her legs wouldn't carry her far. The castle was in view, highlighted by the lowering sun in the sky and looming over her like the headsman's axe. Her knuckles turned white beneath her gloves; only a matter of time before she found out her fate.

For the duration of the trip back to the Capitol, Etsuko had been silently following the party. It was hard to tell what upset her more: the fact that a whole village had to perish under one kingdom’s desire to start a war or the fact that she hadn’t made it in time to warn them of their grisly fate. Whatever it was, she could hardly bring herself to smile.

Even as they entered the Capitol and were given all sorts of pleasantries, she couldn’t find it in her to wave back or even to smile at them. It was her first time in the Capitol, and yet her heart was heavy.

As they approached the castle, she finally looked up, feeling a dull sense of awe at the fact that she was being welcomed into such a noble place. Already having met the Prince and Princess was enough to set her above most of the citizens of Barcea, but finding shelter in their castle might make her seem blessed by the Divines from the day she was born.

Well, not including her gift of foresight that is.

Her sense of curiosity came back as she thought of what would happen between the Prince and his sister, the Queen. She hoped that they wouldn’t go to arms, but after seeing how brutal the attack was on an innocent village…

Peace seemed long gone at this point.

Shadar said nothing as he approached the shining star of the Serio family, feeling no grand sense of awe or amazement. He was never one to be impressed by such things, and besides, he already had more pressing concerns to consider. While following the young prince had seemed like the best choice at the time, he now found himself stuck inside this blasted city, full of sheep in the guise of humanity that would keep their eyes on him like a savage wolf that had snuck in amongst the herd. He could already since the wave of confusion emanating from the crowd, as well as an undercurrent of fear. Most of it was directed at Sir Mauls, who was scuttling on his lower legs as he rose his upper body to stare out over the crowd, Calypso rested safely and semi-comfortable between the gaps in his exo-skeleton, which made a sort of natural saddle of sorts. It had taken Drosil years of training and trust to get Sir Mauls to allow the young mage to ride upon him, but this girl had with such ease that it made him wonder if she was using some sort of magic.

Turning his thoughts away from the two, he looked over at the animal charmer's charge, a young girl who was looking about with a mix of awe and unease, obviously shocked by the massacred remains she had born witness to. They woman with the limp was practically swimming in unease, self-doubt, and other such emotions, though he didn't even need his abilities to discern such, as it was present in the way she acted, like a mouse walking into a trap. The prince was understandingly troubled as well, no doubt thinking of how he was going to break the news that the whole country was going to devolve into another major war.

Maybe I was too quick to envy him, as he now has to be the one to bear the bad news. Hmph, and yet, I still take some joy from this predicament, if only because I don't have to make the choice. I wonder, however, what I'll have to do and how long I should stay amongst these people.

Magnificent was the capitol it's architecture was unique, and witnessing its beauty was more of what the brothers imagined, and it was by far better than the snowy mountains that they inhabited for long. Seraph went through the city guiding the amazed brothers through the streets to his estate "Welcome to my home, make yourselves comfortable till I get you our agreed payment." A maid came and took their ragged cloaks "Master Setaph ordered me to get you a pair of new cloaks" Azai was happy with the new cloak, it was black decorated with gold on the sides and the hood that was pointed from the front, it looked quite elegant. Chozai on the other hand didn't care much for it, his mind was concerned about Lily who was silent the whole road with no emotions or reaction to anything "Can you also bring new cloths for the girl?" Chozai told the maid with a serious tone, the maid took Lily with her to clean her and dress her. Azai turned to his brother concerned about him "Brother it wasn't your fault. You did everything you could and no one can say otherwise, but do you really think that you can take her with us? Because I don't think it's safe for her nor a good life for a child.." Chozai interrupted his brother with a higher tone "I know but I gave her my word. And I will let justice reign upon the H'kelan army. No decent army would kill women, children and the elders, so brother please I need your support with this." Azai knew that look in Chozai's eyes and he knew that he would never fail on this promise "Alright brother, I will help any way I can" As they were talking the maid brought back Lily cleaned and dressed with fine clothes, and Seraph came with the money "You look wonderful child..Now here's your payment with an add to it, you did a very fine job much better than what I expected, even though we had our differences but please accept my friendship. And you can stay here today if you want to." Chozai turned to Seraph "It's kind of you, but we have still work to do here so we will be going." The brothers headed for the city.

They searched the city for a decent inn to rent a room, they couldn't be going inside taverns with Lily alongside them. They entered what looked like a good inn, and could already notice that there weren't any news about the H'kelean army that attacked, could it be that no one survived the attacks? Chozai felt the need that he should alert some officials about the matter yet he didn't know anything about the city or how it functions, Azai was renting the renting the room when he heard some people talking about the queen who was in the city the whole day. The brothers carried their bags and headed for the room "Alright Lily just stay in the room till we get back, we will do our best to be back early with dinner" Azai went hunting for jobs in taverns while Chozai was walking the streets thinking what to do with Lily and thinking about the coming war...

Passing under the huge Golden arch into the capitol was an incredible feeling, Lyrena watched in awe as the horse trotted gracefully through it, it was like a scene from a parade.
The change in atmosphere was evident right away as the hussle and bussle of busy city life erupted around them. The residents soon, however, noticed who had passed through their city gates and parted, bowing deeply to their prince and his companions as theg passed.
Lyrena had been physically and emotionally drained from the journey back to her homeland, it was apparent in wvery aspect of her being, it showed in her face but mostly in her movement which had now become hindered and somewhat lethargic. She noticed an Inn a short way up the path on which they were travelling and informed the Prince of her situation.

"Your highness, I'm afraid I must temporarily depart, i haven't managed decent sleep for what seems like a lifetime and the Inn ahead presents me with an opportunity I'm afraid i can not refuse." Her words were clear but lacked enthusiasm.

She waited for the convoy to slow to a halt before dismounting, she headed for the door, turning to face her companions.

"You will find me here if I am needed, I plan to make myself at home in this city for a while. Please, do find me when you decide your course of action, include me in any plans you make... and again thank you "
She turned and entered the Inn.

--------

The water was cooling now, it ran a course across her body which would soon become unbearable as it returned to its natural cold state. She thought hard on a time where she had showered for a longer period than this one. There wasn't one. Grasping the faucet and turning it killed the stream and left an unwelcome silence, the lack of audible distraction brought her mind back to that village. She blinked the images of death from her mind and took a warm towel from the rack, wrapping it around her body.
The clear blue sky was warming, it's presence was welcoming and offered respite from overwhelming stress that her body and mind had endured these last weeks. Now, however, she had arrived not only home in Barcea, but in the Capitol itself where she thought Arvis would be heading, she would have to keep an eye open for him from now on.
Walking over to the bed she lay down and felt its embrace as her body fell into it, she let out a sigh and slid under the duvet and into a warmth and comfort she had not felt for many weeks, the deep sleep that followed had not been felt either but was more than welcome now, though only a nap, the decent rest would restore her enough to allow logical thinking and strength enough to head up to castle afterward.

The Capitol of Barcea

The Prince was slightly startled by Lyrena's voice as they came to a brief stop because of a gathering crowd, having not expected it after she had been quiet for so long. He looked back and then down as she dismounted, surprised initially by her interactions. Briefly, he considered requesting her to come along anyway, but he didn't have the heart to. He simply nodded instead.

"Very well then, Lyrena. I'll have someone sent by tomorrow morning, so be ready. Rest well.”

The group made up of the very few who knew the dark days that would be descending upon this apparently very happy kingdom continued their way towards the center of the Capital. Beyond the inner set of walls the highest spires of the castle could be seen briefly as they approached, though they would soon disappear behind the walls due to a matter of angles. As they continued along, the people would continue to stare, a small crowd continuing to form around them of adoring citizens clamoring to see the royalty, despite the massive Deathcrawler that seemed to be travelling with the Prince and Princess.

As they passed one of the curving roads that ran around the entire Capitol, the crowd following the group suddenly merged with a larger one, forcing the group to come to a stop from the sudden mix of people. Pulling back on the reins, Cyril blinked in surprise and brief confusion, though everything became clear very quickly as his older sister and her entourage came into view. His hand came up, and despite the dire nature of the situation that was clouding the back of his mind a brief smile appeared on his face.

"Kori!"

The Queen's eyes briefly flitted over at the sound of his voice before she turned her gaze fully upon him and the group, a warm smile making her graceful features even more so. She brought her hand up in a gentle waving motion, but she didn't have to say a word for the crowd to part out of respect. This allowed the group to move closer to the Queen, and her smile or eyes didn't waver in the slightest even as the Deathcrawler that scared so many got closer.

"Cyril, Ayano. You're back, and you have company." As the Prince and Princess' horses got closer, the Queen's hand went out to the already outreached hand of her sister, gently taking it and giving a squeeze. "Isn't it a little early? I thought you might spend the night in Hillsborough."

The brief smile, which had already been weakening, disappeared entirely from the Prince's face in that moment. To speak fully of what had happened here, in the middle of a crowd that had no idea, was foolish, so he spoke as generally as he possible could. "Something came up unfortunately, so we had to come back early. There's a meeting we can't miss."

Slowly the Queen blinked, and then she gave a small nod. She glanced beyond the Prince to those behind him, taking in their appearance and their expressions, before she smiled a slight bit more and gave a nod to them all. Letting go of Ayano's hand so that she could turn her horse to once more face the inner walls. "Come along, then. There's someone we can pick up along the way."

The group was able to fall in behind the Queen directly as they began to move once more, the main part of the entourage that was with the Queen before falling behind the group, though two guards remained on either side of the Queen. As they moved along the crowd continued to follow, though the Queen's gaze remained focused ahead. Together they made their way towards the gate that led through the inner walls.

Before reaching the gate, though, the Queen brought them all to a halt as she simply stopped in front of a flower shop. Though the guards tried to help her, she simply waved them away as she gently dropped from her horse to the ground. She made her way up the stairs on the side of the building that led to the apartment up above, where she brought up her hand to place a light knock on the door, waiting afterwards with her smile still on her face.

The light knock on the door saved Ennis from drowning in the whirlpool of his mind. The letters he had been penning were drenched in ink from his absentmindedness, soaked beyond repair. It was rare for him to get one unexpected guest; to have two in one day was an auspicious sign. He almost yelled for Yan before realizing his man had been sent on an errand earlier. Pushing himself up from his desk, the ambassador leisurely made his way across his quarters into the small entrance way. Cautiously he open the door, expecting to perhaps be greeted by a wall of spears and a warrant for his arrest. What he saw caught him so off guard that his immediate gut reaction was to yelp like a tiny pup whose tail had been pulled and shut the door with a slam.

Outside, the Queen simply blinked as her eyebrows raised slightly in surprise. She hadn't had even enough time to utter a word.

Within, the following incredibly happened in just a matter of seconds. First, Ennis did a full spin and a half to look at the mirror in his foyer, straightening his attire, smoothing his hair and adjusting his hat, and lamenting his large nose. Second, he immediately broke out into a cold sweat and panicked breaths having realized that the most powerful person in Barcea was outside and he had just slammed the door on her smiling face. Third, his mind raced as he tried to rationalize why the Queen herself had come to his home. Fourth, he realized that he still had not opened the door for her. Fifth, he spun back to the mirror and readjusted everything. Finally, he opened the door calmly as if nothing had happened, the only hint of his grievous error being the tint on his cheeks that rivaled the roses in the shop below.

"Your Majesty, to what do I owe the pleasure?" asked Ennis, his voice and stupid grin betraying his nervous excitement. He didn't even give her a chance to speak, prattling on. "I imagined it'd be different when you came to my door." He sputtered over his own words, the red hues on his face deepening into a severe scarlet as he realized the possible illicit implications. "I, I, I mean, it is different for you to come to my door. Ha ha," he said, his voice shriveling, "because normally I'm the one who, oh, never mind. Oh, how rude of me, come in, come in, come in." He bowed deeply, and then shuffled to the side as he realized he was blocking the doorway, directing her towards his living room turned office. All the while, he still kept talking: "Can I get you anything? Would you like some tea? I can reheat, no, no, make some fresh. My friend was just saying how great it was! Will you stay for dinner? Yan doesn't look it, but he's an excellent cook. Please, please, have a seat. Where is he, anyway? Oh, not that seat, it's not very comfortable, take mine. Sorry my home is so small. Ah, not to say that I do not appreciate the hospitality you have shown me with housing me! I meant it was smaller than what you'd be used to. Not to say that..."

Ennis stopped, give a small cough into his hand, and chuckled slightly. When he spoke again, it was in a calm and collected tone. "I apologize, Your Majesty, I am making a fool of myself. How may I assist you this fine day?"

The Queen continued to give her calm, kind smile, simply nodding in Ennis' direction. Though he had offered a seat, she made no move to take it as she stood with her hands folded in front of her, waiting for him to come to a stop on his own. With the moment finally presenting itself for her to speak, she calmly said, "We won't be able to stay today, Ennis. Please, I need you to come with me to the castle now. My brother has... brought news, and I would like you to be part of the discussion." Her tone remained calm throughout, not betraying anything she may have suspected.

"Oh."

The red fled from the ambassador's face as quickly as it had set on, replaced by a distinct paleness. He could not get a read on her, but he was a smart enough man to piece it together nevertheless. The Queen of Barcea may like to visit with her subjects, but Ennis imagined that even someone as benevolent as her would not stop by a former foe's home for simple courtesies. If the Prince was involved, it likely meant news from the borders. Ennis double checked to make certain that the letter from his father was still on him; it might serve as evidence to provide that he had no former knowledge of the attacks. The thought that it could very well condemn him did not cross his mind. Former enemy or not, he trusted the Queen.

He realized he had been awfully quiet.

"Of course, I'd be honored. After you, Your Majesty."

She gave a nod in response with her smile warming ever slightly, and then she turned to lead him out. Outside the door she stopped for the brief moment needed to allow him to lock the door, and then the two made their way down the stairs, where the group and crowd were waiting. Her hand came up as she reached her own horse, but it went out to one of the guard's instead, resting lightly on his horse.

"Please, make your way back to the castle at your own pace. The Ambassador needs your horse."

"Of course, Your Majesty." The guard removed himself from his horse and stepped to the side for Ennis as the Queen stepped up to her own.

Ennis had expected to see the Sentinels. He had not expected to see the train of, ahem, unique individuals with them. His eyes passed the downtrodden vagrant, paused on the ribbon wearing diviner (he had heard a story here or there about her work), but lingered on the Deathcrawler and its rider, more intrigued than nervous. If the circumstances had been different he would have peppered them with a thousand questions and then some, but today he just gave them a nod and a warm smile. A smile that only slightly dampened when his eyes met the Prince and gave him and his younger sister all the proper greetings. He thanked the guard for his horse and mounted it, not thinking that the man only ceded his ride because it was the will of his Queen.

"H'kelan dog," said someone under their breath. Ennis first thought was that it had been the guard, but the voice was too feminine and the Queen's men were too well-mannered. He decided to ignore it; he was certain he'd be called worse things in the coming hours.

With the Ambassador with them, the group began to once more move with the Queen. As they approached the inner walls, the crowd finally began to drop away, knowing that they would be prevented from following through at the moment by the guards that stood at attention at the raised gate. Stopping to give one last wave of farewell to her people, the Queen then continued on under the gate with the group.

When they were beyond the gate and it dropped shut behind them, they were able to see the castle fully for the first time since they had entered the Capitol that day. A slight green slope of well-kept grass rose up from the walls to where the castle was, the road they were on leading straight up to it. Set in two circles, one within the other like the Capitol itself, the white stone that made up most of the structures was accented by dark stone on the roofs and spires. Within, the outer circle was reserved for more public spaces and living spaces for guards and servants, while the inner circle was kept for more private spaces for the royal family, and whoever they might be offered to. In between both circles, where hallways did not connect the two, were gardens and courtyards. Though some may have known the details of the structure of the castle already, those who didn't would only know the outside from what they had seen, though they would figure out the rest soon enough.

To the main entrance Kori led them, where they would dismount before the steps that led up to the tall and ornate wooden doors. Servants that were waiting made their way forwards as everyone began to dismount, each one to a horse to take the animals away to the stable. However, there was clear hesitance as a few looked to Sir Mauls-a-lot even as Calypso easily dropped from him and gave him a happy pat, looking to the servants with a confused blink concerning their apparent fear afterwards.

Shadar stared at the poor man who was to take away Sir Mauls, the hesitance and fear easy to see and understand. With a sigh, he walked over to the boy, looking down at him coldly.

"Listen here, cause I'm only going to say this once, take him to either the stables away from the horses, or some other area of similar size and function, bring him a cow or some other form of life stock, and then turn around. Trust me when I say you don't want to see a Death crawler feed. They tend to be quite the messy eaters," Shadar said, turning around and preparing to walk off, only to remember that he should probably give the servants another helpful bit of information. "Oh, and if you value your lives, don't touch him. Lead him with your voices, as he can understand most of what you're saying. Just make sure you feed him 2 or 3 animals of decent size and he should be docile enough for the rest of the day."

Shadar walked off without another word to go with the other guests, leaving the servants to look at Sir Mauls as he stood there, eyeing them in a way similar to how a cat eyes mice, the soft clacking of his mandibles making for an unnerving reminder of how hungry a creature like that must be after such a long journey with not that much too eat.

The servant who Shadar spoke to paled even further, looking to the Queen briefly out of sheer desperation. She smiled comfortingly in return, giving him a gentle nod. "Do as he says exactly, and you should be fine."

"Y... Yes, Your Majesty." Swallowing, the servant began to carefully approach the Deathcrawler, raising his voice some to speak to the creature while the Queen turned once more to face the tall double doors up the steps, before she led them up and through them into the grand entrance way. Behind them, the Deathcrawler would suddenly begin to clatter, but despite how the servant flinched the creature made no move to attack... In human terms, Sir Mauls-a-lot was simply chuckling.

Kori led them through the entrance way at decently quick walk, towards another set of tall double doors. Though they were only briefly within the entrance way, its appearance of being clean with floors the color of soft white and walls a warmer, neutral color with decorations in the form of paintings, tapestries, armor, and plants, all accented with blue, was typical for the hallways throughout the entire castle.

The next set of doors led to the throne room, set like a long hallway that connected the outer circle of the castle to the inner circle. A long blue carpet stretched from end to end, from the doorway to the throne, and there were tall columns on either side. The throne was of decent-size, made with wood, blue fabric, and gold, and it was on a higher level than the rest of the throne room. There were guards standing at attention, and doors on either side behind the throne.

To the throne Kori went, the group following along. While they stopped a little away, before the rise, Kori calmly stepped up and turned around to sit. She sat up straight, but was not rigid, and looked down to them calmly. Briefly, she sighed, closing her eyes for a moment before focusing in on Cyril.

"Is it finally happening?"

"... Yes." Cyril stepped up, crossing over to her. As he did so, he brought around the wrapped up helmet that he had been carrying. When the helmet was uncovered, Kori's hands went up to gently take it from her brother, pulling it to herself to look over it. Her expression, while not frowning, did not seem pleased.

"Gartian has finally snapped... We hoped it wouldn't happen, and yet..." She shook her head, before looking up once more to the group as a whole, gaze still gentle but serious. "I would like to hear from everyone. Please, tell me who you are, where you are from, how you are involved, and what you experienced." She smiled a little more at them, the smile as warm as ever despite the situation. “For those of you who may not know or may not be certain, my name is Kori Serio, and I am the Queen of Barcea. Please, make yourselves as comfortable as you possibly can.”

The fortune teller simply followed along with the large party she seemed to find herself a part of. Every once in a while, she’d glance at Calypso, who seemed absolutely pleased to be riding on Sir Mauls. She’d never think that her companion enjoyed the company of large creatures, but then again, nothing in their travels ever suggested as much. The dismount was something mechanical, walking much the same. Nothing had quite set in yet.

She had barely looked up until they had reached the throne room and the Queen of Barcea addressed the weary travelers. Her voice led Etsuko to look up and the fortune teller was in awe. She’d heard stories of the Queen’s beauty and grace, though seeing it for the first time was certainly something special. Etsuko felt as if she had been staring and had to look away a moment, embarrassed.

The room seemed to remain silent, no one willing to tell their tale first. Shyly, Etsuko looked back up and wondered if her voice would fail her.

”U-Um, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty. I’m Etsuko Tanaka, a fortune teller from Barcea. O-Oh, this is my companion, Calypso.” She gestured towards the taller young woman with a perpetual smile on her face.

”We were traveling to the village that was attacked. The village elder had asked for me and then Sentinels were going in the same direction, so we tagged along. Er, I was with Princess Ayano while Calypso followed the Prince and the others into the village.”

She didn’t bother voicing her regret for not appearing to the elder sooner, to reading their future sooner. It was evident from her facial expression that she felt that much.

Shadar first impression of the queen was that she was a beautiful subject and definitely a model to capture later when he found the time to draw again. As she greeted then, he was impressed by his easily she held her composure upon the sight of himself and Sir Mauls, as most noble face at least some reaction when faced with such . . . oddities. Maybe the lords and ladies of these northern lands are just built tougher than those in Jasi. Would be too surprising, actually, as all the Jasinian nobility is good at is backstabbing, stealing credit, and calling for assassinations. Shadar chuckles to himself, his body moving on auto-pilot as he tuned out the world around him, only keeping a base awareness if the general situation. When they arrived at the home of who could only be the H'klen ambassador, if Joy's response was anything to go by, he could only help but shake his head in pity. The man was either dead by sunset or I. His way to a very uncomfortable tenure as the Barcean whipping boy for everything that's about to go down in the world.

They soon arrived at the Castle, and after an amusing bit of dialogue with the servants, were given audience to a small dud us soon between the two royal siblings, only to be directly addressed shortly after to give their take if the events. A useless venture, to be truthful, as none of them had really seen what happened, just ventured upon it by the purest of chance. None to eager to take the first step, the talk figure waited die another to go, and eventually the small girl who seemed to be aquatinted with the animal tamer spoke up, seeming to still be rather shaken by the ordeal. Upon hearing that she was a fortune teller, Shadar couldn't help but let out a harsh bark of laughter, letting it be very well-known what his thought of such claims were. After the 'fortune teller' had spoken, he decided to speak next, if to just get it over with.

"I. . . must ask if I can give my answer another time or in private your majesty, because amongst others, I'd find it impossible to give you a truthful account and would be forced to lie, and considering what others here might say, that lie would have little chance of fooling you." Shadar had spent all of his life trying to keep people from figuring out his originsm, same went for Drosil, do he wasn't about to speak of it to a bunch of strangers and very guard with in range of hearing, but he also wasn't about to tell a bond face lie to the leader of a country about to go to war either. That was a danger game to play, and not worth the risk

“H'kelan dog.”

Joy bit her tongue. Her normal shrouded and stoic demeanor was faltering under the pressure of being close to not one but all three of Olain's children. She looked away from the man in black, blue, and gold, knowing that if not for the Prince's even stranger entourage she would have drawn attention. The colors were those of the Cade family; Joy had the unfortunate experience of dealing with them twice. Once was when she was a child, back when she was Vesta DeBove. Despite being from rival countries, her father had always admired the Cades—albeit only for their wealth—and had offered her hand to Lord Cade's eldest son. The engagement broke like the poor boy's wrist when he erroneously accepted her request for a duel and took it as if it were a lark. She effectively ruined her father's scheme for a heavy bride price and, looking back, perhaps ruined a few other schemes. The second time was when she was Joy. She learned why the Kirun was not targeted by other bandits and that lesson had almost cost the woman her life.

The sight of the castle filled her with pain. She hadn't been there in ages, not since she had allegedly failed to protect her King. The bitter memory of the inquisition against her still caused her stomach to sour and tighten. How could they say she had failed him? If not for her, he never even would have made it out of the West. Olain knew the truth, he could have said something, but he had done nothing. She had protected him for so long. The one time she needed him to return the favor he had failed, and she never even knew why. Her face burned hot; she tasted copper in her mouth and swallowed the blood that she had accidentally drawn. She wanted to scream. Coming here had been a stupid idea; they hadn't listened to her years ago, just because Kori was now Queen didn't mean they would listen now.

Stupid, stupid idea, thought Joy, the alcohol from her flask burning against her blistered tongue and numbing her mind. She remembered how she chided herself as being drunk when she had come up with it. Now, dismounting from the horse and following the others into the castle, she wished she had filled her flask with heavier stuff.

Ennis watched with a childlike curiosity as the large, scaled man instructed the stable boy on how not to turn himself into a snack. He had never seen armor such as that before and would have liked to examine it further, but the man had caught himself staring. Not wanting to appear rude, he casually quickened his pace to fall in step behind the Serio family. He always enjoyed walking through the castle. It was like a pleasant reminder of home at the Kirun, made even sweeter after having spent a few years in Gartian's much less welcoming abode. He had managed to calm any of his worries and dispel any of his fears on the way to the castle, telling himself that they would find a peaceful way to settle all of this.

He forced away the frown that was forming. Even someone as optimistic as Ennis knew that was a slim chance.

He felt comfortable in the throne room despite his experiences generally being less than ideal. Kori had always been savvy enough to give him a moment to speak during court, although until now Ennis had always just assumed she was being polite. Ennis stood off to the side of the Sentinels and their posse as Kori and Cyril spoke, his arms patiently clasped behind his back as they confirmed his suspicion. The thought that the Queen would bring him in on this matter filled him with a radiant glow the showed in his eyes, although he managed to keep his smile to himself. A smart move, for smiling after hearing his homeland had begun a war was a quick way to paint himself with a target. Compared to the worn looking woman, however, he was doing quite well in maintaining proper, courtly appearances. Ennis listened patiently as the others spoke, and gave the older woman a moment to gather herself and tell her accounts. The moment, although a short one, stretched to one that was beyond Ennis's comfort. He cleared his throat.

“It is most unfortunate that your abilities were unable to predict this event, Miss Tanaka. I'm sure if you had properly been prepared then perhaps we would not be having this meeting at all,” said Ennis. A small smile slid across his face. He meant for it to look sympathetic and caring; he had dealt with enough of the fantastical to know that fortune telling was not always a gimmick used by grifters to get an easy gold or two. Of course, for all he knew it could very well look as if he, a H'kelan man, was bullying a young Barcean girl. The thought didn't even cross Ennis's mind; he turned to Shadar.

“Sir, while I do respect your right to privacy and even admire a man who knows when he'd be forced to lie but is honorable enough to admit it, I'm afraid that still leaves some of us in the dark,” said Ennis, turning his attention to the silent woman. “Perhaps you'd be able to elaborate, Ma'am?”

It took Joy a second to realize Ennis had been addressing her. She couldn't remember the last time anyone had addressed her in such a way. She shuffled uncomfortably under the attention being turned to her before taking a step and a half forward, her eyes never leaving the floor in front of her. She spoke to the ground, the command and weight in her voice all but squashed.

“Cy...the Prince already...” she trailed off, and took a step back as if she were done.

Ennis frowned. None of this had been helpful. True, he had the letter from his father, but he wasn't daft enough to reveal that he had prior knowledge of an attack, even if he had plenty of evidence to prove that he only received the letter today. And if Cyril gave the testimony, well, he loved Barcea as much as Ennis loved H'kela. The story would be full of embellishments and inaccuracies tainted by the man's swelling patriotism. Besides, there was a chance the H'kelan army had yet to strike despite what his father had said. Perhaps he could prevent a disaster; he just needed information. He decided to push the woman. The fortune teller had not been at the scene, supposedly, and it seemed unlikely that the large, armored man would break his vow of silence. Plus, she had a strange familiarity surrounding her that drew his attention.

“Now Ma'am, I know it must have been tough, but even the tiniest of details could help us access the situation. Please, the matter at hand is one that is extremely grave. Peace has proven to be quite advantageous for both countries despite what some might say; it would be most dreadful if the olive branch between our two countries was shattered due to some misunderstanding. I'd even dare say it would be ruinous for all of us,” said Ennis, his arms still clasped behind his back. “Do you understand, Ma'am?”

Damn him, thought Joy. She already disliked the man because he was a Cade, now she dispised him because he kept the focus on her. Her mind was too stirred to form cohesive lies; the others would be able to call her out too. She cursed herself for not being like Shadar and exercising her right to silence. Now, such an act would likely cause this H'kelan bastard to only turn the heat up even more. She relented.

“The H'kelans attacked Hillsborough. They killed everyone and burnt it down,” she said, forcing herself to speak calmly. It sounded as if she was an amateur reading from a script.

“I see,” said the persistent man, his lips turning down slightly. “And how do you know the H'kelans were the ones responsible? I imagine if you were there to witness the attack you would be a little, well, less lively.”

“I arrived after,” she said, and gestured to the helmet. “What more do you need?”

“More than that, I'm afraid,” said the man. “It's not an uncommon tactic for bandits and raiders to use military garb as means to lower the guard of unsuspecting townsfolk. Hillsborough is awfully close to the border, it is not much of a stretch to think that a few costumed thugs decided to dip across for an easy target. The tactic, of course, no longer works, but H'kelan armor is still better than what most marauders can get their hands on.”

“It wasn't bandits,” said Joy, her voice betraying her frustration. “Footprints show that the movements were too uniformed. They burnt crops, killed livestock, and destroyed granaries. Valuables were left either untouched or broken. Bandits don't operate like that. It's bad business. Soldiers attacked the Prince. He can confirm what I saw.” She looked up for the first time, glaring with a look of pure disdain at the intrusive man that forced him to take a step back. “Or are you going to call His Royal Highness a fucking liar, too?”

“Ma'am, I, uh, I apologize,”he said, waving his hands defensively in front of himself. “I never meant to imply that you were lying. I simply wanted to make sure that we examined all angles. Although, I do admit that it distresses me greatly how clear cut things truly are.” His face suddenly lightened and the man gave a slight jolt, as if he had been startled awake. “Oh! Where are my manners? I do beg your pardon, I never introduced myself. My name is Ennis Cade , son of Lord Dedrick Cade, heir to the Kirun and the current Ambassador of H'kela. A pleasure to meet you all; I am sure we can find a reasonable solution to this,” he paused for a moment as he carefully picked his next word, “incident. Ah, and please, don't feel as if you must tread lightly around me. I swear by my family's name that I am here to offer my assistance in whatever way I can.”

Joy quietly sighed with relief. Just like the last Cade she knew, the man made it a habit to turn the focus his way. For once, she was okay with it. She was just about to skulk back into Shadar's shadow when the man turned attention to her once more.

“I'm afraid I must have missed it. What was your name again, Ma'am?”

“Joy,” she said.

“Ah, how fitting,” said Ennis, his eyes twinkling. The luster in them faded as he turned towards Cyril. “So, Your Royal Highness, what would you propose we do about this?”

While holding the H'kelan helmet in her lap, the Queen of Barcea quietly listened to them all. She said not a word during any of the conversation, simply waiting, watching, and observing. Towards Etsuko (and Calypso by extension), the Queen gave a gentle smile and a nod, a little more so as Calypso brought up a hand to wave gently, fingers wiggling as she did so. Towards the large, almost inhuman, and armored figure, Kori's gaze was curious, but at the refusal of information she simply nodded, remaining patient. As Ennis and the woman began to have their back and forth though, the light in the Queen's eyes began to change, though to what wasn't exactly apparent; it was an aware, attentive sort of expression, but to what end no one would be able to tell as the Queen looked back down to the helmet. Briefly, she turned it in her hands as she went over everything in her mind, fingers running along the curves of the metal slowly. As she did so, Cyril spoke a little.

“There was one more who showed up afterwards, a young woman. Her name was Lyrena Stomfort, Barcean. She was… affected by the sight, and chose to rest in an inn in the Capitol.”

"I see... There's blood on this helmet, Cyril."

"... The soldier wouldn't just give it to me."

The Queen gave a nod, not pushing her brother for any more information. What "Joy" had said and the situation in general made it very clear what her younger brother had to do. She simply held it back out to him for him to take before she could simply settle her hands back down in her lap. As she did so, the Prince looked towards the ambassador from H'kela. His gaze was not disdainful or hateful, but almost tired as he held up the helmet with one hand, the Queen carefully watching her brother's movements.

"Like you said, Ennis, its clear cut what happened during this 'incident,' isn't it? Gartian sent H'kelan soldiers to slaughter Barcean innocents, and they succeeded. That means they must have carved through the defenses we set along the border, and the Sentinels did not protect them." Cyril tossed the helmet forwards then in a mostly gently movement, but with enough force that the heavy helmet could clang to a stop in front of the ambassador's feet. "There were three soldiers lying in wait for us. The helmet should settle whatever leftover doubts you may have."

The Queen's hands moved, going to the armrests of the throne as she spoke to her brother once again, making no attempt to conceal her voice. She spoke clearly enough for everyone to hear.

"We'll need to reinforce our western border, and send men to Hillsborough and wherever else that may have been attacked to tend to the victims. Gartian caught us off guard, and he may be moving again already to do it again."

"Is defense all, Kori?" Cyril asked, his gaze going back to her as he turned away from the H'kelan ambassador and back to the Queen. "Gartian won't stop just because we strengthen the borders. He'll strike again, and again, and again, until we're all dead."

"I know this well, Cyril, but these are the resources we have at the moment. To do anything more..." Kori did not elaborate any further, instead once more looking to the group. Her kind smile returned in faint form, and she began to stand as she spoke to each of them in turn. First, it was to Etsuko and Calypso.

"I thank you for your help, Diviner Tanaka, and Ms. Calypso. I apologize that you were pulled into this, if even for a little. Please, stay here and rest for the night. Tomorrow you'll be provided all the supplies you need to travel to wherever you might go next. It's the least I can do." She then looked to the tall figure next, giving him a slight nod as she began to step towards him.

"Please, give me a few minutes, and we will talk more to your liking." This was all she said as she approached, but instead of stopping in front of the man she stepped around him, to Joy. Once more that attentive look came into the Queen's eyes as she closely examined the woman's face, slowly blinking before her smile returned, a little fuller than before.

"It's been awhile, Vesta. Welcome home."

From where he still stood near the throne, the Prince's gaze suddenly snapped over, his eyes widening in surprise. "Wait, what did you say-"

"'Joy' may be a common name for people, Cyril, but you should have recognized her. I can't believe you didn't." After Kori said these words, Ayano gasped. From Etsuko's side she went to Kori and Joy, tripping slightly at first in her shock, hand going out to find Joy's. From there, she began to feel her way up Joy’s arm, to the woman’s shoulder.

"Joy... It's really Joy! Our Joy!!!" The Princess' voice was excited as a large grin came over her face.

Joy had been fidgeting with the straps on her jacket, anything to appear busy, as the Queen had made her way through the travelers. She stopped stiff as she felt the presence of the Queen in front of her, Kori's regalia replacing the floor that Joy had so intently fixed her gaze upon. When she first heard her name, her real name, the woman stirred and her eyes rose up with alarm only to soften as they met Kori's. The Queen's look wasn't one of anger. Joy recoiled out of instinct at Ayano's touch, but made no attempt to brush her hand away. And, for what seemed like the first time in years, Joy felt herself smile.

"I'm sorry I took so long to return, Your Majesty. I am glad to see that all of you are well, although I do wish we could have reunited under better circumstances," said Joy, her voice straining as she tried to hold back her emotions. The smile slipped from her face. "I...I fear I owe you more than an explanation. Your father, I..." Joy swallowed and looked away from Kori, lightly tussling Ayano's hair. "...We can talk of that later. If you'll have me, I am here to help."

As Cyril approached the Queen smiled, nodding as she let go of Joy and stepped back. "Of course, Joy. We'd like nothing more." Ayano, meanwhile, continued to beam in Joy's general direction. The Prince came to a stop in front of Joy, shifting there briefly, fidgeting some.

"Er... I'm sorry I didn't recognize you immediately."

"I do not think an apology is necessary, but I appreciate it anyway," said Joy, tilting her head. She decided to keep it to herself that it had not been her completely part of her intention to be recognized, although she was pleased that things had gone better than she believed they would. A nagging voice in the back of her head reminded her that the other shoe would surely drop soon enough. She nodded to the bloodied helmet. "All I can say is that I am glad you took your lessons to heart. Shall we get back to the matter at hand?"

"Right." Cyril said with a nod, looking back towards Kori. "What did you mean earlier, Kori?"

The smile on Kori's face changed slightly, from one of being pleased to one of simply existing. "Direwolf Argentum is still in Gurata, Cyril. He's made sure we still have our allies." As she said this, Cyril straightened some, before he suddenly brought his hands together, one fist coming down onto the palm of the other.

"Of course! The Guratans! They'll be affected by this too! I can travel as fast as any messenger, and I can bring the Sentinels too, in case. You know how they settle their political decisions..."

Kori gave another nod. "Ayano, you'll go with them as well, just in case. Gartian hasn't turned north yet, so you'll be out of danger until we have more forces. Inform the Sentinels, Cyril, and get them ready."

"We'll leave tomorrow morning."

"Good." With that, Kori turned to look towards Ennis. Her smile softened some as she stepped towards the ambassador, her hands in front of her. "What will you do, Ennis? I know this probably wasn't your vision of your most favorable outcome, but you've always worked hard here. I know you hold no ill intentions."

"This is quite the opposite of what I had hoped for, Your Majesty," said Ennis. "If there's one thing I want for our two countries, it's peace. The Guratans could help broker that. My family has been on good terms with the chieftains for some time. I could help assist your brother in swaying them into action."

He omitted the part where he could also ensure that Cyril did not convince the roaming tribes into utterly demolishing the H'kelan forces.

The Queen gave a deeper nod, before looking to her younger brother. "It seems like a good idea."

Cyril, his expression relatively neutral, gave a nod after a moment. Knowing the Direwolf, he'd have more than enough support to get what was needed for Barcea, but he wouldn't speak against his sister on the matter. "Alright. We'll get it done."

"Take Diviner Tanaka and Ms. Calypso with you, as you go to inform the Sentinels. You still have some extra rooms in that part of the castle, so they can stay there for the night."

"Done." Cyril looked to Joy then, giving a smile. "Want to come along? I can show you what I've been doing while you were gone."

"It would be an honor," said Joy, straightening her posture to one more resembling of a soldier than of a crippled crook. "After you."

Cyril nodded, and with a gesture he began directing Ayano, Alasa, Etsuko, Calypso, and Joy along. As he passed Kori though, he briefly stopped to say to the Queen quietly, "Make sure to ask him about Drosil." The Queen's eyebrow raised slightly, but she simply nodded as Cyril continued on.

With that, the group separated. Cyril led those who went with him through the door that was to the left of the throne, into the gently lit hallways of the inner ring. He led them around the curve to the northern part of the castle. Though there was no real change in the appearance of the hallway itself, Cyril seemed to know immediately when they reached their destination, gesturing towards the doors that lined along the inside of the curve, each side by side and a fair distance from one another. He then pointed towards two of them in particular, the two that were closest to the group.

"Ms. Tanaka, Ms. Calypso, those two rooms are currently empty. If you don't mind, you'll be staying there for the night, and I'll make sure servants come to assist you with whatever you need. Over here first, though."

The Prince led them towards a set of double doors on the outside of the curve, opposite the rooms. Upon opening them and stepping through, he led them through one of the hallways that connected the inner and outer rings, and it became more apparent that they had truly crossed over into a different section of the castle. Both sides of the hallway had windows (and doors for that matter), which allowed them to look out into the courtyards. Here they were set up not for beauty, but clearly for function and training. There were clear spaces set up for sparring and equipment for practicing everything from archery to sword strikes.

Through the opposite set of double doors the Prince led them, to the outer ring of the castle. Once again, there was an obvious shift in appearance from the rest of the castle that they had already seen. Though everything was still clean and well lit, there weren't any sort of decorations set up along this part of the castle. Instead, there were more doors than anything, which (upon further investigation later) would lead to rooms with further training and strength building in mind.

This was the part of the castle that the Sentinels stayed in, and where they stored all their equipment and practiced while in the Capitol.

For a brief distance down the hallway the Prince continued to lead them, towards a door that was slightly ajar. Banter could be heard from it, and Cyril simply pushed the door open all the way for them as he entered. The room itself was large, and was clearly some sort of break room with tables, chairs, and the like.

"Everyone, meet the Sentinels."

There were three others within the room, and all looked towards them. One sat at the table, and had a meal fit for three set in front of him. He had short brown hair with a little piece that stuck up as a cowlick, and slightly tanned skin. His clothes were of simple cloth and of a deep green, clearly some sort of undershirt with pants; the deep green armor that sat nearby testified to this much. Even as he looked over, he continued munching from one of the many plates in front of him, green eyes blinking slowly.

Another man sat in one of the chairs nearby, where he was cleaning a large axe on his lap. He was a big man, both in height and build, and very clearly strong. He wore furs that covered his lower half and above his midriff, but for the most part his torsos and arms were bare, save for the tattoos of animals that scrawled over him and wrapped around. His skin was a heavy sort of tan, and his hair extremely short and dark. When he looked over to Cyril and those behind him, a big smile began to grow on his face as he stood.

The last one was a young woman who stood up to the side, and at the sight of them snapped her book shut. She turned to approach the Prince with a brisk step, heels clicking against the floor with each movement. She wore a simple but nice dress complete with fine boots and gloves (the colors of which were a variety of tans, faint pinks, and faint greens), and had pale skin with long blonde hair. In her hand she held a staff that was carefully carved and was a sort of faded off-white.

Cyril's eyes widened as he saw her approach, and his face paled as the staff went up.

"Dear Ambrosia-"

Down the Prince ducked, covering his head as the young woman swung the staff with an almost murderously annoyed glint in her eyes. It just barely passed over his head, instead solidly colliding with the frame of the door. A snap rung out, and the top half of the staff went flying, clattering against the floor. As quick as he had ducked, the Prince came back up, holding his hands up to either side as he pressed back against the doorframe while the young woman held the broken end of the staff towards him, jagged splinters held just a little away from his chest.

"Where have you been?!?" As she spoke, voice raised up to a slightly shrill pitch, she waved the broken staff threateningly. One could practically see the sweat drop forming on the side of Cyril's thread. "How dare you take Ayano without telling anyone?!? She is precious, what the Hell were you thinking?!? Or were you thinking at all?!?!?"

Rolling his eyes behind the rest of the group, Alasa reached forwards to give Ayano a gentle push forwards, into view of the young woman. The change that came over her face was immediate as her annoyed expression softened, sharp features becoming gentle as she reached forwards, beginning to carefully pull the Princess back along to where she had been sitting with her book.

"Oh, there you are, sweetie. Are you alright? Cyril didn't push you too hard, did he?"

"U-uh, n-no, Diane, I'm fine..."

While Ayano was pulled away, Cyril slowly relaxed, reaching up to wipe his forehead and then to touch the top of his head, as if to ensure he hadn't really been hit. He then looked over his shoulder, towards where the staff had impacted against the doorframe, and shuddered after he saw the crushed wood. (Calypso, who was standing closest to the point of impact, was blinking rapidly and her smile seemed almost startled.) Slowly inhaling, he stepped forwards before turning back to face the group once again, hand going around the room to gesture to each individual as he named them.

"Okay then... Anyway, this is Sampson Avary, that's Gortul, and there's Diane Laues."

He pointed to the eating man, the tall man with the axe, and then the young woman with Ayano in turn. Sampson never stopped eating, just waving his fork between bites. Diane, meanwhile, simply ignored them all, only focused on Ayano as she sat the Princess down. Gortul, in contrast, threw his arms out as he continued to grin widely.

"Welcome, friends!" Immediately, the man's accent was apparent; his vowels were heavy, speech clumsy, and his "s" came off more as a "z." He seemed truly happy to see them all though, and as Alasa walked by Gortul clapped the archer on his back, an action that almost sent Alasa to the ground as his knees buckled. Cyril, meanwhile, kept his gaze focused on the group, holding up his hands slightly.

"We've been able to grow a fair bit for the few years we've been together. Clearly, we're not that big, but I'm trying to make sure we keep it quality over quantity. Alasa was the first, Diane the second, Sampson the third, and Gortul the fourth. I'm... honestly very proud of how far we've already come, really."

Meanwhile, the Queen had picked a different path. Gently beckoning the tall armored figure with a slight gesture, she took him to the door to the right of the throne. As she walked along, she looked to one of the guards who stood nearby, bringing up a hand slightly. "We'll be fine, for the time being. I'll return here soon." The guard nodded and the Queen opened the door, holding it open behind her for the tall figure. As she did so, she looked towards the H'kelan ambassador, giving another nod.

"Do what you need to prepare, Ennis."

The door led to the inner ring's hallway, which the Queen began to lead the figure along, in the opposite direction that Cyril led the others in. Every once in a while they would see a servant or a guard who would bow to them as the Queen walked along at a leisurely pace, but for the most part they were indeed alone in the quiet hallway. After a minute or two of walking to get away from the throne room, the Queen looked over to the tall figure with her gentle, patient smile.

"I feel like I might understand your need for secrecy, but I need to know as much as you will tell me. Is there anything you can tell me at all? Perhaps your name, to start?"

Shadar watched the prooceedings with a calm demeanor, though he couldn't help but chuckle just a bit when Ennis asked that they not consider his position when speaking to him. Considering what his 'position' currently was, Shadar felt that this was a laughable remark at best. After the heartfelt reunion of the royal family and what he guessed to be their former bodyguard(why was she an outcast if they seemed to still care for her, I wonder. That'd be an interesting story to hear.), the group split from each other, with Cyril leading the others to meet his Sentinels and the queen leading him to a more private area.

Once they were as alone as one could expect to be, the queen spoke, asking for his mane and his explanation. She didn't ask him for everything, though, just what he could tell her. The difference might seem minimal to most, but it was the only readable thing the queen had done so far, and it only confused him further. He wasn't used to nobles being so understanding of such things, and it put him on edge around her. He didn't like it when he couldn't get a read on people, as he never knew what to expect from such individuals.

"Shadar Maeneld of Jasi, monster among men and a child of the Masked Divine," Shadar said as he opened the mandibles around his mouth, making what look like a face plate seperate to sees human-ish mouth full of very sharp teeth, and he quickly retracted then afterwards, giving the queen a few seconds of silence to absorb what he said. "I was raised in an orphanege with my brother, Drosil, and have been cursed to look like this for all my life. The reason for me telling you this is simple: your brother met Drosil and your newly returned Joy, or Vesta as you called her, both met my brother, and Joy saw what happened to him. With both the prince and what I thought to be a bandit suspicious of me, in a time regret such things most likely lead to death, my usual attempts at evasion would've quickly soured. As such, the least I could do is limit the amount of people who know my lineage."

Shadar cracked his neck and knuckles a little, staying silent as a guard passed by, a silent glare from the giant quickly hurrying the man in his way.

"Anyway, I'm sure in that moment of whispers, your brother asked for my brother's whereabouts, but the answer I gave him is truth. You see, Drosil and I are twins trapped in the same space of reality, as only one of us may be allowed to walk around this plain of existence at any given time. The other is. . . elsewhere. Neither him nor I have any clue of where we go when the other takes over, only that it's just us in an empty void. So when my brother foolishly lost his composure at Hillsborough, turning his anger on Joy as she was the only one around, he tired himself out and switched, leaving me to deal with the questions and the mess. . . as usual."

Shadar gave a sigh, cursing his brother's near-fanatical sense of justice and his inability to calm himself down. It had put them in quite the pickle and had nearly undone all the secrecy they had tried to keep over the years. [i]If only I could speak to him directly. . . then I could give him the talking to he so righteously deserves for all of his screw-ups.

"So,now that you know our secret, what do you plan to do with this knowledge?"

Arvis -
'The Gilded Horn' Inn
Barcean Capitol

The round trip through the western provinces of Barcea proved to be in vain as Arvis settled down for the evening in one of his favourite Inn's. The bar at The Gilded Inn was always homely and dimly lit to add to the ambience, the candlelit room was his favourite place to be after returning from a road trip, it helped settle his mind, as did the Whiskey he held loosely in his hand.
There was a show on the stage at the back of the room, a calming songstress was performing a crowd favourite, he liked this song and gently closed his eyes and smiled. He was disappointed to have missed his opportunity to catch the Sentinels and gain their approval to take him on the trials, but glad to be back home and relaxing. He took and deep breathe and sighed, letting a smile creep across his face as he realised he could just relax for the time being, he would have to wait for the opportunity to arise, even if it meant waiting for the annual recruitment drive, he would join the Sentinels he told himself, it will just take time. He drew back a deep swig of the Bourbon still sat in his tumbler, when he finally opened his eyes he found himself feeling happier, and for good reason.

-----------

Lyrena
'The Gilded Horn' Inn
Barcean Capitol

The song echoing through the bar was familiar, however she couldn't name it. Lyrenna had chosen a seat in the audience at a lone stool, she had a drink sat upon the table before her as she tried to unwind from the weeks of strain, she had tried to sleep for a while upstairs but it eluded her, now here she was.

She finished the last of her drink and wasted no time in heasing to the bar to order another. The barman flashed a smile and took her order, placing it on her tab. As she turned to find her seat she noticed someone sat in an armchair by the wall, she couldn't make out who it was but could tell he was looking straight at her, he sat forward and the surprise on his face became apparent in the candlelight. The features were familiar, very familiar, the hair was familiar too. It took a few moments for her to realise that she was staring at Arvis.... he too made the connection and rose from his chair. Lyrena nearly dropped her drink as she looked upon the face of thr man she had been searching for, the man she loved.
She swiftly made her way through bustling crowd of punters, sat and stood around the few tables standing between the two.
As she approached the table at which Arvis stood she gazed upon his face as she placed her drink down. Her eyes welling and widening, her lips broke put into an almost painful smile, it was the most real of any smile in the past few weeks.
Arvis grinned, his face alight with obvious joy, he opened his mouth to speak but couldnt find the words.

" ... Lyrena ... I ..."

Lyrena threw her arms around him before he had the chance to complete his sentence, he began sobbing uncontrollably as she clutched at him and pulled him closer. He held her tightly and pulled her head into his shoulder, resting his hand tenderly on her head.

"I've looked everywhere... I've been searching for you. I wasn't the same after you left..." she told him.

"I know, I was the same way. I never knew until it was to late just how much I longed for you."

He looked her in the eyes as he admitted his feelings for her. He pulled her close once more before the embrace finally ended. The two sat at the table and sippes their drinks as they spoke of their adventures after the Merchant caravan. As the drinks came to an end, the two decided to turn in for the night. Arvis escorted Lyrena to her room before heading off to his own.
He had found her, she was back in his life again. He smiled truly as he set his head down for bed and found sleep with ease.

Ennis kept a polite smile on his face as the Serio family doted over their long lost friend, knowing that it would have been rude to interupt their reunion. He could tell from the reaction of Olain's children that they were not aware of the secret he knew, and he refused to be the one to put a frown on the Queen's face. Not to mention that he wasn't one hundred percent certain himself. As the small council broke and began to go their separate ways Ennis gripped ahold of Joy's gambeson, halting her from following behind the Prince.

“Sorry to bother, but I need to have a word with you,” said Ennis, his voice low and discrete. “Trust me, you'll want to hear what I have to say. When you're done with the Prince, come to my apartments.”

Joy shrugged free of the man and continued limping along behind the Prince's train; Ennis assumed that was a yes. He gave the Queen a polite bow as she dismissed him and briskly made his way out of the throne room—the stares from the guards were becoming uncomfortable. The ambassador mental list of tasks he needed to complete before the morning was growing considerably, but the first matter was to return home and see if Yan had been successful in his task of finding suitable bodyguards. The man began the walk back to his room above the flower shop, doubtful that the men in the stables would loan him a horse without the Queen's direct orders. Besides, he needed to stretch his limbs if they were to begin traveling tomorrow. He couldn't recall the last time he himself had been in Gurata, but he doubted his carriage would be fit for trekking through the snow.

He wasn't bothered on his walk back home, the streets being fairly thin once the general populace knew they would no longer get a peak at their beloved Queen. Ennis was certain by tomorrow the city would be abuzz with feverish jangoism once word escaped the castle, but today he enjoyed the relative silence that allowed his mind to drift. He thought of home. Depending on where they went in Gurata, the Kirun could be pretty close. Perhaps he would be able to check in. His mind turned to his wife and daughter. He knew Nia would be able to get them to safety. With the war going on, he doubted Gartian would pay much attention if they were secreted away. Perhaps by the time he visited home they would be there. A year's too long of a time for a man to be away from his family. Ennis clacked up the steps to his apartment, his family still in mind as his hand turned the knob and opened the door. Weird; had he forgotten to lock it in his excitement?

He called for Yan as he entered the hallway, lighting the sconce as he did so. The young man was greeted only with a silence. How hard is it to find a few bodyguards? thought Ennis as he made his way in to his office. Igniting the lights, Ennis felt a chill run up his spine as he looked around the room. Something felt off. The chill hit him again: the wind. His hand fell upon his sword and drew it. The blade was thin yet still personalized with engravings and far too well-polished to have ever been used in battle. Nevertheless, it was comforting to hold as his hand traced the edge of his desk as he made his way towards the balcony. The door was ajar ever the slightest. Cautiously, he opened it further, looked outside, and sighed with relief. Closing the door behind him, he shook his head at his own silly paranoia and turned back to sit at his desk. That's when he saw it.

The sword dropped from his hand, clattering against the floor with a loud ring.



Everything was too surreal. Wandering through the halls of the castle she once called home made her feel like a ghost. Ever subtle difference she noted. The colors were a little brighter, the walls were less ordained with weaponry and more covered in art. It all just seemed a little off. Joy felt her head swim. As the Prince showed the girls their rooms, Joy took the opportunity of their temporary distraction to take a quick drink. With the fire in her mouth, she felt her head clear ever the slightest. Her home was still different, but she could accept it. Stashing the flask, she turned back around and hurried after the others, her makeshift cane echoing through the hallways.

Even with the changes to the castle, she still knew where they were going as they headed through the hallway that led from one section to the other. Her eyes fell on the training grounds as they passed; she could almost hear her past self barking orders above the clashing and clanging of metal. She could also hear the whispers, the quiet insults that the recruits threw around when they thought she was out of earshot. She hadn't thought about those things in ages. It still stung. The former captain grimaced, shaking the thoughts from her head as they entered her former domain. At least they hadn't changed the decorations here. She heard voices from a cracked door; the Prince opened it the rest of the way.

"Everyone, meet the Sentinels."

Joy realized what she was doing before she had completely drawn her sword. The sound of her weapon slamming back in it sheath was masked by the staff shattering against the door. Being here might have been getting to her; nobody would actually be foolish enough to harm the Prince. Still, it had been a gut reaction. If she hadn't realized what she was doing, her homecoming would have ended with a rather bloody abruptness. Gathering herself, Joy stood back and observed as the woman bickered with the Prince. She felt her grip on her sword's hilt tighten as the woman continued to speak to Cyril. If it had been a private conversation Joy would be a bit more understanding, but to talk to a commanding officer, let alone royalty, in front of strangers like that? Joy gritted her teeth, biting down on her tongue in the process to keep it from lashing out freely.

She stepped forward into the room as the Prince continued his explanation of the group, examing the Sentinels as if they were cattle as he introduced each. A frown slowly formed on her face. Gortful's warm and friendly smile reminded her of a child, not of a hardened soldier. Sampson's refusal to stop eating was selfish and disrespectful, certainly unbecoming of a man serving the Prince. Joy already knew how she felt about Diane. The woman did not know how lucky it was that she still had a hand. As Cyril mentioned how proud he was of the Sentinels, Joy shot him an incredulous look. He's joking, right? she thought. It did not sound like a joke, but then again she couldn't be certain—she was never one for humor. If he was serious, well, she now understood how H'kela had launched a surprise attack if the Sentinels were the ones supposed to be guarding the border. She found herself making her way subconsciously to the head of the largest table like a woman possessed, her hand pushing the hair out of her eyes so that her stone gaze could fall on each and everyone of the Sentinels. A loud bang rang out across the room as Joy slammed her hand on the table in an attempt to get everyone's attention.

“Listen up,” she said. Her voice was calm and collected, but still carried loudly throughout the room. As she continued speaking, some poison seeped through onto her words. “You, Sampson. Three ladies, a brother-in-arms, your commanding officer, and your Princess have just walked into the room. Stand up and show some proper respect, or the next thing you'll be shoving in your face is dirt. And wipe that look off of your face, Gortful. Unless I was misled then I believe you're supposed to be a soldier, not the family dog. And Diane, you have a pretty good arm. Mine's faster. If you try to strike the Prince again, well,” a smile flashed across Joy's mouth, “consider me no longer responsbile for my actions.”

“I see why your brought me along, Your Royal Highness,” said Joy, giving Cyril a wry smile. “I am a bit tired from the ride, but I can still muster a few hours of drilling. I imagine I still have plenty I can show; perhaps even more now.”

She thoughtfully rubbed her chin, a devilish glint shining in her eye as she thought of proper punishment/training regiments for the Sentinels. She paused for a moment, as if she had just snapped out of a spell, and blinked before giving the Prince an apologetic look. It must have been an effect of the nostalgia; she had been acting as if she was still a captain. A slight tinge of red flushed onto her tanned cheeks as she stepped back from the table and sidled up against a wall.

“Ah, before any of that,” she said, her voice clearly less confident than before, “I'd suppose you'd want to debrief your men, my Prince. My apologies for being presumptuous.”

The reactions she got for her occupation seemed to sting. She wanted to show them that she was serious, that she wasn’t a fake, but the grief she had felt from earlier made her tired. The Queen’s words were reassuring, however, and Etsuko managed to give a small smile. No wonder the citizens of Barcea adored Queen Serio so much.

Quietly, she and Calypso followed Cyril to where they would be staying. Out of habit, Etsuko was about to decline the offer to stay overnight, but perhaps it was better that she didn’t. She didn’t think she could travel with how her body ached and her heart heavy. The fortune teller stayed close to her companion as she looked at the castle’s interior. It was quite beautiful, really, and she found herself feeling honored to be able to stay here, even for just a night.

By the time they reached the room that held the Sentinels, Etsuko had slumped slightly against Calypso. She was tired and she wanted some time to herself.

Of course, all feelings of fatigue quickly vanished as the one called Diane aimed her wrath towards Cyril.

Etsuko had yelped, jumping and hiding behind Calypso. Her eyes were wide as she peeked over her tall friend’s shoulders to watch the scene unfold. Slowly, she left the shield of her friend to wave shyly at the Sentinels. She couldn’t help but giggle at Gortul’s welcoming, finding the giant man to be very warm.

Any sort of comment that she might’ve had quickly faded away as she stood next to Calypso, biting her lip slightly as she looked at everyone in the room. Joy—or Vesta, as the Queen and addressed her—seemed to take command of the entire room. Etsuko was surprised by her tone, tilting her head somewhat as she wondered where it could have come from. She glanced around the room again. They were an assorted bunch, all gathered because of the same person. She glanced at the Prince then. Perhaps it was something in the Serio bloodline, the ability to gather people for a single objective. Or maybe it was something that royalty carried.

Etsuko could only hope that their everyone’s future was bright.