By the middle of the day, most of the snow on the nearby rooftops had melted. Signposts, aura-infused street lamps, and even the occasional tree given a place within the city had water covering the ground around them. A giant puddle of water gathered outside of the closed gates leading to the entrance to Queen Luvia Aenveld’s grand majestic castle. Soldiers atop the walls and down below it reflected off the puddles that stood still. The soldiers on top of the walls surrounding the castle wielded spears, shields, and swords while others carried staffs or bows.

One particular guard wearing a blue cloak stepped into the puddle to approach them. With a heavy thud of their right armored foot, it sent ripples through the puddle as they stopped a safe distance away from them. They looked towards Kiran first and then at the one standing behind him.

“Where you been Silvy? We have been searching all over for you.” The man had a distinct accent as he spoke aloud. They motioned their head side to side causing their neck to crack a little.

“Sorry about being gone for so long. I was unfortunately captured and kept locked up.”

“That so?”

“I managed to finally break free however and now I’m looking to see the queen. I also managed to snatch someone she’ll be eager to have delivered to her so open up the gate and let me pass on through.”

The man looked towards the other guards standing behind them. They might’ve thought it odd that Silvy had reappeared after being gone for quite some time. He imagined their suspicions caused them to ponder questions that made them doubt her loyalty.

As for him, all he had to do was look like he belonged in this situation. He kept his gaze mostly lowered towards the wet puddles with their reflective surfaces. He also carried along a frown and kept his shoulders lowered and bent. He needed to appear beaten down and worried that he was to face his death, tortured, or expectation for a grave sentence.

The guard spat something out of his mouth. They then grabbed their spear and stood it up with the end of it slamming into the ground. “The queen’s been wondering where you’ve been all this time. Sad to hear you got captured and all. I’m glad to see that you’re alive however.” He nodded his head. “Who’s this that you say the queen would like to have delivered to her?”

“I don’t wish to insult you but that’s none of your business.”

He took two steps forward sending more ripples across the puddle. “It’s very much my business in fact. The queen’s more careful and cautious than usual and it’s my job as the captain of the guard to see to her safety.”

“As is mine is as well.”

He nodded his head in agreement. “Aye, but I ask you again Silvy. Who is this man?”

“His name is Kiran,” she said realizing likely that she had little choice than to be more cooperative. “He’s the one the queen has a particular keen interest in.”

“Oh, and you just so happened to get your hands on him?”

The burgeoning of an interrogation began to ensue by all appearances. This was one of the things he knew to fear with this part of their plan. Earlier this morning she had made it sound as if they would get through the gates without many problems. Unfortunately for them, this man was standing as an obstacle that they had to get through and do so carefully lest their plan fail before it could even begin to blossom.

“You know me Morge,” she said. “I am quite resilient. It may have taken a while longer for me to break free than it should have, but I did manage it and I even captured this most troublesome person that we’re keen to finish off.”

Morge clicked his tongue several times. The other guards who manned the top of the tall white walls shifted around. Several were armed with bows although they weren’t drawn. One person even wielded a well-used arcane metal staff. “You’ll have to forgive me Silvy. We’re merely taking our duty seriously. I don’t wish to cause you problems by delaying you, but I’ve got to ensure all is well. You’ve been missing for a while now and that’s caused a lot of concern as you can imagine.”

“As should be the case. But I need not remind you Morge of who supersedes who because I’ve grown tired of your efforts to delay me.” Silvy began to shift to a more authoritative way of speaking. Kiran just hoped this wouldn’t end up backfiring. “Open the gates and let me pass. I will not ask again.”

Her choice to exert their difference in position was one he felt nervous about. As long as Silvy acted the way she normally did with them, he figured they should be fine. They didn’t know that she was intending to betray them. The captain of the guard however put him on edge. Sweat trickled down his back and he could tell that Silvy was breathing more rapidly through her nose as she stood right behind him with a gauntleted hand grabbing at the backside of his shirt.

The unease was beginning to get to him. The eyes of all the guards up above on the walls and down below were more than prepared to defend the gate. Even if it were open for them to walk through, if they chose to attack, there was no way he would reach the queen and be able to kill her.

Every one of them gripped their weapons and all Morge could do was have a slight grin on their face as he sized them up.

Morge looked up towards the upper wall and gestured towards the guards up there. “Open it up. Let them through.”

The gate slowly went up. The chains whirled into action and the bars lifted off the ground to grant them access to the inside.

When the gate finished its ascent, the guard ahead of them stepped out of the way. Silvy pushed her gauntleted palm against his back urging him forward.

“Move mongrel!” she said loudly.

All eyes were on them. And everyone, not just themselves, were still on edge. Even with the tension, they had no choice but to go forward.

They walked through the puddle gathering at the front of the gate and motioned through the shadows that fell beneath the opening. When they got past the gate, there was another gate being lifted ahead of them as the one behind them began to close.

Neither of them spoke to each other as they waited for the next gate to finish being lifted. They played their roles with him being the silent and brooding delinquent and she the noble and astute knight who had captured him. He maintained a battered composure to make things more believable.

When the last gate lifted fully off the ground, they quickly found themselves within the most secured parts of Liall. He found himself spotting Queen Luvia Aenveld’s majestic grand keep up ahead and strangely a lush sparkling garden that surrounded it.

The keep itself was different geometrically compared to the other more conventional structures within Liall. It had odd symmetry and entire sides that were made of a glass-like material. The sun that shined down on it could only strike at certain parts of it due to the geometry having sharp angles that hid away certain sides of it from the light. Its structure—while almost disorienting to look at, was truly remarkable although also chaotic in many ways.

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Even though it was still winter, the gardens were lush and green. The trees were fully blossomed and water pooled around in puddles in certain places. Even the air itself felt warmer here than it did outside. She must use some kind of sorcery to maintain a serene place like this even during the winter.

It made some sense to him why the queen would rarely leave the safety of this area. It was unfathomably beautiful and visually stimulating compared to the rest of Liall he had seen.

While they walked along a white stone path beneath their feat, a man in plated armor came to meet them.

“Silvy—” They stopped just a few meters away and couldn’t help but appear surprised. “Where have you been? We’ve been trying to find you all over the city.”

She gripped his shoulder tightly almost causing him to want to wince. “I had been captured for a little while. But they underestimated me and I managed to break free from those within the Human Familiar Coalition. I even managed to capture one of them during my escape.”

“Wait, I recognize you.” The man ahead of him stepped forward and their eyes widened. “Would you look at that. You’re the one who fought me out on the streets all of those months back. You did good capturing this one Silvy. The queen’s sure to appreciate it especially since she’s been wanting him dead for some time now.” The big wide jawed guy smiled at him appearing quite pleased to see Kiran captured. Little does he know.

“Which is why I should go and deliver him to her.” She began to walk by the other knight and pushed Kiran forward with a heavy hand to his backside. You could afford to not handle me so harshly. It wasn’t like he could complain directly to her face, especially with another one of her cohorts beside her.

“Do you mind if I join you? I’m eager to see how our majesty judges them.”

“If you’d like, although if you’re busy I’m more than capable of delivering him to her alone.”

“You just want to keep all the fun to yourself.”

At least in this instance, that was very much not the case. “Lewis, you know I would never want to have all the fun just for myself.”

“You say that but I know how you are.”

The two knights had a real sense of comradely relations between them. He realized how much it must pain Silvy to know that they were no longer truly on the same side. The cost of the decision had not fully bore fruit yet, but it soon would he figured. Silvy had no choice but to confront this dilemma that was inevitably going to commence.

It wouldn’t be long now until he would stand before the queen and attempt to kill her. The anticipation of his coming moment made his heart quicken more than it already had.

The grand majestic keep loomed ahead. Due to the glass surfaces on the structure’s sides and ceilings, light entered into the dwelling. Upon a semi-transparent crystallized throne, an armored figure sat there with their arms resting on the sides of the throne awaiting them.

Even though Silvy and Lewis commented on things, the words muttered from their lips did not provide any meaning. All he could think about was of the one seated there watching as they began to enter her dominion.

This was truly Queen Luvia Aenveld’s keep. A most sacred and protected location that she rarely left if all he had heard about her was true. He would be a liar to ever suggest that it was not an impressive place that she found herself in. The outside area surrounding it was magnificent but its inside was even more so.

Its floors were made out of white marble and they reflected all the columns, sunlight, and gilded surfaces that adorned the walls and upper parts of the enlarged area that loomed up above her throne.

Their footsteps echoed back as they came to stand nearer the center of the circular-shaped inner chamber. Upon the smooth marbled floors, there were golden runic symbols etched there on the marble overlapping each other.

As for the queen herself, she sat there observant and fearless. She did not wear her helmet, unlike the previous time they had met. She instead wore every other piece of her silver plate armor that appeared to be in perfect condition.

They all stopped approaching the queen with a fair bit of distance between them. Kiran kept his eyes locked to hers, never once flinching, never daring to look away, and adamant on keeping it this way.

I am either to meet my end or yours.

“Your majesty,” Silvy declared to the queen, her voice carrying outward throughout the spacious keeps recesses. She went to one knee briefly and came up as the queen gestured for her to rise. “I bring to you, one of whom you have long sought.”

For a while silence occupied this immaculate space. He thought he could hear not only his heartbeat, but Silvy’s as well.

The queen continued to gaze at him unflinchingly. “I thank you for delivering him to me. Now then, you may surrender your sword and explain to me why you have chosen to betray your sacred oath to me.”

“I—”

“This deliverance is far too convenient.” The queen paused for a moment allowing the dread to settle in. “I’ve long thought that you were teetering on the edge of betrayal. Or would you deny it and lie straight to my face?”

Silvy had no response for her. He could not see her as she was behind him but he thought he could imagine the look on her face. Why isn’t she just lying to her? Come on, respond already!

“Unable to speak, are you?” The queen began to laugh a little.

“You’re right of course,” Silvy declared suddenly. For a moment, even the queen appeared surprised by her bluntness.

“What is the meaning of this Silvy?” Lewis nervously muttered aloud. “You have betrayed your oath to the queen? What is the meaning of this?”

“I swore an oath long ago to protect and uphold virtue. I would’ve gladly lain my life to you but you have turned your back to the people and to all us who serve you, and now you’ve instead turned to unadulterated corruption and murder. You would also have us believe that your actions are just but they are the exact opposite! As far as I’m concerned, your countless unmerciful actions have freed me from my oath. I am no longer bound to you nor to forever serve this knightly order. I shall instead continue to serve what is good and right and never turn my back against that.”

The queen stood up from her semi-transparent crystal throne and looked down upon them.

“For your treasonous actions, I sentence you to death. Lewis, I hereby order you to kill Silvy.”

The bindings that bound his hand were relinquished.

A shadow cast from his body spreading out in front of him. Heat burst against his back and without seeing it himself, he knew Silvy had set her sword aflame.

“She’s yours and he’s mine,” Silvy said.

“Got it.”

Queen Aenveld began to summon a large sword. It was large enough to be considered a two-handed sword but somehow she possessed the strength to wield it with one hand. Without that armor of hers that apparently enhanced her body and abilities, he didn’t think that she would be able to wield it with just one hand.

“What makes you think you will beat me? I have lived for over a century and faced far more formidable foes. If you were to kneel before me, I might be willing to give you a painless death, but if you choose to fight me, I will make sure you suffer.”

“What makes you think you’re guaranteed to win?” He held a confident pose not fearing this despicable person standing in front of him. “You certainly like to give off the impression that you’re unstoppable. You’ve done a lot for this city after all with those pillars and all, but you’re way past your prime. It’s time you give it all up.”

“I will do no such thing for some petulant youth who doesn’t know their rightful place!”

The last thing he wanted was someone fighting completely calm and rational. He wanted her angry which she appeared to be now.

He wanted her mad. He wanted her so enraged, that she would struggle to focus during their fight.

Good. Now that you’re angry, I might just have better odds to win this fight.