Theresa read the morning reports and laid her head on the table. The cold glass surface pleasantly cooled her face as she saw another report from a dead village. The Emperor committed all the ships he could spare but it wasn't enough. His Eagles and Wyverns were trying to bring some supplies to the people still waiting for the help but the effect was mixed. Some of the people weren't even listening to the Dragon Riders. In light of this, the punishment of the nobles would have to wait. House Rostil was the only one to fall, so far, but she was patient. They wouldn't avoid her wrath for everything they did. She sighed, slowly stood from the table, and walked towards the window. The picturesque landscape of a fairy tale winter town was a stark contrast to the disaster that was happening just outside the boundary of the Dungeon. The Emperor allowed for the construction of another village near the survival shelter where her people found safety. The new Iceleonian town was raised around her and Victor's mansion and the most skilled of her people would settle there.

"Theresa!" punctuated with the slam of opening doors. She yelped as Victor's voice genuinely startled her.

"Victor! My heart almost stopped!" She huffed angrily at him.

"The airships of the Empire of Metaka crossed the border yesterday evening." He ignored her and sounded a little bit worried. "Thirty large schooners, twenty brigs, twelve frigates, and two galleons. It's a huge war fleet. However, they split their forces and they are heading towards various towns and villages we still had to reach. The Emperor's Eagles are en route to the presumed flagship of that fleet to ask them why they are here."

"Arcadia and Metaka are not allies?" Theresa asked nervously.

"Nothing is formalised yet." He briefly explained. "We should go to the command room."

Theresa nodded and quickly glanced at herself in the large mirror. After a moment of hesitation, she decided that she was presentable enough and took the fur coat from Victor's hands. The mansion was still a bit desolated because most of the staff that previously served in her father's palace were, in fact, spies for nobles and other factions. Fortunately, Kana and Melody were honest in their friendship. She tasked them with rebuilding the Palace staff and civil services of Iceleon. A task that would be impossible without the help of Arcadians. Theresa had promised herself that three of them were going to return to Avalon and attend the University until the current events spiralled out of control. Now, she was the Queen and her two best friends were the highest-ranking officers in Iceleon. Currently, they worked as liaisons for the Arcadian Army in Iceleon and were being generously taught by experienced officers.

The road to the Emperor's headquarters was pleasant and some of the people were exploring the town. Most of them seemed lost but seeing her walking among them gave them a sense of safety. There was so much work to do and, with so few people she could trust, it was depressing. Theresa needed to quickly address the personnel shortage and she felt embarrassed to rely on the Arcadians every time. Thankfully, the Emperor was clear on that matter: they would be happy to help as long as Iceleon supplied them with iron ore. It was a straightforward deal and she was more than happy to abide by it. So far, they owed Arcadia an equivalent of Dauntless' weight in pure ore. Normally, she would be crushed by the literal weight of that debt, but according to the Arcadian mine masters, she had nothing to be worried about. They had just finished the investigation of a single shut-down mine, and they informed her that, in fact, she should demand much more help before the Emperor read their reports. She wasn't sure if they were joking but the stoic Dwarves were quite serious about it.

They reached the harbour at the Arcadian side of the Bravefall Lake and entered an unassuming, cosy-looking building that, inside, lost any picturesque details. Its utilitarian and minimalistic architecture seemed very familiar to her after time spent on board the HMS Scimitar. This wasn't another building in a Santa Claus village but a full-fledged military complex. From then on, Victor took the lead and swiftly guided them through a complicated network of halls and checkpoints. After fifteen minutes, which seemed like a few days, they reached a tall spire, masked as a lighthouse. The Emperor and Lady Luna were already waiting for them. As they exchanged pleasantries, a massive Storm Eagle landed on the wide balcony outside the room. One of the soldiers quickly retrieved a massive tube sealed with a wax seal bearing the Metakan Royal crest.

"Looks promising..." Theon Avalon mused to himself as he took the tube and opened it.

He started reading it with Lady Luna curiously peeking over his shoulder. If not for the seriousness of the situation, Theresa would have been amused by the behaviour of the normally serious Empress. Her ears twitched in amusement as she read the letter's content which was a good sign. Or that was what Theresa chose to believe. It was hard to guess what someone as powerful as her considered amusing. There was always the possibility of her being amused by the declaration of war. Somehow, she was sure that the letter's contents weren't that grim.

"Those are the ships of the first fleet of Metaka. They were sent to aid the relief effort provided by the First Fleet of Arcadia." Lord Theon said but there was considerably more to that scroll.

Theresa perked up upon hearing such great news and clapped her hands in excitement.

"It looks like Cassmira sent some." Luna shook her head. "I wasn't expecting Vettalia and Gaud to do anything."

"Yes, it looks like she was extremely convincing..." Lord Theon finished reading and handed it to Theresa. "The captain of Metaka's flagship, Dennis Tu'sarr, has another letter for my eyes only. But for now, we can safely assume that Metakans are going to help. I will dispatch my Eagles with the instructions on where they should bring the people they save. Theresa, this letter has the proposal of an alliance between our nations. I would call it a draft. Nonetheless, it's very good for a starting point."

"Thank you for your support and help, Lord Theon." She smiled, excited for the news.

"Oh, please. Theon is enough." He waved his hand with a chuckle.

"I will try..." She smiled meekly, but she still couldn't deal with the fact he was a Hero and a Dungeon Core. She uncertainly looked at Victor. "How much will the new ships speed up the evacuation?"

"To be honest... Just barely. The schooners and brigs are not ideal for carrying sick and wounded. The frigates and the galleons might be useful but I don't really see them landing in that snow to load in people."

"Give Metakans some credit, Rear Admiral." Theon Avalon smiled. "It looks like they thought in advance about that particular problem. Their fleet was divided into groups with schooners and brigs taking the role of landing craft. Quite ingenious if you ask me."

"It is, my Lord. However, you know as well as I do that their ships are slower, more cumbersome, and barely capable of carrying any number of civilians." Victor lowered his head.

"It's true." The Emperor nodded. "But it's also true that any help might save just a few more lives. Normally, you would see those ships as the saving grace, Rear Admiral. Remember that as the King of Iceleon, you won't be able to call in the support of the Royal Navy as easily. You will also lose your Scimitar."

Theresa took in a deep breath and looked at Victor who stood still for a moment. However, as soon as she started worrying he might change his mind, he grabbed her hand.

"I guess that's your subtle way of telling me to move my ass and start studying what I could build from the magitech that is not restricted, am I right, my Lord?"

"You said it." The Emperor laughed and somehow Theresa relaxed. "Also, if we are guessing what I had on my mind, I would add that you should make sure that the ship composition of your future fleet would work as great as it is for Metakans."

"You think so?" The Empress innocently chimed in.

"I certainly would if I were me." Theon winked at the Kitsune who giggled amusedly.

"Is it possible to obtain some magitech that would help us advance?" Theresa asked carefully while she was clutching the scroll from Metakans.

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

"Some..." The Emperor nodded in all seriousness. "But it isn't going to be anything revolutionary. I won't give anyone access to the magitech that allows ships like Scimitar or Dauntless to be built."

"Yet you allowed one of your Captains to leave Arcadia..." Theresa lowered her gaze but Victor's sudden laugh made her look at him and then at the amused Emperor.

"I know tactics and procedures. I have a general idea about many of the secrets of those ships but, trust me, that isn't nearly enough to build a model, let alone a functioning airship." Victor shook his head. "My knowledge is not enough to harm Arcadia in any way but it's enough to make us a valuable ally."

"I... I didn't want to sound thankless or demanding, but I just wanted Iceleon to be treated as an equal partner in this alliance." She tried to explain herself. "But I guess that's just the bad side of me speaking. You had too many opportunities to take Iceleon for yourself, Lord Theon. In the worst case, you could simply wait for the snow to kill everyone. But you helped us instead and, for it, I will be forever in your debt."

"Now, now..." Theon Avalon clicked with his tongue and sighed. "You gotten everything wrong, Theresa! I was urging your lazy fiancé to start rebuilding the Army and Navy you will need after this mess is cleared!"

"Ohhhh..." She blushed in embarrassment.

"Don't mind them, Theresa. They are just big boys with even bigger toys." Empress Luna put her hand over her shoulder and they left the room.

•••

Once the doors closed behind Luna and Theresa, I looked at Victor Thornton. He straightened himself at attention but I slowly shook my head.

"Better start getting used to treating me as your peer, Victor. I hope you realise that you are only an Admiral in name. You made your choice and that girl loves you."

"I know, sir... I mean... God damn, it's hard." He sighed and sat on a chair on the other side of the war table. "I know that I'm already cut from the grid and my authority is only minimal. I expected that, honestly..."

"While I have only the best wishes for you both, I won't compromise Arcadia." I wasn't exactly explaining myself or making any excuses. I just wanted Victor to understand all the implications and leave nothing to misunderstanding. "You are the first person of any significant position to leave Arcadia. I'm not referring to the part where I made you a Marquis and a Rear Admiral because, and you should figure it out, I did that out of spite and to help you get the girl."

Victor blushed slightly.

"Thank you, Sir." he smiled nonetheless. "I suspected as much but I wouldn't expect you to admit it so shamelessly."

"You're welcome." I grinned. "Back to the subject. You were a Captain of one of my capital ships and you know secrets that shouldn't leave Arcadia."

"I will take those secrets to my grave, Lord Theon," Victor said with all seriousness. "I won't even use my knowledge..."

"Don't be ridiculous." I sighed. "I want you to use your knowledge to make sure your children don't get the fantastic idea of attacking Arcadia or antagonising my Empire. You will need that knowledge to build a functional and effective army."

"I..." He started blushing furiously from the part about his children and I wasn't sure if he paid enough attention to the rest of what I said.

"I won't be telling you what to do or what kind of developments you should pursue. Just be real, Victor." I pleaded.

"I think I understand." He slowly nodded. "Theresa would probably want us to develop similar ships to Arcadia’s. But, without your knowledge, it's impossible. I doubt that the Iceleonians could understand how they work even if they pulled apart Scimitar and studied each screw independently. Instead, you want me to pursue the achievable. So, you won't object if I would use my knowledge to build a ship like HMS Victory?"

"I won't." I nodded and let his mind work. He wasn't chosen to be a captain of a destroyer for no reason.

"So all conventional weapons and even shields are fine as long as we develop them on our own... No." He tilted his head slightly and focused even more. "Everything we develop on our own will be our property and, thus, we can build it. However, the weapon systems are the most sensitive part. I don't believe my knowledge is enough to actually build missiles and, even if it was, the guiding spells are out of my reach. Without guidance, the missiles are more dangerous to us than our enemies. Instead, the development of propulsion systems and conventional artillery would be more beneficial."

"I'm glad you understand." I faintly smiled. "I know that if you had tried to recreate the power of the Royal Navy of Arcadia, you would only face the obstacles. I don't want you to trap yourself in such a hopeless situation. There are a lot of steps you must climb before you reach the magitech and technology advanced enough to build something like Scimitar. The people of my old world had already advanced to build such ships and things even more advanced than those. I simply took advantage of that knowledge."

"I accept the warning but I must ask, will you allow me to commission ships in Arcadia? I don't believe that Iceleon will be able to build ships during my lifetime." Victor asked, a little bit worried. "Especially considering the setback served by this weather catastrophe."

"Yes. The shipyards of Everlight could easily build ships for you."

"I would have to train crews... Now I understand. Iceleon is much smaller than Arcadia, and I will have far fewer people. Even less if we consider the death toll of the weather collapse. So we must wisely use all available workforce..." He said with a thoughtful expression. "But... In the middle of a crisis, I will need airships to respond quickly to any threat. I should think in terms of versatility and speed. The biggest ships I will need are frigates..."

I stood up and walked around the table. Victor was using the war table to model something that looked like a two-decked ship. I summoned a book I made especially for him containing knowledge about tall ships, tactics, and doctrines that I believed might be useful along with a hard-covered, thick notebook. I left my gifts in front of him and patted his shoulder. I left him to play with his thoughts and start planning the rebuilding of the army that he and his future wife will need. While I like Theresa and Victor, I won't let that feeling influence my decisions. They are not Elisabeth and Raphael, who are my absolutely loyal vassals, but a Queen and soon-to-be King of a sovereign country. In a few generations, their descendants might forget the help I extended in the time of their greatest need. When I left him, he started sketching some plans and taking notes. I expected him to try to recruit a few more of my officers but I wasn't expecting him to be very successful. In the adjacent room, Luna was talking with Theresa. The young woman was very attentive and made notes in her famous and ungodly big notebook. I leaned over the wall next to the door and observed them. Surely it was like an illustration from some Japanese legend: a Kitsune lecturing a young woman...

•••

The next morning a single Metakan schooner arrived at the harbour. It was parked on an empty wharf and I was informed that the Metakan Admiral would like to see me. Knowing that he sent his flagship to aid the relief effort, I ordered the staff to immediately bring him in. Admiral Dennis Tu'sarr was a rather average-looking man in his fifties with a darker complexion than most of the Metakans I met prior. He arrived with a warm and trusting smile and bowed deeply to me. His eyes were tired and sad, however.

"Lord Theon Avalon, Lady Theresa Iceleon, I'm Admiral Dennis Tu'sarr, the Commander of the First Fleet of Metaka." His voice sounded neutral, but I could sense a well-masked sadness.

"Welcome to Iceleon, Admiral Tu'sarr. I'm grateful for the help the Empire of Metaka offered to my people in our time of great need." Theresa smiled and responded with respect.

"Your assistance is greatly appreciated, Admiral." I added with a smile.

"I'm glad that the Fleet under my command might help the people of Iceleon. If you would allow it Lady Theresa, I have a message for Lord Theon Avalon only." The Admiral seemed nervous.

"Of course." Theresa nodded with a warm and honest smile that allowed the Metakan Admiral to relax.

He took out a rather small, black envelope and, after taking a few steps, he formally delivered it to me. I received it with equal respect and, while I found its colour quite odd, I opened it. It was a single sheet of paper. Most probably, I looked too relaxed, but I couldn't allow anyone to observe my face betray any feelings. With some quick dungeon magic, I made a copy of this extremely important message, put the letter back in the envelope, and swapped it with the original in a way that no one could tell. Finally, I ignited the envelope with the copy using a magic flame and burned it without a trace all the while looking into the eyes of the Admiral. I knew that he was fully aware of its content and it was the reason he was so nervous.

"Thank you, Admiral. I will make sure to honour my deal with Darius." Only when the last piece of paper in my hand was reduced to ash did the Admiral smile. It was a sad smile but full of relief and hope.

"Thank you, Lord Theon Avalon." He deeply lowered his head.

"Lady Theresa, I believe that you should introduce Admiral Dennis Tu'sarr to Rear Admiral Victor Thornton and the three of you should coordinate the evacuation." I nodded at Theresa.

"Please, follow me, Admiral." The Queen of Iceleon was eager to begin international relations by accommodating the Admiral of the second Empire her country shared a border with.

I left the room and teleported back to our suite. My wives weren't interested in the formalities connected with the arrival of Metakans. However, their faces turned serious upon seeing me.

"The timing couldn't be worse..." I sighed, and I produced a few copies of the letter brought to me by Dennis Tu'sarr and gave it to my wives as I said: "Darius Nineteenth, the Emperor of Metaka and our friend, has passed away in his sleep..."