Same disclaimer.

Planning is essential in war. You might think that obvious, but it goes much deeper. I hadn't thought much about it before, given that until very recently I had been a mere foot soldier. Now I commanded an entire army, and I needed more than simple skill in battle. Fortunately, I had Shu and Apple to help me organize the troops.

"Okay, that takes care of the fortifications," I said. "Now we get into organizing offensive units."

Shu nodded. "I placed Culgan and Seed under Jowy, he could use Seed's magic blocking abilities."

"Good thinking. Apple, I want you to keep the elder Dragoons in reserve. I don't think we should reveal their capabilities just yet." Apple nodded. I turned to Shu. "Put Tuta and Nanami under Luc, and Shin and Jeanne with Teresa."

"An excellent idea. Jeanne has some skill with lightning magic."

I stretched. "I need a break. This is making my head spin."

Shu smiled. "Of course, Lord Julian. A leader shouldn't overwork."

I strolled around Dragon Castle, eventually winding up in the kitchen, which was unusually crowded. Hai Yo, Bolgan, Apple, and Jowy stood facing a visiting chef. In contrast to Hai Yo's bright yellow outfit, the stranger wore mostly gray.

The chef said, "I heard the famous Hai Yo was here! My name is Yu Kum. I challenge you to a cooking contest! If you win, I will give you this family recipe!"

Hai Yo glanced around, finally spotting me. "Lord Julian, what should I do?"

I grinned. "Let's try it out. This should be interesting."

Two cooking tables were brought out, one for each team, then a megaphone-equipped announcer stepped up. "Welcome to our first cooking contest! I will be your host. My name is Fu Tan Chen." He gestured grandly. "First, let me introduce the judges. Centuries ago, she was the Black Monster, and before that, she fought in the Dragon Campaign. It's Rose! He's a powerful sorcerer with a good face, but a bad personality. It's Leknaat's pupil, Luc!" Luc sniffed disdainfully. "He's a real carnivore. From the Forest of Ryube, it's Shiro!" I laughed; Shiro would need someone to hold the paddle for him. "Another forest dweller, and a lover of fish, it's Kinnison! These four will be judging today's contest."

"What should we cook?" Hai Yo whispered.

I considered. "No vegetables, otherwise Shiro will hate it. How about chowder, grilled fish, and ice cream. That should satisfy everyone."

"Got it."

Thirty minutes later, all was ready. "Well, it looks like they're finished," the host said. "First, the challenger's appetizer: tomato soup." Rose: one, Luc: one, Kinnison: one, and Shiro: zero, (predictably). "Oh, that's rough. Next, the champion's appetizer: chowder." Rose: three, Luc: four, Kinnison: four, Shiro: four. "We've got some pretty good scores here. Next, the challenger's main course: fried fish balls." Rose: three, Luc: three, Kinnison: four, Shiro: four. "We've got some pretty good scores here. Next, the champion's main course: grilled fish." Rose: four, Luc: four, Kinnison: five, Shiro: five. "Great scores! Now, let's see how they liked the challenger's dessert: Rice omelet." Rose: three, Luc: two, Kinnison: two, Shiro: one. "Not very high scores, huh? Last, the champion's dessert: ice cream." Rose: four, Luc: three, Kinnison: four, Shiro: three. "We've got some pretty good scores here." Fu Tan Chen raised his megaphone. "And the winner is…the champion! Our army chef, Hai Yo!"

Leaving Hai Yo to accept his prize, I wandered into the library, finding (inevitably) Albert and Syuveil, poring over ancient manuscripts Alex had found in his travels. I left them to it; I needed to see Templeton. He was easily found, standing in the back with Emilia.

"Lord Julian," he greeted me. "Do you want to see the map?"

I nodded, and he stepped aside. Templeton was very thorough; every place I could think of, from the ruins of Toto to my hometown of Kyaro, was accurately marked. Dragon Castle, South Window, Radat, Tinto, Crom, Tigermouth, Drakemouth, Kuskus, all to scale. "Very impressive."

He smiled. "Thanks. Oh, yeah, Shu's called a meeting in the war room."

"On my way."

Shu was waiting in the war room, with Viktor, Flik, Apple, Jess, Dart, and Zieg. Judging by his expression, I would be able to avoid bad news for once. "Ah, Lord Julian. You're just in time."

"What's up?"

He started his briefing, "O five cities and one kingdom in the City-State, South Window has been destroyed, and Muse and Greenhill are under Highland control. We have somehow managed to protect Two River, but Tinto is closed to us. Therefore, I believe we should forge a bond with the only Alliance member left, the Knightdom of Matilda. Do you agree?"

I nodded. "Makes sense. I'm not sure if I can persuade Gorudo, though. He's got all the charm of a piranha, and the moral sense of a werewolf. Worth a try, though."

Shu said, "Excellent. Whom will you take along?"

"Viktor, Flik, Nanami, Jowy, and Wakaba." I referred to a young female warrior we had run into in the Forest Village, on the way home from Greenhill. "Also a small contingent of troops, just in case the Royal Army shows up."

"Very well. Be careful, Lord Julian. You belong to all of us, now."

Getting to the Matilda Path was a little tricky, as we had to sneak past Greenhill along the way. Once there, the going was easier, thanks to directions from a man named Badeaux, who spotted me as an animal lover right away. He left for the castle, saying he could find it without help.

Halfway through, I stopped in my tracks. A young woman, about sixteen, had appeared out of nowhere, almost giving me a heart attack. "What the!?"

She looked around. "Wha? Where am I?"
I shook myself. "The City-State of Jowston."

That got her attention. "Can I go back? Or…" She looked at me. "Um…could I stay at your place for a while?"

"Uh…sure."

"Thanks." She vanished, then reappeared. "Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Viki, I specialize in 'Blinking Magic'. In other words, I teleport people."

"Then you'd better use that power, if you want to get to the castle. It's pretty far to the south," I answered.

"Okay." Viki vanished again. Why do I seem to attract weirdoes?

At the end of the path, we were met by a small group of knights. "You are Lord Julian?" the leader said. "I am Miklotov, Captain of the Blue Knights. I have been sent to greet you."

Nanami piped up, "Hey, it's the same guy we met in Muse!"
Miklotov frowned. "Met in Muse? Ah, at Jowston Hill. I apologize for that, but at the time I had no idea of the man Lord Julian would become."

I shook my head, chuckling a little. "Neither did I. Don't worry about it."

He nodded. "Come. I will escort you to Rockaxe Castle."

Rockaxe was much larger than Dragon Castle; no surprise, really, since until recently Dragon castle had been under Neclord's control. Despite the larger population, morale appeared low; I don't like to brag, but I was obviously a better leader than Gorudo. One point in our favor was that we recruited Wakaba's teacher, Long-Chan-Chan.

Gorudo was just as dour and unpleasant as I remembered him. "You are Lord Julian? The rumors of your defeat of Highland must be an exaggeration at best." Jowy tensed. "We sent troops to Muse but they surrendered first, like cowards!" Nanami bristled. "I say this because, like Muse, you are the leader of a small army, futilely battling Highland. Camus, show Lord Julian and his party to their room to rest, then escort them to the border. Our business is done."

Outside our room, Camus apologized for his lord. "Don't let it get to you, Lord Julian." He waved at the door. "This will be your room. Sleep well."

I'm amazed I got any sleep; Leknaat showed up in the middle of the night to give encouragement. The next morning, we almost collided with Camus, who was obviously in a hurry. "Sorry, we're in a rush."

We followed him into the throne room, to find Miklotov pleading with his lord for troops.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"The Highland Army has appeared at the border," Camus replied. "We're mobilizing our troops to respond. What will you do?"

"I'll go, too," I said at once. "I can't just let innocents die."
"Be careful, Lord Julian," Camus said. "You don't have many troops to spare."

"I understand."

The force that ultimately reached the Muse-Matilda border was quite large; large enough to deal with any Highland units that got too close. Jowy and Nanami stuck close to me, as usual. Flik had had the presence of mind to bring some Fire Spears along, for just this sort of occurrence.

I frowned. "What are they doing? Surely they don't expect to beat us with so few troops."

"I don't think we're the one's they're after," Jowy muttered. "Look. There's a whole bunch of refugees heading this way."

"And judging by the banner, Luca Blight's here in person, just great!" I spun around. "Lord Gorudo! If you value your knights' honor, help those people! We're going in, with or without your support!" I turned to my own people. "Let's go."

"Lord Gorudo, we must help them!" Miklotov's voice.

"We'll do no such thing. Hold your position, Miklotov," Gorudo snapped.

We were soon too far away to hear any more. Two Highland cavalry units were in our path, but they were concentrating on the Muse refugees. We hit them from behind, annihilating both groups. That woke up General Kiba's unit; he placed himself squarely between us and the remaining refugees.

"Flik, use the Fire Spears!" I yelled. Flik complied, but they had little effect. "Flik! What happened?"

Flik swore. "Either Kiba or Klaus anticipated that move! Their defenses are too strong!"

"Blast it!!" I watched helplessly as Luca's personal unit surrounded and captured the refugees. We returned to the border, where I immediately confronted Gorudo. "Gorudo, how dare you call yourself a lord, after sitting by and letting a sadist like Luca Blight imprison helpless innocents! Is that what you call 'knights' honor'!?"

"Silence!" Gorudo snarled. "It was outside our territory. We had no right to interfere."

That didn't sit well with Miklotov. As soon as we got back to Rockaxe, he turned around and headed for the border, saying he would find out what was happening in Muse. I wished him luck; knowing what I did about Luca, I knew that whatever was happening wasn't good.

We were on our way out of the castle when Camus stopped us. "Lord Julian, I cannot leave. I must stay here and attend to Lord Gorudo's capricious commands. You have more freedom of movement. I beg of you, please protect Miklotov."

I nodded. "Don't worry. We'll make sure he gets back alive."

Our trip to the border was slightly delayed; in Highway Village, we found ourselves helping a pair named Humphrey and Futch rescue some kid from the mountains. Apparently, Futch was a former Dragon Knight, which suggested some interesting possibilities. On our successful rescue of the boy, with the defeat of a creature called a Harpy, Futch got a new dragon. He and Humphrey agreed to join us shortly thereafter.

We caught up with Miklotov at the border crossing. "Lord Julian, are you going to Muse as well?"

"That's right," I said.

He stepped forward. "In that case, may I come with you? I fear I may not make it alone."

"Certainly." I smiled. "Whatever Gorudo may think, I believe you're right about Luca. I know all too well."

"Thank you."

We faced no opposition between the checkpoint and Muse. It was as though Luca had decided that the area wasn't worth garrisoning. That can't be right. Luca's sadistic, but he isn't stupid. What's going on here?

"Something's not right here," Wakaba said, echoing my own thoughts. "Why haven't we seen any troops?"

"Whatever the reason, it's sure to be bad," Viktor muttered. "Nothing Luca does will surprise me."

We soon got an answer. A huge cloud of blue smoke erupted from the back of the city. It quickly resolved into the form of a two-headed wolf. The image faded, but remained engraved in all of our minds.

"What on earth…?" Miklotov gasped.

As I had unfortunately expected, Muse was deserted. No signs of life, not even animals. The shops were all locked, showing every sign of looting by Highland soldiers. The houses were completely empty, the furniture covered in dust.

"Not another ghost town," Jowy moaned.

"Please help me!" A civilian ran up to us and collapsed. A group of soldiers came behind him, and were quickly dispatched.

Miklotov knelt. "What happened!?"

"My family…wife…children…everyone…fed to…a silver monster." The man died after that last word.

Miklotov straightened. "How dare he!! Luca Blight will pay for this!!"

Flik glanced hurriedly around. "Let's get out of here before more troops show up."

We made it back to Rockaxe in three days, to the relief of Camus. Having no time to chat, Miklotov charged into Gorudo's chamber, breathing hard. "Lord Gorudo, please let me take our troops, or at least my Blue Knight Squadron, and attack Luca Blight. The Highlanders gathered all the people of Muse and the surrounding villages, and sacrificed them in some bizarre ritual! It was a massacre!"

"Silence!" Gorudo snapped. "Did you actually see this massacre?"

Miklotov hesitated. "No, but we know they captured everyone!"

"Do you wish to break your oath!?"

"My oath…" Something changed in the Blue Knight's face. "For a knight…to break his oath, that is the highest disgrace, but…I am…I am a Human first and a Knight second! I reject your oath! I resign myself to your disgrace!" With that, Miklotov tore the emblem from his uniform.

As Gorudo stared in disbelief, Camus walked in. "Miklotov's just upset. Give him some time to cool off."

Gorudo found his voice. "Camus! Just in time! Arrest this traitor!"

Camus arched one eyebrow. "Arrest Miklotov? I can't do that." He, too, removed the emblem of Matilda. "I guess I'm breaking my oath, too. I cannot obey."

"Camus," Miklotov whispered.

Camus turned to me. "Lord Julian, please allow Miklotov and me to join the Dragon Army. We are no longer Knights, but we still have our hearts and our skills. Surely they will aid you." A large number of both Blue and Red knights followed their example.

I smiled and shook hands with Camus and Miklotov. "Of course. Gorudo may have refused, but you and your friends are the next best thing. Let's get out of here before your former lord gets over the shock."

Outside the castle, Camus paused. "Miklotov, you go ahead with Lord Julian. I'm going to try and persuade more knights to join us. Although I hate counseling them to treason…"

"We'll see you at the border," I said. "Be careful, Camus."

The seven of us made it to the forest path without incident. Nanami sighed. "I'm so tired of running away."

A Blue Knight ran up. "Lord Miklotov! A large force is chasing us!"

Nanami spun around, seeing a familiar figure coming our way. "Shu! Thank God! Now we can win!"

Shu smiled. "I doubt you'll need us. Take a closer look at your pursuers."

Take a closer look we did, and our "pursuers" turned out to be Camus and a bunch of knights. "Sorry we're late, Miklotov."

Miklotov stared. "Camus? What's with all these people?"

"They share our disgust for Gorudo's methods. About half the Blue and Red Knights have decided to join us."

Shu stepped forward. "You must be Lord Camus and Lord Miklotov. I am Shu, the Dragon Army's strategist." He turned to me. "I don't know how much longer we can evade the Greenhill Army. Let's get back to Dragon Castle."

We got home without much trouble, being able to travel openly when we reached Two River. The sudden arrival of such a huge influx of troops was a major morale booster; having seen Miklotov in action, I knew that the men's jubilation was thoroughly justified. Now we can fight Highland on even terms.

Miklotov gazed in wonder at the castle. "This place is amazing. It may be smaller than Rockaxe, but there is a certain magnificence."

I shrugged. "It's still being renovated. Maybe it seems better because of our purpose. Gorudo is an idiot, he only cares about his own land, and he thinks Luca will never take him on. We're fighting for our lives and freedom. A bit more noble, don't you think?"

The knights quickly made themselves at home, as I knew they would. I went up to my room, intent on getting some rest before the next disaster. But then, maybe there won't be a next disaster. We're getting more people all the time. Soon, we'll be able to match Luca's army. I drifted off to sleep.

Author's note: I hope this is better than the previous chapter. The next one will definitely have some action to it; I'm getting close to where Kiba and Klaus defect. I'm afraid I won't be able to include the events in Tinto; aside from the fact that you get some more characters and take out Neclord, I know nothing about it. Rest assured, Neclord will show up again. In case you didn't notice, Camus and Miklotov are two of my favorites. Thanks for the reviews. D.S.