The border between Tortall and Tyra was not that closely monitored but it was monitored all the same, the guards patrolled the stonewalls of the forts built long ago when Tyra and Tortall were at war hundreds of years ago.
Suddenly a guard fell from the wall a red-fletched arrows dotting his body then another and another till there was no guards left to witness the thousands of Ilyarian soldiers running quickly to secure the wall, scaling ladders were brought forward and the wall was breached the soldiers of the fort were killed in their sleep.
El're had drawn a map it featured the bottom and the side of the Carthaki Empire, east of were the corner of the continent met the sea was Cyprus further south was the peninsula of Ilyares, more east from Cyprus was the civilisation of Arngos next to that was Ethenics, El're explained to Alanna that the capital of his country had been burnt to the ground as with Arngos and Ethens slaves and soldiers brought from the conquered countries to boost the Ilyarian army.
Alanna slowly understood that El're's home had been destroyed all in the name of conquering as well as serval other countries, if this information was correct Tortall was next on the list and quickly excused herself and sent a message to Jonathan telling him what she knew and that she was going to Corus with the strange boy to have him give his evidence and to hopefully give him a new home and future with her Gift.
Aly was shattered her hopes and dreams were ripped from her hands as soon as she got them, she mourned the future her child would have to live in. Aly slept in rude shelters built by the soldiers that provided little if any shelter at all and they were all fed gruel and forced to tear down or burn the cities their forefathers had built.
She still remembered vividly the day Dove was burned and often dreamed about making her wake with a scream when this happened the guards of the prison camps beat her making her mourn Dove in silence.
Hundreds of people had died from the first wave of sicknesses and the soldiers did little about it besides killing of the sickest and dumping their bodies in the bay.
If port Legann shocked El're it was nothing compared with the shock he received when he saw Corus it was everything about this new country that shocked him and everyone in it treated him like royalty, his new companion Alanna who had left her home to give Jonathan more detail of the approaching invasion, had been equally shocked when she saw his mount, after the sock she had briefly mentioned the career choices of this country: Knights, Shang, sorcerer most of the things she mentioned you had to have years of training and the one choice she said that had interested him the most was to be one of the Queen's Riders: he could ride Leopold and advance upon skills he already knew and learn new ones, he told Alanna his choice and she smiled: she half hoped he would be either a Knight of one of the Queen's Riders.
Hanath the old Captain said he would be damned to go too far from the sea and left El're alone with Alanna whom he half-trusted.
Alanna quickly gained El're's trust and El're hers they became friends and El're even knew a few sword tricks that Alanna never heard or saw, it was a learning experience for them both.
Upon arrival at the Palace Alanna was saluted, El're assumed she was some sort of high ranking general (there was no 'King's Champion' in Cyprus, just general/knights or King for that matter just a 'ruler' of large duties that the local soldiers couldn't handle i.e.: trade and deployment of military ships) and the guards placed a absent hand on their swords at the sight of Leopold and his steel plated teeth and claws as the image was fearsome.
When Alanna and El're reached the stables the ostlers were unsure of what to do when El're dismounted, noticing their shock he himself groomed and removed his saddle bags and gave Leopold a big meaty bone El're had received in the Pirate's Swoop.
While he was doing this Alanna talked to Stefan about what she had missed when she left, the news wasn't good apparently the invasion had already started on the Tyran/Tortallan border.
El're had finished and Alanna led him inside the Palace for lunch then went to straight to Jonathan's office hearing her husband's voice, Alanna entered El're not far behind.
George turned around at the sound of the door opening and greeted Alanna, seeing El're he raised an eyebrow, "Who do we have here?" he asked.
"My name is El're." El're responded his answer lightly accented and took a seat.
"El're is here to explain where he's from and why." Alanna stated seeing Jonathan's questioning glance and George's raised eyebrow.
"What do you mean where and why?" Jonathan asked.
"He-El're is from Cyprus." Alanna said.
"Cyprus?" both George and Jon asked at the same time.
"It's south-east from Carthak, El're you better explain." Alanna said looking at El're who almost immediately started fidgeting.
El're who still wasn't comfortable in this new language, "Cyprus, my home was ravaged by Ilyarian soldiers they-" El're said something that was utterly inconceivable it was clear El're having such a short vocabulary had to resort to his native tongue, he swallowed and continued, "The soldiers killed my sister and took the rest of my family as slaves." El're looked down tears filling his eyes as he remembered burying his sister Jasc and the image of the soldier hacking his sister down and the now dying image if his lost family.
"It's okay." Alanna comforted El're till he was able to talk again, "An Ilyarian general did this with the 'yes' of the pope, they will stop at nothing to control every stone and every human life." El're looked Jonathan in the eyes not afraid, "They have already started with my home and now they're after yours."
Jonathan who was watching intently looked at George and said, " 'The Nameless One' ".
Alanna looked at Jonathan and then George, "What are you too not telling me?" she asked wanting to get to the bottom of it.
"Alanna-" George stood up from his seat, "The Copper Isles are already taken by the mastermind of all this they call him 'The Nameless One' ".
Alanna was crestfallen, "Aly" she said not willing to believe.
Turning his attention El're, "You've helped us greatly, what is your reward?" he asked.
"Sir, I wish no reward." El're said looking at his feet.
"Alanna?" Jonathan asked.
Alanna snapped out of whatever trance she was in and said, "Put him in the Queens Riders." She smiled at El're who was looking at her in astonishment.
"Done." Jonathan stated, "George, please take El're to his new quarters as I have something to tell your wife." George nodded in understanding and took El're to his new 'home'.
The war-mages stood on a hill overlooking the battle between the Tortallan and Ilyarian soldiers, summoning storms and miniature cyclones to aid them in the battle and each time they launched the spells scores of their own soldiers died along with the Tortallan soldiers: the weather magic was too unpredictable.
Numair Samalin stood on a outcropping of rock that pointed up like fingers and called upon his own magic far more predictable then his opponents, it surrounded him like a black cloak and shot forward into the sky like a beacon and spread out, it spilt into multicoloured rays that shot down exploding the earth like modern day mines, injuring and blinding only enemies.
The battle for the border had begun in earnest as fresh troops arrived to boost and offer support for almost exhausted soldiers.
His wife Daine was flying overhead directing the hawks and falcons that had come to help when they saw the soldiers slaughtering hawk and falcon young for breakfasts for the hungry Ilyarian soldiers.
El're was awkward and shy upon his arrival to the other Queen's Riders-in training who were eating in the dining hall, he grabbed himself a tray and began to wait in-line for food, another thing he had noticed that he took for granted was the lack of seafood and types of bread so far he had only seen two types brown and white.
Siting down to eat his collected he heard words he half-knew 'invasion' and 'border clashes' echoed through his ears.
Looking to see the speaker he found a kind face but serious face that was framed by laugh lines and dark hair who appeared to be around his own age.
Turning his gaze back to his plate his saw three tools he didn't know how to use trying to use the knife as a spoon he found that he needed help.
He looked at the boy and asked for some help with the use of the eating tools, surprisingly he didn't laugh and showed him how to use them once El're had the gist of it he asked, "Your not from around here are you?"
El're shook his head, "where are you from then?" he asked kindly.
"Cyprus." El're said quietly.
"Cypr-what?" he asked his friends now getting interested by the strange name.
'Cyprus it's south-east from Carthak." El're said getting slightly annoyed.
"I once lived in Carthak and there are no islands of the coast." Another rider-in training put in.
"It's no where near Carthak." El're said now getting annoyed.
"But you said it was south-east of Carthak." The first boy protested.
"It is but your talking about the capital of Carthak, I'm talking about the empire of it, it's south-east of the bottom left hand side of it." El're said trying to get it through their heads.
"Oh." They both said, "but I thought Carthakis spoke the same language as us but you seem to have a strange accent." The first boy said.
"I didn't know of the Carthaki Empire until recently but yes I do have my own language." El're said finishing off his breakfast.
They both exchanged glances, "Do you know of anything about the border war?" the second boy said, "Sorry." Was El're reply as he rose, "Perhaps you should ask him." El're gestured to the first boy. They both laughed, "You think I'm a boy?" the first 'boy' asked black eyes twinkling.
"Err...yes?" El're said not sure, the 'boy' giggled again and said, "I'm a girl." She rose and offered her outstretched hand, "I'm Sarralyn Samalin." "El're" he said as he shook her offered hand.
A/n: me and my twists I suppose no one shall know what will come of this until the next chapter.