Word Count: chapter: 3,157||story: 6,222||chapters: 2/3

The more word that came from the front lines and the few messages from those who slipped behind the lines and sought to spy upon the army of Light, the worse everything looked for Kuragari.

"They haven't lost a battle in weeks," Juudai said, staring at the messages, all of them in code that he'd painstakingly taught himself how to read. He trusted his father not to lie to him but he also trusted King Aodh to withhold information if he thought it would be to Juudai's benefit.

Yubel glanced over them as well. "They'll be here within another month if something doesn't stop them."

Juudai didn't want to hear that. But not hearing it wouldn't have changed anything. He rummaged around until he found a map of the territory the invading army traveled through and unrolled it onto the table, staring down until he figured out where they were. Or had been; they would likely have moved on by now.

"I need to do something," he murmured. "I need to stop them." He didn't know what he would do, just that he had to do something, and it had to be soon or all too soon Ancient Elf and his followers would be knocking down the city gates to get to him.

The idea of running away, hiding in some other country – perhaps in Johan's kingdom, the Guardian of Light would definitely accept him – never occurred to him. Or if it did, it was only for a handful of moments, long enough for him to reject the concept and move on to something else.

If he'd been in danger enough for death to be a true risk right now, he knew Yubel would urge him to leave. Yubel's purpose was to protect him, and Yubel would never do anything that would put him into danger. So if Yubel accepted his choice to remain and to find a way to do battle, then this must be the right choice.

Which meant he needed to do something that would make his choice worth it. Warriors, mages, spies, and people of all kinds were out there fighting and dying and being brainwashed, all to protect him and his kingdom. It wasn't right and he wouldn't let it go on.

So now he stared down at the map and tried to find something that would be a good idea.

If they're coming here, then they need to come this way, he mused, tracing along the line of one of the rivers that led down to the ocean. If he'd heard about this sooner and realized what it meant, he would've met them at the ocean itself, and raised it against them. All the elements of the world were his to command, earth and air, fire and water, darkness and light.

Light could be kind of touchy, but if he'd known, he would've sent for Johan anyway, and together, there was nothing that could stand against them.

But there wasn't time for that now, and he continued to look for answers he couldn't yet find.

The river came out of the mountains that rose up in the center of Kuragari, home to many mines and gemstones of all kinds. There were passes through the mountains that merchants and miners used frequently.

"Not all of these are still used," he said, indicating them to Yubel. "At least not by the miners. They could make an easy opening for an army."

Yubel checked out the map, arms folded over their chest, thoughtfulness in all three eyes. "I think you're right. And this one here," Yubel rested one taloned finger on one particular mountain pass, "would bring them down into striking distance of Kethlar."

Kelthar was one of the largest cities in the kingdom, a crossroads of many roads, and leading to at least three different port cities: and to the capital itself. If it fell, then most of the kingdom would be open to the invaders.

"Then we have to stop them before they get there." He racked his brain, thinking of where the Kuragarian army waited now. They weren't far from the pass, entrenching there and waiting to see what direction the enemy would take.

He stood up. "Yubel, I'm going to go see the Heroes. We're heading out to the pass and the army as soon as they're ready."

"Of course." A smile touched on Yubel's lips and Juudai took a few moments to kiss it before he darted out of the room and through the palace corridors. He had too much to do to stop and talk to anyone, and no one wanted to interrupt him as he hurried along to where his bodyguards took their few leisure hours.

He burst in there, panting, aware that they all stood up as soon as he entered the room, worry across every feature.

"I'm all right," he gasped out. "I just have a really important mission for all of you."

"What is it?" The same question fell from multiple lips as Juudai caught his breath and straightened to his full height.

"We're going to save Kuragari. I've got a plan and I know where we have to hit them and we have to hit them hard enough to drive the out of the kingdom and make sure they'll never come back." For a brief moment, his eyes flashed gold. "If they want to attack what's mine, they should know that I'm going to attack back."

The Elemental Heroes, guardians of the six elements and his personal bodyguards, all looked at one another. There were plenty of looks to go around. Then they looked back at him.

"When do we leave?" Sparkman wanted to know.

"As soon as we're all ready. The sooner, the better."

Juudai neglected – on purpose – let his parents know what he had in mind. They would want to talk about it. They would want to revise the plan until he sat back in the palace and did nothing at all useful. They would want the Elemental Heroes to help, of course, because the plan depended on them to do so, but they would not let Juudai anywhere near the battlefields.

And if it were me, I'd do the same thing. I am doing the same thing. They wanted to protect him. They didn't want him hurt.

He wanted to protect his people. He didn't want any of them hurt.

Only this was his battle to fight and it always had been and always would be. He needed to prove to the Light of Ruin and its host that he did not fear them and they should fear him.

And if they didn't yet then after what he had in mind, they were most certainly going to.

It took less than a day to get everyone ready. The Heroes had anticipated something like this sooner or later, either Juudai deciding to head up to the front lines himself, or perhaps someone somehow getting by Yubel in order to attack the prince.

Granted, if someone got by Yubel and hurt Juudai, their duties would be more along the lines of 'get everyone out of the city before Yubel destroys it'. But plans remained plans and now they headed out after the fall of night.

Juudai wore armor, of course. What he planned didn't allow for one on one battle, but he wanted to make certain that no stray arrows or thrown daggers decided his tender mortal flesh would be worth biting into. He wore sensible black plate mail, knitted together from the powers of Darkness itself: mostly because he hadn't had it made yet by the armorers and he didn't want to either take the time to get it done like that or to alert his father and mother that something was going on.

He kept his helmet down to keep the wind out of his face as they soared toward the army's location. He wanted to talk to the general in charge there before he started to rearrange the local geography. Yubel carried him, arms folded around him, and the Elemental Heroes in both bodyguard and honor guard position. Anyone who dared to try to attack him would likely not get that far.

"General Freed," Juudai called out as Yubel set him down in front of the command tent. The general's own bodyguards – lesser brothers of the Freed family – came to attention the moment that they recognized his voice and the general himself stepped out, weathered and experienced and the kind of leader who one could trust to win battles against ordinary enemies and sometimes extraordinary ones.

The moment that he saw Juudai, once the prince pulled his visor up, he went down on one knee.

"How may I be of service, my prince?" He did not ask what Juudai was doing there. He trusted that Juudai would tell him.

And tell him Juudai did.

"Your people are here to prevent the Army of Light from getting to the pass and on the other side. I want you to step aside and let them through."

"Highness?" Freed stood back to his feet in a heartbeat. He didn't reach for a weapon but his guards looked as ready to attack as they should be if treachery were involved.

Juudai only grinned, a slash of a manic expression. The more he'd thought the plan through, the more he thought it was a good idea, and he'd refined it down to its simplest points.

"This is what I've got in mind."

He didn't take long to explain it and slowly Freed nodded his agreement.

"As you wish, my prince. We'll wait on the other side for any survivors."

"I don't expect there to be any," Juudai said. He saw no reason not to crush every single one of them, right down to the roots. The only exceptions would be any he knew had been brainwashed. With the Light banished from Kuragari, they would be freed. "But just in case, that's not a bad idea."

The army packed up and headed out in the first light of morning while Juudai and his guards made their own plans. Featherman took to the skies to scout out the army, returning far too soon for Juudai's taste.

"They're on the way and they'll be here within a day. That's all the time we have to set things up."

"Can we slow them down?" Juudai wanted to know. There had to be time for the army to get out of the way and to evacuate the small villages in the immediate area.

Featherman glanced at Bubbleman and Clayman. "What do you two think?"

The warriors of earth and water exchanged a quick glance, then nodded in unison. Bubbleman snickered.

"I hear that entire Army likes to wear white armor. I wonder how easy that is to get mud off of."

"We'll find out." Clayman replied with a low, rich chuckle. "The sooner we get started, the better."

The two of them took off, while Juudai started to work on the rest of his plan. He couldn't do as much as he wanted until the invading army was where he wanted them to be, but what he could do was warn the miners and the villagers to get out of the way as fast as they could. What happened when the Army got in position wasn't going to be good for anyone caught in the way.

For the span of time he had left to him, Juudai wished that he could see what Bubbleman and Clayman actually did. Hearing it wasn't a problem, because they weren't in any way quiet about it. He just wasn't in a position to see it with his own eyes.

But what he heard was more than enough to give him some lovely mental images.

Clayman struck first, his power over earth cracking the ground in front of the invaders, opening a huge gorge virtually underneath their feet. It wasn't very deep, perhaps two handspans at the most, enough to bury most of them to their knees and a few to their waist, depending on their species. The few who could fly stayed above it, tugging at their companions, but there wasn't any way that they could get them out of there.

Not at all before Bubbleman struck, sending a wave of water rising up from the nearby river and pouring over them. At least a third of the Army of Light perished then and there, either by drowning or injuries.

"That should keep them in place long enough, my prince," Bubbleman reported as he and Clayman returned to Juudai's location. He expected at least a little time to rest, but just in case Ancient Elf decided to send out someone to see what was going on, he didn't make a particular camp. He'd rest in the shadows, where few could harm him.

"Thanks, guys." Juudai grinned at them, trying not to show how tired he was getting. He hadn't slept since they'd left the palace and all the travel and work was starting to get to him.

Yubel rested a hand on his shoulder. "The Elemental Heroes can see to it that those villages and miners that we haven't reached yet are alerted to what's going on. There aren't many of them left."

Featherman took a long look at Juudai, then nodded. "Yubel's right. You need your rest more than anything else. You're going to be doing more work than any of us once they're in position."

Juudai wasn't going to argue that point at all. If they chose to let him sleep, then he'd take the chance. He found the nearest patch of shadows, sank right into them, and in moments was in one of the deepest slumbers he'd ever had, safe under Yubel's attention.

He came out of it some hours later, to find the Heroes all gathered together, murmuring among themselves, with Yubel only a step or two away from him, a nervous twitch in their wings.

The idea of something that could make Yubel nervous didn't set well with him at all.

"What's going on?"

They turned toward him and it was Sparkman who spoke. "I took a look at the army. I wanted to see just how much damage Clayman and Bubbleman did and how close they were to getting where we need them to be."

Juudai nodded. There was more to this than just a simple scouting run.

"They have Johan, Juudai."

No sooner had the words been spoken than a cold, distant feeling dropped over Juudai. He rose all the way to his feet.

"I'm going to go get him."

Yubel reached a hand out to him. "Juudai, it's a trap. It must be. Why else would they take him?"

"I don't care." Juudai pulled his armor together from the shadows once more. This was personal now. The idea of them abducting Johan, doing who knew what to him, maybe even brainwashing him, maybe killing him when they didn't need him anymore…

Juudai could not, would not, accept that.

"They're not going to go anywhere for a while yet. I can get in, take him, and get out of there. I won't be long." He didn't want any of them going with him. This was a mission for him alone.

Yubel started to spread their wings but Juudai shook his head. "I'll be all right."

"I don't care." Yubel stared down at him. "I'm going with you."

Juudai held back a sigh. He loved Yubel with every ounce of his heart and soul, but they could be as stubborn as...as… as he was.

"You may need help to get through the guards. Someone should go with you," Featherman pointed out. Juudai sighed all the way this time.

"All right. We'll be back soon." If he had to blow up the army right where it was, instead of waiting for the right location, then to save Johan, he absolutely would.

Getting to where the Army of Light camped out – against their will thanks to Bubbleman and Clayman's actions – wasn't too difficult. Juudai jumped from shadow to shadow, Yubel only a breath behind, and saw not even a single guard on duty when he stepped out of them for the brief span of time he needed to in order to find the next patch of darkness.

In later times, looking back with more experience, he suspected that should've tipped him off that something wasn't right.

As it was, he made his way to their control area without seeing anyone. A small circle of tents, each one with their own guard, stood around a roaring fire, and for

the first time, Juudai saw Ancient Elf, the one who led this army.

I should just kill him right now. Such a thing would end the war quickly and if it weren't for Yubel's restraining hand, he might well have done so.

No, Juudai. Yubel's words whispered deep into his mind, on a level only he could hear or understand. It's too close. But there's something wrong here.

He frowned, wanting to know what was on their mind. He couldn't bring himself to speak, not knowing if the minions of the Light could hear him or not.

I should be able to sense Johan's presence. His power is as clear as yours. But I don't.

The ice of fear and anger cemented itself deep within Juudai and he turned his attention to the circle of tents and those who sat around the crackling fires.

If they've hurt him, I don't care how close we are or anyone else is, I'm bringing all of this down.

Yubel said nothing at all, but he could feel the disappointment in their mind, and promised himself to explain it all when they were out of here with Johan.

Tiny tendrils of shadow crept into each tent as Juudai and Yubel passed by it. As soon as he could assure himself that Johan wasn't in there, Juudai moved on.

He'd checked on all but the last, the one that Ancient Elf himself inhabited, by the pure white splendor of it. Juudai made a face before he slipped his questing shadow tendril in there. He drew it out again almost as fast, wincing at how bright it was in there, but also gathering his resolve.

He cast a quick look to Yubel, nodding, and wasn't surprised to see Yubel shaking their head.

No sense of him at all, Juudai. There is someone. It isn't Johan.

Juudai set his jaw and turned back to the tent. He'd come this far. He wasn't going to turn back now.

Finding a shadow on the other side wasn't easy. But with all that light, there couldn't not be a shadow somewhere and he found Johan's own shadow, a tiny little thing that he emerged out of and turned, hoping that Johan wouldn't make any noise on seeing him.

It wasn't Johan.

To Be Continued

Notes: Juudai's armor here is more or less what he wears in season three. Just without as many Spikes of Villainy.