The Ivory Court was amazing.

The columns and walls were made of shimmering ivory, true to its namesake, with rugs and tapestries of crimson hung here and there to please the eye. Candelabras were placed at strategic intervals to illuminate the darkened hall. There was barely enough light for us to see where we were going, although guards stationed alongside the carpet helped to orient us in the right direction. They were dressed like combat mages, although their armor was more ceremonial looking. They must be royal guards. Presentation is key when distinguishing them from the rank and file, I thought. The vast hall had a circular back area with a red rug leading all the way up to the throne at the far end.

The back of the room played host to a magnificent stained glass window that stretched up the wall behind the throne itself. The moon’s light shone through, depicting a mage receiving a divine spark from a woman with dark, flowing hair reaching down from the moon. The woman was flanked by what looked like four black wolves, and her hair was filled with stars. She was adorned in a flowing purple battle gown with a silver breastplate, a shining greatsword held in her left hand. The light cast the throne in silhouette, obscuring the figure seated upon it.

Eternity. She Who Presides Over Time and Darkness. The Goddess of War. Even I knew who the woman in the window was. It was considered blasphemy to worship Eternity in Ishmar, for it was said that during the War of the Five Kings, she had imprisoned Evros within the earth. She had given wolves angelic forms to act as her generals, and only four had survived. I had been instructed on the beliefs of those who worshiped Eternity to prepare for the day when I would meet her followers in combat.

Or maybe, I realized, Father wanted you to understand the people you’d likely have to make peace with someday. The Doctrine of the Heavenly Siblings was the most prominent religion in Selarune, and some of its followers worshiped Eternity’s older brother, Creation, instead. If memory served me correctly, the Doctrine had been established at the end of the war with the founding of the Theocracy of Shardin, ruled over by two angels, one who served Eternity and the other Creation.

Now’s not the time to try and remember your religious studies, I told myself. You need to put your best foot forward. The Witch-Queen is your only hope for an alliance and the salvation of your homeland. I swallowed the lump in my throat and kept pace with Alverd and Kuro as we moved into the rotunda. I had a moment to admire the depiction of the constellations of the night sky on the ceiling before movement caught my eye.

Off to our sides, twelve seats lay occupied, six to a side. Their occupants rose as one, and moved into the light of the candles. Each one carried an intricate staff, a unique design with a different jewel embedded somewhere within its workings. They were all men and women of varying ages, and wore robes that color-coordinated with the jewels in their staves. They moved to surround us.

My hand reflexively went to my maul. Alverd, however, caught my hand.

“We are not here to start a fight, princess. They know that.” I scowled, but decided to trust him. Begrudgingly, I moved my hand away. I don’t know what Alverd is thinking, but I hope he knows what he’s doing. This situation was swiftly moving from bad to worse. As I thought this, the twelve finished encircling us, closing off the loop. They stood in silence, their faces as neutral as stone.

Kuro was gripping his staff tight, eyeing the mages surrounding us on both sides. Six on one, six on the other. Twelve against three. He was probably trying to come up with a plan, but I didn’t think even he could come up with something insane enough to get us out of this. Again, I thought of the maul fastened to my back. Somebody has to make a move here because this feels like intimidation and if it is, I won’t stand for it.

Thankfully, further panic was unnecessary. A figure rose up from the Ivory Throne. She walked forward towards the steps that lay before the throne, and into the candlelight. Once she was no longer silhouetted by the moonlight, I got a good look at the Witch-Queen for myself.

She was indeed young, probably not much older than myself. And her legs! Ridiculously long legs! Mother Evros, they go on forever! A black felt hat with a silver crown was perched upon her head, seated upon short, fiery red hair with bangs that reached down to cover the right side of her face, hiding her left eye from view. Her right eye was a stunning shade of deep green, like a fresh leaf on a tree in summer. A pair of half-moon spectacles were seated upon a petite nose. Her cheeks had a rosy shine to them, but they seemed more like the product of nervousness than makeup.

Then my eyes wandered down and instantly regretted it. The girl was… gifted. Of course she’s the picture of feminine grace and beauty, I grumbled. And her attire didn’t help any. A halter with criss-crossed laces seemed to barely manage to keep her modesty protected. The rest of her was dressed in a more normal fashion… at least, whatever passed for normal among mages, I suppose. She had a white, shawl-like cloth covering her shoulders, and her legs were wrapped in a short skirt that ended in long stockings with tight thigh-high boots made of expensive looking material. Her corset was made of fine brown leather with impeccably polished brass buckles, and the rest of her dress was a dull shade of red, like blood.

When she looked up, the brim of her hat lifted as well. At that point, I saw the most unusual thing about her. She had long, pointed ears that had been hidden under her hat’s shadow, now visible to us all. Elves were very uncommon outside their homeland of Kiret, and even rarer in Ishmar. I guess that explains the unearthly beauty and poise. I’d heard that elves were possessed of such traits. I wasn’t so sure about her chest, but at this point, I wouldn’t have put it past her if all elves were so… well-endowed.

By chance, I turned to look at Kuro. The idiot mage was staring at the Witch-Queen with the damnedest expression. It took me a moment to realize what was going on. Bloody pervert. I should have known. He’s probably concocting some lewd fantasy in his head, and not caring at all what a spectacle he’s making of himself. Somehow, seeing him in that way just infuriated me more. I'll smack him over the head later for that. .

I looked back at the Witch-Queen. Her line of sight was fixed on Alverd, and a smile touched her face. Something about that smile rubs me the wrong way. She looks like a kid being shown her new toy. Majestically, she stood with a very dramatic flourish and a swish of her hair, revealing her other eye for only a second. In her eagerness, the Witch-Queen took a step forward…and proceeded to trip, falling down the steps spectacularly. She landed on her face at the foot of the steps, groaning in pain. Several of the mages who had “welcomed” us into the room winced. Whether it was because they sympathized with her pain or were lamenting her phenomenally bad first impression, I couldn’t say. None of them tried to help her at all.

I almost burst out laughing. How the hell is this girl the queen of an entire country? I’ve seen drunkards with better balance than her. Another man emerged from the shadows beside the throne and moved to the Witch-Queen’s side to assist her. I immediately recognized him as Lord Albrecht, the man from the bubble.

“Sheena, dear, are you alright?” Lord Albrecht delicately lifted Sheena to her feet. She gingerly tested both of her feet, leaning heavily on him as she did so. When she saw that neither of her ankles had been sprained, she let him go.

“Peace, Uncle. I’m fine. I’m alright.” She stood up, and tried to regain her aura of poise and grace, but failed halfway. Hard to recover after such a foolish display, I wagered.

Lord Albrecht was even more striking in person. He carried an air of authority that hadn’t been conveyed when I had seen him in the bubble. Yet, there was something almost fatherly about the way he fussed over Sheena. Having lost my own father only recently, a short pang of guilt and loss stung me deep down. Albrecht was like a parent waiting to catch his baby if she tripped during her first walk. When she brushed herself off he stepped back, although the look in his eyes did not change.

“So, you are the ones who came from Ishmar. I have been waiting quite some time to meet you. I admit, I am very curious as to why you have come here, and I’ve anticipated this moment since the very first time I saw you all in my scrying crystal.” She had a luxurious tone to her voice, allowing her words to roll off her tongue with the coy detachment of an elegant enchantress.

I stepped forward to address the Witch-Queen, and she stepped forward, too, but she unexpectedly brushed right past me. I turned around to see where she was going.

Instead, she went straight to Alverd, grasping his hands tightly and gazing into his eyes intently. “I have especially waited to meet you, sir knight! You have no idea how much I have longed for this moment.” Her eyes were twinkling, almost like how Kuro’s were only moments ago. “This is quite possibly the happiest moment of my life! To have met a true knight in the flesh, it is like a dream come true!” The girl squealed with excitement, giddy as all hell. She was practically bouncing. It was surreal.

Alverd was just as much in shock as I was at first. He just stood there in stunned silence. Finally, he stuttered for a moment, then managed to speak. “Uh, um, well, I’m quite flattered, Your Majesty, but I’m not sure I deserve such praise… especially when I’m completely unclear as to what I have done to warrant it.” Mother Evros, at such close range I could see that the Witch-Queen was only a matter of inches shorter than Alverd. He must have been overwhelmed by her proximity.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Sheena squealed again. She let go of Alverd’s hands and cupped her face, her cheeks flushing red again. “Oooo! Such humility! It’s just like in my old picture books! You’re the spitting image of my childhood dreams!” She laughed, a merry, innocent sound. “To have an actual knight in this court! It’s probably never happened in the entire history of Algrustos! This is amazing!” Sheena twirled away, laughing madly to herself.

Forget tripping and falling on her face, here was a royal, a queen no less, acting like a child. I watched her swoon this way and that and didn’t know what to think. At the very least, she was being refreshingly honest about things. I did appreciate that, but it was hard to figure out just what exactly the girl was thinking at the moment. I decided to just wait it out.

Fortunately, Lord Albrecht sighed, running his hand through his hair exasperatedly. “Please forgive my niece. She tends to get a little… excitable sometimes. Sheena, dear, our visitors are here for a reason. Sheena…” He raised his voice just enough to make his words firm. “Sheena, darling. Come here. We have business to attend to.” His stern voice finally snapped her out of her little reverie, and she sauntered back to him, with a facial expression similar to a little girl who had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

Sheena nodded, out of breath and still bubbly. The smile on her face was in danger of reaching her ears. She bolted back up the steps to the throne, seated herself, and folded her hands in her lap, crossing her left leg over her right. “Alright then, let’s hear it. Why is someone like you, a princess of Ishmar, attempting to enter a hostile nation, and with only two men as escort?” Sheena leaned forward slightly to hear my answer. For once, I had her undivided attention, and unlike her, I wasn’t going to squander my first impression.

I cleared my throat, stepped forward, and puffed out my chest. “I am Alicia Helgart Irva Dragontamer VIII, and I am here to formally request your aid in building a permanent peace Algrustos and my glorious home of Ishmar!” My piece spoken, I stood with my hands akimbo, awaiting the Witch-Queen’s response.

She cocked her head to the side. “Is that all?” She reached for the staff sitting idly by the left side of her throne. It was longer than she was tall, crested with twin blades that cupped a beautiful emerald. She took it up in her left hand, and strode down the steps, casting her eyes downward briefly to make sure she didn’t trip again, then made her way to where I stood. “You come here to offer me peace when you have no power to do so? How curious.” She laughed again. I was starting to get a little irritated with how flighty she was being.

Sheena walked towards Kuro. When she stood before him, he reigned in his slack-jawed look and composed himself. He offered his hand to her, who moved to shake it, but then she drew back. Kuro’s face darkened slightly, and I think he was either offended or bewildered. Nevertheless, she offered her own hand and they shook, Kuro being a bit too energetic to be casual.

She addressed Kuro after their hands parted. “So then, I know one name. I do believe your companions owe me names as well. Please, enlighten me.” Kuro stammered as he stared at herradiance. He tried once, twice, three times to spit out his name. Finally, on his fourth attempt, he managed it. “My name is K-Kuro, milady Queen. H-H-How may I s-serve?” He was fighting hard to maintain eye contact, which was not an easy prospect, since the Witch-Queen was taller than him. That bobbing chest of hers was practically at his eye level.

Sheena bowed. “A pleasure, Kuro. I am Sheena Reinhardt, Witch-Queen of Algrustos.” Kuro’s face flushed again as the Witch-Queen bent forward. Far too late for you to feign being the gentleman now. For some reason, I grew irritated again. I guessed I was just ashamed at how my hired man was behaving himself. Anything he did was a reflection on me. If he did something lecherous now, it would only put a damper on the entire reason for being here. However, Sheena ignored him completely and returned to Alverd, grasping his hands again.

“And you, sir knight? What is your name?”

Alverd stood straight and cleared his throat. “I am Sir Alverd, milady. A member of the Knighthood of Marevar, now a humble mercenary. At thy service.” After his introduction, Alverd knelt down on one knee, bowing his head. Another cry of pleasure escaped her. She was obviously enjoying this way too much.

“Oh dear…everything is as my divinations foretold. The only thing missing is…” she motioned to a guardsman standing in the shadows. He emerged solemnly and handed something covered in cloth to her, taking her staff from her so she could take the item from him. It was heavy, because she nearly dropped it, even though she was using both her hands, and she let out a little grunt of exertion as she lifted it back up. Nervously, Sheena approached Alverd. She held the item forward.

“Sir Alverd, of the fallen country of Marevar. I give this unto you. I had it commissioned a month ago when I first saw you in my divinations. I knew that you would make your way to this land though I did not know your purpose. Now that you are here, the truth shall come to light, and we may yet find an answer that benefits both Ishmar and Algrustos.” She offered the item with both hands, smiling again.

Alverd took the object from her and began unwrapping it. When the cloth fell away, it revealed a shield with a familiar emblem. I’d seen it before on the trophies brought back from the war against Marevar. It was the seal of an eagle with widespread wings swooping down majestically, the seal of the Knights of Marevar. The surface of the shield was flawless, with a mirrored finish that was so perfect that I could easily see my reflection in it. Alverd admired it with awe, and slipped it onto his left arm. It fit snugly over his armored gauntlet.

Sheena was beaming with pride. “It was forged with dormicite. It disperses heat instantly and is resistant to any form of physical force. Any magic spell that is cast against it will either be reflected or simply pushed aside. Nothing short of an act of the gods will destroy this shield.” At this point, she sheepishly wrung her hands behind her back. “It cost a rather extravagant sum to have this shield made, and so quickly… after all, crafting dormicite of this caliber is exorbitantly expensive. Just one of my little indulgences… heh… heh…” she kicked at the ground with her pigeon-toed feet.

What right does this girl have to just bestow this gift on a man she just met? She barely even knows him! I mean, when I handed Alverd the Sword of Evros, it had been in a moment of national crisis, a necessity based on the circumstance. This girl was starting to get on my nerves. I decided the only thing to do was to subtly convey that I was the one who had come to see her, not my hired servants.

I placed myself between Alverd and the Witch-Queen. “A-Anyway,” I asserted, “I’m sure you have something you wish to clarify? I mean, I just offered you an olive branch. Do you doubt my words, or intentions?” I put my hands back on my hips. “Do you have a problem with my declaration? Do you really not believe that I am here for the good of both our nations?”

Sheena shook her head. “Not at all,” she answered. “To be honest, you have no right to bargain, Princess. You’re not the queen, so you have no authority. In fact, the only reason you would come to me is if you had the audacity to ask me for aid in reclaiming your country. I’m sorry for leading you on as I did, but I wanted to see if you would be truthful or if you would give me the runaround.” She clasped her hands in front of her in a gesture of apology. “I hope that wasn’t too offensive or anything. Truly, I am sorry if it was.”

My eyes opened wide in shock. Despite her clumsiness, this girl was sharp. She had seen through my ulterior motives like a hand of cards laid on a table. I was about to reply when she raised her hand and cut me off.

“Now, I didn’t say I wouldn’t help. Quite far from it. I have my own problems here, and I need outside help dealing with them. Your arrival is very timely, maybe even destiny at work, if I may be so bold.” I noticed that her eyes flitted toward Alverd as she spoke that last bit. “You see, Algrustos has been unstable these past few months. Ever since we caught word that the King of Ishmar was deathly ill, many of my people have pushed for me to step up military preparations for war.”

I felt another pang of regret when my father was mentioned. Father had indeed been deathly ill for some time, almost a year. He’d soldiered through his illness like a true Ishmarian, never allowing it to show in public. But, even a man as strong as my father could not defeat time and the frailty of his body. We had tried to suppress the news of his sickness, but if it had even reached Algrustos, the only answer was that spies had reported such news back to the Witch-Queen. I wanted to feel indignant at that, but, again, I remembered that I was here to ask for her help, not berate her for her political decisions.

Sheena’s eyes fell to the ground in wistfulness. “When I refused, saying that I would not resort to the same actions as my parents, I found out just how vicious my people could be. There was an attempt on my life. Only my Uncle’s intervention saved me.” I saw Lord Albrecht nod his head from his place beside the throne. I noticed that he seemed awfully well-built for a magelord; he looked capable of holding his own in a fight if need be. A physical one, not this hand-waving mystical mage tomfoolery, either.

“You are mercenaries, right?” Sheena asked. “Then I shall hire you. That shield shall be the down payment. Should you discover who is behind the plot to end my life, and the reason for such, I will not only reward you with gold, but provide you with troops to retake Ishmar. It pains me to think that, either way, I must declare war on another country, but the thought that we could forge peace between our two countries is a risk worth pursuing.”

I clapped my hands together. “Excellent! Then we have a deal!” I turned to Alverd and Kuro. “Alright, let’s get going. The sooner we figure this out, the sooner we get my soldiers! Move it, you dogs!” I was just about to start waving my maul at Kuro when I felt a hand on my shoulder. When I turned around, I found Sheena was standing right behind me.

“Ummm…” She fumbled for a moment then gathered up her courage and spoke. “I believe that, since you’re on my payroll, I’m the one who gives the orders…if I’m not mistaken. I mean, I’ve never hired mercenaries before. So… um… if you don’t mind…” She let go of me, and moved to Alverd.

She hooked her right arm into Alverd’s, who was still trying to figure out what was going on, and started leading him away. I could hear her offering to show him around the various hotspots and sights in Ethenia, and Alverd, too much of a gentleman to say no, allowed her to lead him down the hall and out the door.

I stood there, dumbfounded, with only Kuro as company. Lord Albrecht and the twelve mages slowly shuffled out and disappeared. I looked at Kuro; I could almost hear the sound of his heart breaking from where I was standing. For once, I actually felt sympathy for the poor bastard. But more importantly, I was wrestling with the unpleasant and unfamiliar feeling that was worming its way through my own heart.

Ugh, what is this feeling?! This irritability and malice that seemed to come from nowhere? I tried to figure out what it was and where it had come from, but had no success. Finally, I gave up. I grabbed Kuro’s arm and roughly shook the catatonic mage.

“Hey! Spellslinger! Let’s go! No sense in just standing around all day!” I raised my fist to punch him in the face if need be, but froze when I saw the look on his face.

Kuro looked at me with blank, listless eyes. Mother Evros, I had never seen such a lifeless expression. “Yes,” he responded in an expressionless tone. “You’re right.” He didn’t resist when I pulled him out of the throne room, intent on chasing after Alverd and the Witch-Queen.

It seemed that my charges were in need of a little lesson in regards to loyalty. A dragon cannot have two masters. In Ishmar, we taught our pets with a large amount of roughhousing. Discipline was the cornerstone of good upbringing when it came to taming. If I had to beat some sense into both Kuro AND Alverd, then Evros damn it all, I was going to do it. I hadn’t come this far to simply have what little going for me be snatched away by some delusional witch girl. I clenched the knuckles of my free hand into a fist.

Time to reestablish who was in charge around here.