Chris took in a deep breath as he prepared his strained nerves for the monumental task of meeting with his sister, it would have been so easy action, but Dolton's words danced around his mind like a motivated fly.

No matter how much he tried to push that conversation to the back of his mind, they were like chains tightly wrapped around his body and weighing him down every action that he took.

"Can't really push this off for long," he thought as his fingers brushed across the cold steel handle.

His hand lingered on it far longer than normal and he could see the looks of confusion painted upon Hamanymu and Ursa's faces. The only one who understood the source of his hesitation and discomfort was the spy in disguise, and much to the prince's frustration, Dolton's face was an emotionless block.

No look of encouragement or even confusion passed the Fae's facial features. Chris bit back a curse that threatened to escape his lips and shower the Paladin in verbal resentment.

"I should have never agreed to come here, there was nothing wrong with Anabia," he thought as he pushed the door open and they walked into the room.

"We can't just sit here and wait forever. We have right where we want it, let us strike now while we have a chance!" a human woman's voice was the first thing that met Chris's ears.

The woman's frustration was as evident in her voice as it was upon her face and the very energy that rolled off her body. For to emphasise her words, she slammed her fist into the nearest wall hard enough to leave a imprint of her fist in the solid stone wall.

Judging by the portraits which lined the offices wall, Chris could surmise that she was most likely the Imparetor of this garrison. Though her extravagant gold version of the Asikari armor might have given that idea away.

"Please, Mabele. No one is asking you to sit here and do nothing," he heard Ishtar utter, her voice sounding exhausted.

"Then why aren't we attacking?. We can't just wait for the crown and the other garrisons to come here when that ship could know that we have it entrapped and it will flee!" the Imperator continued arguing with a fervent burning within her.

"Because we have been ordered to stay our hand and observe until adequate reinforcements arrive," Ishtar's voice had now lost its last remaining remnants of calmness and she now stood tall to look the Imparetor in the eye. "Don't forget just how much energy we have scanned off that thing, if we attack now and we find that it can weaponize that power, then we die and...."

Ishtar paused and she turned to look at the open door where Chris stood in awkward silence. Looking at her now reminded him of how long ago it had been since he had seen, as the young woman who stood before him was completely different from the one that he thought he remembered.

They shared the same golden eyes and sky blue hair, though she had the golden markings of their half Fae heritage upon her face. Her crown had two cow like horns and her armour in its vibrant gold and red strike an image which told all that this was the crown princess of Avalon.

But the blurry image of the Ishtar that was in his mind was completely different from the young woman who he was looking at, it was like looking a complete stranger who reminded you of something familiar.

"Christian," she whispered out in suprise.

"Sister," he responded with a short bow, one that Ursa, Hamanymu and Dolton emulated as well.

"Your highness, welcome to Mistgurd," the Imparetor said.

"I thank you for your welcome, Imperator," Chris responded.

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"Leave us, I wish to speak to my brother in private," Ishtar stated, her manner of speech sounding a lot like their father.

The Imparetor and everyone else obeyed this order and they all walked out of the room. This left the two Ddraig siblings in an awkward silence as they both expected the other to break this stalemate of silence.

" Say something stupid," his mind scolded him, but no matter how much he rummaged through it, nothing came out.

Ishtar opened her mouth to say something, but then she stopped herself, she then tried to say something but all that came out was an embarrassed cough.

"You... You have grown well," she forced out.

"You too... I mean you have changed a lot since I saw you."

"Try not to make yourself look like an idiot," he mentally chided himself.

"I can imagine, it has been so long." Ishtar seemed somewhat more relaxed than him when she now spoke, perhaps all she deeded was to break the ice.

She turned and walked to a table that stood at the heart of the room whilst asking, "How has the capital been, it has been close to two years since I last set my eyes on my it."

"It is fine, mother has been a bit difficult."

"I can imagine, she has not made it any secrets about what she thinks of your extremely rash suicidal tendencies, her words not mine," she replied with an amused chuckle as she tapped the table.

The tables surface began to shift and bend into an exact copy of the entire GreyLands province. Chris could see the rivers in this copy move, it's miniature populations in constant movement and even the flying beasts swooping around and around.

"I assume Dolton told you why you are here?" she asked him.

"He told me enough."

"Then let me fill in the space that he might have left out. Three hours ago, our battleships picked up an unidentified flying object flying from the Lunar empire. It passed through all of our attempts to shoot it down as it entered the GreyLands."

As Ishtar spoke a bright burning object flew across the miniature copy of the GreyLands upon the table as if it was actively trying to illustrate Ishtar's point.

"I was down in the Summer Lands when this happened. I managed to get up here and with the cooperation of Imperator Mabele, I have managed to send a sizable amount of troops to track this thing and we have found it."

The tables surface changed again and this time it was a miniature copy of a mountain. Upon its slopes sat a large silver orb, underneath the mountain, Chris could see an army of Knights and Asikari who had surrounded the mountain.

"Why haven't you attacked it yet?" Chris didn't like the idea of just leaving this thing here for so long without knowing what it was.

"I would have given the order, but I couldn't once I saw its readings from our scanners," she responded with a barely held back frustration. "It has been giving off so much energy that if it exploded it would crack this planet ten times over."

Chris felt weightless as a cloud of dread rested upon his shoulders. He looked at the massive silver orb, the thought that it could destroy the entire planet was a terrifying thought.

"When I sent this information to father, he gave me the order to wait until all the other garrisons sent their troops and for him to arrive."

"Mother and father will be here?" Chris blurted out in suprise.

Though in retrospect, it was a stupid question, of course the king and queen would be here to face a literal foreign threat that had crossed their border.

"They are already on their way," Ishtar replied.

"Do they... does mother know that I am here?" Chris asked her in a barely audible dread as he imagined his mother's reaction to seeing him here.

Ishtar did not even try facing him as she said, "No, she doesn't."

This was the opportunity that he had both anticipated and dreaded in equal measure. He wanted to just remain silent and ignore the intrusive thoughts that refused to leave his mind. But his mind betrayed him and the words slowly rolled out of his lips.

"I don't mean to sound rude Ishtar, but why am I here. Mother won't be pleased by this in the slightest," he asked her.

Once more, Ishtar kept her face turned from his. She took some time before responding with half stutters, "I... N... Need... I mean I need a... Damn it... I need your help and advice..."

Chris could understand what she was saying, it sounded pleasant to his pride, but after the experience with the Elder Night Terror, he could not delude himself into overestimating his skills.

"He considered his next words before he slowly and carefully let them roll out, "I don't think that I am the best person to for that job Ishtar. Maybe you can ask Joan or even Dolton."

Ishtar now turned to face him and though her face had a smile, it was a strained mask. "And why can't I ask my only brother to aid me..."

Chris opened his mouth to respond but Ishtar had just fallen into a tirade and she would not stop "...l am sorry for assuming that you wanted to do more than just languish away in the capital..."

"I don't want to languish away in the capital," the young prince felt deflated as he tried to defend himself against such a scathing accusation.

"If you don't, then why would you rather hide away from the rest of us!"

"Well, mother..." Chris stopped speaking when Ishtar slammed her fist into the table, instantly shattering into a thousand pieces.

"Don't call it that, that thing is not our mother. It's a poor copy masquerading as her, nothing more" Ishtar's words were not a raging inferno but a cold fury.

Chris didn't what to say, what could he say after that outburst. The earlier silence fell upon the siblings once more and they could only stand there, their eyes more focused on the floor than each other.

Ishtar took heavy deep breaths to calm herself and Chris was now truly desperate to depart from the room.

"I am sorry, that was unbecoming of me. I should act with more self control in future," she apologized as she stook the calming breaths.

"I don't think that matters much especially with what you just said about mother." he thought, though he would never dare voice that out.

His deliverance arrived with the door being pushed wide open. Dolton rushed into the room, his breath slightly haggard from how fast he was running.

"What is wrong?" Chris asked the Paladin.

"The orb, it is acting up."

"What do you mean it's acting up!" Chris panicked as he remembered what Ishtar had said about the orbs potential of destroying the planet.

"It's energy is flactuating and it's surface appears to be shifting."

Ishtar sighed in irritation and she uttered something that Chris was sure that she did not want to say, "Inform the Imperator to gather the rest of the garrison, we will finally attack that thing."