Castle Winterspeak, was a formidable fortress nestled in the western edge of the Feroxi-Ylisse border, unsurprisingly in the mountains. Once, it had been the holdout of a Sorcerer Lord, who intended to invade both Regna Ferox and Ylisse, until he had been toppled by the then Court Mage, Lucius Fall. The Exalt of the time, Aloysius the Elder, had been so grateful, in fact, that not only had he raised Lucius and his family to the ranks of the nobility, and granted the castle to them, but betrothed his heir to one of Lucius' daughters.

And so, for nearly four centuries, the Fall family had held it and the important mountain passes under its purview for the Exalted Line. Many of its members had been mages of immense power and skill, and all had been unfailingly loyal to their Exalts.

Until now at least. Whist Cintra's father had died in a fearsome duel with the Plegian King Hasdrubal, loyal to Exalt Isolde unto his death, Cintra had turned her back on her Exalt, betrayed him, all to avenge her father, and her father's Exalt.

The Isoldian's flight from the Capital had been hurried and perhaps a little hasty in its execution, but successful nonetheless. Bradshaw's brash actions had nearly resulted in their capture before they'd even left capital territory. Baron Haycox's son had held the royal guard off as best he could, buying time for the rest of the secessionists to get away. The Baron himself had been distraught, of course. His son's fate was the inevitable fate of all traitors, after all.

So now they were all holed up in her Castle as they awaited their armies to arrive, if they ever did. The Barons, those power hungry landowners, had taken to hounding Bradshaw with demands and ideas and treating her, their own damn host, as little more than a foolish little girl.

Only Aurelian Abbendis sat with her in her solar now. The man was pleasant, fatherly. Something she had missed. Whilst she had been devoted to her father, he had been distant. She'd been raised by tutors, staunch Isoldians all. She'd even met the former Exalt when she had studied at the Collegium Magum. Having Abbendis here was like having her father back, in a way.

"..That was far too close for my liking."

"At least you are not in a wheelchair, my dear Lady Fall." Aurelian smiled, amusement in his voice. "Trust me when I say that it was easier for you to get away than it was for me."

She let out a short bark of laughter, before her humor died on her lips. "...Do you think His Radiance with accept?"

"Ha! Do I believe that Nicholas will accept the military faction of his council declaring independence well?" The wheelchair bound lord snorted. "I don't believe he will. But who can he call upon? Farmers? The Royal Guard? The tattered remains of the provincial soldiers? My Lady, you are the daughter of Octavian the Kingslayer, both you and he are Mages very few can compare to. You have little to fear."

"..Not with your strategic mind directing our efforts, Lord Abbendis." Cintra smiled. "If you can promise that, I can promise that your children will be safe here."

"And for that I am thankful beyond words, My Lady."

Before either could speak again, the solar doors were thrown open, and the remaining Isoldian League leaders strode in. Claudius Bradshaw, who now styled himself 'Lord Protector of the Isoldian League', sat down in the chair at the head of the table, and gestured for the others to sit down.

"Is there any news from Ylisstol?" He demanded, his gaze fell on his host. "This is your Castle, Lady Fall. Surely you should know some news by now."

"Nothing, Lord Protector." Fall replied with a visible frown. "And do try to speak to me with some respect, as you yourself say, this is my Castle."

"..My apologies, My Lady. I meant no offence." Bradshaw sighed. "I suppose it doesn't matter, our forces represent the military heartland of the Halidom. From Ylisse, only Bloodman's forces and those of the royal guard truly represent a danger. Plegia's Dark Fliers with no doubt prove dangerous, but our mages and archers should have them well in hand. We wiped most of the filth from their Eastern Provinces, so I doubt very much it will take much to seize them for ourselves."

Lord Lawrence nodded firmly. "I will have my fleets prepare to blockage what ports we can. The shipyards of Greensea will churn out what we might need, My Lord Protector. But we might well require Lancaster funding. My honorable Baron Regent, I trust that this will not prove an issue?"

"Not at all." Victor Lancaster answered easily. He was in his mid-thirties, and the uncle of the true Baron of Lancaster, Tyrian. "I will open the vaults, if need be. Funding will not be a problem."

"Good." Bradshaw nodded. "..And the men? When will they arrive?"

"..My men will likely be here by weeks end." Baron Haycox murmured. "They are bringing everything they can. I have order Oli-...Mattias to hold some troops back as a defence for of lands."

Silence fell upon the room for a few moments, before Bishop Fairbanks spoke up. "Oliver will have his justice in time, Robert. Trust in that, my friend. Trust in Naga."

"..I do, good Bishop." Haycox smiled sadly. "But words...do little to dull the loss of one's child."

"..The loss of Oliver Haycox wounds us all." Bradshaw declared. "...Derringdon, Weatherspoon? What say you? When will your troops arrive?"

"..About two days for mine, Lord Protector." Derringdon replied. "Amongst their number are a force of one hundred battlemages. They could easily hold of any Ylissean force, should it come to it."

"Within the week." Was Weatherspoon's simple answer. "They are bringing supplies in bulk, hence any delay."

Bradshaw nodded "Caverndish?"

"The same as Weatherspoon, My Lord Protector." He answered. "Within the week."

"Good to hear." Bradshaw replied with a smile. "Within seven days, we will know where we stand."

There was a knock on the door, and all eyes fell upon a servant, head bowed.

"Speak." The Lord Protector ordered.

"Forgive me, my Lords and Ladies." The servant bowed. "But there is a Lady Carcosa here. She has...letters."

Only Aurelian saw that Cintra had gone chalk white at the mention of the newcomers name, her eyes wide and full of concern. The elder man leaned over and gently clasped her hand in what he hoped she'd note as a calming gesture. "...She can be trusted, child. Do not fret."

Lady Carcosa strode in. Her pink hair cascaded down her back, and a sickly sweet smile remained on her face. She tossed a letter onto the table, and took a seat, purposefully next to Cintra.

"Forgive the lateness, honoured Lord Protector." She said. "Those mountain passes are a pain to navigate."

"You are forgiven, Juno." Bradshaw smiled as he moved to open the letter. "This news is worth it."

He cleared his throat, and read aloud.

Unto the Isoldian League,

You have wished for the war to continue.

So be it. War it is.

I will not waste the Almighty's time by praying for you.

-Validar Alexios, King of Plegia and the Plegians

"...War it is." Bradshaw declared with a strange, relieved solemnity. "Just as Exalt Isolde intended. The crusade continues my friends."

The sound of skidding feet in the hallway drew the attention of the council. The 'intruder' was young, probably six or seven, blonde and had a toy axe in one hand. He hopped from one foot to the other anxiously.

"Vaike?!" Aurelian questioned aloud. "Why do you intrude on us like this?!"

"It's Raimi father!" The young boy exclaimed. "She's gone! Taken a horse! Gone!"

Edit: I've gone back to previous chapters and changed Tharja's surname from Kaiopelles to Argead. I felt it suited the ruler of Macedon better.