That night Lovell and Lance returned to see that everyone was waiting for them. Lovell walked over as they all sat down at a table. Luna, Scarlet and Gale told him of their findings as well as what they overheard from guards. Zephyr and Fang were next in their conclusions and said Lovell what they found out, and Zero waited until they finished speaking.
"And that's all we found out." Fang turned to Zero, "What did you find out after you three got separated, Zero?"
Zero turned to Lovell, his eye filled with worry. "I found the culprit, and that he was played like a fool by the advisor."
Lovell nodded, "That's good, so he will be a part of our case to stop Ark's trial then?"
Zero closed his eye. "Yes, but there is something dire, I need to say."
Luna turned to him. "What's that, Zero?"
Zero opened his eye; they were filled with an uneasy feeling. "One, Ark's sentencing has been moved by the people's request to three days from now." The room went silent as Zero's words rang out.
Lovell felt a chill as he stared into Zero's eyes. "And the second thing?"
"The second thing is that my sister and I are the heirs to the Gold Heart Kingdom through our mother." Zero peered over to his sister; Zephyr sat in shock at what he said.
Scarlet leaned over the table. "Are you sure?" Zero nodded as he showed the mark on his wrist with the royal crest laid next to it. "By the heavens, you're not joking."
Lovell looked at each one of them, seeing the shock take grip. "Look, we need a plan and fast if we are going to succeed in freeing are and the people from the advisor's plans." Lovell smiled as he leaned in. "And I might have one in mind."
Lance looked over to see a twinkle in Lovell's eye; he turned to the others as they waited to hear his plan. Luna smiled at Lovell, "What's the plan, then?"
Lovell leaned back, "We know that the council thinks that the King is incompetent, but we all know he isn't. So, I was thinking of a little bit of bait that should lure them out."
Fang stared at Lovell. "Wait, you don't mean that we?"
Lovell smiled at him. "Yes, Fang and I will ask for an audience with the council being that we are Krisnik's." Lovell turned to Zero, "Zero, you and Lance will pose as guards and borrow the royal sceptre and then make your way to the trial area and then wait for the council comes out with Ark and the advisor." Lovell then turned his attention to Scarlet. "Scarlet, I need you to start a riot for Ark's execution while Luna and Gale go and grab our man from the slums."
Everyone looked at Lovell, while Scarlet questioned Lovell. "Why do the riot?"
Lance smiled at her, "Well, think about it, it gets everyone in one place and pushes the higher-ups to move drastically. Plus, with the staff gone, they can't start the execution."
Fang nodded at Lance's words. "Yes, and the people know that whoever holds the sceptre has the right to speak." Turning to Zero, "And if I'm right, we are going to use it to show that there is an heir, making every wonder who Zero is to them?"
Lovell nodded, "That exactly right, especially that tomorrow is the day the late advisor died sixteen years ago."
Lance looked at Lovell, "Wait, where did you find that out?"
Lovell smiled at him, "Marie told me when I asked her yesterday."
Lance unimpressed at Lovell. "Figures."
Zephyr looked at Zero, "So, the king is our grand—"
Zero shook his head, "No, our uncle."
Lovell clasped his hands, "Now, the people will be our witness, and I am not going to sleep as I learn to use those spells once again."
Fang turned to Lovell. "Wait again?"
"Yes, Lua taught them to me; I can use all twenty-four elements after all." Lovell glanced over everyone as they stared at him in disbelief. "What? Oh, right, I never told you, sorry?"
Fang gripped Lovell's shoulder, hard enough that Lovell was in pain. "Lovell, that would have been very important to know beforehand." Fang gritted his teeth as he squeezed harder.
Lovell managed to get Fang off him. "I'll sen Levi then to get Marie so she can be in on it. You guys head to bed."
They all left, but Lance stayed behind, he knew that Lovell was not in a great spot, with everything going on so fast. Lovell rubbed his shoulder before looking at Lance; Lance looked out the window, trying to hide his worries about Lovell, as he fiddled with the stone, he inherited from Alli. Lovell went to say something, but the innkeeper walked over to them.
"Sorry for the intrusion, but you have some guests waiting to speak with you." She turned gestured towards their guests.
Lovell noticed it was Marie and Orville. "Thanks, if you don't mind not letting anyone overhear us, that would be great, ma'am." Lovell smiled at her as she bowed to his request and left them to chat. "I was just about to send my summon Levi, to fetch you, Marie."
Marie chuckled as she sat down. "Well, the king insisted we see you like last time since now everything is time-sensitive."
Lovell turned to the King, "I heard from the others, and we have come up with a plan that starts tomorrow, and we will need your help to get the council in place to expose the advisor to them."
Orville moved in closer, "What do we need to do, so that we can do our part in the end, Lovell?"
Lovell nodded as he turned to Lance. "I need you to leave the sceptre somewhere obvious, so it's easy for Zero to take it when he and Lance are posing as guards assigned by Marie here to be your bodyguards for the day. Lance will be staying with you and Zero will leave with the staff. After that is done, the rest should come into play with Fang and I, as the main distraction."
Orville stroked his beard. "So, you and Fang will be coming as guesses at the castle; I think that by saying you two are coming to see me would be a better way to grab their attention."
Lovell smiled at him. "That's the plan, and we are going to do it close to the front gates of the castle so that they hear what is going on outside, making them do exactly what is planned. The advisor will agree with anything at this time."
Marie grinned at the thought, "Well then I will get the uniforms right away and make sure everyone is awake by dawn, I'll come and pick Lance here and Zero for the first part of the plan."
Lovell nodded as he got up. "Alright, then you two be safe on your way back, and I have to practice a spell to make sure it's ready for everything." Lovell shook Orville's hand as he nodded before he left.
Lovell stared at them as they left. "Lovell, you worried that something is going to go wrong?"
Lovell turned to Lance, "Many things can go wrong, even a shot up one as we have could have its hiccups." Lovell started to head to his room, "Besides, we can only hope everything works out in our favour." Lance stared at Lovell as he came out of view, he turned to see the night's sky dulled by the air feeling stale.
Lance sighed at the night sky. "Let's hope everything goes to plan." Lance closed his eyes; it's just like when we were kids, huh, Gale." Lance opened his eyes, a glimmer shown in his eyes as he stared out into the unknown. "It's just like when we were young, always trying to make things work out, and they did."
Lance leaned back as the cold air wafted in, he got up and headed for his bed, smiling about the past that he and Gale shared before meeting Lovell and the others. He opened the door to see Gale waiting for him, passed out at the window.
Lance smiled as he grabbed a blanket wrapping him up. "You dolt, you should have just gone to bed without me." He then picked Gale up and laid him in his bed. Lance smiled childishly as he could here Lovell practicing on Levi in the other room. "Well, I better get some sleep myself while the nights still young." Lance covered himself as he began to dream of the past.