Flora had spent the last few weeks in a state of desperation. She had combed through text after text, trying to decipher political ties from one country to the next. The biggest problem with this was that her resources were outdated and didn't reflect the current state of affairs. After that didn't pan out, she decided to move toward cultural customs of the aggressive nations towards Prana, trying to make sense of the whole situation.
Realistically, Flora could do nothing in this war. She was just a princess who couldn't fight and didn't have any real power to do anything. But, she'd be damned if she wasn't going to be proactive in the name of her country. Flora read all day and night, learning as much as she could.
When she had read all she could about Mistis, she turned towards military strategy and tactics. Flora was educated in just about every subject, but war was never something that she had been taught or self studied, so there was a large learning curve. Nonetheless, she pushed forward and began to grasp some simple concepts.
After about a month and a half of researching, Flora wanted more. It still stung a little how Felix never told her about the war, especially about how he had left the castle. Flora still hadn't spoken to her brother since the ball. Although she tried for it not to, the silence between them felt very personal. It was hard for her to accept that Felix didn't have any time for her, not even enough time to have a short conversation or write a note.
Nothing was going to stop Flora when she decided that she was going to go to the source. She could never leave good enough alone. It took her about another month to find out the clockwork of the castle. There were a lot of awkward runs-ins and quite a few admonishments from Rose, but she eventually figured out how to avoid people. When the guards switched out she would sneak out of her chambers and hide in one of the forgotten cloak rooms until the servants went on lunch. By chance one day, she had saw an advisor to the king, and followed him to find the war rooms.
It took a few days, but Flora eventually found a spot in an adjacent room where she could make out most of what they were saying. Flora was tired of being left in the dark. The first few times she sat through hours of discussion and didn't really understand most of it. A good chunk of the conversations weren't even about the war. Flora, to her embarrassment, ending up falling asleep during a lot of those boring, seemingly useless talks.
Eventually, Flora was able to understand who had what role in the room. There of course was the king and Felix, but there were three other men that were consistently in room: Advisor Perrin, General Picard, and Advisor Fournier. Advisor Perrin was the man who advised on the kingdom's economy, so most of what he said, Flora ignored. General Picard was the current leader of the troops, in charge of the current war efforts. Advisor Fournier, while old as dirt, used to command the Pranian military, so he had a lot of experience to share.
Most of the time, Flora heard common conversations on where Prana was heading and where the battles were currently and going to be. On the days that Prana won, she rejoiced; on the days that Mistis won, she ached. It seemed for a long while, at least to Flora, that the war was about equal on both sides. The sacrifices between countries was great, but bearable.
This back in forth swiftly turned. Flora had pressed her ear to the wall when a heated argument broke out causing her to flinch away. Things had not been going well for the last few days, and everyone in the room was obviously exhausted from conversations she had not been present for.
General Picard yelled at the group, "the last move of the troops toward Nightward was an utter disaster!" There was a loud bang on the table. "We lost 2,000 men!"
Felix responded heatedly, "how were we supposed to know that Sivon's troops were hiding in the mountain?!? None of YOU saw that coming!"
"I advocated for us to hold our position!" General Picard screamed back. "We should have waited!"
Advisor Fournier raised his voice to join the fray. "Arguing with each other is not being productive right now!"
The general was not stepping down. "This all happened because the people with the least experience are making decisions they shouldn't!" Again, there was a loud bang on the table. "Prana can not lose this war because of a simpering economist and an ignorant prince!"
Flora's hair rose as Felix spoke in a tone she had never heard before; it was cold and laced with venom. "You watch your tongue. Remember who you are addressing."
"Enough," the king commanded, causing the room to settle. "We need to figure out our next move."
Advisor Perrin spoke up, "the silk trade route in the Southeast has been overtaken by Mistis. This will make it difficult to fund our activities in the capital."
"Not to mention how if will effect the rice supply as well," a new voice unknown to Flora countered. "The soldiers to the West will go hungry if we don't figure out a solution."
Flora was stunned. Was there going to be any way around this? She prayed to the mother that a solution would present itself to them. Most of all, she didn't want Felix to have to go and fight. This argument wasn't the first time that General Picard had pressed the fact that Felix was inexperienced. He had come all but close to suggesting that Felix become more "seasoned" in the art of war by going to the front lines. Flora hated Picard, that bastard.
There was a loud knock on the door, before another soldier was urged inside of the conference. Nothing was said as the soldier was probably bowing to the king. "Your majesty, there is urgent news from the Western front." A shuffle as everyone inside turned toward him. "There has been whispers of Mistis obtaining a new ally, Leosta."
A deep, calm rumble came from the king. "You come to me speaking about whispers and ungrounded rumors?" The irritation was apparent as he continued, "do not waste my time with uncertainties." Flora imagined the king staring down at the trembling soldier. No war could prepare a man to face her father. "This is a serious claim. Explain yourself."
The soldier gulped audibly before speaking, "yes, your majesty. This is coming from a group of undercover agents at the border of Leosta. Around the valley there have been multiple appearances of Leostan soldiers."
"How do you know that those are not routine border recon?" Felix asked skeptically.
"Well, your highness, there seems to have been an increase in the number of soldiers, both the amount of soldiers in each group, and the amount of patrols."
"It could be that Leosta is checking out the region to see if this war will spill into their territory," Old Fournier mused. "However, with the valley dividing Prana and Leosta on the Southern half of the border, it is unlikely that anything would reach them."
"So do you suppose that this is an unlikely reason for the increase in Leostan soldiers?" an unknown voice asked.
"I'm thinking so."
General Picard, for once, agreed with Fournier. "I don't think that Leosta would be so concerned over someone else's war if there wasn't something in it for them. They aren't the type to care about foreign affairs."
Felix spoke, "but according to the reports from our people in Leosta, our relations with them have been good for the last ten years. They've never been an ally by any means, but we've been neutral towards each other for years."
"That speaks of someone who was not around to see how quickly these kingdom's opinions can change," the general retorted, probably getting a strong glare from Felix. "Leosta has never been known to turn down a chance at stomping on Prana in any way they can."
The soldier was dismissed as advisor Perrin continued the discussion, "regardless, we need to know whether or not Leosta is planning on allying with Mistis and getting involved. Prana can not afford a war with both Mistis and Leosta, it's as simple as that."
"You forget of why this even started!" another voice yelled. "Mistis was to seize our resources in the South! How could Prana afford to lose both the salt mines and the farmland to the East? Prana will struggle to survive without these! Where is your pride for your country?"
Perrin roared, "don't you dare insult my allegiance to Prana! I stand here in the best interest of our country, not my pride!"
Someone cleared their throat breaking up the shouting. The war council must have been thinking on what to say next. To Flora, it seemed as if Prana could really lose this war. She squeezed her arm in panic, as she imagined the possibility.
General Picard interrupted the silence, "I think we need to be more proactive with Leosta." There were a few grumbles in agreement. "If Leosta does ally with Mistis, we can't wait until they make a move."
"Then what would you suggest," Felix questioned skeptically. "We can't make aggressions toward Leosta on 'what ifs'. That will end in disaster."
The general scoffed in response. "Famous last words" Flora would kill to see the look Felix must be giving him right now.
Old Fournier ignored their spat, "we need to find out if Leosta is going to get involved in this war. While it could be detrimental if we don't move before them, it would be disastrous if we move against them when they never intended to intervene."
Felix was calm as he addressed them, "so what are we going to do then? We need a plan; we have already lost so much in the last few weeks. We can't keep being on the defensive and reacting to Mistis's moves. At some point we need to turn back to the offensive or we'll be done for." He'd make a great king one day, Flora thought.
"We can't wait any longer. We need to get her to see if Leosta is going to get involved." General Picard responded in a tone that seemed as if he had fought with Felix about this subject before. Who was he talking about? What would this person be able to do that could change the tide of the war?
"No." Felix's voice was firm.
Picard countered snottily, "we don't have time to spare the feelings of a boy who can't get over his self righteousness. There is no room for your feelings here."
Before Felix could respond the king interjected, "Enough." The room was silent as he spoke in a rigid voice, "the general is right, you are the crown prince and you need to start acting like it. We are going to do whatever we can to win the war, and I don't care if you are fine with it or not prince."
Flora flinched at her father's words. She didn't know if he had ever loved anyone in his lifetime. To him, Felix was just the heir to the throne, nothing more. He hadn't even bothered with Flora, because she had nothing to offer him. The king only cared about himself.
"I want her sent to my receiving room tomorrow morning," the king ordered. "I will not have any further objections on this matter. Leave."
There was a shuffle as everyone left the room. Felix must have stayed behind, because the king growled, "Prince, I said that I will have no more objections. You will leave now, and you will follow my orders." The door slammed behind Felix as he left.
Flora waited a few minutes before she decided it was safe to leave the room she was in. She sneakily headed towards her chambers, because she was in no mood to be caught. Who was this woman that could change the fate of Prana? Why would they care about what any woman would have to say? Is Prana really in that desperate of a situation? These questions swirled around in Flora's head. It was all too much to handle. Hopefully, she would be able to find out what this was all about at tomorrow's afternoon meeting after the king met with this person.