The War for Gallica:

Full Summary:

The King of Gallica has been assassinated. His nephew, Lord Theodore, plans to unite Gallica under his banner by conquering neighbouring countries, and Araluen is a key target. But one person stands in his way: the true heir to the Gallican throne, Princess Liliane, who arrives at Duncan's court to plead for his help.

Disclaimer:

I don't own RA or the characters, I just mess with them. Disclaimer for whole story.

Warning:

Spoilers up to Book 10 and perhaps beyond.

Author's Note:

So picked this up from Book 3... Yeah lotsa stories coming from rereading the series for the 20th time, I think I have 3 more...

I found this bit interesting, when Halt/Horace first arrive in Gallica, and it prompted a story. Set somewhere between Books 9-10 OR after the events in Book 10, not sure yet.

I love canon pairings, so don't stress about an OC coming along. I just thought this would be brilliant, since I rarely do a story without an actual plot, (I.e. they're all romances and fluff...)

I hope you enjoy! :)

No Flames. Read and Review. Constructive Criticism Accepted if Relevant.

Prologue:

|| Flee for Freedom ||

xxx

The young woman, barely twenty years of age, sat alone in her room, absently gazing out of the window.

Her dark brown hair hung over one shoulder, while she fiddled with the sequins hemmed onto her beautiful dress.

Princess Liliane often got bored where she was, but she had little choice in the matter.

The castle she lived at, Château de Grande Lumière had once been a beautiful place full of light and wonder. But that was many, many years ago.

Gallica was in deep turmoil, and she, being a noble born lady, was confined to her castle. She was held against her will and barely anyone knew who she really was.

The door opened, unannounced, and she turned suspiciously, ready to reprimand whoever it was.

One glance told her it was one of her soldiers named Bastien. He was one of the few people that treated her well and knew of her situation.

"My, you scared me there." She told him with a smile, turning her grey eyes on him. "What do you need?"

The soldier, a blonde youth with enough build to show he was a fighter, executed a bow and then stepped hurriedly towards her.

"My Lady, you must come with me immediately." He ordered, offering a hand to help her up.

Liliane withdrew slightly, narrowing her eyes. "What's so important?" She asked.

Bastien shook his head. "There isn't time to explain."

She crossed her arms and fixed him with a stubborn expression. "I won't go until you tell me."

The soldier winced as if in pain and then conceded, but none of the tension left his body.

"Your cousin Lord Theodore arrived a day ago."

Liliane waved her hand in impatience. "I'm well aware of that."

Bastien crossed his arms in front of his chest and fixed her with a stern gaze. "Well I just received news that King Henri was assassinated."

The Princess blinked and then attempted to speak, but words wouldn't form.

"Are you certain?" She asked after a long pause.

The soldier nodded enthusiastically. "Very, my Lady. And I'm sure Theodore was the one who did it, but even if he wasn't the villain, he's claiming the throne for himself and bringing the local warlords under his pennant. He plans to conquer Gallica and unite us once and for all."

Bastien drew a deep breath. "That's not all, my Lady. I heard from my captain that the soldiers and footmen, as well as freelance knights are to report to Theodore. He's reassembling the army. But I fear he's bringing too many to simply bring order back."

Liliane, who was recovering from the shock that her father was dead, glanced up at Bastien in deep surprise. "So what do you think he is doing?"

The soldier shifted uncomfortably. "Well, from what I've heard, he plans to create a war. The best way to unite a country is through outside threat." He quoted, feeling silly for lecturing a Princess. "Teutlandt is too weak and insignificant for Theodore's uses; I think he'll either target Iberion or Araluen."

Liliane, who had once had proper studies as a noble, knew the geography outside her country. Any other countries nearby could be hard to take. If a country was conquered by military might, the nearby Skandians could join in. So she could see the appeal in taking a strong country, especially Araluen, with its small island and lack of mobility in warfare.

"This is bad." She whispered.

Bastien leant forward and grasped her wrist, pulling her to her feet without warning. She gave a small noise of protest from his rough handling.

"Yes, and it will only get worse for you if you stay here, my Lady." He told her, setting across her room to find anything of value to take. "That's why you have to leave. If you can escape, you won't have to face Theodore, who has reason to kill you at any moment."

The Princess struggled to voice her thoughts. "But how will I escape?"

The soldier looked up at her from the chest he was raiding on her floor. He only grabbed absolute essentials.

"There are more than you think that are loyal to the Gallican throne. Granted, we haven't had a true monarch in a century, but they'd rather give you a chance than have Theodore ruling." He told her truthfully.

Liliane felt a deep hum of warmth rise within her at the news of loyalty amongst the chaos.

"Alright, how should I leave?"

Bastien took out a rough dress, worn down through the years, and a piece of cloth to cover her hair.

"The door guards are gone to help secure horses, and if you wear this, few people should recognise you. After all, they only think you're a noble lady. Most of the folk should ignore you."

The woman accepted the guise without a word.

"Now, I have to go and make sure we can escape. Getting from your room is the easy part." He said. "Take the servants quarters and the kitchens so you avoid people, Dalia in the kitchens will help you get out. Then head near the stables, you'll see horses saddled and ready, but don't go too near in case the guards there aren't on your side." He ordered.

Liliane nodded and accepted his orders without question. He was by far more experienced in these situations and she trusted him with her life.

Before he left her, he stepped forward and handed her a small package from within the folds of his cloak.

"This is your seal, the seal of your father, documents to help legitimise your claim and some money. One of the guards helped me access the treasury and take them."

The Princess blinked, attempting to smile, but too scared of the forthcoming events to manage it.

"Go safely, my Lady." Bastien told her, hurrying from the room and making sure the halls were clear for her.

Liliane hurried into her new clothes once he left, making sure to hide most of her hair and even using some of her make up to dust her face and make it less appealing.

Satisfied that she had done the best for herself, she took her small bag of things and opened the door, prepared to leave her castle, her home and her country, for good.

Lord Theodore paced the treasury, casually glancing at the Kingdom's crown every few seconds.

It sat upon a dais, glittering in the faint shaft of sunlight that came through from a small window.

Soon, it would be his.

Unexpectedly, the door opened and one of the door guards stepped in, anxiety clearly written across his face.

"My Lord, Lady Liliane has escaped!" He announced.

Theodore looked up, a flash of anger touching his handsome features.

"How?" He demanded.

The guard shrank back, well aware of Theodore's temper.

"She was aided, my Lord. Almost a fifth of the garrison is missing. Some of the castle staff have gone too. Most the horses have left."

Immediately, the Lord stood and made his way to a corner of the room, finding a small sealed box. Opening it, Theodore gave a hiss of frustration, seeing that the royal seals were gone.

"When did they leave?" He demanded, advancing on the poor guard.

"Hours ago, my Lord." He stammered.

Theodore scowled and let his hand fall to the hilt of his sword. The guard followed his gaze nervously. The Lord was a great swordsman and wasn't afraid to carry out his own will.

Attempting to get back onto the Lord's more reasonable side, the guard hesitantly asked, "Should we deploy a force to retrieve her?"

The new Lord of Château de Grande Lumière relaxed and managed a smile, although it didn't touch his eyes.

"No, that won't be necessary. You can leave me." He commanded.

Bowing and thanking the Gods, the guard gratefully left his Lord's presence.

Theodore sat down on an ornately decorated chair, once more eyeing the crown.

Liliane was a thorn in his side, but in the end, she couldn't really do anything to stop him.

In a dominantly patriarch society, even the true heir to the Gallican throne couldn't prevent the tyranny that was to come.

No, he thought. Everything was still working to his plans.

A/N:

So the only reason this is posted now and not a week ago when I thought of it, was because it's soo hard to create an evil Frenchy dude, since the names I came up with were all from classic stories as the villains! I didn't want to be accused of taking ideas from other material, so I thought; Theodore is a reasonably innocent name, let's make him evil.

Anyway, let me know if you like it! :)

- Love Mae.