-The Next Morning-
“I thank you both. Minoru, Ashe.” Morgan thanked the two from her throne, granting them a smile. It was a simple choice for them to accept the queen’s request, standing with Yeva by their sides in front of the queen’s throne.
“It is nothing, Your Majesty.” Ashe spoke formally. “I cannot imagine we could turn down this request after Yeva herself asked us to.” She said with a smile as she looked down at the small girl, who rubbed the back of her head. “Besides, I believe Minoru has grown to be quite empathetic of her already.”
Minoru stood with his arms crossed. “Come on, it’s not like you’re not the same way, Ashe.”
“At least I am honest about wanting to see her home.” She said with a sly tone and a wink.
“Regardless, I am beyond thankful to you two. I hope you will accept my apologies for my conduct with regards to your mission yesterday.”
“Water under the bridge, don’t worry about it.” Minoru said with a casual wave of his hand.
Bergobon approached from the side of Morgan’s throne, producing a heavy, full bag from his feathers. “Your escort funds. This should perfectly cover what you need to support Miss Yeva while she is with you.”
Catching it in a single hand, Minoru fumbled, almost dropping the bag as a result of its surprising weight, the unmistakable clinking of gold coins was louder than ever as he held it steadily in his hands.
“I wish you the best of luck on this task. Please see to it that Yeva is returned safely home.”
“We will, don’t you worry.” Minoru affirmed.
Morgan smiled. “You may go. May the darkness bless you all.” She said.
With a confident nod, Minoru, Ashe, and Yeva turned to take their leave, only for the doors to the throne room to suddenly burst open, a knight of Morgan stumbling through the door, one that seemed to be of a higher rank with the elaborate runic designs on his armor.
“Y-Your Majesty, pardon my rude intrusion, but I bring urgent news!”
“Speak.” She commanded.
“Troops of Helster surprised our installation at our border with them. Most of the soldiers escaped, but they experienced multiple casualties. From what we know the unit that attacked was massive, but it seems they split off into two groups. One half is marching north, while the other is approaching us as we speak.”
“So, that foolish prince is making his move.” Morgan mused.
“Perhaps an attempt to approach Faegarde? It seems like the part of their units approaching us is trying to defend the other from any offense we could mount on them.” Bergobon spoke.
“That does appear to be the case.” Morgan spoke aloud before addressing the lone knight. “Inform your men, I will have you begin moving north to intercept the unit approaching us.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” He confirmed, before quickly taking his leave.
“What of the unit heading east?” Bergobon asked.
“I plan to put together my own unit to send after them. They are clearly trying to distract us while they advance on Faegarde. I will not allow them to sully the peace Arthur worked so hard to achieve.” Looking to Halgor, she addressed him. “Halgor, I will have you lead this unit, if that is acceptable to you.”
The large green man bowed his head in reverence. “Of course, Your Majesty. I am ready to leave whenever.”
“Good. Bergobon, inform the townspeople and begin setting up defensive measures for the city.”
Bowing as well, Bergobon acquiesced. “Of course.” He said, before disappearing from view in a cloud of feathers.
Speaking up, Minoru broke Morgan’s train of thought momentarily. “What’s going on?”
Morgan sighed before replying. “It would seem the prince of Helster is making an offensive.” She explained. “Helster is our neighbor to the northwest. The current prince, Ventro von Vortigern, has been a thorn in Camelot’s side for more than a few years now. Helster actually used to be quite the large nation, capable of standing on equal footing with Camelot, but that changed when Arthur defeated King Vortigern in a battle and took much of Helster’s old territory for Camelot. The two nations managed to live in relative peace for a time until Ventro’s father, Machis von Vortigern, rose to power and began trying to reignite past tensions and grudges between the two nations.” She seemed to muse on her own words for a moment. “I know not what his goals were, nor what Ventro’s goals are now, but it seems he is truly intent on bringing the fight to Camelot.”
“Why’s he leading soldiers into Morgania, then?”
“Camelot’s defenses are nigh impenetrable along the border they share with Helster. Machis attempted to mount multiple assaults to break through, but was never successful. Camelot isn’t as well guarded along its border with Faegarde, but they have remained staunchly neutral in this conflict, as was Arthur’s wish when that nation was founded. Faegarde’s border with Helster is well-guarded as well. In short, Helster is surrounded on all sides by nations that would rather keep them out. Our border with Faegarde is not so well bordered, so Ventro must see passing through Morgania as a necessary risk to get to them. I know not what he plans to do to Faegarde, but I can only assume it is nothing good as they are currently standing between him and Camelot.”
“But Faegarde is neutral, this would only make the situation in this war they are trying to wage harder on them. Angering Camelot in such a way seems unwise.” Ashe commented.
“I know not what Ventro is thinking. That man seems to have an almost fervent desire to invade Camelot, but he cannot possibly believe that he has a hope of even besieging House Mordred, much less making it all the way to the capital. His army would have to fight its way through three more of the Roundtable’s houses before making it there.”
“Is there something he wants in Camelot?”
“Nothing that I can imagine. I cannot understand why he’d mount an assault in the first place.” She shook her head. “Regardless. I apologize, but for your and Yeva’s sake I do not recommend leaving for Camelot just yet. I would just transport you there, but unfortunately our long range systems are jammed just like everyone else’s at this time.” She concluded.
Looking to each other, Minoru and Ashe leaned in closer to each other, speaking in hushed whispers that gained Morgan’s attention.
“Mind sharing what you are discussing with the class?” She asked, to which Minoru and Ashe glanced at her momentarily before nodding to one another.
“Your Majesty, we would like to join Halgor in intercepting the group heading to Faegarde.” Ashe announced.
“Hm, how unexpected. You’d truly seek to help protect my humble kingdom?”
Minoru shook his head. “Nah, it’s just that it’d be a lot quicker to get a move on to Camelot if we get this whole situation sorted out soon, right?” He suggested. “Not to mention, I’d hate to just sit on my hands here while your guys get to handle all the fun stuff.”
Morgan studied him and Ashe for a moment. “I am sure you understand the risks. While I cannot stop you, I am resistant to this idea. You just agreed to escort Yeva, it would not do to allow you two to throw your lives away.”
“Rest assured, Your Majesty, we have good reason to do this.” Ashe spoke up. “This is an opportunity to nip this particular bud before anything comes of it. Faegarde is a neutral territory, and this could break out into an all-out war if this ‘Ventro’ is able to break through to Camelot. Not only would this avoid any unnecessary, drawn-out conflict that would prevent us from going to Camelot… I have a hunch that Ouroboros has some form of influence over this happening.”
“You believe Ouroboros is involved then? What makes you think that?”
“I only believe their involvement is indirect at this moment. However, given how recent this development with Helster is, I think it is entirely possible that they could have possibly urged this conflict to happen.”
“Stoking a major conflict to act in the chaos and not draw much attention to them, hm?” Morgan mused. “I admit that this does seem quite like them. Admittedly, although it has been relatively peaceful, to say that many people in Villesia these days are… ‘on edge’ wouldn’t be inaccurate. We may see a rise in incidents like this if Ouroboros truly is behind this… Very well.” She acquiesced. “You two may go, but I urge you to avoid combat if possible. Observe the situation to see if you can determine anything, but do try to avoid getting involved. You are Yeva’s guardians now, I will not allow you to die so easily.”
The two nodded, Ashe speaking. “Of course, Your Majesty. We will see to it that we pick up as much information as we possibly can. Hopefully we can determine if Ouroboros is involved or not from this altercation.”
Yeva suddenly interjected, raising her hand. “Uhm…!” She said, getting everyone’s attention. “What should I do?”
“You, young lady, should remain here.” Morgan immediately instructed.
“W-What!? But… Minoru and Ashe are my guardians now, right? That means I should be traveling with them! A-And, and! I can help– I can fight, Morgan! I wanna help Minoru and Ashe!”
“Yeva, please–” Minoru began, crouching down to put a hand on her shoulder. “You know this is too dangerous.”
“But–!”
“Listen to Minoru, Yeva.” Morgan casually commanded.
“Listen, Yeva.” Minoru began. “These are soldiers. They’re trained to really hurt whoever they need to to do what they’re told. They already destroyed the camp up north, right? People got really hurt, some so badly that they might not recover. If you joined us and fought, that’d make you a participant, a fighter. I don’t doubt that you can fight, that you could help, but if you did that’d make you a target. These soldiers are okay with hurting anyone who is fighting them, they may even be really mean and are okay with hurting anyone they don’t like. Either way, if you fight them, they will be fine with– if not obligated to hurt you, too. We don’t want that to happen to you.”
“Minoru is right, Yeva.” Morgan added. “Joining the fight will give them a reason, and a reason is all people need to do evil, to do cruel things to innocent people.” She stated firmly. “You need to stay here, to stay safe.”
Yeva seemed deflated. “O-Okay…” She said, clearly downtrodden but understanding. “Minoru, Ashe, can I help you guys fight in the future, once it’s not so dangerous for me to?”
The two seemed unsure on what to say, feeling as though confirming that they’d let her would be irresponsible and could possibly set Morgan off. The queen seemed to recognize this feeling among them immediately, simply giving a short huff with a smile.
“You need not ask for permission, Yeva. You have the strength to fight, so I will allow you to fight to protect yourself. I recognize your strength, Yeva, it is simply that this situation is much too dangerous right now.”
“I know that…” She said in a slightly indignant tone. “But… Okay. I’ll do my best, I promise I’ll show you guys how strong I am!” She said confidently as she looked between Minoru and Ashe.
Minoru simply responded with a soft pat to the top of her fluffy hat. “Don’t worry, Yeva, we’ll be back sooner than you think.” He stood up, looking over to Halgor. “I think that settles it, then. We’re going with you, big guy.”
The large green man smirked, his spiky hair looking like a lion’s mane as it shifted around with him. “Y’know, after that display you showed last night with that freaky purple lightning, I was considering challenging you to a duel, but I think this is an even better situation to gauge you with.” He said with a grin.
“You might wanna get that duel in sooner rather than later once we’re done here. I might just get too strong for you to handle once we get to Camelot.”
Halgor laughed heartily. “Hah! Her Majesty was correct in her observation of that idiotic bravery you bear, boy! By all means, get as strong as you can. I’d love for a chance to fight someone with that signature Camelot training again.”
“I’ll be holding you to that.” Minoru replied in an amused tone.
Morgan spoke softly. “Now then, Yeva, I will be taking my leave as well. I must join them to put apart the unit they will be traveling in.” She announced, standing up from her throne and joining the group before her. “I will be done shortly. Would you mind picking out a board game for us to play when I return?”
“Alright, Morgan.” Yeva affirmed, getting a smile from the queen as the four walked off, the small girl left alone in the throne room.
Taking in a deep breath, her right arm seemed to glow a shining, brilliant pink. In a quick flash of light, leaving behind a scattering of pink sparkles, her arm completely transformed. Sticking out from her shoulder– as if attached directly to her coat– was an hugely disproportionate arm. Covered in fluffy, brown hair with a pawed, bulky hand, long claws stuck out of her digits as her arm had taken the form of that of a bear’s own powerful appendage.
Yeva looked at the palm of this animalistic arm contemplatively for a moment.
“I can help, I know I can…” She said to herself. In another flash of pink light and glittery motes, her arm quickly transformed back into its original form as she walked off, exiting the throne room with a purpose in her step.
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The unit being put together was a short affair, as Morgan summoned a few of her standout warriors and a smattering of their own subordinates.
Standing before Minoru and Ashe were Halgor and two others, one was a tall, lanky faerie with dusty hair and long wings like that of a dragonfly’s. He wore thick, padded robes and a jeweled headdress that clashed with his tired, baggy eyed expression, and his robes were lifted up slightly by a long insectoid abdomen, once more similar to that of a dragonfly’s.
“Azgaar.” He introduced curtly. “I’m a mage. Hope you can back me up.” His voice was tired, owed to his slouched over position. He didn’t look like much of anything impressive, but Morgan praised his magical prowess when speaking of him.
On the other side was a large, mantis-like individual, their anatomy like a fusion between a humanoid and insectoid organism. His antennae twitched as his long arms– holding a wooden polearm with two blades on either end– were accompanied by two smaller arms. His solid exoskeleton was decorated with jewels strung up around his form, and he wielded a strange, triangular weapon in one of his smaller hands, along with a mistletoe in the other.
“I am Zakh’tha.” He introduced in a scratchy, warbly voice, as if his mandibles were making noises that approximated speech, rather than speaking through a voice box. “It is a pleasure to ally myself with outsiders such as yourselves. I take it you are warriors in your own rights?” He spoke rather eloquently.
Minoru nodded. “Yes, you could say that. Although not quite as trained as I’m sure you are.”
“You flatter me, human. I am little more than a hunter swinging around a twinblade.”
“Don’t let his modesty fool ya, boy.” Halgor spoke. “Zakh here’s one slippery little guy, I’ve seen him weave through whole scores of soldiers without a scratch on ‘im. Better keep your eye on that little bladed triangle he’s got there.”
“It is my chamkrah.” Zakh’tha explained. “A weapon of my people.”
“He can nail a bird while it’s in flight with this thing, it’s a real treat to see him hunt.” Halgor eagerly explained, before glancing over to Azgaar. “He might not wanna show it off all that often, but ol’ Az here’s got some crazy magic. I’m a fae sorcerer and even he keeps surprising me.”
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“Eh, it’s nothing special.” Azgaar said lazily. “I just read a lotta books.”
“Hahah! As you can see, we’re partnered with some folk who don’t know just how strong they really are.” Halgor laughed heartily.
On a simple, wooden platform surrounding the small area they were in, the clacking of Morgan’s heels against the stage drew everyone’s attention, the whole crowd of fae soldiers looking upon their queen as she began speaking.
“My warriors, your mission is simple. Helster has trampled upon our land in an attempt to break through Faegarde. Their forces have split into two halves, one marching on us right now and one marching towards our border with Faegarde. You will leave as soon as possible to intercept and stop the advance of the second group, while those who remain here will intercept the first. Are there any questions or objections to this plan?” She asked, to which there was none. “Good. Now that you know your goal, you will proceed with preparations to leave.” She clanked her scepter against the stage. “We could very well be on the precipice of another war should Helster manage to break into Faegarde. We must nip this in the bud as soon as possible, everyone. The people of Morgania are counting on you all.” She concluded, the determined faces of her soldiers pleasing her. “Dismissed.” She stated plainly, the soldiers all breaking formation and spreading to different areas of the plaza.
“Well then, that’s our cue. C’mon, we’re gonna leave soon.” Halgor spoke, gesturing for the four before him to follow as they walked off in a group.
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Watching from a window up above within the castle, Yeva immediately got to work, running through the halls as she saw the crowd dispersing. She knew the layout of the castle quite well at this point, and with everyone running around trying to prep the soldiers for their journey, she was able to pass through the halls largely uncontested…
Idly chatting voices were audible in the direction she was going, and she quickly shapeshifted her legs into a rabbit, kicking off the ground with a powerful, forceful jump that launched her directly to the ceiling. Shaping her arms into that of a bear’s, her claws dug into the architecture above. Her pink, glowing tail quickly shifted into a form befitting that of a lemur, grasping onto a nearby beam for extra stability.
Two fae, workers of the castle, walked by as they spoke amongst themselves, passing information about the sudden mobilization of so many soldiers back and forth. They were none the wiser to Yeva’s presence. As soon as they were out of sight, she quickly dropped from the ceiling, landing like a cat before shifting back to her original form.
She had been given quite a bit of free reign in where she could wander, and knew exactly where to go. She soon ended up near the vehicle deployment area on the ground floor. Large, wooden, wheeled vehicles before her as she peeked around the corner, watching various soldiers quickly loading in supplies into each of them.
Watching for a bit longer, she perked up as Minoru, Ashe, and Halgor’s group walked in, chatting amongst themselves as they hopped onto one of the vehicles.
Smiling, she waited. The soldiers moving around left little opportunity for her to sneak around, but she keenly waited for the absolute perfect opportunity. Running from bits of cover to bits of cover formed by the scattered barrels and bags resting scattered around the room.
In a small lapse in attention from the soldiers, she ran as low to the ground as she could, hopping into the cargo hold of the vehicle Minoru and Ashe were in. Hiding amongst the cargo, she tucked into herself, hiding as the soldier began packing in just a little bit more supplies before seemingly finishing and closing the rear doors of the vehicle.
It only took a bit longer before she felt the distinct rumble of the vehicle as it started up. She couldn’t help but grin excitedly as she knew she’d get to show off her abilities to her two new guardians.
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Returning to the throne room as the vehicles departed, Morgan decided her work here was done for the day. Taking her leave, she walked towards Yeva’s room.
“I suppose Yeva might still be a little upset. I should check in on her.” She thought to herself as she approached.
Opening the door, she spoke. “Yeva, have you picked out a game?” She asked, only to be met with silence. Yeva was not anywhere to be seen in her personal room.
“Yeva…?” She breathed out. The feeling of her heart dropping from her chest shook her to her core.
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The line of five vehicles, holding all of the soldiers in the special unit, took its exit from the city. A rear exit led them out and allowed them to gradually round the circumference of the city. This put them on the path towards Faegarde without putting them at risk of running into the Helster soldiers that were approaching the city.
“You ever have a run-in with these guys, Halgor?” Minoru idly asked. The passenger interior of the vehicle was spacious enough so that even a large figure like Halgor could fit in, although he had to lean forwards slightly so as to not hit the ceiling. Zakh’tha sat, idly polishing his weapons, while Azgaar was reading a small book, a small glowing mote of light floating by his hands and illuminating the pages.
He crossed his arms contemplatively. “Hmm… a few times. I fought some of ol’ Vortigern’s soldiers back when the original war between him and Arthur was goin’ on. Although I don’t know how much use that experience will be when it’s been centuries since!”
“True enough.”
“How confounding it is that we mobilize against the forces of Helster.” Zakh’tha mused. “I cannot see the worth in provoking not just Camelot, but Faegarde and Morgania as well.”
“This Ventro character seems shockingly reckless for a prince.” Ashe commented. “He must realize what a pointless fight he’s leading his people into.”
“Maybe it’s not so pointless in his eyes.” Halgor commented. “Though we can’t know what he’s planning for sure. All we really can do is just stop him in his tracks, yeah?”
“I suppose so. Perhaps I am just getting hung up on nothing, but I would think that a leader would be more reserved about possibly provoking a war.”
“Maybe he has something planned?” Minoru suggested. “If he thinks whatever he’s doing this for is worth going to war over, I would think he’d have some kind of plan for how he’s going to win this. I mean, he’s essentially provoking three different countries by doing this, right? Unless he’s just an idiot, he’d need something to give him an edge.”
“I think something might be rallying his people behind him as well.” Halgor commented. “Any rational person can see how outmatched Helster is in this situation, there’s gotta be something that’s making everyone want to fight for his cause, whatever it is.”
“That does make me wonder if the people of Helster wanted something like this to happen.” Ashe suggested. “This region of Villesia has lived in peace for a long time, but it’s entirely possible that they hold some kind of resentment or grudge towards Camelot.”
“Maybe they think they’re the good guys?” Yeva spoke up.
“Could be, maybe they’re convinced that they’re doing something good.” Minoru mused in response, leaning back against the wall of the vehicle with his arms behind his head.
“Wait…” He said, looking over to Yeva, who was sitting on the other side of Ashe.
She waved with a smile. “Hi there!”
Everyone’s hearts collectively dropped as they all reacted with a shocked “Y-Yeva!?” all in unison.
“What are you doing here!?” Minoru demanded.
“I’m coming with you guys!” She replied cheerily.
“Yeva, we told you to stay put!”
“But I wanna come with you! I know I can help you guys, I don’t wanna sit around at the castle while you’re out fighting and getting in danger! I can protect you guys!”
“We are the ones who are supposed to be protecting you, Yeva.” Ashe commented.
“So? You guys are my friends! I wanna protect you, too!"
Minoru and Ashe were left exasperated, to which Halgor spoke. "So, are we going to turn around and bring her back?"
Zakh'tha shook his head. "We are already too far from the city. If we turn back now we likely won't make it to the border in time to intercept the Helster troops." He spoke aloud.
Minoru sighed, prompting a bit of slack in Yeva’s shoulders. “Sorry… I just wanted to come with.” She apologized.
Minoru looked at her sympathetically. He remembered having done similar acts of disobedience as a kid, although probably not to the same degree.
“No, it’s fine. Listen, just try and stay out of harm’s way, okay? Ashe and I aren’t even supposed to get involved if a fight breaks out, anyways…”
“Then… It’s okay if I stay with you guys?”
“Well, not much else we can really do. We don’t wanna send you back to the city when there’s soldiers headed there as well. Just stick with us for now, okay?”
“Okay, I can do that!”
Minoru sighed. “Honestly, though… I hope Morgan isn’t losing her mind right now…” He commented under his breath.
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As the hours passed by the surroundings grew darker as, even through the dense cloud cover of Morgania, the darkness brought on by the setting of the sun was noticeable. One of the drivers of the vehicle called back into the passenger’s quarters.
“Sun’s going down. Commander, should we make camp for the night? I don’t think the Helster soldiers are going to be getting to the border anytime soon.” He asked Halgor.
Glancing through the windows, Halgor nodded. “Yes. Let’s stop wherever is most convenient for us. Don’t get too comfortable, though. We’ll be leaving in the early morning.”
The soldier nodded. “Yes sir.”
The following couple hours consisted of the line of vehicles parking along the perimeter of a clearing that branched off from the main road. The large vehicles parked in a large, defensible circle as the unit set up their camp. It was quite a minimalist setup, but it was more than suitable.
As the soldiers finished setting up, Minoru rummaged through the storage compartment of the vehicle he was on, happening upon a reddish-brown clay cooking pot. He thought for a moment, before taking it into his arms, approaching Yeva and Ashe.
“You guys want some dinner? I could whip something up if we get a fire going.” He offered, gesturing to the clay pot tucked in his arm.
“Where did you find that?” Ashe inquired.
“In the back of the car… thing… Not sure what to call ‘em, actually.” He mused. They were even bigger than most of the other vehicles he had seen in Villesia since arriving, almost looking like large, wooden tanks, really. “Either way, I’m sure it’ll be fine if we use it. We have ingredients of our own anyways, right?”
“I suppose that is true.” Ashe acquiesced. “So, what will our professional chef Minoru be cooking for us tonight?” She asked.
“H-Hey, I’m not some kind of professional. I just cooked for myself and my dad back home, is all.” Minoru replied, his cheeks flushing at the praise.
Ashe smirked amusedly. “My apologies. I simply forgot to thank you for the food you cooked for Yeva and I the other day.”
Minoru rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “Don’t mention it. Just thought you guys would enjoy something like that.”
“That aside, I would love to try some more of your cooking. Whatever you wish to make, I shall partake in.” Ashe stated contentedly.
Yeva rested a finger to her chin in contemplation. “I would ask for those ‘kebab’ thingies again, but I wanna try something new! What other food do you know how to cook, Minoru?”
“Ah, well… all sorts of things, really. I’m limited by what ingredients Ashe and I bought before we came here, but I should be able to make something nice for all of us.”
Ashe smiled as Yeva nodded. “Okay!” The small girl affirmed.
As Minoru prepared a campfire he grabbed a few more tools from the vehicle’s storage compartment, cutting up the various meats and veggies he and Ashe had as ingredients. Going through the process of cooking, Ashe was idly reading a book as he did so, while Yeva watched eagerly, leaning forwards with her hands behind her back to watch as Minoru handled the ingredients very carefully, gradually adding in more and more bits of meat or veggies as the process went on. She smiled with curiosity as she watched the process, looking particularly enraptured.
“Hey now, what’s all this?” Halgor suddenly called from behind, walking over and crouching down right beside Minoru. He had taken off his armor, revealing his large figure as he wore comfortable woolen underclothes “Didn’t know you were a cook, boy!” He said, giving Minoru a friendly pat on the back.
“H-Hey, I’m working over a fire here!”
Halgor chuckled. “My bad, my bad.” He grinned, watching his cooking process with a similar curiosity to Yeva. “So then, what’s on the menu for you three? Looks like some kinda stew.”
“Well, that’s essentially what it is.” Minoru said. “I’ve cooked some similar stuff before, although I had a recipe to follow then.”
“Well, mind if we join you?” Halgor asked, to which Minoru then noticed the presence of Zakh’tha and Azgaar right beside the large man.
“Well, I might need to get some more servings in this thing if you do, but sure. Ashe and Yeva get first dibs on seconds, though.” He instructed casually, as Zakh’tha and Azgaar sat down alongside the group..
“Watchin’ out for your girl and the kid, huh?” Halgor teased with a light bump of his elbow, making Minoru’s cheeks flush once more.
“I-I mean, they said they wanted to try more of my cooking, I should at least give them some priority.”
“Right, right…” Halgor replied in a knowing tone.
Yeva giggled at Minoru’s reaction. “You’re really easy to tease, Minoru.”
“Am not.” Minoru protested. “I just keep getting teased out of nowhere, so it’s surprising! Nothing to do with being easy to tease at all.” He explained, which just earned another giggle from Yeva.
“I wonder if Minoru even noticed that Halgor called me ‘his girl…’” Ashe mused in her head, glancing to Minoru with a slight amused yet nonplussed expression.
Zakh’tha leaned forwards, his larger hands cupped together as his smaller arms rested on his legs. “This reminds me of the days of being the army cook.” He reminisced.
“Oh yeah! You guys might not believe it, but Zak over here could cook up some damn good food. They got a new guy ever since he was promoted, but man you should try some of his cooking sometime.” Halgor praised. “Ahh, man, I still remember our last deployment before you got that promotion. How long ago was that, now?”
Azgaar, who was preoccupied with writing down a scroll with a serious expression, and had seemed to be totally ignoring the conversation, chimed in with a concise “Ten years ago.”
“Right! Yeah. Man, it’s been a while since we’ve done anything like this.”
“Sounds like you guys have stories to tell.” Minoru mused.
“Tell me about it. Wanna hear some?”
“You’re asking me if I wanna hear the stories from a professional soldier and war vet?” Minoru asked. “Duh, of course! Lay ‘em on me, man.”
Halgor chuckled as he began regaling the group with a tale, soon breaking into a string of such stories over the next few hours.
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As Minoru finished up the stew and served it, with the whole group of six happily and eagerly eating their servings, Halgor continued to regale them with his stories. As the pot was emptied out of its contents, the whole group slowly began to disperse as Halgor, Zakh’tha, and Azgaar left to get their sleep in.
Yeva, having gotten her fill of the stew, was already fast asleep as she leaned up against Ashe’s leg.
Minoru was cleaning the inside of the pot, yawning every so often as he did so. He had a satisfied expression on his face as he glanced over at the contentedly sleeping Yeva. The stories told by Halgor were a great source of entertainment during the group’s meal. Something felt… truly fulfilling about this night.
“You look happy.” Ashe commented softly, so as to not wake Yeva.
“Do I now?”
“Indeed you do. It feels as though you were wanting something like this to happen.”
Minoru huffed, returning to cleaning the pot. “Well… I won’t say I didn’t want to hang and cook out like this. Going camping is fun. Cooking and eating with a big group like this is one of my favorite things to do.” He glanced up at her and Yeva again. “Plus, it’s nice when people say they like my cooking. So… I’m glad.”
Ashe smiled. “It is refreshing to see you like this, Minoru.”
“What, am I too gloomy or something?”
“Not particularly. I simply think it is nice to see you in high spirits.” She rubbed her knee with some amount of trepidation. “I admit, I was worried after our… argument last night. I do hope you are not upset about it."
Minoru shook his head. "Nah, it's fine… I guess I was being a little too callous with what I was saying. Honestly, I kinda deserved being called out after I lost my cool in the throne room."
"Please, do not blame yourself too much, Minoru. I know not what it was exactly that enraged you so, but I do understand that it was highly personal to you."
"I was 'enraged,' huh…?" He asked with a conflicted, rueful expression.
"Minoru?"
"Nothing, don't worry about it." He brushed it off. "Anyways… Thanks, Ashe. For, uh… helping me out like this. I feel like I haven't thanked you yet, so… yeah."
She looked at him sympathetically. "Think nothing of it. It is my duty to look after the candidate I have selected. I will continue to support you, Minoru."
It was a strangely warm feeling, what her words inspired in him, but one enjoyed. "Thanks… It means a lot."
"More than you can imagine." He added in his thoughts.
The silence of the camp as things winded down was quiet. That was, until a strange sound made Minoru and Ashe perk up. It was similar to the sound of a distinct rumbling, like from heavy footsteps.
The two stood up, Yeva being shaken awake by the commotion. A few other soldiers did the same as well. The camp was being roused again as the sound seemed to be coming from all around the clearing.
Minoru braced himself, grabbing his weapons that he had put off to the side as Ashe did the same. Yeva stood between them, hands balled into little fists as she stood at the ready.
It was all quiet for a few, long moments…
Suddenly, a light shone as a massive, unrelenting fireball flew through the air, slung at one of the vehicles. It slammed into its side with so much force that it seemed to shake the air around them, tipping the vehicle over. It fell under its own weight, slowly falling until it impacted the ground with force, kicking up dust that filled the air as it did so.
In the next moment, a clamoring of clanging footsteps rang out, as soldiers seemed to pour out from the treeline, as more tremendous fireballs blasted out towards the vehicles, striking them ruthlessly.
Weaving through the gaps in the defensive perimeter, foreign soldiers wearing deep blue clothing under their armor approached, aiming their spears at the surrounded Morganian troops.
They had been caught off guard, and were being pushed into a tighter and tighter circle. They stopped, still holding their spears up, as Minoru and Ashe's eyes darted around their surroundings. They and the Morganian soldiers were completely surrounded.
Then, from a distance, with great agility an otherworldly horse leapt on top of one of the vehicles, almost bounding over it before landing on the ground.
Atop the steed, a young man sat, dressed in regal armor with a blue cape resting behind him. His somewhat spiky, jet black hair blew slightly in the cool night breeze. From his hip he drew a long, thin sword of silver that shimmered in the moonlight, pointing it at the group.
"Morganian soldiers." He began. "Resist, and we will kill you. Drop your weapons and yield to me, Ventro von Vortigern, and you shall be spared." He declared. "Are my terms suitable?"
Minoru, Ashe, and Yeva looked directly at him as his eyes caught theirs. He stared them down, his sword pointed directly at them.
Their enemy had presented himself. Minoru felt his heart race. He grit his teeth, showing the fight in his glare as he readied his blade defiantly.
Ventro recognized the spark in his eyes as an indignant refutation of his terms. With a few more moments of silence, the prince sighed, dropping his head slightly.
"I find your silence insulting. Very well…" He swung his sword to the side in a flourish. "If you will not yield, then you leave me with little choice. I will have your heads!" He called out, signaling to his troops to begin attacking.
Minoru, Ashe, and Yeva braced for battle, as tensions finally exploded high into the night sky…