On the plains of the Duchy of Winfort, the snow gradually melted, revealing hints of spring on the land.
The Lake Witch Morgiana was seated on her unicorn, Silverfane, followed by a group of Holy Grail Knights, advancing along the muddy roads, slowed by the melting snow. This gave Morgiana more time to think. Dressed in a brown wool coat with a grey carved silk long skirt underneath, her white boots peeked out from the hem of her skirt.
She had just received a magical message.
It was a strange message because the sender was neither human, elf, nor vampire, but a treant from the forest.
A treant elder named Dreysha contacted Morgiana, inviting the Lake Witch to meet in the Charlon Forest to discuss an alliance.
"My princess, are you heading directly to Bodleux?" A Holy Grail Knight inquired. The movements of Mousillon's vampires were no longer news within the kingdom, causing widespread panic among serfs and even nobles. The fear the Red Duke instilled in the nation was an open secret.
Morgiana had been waiting for the king's action. Normally, it wasn't her place to mobilize armies and lead dukes into war. Her duties as the Lake Witch involved guiding the faith of the Lady of the Lake, managing the prophetesses of the Grail Convent, assigning missions to Holy Grail Knights, and finding magically gifted children.
Most of the time, there was no conflict between the Lake Witch and the king; each had their roles and kept to them.
But as the Red Duke continued to gather vampire forces and the king remained silent, Morgiana could no longer wait. She emerged from her tower, leading Holy Grail Knights to the front lines.
"No, I'm not heading to Bodleux. You go to the Duchy of Boldre to assist Duke Bodrick with defense and handling those dark Holy Grail Knights. I have some business in Jean's barony," Morgiana said firmly.
"As you command," the knights replied, and Morgiana headed towards Jean's barony on her unicorn: "Hurry, Silverfane."
After two days, Morgiana arrived at Ryan's territory.
"Princess Morgiana?" Ryan was surprised by the Lake Witch's arrival.
Also surprised were Duke Francois of Winfort and his children, visiting Ryan's castle.
Since the Lady of the Lake personally promised a marriage, Francois agreed immediately. He came to discuss the engagement ceremony with Ryan. The engagement ceremony was simpler than the wedding, and both Francois and Ryan preferred a low-key engagement, planning a grand wedding later.
Thus, in the castle's drawing room, Morgiana joined the discussion.
"My princess, you should have let us know in advance. I wasn't prepared for your visit," Ryan served lavish refreshments and drinks to Morgiana.
Sulia, wearing a standard Bretonnian duchess's gown, sat beside Ryan, blushing with embarrassment at today's events.
But a knight is always a knight. Sulia, learning from her father, was not about coyness or evasion. Like her immediate affirmative response to the Lady of the Lake's question, she now held Ryan's hand firmly, showing her resolve to her father, brother, and the visiting Morgiana.
Noticing Ryan and Sulia's clasped hands, Morgiana subtly frowned, adjusting her skirt and softly asking, "Is this the Lady's will?"
"Yes, my princess. This is the Lady's will," Francois smiled at the Lake Witch. "We plan to hold the engagement ceremony on the Day of Lilies, the Lady's birthday."
Duke's son Julius, recently returned from a campaign, nodded, looking at Ryan with a mix of danger and approval.
Morgiana felt somewhat irritable, as the Lake Witch, the Lady's first chosen and mortal spokesperson, would not oppose the Lady's commands. So, she simply nodded: "If it's the Lady's will, I have no objections."
After some time, Ryan asked Morgiana about her visit: "My princess? Why the sudden visit? I thought you'd go directly to Bodleux."
"I'm here because a treant invited me to meet inside Charlon Forest to discuss forming an alliance," Morgiana, holding the potion grail, spoke more openly than usual. "So I came here first, then from your territory into Charlon Forest."
"An alliance request?" Ryan was puzzled. "I thought treants were typically malicious and isolationist. Why would they want to ally with the kingdom?"
"Because treants wish to remain isolated. They can't accept their realm turning into a vampire nation, so they're considering an alliance with the kingdom," Morgiana explained, sharing the details with Ryan and the others.
"If that's really what the treants are thinking, it's understandable they'd want to ally with us," Francois spoke first. "For centuries, both dryads and treants have followed a policy of absolute isolation. But when Bretonnia faces war and danger, history shows instances where dryads or treants have extended a helping hand."
"Yes, regardless, the kingdom and Athel Loren have an agreement to aid each other. Compared to vampires spreading corruption and death, they'd prefer Bretonnia to fend off external threats, allowing them to continue their isolation," Ryan agreed, seeing the logic in treants' request for an alliance.
"Let's see what the treant elder has to say. We'll rely on ourselves to confront the Red Duke and his undead. If the treant elder's conditions are too demanding, I won't agree," Morgiana nodded. "I'll be leaving shortly."
Determined to protect the kingdom, Morgiana's beauty was unwavering.
"Should I accompany you, Princess Morgiana? It's too dangerous to go alone," Ryan felt something was amiss and offered his company.
"No need. I can manage. Treants are peculiar beings, especially the elders. Communicating with them is exhausting. Too many people would only offend them," Morgiana gently declined. "Let's not discuss it further."
After a while, Morgiana rode Silverfane alone towards Charlon Forest.
Ryan, Francois, Julius, and Sulia remained in the drawing room, feeling uneasy. Ryan shared his concerns with Francois: "Duke, something feels off. Do you remember the disappearance of the Archbishop of Mercy and the series of vampire activities?"
"Mhm…"
Morgiana rode Silverfane deep into Charlon Forest.
The meeting place, deep within Charlon Forest in a sparsely wooded area, took nearly a day for Morgiana to reach, despite Silverfane's agility in navigating the forest's obstacles and intertwined roots.
"Stop, Silverfane," Morgiana sensed the treant elder ahead.
A towering treant, nearly ten meters tall, covered in tendrils and sharp claws, bore ancient magical runes dating back to the world's creation.
Surrounded by a group of treants and treant spirits, the elder looked both furious and insane. As Morgiana approached, the elder moved forward, its face filled with malice, its attacks powerful and deadly.
Morgiana recalled the origins and history of treants.
Treants emerged at the world's dawn, when Athel Loren was half the size of current Bretonnia. Since the World Tree took root, forest spirits began to appear. These pure energy beings, if attached to trees, became either dryads or tre
ants, depending on their strength.
Some ancient treants were as old as the world itself.
When elves left the mainland, some stayed behind, allying with the forest's treants. The treants shared their dwelling with the elves, who protected them during their dormant and vulnerable winters. This pact lasted thousands of years.
Not all treants favored elves, especially as Chaos's corruption deepened, driving many elder treants into madness. Every year, crazed treants were slain and sealed by wood elves.
The leading treant spoke to Morgiana, its body emitting heat, its eyes glowing like lava: "Bretonnia... witch of the lake?"
"Yes, I am the Lake Witch Morgiana. Are you the treant elder here to negotiate?" Morgiana stood, holding the potion grail and her sword, wary.
"Not... me." The treant elder stepped back.
Morgiana frowned, looking beyond the elder.
A slender female treant emerged.
Describing her as "slender" was odd for a treant, but to Morgiana, the female treant's form, covered in bark with a distinctly feminine shape and hair-like branches and roots, radiated hatred not just towards Morgiana, but all life.
To treants, any harm to the forest warranted death.
"I am Dreysha, known to elves as Branchshade, Witch of Bretonnia." The female treant spoke. "I've called you to discuss forming an alliance."
"I'm here for that reason," Morgiana recognized the female treant's identity.
"Branchshade" Dreysha, an incredibly ancient treant, predated the elves' arrival in Athel Loren. Revered by even the forest king Orion and queen Ariel, she remembered times before elves entered the forest.
"We cannot tolerate the forest's destruction or our realm being invaded, so I propose an alliance," Dreysha spoke, her voice raspy like rubbing wood, her gaze filled with sorrow and anger.
"Why ally with us?" Morgiana dismounted Silverfane in respect, still cautious, questioning Dreysha.
"Because we have... a common enemy." Dreysha's harsh speech hinted at something behind her.
Morgiana turned, her eyes widening at the sight of a looming, dark vampire emerging from the forest shadows, clad in cursed black armor, bald, holding a cursed sword and a sickle, his pale skin almost blending with the dense undead mists.
Manfred von Carstein, the most cunning vampire of the Carstein family.
"Manfred von Carstein?" The treants immediately shielded Morgiana and Dreysha.
"Ha, treants and the Lake Witch planning an alliance under my nose? Not a good idea," Manfred approached, laughing, launching a blood-red energy bolt at Morgiana.
Nagash's Gaze!
Morgiana conjured powerful magic, summoning a protective mist around her with the potion grail turning white.
The blood-red energy bolt collided with the white mist, creating a loud noise.
"Die!" Manfred attacked, his cursed sword emitting a necrotic aura, aimed at Morgiana's heart. She drew her sword in defense.
As blades clashed, Morgiana, not skilled in close combat, retreated, her golden belt shining, a gold shield protecting her from Manfred's assault. She then chanted, turning the potion grail's energy purple, summoning a purple mana dragon, ready to strike.
Amid her casting, Morgiana heard the Lady of the Lake urgently trying to communicate, but her words were unclear like waves crashing against rocks.
Distracted by battle, Morgiana couldn't afford to listen, unleashing the purple mana dragon at Manfred, sending him flying into a tree trunk.
As Morgiana prepared to summon lightning for a fatal blow, pain suddenly shot through her waist.
"What? What is...?" She turned to see Dreysha injecting her with a mysterious green liquid.
Stricken by a sudden paralysis, Morgiana tried to speak but could only whisper, "You..."
The potion grail fell to the ground.
"Impressive, Witch of Bretonnia," Dreysha's sinister laugh echoed. "Even forest dragons succumb to this ancient tree spirit liquid. A mere human would turn into a puppet with just a drop."
"You are..." Morgiana collapsed, barely standing, bound by treant tendrils.
"To avoid attracting more humans... how about it, vampire lord? This is our gift of alliance. Do you see our sincerity?"
Manfred, rising, laughed, "I do. Treants, I accept your proposal. Once vampires rule this land, we'll expel the elves from the forest and eliminate them."
"Excellent. The Witch of Bretonnia is our token of alliance," Dreysha cackled sharply.
Morgiana, eyes wide, reached for something on her body, struggling to summon the last of her strength to break free.
Manfred took a gem from Morgiana's dress and crushed it, whispering, "It would be unfortunate if other Holy Grail Knights were alerted."
"Traitor... Dreysha, you've broken the pact." The gem shattered, Morgiana's arms fell limply, and more tendrils bound her, disarming her of her belt and sword.
Another dose of ancient tree spirit liquid immobilized Morgiana completely, leaving her gasping for air: "Help... Lady... help..."
"Your Lady won't save you now, dear Lake Witch. Take her away! Another sacrifice secured."
"Understood!"
Updated! Today's 5000 words! What do you think will happen to Morgiana? Hehehe.
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