By sunrise, Lady Maeve recalled us. Her face was unreadable, but she wore a polished blade at her side — a ceremonial weapon worn only for official decisions.
"The Veiled Isles will honor its ancient debt to Arkenvale," she declared, voice carrying through the hall. "Our navy will cut off Galarcia's supply lines. And a contingent of our warriors will join you in the defense of your kingdom."
A wave of relief washed over me, and I nodded to Lady Maeve in respect. "Thanks to you, maybe we will stand a fighting chance now."
We set sail on our ship shortly after that, as the warriors of Islea filled the deck all around us. They made a powerful sight as they moved with disciplined grace, their armor shining as they readied themselves for the battles to be fought.
We returned to Arkenvale to find that the fortress was still on the edge of readiness. Scouts had reported Galarcia's army, once more, twice as many soldiers massing along the eastern border and preparing for a siege. Tomas approached us with his face grim.
"They're preparing for a siege. This time, they won't take their lessons lightly," he said.
The Islean warriors fell in beside our own, reinforcing our ranks. Lady Maeve herself joined us, her dark eyes providing a graphic survey of the field. We spent the next few hours pacing and planning-a strategic review of every trick in the book-just as urgently laying in as we had prepared traps and weak points.
On the descent into dusk, Davian was brought forward once more. This time, his defiance was gone; instead, there was something quite strange, resigned, about him.
"You know they won't stop," he said, a hollow note in his voice. "They'll tear everything down, everything that stands against them."
I looked at him, searched his face for some trace of remorse. "Then why side with them? Why betray everything you once fought for?
For one moment in time, he was the man I knew. Haunted and desperate, and yet still possessed of something that eluded me. "Because I thought … I thought they could be reasoned with. That I could survive by joining them. But now I see they'll burn everything, no matter who stands in their way.".
The words struck me as a blow. I nodded, my anger checked by compassion. "Well, then perhaps you can redeem yourself by helping us now."
He nodded, silent, as we left him to his guard, wondering if he would stand true or break in the end.
And so, on that night of closing storms and thunder which had rolled across the sky like a living thing, we stood upon the walls. Chris stood there also, fierce determinations burning in his eyes. "Last battle." Lady Maeve would have her people shout, their swords and spears poised upon the plains as they waited to face whatever might come.
The first wave broke in on dead of night, a dark tide of soldiers pouring over the horizon. We met them with arrows, with blades, with every ounce of strength we had. The Islean warriors fought with a ferocity of fury that equalled our own best efforts-the swift strike, an enemy kept off-balance.
With daylight coming, the fight continued unabated. Chris and I moved in sync, shooting over each other's heads, each of us covering the other as best we could when we couldn't see. Lady Maeve rode at the head of her fighters with abandon; even Davian, shuttling under close protection, said some things about Galarcia's strategy.
But Galarcia's forces did not give in, their numbers seeming to be without end. We fought until exhaustion threatened to claim us, until every corner of the fortress tasted the blood of battle.
And then, when the sun had finally gone below the horizon once more, Galarcia's forces began to retreat, their numbers finally shattered, their morale broken.
As quiet fell upon the battlefield, a cheer went up from our side of things—a weary, triumphant shout. We'd done it. We'd made it.
Chris turned to me, mud and blood splotched up his face, yet aflame with proud ferocity. "We did it, Chloe," he whispered. "We really did it.".
He clasped my hand with his, and the weight of victory will lie with him. We won the day, but I knew the best was yet to come. There would be more battles, and more sacrifices; but for the moment, we had peace, and each other.
And that was enough.