Hey guys! I just read the Icemark chronicles and love the first one while, the second left something to be desired. I wasn't that I didn't like Sharley, but I thought Medea deserved a better role. This story will focus heavily on Medea and what I believe would happen if one little part had changed.

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Cerdic looked sternly at Medea for her insult and came up with one of his own, "Well, no one in this family likes you anyway! In fact we all talk about your brooding and strange ways! You're a freak!"

Medea was definitely fazed by his statement, she knew they didn't like her, but for him to say it so harshly… Eodred scowled at his brother and hit him in the arm. Medea looked at Eodred strangely as did Cerdic.

Eodred had a bit of anger in his eyes, "Brother! How could you say such lies! This is our sister, our youngest one at that! We should not make her feel horrid and angered toward her family."

Medea darkened, for she knew the two would soon break out laughing. Well, laughing broke out, but only from one person. Cerdic began to laugh, but he lost his jolly nature as Eodred did not join in, but became angrier. Medea looked at her older brother in confusion.

"Cerdic, this is no joke. Medea is our blood, our family, and we should treat her like such," Eodred spoke sternly, and then he turned his gaze unto Medea, who stood in well hidden shock.

"Do not further yourself from us sister, we care greatly about you, and in the time of war, family is very important," Eodred spoke gently, a smile on his face.

Medea felt something snap in her, and she felt like crying, but refrained from it and just smiled, it was small, but was still a smile.

"Thank you Eodred," Medea whispered quietly.

Eodred looked a bit shocked when she said that, he had expected her to just leave. Cerdic frowned and grit his teeth before sighing and placing his battle-callused hand upon Medea's head, causing her to look up angrily at him.

"I'm sorry Medea, I, uhh, didn't mean it, it's just... it was insulting when you called me a fool…" Cerdic tried to apologize.

Medea felt strange then, she did not feel the usual urge to just growl and walk away, so she nodded. Cerdic looked upon her strangely, and reached out with his hand. He pinched her cheek and pulled the skin out until it hurt. Medea winced and growled before biting his finger. Cerdic yelled and pulled back his finger.

"What is your problem?!" He yelled nursing his finger.

Medea glared at him as Eodred looked on interested.

"Whatever you were doing to my cheek hurt, so to make you stop, I bit you. Serves you right," Medea said holding her cheek.

The two began to look murderous when Eodred began to laugh heartily. They looked at him and Cerdic began to laugh as well. Medea felt the unfamiliar feeling of her diaphragm moving strangely and her mouth working of its own accord as she joined in the laughing. Suddenly a knife was pressed to her neck and the trio stopped laughing.

"Who the hell are you, because you are not my sister," Cressida hissed.

Medea's eyes darkened as she felt a stab to her heart as yet again she was treated like shit, she launched her elbow hard into her older sister's ribs, and the knife cut the bottom of her chin lightly, blood coming down her neck. She stepped away from her elder and readied herself to fight her. Eodred and Cerdic stepped in-between Cressida and Medea, before yelling at Cressida as Oskan walked into the scene.

"What is going on out here?" Oskan asked in a surly mood, he was already on edge since he had heard of storm that had sunken some of the royal fleet, as Charlemagne and Maggie were in one of those ships.

Medea just covered her chin and began to walk away until Oskan grabbed her shoulder and turned her 'round. Oskan's eyes grew fierce as he saw the wound his youngest daughter held and scanned the three elder children to see Cressida holding the bloody knife. Cressida stared fiercely right back, ready to defend herself and her actions.

"Explain this. Now," Oskan commanded.

Cressida answered back immediately, "That imposter is not Medea father. Medea would never laugh in the presence of someone, let alone the twins."

Eodred was about to protest when Cerdic, of all people, replied angrily, "This is Medea! And for once when our younger sister opened up to us, you come and try to kill her! What a grand family! No wonder she stays away from us!"

Cerdic had walked to Medea during his rant and glared with great intensity at Cressida before engulfing his younger sister in a hug. All were shocked and looked intently to Medea for a reaction.

Medea stood stock still as her elder brother hugged her and she couldn't fight the coming sob from escaping her throat. A hug was something she had only truly received from Oskan, but to have it from her brother... Someone who had not wanted to have anything to do with her, hug her and defend her. She grabbed onto the front of her brother's robes and sobbed.

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she held onto him, she lifted her head slightly to see him and muttered quietly through the tears, "Thank you."

Medea suddenly felt weak and her vision began to fade as she slumped forward from the blood loss due to large cut on her chin. Cerdic picked her up and enlisted the help of Eodred to go see the surgeon while Cressida cast her gaze downward and Oskan led her away to speak with his eldest daughter and his wife.

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Medea awoke groggily in her bed and groaned at the pain under her jaw. She ran a hand over it and winced, the pain was still there, but at least it was healing. She looked around to find she was in a foreign room.

Just one thought came to her, 'I wonder if they have food nearby?'

She sat up, swinging her legs over the bed. She shivered lightly against the cold air; she was bare except for her undergarments. She saw a chair nearby that held her dress and walked over to it before getting dressed. She also found her simple shoes and walked out of the room, finding that she was on the east wing of the castle. The wing closest to the dining hall.

She walked to the dining hall to find her family dining together. Her first impulse was to walk away but her brothers turned in their seats and waved her over, two big smiles on their faces. She felt herself get infected by their smiles and soon she had a small one of her own. She walked up to the table and sat in the empty seat in-between her brothers and she began to think they planned this.

She looked around silently at the table and took a pheasant drumstick and did not notice her mother smiling gently at her. Cressida kept her gaze upon Medea, eating slowly and watching her every move. Medea began to eat, making almost no noise which surprised them all slightly, but then again she liked to keep to herself, and they guessed being quiet kept people from noticing her.

"So," Thirrin began rubbing her temples, "Their first wave is over a thousand large, and they have flying machines."

Medea cocked her head and bit once again into her pheasant drumstick before speaking once again, "Well, since they can fly, we can use the vampires to attach chain to a trio or more and then we can just focus on bringing down only one ship, and not them all."

Thirrin looked at her daughter, her gears starting to get going and pride welled up, but was squashed by guilt when she remembered that she had neglected this child in the raising of the others.

"How would we connect the chains to the air ships though?" Eodred questioned.

Medea bit her lip in thought as her family paid full attention to her. It was sort of unnerving, people staring at you, waiting for an answer to a question they asked.

She stopping biting her lip and spoke, "Well before we send the vampires with the chains we can some sort if spear on the ends of the chains. We can get the smiths to heat the tips up until they glow red and would sink through the metal into the ship."

Medea was proud of her thoughts, but then it struck her, she had just helped the family, when she wanted Bellorum to win. But when she thought of Bellorum winning, rage just welled up in her. Her eyes shone with violent fury as she made a silent vow to make up for the damage she had caused in the war against Bellorum, and help the three people she now cared for. Her two brothers and her father.

Her reverie was broken though by Thirrin's wild smile and comment, "Medea, tomorrow we shall begin your training, for here we have the next greatest strategist, greater even than that old blowhard, Scipio Bellorum!"

She raised her jug and the rest of them did also, Cressida though did it a bit reluctantly, and they cheered before taking a draught.

'Strike that last thought, the four and a half people I care for.'

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Well that was the first chapter and they will get longer as I go along, I hope you love the rest of the story and REVIEW!