Eris stepped out of the carriage. Her father and many guards accompanied her. In front of them was Castle Concord, and behind them was a large town. Beyond that, farmland, forests, and rolling foothills dominated the landscape.

Renaissance castle with town s-1541744643 [https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/313aaab4-767f-4cea-91cb-69c8d8fbef2a/dhceuq8-3b462527-d093-47b9-909b-249f06af1776.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcLzMxM2FhYWI0LTc2N2YtNGNlYS05MWNiLTY5YzhkOGZiZWYyYVwvZGhjZXVxOC0zYjQ2MjUyNy1kMDkzLTQ3YjktOTA5Yi0yNDlmMDZhZjE3NzYucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.eg-Ayqau2V7AtzhCyoF1cl3SAVDNsYs2gJVidp4-Hqc]

"I'll probably get to eat truffles more often while I'm in Armand's lands," Eris thought.

The Count and Countess Concord, along with their children and many guards, exited the castle and approached Eris' group. There were smiles on their faces; however, the girl could tell that most of the grins were forced.

"We got your letter, Lady Eris," Count Concord said. "I must say, this is very sudden."

Eris bowed.

"I wanted to help my fiance as soon as I can," she stated.

"I'm sure you do," Count Concord replied.

Count Hapburg stepped up.

"I must compliment your son, Armand," he said. "Armand saved my daughter's life. He is the perfect gentleman."

The Countess Concord nodded.

"You can expect nothing less of my son. He will keep your daughter safe, no matter what," she stated.

"Well, Eris, I suppose it's time for you to meet your future siblings-in-law," Count Concord motions to the children. "The boy is Charles, our second eldest son. These girls are my daughters. In order from oldest to youngest, they are Lucia, Eleanor, and Catherine. Lucia is a year older than you, Eris, so I'm sure you'll have a lot to talk about."

The youngest daughter approached Eris. Her smile was genuine.

"Please, call me Cat, big sister," Catherine said.

Eris grabbed her hands and gave her the largest smile she could.

"It's so nice to meet you, Cat! I'm glad that I can meet the rest of my future family at last!" Eris stated.

"I'll probably be able to get the younger sisters on my side pretty quickly. The older siblings are the biggest problem," she thought.

Count Concord started walking back to the castle.

"You'll be here for a while, so it's time to make yourself at home. We'll give you a few days to get adjusted and then tell you what Armand's work is," he said.

"Thank you very much. Armand's sending me a letter too, so that should help things," Eris stated before thinking.

Count Concord paused a moment before speaking.

"I see."

"Good," Eris thought. "Now that I've informed him of Armand's letter, he won't be able to lie about what Armand does. Or at least he'll need to be more clever about it. Hopefully, Armand can reach me in the next few days. Still, I should start working before then. I just need to start in a way that won't make Count Concord suspicious."

She then walked right to Count Concord's side.

"But I don't see any sense in wasting time. Perhaps you could give me something light Armand handled while I'm still making myself at home?" Eris suggested.

"That can be arranged," Count Concord said.

Soon after, Eris was in the grand hall of Castle Concord. Countess Concord was showing her the various tapestries that lined the walls.

"This depicts the Legend of Sir Ritten, the warrior who killed the Seven Kings of Marchrest," she stated.

"I've heard of that legend. Some people think that his legend is just a retelling of Neill of the Seven Hostages," Eris spoke before thinking. "Thank the gods, I managed to remember people bothering me about useless legends. Then again, given the nature of the disasters, I might want to look into myths more. I stayed away from dealing with the monster-based disasters the last time around, but I doubt I'll have a choice now that I'm marrying Armand."

Countess Concord placed a hand on her own chin.

"That is possible. Neill took seven kings hostage, and Sir Ritten killed seven kings. Someone might have thought the kings got off too easily," she said.

"Some people want to see justice done, even if it distorts the truth," Eris spoke before thinking. "Not that I care about the truth of this story. For all I know, Neill or one of his descendants altered the story to make him look better. Or maybe Neill never existed at all. It happened so long ago that it's impossible to know for sure. Though, someone from Neill's homeland might have a better idea of it than me."

Lucia walked over to the two. There was a smile on her face.

"Mother," she curtsied. "May I speak to my future sister? I'd prefer to talk to her alone, sister-to-sister."

Countess Concord nodded.

"That is perfectly acceptable," she turned to Eris. "Is that fine with you?"

"Of course," the girl replied.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"In fact, it's ideal," she thought.

With that, Countess Concord gave them some space, leaving the room. Lucia's smile faded the moment her mother was gone.

"It's good to get to talk to you. Should I call you sister, Lucia, or some pet name?" Eris asked with a warm grin.

"You can spare me your false courtesies. I don't know why you're here, but I know that I can't trust you," Lucia said.

The Hapsburg's smile faded.

"How do you know that?" Eris questioned.

"Armand told me that I couldn't," Lucia replied.

"Just as expected, Armand warned Lucia about me. I planned ahead for this, but I'm not sure if my plan will work. I know nothing about her," the Hapsburg thought before speaking. "Armand is wise. I'm not the type of person most people can trust, but I am Armand's fiance. I have just as much reason to want his affairs to go well as he does."

Lucia narrowed her eyes.

"Tell me, Eris, why do you pretend that you love my brother? I've read some of your letters. They're filled with your false affection," she said.

Anger pulsed through Eris.

"How dare that woman deny my love for Armand! I should have her guts cut out for that...calm down, Eris. Don't blame Lucia for being suspicious. She is a tool. Her words mean nothing to you," Eris thought before speaking. "I really do love Armand."

"I don't believe you. But the real question is: why pretend to? You are in an arranged marriage with him. No one would blame you for not loving him. I know my parents don't love each other. They're more like close friends than lovers," Lucia stated.

Eris' eye twitched. She struggled to avoid clenching her fists.

"Think about Lucia's parent's relationship. Most successful arranged marriages end up with the couple being like close friends or siblings. I can find some way to use that," the Hapsburg thought.

"You're right. There's no benefit for me to pretend to love Armand. It wouldn't even help me get closer to his family. But I'm not pretending," Eris focused on her feelings towards her fiance. "I love Armand. I love him with all my heart. He is the only man I will ever romantically love."

Lucia glared, rage contorting her face.

"I don't believe you. I can't believe you. You probably want to marry Armand and then kill him to inherit his lands," she said.

Anger kept flashing through Eris. She forced it down, pushing it as it welled up.

"Lucia, I know that Armand told you not to trust me. And I know that he has a point. But right now, what benefits me the most is what benefits Armand the most. Even if you don't trust me as a person, can you at least trust me to be selfish? Trust me to do what's in my best interest?" Eris asked.

The Concord opened her mouth to speak. Then, she closed it. Lucia stood in silent contemplation for a few moments.

"Yes. I can trust you to do what benefits you the most. But I don't trust you to tell the truth about what you want. I will tolerate your presence for now, but I'm keeping my eye on you," Lucia said.

She started walking away. Then, Lucia stopped and turned back to Eris. There was a glare on her face.

"And stay away from my other brother and sisters," Lucia demanded.

"If they want to talk to me, I will talk to them. But I'm certain that you can make sure I don't do anything bad," Eris replied before thinking. "If Lucia was on Armand's level, she wouldn't have told me that she's keeping an eye on me. Even at this age, she should know better than to give me a warning. Still, I cannot afford to underestimate her."

In another part of Foldzar, Armand's group was standing outside of a castle. A man stood on the gatehouse. He was a tall, spindly person of 17. His messy blonde hair hung over his forehead like a mop. This man had a mustache but no beard. There was a breastplate on his chest, and he had a morion on his head.

"I surrender!" the man shouted, raising his arms in the air. "I know I can't beat you, Marshal Ludwig, so please spare my life!"

Marshal Ludwig groaned, punching the bridge of his nose.

"Marquis Barboa, I am not here to attack your castle," he said before muttering under his breath. "This was the stop I was least looking forward to."

The man on the walls shifted with nervousness.

"How do I know you're telling the truth? You have an army with you!" he declared.

"Dammit, Felix! We've been over this before. I haven't tried to attack you the last 5 times I was here. And this is my personal guard. We're not even at full strength," Marshal Ludwig stated.

Armand gazed at the man on the walls.

"Typicall of Marquis Felix of Barboa, so paranoid it makes you wonder how he can function. But being paranoid isn't a bad thing. If I wasn't a Moroi, he would outlive me. Though, I'm not sure dying and rising as a Strigoi counts as living," the boy thought.

His eyes glanced at Rozwiazly.

"I probably shouldn't tell Rozwiazly that Marquis Barboa was one of the people responsible for his death the last time around. I don't know what Rozwiazly would do if he found out," Armand contemplated.

Marquis Felix's expression contained apprehension.

"If you're not here to take Castle Barboa, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"We're heading to the Black Bastion, and your lands just happened to be on the way there. We want to show you something," Marshal Ludwig answered.

Panic flashed through Marquis Barboa.

"Is it a dagger? A bomb? A pistol?"

"None of those," Ludwig assured him.

He then turned to his mercenaries.

"Landsknechts, bring it over," the Marshal ordered.

Marquis Barboa ducked a bit further behind his battlements as the mercenaries guided a horse-drawn carriage over. There was a covering on the back of the vehicle. Upon removing it, the landsknechts revealed a pile of Not Wolf skulls.

A look of utter shock crossed Marquis Barboa's face. He trembled where he stood.

"Those are some big wolves. Did you hunt them in the woods or something?" the Marquis asked.

"They attacked a feast I was attending," Marshal Ludwig answered. "They almost killed everyone there. I expect news to start spreading of it in the next few days."

Marquis Barboa turned pale with fear.

"Almost killed everyone. When you were already there," he said.

"That's right. You should get ready in case they attack you too," Marshal Ludwig replied.

"This is Marquis Barboa. He'd be ready if a dragon attacked his castle," Armand thought.

Marshal Ludwig gestured to the boy.

"This is Lord Armand Richelieu Concord. He can tell you how to kill those things."

"It is an honor to meet you, Marquis Barboa," Armand bowed.

"Yes. Honor. Just tell me how to kill them," the Marquis fidgeted with his hands.

He looked over his shoulder before turning his full attention to Armand.

"They're called Not Wolves. Their hides are so thick that arquebus have trouble piercing them. Aim for the eyes. Otherwise, use greatswords and halberds to attack them. But guns are best. It'll take a while for melee weapons to kill them, and you'll lose good men by then. Also, make sure you have men with pikes protecting the arquebusiers. The not wolves are fast and your men won't get many volleys shot without guards," Armand explained.

Marquis Barboa nodded rapidly.

"What about bombs? Can we use those? Do organ guns and canons work?"

"Bombs and canons work, but you need to be careful. Not Wolves are fast enough that they can dodge bombs you throw at them. And canons are not easy to aim. An organ gun is probably your best bet if you want to use a heavy weapon on them. I'm writing a book. I'll have more advice in it," Armand advised.

"Thank you! Thank you! I'll start gathering more weapons right away!" Marquis Barboa nodded.

He ran off, going towards his castle's keep.

"Alright, let's get moving. We'll camp out again tonight," Marshal Ludwig ordered.

A look of confusion crossed Rozwialzly's face.

"Shouldn't we ask the Marquis if we can stay in his castle?" he questioned.

"You saw what he's like," Marshal Ludwig said. "If we stayed there, he'd probably die of fear before the morning."

The Marshal mounted his horse.

"Get back to your carriage. We still have a lot of distance to cover," he stated.