Heralded by the clatter of steel on cobblestone and the clinking of spurs, the hulking man adorned in the panoply of war marched through the war torn streets of Ifern. In a steel suit of armor, finely crafted, gilded, trimmed and decorated with silver paint vines and a great golden boar across its chest; the man's audacious display shouted out his status for everyone's eyes to hear. Escorting him where a squadron of nine soldiers, one markedly taller than the other beside him and the others following two by four. The eight trailing behind were smaller in statue than the average man, but the clatter of all their steel greaves on the cobblestone only added to the man's own march. Cloaked in thick robes that hid themselves away, but could not help in the clatter of steel underneath that betrayed how armed and armored they were. If everyone continued being wise and not stare for too long, they wouldn't notice these soldiers were not human.

 

All around him soldiers tore families from their houses and marched them under guard in the opposite direction his own miniature parade went. They were pulled, shoved, and threatened onward. They were corralling away from the capital and into the camps waiting for them in the outskirts. Wailing children, pleading mothers and fathers trying to act brave, they all watched the man march by. The colors he raised were different, but it was without a doubt their Prince. Prince Deron, under the banner of a boar.

 

Refuge camps; that is what Deron called them. A safe place for all the citizens of Ifern to hide will he let his army throw themselves against the mighty Ifern citadel. A liberator; that is how Deron thought of himself. This wasn't an army sent to pillage, sack and rape the capital. After today the people would return, rebuild his capital and cheer as he rode down the streets revealing in his victory and coronation forthwith afterward. Far ahead that mighty citadel was smoldering, burning, crumbling, but still refusing to fall. When he saw that the Princess' banners still flew atop the central keep, his expression soured.

 

Marching at a brisk pace, a troop of similarity dressed men approached the man with their entourage and saluted with the utmost respect. Removing their helmets in deference to the man, they had complex and worried expressions on their faces as they suffered under the glare of the man whose patience was scarce if it existed at all.

 

     “Sire, I am glad to see you are well and have made it here unharmed.” One of the men spoke.

 

     “Of course I am alright, Count Elric.” Deron snarled in return. “What I am not is pleased. Why have you not stormed the castle yet?”

 

     “Just as you instructed, sire, we sent a team through an old escape passage leading back into the castle. There we came across Heggs and the other ministers in the process of fleeing as you predicted. We took them into custody. Would you prefer to see them-?”

 

     “Be rid of them immediately. I have no time to deal with worms. What is more important to me, is why you could not take the tower after that.” Deron growled, leaning over elric who cowered backward in response.

 

     “They were repelled sire. The passage then collapsed. Heavy casualties. We were forced to batter and break through the main gate and fight through the courtyards and corridors.”

 

     “Repelled? General Atrus...” If Deron had been trying to appear civil before, he certainly wasn't now as he snarled the man's name.

 

While a runner took the message of Deron's last order, the other general stepped forward to cover for his ally.

 

     “Sire, we believe the escape of the minsters and the attack from that hidden passageway was somehow anticipated. The few survivors and those that escaped the collapse of the tunnel told us they confronted not only Lord Rissler, but the Thorn Knight as well.”

 

     “The Thorn Knight?” Deron gritted his teeth. “But that bastard was at...”

 

     “S-sire, the tunnel itself seemed to have collapsed through some magic means. Sappers have not been able to break through the rubble and excavate the tunnel either.”

 

     “Forget about the tunnel!” Deron bellowed. “I leave you in charge to take the castle in my absence so that I may march into the throne room upon my return and you give me nothing but excuses. I leave you my army along with perhaps the most powerful brigade of special troops the North has ever seen with you to bash your way through and you cannot lead them to victory against some poorly and hastily trained rabble?”

 

     A third lord spoke up, interrupting Deron, “Rissler's royal guards hold the walls and the choke points. Neither were we informed of the presence of monster allies within the palace. Leaving aside the Thorn Knight, they have a potent spell caster among them. They must. Knights who have been spotted severely injured on the walls retreat and return within the hour, fully healed and battle ready. My prince, defending the Ifern Keep with these tools at their disposal is also something a child could-”

 

     “Prince? Zacreich? PRINCE?” Deron screamed, turning to the man. “I am KING. Not PRINCE.”

 

Clanging his right gauntlet against the side of his leg her signaled the golem guarding him at his side to step forward. The girl faced hi then knelt and received his order.

 

     “Take Lord Zacreich to the Iron Pit. Let your superior know he is to not receive the kindest treatment nor shall he leave!”

 

While his men were stunned and bewildered, Zacriech watched as the girl stood back up to give a hollow 'yes master' before mechanically approaching him and seizing him by the arm. Even though the girl was half his weight, she twisted the grown man's arm behind him back, a distinct popping sound as his arm was dislocated at the shoulder. Between screams of pain and cries for mercy the golem pushed and kicked the man along until they both disappeared back down the main drag behind them. The men watched the whole scene in horror, but quickly jumped back to attention when Deron's eyes settled back down on them, slightly calmer than before, his stress slightly alleviated.

 

A fair word of sound judgment was something Deron had been known to welcome from his subordinate. However, the time had come when Deron's patience would not tolerate deviation from his plan. He cared not for the consequences of his actions anymore. All that mattered was that he sat upon the throne of all Domdracveria now. He had planned for this day for nearly a decade and had rued and wished for the day even further back, Perhaps as far back as the birth of the scar on his chest.

 

     “The Iron Pit, my liege?” Atrus gulped, shook his head and before his lord's eyes turned back on him with that same fervor, he decided to change the subject for his own benefit. “I wanted to inform you that your orders were that no citizen be harmed. Those 'mercanaries' you included into the army a few days before we set off to march... They have been spotted deserting and disobeying orders. Dragging boys, men enemy and soldiers even our own soldiers away.”

 

     “How many?” Deron asked.

 

     “So far one in eight, my liege.”

 

     “Within expectations. Do not concern yourself with it. After the battle they will be dealt with and deactivated.” With his second order issued, Deron strode forward and the troop in front of him scrambled to part and make way. To his generals who fell in behind him, he screamed his orders at them again, “Take me to the front lines at once.”

 

     “Yes sire. The main gate was demolished before we arrived, but the siege tower was successfully mounted on the south wall so that-”

 

Atrus' report was cut off suddenly by a distant screeching wail far in the distance. He thought nothing of it, but Deron came to a halt immediately. The entire coloum came to an abrupt stop in a panic so that they would not collide into the Prince's back, but even they were not aware why immediately. The screech rang out again, louder than before but still only just above the sound of battle nearby.

 

     “What in the hells is that?” Atrus shouted out to his subordinates behind him, demanding and answer.

 

Deron did not need to ask. He turned toward the south and looked up into the sky. His eyes had shot open in surprise. They had spotted something in the sky far away, they then furrowed and knitted and his face contorted into an angry snarled mess.

 

     “No one would... No... That's impossible... He couldn't have.”

 

***

 

My arms were sore from holding on tight for the last few hours, but I endured through the freezing alpine winds. I had to endure. There wasn't any time to spare. It was a matter of hours, minutes, not days to reach Ifern. As we flew over the mountains, I as they shrunk and grew until they finally disappear behind us. Chris' speed was so great that the whipping winds dragged across my face like sharp nails, yet I endured. I could only spur Chris onward. I held on tight, pinching my knees against her flanks and holding onto two ends of a rope I flung around her neck. Those were about all I had stopping me from slipping off her backside and plummeting the kilometer or so onto the craggy rocks below.

 

Chris had transformed and it wasn't like any of the regular exaggeration on her part. She was a tall girl before, but now she stood four meters at the shoulder. She had morphed from her human-like form into something far more familiar. I had been told many times that the dragonkin do not answer to the demon lord, that they retain much of the pride before her ascension and this allows them a great deal of free will; even over their own forms. While the demon lord's power is awesome and frankly terrifies me the more I hear about it, Chris, like other dragonkin, is able to assume the true form of a wyvern. It is only temporary, but whatever changes to monsters were made to mimic and impersonate humans. All that has been washed away for now.

 

     “The capital isn't far off, master. Over this peak.” Chris' voice rang out in my head.

 

She didn't have the vocal cords to speak, but ever since our escape from the tower, she had been talking directly into my head. It was some sort of telepathy. Born from the ritual and the bond we created during it. So she claims. I couldn't talk back in the same way, so I had to make due with trying to scream louder than the roaring winds as we flew. My voice was nearly hoarse and I had been resting it for the better part of an hour. While flying Chris had been humming something inside my head. I'm not one to give much credit to coincidences, but I thought it sounded far too much like some theme song from a Saturday morning cartoon. It took me forever to get her to stop. It lost its appeal after the seventy-sixth time.

 

I'm surprised I wasn't more hesitant about screaming at a wyvern to stop her joyful humming. That dinosaur-like head attached that that long neck of hers... I think she could easily bite down on my entire head and just a little effort swallow me whole. Despite that, I felt safe deep down inside. That bubbly and jovial hero speech of hers bounced around inside my head every so often and I didn't feel a shred of some primal instinctual fear when looking at her in her other form. A form a lot of people probably held in their heart of hearts as her 'true form'. It had made me mulling over some complicated things.

 

Only a few generations ago, that was how this world was. Monsters preying on humans and humans locked in constant battle for survival with these overwhelming beasts. Just how did the humans manage to survive so long? Back at the cave I watched as Chris with bulging muscles tore away with ease at the pile of debris. Whole boulders snatched, crushed and pulled aside in her mighty talons. Earth shattering blows from her tail as it whipped and smashed the stone into pebbles. Her powerful wings seemingly ignoring the principles of aerodynamics and holding us both aloft. Not only that, but flying us about two hundred kilometers per hour. Just how did humans compete with creatures capable of all that? How did any man fight one to the death and win to become a dragoon?

 

I didn't have those answers, all I had right now was about two tons of flying fire breathing muscle underneath me and a mission.

 

Riding the winds we crested over the last peak and saw Ifern in the distance and below us. Columns of smoke had billowed up into the skies and replaced what would have been blue skies after the storm. Now there was nothing but dark black clouds of smoke. Most of it seemed to be rising from the citadel which stands guard over the city. The very sight of it burning caused my heart to sink. We had flown as fast as we could... Had we spent too much time locked away in that cell of stone? Was it too late?

 

     Chris did not match my own morbid sense of failure, “I see it! I see Vio's colors! They're flying!”

 

I couldn't see anything other than the burning city.

 

     “What do you mean?” I shouted.

 

     “The main tower. Above it. They're still flying Vio's banners!”

 

The citadel was still several kilometers away... Then again, Chris' eyes were unnaturally sharp. They were like an eagles, being able to see your prey clearly on the ground far below you was a must for any bird of prey. There was nothing else I could do other than believe her and allow my doubt and worry to wash off me and be blown away by the wind.

 

     “Then they haven't stormed the throne room yet!” I gave a long sigh of relief.

 

     “Onward Master! To the Princess' side!”

 

Chris let out a roar and shrieking cry as she folded her wings and we fell into a dive. Swooping down the side of the mountain and into the valley we'd glide our way toward the citadel after picking up the last burst of much needed speed. Hwoever, the closer we got to Ifern, we got a sense of just how large Deron's army had become. All the torches and tiny ants encased in steel below milling about with purpose. Except after Chris' triumphant roars and shrieks, then those little points starting moving erratically. I had watched enough old war films to have a good idea what someone does when they hear a dive bomber descending rapidly from above, blaring its distinctive whistle.

 

Leveling out about a hundred meters above the ground as we came to the end of the sheer cliffs of the Wyrmback Mountains we rapidly approached what looked like Deron's main camp outside the city, funneling supplies and reinforcements.

 

     “I see civilians too! They're rounding up the people!” Chris shouted, her eyes furrowing.

 

     “Well. We can't allow that.” I said in response, crossing my arms over my chest.

 

Deron must me getting them out of the capital so he can run wild. Especially if he's gonna have those golems go all out. Seeing those things in action is something he probably wants to keep hidden from the public. Although he might have gone so far off the deep end he might just want them all gathered in one place to purge if they get rebellious after his coup. We certainly couldn't allow that whether we win or lose today.

 

     “They fill up those camps yet, Chris?”

 

     “Master?”

 

     “Every one of those torches is an enemy, Chris. It's about time Deron learns not everything is going to go easy for him today. We're gonna bust up their rear line on the way in.”

 

Letting out a roar in acknowledgment, Chris banked softly right and flew directly toward the center of Deron's main camp. An occasional missile came whizzing upwards, only to miss completely or the occasional one deflecting harmlessly off Chris' scaled belly. As she straightened out and lined up the targets in front of her I could feel air flow into her lungs. Instead of just air being exhaled, a jet stream of fire shot out. Turning her head left and right she raked the column of flame across the camp below. Dodging left and right the soldiers took cover the best they could, but not all could run faster than the flames and were lit on fire. Amid the screams they flailed and threw themselves to the ground where they tried to roll about and extinguish the napalm like flames.

 

The more I saw it, the more I began to think it wasn't just a simple cone of flame. I thought it was very much like napalm, but maybe it pretty much is a lit stream of a jelly like compound. A separate gland or two deep in her throat that excreted an extremely flammable natural concoction. Just dousing it with water wouldn't do a thing unless you got that oily like saliva off you. You might just even spread the fire if you did that.

 

As we pulled back up into the sky after leaving a trail of destruction and inferno behind I looked back and noticed a large supply deposit still left over. I yanked on the ropes to get Chris' attention.

 

     “Hey! You missed that one!” I said leaning over to point my finger where she could see it. “Make one more pass!”

 

Circling in the air and coming down for another pass, Chris let loose another cry and I held on tight as she dive bombed the camp once more. I could feel her lungs fill with air, but this time I also heard what sounded like phlegm collecting in the back of her throat. If I didn't know any better, I would say she was getting ready to spit out a massive loogie.

 

The rear guard of the camp had become wiser to our attack and coordinated their fire, making it a formidable wall of anti-aircraft fire toward the sky. Deron certainly wasn't messing around, these guys were disciplined and well trained. It wasn't wise to get too close, the closer we were, the more punch each of those arrows had before gravity took their toll on their momentum. Pulling up from her dive at about one hundred meters from the ground, she didn't let loose another spray of fire, but a large ball of flame instead. I watched as it shot out from her mouth, roar and spin through the air flicking with wild embers like a huge firecracker. It was like watching a hellfire missile, it followed a simple trajectory and on impact it actually exploded. Wood splinters and the immolated contents inside were thrown in every direction as the plume of fire and smoke arose from where the pule had been.

 

With the second strafing run complete, we took back off into the sky for the last time and left the smoldering camp behind us. I almost had to feel a little guilty about how easy that was. Why dragoons were a well respected and feared group had been sufficiently demonstrated to me. I don't want to imagine what an entire squadron could do to an unprotected foe below. I felt like I was along for the ride in an attack helicopter. It was overkill against a bunch of helpless agrarian feudal knights and mercenaries

 

     “Justice be done!” Chris cheered. “That will teach them to raise a sword to the Princess!”

 

     “That's all well and good, but how much time we got left?” I asked.

 

     “I should be able to maintain Judgment Form for a few more minutes, master.”

 

     “Good. We just need enough to get to that tower and rendezvous with the others. Then we'll- Whoa, what the hell do we have down there?”

 

Soaring toward the city I noticed a large wooden tower against the outer wall of the castle. It has to be at least six stories tall, how they got it to that inner courtyard is beyond me, It is just tall enough to drop a ramp down on the outer wall of the castle which hangs over the upper district of the city. Holding it in place were a latticework of ropes, probably just to safely anchor it in place. Deron's army was most likely funneling into the castle through that siege tower.

 

As we flew above the city, I could actually hear the sound of cheering from below. I looked down and I was met with the cheers and jubilation of the citizens of Ifern below. Soldiers were everywhere in the street, shepherding them away from their homes and out of city, but as we soared above them, the entire army came to a halt and watched us fly above. Amid all the cheering I hard the chants praising the dragoons, some begging and asking for help and cries of thank yous. As I thought all along... The people had been waiting for the dragoons. No one cared about some law that forbid them from flying in times like this. Deron... I hope you're seeing this and listening. Maybe this next display will get it through your thick skull that you are out of touch.

 

We definitely couldn't just let that siege tower stay there.

 

     “Chris! Change of plans. We'll tear down that tower on the way in.”

 

     “Laven...?” Chris gasped in disbelief.

 

I got the impression in the inflection from her voice that she was a little skeptical as to the 'how' it would be done. Still, Chris pulled back up and we circled above the castle so that I might get a better view. Time was short, so my head had to work fast. Luckily I spotted what I needed to right off the bat. Why were all those ropes tying the tower to the wall? With a bird's eye view from various angles I spotted that the ground was uneven. Or so I got that impression.

 

     “Chris? The courtyard there-”

 

     “It's covered with stuff. That kind of stuff wont burn.”

 

     “I figured. But that courtyard. It's got a downward slope, right?”

 

     “Of course, so that it's harder to- Oh!”

 

Clever girl. I think she's got what I was thinking.

 

     “Right! Master! Going in!”

 

The highest concentration of soldiers so far was gathered below us. Among them I could see the golems as well. They were few and far between and huddled into concentrated groups so they could be avoided rather easily, but I knew anything they threw or did was going to be a lot more effective than what Deron's men had been tossing our way. There's no way we could risk landing and trying to attack that tower to tear it apart. Instead...

 

Dodging the wall of arrows and stones being fired upward, I held on tight as Chris dived talons stretched in front of her. As thick and tight as those ropes were, the tension in them was no match for Chris' talons that could rend steel. A few passes and I could see the tower was beginning to list slightly on its side. Just one push would do it.

 

     “Chris!” I shouted out, 'now is the time' I wanted her to feel.

 

Flying up higher than before, Chris folded back her wings and made like an arrow herself. I held on for dear life as we came barreling down out of the sky in what was probably nearing three hundred kilometers per hour. No arrow or stone could catch us, and Chris' one ton frame going that fast slammed into the side of the listing siege tower.

 

     “Ridden! KIIIIIIICK!” I heard screaming in my head along with a fierce ear shattering shriek.

 

Chris' talons collided with the top of the tower, our speed came to a near halt in an instant. If I hadn't been holding on tight and wrapping my arms around her neck, I may have just been flung forward and off into the distance. On impact there was a mighty crunch and splinting of wood as the top of the tower was nearly torn clean off. The tower was probably at a list of about five degrees before, but it was suddenly plowed at a twenty five. A few powerful beats of her wings to propel us forward kept that momentum going instead of rocking backwards and soon the entire tower itself was collapsing under its own weight as it lifted off the ground by its wheels. From inside the tower men were attempting to flee, but for many it was already too late. The tower slammed into the ground, shattered and threw a mighty dust cloud into the air.

 

Chris furiously took off after impact, we were sitting targets if we didn't. Luckily the shear shock and awe of the attack had created a brief few seconds to take back off into the skies. Behind us we left a chaotic mess as the soldiers inside the castle were cut off from the outside. I had just noticed that the gate itself was destroyed. Collapsed in on itself. I think we had just bought ourselves a lot of time.

 

Once back into the skies I let out a laugh, quiet and short at first, but I couldn't hold back my own enthusiasm and soon Chris was laughing herself. Ifern was having a bad day until we showed up, I suppose we were entitled to feel a little good about it. For the short amount of time we had to do so.

 

Just as suddenly I was nearly blinded by a fierce flash of white light in front of me and when I opened them again I found myself piggyback riding on Chris' back. I was only holding onto her shoulders just barely and I felt myself slipping backwards, causing me to panic on reflect and wrap my arms around her to stop myself from slipping and falling to my certain doom.

 

     “Ack! Laven, I can't... fly like this!” Chris protested, her arms a mess and unable to hold us aloft.

 

     “Chris! Just land! Do it now!”

 

I felt my right hand grab onto something large and soft as I looked for a better grip while Chris tried to fly, but when I heard Chris give a yelp of surprise, I knew I had made a poor choice. Instead I grabbed harder as she shook and shuddered in the sky.

 

     “Master~ Please, don't ah~” She moaned.

 

     “I can't help it, I'm gonna fall!”

 

     “We're going down!”

 

As I held onto Chris tight, the best she could do was hold her arms out and try to glide us down. Glide might be the wrong word. What we seemed to be doing was going into a controlled crash. Controlled being perhaps a bit of liberal word to be using. What worried me the most was that while we may be spiraling toward the main tower, that tower is ninety percent stone wall. Not exactly the best landing pad, given that it was also all vertical. Chris was desperately trying to control our fall and we finally began to level out. Our speed didn't slow down though. Imagine that was regrettably going to happen on impact. Hopefully with something softer than stone.

 

I manged to lay my eyes on Chris' target, a wooden extension of the tower, a whole separate miniature tower hanging off the side. As we got closer and closer, swooping down further and further, I finally laid my eyes on the window, a glass window. Glass: slightly softer than wood.

 

With a crash our entwined bodies crashed through, hit the floor inside the tower and kept rolling and rolling over one another until our combined weight crashed into the room. We kept rolling until we passed through the room, crashing through the door and into hallway were finally smashed into stone which finally brought us to a halt.

 

I clenched my toes and flexed my fingers... At least I still had feeling in them. That was good news. Next I bent my elbows and knees but I still couldn't get up, there was something heavy on top of me. I opened my eyes I found myself laying on back with Chris laying down on top of me. Behind me there was a conspicuous wyvern shaped crater in the stone wall, luckily she had been the one to hit it. I think I might have died if it was me, but when I peeled off her, she must have fallen on top of me to break her fall when she fell backwards as well.

 

     “Chris? You okay?” I asked.

 

     “Wha? I couldn't possibly have another bite governor.”

 

Okay maybe she hit that wall a little too hard.

 

     “Please be careful your highness. I heard something up ahead.” A voice said behind a corner somewhere.

 

     “Hey!” I cried out. “Little help here please!”

 

     “That voice?” the man gasped in surprise.

 

Around the corner came a familiar man, Rissler and a few of his knights at his side.

 

     “By gods... Is that you Mr. Laven?” Rissler inquired tentatively.

 

     “Mr Laven?” Came another girly voice from around the corner.

 

In a long flowing white dress, the face and figure of Princess Violette appeared despite the efforts of the knights to hold her back.

 

     “Mr- Chris!” She suddenly shouted when she spotted the wyvern sitting on top of me with swirls in her eyes.

 

By the mere sound of her voice Chris shook her head and stood up immediately, looking desperately back and forth until she finally laid eyes on the Princess.

 

     “Vio!” She squealed.

 

Throwing her massive wingspan open she ran toward the princess and wrapped them around her, lifting her up into the air and spinning round and round. It was a touching sight.

 

     “What? What's up there? They make it this far already?” A voice earnestly spilled out from behind the others.

 

As I got to my feet I spotted Rose coming around the corner nearly at a run as she skid across the floor for a bit before coming to a stop. The furious battle lust eyes of hers disappeared in a second and her mouth gaped open instead.

 

     I waved, “Hey. Sorry I stepped out so-”

 

     “LAVEN!” She screamed like a school girl.

 

Like a bullet, she came careening into me as her head butted against my chest with the force of a runaway train. Silly me for thinking I'd get out of all this without an injury. As I laid flattened and winded on the floor Rose was rubbing her cheek up against mine with wild abandon as she wrapped her claws around me hard enough for my shoulder blades to creek under the pressure.

 

     “Yes...” I gasped. “Nice to see you again too.”

 

     “Honestly... I told you time after time that he would return forthwith.” Said Susan who had materialized beside us.

 

She wasn't looking at me though, she had her nose turned up and was looking away, her arms crossed in front of her chest. She seemed pretty sullen, but when I looked behind her, I noticed her dog tail wildly swishing back and forth.

 

     “Nice to see you again too Susan.”

 

Susan's cheeks turned a bright red and she swiped behind her back with a paw to grab hold of her tail and force it to stay still.

 

     “Hmph.” She pouted. “I was not disquieted in the least.”

 

I'm not sure if I believe that, but now wasn't the time to argue. Since no one was helping I desperately tried to pry Rose off of me who was still in the process of hugging me, rubbing her cheek against me and dry humping me all at the same time.

 

     “Yeah yeah yeah I get it already. I messed up. I'll take whatever punishment later. Right now there happens to be an entire freaking army waiting to crash in here.” I said still trying to pry Rose off and plead with Susan.

 

     “How the hell did you two get here?” Rissler asked at last.

 

     “... We flew?” I answered not sure if that was trick question or not.

 

     “Obviously, but through the army outside-? You didn't... Oh... You sly dog you.” Rissler said with a wry grin on his face.

 

I blushed as he saw right through me.

 

     “Yeah yeah yeah, we also caused a lot of trouble out there for them. We bought twenty minutes or so. Maybe. I hope you all had a plan, because I spent all mine just getting here.”

 

     “Nothing but a last stand I'm afraid... There aren't enough of us left to fight off everything. The rest of the regulars are holding the door in. Let me and my guards here try to take the princess somewhere safer. With the secret passage gone...”

 

So it wasn't really any safer in here after all? I should have expected as much. I guess I did expect it actually. However, a thought that had been brewing in the back of my head came into fruition. Deron. Deron was the key. He was losing patience and wants to deal with the Princess himself. That means...

 

     “No. We still got a chance.”

 

     “Mr. Laven?” The princess quietly stepped forward. “Whatever do you mean?”

 

     “Princess. I'm gonna be frank. Your brother is coming. He wants to end this all personally.” I saw the life drain from her eyes, so I hurriedly continued. “As bad as this sounds and perhaps a little out of line, that's good news for us. If we can just hold off long enough, Deron will show up himself.”

 

     “You sure about that?” Rissler said wanting confirmation.

 

     “Yes. That's what I get from the man. Everything hangs on him. We get him to come forward and we deal with him before anyone gets to the Princess.”

 

     “Deal with?” The princess asked nearly shaking.

 

     “Make him bleed like stuck pig, one last time.” Rissler morbidly added.

 

Violetta looked down toward the floor, Chris wrapping one of her wings around her shoulder to comfort her. In her hands, the princess was rubbing an index finger over her royal ring. That fancy ring with the huge emerald embedded in it. I remember seeing her fiddling with that ring before. Something she does when she's obviously worried. She's a quiet and frail girl, one who tries her best not to wear her feelings on her sleeve, but she has some pretty obvious tells. Chris rested the talons on one of her forearms on top of the Princess hands, looking her in the eyes and pulling it away. She looked her deep in the eyes and the princess buried her face in Chris' chest, just to hide her tears no doubt.

 

     “Well, we've wasted enough time here. You two!” Rissler said turning to he two royal guards behind him. “Looks like our path is clear, bring up the other men and the wounded.”

 

The path?

 

     “You all heading somewhere?” I asked.

 

     “The throne room. Most easily guarded room in the whole castle.”

 

     “Yeah. That's just what Deron has been thinking too no doubt. And that's perfect.”

 

     Susan let out a short chuckle, “It appears my liege has concocted a stratagem.”

 

I wish I had the confidence to call it that, Susan. I really do.

 

     “We'll hold up in the throne room as long as we can. However long we can... Out numbered and with those golems though...”

 

     “Golems?” Rissler asked puzzled.

 

     “Those women in Deron's army. They're not human. They're monsters. Golems he had created just for this attack.”

 

     “What?” Rose quipped. “Is that why when one of their arms got cut off they still kept coming?”

 

She says that so casually.

 

     “You gotta aim for where their heart should be. That's their weakness.”

 

     Rissler was now legitimately surprised, “How do you know this, Laven?”

 

     “Long story. If we survive I'll tell you all about it.”

 

     “Laaaaven~” Rose pouted. “You went on an adventure without me. Didn't you?”

 

     “Rose. Not now-”

 

Aw crap she actually looks pretty pissed.

 

     “Alright already, I get it. Anything you want, Rose. Can you just let go of me already. We need to get ready. This isn't gonna be an easy fight.

 

     “Heh.” She laughed letting go and standing to her feet. “Just watch husband. I'll show you victory from the mall of defeat.”

 

Maw. It's 'maw' Rose.... Dammit. I actually missed that. What he hell is wrong with me?

 

     “Husband?” Chris chirped, tilting her head. She then looked at me with confused eyes, “Master?”

 

     “Master?” Rose and Susan both parroted at the same time, looked at each other and then back down at me.

 

Princess Violetta blushed. Rissler laughed.

 

     “Explaining later!” I shouted in a monotonous strained voice. “We're fighting now.”

 

I quickly got to my feet and marched forward. Rose and Susan fell into line behind me and then appeared on my right and left side prodding with more questions. I could only try to shout over them to get them to back down.

 

***

 

Chris shrugging her shoulders trotted along to give chase. She looked back to beckon Violetta to follow before she then broke out into a jog to catch up with Laven. Violetta, alone, with a sullen and complicated expression on her face as she watched the man and the three monsters march off into the distance. She held her ring in her hand and traced the emerald, pinching it between her fingers. Her eyes followed the back of the man as he was very animated even during these dire times. She blushed a little while Rissler was budy coordinating the men behind. Finally the Princess picked up the hem of her long dress and hurried up to follow Laven.