Queen Maara of Tristan City, King Sahir of Crane City, General Morio, and a few other generals, even commander Greer were present. Their expressions told of dark news, and Barda could almost guess what it was. Barda also noticed Lady Ellen and a few other civilian representatives from both Tristan and Crane city.
"My Lord, My Lady, the long-awaited invasion is now confirmed. Gumina soldiers have had increased movements. It seems they have learned where we are." A warrior began as he caught everyone up with the information. "Report says that as many as 200,000 soldiers have been deployed to look for us and destroy us completely."
Listening to the report, King Sahir was sweating profusely. 200,000 soldiers? If even 5,000 made him scared, how about 40 times more. Few people could maintain a straight face after hearing that. Talk about overkill. Was the prince not giving them a chance?
"This is the hell legion, the main legion under the prince." This was like a nail in the coffin, sinking the mood in the room further down. Everyone was silent momentarily as they contemplated the future or the absence thereof.
The hell legion. Famous for their brutality and callousness, the name caused all who heard it to quake in their boots. At this point, even Commander Greer was not sure if they could win against these monsters.
"Any dragons?" someone asked.
"What are we afraid of, we have Barda for it," the commander said, praising his newfound friend, hoping to earn some points. At the same time, he also said that to buck up the dwindling confidence and turn up the heat in the room. A few grunts in response, nothing more. Nothing more optimistic than that. This was one tough crowd to please.
"I know this feels like the end but we must remember one thing, we must not give up. We are all that Tristan has fighting for her. We shall overcome!"
Lady Maara's speech did little to lift the spirits. Against such odds, not even the best speech could rouse much excitement. Soon after she dismissed everyone except for one.
"Great speech, I was inspired..."
"One more word on that and I will gut you!"
"Respectfully, I don't think you can, Your Majesty,"
"You want to try me," the Queen asked as she raised her dagger in the air. Barda quickly took off to the other side, and for a time they played and forgot about the bad news. Soon afterward, she was in his arms after quite the workout. Thank goodness they were in her chambers at the time.
"How ready are you?" She asked him sincerely. He could see she wanted some reassurance, especially with the enemy that was breathing down her neck.
"Not ready enough, but getting there," Barda answered.
"I like how confident you are my love," Lady Maara said as she hugged him closer. This was the first time either one had mentioned the word love. Barda expected some awkwardness but looking at her, she had a distant look in her eyes. A tear closely followed, and soon, it had become a spring.
Barda held her close as she wept. He could feel the level of hurt in her cries, and they dug holes in his heart. Watching her crumble in his hands brought pain in his heart, but he had no idea why she was crying.
Lady Maara had just remembered a story her mother used to tell her about her father. They had been on a trip away from the city, and he had not been King yet. At the time, they were waylaid by bandits and were about to be vanquished, but the dad valiantly fought them off and they made their escape.
All through the stumble across the forest, he kept saying to her that it would be okay, that he could get her out of this. Knowing the amount of responsibility she would wield as a queen, her mother had said those words to her with this advice, "find a man who makes you say those words, and means them. A man who will make you believe when he says, 'it'll be okay.'"
Looking at Barda through her teary eyes, she saw in him the man her mother had described. She wrapped herself around him more snugly, never letting go.
***
Early the following morning, the Queen had woken up to the news that an important dignitary had arrived late in the night and requested an audience with the King and Queen, saying she had vital information.
Lady Maara was naturally intrigued, so she agreed when King Sahir sent an invite to sit at the court. Barda felt that the whole thing was very suspicious, and so he went to the court just to satiate his curiosity.
"Your Majesties, I am Lady Arnea of White River valley," The woman began, once she had everyone's attention.
"I have never heard of White River valley before," King Sahir said.
"It lies beyond the Green Mist Mountain Ranges, sire," The lady said. This statement caused gasps all across the court, as the people listening in were both shocked and fascinated.
"If indeed you are from beyond the Green Mist ranges, then that means you are ..." As the king was speaking, the lady waved her hand. Suddenly, a small wind pressure cell was activated, causing a mini-gale storm in the court.
... a Mage," The king finished his statement with glee plastered on his face.
With such a dramatic announcement, she had everyone's attention. She turned her eyes to the Queen and then bent the knee saying: "I have come because our land is under attack by foreign invaders and I will not sit back and do nothing. Your Highness, if you would have me, I pledge my allegiance to you and this continent for the duration of this war."
"Interesting choice of words there," The Queen said.
"I am here to fight for this land. Make no mistake, I am not a blind follower nor am I pledging to be a citizen of Tristan. After it is all over, I shall take my leave. However, my loyalty is absolute, for the duration of the war."
The woman's words were very candid. Any other person would not have dared say such words, but coming from a mage, no one found them strange. Mages were powerhouses that ordinary people would not hope to offend. Moreover, this was an aristocrat-looking mage, the most feared kind. Her demonstration of power had been quite awe-inspiring.
Lady Maara didn't like the tone of the woman but she knew she needed all the help she could get. Since she had the credentials to do so, and she had undermined King Sahir in his attempt to subvert her authority, Lady Maara already had a favorable opinion of the mage.
Despite that, she still had her misgivings about this new arrival. Looking at the time she had arrived, she could be the best gift. However, she could also be the worst thing that ever happened. If she was an agent of Gumina, she could destroy them from within.
"Your loyalty is well-received," Lady Maara said. She decided to take another gamble on the woman. She would have Barda watch her. If he suspected she was up to no good, he would immediately put her down, that was the leeway she'd give him.
"My Queen, I will serve the best I can," The woman bowed to the Queen after she received her, before adding. "Your Majesty, in addition to magic, I am also good at enchanting. If you will, I would like to assist the smiths and the forgers in the making of the war machines, show my worth."
"Wonderful, Commander Greer, have someone show her to Steel Street," the Queen said. That was one way of putting her well within Barda's crosshairs. Of course, it could be that Gumina planned to have someone come to destroy their weapons in the name of 'enchanting' them. Nevertheless, all this seemed to be beyond her control.
"Are you sure this is the best course of action?" Krib asked Arnea telepathically. He was on a cloud overlooking Crane city, and from where he was he could see all of Crane city. He had his eyes trained on his partner.
"We both saw what happened, this matter has to be investigated!" Arnea replied. After they had inspected Barda and came to the realization he was still alive, they had assumed he won't be for long, on account of the legion coming at him.
To their shock, not only did he rise from death, but he also had enough strength and stamina to take down an entire legion and capture the commander. In her eyes, Barda was an unknown element that she had to be looked into. They still did not know where he came from.
"Don't you think that is better done from up here, where we can monitor his movements throughout?" Krib asked.
"What about discovering why?"
"Is that important?"
"An unknown element entered out continent in such a critical time. Do you want to report that we have no idea why he came?" Arnea asked as she made her way to Steel street. Pretty soon, she would meet him face to face. Having watched him for quite a while, she knew what to expect, but she still felt flustered nonetheless. It was not everyday one got to meet someone capable of cutting down an entire legion as though it was a wheat plantation.