Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognize
A/N: Thanks a lot to all of those who reviewed and to Ally Serenity for betaing this chapter
Chapter Twenty-Eight
The following hours were a blur to Lily. She practically could not remember anything that had happened after Voldemort's ultimatum, only small glimpse… A woman collapsing, others crying, Albus worried face, the grim look of the King. She was in shock and would have fallen on the ground, trembling if two strong hands had not held her up. The pair of hands were gentle and tried to coax her into walking, but Lily could not move. Two days! What could she do!
She felt a little shake but could not register it from the confused parts of her mind. She felt herself being carried away in the pair of strong arms, which made her feel… safe, safer than she had ever felt. A part of her mind knew she was now on a couch and she started to come out slowly out of her stunned state as someone was brushing softly her hair, appeasing her. Then her hand was grabbed and she immediately recognized this touch…
"James"
James was looking worried at the young redhead. She seemed to be in shock; something that frightened him to no end. She was so controlled, always ready to face anything, prepared for everything, but it seemed that even she had limits. He tried to make her move or break her shell-shocked state, to no avail. Looking around and seeing no other solution, he got closer and scooped her in his arms, carrying her into the castle. He could sense the others following him and did not stop. Once inside, he saw his mother. Smiling, the Queen waved at him but stopped as soon as she saw whom he was holding. She was at his side immediately.
"What happened!"
"Long story mother, where can I lay her down?"
"Come, there's a couch right there."
He carefully laid her on the couch, touching her as he would have touched fragile crystal. She hadn't moved, her eyes still glazed were fixed on the ceiling. Sitting on the arm of the couch, he passed his fingers through her hair, enjoying the silky touch. He continued his brushing while explaining everything to the Queen.
"The poor girl…"
James sighed, everything seemed to be happening to her, couldn't she get a moment of peace? Still brushing her red strands, he took one of her hands in his and squeezed it gently. He was surprised to feel her squeeze back.
"James"
It was barely a whisper, but James smiled as he heard it.
"Welcome back to the living, Lily."
A weak smile appeared on her lips.
"Sorry about that… I guess it was a little too much for me."
"There is no need to be sorry."
"Thank you for carrying me here."
"You are welcome."
James' warm smile was almost too much for Lily.
"Well, we need to plan."
She sat up and tried to get up, but her legs betrayed her.
"Careful here," James had caught her before she hit the ground.
"Thanks again."
"Lean on me, will you… we do not want you crashing on the floor, do we?"
"Yes, the servants do not like cleaning blood…" added Sirius, smiling at the fact that James was still holding her hand, something which had not gone unnoticed by most of those present.
An arm around her waist, the other hand firmly grasping hers he guided Lily to a chair at the large table. Once she was sat, he took a seat on her left.
"How is the situation?"
"Not good." Albus conjured a 3D map of the castle and its surroundings. "The army is being held in the plains before the castle. From the recent reports I managed to receive from the dragons and the riders who managed to escape, they are locked into magical areas. Apparently Voldemort invoked strong blood Magic to confine them in these areas, forbidding them to leave."
Red spots appeared on the map, showing the restraining areas.
"The dragons are being restrained with magical binds. The whole place is swarming with hydrias, Death-Eaters, dark creatures of all kinds."
"To sum up, we do not have a chance to manage to free them… "
"Well I would not have put it like that," said Bella, "but it is a quite accurate qualification."
They all looked glumly at each other, hoping, despite everything that one of them would come up with a solution.
"I could surrender."
Lily's words echoed in the room only to be met by furious protestations.
"DON NOT even THINK about that Lily!"
"NO WAY!"
"It is out of question!"
"Alright, alright, it was just a thought…" said Lily, holding her hands in an attempt at obtaining calm.
"Don't joke about it," said James, grabbing her hand, "We are not about to give up on you."
"Yes, you will not get rid of us that easily…" added Sirius.
"Then what do you propose?"
"Well…"
"Her idea was not so stupid after all," interrupted a counselor, Sir Dorik.
Only about two thirds of the council had remained loyal to the King. They had been in the cathedral watching the wedding as well, when the attack took place. Most of them were now seated at the table. Their entrance had gone unnoticed.
"What do you mean?" The icy edge of James' voice was clearly perceptible for everyone.
"Do not get me wrong my prince, I did not mean for Lilyaris to surrender, I was merely saying that we could make a diversion of some sort which would distract or disorganize Voldemort's army long enough for us to free our own army. And what better diversion than Lilyaris surrendering herself to the Dark Lord? Moreover, He would have to open a breech in his protections to allow her to enter his camp."
A quiet muttering followed Dorik's declaration.
"One question, Dorik, if Lilyaris acts as a bait, who will be able to break the web of charms locking our men?" Lady Minerva's eyes were piercing the counselor face.
"Who said Lilyaris had to be the bait?"
"But, did not Voldemort…?"
"Surely we can find someone willing to take her place, disguised…"
A heated discussion started, ideas flying back and forth, propositions of all kinds. Lily took little part in this debate, only answering the questions that were asked her way. The day had been draining for her, not physically; she had had worse during her training, but emotionally. The bubble of adrenaline that had kept her going on was dissolving, leaving her quite exhausted. She leaned back on her chair, trying to fight back the drowsiness and sleepiness that were falling over her. While she managed to hold them back for a few moments, they finally overcame, and her eyes closed slowly, sending her into a world of dreams.
James had been watching Lily from the corner of his eyes, and watched with amusement as she tried to no avail not to fall asleep. Once he was sure she was sleeping, he leaned towards his father, whispering in his ear before standing up. He bent over Lily, and took her gently in his arms. She was quite light, and he enjoyed the feel of her body being pressed against his own. As he headed towards the door, she shifted a bit and sighed contently as she nested her head in the crook of his neck. His heart nearly did a summersault at this, and a funny feeling filled him. Silently he carried her out of the room and to her bedroom, after asking a servant where he could find it. As he did so, he was completely unaware of the fact that the conversation now going on in the room he had just left was quite different from the previous one…
The King saw his only son take the young woman in his arm and carry her out of the room. For what it mattered, everyone saw them.
He sighed, his thoughts now far from the current problem. He loved her, that was obvious and from what he would tell and see, the feeling was returned. They were good for each other: each of them had his or her strengths and balanced the other perfectly. Lily was real queen material, much more than any of the noble young women that had been presented to him as potential wives for James, and he had seen quite a few. Nearly every noble who had daughter(s) around James' age had proposed him a betrothal between their descendants, but Regis had always refused to speak for his son, at least concerning this subject. James was not likely to be forced to contract a political marriage to seal an alliance between kingdoms. Tarelys had joined Voldemort and was out of the question, either way; Warad did not have daughters of age. An arranged marriage with Zamia was unlikely. Both countries were long time allies and did not need a marriage to strengthen the bonds between them. As for the Kalesie, none of the daughters of The High Duke Reothal were close to James' age.
Regis had always swore to himself to let his son choose for his bride, had Lily been a noble even if she been part of the smaller house possible he would have them married in a heartbeat; but she wasn't. To him, Lily would make a great queen and he would gladly give them his blessing concerning their union, he knew Dorilys his point of view. They even made a stunning couple, if he was to take their looks into account. It tore him to have to see them together, sharing glances before looking away.
Why did this situation have to be so complicated?
His sigh had not gone unnoticed.
"It is a real shame that she is not of noble blood…" Sir Jason was looking at the door. "She would make a grand wife for the prince."
Words of agreement followed this declaration.
"You know as well as I, that very few members of the court would accept this union, not when they themselves have daughters old enough to marry James."
"Do not be so sure… Moreover, after witnessing the betrayal of some courtiers…" a look of disgust crossed his features. "Well, this idea is not too far fetched. Lilyaris would surely make a greater queen than Elianor of Nearth!"
"If I have my way and if I regain my kingdom, there will not be any Elianor of Nearth left, only plain, simple, common Elianor, who will be charged of floor scrubbing, will be left."
"A fitting punishment, if not a little soft, but a good punishment nonetheless. And for the other nobles, the adults one?"
The King's eyes hardened, no mercy shining through them.
"Jason, you, as well as everyone know the price for high treason."
"Yes, and I do hope you will let me watch."
A bit taken aback by Jason's resentment, The King shrugged it off.
"What had you in mind about Lilyaris?"
"Well, I do not know about the rest of the courtiers, but from my point of view, if you can strip nobles from their titles, what is stopping you from ennobling her?"
All eyes looked at him, first with a you-are-crazy-aren't-you? look, then with a this-isn't-a-so-bad-idea-after-all look.
"Ennoble her…" muttered Regis, more for himself than for the others.
"She has done more for the kingdom than anybody else, should she not get a reward? And then, a lot of lands are going to lose their masters, you will have to entrust them to other landless families."
Everyone remained silent, thinking about this. James' return brought them out of their thoughts.
"She is sleeping." A small smile was still on his lips as he sat down. "Well, where were we?"
They kept on planning their move as carefully as they can, based on what little information they had. Finally a little before midnight, they had finished everything and parted. Just before going to sleep, James went to Lily's room. There he sat on her bed, looking at her, brushing a loose strand of hair out of her face, and admiring her now relaxed features. Leaning forwards he kissed her gently on her forehead, smiling slightly as she sighed happily in her sleep.
He got up and headed straight to his bed where stumbled into a heavy slumber.
Lily woke up early, feeling quite energetic. Then the whole situation came back to her and her mood was quite darkened by this.
She got up quickly, dressed up and went downstairs, straight to the meeting room. She was the first to be up and noticed the 3D map which was still on the table, readings the notes laid on the table, she got a good understanding of what they had come up with and had to admit it was well thought. She noticed two points where she could improve things a bit. Taking a pen, she started to write her suggestions down.
"Already up?"
The voice startled her. She jumped slightly and turned to face the speaker.
The King and the Queen were standing in the doorway, smiling gently at the now quite embarrassed young woman before them.
Lily was aware that her clothes were not exactly the kind of outfits you wore when you were in presence of royalty. She was currently dressed with black, worn out trousers, and old light blue tunic whose sleeves had been rolled up to her shoulders. Her hair was still a bit messy and was cascading freely down to the middle of her back in loose copper curls.
She was about to curtsy but was stopped before she could even start.
"No need to bow to us Lilyaris."
She raised her eyes to the royal couple, blushing a bit.
"What do you think of our plans?"
"I must congratulate you, your Majesties. It is one of the best-thought-out plans I have ever seen. I have only two little modifications to make, to take into account some of my abilities that you did not know of."
The King nodded. Queen Dorilys looked carefully at the young red-haired woman before her. She could understand why her son had fallen for this one. It was not because of her beauty. You could not say that she was the living embodiment of the word gorgeous. Her beauty was not classical, and did not follow the usual canons. Her eyes were too big and their color unusual, she had a large forehead, and quite a lot of freckles that's number had increased with the prolonged exposure to sun that went with her training. Her chin was a bit pointy, inherited from the elves, as well as her frame. Her training had allowed her to fill up a bit, but she still had a fragile look, which had led quite a few to think her to be weak. She was an oddity and singled out. But her most beautiful feature as far as the Queen was concerned was the aura that was surrounding her: She was not immune to flaws or mistakes, nobody was. But when you were looking at her, you knew you could trust her, and that she would do anything to help someone in need.
This desire to help was one of her greatest strengths, but also one of her most dangerous flaws: she would care for others before herself, always putting them before herself. She needed people to look out for her. Something Dorilys did not mind doing. In a few seconds, she took in the pale skin, the carefully hidden bags under her eyes. Being a woman, and an adept of those charms who managed to hide stress' signs quite well, Dorilys did not have any problems seeing this. Other clues like the dilated blood vessels in her eyes; the slight strains on her smile were indications of her stress.
"How do you feel?" Worry was perceptible in her voice.
"I am okay, your majesty, if not a little tired… but I will manage."
With doubtful eyes, Dorilys sat and watched as Lily went to the door, calling for breakfast. She was not telling everything, she was sure of it.
They waited for breakfast in silence each of them deep in his or her thought. The entrance of Bella and Remus brought them out of this meditative mood.
Slowly everyone came down and ate in silence.
"We will address everyone after breakfast and explained the plan, we will put it into action tomorrow morning. You know what you have to do, so good luck."
The King's voice echoed in the room followed then by the sounds of people leaving.
"James, stay, we have things to discuss…"
Sending bewildered looks at his friends, the heir followed his father in a small office.
"Well, son, we have to talk this over."
Both of them were seated at the desk, facing each other.
"What, father?"
"Your relationship with Lilyaris…"
"Father, excuse me if I interrupt you, but I want to make myself clear, once and for all. I have very strong feelings for Lilyaris, and I can even say that I love her. I will not jeopardize my relationship with her again, not after the Elianor fiasco. I care not about our status' difference. I will marry her, whether you like it or not. Once this is over, we will be together, even if I have to renounce to the throne!" James had barely breathed during this tirade and was quite out of breath. He was now standing before his father and his eyes were blazing, starring intensively at him. His words had been punctuated by slams of his fists on the table.
"James, calm down. I was not about to forbid you from seeing her, far from it."
This immediately grabbed James' attention
"What?"
"Lily is a powerful, gifted and charming woman that I would gladly welcome in the family. If I asked you to come here, it is to make this situation clear. I am not opposed to a union between you and Lilyaris. Praïn and myself would, in fact, be glad to give you our blessing, your mother as well. So all we have to do is bypass the status' problem…"
King Regis was cut by the crushing hug of his son. James had launched himself at him, his eyes shining with joy. Patting his back fondly, the king smiled at his only son.
"Now, Jason gave me an idea… listen…"
The King started to explain Jason's suggestion, before working out the details with the heir.
Minutes later, they emerged, both of them sporting large smiles. This piqued the curiosity of their friends, but nobody was able to make them spill it.
Meanwhile Lily had gone outside to see Amaris. On her way to the place where the dragons were resting, she spotted little Henry plying with his mother.
As soon as the little kid saw her, he got up and ran to her, hugging her tightly.
"Good afternoon Henry, Lady Cyrielle," she curtsied before the Lady.
"Good afternoon Lilyaris," she seemed pleased to see the young girl.
"Lily, Lily, can I fly on Amaris? You said I could! Can I? Can I?"
Laughing lightly, Lily looked at Lady Cyrielle, and Lily knelt before the boy.
"If your mother agrees, we can go flying now."
Henry squealed with joy and turned to his mother with big puppy eyes.
"Mum?"
Smiling, Lady Cyrielle nodded.
"Yes, but you have to promise to listen to Lilyaris and to be careful."
Her last words were lost to Henry; he was already running towards the great silver.
"Do not worry Lady, I will be careful."
"I trust you Lilyaris, but I am sure Henry would be disappointed if you did not do any acrobatics with him. He saw you at the competition…"
"Would you mind if I performed some with him?"
"Well, had it come from anybody else, I would not. But I know of your skills so, I agree."
"Thank you." Lily curtsied again before heading towards Amaris.
"And Lilyaris?" the young girl stopped and turned to the noble.
"Yes"
"You don't have to curtsy before me."
Smiling widely, Lily nodded before resuming her way towards her dragon.
"So Henry, ready for a flight?"
"YES!"
"Then jump on." She helped him settle on Amaris back before jumping behind him and holding him close.
Let's go Maris!
"Here we go!
For the next few hours, they flew, laughing, whooping, and enjoying themselves, any thoughts of Voldemort forgotten for now. Cyrielle watched them, smiling. She was not the only one. Some riders had spotted Lily and were watching her little show.
James found her like this. He smiled at the happiness she displayed and headed for the dragons' place as he noticed she was about to land. She was talking with Lady Cyrielle and Henry when he arrived. The boy was describing his experience to his mother.
"Mum, it was incredible! We were flying so fast! And the dives! Did you see the looping!"
"You were great Henry."
"Showing off Lily?" said James, putting her arm around her shoulders.
"What?"
"I was kidding."
"She took me to fly!" cut Henry.
"Really, that was nice of her. Could I come to fly with you too?" he asked looking at her with big sad eyes.
"You!" she slapped him lightly on the head and felt his arm drop lower to encircle her waist. Not sure about what to do and enjoying being held close against him, she dropped the matter. "You do not want to make Tharis jealous, do you?"
"Well…"
"Forget it, I do not want to know."
"Do you feel up to a little training session? I heard Derna was setting one up."
Lily's head whirled to look at him.
"You? You want to go to one of Derna's session WILLINGLY?"
Disbelief was audible in her voice.
"Is it that surprising?"
"Hmmm… Yes."
"I am hurt"
"Stop being a baby and let us go before you change your mind."
She turned to her companions.
"Lady Cyrielle, Henry."
"Thank you Lily! Can we do that again?"
"Later, if you like."
"Yes! Wait until I tell this to Gerald!" The boy bolted away to find his friend.
"Good bye then."
They parted and Lily and James walked to the building used for training, unaware of the gaze of Lady Cyrielle.
She had noticed that the simple gesture she had taken as a friendship's demonstration, seemed to have a deeper meaning. The prince had not removed his arm, nor had Lily asked him to. On the opposite side, his arm had been sliding lower to settle around her waist. His arm had not moved from there and had even tightened his grip as they walked away. What was going on there? She did not sense the King's arrival.
"Hello, lady Cyrielle."
She turned around and came face to face with King Regis.
"Your majesty," She curtsied.
"No, no Cyrielle, no need for that. What were you doing there?"
"Lilyaris offered Henry to fly with her. My son has been obsessed with dragons for a long time and had been dreaming to ride one."
"A kind offer…"
"Yes, I thought it was just words and did not expect her to hold them."
"Lilyaris is a woman of honor."
There was a silence.
"Have you seen my son?"
"Yes, your Majesty, he left with Lilyaris a moment ago to train."
Something in her tome sparked the King's interest.
"Is there a problem?"
The woman was frowning.
"No, it is just that the prince was displaying quite a lot of affection towards her. I do not want her to be hurt if the prince, excuse-me for this your Highness, is just playing around. This girl is too trusting and kind to be hurt like this." The last words were barely audible. Lady Cyrielle was waiting for the King's explosion. She had taken a liking to the red-haired half-elf, enjoying her company as well as character. If the prince was just playing with her feelings, she had to try, at least, to put a stop to this.
"I thank you for your concern towards Lily, my Lady, but you do not need to worry about them, I can assure you of that."
The King left with these puzzling words. Lady Cyrielle looked at him, thoughtful. Suddenly shock appeared on her face, replaced quickly by a smile. If what she thought was true, then, she would help or least would not oppose this.
The rest of the day passed quickly and everyone involved in the mission the next day went to bed early. Lily had passed the day with her group, planning every little detail. There were ten in her team: three women, counting herself, and seven men. Some had been quite wary of her at first, but after seeing that she knew her stuff, they had accepted her like an equal.
Before jumping in her bed, she readied everything for the raid, taking extra care of the staff and her weapons. She then drifted to sleep, only to wake up early, having for once had a decent sleep, and was readied for what was to come.
