Cecil was having trouble breathing. He'd been feeling sluggish for weeks, and the ever-present pain in his chest seemed to be getting worse. The doctor seemed to be at a loss; there had been a lot of blood, but his symptoms didn't seem much different from a cold's. He prescribed several herbs for infections and lung problems and sent for Erika to take him to his room.

He was barely conscious through all of this; he wouldn't have understood regardless, but Sheila did, and Sheila listened carefully. She had been lurking in the depths of his consciousness since Athene had confronted her, guilt and shame filling her with self-hatred. She knew it was too late for Cecil, no matter what she did, but she still struggled to come to terms with the choice she'd made.

I know... I know that Cecil will die no matter what I do. The only difference would have been whether he died now, or died in a few years after losing everyone he cares about. That's why I decided to end it now, to save at least Livi... But that doesn't mean it was a justified choice.

As a mother, she understood that Livi meant more to her than Cecil did. She loved Cecil, she was part of him, but he wasn't hers either. That only made her feel worse.

Have I chosen to kill another child in my own child's place? Is that all it is? Will I willingly kill another woman's little boy just to save my own?

If I have... is that so wrong?

She didn't know. And as soon as Cecil began to cough up blood, she realized she didn't have the luxury to dwell on the past. She had made her choice, and now she had to go through with it.

Cecil didn't have much longer, after all, and Livi was still in danger.


Violetta hurried through the passage in the castle wall, running her hands along the stones as she searched for the concealed door that she knew was somewhere nearby. Lilian and the others followed in silence, nerves on high alert for the sound of any guards or soldiers on patrol.

"Here, found it," Violetta said suddenly, her fingernails catching in a thin groove between the mortar. She pushed the wall hard, at an angle, and the door slid out of sight, leaving a very thin opening out into fresh air. A bit of sunlight shone through, and all three of the former prisoners had to shield their eyes against it.

"Where do we go from here?" Talea asked.

"Away from the palace," Violetta said simply. "There's still the moat to cross, but there's a blind spot near the woods where you can swim across without the guards on the wall noticing you. Get to the other side, and hide in the city somewhere until the battle is over."

"I thought the battle was outside the city?" Rosalind asked, looking nervous.

"It is, but it won't be for long," Violetta said grimly. "The Royal Guard will be flying its true colors tomorrow."

"You're not betraying His Majesty?!" Talea cried, shocked.

"No, the opposite," she said proudly. "I'm returning to his service. He's leading the invasion."

Talea looked confused, but before she could ask, Violetta pushed her through the opening.

"No time to explain, just go! If you want His Majesty to be able to act freely, you need to get out of the castle, now!"

She didn't give the noblewoman time to reply. She pushed Lilian and Rosalind after her and began to pull the door shut.

"Sister! Be careful!" Lilian called in an urgent whisper.

"I will, stay safe," Violetta replied. A moment later, the wall returned to its usual appearance, as if there had never been a door there at all.


That night, it rained throughout the capital.

It was a gentle, warm rain that soaked through clothes and clung to one's skin. It pattered quietly on the cobblestones, filling the air with longing and grief. Without stopping, without letting up, the rain fell all through the night, murmuring the names of all who had fallen in the battle.

Kara and Nike took turns singing, but neither left Kitra's side. He had been laid out on a mat in the center of camp with the other dead, his brown hair lank and wet, his clothes bloodied and torn. Nike had closed his eyes and lain his sword over his body, his hands clasped around the hilt. Had it not been for rigor mortis or the terrible wound in his abdomen, he might have looked like he was only sleeping.

I'm sorry, Kitra... You died for me, Nike wept, her tears mingling with the rain on his face as Kara's haunting lament threaded through the air. She swept his hair away from his cheeks, trying not to look down at the wound. You only came to the mainland to fight for me, for me and Thena... If I'd stayed home... If only we'd stayed home!

"Nike..."

Falaha's hand rested gently on Nike's shoulder, but she didn't look up.

"I know what you're thinking," Falaha said quietly. "You're blaming yourself. You're thinking, 'If only I'd moved faster, or beaten my opponent, or never come at all...' But that's not true, Nike. Kitra... no, all of us... we all knew this was going to be dangerous. We're all prepared to die out here."

"He... he was against coming back," Nike said, her voice shaking. "He wanted us all to stay in the Duchy... to forget about Livi and the Sun Kingdom... If we had...!"

"If you hadn't come, you would have regretted it for the rest of your life," Falaha said firmly. "It was the same when you were in the Sand Empire all those years ago. I remember... Without the Sun King, you're lost, Nike. And without you, this country, as well as its king, would fall to pieces. I've seen it happen these past three years. You need each other. For yourselves, and for the sake of the people of this kingdom, you had to come back. Kitra knew this, deep down, you know he did."

"I..."

"Nike! Listen to me!" Falaha knelt in the mud next to her, and Nike saw her flinch slightly at her injury. Still, she took hold of Nike's shoulders and forced her to face her. "You probably don't know this, but the Sun Kingdom has been in decline since you left. Prince Irada is concerned; some of the laws His Majesty passed when you were young were overturned. The caste system is being reinstated, the Sun Priests are regaining their power. Money is being diverted from public works and back into plans for war and lining aristocratic pockets. If you hadn't come back, the Sun King wouldn't have been able to do anything about it. You're giving this kingdom a chance, you're giving them hope. Why do you think the militia haven't mobilized against us in the Outer City? They know their queen is back, and they're riding their futures on you and on us. The only reason they haven't joined us is probably out of fear for His Majesty; they don't know you're working together. You're the Empress of the mainland; isn't it your sworn duty to protect the people?"

"But if we lose..."

"There's no time to worry about what might happen. Keep fighting to the very last, or Kitra's death really will have been in vain. Make it mean something, Nike; that's all we can do for him now."


There was nothing he could say or do to ease Nike's grief. Livi watched the rain fall over her and Kara until neither of them had the strength to continue singing. Even then the rain didn't stop, so Livi left the shelter of the tent to get them out of the rain.

"Come on," he said softly, putting a hand on Kara's shoulder. "You need to rest and dry off."

She didn't reply, merely continued to stare at Kitra's body in numb silence. Livi took her hand and pulled her up, draping her arm around his shoulder. She put up no resistance, merely slumped against him, and he helped her to the tent. Once she was out of the cold, he returned for Nike.

"Nike, come," he said. She shook her head.

"I have to stay," she replied, her voice hoarse.

"You can't, you'll catch ill."

"It doesn't matter."

"It does," he said firmly. "You're the commander of this army. We need you to lead us."

He thought she might argue, but she didn't. She let him lead her away.


"Captain Rootwick, sir!"

"Lieutenant Bayreuth," Violetta acknowledged loudly over the sound of the rain. Garta Bayreuth saluted from the front of the gathered troops.

"My father will not change his allegiance," he replied. "He is a stubborn man, and he will not change sides unless His Majesty himself commands it."

"I am aware," Violetta said, her hands clasped behind her back. "If all goes well, His Majesty will soon be free to act. But in order for that to happen, we must open the gates for the army."

Several soldiers muttered, but Violetta held up her hand to silence them.

"Choose to believe what you will, but I am loyal only to the crown. I only bow to King Livius and Queen Nike, not to an ambitious dog who would threaten the stability of this kingdom," she barked, eyes flashing.

"Is it true then, sir?" one of the other lieutenants asked, her voice hardly containing her excitement. "Is Queen Nike truly among us?"

"...She is. I've seen her with my own eyes. If you have any doubts, all you need to clear them is to see the clouds above your heads and the drops of rain on your faces."

The Royal Guard burst into excited whispers. Good, they retained their loyalty for the princess.

"Silence!" she called. "What we do today will be dangerous. We are not a battalion, and we are severely outnumbered until the moment we can get General Bayreuth on our side. We will be fighting our own men this morning, and we may lose many lives. However, what we do, we do for the sake of this country. We are the Sun Kingdom's final line of defense! We are His Majesty's Royal Guard! It is our duty and our pride to lay down our lives and offer our swords to protect him! Pro populo, pro rex, pro patria! For the people, for the king, for the country!"

"Pro populo, pro rex, pro patria!" the men cried in the common tongue.

"To the front lines!" she shouted.

"Yes, sir!" As one, the troops saluted her and began to march from the gates. Bard hurried toward her from the castle.

"Violetta! I brought him," he wheezed as he reached her. Yoru chirped from his perch on Bard's head, and Violetta held out her arm for the golden bird.

"Perfect. Yoru, I need you to get this to His Majesty," she explained, holding up a small leather canister. "Can you find him?"

The bird hooted in the affirmative and stuck out his leg obediently. She tied the canister to it.

"Go, hurry, while the rain still offers you good cover."

Yoru nodded, spread his wings, and took off.

"Bard, I still need you to do one more thing for me."

"What is it?" he asked.

"Get the Dainer boy out of the castle without the Earl noticing."

"Oh yes, and would you like me to turn myself into a cat while I'm at it?" he said sarcastically.

"If you don't get him out, all this is for nothing," she warned. "Don't fail me this time." Before he could reply, she lifted herself up into her saddle and rode off.


At some point in the early morning, the small vigil in the queen's tent was startled by the sound of a loud shout. Kara and Nike hardly seemed to notice, but Livi immediately got to his feet and hurried to see what the commotion was about. He almost ran headfirst into Neil, who looked positively frantic.

"Neil?! What in the world?!"

"Your Majesty! Urgent- Yoru just arrived- this!" he said, clearly out of breath. He held out a small leather canister and Livi immediately took it. He opened the end and pulled out a roll of parchment.

Your Majesty, The hostages have been freed. The Royal Guard will open the gates for you from the inside. Prepare your army immediately. Violetta

"Gather the troops," he said as soon as he finished reading. "We're storming the gate, now."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Neil said.

"Livi?" Nike asked, confused. "What happened?"

"Here," he said, tossing her the message. As she and Kara read it, he rummaged in the crates stacked against the walls until he found his pistol and his chainmail.

"You're coming with us?" Nike asked as Kara got to her feet and ran from the tent without a word.

"Yeah, if Talea and Cecil are no longer in Dainer's custody, there's no reason for me to sit around anymore," he said, pulling the mail over his shirt. Outside, they could hear the sounds of soldiers being roused and swords being sharpened.

"Will you command?" she asked. She looked exhausted, and Livi felt a stirring of guilt. He walked over to her and cupped her face, kissing her nose gently.

"No. I wish I could let you rest and grieve properly, but we still need you. This is your army, love. My men are inside those walls, not out here. Those are the men I'll command. Ginitarix needs to be retaken by both of us, together."

She nodded, and though she looked ready to collapse, there was a fierceness in her eyes.

"This ends today," she said firmly.

"It ends today," he agreed.

She pulled his hands away from her face and made for the tent flap. "Livi... don't die out there. I'm still not done being angry at you," she said seriously.

"I didn't think you were," he grinned slightly. "Well, I don't mind. I deserve anything you have planned for me. So make sure you stay alive too, dear wife."

"I'm not dying before I've cut Dainer down with my own two hands," she said, and Livi knew she was thinking of Kitra as her hand clenched the pommel of her rapier tightly.


Something was wrong. Grey couldn't put his finger on it, but the castle seemed oddly quiet. His instincts on high alert, it didn't take him long to find the source of his uneasiness.

He headed straight for his uncle's office and pounded on the door impatiently.

"Come in," came the familiar drawl.

"Uncle," he said, bowing stiffly before the Earl's desk. "We have a situation."

"Did the army break through the gate?" Dainer asked immediately.

"Not that I know of, sir. But it is equally dire. The Royal Guard has marched."

"Marched? What do you mean?!"

"Before dawn this morning, Captain Rootwick gathered her men and persuaded them to turn traitor on us. They've left to aid the Rain Duchy's forces."

"WHAT?!"

"It gets worse," Grey said grimly. "Your daughter has escaped."

Dainer slammed his hands on the table, his dark eyes glowering.

"She's been nothing but a thorn in my side, the bloody girl! I'll punish her thoroughly for this! What about the boy?" he barked.

"He's also missing, sir."

The Earl hissed through his clenched teeth. Grey would have been amused, had he not also confirmed that Princess Nike truly was leading the enemy. He had no intention of telling his uncle that the woman he'd let live had come back to tear apart his carefully laid plans.

"Still, there's no chance of them getting through the city with the small numbers they're commanding," he muttered, mostly to himself. "Even the addition of the Royal Guard won't be enough to turn the tables... So why do something so desperate...? Unless..." He frowned. "How did my daughter escape?"

"We aren't sure, sir, but we believe Captain Rootwick set her free."

"In which case, she may have done it on a whim, or...," he paused. "Grey," he said sharply.

"Yes, sir?"

"There's a change of plans. We'll be needing your expertise after all."


Though she'd been fighting non-stop for days and hadn't slept a wink, Nike didn't feel tired. She didn't even feel the wound in her shoulder, though she wasn't able to use her shield arm at all. There was a hot anger in her chest, fueling every movement as she fought her way up to the gate, Kara playing Kitra's part as her second in command. The two sisters worked as one, covering one another and launching themselves into battle with a fury that Nike could only compare to the strongest storms she'd summoned. The rain continued to fall over them, drenching their tunics and obscuring their vision, but it didn't seem to matter to Nike. She merely pressed forward, letting her emotions carry her from one fight to the next.

She couldn't tell what Livi was doing, or if Luna was managing the cavalry well in the mud. She didn't know why arrows weren't flying at them like usual, and she didn't care. The gate was the only thing that mattered, and when it opened, as promised, the battle wore on.

A strange sound filled the air, but she didn't immediately notice it. She cut down the woman she'd been fighting and turned to face her next opponent, only to falter when she realized no one else was moving.

The sound came again, a loud, deep noise that she suddenly recognized as a horn. It was coming from the top of the wall.

That's... the call for surrender... isn't it? she thought dimly, trying to remember the signals she'd been taught for the Sun Kingdom's army.

She looked up; the rain was beginning to clear, so she could see a faint figure standing at the top of the wall. She was too far to tell who it was, but a moment later a different noise began to echo over the city. It grew louder and louder, until all the Sun Kingdom's men were shouting it at the top of their lungs, around them.

"What are they saying?" Kara called loudly, trying to be heard over the din. Nike listened intently.

"It's the common tongue," she shouted back. "Pro... patria...?"

"What does that mean?" her sister asked. But Nike didn't answer, she could hear the rest of the chant now.

"PRO PATRIA, PRO REX, PRO REGINA! FOR THE COUNTRY, FOR THE KING, FOR THE QUEEN!"

Livi.


Notes:

I don't speak Latin so I'm making my best guess for these, ha. I thought about using Japanese instead, since I've previously used Japanese for the common tongue, but Latin just seemed to fit better.

This chapter is setting up for the events of the next chapter, which is probably going to be a really long one and pretty much the climax of the story. Start placing your bets, ladies and gentlemen. I'll write a one-shot of your choosing for the person who can accurately guess all the characters that die.