While their daughter was already gone for horse riding, Yuuka and Kriska made their way to convince and ally with Milize Asina. The topic was important and sensitive to the kingdom's future; words could not slip today.
Yuuka hoped Kriska's words swayed Milize in his favour. With that, he could stop people's suffering from growing. It was not there that Milzie lost her battle, but they were suffering alongside her.
Yuuka and Kriska were riding together in their vehicle, a black steel-covered machine running on a petroleum-filled engine. Kriska looked out from the window at the burned forests and graves of the soldiers built after the bloody battle of the Yuuka's conquest.
Every soldier and even mercenaries had their graves. At the same time, some families had their dead ones burned and collected their ashes. It was a sad scene but not the one to think about. It was not the time to remember the dead, it was time to work to save the alive.
"Remember, Kriska. Do not mention her father in any manner. Milize had been exceeding wild on the mention of the father, and a few doctors say that she is possessed."
Kriska smiled at the words, her gaze still fixed on the world outside.
"You believe that?"
"I don't. The doctors blame her for getting money even though they failed at their work. Their dishonesty is on their faces, but not everybody can see that. A prisoner tried to kill Milize out of fear a few days ago."
"Who?!"
"Her sister."
The wheels of the car kept moving, it made a lot of noise and released a lot of smoke. There were instances where the models even exploded, yet it was faster than any horse and moved as long you gave it fuel.
Percy Rose, the grandfather of Captain Vincent Rose was the creator of the blueprints of the model. He had received good praise from all kingdoms when he proposed the design just after the war ended, but the separation had stopped him from trying further as an assassin killed him to stop his progress. The assassin went uncovered and undetected.
"Kriska?"
"Yes. What happened, Yuuka? You look a little pale."
"Is Sir Frey safe? I hope he has well-trusted men around him. " Yuuka asked grumpily.
"Yes, Father was Captain Vincent by his side to council for business. The doctors around him have years of experience working with him, and we always send messages with the captains or secret pigeons. He is safe and sound, but why are you worried?" Kriska innocently places her hand on Yuuka's shoulders.
"Bad thoughts, dreams and feelings. All of them have been rising for the last few months, and the world is getting more and more illusioned while treachery is brewing. I feel like my administration was just vainglory, and without your Milize's help, ruin would soon come." Yuuka's shoulders felt weak, and Kriska saw him weaken like never before.
Yuuka had years of war. Men, women and children he saw of them getting killed and brutalised for years now. Still, he never felt weak when talking about it, and acted strong every time, but now he felt weak and vulnerable for the first time in his life to Kriska.
"Do not worry, Yuuka. You have me, father, your captains, your army and most importantly yourself. No matter what falls on you, there will be people to help you pick yourself from the dust like you are trying to do this nation. Do you need my father's help? I will call my father here in a fortnight if it helps you." Kriska gripped his shoulder tight, and she was smiling with hope and confidence.
"I believed Kakui Asina believed the same of your father before a sword went through his stomach."
Yuuka could not say that. All he could do was smile and act strong again, and his wife was there to support him and his captains. Arata was safe with Robert Lake. Even if this meeting does not go his way, he will find a way to survive this.
"You are right. I should think more about what to name this new combined kingdom?" the wheels kept grinding the ground.
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Soon, the car reached the doors of the kingdom's busiest and most guarded place. The largest prison of Ethereo was rebuilding, more significant than the royal castle at the capital in size. Milize Asina had burned down the prison to deceive Yuuka and the Britannia in their conquest of Lynx.
The plan had acted like a blessing for Yuuka and carried him to victory against Milize by turning the tides, but the burned prison needed a repair to keep the prisoners of war. The number wasn't small, and some Lynx soldiers accepted their loss and chose to join Asphodel in its conquest. At the same time, the rest were to be kept somewhere safe, and the prison was the only answer.
Yuuka stopped his car near the other carriage parked in a horizontal line. He and Kriska exited the vehicle and saw the enormous silver colour tower over him. The large flame enclosed inside a star. The symbol engraved on the front wall in remembrance of the flag of the past Kingdom of Ethereo, there was no flame left and neither Ethereo. All that was left was dust. Still, everybody wanted to restore the dust into a star once more.
The couple walked alongside one another to the main entrance of the prison. A long stone path was ahead, more than 50 metres long and 20 meters wide. The carriages enter and exit the building every moment. Soldiers stood on all sides of the gates, scouring for an intruder. A group of horsemen passed them, and Yuuka told Kriska about the scouts, and they were to prevent any secret escape route from up or below the walls.
There was a lot to watch for Kriksa to see and Yuuka to tell, but their business was elsewhere inside the prison.
"Kriska, stand here. I will check the preparation for us to enter the prison."
Yuuka went off to meet the chief of the guarding soldiers (most probable by his attire) standing at the small wooden watch at the start of the bridge. The soldiers were all surprised to suddenly look at Yuuka, and they began buzzing around, but it wasn't Kriska's business, so she watched what the carriages carried.
The carriages were the lifeline of the cities, and the ships came second. Kriska wondered what would happen when the fuel-run vehicle would take over. What would be of the people who run these carriages?
She brought her attention back to the human world and looked at the carriage going inside the gates. Some carried soldiers chained and wearing torn and cut clothes, and their blood was like sweat on their bodies. She had never seen them, and they were most probably traitors who tried to kill her soldiers, but there was a sense of pity in her mind.
Maybe that's what keeps women from being warlords.
Women needed to behave and think with grace. If their husband is cruel and knows no mercy, it is their duty as his wife to teach him kindness. Their grace is their weapon alongside their weapon alongside their beauty. All worse than being an ugly woman and not being taught how to act with grace, and that is how her nan told her things were in the past.
But it was not the past. Milize Asina held her kingdom, and women were part of the army and scholars alongside men. The Gold family gave women the right to right to hold property and made it illegal to rape the women of the defeated kingdom made all the difference in the present day. Women could sway the path everywhere, but there was one place where they lost their supremacy, in the battle of wits.
The power of women could make battles never before seen start and never-ending wars stop. Now it was her chance like her father had taught her,
"It's time to play the Game of Thrones."
Soon two soldiers came to her and escorted her inside the prison, Yuuka was already inside. The meeting with Milzie Asina was close and with that, the chaos would soon began.
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