Aralleen felt utterly devastated. The light around her and Drake dissipated quickly and they found themselves back in the forest on the eve of attacking her once beloved home.
"I am sorry once again for failing to live up to expectations, Lord Wallen."
Her words continued to come out in apology. Not only had she failed to hold up end of her promise and the opportunity she had to prove she was worthy of the help she and her people were receiving from Drake.
She failed to meet her own expectations and for her failure she knew.
Aralleen looked at Drake as his words left his mouth. Comforting words that it was not her fault, that he was the one unprepared.
But at the cost of her failure would be the loss of life only a war once every thousand years would bring upon her people.
She remembered the look in the man's eyes when they entered the summit. The fury, the anger, the frustration. Most of all she remembered the chill down her spine she felt from the power he exhibited during his fit of rage.
To go against the system, even for a moment. Aralleen had never seen such a thing. It was an unspeakable strength.
The conversations blurred for her the rest of the day until she and the rest of the group were dismissed to the next day.
Waking up the next morning she met with the rest of the group. These people, they used such vulgar speech and wore such revealing clothing.
Especially that beast woman, Teresa. Putting such skin on display. It was unsightly and so salacious.
She was instructed to lead the small group of her guard and three others, including Drake, to the city. But she did not understand how they were to penetrate the wall protected by the Millenium World Tree Falaern.
That however was not her mission or concern for now.
Aralleen's concern was something much different. She would have the task of trying to convince the civilians still within the walls and protection of the World Tree to leave.
And if that was not problematic enough, she kept finding herself stealing glances at Drake.
Ever since they went to the summit and she saw he and his wife kiss. She was all too acutely aware of him now.
After all, I will possibly be married to him as the protector of the next World Tree… She thought to herself, her finger touching her lips out of view of the others.
"Me and Lady got the gate, you two figure out the rest."
The conversation had brought her out of her slight daze. And before she realized it one of the Primordial trio was moving to their grand machine.
"P-Please wait! Falaern has a constant barrier surrounding the city. Not even a thousand warriors could penetrate it without substantial preparation!"
Drake and the small obsidian black dwarf shared a small exchange of looks before Damian scoffed.
"Man fuck that barrier."
Aralleen could not believe what she was hearing. Did they not understand the magnitude of the defensive barrier the World Tree provided? A single man could not-
As her mind raced to come up with something to say to halt their foolish attempt to break the gate. The surroundings flashed in blinding white light. The crack of a whip louder than anything she had ever heard sounded through the area and deafened her senses.
The sheer gust of wind and turbulence that followed had her surprised she was still standing. That was until she saw why. Drake had held her upright and in place, his hands on her shoulders as he whistled.
It took her a moment to look from his hands around her to his face and then follow his eyesight to the aftermath of whatever had just happened.
The gate was gone. Nothing but a smolder pile of ash left with a circular cut out of the once indomitable wall.
A tap came to her shoulder while she surveyed the ruined wall.
"Still there Princess?"
"Y-yes I am present!" she replied abruptly.
"Don't go getting surprised just yet, you still need to point us in the direction of Valor. And did you want to give up on saving as many people as you could? Or are you going to just stand there?" Drake asked.
"I will not! Valor will be close to the Tree's base, of that I am sure. It offers the greatest protection and he will not be willing to leave it."
She felt more responsible now more than ever to prove herself. This binding of their fates, this alliance, tying herself to this man and his constituents. She could not fail.
"Allow me to once again speak to my people. I swear I will change their hearts and see the error of standing with a man such as Valor."
"There's no reason you need to ask to save people… Go on, go and do your best Princess."
Aralleen felt her hand and heart squeeze at the words and nodded, running ahead of Drake and the others with her personal guard in tow.
"My lady what are your orders?" one of the guards asked speaking out.
A look of determination washed over Aralleen, "We are to save as many lives as we can. At any cost. We will not leave our brethren to die for Valor's sick ambition."
"As you will!" the group shouted in affirmation of the order.
They began infiltrating the city. Going from house to house made of the vines and branches of Falaern. But the operation did not go smoothly. Immediately they found themselves in contention with the citizens.
"Leave us! You will not take us to that monster's city!"
"Please there is no other way. This city will be leveled by Lord Wallen in a matter of minutes! Do not condemn your children-" Aralleen pleaded but was sharply cut off.
"What would you know of it! How to treat and care for my children! You left! The King and Queen left! You have no right to ask us to follow you!"
Aralleen's body stiffened but she needed to make her decision with time running out, "Take them…"
"My lady?" a guard asked.
"I said take them! There is no time for this!" she shouted.
The woman's face twisted in disbelief looking back at Aralleen, "You have no right! You may have sold your soul to that of a monster but we have not! You have no right to take away our choice!"
"The only monster here is the one that has sold his people to the undead. Lord Wallen is a good man. And I will not leave my people here to follow the cast of fate they did not truly choose. Bring them all to safety! Do whatever is necessary! If they wish to hate me for my decision, so be it! But at least they will be alive to do so!"
With the decision made, the guardsmen began pulling people from their homes and the streets. Gathering them on the outskirts of the city as Aralleen overlooked the process. Her face was cold as she watched but her heart wavered.
She found herself somehow longing for the comfort of Drake's hand on her shoulder. The reassurance of someone so strong supporting her.
Soon however, she was broken from her inner turmoil as she saw something, no someone shoot out into the sky in the distance. Coming from the direction of the World Tree's base, Aralleen knew it could only be one person.
Aralleen turned to a guard, "How long until the evacuation is complete?"
"We still have at least half the city my lady."
She cursed to herself, "It is not fast enough…"
Aralleen began melding into the shadows of a nearby home. Using her skills to move through nature within her home made of the vines of the World Tree.
The skill was powerful but draining. She had hoped not to resort to it. While she found comfort in the company of Drake's entourage, there was no telling what might happen. And she needed to be ready to defend herself and her people at a moment's notice.
However there was no room left to be cautious now. Time was running out and Drake had given her a strict time frame to save as many people as possible. And that is exactly what she would do.
Traveling through the shadows of the vines and branches of her once beloved home. Aralleen began snatching and transferring every person she came across. Bringing them through the shadows with her skill only increased the drain from the skill on her status but she had no other choice.
I only pray that it will be enough. She thought, exiting the shadows near the gate as she fell to her knees.
But she was determined. Waving away her guard's concerning words and hands she pulled a blue and green vial from her inventory, letting their cold liquid slide down her parched throat.
Revitalized, she once again stepped into the shadows.
A moment later she found herself in a home of three. A mother and two children. But this time she could not grab them without resistance. The sound of a monstrous impact came from above, the fading daylight suddenly turned into a blinding starlight spotlight. The ground shook as she swayed from the quaking.
Aralleen looked up, seeing the faint outline of a man in the blinding light before her eyes were torn from the intense spotlight.
"He is actually doing it. I must hurry," Aralleen mumbled as she lept to grab the family.
Speeding up the process Aralleen and her guards managed to retrieve the remaining elves within the city. Her thirty guards and herself gathering nearly two thousand citizens outside the gates of Avalon.
Exhausted and trembling, Aralleen sat on the ground, looking above like everyone else at the battle Drake was currently in with the defensive barrier of the World Tree.
The shouts and complaints of the rescued elven citizens were quickly quelled by both the spectacle above their home, and the fierce looks of the man Drake called Leon.
"How can he be so strong…" she mumbled, staring at the magic being used to assault the barrier.
"Because he has to be," Claire said, standing behind her.
"I know I am being a hypocrite saying such, I needed him to be strong but does one man or King requires such power? Strength and stature is not always a boon."
"I envy you then. To think like that," Claire said, looking at Drake's battle above, "Your tutorial must have been very tame."
Aralleen's head turned to look at Claire.
"I'm not insulting you, if that is what you think. Our tutorial was just…worse. If it wasn't for that strength you seem to think is too much for one man to have, we wouldn't be standing here. The changes he was forced to make, the humanity he had no choice but to give up. It was all for us. I know what you might be to him in the future."
Claire looked and bent down on her haunches, whispering in Aralleen's ear, "If you support him, I will welcome you with Sarah. But if you even think about harming or betraying him. I - This family," she motioned to Drake's entourage, "Will not let it go."
"Is that a threat…?"
"I love Drake. He has given up things I couldn't even begin to repay. And helped me out of the dark cold hole I thought I would never crawl out of when my brother was killed. And I would do anything for him. Anything."
Aralleen shakily got up as Claire did the same and they locked gazes for a few moments. But before they could continue the sound of shattering glass rang out loud enough to deafen the area.
Her hands desperately covering her ears she turned to the World Tree, only for her eyes to widen to saucers.
The World Tree was burning, split down the middle and collapsing. The sound of the twisting wood crackled and snapped. And despite herself Aralleen began to weep. The sight of their World Tree being felled struck every elve's heart like an icy cold blade.
She knew she would never be forgiven for this, but to protect her people, it had to be done.
Only moments after the impact's aftermath settled and the winds calmed did they begin to gather again, talking of what happened.
"So Drake took down the big tree? What's our next move then?" Landin asked.
"We must wait for him before moving forward. And then there is the issue of the refugees once again. I'm sure Lady Natto will be delighted to see more people," Atropos added, her tails slowly swaying back and forth.
"Atropos is right. We have to wait until Drake returns to decide if we will continue on or return with the rescued," Claire explained, "We have a lot of work to do to repair the city's reputation. And it is going to be a long year until the next summit…"
Their attention moved quickly from the conversation, as suddenly they heard Ari cry out.
"Leon! What happened?!"
Ari held up Leon as he slumped weakly against her and his spear, black muck running from his mouth, his eyes hazy.
"I-I don't know… The tree kill pushed me to E-Rank. I can't focus…"
The next second Drake suddenly appeared in front of them, looking haggard and in just as bad as shape as Leon.
"Drake?! What is going on?" Claire cried out confused.
Similar shouts came from the teens, Teresa and Aralleen as they rushed to Drake with Claire.
Leon slumped to the floor a few feet from Drake, his eyes dulling. Tatsuki rolled out of his person a few moments later, completely confused and disoriented.
"In a few minutes…" Drake began explaining to them that he, Leon and Damian were somehow being transported away. He also explained what they should do. Return to the city, protect their families.
"I'm trusting you all…" Drake said weakly with a smile, locking eyes with all of them as he summoned magic circles of ice to encase himself, Leon, and Damian.
Cries of protest rang out as Drake was slowly encased in ice. Claire's loudest of all.
But soon the magic settled around the three and the area grew silent.
"C-Cover them…" Claire ordered.
Charlotte and the other teens gave a wary look to each other before nodding.
"Landin, Clotho, Mordred, Quetz. Make sure no one leaves the group…" she began in a cold tone, "We have to make sure we delay how quickly this information gets out that Drake is gone…" she turned and shouted, "We are returning to ReUnite!"
Claire turned to Aralleen, and then to Teresa, "I trust you both will help move them. If you want to repay your debt to Drake, or find a place in our home you will do what he asked of you. Protect the city."
Aralleen nodded quickly, ordering her guards to gather and help move Drake and Leon. Tatsuki had perched on Ari's shoulder as she looked on worried, walking in pace with Leon's ice crystal.
Teresa obviously had more misgivings than Aralleen but eventually moved to hull the massive covered piece of ice that housed Damian and his machine.
The group, as Drake wished, began their march back to ReUnite with more people than they arrived, but missing their leader.