"It's better to just lay still", Diana told the wounded girl, "if you can. I'm sure we can get some something to ease the pain soon but for now just be strong." Diana was trying her best to sound positive and motherly, in an attempt to comfort the girl. If she actually needed comfort, Diana knew nothing about her, only that she was strong and hard headed. Another girl, Gwen, had stayed with the wounded girl as well. She had been told to by a woman who seemed close to the wounded girl. "I'm Diana, who are you?", Diana asked Gwen, not really sure if that was actually her name, she could have easily misheard. Diana didn't say anything to the girl as she thought her unable to speak because of the pain.

The reserve unit was smaller than Henry would have liked; shrunken drastically by the number of wounded now unable to carry on the fight. With no more than a hundred mounted men he rode South towards the pillar of coloured smoke announcing the approach of the enemy. It would be some time before the necessary supplies and the wounded had been organised for an orderly retreat and Henry anticipated difficulty with nobles typically getting in the way to exercise unnecessary authority.

"Lord Henry, is this wise? We have barely five score men and we've all fought already today, the horses and men are tired." A few jeers showed what the more enthusiastic thought of this dire assessment but the majority stayed grimly silent, experienced and agreeing with him whom had voiced their concerns, Henry shared them but he also knew they had no other choice.

"We won't lure them into battle. Our task is just to slow them down, so avoid engagement which might slow us down. If anyone falls... they will have to be left behind." Henry was somewhat glad that he was riding with veterans who knew not to argue with such an order; he would not give it unless he had to and they all knew it.

Before long the dark smudge of a marching army appeared on the horizon. With a growing sense of dread Henry calculated the size of it as they picketed their horses in the shadow of a copse of trees, resting before the inevitable first clash of arms.

"This army is bigger than the other." One of his temporary aides commenting, staring through tunnels made by his hands to approximate the number of enemy troops. Henry grunted his reply, his hand itching to hold his sword and fight someone, to get rid of the anxiety that came before battle; especially one that was not winnable.

"Their cavalry outnumber us by eight to one. We need to keep the main body of their army between us and half of their cavalry while we draw the rest off." Henry mused, noting the orderly lines of cavalry trotting along easily on either side of the main line of infantry. He gave the order and they mounted up and prepared for combat.

“Hello, I’m Gwendolyn Ashburn of Elianst,” She greeted the girl. “I hope you are well.” She directed the statement to both of them. Caroline looked upset. Gwen hadn’t seen Caroline since the wall was breached and in the ensuing madness lost track of Caroline. Fenrir’s actions distracted Gwen and by the time the two reached the ground Gwen forgot about Caroline. Though she was confident that Caroline would get out just fine. Caroline came from a military family specializing in magic, which made her more suitable for combat situations. Gwen on the other hand was taught fencing and she was pretty good, but in the end battle was not her forte.

Taking a look over Caroline now, Gwen was struck with how injured the other girl was. “Will she be ok?” She asked Diana. Gwen’s eye drifted to the bow besides Caroline. “Is that yours?” She gestured to the bow and directed the question to Diana. “I have never seen a bow that large before.”

Caroline snorted, then winced at the pain it caused her. "You think a healer could draw a bow like that? Of course not, it's mine." Looking at Gwen and Diana, she instantly regretted saying it. "I'm sorry, that was rude. I guess I'm just not having a very good day here." She looked down at her abdomen, which had thankfully stopped bleeding now thanks to Diana and the other healers. She carefully drew two of the arrows from the quiver next to her, motioning over one of the workers who seemed the least busy. "Get these to an Elianst Fletcher and Blacksmith. Tell them they are to make fifty more just like it when they have the time, on order of House McArthur." Once he had taken off, she leaned back again. "I hate being useless like this." She muttered.

"I'm pleased to make your acquaintance, Gewndolyn Ashburn. My name is Diana Ileria. I'm from Fristha", Diana replied. Gwen seemed worried about the wounded girl. More worried than the wounded girl herself actually, who was already busy trying to procure herself some more arrows for the massive bow. "Yes, she will be okay, especially if she'd start to try and rest..." Diana looked at the wounded girl:"Don't you ever dare do something like that again when you're this wounded!" Diana was worried she may sound a bit too angry, yet at the same time she felt the girl had deserved it. "When a healer tells you not to do something, you'd better listen because you can sure they have a very good reason for telling you not to do it", she added, "and you're not useless. You could help us make the time go by. What's your name?"

The group, no more than two score, pulled their horses to a stop with many tumbling from their mounts in exhaustion. A half dozen men and women were waiting with a wagon. They rushed forwards and collected those who had collapsed and checked them for wounds before moving the injured into the wagon to be looked at. A separate cart was already occupied by several covered bodies; a cart which those were still mounted and able did not look at.

Henry dismounted and waved off a medic who came to look at his injuries.

"I'm fine. Attend to the others." He was not fine. He had taken a blow to the head from a hoof and blood kept streaming down from his forehead forcing him to blink constantly lest he give up half of his vision in battle. Also he was fairly sure his lower left arm had been shattered in several places from when he had been knocked from his horse. The elbow still worked and he had strapped the shield he bore to his arm but every blow to it nearly knocked him unconscious from pain. Smaller cuts and scratches covered his arms and torso but none of them were serious enough to slow him down. The other riders who still stayed with him were similarly wounded and over half of their original force were either dead or badly wounded. Even with Granthar's help they had suffered heavy losses.

"Lord Henry, we should consider rejoining the others at the Academy. We have too few men to hold them up any further." One of other young knights approached Henry, his mount slowly ambling its way so that they were level. "The mounts are exhausted and every man is injured. We'll simply incur more losses if we ride out again." Henry was nodding in agreement, casting his gaze across the few men still able to fight and seeing the truth of the knight's words.

"Get the wounded into the wagon or secure on horses and... make sure the dead are ready to be transported. Those who are able will form the rearguard and beat off any pursuers. Let's get back before sundown."

---

Elaeria watched as the baggage train departed, glaring at the backs of the richer nobles who had hurried to monopolise the servants' aid in securing their belongings. Shaking her head to remove her fury she turned back to the wagons which were assembled behind her.

"Go on, don't fall behind. If they complain about the smell then tell them their gods will smite them for their disrespect." She waved and the carts rolled on, their cargo of wrapped bodies being taken for proper burial. The final task was to load the wounded and to seal the Academy's main building. The staff would remain, safe in the impervious magical defences of the building until the area was secured by allied forces.

Heading into the Medical Ward, overflowing with the wounded, she motioned to one of the young nobles nearby.

"It's time to get the wounded away from here. Lord Henry's rearguard won't slow them forever and we need to get the healthy away after this. The brave ones, that is." She said spitefully, thinking of those who had fled immediately after their first taste of battle. Striding into the nearest room she found familiar faces in Gwen, Caroline and another young woman.

"We're starting the evacuation of the wounded. Lord Henry's rearguard are returning, they can't slow the enemy any longer. The carriages are waiting outside. I'll help carry you." She knew she was being blunt and ignoring normal etiquette but in a time of war it was necessary.

“I hope your trip here to the Academy went alright. I don’t think any of us expected these events to occur so quickly. Classes had only started a few days ago and yet we were already under siege by unknown enemies. Nothing like banding together for survival to unite our nations hm?” Gwen spoke lightly with a smile. She didn’t comment on Caroline’s outburst since Diana did a good job in scolding her. Though Gwen did note Caroline’s arrows. Those arrows were small spears compared to the ones other archers used.

“I can only hope we can recover soon enough. I don’t know how we’ll inform the families of the students who have died during the battle. Oh, I hope none of your friends or family were hurt. I’ll look after Caroline if you would like to check the medical ward or the bulletin. There should be a list of the deceased at the entrance of the main hall.”

And Elaeria came into the room. "We're starting the evacuation of the wounded. Lord Henry's rearguard are returning, they can't slow the enemy any longer. The carriages are waiting outside. I'll help carry you."

The news startled Gwen. She didn’t remember hearing about an evacuation, though maybe she was too preoccupied with stabilizing the situation to pay attention to other things. Dahlia came into the room the next moment a little bit flustered. She bowed to Elaeria from the doorway and gestured for Gwen to follow her. Gwen excused herself and followed.

“Evacuation?” was the first thing Gwen asked.

“Yes. I forgot to tell you when we went to the kitchens. I’m sorry.” Dahlia gave Gwen a sheepish grin. “I already arranged for your luggage to be taken, so its with the rest.”

The blonde sighed. If she knew of the evacuation sooner, than some of the thing she ordered would’ve been unnecessary. “Has the food been secured and the other supplies?”

“Yes, Headmaster Trystan took care of those details. All that’s left is to evacuate the medical ward. Most of the needed medical equipment is already being moved. He’s at the main entrance right now directing things, if you want to speak with him.” Dahlia picked up her cat familiar. “Your wolf is there too.”

“I understand.” Gwen spoke after a pause. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.” Dahlia nodded and left. Gwen quickly swallowed her meager meal.

When she reached the headmaster, he seemed different. His eyes were hard and his manner was of a general giving out orders. He spotted Gwen and gestured for her to come closer. In a very precise words he updated her on everything that had happened on his side after they parted.

“Well, I’ll leave the rest to you Lady Ashburn,” Trystan said concluding his speech.

This only startled Gwen. “You are not coming with us?”

The headmaster shook his head. “My place is in this Academy. There will still be staff here that will need guidance. The town too.”

Gwen was taken aback, but she understood his position. “Well then Headmaster, I wish you the best and I hope we will meet again in better circumstances.”

They briefly bowed to each other and Trystan left back to his other duties. Gwen stayed behind and took up directing the evacuation until she and the last few people were left. That was when she spotted Henry approaching and she saw he was seriously injured.

Gwen was too tired to be angry at Henry at this point. With the tone of someone in charge she directed a nearby healer to see to Henry. “You need rest and treatment. Let Elaeria direct the soldiers.” She said and gave him a hard glare, daring him to object. With one last check she joined the others in leaving the Academy behind.

Caroline scowled at the healer, then looked at Elaeria. "A McArthur is not carried. She walks." With that, she pushed herself to her feet, using her new bow for support. "The wound is mostly cosmetic, there's very little muscle damage. The only danger it poses is bleeding to death, and as long as it's bandaged I should be fine." Using the surprisingly sturdy bow as a walking stick now, she walked toward the door. Passing Elaeria, she said quietly, "I won't be much use in battle, but I refuse to become a burden. If the best I can do is not enough, then I will do better. If my honor matters even a little, don't order me otherwise."

Elaeria raised an eyebrow and stopped the injured girl with one firm hand on her shoulder.

"Very well, I shan't insult your honour again. If you fall behind I will however leave you behind. Remember this: pride means nothing in war. All that matters is survival and victory. No one will remember the defeated, honour or no. Also there is no shame in seeking help when you are wounded, only in begging for it." She turned and left then, rather than give the young noblewoman a chance to answer; Elaeria was well aware of the pride and honour that she saw to hold back the Elianst aristocracy. If they wanted they could have conquered every nation but their notions of morality and chivalry had prevented them from doing so while her ruthlessness in the wars had been the only thing to keep her alive in the wilds for over a decade of guerrila warfare.

Emerging outside she just caught the last part of Gwen's orders to the healers and glanced at Lord Henry whose injuries would severely limit him in combat.

"She's right, you know. I'll take command of the rearguard but I think you've given us enough of a lead not to worry. Go and rest in a carriage after you've had your injuries seen to. We'll be needing you in top form before too long, I imagine." Henry nodded and slowly dismounted before heading off to find a healer although he had every intention of riding rather than taking up space in a carriage when the more seriously wounded could rest.

Elaeria had a servant take the exhausted horse away and had her own brought up, fresh and ready to ride along with a rested troop of her own men. Henry's soldiers were in more need of healing than their commander had been if only for not sharing his monstrous stamina. As they found places in carriages to rest and recuperate, Elaeria watched where they had retreated from. The approaching force was a long way away but was still in sight and close enough to be threatening. She noticed with a certain level of approval that the enemy cavalry numbered very few, no more than two dozen, after Henry's efforts despite being heavily outnumbered.

"It's time. We need to be out of the Academy's walls before night falls."

As Henry was treated by the healers, Gwen kept an eye on him. She had previously spoken to them to add a sleeping potion so Henry could rest. They promptly agreed. So far things have been progressing fairly well. The evacuation went as smoothly as could be expected with the amount of injured they were also transporting. Gwen finally let herself review the day, especially Henry’s disappearance. What was wrong? She really did not want to pry further but something about his behavior at that time alarmed her. Her worry didn’t mix well with Uncle Matthew’s reappearance. This lead her to the thoughts of her family. The castle was attacked. Henry’s father was most likely dead and maybe her’s too. Gwen took a deep breath to steady herself and force those thoughts back. She couldn’t handle losing another father. She could only hope the rest of her family was safe.

When Gwen checked up on Henry again, he was fast asleep in a carriage. Good. She went to the Queen to inform her of the current events. “The evacuation has been completed. Headmaster Trystan is staying behind at the Academy. The supplies are secured and we should have enough food to last everyone to our destination. However I am afraid we have used any remaining carriages and carts. We will not be able to transport any more injured if we are to be attacked again. Another concern is all this luggage. This makes our party a very tempting target to thieves. With our injured and dead I’m not sure we could hold off an attack if the thieves decide to attack us every step on this journey.” Gwen said. She could only hope nothing would hinder their progress.

"The trip was rather boring, to be honest... Then again, I'd chose that trip over this war...", Diana replied to Gwen. Gwen seemed nice enough to Diana and Diana hoped they could be friends after all this was over. Caroline felt a bit too strong, perhaps even too aggressive for her right now. Maybe once she got to know the warrior-girl better? She sure seemed like someone you'd want to be friends with, for all the protective advantages...

When Gwen asked Diana if she wanted to check the bulletin board, Diana refused. She didn't know any of her family members in the school. After all, she had been separated from most of the world her entire life. The only family she knew to have lived in Fristha. A nation-fortress as everyone she knew called it... Fristha was a country blessed with such a great territorial advantage that it would never fall, or so they all thought... "No, surely the enemy wasn't that strong... Right...?" Before Diana had the time to explain why she didn't want to look at the bulletin board a woman walked into the room. "We're starting the evacuation of the wounded. Lord Henry's rearguard are returning, they can't slow the enemy any longer. The carriages are waiting outside. I'll help carry you", she said. Her words were mostly directed to Caroline. She ignored all the rules of engagement in a conversation, which gave her words strength and made people want to follow her, well, people like Diana anyway. These people really only ever lived to lead, didn't they? I wonder if there is even one like me out here...

Before Diana knew it, Gwen was gone, following a second woman who called her out. After Gwen was gone, Caroline and the other woman had a short conversation about honour. Caroline, being as reckless as she had been since the moment Diana met her, refused to be carried. The woman, rather than clashing with the wounded girl, decided it was a lost cause. Diana, on the other hand, being the 'healer', couldn't stand for Caroline's rash behaviour, especially since she scowled her. "Honour or not, you are not walking, miss Caroline! You fainted just a little while ago! You are going to be carried and don't you dare argue with me!" As best as she could, Diana tried to mimic the woman whose name she still didn't know in sounding strong. Right now, that felt like the only way she could keep up with these woman. If these people are just the woman, then what are the men like...?

Queen Louise

It was nightfall by the time the fugitives left the Academy proper, camping in the charred ruins of North Unity with a picket line around their entire encampment although those expected to fight camped closest to the gate; if any enemy appeared it'd be their pursuers although they would probably give up the chase over night. The Queen was speaking to one of her aides when Gwen arrived to report to her.

"You are referring to those bandits which attacked us on our way to the Academy? Princess Elaeria is somewhat more used to war and raiding than Henry is, especially since we've been at peace longer than Fristha. Do not worry about our safety, we're in the best hands possible. That's as long as the enemy don't catch up with us, of course." The Queen seemed to be thinking of something else, despite the severity of their current predicament. "Walk with me, Gwen." She said, gesturing for them to move away from the others who were taking what rest they could before they moved on again. When they were a fair distance away the Queen looked at her guards who acknowledged the order and stayed where they were, keeping an eye out while staying out of earshot.

"Henry will most likely be angered by my telling you of this but I believe it is in his best interests which I think you and I know he does not look after well." She began, finding a seat in the shell of the building, presumably a tavern by the numerous chairs in varying condition littered around its inside. "You see, Henry is the second son of his family and was meant to be a scholar... or possibly even the High Priest. He certainly had the aptitude for it. As such his family and mine wanted to secure a bond of friendship between him and I so we were mentored together, Henrietta was already my servant then." She paused for a moment, caught in an old memory before shaking her head sadly and then continuing.

"I suppose it was when he was around the age of seven that it first showed. His brother had returned from the war, for a short time anyway, and was teasing Henry about his feminine company and upbringing. Back then he had quite a temper but for some reason that time it triggered a fit. We called the physician immediately, of course, and he was stopped from doing any harm to himself or anyone nearby but it scarred him quite deeply. After that he was always very careful to stay calm... he was never the happy and energetic boy he had once been. His brother, Samuel, was very apt in bringing out his temper though and seemed to enjoy in causing Henry's fits. He suffered through half a dozen, that I know of, before Samuel... disappeared on the battlefield." The Queen glanced back towards the camp, as if looking for the subject of their discussions.

"After that Henry was raised as the firstborn and his father was very strict, forcing him to 'make up lost time' as he called it. I rarely saw him but I heard from the Royal Physician whose son serves House Charlton that Henry's fits had become quite frequent, brought about by severe pressure and stress. Overtime they became less and less frequent as he started to seal away his emotions, bit by bit. When I saw him next he was a different person, so stiff and formal and saying so little. Then he went off to war and it only made him less of who he was. He has loosened a little since then, thanks to the peace, and to you, I believe." Here the Queen smiled slightly at Gwen, envious that despite her long friendship she had not been able to return Henry to his former self. Then her smiled disappeared.

"But he suffered another one of those seizures today, I saw it in his face. I do not know what caused it but he will need to be watched for if he has begun to fall victim to his infirmity again." Standing up, the Queen began to walk back towards her guards. "I'm trusting him to you, Lady Ashburn. He's an important childhood friend of mine."

Caroline looked back at the healer. "You're persistent, I'll give you that, but my course will not be swayed. If you want, you can walk beside me, so you can be the one to toss me in a wagon if I fall over again." Turning back toward the exit, her next words were barely audible. "I could use such a strong will by my side anyway, Diana."

---

Elizabeth took advantage of the short break to unroll the leather bundle she had under her arm. With what little time she had had to herself before the evacuation, she had managed to dissemble the weapon and make a traveling case for it. laying it on the ground, she examined the device. The long metal tube seemed to serve only to direct the projectile. Now that she had it apart, the weapon was actually quite simple. The parts could be easily replaced if necessary. The complicated part was the powder. "I wish I had my lab equipment." She said to nobody in particular. Rolling up the bundle again, she suddenly felt a familiar presence. Whipping her head around, she thought she saw something moving in the trees, but maybe it was just her imagination.

Gwen followed Queen Louise as she led them into a secluded spot. The blonde said nothing but only grew more suspicious when the guards were dismissed. The two took a seat on the chairs that were left of the tavern and Gwen took a deep breath to calm herself. Gwen sat with the proper posture of a lady even though what was left was covered in ash.

Louise launched into Henry’s history and Gwen listened intently, never interrupting the Queen. Gwen still haven’t spoken when Louise rejoined her guards, she only nodded as the other lady left. Finally the girl let herself relax and think over the new information. So Samuel disappeared? Gwen vaguely remembered the boy, probably meeting him at one point but she honestly never dwelt on it. It was probably the same time when her father passed away. She was very much in her own world during those months. But Henry’s condition… How should she approach him now? Should she act like she doesn’t know until Henry has another attack? Gwen was lost in her own thoughts and didn’t notice the two figure that joined her.

Fenrir was by her side when she finally looked up. By now she was use to the silent wolf and wasn’t too surprised by his sudden appearance. However Fenrir had his eyes trained to a crumbled wall across the tavern. And Matthew appeared. Gwen stood up and knocked over the chair. Fenrir stepped forward getting between Matthew and Gwen.

“Lyn,” Matthew greeted and gave her a curt nod. Gwen’s mind raced. What was he doing here? Was there another ambush planned? But Matthew say the fear on her face. He shook his head. “I’m not here about that. I just wanted to see if you were ok.”

“I’m alright thank you.” Matthew made a move to leave but Gwen called out. “Why? Why are you with them?”

Matthew shook his head. “There are things I need to do. Take care of yourself, Lyn.” And he disappeared, leaving Gwendolyn for the second time. She followed Fenrir as he led them back to the camp. Her expression was grim. Should she mention this to her Queen? But she decided against it. Uncle Matthew wouldn’t betray his country… he wouldn’t betray her. For a brief moment the flood of emotions overwhelmed her. The memories of her father’s funeral and how Uncle Matthew held her hand while Robert held her other. She broke out of her daze and realized that they had stopped near the edge of the camp. Her face was buried in Fenrir’s neck. Gwen composed herself and stepped back into the camp with her familiar by her side. There were still many things she needed to do and her top priority was to check up on her friends.

"Nothing to report from the picket lines, ma'am!" Elaeria looked up at the young noble, nodding to signify both her acknowledgement and her dismissal of the man. She was sat alone at a fire nearest the centre of their camp as possible so that she could reach any part of the outer defences without delay. Most of the their bedraggled group were already asleep, exhausted from the day's events. The only ones still awake were the ones on duty, the injured and the restless; the latter being largely those who had not fought that day.

"Elaeria, you should get some rest." Looking up she saw Queen Louise entering the circle of light emitted by the fire, accompanied by her guards who stayed out of earshot, looking out at the camp for any potential threats.

"I'm alright cousin. Your Lord Henry would normally be doing this but since he's injured I'll take over; perhaps I underestimated his innate skill. This peace has made most of us soft and unprepared." The Queen took a seat on the log that Elaeria had deemed to be a suitable enough bench and it was only then the Princess noticed Louise had changed into riding leathers from the dress she had been wearing previously.

"I'm afraid you're quite right. Which makes this situation all the more dire." The Queen sighed, staring into the flames in front of her. "And we suffered great losses today as well. The nobles of the Four Countries will be reckless in their desire for revenge at a time when we need to be as level-headed as possible."

---

Henry woke slowly, drowsy from the effects of whatever had been in the wine. He might have been angered by the fact he had been effectively drugged if he didn't acknowledge the necessity of it in his case; he knew more than anyone else of his own obtuseness. The carriage he had been sleeping in had one other occupant who was still asleep, although groaning quietly from whatever wound he was suffering from. Moving slowly, to not wake the slumbering young man but also because his body felt heavy from his efforts that day, Henry climbed out of the carriage and looked around him at the camp.

"We survived but this looks like a defeated retreat..." He muttered under his breath so that no one else could hear. Granthar was nearby, he could sense, apparently patrolling around the camp's perimeter. Whether that was by suggestion of Elaeria or for Henry's protection of his own volition it was unclear but Henry somewhat suspected the Warrior Princess had roped the familiar into military service by sheer force of will.

Realising that he had not eaten, except briefly in the short respite in the mid-afternoon, Henry wandered off in search of the cooking pits and a half-decent meal.

Diana was sitting beside Caroline on some sort of log. While she was trying to look strong, Diana was in reality quite exhausted. She wasn't used to this, wasn't made for battle and strife. She looked at Caroline, who had been able to keep up without fainting again. As much as she despised conquest, battle and all those who longed for it a bit too much, Diana could not help but respect soldiers, or people who dared to put their life on the line for people they didn't even know in general. Their strength to go on in the direst of situations was surely something to look up to*. Diana was used to harsh climates and walking long distances herself, for a girl with her slender build you'd almost forget how physically fit she actually was, but not fit for battle fit, but running around and climbing trees fit.

Diana had heard next to nothing about what was going to happen now or the precise events that led up to the attack as well as most of the attack itself. She wanted to find out, Diana always wanted to know more about the world around her, but she knew her place was beside Caroline right now. In Diana's past her curiosity had had consequences, so she learned that it wasn't always the best idea to always follow the truth to it's core openly, sometimes not even discreetly. People had secrets and Diana respected that, most of the time. She wondered what secrets Caroline might have, but quickly decided not to pursue this thought. Caroline could be her first real friend here and Diana didn't want to risk losing a friend in times such as these. Then, suddenly, a thought came across her mind that actually lifted her spirits. After the evacuation, Diana had come to realise the reason why the monks in the monastery where she was raised dreaded war so much. The loss of life and injured, the full understanding of the aftermath of battle had deeply saddened her but now there was a smile on her face. Maybe she could go home! Not like leave the academy go home, but take shelter in her country. Surely they would be safe in Fristha. No matter who the enemy was, nobody could conquer the plateau. They would all be safe, people from the capital as well. Somehow it seemed like all their problems could easily be solved.

Just as sudden as her optimism had come, it went away. Diana suddenly realised that they were probably a long way from Fristha, that they were probably being pursued by the enemy and that she had no way of telling the higher ups about this idea. She knew none of them. But maybe Caroline does...?, Diana wondered. She had to look weird to the warrior lady. First seemingly strong and telling her what to do, then suddenly being almost depressed by the simple sight of all the injured and dead and now first randomly optimistic, only to become sad again. To top it all up, Diana was now looking at Caroline with eyes filled with expectation. Diana didn't even notice how unladylike like, lady as in high born, he behaviour probably was. "Caroline, do you know who the one in charge? As in personally...?", she asked Caroline.

*(What Diana did not realise, for she had never witnessed it or heard about it in stories, was that soldiers could experience enough fear to lose their resolves. In the stories she was told only the enemy ever ran.)

Instead what Gwen found was Elizabeth. Both seemed startled by each others sudden appearance, but soon they exchanged greetings.

“Have you discovered anything about those strange weapons yet Lady MacArthur?” The two made their way into the camp. Gwen kept her eyes open for either Diana or Caroline, but she didn’t see either of them. Fenrir disappeared from Gwen’s side as they were walking, but his quiet comings and goings didn’t surprise the young noble any longer. She tried her best to pay attention as Lady MacArthur lead them through the camp, but her mind wandered back to her recent meeting in the forest. This day really was too long. Come to think of it, she hadn’t slept for two days now.

Her eyes drifted through the crowd and she spotted Henry. It was obvious he was in pain, but he looked a lot better than before. Before Gwen could make up her mind if she should just let him be, Lady MacArthur approached Henry and Gwen silently trailed behind.

Henry was sitting at another campfire with a hot stew in his hands, prepared by one of the servants who had come with the retreating nobles, when Elizabeth MacArthur approached him with Gwen in tail. Noticing the bundle in the woman's hand he raised an eyebrow.

"Lady MacArthur, I see you have been investigating our foes' equipment. I managed to get one of them to fire earlier but I don't quite understand its workings; I'm sure you've already discovered a lot more than I." He nodded to Gwen but looked down, remembering the fit he had been wracked with earlier; he feared that she had seen his weakness and greatest embarrassment. Henry changed the subject by motioning towards the servants hurrying to and fro around the campfire with steaming bowls and plates of hot food.

"You must both be hungry, it's been some time since we've been able to sit down and enjoy a meal. We'll have warning if the enemy approaches so sit and eat, relax. We all need to unwind a little." Here he glanced pointedly at Gwen, making her aware that he had noticed the bags forming under her eyes and the heaviness of her gait. [b]"Who knows how long it'll be before we're on the run again?"[b]

Elizabeth grinned as she sat down, just close enough to Henry so they wouldn't be talking over the fire. "That I did, boy. Take a look." As she unrolled the bundle between them, she started explaining her discoveries. "The device itself is simple really, not much more than a metal tube with a fire starter on one end. A good blacksmith could make about a hundred in a day. I'd go so far to say it's genius in it's simplicity." As she continued, she indicated the pouch of powder. "The trick is this powder. By smell I'd say it's some kind of sulpher compound, but I won't be able to say for certain until I can access some lab equipment. When the powder catches fire, it burns fast, a lot faster than anything else I've seen. When you pack it down the tube and stuff the cotton after it to create an airtight seal, the only way the heat can go is by shoving that seal out of the way, and the ball with it." She rubbed her hands together in anticipation. "I can't wait till I can make an unlimited supply of this. It opens up a whole new world of posibilities, especially if I can incorporate it into my magic."

---

Caroline looked up from the apple she was munching on, all hints of her prior bloodlust gone. "Yeah, I guess I do. My mother works directly for Queen Loise, so I've net her a few times. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I was just thinking, it's pretty dangerous here, with the enemy still being around. Wouldn't it be a good idea to try to flee towards Fristha?", Diana asked Caroline, "I mean, I know it's probably a long way, but they sacked the capital. There has never even been an attempt to besiege Fristha. We could be safe there and plan a counter attack, right?" Diana was a bit worked up. Not just because she had come up with a, from her point of view, pretty solid idea, but also of the thought of going home. "You could ask your mother to discuss it with the one in charge or do it yourself. With your mother having such a high position, you too must hold some political power, probably informal... But still! Political power is power. They'll listen, right?"