"My name is Hail, pleasure to meet you."
Brooke shook her hand. "Lovely to meet you too!"
A loud shriek echoed through the hall, followed by more screaming.
Hail pulled her sword from its sheath and the two of them ran towards the source of the noise, a large crowd surrounded something. Hail stayed behind but Brooke shouldered through the crowd.
Maybe Hail was a civilized guard but, dammit, Brooke didn't need to be one.
In the center of the crowd, as might've been expected, Eris stood trying to calm the crowd down.
Brooke almost stalked towards her but froze when she saw what was behind Eris.
A dragon.
A young one, but still as large as the buffet table. It's scales were deep blue and black, it's eyes an astounding sapphire blue. It's wings were tucked along its sides, curved horns pointing from its head. It's teeth were sharp and deadly.
Brooke paled slightly.
It's a dragon, a dragon. Oh good gods it's a dragon.
"Everyone, please. Just stay calm. He doesn't want to hurt anyone," Eris pleaded with the crowd, stroking the dragon.
"It's a monster!" Someone screamed from the crowd, and a few people echoed the comment.
"Thank you but it's a he you self-absorbed prick," Eris snarled, eyes narrowing.
"Ryko! Oh Kings, I'm so sorry everyone," Princess Mia shoved through the crowd and the dragon - Ryko - released a cry of joy and Princess Mia gave him a hug.
"We ought to get him outside, before more chaos erupts," Eris chirped, her eyes glowing a bit on the last statement.
Princess Mia nodded and muttered her thanks to Eris for keeping Ryko safe and the two of them aimed for a side door outside.
Realizing she should follow, Brooke waved to Valerie and the two sprinted after the princesses.
She slipped through the door and closed it behind her. The second she closed the door, all the chattering halted and the only sounds were those normal in a forest. It smelled of fresh dew and moss.
Brooke approached Eris and Princess Mia.
Princess Mia turned to her and Brooke bowed her head. "Brooke Revean, your Highness."
Princess Mia dipped her chin. "Princess Mia Aleva, but please, call me Mia."
Valerie bowed and introduced herself.
Mia's eyes widened a bit as Valerie told her last name, but she only smiled and inclined her head.
"I'm not entirely sure why Ryko's here. I left him in Anemos until I got back, and he never leaves the palace without me because he's young and scared," Mia explained, kneeling and stroking Ryko. Mia's dress would get very dirty, but she didn't seem to care.
Eris cocked her head. "It doesn't make sense. Dragons are many things, loyal is one of the big ones, so I highly doubt he came unprompted. Especially because by now he'd know you'd be back from your trip soon," Eris explained, rubbing her temples.
Ryko looked up at Eris and tilted his head to the side, as if he could understand.
"She's right Rykie, why are you here?" Mia murmured, fiddling with her necklace - a silver mermaid on a gold chain.
Ryko uncurled his wings - about as tall as a carriage - and a scroll tied with a lavender ribbon fell to the ground.
Mia picked it up and untied the ribbon. She unfurled the paper and began reading.
The more she read the paler she became.
She rolled the scroll up and shoved it into her pocket. She stood - her dress covered in mud - and turned to Eris, Brooke and Valerie.
"Call an emergency meeting immediately, warn the royal families but tell no one else and raise no alarm. Calmly call the royals to the meeting room, we need to discuss this," She commanded before turning to Ryko and telling him to go to her room and wait for her to come back.
Ryko nodded, lifted into the sky and soared off.
"Brooke, get Selene and tell her to bring her parents, the same with Emma. Valerie, Gem, her parents and Princess Lucy, as well as Shimmer and her alphas. I'll get Aima and her parents, Queen Flustra and Agrios, Abigail and her alphas, and James and his parents. Mia, get your parents and Sith and her alphas," Eris commanded, and everyone nodded before dashing back into the hall.
Brooke looked around and spotted a head of magenta hair wearing a deep, red dress.
Brooke calmly approached and whispered the situation to Emma. Her eyes widened but she nodded sternly before excusing herself from the conversation she was previously in.
Brooke glanced around again until she spotted and elegant figure in a black, sparkling dress.
"Selene!" Selene spun around and cocked her head in confusion.
"Brooke? You look lovely, but what is it?" Brooke looked down at her outfit. Her bubblegum dress and mismatched pastel blue and pink high heeled boots with swapped laces she'd fiddled with. She thinks she looks a bit peculiar, but a compliment was a compliment.
"Oh! Thanks, but we've got a problem. Ryko - Mia's dragon - came with a message that Mia thinks needs to be discussed with the entire royal council," Brooke gushed hurriedly, waving her hands in panic.
"Okay, okay. Calm down, okay? Relax. Hurry up and go to the council room and I'll see you there in a minute," Selene sighed, smiling.
Brooke took a deep breath and nodded.
She turned around and walked to the exit.
She spotted Mia chatting to Sith and Athie. Valerie was explaining things to a very shocked looking Princess Lucy. Eris seemed to be laughing and smiling with Princess Aima and Archer.
Brooke slipped through the exit and headed to the council room.
~
Selene sat calmly and picked lint of her long dress as she waited.
"Personally, I think-" Niki began.
"Good thing it doesn't matter what you think," Eris chirped from where she was running a brush through Aima's hair.
Niki snarled but Queen Flustra cleared her throat and arched a delicate eyebrow.
It was no secret that mostly everyone held their breaths in hope Niki would keel over dead and Shimmer could finally take over.
No one particularly minded Luthor, but his mate was dodgy, at best.
The door swung open and Princess Lithia and Prince Agrios walked in, and took their seats next to their mother.
"Mia, you called us here. What for?" Queen Halen asked, peering at her daughter.
Selene leaned forward in her seat and Eris paused.
Mia nodded. "My dragon Ryko arrived earlier tonight-"
"And caused a lot of disturbance," Niki muttered.
"So did your birth but no one said anything about that," Eris quipped and motioned for Mia to carry on.
Archer and Valerie choked, and Brooke slammed her hand over her mouth.
Selene pursued her lips to keep from roaring with laughter, and she noticed many others doing the same.
Years of training for courtly duties and weapons training had prepared her for many things, but nothing had prepared anyone for Eris.
Mia cleared her throat, but could barely contain her smile. "As I was saying, Ryko arrived earlier with news from our scouts in Anemos. Emily had sent Levi and Adrian out on a scouting mission. They returned with news that Emily had immediately thought to send here, and Ryko was the fastest option. Her note says that armies had been spotted that didn't match anything they'd seen before. Emily sent a recon team to investigate further before informing us about what might've been nothing. Her recon team returned later with injured members and mounts. They explained the armies are arriving through a tear in the world, located in the Fields of Atriansear. They tried to get close enough to inspect it further but no Mystiko spies had been assigned to the mission and a few were shot. None were kidnapped as both rider and mount fought fiercely to stay in the air. Everyone survived and no injury was too serious, but they saw a fierce queen on-"
"What did she look like?" Archer interrupted, leaning forward in his seat.
Niki cut him a glare but Selene looked to Eris.
Eris was studying Archer carefully, her head tilted to the side as if she'd say something.
Instead, she stayed quiet.
Princess Mia fished a scroll out of her pocket and read it quickly.
"White hair and blue or green eyes, they didn't get close enough to tell. She wore black robes and rode on a carriage led by glowing white horses," Mia read.
Archer swore. "That would be my mother, then."
Everyone in the room seemed taken aback, and even Selene felt her stomach drop.
Eris seemed completely unfazed and merely pursued her lips. "Go on, Mia. Let's finish hearing what's in this letter before we review this new piece of information."
Mia nodded. "They think the army already in our world is around eight thousand strong, and the army through the tear may be up to eighty thousand, they couldn't be sure. Emily says she thinks the army are preparing to attack as none of the camps they set up seem permanent. She also says whatever their original plan was it's been ditched because they might feel the need to rush things now that we know of their arrival. She spoke to a few council advisors and spoke about where they might focus their forces."
Selene couldn't help feeling tense.
Would they go for her kingdom? Would they succeed? Would she lose everything she was ever set to gain? And her friends? Both in her kingdom and out. Would they survive? Would they lose everything they'd ever come to know?
"Kato Kosmos was also ruled out, as their kingdom is situated in the underworld and that is both difficult to reach but its entrances don't allow armies to enter with filing in meaning you could pick them off one by one when they enter. It could also open its own exit and you could unleash your armies and they couldn't enter, as well as that it is the kingdom of fire. Fysi was cleared as they are close enough to Kato Kosmos that allies could be easily supplied both ways, as well as the elemental packs that guard its gates." A nod to the alphas seated at the table. "Imera was deemed fine because of its location and light magic wielders are among those who can easily blind. Skia was ruled safe because of its guard." An immense weight lifted from her shoulders.
Mia shifted in her seat. "Anemos was voted unsafe because its easily reachable from the Fields of Atriansear and has a widespread city and its forces can't spread as wide." Queen Halen kept her head high but King Endin's face fell.
"Thalassa was voted the same because they're not sure if our enemies know that Thalassa is guarded by sirens." Mia glanced to Queen Flustra, Prince Agrios and Princess Lithia.
Queen Halen heaved a sigh.
No one said anything.
~
Eris looked around the room.
Total silence.
No one was going to do anything.
If no one was going to do anything, to try and fix anything, then she'd do it herself.
~
"I'll go to Anemos and ensure their safety," Eris snapped, standing up and slamming her hand on the table.
Almost immediately, chaos erupted and shouts of protest echoed through the room, Selene's among them.
Selene glanced frantically at Brooke, and her and Valerie were explaining the dangers of the situation.
Archer, however, was a different story.
He merely leaned back in his seat and observed the girl.
Selene choked on a sob and fought to keep her tears back. "Eris, please. You don't have to."
Eris looked at her dead in the eye. "If no one else will solve this, then I will. Someone has to, and it might as well be me. My kingdom will be safe because our enemy would not risk attacking Dynesteia because of its mass forces and as it is in the middle of the other kingdoms, allies are easily retrieved. Anemos can hold their ground until the Legeona tou Theou arrives back to their stronghold. But more blood will be shed if we choose to do nothing. If I go and take a team with me to Anemos, we should be able to strengthen them and their numbers and prevent as much bloodshed as possible. Thalassa can attack them by surprise because of their siren army and hold them back long enough for Anemos to be safely secured again and I can ally with them in the battlefield."
Eris looked around at all of them. "Are we clear?"
Silence.
"Yes, your Highness."
Everyone turned to the voice.
Archer didn't take his eyes off Eris.
Queen Flustra announced her supporting the girl's plans, and soon everyone had murmured some form of agreement.
"This meeting is now over," Eris said, before turning and stalking out the door, Archer, Brooke and Valerie close on her heels.
Selene fell back into her seat.
She knew this was war.
Eris knew it, too.
There were many ways to inspire people.
Eris chose to fight at the frontlines.
~
"Just spit it out," Eris growled at Archer, fiddling with the strings.
Archer sighed. "You were brave, and bravery pays off. But so do recklessness and stupidity,and there isn't often a fine line between the two, but you don't seem to particularly care which side you're on. Why?"
Eris shifted in her seat. She'd hoped he wouldn't ask that question.
Still, the truth is always the preferable option.
"Because there is a fine line between sacrifice that is necessary and sacrifice that is optional."
Archer rubbed his temples.
"You're right, of course. But if you die now when we might need you later, you're making a far bigger sacrifice."
Eris took a long shaky breath.
"Just survive. Survive, that's all you need to do, Princess."