Tristanian Royal Palace, 0622 hours
Eight days after Henrietta's visit, Louise, Julius, and the three company commanders stood outside the throne room as they waited for Henrietta to arrive.
"Do you have any idea why Her Highness would summon us here at this hour?" Julius asked the mage.
"I don't know, but she never visits us at the academy or summons us to the palace if it's not important," Louise shook her head.
Before any of them could say another word, the doors to the throne room opened, and a servant ushered them in.
"Miss Vallière, Major Sickles, and Captains Bristol, Graham, and Green," the servant announced.
As the quintet stepped inside, they immediately noticed another person, a young man dressed in blue.
"Louise Françoise, Major Sickles, I would like to introduce you to the Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesley," Henrietta stood and motioned to the man beside her, causing the four officers' eyes to widen before they managed to keep themselves under control. They, along with Louise, bowed in respect to the man.
"Your Grace, it's an honor. Your namesake in our world happened to be an excellent military commander," Julius stated, earning an amused expression from the duke.
"The pleasure is mine. You must be the soldiers from another world that Her Highness here has told me about," the duke replied.
"That's correct, Your Grace," Christian said.
Arthur shook his head. "Please, call me Arthur. I'm merely a guest here in Tristain."
The British officers looked at one another. "As you wish, Your – I mean, Arthur," Daniel managed to catch himself.
Henrietta cleared her throat as she sat back down. "Now, on to why I summoned you here. I'm sure that you're aware that I had sent someone to retrieve a letter from Prince Wales," she began.
"Yes, Your Highness, you said as such," Louise responded.
"I and my colleague, Hugh Percy, Duke of Northumberland, managed to escape the clutches of Reconquista in Newcastle," Arthur started. "However, Hugh had volunteered to return to Albion with some of our men in order to perform that task. We have not heard from them yet, so I would like to ask you to go to Albion in order to find their whereabouts. The letter is of extreme – "
He was interrupted by a commotion outside the throne room. Julius narrowed his eyes as he tried to process what was going on outside.
"… have to see the princess now, this is an urgent matter that requires her attention!"
"… currently has guests! You'll have to wait until her business is concluded!"
"Sir, please, I implore you! This cannot wait!"
Henrietta motioned to the doors. "That's the Duke of Northumberland! Let him in!" she shouted.
The musketeers guarding the throne room opened the doors, and another young man walked, or rather, limped inside. Henrietta and Arthur stared in shock at the sight before them, as did Louise and the four officers.
"Hugh?! What happened?!" Arthur nearly yelled as he took in Hugh's current state.
He sported a bandage around his head and had his left arm bound in a cast. His clothes were in tatters. But most surprisingly was the expression on his face: a mixture of hatred, sorrow, and regret.
"Your Highness, forgive me, for I have failed. Wardes has killed the prince and taken the letter," he apologized, with tears threatening to flow from him.
"And Newcastle?" Arthur asked.
Hugh shook his head. "The Duke of Marlborough never made it. He had to retreat after being ambushed by a Reconquista army."
Arthur's face paled at the news. It was all he could do to remain standing.
"You mean to say that –"
"Yes, Arthur. Newcastle is no more."
"Viscount Wardes? Newcastle? Your Highness, what are they talking about?!" Louise demanded.
Tears started to form in Henrietta's eyes as she tried to contain her emotions to no avail. "Louise… Wardes, your fiancé… is in league with Reconquista," she sobbed.
Louise slowly shook her head. "No. No, it can't be true. Please tell me this isn't true," she whispered.
Arthur approached the shocked mage as he pulled out a scroll from his tunic.
"As much as I myself don't want to believe it, everything you heard is true," he murmured as he handed the scroll to the mage.
Slowly, Louise unrolled the scroll and read its contents. As she read, a torrent of emotions swirled within her, ranging from anger to loneliness to betrayal.
She dropped the scroll as she fell to her knees and wept, covering her face
"All this time… I-I trusted Wardes. I never expected him to be like this. After all these years… why, Wardes? Why did he do this? I trusted him! I TRUSTED HIM!"
"Arthur, what's going on? I'm afraid I don't understand," Julius asked as he approached the duke.
Arthur turned to face him. "Major Sickles, the Reconquista is a group of nobles who seek to overthrow the ruling house in Albion and install a holy republic. Their ultimate goal is to conquer all of Halkeginia and to take back the holy land from the elves. And Louise's fiancé, Viscount Wardes, who is – or was in command of the Griffin Knights, is one of their agents," he explained.
Daniel and Lionel frowned in disgust as they listened.
"It's ISIS all over again," Christian whispered to Daniel.
"Too damn right," the other captain responded.
Hugh made his way over to Henrietta and took out a ring from his tunic.
"Your Highness, the prince had this on his person. I thought that you may want a memento of him," he said, taking the princess's hand and placing the Ring of Wind in it. He removed the Ring of Water from his finger and returned it to its original owner.
Wiping her eyes, Henrietta placed the late Wales's ring on the armrest of her throne and slipped her ring back onto her finger. She stood up and murmured a silent thanks to Hugh before approaching Louise.
"Louise, please lift your head up," she requested as she knelt before her friend and placed her arms around her.
The pink-haired mage lifted her head, her body heaving as she was wracked with sobs.
Julius and his three captains could do nothing but watch the scene before them. For a moment, none of them said a word until Christian spoke up.
"Who's in charge of Reconquista?" he asked Arthur.
The duke raised his head, his eyes alight with fury. "Cromwell. Oliver Cromwell, he's the self-styled 'Lord Protector of Albion,' but the way I see it, he's nothing but a madman," he responded.
The four officers narrowed their eyes at this piece of information.
"Cromwell, you say?" Julius mused. "There was a similar man with a similar name back in our world, who had done similar things in our nation. To be honest, a lot of our countrymen hated him for his actions. I'm sure that my men would love to have a go at this world's Cromwell. Isn't that right, lads?" he turned to his subordinates.
"The men have been getting restless for quite a while now, sir. Perhaps running some drills would keep them occupied," Lionel stated.
Daniel approached the Duke of Northumberland and bowed before him. "Your Grace, I believe that we have not been properly introduced yet. I am Capt. Daniel Graham, and these are my fellow captains, Lionel Bristol and Christian Green, and our commanding officer, Maj. Julius Sickles," he gestured to the other officers as he introduced them.
The duke tried and failed to maintain an air of dignity. "Hugh Percy, Duke of Northumberland. I wish that we could have met under more favorable circumstances."
The officers could only nod. For a moment, the throne room was bathed in silence before Julius eventually spoke up.
"Your Highness, Your Graces, I sense that this is a moment where you will want some time to grieve alone. By your leave?"
Henrietta nodded as she managed to partially compose herself. "Yes, that would be much appreciated, Major. I'm afraid I would need some time alone for the rest of the day."
Julius gave a short nod. "Of course, Your Highness. We shall take our leave now."
The four officers and Louise exited the throne room. As soon as they were out of earshot, Arthur turned to Hugh.
"Any new information on Reconquista's plans for invasion?" he inquired.
Hugh nodded as he took out a map and unrolled it for the two other nobles to see. "Their plan is to land their men directly on Tristain's coast. We can only guess as to where they specifically intend to land."
Arthur took a closer look at the map, taking note of the towns and settlements lining the coast, before his eyes landed on one such point of interest further inland.
"Their objective is Tarbes. You see those six roads branching out to the west, south, and east? Once the Reconquista have control of it, there's no way to know where they'll strike next."
Henrietta frowned. "How should we defend it? And if they ever take the town, how should we retake it?"
The two Albionian nobles glanced at one another before turning their attention to Henrietta.
"We might have just the answer to that," Arthur smirked.
Tristain Academy of Magic, 0845 hours
To say that the collective mood among Julius, his company commanders, and Louise was sour was an understatement. As soon as they had left the palace gates, Christian had unleashed a string of expletives at the mere thought of Cromwell, with Julius managing to calm him down with a pointed glare. Christian had immediately understood the message and, after a hasty apology for not acting like how an officer should, kept silent for the rest of the trip.
As they entered the academy's gates, they saw Colbert as he walked out of the main building. The bespectacled professor approached them.
"Louise, Maj. Sickles. Perfect timing, I was about to go to Tarbes. Would any of you like to accompany me?" he asked.
Julius glanced at his subordinates before turning to Colbert. "Tarbes? If I may ask, why?"
Colbert chuckled. "Well, you see, I recently heard of a legendary dragon of some kind that was recently discovered in Tarbes. I'd like to know as much as I can about it."
"You mean one of the legendary dragons that my great-grandfather rode on?" another voice joined in.
Julius and the others turned to find Siesta, who was dressed in a white shirt and red skirt. She held a suitcase in her hands.
"Wait, your ancestor rode one of them? And where are you going, by the way?" Lionel asked.
Siesta smiled. "This may sound unbelievable, but my great-grandfather originated from the same world that the dragon did. He got separated from another dragon when my grandfather's dragon flew into a solar eclipse, and he kept flying until he had to land in Tarbes, which is where I'm headed now in order to see my family."
As Julius and his officers listened on, they grew increasingly suspicious of Siesta's tale, and after exchanging glances, the major cleared his throat.
"How far away is Tarbes?" he asked.
Siesta turned to him. "Three hours on horseback."
Julius turned to Lionel and snapped his fingers. The captain immediately ran off to inform Marcus of the transport detail, and after a few minutes, Colbert and Siesta left in a chariot, followed by Louise on horseback and five Challenger tanks with Julius, Travis, and 1st Platoon onboard.
Tristanian Countryside, 1107 hours
The group stopped for a quick lunch outside a cave, with the Challengers having no choice but to wait at the foot of a mountain where the cave was located. As Julius was finishing his meal, he heard a shout from one of the kingsmen, who had gone exploring the cave.
"Major! I found something, you're not gonna believe this!"
Julius quickly stood up, rifle in hand and rucksack on his back, and motioned for Travis to follow him.
Turning his taclight on, he scanned the surrounding area and he found what the kingsman was referring to – and stopped dead in his tracks as he came upon a familiar sight.
In front of them was a large, six-wheeled vehicle painted in desert colors. He took note of the L7A2 machine gun mounted above the vehicle's cabin.
"How the hell did a Coyote TSV end up here?" he wondered incredulously.
Travis immediately keyed his mic. "Broadsword 1-1 to all Broadsword elements, regroup on me posthaste!"
Within a minute, the entire platoon, along with Louise, Colbert, and Siesta, joined up with Julius and Travis, and all of them were stunned by the discovery of a vehicle hidden in a cave.
Julius carefully inspected the vehicle, checking for possible traps that may have been laid. After ensuring that the vehicle is free of traps, he switched on the engine.
The three Tristanians they were escorting jumped back as the engine came to life, letting out a healthy roar.
"What in Brimir's name is that thing?" Louise asked as the headlights were turned on.
Travis turned to the young mage with a smirk. "This, Miss Vallière, is a Coyote Tactical Support Vehicle."
"Is this the treasure you were looking for?" a new voice sounded out.
Kirche, Tabitha, and Guiche entered the cave and joined the platoon.
"What are you doing here, Kirche? I don't recall inviting you to come along," Louise snapped.
The Germanian redhead chuckled. "We happened to overhear Siesta talking to some of the dashing soldiers back at the academy regarding this treasure, so we decided to see for ourselves what this treasure is."
Julius just shook his head and sighed. "Fine, you three can come along, but you better stay out of our way."
He opened the Coyote's passenger seat. "Siesta, you're riding up front, you'll be guiding us the rest of the way. Travis, get on that GPMG," he ordered.
Outskirts of Tarbes, 1441 hours
The Coyote slowed to a stop in front of what could be described as a large shed, though it looked suspiciously similar to an aircraft hangar. Julius got out and, after helping Siesta off the TSV, glanced around the area, which was crawling with vegetation. As the platoon set up a perimeter while Colbert unlocked the shed's doors, he noticed Tabitha staring at a stone.
"What are you looking at, Tabitha?" he asked as he approached her.
The blue-haired mage did not respond, continuing to stare at the stone. When Julius reached her, he read the inscriptions on the stone, only to recoil in shock.
"Travis, get over here!" he yelled as the shed was opened.
Travis quickly made his way to the major. "What is it, Major?" he asked.
In lieu of a reply, Julius pointed to the stone.
Travis inspected the stone, his eyes widening as he made out the inscribed words.
"Sir Julius, Sir Travis, what's wrong?" Louise asked as she joined them.
"'Squadron Leader Victor Evans, March 21st, 1922, No. 615 Squadron, Royal Air Force,'" Travis read.
"It's… Travis, it's our language… our nation…" Julius stammered.
He quickly bolted for the shed, with his lieutenant close behind. He beheld a sight that he never imagined would be present in Halkeginia.
It was an aircraft from the Second World War. Julius slowly approached it and laid a hand on its starboard wing. As he did so, the runes on his left arm glowed.
"This isn't a dragon," he breathed. "It's a P-47D Thunderbolt."
"A fighter-bomber, to be exact, it's got rockets," Travis observed.
Julius turned to Siesta. "Siesta, your great-grandfather and I, my men, and the Hussars all came from the same country in our world."
"Sir Julius," Colbert suddenly spoke. "There might be a way for you to return to your world after all! This dragon managed to emerge into this world by flying into a solar eclipse, which is four days away, I don't see why the reverse can't be true. If you fly into a solar eclipse, you might be able to return home."
"And leave my men and comrades to fend for themselves?" Julius spat out bitterly. "What will they think of me? Hell, what will the rest of my world think of me if I do such a thing?"
He stepped closer until he was directly in Colbert's face.
"It's tempting to go back home as soon as I have the opportunity, but I'm not leaving if my men don't have the means to return home themselves. So help me God, Professor, find another way to get all of us home."
The others fell silent at this statement. For 1st Platoon, the major's refusal to take the chance to return home when the opportunity was within arm's reach just so he could remain with them was nothing short of admirable, a sentiment shared by the six Halkeginians with them.
Colbert gave a slow nod. "I'll see what I can do, sir."
Stepping back, Julius shifted to another, lighter topic.
"I assume that you've been recreating what you would call the dragon's blood, correct?" he inquired.
"Yes," Colbert nodded. "Is it what gives this life?"
Travis shook his head. "What you're referring to as dragon's blood is actually called petrol."
"And we need as much petrol as possible," Julius added.
The balding mage nodded. "That can be arranged."
Tristain Academy of Magic, 0943 hours
After spending the night at Tarbes, Julius and the platoon returned to the academy, where the rest of the battalion and the Hussars greeted them with pleasant surprise, and the returning students looking on with awe. After having Colbert perform another replenishment spell on the Coyote and refuel the P-47, the fighter-bomber was placed outside the academy, with two sections each from Arnhem, Blenheim, and Chindit Companies maintaining round-the-clock watch on the aircraft for any possible infiltrators or saboteurs.
The major sat in the driver's seat of the TSV, silently wondering if he had done the right thing. As he mulled over the events that had transpired the day before, he heard the sound of approaching footsteps, and turned to see Louise heading for him.
"Louise, something I can help you with?" Julius asked.
The young mage shook her head. "I just wanted to take a look at your… what did you call this?" she gestured to the Coyote.
"Ah, the Tactical Support Vehicle. It has served our nation well for quite some time now. We use it to give us better mobility, perform reconnaissance and patrol duties, and transport soldiers to where they need to be," the major explained.
Louise blinked, still unable to comprehend that such a vehicle existed.
Before she could say another word, she heard the sound of a horse galloping towards the academy. As she turned to the source of the sound, she noticed Guiche closing in fast, a look of panic plastered on his face.
"Guiche, slow down! What the hell's wrong?" Julius asked as Guiche dismounted his horse and stooped over to catch his breath.
"I… I just came from Tristania. A-Albion changed its name to the Holy Republic of Reconquista," he gasped.
The major got out of the TSV. "Albion did what?!" he demanded.
"They've a-a-also declared war… on Tristain," the blond mage finished, collapsing to his knees.
Julius froze for a moment before he regained his composure. "Son of a bitch," he murmured.