War Councils

They made their way back to the palace stables, and on the way, the light (Rhea) that was helping illuminating Stromvurk suddenly went out, now back to only lightcrystals and smoke in the air.

Everyone looked around, wondering what had happened, while Mac felt a thump land in his pocket.

They dropped off their horses, before making their way back to the keep. The gates there were open, seemingly safe enough now they didn't need to keep them closed.

“We need to get sire to a bed,” La Hire stated to his fiances, who were waiting just inside.

Lord Cartegna responded, “We'll be having a War Council, we need Mac to be there...”

“Yes, but he's going to overexert himself-”

Mac shook his head, “It's fine.”

“Sire, I must insist-”

“I'm not going to use magic, just talk.”

La Hire bit his lip, “Very well, sire.”

As they were waiting in the entrance hall of the keep, Daisy's mom and dad came over. “Are you alright, son?”

Mac nodded. “I'm fine. How are the others?”

“Daisy and Charlotte fell asleep. Well, Charlotte cried herself to sleep and Daisy fell asleep while comforting her.”

A small smile came to Mac's face imagining that tender scene.

After a few minutes to talk, the leaders went to a room the center of the keep, where Lord Harald (a bandage wrapped around him) and Lady Sophia were already waiting. Joining them for the council was Mac (with Rhea in pocket), Lord Cartegna, Captain La Hire, and Saphoa, along with Lord Harald's adjutant, who had just laid out a map of Stromvurk on the table in the center. Mac was immediately reminded of the bandit subjugation, when they had met before starting. This was much more somber.

Lord Harald looked up at them as they entered. “Sire? I heard the gate was closed, but we've been besieged.”

Mac dropped himself on a chair, looking at the map. With a deep breath to try and focus his mind, he asked, “How did this happen?”

Lord Harald pointed to two thin routes leading west out of Stromvurk. “The bastards forced their way through the tunnels. The same ones we used to get supplies from Navar in the last war. The bastards knew they led straight into the city. There goal was probably to assassinate the leadership and capture the gate, so they could take the city with minimal fighting and no siege. Luckily, they failed on both counts.”

Mac nodded. “What about the tunnels?”

“We've caved them in already. It would take weeks for us to re-clear them. And the Navarrans aren't dwarves, it could take them months.”

Lord Cartegna chimed in, “How much supplies do we have?”

Lord Harald grimaced, “Depends on how many we lost. It's a few months normally, but with everyone in town for the Royal wedding, it's probably only six weeks at most without serious rationing. We could pick the mountain bare and harvest our crops early, but that has it's limits, and there's no way we could feed everyone just from that for more than an extra couple weeks.”

Everyone made pained expressions.

“What are our options?” La Hire asked.

Lord Harald pointed to the mountain. “By design, besides the front gate and the tunnels, the only other entrance is the mountain lifts. We could try to escape through there, but all the paths would lead down through the area where the Navarran army would be patrolling. Maybe we could sneak a runner or two through, but not everyone. Not even just Mac and his Queens, and I doubt he would be up for it.”

“I'm not leaving people here to die,” Mac stated succinctly.

“Son, you and the girls are the most important people here, we can't-”

Mac slammed, the table, “Dammit, I'm not doing that! I'd rather die and let everyone else live.”

Everyone looked at him with a grimace.

Lady Sophia said to him, “I admire your courage, but you know that's not acceptable. Our country barely survived with no sovereign already. Even if we have your queens and children on the way, the center point is you. You're the one keeping everything together.”

Mac felt his anger draining. And his energy. She's right. I can't let my emotions get the best of me.

Saphoa, who had been standing silently behind him, put a hand on his shoulder. “Mac...my love...I commend your courage, but now is not the time for a fight to the death. If you want to get us all out alive, we need to think of a plan that does so.”

Mac looked up at her and smiled.

Lord Cartegna smiled, “She's right. You've had good plans before, with everyone here we can think of something else.”

Mac nodded. He looked at the view of Stromvurk, and tried to think. “Is a sortie out of the question? How much do you think they outnumber us by?”

Lord Cartegna responded, “Based on what I could see of their camp, they outnumber us fifteen to one. Maybe twenty to one.”

Lord Harald shook his head. “A dwarf is worth five Navarrans, but even at those odds it would be suicide.”

Mac nodded.

Lady Sophia commented, “We need to pincer them, like Harald did the Proventals in the last war at the siege of Pearie. That seems like the safest way to guarantee victory.”

Lord Cartegna responded, “It could take a week for a scout to sneak through and get a message to Pearie, another week to get the message to all the nobles, and another before they are mobilized. By the time they get here, we'd be dangerously low on supplies. And that's assuming they don't try an assault.”

La Hire looked like that was dubious, “You think they'd try and assault?”

Lord Harald nodded, “They might. If they have siege weapons, they might try and break down the gate. It's solid dwarven work, but it won't stand up to a constant beating forever.”

So, really, time isn't on our side, and we need to speed up the process. “What if we could get a message out to the nobles quicker?”

Lord Cartegna laughed, “Well, we'd be a lot better off. But unless you can fly too with that magic of yours, we don't have any way besides a scout sneaking past their patrols.”

Mac felt a rustling in his pocket. I guess it's time. “I have a way, but...everyone needs to promise not to freak out.”

They all looked at him weird, except Saphoa, who nodded.

“Son, what are you on about?” Lord Cartegna asked.

“You need sleep, sire, let's end the council here and pick it up in the morning,” Sophia added.

Mac thought Go ahead, Rhea.

“Wahaha!” a voice came, as Rhea flew out of his pocket.

Everyone stared at Rhea, as she floated above the map.

“What in the blazes...” Lord Cartegna said, squinting his eyes.

“Is...is that a spirit!?” Sophia said, half shouting as she pointed at Rhea.

“Yes! It is I, Arborhea, primordial spirit of the trees! And also fiance and lover to King Mac of Ositania!”

Mac facepalmed.

“Fiance!?” Lord Cartegna shouted.

“Lover!?” Sophia shouted.

“She is very cute,” Saphoa added.

Lord Harald and his adjutant were laughing uproariously. “You're something else, King, seducing a spirit...”

“I didn't really seduce her...”

“That's right, I seduced him! He was in the royal bath, so I slipped in while everyone else was away, and-”

Mac grabbed Rhea, holding her in his hand. “Rhea, please, let's focus.”

Rhea nodded, “Sorry, I just love talking about it.”

“I know, we can later,” he looked up at the rest of those gathered. “Rhea can send messages out. How fast can you get to Pearie? Without wearing yourself out too much?”

Rhea tapped her cheek, “Probably a couple hours. I don't mind wearing myself out, though, for you.”

Mac blushed a bit, “I appreciate that, but Marie and the others will have messages for you to send out as well.”

Sophia slapped her fist in her hand. “That light! It was the same as when we fought the Prism Beast!”

Rhea scratched her head, “Haha, yeah, that was me.”

Lord Cartegna seemed to be having trouble with the situation. “What...what is this? If this is truly a spirit, we can't just use it as messenger scout.”

Rhea flew over to him, “I don't mind. I've already broken all the other rules today, I may as well do this too. I love Mac too much to let him die.”

He turned to Mac. “Is this for real?”

Mac nodded, “Rhea, tell him about Eleanor and her eye.”

Rhea nodded, then proceeded to tell the story of Eleanor and her relation to the spirit Celestina.

Lord Cartegna broke down, crying a bit. “All that superstition, and it was actually a blessing of a spirit ancestor, not a curse.”

Rhea patted him on the back. “There, there...”

Everyone was silent for a bit, thinking things through with this new consideration.

After a couple minutes, La Hire broke the silence. “Something is still bothering me...”

“About Rhea?” Mac asked.

La Hire shook his head. “No...or at least, I'm trying not to think about that right now. It was something the messenger said, about attacking our ally. Did he mean Arkanta?”

Saphoa laughed, “Haha, if they are, it won't be long before they are wiped out. Though, I don't even know how they would get to our towns.”

Lord Harald shook his head. “Could he have meant Provent? We don't have an alliance with them, of course, just a peace agreement, but King Lavon could have misconstrued that.”

Lord Cartegna nodded. “I believe you are probably right. Once we break this siege, we will need to move south. Unless they sent only a token force, there is no way Provent isn't overrun within weeks.”

- Outside Stromvurk, in the Navarran camp -

King Lavon looked at a map of the area, complete with Stromvurk in the middle, and all the mountain paths they knew about.

“Make sure no scouts get through. The longer we delay reinforcements, the likelier they will give up,” he said to his adjutant, who bowed and rushed out to relay the orders.

King Lavon looked over to the side, where his slave stood. Of course, he was a slave in name only, no handcuffs or bindings were on him.

This 'slave', clad in the officer armor of Navar, was Lord Oran. When Lavon had seen him, he had recognized him from the peace talks during the last war. He was surprised to see a Ositanian Lord being sold into slavery, in his country, but he wasn't going to let the opportunity pass by.

Lavon already had plans to invade Ositania in the future. However, Lord Oran had brought news of the weak new King of Ositania, more concerned with women than governing, and his alliance with Provent. This caused Lavon to move up his plans. Both Ositania and Provent were still weak from the last war, so the time to strike was now while they had a weak, new King who was still consolidating power.

Or at least, that was what Lord Oran had told him.

And even now, he had no reason to doubt him. While the plan to take Stromvurk during the royal wedding had failed, it had always been a longshot, and they could easily win a siege. The dwarves couldn't rely on the Navarrans to aid them, now, so they would have limited resources. And while news would surely eventually get out, they had trapped all their main military leaders (according to Lord Oran) in the city, so the chances of them pulling off a pincer maneuver were minimal.

Now, he just had to wait.

“You're sure I shouldn't split my forces?” King Lavon said to Lord Oran. “The capital should be mostly undefended right now.”

Lord Oran shook his head, pointing to their camp on the map. “Once they are fully mobilized, the force descending on us will be larger than what you have here, since the other half of your forces are in Provent. We must force them all here, instead of getting split up and defeated separately.”

King Lavon nodded. “Alright, I am trusting your information. We must win this siege before they can gather here.”

Lord Oran smiled evilly. “We will.”

King Lavon laughed, “Haha, whenever I think I am evil, I am kept in check by you.”

Lord Oran shook his head. “That bastard took everything from me. I want his head, then I can die in peace.”

King Lavon shook his head, “No, I need you on the Ositanian throne when we make it a puppet state.”

Lord Oran chuckled, “You're right. I'll make a good despot, at least.”

Confidence

After the war council concluded, Mac was given a room in the keep (they were keeping all the royals there for the time being, despite the danger inside the city having disappeared). Laying down, still in his regalia, he kept surging through a mix of emotions. Anger, worry, hatred, caution. And trying to think of what to do to survive.

While he was tired, he was not sleepy.

As he lay there, a knock came at the door. He got up and went to open it, and Saphoa was outside, still in her slightly blood-stained traditional Arkantan dress.

She walked in, and sat at the table.

Mac wasn't sure what she wanted, so he walked over.

“Do you have a plan?”

Mac thought for a moment, then nodded. “The beginnings of one. I and anyone else with long range magic can help weaken them from the mountaintop. Or at least prevent them from getting close. And I'm going to see if-”

He was cut off as Saphoa stood up, quickly grabbing his cheek with one hand to steady them, and kissing him.

“Sa-saphoa!?” Mac said, a bit startled.

“I am sorry Mac, I can no longer hold back. You have lit a spark in me,” she explained, before kissing him again.

Mac wasn't sure what to do, too tired to resist, he merely held her hips.

After a minute, Saphoa pulled back, blushing and smiling.

“What's going on? Why are you suddenly...” he trailed off.

Saphoa nodded, “I know. It may be a bit odd after our last talk, but...seeing you today, I felt it. Your fighting, your leadership, your confidence...I saw you and all I could think is 'Yes, this is the man I want to marry! This is the man I want to be the father of my children!” Saphoa explained enthusiastically. “I cannot wait, I want to make love to you immediately.”

Mac watched as she started unwrapping her dress. While he was trying to think of a way to calm her down, he realized that he just...shouldn't. Or maybe didn't want too. Saphoa wanted him, and...he wanted Saphoa right now.

Mac watched her blue breasts get bared to the room. Saphoa was blushing, continuing to unwind the dress until she was fully naked.

“That's an interesting dress,” Mac said, looking her up and down.

Saphoa giggled, “Come on, you too.”

Mac laboriously took off his chainmail and regalia, setting them down carefully (even though they would need washed).

Saphoa then blushed further, looking him up and down. “You are very handsome.”

“You are very...beautiful.”

Saphoa walked forward, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him once more.

Mac carefully probed with his tongue, inserting it into her mouth.

Saphoa was a quick learner, fighting back with her own tongue, as they made out until they were both short of breath.

“That is an interesting way to kiss,” Saphoa said. “Is that how lovers do it?”

Mac chuckled, “Yes. Some, at least. You should ask Emma about it some time.”

Saphoa nodded as Mac led her to the bed and laid her down.

Mac was going to play with her using his fingers, but Saphoa grabbed him, lining up his member. “It is my first time, but I know how it goes.”

Mac nodded, deciding they would try out foreplay another time. Sticking his member in, he didn't have too much difficulty sliding it in all the way (which he had expected due to her size and build).

Saphoa, however, gave an uncharacteristic moan. “It feels like you stabbed me with a spear.”

Mac gave a sheepish smile, “Well, I sort of did...”

Saphoa looked at him, “Aren't you supposed to move? Or should I move in this situation?”

Mac shook his head, “I will, I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“I am more than okay, despite the pain, feeling connected like this is wonderful.”

Mac smiled, then started slowly pistoning in and out. Saphoa seemed to be thoroughly enjoying it, writhing around each time he stabbed in. He started massaging her breasts, giving them a squeeze every time he rotated. Despite being large, they were very tough, and felt like trying to squeeze melons.

Saphoa, though, went red. “What are you doing?”

Mac blushed, “Sorry, I thought you would like it...”

“I do, I just...” Saphoa was at a loss for words.

Mac however, felt himself about to blow. “Is it okay inside?”

Saphoa seemed confused, “What do you mean? How else will we make children?”

Mac gave a 'well, alright' face, then grabbed her hips tightly as he emptied inside her.

After finishing, he fell over next to her, panting for breath.

Saphoa was also breathing heavily, arm draped over her forehead. Turning to look at Mac, she smiled, “That was...very enjoyable.”

Mac nodded. “It was...”

Saphoa leaned over, “What's wrong?”

Mac sighed, “I just feel a little bad now. I'm supposed to spend my wedding night with the bride.”

Saphoa shrugged, “I know, but it is already the next day, so I figured it wouldn't be an issue.”

Mac chuckled, “I guess I got confused on time.”

Saphoa scooched next to him, pressing her breasts against him, so he could feel her nipples pressing into him. “This is where we cuddle and talk, right?”

Mac smiled, “Yeah, we definitely can.”

Saphoa nodded, but then looked down at Mac's member. “Wait, why are you still ready? Didn't we finish?”

Mac blushed, “Sorry, you're just...you're really sexy. Do you want to go again?”

Saphoa blushed, “I didn't even consider that...”

After going at it twice more, they laid next to each other in bed, looking up at the ceiling.

“Your desire for me is most intense. Is it always like this?” Saphoa asked.

“Do you want it to be?” Mac said teasingly.

Saphoa blushed, “I am not sure.” She cuddled up next to him again, “It is nice, though.”

Mac smiled, brushing the green hair out of her face, and giving her a gentle kiss.

Saphoa smiled, and closed her eyes, quietly drifting to sleep.

Mac, however, was still not sleepy. While his emotions had calmed, his mind was now racing. What can I do tomorrow...

War Council, cont.

In the morning, the war council reconvened. Everyone had written messages, some several, to give to Rhea to sneak out.

Rhea was a bit larger than normal, about the size of a doll, and wearing a doll's dress to match.

“Where did you get that?” Mac asked.

“I took it from a dwarven girl's doll. It was in a chest, so I didn't think she'd miss it,” she explained.

Lord Harald laughed, “Haha, one of my granddaughters is going to be confused when they find a naked doll in their playchest.”

The participants started going up to her, handing letters and explaining who and where each was needed.

Mac handed just one letter. “This is to Marie. It explains the situation, and what to do. Although I left her discretion to do anything extra or different she thinks is needed.”

Rhea nodded, inserting it into the small bag she had slung over herself.

Next was Lord Harald, who handed her four letters. “These are for the rest of the dwarf council. Do you recognize those cities?”

Rhea looked through them and nodded. “You dwarves never found any new cities.”

Lord Harald laughed, “Haha, it is no small feat to carve out a mountain. Easier to continue digging out the ones already started.”

Next was Lady Sophia, handing her a letter. “Hand this to my guard Captain, at our great tree palace. You know where that's at, right?”

Rhea nodded. “Of course, I planted it.”

Sophia seemed taken aback, then slowly nodded. “Of course.”

Lord Cartegna also handed just one letter, instructing it to go to his steward (his own guard captain and some of his guard were already there).

Saphoa also handed a letter, in a special pouch. “Can you fly under water?”

Rhea nodded, “If I hold my breath.”

Saphoa nodded back, “Deliver this to my mother. Arkanta must honor it's alliance with Ositania.”

Mac was about to say something, but bit his lip. I feel bad, but I guess this is part of the reason why you make alliances, right?

Lastly, and to Mac's surprise, La Hire handed a letter as well, addressed to Gabriella.

“I told Marie to let Gabriella know about Provent being invaded.”

La Hire shook his head. He seemed like he wanted to say something, but was stopping himself.

“What's wrong?” Mac asked.

La Hire gave a small sigh, “I don't think you will like what I have to say.”

Mac raised an eyebrow, “Are you telling her to go back to Provent?”

La Hire shook his head. “No, I asked her to lead the contingent of guards coming from the palace. Pearie and the palace are not in immediate danger, so we are leaving only a token force.”

“You're having Gabriella lead a contigent of Royal guards!?” Mac asked, incredulous.

La Hire gave a hint of a grimace, but nodded. “I apologize for not consulting you first, sire, but I thought-...no, I still think it is the best option. She was adjutant to the King of Provent, and from my conversations with her during sparring, she is one of the better military minds we have in the Kingdom right now, and one of its best swords. And in an emergency like this, we need every mind and sword we can muster.”

Mac closed his eyes. “You really trust her that much?”

La Hire nodded. “I trust her to do the right thing.”

Mac held his forehead. “Look, I know you maybe just know bits and pieces, but we aren't really...anything. Her loyalties are with Provent, not us. I don't think we will ever even get engaged.”

“Provent is also being invaded, sire. Her helping us here helps Provent as well.”

Mac looked down for a moment, before shaking his head and sighing. “Fine, fine, I'm trusting your intuition La Hire...”

La Hire saluted him, and took a step back to the side.

Since Rhea now had all the letters, she closed the clasp on her back.

“Stay safe Rhea,” Mac said.

Rhea nodded, “Of course.” She flew up and towards him. “I need my goodbye kiss.”

Mac blushed slightly, and Rhea flew into his lips, connecting hers with his.

“Hehe, I'm off!” she said, flying out of the room in a streak.

The others looked a bit in awe, not sure exactly what to make of that.

“What times we live in, a spirit enamored with our king...” Lord Cartegna mused.

Sophia shook her head. “Everything I ever learned about spirits seems wrong.”

“Well, by Rhea's own admission, she is quite a bit different from other spirits...”

Lord Harald laughed, “Haha, she's an interesting lass, but let's get back to the council. My men are assessing the stocks, so I'll have a report tonight or tomorrow. I've got every dwarf we can spare in the city working on defenses or making arrows. We have more arms and armor in the city then we'd ever need, of course. I-...sire?”

Mac had held up his hand. “I have something else for your smiths to work on.”

Lord Harald smiled. “Let's hear it!”

Mac turned to look at the corner, where Charlotte and Daisy had been quietly talking to themselves. While they weren't necessarily part of the council, they were allowed in as Mac's partners, and had come to support him. “Charlotte, did you find it?”

Charlotte nodded, taking the book she had a finger in at a certain page, and laying it on the table.

Lord Harald squinted his eyes. “What is this?”

Sophia looked and nodded. “Is this one of your Otherworlder books?”

Mac nodded. “Technically it's a copy Charlotte made. The actual books are secured in the palace.”

Charlotte pointed to the page. “This is the spring, right?”

“Right. Well, technically that's a mattress, but it uses springs. Do dwarves know how to make metal springs?”

Lord Harald raised an eyebrow. “I have no idea what those are, but I bet we can.”

“It's one of these,” he pointed to the springs in cutaway of a mattress diagram in the book. “It's made of coiled metal, that's just malleable enough so that you can stretch it, but when you let go it wants to shrink back.”

Daisy walked up to Lord Harald. “We can probably use treated steel.”

Lord Harald nodded. “But you said this is a mattress? How does this help our siege, give us comfier beds?”

Mac chuckled, “It would, but no. We need to make this.” He pulled out a paper where he had drawn a catapult. Or at least, the best he could remember of what a catapult looked like. “This is a catapult. You make a lever, and attach the springs to one side. Then you get some strong people to crank down the other side until you can secure it and load a rock in the launcher. Then once you're ready to launch, you unhook the lever and the springs quickly retract, launching the rock.”

Lord Cartegna's eyes were darting, his mind going through innumerable scenarios. “My boy, this is incredible! This would bring a new age of warfare!”

Mac gave a weak smile, I won't mention it's hundreds of years old in my old world.

Lord Harald grabbed the paper, and handed it to his adjutant. “Get the smiths working on this thing immediately. Daisy, can you go work with them, since you seem to have an idea of what the King's looking for? They could probably get it eventually, but time isn't on our side right now.”

Daisy nodded, giving Mac a quick kiss and then following the adjutant out of the room.

Charlotte looked between Mac and the dwarves leaving.

Mac understood. “Do you want to go supervise?”

Charlotte nodded. “I think I know the best way to make it.” She looked at her mother and blushed before giving Mac a hug and heading after them.

Sophia smirked. “You must be something, having even my daughter so smitten with you.”

Saphoa laughed, “Haha, of course. Mac is an amazing lover!”

Lady Sophia was caught off guard, while Lord Harald laughed uproariously, and even Lord Cartegna smirked.

La Hire, seeming worried, asked, “Could we please get back to the planning...”

Lord Harald stopped laughing. “A little laughter in the face of danger can do some good. But I agree. Do you have anything else, sire?”

Mac nodded. “Do any of the lifts go up to an area that overlooks the gate, but is out of arrow range from the ground?”

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

Lord Harald nodded, “One of the trails goes right over it, about half a kilometer up.”

“That should work. How deep is it?”

“From the cliff...probably about five dwarves wide, shoulder to shoulder. Is that where you want these catapults?”

Mac nodded. “If we can, yes. I also want to use magic from there to harass the enemy and try to keep them away from the gate.”

“Sire, you can't be serious. If you are using your magic every day to the point of Fatigue, you'll be dead before reinforcements come.”

“I'm not...” Mac took a deep breath. “I'm not going to kill myself. Just enough keep them scared. And I'd like any other nobles with magic that can hurt them from long range to join me in harassing them.”

Lord Cartegna nodded. “I can't think of any off the top of my head, but I'll ask around.”

“Should we send archers too? I only have a small contingent, but they could shoot from there,” Sophia offered.

Mac blinked. “I know elven archers are good, but...won't they be wasting arrows from that high up?”

Sophia gave a haughty giggle, “If they're within range, they can be hit.”

A Meeting on the Ledge

A couple hours later, and Lord Harald was leading Mac up a mountain path. “It's just up here, sire.”

Mac heard the clanking of mining going on up ahead. “What is that?”

“We're widening the ledge so we can fit more people on it. And those catapults once we have 'em.”

After a bit more walking, the path leveled off, and Mac could see the what Lord Harald was talking about. It wasn't super wide, but the dwarves were hauling rocks away in the opposite direction.

Mac stopped them. “Wait, don't take those too far. We need them.”

Lord Harald raised an eyebrow, but then clocked on. “Wait, you mean for the catapult? I thought we'd used big rocks by your drawing.”

Mac nodded, “We can, but we can also load a bunch of smaller rocks to get a bigger area. Even a rock this size can do some damage to an armored soldier at this height.”

Lord Harald grinned. “Haha, that's for sure! Men, keep any fist sized or larger stones in a pile close by.” He then went over to supervise the digging.

“Son,” Mac heard from the side. Lord Cartegna was walking over, with a woman behind him. “Sadly, I only found one who might be useful. This is Lady Amiry.”

“Just Amiry. Or Miss Amiry if you prefer. I'm not a Lady,” the woman stated. She was relatively tall (compared to most women) had long black hair, almost down to her waist, and wore a long, flowing dress that matched her hair, with silver trees woven in it. She also had pointy ears. She turned to Mac, whipping out a fan (despite the cold temperature) to hide part of her face. “I was a concubine of the former Lord of Brescia.”

Mac blinked. Is she a half-elf? Every elf I've ever met had golden hair. “Former Lord? I don't remember anything happening to Lord Brescia.”

She shook her head. “There hasn't in twenty years. The current Lord is the son of the man I was a concubine of.”

“Ah...” Mac said, taken aback at the nonchalant tone she had taken about her former partner. I guess it has been twenty years...or maybe she just wasn't fond of him. “What is your magic?”

“I am a groundshaper,” she explained.

“Ground-shaper? Not a woodshaper?”

She nodded. “Yes. While many elves are woodshapers, it it not common for the magic to be passed down to half-elves like me. I desperately wanted to be when I was a child, but sadly I was not. I tried shaping everything else, until I realized I was able to shape the ground.” She explained this matter-of-factly, before holding out her palm to the ground next to her. The ground jutted upwards, as if someone had punched it up from underneath, although it was solidly there, not falling back down.

Mac's mind started going into overdrive. It's sorta similar to Emma's, although instead of scooping out the ground it reshapes it? I guess groundshaper is a correct description then. “How wide can you pull? And what's the range?”

She made a motion, and the ground she had pulled go sucked back in. “A few meters diameter. And any ground I can see. Shall I show you?” she asked, walking towards the edge of the ledge.

“No, I believe you,” Mac said, stopping her. “I don't want to give away the surprise.”

Miss Amiry nodded.

Mac was thinking about her magic. “Can you use it on rocks?”

“Sort of,” she replied. She pointed her palm to a rock, and it just sort of...flopped up and back down.

Mac nodded. “Okay. I think you'll be a huge help. Are you okay with using your magic against the enemy?”

Miss Amiry nodded. “If it means I can be useful, then certainly.”

Mac raised an eyebrow at the answer, but nodded.

“We might have need for that usefulness right now,” Lord Cartegna said.

Mac looked over at him. He was standing right at the edge, holding a pair of binoculars. Despite the situation, Mac asked incredulously, “This world has binoculars!?”

Lord Cartegna nodded, “Yes. It's not too different from Marie's glasses, right? I assume you haven't seen any as curved glass is very expensive. Dwarves have to try a hundred times to get one correct, and it's prohibitively costly.”

Mac nodded. Now that he says that, the only person I've seen wearing glasses is Marie. This was actually given to me by Lord Harald as a gift when I married Eleanor's mother. In truth, they're a memento of her, but I'd like to pass it down to you...”

Mac shook his head. “Don't worry about it right now.”

Lord Cartegna gave him a smile, then clasped his shoulder. “At least for now, I will let you borrow it for a moment,” he said, holding it out.

Mac looked through them. He could see people carrying what looked like a large log. Actually, that's exactly what it was. “Are they going to ram down the gates?”

Lord Harald, who had come up behind him, gave a 'hmpf'. “They can try.”

Mac turned around. “Will it hold?”

Lord Harald frowned. “Our gate is solid, and strong, but...even the strongest can be worn down eventually. It won't give from a few swings, but they might be able to damage it enough to break through over time.”

Mac nodded, looking back through the binoculars. The log was on a swing, which itself was attached to a large cart that was being pushed. Everything was made of wood.

“Can you hold my shoulders? I'm going to use my magic. A lot of it.”

La Hire wasn't around to say anything, since he was down by the gate, leading the troops who were manning defenses.

Lord Cartegna grabbed on a shoulder, and, while he had expected Lord Harald to grab the other, Miss Amiry instead grabbed it.

Mac didn't say anything, assuming it was fine, and looked back down at the ram. It was much smaller without the binoculars, but he could still make it out fine from where he was, now that he knew what he was looking at.

Holding out his palms, he imagined a large lightning strike slicing down onto the ram.

A loud 'crack' echoed around them, as the lightning struck exactly as he had imagined. Even from here, Mac could see specks of people flying everywhere.

Using his free hand, Lord Cartegna looked through the binoculars. “It's on fire. I'm assuming that was your goal?”

Mac nodded, stepping back. So far, so good...

- A bit later, in the Navarran camp -

King Lavon smacked his hand against the table. “Dammit Oran, you didn't tell me his magic could start a fire!”

Lord Oran, was standing to the side, a bit despondent. “I...I didn't realize it was that powerful. He must be suffering Magic Fatigue after that. We just need to send another-”

“Are you sure? I'm not risking another ram that quickly. We're working on more, but we only have three left right now.”

Lord Oran scratched his chin. He had been growing a goatee to match some of the other Navarran nobility, but it itched terribly. “We just need some sort of fire-resistant covering. If we soak some leather's in water, and pour some water over any other exposed wood, that should work. We can even bring some water barrels in the cart.

King Lavon thought for a moment. “Very well.” He motioned to his adjutant. “Do as he says.”

- A couple hours later, on the ledge -

Mac sat a couple feet from the edge, on a chair that had been brought up for him, holding Lord Cartegna's binoculars. He had left them with Mac, when he went back down into Stromvurk to talk with his men. Lord Harald has also left, leaving him with Miss Amiry.

While he had requested a chair for her as well, she had declined to sit, deciding she'd rather stand a few feet behind him instead. Maybe it's a concubine habit ingrained into her?

Deciding he may as well strike up a conversation, he asked, “How is Brescia? I haven't visited yet, but I'd like to at some point.

Brescia was in the far northwest of Ositania, at the rounded end of the triangle, and on the sea. It was actually the largest trading port for the country, despite it's distance from the capital.

Miss Amiry looked at him. “Trying to get information from me? Sorry sire, but I'm not one for house politics. I wouldn't know, anyway, since I rarely talk with the Brescian nobility.”

Mac raised an eyebrow, then sighed. “I'm not trying to get information, just pass the time.”

Miss Amiry looked at him, then decided to finally sit in the chair. “It is fine. We have been busy lately, though it's slowing down as it normally does this time of year. Ships can't navigate the sea when it ices over, and no one wants to get caught out in the sea when that happens.”

Mac nodded. “Do you like living in Brescia?”

“No,” she replied. She didn't have contempt or seem upset, just said it matter-of-factly.

Since she didn't seem too upset, Mac decided to probe. “Why not leave, then?”

“I have nowhere to go. I could leave, I have a small stipend from Lord Brescia that I've been saving up, but I don't particularly have anywhere else to go.”

“Do you not have family?”

She shook her head. “I was the daughter of the concubine of an elven noble. She was a commoner my father took an interest in. When I was twenty, I was given off as a concubine by my father to better relations with House Brescia. My father never wrote me once, but I didn't expect him too. My mother did, and visited me occasionally, but she passed away a few years back.”

Mac grimaced. This is the depressing side of house politics.

Miss Amiry was still sitting, coolly looking into the distance.

Mac wasn't sure how to respond to the blaring silence, but he was saved by what he saw below through the binoculars. “The Navarrans are attacking again.”

He set the binoculars into his pocket, then stood up.

“Do you want me to hold you again?” Miss Amiry asked.

Mac nodded, “I might fall over this time.”

Miss Amiry grabbed his shoulders.

He wasn't confident she could actually hold him, but he didn't have much choice. Holding out his palm, he sent lightning striking down again, startling everyone on the ledge with the 'crack' from it.

His vision glazed over a bit, but he felt Miss Amiry putting a vicegrip into his shoulders. Guess I shouldn't underestimate her. After he recovered, he thanked her, and grabbed the binoculars.

The ram seemed mostly fine, only a small fire on the roof, which was already being put out by bucketed water. Dammit! Did they learn from the previous one? “They must have put up something on the roof that my magic isn't effective against.”

Miss Amiry nodded. “I shall try, then.”

Mac nodded. “Go ahead,” That's why I wanted her up here, so may as well see what she can do. “Do you need the binoculars?”

She shook her head, “No, just tell me what you see.”

Mac put the binoculars back up, looking down at the ram. It had started moving again, lumbering towards them.

Miss Amiry slapped the fist of her right hand into the palm of her left. Mac watched as the ground jutted up from the ram, splintering it into two halves. Even the thick tree in the middle had split, rolling away and crushing some of the nearby soldiers.

Mac looked over at her. “You...completely destroyed it. That's some powerful magic. At least when it comes to this.”

For the first time, Miss Amiry let a smile come to her lips, looking a bit slyly at him. “Glad I can help, sire.”

At that point it had gotten dark, so they retreated back into Stromvurk for the night. Stromvurk, lit as always by the lightcrystals in the ceiling, was full of life, every forge and smithy in the city working.

After Miss Amiry excused herself when they reached the keep, Mac went to his room. Inside, Daisy and Charlotte were sitting on the bed talking, while Saphoa was washing in the tub. Mac looked around, “Why is everyone here?”

Charlotte ran up and hugged him.

Daisy said, “Well, we all wanted to be with ya, so we decided we'd share tonight.”

Mac blushed a bit, “I don't know if I'm...”

Daisy laughed, “Haha, I didn't mean like that. Just in the same bed.”

Saphoa, who seemed to not mind being naked around the others, stood up and dried herself off, before starting to put her dress back on. “I don't mind if you look at me.”

Mac sighed, “I know, but this isn't the time...”

Charlotte laughed, “It seems you two got closer.”

Mac teased Charlotte by picking her up, causing her to blush.

“What are you...”

He laid her down on the bed, then crawled in next to her and Daisy. Saphoa seemed conflicted, but the other two motioned her over, so she crawled in next to him.

The other three cuddled around him, and Mac was reminded of another time this had happened, a long while ago now.

Charlotte had a deathgrip on his midsection, while Daisy gave him a kiss on the cheek and curled up on his shoulder. Saphoa was content to lay on the other side of Charlotte, putting an arm over his chest.

Mac felt a sense of comfort being surrounded by his partners. His body heavy with exhaustion, he fell asleep.

War Council – Palace

Marie was sitting in her office, looking over the latest financial reports. The next round of taxes were due soon, and she needed to make sure they were allocating everything properly.

This is probably something Eleanor can do eventually, but I'm not going to bother her right now. Eleanor was due just a few weeks after Melissandra, maybe less, so she was mostly on bed rest right now, besides a small amount of Tillie-mandated walking and exercise every day.

She was distracted by a small knock at the door. Rhea!? That's the only one who knocks that softly. She went to open the door, and sure enough, Rhea was there. She was slightly larger than her normal small form, wearing what looked like a doll's dress, and carrying a bag over her shoulder.

“Rhea! I'm glad to see you back. Mel is due soon, and we were worried you-”

Marie stopped as Rhea held out a hand.

“What's wrong?” Marie asked. She could tell by the expression on Rhea's face, as it was not befitting the normally upbeat and jovial Spirit.

“You should probably just read this,” Rhea said, fishing out a letter from the bag. Marie could see the bag was filled with other letters.

She wanted to ask, but decided to read the letter first. It just had 'Marie' written on it, in what she could immediately tell was Mac's handwriting. Opening it up, Marie felt the blood draining from her face as she read:

Marie,

Charlotte, Daisy, Saphoa and I are all fine. Stromvurk was attacked by Navar. We're okay for now but they are besieging the city. We will need assistance in the form of a pincer move. Rhea will pass along the other letters, but we will need to mobilize the country, as their army is quite large.

Please do not tell the others, unless absolutely necessary.

The messenger said they are also attacking Provent. If Gabriella wants to return to her country, try to prevent her, as the others believe Provent will not last long. If she is really insistent, however, let her.

Mac

Marie held her head, taking a deep breath, and trying not to panic.

“Are you okay?” Rhea asked.

Marie lifted up her head slowly, then nodded. I'm not losing another one. “Don't tell anyone else. Have Kay come to the antechamber with you, then wait for me there.”

Rhea nodded, then flew out the door.

Marie followed after, closing the door, and walking towards the stairs. We need to mobilize quickly, but I don't think we should have Rhea send the letters. They might not believe her, or think it's a trick somehow. And we can't have them delayed.

She stopped outside Gabriella's door, knocking. After some shuffling from inside (it was late at night) she heard the door unlock, and open.

Gabriella, wearing a nightgown, poked an eye out. “Marie? What do you need this late?”

“Please come with me, it's important.”

Gabriella seemed unsure. “What is it? I was going to sleep soon, so-”

“Navar has invaded Provent, along with Ositania.”

Gabriella took a moment to react, then her face filled with anger. “What!? Why would they invade both of us, I-”

Marie interrupted her again, “Please, we don't want anyone else to hear.”

Gabriella seemed to calm down. After a moment, she came out and closed the door, motioning to Marie.

Marie nodded, and started walking back, going to the antechamber.

When they arrived, Rhea and Kay were already there. Kay had a contorted look on her face.

“Did Rhea already tell you?” Marie asked.

Kay nodded. “Those idiots, what are they doing? Why would they attack two countries at once?”

Marie laid a map down on the table of Ositania. “I believe this has to do with the bandit subjugation and our peace agreement with Provent. Navar must have thought it was more than just a peace agreement, and decided it couldn't wait for us to gather our strength back up.

Gabriella slammed the table down. “So this is all because of me!?”

Marie looked up at her coldly. “Would you rather have all of Navar attacking Provent instead of just half? Or be at war with both Navar and Ositania again?”

Gabriella, bit her lip. “I...I'm sorry...”

Marie was slightly taken aback at her apology, “It's...fine. We are both under attack, so we must work together. I want you to write your uncle, so we can coordinate our efforts,” she said, handing over a piece of paper.

“Oh!” Rhea said, “I have a letter for you, too.” Rhea held out the letter.

Gabriella...didn't react at all, still looking at the map.

Marie looked over, “Rhea, you need to reveal yourself.”

“Oh yeah.”

Gabriella jumped back quickly, reaching for her sword that wasn't even there. “What the spirits is that!?”

“A spirit...” Marie said.

Gabriella looked over at Kay too, who smiled and giggled slightly. “I had the same reaction.”

“You're a spirit!? What are you doing here!?”

Rhea started her self-introduction. “Wahaha! I am the great spirit of the forest, Arborhea! Also loyal message courier and fiance of King Mac of Ositania!”

“Your the...wait, the fiance?”

Marie held up a hand. “It's a long story that we don't have time for right now. Mac must have written a letter for you, so please read it.”

Gabriella tentatively took it, and Rhea gave her a smile. “Actually, it's from La Hire.”

Marie raised an eyebrow, watching as Gabriella read it. As she did, her face started to contort, before become uptight. When she finished, Marie asked, “May I read it?”

Gabriella handed it over.

Lady Gabriella,

As you have probably been told by now, both Ositania and Provent are under attack. I know your first thought would be to return to Provent, but I would like to dissuade you and offer a better solution.

Most likely, by the time you read this, their army will already be marching on Marsae. Instead, I would like you to lead the contingent of royal guards to Stromvurk. The men all trust and respect you, and your knowledge of battle is needed, since all the top commanders are in Stromvurk.

Additionally, once we route the army at Stromvurk, we will be able to march south and relieve Marsae.

Despite the past history with Provent, King Mac will not allow a Navarran army running around his southern border.

This is, of course, dependent on us being relieved at Stromvurk first.

Captain La Hire

Marie turned to Gabriella. “Will you do it?”

Gabriella bit her lip, “You won't stop me?”

Marie shook her head, “Not if La Hire trusts you.”

Gabriella sighed, then nodded. “He speaks the truth. Provent has no hope of defeating even half of Navar's army by itself.”

Kay jumped in. “That's great, but why am I here?”

Marie gave a pained smiled, “You would have found out eventually. I don't want you telling the others.”

Kay winced, “Yeah...I don't want to upset them.”

Gabriella seemed confused. “What's wrong?”

“Melissandra is due soon, under a month. We can't have her stressed about her husband stuck in a city under siege while she's trying to give birth. Same with Eleanor and Felicia, they're only a few weeks later.”

Kay looked down at her own stomach. She still had multiple months to go, but her baby bump was showing. “Yeah, I wouldn't want that either. I don't want it now.”

“You don't have any other news? I'm surprised it caught us off guard,” Marie asked.

Kay gave a pained expression. “They had been scouting into our territory a bit, but that's usually just posturing. Nothing to indicate a full-blown invasion.”

Marie turned to Rhea. “I know Mac told you to deliver those letters, but I don't think that will go over well. How are they going to react to a spirit handing them a letter that we're being invaded?”

Rhea nodded. “Should I sneak in and slip it onto their desks?”

Marie tapped her forehead. “No, then I'd worry it would get missed or discarded. But...we can go most of the way. Would you be able to deliver it to the correct city's letter carriers? They wouldn't have them immediately, but they would get it the next day.”

Rhea nodded. “What about this one though?” she asked, holding up Saphoa's letter. “This is from Saphoa to her mom.”

Marie frowned, “Since their letter originated in Ludout, I sent their wedding invitation there, but I don't know if they will know to look if they are not expecting one.”

Rhea nodded. “I'll figure something out.”

Catapults

Mac walked back up to the ledge, with Miss Amiry and Lord Harald in tow. Lord Harald told him their first catapult prototype was ready. If so, that would be incredibly impressive, since only two days and change had passed since the dwarves had gotten his poorly drawn schematics.

Once they reached the ledge, Mac could see the catapult. It looked like his diagram, although they had made it out of metal instead of wood. “Why didn't you make it out of wood?”

Daisy, who was with Charlotte watching it be assembled, poked his side. “We did hubby, it snapped in two when we tried to pull it.”

“Wait, so you've already used it?”

Charlotte shook her head, “No, we just confirmed it would crank without snapping, then disassembled and carried it up here. Well, the dwarves did.”

Mac nodded, “You can put wheels on it.”

Charlotte nodded, “Yes, we already talked about doing that later. For now, it was easier to get it up the mountain in pieces.”

The dwarves were spiking it in place, before inserting crankshafts into the side, similar to the ones used to bring the lifts up and down. They then started spinning them around, the arm of the catapult slowly moving backwards. A dwarf then hooked it into place, and the dwarves slid out the crankshaft.

Mac raised an eyebrow.

Lord Harald noticed. “It that not how it's supposed to work, sire?”

Mac shrugged, “I...don't know. I feel like it's slightly different from what I imagined, but if it works, then it doesn't really matter.”

Lord Harald nodded, then made a motion to his men. They were rolling a boulder over, probably five meters across, and heaved it into the bowl of the catapult. “Will this really reach their camp, sire?”

Mac and Charlotte both nodded. Charlotte explained, “It should have enough force to get there, the only issue might be the trajectory.”

Mac motioned to Charlotte, “What she said.”

Lord Harald smiled then laughed, “Haha, alright then. Ready when you are, sire.”

Mac realized he was waiting on him to give the order. Mac held up his hand, then dropped it down. “Fire!”

While 'Fire' wasn't technically correct, the dwarf understood, and swung his hammer down at where the catapult launched. It immediately retracted the spring and swung, launching the rock high into the air. The catapult swung over as well, pulling out the spikes and falling over. Luckily, no one had been standing in front of it.

Mac put up the binoculars to try and watch, but put them down as it wasn't necessary. The boulder was clearly visible as it sailed into the sea of Navarran tents.

A loud cheer arose as everyone could see it smashing through tents as it crashed down.

Lord Harald shouted, “Keep firing men! And I want a dozen of these up here by tomorrow!”

Chaos was ensuing in part of the Navarran camp. The camp was spread out over almost a kilometer, and those far away from the boulder hit (and hadn't seen it) just assumed something was happening but went back to whatever they were doing. Those closeby, however, were freaking out. A giant boulder had fallen from the sky and smashed through part of their camp. There was flattened men, hurt men, and bits of tent and other supplies strewn about.

King Lavon had run out of his tent, as he had been close enough to feel it, when he heard the commotion. “How the blazes did that get there!?” He looked up and around, but there was nothing he could see. He turned to Lord Oran, who followed out after him. “Who's magic is this!? Throwing boulders!?”

Lord Oran shook his head. “There is no one I know. I've never even heard of a magic like this.”

“Well they bloody well didn't throw it, did they?” King Lavon asked, angered.

They walked over to where the boulder is, and was appalled at his men running every which way. “What are you blasted fools doing!? Help the injured, see if any supplies survived. They're not going to beat us by throwing rocks.”

As if to spite him, there was suddenly a shower of rocks raining down around them. Some fell harmlessly to the ground, while some hit men, injuring or even knocking them out.

Lord Oran held up his hand, a small wind coming out. Several rocks that were flying at them were pushed astray, falling harmlessly on the ground.

King Lavon gave a 'hmpf'. “Seems your magic can counter it, at least.”

“Only around myself,” Lord Oran clarified. “And I don't think I'd be able to stop that,” he said, motioning to the boulder.

Letter Delivery

Rhea had spent the last day delivering letters across the whole country. She had been zooming around as fast as possible, but even she had gotten tired, only thoughts of Mac wrapping his arms around her keeping her fueled.

She was also worried about what the other spirits might think. As a rule, they were supposed to have limited affects on the affairs of Children, but she knew she was probably overstepping the “limited” part of the rule quite a bit. Of course, she had decided she would deal with the consequences later.

Luckily, she was now on her last letter that needed delivery. She had saved it for last, since this one might take more effort then just sneaking it into a courier's satchel of letters.

She saw what she thought must be Ludout. It was as Marie had described, a small collection of houses on the coast.

Inside, she flew around (still invisible to everyone she had not revealed herself too) and looked for someone of any sea serpent-humans like Saphoa. However, she couldn't find any, quickly scouring the whole village.

Hmmm...guess I'm doing plan B. She flew over the sea, looking through the water. After a bit, she thought she saw the buildings on the sea floor that Saphoa had described. She then saw the small dock, floating in the ocean. She took a deep breath, before diving down into the sea next to it. She could see the white stone palace spread out beneath her, so she knew she was in the right place. Following the chain down, she went through the opening.

In the room she entered, she saw some hanging towels, and quickly dried herself off. She checked the letter, but the pouch Saphoa had put it in was still sealed, having kept the water out.

She then started searching. She found several woman that looked like Saphoa, some in maid outfits, others in the same outfit Saphoa wore. But scouring the rooms, she could not find anything that looked like letters or a courier. She did however, find who she assumed was the Queen. She looked like a slimmer version of Saphoa, and wore a crown. She sat in a study, aimlessly going over some papers.

Should I just... Deciding to take matters into her own hand. She knocked on the frame (the door to her office was open already). She then revealed herself.

The Queen looked up. “...Hello?”

Rhea was impressed at her calmness. “Um, I have a letter from your daughter.”

The Queen raised an eyebrow. “I'm more concerned with who you are, but where is this letter?”

Rhea opened her bag, producing the pouch with a letter in it.

The Queen immediately grabbed it. “This is Saphoa's seal. And no one but Arkantan's would have a waterproof pouch like this.”

Rhea nodded, “Yeah, she gave it to me personally.”

The Queen started reading the letter. Partway through, she slammed her hand on the table, shaking it violently. The noise was loud enough that a maid (who couldn't see Rhea) came in. “Um...my dame, is something the matter?”

“Call all our commanders to our council chamber at once.”

The maid was a bit surprised, but nodded and scurried away.

“Can you point to Stromvurk on a map for me?” she said, pulling out a map and sliding it towards Rhea.

Rhea nodded and looked at it. It was a map of the continent, but only port cities were filled in, and the internal borders were missing. Luckily, the terrain features were mostly intact, and Rhea was able to point. “I think it's this mountain.”

The Queen did a double-take. “A mountain? It is on top?”

“No, inside. The dwarves that live there carved it out.”

“Ah,” the Queen replied. “You are sure it is this one?”

Rhea nodded. “It's pretty close, at least. I flew from it three days ago.”

“You flew?” the Queen said. “Can you deliver a letter back to my Saphoa?”

Rhea nodded.

The Queen grabbed a paper, quickly scribbling on it before putting it in the pouch the letter from Saphoa had come in, and handed it to her. “Thank you. I must be off now, though I hope we can chat in the future.”

Rhea smiled, “Of course,” and flew out of the room.

Over the next week, a furor slowly engulfed Ositania. News spread of the Navarran's attack during the latest royal wedding, and now the popular new King and some of his Queens were trapped in Stromvurk, with dwindling supplies.

The cities were bustling with men (and even some women) trying to join the ranks of army. So many were volunteering that they had to start turning people away due to lack of supplies, only prioritizing those with military experience or who could be used for logistical work.

In the elven forest, news of their Lady Sophia and her daughter being trapped sent waves across society, every elf who could hold a bow trying to join into the army being sent to rescue them.

The dwarves of the realm especially were irate at the attack of one of their cities, during the first wedding of a Dwarf Queen in history no less. When they heard the news, dwarves everywhere put down their hammers and pickaxes and grabbed their arms and armor and started forming battalions on their own to begin marching towards Stromvurk.

And in Ludout, the few dozen villages watched in awe as innumerable blue seafolk were coming out of the water. Spears in hand, they marched passed the buildings. The innkeeper watched as one, a tall blue man with long green hair walked up to him. “Sir, would you happen to have a map of your country's roads?”

The innkeeper took a few seconds to grasp the unexpected question, but then answered, “I don't but our general store should have a few.”

The general store owner, who was in earshot, quickly ran into his store. A few moments, later, he came out, map in hand.

The blue seafolk man took it, unfurling it. After a moment, he held it down. “Where are we now?”

The general store owner pointed to Ludout.

The blue man smiled, “Thank you,” and handed the store owner a gold piece, curling the map back up.

“Oh, it's not that ex-” he started, but the blue man had already run off.

The innkeeper laughed, “Haha, a sales a sale, ain't it?”

The store owner nodded. “Whaddaya reckon's going on?”

The innkeeper shrugged, “I dunno, but they're supposed to be our allies now. You think they're heading to help somewhere?”

The store owner nodded. “I hope so.”

Rhea Side-story – A Day in the Life of Rhea

- This was a Patreon-voted side story occurs after the bandit subjugation mission and before Rhea suggests marriage to Mac -

Rhea woke up as the sun started shining through the windows. She looked around, reminding herself where she was. Oh yeah, I was talking with Elly last night. She looked down onto the bed (she was sleeping on the headboard) and saw Eleanor was still fast asleep. She smiled as she looked at Eleanor's sleeping face, then quietly flew out the window

She liked to 'recharge' in the morning by going and absorbing some energy from the trees around the palace. There were quite a few, as the palace was surrounded by woodland, and she had gotten to know many of them over the last few months.

Flying up to one, she pressed her hand against it. She was filled with visions of a warm summer day. Ah, you like when you get a lot of sun. She went up and pressed her hand on another, and saw a sight of a light rain showering the forest. And you like when you can drink a lot. Feeling thirsty herself, she flew threw the trees until she found a small pond to drink from.

After satiating her thirst, she sat back on the grass and looked at her reflection. I wonder if Mac will be lovers with me even if I'm purple? She sighed. This reminded her of when Mac had rescued her from the pool in the forest. The last time she had gotten too close to a human, it had led to her being betrayed and trapped in a box for thousands of years. Not that it felt like that, after the initial surprise, she had basically shut down into hibernation until Mac had arrived to this dimension.

Mac had dove into the pool without a second though. Well, she had made him extremely curious as to what was going on, but he had still done it. How could I not want to be lovers with a human like that. I think he'll say yes, too, I just need to bring it up at the right time. She was waiting a bit to suggest it, not wanting to infringe on Marie's happiness.

And...she was a bit nervous. Not a feeling that a spirit normally felt, but the fact she was feeling it at all made her think she had made the right decision in pursuing this route.

Thinking of Mac so much, she decided to go and visit him. She was always able to faintly sense his presence, so she flew back to the palace and found him. He had been with one of his wives or fiances the previous night (as usual) but was now in the middle of walking to breakfast.

Flying up behind him, she grabbed his cheek, startling him slightly.

“Oh, hey Rhea,” he said, giving her a little back rub to simulate a hug.

Rhea blushed slightly, although Mac probably couldn't realize. Giving him a kiss on the cheek, she flew into his hair. “Whatcha doing today?”

Mac thought for a moment as he walked. “I have a meeting with Kay about our wedding, some promotions to hand out after the bandit subjugation, and some more concubine requests to deny.”

Rhea giggled, “I'm sure you'll enjoy that.”

Mac scratched his cheek. “It's not that I enjoy it...but it's at least easy. As long as I say no to all of them, it's fine.”

Rhea, curious, asked, “Do you think you have enough women already?”, careful not to give away her intentions.

Mac sighed, “I want to say yes, but probably not. I guess that gets easier too. I don't mind as much if we're getting married, and they can be treated like everyone else.”

Rhea tapped her chin, So he's more likely to say yes if it's marriage? I just wanted to be lovers, but...

Her thoughts were interrupted as they got to the royal family's dining hall. The only people inside already were Marie and Melissandra. Rhea flew off and gave a hug to Melissandra, “Mel!”

Melissandra smiled and 'hugged' Rhea.

Rhea then flew over and laid in Marie's hair.

Marie smirked, looking up, “No hello for me?”

Rhea thought for a moment, “We were just talking last night, so I guess it doesn't feel like we've been away from each other that long.”

Marie nodded, “Fair enough,” before taking a bite of her eggs.

Rhea flew down and grabbed a roll from a basket on the table, chomping on it slowly. She was careful not to do too much, as she didn't want to scare anyone who couldn't see her, but usually the maids in the dining hall were half asleep until called on.

Melissandra looked at Marie, “Did Gabriella say anything more last night?”

Marie shook her head. “She still won't talk much. And I can't abide all the comments she makes about Mac.”

Mac chuckled, “You don't need to worry about me.”

Marie shook her head, “I can't do that,” and blushed.

Melissandra giggled, “You took to being a fiance well.”

Marie blushed harder, then went back to her breakfast.

Melissandra turned to Mac, “You really need to talk to her more.”

Mac tried to avert her gaze. “I don't know...”

Melissandra sighed, then stood up to leave. “Mac, please just consider it,” she said, before kissing his cheek and leaving.

No sooner had she left, then Emma came in. Rhea flew off and tackled Emma, who responded by rubbing her cheek on Rhea. “How's my favorite spirit?”

Rhea looked at her, “Do you know any other spirits?”

Emma chuckled, “No, but that doesn't mean you're not my favorite.”

Rhea giggled and kissed Emma's cheek, before flying off.

Rhea made it a habit of trying to talk to everyone in the palace at least once a day. Mac had given her the mission of making sure none of his partners were feeling too down, and she took it seriously. Not just because she wanted to be lovers with Mac herself, but she felt like part of their family.

Down in the palace grounds, she heard the clanking of a hammer on anvil, and flew over to Daisy's hut.

Daisy was always so focused on her hammering, Rhea waited until she was busy quenching to talk. As she watched Daisy continue hammering, she had a realization, Wait, if Mac marries me, I need a ring, right? She briefly considering mentioning it to Daisy, but realized that might be a bit too presumptuous (even if deep down, she thought Mac would say yes).

Suddenly she heard the hissing of hot metal in oil and flew down. “Daisy!”

Daisy looked up and smiled, “Oh, hey Rhea.”

Rhea seemed surprised, “Are you okay?”

Daisy was taken aback, then smiled, “Guess I can't get anything past you! I tried to act normal.”

Rhea shook her head. “Of course not, I know you too well Daisy. Wait, are you pregnant?” she asked, flying down to Daisy's stomach.

Daisy laughed, “Haha, no, or at least not that I can tell.”

Rhea slowly hovered up to her face. “What's wrong then?”

Daisy seemed to get a sour look. “I...I just get worried sometimes that I ain't good enough. I know Mac keeps telling me that's nonsense, and I'm the prettiest dwarf in the Kingdom...” she trailed off, blushing, “...but it's just hard to believe sometimes. All I ever wanted to do was be a smith and jeweler. I never thought about being a Queen.”

Rhea nodded, “That's not surprising. But don't you want to live with Mac and the rest? And me?”

Daisy laughed, “Of course.”

“I don't see the problem then. You should do what makes you happy.”

Daisy thought for a moment, then nodded. “Yur right, ain't no sense worrying about the details, I'm just gonna do what makes me happy.”

Rhea smiled and nodded vigorously. “Exactly. So, what would make you happy right now?”

“I'm gonna go make love to that big hunk!” she exclaimed, setting down her hammer and running towards the castle. “Thanks Rhea.”

Rhea was a bit surprised. I guess that's fine.

Flying off, she saw Kay sitting on a balcony, drinking tea as she looked over the forest. As she approached, Kay looked over at her with a smile.

“Nyahaha, to what do I owe the pleasure?” she said, pouring some tea for Rhea.

This having happened before, Rhea leaned over the cup and took a small sip of the tea. “Thanks.”

Kay giggled. “It's fine, I wasn't going to drink all of it.”

Rhea looked up at Kay, “You excited to get married?”

Kay gave a somber smiled, “Yes...I'm just a little worried.”

Rhea looked up, awaiting an answer.

“It's the first time the whole royal family will be traveling together. I doubt anything will happen, but...it just worries me.”

Rhea shook her head, “I'll keep an eye out for anything suspicious.”

Kay smiled, “Thanks, Rhea, I know I can count on you.”

Rhea and Kay both sipped tea for a bit, before Rhea asked, “Are you hoping to get pregnant soon?”

Kay giggled, “Nyahaha, where did that come from?”

Rhea shook her head, “Well, everyone talks about it a lot, so I figured it was okay to ask.”

Kay blushed but shook her head. “Not yet. I'm not too upset about not being pregnant before the marriage, but after...well, hopefully not too long. I want to be able to commiserate with everyone else. Plus, our babies are sure to be exceedingly cute.”

Rhea nodded in agreement. Would Mac and I's babies be cute? Would they be purple? I wonder if Mac would be upset about that...

Kay gave a big yawn. “I think I need a nap.”

Rhea raised an eyebrow. “Really? Is it normal to nap before lunch?”

Kay shook her head, “No...I was up late with Mac, so I need some extra sleep...”

Rhea gave her a hug, and then flew out. She had seen everyone besides Felicia, so she decided to go flying through the halls until she found the room where her siblings were staying. Felicia spent much of her time looking after them, despite her pregnancy.

Sure enough, Felicia was sitting in a chair, a content smile on her face, carefully knitting what looked like more baby clothes.

Felicia noticed her fly into the room, giving an inviting smile. Since the younger siblings couldn't see her, she didn't want to make a ruckus coming in.

Settling down between Felicia's ears, she quietly asked, “How are you?”

“Oh, you know...” she whispered, before giggling. Rhea never really worried about Felicia, of all the fiances and wives, she seemed to be the happiest. Maybe just being here with everyone makes her happy? I guess that's kind of how I am. She laid down, kicking her feet up as she watched Felicia's siblings. Some of them were very young, playing with dolls or blocks, while a few of the older ones were writing in books, presumably studying. The oldest, Finn, had a small wooden sword, and seemed to be practicing swinging it around.

“Finn, I don't mind if you want to learn swordsmanship, but you shouldn't swing that around in the room,” Felicia said with a soft voice.

Finn blushed, turning and nodding before heading outside.

“He seems determined to be a royal guard, so he can protect his sisters...” Felicia said.

“Do you not want him too?”

Felicia sighed, “I'm a little worried, but I'd rather let him do what he wants. I'm not sure how Fi deals with worrying about La Hire...”

Rhea rubbed her head, “Don't worry, I'm sure he'll be just fine once he's trained enough.”

Felicia giggled, “Thanks.”

Rhea kept watching for a while, before drifting off to sleep.

Rhea was woken abruptly by a poke from Felicia.

“Wha-...sorry...”

Felicia giggled, “It's okay, I'm just off to dinner and didn't want you falling off.”

Rhea rubbed her eyes, then flew off her.

“You don't want dinner?” Felicia asked, standing up.

Rhea shook her head, “I wanted to check on something.”

Felicia nodded and waved, before she was accosted by her siblings. “Felicia, dinner time!”

Felicia smiled, “I know, let's go see if Tillie has anything for us.”

Rhea flew around the outside of the castle, until she found the window she was looking for. As usual, Gabriella was there, sharpening her blade on a whetstone.

That must be the sharpest blade in the whole Kingdom, Rhea thought. She slipped into the window.

Gabriella seemed to glance a bit when she flew by, but then went back to sharping her stone.

Sheesh, her senses are sharp too! Rhea watched Gabriella, trying to ascertain her thoughts. They keep talking about her, but she seems conflicted about them too. Rhea was a little confused, because it seemed like Gabriella was supposed to be one of his fiances, but was decidedly not. That said, Rhea had found her interesting so checked up on her regularly anyway.

She could sense the confusion and conflicting feelings present in Gabriella. Sharpening her blade seemed to be a mechanism to try and keep herself calm, but Rhea could sense the inner turmoil regardless.

Rhea sighed, Well, I feel like I can't do much here. I can't really talk to her, and I'm not sure that would be a good idea anyway. Flying off, she went back out the window.

She liked to take flights over the canopy in the evening, just watching the moonlight filter through the trees around her. Looking up at the moon, she thought about Celestina. I wonder how she's doing? I wish I could talk to her again. Especially about Mac... she blushed. Celestina, I hope you're doing well up there.

After her moonlit glide, she flew back to the palace, sensing who was still awake. As usual, there was only one person still awake to talk too.

Flying towards Marie's office, she knocked on the door. After a moment, Marie opened it.

“You're lucky I have good ears,” she smirked.

Rhea flew inside, alighting on Marie's desk.

“What are you doing tonight?” Rhea asked.

“Going through what Mac needs to address tomorrow. Mostly regarding the tax collection efforts and more concubine requests...” Marie said, with a sigh.

Rhea asked, “Are you happy you're finally with Mac?”

Marie stopped writing, blushing slightly, “Why are you asking me that?”

Rhea shrugged, “Curious.”

“Well, what do you think?” Marie said, going back to writing.

“Well, considering how much sex you two have, I'm guessing happy.”

Marie blushed and nodded, “Obviously.”

Rhea thought for a moment, then asked, “Do you think I'd be happy with Mac?”

Marie stopped writing, then sat down her pen slowly. “Are...are you saying you want to be 'with' Mac? Like, the same way I or Melissandra or Eleanor are?”

Rhea nodded, “Yeah. I've been thinking about how happy you all seem, and it made me want to be lovers with him as well. Although, knowing Mac, he might want to marry me first. Or at least get engaged.”

Marie closed her eyes, blinking. “So you're saying you want to marry Mac?”

Rhea nodded.

Marie took a deep breath, crossing her fingers together. “Is it normal for spirits to want to marry humans? Or even take them as lovers?”

Rhea shook her head, “Oh no, definitely not. Celestina might have, since she at least had a lover for her to have her own children, but I haven't met any others.”

Marie nodded.

Rhea could tell Marie's mind was racing.

“Sorry, maybe it's a bad idea...”

Marie quickly shook her head. “No, not at all. I'm just trying to think of the...ramifications.”

“Do you think we should keep it a secret?” Rhea asked.

Marie thought for a bit more, then shook her head. “Assuming Mac accepts, and I'm almost certain he will, I think we should make this public. Think about how important Mac seems if he has a spirit as a wife.”

Rhea got excited. “Really? I would actually be helping?”

Marie nodded. “Yes, I only wonder if some countries would even believe us. Well, I guess if they see you, they might change their mind...”

The two talked semantics for a bit, deciding Rhea should speak with the other women first, and then find a good time to bring it up to Mac.

Once they were done talking, Rhea flew up and hugged Marie's cheeks. “Thanks so much Marie.”

Marie smiled, “After you helped me, I owe you.”

The next day, Rhea went about collecting the 'approval' of all Mac's partners. It was fairly simple, so none had any objections. Some were a bit confused, like Melissandra.

“Not that I don't wholeheartedly approve, but is that really okay? The other spirits won't be...upset or anything, would they?”

Rhea shrugged, “I don't think so. And it's not like they're around much anyway.”

Melissandra nodded. “True, but if we make it public as Marie suggests, then they might.”

Rhea had a determined look on her face, “I'll just deal with that if I have too.”

Melssiandra smiled, “I can see your serious about it.”

Rhea nodded, “I am. I thought about it a lot. Every time I think about it, my chest gets all wobbly.”

Melissandra giggled, “You must really like Mac.”

Rhea blushed a bit, “I must.”

Later that day, Rhea sat in the gardens. Everyone else had gone to dinner, and now Mac was talking with Gabriella. Mac was alone that night, so she would ambush him once he was done talking with her.

The nervousness was now peaking, and she could barely contain herself. However, she was also excited at the prospect of taking things to a new level with Mac.

Her face blushed as she thought of what she wanted to do with him. She even had an image of herself she would change into in mind, with the idea of maximizing his desire for her.

She was brought out of her fantasies as she noticed Mac was moving closer to her. Based on the palace layout (which she had memorized) he should be in the royal bath now.

Perfect, she thought, before flying off his direction.