Princess of Frozen Flowers (An original medieval fantasy series)

[Bloodkin]

Princess of Frozen Flowers
Book 1: Mountaineer Rebellion

Prologue
Dea's arms were shaking. Her sword was ruined: chipped all along the bloodied blade, warped by the abuse it was put through and, above all else, heavy in her tired arms. The taste of smoke and death lapped her mouth with each breath she took. Her vanguard was spearheading the push up through the mountainous kingdom and had finally reached the throne doors. The shattered remains of giant golems, magical constructs and hundreds of enemy soldiers littered the path behind them.

"Flora. Blow it open!" She yelled out through labored breath.

"This will be the last of my magic. If they have any mages left, I will not be able to counter them." Her mage Flora replied as she walked to the front line.

"Just do it!"

The vanguard readied themselves as Flora opened her arms and began casting a grand spell. A ball of fire formed in the sky over them like a small sun, before it descended like a comet, crashing into the fortified throne doors, blowing them off their hinges. Dea along with her vanguard charged inside.

The king was large, all bulging muscles covered by a dark complexion. He sat on his throne; an oversized heavy great sword stabbed into the ground beside him. The remainder of his royal guard were stationed in this room, consisting of only four rows of men. All in battle formation between him and them. A last stand to protect their king.

"King Raden, your kingdom has fallen! Spare the lives of those left and surrender!" Dea yelled out as her vanguard formed in lines to match the enemy.

"Do you think I would surrender my great kingdom to the likes of you? I will kneel to no man, let alone a woman." He sneered.

Dea spared another glance at the royal guard, and took note that the back line had halberds, while the frontline had shields. This would be another hard battle. "Vanguard, box formation!"

The vanguard formed around her like a box contained by 3 rows: shield bearers first, short blades second, and spears last. The box wasn't complete though, as there wasn't much of the vanguard left. She didn't want any more bloodshed, so she called out to the brutish king one final time.

"King Raden, as of right now, my armies comb your streets and are occupying all your fortifications! Surrender and spare those who remain! Is your pride worth more than their lives?"

The king stepped off his throne and ripped the great sword out from the ground as he stalked forward.

"My glorious kingdom will never fall to the likes of you. After I kill you, I will enslave half of your women and put you along with the rest on pikes lining up the way here!"

"When I defeat you, you will kneel and swear fealty to me as your new High Queen. STEP FORWARD!" She shouted as the vanguard stepped in response.

King Raden stomped up right behind his men.

"Advance!" The king's guardsmen marched forward in sync.

They both knew that whoever won this battle, would go on to rule all of Lucredia.

---

Chapter 1 Lotus Celebration

❄ Snow ❄

10 years later

"You are going to kill me!" Snow yelled, struggling to escape.

"No… I am not!" Lamille assured her while the sounds of crushing leather was heard.

"rg! Stop pulling it that's enough!"

"I almost got it, just a little!" Lamille pulled and the last bit of slack snapped taught as the small corset sealed close around Snow's waist. "There we go all done!"

"How.. am I.. supposed to breath in this thing!" Snow complained.

"Geez Snow it's not that tight stop being so dramatic." Lamille waved her hand up and down sarcastically.

Snow was looking at herself in the ornate standing mirror.

"I hate dresses."

"Why look at you, you look very gorgeous sweety." Lamille was an elf who was also their house maid and the one responsible for getting Snow ready for the big Lotus celebration.

"Is there really going to be thousands of people?" Snow asked curiously.

"Why yes, this is a huge celebration for your family dear! The lands of Lucredia never had a high queen before, It is a really big deal! You should be more excited! Your mother has long strived for this."

"Hard for me to feel anything right now with this dress."

"After the speech and gift reception I'll sneak by and do away with the corset, think you can handle it until then?" Lamille offered out of sympathy.

"Deal."

"Now hurry, we are running out of time, I'll walk you to the line."

The spider shaped entrance hall acted as a center of the palace since it connected to all parts of the castle. A long royal rug surrounded by tall decorated pillars split the hall in half running from the throne room to the main entrance while two sets of curving marble stairs gave shape to the corners of the hall. Snow was descending the steps and could see her older sister Gravis waiting on the presentation line just before the castle exit doors. Gravis seemed to be the first one here.

"Hey Gravis!" Snow greeted her older sister.

"Where the hell are Lussuria and Lilly?" Gravis huffed with frustration. Gravis' foot was tapping on the carpet in a nervous rhythm. Perhaps Gravis was just nervous about the presentation where the chattering of a large crowd could be heard outside.

"You know how Lussuria is, she always needs to make sure her hair is perfect. She won't be late though." Snow joked.

"Well, she is late, and I do not want to suffer mother's wrath on her account." Gravis complained, crossing her arms.

Soon enough, Lussuria was seen descending the steps with Lilly. The two younger sisters both strolled onto the presentation line alongside them.

"Why such a troubled face?" Lussuria asked nonchalantly of her older sister, looking at a silver hand mirror and rechecking her appearance.

"Today isn't the day to be late Lussuria, mother would have our hides just because you had to make sure every strand of hair was in its proper place!" Gravis tried to scold Lussuria.

"What can I say, I insist on perfection. We are presenting ourselves in front of thousands of people my dear sister. Why would I not make sure my appearance is pristine? Stifling beauty is hard to upkeep, apologies if you can't comprehend." Lussuria said with her chin held high and smugness dripping from every word.

"Oh really? If only punctuality was included in your 'pristine standards'." Gravis glared at her, before tilting her head sideways. "Say, what was the point of taking that long if the top of your hair is still way off centered?"

Lussuria reacted urgently, lifting the mirror to assess the comment. "What! Where?! It looks fine to me!" Lussuria exclaimed, frantically moving the mirror left and right, double checking all angles.

Gravis took a step up to her. "Here, let me help you." And then ruffled the top of Lussuria's head, ruining her 'perfection'. "There, all fixed." Gravis smiled devilishly.

"Gah! How could you!" Lussuria jumped away, desperately trying to comb it back into place with her fingers.

The conversation was cut short when Brutus, the head butler, gave them the signal to get ready. "Girls it is time."

"Ready to go?" Snow asked them.

"No, how could I be ready now?!" Lussuria fumed.

"Too bad, let's go." Gravis declared, grabbing her arm and dragging her into position.

"Yippee!" Lilly cheered following along.

They walked up to the doors.

Snow couldn't help but feel her heart race. She took a deep breath and walked forward along with her sisters, as the guards opened the large iron doors before them.

The first thing they saw was a cloud of red and white pedals that filled the air, along with the roaring of a large crowd. They stepped in sync over the crimson rug between two long lines of knights that framed the path and made their way to a raised platform, giving them a view of the sea of cheering people. The crowd stretched from the front of the castle all the way to the old district and even atop some of the buildings. Gravis, Snow, Lussuria, and Lilly bowed together like they had practiced and took their positions on the platform.

"hm, I can't even see the street." Lussuria noted.

"Yay! That means lots of gifts!" Lilly exclaimed, her body shaking in excitement as she waved.

This crowd was so large, and all just for her mother? It made Snow think, maybe all those stories of heroism were not as exaggerated as she thought.

"Shush, Mother is about to make her appearance." Gravis got their attention.

An ensemble of horns started to play and like magic, the crowd fell silent. The queen was about to make her appearance. When the horns died down, the castle doors reopened, revealing High Queen Deamonia. All flags and banners were raised at her appearance and the crowd erupted with an even greater roar. The queen gracefully walked down the line wearing a sleek white dress embroiled with gold, her royal mantle trailing far behind her. Her white hair and blue eyes signified her status as a 'frostblood', the reason for her legendary moniker: 'Frost Queen.'

High Queen Deamonia took to the stand and with a wave of her hand, a perfect sphere of ice materialized, glowing softly as it hovered in front of her. The crowd settled down once more and she began her speech, the orb glowing brighter as it projected her voice.

"Today, is a special day. Today, we celebrate turning a new page in the book of our world by the ending of that bloody and ruinous war. For the longest time, we've been at each other's throats. For the longest time, we only cared about each other's land, food, magic and wealth. We lived in a world where soldiers, pillagers, rapists, and murders were more common than the common man. Is that the life anyone wants to live? Is that the life anyone wants for their children? No! During my reign as high queen of this land, We have ended the war that ravaged every corner of our world. We have protected the Insect Marshlands' sacred primordium. We have made peace with the angels so that travelers need not fear being snatched to the sky. We have ended the century old conflict with the elves. We have supported those towns that are on our frontiers who gave us much during their booms and received nothing during their droughts. We have created an economic golden age right here in Regalia."

The crowd cheered.

"My family and I were blessed by the Goddess herself and with the power of our great frostblood we work in Her name and in your honor to ensure that we all prosper no matter what race, affiliation or beliefs you have. We give our hearts and thanks to everyone who is here today, as well as those who are no longer with us. We love you, we bless you and we will always continue to serve in the name of the Goddess! For Regalia!"

The crowd roared.

The speech went on for a few more minutes where the queen explained her goals and plans for the next few years.

---

After the speech was over it was time for the gift reception. The royal family would receive gifts and contributions from anyone, mainly the major noble houses, and ambassadors.

Snow was seated at the royal family's table in the throne room which was placed just before the final steps to her mother's icy throne. Snow sat in her usual spot right next to her mother, along with her sisters.

There was a line leading out of the throne room, consisting of people from all races: Insects, Mountaineer Republicans, Elves, and lords from all the highest influential houses.

"Lord Vassir of Regalia!" Brutus announced the Lord as he presented himself in front of them. The lord bowed gracefully and presented his gift: a large praefectus chess board made of glass that sparkled against the light with its alternating squares of black and white.

"Your majesty, my house would like to present this handcrafted praefectus chess board made of the finest materials to you and your family. May you find enjoyment in it."

Snow leaned forward to get a closer look just as Lussuria, who seemed to be too busy messing with her hair took notice of the gift as well. "Oh?" Lussuria said in earnest, the board caught her eye.

The queen took noticed and smiled.

"That's very nice, I appreciate the gift and something as simple as a board game is much appreciated in these times of peace, let us enjoy ourselves and find time for hobbies and pursuits unrelated to violence. My daughter Lussuria would love it."

The noble brought the gift up to Lussuria and she examined it. Her eyes roved over every inch of the board.

"Superb craftsmanship Lord Vassir, I'll be sure to get a lot of practice on this. My thanks." Lussuria thanked the lord and accepted his gift.

"Following guest please!" Brutus shouted, his job as head butler ensuring he kept this process as smooth as possible. The castle may belong to the royal family, but it was his domain to manage as long as he was head butler. He ensured all social functions flowed smoothly and uninterrupted.

The next person came forward. It was a lord from the Mountaineer Kingdom, he looked a lot more serious than the last.

"Lord Meadows of the Mountaineer Kingdom!" Brutus declared. As a half dozen slaves brought forward a litter that contained a large box, once dropped a thud was heard throughout the entire room. Lord Meadows opened the box revealing a pile of gold.

"This is all gold? How much is in there?" The queen said as she leaned forward.

"50,000 pieces of gold. Your majesty." He stated as subtle murmurs filled the room.

"That is a lot of gold Lord Meadows, more than a gift would merit."

"Your majesty, This cache is a collective offering of appreciation for several high Lords of the Mountaineer Kingdom, I ask you if I may share a message."

"What is your message, Lord Meadows?"

"Please reconsider your upcoming ban on slavery, the use of slaves is a primary source of revenue for the republic, it allows us to function, it allows us to provide well above the tax percentage you expect of us, it gives both of our countries economic flexibility and prosperity."

The queen scoffed, looking away for a moment.

"I appreciate the generous gift Lord Meadows, however I do not appreciate the lobbying of legislation during my family's gift reception. That would be no different than taking a bribe. Actually, I feel like I should be offended that you would think putting your message at the tail end of a sum of gold would change my stance on a matter this prevalent.

"My sincerest apologies if you found offense, I just feel like this was too important to us as a nation to wait for an official discussion. This is no bribe."

"This is no bribe? it certainly isn't a gift. Petition maybe, yeah, I'll leave it at that. In that case I reject your petition." The queen leaned back and waved her hand. "Please escort Lord Meadows out of my home. Return his gold as well." She said as guards approached him.

"Please your majesty, This will cause great disturbance! I only wish to bring light to how dependent we are on this!"

"Next!" Brutus yelled as the guards escorted him out.

As the day went on more people from various regions and races brought their offerings. Snow looked at her sisters and saw that behind each of them laid a mountainous pile of gifts. She then looked behind her own chair and saw nothing but the polished floor. She sucked her teeth and rolled her eyes, beginning to rest her head on the table before she felt a strong pull on her arm from her mother.

"Sit up." Her mother whispered; her voice no less imposing for its lowered volume. But still, she felt it's discontent.

There was only one thing worse than not receiving a single gift while your sisters received many, and that was being forced to show thanks for receiving nothing.

After the final gift was received Snow and her sisters rose and bowed, giving thanks while wishing good health and success for all.

And now the real hell begins: high society mingling.

---

Chapter 2 High Society Mingling[/H4]
❄ Snow ❄
It's traditional for a session of social mingling to take place after official ceremonies. Some might call it a party, but it was nothing more than a battleground for nobles, influential people and the rich to strike deals, manage relationships between family businesses, and gossip. Happy discussions between jokes and wine were sometimes more intricate and in-depth than even major trade negotiations. Snow and her sisters knew this. It was one of the first things they were taught. Image was one of the most important things for them. Manners, vocabulary, and self-interest formed the spearhead of each conversation. You don't talk to someone without a reason, and if you don't know why you are talking to someone, it is to gain information. Being a daughter of the queen did not exempt you from this "game." If anything, it made it worse, because you were a key objective for the majority of the "players.". They were taught this not only to push for the interests of their family, but as a way to protect themselves. War was no longer an option for these countries, so gaining political advantage through interpersonal deals was the next best thing.

It was also unbelievably boring.

Snow hated these "parties." She stood alone on the side of the table where her family were just seated. At least she could breathe again since Lamille fulfilled her end of the deal and stole away with that deathly corset.

"Snow, you should go out there and try to socialize dear." Her mother gently suggested, as if it wasn't a demand.

"Very well mother." She obeyed and wandered onto the floor. The nobles that she gravitated towards were all entrenched in discussion, yet seemingly drifted away from her presence. She tried to interject into one of the conversations being held by two lords. "Hello lords, are you enjoying the gathering thus far?" She gave the standard introductory greeting.

They seemed to not even notice her at first until she repeated herself. "My lords, are you enjoying yourselves?" she spoke a little louder and they finally took notice.

"Hello there, yes, it is very wonderful princess..." She must have really caught him off guard because this man even forgot her name.

"It's Snow, my lord."

"Ah yes, Princess Snow, of course. Thank you. We are discussing important matters, but we do appreciate the hospitality. Please excuse us." They both bowed lightly before they turned their heads away and continued their gossip on the various ladies in attendance and out of earshot. A bit rude, Snow had an idea while they had their back turned on her.

"Say, You are Lord Emeric of the eastern province are you not?"

Lord Emeric turned her way.

"Correct, Princess."

Snow looked at the other Lord.

"And you are Lord Ralid correct?"

"Indeed Princess." Ralid nodded.

"Ah, Tell me Lord Emeric has the trade of the Westvale winery been successful? If memory serves me well. You were seeking trade for a new investment?"

Lord Emeric looked confused as Lord Ralid suddenly blurted out.

"New investment? Lord Emeric, what of our plans to expand the vineyard?"

Lord Emeric turned frantically between Snow and Lord Ralid.

"Oh, no no, she's mistaken. Princess I'm afraid that is incorrect. You must be thinking about someone else."

"What other Lord own a vineyard here? I knew you were trying to swindle me!" Lord Ralid accused him.

"I must be misremembering, forget I said anything lords! Apologies, I will leave you two at it then!" Snow walked away as the two lords started to argue.

Snow figured now was the perfect time. She made her way up to the entrance doors, practically invisible to those around her. It was time for her classic escape, she made her way to the hall doors just as Brutus appeared in her way.

"Why Snow, where are you going? Your mother would appreciate it if you stuck around for the party." His tone was neutral, but his eyes were questioning.

Just what she needed, Brutus breathing down her neck.

"I just wanted to go outside for a bit. Surely there are some lingering people out there. I want to make sure nobody is left out."

Just before Brutus could give a response Lord Ralid and Lord Emeric who were still arguing where now making a small scene. Apparently the vineyard conversation led to heated debate on whose wife is more repugnant. The insults were becoming more and more descriptive ranging from rotten egg footwear to clothing lapped in locus seeds, or was it locus hair nest? Either way it was too so funny Snow had to cover her mouth to hold in her laughter.

"I think you might want to calm them down Brutus, I wonder what the altercation is about?" Snow said lifting her shoulders in question.

"Snow… Just… don't run off to your room please. Come back soon." He gave her a firm look before hastily moving to defuse the situation.

"Thanks Brutus." She waved him off before leaving.

After extracting from that boring party scene, Snow was out in the front courtyard leaning on a railing that overlooked the entrance ramp. Besides the ever-silent royal guard stationed along the outer walls, there were a few nobles out here talking to each other, but she had no interest in talking with them.

She watched as a flock of late nobles came rushing into the castle, no doubt to apologize for their tardiness and offer a sum of money or trinkets to her mother in a desperate attempt to earn favor. Amity and gratitude was a convenient gauge of speculation after all.

"All these thoughts about politics are giving me a headache." She complained out loud, before laying her head across her arms, her hair forming a small curtain over the rail.

"Watch my coat you imbecile!" Snow heard someone yell from the bottom of the ramp just inside the castle gate. A noble throwing a tantrum most likely. She lifted her head back up and leaned forward to get a better view.

"I'm dreadfully sorry your lordship!" A stable boy apologized frantically. It looked as if he had been handling the horse's gear and bumped into the noble, leaving a spot on his pristine white coat.

"This coat is worth more than your life and you tarnished it!" he scolded the boy.

Snow recognized the stable worker; it was Randal, her close friend. And it seemed he was in trouble again. She looked around quickly before quietly heading down the ramp, towards the stable by the gate, where the noble was still lambasting Randal.

"...And if this stain doesn't come out, I am coming straight for you boy!" The noble was just ending his tirade.

Snow started picking up speed while heading down the ramp and slid into the man 'accidently,' knocking him and her both down.

"Who dares!?" The noble roared on the ground angry and confused for a moment, before noticing Snow on the ground near him.

"Oww." Snow pretended to whine while slowly sitting up, waving off the guards who had started heading over.

"Why you little clumsy piece of-!" The man turned red with anger until he took notice of the lotus insignia on Snow's shoulder. Upon realization he gasped and turned pale. She could practically hear his heart racing.

"I mean! princess, are you okay?!" The noble quickly got up and helped Snow to her feet.

"It's so slippery out here. I apologize for the inconvenience; I shouldn't have been so careless." Snow said, her face apologetic and her voice remorseful.

"Oh no, princess, I was the one who was careless, I was in your way! My sincerest apologies." His overwhelming fear of possibly offending someone from the royal family seemed to have robbed him of his anger and even his awareness of the stable boy. He dusted himself off, trying to make himself presentable.

"My lord, your coat is dirty. Please allow my servants to clean it for you." Snow offered politely. "It is fine Princess, please don't allow it to trouble you." The little stain on the fancy coat had become a noticeable blotch.

"Is that really okay?" She asked again.

"Yes, do not trouble yourself, it would be a great shame to waste your time on such trivial matters. You are okay I presume? If you would allow it, I will be attending your family's gathering now." He bowed.

"Of course, my lord. Sorry again for the inconvenience."

"No worries, princess, I feel I deserved it for being late. I will be heading up now, thank you." He headed up the ramp and out of earshot.

"Thanks for the save Snow, I owe you one." Randal sighed as he led the horse into the nearby pen.

"No problem Randal. That guy was a complete jerk."

"Yeah, he deserved it, wish he got more than tha' though. You coulda yelled at him or somethin'." Randal whined as he closed the pen gate.

"I think I did enough. He was complaining about the stain on his coat. So, I fixed it for him. Gave him a whole new look." Snow smiled mischievously, pointing her thumb behind her.

Randal leaned over and saw the noble's entire back had a nasty streak of dirt all the way down to his pants.

"Ooh. he's going to get a lot of attention in there; very stylish." He grinned.

---

Snow was sitting on one of the stable boxes whilst Randal was unstrapping the next horse.

"So, has every noble that's come been like that guy?"

"Nah, most of them are okay. It's just that the 'rotten apples' are very rotten. It's still a way better job than dealing with my father's death beasts, you know he was trying to get me to tame a sting shark the other day? He's crazy I swear!

"That sounds scary, I guess the only thing you have to fear is the wrath of nobility here, but I'm not sure if that is safe either."

"Better than having my face bit off, I'll gladly take my chances! But, ah man, I wish I could go to the party."

"Why? It's just a bunch of sycophants trying to get stuff out of their rivals or out do their friends and ask my mom for stuff. It's unbelievably boring, trust me. I'm just waiting for it to be over so I can retire back to bed." She rolled her eyes.

"What? Boring? The food is great and the music is amazing! I hear you guys got that famous elf band this year! They're no Angelic Rifters but I hear they're still super good!" He exclaimed, trying to dance a waltz with the air, but almost tripping over himself in excitement. His steps were sloppy but his motions were close enough.

"Ha, I think you still need practice." Snow chuckled before looking at him again laughing louder. "A lot of practice actually!"

"Really? How bout' you show me how it's done then!" Randal retorted, pointing his finger at her.

"I can. Actually, are you going to pay me for the lesson?" Snow teased.

"Haha. very funny.. Wait! You owe me for covering you for that one time you almost got caught sneaking out!" He smirked and followed up with a counteroffer: "I'll consider at least two dance lessons suitable repayment."

"I guess that's true- "

"Snow, what do you think you are doing?" A stern voice echoed in her ear, making her flinch. She slowly turned her head and saw Brutus towering over her with a face that could only be described as carved from stone. She hadn't even noticed him come down the ramp.

"Oh Brutus, I was uhm, catering... to the late oncoming guests... to ensure they received a cool welcome!" She replied, stuttering out an excuse that felt weak even to her own ears.

"Cool welcome? I see, and do these 'cool welcomes' include paying our late guests with a new fashion sense to bout?"

"Uhm, well, not exactly- "

"Enough, let's go." he extended his hand.

"Do I really need to go back up there? Can't I just stay here?" Snow complained.

"Of course not, this isn't up for debate. Your mother is very displeased."

"When is she ever pleased?" She sighed while hopping off the box.

"I will pretend you never said that and I suggest you watch your comments, now let us return, please."

Snow took his hand and they started walking back up the ramp. When they got more than halfway to the doors, Brutus spoke again in a lowered tone.

"I don't want you talking to that stable boy again either."

"What? but Randal is my friend?!"

"He is a stable worker, and more importantly, his father is not very popular among a lot of noble houses right now. It is not a good look for your image if you are seen with him."

"What does that have to do with anything? I should still be able to talk to him!"

"You know it goes; the family name comes first."

"That isn't fair!"

Brutus noticed her rising ire and they once again stopped right before the castle doors.

"After the party is over, you can take it up with your mother. But right now, you need to do this, okay? I'm not asking you to play ambassador, I am just asking you to make another appearance. Now chin up and don't forget what is most important."

Snow gritted her teeth.

"Fine."

They walked back into the castle, the "party" was still going strong. The majority of the crowd was spectating her youngest sister Lilly performing acrobatic tricks while skating on a patch of ice. The room felt colder to everyone but their family of course, since Lilly was using her frost blood to enhance her body to pull off all these tricks, not to mention creating the patch of ice in the first place.

Brutus led Snow to a man with a large cavalier hat and purple coat.

"Snow, this is Lord Lazarus, he is a lord from the Mountaineer Republic. He has requested to have an audience with you."

Snow looked at Brutus with a blank face and mouth agape.

"Wait, an audience, with me? Why?"

In her confused state, Lazarus stepped up and took the initiative.

"Silly me, I forgot my manners. Allow me to introduce myself formally, as your butler has declared I am Lord Lazarus, Head of House Rene." He nodded to Brutus and Brutus walked off, leaving them alone. Snow looked at him, that name was familiar, it then dawned on her, Lazarus Rene was the famous tailor that Lussuria was always bragging about her clothing being designed by.

"Lord Lazarus? As in the famous designer Lazarus Rene of the Mountaineer Kingdom?" Snow couldn't believe it; this was the guy who made all of Lussuria's clothes. He was supposed to be a tailoring legend.

"The one and only." He bowed.

"My lord you must be mistaken, my sister Lussuria is the one who absolutely loves your clothing line, I believe she is the one you would want to speak with."

"You are too modest Princess Snow; I specifically sought a personal audience with you and no one else. I wanted to ask your opinion on a few topics." Lazerus looked over his shoulder. "However, I'd rather converse with you in private if that's okay."

What a strange thing to ask. It's not like she would have a choice anyways. She should focus on getting some useful information out of him.

"Very well Lord Lazarus, but what questions require such discretion?"

"It's a combination of business and personal selfishness. To be blunt, the stench of politics and cheap perfume is poisoning my mood." He twisted his feathered cavalier hat, revealing his eyes much more clearly. His face looked like she felt: like he hated this party.

Snow smiled, thinking she was pretty lucky: Lazarus' low opinion of this "party" made her feel a lot more comfortable talking to him.

"Okay, let's get off the floor then, where do you wish to go Lord Lazarus?"

"Perfect, I know a great spot where we can be at peace, right this way." He led her to the west garden, to an area just before a flower bed surrounded by hedges, secluded and empty save for the few guards positioned throughout. There was lone bench and painting canvas set up within.

---

If you got this far and want to read more, I'll be posting here every friday.
I appreciate any constructive feedback because I will be publishing this book in a few months.
Cheers.

 

[Bloodkin]

❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄
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3​

Chapter 3 The Great Tailor Lazarus

❄ Snow ❄

"Here we go, peace and quiet." Lazarus hummed, before gesturing towards the lone garden bench. "Please Princess Snow, have a seat. Would you allow me to paint you? It won't be long, and you don't need to sit still either, I am very skilled."

"It seems you already had this in mind. I am sorry to ask again, but why the interest in me?" She said as she took seat on the rigid garden bench.

Lazarus held up an ivory paintbrush.

"When I paint, I get to record the image of my subject, the emotion, the memory, their very being. Can you imagine how valuable a picture of the queen would be if I drew her before her reign? It's a similar case here."

"Heh, me queen, that's like gambling on snake eyes."

"Why is that? Your sister wishes to join the army no, you will be next in line?"

"My mother would never allow her too. If she did, or goddess forbid something happened to Gravis. Lussuria or Lilly would take priority over me. Not that I care, why would I want to be queen and have to constantly listen to complaints or host boring events."

"Why the unfavorability? If I may inquire?"

Snow leaned back with her hands clasped behind her head gazing at the clouds as the soft sprinkle of winter began to fall.

"I can't use the frostblood that we were all born with. Some claim that I'm not even her child even though I look like her the most."

"I see. Funny."

"What's the funny part about it? I mean, I guess it is. The daughter of the legendary frost queen, uniter of kingdoms, can't even use the goddess given blessing of frost."

"It's funny because you remind me of myself. I remember a time in my life where I was searching for status to ascend the ranks of the Mountaineer Kingdom. Wealth, political position, and reputation were all seemingly impossible to achieve."

"How did you get where you are today then?"

"Debauchery and sins are so easily manifested in the mind, and even easier to put on the canvas. My paint is dangerous, because what man could produce such accurate depictions if he himself was not there? My path for office in the republic was quite uncontested. The upper scala of nobility began calling me 'the painter.' Less than honest work I will admit but in the canvas of our world there are more colors than one."

"That sounds like a serial killer's title honestly, no offense."

"I was to their coin purses."

"So, what if I refused you Lord Lazarus how would you blackmail me." Snow quipped.

"I may be able to think of several ways." A playful brow raised back at her.

"Oh, do tell."

"Perhaps a portrayal of a certain princess who frequents the children of peasantry? Or maybe she who finds entertainment in planting the seeds of chaos amongst her guests."

Snow's joking demeanor disappeared for a moment before she returned a smug look.

"I see, so tell me serial painter Lazarus, if I've been under your watchful eye, why did you not request an audience immediately after the gift reception?"

Lazarus' eyes widened at her smug inquisitive stare. "Hold that look!" He lowered his head behind the canvas. The wooden legs of the easel shook robustly as his brush began a battle with the parchment. The storm of sweeps and strokes caused drops of red paint to fly off to the sides, staining some nearby flowers. When the artistic assault came to an end Lazarus emerged to look at her with chin in hand.

"It is because you are an interesting subject. But that's good enough for now. I've gotten a good base to work with out of that" He put the unfinished canvas in a box by his side and closed it up. That was much faster than she expected.

"Ok… well, Could I at least see the painting?" Snow gazed at the mysterious box.

"You will, but it's not done yet. We can resume next time." He locked it shut.

"Next time? He sounded resolute, like it was already decided.

"Yes, Is that okay with you?"

"Sure..."

Agreement made and painting stored away, Lazarus approached the bench and sat down next to her. The scent of sweet grapes drifted across her nose. His clothing revealed a lot more from up close, abstract patterns were weaved in with the near seamless stitches. Snow knew he was a famous designer but not even Lussuria's clothes presented this level of detailed finery.

"Princess, to be honest with you. I despise formalities. May I call you Snow?"

"Sure?"

"Snow, I am sure you are aware to be wary of swooning nobility, As well as the formalities required to sate the appetite of those whose insecurities can disrupt the theater as a whole. But I assure you this is not an act. I mean you well."

"I am not understanding you Lazarus." She scooted over some, creating a space between them.

"I requested an audience with you because I get the feeling that I can place my trust in you, and perhaps one day I can be someone you can call 'friend.' Based on some of the political antics of late I feel as if that time is fast approaching."

"Will you paint my misdemeanors if I don't agree?"

Lazarus chuckled.

"No you have my word, just note an ally and a friend are two completely different things. I will however seize my belligerence. I have interrogated you enough. How about this Snow? Would you like to waste some time? I know you don't want to go back in there and quite frankly, I don't either." His suggestion seemed to be a peace offering of sorts.

"What did you have in mind?" She eyed him.

"I'm sure you will appreciate it." His smile held a hint of mischief.

---

The sunlight coming in from the surrounding windows made the colorful array of fabrics Lazarus held up appear more vivid, even as his larger than life presence filled the circular room.

"Hmm, no, not that color."

"Not the purple? Alright, so you don't want anything fancy. Strange, you seem to have simple tastes. How about this?" He flipped to another color.

"That one!"

Lazarus, Snow and one silent standing royal guard were upstairs in her room, after having used some guards to bring up boxes that were filled to the brink with a variety of Lazarus' own silks and tailoring materials that he always traveled with.

"So, black shirt with a hint of iridescent blue, along with the half skirt, and then I shall weave spider silk leggings to finish it off." There was a long craft table stretched across the center of her room like a stage that presented her the show as she watched from atop her bed.

"I may have to change your nickname from 'serial painter' to 'mad tailor,' Lazarus."

"You've haven't seen anything yet, Now allow me to perform my magic." Lazarus pulled out a tray of tools and started his work with the fabrics in a way that was neither fast nor slow. He looked more concentrated on the fabrics than when he was painting. He extended the tape measure that was marked with her measurements and made sure each length was perfect. The sheer fluidity and skill Lazarus had in tailoring on the spot was impressive.

He pulled out another roll of what appeared to be more silk, but this was a shimmering silver she had not seen before.

"That looks pretty, what roll is that?"

"It's fine steel with a little, touch." he said as a purple magical aura began emanating from his fingertips, as the strands of silk and steel started twisting around each other. Snow had never seen magic like that before.

"Wow that's so cool Lazarus, you know magic?! Is this how you tailor all your clothes?"

"Only the important ones. Steel this fine takes months to make. You will definitely appreciate it."

After about an hour of the mystical tailoring, the outfit was done. Lazarus held it up in the air.

"Perfection." He sounded very much satisfied with his latest creation.

He left the room to allow her to change into it, the guard following him out and closing the door.

Snow was facing her reflection in front of the standing mirror as she examined the new outfit. The outfit felt strong yet very soft and comfortable. It was by far the highest quality outfit she had ever worn, it looked way better than a dress, and while it wasn't a dress it still maintained an aristocratic aesthetic. The dark formal shirt had an iridescent lotus design that nearly changed color when she turned to the side and the half skirt with spider silk leggings complemented each other beautifully. "okay, I'm changed!" She called as Lazarus reentered with the guard and could be seen in the background of the mirror awaiting her response.

"Lazarus, this is perfect, just like you said." She didn't know what to say beyond that. It was the first gift she received today.

"I am glad to hear that. You know, that level of detail and material strength is on par with my own outfit. What you have right there is one of the best handcrafted pieces I ever made. It suits you well."

"I don't know what else to say." Her eyes became irritated as she tried to wipe away the oncoming emotion.

"Say nothing, instead, how would you like to show it off for the final hour downstairs?"

"You know… I think I'll do just that. I'll go back out there. Thank you Lazarus." She gave him a hug in a rush of gratitude and went back downstairs.

---

Chapter 4 Royal Expectations

❄ Snow ❄

The party had finished. Snow was returning to her room to finally get some sleep when she heard noise coming from Lilly's room. "Look at this Lussuria!" She stopped in front of the white wooden door that had a picture of a flower etched onto its front. Hearing her sisters inside, Snow took a peek. Lilly was on the floor going through her pile of gifts while Lussuria was seated on a chair near the bed reading a book. Gravis was also here, leaning against a wall, staring ahead in thought.

"Hey girls." Snow entered.

"oh hey, what's up Snow." Gravis greeted her. Lilly was too busy digging through her pile, squealing happily at anything cute and tossing aside anything that looked boring. Lussuria was nose deep in her book and not paying any mind.

Snow took a seat at the foot of Lilly's bed holding onto the bed post.

"Did you girls get anything good?" Considering they all had a huge pile of gifts during the reception, probably.

"Nay, just a bunch of ceremonial junk weapons and practice tools. Oh and a combat book, but I had already read that one. I did get to speak to some high ranking knights from the Mountaineer Republic. We spoke about the state of armies and such. Interesting stuff but nothing too important." Gravis shrugged.

"Well, I got a bunch of new toys! Clearly, I'm everyone's favorite!" Lilly shouted, pulling out a large model coach from the pile that made her fall backwards.

"I think the one that should have benefitted the most was Lussuria: she received offers from 3 different mage guild representatives for a generous starting rank, and yet she rejected them all." Gravis nodded towards Lussuria.

"I told you, those offers mean nothing to me." Lussuria quickly replied and went back to her book, her eyes refusing to leave the pages.

"Really? Is that why you were complaining about the Regalia's Magi refusing to promote you to Astute rank after you aced every examination?" Gravis called her out.

"That's different, okay? The only reason why I need to be promoted is to get access to more information, I shouldn't need to leave Regalia for that. I bet they are scared of getting embarrassed by their lack of ability, which I ensure happens every single test or demonstration." Lussuria looked annoyed.

"Are you going to put that book down?"

"No, It's a good read."

"A good read? Is that why you've been on the same page for over a minute?"

Gravis shook her head.

"Lussuria, you seriously can't still be mad at Snow, right? She didn't do anything wrong."

Snow was stood up in confusion,

"Wait, What? Mad at me? What did I do!?"

"Nothing. Don't worry about it."

"I don't get it; you get offers from mage guilds and golden game boards and all I got was an outfit from Lazarus." Snow saw Lussuria's face tighten up at the mention of Lazarus. That's when she realized it. Lussuria was a big fan of Lazarus' clothing lines. Was she mad because of the outfit?

"Wait, are you seriously mad because Lazarus sought an audience with me and made me an outfit?!"

Lussuria closed her book and exhaled. "The great designer Lazarus Rene and you didn't even get him to make me an outfit, let alone talk to me. Just look at yourself, you got the best gift here! That outfit is better than anything I have." She pouted in jealousy.

"I tried to get him to go to you! He said he wasn't interested!"

"Not interested? Wow!" Lussuria looked away and then got up.

"That's - not what I meant. He just didn't- "

"Unbelievable." Lussuria stormed past Snow, stopping to get one more appreciative look at the outfit and then continued out of the room.

Lilly got up, noticing Lussuria was gone, "Wait, Lussuria come back!" Lilly ran out after her.

"I can't believe she's mad at something so stupid like that! She got a million gifts at this reception and she's mad because of one outfit; it's the only thing I got!"

"I wouldn't worry about Snow. Lussuria is just a Lazarus fan girl when it comes to his clothes. Serves her right, too entitled for her own good. It looks really regal on you, way more prestigious than before; you'll be the center of attention at the next event." Gravis winked.

"Thanks, but I'd rather not go through any more parties, they suck."

"You can say that again."

---

The next day Snow was summoned to her mother's chambers. Hopefully, this was for something unimportant. Upon raised knuckle to the large intimidating door, she heard her mother call from within.

"Come in!" Seems her mother knew she was already there. After a deep breath Snow pushed into the door entering the grand room. The room was large with light blue tiles and floor to ceiling windows on each side. For a room of this size it held little furniture: A king sized bed, dressers, wall mirror, a magical runecraft table in the corner and a large oak desk in the center of the room which her mother was seated behind. The desk had towering piles of paper stacked on top of it. As Snow approached the desk, her mother's face came into view. "Hello mother, you called for me?"

"Yes, I did, one moment." Her mother was in the middle of reading a long letter.

Snow's eyes panned over the desk at each of the stacks of paper. There were letters, scrolls and number sheets each in their own piles, it may have looked like a mess but Snow could tell it was neatly organized in a way perhaps only her mother could truly understand. "What are all these papers mother?"

Her mother sucked her teeth still reading the letter she was on. "One thousand silver for each crate of iron!? Might as well grab a pickaxe myself. Damned Republic." She crushed the letter and tossed it at the floor next to her where there was another pile growing, this one full of other crushed missives. She picked up the next letter.

"To answer your question, what you are looking at is the reason for this event in the first place, these papers contain various trade deals, inventory requests, pricings, complaints, and a variety of other nonsense that you should be grateful to not have to deal with yet." Her mother looked stressed, no... she looked annoyed.

There must have been hundreds of those documents.

"You are pretty swamped then; you do this all by yourself mother?"

"I've been teaching Gravis how to answer some and she's been taking care of the less significant ones, but mostly me yes. Which brings me to my next point. Look outside that window." She pointed to the tall glass window off to the side of the room.

Snow approached the window and took in the sight. She didn't see anything special, just an uninterrupted view of the Regalian Kingdom and its newly built districts.

"What do you see?"

"Just the city."

"Well, I guess it's not about what you see, it's more about what you don't see. Regalia has no significant source of natural resources. We don't have mountains full of ore, forests full of trees, large plantations that grow food year round. We are essentially in the middle of nowhere, yet we are very prosperous. Do you know why that is?"

"Let me guess, it has something to do with the millions of papers on your desk?"

"Precisely. As a central kingdom with no natural resources, we survive on trade, as well as government owned guilds like the construction guild."

Snow didn't know she came here to be lectured on the sources of Regalian income. A light began hitting her eyes from the left. Her gaze shifted off the panes of glass to the source which was an icy sword that laid on the runic table surrounded by tomes. Sneaking up to it and getting a closer look, the sword seemed to be alive; Ice was growing and shrinking around the blade while the handle was morphing into different shapes.

"Snow are you listening?!" her mother seemed to realize she kinda stopped listening.

"uh yes! yes mother! We don't have rocks or trees, however considering the amount of papers that are present I would say we had quite the easy access to woodland, say mom what is this sword it looks kind of cool." Snow was about to touch the icy weapon.

"Do not touch that sword unless you want to lose a hand."

"Geez okay mom, it's not that serious." She retracted her hand.

"Not by me, that sword is a self-shaping frostblade that I've been working on for a while. I was going to give it to Gravis but it has issues, it impales anyone that touches it. I was going to have Warden Flora take a look at its properties to see if she could tell me what's wrong with it. Here, come sit next to me." She motioned her head to a chair that was right next to her on the side of the desk to which Snow took a seat on.

"My point is that we survive on these trade deals. We may hold the land and the frost blood gives us the power to defend it, but to have a prosperous kingdom, not just our city but the rest of the country, depends on us being able to have monetary flexibility. The strength of our coin must be able to tackle any outstanding issues that our military cannot. Lord Lazarus is not only a famous designer, do you know he holds a Mountaineer Council seat?"

"No, I didn't."

"What is your opinion of him?"

"He's uh..." she didn't know how exactly to describe him. "He seems nice and he's kind of similar to me; he did ask me some weird questions while painting my portrait but he's okay. He also made me these really nice clothes."

"He painted your portrait? Hmm... never mind that. Did he mention anything related to their politics or opinion of us?"

Snow thought back, but she didn't recall anything like that.

"No, he was just asking questions about me. Nothing important."

Her mother tapped a quill on her lips, thinking deeply, before replying.

"Lazarus has taken some interest in you and it just so happens that we might need his support. So, I would like you to continue your interactions with him if he requests it."

"Sure, mom I can do that."

"Good, now to my second point. That stable boy Randal; Brutus told me you had something to say about that?" Snow guessed this was the part where Brutus had said to 'take it up with her mother.' She figured she might as well as be direct.

"Yeah, I would like to talk to Randal without having the need to hide it."

Her mother moved on to the next letter and was writing a reply for it.

"Are you in a relationship with him?" She asked as if that was an answer that would just be given casually.

"What? No! He's just my friend and I want to be able to speak to him." Snow twiddled her fingers, face growing ablushed.

"Then I don't want you associating with him."

"But why? How is that fair!" Snow couldn't believe it, Randal was like her only friend, they knew each other since before they could speak complete sentences. He was the only one who she felt normal around.

"His father is wanted by the Mountaineer Republic, Windram has a rough history with them. His presence here has just been leaked to them. I am already doing the best I can by granting him asylum, now officially, but associating with him further will lower our chances to do business with the Mountaineer Kingdom."

"We are the ones in charge, so I don't see the reason why I can't hang out with who I want."

"Being in charge doesn't give you the right to do whatever you want, that's how wars are started."

"I didn't know talking to a stable hand would initiate a war, mother."

"Ha..." she took that comment well. "I guess not, but it's about what is good for the country. I suppose I can grant you an exception if you start showing me some progress with activating your frost blood or increasing your capabilities."

There her mom goes again with the frostblood thing.

"I am working it mom and what does that have to do with speaking with Randal. If I learned how to use the frostblood how would that make a difference in the opinion against Mr. Windram, by your logic my legitimacy would just make it worse?"

"Hmph," her mother turned to her. "Why can't you use those wits to further yourself. Why does it take me separating you from Randal for you to deduct something like that."

"Because I told you I hate the parties, I don't like talking to these nobles because they are all boring."

"It's necessary Snow. If you're not fighting with words, you will be fighting with steel."

Her mother turned back to the pile of work on her desk, sparing her one quick dismissive look.

"Now I believe that is everything we needed to discuss. You may go."

"Okay..." Snow rose from her seat and started heading toward the door.

"Once you unlock it, you can speak to him again. Simple; you just need to be in the right mindset...and Snow one more thing."

She was already halfway through the door.

"Yes?"

"You look very nice."

"…Thanks mom." She closed the door behind her.

 

[Bloodkin]

5​

Chapter 5 Frostblood Experiments

❄ Snow ❄
Tick..Tock..Tick..Tock… The frozen feeling of silence was eventually met with the smashing tick of time. Snow was staring at the large clock framing the entrance of her family's library. This clock was like her; always moving forward, yet running in circles. Patting her hands against her face and shaking her head, Snow broke out of the trance before crossing into the library.

The crescent shaped room was floored with a soft scarlet rug and backed by the stones of a dormant fireplace. The caramel furniture and diamond shaped windows gave the feeling of a fancified living space rather than a humble library. The actual library, in its various bookshelves and worktables, was located on the wings of the room. Here, Snow started her search. There was one person she knew who frequented this library rather obsessively; it was basically a second room for her. Snow peeked around one of the bookshelves and found Lussuria sitting at a table near the corner of the room, hidden away from entrance view. Lussuria's gaze was fixated on a runic mage tome. As Snow approached she could see that the pages were filled with mysterious circular symbols instead of words. Lussuria knew she was there and indicated that by raising the tome up to her face revealing its cover; a fiery red rune.

Snow took a seat just across from her.

"Lussuria."

"Oh, Snow… hello there." Lussuria's voice was heard behind the red tome.

"Mom is putting her thumb on me again about not progressing with the Frostblood, can you help me figure it out? You are the smartest one out of all of us."

"I have my own quota to meet Snow, if I don't put a bigger gap between me and the rest of the mage college during these finals then they might just think we are equal and my chances of getting promoted ahead of time dwindle."

"You get perfect scores on every exam though Lussuria. How will you increase the gap when you are already capped on test points?"

"Speed then; If I finish the test before anyone even flips the first page then that would suffice."

"Sounds like you are making excuses Lussuria. Come on and just help me out." Snow stretched over the table until she was peeking over the top of Lussuria's book. "How about a trade then?"

"What on earth do you have to offer me?" Lussuria's eyes snapped to hers.

"You know what I have to offer and it's worth a lot more than a few seconds on a test."

Lussuria gritted her teeth slightly but couldn't form a rebuttal.

Snow smiled, vaulting over the worktable and began pinching Lussuria's clothes in various spots.

"If you help me, I'll put a good word in with Lazerous and tell him how 'grandly' you helped me. Maybe he'll make you a special outfit too." She kept annoyingly pulling on Lussuria's clothes, teasing her. "Mine feels wayyy stronger than this outfit. Sheesh. I don't think you have much of a choice here."

Snow continued the pestering until Lussuria gave in.

"Ugh, fine!" Lussuria slammed the tome down and got up, rushing past her.

"Yes! I'm sure with your help I'll be able to finally activate my frostblood!" Snow followed her in earnest.

Lussuria began pursuing down the library, pulling books out every now and then. Once she was done, she took the collection of texts and left the library, Snow still trailing behind her.

"Where are we going?"

"To the training hall."

"Are we going to try sparring?"

"No."

---

The wintery frontier of Regalia gave a landscape view to the background of the indoor arena, presented by the tall barred windows lining the rear of the fighting ring. On the opposite side, draped spectator balconies canopied over the entrance stairs in clear view of the fighting grounds. Various banners from different regions including their own lotus banner were hung from all the walls on skyward pointing flags. The purpose of this hall was for the spectating of high profile matches as well as the settling of basic disputes by combat. The castle was cleaned, washed and upkeep to the highest standards but this arena was rarely cleaned, indicated by the cracks on the stone walls and scorch marks on the ground. The gravel was usually smoothed over but the only substances that were cleaned here was that of blood and bodily fluids.

Even though this arena was primarily intended for official matches, it has increasingly been used for the training of one's swordsmanship and practice of one's magicry. It is also where Lussuria decided to conduct her 'experiment' to try and bring out Snow's Frostblood.

Snow was sitting on the tiled floor with her legs crossed just before the gravel arena. She patiently waited as Lussuria dragged a piece of chalk around her. Once the circle was complete Lussuria started scribing various mage symbols on the inside of the strange circle, occasionally referencing the old runic mage book she was holding. Lilly was also present, curiously examining an assortment of magical instruments that were laid out on a nearby table.

Once the sign on the ground was complete, Lussuria put the book on the floor and went to the table where Lilly stood behind.

"Wand." Lussuria demanded while holding her hand out, like she was in the middle of a procedural operation.

Lilly grabbed the wooden wand off the table and placed it in Lussuria's hand. As Lussuria began reciting a spell incantation, A magical glow shone from her palm.

"Rune

Activate

Frost

Reveal!"

The magical rune lit up under Snow, shining a bright azure blue and releasing a low hum.

"Do you feel anything Snow?" Lussuria questioned.

Snow was looking at the azure blue light shining beneath her but she felt nothing.

"Nothing yet."

Lussuria put the wand down and held her hand out towards Lilly again.

"Augment runestone."

"Auggie-ment runestone... okay, got it!" Lilly grabbed the inscribed rock and placed it in Lussuria's hand.

Lussuria repeated the spell, the augment runestone glowing in her hand, while the runic circle underneath Snow began to spin, the light shining from it growing in intensity while the humming noise increased in volume.

"Feel anything yet?"

Snow still felt nothing.

"Nothing yet!"

"Okay, looks like I'm going to have to crank it up more. Lilly, mage baton!"

"Uhhhhh... okay!" After a moment of confused searching, Lilly handed her a metallic baton.

Lussuria took it, waved it, and the runic circle appeared to become energized. It spun faster as the light it was giving off grew blinding and the hum of its magic rose deafeningly.

"Snow, how about now?!" She yelled over the palpable feeling of magic pulsing through the air.

Snow did feel something, it started as an odd and vague sensation at first, but then erupted into a tickling one, quickly spreading all over her body. She immediately bursted into uncontrollable, squealing laughter.

"I feel it, hahaha! Stop, it tickles too much!" Snow yelled, rolling around while arcs of yellow electricity crackled over her."

Lussuria looked at the baton in her hand in confusion.

"Lilly, I said the mage baton, not the lightning stick!"

"Whoopsie, but Luss they look so similar!" Lilly said innocently.

Lussuria was moving to stop the spell when the realization hit her. Snow's squealing laughter should have been replaced with that of screams or foaming mouth shakes.

"Snow, how is that not hurting you?" Lussuria's head tilted sideways at the anomalous reaction.

Snow was too busy laughing while lightning coursed over her skin.

"What?! Just make it stop, hahaha! Please, it tickles too much!"

Lussuria shut off the rune and looked at Snow closely, before pulling at some of the fabric of her clothes.

"It insulates against lightning magic too!?" The envy in her voice was obvious.

"Alright, enough with the clothes! Why can't I summon my frostblood?" Snow demanded, sighing bitterly as her magic provoked laughter faded.

Lussuria took a moment to think before responding.

"I don't know Snow, but I have another idea."

---

This time Lilly and Snow stood next to each other in the arena ring for the next experiment.

"Lilly, I want you to activate your frostblood after I activate mine."

"Okie-doky!"

When Lussuria closed her eyes, a flash was felt as the room grew colder. Lussuria's eyes reopened, now glowing bluish-white. The signature eyes of a frostblood both beautiful and mysterious.

"What does your frost power do again Lussuria? Something about making you remember more?" Snow curiously asked.

"I've learned how to use it to enhance my spellcasting, But I can also sense magic with it. I should be able to feel some kind of magical reaction in your body if Lilly activates hers right in front of you. Go ahead Lilly, do it now."

Lilly clenched her fist and released a small roar that would have been cute, if not for the frost energy that erupted from her in a wave that dropped the room's temperature even further. A small patch of ice formed under her feet. Her skin quickly paled, and her eyes glowed like Lussuria's, but not as bright.

"It's on Luss!"

Lussuria gave Snow a closer inspection.

"I don't feel anything? That's so weird. Lilly has... Lilly has a tremendous amount of energy, but you, I'm not even sensing regular mana waves within you. How strange..."

"Well, that's just what I need to hear. Not only can I not activate my frost blood, but I don't have regular magic either. Just perfect." Snow sighed despondently.

All three of them heard the creaking doors of the training hall open. Gravis was entering with training gear over her shoulder and paused when she realized there were three sets of eyes were on her. Everyone kept staring at her in silence.

"Uhhhh, I'll come back later." She quickly tried to leave once seeing the overly interested gazes.

---

Gravis was sitting on the stairs of the training hall entrance listening as they explained what they were trying to do.

"You want me to form ice so Snow can interact with it?" Gravis raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, just summon some ice Gravis, I want to test something. I would ask Lily but the ice she can summon isn't potent enough for this." Lussuria urged her on.

"I can only do this a few times a day, and using it up like this would be a waste of good training." She complained, but one look at Snow, with her begging eyes, and she gave in.

"Ugh, I don't want to waste it, but if you think it would help... fine."

Gravis got up and made her way onto the start of dueling grounds in the center of the hall.

"Stand back."

Everyone gave her space. Gravis closed her eyes and exhaled sharply. The entire hall felt a pulse of chill as Gravis opened her glowing eyes. This chill was a lot more powerful than both Lussuria and Lilly's, proving Gravis was definitely the strongest among them.

Gravis formed a claw with her hand and slammed it on the ground, palm first.

"Emerge!"

A sharp noise rippled across the hall as a thin trail of ice spikes erupted from the floor in front of her, several feet tall.

"Wow it's like a little pointy pathway!" Lilly squealed, clapping her hands.

"Shut up, It's supposed to be a lot bigger than that!" Gravis sounded offended.

Lussuria looked at Snow,

"Okay Snow, go ahead and touch it."

Snow placed her hands up against one of the spikes. It felt like normal ice, but there was a faint buzzing sensation that was growing stronger.

"Wait, I think I feel something in the ice!" The ice started buzzing in her hand, then it started visibly vibrating.

"It's like buzzing or something?" Snow pushed on the ice, the piece she was touching broke off and started levitating above her hand. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"Hey! Are you all seeing this?!" she shouted towards her sisters. The ice was floating above her hands as she moved it back and forth. "Am I really doing this right now?!" Snow happily exclaimed, amazement coursing through her as she used one hand to set the piece of ice spinning as it floated over her other hand.

"Lilly, stop playing with the telekinetic rod!" Lussuria shouted by the table, noticing Lilly messing with one of the instruments.

It wasn't just the ice buzzing, all the magical items were levitating and shaking in the room, including the rest of the ice from Gravis' spike trail.

"I just wanted to see what it would do, hehe!" Lilly giggled before Lussuria took the rod away from her, causing all the things floating in the air to drop to the ground. The piece of ice Snow was playing with also dropped into her hand.

The buzzing feeling disappeared from the ice. So, it wasn't her. Snow squeezed the ice in her hand, cracking it slightly.

"Why can't I use it?! I'm obviously frost blooded too!" Her frustration grew, especially having witnessed everyone else have an easy time doing all these cool things while she couldn't even turn this ever-elusive power on.

"Sorry about that Snow" Lussuria said.

"Yeah, I don't know why, you should have had a reaction to something by now." Gravis commented.

"Have you tried eating it?" Lilly randomly blurted from underneath the table.

The three older sisters all shared a glance, the same bewildered expression on their faces before Lussuria and Gravis focused on Snow.

Snow understood their gazes and looked back at the piece of ice.

"Why not?" She decided.

There still wasn't a reaction in the end and the less said about the taste, the better.

---

Chapter 6 Painful History
Head Butler Brutus

"The slave traders are here."

The high queen was seated on her icy throne to address the group of Mountaineer nobles who had amassed in the throne room. Colored in mostly red and yellow garbs, it was clear just about every person appeared to be from the Mountaineer Kingdom. The group of Lords were very upset upon hearing of her decree that any forms of slavery were to be outlawed in five years.

"Your Majesty, we can see no purpose to this decree as anything other than a direct attack on the Republic's way of life! Our society cannot sustain itself without mandatory servitude in its current state. We need at least ten years to start changing the foundation of our infrastructure. Five is too short!"

"Ten years is too long a time; in fact, that is longer than it takes an average crafter to reach a mentoring skill level."

The nobles gathered grew agitated, before they voiced their complaints all at once. The throne room sounded like a chaotic auction gallery with shouts and yelling coming from all throughout the crowd. The queen leaned against her arm rest portraying a look of annoyance at the ruckus. Brutus stepped forward taking a large breath.

"Cease this behavior at once! You disrespect the dignity of her majesty with your incessant chattering! Compose yourselves or you will be escorted out!" Brutus roared over the bickering mob, quickly causing them to settle down before the queen continued

"As I was saying, I understand you will lose a considerable amount of revenue implementing these changes. Which is why for the first tax year you will be able too-"

"We will not be placated by short term incentives!" The nobles once again erupted in rowdiness, shouting, and moving closer to the Queen's Throne causing all the guards in the room to move forward into formation, creating a line between them and her.

"Keep order or you will be met with force!" The Royal Knight Commander demanded. As they continued shouting

"Our economy will plummet! Our major houses will lose their livelihoods! Do you want to put us on the streets?!" The Republic's representative shouted, the nobles echoing him. High Queen Deamonia stood up with a face of anger and a tone of aggravation.

"Mountaineer Warden Isabella has already given me enough proof of your country's humanitarian abuses. You profit off the livelihoods and suffering of others. There's a disconnect between fair business and common decency in your kingdom. Slaves and even mandated servants in the Mountaineer Kingdom receive no rights and work twice the number of hours as people with true professions. All while being paid next to nothing. It is a complete disregard for human life, a remnant of the era of war and above all else, it is disgusting. I will not rescind my decree. A five year grace period is more than generous and is what you will get." She affirmed, her presence as immovable as a mountain and yet as unstoppable as an avalanche. "You are dismissed; five years is all that you will get."

They were "escorted" out.

Brutus re-appeared beside the throne, having left unnoticed just before the end of the discussions, and handed her a cup of hot lemon tea.

"What will we do about this, your majesty? My people are telling me that their armies are being put on heightened alert." He asked, hiding his concern well.

"The Mountaineer Kingdom isn't like the elves, they don't give a damn about their values as long as they have money. So, if money is what they love most, let's make sure we have plenty of it."

"Shall I set up the meeting with those three vestige Lords then?"

"Looks like we don't have a choice, go on."

"I shall send word at once." Brutus proceeded past the line of guards, with tray in hand. As he was making his exit, the slow sliding of metal was heard as a teaspoon clanged against the floor. Brutus looked at it in surprise. He has never once dropped a utensil in his life, an ominous feeling was felt as he looked back towards the queen. Who spared him a similar look.

The uneasiness revealed itself when Brutus' eyes shifted to the left corner of the room just behind the throne.

"Assassin!"

A man appeared from the back corner of the room and rushed toward the queen with a dagger held high in the air.

"Assassin, stop him!" Brutus yelled again; the guards were already on their way to try and intercept, but they had all been positioned forward to deal with the crowd. The queen looked at the man with a questionative eyebrow while he charged at her.

Just before the man reached the throne steps, a mirage manifested directly in front of him, engulfing the assassin causing him to freeze and flicker in and out of existence. The assassin yelled as he was turned upside down and slammed against the floor, his arm was bended upwards into the air while his face was pressed against the ground. The mirage dissipated revealing a special looking guard that was holding him by the neck and forearm. The special guardsman had black uniform with a large lotus insignia on his chestplate.

"You got a death wish or something? Another step closer and you would have skewered by a dozen ice spikes to the face." The secret guardsman questioned the assassin, who looked no more than a peasant.

The failed killer glanced at the icy throne steps after hearing those words. The throne appeared to be alive, the ice on each step subtly shifting back and forth in a predatory nature. His eyes rose up to look at the queen, who had descended the throne steps.

"Thank you, Arthur." She nodded toward her Shadow.

"Just doing my duty, your majesty."

Thanks given, the queen looked down at the man who had made the laughable attempt on her life.

"You are no assassin. Who are you?"

"Burn in hell." The man spat at the ground in front of her.

Arthur twisted his arm further in response to the disrespect.

"You come into my house, attempt to assassinate me, and this is your response? You will answer!" The air turned frigid as her demand echoed throughout the room.

The man locked eyes with her, before his face twisted into a sarcastic smirk.

"I wanted you to know how it feels. Coming into someone's home, murdering them, and leaving their family to fend for themselves. That's right; Reyna never forgot!"

The frost queen stared at him in silence before a Regalian alarm bell started ringing outside. The man started to laugh as the sound of the bells echoed throughout the capital. The queen frowned as a suspicion formed in her mind.

"Where are my children?" She asked while staring at the man, but the question was directed at Brutus who was by her side once more.

"Lussuria and Lilly are still in the castle, but Gravis and Snow departed for the market not one hour ago."

"Go get them, immediately."

 

[Bloodkin]

❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆
__________________________________________
7​

Content Warning: bloody conflict
Chapter 7 The Oldest Shop in Regalia

❄ Snow ❄

The bustling square was centered by a fountain crowned by a statue of Goddess Regalia. Most buildings here were topped with blue rooftops and the clean streets were lined with diverse merchant stands holding products from different regions beyond even the lands of Lucredia. As Snow and Gravis were paying a visit to the center of the new city district. The royal guard cleared the path of any civilians. There were still a lot of people from the Lotus Celebration here and they were greeted with cheers, waves, and the complimenting calls of their names from beyond the gold clad knights.

"So, Gravis, what are you looking for out here?" Snow questioned Gravis as they traversed the line of merchant stands. They stopped at one selling necklaces and rings.

"Nothing."

"Hm?"

"Absolutely nothing."

The shopkeeper gave a bow to them as they continued down the road to the next stand, this one held a few small toys.

"Then... Why are we out here?"

Gravis gave her look of exhaustion.

"Because, if I have to read another dreadful document, I will throw myself from the ramparts."

"I see, so mom really has you busy huh?" Snow laughed.

"I like fighting, I hate literally everything else; I don't know why mom won't let me just join the damn army."

They spoke while strolling through the remainder of the district.

"Are you crazy? You're going to be taking on her mantle when you're older, you can't join the Lotus Army and put your life at risk. Not until you're ready to take command anyway."

"I wish you were born first Snow." Gravis sighed.

"You know mom doesn't care for our order of birth, you're just the strongest one out of all of us."

They stopped at the last stand which was empty except for a single pocket watch, presented upon a crimson pillow.

"Greetings p-p-princess," A scrawny merchant with big glasses stuttered from behind the stall. He looked more like an academic student than a merchant.

"Hello Mr. Taeper, how has business been lately?" Snow greeted the merchant, whom she knew well.

"Y-your Highness, g-great year this is, the Lotus celebration has been a b-big boon! Stock in watches basically sold all!" Gravis looked confused upon hearing his strange dialect, but Snow understood it.

"I'm so happy to hear that."

After a short conversation Snow and Gravis moved on, continuing their stroll away from the city center.

"You are quite familiar with these people Snow, I thought you only snuck out twice. Looks like that number is false."

"Well, since I don't have a queue of work lined up like you, I have a lot of free time. Say, there's a nice candy shop a few streets from here, would you like to try some?"

"Sure, why not. We have to return soon though; it's getting late and I have to deal with those documents sooner rather than later. No matter how much I detest doing so."

"I saw mom's room this morning, she had like a million papers on her desk. Good luck with that."

"Tell me about it."

The candy shop was in the older district. Where the streets got narrower, dirtier, and tight alleyways were fitted between every building which now had older red rooftops instead of the new blue.

The guards had to shrink their formation closer to them before the lead knight sir Omeric ordered a stop.

"Princess Gravis, Princess Snow. I advise against walking through here. It's a risk." The lead knight advised them.

"Why is it a risk? The people of Regalia are no threat to us." Gravis responded.

"There has been restlessness among the visitors from the Mountaineer Republic since the Queen's speech. She is concerned that someone may do something... irrational."

"My sister wants me to try this candy shop and I will. The threat of some disgruntled politicians, nobles or civilians does not scare me." Gravis commanded the guard to move forward, and they did.

"Maybe you should be in the military Gravis. You sound like a commander." Snow said.

"Haha, thank you very much." Gravis appreciated the compliment.

"Snow?!" Someone called out from down the street. It was Randal, he was waving at them. He had a bunch of horse reins he was carrying over his shoulder. His approach was halted by the guards.

"It's okay, he's my friend."

The guards stepped aside, and he ran up to them.

"What are you doing in the old district Snow?"

"I wanted to let Gravis try some of that crystal candy you showed me before."

"Oh nice! Yeah, that shop is open right now!"

"You want to get some with us?"

The promise of candy was enough to put a smile on Randal's face.

"Oh, definitely yeah!" he reached into his pocket but then stopped as his face fell. "Oh, on second thought. I uhm, need to bring these reins back home." He smiled nervously.

"Randal, I can just pay for it." Snow sighed.

"You will?" he said, once again excited, just as she expected.

"Yeah, it's my treat, just subtract it from my debt."

"Ok. I'll remove one of the lessons you owe me from the tab." He affirmed.

"Let's go then."

---

A little bell chimed as they entered. All the guards remained stationed outside except for two. The sweet smell of cherries filled their noses.

"This place looks old." Gravis noted looking at all the decorations on the wall. The inside of the shop looked just as antique as the outside. There were various colorful baubles on the walls, two small tables for eating, and finally, the long wooden counter that held all the differently colored candies.

"The owner told me last time that this was the first business opened in the kingdom." Snow explained.

"Really, a candy shop? I find that hard to believe." Gravis said, her voice containing a hint of skepticism.

"She's telling the truth you know." Someone chuckled from a room behind the counter before coming out to greet them, it was the old man. He had a long white beard, squinted eyes and a red robe. "I see you brought a new friend, little miss."

"Yeah, this is my sister, Gravis."

Gravis nodded "Princess Gravis, Firstborn of High Queen Deamonia. My sister holds your candy in high regard and wishes that I try it."

"Oh, an 'official' visit from the Royal Family! I hope my shop doesn't get overrun now," He chuckled wholeheartedly. "And I hope my modest candy is to your liking as well."

They approached the counter, looking at the assortment of candy stored behind a short glass. The selection included: soft cherry-shaped gummies, something that looked like hardened lemon slices, various chocolates, and toward the end, popsicles that looked like long crystals.

"I think you'll like these, Gravis." Snow pointed at the crystalline popsicles.

"What do they taste like?"

"It's a sour grapelike flavor."

"Sure then, let's have at it."

After the careful selection they were all seated at a table and eating candy. Gravis took another bite of the crystalline popsicle.

"A little bit on the sweet side, but I like the texture. It doesn't stick to your teeth too much either," she said, after chewing another bite. "You said this shop has been here since the creation of the old town district Snow?"

"That's right, the old man usually sits down and tells us stories of things that used to happen here." Snow nodded at Randal.

"That's right, like when the ole' district was first being built, the candy was used for everything. Oh, get this princess Gravis, One time tha old man said his candy was used as arrowheads against bandits and then the bandits purposely tried to get shot at to eat more!" Randal said excitedly.

"Candy weapons, never would have thought." Gravis sounded impressed.

"Okay Randal, I think that one was an exaggeration…" Snow rolled her eyes.

"Maybe a lil but you can't lie it-"

"-sure sounds cool" Gravis finished his sentence and gave a smile.

"See, even your sister knows!"

The happy conversation was cut short when A loud bell started ringing outside. They would have just ignored it if it wasn't for the reaction of the guards stationed at the door who looked at each other with a sudden sense of urgency.

"What was that?" Gravis asked them.

"The alarm bell, princess. There's an emergency. The knight went to open the door to ask the lead knight what was happening. He had barely spoken a word when a flaming bottle hit the wall of the candy shop, shattering against it and causing the flames to sprawl down the walls and along the window.

Yelling was heard as a mob of people came rushing from all the nearby alleyways towards the knights. The knights all unsheathed their weapons and assumed a defensive position in front of the candy shop.

Gravis got up first after they had been stunned into silence by the sudden pandemonium.

"Are we under attack?"

They heard the crashing of more glass bottles.

"They are on the roof!" The knights were yelling out outside. In the next moment the lead knight sir Omeric came rushing into the shop, "Princess Gravis, Princess Snow! We are being attacked by a mob, stay here!" The sounds of swords clashing could be heard outside. "We will hold the storefront, lock the door!" Sir Omeric returned outside, the two inner knights locking the door behind him.

"Why are they attacking us?" Randal asked, trembling in his seat.

"Someone must be out to get us. An assassination plot?" Gravis mumbled questioningly as she sat back in her seat, crossing her arms.

"We just had the Lotus Celebration, who would do such a thing?" Snow couldn't believe that this was happening. Yeah, it was the old district. Sure, it was poor and some troublemakers lived here, but it was still supposed to be safe. The people here would never attack them. As long as she had been sneaking away from lessons to hang out here, those of the old district always held her family in high regard. There was no way it could be an assassination attempt.

"Gravis, are those Reggalian citizens?" she asked, acting on a hunch.

Gravis leaned toward the window and focused on the faces and clothes of the mob outside.

"No. They look like they are from... The Mountaineer Kingdom?"

They looked at each other as they both came to the same conclusion

"This isn't good. "

"Wait, what did you two figure out?" Randal asked from behind his chair now.

"They are targeting us. They probably followed us here." Gravis said grimly.

After a minute of waiting, Gravis' impatience got the better of her and she stood abruptly, face set into a determined scowl.

"I need to go out there and help." She started towards the door, but Snow grabbed her arm.

"No Gravis, it's dangerous!"

Gravis shrugged her off. "I don't care! I can't just sit here while they are fighting out there."

The knights at the door however, stood in her way. "Let me through dammit!" She said while trying to see the battle.

"Princess, we can't allow you to go out there." The knights blocked her from leaving. While Gravis was arguing with the knights, a creaking noise that slowly grew into a great crackling could be heard over the sounds of fighting. The smell of smoke started overriding the smell of the candy while the air inside the shop grew hotter.

"The fire has spread to more of the building, we need to get out of here!" Snow declared in a panic.

It seemed like the attackers knew of the growing danger as well and kept the knights engaged up against the shop that was now on fire.

"We will die here if we stay, so make an opening so we can leave! Get out there you idiots!" Gravis growled, pushing the two now unsure guards out the door, following behind them.

Between the attackers on the roof, the enemies on the ground and the flames devouring the shop, they were trapped. Outside, the mob had gotten weapons, and men in strange armor on the roof were lighting more bottles on fire to throw on top of them. The knights were working hard to push the mob back and gain an opening.

Snow and Randal were still nervously waiting inside.

"Snow, what do we do? Just wait for it to be over?"

"As much as I want to, we need to leave. My sister is right, this shop is going to turn into an inferno and cook us alive. Go get the old man Randal, we are leaving now!" Snow hurried up to the entrance and peeked outside. She could see just about every knight standing side by side, holding the mob back. With Gravis barking orders behind them. She watched as more bottles of flame were thrown at the building from the sky. Snow looked up, towards the roof, a line of men in brown and grey armor were up there throwing the bottles. Soon enough a different, tall man appeared on the roof, he was bald, wearing an eyepatch and a long dark cloak. Snow had a bad feeling about him, he felt 'different' in a way she couldn't explain. She made eye contact with him and he smiled. Lifting his hand, she could see him saying something. She couldn't hear him, but she could read his lips:

"Rune...

Ignite...

Flame..."

A rune started forming in front of him, hovering in the air turning red. It was a runic spell and he was aiming it straight at Gravis.

"Gravis watch out! He's aiming at you!" Snow yelled. Gravis looked up and saw the rune charging, they all did.

"Cover her!" All the knights quickly jumped over or in front of Gravis in an attempt to block the incoming magic. The man in the eyepatch grinned evilly as the rune tilted slightly, now aiming right at the door of the candy shop. Right at Snow.

"FIRE!" The man yelled as the rune activated and launched a ball of fire at the candy shop door.

Snow turned and tried to run from the door as the ball of flame exploded just behind her, destroying the front of the shop and collapsing the ceiling on top of her. Everything went black.

---

Snow regained consciousness as someone shook her awake. She opened her eyes and saw that she was halfway under some debris. A blurry image of Randal with dirt all over his face appeared, he was the one shaking her.

"Snow, get up!" He demanded. The whole front half of the candy shop had collapsed on top of them. The only reason she wasn't crushed was because the tables that were holding up two large support beams that had kept the second floor up, which wouldn't be the case for much longer. Not a moment sooner after that thought, she was dragged out from under them as the tables collapsed, causing the remainder of the debris to fill in where she had just been. The whole shop inside and outside was catching fire, and it became hard to breathe.

"Snow, Randal, are you two okay!?" They could hear Gravis calling for them from the outside. Snow got up.

"Yeah!" Snow coughed. "I think we're good!"

"There's an opening and we need to break free from this crowd now!" The lead knight, Sir Omeric shouted as they started to drag Gravis away with them.

"No! Damn it, my sister is still in there!"

"I'm sorry Princess, but we need to leave now!" The knight captain shouted as they dragged her away against her struggle, leaving Snow, Randal and the old man in the now destroyed candy shop that was growing into an inferno.

"There has to be another way out of here!" Randal cried over the crackling fire that was burning away at the walls.

"This way children." The old man led them to a backroom that had a single door to the back of the shop's building. The door was being held closed by a tiled chair and being banged on by what could they only presume were attackers.

"They're back here too?"

"Not the door, here." The old man called them over to the other side of the room and slowly dragged a box out the way to reveal a small semicircular window that led to the alley.

"You two can fit through here."

"What about you?!" Snow cried.

"They won't care about an old man such as myself. Do not worry. I'll simply open the door and leave." He chuckled. "I miss the days where I used to play hide and seek with this much excitement. Albeit the stakes are a little higher, but you too will make do! Good luck!"

Once they were both out, the window closed and the box was shoved back in front of it.

---

Snow and Randal were crouched behind the corner of the alleyway. Fire and smoke covered everything, leaving the district looking like a warzone...or hell...

"What's the plan?" Randal asked.

"I need to find Gravis."

"Snow, I think we should go to my house, it's the safest place."

"Your house is outside the wall; we would have to go through the south gate... wait... the south gate tower, that's the nearest fortification! That has to be where the knights will have taken her!"

"Alright, so the south gate is the goal. I stand out less than you, so let me take the lead." He suggested.

Snow nodded in agreement.

They were both hunched back down at the corner edge of the alleyway wall and Randal leaned out to take a peek.

"Alright Randal, don't forget to look at the rooftops first, since there's those strange men up ther-

"They're over here!" someone yelled from the roof not a moment after Randal poked his head out.

Snow was dumbfounded. "Really Randal?"

He smiled abashedly but then put a determined look on his face and took her hand.

"Don't worry this is my turf," Randal exclaimed as he pulled her up and into a run. "So, keep up!"

"You sure I shouldn't be telling you that, I know this area better than you." Snow replied amusedly.

"What?! But I live here!"

"Yeah, and I never get caught when I sneak around here."

They both heard the heavy and rapid steps of men running behind them as they were being chased. They kept running for close to ten minutes, taking turns through the twisted series of connected alleyways.

"Okay... south gate... we need to detour." Snow said between panting breaths, exhausted from the constant chase.

"Two streets down...make a right... You familiar... with the cistern... in that part... of the district?" Randal asked, equally out of breath.

"Where the roads... around it are... shaped like a web? Yeah."

"We will... lose them there!"

"Okay!"

---

Chapter 8 The Old District Massacre

❄ Snow ❄

After running through the web of alleyways, and taking a short rest to regain their breath, Randal and Snow were walking alone through a darker part of the old district. They had a moment of respite, having completely lost the mob through the previous twists and turns.

They paused as some rats ran across them into a sewer grate.

"That was close. I hope everyone is okay." Snow whispered, worry on her face.

"Don't worry Snow, they will be fine." Randal reassured.

Soon enough, they were finally approaching their goal, the south gate tower, where there were actual guards, the knights were all grouped up and talking to each other. These guards should be able to assist them in looking for Gravis if she wasn't already here. Snow raised her hand and started to call out to them before Randal pulled her down behind an abandoned merchant stand and shushed her.

"What's the deal Randal!?" Snow harshly whispered.

"Those aren't Regalian guards." He replied, a pale nervous expression written on his face.

"They are wearing the same armor. How could you be so sure?" She asked, confused about his suspicion.

"I make deliveries here all the time and the tower guards are never just standing around talking like tha'." Another reason is, there is no watcher on top of tha' tower." He pointed to the location. He was right, there was no watcher, and the guards didn't look like sentries at all. He shook his head. "Ok, screw the tower, we can still get through the south gate and go to my house. We just got to sneak up and make a break for it."

"Why are they just standing around though?" Snow kept watching and it was strange, they were just waiting, they were in regalian armor. What could their plan be? Snow's eyes widened in realization. "It's an ambush. If Gravis comes here, her group would be walking right into a trap!"

"So what are we going to do now? We can't fight them." Randal asked, starting to panic.

"I need to warn Gravis before she gets here."

"We should just sneak through the south gate Snow, even if they see us my father has his beasts he can use."

"No, I need to warn my sister that there is an ambush here. "

"You want to go back out there to that crowd!? No, that's too dangerous! You don't even know if your sister will come through here!"

They heard the sounds of a large crowd approaching a few streets down.

"That has to be them!" Snow had to find a way to relay the message without being stopped. She found two cloaks under the merchant stand and then slowly looked at Randal, then began to grin. Randal saw the look on her face, recognized it, and felt all his panic drain away, only to be replaced with resignation.

"Would that really work here?

"Yes, here is the plan."

---

Snow appeared around the corner one street in front from Gravis's group. As they were marching down towards her, a parade of violence was following them as well as in front of them. There weren't many attackers in front but enough that it was too dangerous to approach. She prayed that this would work, taking a breath and squeezing her fist she pulled off her hood and yelled out. "Hey idiots I'm right here!"

The crowd looked her way. "It's one of the royalty, alone!" She had the attention of almost all the crowd in the front. She turned heel and started sprinting away around the corner. The crowd began chasing her.

"Is that Snow?!" Gravis was trying to see who they were chasing after.

Once Snow got around the corner, she vaulted over some garbage disappearing behind it and continued down the road. Some of the men in the crowd were quick and catching up fast. If she didn't spend the last ten minutes in a full sprint, she would have gotten a lot farther. She tried ducking and weaving through stands, trash and alleyways which bought some time which was all she needed to do. These pursuers were persistent though. Once she made it back into the cistern, losing them would be easy. One more street, then a right turn and she would have been golden. A man caught up to her and tried to grab at her hood, but she ducked down avoiding his swipe before rolling into the alleyway. Tumbling back forward she darted down the alley only to see a shadow appear at the end of it. Some men appeared at the exit, cutting her off, she spun around and there were about three more guys behind her. She was boxed in.

Snow stood silent as the men approached.

"Aren't you a slippery one?" One of the men said as he grabbed the back of her head, ripping the hood off revealing Randal's grinning face.

"What's up?" He smirked nervously. "Looking for someone?"

---

Gravis and the knights were only two streets away from the south gate tower, they could see it in view. The sight of safety increased their pace before another hooded individual stepped in front of them. The person shifted, giving Gravis a better view. It was Snow. "That's my sister, Let her in!" Gravis pointed at her. The knights opened their formation and Snow came running in.

"Thank the goddess you're okay!" Gravis exclaimed in relief, hugging her little sister tightly. But Snow, as happy as she was to see her sister okay, had bad news.

"Gravis the south gate tower is a trap. They are corralling us this way. We need to turn around now!"

"Are you sure? How many?"

"They are all over the rooftops and at the tower, over a dozen men, impersonating Regalian guards. It will be just like the candy shop again but worse. We need to go another direction!"

"Okay." Gravis straightened up and turned to Sir Omeric.

"Knight captain Omeric." She called.

"Yes Princess?" he said as they were approaching the street the south gate tower was connected too, his head turning this way and that as he kept a vigilant eye on the situation.

"We need to turn about face, this road is a trap and the south tower is compromised."

"We can't about your highness. It's practically clear ahead of us and the south tower is a strong fortification that's not possible!"

"My sister has seen it herself."

Sir Omeric looked at Snow and then back at Gravis. "We can't risk turning around. Continue forward march!" He commanded the knights.

Gravis got angry.

"Stop running and about face right now!" Gravis yelled out. The knights looked unsure on whose order to follow until a rock hit the back of Gravis' head causing her to get angrier "TURN ABOUT FACE AND CUT THEM DOWN!"

"About face! Make way!" The knights obeyed in the face of the Gravis' fury, but the crowd that was blocking the way out of the old district was too large to push through.

"Cut down anyone in the way, the safety of the royalty is our only priority!" Sir Omeric shouted as the knights started to force their way through the rear crowd, cutting everyone down indiscriminately and forcing a path through.

Once the blood started spilling the crowd charged forward into them. Snow couldn't see anything besides the golden backplates of the knights surrounding her. She tried looking through the one of the very small gaps in their formation but recoiled when a splash of blood hit her face

"Hold your formation and keep pushing!" The lead knight yelled again, as it was obvious at this point that the crowd was trying to corral them in the other direction. Gravis and Snow were getting pushed forward by the knights causing her to almost lose her footing several times, stepping on what she assumed were bodies. She was too scared to look down and see

"Keep your head down!" Gravis yelled over the screaming, trying to shield Snow from the rocks that were now being thrown at them. The street was turning into a bloody massacre. Even some of their guardsmen fell and had to be left behind. All Snow could hear was yelling, screams of pain, and fire roaring in the background. This was a nightmare. The street was filled with blood. The fighting went on for what felt like an eternity.

---

"Good. Continue onward!" Sir Omeric shouted in his heavy breathing. The crowd finally thinned out and they were given way to go down the street.

Gravis spit out blood, her cheek cut and mouth bloody from being hit by the barrage of rocks and glass. She was surprisingly fearless and helped kept the knights in order through this hell.

They went back into the heart of the old district and were marching through a narrow street. "Our new destination is the city square." Sir Omeric commanded.

As they were marching. They began to walk through puddles of water on this particular street. The puddles were small but still caught Snow's attention. "Something doesn't feel right." causing the group to stop. The street was completely empty of people.

"What, another trap?" Gravis quickly asked.

"I can't tell for sure, but this is suspicious."

"There is nowhere else to go! We move forward, because I am not turning about face again!" Sir Omeric shouted in frustration. But Snow was undeterred.

"Why would that crowd of people just stop following us? This street doesn't feel right. We should turn around and-"

"No! No more! We go forward! It was your idea to come down to this district against my advisement. Now look at the mess we are in! It is my job to keep you safe and I will not have my command assumed over again. Forward!"

"You better watch your mouth captain, neither I nor my sister are your subordinates. Stop!" Gravis stopped the group.

The knight captain turned to her and they locked eyes in a battle of wills. A few moments of tense silence passed before he responded.

"It is my job to keep you two safe. While we are out here you do not have the right to assume my command." He growled at Gravis.

"I am not assuming your command, I am commanding you."

"I know what's best. Leaving as fast as possible does not give them the chance to regroup on us!"

"Is that why you left my sister to burn to death?"

"I made the right call. You are both here alive."

Snow tried stepping in and mediating, but the knight captain was having none of it.

"Let's just send someone ahead and-"

"No, we march forward right now. We just cut down dozens of people. I will not waste more time and be forced to take more civilian lives on a whim."

"You are not qualified to be a knight, let alone a captain. Lost your nerve?" Gravis sneered.

"The safety of the royal family is my number one priority. No matter how much you dislike me, turning about again puts you at more risk," He turned back and gave the command "March forward!" The knights listened to him, and they continued onward, Gravis and Snow forced to go with them. "You will regret disobeying me captain!" Gravis shouted. But the knight captain was undeterred.

"You can run off and tell your mother how much you dislike me when I bring you back safely. Until then, my unit listens to me and so do you." They started walking through the flooded street. "Just keep an eye out on the alleyways and rooftops," Sir Omeric ordered, as if to compromise with Snow's concern, while they were continuing down the street. Most of the knights were looking up or to the sides. It was then that Snow noticed they had been marching through ankle high water for a while now. The small puddles became a miniature flood. From there she noticed that the sewer grates had been sealed with blankets and cloth, preventing the water from being drained.

"Gravis, I really think this a trap!"

"We will not stop!" Sir Omeric yelled as they continued onward. They got a few more feet down the street and a charging noise was heard, a yellow rune became visible from underneath the water. The group froze in surprise, before the water's surface exploded in an array of crackling electricity. As the arcs of electricity reached them Snow braced herself for pain, only to feel a familiar tickling sensation across her whole body instead.

For the rest of her group, however, the effects were much more severe: all the knights and Gravis had fallen to a knee or on their backs. Snow could see the electricity running over them as they were being shocked in front of her eyes.

Snow wondered why she was unaffected. She could tell it was coming from the water which she was standing in as well. Looking at her arms, she realized that the clothing Lazerous made must have been stopping it from shocking her. She turned to Gravis who was gritting her teeth while her body was violently twitching.

"Gravis!" Snow grabbed Gravis' arm and the twitching stopped. Snow pulled her halfway up the street, just out of the water. Her older sister laid on the ground for a few moments, panting heavily. "Thanks...Snow." Gravis said between breaths. Snow smiled in relief before refocusing on the problem still at hand: the other knights.

They were still being electrocuted and there were too many to pull. She looked closely at the water and could see a faint rune that was pulsing underneath it. She quickly tried to think of some way to counteract it, but she had no aptitude for the magical arts... She looked at Gravis as an idea popped into her head.

"Gravis, can you freeze the water?" Snow said in a hurry.

Gravis stood back up in a daze, "Yeah...I can."

"Do it!"

Gravis closed her eyes momentarily to focus and an icy chill pervaded the air. When she opened them, her eyes were shining bright blue. She raised her hand, then slammed it on the ground.

"Emerge!"

A very tiny trail of ice shot forward, freezing all the water that it touched: including the water the knights were standing in. As the water froze, the rune lost power and faded away. Her task completed, Gravis' eyes reverted to silver, and she stood up.

The knights quickly rose to their feet as well, shattering the relatively thin layer of ice that covered them.

Snow saw shadows moving on the ground and looked up to see the men who cast them moving into position above.

"The roof again!" Snow alerted her group. They looked up and the men with leather armor on the rooftops all began to unsheathe their weapons. The bald man with the eye patch was also up there.

"I don't know what's more impressive. The fact that one of you is immune to lightning, or the other being able to nullify my trap. Great teamwork. Now let me show you mine." The man with the eyepatch threw his hands widely open, starting a new chant.

"Rune…"

"He's chanting again!" Snow called out.

"Air…"

A large rune started forming in the sky.

The knights stood up from the water.

"Get to princesses now!" the knight captain ordered, and they started a mad dash up the street towards them.

"Gravis, get behind me! I can block the lightning!" Snow tried stepping in front of Gravis to block any more lightning magic.

"Levitate…"

The knights were almost linked back up with them; they were only a few yards away.

"Pulse!"

The rune echoed, vibrating strongly in the air. Snow prepared herself to block whatever magic was about to fly at them. No magic came flying at them, Instead all the men on the rooftops began jumping off. That is when she realized that the rune wasn't meant to fire any destruction magic. It was meant to slow down their attackers' falls. The mercenaries descended upon all of them.

"Snow watch out!" Gravis lunged, grabbing her, and spinning them around. Gravis flinched as a sword struck her down the back.

"Gravis!" Snow cried out.

Gravis let out a pained shout before she turned on the man and tackled him to the ground. Gravis held his sword arm down while she punched him in the face with her free hand, punctuating each blow with another shout. "You dare... to attack... us!" After about three punches he caught her arm in a strong grip and started raising his sword back up to spear her with it. Gravis was struggling to hold the sword down as he slowly started bringing it up.

Snow moved to help her, but another man grabbed her from behind, putting her in a chokehold.

"Get...off...me!" Snow struggled, but the man was squeezing the life out of her, she could do nothing but watch as Gravis was in her own struggle in front of her.

"How about you relax and watch your sister die?" Her captor said, "We only need one of ya. Kill her Black! I got the younger one under control!"

The man wrestling with Gravis on the ground slowly and forcefully raised the tip of his sword up to her sisters' neck.

"No, Stop!" Snow cried out.

The sword was going to pierce into Gravis' throat, she wasn't strong enough to push the blade away. Gravis responded by pressing both her and the man's hand against his chest as her eyes flashed bright blue.

"Emerge!"

All could hear the sound of crackling ice as the man spasmed and froze over as "thorns" of ice erupted from his body, skewering him from the inside out: killing him instantly, but leaving Gravis unharmed. Gravis took the sword from the frozen corpse's hand, its fingers shattering in the process, and turned towards Snow and the man holding her.

"Let. Her. Go." Gravis' eyes glowed a bright blue that contrasted terrifyingly with the blood on her face. Streaks of frost started to grow on her temples. The man responded by pulling out a dagger and holding it against Snow's neck, but Snow could feel him trembling as he held her.

"Get over here and control that one will ya!" he yelled to the others of his group. As he called for help, Snow reached into her pocket and took out the half-eaten crystalline candy from the shop. It was sharp with a ragged edge from where she had bit off a piece of it and swung it up. She took a guess as she couldn't really aim, but there was almost no resistance as she burrowed it into his face, more specifically, his eye socket. The man immediately released her and started screaming in horrific pain, thrashing on the ground as he held his face. Snow picked up his dagger and ran to Gravis.

"We just need one of them! For gods' sake, what do I pay you for? Secure one of the targets!" Everyone heard the man with the eye patch yell out from the roof. It seems he was the true leader.

Snow and Gravis were isolated from the knights who were trying their hardest to get back to them, but were being held back, as the armored assailants fighting them were skilled, proving they weren't ordinary thugs of the street. They fought like trained soldiers, much different than the simple mob that attacked them earlier. They had the numbers advantage; the knights were struggling to get through.

"Gravis, come on!" Snow tried to take her hand and run but they quickly realized the street behind them was barred with boxes and a collapsed wagon. They were surrounded.

"Well, time to put that training to use, right Gravis?" Snow laughed nervously.

"Snow, I don't think we both make it out of this." Gravis grimly replied.

"Just make an opening with your Emerge ability, so we can get back to the knights."

"I used it too much; surprised that the last one worked."

"So, what's the plan?"

"I don't think we have a choice here." Gravis raised her sword and flipped it around, so that she ended up holding the blade tip to her heart.

Snow felt the movement and glanced at her, eyes going wide in shocked horror. She grabbed her.

"What? No Gravis! What are you doing?!"

"They are only going to keep one of us alive; I'm making sure it's you. I'm also pretty sure these guys are from a mercenary guild. Make sure you tell mom that when she comes and saves you."

"Don't be stupid, GRAVIS NO!" Snow screamed.

Gravis started to push the sword into her chest, but came to a pause as a high-pitched whistle pierced the air, causing everyone to freeze, including her. A large rumbling noise followed, as the street started to shake.

The rumbling noise grew into what felt like a miniature earthquake as a stampede of vicious beasts in all shapes and sizes came charging up the street, lunging over or shoving past the knights to attack the mercenaries. Everything from wolves, owl griffins, beetle arachnids, and other types of animals Snow was not familiar with were attacking viciously, but in an oddly coordinated way.

The shocking sounds of crumpling metal armor and ripping leather were followed by the visceral ones of flesh tearing, bones breaking and the dying screams and falling of men, as the beasts tore the attackers to shreds even on the rooftops. Morale failing, the mercenaries started fleeing but didn't get far. Despite the obvious savagery of the animals, none of them approached Snow, Gravis, or any of the knights; only their attackers faced the fury of tooth and claw. It wasn't long before most of the mercenaries laid dead, but Snow couldn't see the body of the man with the eye-patch: the mercenaries' leader. Although considering how the animals were eating what they killed…he could just be missing his face. She had to hold a hand to her mouth as the sight that inspired that thought almost caused her to vomit.

"There she is!" They were all distracted from the macabre sight by the sound of Randal's voice from down the street and saw him standing next to a man who shared enough facial features with him that it could only be his father, Windram.

Windram blew his whistle twice in quick succession and the horde of beasts all started to return down the street towards him. Once they were all behind him, he yelled "Down!" and all the beasts sat down in response. Some of the knights raised their weapons at this new perceived threat, only for Windram to shake his head before addressing them.

"Is this how you treat the man who just saved your hides?" He asked, his tone as dry as the desert.

Sir Omeric sized him up, then sighed.

"At ease; he's friendly. Thank you, sir."

"The name is Jarles Windram. You must be new, considering you don't know me and allowed a member of the royal family to be so heavily injured on your watch."

Snow didn't understand who Windram was talking about, she was fine. She then looked at Gravis and realized her sister didn't look okay. Gravis, who was trying to hide her pain behind the illusion of silence, was grimacing and looking much paler than usual.

"Gravis, are you okay?" Snow asked worriedly.

Gravis didn't respond. She only smirked before collapsing to the ground, revealing the large gash that ran down her back.

"Gravis?!"

Everyone quickly surrounded her, unsure of what to do, until Windram took charge.

"Quickly, carry her to my home, it's right outside the south wall. I can treat her there."

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[Bloodkin]

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Chapter 9 The Windram Household

❄ Snow ❄

The group arrived at Randal's home without further trouble. The white, three story home acting as a much needed reprieve from the chaos happening in the city. The bulk of knightly guard took up posts surrounding the property, surrounded by the snowy plains that were prominent outside of the city walls. The area was deathly silent as well, save for the howls, growls, and hisses of war beasts that could be heard coming from a nearby and walled off barn.

Snow was in the kitchen of the house seated at the table alone. The only other person in the room was a silent knight whom she didn't know the name of. She hadn't been allowed to stay in the room where Gravis was getting cared for, so she wasn't sure how her sister was doing. Her thoughts interrupted each time the ever 'silent' knight shifted causing his plated armor to rattle slightly. She looked at him with growing annoyance.

"Sir knight, if you were to give an assessment of the pantry, what would you identify as possible threats?"

"Um, none, princess? You are completely safe here." He nearly looked inside the pantry. Which would have been funny if her sister wasn't in peril.

"Exactly, there are no threats in the pantry, and the Windram household is clearly friendly with us. However, the outside is a different story and I'm not talking about the savage beasts of war who seem to be sufficiently trained if knighted as a royal guard."

The knight still seemed to be confused, aggravating Snow enough for her to drop the subtly.

"There are no threats in this room, use your judgment and place yourself where you think you will be most useful, preferably out of my sight."

The knight seemed surprised at the order and was about to challenge it until he saw the look on her face and sighed.

"Right away princess," He replied, then left the room.

Snow closed her eyes, cupping her face with her hands while leaning on the table. Weighed down by guilt she prayed that Gravis would be okay.

"I've never heard such authority from you Snow." Mrs. Windram said as she entered the kitchen shortly after the knight left. She turned on the stove fire, setting up a tea pot before coming to the table and taking a seat next to her. She put on a smile and tried being playful to ease the mood, but Snow wasn't buying it.

"Now I'm sure your sister is okay. No need to worry Snow. Gravis is a frostblood after all. Trust me, with all the injuries Jarles has gotten wrangling with beasts day in and day out, taking care of your sister is probably a walk in the park for him."

"She's hurt because of me. I brought us to the Old District. It's completely my fault." Snow hunched over the table with darkened eyes.

"Snow, you lot were attacked by an organized group who came after you and your sister for a reason. I don't think it would've mattered if you were in the Old District or not. You can't blame yourself for that."

"That's right, it was not your fault Snow." A dry voice was heard. Mr. Windram had entered the kitchen, wiping his hands on a blood-soaked towel.

"How is she?" Snow fearfully looked at the towel, just before he tossed it in the bucket.

A heavy silence settled over the room that was unbearably long as Mr. Windram took a seat at the head of the table.

"I've got good news and bad news. What will it be first?"

"Just give me the bad news." Snow braced herself.

"Bad news is that I just broke about fifty laws in the past two hours."

"uh…and the good news?"

"Gravis is just fine, the cut was large, but I cleaned and stitched it the best I could. I even added a little insect sap to speed up the healing process; she's stable now. But I do have one question for you. Can you tell me how many times she's used her frostblood abilities today?"

Snow thought back...

( "Just make an opening with your Emerge ability, so we can get to the knights."

"I used it too much, surprised the last one worked.")

"Gravis used it at least three times today. Once at home, and twice in the old district. I remember her telling me she was surprised the last one worked."

"Okay, that makes sense then. Based on the history I know, losing a lot of blood is a very dangerous thing for a frostblood. Based on that and considering that she overused her abilities, things could have been a lot worse. There was a good amount of ice growing over her back, but it's mostly receded."

The tea pot started hissing over the stove, signaling it was ready. Mrs. Windram retrieved it and poured a cup for each of them. Windram took a moment to drink his cup and enjoy the taste before continuing.

"But yeah, all in all, she's going to be completely fine. At least my animals got a free meal today, since certain individuals disturbed the marketplace, preventing me from acquiring this week's meat.

"Thank you, Mr. Windram." Snow's shoulders began to loosen up from the relieving news.

"Of course, I don't care what type of restrictions are placed on me, you're family. Once my son told me you lot were getting attacked in the older district, I opened all my cages."

"Do you know who those people were, Mr. Windram? Gravis said she thought they were from the mercenary guild."

"Aye she's right, that brown and gray armor is from that guild. The mob crowd were also from the Republic. Looks like someone from the Mountaineer Republic has a hand in this and I doubt it's the king, since he's just a boy."

"Any ideas?"

"No, perhaps it was a response against the law your mother just decreed about abolishing slavery in the mountaineer republic. If it is, the list of people who could be involved would only increase."

Before he could continue, a commotion was heard just outside the kitchen.

"Princess Gravis! You need to go back to bed!" They heard the voices of knights coming from behind the door. Gravis pushed the kitchen door open with two knights hovering behind her. She had a wrap of bandages over her torso and an exasperated frown on her face.

"I'm fine, leave me alone dammit." She shrugged off the guiding hands of the two guard knights behind her.

"Up already? Not bad, I'd expected you to be out for at least a whole day!" Windram exclaimed, pulling out a chair for her.

Gravis sat on it and put a confident smile on her face, though it appeared a little strained.

"Please, I'm Gravis Regalia, it would take a lot more than a puny sword to put me down for long." Her prowess reasserted, she looked towards Snow.

"Snow, are you ok?" Gravis asked, as she looked her up and down.

"Am I okay? Look at yourself! Are you okay?!"

"Never better." She exhaled, leaning back only for the sounds of crackling ice to appear as she completed the motion. The sounds were accompanied by Gravis gritting her teeth in pain causing her to quickly lean back forward. Snow peeked over her shoulder and could see a thin line of ice growing over her injury, poking up from beneath the bandages.

"That's what you call okay?" Snow questioned, a skeptical look on her face, but Gravis just rolled her eyes in response.

"This ice is infuriatingly painful I will admit, but nothing to fret over." Her nose seemed to pick something up at that point and started sniffing at the air, before looking towards the oven.

"What's that?"

Windram noticed and started laughing.

"In the mood for some ribs?"

---

The Windram family, Gravis and Snow were seated at the dinner table, and enjoying a contented silence, having just finished a hearty meal.

"Wish there were more, those were exquisite." Gravis completely cleaned the bones on her plate.

"It's momas secret recipe!" Randal grinned.

"Please dear, no need for all that." Mrs. Windram seemed embarrassed.

"Guess I'll tell Lamille she has competition, right Snow."

"Yeah, If you have a death wish maybe."

They both shared a quick laugh.

Gravis looked at the table and everyone seated at it.

"You know this isn't too bad. I think I understand why my sister sneaks out here occasionally."

"What are you talking about?" Snow questioned defensively.

"Please Snow, are you going to tell me that hanging out here where you aren't treated like some formal trophy or having a relationship that isn't fabricated for self-interest isn't the ideal vacation away from our life? Is that not what you do?" Gravis crossed her arms. "You sit at this table and look more comfortable than you do at home."

Snow replied with silence.

"Don't worry I won't tell mom. However, my duty of silence may only be maintained by these delicious ribs I'm afraid."

"So the future high queen has already shown her willingness to accept bribes." Mr. Windram jested.

"Well these ribs have no business being this delicious. Any more Mrs. Windram?" Gravis raised her plate looking like a dog who just couldn't accept there wasn't any food left in the bowl. It made Mrs. Windram giggle.

"Sorry Princess Gravis but there isn't any more."

"Dreadful, how many sword strikes must I take before more is available?"

"I have a special connection that lets me get salted pork from the elven forest. I guess you can say that it is my business… but it's been hard of late because of the Great Forest Recovery Act." She leaned on her hand.

"Bloody elves, ever since the war they don't want to allow anyone in their forests. How long will they maintain that stupid policy?" Mr. Windram huffed.

"First the elves ban humans from their forests and now the Republic attacks us. The high queen must have her hands full." Randal added.

"I wish you had your hands full of my reins boy."

"Come on dad, those were just horse reins!"

"That was good leather!"

"Jarles, come now, be reasonable. I am sure Princess Gravis here will reimburse you for the loss of such reins, maybe perhaps as a reward?" Mrs. Windram gave Gravis a subtle wink. Snow knew what Randal's mother was doing, she was deceptively smart.

"I'm not going to ask her for a reward dear, what do I look like? I am Jarles Windram!"

"Your adventuring days are over Jarles. We don't have it like that anymore."

"Reimbursement can be arranged; I'll tell my mother. You all deserve it. I'll be sure to await the day for that next shipment of ribs; please, you must send word when the next batch is ready." Gravis winked.

Windram grunted while Mrs. Windram smiled.

"Of course, dear."

The family moment was ended by a bang on the front door.

"Looks like that's for you girls." Mr. Windram nodded, and they all got up and made their way to the front door, except for Randal who stood behind to collect the plates. Snow stopped at the kitchen door and looked at him. This may very well be the last time she would be able to speak to him for a while.

She called his name.

"Randal."

"Hm?" he looked at her.

Snow ran up and hugged him.

Randal's face turned as red as a tomato.

"Woah, woah! What's up?"

"Thanks for being such a good friend. Nice work today out there."

Randal smiled, some smugness creeping onto his face as his eyes rolled up to the air.

"Yeah, you should have seen it Snow, there were these guys who managed to block me in the alleyway. But I ducked through them and practically led them straight to my dad! They were so dumb. I can't believe that plan worked. It was genius! Lucky you got me because we are such a good team!"

She just smiled at him; she didn't have the heart to tell him that she was banned from seeing him. Maybe after what happened today her mom would say otherwise…but it was her mother after all. She probably wouldn't. Words were getting caught up in her throat and she couldn't say anything.

"So when's the next time we're going to hang out?" He asked.

"…After today it's probably going to be a lot harder to sneak out, so we should probably let things calm down for a while. So, it might be some time, okay? "

"Yeah, that makes sense, hopefully things calm down quickly because I wanted to show you this cool spot I found down near the cisterns. It's this cool new secret hangout a lot of the district kids go to. They don't usually let me in, but if you're with me then they have to!"

"That does sound really cool, Randal. We can check it out whenever I am back."

He put on a peculiar face.

"…Are you crying? What's wrong?"

Snow brought a hand to her face, and for the first time noticed the small set of tears that were rolling down her cheeks.

"Oh, it's nothing!" She quickly rubbed her eyes. "I'll see you later; try not to do anything stupid while I'm gone, okay?"

"Me stupid?! Okay, Miss 'let's taunt a bloodthirsty mob nd have Randal do ALL tha' work."

"You said you knew the old district better than me so..."

"I do! Which is why I played them." He said confidently.

Their conversation was interrupted by Windram.

"Are you two done? Snow, your folks are trying to leave."

"Right…goodbye Randal." She hugged him one last time, before running off to the entrance.

"See you soon!" He shouted after her.

"Hopefully." She mumbled under her breath.

---

Chapter 10 Accountability

❄ Snow ❄

Snow said her goodbyes. She was stepping down the small set of stairs leaving Windram's house. She could see Brutus and Gravis standing near the detachment of royal guard that was no different than a small army. Horsemen, mages and bowmen were scattered in their ranks. Brutus spoke to her as she approached.

"Snow are you ready to depart for the castle?" He greeted her with the question, straight to the point. At least his usually harsh voice was a bit gentler.

"Yeah." She sniffled.

The formation of knights began to march in several lines around them as they escorted Snow, Gravis and Brutus up to the south gate. However, they did not enter. They instead turned left, bringing them along the kingdom wall as they marched practically along the snow filled plains.

"Brutus, why are we not going inside the city? Is it still dangerous?" Gravis asked.

"The incident in the old district is already under control. We have more than half of our knights combing the streets for whatever remains of your assailants. However, I must ask you to forget about what happened today. In fact, pretend it never happened at all."

Gravis and Snow shared a look of confusion.

"Never happened!? What they did was an act of war, Brutus!" Gravis responded, enraged over the seemingly nonsensical request.

"At the end of the day, all that matters is the outcome. Here, Mountaineer citizens were viciously slaughtered by royal knights and a Mountaineer war criminal at the command of a member of the royal family."

"What-but they attacked us!" Gravis was outraged.

"I am aware. But the rest of the world will not see it that way. Tell me, what would have happened if they were successful and both of you perished at the hands of the Republic's citizens? Regalia would have an outcry for war, but we would have the moral high ground. In this case, I am sure the Republic will try to weave the telling of these events to provoke conflict as well, we must be smart, and not speak of this incident openly. Those assailants got what they deserved, and they will be forgotten…There was another incident as well: an assassination attempt on the high queen, shortly before the incident you two suffered."

"Somebody tried to kill mom?!" Gravis and Snow were equally surprised.

"Some peasant with a grudge. Your mother is fine, the attempt was laughable, but it is clear what happened today was an orchestrated attack upon the royal family. So, we must take extra precautions right now to control the narrative of today's events: there was a drastic fire in the old district and a group of Mountaineer citizens met a tragic end. You two were at the Serenity Estate, giving your offering to goddess Reggalia."

Snow found all this hard to believe, she agreed with Gravis; this was ridiculous.

"So is every assassination attempt on our family allowed for the sake of politics?" Snow questioned Brutus. "We almost died. If mom doesn't respond to that, doesn't she look weak? Doing nothing is stupid in my opinion."

"Yeah! They tried to kill me; they shot a fireball at Snow. You expect us to just let that go, Brutus?" Gravis tailed her comment with agreement.

Brutus understood their anger but became frustrated at lack of understanding.

"No, I'm not asking you to forgive, I'm asking you to stay silent on the matter!"

"No, there's no way I'll just allow-" Gravis was cut off as the sounds of ice crackling came from her back. She tensed, squeezing her fists as tremors of pain racked her body. Snow had thought the injury was under control, but it looked like it wasn't. She knew that if she looked, she would see little razor-sharp tips of ice protruding from her clothes across her back.

"Gravis…you're not okay, are you?"

"I'm fine damnit," She grunted. "Forget it, I don't want to hear or talk any more about this right now."

"Lamille will look at those injuries and tend to them further upon your arrival."

---

After about an hour more of marching they arrived at the west gate entrance in the new district, then shortly after that, they entered the castle. Gravis had been hastily taken away by Lamille for examination.

Snow was back in her room, laying down on her bed. All she could think about was everything that happened today: the sounds of fire, the screaming of the mob, her stepping over dead bodies, the atrocious smell of it all. What worried her the most was the image of Gravis on the ground with a bleeding gash on her back. And the fact that Brutus wanted them to act like it never happened. Was this supposed to be normal? Is this the life that was destined for her? Was it hatred, jealousy, or just pure malice? What was the reasoning behind the violence she witnessed today, all to kill them? They didn't deserve to be attacked. Not even a few days ago, her mom was practically declaring world peace; nothing about today represented that.

Snow's thoughts were interrupted as the door to her room was flung open.

It was Lamille.

"Snow!" Lamille raced up to the bed and hugged her, squeezing relentlessly.

"Lamille?!"

"I'm so glad you are okay! When I heard that you guys were under attack, I was so worried! I wanted to run down there and get you myself!"

"Don't worry, I'm fine. How is Gravis, you looked at her injury right?"

"Gravis is just fine, your sister is a strong girl; she also told me everything. Gods you must have been so scared by yourself! Those damned knights! I'll make sure to tell your mom that every single one of them needs to be discharged for leaving you in that mess."

"It's fine, Lamille, they didn't really have a choice."

"Still…that must have been terrifying to experience."

Lamille pulled away fixing the strands of Snow's hair. Snow was looking down in shame.

"Gravis was going to kill herself for me, if it wasn't for Randal's dad, I don't know what would have happened."

"Your mother will find who is responsible and make sure they pay. Don't you worry." Lamille said as if it was a matter of fact.

Snow still remained troubled, but at least Lamille's presence made her feel better.

"I heard there was an assassin here, that he attacked Mom. Where is she?"

"She is with Gravis right now. I heard the attempt on your mom was immediately stopped by a lotus agent ."

---

Shortly after, Snow was summoned to the throne room. Gravis was already present, and Snow took her own seat beside her sister, at the bottom of the icy dais. Sir Omeric, along with the other surviving royal knights from their guard, were also present, kneeling before the throne. Snow fidgeted in the pointed royal chair, as she looked from the knights to her mother and back, wondering what was going on.

"Sir Omeric, please step forward." Their mother called him up.

Sir Omeric rose and took a step forward; the knight captain who was responsible for their protection in the old district.

"Take off your helmet."

He removed it revealing his stubble beard and dark red complexion.

"I am aware of the assassination and abduction attempt on my daughters today. You were responsible for their care."

"Yes, my Queen."

"I have been told what unfolded, and it brings me great relief knowing my daughters are back home and safe…

He nodded.

"…No thanks to you."

Sir Omeric's eyes froze at the sudden change in tone.

"Why is it that my daughters do a better job caring for themselves than in the care of knights. Not just any knights, but the Royal Knights of our family?"

Sir Omeric nearly shuddered as he tried to regain his composure.

"It was-a difficult situation and I believe we did the best we could do, your majesty."

"…That was the best you could do? Leaving my one daughter behind in a burning building, surrounded by enemies, with nothing but civilians for allies? Allowing my other child to be struck down the back-that was the 'best you could do'?!"

"I suppose not…your majesty."

"Walking right into a trap that Snow warned you of, simply out of what? Cowardice? I have never seen such disgrace!"

"I apologize, your majesty."

"I have fought in the bloodiest battles you can imagine. I have seen men take wounds that would chill your blood and still fight on past the point where others would have fallen! Men who have walked through horrors that dwarf the common ugliness of war and retired to enjoy the rest of their days in peace. Do I need to call all those men back to service to do your job? A mob of civilians corralling you into traps?! Are you a knight or a squire?! I can't tell! I don't know if it's a lack of respect, a lack of capability, common ignorance or all three! But as of right now, you are no Royal knight, you are no captain. That mockery of a display of command, decision making, and respect was pitiful, abhorrent, and laughable. I would laugh, if my daughters' lives weren't put at such risk being in your care. How dare you parade yourself in here like you've done a grand job. You would have perished less Windram didn't appear, dragging my daughters into death along with you."

There was a very strong silence, her words dropping like an executioner's axe. Her mother was waiting for his response.

"With all due respect your majesty, I made my judgment as quick as they may have been, in situations that were impossible to predict. There was an opening in battle, and it was either save one or lose them both. I do not regret my actions."

"Am I to understand that you were looking out for my eldest's best interest, by leaving her younger sister to die? Am I supposed to give applause to that? From here, all I see is a knight who sympathizes with the mob that attacked him, because he himself hails from the Republic."

Everyone in the room was looking at Sir Omeric now.

"Never... I have always served loyally, your majesty. I cut down my own kinsman today in your family's name. I beg for you to see that."

"All I see is a failure. This has been the last day of your service. You are lucky Gravis decided to spare your life after you almost cost the lives of her and her sister. Be gone from my sight and never darken these halls again."

His hands trembled as he removed his sword, the symbol of his service, from his belt and laid it on the floor in front of him. As he stood, he took one last look at Snow, before shaking his head and turning about one last time, walking out of the royal castle forever. The queen snorted in contempt as he exited the throne room, and then turned her focus on the rest of the knights that had survived.

"As for the rest of you, prepare for some real training; from this day forward, no knight will be allowed to serve if they are to hold themselves to the same standard as that waste of breath who just walked out. As of now, you are all merely living in the shadow of men who were here before you. Earn the right to protect the peace your predecessors fought and died for."

Snow remained silent throughout the court session. While she felt that maybe her mother was a little harsh, it wasn't her place to say anything. She looked towards Gravis and saw her squeezing the arms of her chair with an iron grasp, the muscles on her neck pulled taught with pain. She was trying to hold it in, but the ice on her back must have been growing again, bringing the pain with it. Snow subtly caught her mother's attention before looking back at Gravis.

Her mother took notice of the issue.

"That's all I have for you, now clear the room until called." She waved her hand and all the knights in the room, including the regular guard, turned and marched out.

Once the doors shut Gravis let out a howl.

"Can you make it stop mom?! Urgh, this feels like hell!"

Their mother quickly rose from the throne and descended the steps, coming closer to look at Gravis' back.

"Like I said, that's what happens when you overuse it. I told you to try and fight it." She looked at the ice before running her finger down the injury. The ice shrank as she touched it-no, it was more like she was absorbing it into herself.

"Ah... that feels so much better." Gravis sighed in much needed relief.

"Go rest, it will go away soon. Another thing, I have decided that it is time to start training you girls officially on frostblood combat. Prepare yourselves, because we will start in a few days."

❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆​

---

From Bloodkin,
Hello to all the people following this story. I appreciate the watches and/or likes, it gives me much needed motivation right now. I figure I use this week to update you on what I am doing. I have currently been revising around 4 chapters a week, 2 of which I post here and 2(advance) on my patreon weekly. I do this with the intention to gain feedback, attention and support. I would like to reach the third draft stage for this book by mid May so I can aim for publication in July. Therefore, I have decided to double my writing workload. I will now be revising/uploading double the amount of chapters per week. This is good, you all get more content. <3

I will also be posting the debut chapters for my alternate works 'Lucy, Queen of Thieves'(pirates) and 'Mankind's Last hope, Leo and his totally not useless but cute female vampire companion'(18+/anime-ish/meme/dark fantasy/some comedy/vampire/romance) (This one is kind of my own personal mess around work, lol.) In separate posts, you'll see them on my account next Friday.

If you enjoy what you read and would like to support me and the increased workload, my patreon is https://www.patreon.com/poff
(If you are interested in subbing, I advise you to wait until Sunday the 1st so you don't get charged for April.)
Thank you for reading and have a wonderful week! Really!

 

[Bloodkin]

Chapter 11 Frostblood Training.
❄Snow❄
"Mom is going to teach us how to use our pow..ers!" Lilly kept chanting the line as she balanced on the lip of the fountain, teetering left and right. Snow, Gravis, and Lussuria were sitting on the frontmost part of the fountain. All the sisters were waiting in the center of the west garden. A week had passed since the attacks in the old district and things seemed to have calmed down. Their mother told them it was time for a more in-depth explanation of their birthright: the Frostblood. As they waited, Snow took a glance at Gravis' back. She didn't see any ice protruding from her clothing.

"Gravis, how is your back? Are you feeling any better?"

"Yeah, All the ice is gone. I feel like gold."

"That's good."

Lussuria stretched before crossing her legs and joining the conversation.

"Good heavens, I hope mom teaches us something useful, I was in the middle of testing a new spell."

"Your runecraft magic?" Snow questioned.

"Correct."

Lussuria and her endless studies of magic for the mage guild, Snow wondered how different the encounter would have been if she was there.

"If only you were there Lussuria, you could have probably blasted those guys off the rooftops or something."

"They were on the rooftops? A simple wind tornado would have sufficed."

"You hear that Snow, if only we were accompanied by the great mage prodigy Lussuria. She would have easily thwarted any and all the attacks against us." Sarcasm emitted from Gravis. Lussuria stood up in response and struck an overbearing elitist pose.

"That is correct, if that eyepatch freak you described ever encountered me, I would subject him to a very painful lesson."

"Well, if you ever do, be sure to get an extra blast in for me."

"Will do my dear sister."

The Screeching noise of the iron castle door was heard as their mother entered the garden. It was finally time.

---

Their mom brought them to a 'safe enough' area behind the garden. To a field away from any castle windows and stationed guards.

"In light of the recent attacks against us, I have decided to start teaching you all on how to better use your Frostblood. A little earlier than when I was planning, but we do not decide when hostilities will occur."

"It's about time." Gravis huffed.

"Yayyy Mom's going to show us new tricks!" Lilly cheered.

"Okay, I'm interested." Lussuria shrugged.

Snow, however, stood quiet. Her inadequacies in relation to her heritage had soured her on the subject.

"First and foremost, you all must learn that there are three schools of frostblood. These three schools are similar to schools of magic in that you can only specialize in one; however unlike magic, you do not have a choice with the frostblood. The frostblood is a living energy that has molded to you. Molded to your bodies, minds, and personalities. That's why each one of you are special. As for the schools themselves, here they are; The three schools of frostblood are: frost creation, frost manipulation and frost empowerment."

"So we already know our specializations then?"

"Yes, it's quite obvious which specializations you all are, they revealed themselves the first time you activated your frostblood. Gravis, you will be up first. As a frost creationist, you tend to brute force your way through things. It's only fitting, for that is that basics of what creation does."

"That makes sense since with my 'emerge' ability…"

"I will show you how to strengthen that ability. As a creationist, you must be able to summon a greater amount of ice. As crude as it may sound it requires both strength and control." Their mother walked out onto the small field facing away from the castle and gently placed her palm against the ground.

"What did you call it... Emerge?"

A burst of air exploded beneath her feet as the world shook. The sisters were thrown off their feet as a veritable mountain of ice rose from the ground, like the tip of a dagger aimed at the heavens.

"Woah!" Lily exclaimed, while the rest of her sisters stood up, their mouths agape as they stared in awe..

"That's the power of Emerge?!" Gravis shouted, dumbfounded.

"Yes, one day you may be able to create a glacier of the same size. However, size in this case, is not the point of this demonstration. Did you notice anything different in my activation? In my efficiency with its use?"

"What's so efficient about that? That's a glacier, not a wall! It's ginormous!"

"I think so." Lussuria interrupted, her chin in hand as she thought through the question. "You waited until your hand was already on the ground before activating your power."

"Correct." Their mother nodded, pleased at least one of them understood instantly, before continuing the lesson. She snapped her fingers and the glacier of ice started to shatter, breaking into smaller pieces, which broke up even further until nothing remained. Once the courtyard was clear again, she continued speaking.

"How can you tell Lussuria? Her eyes are always blue and there was no increased chill?" Gravis eagerly questioned.

"The burst of air at her feet a moment before. I can only assume that was it."

"Lussuria is correct. Albeit that activation was 'fake,' and used to demonstrate. My real activation is much different, you need not worry about that. Just know there are two ways you can activate your frostblood, actively and passively. Right now, what you are doing Gravis, is both. Instead of activating your frostblood beforehand, try to activate it just as you are casting Emerge."

Gravis got up, nervous about living up to her mother's example, but determined to try anyway.

"Okay, here I go." Gravis slammed her hand on the ground as she closed her eyes.

"Emerge!" Her eyes flashed blue momentarily as a much larger trail of ice spikes erupted and rippled across the ground in front of her, twice as large as those she summoned in the training hall previously.

"Wow! It worked! That's amazing!"

"Very good, you learned it almost instantly, faster than I thought you would. Have you done it before?"

"…Yeah. I think I did." Gravis looked angry at the thought.

"I see, you used it in the Old District attack."

"I still don't know why you are so dismissive about it."

"I am not dismissive, what happened that day is precisely the reason for this lesson. You will one day understand Gravis, decisions resulted by anger are foolish ones. Now, Lussuria, you are next."

---

Lussuria walked out to the field swapping places with Gravis. Their mother snapped her fingers again as Gravis's ice wall shattered.

"Lussuria, you have a high comprehension of magic. You've explained that activating the frostblood allows you to easily cast harder spells. Am I correct?"

"You are correct Mother. Activating the Frostblood allows me to formulate higher tier spells."

"Then, your frostblood school is 'empowerment.' Just as you described, the frostblood affects not things around you but things within you: Your muscles, your mind, your very senses. Using that, you can comprehend greater magic, even surpassing human limits."

"I see, that does fit me well." Lussuria smiled at the possibilities.

"I am no mage, but I know much of their tactics. You have already shown a mage specialization in runic magic. Runic magic is by far the most complex, you have a great many options, allowing you to form a diverse number of spells and runes. However, in combat, runic mages are by far the weakest because all an elemental mage would have to do is blast you in the face with a fireball before your cast is finished. Therefore, your weakness is speed. Instead of using the frostblood to form a more potent spell, use it to recite a low tier spell faster. Now for the test. Line duel me."

They both walked onto the open courtyard.

"This is my spell." Their mother formed a hardened snowball in her hand. "The rules are simple, whoever hits the other first wins."

They stood apart in a straight line from each other, about thirty feet apart. Their mother spoke again.

"On the count of three the duel will begin. Do not hold back:"

Lussuria readied herself as Mother counted.

"'One'…

'Two'…

'Three!'"

She threw the snowball at Lussuria, the pitch was so fast Snow swore it was catching flames.

Lussuria's eyes flashed blue as she put both her hands up at the oncoming projectile.

"Rune-Power-Ignite-Fire!"

The rune formed and fired in almost an instant, far faster than the incantation itself, creating a purple blast of arcane energy that consumed the snowball. The blast continued onward towards their mother, whose hand glowed a bluish-white before swiping the blast from the air just as it reached her.

"You win. See?"

"Wow! Lussuria, what spell was that? I've never seen it before!" Lilly asked excitedly.

"What? I just used runefire?"

"No, you chanted something else! It sounded like 'Rupire!' It was only one word! And the rune formed instantly! That blast was so cool!"

"Oh…really? I didn't notice. What if my chant wasn't just faster but shorter too?"

"Congratulations, you now have a tool to defeat elemental mages in combat, that speed is also very advantageous against other runic mages. You break the very hierarchy of mage combat with the frostblood, that alone makes you very powerful. Do not forget you have limited uses, so save it for emergencies only."

"Wow Mom, despite not being a mage, you sure know your stuff."

"One day I can have Warden Flora teach you some things. She's the best Frostblood Mage I know and possibly the best mage in the world. Now next up, Lilly."

---

"YAY! IT'S MY TURN!" Lilly ran onto the field and started jabbing at the air as Lussuria returned to the group. "What are you going to teach me Mom?"

"Lilly, your current issue is that as well as you can call upon the Frostblood, you have a hard time dismissing it."

"Yeah...Sometimes I'll pick up a snack to eat and it will freeze before I can bite it! It happened with an apple one time, and it was like biting a rock. Blegh!" Lilly complained.

"I don't believe that's a sign of weakness; I believe it happens because you are so compatible with the frostblood that you are unable to distinguish it from yourself. In fact, you have such a high affinity that you can use two specializations"

"Really?! That's so cool!" She jumped up and down happily. Mother seemed both exasperated and amused. The rest of them were surprised too.

"Yes, quite 'cool.' Your specializations are: 'Manipulation' and 'Empowerment.' I don't feel like I need to teach you anything now, but I will show you a technique I think you will like. It's a manipulation technique."

"Show me show me show me!"

Their mother took a stance: she turned her body sideways while her head continued to face forwards and slightly bent her knees. Then, she extended her left palm forward in the same direction of her face, while pulling her right hand back in a tightened fist.

"So, what you do is focus the power of the frostblood into your fist. You already know how to do this with your feet when you ice skate; do the same thing but this time with your fist. You want it to build up. Imagine your elbow as the string on a bow, with your fist being the arrow. You "manipulate" the energy into the shape of shards, spears, or whatever you will. Then, wait until your fist begins to slightly tremble and…"

She punched forward, her whole body twisting with the motion, and launched a blast of white mist from her fist that instantly transformed into icy shards the size of spears. They whistled through the air across the field before shattering against the courtyard walls, leaving them cracked and scarred.

"Ohhhhh I see, can I try now?!" Lily exclaimed.

"Go on."

"Okay, here I go." Lilly moved her body in the same way she had seen her mother do so, looking adorably precocious as she mimicked her stance.

"Let the energy build up and then 'fire'."

Lilly took a big breath and then moved.

"Pow-Pow!" She punched forward with each hand, shooting out balls of snow the size of her head from her knuckles. However, they didn't fly as far, falling halfway towards the wall.

"Well, it was only supposed to be with one hand, but I guess you can use two. Congratulations."

"WOW!!!!! SOOOOO COOOOOOOL!!!" Lilly was ecstatic.

"Pow-Pow!" she immediately fired off some at Gravis, hitting her on the shoulder.

"Are you serious Lilly?!" Gravis complained, as she moved to duck behind the fountain.

"POW-POW, POW-POW! I'm the Frost Queen, and you are my subject! Kneel!" Lily shouted as she started to chase Gravis around the fountain, firing snowballs all the while.

Their mother tried hard to hide her chuckle. "Okay Lilly, that's enough. That move will be dangerous once you learn how to shoot solid ice."

"But I like it this way! I can hit Gravis as much as I want, and she won't get hurt!"

"Don't make me skewer you with Emerge!" Gravis yelled out from behind the fountain.

"Wait so Mother, you can use all three specializations? How is that possible?" Lussuria Realized.

"Yes, I can use all three."

"How rare is that, Are there other frostblood who can use all three?"

Some powerful ones can use two, But I am the only one who can use all three.."

"Thats incredible, why?"

"That's a story for another time. Let's just continue."

After a few more rounds of Lily chasing Gravis, they all settled down once more.

"Snow." Her mother called out to her. It was her turn. Snow stood up, walking out on the field.

---

"I still can't activate it." She spoke sullenly.

"That's what we will try to do right now." Her mother sighed.

"I'm ready to try anything."

Her mother approached her.

"I've been thinking about you Snow, and I wanted to try something different, but I don't know if it will work. It may even be dangerous."

"Just hit me with it, I'll try anything!"

"Okay. Close your eyes."

Snow closed them. There was a moment of silence, then a blast of pressure hit her full-on. Like a blast of wind: not strong enough to push her back, but strong enough to press her clothes tightly to the front of her body.

"I feel a constant blast of air pressing against the front of me. Is that what was supposed to happen?"

"Not quite. Open your eyes."

Snow opened them, only to see her mother was right in her face startling her.

"Woah mom. You look different."

Her mother's looked drastically changed: her hair was alive, taking the shape of thin azure snakes of glistening light that wavered around in the air. Small plates of ice covered her neck like scales of a lizard. The scales ran halfway down her arms and chest. Even her hands were different, her fingertips ended in razor-sharp claws that dripped with blue blood. She looked like a frozen demon.

"No response. Oh well." Her mother rattling voice sounded disappointed.

Snow backed up at her new voice and almost slipped. She looked down and noticed the area surrounding them was coated in solid ice shaped like the bottom half of an eggshell. She looked towards the fountain and all her sisters were hiding behind it, their eyes were shining blue but the emotion in them was that of terror. Her mother noticed her gaze and followed it before explaining.

"This is my true activation. It triggered all your sisters to activate their frostblood instinctively, except for you. I don't know what to say. How odd." The ice covering her sunk into her skin, and her hair seemed to steam before reverting to normal. Soon enough she looked like she always did.

"Why are you all hiding?" Snow called out to them.

"You didn't see it?! She looked like a monster!"

"She didn't look like a monster to me?" A little weird, sure, and kind of like a demon, but nothing like an actual monster.

"You couldn't see my real aura because your frostblood wasn't activated. I tried to shock you into it. But it had no effect. Have no fear girls, I'm not going to hurt you."

It took some more convincing, but the rest of the girls eventually calmed down and came back over.

They were all sitting around their mother in the middle of the courtyard now.

"Now for the final lesson of today: limits. Most of you learned a new thing or two, and as most of you are aware, there is a limit to how many times you can use your ability per day. Gravis' Emerge for example, your current use limit is three, right?"

"Yeah."

"What happens when you pass three times?"

"When I try to use the ability more than that, it's painful and doesn't come out right. Not to mention that blasted ice that grows on me."

"Exactly. Our special ability, our frostblood, is a magic unlike any other. Unlike mana where you simply run out or become exhausted, when we overuse our abilities something different happens."

Their mom formed a beautiful ice crystal from thin air, before crushing it with her hand.

"The frost blood lives in you, it was born with you and a balance must be maintained. When you use any frost ability the power will grow inside of you, the amount of the growth depends on the user, but if it grows too much, too quickly, it will consume you."

"Is that what was happening with Gravis' injury?" Snow asked.

"Yes. What happened to Gravis is merely the beginning of a pushed limit. If you go beyond that, it would be far worse; some fates are worse than death, being consumed by the frost is one of them."

That statement brought a grim silence over the girls for a long moment, before one of them broke it.

"How do we know if we're at our limit?" Gravis asked.

"Typically, when you are about halfway to your limit, ice will start growing over you, like you are now familiar with Gravis. This is followed by more drastic transformations. The further you push your limit, the harder it is to come back from. Despite only being able to use your ability reliably three times a day, your actual limit is likely double that amount."

"How close have you been to your limit Mom?" Lussuria asked.

"Close enough, I've seen too many warriors fall to the Frost. It is an extremely strong power, and you need not fear using it, but you should fear overusing it. The pain from approaching your limit should keep you in check, as you really must be purposely pushing to go over it, but you never know what desperate situations you may find yourselves in. Something Snow and Gravis discovered the other day. Plus, I don't know what the limitations are for frostblooded children. Based on Lilly's affinity with the frost, you all look like you naturally have more flexibility than some veterans. Once you're older, we will see."

"So, we can increase our usable limit, right? I don't want to be stuck with only three uses a day." The thought seemed to worry Gravis.

"Naturally. The more control you have, the more power you can use. Your willpower and your personal affinity with the frostblood are all variables that can affect and increase your limit. So, there's no need to fear using it. Just make sure you stop when ice starts growing on you."

"Sounds good Mom, I can't wait to be as strong as you. Even though you can use all three specializations, just you wait. I'll match your strength in no time!" With a squeezed fist Gravis sounded determined, her eyes glistened at the dream of growing stronger.

Gravis's dream was interrupted when she was pelted in the face with a snowball.

"POW!" Lilly giggled and ran away.

"THAT'S IT LILY! YOU ASKED FOR IT!" Gravis roared, before giving chase.

The afternoon at that point descended into a cacophony of childish giggles and indignant screams.

---

Chapter 12 Don't Cry over Spilled Tea

❄Snow❄

Snow had caught wind of an important meeting. Three bigshot Mountaineer lords were summoned to negotiate a crucial deal her mother was trying to make. Snow did not know the details of the deal or if it was related to the Old District incident, but she wanted to find out. That's how she ended up quietly tiptoeing towards the castle tearoom. She heard the quick footsteps of two people around the corner behind her and hid behind a pillar. When the sets of footsteps passed by, she saw it was her mother, walking with Brutus.

"Your highness, I am strongly advising you to reconsider; they will not budge under twenty percent. I wouldn't be surprised if they asked for half."

"I don't care, twenty percent is the most they will get; I don't need them getting any fatter at the cost of the country's stability."

"I am afraid you underestimate their greed."

"I am aware of their greed, Brutus; they wouldn't own a third of the Republic's wealth without being swindling devils."

As they continued past, Snow popped out from behind the pillar and began following them. Surely enough, her mother and Brutus entered the tearoom, where an assortment of guards seemed to be waiting. If the meeting was in the tearoom, she would be able to listen from the servant's door on the opposite side since that hall was absent of guards.

---

Luckily, she knew the servant's passage well from her convenient uses of it, the tight and darkened hallway was fitted in between most of the first floor gathering rooms. The narrow hall contained stairs to the living chambers and had access to the kitchen. Even though one might live in the castle, if you have never been here, you wouldn't know which door goes where. After some navigating, she arrived at the door she assumed was the tearoom. Reinforced by the fact there was a sitting tea cart right next to it. Snow cracked open the door and with one eye, looked in.

"Good day gentlemen. I hope the trip here wasn't too much trouble." Her mother greeted, seated at a round table skirted by a white cloth. Brutus had escorted in three high nobles that stood opposite of her, each of them wore garb of a different bright color. The first was a young man with blond, curly hair, garnishing a vivid blue coat; opposite him was an elder man, the oldest of the among them, in an eye-catching yellow dress robe; and finally, appearing to be the leader of the three, in between them stood a portly man with slicked black hair in a pristine red suit that highlighted his 'impressive' figure.

"We are used to the trips, just like old times. There are some things that letters won't suffice for." The old man replied.

The group paraded up to the table and Brutus began to seat them, revealing their status.

"Lord Vimistral." Brutus pulled out the chair on the left for the eldest Lord in yellow. "Thank you, sir." The old man thanked him as he took his seat.

"Lord Laurheelius." Brutus pulled out the chair on the right for the youngest Lord in blue. "Appreciate it, Brutus." He nodded, to which Brutus nodded back.

"Lord Jirminshawl." Brutus pulled out the middle chair for the last of the three. Lord Jirminshawl, the lord in red, took his seat without acknowledging Brutus' presence at all. After all three were seated, the High Queen opened up the negotiations.

"I have summoned you three to offer a deal, a deal that requires an immense amount of money but will yield an even larger return in the long run."

"Let's cut straight to the chase then. If you need all three of us to fund this, I fear just what it might be." Lord Jirminshawl sounded skeptical about the deal already.

"I wish to start a labor guild, using the old mage guild's property. As well as build an entirely new district in the Mountaineer Kingdom."

"That old Dust den? And what land do you intend on using? The east stone fields are uninhabitable, and the north is blocked by mountains. The only place possible would be the west." Lord Vimistral questioned.

"Correct. The west border of the kingdom: its leveled, partially connected to the previous guild's property and it can act as a second major entrance to the kingdom-a large trade benefit."

"How much would you have us contribute? How much will you stake us?" Lord Jirminshawl asked, unflinching in the face of the implications of such a large undertaking and only concerned with business aspects. He raised his empty teacup while his eyes stayed on the Queen's and Brutus walked by to refill it.

"I will need 200,000 gold and will put up fifteen percent as the stakes."

Jirminshawl laughed in disbelief.

"Surely you jest, your majesty."

"I do not." Her mom's sentence was given greater weight by the look on her face. Jirminshawl paused for a moment, and then downed the whole cup of tea. He only spoke after lifting his cup for another refill.

"Do you know how many years it would take to result a profit at five percent each? That isn't worth in the slightest. Not to mention the numerous problems that will arise from bypassing the Council with your authority."

"I do not intend on bypassing the Council."

"You will allow it to go through them? Why? You can just decree it done."

"You have influence in the Council do you not? It should be easy for the likes of you three. I would rather not strong arm this guild into existence: its goal is to be reputable and build trust; bypassing the Council will only isolate the district and guild from society."

"I do have connections and favors I can call on regarding the Council, as well as various ladies of 'high repute.' I can pull a few votes." Lord Laurheelius spoke out.

"The Council will not agree to dropping the kingdom's wall for the length of time needed for a project like this. It will take a lot more than a few 'Favors' to ensure this follows through the normal way. The exact location of this area you describe, is just below the noble's district, am I correct?

"Yes" She eyed him, as if she knew where he was going with this line of inquiry.

"I believe with combined efforts; we may sway the positions of the council. Do you agree Lord Laurheelius?" Lord Vimistral picked up on the heightened skepticism and sought the opinion of Laurheelius.

"Agreed, A new district will bring forth plenty of opportunity and I have the ear of the necessary ladies that can fondle into fruition votes for myself. So yes, I agree."

Lord Jirminshawl looked back and forth between his two colleagues and shook his head.

"Let's cascade some light upon this project. My Lords, this new district her majesty wants your gold to fund is intended to house all the ex-servants: it will be a district of slaves; built by slaves, for slaves. Do you think the nobles want to be next door to such a place? Not to mention that guild property was recently shut down for being a Dust den. Officials will assail the very idea of such a plan."

His words startled the other two lords.

"I see Jirminshawl." Lord Vimistral spoke after a moment of consideration.

"So that's the kicker." Laurheelius smiled in understanding.

"Do not forget it was my warden who discovered the illegal dealings of that guild. I had it closed down; I ended the Dust epidemic that plagued your kingdom. That guild was bold in its operation, killing its students with overdoses and pushing out dust to whoever had the means to pay. The nobles knew and yet had no complaints whatsoever even when the rampant surge of crime plagued the streets. I wonder why? Maybe it was because half of them were on Dust themselves or participated in selling it. You are suggesting that repurposing that structure for a guild intended on growing the kingdom's economy will be an issue? I am talking about business that will benefit all here. Those nobles cooped up in their little territory will swallow it as surely as swans in a pond who are thrown bread." Her mother stated, a subtle undercurrent in her tone was the only sign that his comments had upset her.

"Your majesty, I don't personally take issue with this deal, I'm just explaining the difficulty in all this. As silly as you consider them, they have weight in the Council and WILL vote 'No.' It certainly doesn't help that a lot of them maintain dislike for the Regalian monarchy for retaliatory actions taken after the Great War." He said, as if to placate her anger.

"I guess a King is a King no matter how much of a tyrant he is. That man would rather sacrifice his kingdom than his crown. I did them a favor." She leaned back and took a rather aggressive sip of her tea. The sound of the ceramic cup ringing off the ceramic plate echoed as she put the cup back down forcefully. "So, what would you have then?" She asked as she stared him down.

"Fifteen percent is a pitiable amount. No, for something of this magnitude I would say… forty-five percent."

The High Queen scoffed.

"That's just under half stake of the whole guild. Impossible."

The meeting went on for gods knows how long as Lord Jirminshawl and her mother went back and forth explaining what's more profitable, more expensive, more complicated, more this, more that. This business meeting was putting Snow to sleep.

Her mom tapped her fingers on the table as the conversation paused. She looked toward Brutus who was refilling her tea. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye with an expression that clearly said: 'I told you so.'

"One or two sugars?" He asked her.

"Two."

These vestige lords were unmoving, just like her mother. Snow smirked at the irony. Brutus went to refill Jirminshawl's cup for about the eighth time before the tea pot ran empty. Brutus began heading towards the servant's door to grab another. Snow saw him heading her way and hid behind the cart that was beside her. The tearoom door fully opened as Brutus exited. He had a quickened pace and went in the opposite direction before entering the nearby kitchen that was a few doors down.

"Speaking of public opinion, the unsettling news of Jarles Windram being given asylum here is another issue..." Snow heard the mention of Windram and returned to the door.

"…Word has begun reaching the common folk of that beast wrangler setting his war beasts loose on Mountaineer citizens who were peacefully protesting here last month. A lot of high lords have learned of the protection you are giving him." Lord Jirminshawl explained.

They must have been talking about when Mr. Windram saved her. Those people weren't peaceful at all?! They attacked her!

"Are those cakes done yet?!" She heard Brutus's voice from the kitchen behind her, followed by the sound of rattling plates.

"Yes sir, the cart outside is already prepared." A maid replied.

They must have been talking about the cart that was right next to her. She needed to leave, but they were talking about Windram. Snow opened the cart doors and saw an empty space, to which she hid in. A door was heard opening as footsteps approached the cart. The sweet smell of freshly baked strawberry cakes slipped into the cracks of the cart doors. Soon enough, the cart rattled as the sound of plates being set on it were heard before movement was felt. A bump was felt into what she assumed was the tearoom door as more of the conversation could be heard much more clearly.

"Windram has done no such thing. Some arsonists sought to light up the old district which unfortunately caused numerous fatalities. There is no proof of war beasts being released or existing for the matter."

"Then why haven't the carcasses been shown to the public?"

"Most bodies were unrecognizable due to the fire and were immediately cremated as a preventative measure against disease outbreaks."

The scraping of fork upon ceramic filled the background before a long pause, until Jirminshawl's voice was heard again.

"Let's just say the accusations cannot be proven, keeping his asylum here a secret is now public knowledge. This has angered many of the lesser lords. He was supposed to face trial for his war crimes. Until he conveniently disappeared, that is."

"Most of the claims of those war crimes have been proven false."

"Your majesty, I think you misunderstand us. We care not of the sanctuary nor transgressions of Jarles Windram, but the tolerance of the public is delicate concerning him. Since they blame most shortcomings from the ending of the war. Perhaps we can come down to thirty-five if you hand that beast keeper over to the kingdom for trial. It will buy more trust from the Mountaineers, which will make passing the legislation much easier."

Give Mr. Windram to the Mountaineer Kingdom? There was no way her mother would do that. If there was one thing about her mother, it was that she wouldn't give up an ally for personal gain.

"So, if I give Windram over to you, you will fund 200,000 gold collectively, and in exchange will agree to thirty-five percent take of all revenue generated by the guild, as well as assisting with passing the legislation with the Wall. Is that the proposal?"

Give Mr. Windram up? Snow couldn't believe her mother was even considering going through with this! Mr. Windram saved her! A moment ago, her mom was defending him and now she was about to give him up! She had to do something; she couldn't let Randal's dad be sent to an execution!

"That's the lowest we can go. What do you think gentlemen? I must inquire your assessments." Lord Jirminshawl shifted to his fellow lords.

"I expected far less but you bring up many good points Lord Jirminshawl, as well as getting us quite the better deal. I am impressed and agree with your counsel." The elder Lord Vimistral agreed.

"I agree with Vimistral, also do not forget the bounty on the beast keeper. That will net some return for us as well." Lord Laurheelius concurred. Jirminshawl turned back to the queen.

"Yes, that is the deal. Thirty-five percent stake, as well as the arrest and assisted extradition of Jarles Windram to the Mountaineer Kingdom. Do we have deal?" She heard the movement of a chair-Jirminshawl must have gotten up to shake hands with her mother.

Snow flung open the cart doors and rolled out, startling everyone in the room. They all stared as she stood up.

"Mom, you can't give up Mr. Windram!" Snow shouted.

"Snow, what are you doing? We are conducting business right now. Please return to your room." Her Mother eyed her, the look on her face promising punishment.

"Negotiating with Windram's life? How could you even think about that after he saved me and Gravis!"

Jirminshawl perked up at those words.

"Save? I knew the rumors couldn't be all lies. Windram did release those beasts upon Mountaineer citizens. He still maintains war beasts to this day?" Sir Jirminshawl questioned in surprise.

"He didn't! Well…" Snow saw the look in her mother's eyes grow more severe and her voice trailed off as her courage flagged. But then she remembered the horrors she and Gravis had befell that day. If Windram was punished for saving her…she would never forgive herself, nor would Randal and his mom. She squeezed her fist as she found her courage again. "…those people deserved it! They tried to kill me and Gravis, they attacked us! You don't know what you're talking about!"

"Snow, that's enough!" Her mother's voice rose for the first time.

"So, this is the infamous black sheep, quite the temperament." The youngest lord laughed, flipping his curly hair back.

"Laurheelius this isn't a joke. If we support this and the nobles find out Windram still maintains war beasts, the council will never let us hear the end of it. Our influential reach would be severed. Dropping the wall will be an impossibility. All because the child can't keep her mouth shut."

"Don't call me a child!" Snow shouted.

"You are a child, are you not? A very naïve one at that. Your mother has done a lot to have us come all the way out here, yet you speak as if your words have no consequence. You best listen to her, there is a lot of gold on the line here and I didn't come all this way to have my business impeded by a child. Especially the royal undesirable." He turned to her mother. "Your majesty, I mean you no offense, but I feel my bold words are warranted at the moment. As you and I both know the impacts of this deal and how the murmurs of your family can destroy it."

"None taken, you are correct Lord Jirminshawl. She is a troublemaker who is over emotional right now. She will leave and no longer spout these lies. Snow, leave. Right. Now." Snow looked at her mother in disbelief. She couldn't believe her mother agreed with these outsiders. Against her.

"I won't! You want to kill Mr. Windram for his bounty. I won't let you! I'll tell the whole Kingdom what really happened to Gravis and I. In fact, I'll tell them that 'I' ordered the Royal Guard to indiscriminately kill Mountaineer citizens."

Jirminshawl looked her up and down, a dark glint forming in his eyes.

"How much do you value Windram's life, Princess Snow?"

"Lord Jirminshawl, please just ignore what she says, she will be escorted out now." Her mother waved at Brutus who moved to grab her arm and began dragging her away.

"His life is worth more than yours, you oversized cherry!" She shouted, struggling against brutus' grasp.

"Is it? Hold on Butler don't escort her out just yet. Perhaps a business lesson for the young Snow Regalia."

Brutus stopped, Jirminshawl looked directly at her as a calculated smile appeared on his face before offering her mother a new deal.

"Your majesty, how about we adjust our deal? Instead of the agreed upon thirty-five percent. I will accept just twenty instead. Which will be split between my two fellows here-I will take nothing."

"Jirminshawl, are you serious right now?! You're going to give close to seventy-thousand gold for nothing?!" Laurheelius stood up, shocked.

"I feel like this lesson in business would be very beneficial for Young Snow Reggalia. And lessons like that are priceless."

Snow looked at her mother who was just as surprised as the two other lords. The look in her mother's eyes. She knew that look, had seen it on her face when she looked at her sometimes. She had seen it again in the eyes of the mercenaries who had attacked her and her sister. They were eyes void of any emotion. Eyes that were cold and heartless.

"You have a de-"

Snow broke free from Brutus's grasp. She took hold of the hot tea pot, jumped up and smashed it on Jirminshawl's head. The hot tea bursted out drenching him and burning his face as he stumbled back against the table, his whole head turned bright red.

"Ahh! You heathen!" Jirminshawl, the lord of lard yelled, as the hot tea poured down his face and sunk through his clothes.

"How was that lesson huh! Go ahead and have your fill now fat cherry!" Brutus fully grabbed her this time, restraining her through her tantrum. As the cries of Jirminshawl filled the tearoom.

---

Chapter 13 Punishment
❄Snow❄

"I have no words." her mother repeated, pacing back and forth.

Snow was sitting on a chair in the open space, surrounded by puddles of green tea and ceramic shards. Everyone else had left, leaving just them two. Her mother stopped just in front of her.

"Do you have any idea what you've done Snow?! Those men represented nearly thirty percent of the Mountaineer Republic's noble wealth. You just ruined one of the biggest deals we would have ever made!" To say the high queen was furious would have been an understatement.

"They wanted to put Windram on trial and kill him! How could you even think about letting them do that?!"

"The business with Windram is none of your concern!"

"It is my concern, Windram is my friend!"

"If I don't have this guild ready, the thousands of slaves that are going to be freed will just be forced back into their predatory work system. There won't be any infrastructure to support them. The Republic will be more incentivized to rebel. At the same time, we lose out on a massive opportunity to increase our revenue. All of that lost due to your impulsive emotional outburst!"

"It wasn't emotional! I was only-"

"Shut your mouth!" The walls shook from the power infusing the queen's voice. The puddles of tea surrounding them began to freeze. "I have had enough with the backtalk and attitude! Did you do this to get back at me for warding you off from Randal? Is that it? Do you hate me for that, for forbidding your friendship with that useless boy?"

Snow looked away and said nothing, but her answer was obvious from the look on her face. That wasn't enough for her mother though.

"Look at me and answer!" She demanded before Snow finally erupted, voicing feelings she kept contained for years.

"Why do you even care?! After I got back from almost being killed, you didn't care one bit; you didn't even bother to check on me! The only one who did was Lamille.

"Do not forget you're the one who dragged everyone into that death trap to visit your personal, lesson-skipping hangout. You deserved that day: it taught a lesson."

"Deserved? I deserved the wrath of the people that you pissed off? Just like how I deserve to be treated like I don't belong in this family? I thought you were supposed to be a righteous hero, fair and just to all, but I'm starting to believe that is the opposite. You are nothing more than a glutton for wealth and self image. A mockery of queen that stole the crown and is a slave to those with the most gold-"

Snow was cut off again as chains of ice shot up from the frozen tea, snapping tight around her chest and binding her to the chair.

"Not. Another. Word." Her mother was passed being angry, her crushing presence made each response feel as if she was poking at a lion. But Snow was also past the point of caring, years of bottled-up feelings driving her on in the place of courage.

"Go ahead Mother, I rather take a beating then allow my friend to be sent off to be killed, something I bet you wouldn't understand!"

Her mother's stood quiet, staring back at her. A suffocating silence filled the room as thoughts were being weighed.

"You will learn respect,

if not for anyone else,

then for me."

---

Snow left the tearoom hugging her sides. The guards appeared even more silent and still than usual, imitating statues as she passed by them.

"Why are all the guards out here?" Snow stopped as she heard a voice coming from further down the hall. It was Lamille. Snow tried walking the other way but Lamille being Lamille sensed something was wrong very quickly and caught up to her.

"Snow, what's up? Why are you trying to avoid me? That's not like you." Lamille teased poking at her shoulder but then her face grew serious as Snow didn't respond. Lamille got on her knees and took a hold of her shoulders.

"Snow?"

"I'm fine." Snow muttered in shortened breath, but it sounded like a lie even to her own ears. Lamille's eyes gravitated towards her sides and slowly moved her arms out the way, revealing the injuries she was hiding with her hands as blood began to stain more and more of her clothing. Lamille eyes widened in distress.

"What happened?! No. Don't tell me," She changed to a whisper. "Your mother?!" Lamille was in shock as she looked into Snow's eyes, which told her everything she needed to know.

"Nothing. Don't worry.. about it.." Snow uttered, trying to hold back her tears, but beginning to fail. She didn't know why, but looking at Lamille made her want to cry, so she looked away.

"Come, I'll heal you up dear. Elven healing is the best there is." Lamille reassured, as she led her to the infirmary.

---

Snow sat on a bed in the infirmary while Lamille tended to her. The elven woman's purple eyes were staring intently at the wound, and she looked surprised for a moment, something that Snow caught.

"Is it bad?"

"No, it's not bad. Don't worry, I can heal this up quickly." Lamille's hands lit up with a greenish mist before very gently running them over the wounds.

"How does that feel?" She asked softly. At first, Snow felt a sharp burn that made her wince and then the pain was washed away by a rushing numbness, before that too faded away.

"It's already starting to feel better when I breath."

"Very good. I told you I'm a good healer." Lamille smiled.

"Lamille, why does she hate me? Is it because I'm not good enough?" Snow had never been sure if her mother disliked her or was just apathetic, but after today's events she was sure. She just didn't understand where the contempt came from.

"Never ever say something like that! Of course, your good enough! Your mother is just stressed right now, that's all. It is not your fault."

"It's not just this though-it's everything else too. I feel like I'm not wanted. I feel like you're the only one who actually cares about me."

Lamille shook her head vehemently and looked into Snow's eyes.

"That's not true! You have a very caring family Snow. Don't worry, I'll speak to her. She went overboard with this."

Lamille winced for a moment and then smiled again as she held up a finger.

"Can I tell you a secret? You must promise not to tell anyone though."

Snow nodded. "I promise."

She leaned in closer. "Out of everyone in this family, You're my favorite." She tapped her nose.

Snow didn't know why, but she felt a lot better hearing that.

"Thanks, Lamille."

Lamille hesitated for a moment and looked like there was something she very much wanted to say but was unsure if she should. She looked down at the floor for a few seconds and then spoke.

"You know, back during the Great War, we fought each other."

"Really? You and Mom?"

"Yes."

"Who won?"

"Hm, she did." Lamille winced in remembered pain.

"Why did you fight though?"

"Before I knew your mother, I used to be a guardian for one of the elven Sage Trees. If you didn't know, the great forest gains all its mystical nature energy from the several Sage Trees located within, so overseeing one was a very prestigious and important position." Lamille smiled before looking sad at the thought. "But then this really strong fire mage burned my tree down. I failed to protect it, I failed my most important duty.

"That sounds terrible Lamille."

"Your mother showed up shortly after and her being a human, I assumed she was an enemy and we fought."

"What happened then?"

"She could see I was hurt, and she held back. It was a long battle, but she eventually defeated me. She told me a story about where she came from and her vision, I saw that the people in her group where all people who had experienced loss and failure, like me. She made me see how the war had run its course for too long and so I decided to help her end it. I am not supposed to tell you this, but there is a reason she feels so strongly about this law and why she's so determined to see it through."

"Why?" Snow whispered, as the air felt heavy at the weight of what she was about to learn.

"Before your mother became queen, before she even became a warrior, she used to be a slave."

"Seriously?!" Snow couldn't believe it.

"Yes, it was a very dark time in her life that she never talks about. You wouldn't believe it with the way she presents herself, but it's the truth."

"I never knew…"

"She's a very kind woman underneath all that coldness, she just struggles to show it. She wants you to be strong early, so you will never have to go through the struggles she did, or deal with the problems she faces now. I think that's why she sets her standards so high."

Lamille patted Snow's sides and hummed in content when she didn't flinch.

"Ok, all done here. You are good to go."

"Wow, Lamille you really are good at healing! I feel brand new!"

"Yeah, I told you I'll give you the best. My healing is even stronger in this case, because I love you so much!" Lamille teased as she poked her again, smiling.

Snow left the infirmary with a lighter heart and smile on her face.

---

It was the middle of the night and Snow was having trouble sleeping. She went to the washroom to wash her face and on the way back, she heard yelling coming from her mother's bedroom. She walked up to the door as stealthily as she could and put her ear to it.

"You can't treat her that way Dea, what the hell is wrong with you?!"

"What? Are you talking about the wounds? They weren't serious and most likely healed up by now."

"Yeah, because I healed them! So, your excuse for doing that to your child is that 'she can take it', and for what reason? Because she wouldn't dance to some Lords' requests? She wouldn't wear a dress? For defending you? For defending a friend? You've completely lost touch as a mother! You had no right to do what you did!" Lamille was really letting her mother have it. Snow has never heard her this angry before. Her elven accent made her sound like a completely different person.

"Yes Lamille, when a massive chunk of revenue walks out the door in the face of a rebellion, I do need to issue some discipline when it is called for."

"You and I both know that's nonsense; you would never do this to your kid for speaking her mind. This isn't about discipline, is it?! Do you just hate her?"

"Why would I hate my own daughter? I would never hate her. I love her dearly in fact."

Snow had never heard her mother say that before. Maybe Lamille was right? Maybe her mother did love her and just didn't know how to show it? She felt a smile start to form on her face, only for it to die at Lamille's next words.

"Yeah, you love her to the point where you fracture her ribs her for just talking back?! Your chains, whose marks I could see on her skin by the way, squeezed her so tightly they broke the skin. Do you know I had to use sage magic for that! That was a serious injury! I felt like I was fighting you again in that infirmary!"

Snow felt her sides again at that…she didn't know it had been that serious.

"She has been politically dragging this family down. I already have enough on my mind to worry about and now the Mountaineer Republic has more funds to initiate a war. Funds that should have been used to support the freedom of freed slaves. So yes, I love her, but I would love her a lot more if she helped instead of hurting this family for her own selfish reasons. If you want some compensation for taking on the pain of her injury than I can give you-"

"That's not the damn point Dea! I can't believe what I am hearing right now! You aren't the same anymore, you've changed. It's like you've grown cold inside to match the mask you wear all the time. Maybe that man was right, maybe you are a monster now."

"Yeah, and war is the reason I am this way, so forgive me for doing everything I can to prevent another from happening. You know how horrific this world can be Lamille. If it wasn't for me, we'd still be at each other's throats or dead. You know firsthand what that is like."

"That's no excuse for being heartless towards your own children Dea. You've grown hard and cold inside."

"And you've grown soft Lamille. If she wants to contribute, then I am happy to support her. If she doesn't, fine, whatever. But I will not allow her destroy relationships that can affect the health of this peace that I sacrificed so much for."

"I see…I know what this is now: you've grown scared. It's obvious. You've grown so scared of the memories of war that you will sacrifice anything to prevent yourself from having to relive them. Hah, and you accuse me of growing soft. Let me tell you this Dea, you sacrificed so much for a war in order to end it. And now it's over and you show more heart to strangers then family. What is the point of creating a peace that your kids can't even enjoy! They aren't tools. Even Michael wouldn't done what you did-"

"Don't you dare mention that flying rat in my house! Get out before you find yourself in need of new employment."

Snow heard steps coming towards the door and quickly returned to her room.

❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆​

 

[Bloodkin]

I have updated all chapters with current revisions.
I have also reformatted all my posts to the popular formatting type of this site (left alignment w paragraph spacing.)
The Major revisions are:
Chapter 1: castle descriptions.
Chapter 2: Snow messing with 2 lords.
Chapter 3: Removed a lot of lines that "hand hold" the reader
Chapter 4: Updated scene visuals of the garden/Snow's bedroom/Lazarus' tailoring.
Chapter 5: Updated Training hall visuals. I may have updated the experimental technique slightly.
Chapter 6:

Spoiler

Gave Arthur a 'Mirage' ability. The ability will make sense once we learn more about him around chapter 18

Chapter 8:

Spoiler

Updated Windram's Beast descriptions. This is important lorewise and will probably be further updated later.

Chapter 9-10:

Spoiler

No change. I plan on updating the dinner scene though. For chapter 10 I am considering letting Gravis speak.

Chapter 11 Major:

Spoiler

Added dialogue speaking about the three frostblood types. 'Creation', 'Manipulation', and 'Empowerment'

Chapter 12:

Spoiler

This chapter was particularly hard for me to write. I need to make the conversation towards the end easier to follow and possibly give the events a more natural flow. Looking to update that, will also include the deed that will be in chapter 14-15

Chapter 13:

Spoiler

Mother's Ice chains spawn from the frozen tea spill. Other than that, the 'disciplining' has no change.

 

[Bloodkin]

Chapter 14 Friends help each other.
❄Snow❄
Snow awoke to a loud banging on her door. Based on the chill that ran down her spine, it was probably her mother.
The door was soon shoved open, and the High Queen Entered her room.

Snow still couldn't bring herself to look her mother in the eyes and maintained her gaze on the bedsheets.

"Yes Mom?"

"Something came in for you." Her mother flung a letter onto the bed next to her.

"I mentioned two weeks ago that those lords you ran off were worth about a third of the Mountaineer Republic's revenue." Her mother's voice flat and devoid of emotion.

"Yes, I remember." Snow responded, her voice equally emotionless.

"Open the letter."

The letter was purple with gold trimmed lining. Close to ostentatious, but with a tasteful design all around, it reminded Snow of only one person she knew.

"The rest of the Republic's wealth is controlled by another three people: Sir Harper, the Mountaineer Republic's King, and none-other than Lord Lazarus himself."

The letter was from Lazarus.

"You lost us quite a lot with those lords. Now is the time to make up for it and pull your own weight as a member of this family."

Lazarus had requested a meeting. The card wrote:

- - - - - - -

"Hello Snow, apologies, you know I don't do formalities unless strictly necessary.


I wish to finish my painting of you soon. I've taken the liberty to schedule this meetup for you. If you wish to decline, one of my people would hopefully intercept your reply before I get there. Thanks"


-Lazarus

- - - - - - -

Well, leave it to Lazarus to be blunt even in official correspondence. For some reason, that bluntness comforted Snow at this moment.

"…Okay."

"I wasn't asking, because you were going either way. I am going to offer Lazarus a very aggressive contract for the funds to build a new section of the Mountaineer Republic. He also owns the deed of the property I intend on buying. So whatever you do, do not get on his bad side."

---

Snow was waiting in the royal west garden, on the same bench where they had their last painting session. Some of the birds that settled here flew to her; one going as far as to land on her outstretched hand.

"Sorry little one, no food today." The bird snuggled with her fingers as she gave it some satisfying pets. She lifted her hand up to the air and the bird flew off. The creaking of wagons and voices of people could be heard beyond the shrubbery and leafy overhangs by the entrance.

"Be careful with those silks. Those are the good ones." Lazarus had arrived, backed by several of his servants. He spotted her, approached and bowed.

"Greetings Snow." He held out his hand and she shook it.

"Hey Lazarus."

Before long, a familiar box was opened, and the half-finished canvas was set up.

"You are quiet today, Snow." He noted as he began to paint.

"I am? Sorry." With everything that had happened recently, she honestly didn't even know what to talk about. Her mother's order was on her mind, but she didn't know the first thing about politics.

Lazarus continued for a few brush strokes and then stopped. He sighed. "This is no fun." And then started to put his paint brushes away.

"What no? No! Um, I have something I wanted to discuss with you, Lazarus. Your tailoring, yeah! That's it. Why don't you tell me how you acquire such materials?" Snow asked quickly, desperate to keep Lazarus' attention.

He looked at the painting, then at her, before he shook his head in disappointment.

"It's not you Snow, it's this insufferable feeling of prying eyes and I am not talking about the guard either. Am I seen as a threat? I can leave if you will." His eyes were sharp and picked up on an indistinguishable figure looking at him from a high window.

"No, It's not you Lazarus. It's me. They don't want me to spoil this." Snow admitted.

Lazarus continued putting his things back into the box, looking for all the world like he was about to leave.

"Please, don't leave!" Snow pleaded. But Lazarus placated her fears with his next words.

"We can talk in my carriage. A change of scenery seems to be needed."

After a conversation with her mother, Snow was allowed to be taken into Lazarus' care. Mainly because she had been ordered to make sure this deal goes through no matter what. His carriage had gold crested windows, was longer than usual and split into two: one car used to store his materials and servants and the other held long comfortable seats that faced each other with a table in between.

"Here you go." Lazarus placed a metal cup in front of her, filled with liquid. It looked sort of like tea, but not exactly.

It had shards of ice in it and when she took a sip, it tasted like lemon.

"Tell me what's going on Snow. Why are we being watched?"

"My mother wants to offer you a deal for the construction of a guild in the Mountaineer Kingdom, she needs a lot of money for the project and you have the deed." Snow explained to him.

"I see; this must have to do with that rare visit from those three lords of the old monarchy."

"How did you know about that?" Snow asked, shocked.

"Gossip spreads like wildfire; you should know that. Those three had a lot to say, especially about you."

"Great, it's even worse than I thought."

"To be honest, I was quite surprised you did that to a Lord as influential as Jirminshawl."

"Yeah, I don't know what I was thinking. I should have composed myself."

"No, he got what he deserved. I am glad you embarrassed him. It also gave me a good laugh when I learned you called him an oversized cherry. Do you know he stopped wearing red ever since that meeting? If it wasn't obvious, those three vestiges are enemies of mine. I took great joy in learning of their arrogance being checked."

He took a sip of his own drink before continuing.

"I must confess, I already know about the deal your mother has in store for me; it's obvious she wants the old Mages' Guild compound, as it has all the necessities already installed or built. It also includes a quadrant of land outside the west wall. She plans on using it as a base for a labor guild. It is quite ambitious, because not only is the deed extremely sought after, but the construction to add a new wall around the plot of land needs to be approved by the Council. Not to mention she doesn't plan on buying it upfront."

"But will you sell her the deed Lazarus? I'm sure she will be generous. Please?"

"I would Snow, but I no longer have it. "

Snow ticked her teeth, if Lazarus didn't have the deed, then the deal couldn't be made. She gripped the cup tightly, frustrated at the way her life had been going lately.

Lazarus sensed her frustration and sought to reassure her. "I can, however, help you reacquire the deed."

"You'll help me?! Lazarus, I can't thank you enough."

"It will not be easy. You will have to do some dirty work."

"Sure, whatever. Who has the deed?" Snow asked eagerly.

Lazarus coughed, startled and amused by her eagerness, but answered her question.

"The deed is held by an old acquaintance of mine, who prefers to simply be called Jack. I learned recently that someone offered to buy the deed from him."

"Who?"

"Sir Jirminshawl."

"No." Not that fat arrogant noble. If Jirminshawl gets that

deed, then it will be all over.

"When it comes to money, that fat cherry you described likes to 'fatten' himself up more than anything else, it's one of the reasons why he is my enemy. This isn't the first time he's encroached on my business. I found it weird that suddenly, a large purchase was offered for the deed the second I departed for Regalia."

"If Jirminshawl has it then, I am done for."

"Correct. Which is why we need to stop him from getting it. I don't believe the exchange has been made yet."

"So we need to get to Jack first. Where is he?"

Lazarus smiled.

"Right here in Regalia."

"So what are we waiting for? Let's go right now!"

"Where do you think we are headed silly girl? However, Jack won't simply turn down an upfront deal for the kind of money Jirminshawl is offering him."

"Can't you just offer to buy it at a higher price?"

"Hah! Unlike those lords your mother invited, I am not sitting on a mountain of gold. My assets, as well as your mother's, are all heavily invested. We can't out bid Jirminshawl. Even if I liquidated everything I had, which would take too long, it wouldn't be enough."

"So what can we do? Steal it?"

"The daughter of the High Queen offering to steal something…I really have seen it all now. You are full of surprises Snow, I like that. But the answer is no, we can't do that. Jirminshawl may have more money than me but, luckily for you, I have something equal to his gold. "

"What?"

"Information."

"What type of information?"

Lazarus smiled again, a distinctly cunning expression on his face.

"Here is the plan."

---

Content Warning: Drug related themes

Chapter 15 Dirty work
❄Snow❄
They were greeted by no one. When they arrived at Jack's estate, Snow expected to be greeted by a butler or some servants, but to her surprise they were received by no one and had to let themselves onto the grounds. Overgrown vegetation coated most of the pathway and half the building. Besides that, The most noticeable feature of this place was a large statue of goddess Regalia at the entrance, facing them as they came in.

They proceeded past the statue and up to the front door. A lone crow was perched on one of the main windows watching them curiously. Lazarus knocked on the door loudly causing the bird to fly away. Soon after, the door cracked open, and a man peered at them from the inside.

"Lazarus? What are you doing here?" He asked, his voice heavy with suspicion.

"My grand old friend! How have you been? Do you mind if we come in? I would like to see how you've kept yourself these days. Oh, and a small business inquiry I would like to ask as we leave." Lazarus casually responded, downplaying the true purpose of their visit.

"You know I don't do visitors." Jack responded sourly, even as his gaze moved to Snow. Something Lazarus noted and decided to take advantage of.

"Not even for a Regalian princess? Please Jack, surely you can make an exception for her? I wouldn't want her majesty to find offense!"

"Whatever." The door closed and several locks were heard turning before the door opened, fully this time. Jack stood in the doorway, looking more like a homeless man with his torn up clothing and unruly, overgrown hair. Certainly a man that matched the appearance of the estate.

Come in." He grumbled.

They entered the manor proper; it was rather empty in the main hall they were in, except for a few pieces of furniture and a bar, which Jack was leading them to.

"You look marvelous my friend! Even I am outaging you now!" Lazarus chimed. Snow looked to Jack at those words and wondered if that was meant as a joke or a compliment.

They both took their seats on a couch near the bar. As Snow's eyes curiously scanned the place, she couldn't help but notice there was not a servant in sight. The place was empty not just of furnishings, but also people, which was surprising for a manor this size. Jack grabbed a wine bottle from the bar and dragged a chair up to them sitting down and pouring Lazarus and himself a drink. He then glanced at her and then back at the wine bottle.

"You umm?" He truly looked like he was questioning whether he should give her some wine too. Snow answered the unasked question.

"No, thank you." Snow said.

"So Lazarus, what are you doing here, with a Regalian Princess no less?" He still seemed suspicious of their surprise appearance, regardless of her status.

"We were on route to a location where I could draw a portrait of her highness in relative privacy, and when I told her of my intention to see you, she wished to accompany me. So, consider yourself blessed!" Lazarus laughed.

---

After some small talk that involved constantly placating their host's deep but unspoken suspicions, and a lot of wine, Jack and Lazarus were finally hitting it off.

"Yeah and remember when he said that he would address it to the lady of the house and then runs off grabbing the man's concubine right in front of everyone!" Jack laughed; his face flushed from the wine.

"That seems like something you wouldn't want to do in front of the lady of the house." Snow remarked.

"That's the power of wine and stupidity, ha! We didn't see him for a few weeks after that one." Jack chuckled.

At that point, Snow figured it was time she did what her and Lazarus had agreed upon.

"Jack, may I use your washroom?"

"Of course your highness, it's the door at the end of the hall."

Snow thanked him, before she got up and walked away.

She took one last glance behind her, towards Jack and Lazarus, who were still laughing with each other. Lazarus would keep Jack distracted long enough for her to find what she was looking for. Instead of walking down the hall she only kept walking until she was out of sight, then she snuck up the stairs to the upper floor. Once there, she started going through each room, searching for her prize.

---

"So Lazarus, tell me. Why is that girl really here?" Jack's face suddenly turned stoic, the image of a jolly and drunk man fading away as if it were never there, as the conversation became serious.

"Why the sudden stiffness my friend? It is as I said: we were on route to a proper scenery for a portrait when I decided to pay you a visit."

"I guess my new question is this: what do you want with her? The rumors can't all be lies Lazarus. I bet you are playing a dangerous game. Stopping here puts me on that playing field, and I do not need Lotus Guard ravaging my house on your account."

"Why, you think that much ill of me? I am heartbroken." Lazarus sighed, but then smiled enigmatically.

"So, what's the deal with the runt of the litter? Spill it."

"Tell me Jack, what happens when the world's largest force gets applied to something as simple and rigid as a rock?

---

Snow was in the middle of searching another room. She didn't think she would have this much difficulty finding what she was looking for.

---

"What is the point of that question?"

"Just humor me."

"Alright. I don't know. What happens?"

---

Snow went to the next room; this one looked like the main bedroom.

---

"You get diamonds."

"Okay? I am not following your point."

"Isn't it funny, the most expensive and strongest of gems known to man is made with nothing other than the raw force of the earth?"

"What does this have to do with the girl?"

"Unlike the stories that get put out, I know the black sheep of the royal family is actually a concealed diamond."

"Last I heard, she is a fake Frostblood. Can't achieve even the minimum of what the others can. Some say she can't use the power at all. What evidence do you have otherwise?"

---

Snow looked up and saw a large painting of Jack and his family that looked unusual considering it was the only painting in the entire house.

---

"I have come across some very interesting findings about her birth. I daresay she is the very cornerstone of the current peace we live. She was even doomed to die from the womb, almost killing the frost queen in the process. Not even the Genevea, the greatest healer in the world, could save her. However, when death came, she wouldn't die. It was as if she refused to die."

"Sounds like she was just lucky."

"You may think luck, but she is a diamond."

"Maybe for you, You just want to add her to your sick collection."

---

Snow moved the painting and heard a clicking noise just behind the dresser. "Yes!" She quickly made her way to the dresser and pushed it to the side revealing a hidden compartment in the wall. She stuck her hand inside feeling around before she felt something snug in the corner. After she pulled out the item she nearly stuck her head in to see if that was the only thing inside. It was.

Snow took a look at the item; It was a red sack with gold glowing substance. As Snow examined it, guilt began to fill her heart. She frowned, turning to look at the portrait of Jack's family and then, back at the sack. She thought she would be ready, but now that she was here, she was conflicted and having second thoughts about the whole plan; She tried to remember what Lazarus told her;

"I don't know if I can do that, Lazarus, that's wrong."

"He won't die, trust me, he is not a good person anyways."

"Still, I don't even know him. Are you sure there is no other way?"

"Snow, do you want your mother to achieve her goals? Don't you want to make things right? Remember, the only reason you are in this predicament was because you chose to save your friend, remember?"

"I.. I guess."

"Do it for her. Do it for all the slaves that will be free. Don't you want to make your mother happy?"

"Yes.."

"Trust me, he won't die. This needs to be done."

"I trust you, Lazarus."

"Good, After this, we will truly be friends. And I help my friends."

"Okay."

---

"She is a fake frostblood, troublemaker and nothing compared to the standards the royals set for themselves. You're wasting your time if you ask me. I won't judge your business though. Good luck. Now I think you've overstayed your welcome Lazarus. Time to leave."

"Hold on friend, remember that business inquiry I mentioned?"

"I don't want to hear it, we cut ties remember? When you abandoned me to the guards? The whole reason why I am here?!"

"Come on my boy, our partnership was that of business, not of blood. Here we both are, still free and among the living."

"Yeah, if this is what you call living, nice joke. What the hell do you want?"

"Jack, I need the deed to the old mage guild back."

Jack startled at that, erupting from his seat.

"No way! Jirminshawl offered me an amount I simply cannot refuse! You can't just dump that deed on me and take it back after the investigation! What the blazes do I look like to you, a vault?! You screwed me over! Did you forget about that?!"

"It's not about profit now Jack. It's about doing the right thing: tensions are high right now and Jirminshawl is trying to use the deed as leverage. Which is unacceptable."

"You just want it for your own gain! You don't care about the damn world! That deed will pay off my debt, there's no way I'm going to give it back to you! I'm the one who took the fall! You can't just get the property back when it's convenient!"

"Will you actually pay off the debt or will you go and make more Dust? Just look at you, you look pathetic right now. If it wasn't for me, you would have been nothing. After all I've done for you, after all the times I bailed you out, are you going to sit there and tell me 'No'?"

"Yes! I need this money Lazarus! I am not giving it back!"

"You truly are worthless, no wonder you got expelled from that guild."

"I am trying to get my life back together and now you want to reappear, demanding that I give back the one thing that will help me solve all my problems?! Get the hell out of my manor and take that girl with you!"

"I knew you wouldn't respond to reason, I guess we have no choice." Lazarus calmly said.

"You aren't doing anything; did you forget who I am? I'll fry you to bits!" Jack snapped his right hand as lightning cracked between his fingers and traveled up his arm. His right arm became coated in electricity and as his knuckles emitted claw shaped arcs. He put one foot on the table between him and Lazarus, hunching over Lazarus with animalistic eyes.

Lazarus only leaned further back.

"Go ahead. Do it."

Jack got angry at Lazarus's relaxed and demeaning attitude.

"It's about time you got what was coming, time to cut some loose ends!"

Jack swiped at Lazarus but was interrupted just as Snow jumped on his back, shoving four fingers into his mouth. The lighting magic dissipated as he tried to shake her off. This went on for a few seconds until he seemingly grew tired, his grip began weakening until he stopped. His eyes rolled to the ceiling as he collapsed onto his chair a moment after.

"Clearly you aren't clean. Otherwise, you wouldn't have Dust here." Lazarus said, rising from his chair.

Jack didn't respond, paralyzed as he was as Snow had her fingers in his mouth; Dust worked quickly after all.

"The deed wasn't in his room; it has to be on his person."

Lazarus nodded, then searched Jack's pockets and just like she said, the deed was tucked into a secret pouch sewn into the back of his coat. Lazarus opened it and wrote a new line on the bottom of it: a statement specifying the transfer of ownership.

"Arcana dust forces the body into a state of hyper relaxation and bliss. However, a high intake of it can cause partial paralysis. Making the only way they can maintain the high is by someone else applying it for them. Isn't that right, Jack? Or should I refer to you by your former title: Jackel, the lightning beast, failed master of the daiga mage guild. You were truly a skilled lighting elementalist. All that power and you are no better than an addict. Pathetic."

"You want more?" Snow whispered into Jack's ear, feeling his slimy tongue coiling around her fingers as they were still in his mouth. He was too blissed out to speak.

"Then sign the deed, now!" Snow yelled.

Lazarus put the quill in Jack's hand and placed it over the parchment, but Jack was losing focus, he slumped farther back, and it looked as if he was falling asleep.

"Signature! Now!" Snow yelled at him again and brought the sack of Dust up to his face but pulled it away when he attempted to reach for it. He understood, if barely in his delirious state, the silent trade: if he signed, he would get the rest of the bag. Struggling against the Dust's paralytic effect, he barely managed to sign his name before his hand fell as if he fell asleep.

"Good enough." Lazarus commented and then took Jack's ring from his finger, dipping it in some special type of ink he had in a vial, before stamping the deed with it. When he removed the ring, a specific seal was left, right under the signature. "It is done, let's go."

Snow pulled her hand out of Jack's mouth and left him to slump further in his seat as he began to drool.

"He's not going to die is he?" Snow asked, concerned as she wiped off her hand on Jack's coat.

"No, toss the sack outside and let us depart." Lazarus ordered as headed to the door.

"Okay...if you're sure." Snow followed, glancing back toward Jack all the while.

---

Chapter 16 The Three Targets
❄Snow❄
Lazarus handed her a wet cloth.

"Simply touching arcana 'dust' invokes its effects. Wipe your hands quickly." Snow and Lazarus were back in the carriage heading back to the castle. As Snow wiped her hands she felt as if her whole arm was starting to numb.

"I just held it, I didn't know it would make me feel like this."

It was strange: it felt nice for a bit but then her arm felt like it had fallen asleep, like a bunch of pins were pressing against it from all directions and the only way to get rid of it was to touch more.

"It will pass, just bear with it." Lazarus reassured, as he seemed to read her thoughts.

"If this is the feeling you get from just touching it, I can't imagine what it must be like to eat it." Snow shivered. Lazarus gave her a serious look.

"Putting it in your mouth makes the effects increase three-fold, which induces a near paralysis effect like you just saw. It's extremely dangerous and the only reason why Jack was able to take it like that was because he has built up a strong resistance from being a long time 'duster'." That explanation just made Snow more worried.

"We should tell the guard just in case. He might die."

"You put just enough in his mouth to shock him into complying, but also just little enough not to kill him. He will be fine. Do not worry, it is best that no one finds out about this." Lazarus waved her off her concerns.

"It feels so messed up though. The whole manner was empty, but when I went into his room there was a single painting. It was of him with his family. What if he really was getting better and I just put him back on the Dust?"

"Jack has been on and off dust every so often for close to a decade. His family left him long ago. A person like him has no chance of 'going clean'. At the end of the day, what matters is that we got the deed, so good work. You should be happy, we beat Jirminshawl."

"I don't know Lazarus. What I did feels wrong." Snow said, her inner turmoil plain on her face.

"The world isn't black and white Snow. You need to choose who you can and can't save. In this case, an easy choice; one person who has failed repeatedly versus a vast group of innocent people, including women and children. Remember, we are doing this to ensure the oncoming ban on 'forced servitude' stays in effect."

"I guess so." Snow agreed, but the worry she felt didn't go away, even as she tried to ignore it.

I would love her a lot more if she helped instead of hurting this family for her own selfish reasons.

If this was what her mother meant as 'contributing,' she was afraid just what else she would have to do next.

After a few minutes of traveling in silence, Lazarus spoke up again.

"Okay, we got the deed-now we need to handle the second, more difficult issue. Getting the construction passed."

"What's the issue with that?"

"Your mother wishes to go through the Mountaineer Council for this construction. The council consists of eleven members. The problem is there are five who are dead set on blocking your mother and only three who will support her."

"Ok so that leaves three undecided right?"

"Not undecided- 'swayable.'"

"Sounds…promising?" Snow asked with uncertainty.

"Indeed, and to get it passed you need a majority vote. Now do you see the difficulty inherent in this right? That is why I said it was ambitious."

"Convincing one is easy enough. But three seems downright impossible."

"The three are Mage Councilman Augnem, Knight Councilor Harper, and the Head Councilor, Frederick also known as the 'Mediator.'

Snow pondered for a moment.

"I know how we can reach Augnem." She uttered. "Would you be willing to spare some more time and tailoring materials Lazarus?"

"First the deed and now my tailoring. I should be charging you for my services." Lazarus leaned back, closing his eyes. Snow gave him a look. "Kidding, of course. What did you have in mind?"

"My sister Lussuria is in the Regalian mage guild. She's so accomplished, she was even offered a seat in the Mountaineer mage guild during the Lotus celebration. They know her and they like her, so I'd bet she sway his opinion."

"I'll take your word for it on your sister being able to handle Augnem. Now that leaves that righteous fool Harper and the Mediator." Lazarus said Harper's name with scorn, an emotion Snow hadn't seen from him before.

"Why do you say his name like that?" She asked.

"That man is a righteous idiot, blinded by his old achievements. He used to be a Mountaineer General. He is very hard headed but he is by far the most sympathetic to your mother's cause. He also has a soft spot for-'' Lazarus paused as if considering his next words.

"Soft spot for what?"

Lazarus looked at her for a moment before continuing.

"Let's just say he likes to partake in certain practices that would strife Asmodeus himself. However, our plan of action isn't that of degeneracy but of monetary persuasion."

"What, like a bribe?"

"No, quite the opposite. If only we could find out some crippling information about the 'honorable knight' Sir Harper's income, that by all accounts is seemingly endless, that we can use in negotiations. If only we knew someone who has access to confidential documents stored in say, a high monarchy's record room? Do we know anyone like that?" He pondered as he held his chin in hand. His expression and voice gave the image of utter seriousness, betrayed only by the amusement in his eyes.

"I think I may know someone who can help with that." Snow replied, her voice thick with sarcasm.

It wasn't long after their conversation finished that Lazarus' carriage had arrived at the castle.

"Okay, so we have plans to deal with two of them. What about the last guy, you called him the Mediator?"

"Besides Mage Councilman Augnem and Knight Councilman Harper is Mediator Frederick, the head Councilman and the frequent 'tie-breaker' on heavily contested votes. He is the smartest of them and very level-headed. He should be willing to assist once the other positions are turned."

"Alright, I'll inform my mom of everything."

"Hold on Snow, it will be beneficial to all parties if you naught mention our visit to Jack today. It's best that she does not know of what transpired in his manor. While I'm sure she wouldn't care in truth, a queen must keep up appearances and I'd rather keep my head. If you know what I mean. I am also going to give her the deed for free which should cover a lot of the gold needed for the construction process.

"For free? Are you joking?" She asked incredulously.

"I am very supportive of the banning of mandatory servitude. It is time the Mountaineer Kingdom's culture embraces this new society we've built in the aftermath of the war. Forced servitude is simply one of the things it needs to let go of, as well as those who rely on employing it. Besides…I take good care of my servants and I'm confident none of them will want to leave." He winked before one of his servants opened the door to the carriage. "Just tell your mother you 'valiantly' convinced me. Now, shall we go speak to your sister before I depart?"

---

"You want me to do what?!" Lussuria's voice echoed off the front walls of the castle.

"I need you to convince the Mountaineer Mage Councilman to allow Mom to build over the old mage guild property."

"I don't even know the guy. He's probably some dusty old 'senior mentor' who never recovered from losing the old building."

"I am sure you can convince him to let it go."

Lussuria rolled her eyes.

"I don't want to do it."

"Why not? Can you at least give it a try?"

"Give it a try? First of all, I'd rather not sit in a carriage for the two weeks it would take to get to the Mountaineer Kingdom. Secondly, I already told them I am not joining their guild. I would look pathetic going back to them and asking them for something like that. Plus, all the higher-ups there are the most stubborn people ever. I wouldn't even be granted an audience with him. The mage guild doesn't care about my royal status."

"Getting an audience would be no issue. The Mountaineer mage's guild respects power which they know you have." Lazarus approached on cue, joining the conversation. His voice sounded from under his large purple cavalier hat.

Lussuria flushed red, a stark contrast with her usually pale skin.

"L-Lord Lazarus!" She bowed her head. "I am a great fan of your work, the intricacies and attention to detail; it's magical and something I've only seen done by you. It's an honor, truly!" Lazarus looked down at her and smiled.

"I appreciate the compliments, not many pay attention to the level of detail in my work. They just take it at face value, ignoring all the little things that make my works truly special." He revealed his face clearly, in a subtle performative act.

"The outfit you made for my sister is astonishing. The stitches were virtually nonexistent, yet you could weave in all the magic resistant materials while maintaining the comfortable texture of the fabric, and that's not even mentioning the amazing style of the look." Lussuria excitedly rambled on. Lazarus seemed almost bemused at this but kept the conversation going.

"You are very perceptive; truly an artisan yourself. Thank you for your praise, Princess Lussuria," he replied humbly before following up with the reason he was truly there. "I know you are a part of the mage guild. You've been making quite the name for yourself."

"Yeah, I guess you could say that. I pick up skills faster than they can teach them to me. All they teach is simple stuff though, so it's not much of an accomplishment there until I get promoted and get access to higher level knowledge."

"I'd hate to inquire this from a fellow artisan, especially from someone like yourself, but can you speak to the mage council member for us? I am working with your sister on this matter, and it is imperative that this vote goes in favor with your mother's wishes. I know it's a tall order, the long trip to the Mountaineer Kingdom is quite the inconvenience, but I would be in your debt."

Lussuria's eyes widened in shock. "The Master Artisan Lazarus, in debt to me?"

"Yes, I hate to sound like I am inducing you for the task, but I believe only you can accomplish this. Perhaps I can make you several outfits in return?"

"I'll do it!" She quickly blurted out. "No worries, Lord Lazarus. You can count on me." She bowed again. Snow knew Lussuria wouldn't refuse Lazarus, he was probably the only person she saw as her superior. It was funny in a way.

"Wonderful." Lazarus stated.

Snow was seeing Lazarus off as he sat in his carriage, ready to depart back to the Mountaineer Kingdom. Lazarus spoke to her from the gold crested window of the carriage.

"Quite the adventure we've had thus far. I'll send you a message if I decide on a specific course of action. Be sure to give me any information you can find on Knight Councilman Harper that would be helpful in swaying his vote and I will take care of it. As for the Mediator, once we have the other two votes, I believe he will vote in favor with us, since that would generate more tax revenue for the Council.

"I didn't know getting stuff done required so much dirty work."

"If only you knew." Lazarus laughed. "I must be off now. Be well Snow." He tipped his hat to her.

"Ok Lazarus, I appreciate all the help you've given me."

"It's for the good of the country. Plus there's no way I can refuse you. You still owe me that portrait, don't forget." He pointed at her.

"You got it. Once this is all over."

"Indeed."

He rode off.

❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆

 

[Bloodkin]

Chapter 17 Voice of the Lotus
❄Snow❄
Snow went straight to her mother's bedchambers. Without even knocking she pulled on the ring of the large imposing door. Her mother was standing at the magical table on the right side of the room. A blue light repeatedly emitted from the table. When Snow approached, she saw her mother working on the same frostblade from before. The icy weapon grew and shrank depending on where she hovered her hands. That weapon was now the closest thing her mother had to a hobby, or rather, it was an obsession these days.

"How was your day with Lazarus?" Her mother's words matched the emotionless look on her face. It was no mystery that she was still upset about that botched meeting.

"It was…eventful, I went ahead and told him about the investment. He agreed to give you the deed for the old mage guild property for free." Snow declared the statement with a hint of pride, hoping her mother would be somewhat proud of the good news. There was a pause in her mother's motions before she resumed her work and responded.

"For free?" She questioned, as the blade vibrated, seemingly growing in response to her words before she forcefully shrunk it back down.

"Yes Mother, for free. Not only that, but Lazarus and I made a plan to get the council votes."

"Did you now?" Her mother stopped her work on the blade and turned to give Snow her undivided attention.

"Let's hear this 'plan.'" Her voice was no longer cold as the tundra, but the dryness was hardly an improvement.

"Lazarus said there's three people that were swayable to turn for a majority vote in your favor: Mage Councilor Augnem, Knight Councilor Harper, and Head Councilor Frederick."

"Those three are swayable?" Her mother asked, the laughter in her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Tell me Snow, how do we sway such men?"

"We asked Lussuria if she would be willing to negotiate with Augnem with your passage and permission. Considering that the mage guild over there respects her enough to go through the trouble of personally inviting her to join, not to mention the mage guild tends to be neutral in political affairs, it should be no issue. Lussuria has agreed to lend her assistance in that matter.

For Harper: Lazarus stated that we have potential revealing information in our care that can be used to sway him. Lazarus would take care of it once he received the information.

Lastly, for Frederick: Frederick should pass the vote if he is left as the tiebreaker."

Her mom clasped her chin in a gesture that would have suggested deep thought, if not for the expression of heavy mockery on her face. Her next words reinforced the feelings that were so plainly visible.

"So, this plan entails sending Lussuria all the way to the Mountaineer kingdom to swoon over a foreign branch of a guild she doesn't even like, give Lazarus confidential information so he can blackmail Harper and pray that Frederick votes 'yes' as a means of rationality." Each word was drenched in sarcasm, which was bolstered by the mocking the clapping of her hands, as if in praise. But she was not yet done twisting the knife. "Excellent. I shall rest easy now knowing that this troublesome matter will be taken care of."

"…Mother, it's the best plan we have." Snow sighed, the small amount of pride she had been killed under her mother's mockery.

Her mother turned back to the mystical table and resumed her work in silence. A few moments passed, filled only with the sound of shifting ice before she spoke again.

"I have faith Lussuria will convince the Mage Councilman. As for Knight Councilman Harper…you can probably find some information on him. He has so many properties I doubt even he would even know specifics of each one. However, the problem is by far the head councilor.

"Why would he be the problem?"

"Frederick used to be the guild master of the merchant guild."

"Merchant guild? There's no such thing."

"Exactly."

"Oh…what happened to it?"

"I abolished it. It was one of my first orders as High Queen actually." A bitter smile flashed across her mother's face at those words.

"Why would you do that? A merchant guild would grant you nearly as much wealth as the banking guilds do."

Her mother shook her head as a grimace formed on her face.

"The merchant guild funded my enemies during the war. The banking guilds funded me. That's all there was to it."

"Maybe you can offer to reinstate the merchant's guild, to incentivize him? That should get his vote and get us more revenue at the same time."

"Absolutely not."

"Why not?"

"The siege of that kingdom. We could have avoided so much bloodshed if he just gave me the information I needed. But the stubborn fool refused all the way to the end. All for one man's ego." Her expression twisted, as the unpleasant memories flashed in her mind, and she gritted her teeth. The frost blade that laid on the table started to vibrate violently as spikes began to grow out of it haphazardly.

"Well, it sounds like you have an ego of your own if you still can't let go of it after all these years."

The blade settled down, as silence filled the air. Her mother flashed her a glance from over her shoulder.

"Best watch your words, girl."

"I'm just saying! It's going to be a definite no if you can't give him something relevant. And aren't you the one who told me not to have emotional outbursts?"

Her mother turned her way fully, pointing the sword at her.

"You have no idea, zero. Of the atrocities of those times. If you did, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

Snow took a step back putting her hands up. "Okay ill just… be quiet then."

The sword her mother was holding slid forward nearly out of her grasp before she gripped it again. It was a subtle movement but a noticeable one, and based on her mothers reaction, Snow saw it. Her mother looked surprised for a moment before quickly lowering the weapon and defaulting her face back to normal.

"Mother, what was that?" Snow looked at the sword and back at her hands.

"Nothing.. you know what, fine, I'll forgive his blind patriotism and let him reinstate his damn guild. It would provide more needed job positions, which fits into my other plans. Use that as a counteroffer if needs be."

"But you didn't answer my-"

"Their kingdom will be having another big council meeting soon. I will arrange passage for you and Lussuria to visit. Considering recent events, it is not safe for any of us to be traveling officially; too many people would need to be notified. You two will be going in secret accompanied by three Lotus guards. You leave tomorrow." Her mother's words had a note of finality to them, Snow was just shocked at everything her mother just said.

"Wait, what, okay I guess? But who will be the one to speak to mediator Frederick? Are you sending Brutus?"

"You will." Her mother declared before adding "You will also speak to Harper."

"Me? I can't negotiate?" Snow exclaimed, shocked at the very idea of her being the voice of her mother.

"What's the issue? Lussuria must go over there to talk to Augnem, and you will go with her. Your job will be to speak with Harper and Frederick on my behalf. I am not going to trust Lazarus to do that." But that still didn't answer Snow's question, not to mention that sword that her mother seemed to be gripping tightly and away from her now.

"Lussuria can negotiate with the other two if you don't trust Lazarus! I don't mind accompanying her but why must I be the one to do the talking?!" The queen finally lost patience with Snow's questioning.

"I won't have Lussuria correcting your mishaps! You botched the meeting, you opened your mouth, and now it's time for YOU to fix YOUR mistakes!" Her mother shouted. She stood with a huff of irritation, then opened a drawer beside her and pulled out some keys, holding them out to Snow.

"The archives are right next door. Mountaineer Kingdom, third aisle, box two, Sir Harper. Find them and bring them here. This is your last chance to prove you are a part of this family Snow. Complete your task."

Snow was just overwhelmed by all this information. When she took hold of the keys her eyes glanced down her mothers side, at the blade. Her mother responded by holding it behind her leg out of view.

"Did I make that sword move?" Snow asked directly.

"Don't be ridiculous. How could you do such a thing without activating your blood. I told you the sword is volatile. Go and get the files now. I assume you know how to distinguish discrepancies with reported revenue considering your specialty in sabotaging monetary affairs."

---

Her mother had left with the sword to allow her to work in peace. Snow had laid out a bunch of files on the floor like a map in her mother's room.


Soon, the one box she brought turned into two, then three then ten. Her mother came back to check on her when day turned into night.

"If I didn't know better, I would assume you were committing an investigation on more than one man. Did you find anything useful?" Her mother asked as she entered the room, stopping just before the map of papers.

Snow had papers, folders and the scrolls all laid out in spiraling and interconnecting lines, like an absurd fusion of a whirlpool and spider's web.

"Mom, I was looking at Sir Harper's files and do you know he has ties to the mercenary guild?" Snow gathered a bunch of papers together, before flipping through them to a specific one and showing it to her mother.

"Yes, I know he does." The queen confirmed, barely looking at the piece of paper that was practically thrust into her face.

"The mercenary guild charges up front and in gold; Sir Harper is extremely wealthy and owns several establishments that don't deal in credit and writes most things off as undescribed expenses. He recently reported an increase in his lumber businesses but the official council spending on building material has lessened, not increased. If there is one group of people that would need wood it would be-" The queen cut her off with a hand on her mouth.

"Snow." When Snow stopped and looked at her mother, she removed her hand.

"Yes?"

"Forget about what happened in the Old District. It's over and done with."

"But Mom, I was told to look at his income and if we just follow the money this could lead to something way bigger-"

"There's no trail to follow. You're just fishing for a lead. Just get what you need to get the vote done and that's it." Her mother cut her off again, her voice uncompromising, but Snow was undaunted.

"Mom, you are getting this information and letting it collect dust. There's some corruption going on somewhere. After looking at Harper, I started looking at the other council members. The amount of tax they report is nowhere near equal to the amount of wealth their assets generate. Which means they are lying on the amount of revenue they collect. This isn't just about the attack. They're lying on their taxes! There's no way you're collecting this information and not seeing it!"

"Right now, the most efficient way to deal with them is to get the vote in our favor. I cannot have Warden Isabella or the Lotus Guard investigating them right now."

"You said the most efficient way to handle this problem is with wealth, so I looked at just that. I looked at everything, their royal treasury, the banking guild reports and more. Everything looks fine until I get to the Council, whose transactions are barely recorded, and I can't find what they are spending most of their gold on. Money is going into the Council and basically disappearing! All the while, certain council members and plenty of nobles report increases in revenue. Why do you think that is? Oh wait! I know! It's because they are stealing their own money! Maybe the declining economy has nothing to do with your decrees and everything to do with their own greed! Their whole argument against your decree is invalidated when the loss of slaves isn't the leading factor of these trends!?" Despite the increasingly pronounced frown on her mother's face, Snow couldn't find it in her to care as she paced around the room.

Her frustrations with this issue dominated her mind. She did all this investigating and there's more questions than answers. It was particularly annoying for Snow personally, because all the money her mother needed for her project could have already been theirs, if her mother wasn't so lenient with the taxes. When Snow stopped moving and turned to face her mother properly, the frown on her mother's face had become a mocking smirk.

Now it was Snow's turn to frown.

"What's so funny, mother? Is it funny that money you need has been stolen from you? That they continue to steal from you?" Snow asked, redirecting her frustrations towards the queen.

Her mother responded by walking to her desk and sitting down before speaking to her.

"It's like despite skipping all those lessons, you managed to learn something after all. Now do you see it, the web of issues that plague us? You want to hold them accountable for lying about their taxes? Sure, I'll send the Lotus Guard over there to investigate. However, which enforcers do you want to take? The ones investigating whatever the elves are up to? How about the ones tracking down stolen relics in the insect marshlands? Or maybe those in charge of deterring the angels off our trade roads? What of the ones here, considering the attacks we just faced? Which problem do I leave alone to solve this tax issue, Snow? Maybe I'll tell the Mountaineer King and let that boy see just how little I can enforce my taxes on them? Shall I send Warden Isabella, who is currently investigating mass kidnappings, to ask some nobles why they didn't give a thousand more gold coins than they were supposed to. Do you see our problem now?" Her mother's voice never changed, but the scathing quality of the words cut into Snow anyway.

"I think I do." She muttered, cowed as her frustration-fueled anger cooled.

"You think it's easy to maintain control over nine different realms all while allowing these governments to run with almost full autonomy? We get it done, but it's not perfect."

"…Yes Mother."

"Now, do you see how big an issue it is when I can singlehandedly solve such a large and complicated problem like slavery for an entire realm and that plan gets ruined by a certain little girl who could not hold her tongue nor tantrum."

Snow now saw the gravity of the deal she had ruined, but still didn't feel regretful in the slightest.

"I may understand but I still don't agree. I would never trade away never Mr. Windram's life for a business deal."

"Fine, then fix the problem you caused, and it won't matter. You convinced Lazarus to give us the deed, now we just need those votes. I won't even ask you to find a way to get the gold, I'll worry about that myself. Now I hope you've got enough information because you and Lussuria leave early tomorrow. I am putting my trust in you one final time Snow; you will be representing our family in a foreign nation-do not forget that. This will be your first-and last-real test if you are worthy of holding any power in this family. Now, it's getting late: time to call it a night."

Snow nodded and started to put all the files away.

"Just Leave it, I'll put it away."

"Okay…good night, Mother."

"Good night. "

Snow left but after two steps away from her mother's room she squeezed her fist and prodded back up to the room in a fit of confidence. When she re-entered, she could see her mom eyeing the papers and the way they were arranged. She interrupted her mother's examination with her voice.

"When I return with success, I demand an apology."

Her mother looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"For your disciplining?"

"No, To Windram and his family."

The side of her mother's mouth curled up into a smile.

"Sure."

---

Chapter 18 The Journey Begins
❄Snow❄
Snow found herself gazing at the pane of glass; looking at her reflection, the sun had just begun rising into the sky behind her. She appeared no different than yesterday, but the realization that she would be leaving her home for the first time in her life had begun to sink in. After pondering the hundreds of what-if scenarios, she finally accepted reality for what it was and started to rehearse how she was going to convince men, that she didn't even know, to do something that they didn't want to do.

"So, the upcoming vote for the Regalian construction… I am here to make sure you vote yes on it."

She changed her posture to seem more imposing.

"I am here representing my mother. The High Queen, you must vote yes on the Regalian construction for your kingdom or else!"

Her shoulders lowered and her back hunched as she held her hands up like a beggar. Putting up a pity filled face.

"The slaves, you don't want them to resume their backbreaking work? Right? Actually, you obviously would, but you must think about how they would feel…" She trailed off. That wouldn't work. It was official-she was awful at this stuff. It's one thing to mess with people in power, but it was another to negotiate while having something to lose. And, she wasn't much of a negotiator. She should probably ask Lussuria for some advice on how to go about speaking to these councilors.

Snow turned away from her reflection and took a look around her recently cleaned room. Lamille had packed her bag, and the clothes she had on were sufficient for the first few days of the trip: she was ready to start heading out.

As she was strolling down the Royals' Hall, Snow stopped by Gravis' bedchambers to give her good-byes.

"Come in!" She heard Gravis call out after she knocked. The sound of rhythmic breathing could be heard as Snow entered.

Gravis' room was probably the simplest out of all her siblings. Marble tiled floor with only the bare necessities as furniture: a desk, bed, night table, and large wardrobe. The only flair that indicated Gravis's taste was a coat of arms that decorated each wall of the room. In the corner she could see Gravis doing pushups.

"Forty-seven…forty-eight...forty-nine…fifty." Gravis finished with a huff as she hopped back up to her feet.

"You sure you didn't start counting at 40 to impress me?" Snow joked as she stepped further into the room, but her sister was not in the mood.

"I heard you and Lussuria are leaving for the Mountaineer Kingdom. Mom won't allow me to go with you, no matter how much I argued."

Snow paused in what she was going to say and just looked at Gravis. Her sister seemed to tower over her, toned muscles on display in her exercise clothes and she seemed fully recovered from her injuries. It was rather impressive, and Snow decided to use that to deflect from her own worries about her trip…

"You sure are tough Gravis. Look at you, all healed up and looking even stronger. I bet you've gotten better with your Frostblood too.

…but her sister was having none of it.

"I'm still weak, the frostblood is only a crutch. The fact that man overpowered me in that alley is proof I need to train harder. I don't want to rely on that power if I don't need to."

"Well, part of why I need to do this is so I can be like you and the rest of the family. This is how I contribute. This is me 'getting stronger,' I guess." Snow shrugged, her uncertainty shining through.

"Don't forget-those savages that attacked us were from the Mountaineer Kingdom, you need to be careful. If they were bold enough to attack us here, in Regalia, I can't imagine how dangerous it would be in their own home. I told mom how it is absolutely stupid sending you two over there, but she wouldn't listen to me." Gravis growled; her frustration was obvious.

"Don't worry she's sending us with three Lotus guards. They are her personal soldiers. Better than the royal knights that were with us in the alleyway."

"Those animals will still try though, I'm sure of it. Make sure to watch your back and Lussuria's too; she's too smart for her own good and gets arrogantly careless."

"Don't Gravis, I'll be on extra alert." Snow replied, subdued at the thought of needing to watch out for Lussuria too. It had never struck her before, but so far away from home, she would be the oldest one of their family present-the one with the responsibility of making sure everything turned out okay.

Gravis moved to her nightstand, unaware of her sister's inner turmoil. She opened a drawer and took out a small, elegant dagger.

"Here take this."

Its blade was six inches long, silver with a gold handle; the engraving 'Freedom' flashed across its side. Gravis spoke as Snow took a look at the weapon.

"Remember that day you shoved a popsicle into that bastard's eye? You picked up his dagger and held it like a pro. Heh, I didn't know you had it in you. I personally hate daggers, so I figured I would give you mine to be safe. Its small enough to fit in your boot." She held it out for her to take. The dagger shined in the light.

"Wow Gravis, I appreciate it…but I don't think I need to go as far as taking a weapon with me." She responded.

"Are you kidding me? You don't know how to use your frostblood. If something happens and you don't have a way to protect yourself, you are screwed. Just take it." Gravis huffed, then sheathed it and placed it into Snow's right boot herself.

"Wow, you're right. It fits perfectly." Snow said, her uncertainty fading in the face of her sister's insistence.

"Good." Gravis nodded.

Then her older sister gave her a hug and whispered to her.

"I love you. Be safe, okay?"

"I will, I promise. Thanks Gravis."

They stayed like that for a moment before they were interrupted by crying from the hallway.

---

"Lussuria! Don't leave!" Lily cried as she grabbed onto Lussuria's leg.


"I'll be back soon. Time will fly by, and you won't even notice, don't worry!"

Lussuria had always been Lily's favorite, so her reaction right now was hardly surprising.

"I don't...want you…to leave!" Lily sobbed between her wailing cries. The streams of tears and snot ruining both Lily's clothes and Lussuria's-she really was an ugly crier. No matter what Lussuria said or did, Lily refused to let go. Gravis moved to help detach Lilly from Lussuria's leg.

"Lily, get off her! Lussuria and Snow need to leave!

---

After Lussuria was free from Lily's tearful clutches, she and Snow exited the castle gates. They could see the Royal Guard standing around and further up, their mother, who was talking to three men in black uniforms in front of an older looking carriage. These must have been the Lotus Guard coming along with them.


"Uh... my dear sister?" Lussuria asked nervously.

"Yeah Luss?"

"We wouldn't be taking THAT carriage, would we?" Lussuria sounded terrified at the thought. Which strangely amused Snow, though she managed to hide that feeling and answered in a neutral tone.

"The inside will be comfortable, don't worry Lussuria. I am sure there is a good reason we're taking this one."

"Ugh, this trip will be awful I can already tell." Lussuria sounded defeated before the trip even began.

Snow privately thought Lussuria was being overly dramatic: Lussuria even looked as if she was going to cry. Snow ignored it and they continued forward up to their mother and the three men.

"Good, you two are here. Say hello to the men who will be watching out for you on your trip." The three men wore high quality darkened jackets with many straps and pockets. Snow could see thin, dark metal armor just underneath the attire they were wearing, that looked like scales. The only indication of their affiliation was a white Lotus symbol in the middle of their chests. Lotus Guard were supposed to be specialists, but she didn't know at what. She had barely seen any Lotus Guard in her life. Let alone three at once.

One of the men stepped forward. He had short brown hair and blue eyes; he smiled as he bowed.

"Greetings Princesses. My name is Arthur. I am the leader of our little team here. As you know we have been assigned to escort and accompany you on this trip." He began to introduce his two partners. "Allow me to introduce my partner 'Crow,' he is our driver and our 'eyes' for this trip." The man on his left who had long black hair and brown eyes gave a quick silent bow before Arthur turned to the man on his right. "As for him, you may refer to him as 'Ares,' he will be handling any hostility we run into." Ares's hair looked messy, and his jacket was unbuttoned exposing more of his armor than the other two. He appeared to be the only one with a weapon, something that looked like the fusion between a sword and axe. It was unique and caught her eye.

"Let's hope that doesn't happen... for our opponents' sake." 'Ares' laughed as he tapped his weapon.

"They are Lotus Guard, so show them respect." Her mother stated. "Now, do you both have your insignias?" Snow and Lussuria both took out rather large medallions, proof of their royal status. "Good, make sure you do not lose them. Now, I believe Lamille should be bringing your belongings. Have a safe trip girls and don't do anything too crazy while you are down there."

After that short goodbye, their mother left. Not a minute later Lamille came hurrying to the carriage with their stuff. Lamille gave Snow a hug so tight she thought she would die, before seeing them off.

---

Chapter 19 A lesson in negotiation.
❄Snow❄
Every bump, rock, and pebble were felt as the carriage shook and bounced down the road. Snow was inside the carriage with Lussuria and Arthur, while the other two lotus guardsmen were outside on the driver's seat. They never had this problem on the royal carriage. Her mother probably chose this rickety carriage because they were keeping a low profile. Snow typically didn't care about the bouncing that was inevitable with all carriage rides, but in this carriage even she couldn't ignore it. Part of that had to do with the fact that Lussuria wouldn't let her hear the end of it. Once her sister's rant on how 'beneath her' this carriage had ended, the silence that followed was oddly satisfying. Lussuria calmed down enough to distract herself with one of her mage books and Snow was perfectly willing to let her be.

Unfortunately, Snow also figured she should ask her sister now on what her plan was to seek an audience with Mage Councilman Augnem, rather than wait for later.

"Lussuria?" Snow asked cautiously.

"What?" The level of displeasure contained in that one word made it perfectly clear that while she was calmer now, she was still upset with their travel arrangements.

"How do you plan on approaching the mage councilman?"

Lazerous had claimed that he would accept an audience but surely Lussuria couldn't just stroll in and ask.

"Augnem? I'm just going to stroll in and ask."

"I thought you said it would be complicated!"

"I lied. That guild has been begging me to join for months now. Oh, you'll find this funny Snow, it's something I learned yesterday. Did you know Augnem invented the Augment runestone? He was also one of the mages that tried to scout me out during the Lotus Celebration."

"Why do you always have it so easy?" Snow pouted.

"Being the best isn't easy. I may be a genius, but I still do my fair share of work."

"Well, can give me advice on how to approach the other two?"

"Who are they again? The Knight Councilor and the Head Councilor?"

"Yeah."

"Ok, time for a lesson with your dear sister Lussuria. Negotiation tactics." Lussuria closed her book and took out a black feathered quill.

"Pretend like this quill is the vote in council."

Lussuria handed her the quill.

"Get me to buy it, or in this case vote yes on it."

Snow examined the quill.

"Okay? We really need you to vote yes on this quill." She held it up.

"No no no. First, if you go straight to negotiations, you will lose every time. Going straight to heart of the matter makes you seem desperate, especially if you're the one going to them, and whoever you are trying to negotiate with will gain the upper hand. Try again." Lussuria gave her the quill and Snow tried to think of what to say.

"This is harder than I thought, do you want me to make small talk first?"

Lussuria tried to think of a way to make Snow understand before she looked at Arthur in a fit of inspiration.

"Hm, Arthur?"

"Yes princess?"

"You try."

Arthur seemed to be uninterested as his eyes remained fixated on the window. Until he stopped his watch duties to give them his full attention.

"Sure. Give it here."

Snow handed Arthur the quill. To which he looked at it for a second, spinning it between his fingers before holding it behind him.

"Okay." Arthur looked at Lussuria. "Greetings Princess Lussuria."

"Greetings."

"So princess, it is to my understanding that you are an incredibly smart person, who also has a superior sense of fashion."

"Hm, indeed I do, thank you for noticing."

"As wonderful as your outfit would merit, how would it sound to bring some diversity to it without going through the hassle of changing the whole thing, maybe adding something like an accessory?"

"Oh? What type of accessory?"

"I have this pristine Black Crow Quill. It's unique as you can see because who wears quills? You can wear it as an accessory, and I can tell it would look exquisite on your person. You can pin it to your chest or put it in your hair. Not only that, but as a crow quill, it has a fine point and is capable of easily writing script. A fitting tool and beautiful accessory that compliments someone of your stature and intelligence. Would you like it?"

"Wow Arthur, I think I will take it." Lussuria took the quill.

Snow couldn't believe her ears.

"You just came up with that in like a few seconds...and it sounded so smooth? How?"

"Don't just offer what the project or in this case what the quill is. Offer what they can do with the quill and what it could be. As a mage and someone who cares about fashion the quill would serve her two purposes." Arthur explained. Lussuria put the quill in her hair, before giving her own assessment.

"Indeed, but it's not just the argument you chose, you need to consider what type of person you are negotiating with. Is the person prideful? Ignorant? Stubborn? Those things matter and choosing the right words and the way you present yourself can have different effects for each type of person. Negotiating isn't just using flowery language. It's showing confidence, having a plan, and reading your opponent. This isn't even considering the argument they will have and how you should break it down. It will seem difficult, but you have an advantage in that you know who you will be negotiating with. You can formulate a plan.

"I think I understand, I've read plenty of Sir Harper's files and I know some of the Head Councilor's past. I just need to figure out what their weaknesses are and how I should go about convincing them. I think If I think about the monetary incentive in the long run, combined with stability I can form some type of argument." Snow didn't realize just how many aspects there were to negotiation. She figured Lussuria was just a bookworm who used fancy words and her image to get whatever she wanted. But that wasn't the case at all. She was very sharp, in almost the same way Gravis was when it came to battle.

Lussuria shifted uncomfortably at Snow's awed gaze.

"Okay, well you'll have plenty of time to think if this journey continues at this pace. Arthur, can you inform Crow to speed it up? I'm going to grow sores just sitting here at this rate."

"Agreed." Snow backed up Lussuria's opinion. She typically didn't care, but this carriage seemed to amplify the usual downsides associated with travel by carriage.

Arthur smiled and opened the sliding window at the front of the carriage. They could partially see Crow there holding the horses' reins, with Ares sitting on his right.

"Hey Crow, they want you to go faster." Arthur spoke, a smile in his voice.

"See? I told you we were going too slow!" Ares blurted out.

"How fast then? If I speed up, it will not be a comfortable experience."

Lussuria lunged towards the window at those words.

"The longer I am in here, the more unhappy I am. As fast as possible!"

Ares laughed.

"See crow, her kids aren't soft." He turned his head down towards the window. "Don't worry princess, I'll make sure my good man here stops taking it easy on the job. "

Crow seemed to ponder something, before nodding in compliance.

"Okay. Hold onto your seats."

The reins cracked as the horses were whipped with more force than normal and the carriage jolted forward in a new burst of speed as they picked up the pace.

---

⚔︎Gravis⚔︎

The Frost Queen stood on the highest balcony of the castle, overlooking the whole of the Regalian Kingdom as well as the snowy tundra that surrounded it.

Gravis appeared behind her, having come up the private staircase.

"Gravis, hello dear." The High Queen did not look away from her view. "Come here."

Gravis walked forward and joined her mother at the railing.

"What do you see?" Her mother asked her.

Gravis looked at the view in front of her and then back at her mother. "I see a kingdom that was just attacked and that now has sent two of its most vulnerable royalty over to a hostile kingdom as a gift to be killed or captured. Why would you send them?"

Her mother had still not looked at her, nor did she answer the question.

"I ask all you girls this question and I get such different responses. It's very intriguing."

"Answer my question, Mother."

"Snow sees the city and its people. Lussuria describes the frontier and its borders, Lily looks up at the sky. You, however, always answer with the issues at hand. You have the heart of a ruler."

"Stop trying to deflect: why would you send Snow and Lussuria over there? You KNOW they are going to be in danger."

"I know."

"THEN WHY?! You know they will be in danger, and you sent them anyways?!"

"They are plotting something Gravis, something big. Sending those two will no doubt flush out whatever conspiracy there is, growing in the shadows."

"Those two and three lotus guards won't be enough to stop a whole conspiracy, you are just tossing them to the wolves!"

"Warden Isabella will be there shortly, after her investigation, to clean whatever mess that emerges. They will be fine Gravis. Have some faith."

"Then why would you refuse to let me go along with them? Why would you send Snow but not me?"

"The same reason you can't join the guard. Why would I risk sending you? You are my heir."

"So they are just expendable to you? Just like that? How could you…"

"I don't make these decisions light heartedly if that's what you think. I've weighed countless options. Do you think I've been lounging around ever since you and Snow were attacked here? We rounded up whatever survivors were left, and we got some real disturbing information. If I don't figure out what it is soon, we and all we possess will be at risk."

"But… they are my sisters, they are your children and you're using them as bait…"

The High Queen finally turned and looked at Gravis. The light in her eyes was cold.

"Do you not think it pains me as well? I sacrificed everything to make this world safe, and still I am faced with threats where I need to send my own blood into danger to resolve. This is by far the safest option for everyone. You will be forced to make decisions like this one day and then you will understand."


❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆

 

[Bloodkin]

Chapter 20 Nightmares and Monsters
❄Snow❄
How many times, must I try and fail?

The darkness was closing in, smothering her, choking her. Snow couldn't breathe. She could only stand there frozen... A monster was lurking in the darkness ahead of her, it took on the appearance of a knight, with darkened armor blacker than the darkest night. She couldn't tell where this darkness ended, or where it began. Thick, black tar filled its visor and dripped from every crease in its armor. It could speak, however it was not understood. It slowly approached her. The only movement it knew, was forward. As it got closer, Snow tried summoning her power, but nothing came of it. A burning sensation seared her skin. The monster's voice was now screams that raddled in her mind. She could feel, almost instinctively, that it was a creature born of death. Born of horrors that she could not possibly conceive or understand. It was standing face to face with her now, and its screams were deafening. But as her sanity began to crack under the strain, she also began to understand. Freedom was its goal and she was in the way. The knight clasped its hands around her throat and began to squeeze the life out of her.

Snow awoke with a gasp, springing up in her seat. As she got her breathing under control, she became aware of the sound of the steady clacking horse hooves and the turning of wood. She had fallen asleep in her seat. They were still riding in the carriage and based on the moonlight coming from behind the window curtains, she could see it was the middle of night. Lussuria was sound asleep across from her and Arthur was in the corner, keeping his eye on the window like usual.

Arthur had noticed her startled wakefulness from sleep.

"Bad dream?" He whispered, mindful of Lussuria's still sleeping form.

Snow rubbed at her eyes. "It was a nightmare actually." She whispered back.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Where are we right now?" Shifting the curtains aside from the window behind her, Snow could see nothing but dirt and darkness. The moonlight did little to illuminate the landscape as they rode by.

"We are well within the Regalian frontier, just before the border to the Mountaineers' realm." He answered promptly.

Snow watched the rolling darkness from behind the glass. An eerily familiar sight all things considered. Her eyes drifted across the shadowed landscape as she pondered her recent nightmare.

"Arthur, do you think…actually, never mind."

"Speak your mind, I'm here to listen."

"Do you think the finality of fate is real?"

She didn't hear a response for some time, but just as the silence became unbearable, Arthur spoke.

"No, I don't. People use fate as an excuse to justify their actions, discredit the work of themselves or others, and even wallow in self-pity. What would be the point of praying to the gods, or ambition, if fate was real? We are defined by the choices we make; our choices determine our fate."

"I see. I think I feel the same way." Snow answered, comforted by his response.

"You are a little young to be a philosopher. That must have been some nightmare you had. Care to speak on it?"

"I already forgot about it. Thank you, Arthur." Snow declined, the memories of choking darkness and dark knights fading from her mind.

"You know, Ares has bad dreams too. One time, that big oaf almost chopped my head off in his sleep."

"Sounds like you weren't 'fated' to go." Snow laughed discreetly.

"With Ares in a sleeping fit, it really was left to fate." He chuckled as well.

The shared mirth was interrupted by a knock on the slide window. Arthur opened it to see Ares' face, a serious look in his eyes even as he grinned.

"See something?"

"Sting sharks in the area, I can handle any that get too close, but we have precious cargo, so I need you up here."

"Got it." Arthur went to the carriage door.

"Sting sharks?" Snow had only heard stories of them. Vicious monsters that attacked travelers on the roads, moving through the ground like fish through water.

"Yeah. We will be fine though." Arthur opened the carriage door, uncaring that they were still moving. He gripped the roof of the carriage and swung up using just his arm, landing on top of it. The door slammed back shut as he let go of it. He stepped forward and took Ares' seat, while the man himself hopped backwards onto the top of the carriage.

Snow could see from the side windows and the front sliding window what was happening.

Arthur snapped his fingers, creating a spark in his palm before he swung his arm forward causing the spark to grow into a shining orb of fire. The flame was very bright and casted a light on their surroundings.

"Tell me where Crow!" he shouted.

Crow was keeping his eyes peeled ahead of them, there was a moment of silence, a moment of suspense, before-

"Front-Right!"

Arthur flicked his wrist in that direction as a sting shark lunged from the ground, soaring through the air at them. A ball of fire shot from Arthur's hand, smashing right into the creature, and sending it crashing back to the ground as they continued to ride by.

"Front-Left!" Crow spotted another.

Arthur repeated the action in the new direction and just like before, the next creature popped out of the ground, this time aiming for a horse. It suffered the same fate as the last: blasted away by Arthur's fireball.

"Three; Front, Left and Right! All at once!"

The sting sharks moved like a pack of wolves as they dove in and out of the dirt scaring the horses making them go wild. As the horses panicked and tried to bolt in separate directions, Crow kept whipping the reins to keep them under control. There were too many coming at once for Arthur to handle in the same way.

Arthur put both his hands up and brought them together, forming a triangle. All three sting sharks shot up from the ground right at the carriage. Snow could see them from the front sliding window nearly in slow motion. Their undersides had razor teeth and their tails were long and barbed. Arthur responded by slashing down both his arms, releasing a large crescent shaped flame to fly just above the horses' heads. All three of the sting sharks were blasted back, their bodies scorched. The carriage bumped up as they drove over one, almost causing Snow to hit her head on the ceiling.

"Good hit Arthur!" Crow declared but he spoke too soon. The carriage jolted as another sting shark slammed into the rear right wheel. This time the carriage violently shook as the hit sounded damaging. Lussuria was knocked off her bench onto the floor finally waking up.

"Geez what's the deal! Can't A girl sleep!" Lussuria complained.

"Lussuria we are under attack!" Snow told her what was happening. Lussuria got up and joined Snow near the sliding window as they watched more of the beasts swarm in from further out in the landscape. They both could see shadows darting in and out of the ground in the distance, moving toward them from all around. It was a swarm of sting sharks.

"Ares, watch our damn flank!" Crow yelled.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it!" Ares' heavy footsteps were heard slowly stomping down the roof of the carriage towards the back.

"That's a lot of them!" Snow said, watching the multiple mounds of moving dirt. All Moving towards them.

"You want me to help?" Lussuria shouted out the window to Arthur.

"I got it, I got it!" Ares responded followed by the metallic sound of what Snow assumed was him using his weapon. It grated on her ears as the sound of metal grinding against metal echoed from above them. The memory of the sound was soon forgotten though, because in the next moment, an explosion was heard and felt just behind the carriage. The explosion was so close that the back of the carriage rocked a few inches of the ground. The shadows in the distance abruptly changed direction, frightened away.

"That takes care of that." Ares declared proudly.

"Don't destroy the carriage you oaf!" Crow yelled.

"What do you want me to do? It's not my fault you're driving like a pansy!" Ares shouted back.

"Alright alright, enough. I think that's all of them. "Arthur stated.

---

The sun was rising, and they were coming up to the next town. They covered a lot of distance but not without cost, the carriage felt as if it would fall apart any moment. This was only confirmed by the fact that Crow had notified Arthur of the needed repairs.

"Arthur, that fire magic was amazing. You must have killed like half a dozen of them, what kind of spell was that?" Snow asked him.

Arthur was back in his corner as Snow and Lussuria were both back in their usual seats.

"That was just fireball and fire slash. Nothing impressive, trust me. Ares was the one who scared most of that swarm away."

Snow turned to Lussuria.

"Lussuria, why don't you have Arthur teach you some of those fire spells? They were so useful against the sting sharks."

"Elemental magic is for brutes. Their magic doesn't come close to the complexity and scope of runic magic. I rather be magicless than preform elemental magic. No offense, Arthur." Lussuria looked offended at the very idea of learning elemental magic. Snow wondered why, since it was so useful here.

"None taken your highness." Arthur acknowledged her with a smile.

"You can't just learn it as something useful to know? Just in case?" Snow questioned Lussuria.

Lussuria laughed, even as she shook her head.

"No Snow, that's not how magecraft magic works. You can only commit to one path of magecraft magic: the three choices being runic, elemental and magician. Like how frostbloods are usually only capable of creation, manipulation, or empowerment. I won't bother you with the details but in magic you have nodes, and you can only commit the nodes to one style over a long period of time."

"I see."

By this point, the carriage had started to make a noticeable crackling noise every time the wheels did a full rotation. Arthur opened the sliding window.

"You think we can make it like this?" The question was directed at Crow.

Crow took a moment to answer as he looked at a map. They couldn't see his face through the sliding window, but his response didn't sound positive.

"No, definitely not. We need to stop and repair somewhere, it seems like our only option is the border fort right after Reyna."

The snowy landscape changed into green rolling hills that fed into a long line of woodland. Once they were inside the woodlands they drove past a very small town. The town contained three long lines of houses.

"What town is this?" Snow asked.

"Reyna." Arthur answered.

"Can't we repair it here?"

"No. We have to repair it at the fort."

Lussuria nosily looking out the window said,

"But there's a woodworking shop there. See?"

They were passing by a shed that had a woodworking bench outside.

"This town doesn't like outsiders, the fort is nearby. We'll make it. No big deal."

The carriage noise begged to differ. Each rotation rocked the carriage back and forth.

"Outsiders? But we rule this domain Arthur."

"You do, but this town has been granted an exception by her majesty."

"Why?"

"Perhaps you can ask her when you return. The fort is less than a mile east from here."

They skipped the town and proceeded onward into the nearby forest that was just before the fort. The forest was scarred but not in a burned way. There was an entire line of cut down trees, as far as the eye could see. As if a giant blade had been used to cut a path through the forest.

"That's a whole lot of trees." Snow noted.

Arthur looked around them for a moment before refocusing on Snow and Lussuria.

"The border fort we will be stopping at has a lot of history; it's probably the most important defense structure on the Mountaineer border. It has withstood siege after siege. That was until the Lotus Army successfully took it nearly 10 years ago, those cut down trees played a major part.

"Did you fight here, Arthur?"

"No, I joined the lotus after the war."

"What did they use all those trees for?"

Arthur put his knuckle under his chin.

"The record goes, the bridge to the fort was untraversable, It couldnt be sieged.. So, your mother made quite a few of her own bridges. Trees are quite versatile."

Snow couldn't imagine her mother running through this forest with an army in attempt to attack the upcoming fort. Not to mention the amount of trees the army must have had to cut down just to cross over. As they rode up to the fort Snow saw that it was a place worth defending. It was an incredibly large compound, with walls as taller and wider than the castle back home. A moat separated the fort from the woodland that led into a rock filled creek down below. The doors to the fort were open and as they drove across a stone bridge to go inside. She couldn't help but realize how interested Gravis would be in this location, especially since mom fought here.

They stopped once past the gates and requested a repair on their wagon which, to Snow and Lussuria's surprise, arrived in the form of a bunch of collard men with tools in their hands. Since they had to step off the carriage to allow repairs, they were seated at a table in the open and served fresh, steaming hot food. Something that was much appreciated, more so by the three-lotus guard than her and Lussuria.

They ate and conversed, or more it was Ares's cracking jokes at Crow's expense before Crow would respond with a witty remark that silenced him. All in all, it was a fun time. A fun time that Snow couldn't fully enjoy, as her gaze kept returning to the slaves working on their carriage just in front of them. Not to mention there were a lot of soldiers here, she was no military expert, but this fort looked more tightly guarded than it should be. She felt a type of tension here that she didn't understand. Looking back and the slave workers. It never came across Snow's mind that this issue was more than just a decree, these people were real, and this was their life. Her mother used to be a slave, a forbidden secret. This deal must have been more than just money for her mother. Perhaps it was a way to make things right for those whom she related with. The more Snow pondered on the subject the more she wanted to know of her mother's past. The practice of slavery was as old as history itself but finding someone that might know more information about her mother's past would be difficult. Wandering thoughts aside, she could not lose focus on why she was here. Getting the votes was her number one priority.

---

Chapter 21 Vulcas, Capital of The Mountaineer Kingdom
❄Snow❄
Snow was leveling with Lussuria on the scheduled plans. The fort was disappearing behind them as they resumed the journey.

"We are going to settle our belongings at the inn we are staying at. Then…we will go to the Mage Guild first, after them, we will go to the Knight Councilor's manor. The City Hall and the Head Councilor will be saved for last." Snow reaffirmed.

"Very well, this should be fairly quick then. Do you think we should split up? Because the mage guild doesn't take visitors unless they have been approved ahead of time. That doesn't apply to me of course, but you…"

"No, Arthur explained to me that splitting up isn't wise. We can just wait outside while you handle your task in there."

"I see…oh, one more thing Snow. Did you know the Mountaineer Kingdom has a life-sized praefectus chess board that they move around with magic? It's supposed to be very impressive. You want to try playing it?"

"After we get the job done, sure, I can agree to that. Are you trying to even the score?" Snow raised an eyebrow with a profound smirk.

"Hey, don't get cocky. You only won once!"

"A win is a win. Especially against you and your "perfection."

---

After some time, the weather started getting warm, at least it appeared that way to the plants and animals they passed on their journey. As frostblooded, Snow and Lussuria were separate from such things. The landscape gradually transformed from grass and trees into stone and dirt; the dirt trail they were traveling on turned into stone. This road felt so much smoother under their carriage's wheels. Eventually, they drove over an incline and the Capital of the Mountaineer Kingdom appeared in the distance; The famously massive dark mountains that stabbed into the sky, with a city whose walls looked as if they were made of one solid piece of rock instead of slabbed stones or bricks. The Mountaineer's capital was called Volcas, its city walls stretched from the ground all the way up into the mountains. If the city behind those walls matched them for size, then it was at least four times the size of the Regalian capital.

"Wow, Volcas is so much bigger in person!" Snow exclaimed.

"Yes, the city has three districts, which some consider to be three cities fused into one. The Regal District at the very top where the king resides, the Noble district partially embedded into the middle of the mountain and finally the Common District where just about all day-to-day activity happens; this includes the Council Hall at ground level." Arthur explained as he took out some colorless crystals. "Alright, Princess Snow, Princess Lussuria, if you would allow me, I need to disguise your hair color." He then held the crystal in his hand tightly before he used his magic to heat it, causing it to take on a brown color.

"If you would allow, I must touch your hair."

"I have been victimized by this carriage ride already. My pristine hair must be next?" Lussuria asked rhetorically, upset but resigned. Arthur answered her anyway.

"You two will be the only ones with white hair in the districts, unless you rather wear a hood? That will surely be worse for your hair." Arthur stated. The expression on his face was neutral, but there was amusement dancing in his eyes.

"Just don't mess it up further!" Lussuria complained as she leaned her head forward towards him.

Arthur lightly touched her hair and the crystal's new color spread, turning Lussuria's hair brown. Even her eyebrows and eyelashes had changed color.

He then did the same to Snow.

Lussuria took out a hand mirror and studied her reflection.

"Hm…I wonder… could I be a Mountaineer model now? What would I be called? 'Lussuria, the brown-haired beauty' or maybe 'Lady of the Mountain?'. I am not a fan of dyeing hair, but this will do. Arthur, you seem to have quite the color pallet. Ha, who knew? Maybe I should convince Mother your true calling lies in model design." Lussuria jovially said.

"I'll take that as a compliment, I guess. " Arthur shrugged.

"What about our eyes?" Snow asked, remembering the other feature that could reveal who they were.

"The hair is sufficient enough. There isn't a single Frostblood that doesn't have white hair. The public would sooner believe the sky is purple, than in the possibility of a Frostblood not having white hair."

The carriage pulled up to the massive front gates, but there was traffic and they had to wait in line. Guards checked each of the carriage loads before they were allowed to enter. On their left there was a secondary line of slaves who were all linked by a long chain being counted and walked into the city.

"This isn't a public visit, so we need to enter as lowborn nobility. If they check inside, do not speak." Arthur warned, reminding them of the covert nature of their visit.

They eventually were up next. The front guard spoke with Crow, he handed the guard a piece of paper and while they were having the exchange several guards were examining the bottom of the carriage and looking inside the windows.

"Any goods or weapons?" The guard asked Crow.

"No sir, just visiting from Ignia." Ares responded in his stead. Ironically, Ares was from this realm so he must have been best suited to talk to the guards. Even though he sounded playfully sarcastic.

"You sure? We just need to record it for entry, that's all."

"One hundred percent. No goods, No weapons. Just visiting and the roads are safe this time of year." Ares responded to the repeated inquiry.

But what of Ares' axe? Snow remembered he brought one. She could see from the open sliding window that the axe he usually held at his side was gone. At a closer look Snow saw that his armor had changed slightly, Ares now had shiny metallic armor over his left arm.

"Very well, Welcome to Vulcas."

They were let through.

Once they passed into the city proper, it was like they had run into a wall of noise. Even near the entrance, the sound of the trade taking place further down the road was shockingly loud compared to their usually calm home: from merchants hawking their wares, to the voices of singers and street performers, to the sound of cattle-the city's heart in the Common District was filled with energy.

"Wow, I can't believe how packed this city is!" Snow said, watching the city out of the window.

"Yeah this place is large, however it's clear some of these people could use some more hygiene." Lussuria's lip curled as she pinched her nose after a man clearly in need of an immediate washing passed by her window.

They continued down the main road until they reached the Grand Council Hall building which was the center of the common district. It was made of white marble, with a giant set of stairs. This monumental structure was a beacon in the sea of wooden buildings that were all over the common district. The carriage stopped across the street from it.

"Okay Princesses, this is it." Arthur declared as they exited what had been their home for the journey to this city.

"I thought we were stopping at the inn first? This is the Council building." Lussuria said as she stretched in maneuvers that looked nothing so much as a fashion model posing for a crowd of potential investors.

"This inn is right here." Arthur motioned his head to the building they were parked in front of. To be fair, it didn't even look like an inn. It looked like an abandoned shop front. It was also very small. Snow knew the inn would be discreet by her mother's words, but she didn't expect discreet and decrepit to be the same thing in this situation. She looked towards Lussuria, knowing her sister all too well. Sure enough, her sister's eyes were beginning their steady journey to joining the rest of the shocked look of disbelief on her normally self-assured face.

"Lussuria don't start, it's fine. Trust me." Snow caught Lussuria by the hand just as she took a breath for what was no doubt going to be a very attention drawing diatribe. The younger sister looked at the older one before closing her mouth as her shoulders slumped. Together, they walked inside.

Luckily, the inside was very clean and looked like an actual livable space compared to the outside appearance. There was a front desk, a cooking area to the side and a staircase to which Snow could only assume led to the sleeping rooms.

The innkeeper was present, but it seemed he was sleeping with his feet up on the desk. Snow, Lussuria and Arthur approached while Crow and Ares waited outside.

"Hello?" Snow cautiously greeted, tapping the bell by his feet, hoping to get his attention. But it was not to be, for it seemed be this man was a harder sleeper than Lussuria.

"Sir?" She attempted to greet him again, but it fell on deaf ears as the only response she got was the sound of his snores.

Lussuria, patience already frayed, leaned over the desk, and aimed to take her frustration out on him.

"Hello! Aren't you on the clock?! Stop sleeping on the job!" She yelled as she shoved his feet off the desk. His snores cut off abruptly and his eyes opened slightly, as Lussuria and Snow stood in front of him, one huffing mad and the other bemused.

"Well, you're loud and obnoxious." He commented before closing his eyes again. Lussuria, shocked into silence at first at the swift insult, reacted and yelled again.

"Obnoxious?! How does an innkeeper sleeping on the job find the courage to speak such hypocritical words? Or maybe it's just shamelessness? If anything, you're the obnoxious one!"

"Lussuria, let me speak to him." Snow stepped in front of her.

"Sir, we were expected, can you tell us which room we are supposed to be in? Sorry if we disturbed your rest. The quicker this interaction ends successfully, the faster you can resume your sleep."

"Hm…" He looked at Snow in a contemplating manner, before looking at Lussuria again. "See? Why can't you be more like this nice girl right here, Ms. Curly hair?" He reached down and grabbed something, flinging it onto the desk a moment later. It was a key. "Room Three, it's the one at the end of the hall, up those stairs. Doors lock at nightfall, but you can sneak in through the window from the alleyway. Have a nice stay." He stated, as he closed his eyes, got comfortable and went back to sleep.

Lussuria looked like she was about to explode.

"You're such a-!"

Snow interrupted, as she started pushing her up the stairs.

"Thank you, sir!" Snow exclaimed, nervously laughing. But he was already asleep.

The room was small, but it would do. Arthur had brought up their belongings and told them that he would be in front whenever they decided to leave. The room was simple: two beds, one desk and a very small balcony that overlooked the street leading up to the Council Hall.

"Well, we are finally here." Snow said as she adjusted the curtains.

"The beds are surprisingly comfortable. No doubt approved by that slumbering fool." Lussuria noted while combing her hair to her heart's content, seated on the bed.

This was it. They had finally arrived. With all things considered, everything had run smoothly so far. Snow needed to stay focused. She needed to get this done, not just for her sake, for Randal's family. Once their stuff was all unpacked Snow was ready to get going.

"Lussuria you ready to go?"

Lussuria rose from the bed.

"Yes, I need to stretch my legs. Let us depart."

---

Chapter 22 Augnem
❄Snow❄
Snow and Lussuria left the Inn.

"You girls want a ride?" Crow asked as he was still seated on the bench of the carriage parked off to the side.

"I just managed to free myself from that torture, I will not be stepping foot in a carriage for atleast three days. Me and my sister will walk to the mage guild."

Crow understood, Snow couldn't argue either. They all needed a walk.

"There is a stable down the road, I'll tell the innkeeper to stable them." Crow said as he dismounted from the bench.

"Pansy of a driver AND lazy look at that. Come on Crow stretch those scawny bird legs of yours!" Ares approached them from the other direction holding some sugar dough, taking a big bite nearly finishing it.

Crow grunted.

"You are no different than a child. Why are you running off for food when you are supposed to keep watch!"

"Why would I need to keep watch when we got you here my man." Ares smiled while chewing his next bite. "Right, Arthur?"

Crow looked at Arthur, Arthur shrugged.

"He's got a point."

"Don't enable him Arthur!" Crow yelled at Arthur as Ares laughed.

Lussuria was looking across the road at the monumental council hall building. While Crow was scolding Ares.

"It is quite convenient being across the street from the council building. Did you pick this place out Snow?" She asked.

"No, mom did, but remember, the council building is the last stop. First, we will head to the mage guild's branch that's here. It's next to the marketplace, just south from here"

"I am curious about the Mountaineer mage guild, I hear they specialize in controlling animated constructs."

"What, like golems?"

"Not just those lumbering brutes, but also things like life-sized animated dolls as well. Supposedly they're popular with the nobility and can be made to appear very life-like."

"That sounds sort of disturbing, but to each their own, I guess. Let's go."

---

The Five headed south until they reached the marketplace, where countless rows of merchant stands were arranged side by side and people conversing everywhere. Snow, Lussuria and Arthur were taking point as Crow and Ares lingered a few feet behind.

"There are so many merchant stands here I can't believe it!" Snow exclaimed, overwhelmed by the variety of things being sold.

"Care for some trinkets!" One of the stand owners yelled towards their group.

"Fresh produce!" Shouted another.

"Clothing by bulk!" Yelled a third.

They kept perusing through the market until they heard something that drew their interest.

"New cloaks made from the Great tailor Lazerous! Limited editions! Get them while you can!" Lussuria's head snapped towards the source of the shout.

"I've got to check this out!" Lussuria shouted as she dragged Snow along, while Arthur Ares and Crow made sure to keep up.

"Are you here to browse wares from the Great Tailor Lazerous?" The man behind the stand had a collar on, marking him as a slave, and behind him was an assortment of cloaks.

Lussuria looked through most of what was offered, before she sighed in disappointment.

"These are definitely second hand… plus they are cloaks, so it would defeat the purpose by masking myself."

"You never know if you would need a cloak, it might rain, it might snow! Find me again if you need a cloak!" The slave declared, before looking at Snow. "You there! Take a look at this fabric, I guarantee you'll like it!!" He took out a different piece of cloth.

Snow stepped forward and the man showed her the folded fabric before smoothly turning it over, revealing a note only to her.

"Isn't the artistry exquisite?" He asked as he motioned for her to take the paper. Snow took the note and put it in her pocket.

"The Master gives his regards!" The man then turned away from them as if they didn't exist and started his announcements again.

"New cloaks from the Great Tailor Lazerous, very rare! Get them while they are out now!"

Snow looked towards Lussuria, "Let's go Lussuria."

As they got farther from the market, they could see why this was the 'commoner' district. A man with a particularly bad stench to him and ragged clothing practically crawled out onto the path in front of them from where he had been sitting against a building.

"Spare a copper? Please. I just wish to buy some bread for today." The beggar pleaded. Arthur quickly stepped in between.

"Good day sir, we do not. Please move aside."

The man scurried back to where he had come from. The further they walked, the more on edge Arthur appeared. The number of homeless people here was very noticeable.

"I'm starting to think the slaves have it better than the common man here." Lussuria noted.

After two more corners and streets of dodging beggars, they found the mage guild. It looked like the Regalia's mage guild, but it was a whole lot bigger. The gothic building was made from dark stone which shined oddly in the light. Various flags flew from multiple poles around the structure. There were multiple canal channels in which water flowed around the guild and a long bridge leading to its entrance.

Lussuria looked surprised for a moment but then hid it behind a mask of neutrality.

"Hm, a little bigger than I anticipated."

As they were crossing the bridge, Lussuria spoke again.

"You all will probably have to wait out here, the mage guild does not like to let in random visitors unless informed in advance. Even royalty isn't an exception."

"No issues there. We can wait out here."

"I don't know how long it will take. I'll come back out if anything unexpected happens."

___________________________________________________

There were benches on the bridge and that's where Snow went to wait for her sister. She sat down at the end of a bench, and Arthur stood guard at her side. Ares and Crow were standing by the start of the bridge. Snow watched as the rushing water passed underneath them, only to have her quiet contemplation broken when some doves flew by. The doves quickly circled back and landed in front of her to Snow's surprise.

"Seems they find safety in you." Arthur stated as he took note of the interaction.

"Ever since I was little doves have always liked me. One time Gravis was sitting next to me and had a whole handful of seeds, while I didn't have any. Yet the birds still flocked to me instead."

"Sounds like you have a power of your own then." Arthur suggested, a smile on his face.

"They calm me, I think I calm them too." Snow smiled as well, while gently scratching the neck of one of the birds.

Arthur looked up at the sky

"You know, this reminds me of Crow. He used to play with crows when he was little, and he got bullied for it."

"Crows? That sounds so cool though."

"Yeah, but it's not cool when you come from a town that believes in every superstition known to man. He had an amazing gift, and people feared him for it. It got to the point where the crows began to defend him against the other kids who bullied him. That is when his town banished him, even though he was only a child at the time."

"That's cruel." Snow stated, saddened as the story brought her own feelings of being an outcast.

"Remember our conversation in the carriage? The question about fate? Well, Crow carved out his own fate. He went from being homeless and without family to one of the best magicians of the Lotus Guard. He worked his way through a lot of hardships to reach success."

"That's good for him."

They both looked down the bridge at the two; Ares kept poking at Crow who was trying to keep watch. Crow responded by yelling at him again.

"Don't you think Ares should stop bullying him, considering his past?"

"Crow and Ares are like brothers. It may seem like Ares is a bully it's the opposite, when Crow joined the Lotus guard Ares was the first one to accept him with open arms. Don't tell Crow I told you this but for some missions we can choose a partner, and Crow has chosen Ares every time he could. Crow may see himself as the intellectual one, but he still looks up to Ares as an older brother and Ares makes sure to let him know he's not alone. They are a great team no matter how dysfunctional they look."

"That's sweet." The story reminded Snow of Gravis and her.

They remained in silence after that, watching the moment between Ares and Crow. Ares gave his usual hearty laugh and wrapped his arm around Crow. Crow did not resist. Snow looked back to the water and a moment later Arthur stepped closer to her. In a lowered voice, without looking down he said,

"You were given a note in the market district weren't you. The coast is clear, you may read it now."

Snow looked back at Arthur and then brought her head down to her pocket, pulling out the note, unfolding it, it read;

- - - - -

If you find yourself in hell, seek out my thread made of spider's web.


- L

- - - - -

A picture of a broken up spiderweb was on the back of the note.

"What does it say?" Arthur asked.

Snow told him, as she was unsure of its meaning. Arthur wasn't sure either.

"Well, hopefully you won't need to figure it out. After all, that's what my colleagues and I are here for."

After about an hour more of waiting, Lussuria emerged from the guild. She didn't even stop at the bench Snow was sitting at. She just continued marching forward, anger evident in every line of her body. Snow got up and ran after her.

"Hey Lussuria! What happened? How did it go?"

It took a few moments as Lussuria cooled from "boiling mad" to "simmering mad", before she responded.

"Damn old man. Inconceivable, the disrespect." She snarled.

"What happened?" Snow asked, suddenly worried that maybe she should have tried to go in with her sister after all.

"After he pointlessly lectured me on how "glorious" the assets and the new building were, he just had to sprinkle it with a bit of 'I told you so' in regards to their prior invitation. He even went so far as to give me a demonstration of his Astute level students flaunting what I could have potentially learned if I said yes to joining them."

"What did he say about the vote though?" Snow wanted her to get to the point, her sister was too far gone.

"Astute level spells which I COMPLETELY understood and copied with exactly three repetitions, and I was smugly giggled at by their students for not being fully optimal with my casting. Students with over a hundred hours of practice by the way. I copied their spells in the time it takes them to finish a meal, and they had the audacity to giggle at me. WHAT AN EMBARRASSMENT! That's not the kicker though, after I successfully casted one of their construct spells, they began to point out all the weaknesses and irregularities in my casting of it. Like, of course I know it's not perfect!? That was the first time I fully casted it! Their spell wasn't even that difficult. If only I was able to get that tome from the Regalian mage guild, but the librarian wouldn't have of it. Goodness, I could have been so much better prepared for that encounter! I'm going to have a serious word with the Regalian Archmagi when we return." Her rant finished, she finally stopped and took a breath.

"Did. You. Get. His. Vote?" Snow asked again, emphasizing each word in frustration.

"Of course, I got his vote but that's not the point Snow!" Lussuria exclaimed, vividly remembering the injury to her ego.

"Yes!" Snow hugged her. "I knew you could get it! That means we just need two more!"

"Just wait till they see, they want to flaunt construct spells, do they? After we get home, I don't care what I need to do, I'll make a dragon of ice with Winter for breath and then we'll see who laughs." Lussuria laughed, the sound heavy with restrained malice.

Snow didn't notice, too lost in her sister's success, while Arthur simply shook his head in amusement.


❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆

 

[Bloodkin]

Chapter 23 The Noble's District.
Snow
Snow rose out of bed and yawned; the chirping of birds and rays of sunlight signaled the new day. Today would be Snow's day, they had decided to leave Sir Harper for today, as his estate is on the far edge of the nobles district and would take a while to get too. Opening the windows of their room, the sunlight flooded in and after her eyes adjusted, Snow could see the tapestry lined streets and the council building. The marble landmark had a small line forming outside its doors. After taking in the sight, Snow turned her head towards Lussuria's bed to see her slumbering sister. Lussuria was a heavy sleeper and as her arms and legs had been sprawled chaotically over different parts of the bed, Snow wondered if sleep removed the consequences of imperfection from her mind. It would make sense considering the near sloth state of her sleeping form.

"Lussuria." Snow moved to wake her up.

Lussuria only groaned.

"Lussuria come on, we have to get going."

Lussuria turned her head to go underneath the pillow.

"Five... more... minutes… dear… sister." she mumbled before quickly falling back asleep.

"Five minutes and then I'm waking you up."

Snow left Lussuria in her bed and went to the washroom. After she washed her face and cleaned her teeth, Snow made her way down the hallway and descended the steps to the first floor lobby. As she neared the final steps Snow could hear Arthur and Crow having a conversation.

"I understand, Crow, but I don't have a good feeling about this."

"It's on orders, we must go investigate it. No matter how many potential threats."

"Just scout it out, nothing further. Then report back to me."

"Understood."

Snow took the last step to the bottom of the landing and Arthur greeted her from the fireplace area.

"Good morning princess."

"Good morning, what were you two just talking about?"

"Just some secondary business, you need not worry. It will not interfere with our visit to the knight councilor."

"It sounded dangerous."

"No no, it's not that, we just don't want our cover blown that's all." Arthur smiled.

He was lying. Snow could tell. Not even from looking at his face. She could tell by looking at Crow, who's usual emotionless demeanor had a hint of worry. Whatever it was, she figured that she wouldn't pry.

"Are you and Lussuria ready to go?" Arthur redirected the conversation.

"Lussuria said five minutes."

It was in fact not five minutes. Getting up alone took nearly twenty and getting 'ready' was another twenty, which Lussuria claimed was "fast". At least they were out and finally on route to the next objective now. Snow, Lussuria, Arthur, Ares and Crow were making their way through the common district again, but this time they were going north instead of south. The group followed the main road which ran around the left side of the council building.

As they were walking through the main road towards the nobles district, horses and mules trotted down the busy road pulling wagons, while a bunch of commoners and workers were carrying sacks of groceries and supplies on their back. For such a busy street their usually loud group had mimicked silence. Snow couldn't help but notice Ares was uncharacteristically reserved.

"Ares?"

"Hey princess." He gave her a bright smile.

She figured she would ask him something to lighten the mood.

"Do many weapons transform into armor? I've never seen one do that before."

"Aha, so you noticed!" He exclaimed louder than he should have. "I bet you got some battle curiosities don't you! Yup, it's right here!" He tapped the metallic armor that was plating over his leg. "Lugging that thing around is quite intimidating so I usually put it on" he shrugged. "And nope, this one unique, crafted by an old buddy of mine." He seemed to relish in the memory of his friend.

That icebreaker brought breath back into him, his behavior returned to normal, to which the first thing he did was point at the sign far off in the distance where a fork in the road had formed.

"Hey Crow, I bet you can't read that sign from here."

Crow responded with his usual sigh.

"Of course, I can."

"Noble district square, valley of stones, and warehouse row" Arthur had answered the question to which Ares grew shocked.

"Arthur, you could read that from here?! If I knew you could be capable of reconnaissance like that, I wouldn't have suggested bringing Crow!" He laughed.

"He can't see the signs you idiot, he just knows the map of the area! And why are you talking about that in the open, can't you be a little discreet!"

"Relax Crow, I'm just kidding! He padded Crow on the back. I know if you saw something, you would shut me up! So, I can talk as loud as I please!"

Crow sighed in annoyance before complaining.

"You're the one I'm questioning on bringing. Are we escorting you? Or are we escorting her majesty's- "Ares clasped Crow's mouth. Crow realized what he was about to say. There was an awkward silence before Ares responded.

"What was that about me being discreet?" Followed by a boast of laughter.

Crow was once again defeated.

They were approaching the gate of the noble's district, stopping thirty or so feet in an area empty of guards or people.

"I guess this is where we break off." Ares Declared.

"Indeed." Crow responded.

Lussuria wasn't aware of what was happening.

"Are you guys going somewhere?"

"Yes, Crow and Ares will be gone for most of the day today. You girls will be with just me. The noble's district is extremely safe, as well as Harper's estate. So, we decided this was the best point to split up. They will be back tonight.

Ares and Crow nodded.

"Good luck on your negotiation, your majesty." Crow bowed.

"Knock em dead princess! Show harper the blood of Deamonia, that will send him running!" Ares cheered her on.

"Thanks guys, be safe on your mission okay."

"Don't worry, Crow may not know how to keep his mouth shut in the midst of a public street but he's the best overwatch in the order! Right buddy!"

"Don't get me started…"

Ares and Crow began walking in the opposite direction.

"Are you girls ready to enter the noble district?" Arthur asked them.

"Yes."

"Hopefully it is not as grimy as this one." Lussuria rolled her eyes.

Snow, Lussuria and Arthur went up to the large gate that separated the two districts and crossed over.

The Noble District was like jumping into a new world, the gate they had crossed may as well been a magical portal connecting two places across time and space. Every building was extravagant in both design and size, made of polished stone and the clearest glass the girls had ever seen. That wasn't even mentioning the golden metal trimmings coating almost every edge and corner in sight. Whether or not the metal was real gold, the visual impact was the same and
conveyed the same message: we are better, because we are wealthy. The shops open to customers were also completely different. Whereas the Commoner District shops had been dominated by professions that were necessary for daily living-things like blacksmiths, seamstresses, butchers- the shops here provided only luxury goods and services: theaters, jewelers, high-class restaurants and more.

They reached the center of the noble's district where there was a grand fountain, headed by a huge gargoyle statue.

"How about we take a short break here, your majesty's. We have been walking for a while." Arthur halted their progression to allow them to rest from the hour walk that they've been on.

"Sure." Snow and Lussuria agreed.

Snow sat on one of the marble chipped benches that surrounded the gargoyle fountain. On the gargoyle's head she could see white doves perched on top of it.

Lussuria took a seat just next to her, crossing her legs.

"Snow, have you figured out what you were going to say?"

"Yes. I've thought about it a lot."

"Care to run it by me first?"

"No need, Lussuria. Another thing I've come to an understanding with, is that I should do this on my own. It's my own test."

"Well, if you change your mind I can assist."

"Thank you."

After the short break they walked for another hour to the edge of the nobles' district to the point where the city ran up to the mountain edge.

"This is it." Arthur declared.

Snow and Lussuria looked at each other and then at the bridge they faced.

"This is an estate?"

Sir Harper's estate was not an estate, it was a small fortress located in the north east corner of the nobles district. Hovering off the mountain, supported by smaller mountains not connected to the main one. They had to cross a grand bridge just to reach it. With the amount of knights you would expect the king to be living here. Arthur made their titles known to the knights at the start of the bridge and they were allowed to cross.

"Knight Councilman actually lives in a fortress, okay then…" Lussuria noted while sticking her head over the side of the bridge. "...and right above the famous stone valley too."

"Stone fields?" Snow questioned, looking over the side with her.

"'The valley of undead golems' one of the scariest places known to man, where dozens of mages die whenever they go in!" Lussuria said with a dramatic flair of her arms as if she was telling a scary story before chuckling.

"Sounds like a myth to me."

"It actually isn't, she's right." Arthur confirmed Lussuria's tale.

"Really?"

Arthur nodded as both Snow and Lussuria were still gazing off railing into the valley. Snow could make out rocks and statues, all in pieces all over the grounds.

"Back when the war ended, the lotus army threw all the golems and constructs down there to avoid having to waste resources destroying them. The plan was to let them power down, but they never did. The constructs became dormant and no matter how many years go by, their power never runs out for some anomalous reason. Any person that gets near causes activations which wakes all the nearby constructs to pummel or crush them to death.

Snow's eyes looked past the valley of golems towards the frontier.

"Isn't that dangerous? Someone could wander in there by accident. Why haven't we destroyed them yet, it's been ten years since the war."

"The Mountaineer council doesn't want to. They keep it because it's an invasion deterrent. Before the war, this very fortress was the protection for the eastern flank of Vulcas. Armies would try to scale the mountain directly into the noble's district or the king's regal district. This fortress was built to shoot them down if such a thing happened. Now the stone fields are deterrent enough."

"So they just plan on leaving it like that forever?"

"The tradeoff of course is that this side of the kingdom cannot be expanded while that valley of constructs exists. It is effectively a no man's land."

The group had reached the end of the bridge. The knight councilor's estate radiated luxury in every sense of the word, the estate held several buildings, a visible garden, water ways, beautiful décor and flowers that were strung around several pathways. This fort had been completely transformed into a paradise. The word 'stunning' would be an understatement. Snow remembered from when she read his files. Sir Harper was one of the most distinguished generals in the
mountaineer kingdom and retired immediately after the war. These days he made it a hobby to buy a scroll's length of businesses.

Several knights on horseback as well as foot patrols were making rounds about the estate.

"This place seems more guarded than home." Lussuria noted as they strolled down the walkway made of colorful bricks towards the main manor building where a steward with a small red hat was waiting for them.

"Greetings, My name is Harold, steward of Sir Julius Harper, owner of this estate. May I ask who is visiting and for what purpose?"

"Hello Harold, I am Snow Regalia, princess of the Regalian Kingdom, and this is my sister, Lussuria Regalia." Lussuria nodded. "We wish to speak to Sir Harper, regarding some business." Snow stated their intent.

"The Lotus? They bless us with an audience? Why of course! Please follow me inside." He agreed and let them onto the grounds of the manor.

---

️ Ares ️

Ares rappelled down to a desolate part of the Commoner District, taking a shortcut from the northern angle of the district into the lowest common section near the old mage's guild: This was the property the High Queen was going to use for her plans. He could feel that something was off here. When he approached, his instincts turned out to be right as two guards were posted up on one of the few roads leading to the front of the old property.

He continued walking and pretended as if he was going to ignore them, but they stepped in his way.

"This road is off limits."

Ares tilted his head sideways, as he considered them, before deciding to engage.

"Hm? And why is that? I am a Lotus Agent; I know you can see the symbol on my chest. I just wanted to check out that property you seem to be guarding."

The guard flinched back at the mention of the property just before he poised himself aggressively at Ares, brandishing his weapon along with his fellow guard.

"It's on order from the king himself! This area is closed, including to the Lotus! Turnabout or there will be trouble."

Ares looked closer at the man, and peered right through the visor the guard wore, straight into his eyes.

"Don't you think this trick is a little old already?"

The guards looked confused at this, until Ares spoke again.

"You might have escaped in Regalia, but you won't be escaping now."

The two mercenaries disguised as guards dropped the façade and swung their swords at him.

"Kill him!"

Ares flexed his leg and the axeblade masquerading as leg armor clicked, partially unfolding. In the time it took his attackers to begin their swings, the transformed weapon glowed with arcane might as he brought his foot up and then stomped it down. The effect was devastating as it erupted in the mercenaries' direction, cracking the stone of the path, and sending them flying back several meters. They stayed that way, dazed and groaning as Ares approached.

"Bastard Lotus!" One of them shouted from the ground, still dazed and was struggling to recover from the sudden earth shock. Ares responded once again with a lifted leg and the weapon attached to it, glowing with power. He hovered it over the man's shin, just below the knee.

"No... Stop!" The man tried to plead but Ares didn't care. His foot smashed down, and the leg gave way like a twig with a sickening crack. The screams followed, but Ares couldn't focus on that for long as a blade scraped against his chest plate from the side, trailing sparks in its wake. The second mercenary had gotten back up and was already swinging again. Area reacted by dodging the swing and grabbing the man's neck and sword arm. The choked mercenary's feet
were hovering off the ground as Ares held him in the air. The man was struggling to speak. Ares loosened his grip to listen.

"Burn… him… already!" The mercenary managed to shout out.
Ares turned his head at the sound of ignited flames over his shoulder to see two more mercenaries with bottles in their hands, the tops stuffed with lit rags burning away. He saw their hesitation on whether to throw them while he had their comrade in his hands-it was short lived. They both leaned back to throw the bottles, but before they did, a small group of crows flew at them, claws and beaks striking at hands and eyes. The group became a flock as it bled the two
men: every time a crow drew blood another crow spawned, revealing the unnatural nature of the birds. It wasn't long before the two men were lost in a cloud of black feathers, piercing beaks and sharp talons.

Crow sat far away, perched on the edge of a roof just before the Noble's district looking at Ares' location. A normal person would not even be able to see what was going on from this distance, but Crow saw with more than just two eyes. From the stitches on their fake uniforms, to the blacksmith's marks on their weapons- no detail was missed. A dark magical wind surrounded him as he controlled the unnatural murder of crows.

Back on the street, Ares looked again at the man he was holding.

"Start talking." He ordered the short and simple words in contrast with the malevolent grin on his face.

---

Chapter 24 The Knight Councilman
Snow
Sir Harper's manor wasn't just a boastful shell on the outside, it was just as luxurious within. Everything from the furniture to the lighting, to the flooring was of the highest quality. Not even the castle living hall was this luxurious. Even Lussuria gave a nod of approval of the place.
The steward stopped just before the central stairs as they watched a lady descending its steps. The lady wore a green ribbon around her neck with a blue dress that had many misaligned cuts down the center which revealed her legs masked in detailed stockings. Arthur coughed and looked away. The steward turned towards them.

"Princess Snow, Princess Lussuria I would like to introduce you to Lady Grace, Lady of this household.

"Are you girls from Regalia?" She asked with an innocent voice as she reached the bottom landing.

Snow nodded, "yes we are."

"I knew it, You girls are way too cute to be some lowborn nobodies." Her eyes scanned over to Arthur looking him over questionably as if assessing him. "Why aren't you a cute one yourself, seems the stories about the attractiveness of the Lotus even extends to its guardsmen." She raised her eyebrow in an aggressive fixture as she inflicted a stare upon him that asserted tense aggression, Arthur maintained face before a reddish tint bloomed on his face causing him to look away. The woman smiled, returning her attention back to Snow and Lussuria, putting her hands together. "oh my, where are my manners? As my husband's steward said, my name is Grace, Julius is my husband. Forgive me but I have never spoken to a Regalian royal before, so I am terribly excited. I have so many questions, but I know you must be dreadfully busy! Please don't let me bother you, my husband is upstairs." She was excited but clearly disappointed
by the fact that she couldn't speak more.

"That's okay, Lussuria, I can handle this on my own, do you want to stay and spend some time with Lady Grace?" Snow motioned to Lussuria.

"Why of course it will be my pleasure." Lussuria flicked her hair and put up her chin. "Miss Grace, Do you have a tea room we can relax in? The walk here was quite long."

Grace and Lussuria started trailing off to a separate part of the house. Before stopping midway Lady Grace appeared to whisper something in Lussuria's ear. Lussuria gave a silent giggle before shaking her head. Grace looked at Arthur. "If her highness Princess Snow has business with my husband, I'm sure she would like to converse with him alone." Grace said while resuming the intense gaze at Arthur. Arthur gave Snow a fearfully silent look...

"I will be quick. Just go with them Arthur." Snow quickly said.

"Very well." Arthur followed them as they resumed walking.

"Oh goodie where shall I start, first what perfume is that? You smell lovely, and what food do you eat? What kind of holidays do you celebrate? Isn't Frostblood supposed to have white hair?" She really did have a million questions she kept asking while they were on route to the tearoom.

The steward led Snow upstairs to Sir Harper's office. He knocked on the office door and took a step back as they waited. The only indication of someone inside was the subtle movement of furniture, maybe the councilor was preparing the room? Snow thought nothing of it until an elven slave opened the door. The elf had pretty hair with green ribbons but it appeared that one of them was missing, leading to half of her hair being unfastened. The elven maid gave a quick
bow before quickly proceeding down the hall.

Sir Harper's office had a set of couches in the center surrounding a wide table, and near the windows there were weapon racks and armored dummies of various kinds each equipped with a special unique looking armor. It looked like a quartermaster's collection.

"Thank you, Harold, you may leave us." Sir Harper was sitting on the front of his desk towards the back of the room. After Harold left, Sir Harper rose and approached Snow. Sir Harper was a tall man who wore a regal red and black coat with an insignia of the mountaineer coat of arms weaved on the chest. His short hair was slightly gray and neatly kept just like his beard which was short and sharply shaped. He gave her a slow bow.

"Her majesty Snow Regalia, to what I owe the grace of this visitation, princess?"

"I didn't even introduce myself. How do you know it's me?"

"Please, a little hair color change may work for commoners, but you wear your mother's face. Sad that we have grown into a time where disguises are necessary, but please, have a seat. He motioned her to the set of sofas that surrounded the table in the center of the room. Would you like some tea?"

Snow nodded.

Sir Harper gave a sharp whistle and a small girl came in. Snow thought it might have been his daughter, until she saw the silver collar nearly hidden underneath her clothing, she was a slave. She was also half-elf given away by her ears but lack of the typical elongated elf neck.

"Girl, fetch us some tea."

"Of course sir!" The girl scurried off.

"So tell me, do you like the manor?" His hands rose in a gesture of boast. Awaiting her response.

"Very luxurious, not an expense spared. In fact, you could give our living hall a run for its money." Snow has seen her fair share of expensive décor, and this was pretty much over the top as she looked over his exotically furnished room again.

"That's right, You never know when your last day on earth will be. So, I don't cut corners." He seemed very proud of his home.

Snow didn't want to get straight into negotiations yet, like Lussuria said, she needs to take this slow and try to find the best approach, she saw the four unique armors that were on display behind him.

"Sir Harper do you mind if I take a look at your armor sets, they look interesting."

Sir harper's eyes glowed at that inquiry

"Why of course! I'll even explain each one to you!" He seemed to be eager to show it off.

Snow got up and took a few steps up to the first armor set nearest to the door. It was made of scales and green skin.

"Fortunately, and unfortunately these armor sets are mainly decoration now, as there is no current use for them since the end of the war. That dragon skin armor you are looking at is what I would use if we were up against beasts, it is fire resistant, pierce resistant and good against teeth and tails. I remember this one battle where it saved me from a wave of sting sharks."

"We were actually attacked by a few on the road here in the middle of the night, they moved so fast they were keeping up with our carriage."

"Glad your safety was ensured then. They are much faster than people expect them to be. Some people even call them cute, cute until they are devouring you with their countless rows of underside teeth."

Snow moved on to the next one. It was a white robe that looked tougher than normal clothing, with long hanging sleeves and a neck wrap.

"Can you guess what this one is used for?"

"It's light so I can only assume it's not meant for beasts, Holy operations?"

"It is poison resistant, its inside layer is coated in a slow dissolving anti venom. Expensive to maintain but there is no better poison resistant armor! I swear I've spent more money on anti-venom for this suit than I have for this manor, ha! I remember trekking through miles of insect swampland only to be the sole survivor for many battles. You don't play with insect poison, vile stuff."

They moved on to the next one, It was a fat suit of armor that had rounded points all around it.

"This one looks silly. I wonder what's its purpose."

"This suit, as silly as it looks, I've saved the most lives with this one. It is anti-explosive and very sturdy against a giant's crushing force. I've cleared more minefields and killed more giants than even the frost queen herself with this suit."

"Based on the stories I've heard, that would be an impressive feat." Snow raised her eyebrows.

He laughed.

"Perhaps I'm tooting my own horn but it was heavily used!"

They moved to the last suit. It was a sleek knight armor, it looked similar to the Lotus guard armor Arthur, Crow and Ares wore. She took a closer look, and could see the faint glowing of golden lines that spread around the armor like a grid.

"This one is my best suit. It is Anti-Magic, Binding spells don't work on it, lightning gets grounded, magical fire snuffs itself out, and artificial ice melts. Ideally you wouldn't send a knight off to fight a mage but if it ever came to that, I would wear this. Mage's get so cocky until you negate a few of their spells then they usually surrender."

"Really now? I've never heard of an armor that could do that. How is that possible?"

"Funny enough, not even I know. It was a suit worn by an old comrade of mine."

"Who made it for him?"

"An angel."

"I didn't know that angels made armor? Especially for humans."

"They don't, it was one of a kind. The story goes that they fell in love during the war and the angel made him the armor for protection."

"Humans were at war with the angels though, how could they fall in love?"

"Who knows, angels are the most prideful creatures by far. The fact that one fell in love with a human is still a mystery to me. They look upon us like animals, lesser beings even. The fact that they extended a peace offering to the high queen was very shocking. But, your mother was a fearsome woman."

"She still is."

"With the pressure of ruling over the majority of Lucredia, I would assume so."

Snow began reaching out to touch the grid-like lines that patterned over this special armor, she didn't know why but looking at the lines of light were so mesmerizing. Her hand got closer and closer, before it came to a stop about an inch away from contact. She retraced her hand and turned to Sir Harper.

"So what happened to your comrade and the angel?"

"The story goes, his group stumbled across an angel detachment that his angelic lover was in. The angel needed to make a choice, kill the human she fell in love with, or turn against her own kind."

"What did she choose?"

Sir Harper looked up as if remembering that day.

"The latter. The two of them took down the entire detachment of angels, about half a dozen."

"Six is a detachment?"

"A single angel can match the strength of 100 men, so fighting six at once was unheard of. This was before your mother's infamous frostblood army came along and changed those values. I stumbled across the remains of that battle. The angel was holding his corpse. I will never forget that image; her invisible wings were revealed by the blood coating them, they were so long and arced around his body while she cradled him on the ground. Not only did I see what their wings look like, I also learned that their tears glisten. The sight was like a painting of a terrible tragedy but strangely beautiful. I noticed at the last second that my men were preparing to strike. I stopped them, ordered them to stand down, the angel in response gave me one judgmental gaze and decided to leave his armor with me, explaining that it was not enough to protect him and asked me to put it to good use. She then flew away with his corpse and I never saw her again."

"That's so… sad."

"War is not a fight to stand on the mound of victory, it is the process of creating that mound with death and suffering."

"I wouldn't call that a mound of victory then, that's a mound of mistakes."

"That's certainly one way to look at it."

Suddenly, the sharp sound of whooshing fire was heard.

"Fire?" The smell of smoke filled Snow's nose, the smell was coming from the nearby window.

They both rushed to the window to see what was happening behind the house. Harper's office window had a view of the fort's training yard. Grace was down there cheering as Arthur's fist was smoking. The training dummy at the end of the yard was on fire.

"Grace, you are going to burn the house down!" Harper called loudly out of the window with a tone of annoyance.

"He's a Lotus dear! He knows how to aim!" She turned back to Arthur, "That was exciting, can you shoot a bigger one?"

"How about a flaming whip?"

"Oh even better!" she excitedly nodded.

Sir Harper shook his head before looking back at Snow.

"Don't worry Sir Harper, I will cover any damages, Arthur is very precise, he won't burn your house." Snow gave him assurance.

"I'll hold you to that. Now how about we take a walk."

They were walking around the estate building. Snow noticed throughout the tour of lavish walkways, gardens and side buildings that there were a multitude of slaves, some were elven, some insect and others human. All either young women or children. The women were cleaning for the most part while the children were seen picking fruit and carrying small buckets of water around. Snow also noticed that all of the children were half breeds: half-elves, half-mothian, even one was an elf-sect. Each child looked wildly different with diverse and unique features like: neck marks, pointed ears, bone horns, partial bone-plated bodies, developing wings and more. However, they all shared one thing in common, and that was a collar brandishing a knight symbol.

"It is to my understanding you're not just here for sightseeing." He noticed her looking at his slaves.

"This place must take a lot of upkeep." Snow answered his misdirecting inquiry.

"It does, but honestly I just like having them around. You can call me a very charitable man."

Snow and Sir Harper continued the stroll before crossing a glass paned door. Looking through the door Snow saw a room inside that caught her interest; The room had a checkered floor and a game table in the center. Snow stopped as she stared into the room.

"Do you like my praefectus chess room?" He noticed her interest.

"I play, it's fun."

"Praefectus is a good judge of character. I typically play it to judge knights who are trying to reach officer ranks."

"Surely praefectus knowledge can't be the sole indicator of a good leader."

"You would be surprised. Even if you are bad at the game, you can get a good judge of character. How about we discuss your business over a game of praefectus chess, Princess Snow?"

---

️ Ares ️
Ares was investigating the inside of the old mage guild building. The only things out of place were all the incapacitated or dead mercenaries whose bodies littered the halls in his wake. He stopped upon discovering a tunnel that had been dug near the rear of the school. There was a crow sitting on his shoulder. Its feathers rippled with his every move, causing the bird to look more like a shadow in the shape of a crow more than anything else...

"Looks like there is some excavation happening here. The question is, for what?"

Ares began to descend into the tunnel, but before he could get too deep, the crow on his shoulder started to caw aggressively at him.

"What? Are you scared of tunnels or something?"

Ares continued on his way, ignoring the uncooperative bird and it wasn't long before he stepped into a new underground structure.

"Woah, talk about a cliché hideout."

There were various magical instruments on the walls and in glass boxes in rows, spanning down the room.

Ares took a closer look at some of the items enclosed in glass cases before he took a second look around.

"On second thought, this isn't a hideout, it's a vault. Maybe the vault of the old mage guild?"

Ares looked around until he reached the end of the room and saw a huge obsidian door that had cracks and scorches all over it. There was a tunnel right in the floor underneath the door and when Ares went to inspect it, he saw that he could barely fit in it.

The bird on his shoulder became agitated again and started pecking the side of his face when he attempted to go in.

"Stop pecking me damnit! Arthur can't help us! He's on babysitting duty! If we leave now, they will send backup. This might be our only chance."

Ares ripped the axeblade out of his leg armor as it transformed back into its proper form before fusing it with the armor on his left arm, causing it to change shape again.

"Instead of squeezing through that hole, I'll just bust the whole door down!"

The axeblade started to glow in its new place on his arm as he pulled it back in preparation for a punch. The crow started to flap its wings and caw, taking to the air to get away.

"Crow... Relax. You're being ridiculous right now. I got this!"

There was a subtle click as the glow coming from his arm seemed to peak before he lunged forward and struck the door with full force. The door shook and cracked but didn't break. Instead, the walls and ceiling holding the door in place gave in, allowing it to fall into the pitch-black room it had been protecting. His bird companion returned to his shoulder as the dust settled.

Ares entered the room and green magical lights activated, lighting the place up and revealing a small throne with a skeleton seated on it. There were ten other skeletons on the ground in the room, all in kneeling positions towards the throne. Ares examined the enthroned one and noticed it had a black ring on its finger.

Some of the green light in the room reflected off the ring and into Ares' eyes giving him a sudden and splitting headache. The surprise pain was so intense he fell to one knee. He could feel his body slowly being forced to match the same position the rest of the skeletons were in, no matter how hard he fought against it. The crow on his shoulder flew at the ring and opened its wings around it, blocking vision of it, thereby breaking Ares free from its spell.

"What the hell kind of magic is that?" Ares rumbled as he rubbed at his head. "Thanks Crow." But instead of silence, or any of the sounds a bird would make, a voice he didn't know responded to him.

"I feel like I must thank you for I was just about to do the same and break down that door, but you saved me the hassle." A man took one step into the light of the room and out of the shadows that had concealed him.

Ares didn't know the voice or the face, but he recognized the eye patch, and the clothing.

"Based on the report, you are that runic bastard that attacked her majesty's kids in Regalia."

Ares ripped the Axeblade from his armor, transforming it into its proper weapon form again as he got into position, his body radiating a desire to do violence.

"I'll bring your head straight to her majesty."

The man with the eyepatch sized him up calmly before replying.

"I've heard stories about that weapon of yours. Let's see how strong it really is." He replied as he began reaching for his eyepatch.

Ares charged right at him.

 

[Bloodkin]

Chapter 25 War Chess
Snow
The game room was made of black and white tiles and decorated with various banners representing all the houses in the Mountaneer realm. The thing that immediately stood out was the floor, not the tiles themselves but what was piled on top of them. Scattered all over the room in piles were hundreds of praefectus pieces. Some broken, some new and in the middle of all the piles was a table, the table was carved from stone and atop this ancient but unique table was a praefectus chess board. The board was unlike any Snow has ever seen; the sides were made of glass which made the board appear like it was floating. The board itself was twice the size of a normal praefectus board along with its pieces. The pieces themselves were made of stone, some clearly newer and some older.

Sir Harper led her to the table and pulled back the crimson cushioned chair that resembled the shape of a throne. The chair was facing the side of the room they had just entered from.

"Please have a seat."

Snow took her seat on the throne-like chair.

"Comfy."

After seating her, Sir Harper went around the table to the opposing side and took his own seat.

"I hear the Lotus royal family are good at practically everything. A simple game while we discuss your business should suffice. You claimed you played before, I assume you know all the rules?"

"Yes." In their family, Snow was the only one who could not activate the frostblood. She was terrible at political appearances, could not fight like gravis, nor was as smart as Lussuria. She was the only one that wasn't 'practically good at everything.' Thinking about all of which led her to this seat, Snow couldn't help but smile. Maybe fate was throwing her a bone, because this game was one of the only things that she was good at.

"I know them well, councilor."

The goal of praefectus was the same as chess, to checkmate the king. However, the board was larger, with twice as many pieces, and split into two parts: the main battlefield and the supply board. On the supply board each player controlled a supply tower. There was also a new piece, the 'Lord Commander' piece, which could move omnidirectional and could not be killed by pawns. Each player controlled four Lord Commanders. Each player was also allowed to move
three separate pieces per turn. If they manage to attack the enemy's supply tower their opponent's number of moves would be reduced to one.

"Would you like the first move?" Sir Harper was giving her a judgmental gaze as she looked at the board pondering her opener.

"No, you may have first."

The start of the game is arguably the most important. On each player's first turn they must choose to send any number of pieces to their supply board. On any other turn it costs three moves to transfer a piece from one board to the other. Another requirement is that the piece you want transferred must be in the back 2 rows unless it is a pawn, In which case it must be in the first 4 rows. Simply put, You must decide how many pieces to send over to defend your supply
tower at the start of the game. Snow was thinking of just that.

"Princess, are you familiar with the Mountaineer variation?"

Snow looked up at him.

"No, I am not."

"As you are playing in our kingdom, it is only fitting we play our variation."

"What is the variation?"

"It is quite simple, It has to do with the 'Lord Commander' pieces."

Snow looked at the pieces on the board as she put on a peculiar face.

"What can they do differently?"

"Any pawn within one square vicinity of a 'Lord Commander' can not be killed by another pawn."

"That sounds… powerful."

"You would be correct, Lord Commanders in this kingdom, in other words: generals, heads of houses, and traditional lords are very powerful. You may argue that we are the hands of his majesty, orchestrating the defense and matters of the kingdom. Commanding our houses for his benefit, this variation represents our country." He raised his fist to his chest.

Snow's eyes veered to the sides of the room around them, at the piles of praefectus pieces scattered around them. She didn't notice it before but the vast majority of the pieces on the ground were white and Sir Harper was playing black.

"Is it traditional for captured pieces to be thrown to the ground in the gameroom with your variation?" She questioned him.

He gave her a smile.

"Yes. Tossing your pieces away is no different than real life; soldiers, servants, and commoners toss their lives away for their king and country. This game of praefectus represents that. It is also tradition for each player to toss their own captured pieces as their defeat is directly your fault. You will toss their lives away."

There were hundreds of white pieces spread around the room, this must have been why they weren't cleaned up, it was effectively a graveyard, a trophy for Sir Harper to relish in his must have been hundreds of games.

"Do you typically play black?"

"Always."

Out of the few black pieces scattered throughout the room she did not see a single specific piece. She looked at the back of his board as surprise radiated from her face. His oldest piece, nearly cracking as it was, was his king.

"I have never lost a game." He answered the unasked question. "Worry not, victory is not required for my judgment."

Snow leaned in.

"Let us begin then."

---

Harper began by moving three pawns backed by one Lord Commander to his supply board. The supply board was three squares wide which meant he effectively created a wall that could not be killed by pawns. Snow took an extra minute thinking. Sir harper was undefeated, with this and the variation in mind, Snow had to adjust her strategy. The Lord Commanders were powerful enough that she needed to play around them instead of playing around
single pieces like the Queen. Thinking about all of this she noticed Sir Harper had been waiting on her.

"Take your time."

"One more moment, apologies."

Her eyes wandered up the squares of the board until they reached his pieces. Looking upon the stone pieces which represented his force, she mimicked his move, mirroring his supply board.

This variation changed the outlook upon praefectus itself, her pawns were no longer pawns, they were an army. The key to fighting them was to take down the Lord Commanders.

"Shall we enter the discussion of your business here princess? What can I do for you." Harper began his main board by pushing three pawns on the left forward. The pawns all marched together, as if they were a single unit.

The half-elf slave girl entered the room, methotically approaching the table and serving each side their own cup of tea before taking one step back and waiting on standby. Snow noticed her observing the board.

After a sip of the sweet honey tea, Snow began her pitch.

"Sir harper we are aware that a certain vote is coming up during the next Mountaineer council meeting. There is a great opportunity to be had for both of us, from dropping the wall and allowing the labor guild to be brought into fruition. I am here to strongly encourage you to vote in favor for it."

"So, It is about the wall. I had a feeling, yes I am aware of it."

Snow made her next move; her knight charged from its starting position backed by two forward pawns. A chariot formation.

"Dropping a portion of the wall poses no outside risk to the Mountaineer Kingdom, as knight councilman you should know that."

Sir Harper made his next move; his center three pawns advanced, forming a long line of six pawns.

"Of course not, and you wouldn't have come all this way to explain the process of stonemasonry, and the defense of the Mountaineer Kingdom to its knight councilman and retired general." He smiled.

Snow's Queen emerged, backed by a knight and a pawn.

"No, that's not why I came here, I have no interest in rocks or stones. As a general who has fought for this kingdom, you should see just how beneficial this expansion would be for the Mountaineers."

"Unfortunately princess, I am inclined to disagree with you. Dropping that wall to allow the construction will not bring benefit to this kingdom."

Sir Harper commanded two of his Lord Commanders forward, they marched up and settled behind the two pawn units that had previously advanced. These two pawn units were now backed by a Lord Commander. It appeared to be an approaching front line, an army that spanned nearly the entire width of the board.

Snow looked at the approaching force, there was a flank. The right side, the space created when he had transferred three pawns to cover his supply tower.

"So you're telling me that building a new district which will need masons, bricklayers, painters, carpenters, sentries, officials and lords as well as increasing the amount of taxable revenue this kingdom generates is not a benefit in its entirety?"

"My concern is not about the immediate effect of the district, it's about the long term effect on the kingdom."

"Let's stop dancing around the issue then. We both know the council wants to exert some pressure against the ban of slavery that will come in effect come five years."

They both made their moves in silence.

"The decreased quality in materials, hiring of less qualified workers, the outsourcing of major refiners….All of which to compensate for the loss of profit. Too many issues will result from it."

Snow had to stop his advancing pawns, she began to advance her own frontline on the left. Three of her pawns marched forward to meet the oncoming army.

"Let's talk upon these issues one at a time then shall we?"

Sir Harper's bishops and queen filled his right flank, sealing the opening against any entry or attacks.

He now had a pawn army on the left and a force of special pieces on the right. At this rate, Sir Harper was going to flank her from the right side with all those special pieces. All the while his pawns will march on her territory. Snow was behind.

Snow's knights scrambled to guard the right flank.

"First off. Food laws exist for a reason, competition breeds quality and if it breeds degradation then we have laws against such practices."

Snow prepared for Sir Harper to advance his pawns again. But something else happened instead; Sir Harper summoned his knights back, protecting the Lord Commanders that were backing his army.

Snow's eyebrows went up at that move before she glanced again at the tea girl whose eyes were still staring at the board before a revelation was revealed to her, the half-elf slave girl's curious eyes gave it away. Snow had a feeling what his plan was now, his next move would confirm it.

Harper was eyeing her closely.

Snow broke the chariot formation she had on the right and beckoned her knights to meet the line of pawns on the left.

This would leave some of her pieces vulnerable on the right flank but she had a feeling Harper had no intention of attacking them.

Sir Harper's bishops that were on the right flank, the ones that were in position to exploit her, pulled back. They didn't attack.

She was right. His pawns were not an army.

They were a wall.

Looking at the board, all of Harper's pieces were now in square formation. He had created a fortress on his corner of the board.

If she engaged in any way, she would start losing trades.

"Continue." He said.

She needed to break his fortress.

"'Hiring less qualified workers.' So you admit they are doing quality work so they should be paid as such, is that not how life works? Paying them more would only increase their capabilities of doing better."

Snow could not open an assault by taking a pawn, if she wanted to win the oncoming battle she needed to find a hole in his defense. She looked at the supply board, at his supply tower, if she took that, she would gain a massive advantage. There was a problem with that plan though, all her pawns were past the transition point, she would need to send special pieces and then she would really be open for attack.

If she attacked his supply board, he would attack her. If she attacked his main board, she would lose as it stands now. Harper had effectively made a turtle shell of defense.

She only had two options, attack the supply board or attack him?

She couldn't be reckless here, she needed to think, she needed more information. Looking at Sir Harper's fortress, there had to be a weak point somewhere…

She saw it.

There was a weak point, but attempting to exploit it would be risky.

Snow sent word to her supply board and the Lord Commander guarding it. The Lord Commander keeping watch on it transferred itself back to the main board, to join the main force.

"Bolstering your forces I see. I will do the same."

Harper responded by summoning his own Lord Commander off his supply board.

Snow sent word for more reinforcements and the supply board gave her a pawn back, leaving just two pawns to defend her tower.

Harper did the same.

"Waiting for something Sir harper?" She addressed his obvious stalling.

Sir harper only gave a smile. "A Fool would break their best defensive position. A good commander needs only wait. All you are doing is bolstering my defense. Now I believe you are going to address my last point."

Snow called forth another pawn from her supply board, leaving it with a single pawn.

Harper copied her once again.

"Yes, if people outsource they will have to pay an import tariff on top of the fact that they will leave the greatest market in Lucredia. Not wise in my opinion."

"Let's say I believe that the wages aren't as bad as people predict. Whose to say that freed slaves will fit in this society, who is to say that they will be accepted. What will you say to the Lords and Ladies who simply do not want to lose their position of power over them?"

"Sir Harper, servants in which you can call at a whim to fulfill whatever urges come about you can still be arranged, you can deduct part of the wage as a living expense if they stay in your estate."

Harper seemed silenced by that one. Snow continued.

"There won't be all of a sudden a massive ruination of profit as you claim. Right now you are paying for food, drink and clothing for a slave as well as taking a risk of their health. You don't have such expenses for a free man. So the cost is not as different as you think. It's close to 30% more. Not double or triple as you are insinuating."

"I see, however my answer is still 'No.'" His stubbornness was showing. Lazerous was right, Harper was stubborn and unmoving. She needed to incentivize him further.

"No you say?"

Snow demanded the last remaining pawn out of her supply board, abandoning it and leaving it completely exposed.

Harper did the same, the supply boards were now exposed for both sides.

"I have addressed each one of your concerns. For what reason do you have in voting No."

Harper said nothing as he was considering his next move. Snow knew it was now or never to initiate her plan. She leaned back before saying,

"Your overconfidence in that packed fort will be your downfall. Sir Harper."

Harper looked up at her. Snow had a smug face, the type that said 'You are beneath me.' His mouth tensed downward, along with his eyebrows.

"Because. That's a change nobody will accept. It will only cause unnecessary conflict."

Snow rose her hand out with her elbow resting on the arm of the chair.

"You have commoners in this country who are starving and homeless. You have slaves whose potentials are being stiffled, all because men and women as you described dont want to lose their power over them. Ironic how someone my age can judge such behavior as 'childish'. The 'Lords' and 'Ladies' of this district will do just fine. You will have first grabs for investments on the properties or perhaps they have lost their common sense of how finances work. After taking
review of dozens of financial records even I can tell, at this rate, your vaults will run empty. I am trying to save your economy but you are resistant to our aid. What is the reason, pride? Greed? Or something else?"

Sir harper was surprised at the lashful remarks before his eyes dropped to the board. While she pressed him further.

"Will you continue to hide behind your walls? Against a child such as myself? I understand, for even cowardly tactics are cunning sometimes. I don't blame you, we Lotus are 'the best at everything'. As you so kindly put it."

Sir Harper gave her a smile, the smile on his face contrasted with the veins that were now visible on the sides of his head. A struct nerve, maybe?

"Leaving your tower open like that is an act of desperation, I can pressure it with a mere pawn before your Lord Commanders would even make it to your frontline. Your taunting efforts to break my formation are cute, so cute that I'll would entertain the spectacle of this futility. Sure I'll alot you a 'single' opening."

Harper transferred 1 pawn back over to his supply board, his wall formation now had a hole exposing his left Lord Commander.

Snow now had an opening to attack that Lord Commander. The hole in the wall however, could only be exploited by her Queen, which would be a sacrifice.

"Will the Queen lead this suicidal charge?" He responded simply, while staring at the leader of the army in white.

"Yes, she will." Snow replied with the one sentence.

The Queen pushed forward, right through the gap in his formation, capturing the Old Lord Commander, knocking it down.

"You have the same temperament as your mother," he took the Lord Commander piece and tossed it off to the side. The piece broke upon hitting the floor. "However this is praefectus and the rules of this war are written in stone."

The Mountaneeir knight that had been covering the Lord Commander moved to kill the Queen, pushing her off the square.

Snow reached forward and grabbed her Queen. Instead of tossing it she leaned off her chair and placed it on the ground next to her.

The conflict ignited as the back and forth killing began, Snow sending everything she had into the left pawns that were not backed by a Lord Commander. An onslaught ensued. Pieces fell left and right as one after another were flung off the battlefield, crashing against the floor. The bloody battle continued with no end, pawns charged into pawns, knights charging into bishops, knights slaying knights, Snow sacrificed half her army just getting past his wall, once inside her army was halved again against the resistance. The bloody conflict only ceased when Snow had about a quarter of her force remaining. The now tiny force was approaching the darkened stone king.

Harper smugly laughed.

"That did not work out too well. By abandoning your supply tower and not waiting for your Lords to get to the frontline, you have been defeated in this war. I will give you credit though, you nearly managed to reach my King, a good attempt, but too late."

Harper was in position to take her supply line in the next turn. He had been advancing the one pawn on the supply board the whole time. Next turn she would be reduced to one move per turn. Her force was so close to taking his King, but they would not make it in time.

Snow sighed.

"What kind of life we live where your greatest sin is being born into something you didn't have any say in. Where you can't make decisions for yourself. That is something no one should go through." Snow was looking directly at him.

"Some people are not capable of making their own decisions. It may be a burden for some but it is a blessing for most. You make a good voice for the voiceless, but that voice is rejected here, The city of Vulcas is engrained in Mountainair values. We value our pride over principles for the weak. That is our cornerstone."

He slammed his pawn down claiming her supply tower.

"It seems you have lost your supply tower. You have been reduced to a single move. You have no resources and your force has dwindled to a third. I am sorry to say Princess, but your surrender… is imminent."

"Pride is a sword that is easily fell upon."

"And Wisdom is simply the shedding of Naivete that we are born with. If you think otherwise you are just not old enough."

"While I will admit, I don't claim to know everything. I may also be naïve. However, I don't need to shed my naivete to know that owning properties by stealing deeds from corpses and laying claim to them by siring half bloods are the legal or reputable thing to do, no matter how good it makes your tea or income. Naivete doesn't stop me from seeing how knights of an old republic are paid to train members of an illegal mercenary guild. Debauchery is also a sin but let's be
honest every Lord and Lady commits some form of it, so that wouldn't be worth bringing up. We as human beings really aren't kind at all if you think about it. Kindness is a virtue these days. So we are lucky to have a High Queen who is willing to forgive such moral dilemmas because kindness is better than animosity."

Sir Harper leaned back adjusting his neck before staring right back at her.

"Your move."

Snow pushed a single pawn forward.

"I have broken your defense. Your defeat is imminent, Knight Councilor Harper, check the board."

The knight councilor checked. There was a single pawn on the left side of the board. It was about to get queened, which will lead to a check. If he used a move to protect the check, Snow's corner rook would be able to slide down the right side of the board, capturing his rook and checking his king from the opposite side. He was flanked from both sides. The barrage of trades, the bloody conflict wasn't just bodies being thrown at the wall of his fortress, it was specifically
to clear the lane for the rook on the right causing his king to imminently be surrounded.

He still couldn't understand how. His eyes darted left and right over the board, envisioning all the moves he could make until he saw that all of them would lead to a checkmate against his King.

"It should not have been mathematically possible?!"

"You would be correct, If only you hadn't wasted 8 moves on taking my supply tower, that along with about two mistakes you made during the big battle. You would have eradicated my whole army. But now, I believe your surrender is required, less you want to lose all your pieces before you do so."

His mouth opened in shock as his eyes quivered in vivid remembrance.

I believe your surrender is required, less you want to lose all your men before you do so.

"General… Deamonia's… pincer…"

Snow rose from the chair, leaned down grabbing the Queen that had been on the floor next to her and placed it on the center of the board.

"No matter what the outcome of your decision, this Queen will remain on the board."

Harper's hands began to shake before he grabbed the arms of his chair and calmed himself before rising from his chair.

"I have been defeated twice now. It seems."

They had just finished shaking hands in the middle of the gameroom.

"Perhaps I was too stubborn. I have little hope in my beloved Kingdom being able to change its values, but evaluating you makes me see that it may be possible."

"I would be happy if you atleast had an open mind to it, also to see that we wish nothing for success for those under our rule."

"You have made that clear, very well Princess Snow Regalia. That will conclude our business," He sighed heavily, "I will vote in favor of the Lotus Family's construction project."

"Thank you so much Sir Harper, My family, especially my mother would be very pleased with that decision."

"Oh boy," Sir Harper scratched his head, "Perhaps it's time I move on from the past. Just like my strategy, it can not hold forever." He took the King that was still on the board and dropped it off the side, It hit the ground breaking into dust. He looked towards the half-elf slave girl who was still on standby.

"Veriya, Do me a favor and have some people clean up this room."

Veriya was surprised.

"The praefectus pieces?"

"Yes, It's time to clean the slate. Clear everything, even on the board but leave the White Queen."

"Ok Master Harper." She bowed and exited the room.

Sir Harper and Snow were standing near the glass-paned doors to the outside of the manor, where lights were seen flashing. Seems Lady Grace was still never ending with her requests.

"By the way, Mind telling me what led you to that strategy?" He questioned in curiosity.

Snow replied with a subtle smirk.

"That girl, Veriya. She was curious at the state of the board, more specifically, my board. Which led me to believe that you always use the same exact setup since she didn't look at your side once. After that was determined, my only decision was deciding where to strike."

"Still, a Queen for a Lord Commander was a bold take, especially for the start of that trade."

"That Lord Commander was the second oldest piece on your board. That told me you rarely experienced being attacked from that side and would be much less experienced in defending against such a push."

"Nobody has ever used the age of the pieces to obtain information about a potential weakness or deduct my own servants' behavior."

"It wasn't her fault, hope you aren't angry at her."

"Why no, I am happy I learned as much, Veriya has always been interested in praefectus. Perhaps I'll start teaching her officially. Or perhaps, pay you to teach us both!" Sir Harper laughed.

"Thank you for the praise, Sir Harper."

"Seems I have a lot of self reflection ahead. Thank you for your visit, Princess Snow."

"Thank you for the great hospitality, Sir Harper."
____________________________________________________________
Snow went to fetch Lussuria and Arthur preceding their goodbyes and they left Sir Harper's fortress estate. As they were crossing the bridge back to Vulcas's nobles district Lussuria asked her what happened.

"How did it go Snow?"

"We played a game of praefectus, then he said yes."

"Nice work sister, I knew you could do it. You beat him too I assume?"

"Yup, beat him so bad I gave him a cold sweat! He even uttered something about mom afterwards too. I guess Ares was right, I gave him a taste of mom's blood. How about your time with Grace? How did that go?"

"Lady Grace was fun. She isn't the most comprehensive type but she is very entertaining. I know Arthur likes her." Lussuria turned to Arthur who was trailing slightly behind them. "I didn't know his face could become that red. That's the type of women you like Arthur? I figured you would be attracted to someone who could at least comprehend mage books."

Arthur was taken back.

"She was all over ME! She couldn't get her hands off me!" He complained in his defense before turning to Snow. "Princess, please do not leave me to such women again. It was worse than a tea meeting."

"I dunno Arthur, Tea meetings are pretty bad." Snow joked.
_________________________________________________________
They reached the center of the nobles district before taking another short break. The sky was growing red as the sun was drawing a close on the day. Snow was staring at the gargoyle statue again, the longer she looked at it the longer it looked like one of those praefectus pieces.

"You look uncertain Princess, what is troubling you?" Arthur asked her.

"Lussuria was able to get Augnems' vote, I was able to get Harper's vote. I don't know, I feel like things are going a little too smoothly." She couldn't help but feel pessimistic for some reason.

"Princess, I am sure you have nothing to worry about, for either the vote or your safety. Once you finish talking to the Mediator we can return home." Arthur reassured her.

"Don't forget I need to get my outfits made first! Lazarus promised me." Lussuria made sure to remind them.

"Of course Lussuria…" Snow shook her head. Maybe it was all in her mind.

"It's getting dark, we should get going." Arthur suggested.

"Okay."

When they got back to the inn the innkeeper was behind the desk and asleep as usual.

"This guy is always asleep. How do you run a business like that?" Lussuria said in question.

"You talk a lot." He said in between his snores.

"You sleep a lot. Do you wake with the moon? Do we have a werewolf in our midsts?" Lussuria leaned over the counter staring at him.

"You already have a key so leave me be miss curly hair. I know your attention is starving but get it somewhere else will ya." He lazily waved her off before resuming his sleep state.

"What! And your.. nutrient starved! Have you ever been awake more than five minutes?"

"Alright, stop bullying the innkeeper Lussuria, let's go."

Snow once again took Lussuria and pushed her up the stairs.

"He's the rude one!" she said in a fit of annoyance as they disappeared into the upper floor.

Snow and Lussuria were back in their room.

Lussuria removed her boots and fell back on her bed.

"Aw my back and feet. So much walking today."

"Say Lussuria." Snow got her attention.

Lussuria turned her head to Snow.

"What's up?"

"What do you think about mom's ban? On the Mountaneer slaves."

"What about it?"

"The rational Sir Harper gave me. He basically said the benefit of most is better than the benefit of all. That the indentured servants being slaves allows everyone else to live such a better life."

"Sounds like you're inclined to agree with him. Is that what's troubling you?"

"Sounds like a lot of people are inclined to agree with that statement."

Lussuria leaned off the bed making close eye contact with her.

"You want to know what I think?"

Snow gave a quick nod.

"I could care less about the well being of slaves."

Snow was surprised at her own sister's statement, Lussuria picked up on her reaction and followed it up with,

"However, what I do know is that the system of slavery is already considered primal. We aren't animals and taking the rights away from a quarter of the population slows our development down as a society, that includes the speed of our collective research and science. That is why I don't agree with it."

Snow didn't say anything.

"If it makes you feel better, Sir Harper's logic was total hogwash."

"Why's that?"

"The day the slaves revolt is the day their economy breaks with this current system. When that day comes, all of that extra profit will be lost or used to regain control of them. Plus, the percentage of servants and slaves combined is well over 40%." Lussuria sarcastically chuckled "If anything helping *them* could be considered the "betterment of 'most'."" Lussuria held her hand over the candle. "Early start tomorrow, lets get this over with so I can cash in my favors with
Lazarus." She was giddy at the mention of Lazarus.

"Okay, good night."

"Good night dear sister."

---

Arthur
Arthur was keeping watch outside, until a shadowy crow landed at his feet.

"Crow?"

The crow kept cawing repeatedly.

"Ares? Trouble? What happened to him?"

The bird cawed one final time before flying away.

"Gotcha. Can you swap with me and watch the girls?"

"The crow nodded and flapped before flying up to the roof."

"Thanks." Arthur stepped into the shadows and began sprinting.

---

Chapter 26 – The Mediator
Snow
"Where is Arthur?" Snow wondered as she and Lussuria stood outside the inn again the next day. Their ever-present Lotus guard was conspicuously absent.

"We still haven't seen Ares or Crow either. Strange." Lussuria muttered as she looked around.

"Do you think we should wait for them?" Snow asked unsurely.

"The council building is right across the street. I don't think we need Arthur for that."

"You're right and it's the last vote we need… let's just get this over with." Snow decided they would go into the council building alone.

Arthur not being there was strange, but they should be fine on their own. The council hall was just across the street so there was practically no risk to their safety.

"Alright, I'll follow your lead this time, but don't get used to it." Lussuria sniffed.

Surprisingly, they weren't questioned by the outer guards as they walked in but there was a checkpoint before they entered the inner chambers of the building. The entrance to that area had a long line of not so happy people waiting to go in.

"What's taking so long?!"

"Come now, ya'll owe me two-hundred silver for grain!"

"I get robbed, and I can't even report the crime! This is absurd!"

The line forming was made mostly of farmers, merchants, and business owners. Seems they were trying to put in requests, complaints, or inquiries for government intervention on their behalf. Snow got on the line and Lussuria gave her a confused look.

"Snow, what are you doing?" She asked, a perplexed expression on her face.

"I'm waiting on the line?" Snow answered, just as confused by the question.

The look her sister sent her at that answer reminded her uncomfortably of the looks their mother would send her when she said something the queen considered the "height of stupidity." Lussuria grabbed her hand and led her to the front of the line. They approached the guard who was stationed just behind the checkpoint table.

"Hello. We have urgent business here, please allow us through and direct us to Head Councilor Frederick." Lussuria stated, radiating the kind of authority she usually did when discussing magic.

The guard glanced up from the mountain of documents he was trying to organize, and sent her a bland, dismissive look.

"You and everyone else here. Go wait on the line with the rest, little girl." He said before going back to waging his war on unruly paperwork. Snow almost forgot, their hair was still disguised so they appeared as regular people. Surely there must have been some way of letting the guard know of their status.

As if to answer her thoughts, something heavy was dropped on the table. It was a large, golden medallion with a lotus insignia on it-the official emblem of the Regalian royal family. Lussuria had just dropped it on top of the guard's paperwork.

His eyebrows shot up as he quickly glanced back up at the sisters.

"You were saying?" Lussuria asked, her voice dripping with a sense of superiority.

"Apologies for my rudeness, your highness, I wasn't made aware of this business. Frederick's office is upstairs by the lion statues, can't miss it." The guard answered, his voice a prime example of deference.

"Thank you."

They were let through without further trouble, to the ire of many of the other people waiting in line.

"Well, that's convenient." Snow noted.

"You will never catch me on a waiting line with peasants." Lussuria's narcissism had helped for once.

The inside of the council hall looked like a church and as they reached the staircase and started ascending, they could hear large stones moving.

"What is that?" Snow wondered aloud.

"Ok! I'll give my support!" They heard a man yell out. When they got to the next floor, they saw a man running down the hall. He ran right past them and down the stairs.

Snow looked at Lussuria, and saw the same puzzled expression reflected on her face.

They walked through the upstairs hallway until they saw two big, lion statues in front of a set of expensive wooden doors. There was a gold plaque on the wall next to them that read: 'Head Councilor-Frederick Stone'

Snow knocked on the door and It wasn't long before they heard a voice call from within.

"Enter!"

They entered the office and the first thing Snow saw was a large desk backed by three floor to ceiling glass windows that gave a view of everything in front of the building. Snow could even see the inn they were staying at from here. Head Councilor Frederick sat behind the desk. He had a sharp goatee, brown hair tied up in a tight knot and wore a crimson coat embroidered with silver lions.

"The Lotus graces me with her presence or should I say her children do. I hate to sound rude, but this will have to be quick. I don't do unannounced visits, no matter who you are." The councilor gave off the air of arrogance and entitlement better than Lussuria did. Snow was determined however and got straight to business.

"Hello Head Councilor, I speak on behalf of the Lotus Monarchy, and I wish to inquire…"

He cut her off with a raised hand.

"Don't tell me, this is about the vote, isn't it? Construction for a Labor Guild, and all that?" He asked, his voice dismissive.

"Yes, I am afraid it is." Snow forged on, thrown off balance by his behavior.

He shook his head.

"I didn't think it was true, but it seems it is. The Lotus sends her own children to lobby for a bill? Like some lowly messenger nobles. Funny. I never thought the High Queen of Regalia would stoop to that level." He smirked as he leaned back in his seat. Snow and Lussuria shared a glance, the same perplexed expression on their faces. They were unsure if this blatant disrespect was really happening right now and how genuine it truly was. Important officials tended to say
all sorts of things before being humbled by serious stakes after all. A moment later, the councilor put his hands behind his head before continuing to speak.

"But this isn't some lesser bill I suppose. It's to my understanding this is the launching point for some very large plans your mother has. I guess I won't belittle you for acting as her hands and feet in this. I'll hear what you have to say."

Snow stepped up to the desk.

"After careful consideration, it has been determined by Her Majesty that the labor guild will yield the most benefits to everyone who takes a hand in its creation: Regalians, the Mountaineers, and the servants that will eventually be released. But she also understands there is some resistance to the idea."

"Why yes. There is plenty of resistance, because it is a horrible idea."

"Why do you believe that is?"

"Slavery should not be banned, this kingdom cannot sustain its blooming economy without it. Not to mention that a good portion of these servants are immigrants or those taken from challengers to the kingdom's authority. Why should they be granted the same rights as people who were in born and rightfully fight for this society?"

"Blooming economy? You have hundreds of people who are on the streets. This project aims to allow not only the slaves, but also the Mountaineer's poorest to accumulate sustainable income without hurting anyone else: a new portion of city that requires builders, new guards, new shops, bakeries, masons, painters. It will be an economic opportunity for everyone else as well as them."

"Economic opportunity that will be prioritized for the labor guild, that will be in Lotus control, that will house mainly ex-slaves. I, and many others, find it hard to believe that anyone else besides those just mentioned will benefit."

"…I don't understand." Snow confessed, and from the sound of Lussuria palming her face behind her, she knew she had made a mistake.

"'I don't understand.' Do you hear yourself speaking right now, child? That's a good one. Your mother wants to control and micromanage our dealings while not actually being here. Harper and Augnem may be weak willed, but the rest of the council stands with the kingdom on this matter and will not budge."

"How do you know about Harper and Augnem? Have you been watching us, councilor?" Lussuria cut in, her voice heavy with suspicion.

"Of course I have, the second your carriage came through the front gates, it was brought to my attention."

"Sir Stone," Snow began again, hoping that a more casual approach would defuse the rising tension, "What if I told you the High Queen would allow you to reinstate the Merchants Guild, if you agree to allow this vote to pass smoothly, as you are the tiebreaker. We only need your vote." Snow stated as she played her only card.

Silence reigned in the room as the Head Councilor contemplated the offer, getting up out of his seat to look out the windows behind him. After a moment spent looking at the view, he turned back to them.

"After what she did, she thinks she can just offer me the guild back and all will be well?" He turned back to them, his face was marble, that was soon crumbling into that of anger.

"Sir Stone, I will be honest with you, my mother still harbors distaste for actions during the war ten years ago, yet she still prioritizes the most peaceful outcome, she seeks harmonious success for both kingdoms." Snow tried to placate his anger.
"Distaste for actions? I see mirrors don't exist for the Lotus even with all that ice in Regalia! Remarkable! No. I have no intention of supporting anything the Lotus has to offer. I don't care if it's the grandest plan ever thought of. We don't want your help. In fact, we want your icy claws off of us. This kingdom is ours; this district is mine. Any outside influence, especially from someone like the Frost Queen. Is. Not. Wanted." He answered, his voice heavy with malice and
wrath burning in his eyes.

"What's your deal Sir Stone? We only seek to help!" Lussuria cut in once more, the open hostility causing her to speak in defense of her sister.

"It is as I said: we don't want your help, nor do we need it."

"The Mountaineers swore fealty to Regalia's monarchy. Why wouldn't you accept our help?"

"Our ignorant fool of a king swore fealty to your mother, out of nothing other than fear. Butchers like the Lotus only leave destruction and fear in their wake. It is individuals like me and the Council that are the real protectors of this realm, we make the decisions that drive us in the right direction."

"You can't stop the ban Sir Stone and your words right now sound like you are conspiring to rebel." Snow accused him.

"There is no conspiracy, only a movement that's been set in motion." His eyes took on a sinister cast as his mouth formed a snarl. "To finally eradicate the Lotus and rid their hold over our domain."

"War?! Are you insane?!" Lussuria shouted, while Snow stood shocked in disbelief.

"It was you…you sent that mob in Regalia, the one that tried to kill Gravis and I!" Snow shouted as she shook off her stupor only to have it replaced by mounting horror.

The Head Councilor didn't even try to deny it, if anything he looked smug.

"Of course it was, you stupid little girl. I bet your mother didn't think anyone had the grout to attack her worthless offspring but we do. But, I'll stop there because I can't be bothered to waste anymore words on you." He scoffed, the contempt plain on his face.

"Wait until the king hears about this!" Lussuria threatened as she took Snow's hand and pulled her along to the door. "Snow, let's go! We are leaving!"

They moved to the door, only to again hear heavy stones moving, followed by deep snarls coming from the other side of the door.

"There won't be any of that." Sir Stone tutted as Snow and Lussuria backed away to the middle of the room, wary of the source of the sounds.

"Now, I can't outright kill you both here and now, but I can arrest you until war is properly declared. Don't need you meddling with councilors anymore and you'll serve as nice leverage against your mother…or maybe not, considering she sent you here alone. Like piglets to the slaughter." He laughed.

"The Council would never accept it! Your kingdom would suffer too much from a war." Snow tried to reason as she turned back to him.

"And your kingdom cant even fight a war, any fool can see how overspread and under manned your armies are. The other countries may be oblivious to that fact, or got their tongues stuck licking your mothers feet but Vulcas sees the truth. That you are as weak as ever! The only strength your mother has are those monstrous wardens, but no warden can fight an entire country!"

The doors blew open and the lion statues were no longer just statues. Their nature as stone golems was plain to see as they entered the room and circled Snow and Lussuria.

"Surrender yourselves for conspiring against the Mountaineer Kingdom. You have no-one to protect you. Your guardians are all... what's the word... indisposed."

Snow realized why she hadn't seen any of their guards since yesterday. "What did you do to them!" Snow yelled at him, but the councilor just laughed, his voice full of cruel humor.

Lussuria bumped into her as they went back-to-back to keep an eye on the golems circling them.

"Snow." Her sister whispered.

"Yeah?" She whispered back.

"When I tell you to, duck."

The air grew colder, not that either sister could tell, as the floor near their feet frosted over. Lussuria's eyes glowed as she prepared to cast a spell.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. My lions will rip you to shreds by the time you utter your second word. Runic magic won't help you here, start chanting and it will be the last thing you do."

Lussuria's eyes flashed an even brighter blue as the chill in the room grew stronger.

"Attack!" Frederick commanded.

The lions lunged.

Lussuria spoke.

And four words became one.

"Ru-pi-r-e!"

The eruption of magic threw the golems back against the walls as most of the blast headed towards the Head Councilor, who dove out of the way. The magic kept going and exploded, blowing out the wall of windows behind Frederick's desk. Lussuria grabbed Snow's hand again and together they jumped onto the desk and then out the window, gone before the lions could get back to their feet.

❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆

 

[Bloodkin]

Chapter 27 On the Run
Snow & Lussuria
Snow and Lussuria tumbled as they fell, the awning covering the front steps of the building catching them. It didn't break their fall completely but allowed them to roll down onto the stairs of the Council Hall without harm, and from there to the street. They could hear the mediator yelling towards the guards from the broken window above.
"Conspirators against the Crown! Arrest them now!"

Snow glanced at Lussuria and was alarmed to see her sister looked a little disoriented from that one spell.

"Lussuria are you okay?!" Snow asked as she steadied her younger sibling. Her sister shook head and blinked a few times, before nodding.

"Yeah, I'm fine but we need to go to the king and tell him the council intends on declaring war on us!" They both paused as they heard the shuffling clanks of armor behind them. A dozen guards charged out of the building, while others could be seen running towards them from afar, attracted by the commotion. Snow grabbed Lussuria's hand and took off, up the left road around the council building, in the direction of the nobles' district.

"The king is in the regal district, the one above the noble's district. It's a long way to go on foot, but we can get there!" Snow declared, trying to convince herself as much as Lussuria. Her sister remained slightly, save for the small huffing breaths she made keeping up with Snow's pace.

"Stop now!" They heard as the guards gained on them. It was clear they would catch up soon. After they turned a corner, Lussuria stopped abruptly and knelt before dragging her fingers along the ground while chanting the words to spell under her breath. Her frostblood was still active as the rune formed almost instantly on the ground.

"Ru-t-w-he."

Once done, the arcane symbol in the center of a tight circle pulsed once and glowed, before fading into invisibility. The whole process happened so fast that Snow almost left her behind before noticing her absence and doubled back for her in panic.

"Lussuria what are you doing?! We need to go!" Snow shouted.

"I'm buying us time. Hurry!" Lussuria shouted back, as she grabbed and pulled her sister's hand this time.

When they got to the end of the street, they both heard a loud whooshing sound, followed by an explosion of air and heat. Screams of fear followed by groans of pain could be heard afterward.

A glance over her shoulder while they ran let Snow catch a glimpse of a few guards as they were flipped through the air, as if juggled by a pair of invisible giant hands. As the spectacle continued, more were pulled up into the dizzying display, while some of those already in the air fell to the ground with impacts that echoed painfully.

"What was that Lussuria?" She asked, amazed by the magical display.

"A wind cyclone trap, it will last less than a minute with the amount of heat I gave it. Let's not waste time!"

Snow didn't respond, but, in the privacy of her own mind, counted herself lucky for having Lussuria on her side, as they continued their escape.

They were coming up to the trifork where the road forked out in three separate directions. The cyclone trap had bought them time, but they could hear the clacking of hooves behind them: guards on horseback were gaining on them. "Which way? Snow?!" Lussuria asked, the nervousness in her voice audible.

Snow nearly forgot which way was the nobles district.

"Uhhhh…." She glanced up as they ran forward and saw something on one of the signs. It was a bird, a black crow specifically... It was flapping its wings erratically, almost like it was trying to catch her attention. The sign it was perched on was the leftmost sign.

"This way!" Snow shouted as she made a hard turn left, as they continued running up the common district she saw the bird again gliding ahead of them, the bird suddenly made a sharp left in between some buildings.

"Turn here!" Snow said towards Lussuria.

"But the district the other way!" Lussuria questioned.

"Trust me!"

They reached a set of wooden stairs. At the top of the sets, they came upon three crows, hoping in a circle as they pecked at the ground. It took Snow a few moments to realize what the message was.

"Lussuria, put a rune trap right there!"

Lussuria was quick to realize what was happening and rushed to comply without a word, laying down the say trap she had previously. They continued running, pushing themselves harder when they heard the trap go off behind them soon after. Relief only came when the sounds of the stair collapsing reached their ears. Knowing they had broken off from the pursuers, they looked for a place to hide and catch their breath.

Crow
Crow had remained on the same perch he was when he was overwatching Ares, despite recent events not going according to plan. The dark wind that surrounded him died out as he turned and slid down the roof. He ran around the house to reposition when a group of soldiers shuffled in front of the road in front of him. They had crossbows and spears all pointed at him as they approached with utmost caution, he didn't need to turn his head to know what they were
behind him as well. He watched them calmly for a moment as they stopped their approach, his voice spoke with confidence and authority.

"I am an agent serving under Her Majesty High Queen Deamonia. You do not have the authority to interfere in my duties, but, if you feel so inclined that I have done something that warrants this reaction, you may report it to the Warden of this region."

The guards glanced each other before one of them replied

"Sure, we'll do just that... eventually." The lead guard smiled before they all took another step forward in unison.

Crow responded by summoning a strong gust of wind, causing his hair to look like it had gained a mind of its own as dark magic radiated from him. His shadow rose from the ground behind him, twisting back and forth in a strange dance before a large swarm of crows flew out of it, swerving around Crow and towards the guards.

The guards braced themselves, but the swarm flew right over their heads. They lowered their arms in confusion as they turned back to look at Crow.

"That wasn't for you."
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Snow & Lussuria
After catching their breath while out of sight, the sisters later found themselves peeking out from around the corner of a closed down shop, watching the gated entrance to the Noble District. The reason for their caution was apparent in the large number of guards around it, with archers posted up on the adjacent rooftops as well. Snow cursed their poor luck.

"That gate has way too many guards! What are we supposed to do now?" Snow complained.

"They probably haven't received word about us yet. We should just be able to walk through, no?" Lussuria questioned.

"What if they did? We won't be able to run away like last time, not with those archers up there."

As they contemplated their choices, a shadowy crow flew towards them before landing at their feet, gaining their attention. It remained oddly silent even as it approached them.

"That bird…it's made of magic? I didn't notice before." Lussuria noted, intrigued by its true nature.

"I'm pretty sure its Crow's bird, it was leading us on where to go earlier." Snow leaned down. "Where do we go now, Little Crow?"

The crow managed to look unimpressed with its new name, an impressive feat to pull off with a bird's face, until it turned its head sideways as if hearing something in the distance, then cawed before hopping out of hiding onto the road. It used its wings to gesture towards the gate's entrance before cawing again.

"It wants us to go through the gate, I think." Snow concluded, bemused.

"Well if the bird says it's okay, I guess it's okay. Are we running or walking?" Lussuria asked, still a bit out of sorts, that they were taking instructions from a bird.

Their confusion lasted until the bird flew at one of the archers' faces, pecking and cawing.

Snow took Lussuria's hand and pulled.

"We're running!" And with that, they took off.

"Snow, look! The sky!"

They looked up to see a swarm of crows that flew in from behind the guards and began attacking them. The guards disappeared, as the living cloud of black claws, beaks, and feathers swallowed them whole. A tunnel opened up in the cloud of feathers, obviously meant for them to pass through unseen. They ran through it without pause and entered the Noble's District.
____________________________________________________
The Mediator
After the girls had made their…unexpected escape, the Head Councilor had returned to his seat. Shards of glass from the shattered windows were still scattered all over the floor. His stone lions had returned to their pedestals and aside from the sounds of the guards organizing a thorough search of the surrounding area, it was surprisingly quiet in his office, contrast to the chaos that had erupted mere moments ago.

"Really, to be given such trouble by a couple of brats…Pathetic."

His self-reflection was interrupted by the sound of heavy boots as they stomped toward him as a man entered his office. A rather familiar looking man with a brand-new eye-patch and worn-out gray armor. The front of his chest plate had a large tear across it, and his leg was visibly bleeding, slowly dying the bandages that were used to wrap it. The presence of a pronounced limp added to the severity of the injury, but the Mediator didn't care about that.

"Did you find it?" Frederick asked, his voice grim.

The man with the eyepatch responded by pulling out a black ring and placing it on the desk.

Fredrick leaned forward and inspected the ring closely before a satisfied smile appeared on his face. After one more admiring glance, he picked up the ring and placed it in his breast pocket. The man with the eyepatch looked at the broken windows and glass shards on the floor before speaking again.

"Those brats from Regalia giving you trouble?"

"A small issue that can be dealt with." Fredrick assured as he looked back at the mercenary. "You look worse for wear yourself. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you fought the Warden, but then you'd be dead. Still, it must have been some foe. Did you run into that much trouble getting the ring?"

"Just a Lotus fly, but he was squashed readily enough, even if it took some effort."

"I see we both have been dealing with annoying flies as of late. Nevertheless, our situation remains favorable. Now that I have the ring I can proceed as planned and get the rest of the council on board with the declaration of war. However, if the 'His Majesty' is notified too soon, it will ruin everything. The black sheep can be captured alone easily enough, but her mage sister is a nuisance that needs to be dealt with."

"What are my limitations?" The man in gray asked.

"I need her alive... I will clean up after whatever mess you make, but try to keep it as discreet as you can."

"I will take care of it. Payment?"

"After her capture."

"I will hold you to that."

"And I have always delivered…one last thing, she can cast using just one word. I don't know how, but it can serve as an unpleasant experience to be on the receiving end of."

"Not an issue." Responded the man, unfazed. He left to complete his new assignment soon after, his limp not slowing him at all.
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Snow & Lussuria
They continued their run until they had completely lost sight of the gate sentries and were heading towards the Noble's District's Main Square.

Little Crow flew to them and landed gently on Snow's shoulder.

"Thanks to Crow we were able to make it to the Noble District. The fastest way to the Regal District would be from the Main Square up ahead. From there, we should have a straight shot to the Regal District and the king." Snow explained.

The Crow rubbed against the side of Snow's face, and she was startled to see it was beginning to fade away slowly.

"That must take a lot of magic to maintain. Considering it's fading away; I think that means we are on our own." Lussuria said with some worry as Little Crow vanished. Snow and her sister shared a troubled glance before regaining their composure and hiding their worries behind determined faces.

"Let's keep going."

There was a surprising amount of lowborn nobility walking around. As they continued their journey, a group of city guards rode up from down the road on horseback. Snow acted quickly and pulled Lussuria towards a small group of nobles hurrying along other similar such groups, each one absorbed in their own internal conversations.

"Don't show your face." Snow quietly warned before forcing her pace to match the group that they had subtly latched onto. Lussuria followed her example.

They blended in with the crowd while the horses rushed by in hurry.

"Word will get to the next district gate before we do." Lussuria hissed.

"Just keep acting natural." Snow cautioned. It took alot of dodging but they finally reached the Main Square, the goal of all the groups they were using as cover. The center of the square that held the huge gargoyle statue which dominated the top of a majestic fountain, the water was currently overflowing into areas that were clearly by design, judging from how that excess water fed into some strategically placed sewer grates. Slaves grabbed water from the fountain with buckets for their masters to drink while various ladies with umbrellas were walked about. There were also groups of kids their age with their retainers running about. They could see the guards stationed at the edges of the square, but their behavior was worrying. The guards weren't fully stationary, but kept moving, all the while searching every face that came near. What they were looking for was obvious.

"Just stay calm." Snow whispered to Lussuria, who looked fine nonetheless as they walked behind some kids with their retainers.

"Hiding within plain sight in one of the most well monitored areas of the city, when a high ranking official is currently out for our heads and has all the guards searching for us. Right. Just another normal day in the life of a princess on a covert mission. Look at my face dear sister: I am the epitome of calm." Lussuria replied, her tone as dry as a desert.
Despite their trepidation, their improvised plan proceeded smoothly, as they "tagged along" behind various groups of bustling nobles. They continued with this pattern until they passed the Noble Square and were nearing the Regal District entrance stairs. The entrance was a larger-than-life example of craftsmanship: grand stairs made of pure white marble stone, with streams of water going down the sides. It looked beautiful and pristine, despite the feet that must have trampled over it on a regular basis. Each side of the stairs was also flanked by a huge knight statue. The Twin Knights, as the famous statues were called, were made to frame the entrance to the King's estate. Although others also lived in the Regal District, the entire district was still considered as belonging to the royalty.

The closer they got to the entrance, the more guards were around. Luckily for them, there was a lot of foot traffic coming in and out of the district, thanks to this being the main road.

"You think they will notice us before we get close enough?" Lussuria questioned, growing more nervous as they got closer to their objective.

There was a surprising amount of city guardsmen just standing around and they were being surprisingly vigilant of their surroundings, leaving no doubt that they were following Fredrick's orders. They formed an unofficial checkpoint, and a final obstacle in their mission.

"All we need to do is get to the stairs. Then we can make a break for it."

Easier said than done, considering they were about four streets away.

"Snow, if we get caught, I'll use a rune blast on them to clear the way for you."

"Hopefully, it won't come to that." Snow didn't want to have a repeat of what happened in Regalia and they had done well enough up to this point, the surprise in Council Hall notwithstanding. Something did feel off though. As they approached closer, Lussuria kept glancing at her.

"What is it?" Snow sharply whispered, confused.

"Snow, your hair." Lussuria whispered back in panic.

"What?"

Lussuria pulled out her mirror and showed her. She had streaks of white that were growing larger by the second. The magic disguise Arthur had given her was wearing off!

"This is not good, we are so close, we can't get found out now!"

"We need to get off the main street." Lussuria advised. They looked to their right and walked off the main street into a residential area, trying to maintain their composure.

Once out of sight of the main street, they stopped to reevaluate their plan.

"Okay. We're close, just stick to this residential area and maybe we can still get past them." Lussuria declared.

Snow tried to think. "If I'm remembering the map Arthur showed us correctly, this area is isolated from the rest of the district."

"So we can't get to the Regal district from here?"

"We can, but we have to go to the end of it."

---

Arthur
Arthur hurried down the street towards the Mage guild. He could recognize the cracks spider-webbing the ground from anywhere: Ares had fought here. Arthur followed the trail of destruction until he reached the old building. The door was sealed shut, but that didn't matter to him. He didn't like using doors, preferring stealthier entrances. He walked around the building instead and found what he was expecting-a giant hole in the wall. Another sign of Ares' presence. His brother in arms didn't like using doors either but expressed that dislike more destructively. 'Ambush points' he called them, and Arthur agreed but would never admit to that. Arthur snapped his fingers and a flame sparked to life over his palm as he stepped through.

He walked through the blood-filled halls until he found an excavated tunnel, holding out his magical light as he continued his path. The tunnel led to what appeared to be a vault, and there were several items clearly bounded by runic magic here. The thing that stuck out the most in the room though was at the very end, where a huge door appeared to have been blasted open.
Arthur was familiar with this type of vault and shot a fireball at the center of the ceiling. An unseen resin, coated on at the time of the rooms construction, ignited, allowing the fire to spread in intricate patterns to unlit torches that lit up the room beautifully. Arrogance and artistry combined, typical of organized groups of mages. He could see that the back half of the room looked ready to fall apart, rubble lying everywhere. He approached the vault's seal room for a better look when he heard a quiet cough followed by a voice.

"Arthur... That you?" Arthur immediately recognized the voice and rushed forward after determining no one else was nearby.

"Ares! Are you okay?" But Arthur answered his own question when he found his comrade.

Ares was completely buried under the rubble. Arthur could only see a small portion of his face and one arm, which had been crushed.

"Shit! I'm going to get you out of here okay, just hang on!" Arthur shouted as he started digging him out, beginning with the larger pieces.

"Listen, they were after a ring that can force people to obey against their wills... that bastard with the eyepatch works for the Mediator… and that bastard Mediator is the leader of conspiracy… Don't let him meet with the King, it's a trap..."

Arthur stopped digging and looked at the blood pooling underneath the remaining rubble.

"How could you lose Ares?" Arthur asked quietly.

"That bastard with the eye patch, just before I would have killed him, he blew up the whole damn room! I hate rats, they always result to crazy shit to save their own hides. Heh, now that I think about it, that must have been what Crow was warning me about in the hole under the room. Damn it, he's going to be insufferably smug later… Anyways, just get going… the royalty is more important right now." Ares urged, before coughing up some more blood.

"I'll be back. Hang in there Ares." Arthur ordered, his voice grim.

"Hey idiot, I'm not going to die, so get that look off your face! I just... need to free my damn arm! Argh! Stop being a baby… Just make sure Crow is alright, okay Arthur? Do me that one favor..."

"I will." Arthur turned and ran out of the vault.

---

Chapter 28 Pure Animosity
Snow
As they were walking through the noble's residential district they stuck to the empty streets, which were as a result the more downtrodden ones. This particular street had puddles of murky water.

"Ugh, I thought this was the noble's district not the ascended peasantry district, as if my clothes couldn't get any dirtier today." Lussuria complained as if the few patches of dirt was the complete undoing of her outfit.

"We are being pursued by mountaineer guards and still you care about the state of your clothes...

"Standards my dear sister, no matter what situation I find myself in I will uphold them."

"These standards are going to get us captured."

"I can step in a pool of dirty water to evade capture. I am not so dense, see!" She hopped into a puddle splashing snow.

"Hey what gives!"

Lussuria laughed. "I am already dirty, might as well have some fun right… hm?" Lussuria looked down in a confused expression.

The last thing Snow saw was Lussuria's surprised face before an Explosion rang out right in front of her.
______________________________________________

Snow's ears were still ringing, and she could barely see. Her vision had splotches of red. Underneath the puddle was a runic mine. Snow could barely feel her body, she had to check if she was fully intact. She looked towards Lussuria who was on the other side of the street. Lussuria was burned and looked really hurt but appeared to still be in one piece. Lussuria's frostblood was active as her painful moans were heard.

"Luss…uria!" Snow called out to her.

A net flew off the top of a rooftop on top of Lussuria.

Snow's eyes veered upwards, and she saw the eyepatch mercenary who attacked her in Regalia. He was watching them from above. The mercenary slid off the rooftop and dropped into the street right in front of Lussuria.

Lussuria moaned in pain as she woke up, struggling to move away. She was tangled in the net could barely move.

"I might have overdone it, but when Frederick told me you could cast runes with a single word, I couldn't take that chance."

Lussuria only mumbled a word in pain and the net gave a burning glow in response.

"I wouldn't bother, you are grounded under that net."

He started pulling the net and dragging Lussuria through the grimy water like some animal. Snow fought past the pain of all her internal organs feeling like they were just punched and stumbled to her feet with a strong wheeze she yelled.

"You better… let her go!" She said as blood dripped down from her ears. It was hard to hear even her own voice past the ringing.

He stopped and looked her up and down.

"Immune to lightning and can stand after taking a runic blast? I'll look forward to the day I am paid for your capture. I'll be sure to charge Frederick double." As he resumed walking off dragging Lussuria along with him.

Snow tried to pursue him but after two steps the world started to spin as she lost her balance and fell to the ground. "damnit! No! Come back! Lussuria!" She tried to reach out before she fully collapsed to the dirt filled ground.

Lussuria got dragged out of sight.

She was left alone for the moment, but only for a moment. The quick marching of soldiers from just around the residential district could be heard..

Snow dug her fingers into the dirt and rock and crawled into the nearby alleyway propping herself up against a building. She had no clue what to do. She slumped her head, she didn't know why but she found it hard to breathe, every breath followed a sharp pain as she began to fade out of consciousness. As her eyes started to drift into slumber the noise of the approaching guard woke her up.

Her vision was blurred as she saw 3 pairs of plated legs in front of her.

"Is she alive?"

"yeah."

"Good, the High Councilor wants to make a public display."

Snow tried to turn to get away but she only slid to the ground falling on her shoulder.

"Look, she's trying to get away." followed by the laughter of two men.

"Pick her up and take her to jail." The knight in the middle said, his voice was familiar but she didn't have the energy to look up.

"I'll be damned if I'll have to carry some Royal Lotus runt!" The first guard looked down at her followed by a tone of mockery. "Get up 'princess' we aren't your servants here."

Snow felt something slam into her stomach slamming, sending her up against the wall. One of the men just kicked her. "Funny enough you look just like that Bitch, a spitting image in fact. Get up or I'll really make you unable to walk!"

"woah, I'm afraid what you mean by that." the furthest guard said .

"I don't know what you're getting at, but I'm not a sicko like you" the man who just kicked her had gotten offended.

"Me sicko?" replied the knight in question.

"Yeah I know every time you go to the whorehouse the water girl disappears, not for very long but you know, it is what it is. Early quester, early finisher. Disgusting."

Snow tried to gather her strength while they started to insult each other. But she got kicked into the wall again.

"I said up, not crawl!"

"She clearly can't, open your eyes. I'll pick her up." The man with the familiar voice said.

"No Omeric, Let this royal brat walk on her own two feet for once!"

Snow could barely understand but she heard the name Omeric and slowly looked back up at their faces. Sir Omeric was standing just behind the two with a face she could only describe as disturbed. He was wearing mountaineer armor instead of the regalian armor she was used to. This was the man who was captain of her royal detachment. Before being expelled by her mother after the Attack her and Gravis suffered.

"See now that we have her attention." The first man leaned in closer. "Get up, 'your highness'."

Snow tried to get up but she couldn't, the pain was too much from the previous explosion, the longer time went on the more she could feel it.

"What's that? can't get up? I thought you frost blooded could take any amount of injury and be unaffected. I guess that was just a lie?"

"She's just a kid. That's enough." Omeric said in an attempt to diffuse the hostility.

"No, I'm from Reyna, I will never forget what they did, looking at that face just pisses me off. In fact, you know what. If you don't get up. He unsheathed his sword.

"I'll force you to walk with holes in your legs." He pressed his blade against her shin and blood began to slowly drip.

Pure Hostility against her for something she had nothing to do with. She had grown tired of this. Snow gathered her remaining strength and slowly rose to her feet.

The man with the open blade smiled.

"See? Was that difficult? Now walk!" He demanded.

Snow didn't move; she only stared at him. With a judgmental gaze that told him all he needed to know.

"Are you deaf or something?" He said before raising the sword up to her chest.

"You don't issue commands to me."

There was an intense silence as she gave the man a deathly stare. The silence lasted until the other knight started an outburst of laughing. "Get a load of this kid! I guess she really is a royalty huh!"

The first knight was silent. As if his pride was struck, his mind clearly wallowing in anger as he tried concocting a response to her display of unyielding defiance.

"Say, I know some abandoned houses by warehouse row not too far from here. How about making a detour? I think a lesson in humility is called for."

"I thought you weren't an early quester." The first knight stepped closer.

"I guess you can call it a vengeance quest."

They both echoed a dark laugh, before Omeric broke his silence.

"Where is your pride as a knight? That's grotesque, just take her to the jail and have your fill on someone willing to accept payment for it."

He looked back at Omeric

"Why are you sympathizing with her? I never took you for a white knight Omeric. 'Oh, princess, no!' .. 'I won't allow my Princess to be defiled!' he said mockingly. While Omeric gritted his teeth. "You know they are going to do much worse to her in the jail anyways. If you don't like it, you can run off and tell the Councilor. I'm sure he has an abundance of care for her well-being. I'll tell you what, if it's too grotesque for you feel free to wait outside."

The aggressive knight looked back down at her. "Would you like me to rephrase my order so I won't hurt your pride princess? Ok, I strongly suggest you move your legs. In said direction."

Snow responded by spitting blood in his face.

"You pathetic sort."

The knight's eyes opened with surprise as her blood and spit ran down his forehead and cheek. He wiped it off as a slow growl formed under his quivering lips.

"You know what? Since I am a kind man, I won't make you walk all the way over there. I'll just teach you right here! He grabbed her by the neck pinning her against the wall before Omeric had grabbed his arm. He swung his head to Omeric in a fit of rage.

"OMERIC THIS YOUR FINAL WARNING-"

Omeric cut him off with a loud bang as he head butted him to the ground followed by the clacking sound of several teeth bouncing across the stone road.

"Omeric what are you?!-" the second knight tried unsheathing his sword but Omeric grabbed him, pushing him up against the wall leading to a tussle. During the tussle, the first knight recovered and got up, grabbing Omeric from behind and holding him while the other started beating into him. Omeric was resilient though and took a few hits before roaring and flipping the first man over, slamming him against the ground before jumping at the second knight, hitting him with a back fist before tackling him to the ground and repaying the blows onto his face. Over and Over again, Omeric smashed his fist into the knight's face without stopping as blood exploded from the man's nose with each devastating blow until Omeric released him, unmoving. A yell was heard as Omeric turned back to the first knight and was mid swing at his head. Omeric ducked under the swing while drawing his own weapon, spinning it in his hands and extending its
point in defense.

"Why Omeric, the republic will have your head for this transgression!"

"It's not even because of your wicked actions, nor because I dislike you."

Omeric charged at him. They clashed twice before Omeric spun the blade out of the first knight's hands, flinging it against the wall before Omeric grabbed him by his chestplate and held the sword against his throat.

"I yield!" the knight cried.

"You will just follow." The blade inched closer to his neck.

"I-I won't, I swear!" Looks like when put to the point even the toughest acting people can turn into babies. The fear eventually led to tears.

Omeric slowly lowered the blade as If contemplating what to do.

"Very well." He made his decision as the knight started screaming out in pain as the sound of opening flesh was heard. Omeric was slowly driving his blade through the man's leg plate before pushing him to the ground. The knight cradled onto his leg like a baby.

Omeric took a step back and took a look at what he had just done. He looked back and forth as the noises of more knights in the distance drew near. He sheathed his blade and quickly stepped up to Snow.

"We need to move." Omeric gently picked her up off her feet and began carrying her down the residential district.

"Thanks… Sir Omeric." She said to him,

"Don't thank me yet. There's an entire detachment here looking for you."

"I'm really tired." She told him.

"Try to stay awake."

Snow was starting to doze off, when she reopened her eyes she could feel the stone off the floor. The noise of steel hitting steel continuously rang out. Omeric was surrounded by multiple knights just in front of her. His sword was drawn and there was blood all over it.

"He's one knight! Subdue him!" The knights were yelling at him to surrender. Before they charged him from all sides.

She dozed off again and in the next moment she was being carried at a much slower pace. She felt his grip on her weakening like she was going to be dropped with each step. Her clothes were stained with blood all over, she didn't know whose. She looked up to Omeric and there was blood and sweat on his face.

"Omeric, why are you doing this? My family released you from your oath. You no longer need to concern yourself with me."

"I abandoned you once before, I will not do so again."

They traveled another street before it was clear that Omeric was about to go down. Omeric brought them to a dead end, where a well stood. He turned around and saw a band of knights had blocked them in.

"Omeric, you betray Vulcas, and the mountaineer kingdom. Surrender, NOW!" The captain of the knight detachment ordered.

Omeric took one step back bumping into the ledge of the well, where the rushing of water could be heard below.

"Can you swim?" He whispered.

"Omeric, I know what you're thinking. Don't do it. Just… there's got to be another way.``

"They will do terrible things. I will not give you up to them."

The knight captain took one step forward alone.

"Give her up Omeric, save what scraps of honor you have left as a knight and yield her to us!"

"I think I finally learned what it means to be a knight." Omeric gave a strained smirk. "I hope one day you can forgive my actions, your majesty."

"Don't you dare Omeric!" The knights began approaching with their weapons drawn.

"Omeric… I… of course I do." Omeric was re-knighted by vulcas before going against them, in her name. He was trapped between doing the right thing and choosing a side, something Snow knew well. Seems Omeric and her were more similar than she realized.

"My name may be tarnished, but at least I can die with a clean conscience. Live on, your majesty. Make a difference."

"Omeric, this is your last warning!"

"If I can die protecting someone in need, then I have done my job. Fate agrees with us, there is a high tide in the cisterns, that should break your fall."

Once the captain heard that. He yelled.

"Kill them both!" The knights charged at them.

Omeric spun around and dropped Snow into the well. Snow was speechless, time slowed as she descended down into the dark abyss. She locked eyes with Omeric. They gave each other a silent goodbye.

"For Regalia."

Snow heard those words echo from the top of the well just before she crashed into the rushing waters of the cistern.

 

[Bloodkin]

Chapter 29 The Web System
Snow
The rushing water kept sucking her in. Everytime Snow emerged to get a breath, she would be pulled back in. This torturous drowning did not stop. It would happen again, again, and again. She was exhausted, combined with the strength of these waters, Snow had to fight against gravity just to reach the surface. Each time she popped her head out to get a gasp of air, her ears would be flooded by the screams of the roaring cistern.

At this rate, the system would expel her from Vulcas, if she could even stay up much longer. Everytime Snow would emerge, for that one or two seconds she would swish her head around, looking for a way out. There were none, no edges, ledges, stairs or walkways. There were none because the water was above it all. The system was flooded.

Snow was forced to ride the current.

After a few brutal twists and turns the current finally calmed enough to where Snow wasn't sucked in every two seconds. Now she could see how beautiful the cistern looked. Elegant columns and chipped designs littered the stone walls. Sunlight fed in from wells that were jutting out from holes in the ceiling. Eventually, she flowed into the cisterns' natural counterpart, where glistening rocks and plants took over the walls. The view didn't last long because Snow saw her exit. Ladders, jutting down from the ceiling ahead of her. She kept kicking and keeping on the surface as she rapidly approached them. The ladders came quick, Snow held her hand up and caught hold of one. Her body was being pulled like a leaf by the current as she used her upper body strength to pull herself onto the ladder before climbing out of the cistern.

When she got to the top of the ladder, Snow expected to be outside, but she was only greeted with the stench of the sewers and a long brick tunnel ahead of her.

---

Snow limped through the dark passage with her hand gliding against the wall. Streaks of light from the manhole covers above served as her only source of light. She heard the marching of the guard every time she passed underneath one. There was water running down a small waterway to her right, but unlike the water in the cistern, it was green and disgusting.

The regal district was the highest. Therefore, walking in the direction opposite the current should take her there. She wondered why they didn't think of taking the sewers before. Lussuria would have most definitely refused.

Lussuria…Snow hoped she was okay. Lussuria was badly hurt. Maybe she should still consider Lussuria lucky that the explosion didn't kill her. Then there was Omeric; her ex-royal guard that sacrificed himself, in an attempt to seek redemption or cleanse his guilt. She did not know which, but either way, Snow did not feel worthy of that sacrifice.

The king needed to be warned, Lussuria was taken, her Lotus guardsmen were all missing, this inferno sewer system was becoming more and more of a maze as she explored it and she did not dare to leave the sewers with the amount of movement she heard above her. Odds were not in her favor. She had absolutely no clue on what her next move should be. The only thing that was certain was that she was still free and alive. She had to make sure not to squander this opportunity.

Snow eventually reached a fork in the tunnel that split into several paths. To be fair, she had been taking crapshoots on where to go up to this point. This intersection was clearly important, indicated by the map on the wall nearby. Snow slumped up to it and attempted to read it. She tried to make sense of the map that was barely visible in the light, she saw the sewers were split into 4 separate networks. One looked like multiple triangles, the next was an assortment of crosses, the third was a crescent, and the last was shaped like a web.

She was baffled at how ridiculous this sewer design was. How was she supposed to know where to go or what part of the nobles district she was even in. As she stared at the different shapes trying to understand, she shook her head as her ears began to ring.

"Damnit. How the hell am I supposed to know where each of these leads?" Snow sat down underneath the map, she wished she had Little Crow or something to lead her. But she had nothing, no guardians, no family or friends. She pulled her knees up and cradled her legs while the annoying ringing in her ear slowly began to fade away.

"After this, we will truly be friends. And I help my friends."

She suddenly remembered something.

Snow dug her hand into her soaked pocket and pulled out a parchment. Its edges were black and the parchment was soaked from the cistern. It was the note Lazarus' servant gave her in the market. She held it up to the light as she read it. The writing was barely legible.

# # # #

If y## find yo###elf in hell seek ### my t#read m#d# of spider's web

# ## ##

- L ## #

# # # #

"Thread made of spider's web?"

She stood up and looked at the map again, at each section.

"Triangles, crosses, crescent and a web…"

her eyes focused on the fourth section, which looked like a spider web.

"Web?"

She glanced at the note then back at the map.

"That's got to be it!"

She descended the tunnels in the direction of the web system.

---

Crow

Crow was marching with his hands shackled behind his back. Based on the direction they had been escorting him, he knew their destination was not the jail. Crow just silently marched onward, trying to focus on picking up any usable information. Based on the dialect of the men escorting him: their postures, their formation, and eyes, Crow came to the conclusion that these men were not knights of the Republic and if they were, not for very long.

He had failed Ares, he was supposed to be his eyes and ears. Hell, he couldn't even watch out for himself. He had never been caught before. He overexerted himself. He spread his flock too far, perhaps that's why these men practically marched right up to him.

Crow felt a poke in his back as he was commanded to continue walking, until the road under his feet turned into dirt. They had him walking onto a construction ground, isolated from the public road or more importantly, public eyes. A simple smile formed on his face when they came to a stop. He looked at the recently dug hole in the ground, it was five feet long, two feet wide and about four feet deep. Everyone silently watched for his reaction as he stared at the hole.

"That is a sad excuse for a grave." Crow uttered.

The mercenary captain stepped up next to him, shoulder to shoulder, as they shared a view of the grave.

"I hope you are happy with it." The captain turned his head to Crow with a sly smirk.

"Under a construction site, you must think you're clever." Crow's eyes shifted to look at him.

"Your corpse will contribute to the foundation for the orphanage that's going to be built here. You should be happy, for supporting all those children with no parents. Literally." He laughed.

Crow looked back at the grave, as memories filled his mind.

~

The days in his orphanage, with no family, exiled for playing with his shadows.

"He doesn't talk much. He just plays with those birds all day."

"Ow! One of them pecked me!"

His orphanage keepers; "That might be witchcraft. He's too dangerous!"

"You're right, we need to get rid of him."

Of course nobody told that to his face. Unaware as they spoke, his birds were ever watching, ever listening, and they knew everything. The gossip told by his shadowy friends were not an exaggeration or fabrication of truth, though he had hoped they were.. They told him the real truth, verbatim, directly from the mouths of those around him. He was seen as a threat, and he was going to be cast out like one.

The Lotus men in black cloaks came for him shortly after.

Magician training wasn't easy. He didn't like hurting people. So he played the part of learning surveillance. Lotus Agents never go on missions alone. Always in pairs or teams. He thought he finally amounted to something, a goal in life that made it worth living. Being a Lotus agent was supposed to be a highly regarded position. He was told repeatedly that he was special and he almost thought he was, until he learned that once again, nobody wanted him. 'Incompatible.' they called him. 'Not enough lethality' they justified it. Once again, he was alone. Based on his unviability he knew it was a matter of time until he was once again, exiled.

Crow refused to be told those words again, so he decided that he would leave on his own. On that very day, as he was exiting the Lotus headquarters one final time, a man stopped him.

"Hey you."

He turned to face this overbearing man and greeted him with an expression of neutrality.

"Hello?"

"Are you that 'Crow' guy?" The man looked upon him in seriousness, as if already regretting his decision of approach.

"I am, Crow." Crow gave his response.

The man stared at him questionably. After a strong pause Crow felt a slap on his arm as the man gave out a boastful laugh.

"I approve. Let's go."

"Go?"

"We got a mission to do. The fire captain said I am only allowed to go if I find someone that can synergize with me."

"You don't even know me. I have no lethality."

"Exactly! And I'm Mister Lethality! See? Perfect pair, your name is short too!" The loudmouth that he soon knew to be Ares, grabbed his arm and dragged him towards the fire captain's office.

~

Crow smiled, as a tear rolled down his eye.

"Sorry, brother."

"Any last words?" He felt a sword blade resting on his shoulder.

Crow slowly turned around, looking around at all the men who surrounded him.

"Yes. That grave is too small for me. You are a few inches off in height and one inch off in width."

The mercenary knight captain was surprised before a wide grin formed across his face. "Be my guest then." Crow's shackles were removed as a shovel was thrown down in front of him.

Crow spent about two minutes fixing the grave. The mercenary walked up to him when he appeared to be finished.

"Is that grave fine enough for you now? Sir Lotus?" The mercenary's words of formality were betrayed by a tone of sarcasm. After looking down and inspecting Crow's alteration of the grave, the captain shook his head. "Look at what you did, that's way too deep, now my men need to shovel extra to cover you up."

The whole band of mercenaries started laughing.

"Your men won't need to shovel at all 'Captain'."

"Oh, why is that?"

"Cremation needs no shoveling."

Just as Crow said that, a mirage manifested in between everyone. They all turned to the strange sight as Arthur appeared. His cloak was off, fire was blazing out of the slits of his leg plates and the ground around him was rapidly turning black from the heat. The fire emitting from his legs gave the image of draconic flaming scales. Half of his fiery form had been revealed. The most terrifying part about him wasn't the monstrous shape of his lower half, it was the danger that radiated from his eyes. Eyes that brought with them a fiery rage that was about to be unleashed.

Crow crossed his arms and fell backwards into the grave as Arthur began spinning on the ground. Fire swirled around Arthur before he kicked his legs like a windmill, causing a huge blade of flame to shoot out around him, hitting ALL of the mercenaries.

---

Snow

Snow was traversing the twisting path of the web system. She assumed she was supposed to go to the center. The way the tunnels were structured, she had to walk down then choose left or right and walk until the next turn downwards again. Sort of like a set of rings. She was on the second ring, she remembered from the map that there were four. If anything indicated the name of this section of sewer, she hoped it had been because of its shape and not because of what was inside it. As she traversed the second ring, she heard a squeak. A big one.

"Don't be a giant spider-don't be a giant spider-don't be a giant spider." Snow rapidly whispered to herself as she continued. She could only see a few feet ahead of her. There were no more manholes above to give her light so this section was rapidly turning darker and darker. The noise echoed from both directions so she was not sure which direction it came from. Cautiousness increasing, Snow began to slow her pace through the darkness.

Snow noticed something was on the floor. It looked like a rope, but pink. It was so dark she could barely make it out. The rope was slowly being pulled ahead of her. As she hastened to keep up the rope began getting bigger.

("Is that the thread Lazarus was talking about?)

She followed the rope until it suddenly whipped around into the darkness. Snow froze and slowly brought her head up. Just in front of her, was a set of beady red eyes, looking right at her. The thing she was following wasn't a rope, it was a tail.

"SQUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKK!"

A ginormous fat rat.

Without hesitation, Snow spun and sprinted in the other direction as the ground pounded behind her. The chase was indicated by the sound of giant paws, slapping the floor. This giant rat, taking up nearly the entire width of the tunnel, had most likely decided that she would be its next meal.

("You gotta be kidding me!!!")

Snow was running for her life, now in the opposite direction of the ring. Her heart was racing as she ran as fast as she could. Any remaining pain had left her body as she pushed herself not to be eaten. The booming tunnel was shaking as the rat was gaining on her. It was inhaling and exhaling through its nostrils like a bull, and she could feel it on the back of her neck. This made the sprinting she had to do in Regalia seem like a mere jog.

("Faster faster faster!")

Snow was running so fast that she almost missed the left turn. A tunnel appeared for a split second to her left and she breaked, nearly spinning as she dove into the tunnel. The monstrous rat barreled past her, continuing down the ring.

Snow rolled down the tunnel tumbling into the next ring. Silence followed. She had lost the rat. She stood up and began to catch her breath.

"Time to add… being chased by a monstrous rat… to the list of unbelievable… absurdities today."

---

The next ring was a lot wider than the last. Piles of gold decorated the sides of the room, as well as skeletons dressed in ancient outfits of nobility. This looked like an ancient vault, or tomb.

Snow began to walk through this vault. Looking around, she couldn't believe just how much gold was in here. This amount of gold could back a small country. The piles of gold were large enough to the point where she had to walk around some of them. Snow approached a pile in the center and picked up one of the gold coins. Examining the coin she could see that a dragon symbol was stamped on it.

"Strange, I've never seen this emblem before."

The emblem was of no country or house she recognized. Thinking about dragons, dragons were ancient creatures of this country. She remembered Randal's dad talking about how he wrangled with a few in his life. She shrugged and pocketed the coin.

As soon as she did that, the pile she pulled it from began to shake.

"Uh, oh…"

She took a step back as coins were spilling off the sides of the pile. Something was moving around inside of it.

"A-new-thief-pockets-the-gold." A green impish creature emerged from atop the pile. It was small, bald, and had big notched ears. As funny as the small creature looked, Snow had the opposite of laughter written on her face.

Upon seeing the creature Snow immediately denied it.

"No! No! I did not! See? Here!" Snow quickly threw the coin back into the pile. This thing was a devil. Little monsters of fantasy that supposedly had witchcraft abilities. After everything that's happened today, she was not in the position to question whether this thing was real or not.

"No! No! You-pocket-the-gold. Which-means-this-is-now-your-home!" The imp said in a rhyme.

Snow looked around at all the dead bodies in this room, gold was flowing out of their pockets.

"I did not pocket the gold!" She yelled back at it.

"You-did! You-did! Rezlo saw it! You-pocket-the-gold!"

Snow had to find a way to talk herself out of this, Otherwise she could get cursed.

"Rezlo, your name is Rezlo right?"

"Me-Rezlo-yes!"

"Rezlo, My name is Snow Regalia. Princess of the Regalian monarchy. I don't need gold. I'm rich already."

"No-Rezlo-knows! Rich-greedy. Steals-more-than-poor. You-no-Snow, You-thief. Pocket-gold!"

"I wasn't, pocketting the gold, I was weighing it." Snow smiled as she gave her excuse.

Rezlo looked at her in question.

"Rezlo-no-believe-you-THIEF!"

Rezlo sank back into the gold.

Snow expected something to happen. Nothing did though. She felt fine. Maybe she could just ignore the imp and leave. That's what she did, she continued through the vault to find the exit.

Snow walked for a while, she walked longer than she did to find the rat on the first ring. There should have been a tunnel or exit on the side of the room. Either this vault was truly ginormous, the exit was hidden, or something was up.

Snow came to a stop when she saw the original pile that Rezlo popped out of, the entrance behind it where she had come in from was gone. She never turned around, it was like she walked around the entire ring. Snow knew she didn't walk THAT far to fully loop the ring, yet she did a full loop. Something was definitely wrong.

She called back out to Rezlo.

"Rezlo!"

Rezlo popped back up from the center pile.

"Rezlo-greets-thief!"

"What did you do Rezlo? Where is the entrance and exit?!"

"Rezlo-fulfill-deal! Pocket-gold-equals-new-home!"

"I didn't agree to any deal."

"Deal-marked-on-coin!"

Snow took a coin from the pile and examined it closely. There was a pinhead sized inscription pulsing in red.

"I can't read this! Deal is faulty Rezlo, therefore you can't honor it."

"Rezlo-knows-all-excuses. You-not-ever-leave!" he actually began to laugh.

Snow took a moment.

"Okay Rezlo, how about we make a deal?"

Rezlo's ears perked up at that sentence.

"Deal? Rezlo-likes-deals…." He started wiping his hands together.

Now she was speaking his language.

"A game of 'stone, parchment, scissors'. If I win, you will allow me to leave. If I lose then you get this." She pulled out her medallion.

Rezlo looked at the medallion as his eyes grew larger.

"Ohh!-symbol-from-black-ones! Are-you-black-one?"

"I don't know what a 'black one' is."

"Black-one-souls-best-of-their-kind, bet-Rezlo-that-and-he-will-break-your-bind!"

"My… soul?"

Rezlo's eyes radiated a darkness that revealed the extent of his maliciousness.

"Yes… Your… Soul." Rezlo's voice sounded evil for a moment, before he resumed his normal rhyme. "Rezlo-want-soul!"

Her soul for a game to escape? Seems she didn't have a choice. It was either stay here and die or bet her soul for a game.

"Okay."

"But-black-one's-game-boring! Rezlo-want-to-change-game!"

"What game do you want to play then?"

The impish creature put his hands on his head in deep thought, before jumping at an idea.

"I-know-game-Rezlo-good-at!"

"What game?" She questioned. Whatever he had in mind was probably not good.

"Hide-and-seek! Rezlo-hide! You-seek-Rezlo!"

Snow looked at the hall sized vault.

"How long do I have?"

"Ten minutes!" Rezlo pointed his finger up as a bunch of hour glasses phased into existence on the walls. Torches lit the walls as the room came into light. The vault they were in was rectangular with large piles of gold on each end.

"Wait- I want to add a rule."

"What!"

"You must shout every minute."

"How-about-this. You-get-three-calls. Call-Rezlo and Rezlo-calls-you! Use-them-wisely!"

"Ok, fine."

"One-last-thing. Rezlo-has-friends!"

"I didn't agree to find your friends."

"Not-find, AVOID!"

"Avoid?"

"Ten minutes. Go!" Rezlo sank back into the gold.

Snow heard the movement of bones as the dead corpses began to slowly shift and animate, rising up with weapons in their hands. All around the center pile. The game was on.

"Are you kidding me?!"

She looked left and then right. She needed to see which direction he went.

"Rezlo!"

"Rezlo over here!"

Snow heard his voice echo from the far left side of the vault. She dashed towards the sound. Snow ran up to one of the piles of gold and began digging through it. The clacking sounds of the skeletons approaching closer and closer was behind her. Flinging the gold to the sides frantically while the skeletal footsteps got closer, Snow couldnt waste time. After getting through the bulk of the pile she moved onto the next. If she could get through the piles before these skeletal zombies got to her perhaps she wouldn't need to deal with them.

Snow began to dig through the next pile. As she shoved her hands inside to sweep aside the gold, a skeletal hand grabbed her wrist from within.

"What the!" The skeleton began pulling itself out using her as leverage. Its skull began emerging from the pile with gold coins falling out of its eye sockets. Snow tried to shake it off. But its grip was surprisingly strong. She reached for her boot, pulling out the silver dagger that Gravis gave her and stabbed downward into the skeleton's wrist joint, popping it clean off and freeing herself. She fell back and looked at her wrist, the hand was still attached to her. She had to give it a few good yanks to get it off.

Snow got up and decided to move on to the next pile, nothing. She skipped a few piles running to the end of the chamber. If she called Rezlo's name, he should be in one of the piles surrounding her.

"Rezlo!"

Expecting him to call from one of the piles around her, she was surprised to hear his name echo from the other end of the chamber. She spun around.

"What?! How is he on that side now?!" Snow began her sprint to the other end of the room. Scrambling and dodging past the skeletons in the center that tried taking swipes at her. The walking ones were slow enough to dodge but the hidden skeletons in the goldpiles were the ones she needed to watch out for.

Snow got to the other end and chose a pile, but before shoving her hand in she poked her dagger inside. As if in reaction, skeletal hands bursted from the gold and tried to take a grab at her. She hopped back, avoiding them successfully.

"So much for a simple game of hide and seek!" Snow yelled as the skeleton shambled out. She needed to search that pile before the bulk of skeletons made their way over here.

She examined the undead skeleton stumbling towards her. In her haste, her emotions had been dulled. Now standing face to face with this undead nightmare she realized how scary it was. She was in a tomb, fighting skeletons for her life, after making a deal with a devil for her soul. Why? She half expected to cry, or fearfully recoil, but her emotional response was the opposite. She grew angry. Angry at the constant misfortunes she was forced to go through. These skeletons were all thieves. They probably deserved their fate. She was no thief, she did not deserve to even be here.

Snow grew serious as she focused on the walking obstacle in front of her.

If Snow took out its legs maybe that could buy her time. She backed up and readied herself. The skeleton was still marching towards her. When it got close, it lunged at her. Snow sidestepped and kicked it in the side of the knee. The knee buckled but didn't break. The skeleton turned around and lunged at her again. She sidestepped again followed by a stronger driving kick to the knee. The knee broke this time and the skeleton fell over. As The skeleton was now reduced to crawling, she used the opportunity to search that goldpile it came from. Snow ran up to the pile and swiped through the gold with the knife in her hands. Rezlo wasn't here.

Time was running out. The hourglasses on the walls were halfway empty. She had five minutes left and over a dozen piles. She didn't want to waste her last call so she went to the next pile.

The next pile was empty of skeletons and Rezlo.

Same thing for the next one.

The pile after that had a skeleton burst out of it. Snow backed up. Hearing the shambles of the main group of skeletons practically on top of her, as well as the falling grains of sand from the hourglasses, Snow knew she did not have time to deal with these things.

She got prepared to do a similar sidestep. It predictably lunged forward, Snow dodged it, but instead of going for the knee, Snow shoved the skeleton as hard as she could in the back, making it crash against the floor. By the time it would get back up, she would be on the next pile.

Snow went up to the pile. Certain that this was the one she heard Rezlo call from. She took both hands and shifted the bulk of gold off the top. As the coins sprinkled against the floor Snow would see nothing within.

The hourglass had about two minutes left.

She had one call left.

She had to think fast.

If Rezlo was indeed magically appearing and disappearing across the room, there would be no possible way she could win. She has never heard of a spell that could do that though. Rezlo was a devil, a trickster. Their magic doesn't work the same as normal mage magic.

There was about 90 seconds left.

She looked at the gold piles. Trying to think of a way he could be doing this or where could he possibly be.

"How-about-this. You-get-three-calls. Call-rezlo and rezlo-calls-you! Use-them-wisely!"

Why would Rezlo restrict her to three calls if he could magically disappear and reappear wherever she wanted. The number of calls in that case wouldn't matter. There had to be another reason.

Snow decided to use her last call.

"Rezlo!"

"Rezlo-over-here!" The call came from the opposite end of the room again. Just like before his voice came from the other side.

Then it dawned on her.

Snow knew exactly where he was. She made a dash toward the center of the room.

The hourglasses on the wall read one minute left.

Rezlo wasn't in the opposite end of the room. As Snow was ducking and weaving through the zombies that were ever present in the center. The pile the Rezlo was in was obvious now. He had not teleported anywhere, he was in the same pile the entire time. The zombies were a deterrent, and the calls were meant to throw her off. The zombies didn't stray too far from the pile, now it seemed like they were protecting it. After dodging two of them, Snow slid past a third.

Thirty seconds left. Plenty of time.

Snow dove into the original pile. As Snow was digging through the pile she could feel something small shifting and moving around underneath her in an attempt to evade her.

"I know you're here Rezlo!"

Rezlo was small and slippery. Every time she would bury her hands deeper, he would swim lower. When Snow got to the bottom of the pile she could hear something small jump out. She popped out of the pile and heard the sounds of gold on the floor being stepped on like a bunny rabbit had been hopping away. She saw the small patches of gold on the ground shake but didn't see Rezlo. He was invisible.

Fifteen seconds left.

There was an immediate problem, the skeletons had surrounded her. They blocked her in, preventing her from chasing after Rezlo.

Ten seconds left.

"If she couldn't go under or around. She would go over. Snow positioned herself at the top most part of the fallen pile and sprung up, getting one foot on top of a skeletal shoulder and jumped out. Landing with a roll one foot away from the invisible creature.

The creature began to hop left and right erratically as Snow chased after it.

Five seconds left.

If she failed this grab she would lose the game.

She raised her dagger.

Four seconds left.

While giving chase, she got ready to throw it.

Three seconds.

Left-right-left-right. Rezlo was moving erratically trying his best not to get hit.

Two seconds.

Rezlo wasn't her target though. She aimed ahead of him, towards the left.

One second.

She threw the dagger and dove at the same time.

The dagger rattled against the floor hitting nothing.

Snow had her right hand extended far out. While mid-air she felt a pair of furry ears glide across her palm. She squeezed them tight as she crashed onto the floor.

"Got you."

She stood up, holding the invisible creature like a captured rabbit. Rezlo appeared, dangling underneath her grip. The hourglasses had run empty and all the undead skeletons collapsed to the ground.

"Ow-ow-ow, Let Rezlo-Go! Let-Rezlo-go! You win-you win!"

"Only when you let me out of here."

"Okay-Okay! Uh! Snow-Regalia-good-to-go, No-thief-she-is-now-let-Rezlo-go!"

The walls of the room flashed red as the room returned to its normal state. Snow could see the tunnel leading to the next ring.

---

The innermost ring was another chamberlike section, except it was circular and very small. Magical lights emitted from the bases of several statues located around the room. The statues looked to be of various godlike figures. There was none of goddess Regalia or any gods that she recognized. There was another strangeness of this section, in that there was no exit. No way to continue.

Snow began to investigate the room.

There was a golden plaque in the center of the room on the floor that read

"Snuff the heretic and God will open the way."

"Snuff his blessed disciple and ye shall pay."

Snow began to walk around and examine each statue. Each of the statues had a magical light in the center of their base. She went back to the tunnel entrance and looked up where the tunnel fed into the room.

"I guess I got one shot at this."

She could see a slit framing the tunnel entrance where most likely a slab would be released if she chose wrong.

After inspecting all the statues twice, Snow could only deduce one noticeable differential between them. Each of them was a statue of someone of a different race: Human, elf, insect, mothian, fairy, draconic and an angel. Seven statues. She sat in the center with her legs crossed in thought. After some thought she stood up and walked up to one of the statues looking at its feet and toga, then at its large wings. The angel.

They are the most prideful creatures by far.

Snow remembered Sir Harper talking about the angels when he was boasting about his armor sets. She just had a strong feeling this was the correct guess.

"It has to be this one."

She pressed down on the light at the base of the angelic statue. The sound of metal was heard before a slab slid down blocking the tunnel entrance coming into the room. All the lights went out leaving her in total darkness.

---

Crow

Crow pulled himself out of the grave, the dirt was scorching hot. Arthur's attack only lasted for a moment but Crow was already sweating from the heat. Moans of agonizing pain were heard from most of the men on the floor.

"Crow, you alright?" Arthur asked.

"I am uninjured." Crow rose to his feet and dusted himself off.

"How did they find you?"

"I do not know."

Arthur shifted his attention to the captain of this group of mercenaries, who was lying on the ground nearest to Crow's grave. His waist and legs were blackened and he was reeling on the ground.

The crunching of dirt sounded with each step as Arthur stepped up to the man. Arthur grabbed the fabrics of his armor and lifted him a few inches off the ground.

"You are going to tell me. How did you come about my colleague's location?"

"G.. to hell." The man struggled to say.

Arthur smiled, dropping the man before crouching next to him. Arthur held up his pointer finger, the finger began to glow red hot. "You know how much damage this one finger can do to you? I will let you in on a little secret, everyone confesses. Right now, those burns will leave scars but that's all. Would you like to be left with scars, or be left with scars along with unrelenting pain for the rest of your miserable life? I think the choice is simple."

The man looked at it with anger, but held his tongue still.

"You Lotus aren't so scary at all. Just all talk."

Arthur said nothing, followed by a subtle shake of his head.

"I gave you a chance. Never forget that." Arthur rose up and kicked the man over onto his stomach. Arthur's finger from the man's view was inching lower and lower closer to his lower back side.

"No-What the hell is wrong with you! What do you think you're doing!"

Arthur's finger inched closer as the man's eyes widened. "Now now, I know what you're thinking." Arthur looked back up at him.

"Don't. DONT STICK ME WITH THAT!" He yelled.

"Relax man. It's not going to enter your flank if that's what you're thinking."

The man dropped his shoulders in relief.

"Thank the gods."

"It's going in your eye.``

The man was startled and then tried to resist.

"No-no!"

Arthur leaned forward and grabbed the man's head from behind digging his finger into the man's eye. Low sizzling was heard as the man's high pitch scream drowned it out.

---

Snow

Snow was sitting in the darkness, with her fists balled up on her legs. There was no way she was wrong. Just before panic started to set in, one of the statues began to shift, revealing a small hole where light was coming through. It was big enough that she could crawl inside of it.

On the other side she saw that she finally reached the center of the web system. There were several small waterway bridges connecting the center of this system. All from different levels and different angles. A truly unique design. These waterway bridges looked so old they could fall apart at any moment. Some of them had already collapsed in fact. Snow began to balance across one of them towards the center, where a distinct beam of light was emitting from the top center of the room. Within the beam of light was a rope.

"The thread, within a spider's web." Snow wished Lazarus was being philosophical. He was not, the rope was quite literally, in a spider's web.

The rope dangled through several webs. The rope was also coated in spider thread, where dozens of crawling spiders were climbing up and down.

"Damnit, Lazarus."

The silk threaded rope was dangling a few inches away from the bridge. Seeing no other way out of here She put one foot on the ledge and reached out to grab the rope. She could feel the silk with her fingers, It felt like dried paper. It even crunched a little when she tightened her grip.

"So gross."

Snow looked up. Through all the spider webs she could see the sun. This was her escape from this hell. As perilous as it appeared, she began her ascent out of this hell.

Every grueling pull, every time she grasped the rope and the crunch that followed, was disgusting and made her winge. She wished the sunlight didn't give her vision because now she could see the spiders that were surrounding her. One spider was crawling down the rope towards her. It was black with a red pattern on its back.

"Dont, dont-" The small spider trickled onto her hand.

"Ew ew ew ew!" she frantically shook her hand, flinging it off.

Soon, it would be exponentially worse. She would need to breach the first web that weaved around the rope. When she got there she used her left hand to swipe at the web, breaking it, sort of. Only half of the web fell and some of it was tangled around her hand. No matter how much she shook it, the web stuck onto her.

While she was swinging her left hand she heard skittering towards her right. She looked to see a wave of spiders rushing towards the rope.

"Nope-nope-nope-nope!"

Snow immediately resumed her climb ignoring the web that was sticking to her arm. When she looked down, the spiders had already made it to the rope. When she looked up above, there were more spiders coming down. It was inevitable, the spiders were going to reach her and If she couldn't outspeed the spiders…

She would need to stay calm.

She closed her eyes and calmed herself, before resuming her ascent.

As Snow continued her ascent she felt the spiders crawling up her legs and down her arms. She gritted her teeth and tried her best not to freak out. Eventually they were crawling all over her hair, her face and her back. The next web blocking the way up was crawling with them. The rope became so full of these little crawlers that if she removed her hand to swipe at the next web she would not be able to re-grab the rope without potentially crushing one of them. She slid her hands upwards, the spiders skittering down the rope were pushed onto her arms and continued making their way down using her body. She numbed herself and fought past the disgusting tickling sensation and just kept going. Not even swiping the next web she just used her head to pierce through it. The web was in her hair, face and mouth.

("Just. Keep. Going.")

She began to tear up as she continued on. The spiders were in her clothes now, she could feel them crawling on her skin. The worst was the sensation and sound they made when they skittled over her ears. The sewer grate above was clearly visible now, she was mere feet. Mere feet that might as well been a mile because every action, every inch she shifted, she could feel the scattering of spiders within her clothing. There were so many that it was a miracle she hadn't been bitten yet.

Snow didn't know how she managed to stay calm this long. She wanted to scream out. She wanted to let go of the rope and fall, but she climbed onward through the final web.

The skittling sound became fleshy as the army of spiders were traversing over her. She couldn't even see her skin anymore. Salvation was within reach.

("Almost…There…")

Snow reached the top. The sewer grate itself was shaped like a web. She used one hand to pop the grate up and push it to the side. She could see the outside, she could smell the clean air. She lowered her hand back to grab the rope so she could pull herself up. That's when she felt a sharp prick.

"rg!" There was blood on her hand, She almost crushed a spider and it bit her. She swiped the rope moving the spiders aside before grabbing hold of it and fully pulling herself high enough to get out.

The second she was out Snow began to strip; throwing her clothes off like a crazy person, her boots, her shirt, her skirt and her hair were all filled with spiders. The spiders that crawled out of her tossed clothing skittered back into the sewer. She began shaking her head as if she was a part of some aggressive musical band while trying to get these creepy crawlers off her. Snow swiped at her back, legs, chest, arms, any and everywhere to get them off her.

Once Snow's dancing fit finally came to an end, she checked herself a total of twelve times. After that, she checked her clothing five times before putting them back on.

Now that Snow was spider free, she was finally able to look at her environment. She was in the middle of a walled-in grape garden. Snow made her way to the house that the garden was connected too. There was an overhanging roof with plants elegantly sprawled over its edge creating a curtain of flora that separated the house from the garden. Snow crossed through it and came up to an ornate door with a curved golden handle. She put her hand on the door and her hand stung. She looked at her hand, two small bloody holes were visible on the base of her palm. She hoped the bite was not venomous. Unfortunately she had to assume it was, because she was feeling very ill, very quickly. By the time she went inside, she felt herself wobbling as if her coordination was completely out of whack. Snow felt both dizzy, nauseous and a strange funny sensation all at once. She wondered if this is what it was like when people were drunk.

After entering inside it appeared this was yet another luxurious manor, except there was a clear artistic style to it. Paintings supplemented by flowers strung everywhere. The flowers made it appear too girly for her taste. As fast as she came to a judgment on the decor, she found herself bumping against some of the walls as she began to drag her feet.

"Miss?" Somebody was on her side. Snow looked at the person before giving her a crooked smile.

"Don't mind me, just passin- through." She pushed the servant aside and continued down the hall. The hall began spinning like some bizarre illusion. Snow stopped at a big door. She heard the callings of some more servants behind her but she didn't have the energy to interpret their words. All she knew was that they didn't want her to go in this particular door, so that meant she was going in.

"Let's see what's behind door number two!" She swung the door upon and stumbled in,

An image of Lazarus in conversation with another noble was the sight she took in.

"Lazarus, just the man I was looking for!" She looked at his funny hat, she just wanted to flick it off his head. "I always wanted to slap that hat off your head!" As she staggered ahead to do so, Lazarus questionably watched her approach. Snow stepped up to him and swung as hard as she could, she knew she aimed at his head but her hand accidentally shifted to hit his face. Lazarus caught her hand, holding it up he looked at her palm.

"Is this the only bite?" He asked slowly.

Snow only laughed.

"Yup!"

"Go get the deathwidow antidote." Lazarus motioned at his servant before she rushed out. Lazarus then lowered himself to her level and leaned in really close before whispering. "I am now certain, you will be the greatest flower I will have ever painted." She heard him chuckle darkly as her eyes rolled to the back of her head. Everything went blank. The last thing she remembered was the smell of and feel of Lazarus' clothing as he held her.

---

Crow and Arthur

Crow and Arthur were hiding on a rooftop in wait. The sky was darkening as the ongoing rain began to pour.

"How could you lose them Crow?"

"The guidebird I had leading them was destroyed. I don't know how. The lesser flock is looking."

"This is not good. I can't fight in this rain either without removing my limiter." Arthur sucked his teeth.

"Do you want me to use the bellbird?"

Arthur considered it before inevitably shaking his head.

"No, we need as much information as possible. Continue maintaining them."

"Trying to find out more about those mages? I still think you went overboard on that guy."

"We don't have time to play nice here. Based on what that mercenary said, those mages are more involved than we thought. Openly revealing themselves to try and take us out of the picture means that we are in the midst of an active plot."

Silence followed until Crow asked what was on his mind.

"Does that mean… Ares… is?"

Arthur only looked down in response, unsure of what to say.

"I see." Crow said with despondence

"I'm sorry, Crow."

Crow did not reply, nor look Arthur's way for an entire minute. "At least he discovered the ring, as well as revealing the true nature of the head councilor. Let's just stay focused."

"Locating and securing Princess Snow and Princess Lussuria are now our top and only priority. Understood? You can report whatever you have found afterwards to Warden Isabella."

"Understood."

A shadowy bird came in flying towards their direction

"There it is." Arthur pointed at the bird. The bird was descending towards them before diving into Crow's shadow. "Well?"

Crow seemed to be focused as if taking in what the bird just saw.

"I only see Princess Snow, She is still in the Noble's district, she appears to be on the move somewhere."

"The regal district?"

"No she's going somewhere else, towards the east end of the nobles district, warehouse row, and she appears to be in a hurry."

"Is she being pursued?"

"No."

"Let's get moving."

 

[Bloodkin]

Chapter 30 Infiltration
Snow
Snow jumped out of the bed she was in.

"What?! Where am I?!"

She realized she was undressed. Her outfit was clean and hung neatly off the bed canopy. She smelled clean, like someone had taken her a bath. There was also a bandage wrapped around her hand. She put on her clothes before a maid with a collar walked in.

"Where am I? What happened to me?!" She asked the maid.

"Greetings princess, you are currently in the manor of house Rene"

"Rene? Lazarus?"

The maid nodded.

"I was informed to oversee you. I bathed you and cleaned your clothing. I was also instructed to notify you that Master Rene wishes to speak to you as soon as you woke up."

"Take me to Lazarus then."

---

Snow and Lazarus were sitting in the same room she had collapsed in before.

"Lazarus what the hell! You couldn't lead me a different way to your house?! That sewer system was dreadful! Hellish!"

"I apologize but that was supposed to be a last resort route. I didn't think you would actually need it."

"Giant rats, a devil and a spider infestation?! You may as well surrender me to the guard!"

"I knew you had it in you, your strong Snow. Stronger than anyone gives you credit for. Think of this like a… test of growth."

"A test!? How is climbing a spider infested chamber a test for anyone? I almost died from a single sting, let alone the amount of spiders that were in there!"

"Bah, lessons to be learned, nerves to be steeled. As long as you made it to the top, without angering most of them, your safety was practically guaranteed! See, I have the antidote for those redbacks. Antidote that you didn't even need by the way. You somehow fought it off, truly amazing the body of a frostblood. I grow more fond of you every time we meet."

"Lazarus I am not some tool or subject! You gawk me up and then have me do some ridiculous task! I am starting to think you are trying to kill me on purpose!"

"Again, I am sorry Snow. That was supposed to be a last resort." He leaned back and put on a satisfied smile. "Now that you are here, allow me to assist you. I promise, no more tests. You are here and in good hands, now tell me what is happening. I understand there is movement among the knights, are you the reason?"

---

Snow told him everything.

"Frederick declaring war? That's madness." Lazarus questioned Snow's assessment of the situation.

"Lussuria being taken, my guard missing, and the mediator doing all that is all true, I'm not making it up Lazerous, He's going to declare war on us!"

"Ok, slow down. Let me think, Frederick just called forth a meeting prematurely, that certainly is suspicious."

"He's going to bring out the war declaration, why do you think he's in a rush! He wants to get it signed before I get to the king!"

"For war to be declared the council needs to have a 2/3 vote as well as the King's declaration. Both seem like an impossible task. If he is confident he can get it done, that is very troubling. By what means can he achieve this?"

"I don't know but all the city guards and that crazy mercenary man with the eyepatch are all allied with him. What should we do?"

Lazarus looked up in thought before deciding.

"Alright, I will attend the meeting and try to stop this ridiculous proposal. As for your sister, Mountaineer Warden Isabella would be able to swiftly find her no doubt, but Warden Isabella isn't in the city at the moment. I will send word to her about your sister, and she will return soon, hopefully."

"I can't wait for the warden to return, I need to find Lussuria. Don't you have servants all over the market Lazarus? Someone must have seen something."

"I can inquire but I am afraid we don't have time."

"I need to go to the king now then. I can stop both the decree and get the king to force Frederick to reveal where she is."

"Getting to the king is no easy task. You are unofficially wanted by the city guard, Fredericks's city guard that is. They no doubt have a perimeter set to catch you by now. We don't even know if his influence has reached the royal guard of the regal district. I think you should stay here, it is far too dangerous for you to go out, because if you get caught and Frederick fulfills his plans, you will be publicly trialed and-"

"No Lazerous, I've done this type of work before."

"That's not the same, the stakes are much higher. We are talking about imprisonment and death here, not sneaking into some belligerent drunk's bedroom."

"I need to do this, as the only available representative of the Lotus family, I can't allow Frederick to get away with this, especially with my sister still out there."

Lazarus rose from his chair.

"Very well Snow, follow me."

---

Lazarus led her through his manor. Dozens and dozens of paintings were strung down all the hallways, it seems painting was more of an obsession than a hobby for him.

"I see you like painting a lot more than I thought."

"I paint all my servants as well as my commissioners, I feel as if it gives them a special connection to me."

They got to the end of the hall.

"Here."

There was an oddly shaped silver door, Lazarus took out his keyring and unlocked it.

The room was filled with an entire wall of fabrics and in the center was a huge circular tailoring station that had various instruments. It made the portable station he used at Regalia seem like a joke. This one room must have been where he made all of his clothing... It was incredible.

"You are the only person besides me and a handful of my servants that has stepped foot in here." Lazarus Grabbed two sheets of fabric and brought them to the table and immediately began cutting and stitching them. "I don't have much time, so forgive me if this is tight." He said as he started his work.

"What are you making me?"

"An outfit."

"For what?"

"It's a disguise. You said you wanted to see the King, well there is only one person I know who has regular access to the King's estate."

"Who?!"

"You already know him."

"Who?"

"The fat cherry." Lazarus Gave a quick smirk.

"Sir Jirminshawl." The whole reason why she was here in the first place, to make this stupid deal. Snow didn't realize her face until Lazarus Looked at her with a malleable expression before going back to his work. "Would he even help me?"

"I honestly don't know. That gluttonous hog would be open to a deal if push comes to shove though."

"Fine, where does he live?"

"The west side of the district. I can get you in the residence but reaching Jirminshawl is something you need to do on your own. You will need to disguise yourself as one of his servants, he has so many that you won't be noticed in there."

After only a short moment Lazarus exhaled.

"It is done." He held up a dress…

Was it a dress? Or a flour sack, Snow couldn't tell, it looked ugly beyond belief.

"That's a disguise? Are you kidding me Lazerous? I know you're under time constraints but surely you can do better.

Lazarus Looked offended.

"I for one think it looks satisfactory. It can even go over your current clothing."

"That looks like a flour sack!"

Lazarus's offended face lightened at a realization.

"Oh. I forget, you probably have never seen a traditional maid outfit. Yes its fashion looks horrid but that's just how they are."

"Lussuria would throw herself at Frederick's stone lions over wearing that."

"It is theorized that fashion was repulsive back then due to limitations, but I think the real reason for the maid uniform was so that the Lady of the house doesn't get outshined by servants."

"Maybe Sir Harper could use some of those in his manner. Then again, Lady Grace probably wouldn't care."

"I see you learned of his indulgences."

Snow shrugged, "Whatever. If it gets the Job done, I don't care. What about my hair? I will stick out like a sore thumb. Arthur used a crystal that changed my hair-"

"Nothing beats a good ole fashion wig!" He pulled up about 4 wigs from under the table. "Any preferences." He held up a brown, black, red, and light green wig.

"I'll take black."

"Great choice, it compliments well with your eyes, so serious, yet cute. Anyways, the time for jokes are over. There is one more thing you would need to wear." He put a collar on the table. "This should fit you."

Snow looked at the collar. To which Lazarus acknowledged the look.

"All of his servants are slaves, it's degrading I understand but a necessity in our situation, you can easily remove it, the lock on it is fake, it will open freely. "

Snow picked up the collar.

"Now Snow, are you sure you are ready for this? You can be safe here and wait."

"I already made my choice."

She latched the collar onto her neck.

---

Snow was inside the smuggling box that they arranged to get her in with. Her legs were squeezed up to her chest. She could only see the cloudy sky as it began to drizzle. Lazarus appeared peering over her.

"We are about to leave; I hope the accommodations aren't too poor." Lazarus apologized.

"You can't bring me in a bigger crate, This is so- tight..." Snow was so tightly packed in the box.

"I have organized your crate to be brought in with Jirminshawl's daily food supplies, Luckily for you Jirminshawl is a fan of my grapes. This is the only way to breach his estate this last minute.

"I understand, thank you Lazarus. Don't forget to be careful yourself, Frederick will try to force you to vote for the declaration."

"I will be fine, there are some things not even Frederick has jurisdiction over me in. Best of luck to both of us," Lazarus said as the top of the crate slid closed. Snow was left in total darkness.

---

First Snow had to ride in a crappy carriage. Now, she found herself riding on the back of one, in a box that was tiny. The suffocating feeling was only suppressed by the constant rattling and shaking of the box. When the rumbling of the box finally came to an end. Her stomach turned as she felt the sharp acceleration of gravity before the box banged against the floor. (Geez, gods forbid I was something fragile.) The movement completely stopped as well as the voices of the workers. Seems she had arrived at her destination. She waited a couple of minutes before she unlatched the box from the inside and slowly peeked her head out. The room was dark but there was light coming from the cracks of a door just in front of her. This must have been the pantry closet she was in. In that case the room in front of her should have been the kitchen.

Snow slowly opened the door and saw a cooking fire, a long table with sacks of food on it as well as greens strung up above it. It was indeed a kitchen.

She adjusted her outfit and proceeded to the kitchen exit. There was no door, so she looked both ways once exiting the kitchen. Nobody in sight, good. She knew Jirminshawl's personal room was on one of the upper floors, she just needed to find stairs.

"Jen there you are! What are you doing!?" One maid had appeared from down the hall behind her.

Snow spun around to address the maid, who was storming her way.

"Oh, hi! I was..." She got caught off guard by this maid suddenly charging at her.

"No excuses, I need help with the food prep. Come- wait you aren't Jen? Who are you?" The maid realized she was different.

"My name is uh, Emma." She gave a false name and the maid seemed to be very confused before some enlightenment dawned upon her.

"Ohh you must be another new girl, my name is Orthia" She was very enthusiastic, "Well alright then, wow you have pretty eyes, let's get to work. We need to prepare the Master's lunch!" She was dragged into the kitchen and told to start cutting celery, carrots, and various vegetables for mid-day lunch."

"His Lordship likes tomatoes so make sure you cut a few extra, do not cut too low on the celery and make sure you check the carrots for insects." The maid was grabbing some steak meat out of a salt barrel and laid it on top of the cooking pan. Snow grabbed some of the stuff that was asked and started to cut it. She remembered watching how Lamille used to cut the vegetables at home and did the same. After about two minutes the maid turned her way.

"Make sure you hurry up with those, they need to be prepped before-"

The maid noticed the vegetables. Snow had cut them all already.

"Hmm, that was quick."

"Thank you, now that these are done, I need to go-"

"Now for the next thing. The Master's favorite lemon sauce!"

"But I needed to-"

"No excuses! Peppers, onions, and lemons, go get them! We have to make sure the Master's meal is fully done!"

Snow found herself not bad at culinary arts, however she felt more like a culinary slavery. When all the food was prepped, seasoned, cooked, and whatever the hell else you could possibly do in the kitchen she was dying to get out.

"Is that everything?"

"Yes, nice job Emma, that was pretty quick, perhaps you should replace Jen." The maid shrugged as a joke.

"Thanks, Orthia."

"I'll bring this up to the upper servants so they can serve the Master. Stay here until I come back so we can clean the stables. The horses weren't nice today... so prepare yourself."

Quite gross.

"Ok."

The maid left with the food.

Snow would rather forfeit her disguise than clean stables, so she quickly left the kitchen and trailed behind Orthia. Orthia left what Snow figured was the servant hall. This new hall had visible guards, but they should mind their own business if she acted normally. Snow walked at a pace a servant would walk. Quick but formally. Orthia reached a set of stairs. Snow slowed down so Orthia wouldn't see her on the turn going up, then proceeded to climb them. In the middle of the stairway there was some sort of lift contraption behind a small metal gate that spanned the whole height of the stairs. It looked Similar to something the construction guild would use. After two landings, Snow didn't hear any further footsteps up the stairs, so this had to be the landing. Snow entered the new hall. Where the walls were painted in yellow and a fancy rug ran through the place that was mended in a swirl of silver. This had to be the floor. Getting to Jirminshawl was easier than avoiding the city guard it seems. Guess she should be thanking Lazerous, the disguise was working perfectly, until she was stopped by a different maid.

"Child, what are you doing here? This is the guest wing. You are not allowed here."

(Jeez where do these maids keep coming from…)

"I.. I was told to help on this floor."

"What task were you given?"

She tried to think.

"um…The housekeeper told me to assist with the linen."

"The linen for the guest chambers is already clean and set. Gods, so Helga thinks she can dump another girl in my care." This maid wasn't too enthusiastic compared to Orthia.

Snow gave her best puppy eyes.

The maid sighed looking away, "Fine, come with me, we will find something for you to do."

'Find.'

It was more like 'Find something NOT to do.'

Snow had a newfound appreciation for Lamille and the rest of her servants back home. After scrubbing clothes, beating an endless number of rugs and dusting every nook and cranny she dropped everything she was doing once the coast was clear. Leaving her tasks, Snow began to move down the hallway checking each of the doors in search of Jirminshawl's room. She stopped around the corner of the hallway where she could hear two servants talking. The maid who gave her the tasks could be heard talking with another servant.

"Helga, I think you finally got a keeper who won't get fired in the first week."

"Hm? what do you mean?"

"That little girl, the new one, she's so obedient and efficient."

"What girl?"

"Emma."

"There are no servants that go by that name here."

Snow was still listening around the corner.

"What do you mean? She's right over there." They began to walk her way. When they turned the corner, all they saw was a lone duster set on the table.

 

[Bloodkin]

Chapter 31 Jirminshawl
Jirminshawl was seated at his widely arced balcony that gave a grand view of the nobles district. The sky began to darken as the drizzling rain turned into pouring rain. He sat on his heavy cushioned chair while he ate to the soothing sound of rain, the slanted roofing above the balcony protected him and his plate from the darkening weather. After he finished munching down on his food, he pushed the plate aside on the small table in front of him.

Jirminshawl gave a satisfying burp while padding his face with a napkin. He then addressed the unnamed man that was standing behind him. The man wore a faded yellow mage garb that had a dragon symbol on it.

"You should not be here; we have no business together." Jirminshawl was clearly unhappy about the man's presence.

"Jirminshawl, we require your resources to keep that Lotus girl away from the castle."

A maid brought Jirminshawl some cake and then offered the stranger some refreshments to which he ignored. When the maid grabbed Jirminshawl's finished plate to take it away, Jirminshawl got her attention.

"Hey." He addressed the maid.

"Yes Master?"

"Who made this food?"

"Orthia did, believe she said she had help from a new girl."

"Hm, that's so?"

"Yes, it's her first time to my understanding, I deeply apologize if its unsatisfactory, we can definitely show her how to properly make it-"

"No. This was exquisite. Continue to make it like this."

The maid nodded before walking away.

Annoyance grew in the mage's voice. "I'm not here to mess around Jirminshawl, are you going to send guard to the district perimeter or not? The west side of the noble's district is under your control."

Jirminshawl, still in his chair, raised two fingers.

"Let me make this clear, I owe neither your organization nor Frederick anything. In fact, the person who is owed is I, for that generous loan I gave Frederick to pay for your ridiculous colleague to wreak havoc in Regalia. I will not dirty my hands in the name of your group or Frederick again." Jirminshawl called back the maid. "Be sure to escort him out dear." The maid that was attending him nodded and began leading the man out.

"If the Lotus girl succeeds in interrupting our work, you will be made to pay Jirminshawl." The man stopped midway to make his threat.

Jirminshawl put down his spoon, the comment acting as a barrier that stood in between him and his cake.

"Tell me, isn't the warden still hunting your people down and killing them like rats? Ten years of hiding with nothing to show for it. It really is sad, and it is an even sadder investment. Best be careful, before I cut my losses." Jirminshawl, now satisfied after making his point, took a big bite of cake as the man finally left the room. "Such a deprived day. That dirty city councilor has spoiled my mood." Jirminshawl leaned back into his chair and back to his view of the noble's district. A new maid approached and brought him a platter of fruit.

"Lessening your indulgence is a good step to a healthy body."

"Yes but, is adding a few years worth the loss of such delicacies." In a moment Jirminshawl paused, realizing something was off. The fact that this maid just initiated conversation with him and her voice sounding so familiar made him quickly turn to her. Jirminshawl flinched back once he recognized her.

"I heard you liked my food." Snow smiled.

Jirminshawl looked afraid.

"Don't worry, I didn't poison you, even though I should have." Snow took a servant-like stance next to him looking out at the rainy view.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't have my guards remove you this instant."

"Because I feel an opportunity has arisen that as much as I hate to say, would benefit both of us."

"hmph." He smiled realizing his life wasn't in such immediate danger when business was the intent. He relaxed a little bit, resuming his position on his chair.

"This better be good. Let's hear the proposal. You have a high bounty on your head, let's see if you can offer something worthwhile."

"I need access to the king. Give me that and I will give you five percent of the labor guild's yields."

"Labor guild? Are you really still trying to bargain with that? You are being hunted by city guard and Frederick wants nothing to do with you. As far as I can tell, the labor guild would never even come to existence."

"Yes, it will. When you give me access to the king."

"It is to my understanding that your mother doesn't wish to declare the guild progress done, why would getting the king to decree it be any different?"

"The means to get the guild formulated is no longer information you are privy to. All I am asking for is information and in return you will be granted a stake. I don't care for your money, you have no risk here. Unless you have stakes with Frederick, that is?"

"Me allying with Frederick? Good one. Let's say I believe that you will be successful. On the off chance you turn the king's favor and he decrees your will, I am afraid what you are offering me is much... too.. little."

"How much is not too little then."

A slow smile creased on his face.

"Thirty percent."

"That's too high."

"You have very little choice in this matter. Frederick will be bringing his deed to the king by the end of today. Without my help you have no hope of stopping him and if you don't stop him, your guild doesn't get passed through consul, however that will be the least of your issues."

"So you support his declaration for war, are you sure you will come out on top if such a thing happens?"

"The way Frederick explained it, I would be a fool not to. But a fool I would be if I openly partook in supplying arms against a ruling country. No, I have no such interest in igniting war. I will only seek to profit when the opportunity is presented."

"You're the reason why all this started. You used me as an excuse to leave that meeting. You killed the deal. You funded the attack in Regalia. You tried to buy the deed before us and now you pretend as if you are doing me a favor?"

"I've merely put myself in a favorable position, I can't be blamed for that. Why would I share any stakes with my competitors." Jirminshawl shrugged. "As for the deed to that loathsome property, you are mistaken. I have no interest in dealing with it or that snake, Lazarus."

Snow turned her head sideways at the mention of Lazarus.

"So you claim that Lazarus holds the deed to the property?"

"Yes, of course he does. He would never sell it to anyone, he clutches onto it harder than that ivory paint brush of his. Ever since he corrupted my son into being a degenerate, I have done all I can to financially crush him. He persists only because that council position protects him as well as his network of collars. I feel bad for your family, dealing with him is dealing with poison."

Snow looked out into the rain that was now pouring, spending a few seconds in thought.

"You are right Jirminshawl, I am not bargaining with the Labor guild. What I am really offering you is a way out."

"A way out? Please tell me, why would I need that?"

"The council is broke. Do you think they will take the king's money? Or continue asking for yours? Today they will ask, but what of tomorrow? Or the week after that? They will take all you have. Do you think Frederick can continue paying off the mercenary guild with council funds on top of war preparation? You do not need to be a mathematician to see how foolish that is. Who really wins here? Certainly not you."

He put on a dissatisfied face.

"I am afraid you are low balling me for your current predicament princess. You say that I need you, but right now, you need me. This information you seek is invaluable. I daresay you don't have a choice in the matter. Fate has dictated you to me."

"Fate does not dictate my decisions, Jirminshawl."

"Information on how to reach the king isn't the only information I have, would you like to know, let's say… the location of your sister?" Snow's eyebrows went up at the mention of Lussuria and Jirminshawl smirked. "Yes. I know where she is. I would give that info as well for fifteen." Jirminshawl's face was now smug.

Snow couldn't believe he dared to use her sister's life in this deal.

"You would dare use Lussuria's life in negotiation?"

"We are all valued at something, Is five percent worth your sister's life?"

"My sister's life is worth more than this deal. In fact, I am offended you would value her at five percent. For your offense, the deal is now nine percent." Jirminshawl looked surprised.

The maid came back with a bunch of guards.

"My lord! She's not a real servant!"

Jirminshawl stood quiet, the guards began approaching.

"Your hand has been shown Lord Jirminshawl, you must accept the deal, for it is the only way you have a guarantee. IF you accept the deal and I am successful you will profit, if you accept the deal and I fail, you lose nothing. However, if you deny me, whether I am successful or not, you will risk losing everything. Do you think I entered your estate on my own? The councilors with sense know that I am here. If you do not play along, you will fall along with Frederick."

"You really expect me to believe that the councilors I have in my pocket will choose to betray me? Including backing out this late in the game? That is foolish."

"You said it yourself, you dirtied your hands. Who can trust you after that? The council is full of snakes. Tell me, where is their guarantee to you? That they won't backstab you when the king or Frederick comes for them? I would say you put yourself in the opposite of a win-win situation. By playing all sides you played yourself. Good thing you have me right? This is your last chance. Would you like to continue believing in your delusions? Or shake my hand? Those are your only options left."

Jirminshawl eyed her, looking for weakness. The guards were standing right behind her. Waiting for orders. Snow could see, behind Jirminshawl's shark-like gaze, a crack. There was an incense stare-down, before Jirminshawl looked away to his guards.

"Don't you see I am conducting business? Out of my sight!" He waved them off.

"Yes, my Lord." The guards backed off.

Jirminshawl stood up, looking down at her.

"There is an alternate way into the regal district. A garden connected to my estate, you can enter from there. The garden is packed full of shrubbery and large flower beds that someone of your size should be able to maneuver through without being seen right up to the perimeter of the castle. There are guards on the main entrances, so your best bet is to enter through the servant entrance, which is also there. From there the king should be in his chambers at the very top of the castle or at the throne room in the center. Once you are inside, the guards will believe you are a guest. The regal guards know not of Frederick's schemes."

"Ok, and my sister's location?"

Jirminshawl got up and approached the balcony rail that was under the rain, Snow followed behind him. He pointed off in the distance towards the east side of the noble's district away from his estate and the castle.

"That big warehouse on the east side. She is being held by that infamous mercenary."

"The guy with the eye patch. Just who is he?"

"They call him 'The tracker'."

"The tracker?"

"He is one of the best trackers of the mercenary guild, he is good at laying traps. He is a runic mage that used to belong to the Daiga mage guild and one of the few people left that can use lightning magic. I have hired him myself before. I would hate for our deal to end prematurely so I recommend you go straight to the king. If your sister is in his charge then the king would be the only person who can free her."

"That concludes our meeting, thank you Lord Jirminshawl." Snow started to walk away.

"Regalia, be smart. Go to the king! Don't make me regret this deal!"

 

[Bloodkin]

Chapter 35 The bellbird

Snow reacquired her boot from the bear trap with Arthur's help. After that, they exited the warehouse. Lussuria still couldn't walk, so Arthur carried her on his back. Crow was standing out front. The dark sky that had been weeping throughout the day broke, revealing a bright and sunny sky.

"I put a bird on him." Crow joined alongside them as they left the area.

"That's wise, It's best we do not split up anymore. We need to take shelter somewhere." Arthur said.

"So to get to the King we need to enter from Jirminshawl's estate in the west. If we quicken our pace, we can get there within the hour." Snow declared. Her pace increased as the group trailed further and further behind her. Snow turned back around when the distance was noticeable. Arthur and Crow nearly came to a stop as they looked at each other. "Why are we slowing down? Let's go." Snow reiterated.

"Princess. I understand getting to the king is important, but you just had a battle. Lussuria is exhausted and Crow is nearly out of magic. Jirminshawl's estate is on the other side of the district. Traveling there in our current state would put us at severe risk. We are in no position to-"

"Position to what? If the next word is surrender then you are right. We will not let Fredrick get away with this, Arthur."

"Princess, please. We need to wait for backup and send a report on our situation. We can't go blazing into the Regal district, let alone fight our way through the noble's district."

"I will not stand here and do nothing, Arthur."

"Princess Lussuria clearly needs rest. Will you stop for her?" He put the attention on Lussuria.

Snow looked at Lussuria. Lussuria's messy hair was still partially draped over her face. The fact that the precipice of her image had been unadjusted since they rescued her could only mean one thing; Lussuria truly was in no shape to proceed. Snow frowned.

"Fine."

The group found a small house nearby that was two streets away from the warehouse. The house appeared abandoned, mimicking the rest of the properties that were on this row. Arthur, Snow and Lussuria watched from around the corner as Crow kicked in the door and dashed inside. After a minute, they saw a hand stick out the doorway, signaling it was clear.

Snow and Lussuria were in a room upstairs. Lussuria was laying down on a bed. Lussuria soon gained enough energy to strike a Princess-like pose to cover for her weakened form. Arthur and Crow had gone downstairs to watch the perimeter and discuss their situation.

Snow knew this because she was watching them from the window.

"Snow…" Lussuria called to her from the bed.

Snow approached Lussuria.

"Hey Lussuria, you doing okay?" Snow could see, just under the strands of her hair, strips of ice. If it was anything like Gravis' episode, then Lussuria must have had a massive headache right about now. Snow fixed some of the strands of Lussuria's hair before gently padding her forehead. The icy blue veins around her neck were finally starting to fade away. Considering how Gravis struggled with the ice, Lussuria seemed to slowly have it under control. A feat, considering what she has been through, she was Lussuria after all.

"That actually feels kind of nice." Lussuria whispered.

Snow sat on the side of the bed.

"You'll be okay now. I'm sorry, I got you involved in all this."

Lussuria said nothing for a while, then took a deep breath.

"And to say I wanted to beat you at that life sized praefectus game."

"Once this is done we can…"

"Honestly, I don't know why you are so good at the game. I should have let Mom give you that praefectus board back during the Lotus Celebration. I'm sorry about that." Lussuria apologized, a rare event.

"It's fine, don't worry about it." Snow accepted the apology before rising from the bed.

"Don't go." Lussuria grabbed her hand, keeping her at the bedside.

"I am not going anywhere. What do you mean?"

"I may be exhausted, but not stupid. You have been watching that window for an opening for some time now."

Lussuria revealing Snow's intent removed the need to continue the mirage.

"I didn't come all this way to be scared off, you rest. I'll solve this problem. Frederick will not taut about doing whatever the hell he pleases in a country that we control."

"Now you sound like her… Snow you're going above and beyond for no reason, you saved me, is that not enough? Going out there right now will only result in you being killed."

"It is not enough."

Lussuria looked up as if she finally understood.

"Is that really what this is about? Mom will understand. Frederick attacked us, it's not your fault that-"

"-But it will be!" Snow yelled back. Lussuria flinched, letting go of her. Snow realized her aggression and turned towards the window. "If I don't do this Lussuria, she... She won't accept failure! I'm tired of being the useless one, I finally have a chance to contribute here and if I don't It would only further the fact that I am the black sheep, useless, not wanted. Especially after what they did to you."

"You're not useless. That is the dumbest thing I've ever heard."

"Maybe so, but when push comes to shove all that matters is the result. Rest up here and then tell Arthur and Crow to take you to the mage guild. I am going to the king. I am already short on time." Snow started to open the window wider, putting one foot on the window sil.

Lussuria responded by sitting up and slowly rising out of bed.

"What are you doing? Stay in bed." Snow demanded.

"Well, I'm not going to let you go by yourself." Lussuria dusted herself off.

"You haven't uttered a single complaint since we left that warehouse. I know that ice is killing you, and you are hiding it. Even Gravis was groaning in pain after her overuse of the frostblood. You won't be able to help in that condition."

"Excuse me? I, infact can be very helpful in any reduced state. You don't have a choice. Attempt to leave and I will scream for our ever-vanishing guardsmen."

"Are you really going to do this, Lussuria?"

"Yup. You need my infinite wisdom. Together, I… I mean "we," can make a plan."

---

Crow and Arthur were waiting in front of the house that was serving as the group's temporary hideout. Little Crow flew up to Crow and settled on his shoulder. The shadowy guide bird turned its head sideways and made eye contact with Crow. An exchange of information was made before the bird flew away, settling on an overwatching roof.

"The tracker is on route to the Regal district." Crow reported.

Arthur put his hand to his chin. His eyes were calculating.

"What are you thinking?" Crow asked.

"It seems Frederick's men aren't the only party at play here. The daiga mage guild is definitely involved. My guess is that they told Frederick about the ring."

"So it's confirmed now, they are still in operation."

"I wonder what their endgame is? Frederick's goal is to use the ring on the king, that much is clear. However, I still do not see that as being worth it for the daiga mage guild. They must be benefiting in some way from Frederick's actions."

"We can't rely on speculation right now."

"You are right. Looking at the current situation, it's clear why Frederick didn't want the labor guild; not because of some moral economic standpoint, he just didn't want the excavation to be exposed."

"But then, Ares exposed it." Crow said with his head down.

"We caught Frederick off guard, he wasn't ready. That must be why his attempts at capturing the princesses were so sloppy. He hired the tracker as a last resort to kidnap both of them, buying himself time. Now that he has a weapon capable of mental alteration, he theoretically can parade around and do whatever he wants. Worse, he can get the king to enact his will."

"If that ring is capable of altering memories or controlling minds then there would be nothing to stop him once he reaches the king. The only person who could stop such a magic is Warden Isabella. The royal guard has no mages, let alone anyone capable of disabling that magic."

"We can't wait for the warden to return. We need to warn the mountaineer king." Arthur concluded. "Ares would have been perfect to send ahead but-"

Both Lotus agents shared a grieving look.

Arthur rotated his shoulders as he stepped forward. "I'll go… You should be able to lay low until things blow over right?"

The door of the house suddenly opened as Snow and Lussuria were trotting out.

"I guess we'll need to get moving then." Snow said. They had eavesdropped on the whole conversation.

"There's no way I am allowing you two to be put in danger again." Arthur stepped in their way.

"Who killed Ares?" Lussuria stirred the conversation with her inquiry.

Arthur grew silent at that question.

"It was that mercenary guy, 'The tracker'." Snow answered. "The tracker was injured when I fought him. The rips in his armor were caused by Ares. Am I right?"

"Yes." Crow answered for Arthur.

"I thought so."

"Ares was loud but... that's what I liked about him..." Lussuria sniffed, wiping away a tear.

They all shared a long moment of silence before Snow was the first one to say something.

"If we don't do this, then who will? We can't waste Ares' sacrifice."

"The two of you are more important than a lotus agent. That's why." Arthur was not having it.

"More than just our lives would be at risk if Frederick enacts his plans, Arthur. Frederick wishes to declare Vulcas a free state, igniting an automatic war between us and Vulcas. He has already called his emergency meeting earlier today. We have little time to beat him to the King."

"And what is your plan? Frederick has a ring that can bend people to his will. If we go there, we likely must force an audience which will only further give them justification to view us as hostile. What do you propose we do about that?"

"Me and Snow can resist the brainwashing magic." Lussuria explained.

That caught Arthur and Crow off guard.

"How is that?"

"When those mages were using that pitiable magic in their attempt to sway me, I found that If I activated my Frostblood I would be able to shield myself from their magic. The ring should use the same technique, because they claimed it to use the same method.

"Princess Snow can't activate her Frostblood abilities."

She doesn't need to, since the magic they use is a specific element.

"Which is?"

"Lightning. In small frequencies. That's what I've determined the mind manipulation magic is composed of."

"I still don't agree. I will not allow you two to be put in harm's way."

Snow walked right up to Arthur, looking up at him.

"What?" Arthur looked down at her.

"The head councilor of the Vulcas intends to brainwash their king, in an attempt to initiate a war between the Lotus and Mountaineers. May I remind you that the mountaineer kingdom is the largest kingdom under our control. This plot threatens to shatter the very peace my mother has built over the course of the last war. What do you think she would say in this situation?"

Arthur's silence was more than enough for Snow to continued on.

"Our lives are no more important than Ares. A war with Vulcas would destroy countless families on both sides. This is not a risk that we have the option of weighing, it is our duty to respond to this immediate threat. A threat that we are best prepared to face together."

Crow stepped onto the street. Arthur looked at him with an aggressive gaze.

"Crow, do you really agree with this, you can't be serious?!"

"Yes. Arthur, you and I know this is the best course of action. Princess Snow is correct, if Frederick gets away with this, there will be many more unnecessary deaths. Not to mention the blatant undermining of Lotus authority. Frederick is like a forest fire, if we don't put him out now then he will embolden the other territories under Lotus control to rebel." Crow threw his hand into the air. "Permission to use the bellbird, captain?"

Arthur squeezed his fist. He looked at both Snow and Lussuria.

"If this threat was not paramount for Regalia, I would not allow such recklessness." Arthur turned to Crow. "Permission granted. Use the bellbird." Arthur stormed up to the house and leaned against the wall crossing his arms.

Crow began casting a spell. Black swirls of magic started flowing around Crow's arm in an upward spiral. The swirls of magic started expanding and morphing into an inklike ball. The amalgamation of magic that was bubbling above Crow's hand appeared volatile. The ball of ink expanded and shrunk several times before a small chubby bird plopped out onto his hand. The bird was small and had long strands of whiskers.

"What is that?" Lussuria questioned, looking at the new bird.

"My bellbird. You might want to step back and cover your ears." Crow suggested as he let the bird fly straight up into the air. The bird flew higher and higher. With each flap it bloated fatter and fatter. Snow and Lussuria backed up and covered their ears. When the bird reached its highest point, it popped, releasing a massive pulse of air in all directions. Snow and Lussuria prepared for something to happen but nothing other than silence was heard. Was that it? Their question was answered when the pulse of air hit them. For the single second that the air touched them, a high pitched scream exploded in their ears. Their clothing flapped from the intensity of the sound wave. It was just for one moment, but it was deafening.

Crow dramatically opened his arms holding a pose of crucifiction. Nothing happened at first, until one shadowy bird flew into his shadow, then another, and another. The sky grew black as a horde of birds started pouring in from every direction, all piling into his shadow.

"He had all those birds out?!" Snow said in shock. This amount of birds easily spanned into the hundreds, maybe thousands.

"Yeah, that's why he was out of mana." Arthur answered.

After the flock of birds returned to their master, Crow dropped his arms and stared intently at the space in front of him. He started reciting some of the visions he saw: "The mage councilor and two common councilors were arrested. The jails are filled to the brink with real sentries. Weapons and mercenaries are bolstering in the garrisons just outside the city. The city council bank is empty. Groups of knights and mercenaries are approaching our location."

"Can you lead us to Jirminshawl's estate?" Snow asked.

"Jirminshawl's estate is swarming with guards. I see you... you were going to run into them, but you went east instead.

"That guy!"

"I see Frederick. He was walking through the nobles' district while you were fighting the tracker. We might be able to beat him there, if we hurry."

"Is the regal district compromised?" Arthur asked.

"No, not as far as I can tell, however there is a group of mercenaries bolstering in front of the regal gate. That is the only obstacle we must pass through."

"Okay, If we are going to do this. We are going to do it with a plan. The fastest route there is going to the noble's center and then straight up the main road to the regal district. We should try to keep the casualties to a minimum. When we are at the regal gate, Crow will summon a swarm with the last bit of his magic. That will give us an opening. After we enter the regal district, I'll construct a barrier to stop our pursuers. Princess Snow and Princess Lussuria, Stay in between us and you two will be safe up until the Regal District. If Frederick beats us to the King we will most likely have to engage him. At that point, you two will have to get the ring off of him. After the ring is taken care of me and Crow can come in to secure him. Princess Lussuria, you have magic that can disable him right?

"If your definition of disable means blast him without outright killing him. Sure, I can do that." Lussuria appeared amused at the thought.

"I guess that works."

Little Crow flew down and landed in front of them, getting their attention.

"I think Little Crow is trying to get our attention." Snow motioned to the bird.

"Little Crow will guide us past the patrols until we reach the center of the noble's district." Crow said, the small bird gave Crow the same look it gave Snow and Lussuria when receiving the name. "Hey, don't look at me like that, I like that name." He spoke back against the bird's attitude.

Little Crow looked towards Snow with a judgemental gaze and cawed before flying away.

Snow couldn't help but chuckle.

"Let's go."

The warehouse district was oriented like a grid. The wide open streets made every street crossing difficult to do without getting spotted. As they were running Crow's hair was levitating in a ghostly manner. Snow didn't say it aloud but it looked cool.

"Left." Crow relayed, Arthur, Snow and Lussuria followed. The sound of the marching patrols began to echo throughout the district. Hopefully they wouldn't be caught.

"Right." Crow continued leading them. Snow looked up into the sky and could see Little Crow gliding above them. Little Crow spun and flew out of view.

"Stop." Crow demanded as they came to a halt. "Hold here." They waited while leaned up against a building. The group could hear the shuffling armor and puddles being stopped on just around the corners of the street they were on. There was little cover, yet Crow was confident in standing here.

Arthur had his fingers pressed together in preparation for combat. The rest of the group stood by. The marching soldiers came into view from both perpendicular streets. The group stood extra silent as the knights continued down their prospective roads, neither looking at the connecting street they were on. After the knights disappeared out of view, they were in the clear.

"Let's go."

Crow continued leading them through the warehouse section of the noble's district. They swiftly avoided multiple patrols, totally invisible, thanks to Little Crow guiding them. With this pace, they may have a shot of beating Frederick.

"Crow, your magician magic is amazing." Snow complimented him as the noble's center came into view.

"Thank you, your majesty." Crow gave his thanks. Little Crow descended and landed on Crow's shoulder. The shadowy guide bird cawed before jumping to Lussuria's shoulder and rubbing against her neck.

"Uh, why is the bird fondling me?" Lussuria said with concern.

Crow almost blurted into laughter.

"Little Crow is upset Princess Snow didn't thank him first. 'I like this one better now,' he says."

"What? Don't be like that Little Crow! I appreciate all the help you've given us!" Snow smiled.

The bird cawed and looked away.

"I'll win you back one day, I promise!"

"We are here." Arthur interrupted them, signaling their arrival at the noble district's center.

---

The group arrived at the center of the noble's district. The gargoyle fountain was still emitting excess water from the storm. The center itself was empty of people, most likely because of the bad weather earlier. There was a problem though.

"Crow…" Arthur saw it first.

They all looked in the direction Arthur was looking; north, up the main road that led to the regal district.

"My birds saw none of this?! How?" Crow said in shock.

"They waited until you recalled them." Arthur shook his head.

The main road of the noble's district had about five checkpoints with big barriers set up on every converging street. Barriers made of pikes and fallen wagons. The road to the regal district was borderline impossible now.

"Look, Frederick is right there!" Crow pointed forward.

They all saw Frederick casually strolling up the road. Frederick had just passed the second barrier checkpoint. His destination was clearly the Regal district.

"By the time we get through all that It will be far too late. They will have the royal army formed in the regal district waiting for us." Arthur cursed.

"We don't have time to fight through all that." Lussuria added.

Once again, Snow's goal was in reach but revealed to be an illusion.

"Kingdom of Rocks is a fitting name, always something in the damn way!" Snow banged fist at the base of the fountain.

Lussuria walked up to her.

"Snow, I'm Sorry." Lussuria tried to comfort her.

"There must be some way. The sewers, the rooftops, anything." Snow was looking at the grates just under the fountain.

"More than likely, but all our options now would not let us beat Frederick. Looks like we need to let him go." Arthur said.

Snow tried to form a rebuttal but instead, she sat on the edge of the fountain with a defeated look.

"Wait, maybe we can still catch him!" Lussuria pointed upwards. Towards the source of the water just under the statue's feet.

"What? The water?" Snow questioned.

"No, the statue! Maybe we don't have to go magic blazing into the district!" Lussuria nearly shouted. She was pointing at the gargoyle statue that was the top piece of the fountain. "That thing, it's a construct!"

 

[Bloodkin]

Chapter 36 Construct of War

Arthur, Crow, and Snow all watched as Lussuria hopped into the fountain. The gargoyle statue that served as the head of the noble's center fountain was apparently more than just elaborate décor.

"That old thing? Are you sure?" Snow dubiously questioned her sister.

Lussuria treaded through the pool of water up to the statue. Her hands glided across the statue as she examined it from various angles. Lussuria stopped once she reached its backside.

"There, you see it?" Lussuria pointed towards the statue's head. A circle indentation was on the back of its neck. The indent was so old that it was barely visible. "That's a rune, I could control it from there."

"This statue must have been used in the last war. It's ancient. The Lotus must have missed it." Arthur noted.

"I guess Augnem's attempt to embarrass me wasn't a waste after all." Lussuria said as she began to climb the statue. When Lussuria got to the top, she placed her hand on the rune. "Okay so, since this thing is ancient, it probably uses touch controls. Here I go." Lussuria's palm flashed before she chanted. "Activate!- control!"

A small rune appeared floating above the indentation momentarily before fading away. The statue had no response.

"What's wrong?" Snow called up to her.

"This rune has some sort of lock on it. That must explain why it's still here." Lussuria tried to think.

"So, It needs a keyword." Arthur said.

"Yeah, any ideas?"

"Try 'Daiga' as your second term, that's the name of the old monarchy." Arthur instructed.

"Activate!- Daiga!- Control!" Lussuria pressed her hand against the statue. The rune appeared again and disappeared.

"Any other ideas?" Lussuria shrugged.

Little Crow landed on the statue's head, looking at the rune indentation with curiosity.

Crow turned to Arthur. "Arthur, do you know of any other passwords the diaga mage guild could have used?"

"Typically they all just used 'Diaga'. If this is a special construct then its keyword would be something the magi mage guild would not be able to guess."

"What about 'password'?" Snow scratched her head.

"... Really, Snow?" Lussuria's face dropped into a stupefied form.

"You got any better ideas?!"

"This thing might lock if we get it wrong too many times!"

"Well, nobody else has any ideas! Just do it!"

"Okay, whatever you say… Activate!- Password!- Control!-" As soon as Lussuria said that, the floating rune appeared and flashed bright yellow. The statue activated and began to shake. "That worked!? Are you kidding me?!" Lussuria yelled before nearly being thrown off. The old stone plating over the statue crumbled, falling off like an old shell into the fountain water. The statue's real form consisted of pristine white stone and large flexible wings.

Everyone backed up as the gargoyle statue moved its wings and stretched from its base.

"Wow Lussuria, that's amazing!" Snow shouted.

"I know right! This thing... Wooooah!" Lussuria held on tight as the statue fell off the base into the fountain pool. The fountain was destroyed and water began flooding into the noble's center.

"Lussuria don't crush us!" Snow yelled.

"This thing is not that easy to control! It's like it has a mind of its own! In theory this seemed a lot easier! Just give me… a second!" Lussuria began frantically tweaking the small rune that was hovering in front of her. The statue rose and swung its clawed arms, almost swiping the group. It appeared to view Snow, Arthur and Crow as hostile.

"Lussuria, get that thing under control!" Snow yelled again as they had to dodge back to avoid its swipes. Little Crow was flying in the statue's face, trying to distract it.

"I'm trying!... The orientation of my fingers matters too? Interesting…" Lussuria was turning her wrist while opening and closing certain fingers. With each movement, the gargoyle's anger became more pronounced. The rage of the construct was unrelenting, imitating a bull taunted by crimson drapes. Little Crow could only buy them so much time until the construct refocused on the group.

"Lussuria!?" They all ran as the war construct gave chase.

"Almost got it!" The gargoyle jumped ahead of them a couple of yards, blocking their path. It raised its arms in the air, motioning to slam them. Lussuria made one final twist, squeezing all her fingers together, causing the gargoyle to pause.

"Okay! If that works then… how about this?" Lussuria eased a few fingers.

The gargoyle opened its wings and got on all fours like a dog. Its aggression was soothed.

"Alright, I understand the controls now." Lussuria smiled. She tamed the war construct.

Lussuria lowered the gargoyle to the ground.

"Hop on!"

---

As the gargoyle stomped up the main road on all fours, each step shook the street. Lussuria had her legs wrapped around the gargoyle's neck while she operated the control rune. Arthur, Crow and Snow were sprawled out on its back, barely holding on and bracing themselves wherever they could get a grip.

"Do I have permission to, you know, crush these guys?" Lussuria asked while they were charging towards the first checkpoint.

"If you can help it, try not to." Arthur was the acting voice of reason.

"Aww, no fun. I was hoping for some payback."

The band of mercenaries saw them oncoming and readied bottles of fire. The knocking of arrows were also readied.

"Crow, help me intercept the projectiles!" Arthur said, he snapped a flame in his right hand while holding on with the left.

"Yeah!" Crow shouted as he summoned a few birds.

"I got most of them, don't worry!" Lussuria shouted, she pushed into the rune as the gargoyle opened its wings around them like a shield. Fire bottles smashed against the wings as they passed by. Everyone braced as they stomped right through the first checkpoint, crushing wagons and wooden pikes.

The first barricade was cleared.

"Watch out!" One of the fire bottles flew in from above their winged shield. Arthur got ready to fire at it but he was beaten by Little crow. Little Crow flew into the bottle, knocking it away.

"Nice job Little Crow!" Snow yelled over the pounding stomps.

Little Crow cawed happily before resuming its glide above them.

The next barrier was lit aflame, probably in an effort to deter them.

"Brace yourselves I'm going to jump over the next barricade!" Lussuria warned.

Everyone braced themselves. Snow felt her stomach drop as they jumped into the air, right over the checkpoint. The gargoyle landed with a smash on the other side of the barrier.

They had cleared the second barricade. Three more remaining.

"Frederick is almost at the regal district stairs!" Snow spotted him. Frederick looked back at them. The white gargoyle, headed by: two princesses, two lotus agents, and a sassy small crow was enough to change Frederick's pace from a calm stroll into a full blown sprint.

"We're not going to make it. Lussuria, can you speed this thing up?!" Snow pleaded.

Mercenaries and knights began to bolster at the remaining three barricades. Another wave of fire and flint flew their way. Lussuria put up the wings to protect them.

"It's hard when I'm trying not to step on these guys!" Lussuria eyed the buildings on the side of the road. "Alright, fine, hold on!" The gargoyle turned right and pounded right up to the side of a house. It began clawing through the wood and stone, climbing and pulling itself up on the rooftop. They began jumping roof to roof. The construct was too heavy to fly, but the wings helped them glide slightly.

"I will give them one thing; Mountaineer housing infrastructure sure is strong." Lussuria muttered.

They were able to easily skip two of the barricades, but then they didn't have any more rooftop to skip the last one, since it was the barricade blocking the regal stairs.

Frederick reached the top of the regal stairs and went out of sight.

"I can't see him anymore!"

"Hang on tight!" Lussuria yelled, everyone did as she said. The final barrier was the one at the bottom of the regal district stairs. The gargoyle dove off the rooftop. Its wings closed in around them like an arrow as they crashed into the final checkpoint. The mercenaries dispersed like ants trying not to be crushed.

"go go go!" Snow rushed Lussuria to go faster.

"Would you like to drive this thing!?" Lussuria said in frustration. The gargoyle began scratching its way up the stairs to the Regal district.

Once they reached the top of the grand stairs and passed through the gate framed by the famously ginormous twin statues, they arrived in the regal district. The regal district was made with pearly white stone and fully gold buildings. The road had the mountain symbol lightly inscribed on it, leading straight up to the castle. This district was the king's personal estate. The castle itself was half embedded in the mountain, surrounded by superior architecture similar to the council hall. It didn't take long until they saw Frederick again. Frederick was sprinting towards the castle doors, easily spotted because the district was void of both guards and people.

"Crow, Arthur, get off so you don't get in range of the ring!" Snow told them.

"Gotcha!" Both lotus agents jumped off simultaneously.

Lussuria leaned forward as they picked up speed. Snow could see the hairs on the back of Frederick's head.

"You can't get away Frederick!" Snow yelled out as Frederick kept glancing over his shoulder.

"I'm going to grab him!" Lussuria clasped her hand on the rune as the gargoyle lunged out to grab him.

"Princess, watch out!" They heard Arthur yell. Lussuria saw something flying in from the right and quickly yanked the arm back. A large stone slammed down in front of them, separating them from Frederick. Frederick ran inside as the castle doors shut behind him.

"What in the hells is that?!" Snow and Lussuria turned their heads to the right.

The enormous statue framing the gate to the regal district was no longer in its position. It was right next to them. The rock in front of them was the end of the great axe it wielded.

"That thing is a construct?!" Lussuria was astonished. The gargoyle spun to face this towering threat. The gate guardian. It was an active construct.

"Do you think we can take it on?" Snow questioned, not long before another shadow loomed over them.

"If…that one is alive then…" Snow and Lussuria slowly turned their heads in the other direction. The other twin guardian had its weapon held high in the air, just above them.

"Move!" Arthur yelled at them.

Lussuria pulled back and the gargoyle hopped backwards. The huge weapon slammed into the ground, cratoring it. The gargoyle ran back to both lotus agents.

"You girl's okay!?" Arthur called out to them.

"We need to deal with those giant constructs." Lussuria noted while getting ready to react to the next attack.

"Stop them!" The mercenaries were all heard coming just up the stairs to the regal district.

"We can't deal with both at once." Arthur ran up to the Regal district gate before he erected a flaming barrier stopping their pursuers from entering.

"Arthur, keep that barrier up." Crow then turned his attention to Lussuria. "I'll handle the left one. Princess Lussuria, can you two handle the one on the right?" Crow questioned.

"Yes, we can!" Lussuria shouted back. Crow ran towards the left statue grabbing its attention. Lussuria turned to face the right statue that was targeting them.

"Be careful!" Arthur pleaded.

"Yeah don't worry Arthur." Lussuria assured him.

"How are we going to beat that thing Lussuria?" Snow questioned as this construct was three times bigger than theirs. The gate guardian was staring them down, preparing to attack.

"You know what they say; the bigger they are…" The gargoyle clawed the floor before rushing into the statue. The gargoyle latched its front claws onto the guardian as it began to push with its hind legs. The guardian tilted a few inches back before regaining its balance against their struggle. "Drat, nevermind.. This thing is too heavy!"

The guardian riposted, kneeing the gargoyle back, sending them flying away. The gargoyle dug its claws into the ground as they slid to a halt.

"Snow you good?" Lussuria looked to her older sister, who was hanging on tightly.

"Yeah…" Snow scooted up closer to Lussuria.

"Looks like I can't wrestle this thing to the ground. Ok, new plan. You see how our construct has a rune?"

"Yeah?"

"That one has a control rune too, we just need to find it and destroy it!"

"Alright, try to go fully around it. Let's see if we can find it."

Lussuria twisted her fingers as the gargoyle became enraged and charged right at the gate guardian again. Before they would have collided, Lussuria dramatically turned her hand as the gargoyle's wing extended out, causing them to swerve around the guardian's leg.

"See anything Snow?!" Lussuria shouted.

Snow scanned the whole backside of the guardian looking for any glowing runes or unusual inscriptions, nothing.

"No!"

The rune was not on its back, nor was it on its front.

"Damn, that means it must be on top of its head!"

"I guess we are going to climb it. Right after this attack!" The guardian swung down vertically. Lussuria waved her fingers as the gargoyle danced around the strike. After dodging the attack the gargoyle pounced on the guardian. They began to climb up its chest. When they got near the guardian's chin, the statue grabbed the gargoyle's left wing. The wing tore as they were swung to the ground like a sack, ending in another explosion. Snow could feel her bones rattle as both her and Lussuria were dazed. The left wing was ripped clean off. Snow shook off the rattling daze and looked back up at the guardian. It began to hover its massive foot above them.

"Lussuria, wake up! It's going to crush us!"

Lussuria got a hold of herself and quickly locked her fingers together on the gargoyle's control rune. The gargoyle raised its arms, catching the descending foot. The gargoyle's arms began to crack from the extreme force. The guardian was trying to crush them with all its weight.

"Damn this thing is strong!" Lussuria gritted as she tried to fight against the push with all her might. The overlooming foot pushed down on them harder and harder. The ground cracked as they began sinking into the road.

"Lussuria we need to bail!"

The gargoyle's arms began to crack louder and louder from the excess weight.

"No! I got it!" Lussuria took one hand off the control rune and aimed it right at the foot above them. "Cover your head!"

Snow lowered her head as Lussuria started to chant.

"Rune-power-ignite-"

The rune formed just above them, aimed directly at the foot.

"FIRE!" Lussuria shot a blast of magic at the bottom of the statue's foot, causing the foot to recoil upwards. In that moment they dashed out before the foot resumed its descent back into the earth, following with another craterous explosion.

"Ok, can't wrestle it, can't climb it. What do we do?" Lussuria was out of ideas.

"How about you get me up there. I'll disable it." Snow suggested.

"That sounds like a mad idea but... I am down for it."

"Would the dagger work?" Snow pulled out Gravis's dagger.

"Yeah, it would. Etch it right across the center and the rune will break."

"Gotcha."

Lussuria poised the gargoyle to challenge their ginormous opponent again. The gargoyle charged into the statue again and went into a standing wrestle with it. The gargoyle's weakened arms were barely holding onto the guardian's forearms.

"Go now Snow!"

Snow was holding onto the right wing while they shook back and forth. Snow tried her best to keep balance, while aiming her jump. Once they stabilized she leaped onto the guardian's arm and began to climb it.

The guardian noticed Snow's ascent and tried to fight her off. Lussuria responded to the aggression by having the gargoyle slam one of its hind legs into the ground, anchoring it against the resistance.

Snow got up to the shoulder and looked down. She wasn't afraid of heights but that didn't mean she wasn't afraid of death. She was about six floors high. A fall here would no doubt be deadly. Snow tried her best to ignore it while she maneuvered to the head. When Snow stood up on the shoulder blade she could see the glowing rune on the guardian's head. The rune was glowing brown.

"I see the rune!" Snow shouted.

Snow took out Gravis's dagger and stabbed downward into the center of the rune. The rune flashed in response but didn't break. Snow began grinding the dagger across the circle and the statue immediately jolted in aggression. The guardian ripped itself free from Lussuria's grasp and shook its upper body rapidly, in efforts to throw Snow off. Snow held onto the collar as tight as she could. After Snow stabilized herself, she resumed etching. Once she got halfway, the guardian became desperate and ran itself into the regal district wall. Snow was almost flung off with the sudden jolt. Snow held on but the dagger flew out of her hand.

"No! The dagger!"

The dagger glistened in the air as it spun towards the ground.

Little Crow was heard flapping towards them, or rather, the glistening weapon. Their small companion grabbed the falling weapon with his talons and flew up to the top of the statue. Snow raised her right hand and Little Crow dropped the weapon into her hand.

"You're the best, Little Crow!"

"Caaw!"

Little Crow flew to the front of the guardian and began flying in circles. The guardian's attention shifted to bird's patterns. Snow used the opportunity to jump right on top of the statue's head. She stared down at the rune.

"Break already!" Snow didn't stab the rune, she began to slice it, repeatedly. Strike after strike, with each blow causing the rune to flash, until finally, the rune shattered. The guardian began to power down. The giant statue started lowering its head in a mechanical fashion.

"Yes!" Snow began to celebrate, but it would not last long. She started to lose her footing. Snow's feet shuffled in a dance as she started slipping off of the tilted head.

"Woah, woah!"

"Snow!" Lussuria shouted from below.

Snow threw herself to the side, taking the dagger and slamming it into the chest of the statue, sparks grinded out as she slid down the chest and onto Lussuria's gargoyle.

"Okay, now that… was cool." Lussuria praised her.

"Yeah, let's not do that again." Snow dropped her head back with a deep breath.

The earth shook as the other guardian fell. Crow proceeded back to the center, while wiping his hands.

"Finished mine as well."

With one guardian deactivated and the other 'decommissioned', Lussuria led the way up to the throne room doors. The throne room was the first chamber of the castle, serving as the entrance hall. Which made getting to the King convenient. The thick stone doors, that were locked, stood in their way. Snow got off and joined Crow as Lussuria shifted the war construct into a breaching position. Once the gargoyle was poised to ram into the doors, Lussuria looked back towards them.

"I'm going to ram it now."

"Do it." Crow gave her the go.

Lussuria twisted the rune back and forth as the gargoyle charged right into the stone doors, ramming it hard. The doors cracked and partially opened. They could see the splintered wood of a drawbar through the slit of the door. Lussuria backed up and got in position again.

"And again..."

Lussuria twisted the rune back and forth with more aggression as the gargoyle rammed the door again with more force than the last. This time the drawbar of the door cracked loudly.

"And now, for the finale."

Lussuria repeated the motion one final time, this time cranking the rune all the way. The gargoyle rammed the doors with its full might, the drawbar broke as the doors blew open. Lussuria's control rune began to fade as the gargoyle began powering down, the pristine white stone that was put through hell looked just about ready to fall apart now. The gargoyle collapsed to the ground as Lussuria slid off.

"This construct is finished, although I would say the quality of those war relics are impressive." Lussuria gave her assent to their vehicle of destruction up to this point.

"It served us well." Crow agreed before looking back at the regal entrance. Arthur's flame barrier had begun to fade. There was a small army of mercenaries standing in wait on the other side. "I'll be on standby out here, to stay out of range of Frederick. If anything happens, I'll rush in."

Little Crow flew into the castle and perched up on the edge of one of the pane-less windows.

"Sounds good." Snow nodded and motioned to Lussuria. "Lussuria, lets go!"

"Right!"

Snow and Lussuria ran into the throne room, where a line of royal guard stood between them and the throne.

 

[Bloodkin]

Chapter 37 Old Scars

Snow and Lussuria ran into the throneroom. Their forced entry was met with a line of gold clad knights. The Vulcas royal guard, their chest plates bore the insignia of the mountaineer steed, stood shoulder to shoulder. The King's guard probably expected the resistance to be a lot greater than two Lotus children. Snow and Lussuria stopped just before the knights, their focus; the tall obsidian throne that towered over the backdrop of the room. The dark chair was massive, but also empty. The King was not present.

"I see the Lotus know no other way to enter these halls." Frederick was standing behind the line of royal guardsmen, next to the throne.

"We seek an audience with King Raden the second! High Councilor Frederick has committed treason!" Snow yelled at the captain of the royal guard, clearly distinguished from his tall horse-crested helm. The captain stood at the center of the formation. He opened his visor, revealing his stubbled face and defined nose.

"You have put the noble's district and regal district under assault. His majesty will not be seeing you." The captain replied.

"That is false!"

"Then what is happening just behind you?" Everyone could see Arthur and Crow, beyond the smashed doorway. The Lotus agents were outside fighting several mercenaries who were still disguised as knights on the open road of the regal district.

"Those knights are not true city guards, they are mercenaries. Frederick is deceiving you all!" Snow's accusation fell on deaf ears.

The captain of the royal guard smirked in disbelief before looking at Frederick.

Frederick only shook his head.

"Frederick, where is the King!" Snow directed the question at him.

"His majesty is in his chambers. Safe, from the likes of you."

Snow put her efforts back into attempting to convince the regal captain.

"The Mountaineer King swore fealty to the Lotus, I speak on behalf of High Queen Deamonia. I demand you open your formation, detain Frederick, and allow me to speak with King Raden the second!"

"My duty is protecting his majesty and as you are currently portraying yourselves as threats, you will not be granted audience." The captain stood firm.

"Frederick wishes to declare war on Regalia. Do you and your guardsmen support that insanity?!" Lussuria spoke up, cutting to the chase.

Frederick strolled up to the King's table and pocketed a seal.

"Royal guard, I would like to inquire; if you were present in this throne room the day Warlord Deamonia murdered King Raden the first?"

Half of the guard stomped one food on the ground and put their fist to their heart.

"Do you see now? These men do not trust you. They do not wish to see our King murdered by another member of the Lotus. You will be the ones that are detained. Royal guard, detain them!"

"Snow, I can take care of them-" Lussuria began to raise her hand but Snow grabbed her arm.

"No, we can't attack the royal guard, it will only tarnish our reputation."

"Then what do you propose we do?!" Lussuria questioned her.

The guards stepped in sync towards them. Snow and Lussuria backed up towards the entrance.

"I'll uh, figure something out."

When they neared the exit, hooves clacked in from behind. Knights on horseback flooded into the throne hall followed by footsoldiers. Snow and Lussuria were now surrounded.

"Well I hope you figure something quick." The girls went back to back.

"Wait a second…" Snow recognized the armor of these new knights, they weren't royal guards. The men stopped as Sir Harper emerged on his horse, wearing his most boasted armor.

"Ah the late general, knight councilor harper. Very good. Please secure these children. So, we may bring them to trial for their crimes." Frederick ordered.

Sir harper dismounted his steed and approached the girls. Snow raised her dagger. Harper stopped, putting his hands at his side, examining Snow.

"At ease, Princess."

"Why would I? I have no reason to trust you. You weren't arrested by Frederick."

"Lazarus suggested that I hold off on stopping this fool's madness until now. 'Allow the rats to surface,' he claimed. My men are already assisting your agents outside."

Snow leaned to the side, looking outside behind Sir Harper. Arthur and Crow were indeed being assisted by Sir Harper's knights.

Sir Harper stepped past both Snow and Lussuria, unsheathed his sword, and pointed it at Frederick.

"Frederick, your coup will end here. You have declared we are at war, but you are the one who assaults our neighbors, you claim we are on an economic death spiral, yet you dump all of our city funds into weaponry and foreigners. You are the most destructive person in this room, not the Lotus. Royal guard, as knights who fight for this country and my old battalions, I order you to turn about and arrest High Councilor Frederick Stone! Lest the King and Country fall victim to his traitorous plots."

The guard radiated clear uncertainty, some of them looked towards the captain who was the only person that could sate their confusion. As doubts rose around Frederick's legitimacy, Frederick spoke loudly in his own defense.

"Captain, are you going to allow this failure of a general. The same man who lost us the war. The man responsible for King Raden's death, demand you, to arrest the King's most loyal advisor for the past eight winters? Accusations, based off the lies of these children?! They just toppled the gate guardians and you are confused?!"

The guard captain tensed up.

"I am not confused." The captain took a taller stance. "General Harper, I have served under you. You are correct about that. I may disagree with the amount of blame you received for our defeat. That still however does not grant you authority here. Out of respect for our past, please remove yourself and your men from the regal district. You are all trespassing here."

All the royal knights unsheathed their weapons, causing Harper's men to unsheathe their weapons. The tension of both sides increased. Harper broke the silence with his footsteps, right up to the captain of the royal guard. The captain's sword touched Sir Harper's breastplate.

"Captain Waldur, Did you know Nila personally thanked me for stopping your foolish unit that day?"

"You have the audacity to bring up my mother here?!"

"You would have thrown yourself and your men into the jaws of that dragonrider's beast. And for what?! What would I have told her?! Losing a child is the worst thing that can ever happen to someone. It is folds worst if it's for a pointless and idiotic cause. You are being played like a lute, stop letting your emotions drive you and wake up! Tell your men to sheath their weapons captain. NOW!"

Harper's voice resonated with olden authority, causing some of the royal guardsmen to lower their blades. The captain precariously pulled his weapon away from Harper.

"You expect me to believe you?"

"We have nothing to fear, the Lotus girls do not lie."

The captain locked eyes with Sir Harper. As the intense staredown dragged on, the captain's face softened. His will teetered on the edge of uncertainty, begging for a push, a reason, to break his long held presumptions.

"I played a game of praefectus with the older one…And, she beat me."

The captain's eyes widened, for he knew of the ritual of praefectus. Men who were well known and respected all survived the infamous test of character. It may as well have been a requirement for promotion. Never had Sir Harper lost in the sacred ritual. The captain spun around and pointed a finger at Frederick.

"Royal guard, apprehend Frederick!"

The royal guard all turned in sync.

"You dare turn on me?! Traitors! All of you!" Frederick shouted as his trust was shattered.

"You are the traitor Frederick, nobody else." Snow declared.

"I didn't go through all this just to be stopped here, by you useless guardsmen and an antique failure of a general!" Frederick began shuffling into his pocket.

"Stop him before he puts on that ring!" Snow yelled.

The men started to quickly approach him but Frederick had already grabbed the ring. He slipped it on and held his hand up in the air.

"kneel!"

The ring snapped with electricity. It ticked repeatedly, the noise was small but every time it ticked, the guard slowed further and further into a halt. The entire room froze. Even Snow's muscles began to tremble.

Everyone was brought to their knees in sync.

---

Frederick

A little girl skipped up to the guildmaster of the school with lilac flowers in hand.

"Good morning, guildmaster! I got these for you!" The smile on her face was filled with joy, perfectly mirroring her innocence.

The guildmaster took the lilac flowers.

"Wow, these are wonderful Alma. Thank you." He thanked the young student and she scurried off.

The day just started, the guild was open for teaching and business. This was a trade school for merchants. The richest merchant academy in the country.

There was a lot of activity, new blood trying to learn, old blood that was here for business and teachers from all walks of life. The guildmaster took it all in and proceeded proudly down the hall towards the rear of the building.

Students were on route to their classes, each set that passed him waved hello. He gave a swift nod to each set while proceeding down the hallway. When he got to the end, a woman emerged from the exit, holding the door open for him. The guildmaster gave her a warm smile.

The woman returned the smile.

"Guildmaster Stone. Thank you so much for the help on that warehouse deal. You really saved my behind!"

"Of course, no problem. Also Ms. Vyrelia, please, just call me Frederick."

"Nonsense you are guildmaster!"

"This guild wouldn't have existed without you."

"I guess that's true, but you are still the brains though." She grabbed his hand, in reminiscence. "Ah, It's been awhile hasn't it. I remember when you were stuck behind that apple stand, waiting to be rescued by little ole me. Hehe. Are those flowers for me?" She leaned in close to them, taking a sniff, before giving him a direct stare.

"Sure- I mean… Yes! These are for you, I know how much you love purple!"

Ms. Vyrelia took the small bouquet of purple flowers.

"How sweet of my Frederick. Getting flowers for the best woman in all of Vulcas."

"I still can't believe you were willing to risk so much for me."

"Let's just say, I have an intuition." Ms. Vyrelia winked before grazing past him, her hand slid across his chest. "Pick me up after classes today, wont you?"

"Uh, of course, I have time. Yes, perhaps we can go to one of the noble venues." Frederick nearly choked in nervousness.

"I can't wait, good day dear." Ms. Vyrelia continued down the hall.

"Good day." He gawked at her sauntering walk before snapping out of it.

Frederick went outside, where he saw the presence of a black coat standing on the edge of the school grounds. The presence of this individual brought ruin to his good mood. Frederick squeezed his fist and approached the figure.

"Guildmaster, the offer is still on the table. This is the last opportunity I can give you." The man in the black coat addressed him.

"The Mountaineer Kingdom will not lose its war against some savage group of vagabond women."

"You severely underestimate the strength of the Lotus."

"You severely underestimate the Mountaineer Kingdom. The Guild of Merchants is the richest of all trade guilds and we back Vulcas. The mountaineer army is the largest force of these lands and is the strongest force of Lucredia. You do not have the numbers to win. The only reason why I am entertaining this conversation is so you don't target any of my students or teachers."

"I know your story, you started from nothing. If you do not backup the Lotus, you will be reduced to nothing. You and our leader, Deamonia, share a similar story. Which is why she has given you an option. You would be a fool to turn us down."

"I don't need charity. If I hear any word of you associating with my students, I will notify the King himself of your illegal presence in this city." Frederick stormed back to the school.

---

A year had passed since that event.

Guildmaster Stone was seated at his desk. He did not look happy. The strokes of his pen were moving so fast he was scratching through the parchment of the letter he was writing. Once finished, he got up and rushed to the messenger window. A network of bird cages lined the window sill. All the cages were all empty, except for one. He opened the cage of the last bird, gave it the parchment rolled in a small tube, and the bird flew off. A loud bang sounded from the door just before it was kicked in. Soldiers entered the office. These soldiers had a lotus symbol on their chest plates. They were being led by the same cloaked man who had offered him a deal long before."

"We are acquisitioning this guild and liquidating all of its assets."

Frederick knew this day was coming. Ever since the Mountaineer Kingdom surrendered to the Lotus, Lotus soldiers were roaming the streets and taking from several guilds.

"This guild is everything, there are so many people you would hurt if you liquidate our assets."

"You should have played along with us then, Frederick. I warned you. Right now, you could have kept everything. That's right, Queen Deamonia would not have touched this guild and even helped you but since you backed our enemies, you will not be allowed to maintain your position. We will be taking everything."

"You said it yourself! We came from the same background. She can't take this away from me, from my students! There are plenty of people who are using this guild to better themselves! We give opportunities to people who are willing to work for them!"

"You should have helped us then, Your money and information would have saved a lot of lives, Frederick."

"How can you expect me to betray my own country! That's unreasonable!"

"I gave you multiple chances, you should have stayed neutral like the magi mage guild. Now, take us to the vault."

Frederick led them downstairs, to the merchant guild's vault. He had the only key for it.

Frederick unlocked the intricate metal door. After the door was open, the man in the cloak grew extremely angry.

"Where is all the gold!" The vault was completely empty. There was not a single coin remaining.

"Apologies, I have been feeling very charitable recently." Frederick smirked. The smug look didn't last long. Frederick's vision flashed to black as one of the soldiers hit him on the back of the head. ________________________________________________

Snow

"Snow can you move?" Lussuria whispered next to her. Lussuria's eyes were blue, indicating her active frostblood.

"Yeah, you were right. I'm good." Snow whispered back.

They were on their knees in the middle of all the knights. Everyone was frozen in place. The only ones able to move was Snow, Lussuria and Sir Harper. Sir Harper's armor had pulsed in a grid-like pattern, breaking him out.

Frederick disappeared up a set of stairs behind the throne.

"Frederick is running straight to the King's chambers at the top of the castle. I fear what he may do now that he is exposed." Sir Harper leaned down in front of one of his men, who had a blank expression on his face. "That magic is vile. In all my years, I've never seen anything like it."

"The plan was for me and Lussuria to engage him, when nobody was near that he could influence. We need to pursue him."

"Aye, The living quarters of the castle are unattested for the most part."

"We are the only three that can resist the ring."

One of Harper's knights came running in from the battle outside. Clashing of steel and yelling was heard that was approaching closer to the castle.

"My Lord, the mercenaries outside are bolstering! The two Lotus agents are holding most of them back but we can't continue like this! We need you!"

Arthur and Crow, it appeared that they were still fighting.

"Tell them to retreat to the door of the castle, we will hold them here." Sir Harper looked to Snow and Lussuria. "Princess Snow and Princess Lussuria, you two will pursue him and me and my men will defend the regal guard here."

They both nodded before running off.

________________________________________________________

Snow and Lussuria ran through the castle, sticking north. The castle had segments of indoor and outdoor sections. The mountainous castle of Vulcas was nothing short of a natural wonder; A beauty that was hundreds of years old. The wondrous estate however, was merely a background of the girls' chase. The only focus was Frederick and Fredrick alone.

"'The Kingdom in the Mountains,' sounds cool, until you find yourself running up a million steps." Snow uttered as they ran through the mid section of the stone fortress.

"Tell me about it." Lussuria followed her complaint.

Snow and Lussuria reached a square courtyard that served as a garden in one of the upper sections of the estate. The square courtyard was surrounded by towering ivory pillars and connected to the upper part of the castle. Frederick was standing across from them at a gate, fumbling through a bunch of keys in a nervous fit trying to find the right one.

"I'm going to disable him." Lussuria stepped out into the sunlight and raised her hand.

"rune-power-"

Frederick heard the chant and spun around.

"Damn mage girl!" Frederick's face of fear had quickly calmed as his eyes darted towards his left.

"Go ahead, shoot!" Frederick opened his arms in a boast against Lussuria.

Snow looked to where Frederick glanced and saw a shadow on the ground. The shadow had been casted from atop one of the ivory pillars of the courtyard.

"Lussuria watch out!" Snow jumped in front of Lussuria. A crackling snap sounded as a lightning bolt hit Snow in the chest, sending her flying back into Lussuria arms. Lussuria's spell canceled as she caught onto Snow.

"Snow, are you okay?!"

"I'm fine." Snow growled, looking up at the sky before shouting. "Feels a little weak, you must be getting tired!"

The tracker, who was standing on the pillar, slid down and stood in defense of Frederick.

"I was starting to worry that you wouldn't show up. Are you here to finally capture these runts instead of letting them loose every chance you get?!" Frederick shouted at his hired help, belittling him.

The tracker ignored him, only responding by raising a hand in the girl's direction again.

Lussuria stepped forward with her hand raised as well.

"Rune"-"Rune"

"Power"-"Power"

"Ignite"-"Ignite "

"Fire!"-"Fire!"

Both spells flew towards the center of the courtyard. An explosion boomed in the center as the spells collided against each other.

"I got a score to settle with this guy." Lussuria's eyes glared in concentrated anger towards her opponent. "I'll deal with him."

Frederick finally unlocked the gate. He swung it open and darted up into the final wing of the castle.

"Lussuria are you sure about this, we can take him together, his lightning doesn't affect me."

"We survived a runic mine, rode on the back of a war construct I learned to control within one minute, and toppled the famous gate guardians. All on top of the fact that I had to do it all with a splitting headache from resisting their pathetic magic. Yes dear sister, I'll be fine. This heathen has allotted all of his cards. I'll finish the work you and Ares did and put him in the ground where he belongs, once and for all. Especially, for the disrespect and defilements I was made to suffer!"

"Okay, he's weakened, but don't take him lightly." Snow didn't like it but they were in too deep to stop. Stopping Frederick was the top priority.

"Likewise." Lussuria muttered.

Snow chased after Frederick. The tracker watched Snow but surprisingly didn't get in her way as she ran by him.

The tracker returned his gaze towards Lussuria.

"I have already seen the extent of that one. I accept your line duel, runic mage Lussuria of the Regalian Monarchy."

 

[Bloodkin]

(updated link)Book 2 chapter 1 here: https://forum.questionablequesting....-frozen-flowers-book-2-origin-of-frost.19390/