The Solardian army marched down the route from Denryushire to Rentoshire at the break of dawn, encountering little resistance until they reached the walls of the Lunish capital city in the evening. "Bring out Leinwig and the royal coffers by morning, and I shall spare Rentoshire! Fail to do so, and your homes will be forfeit!" Ludwig screamed into Herald Eugene's back pipe; the Exploud used Echoed Voice to boom out the Luxray's message to the knights stationed at the city gate.
Helena wrapped her tails around Max's curled-up ear fur to help shield the Meowstic's sensitive ears from the blaring noise. "Absolutely dreadful," Max groaned once it was over. "Thank you, my friend."
Helena glared at the knights on top of the gate up ahead. "Let's not be at the front of the assault this time," she whispered to her friends. "Let the rest of the army break through first. Then we can go in and loot the place."
"Oh, swe-" Chadwyck exclaimed before Helena slapped a tail over his snout.
"That doesn't sound like you, Helena," Terry frowned. "What gives?"
"We need money to cover our supply costs," Helena said. "Don't worry. I did some sleuthing while we were in Denryushire, and from what I can tell, it's all rich nobles who keep their valuables inside the protection of Rentoshire's walls while their peasants work the fields outside and get robbed often. We'll be distributing that ill-gotten wealth to the pokémon who need it most."
"Well, when you put it that way, sounds like a plan," Terry grinned.
"I hope this assault won't be like Skarmburg all over again," Chadwyck growled.
"I shouldn't speak too soon, but I'm feeling pretty good this time," said Helena. "Those walls are just like Kyukonais's old walls. They're only meant to keep out lone bandits; they don't help much against an army."
"But Skarmburg's walls kept us out for weeks!" Chadwyck exclaimed.
"Skarmburg's pokémon kept us out for weeks," Helena corrected. "They trained their entire town in a single defensive tactic that worked for their terrain. I can't imagine Rentoshire having anything similar."
"None of us foresaw Skarmburg's ingenious strategy," said Max. "Who is to say what Rentoshire has in store?"
"Yeah! What if a huge thundercloud flies out from the city?" Lily surmised. "Or a giant wave!"
Helena chuckled. "Well then, even more reason to stay in the back and let the others do the dirty work this time."
The Solardian army established a camp on some devastated and abandoned farmlands on the outskirts of Rentoshire's walls. They feasted on their plentiful supplies, rewarding themselves for their day-long march starting from Denryushire, through forests, and past downtrodden villages. Many knights curled up in their tents with hopes of waking up to a glorious white flag and chests full of poké. Others stood guard or rested for the expected battle to come.
In the morning, a lone Natu squire from Rentoshire flew to the Solardian army camp, floating along a sack using Psychic.
"Do you deliver my cousin's verdict?" Ludwig demanded.
The Natu landed and bowed before Ludwig and his knights. "King Leinwig wished for me to deliver you this." He left the sack on the ground and flew away. The sack sagged on the ground due to its emptiness.
A knight moved to open it, but Ludwig marched forward first, ignoring others' concerns. He sliced the sack open with his claws, then flipped it upside down. A lone, empty vine from a Wacan berry plant tumbled out. Ludwig gasped, his eyes widening.
A young Shinx bounded up to a festival stand decorated with berries along the edges and a messy mix of colors on the back wall. It was a game where a pokémon had to toss a berry into the air, then strike the berry with an attack. If their attack managed to knock the berry into a tiny target at the back of the stand, then the player would win a prize.
"I wanna play!" the Shinx exclaimed.
"That'll be ten poké, young sir," said the attendant.
The Shinx forked over his coins, and the attendant handed him a small sack. Inside it was a vine with ten Wacan berries. The Shinx plucked a berry and was about to toss it, but someone swiped it out of his paws.
"Allow me to demonstrate how to succeed," said a small, recently-evolved Luxio. "It would be a shame if you wasted all your berries, cousin."
"Oh… okay," the Shinx mumbled with a frown.
The Luxio smirked and flicked the Wacan berry up high. With a flash of his mane, he fired a Thundershock at the berry. Since Wacan berries had electric-resistant properties, the berry survived the attack. The force of the attack sent the berry zipping into the stand. It missed the target and splatted against the back wall, adding a yellow stain to the colorful mess.
"That cannot be right," the Luxio frowned. He snatched the sack out of the Shinx's paws and plucked another Wacan berry off the vine, only to miss again.
"My turn," the Shinx said.
"Be patient, little cousin," the Luxio snapped. "If I cannot score a victory, how will you?"
The Wacan berries were hardly a uniform shape, making it difficult to predict where the berry would go after a hit. After adding nine fresh splotches to the wall, the Luxio finally just barely hit the target.
"Bravo!" the attendant praised.
"See? That is how it is done," the Luxio declared. He picked out a prize and marched off.
The Shinx scoffed at his older cousin, then grinned at his turn, reaching into the sack. However, the only things his paw grasped were pricks. Peering inside, the Shinx found no berries remaining, only an empty vine. "Hey!" the Shinx called, whirling around, but his cousin was long gone. Tears welled up in the Shinx's eyes as he stomped into the crowd, crying for his father to bring him more poké.
Ludwig snapped his head toward Rentoshire's walls, his fur bristled, and he let out a roar of hatred. His attending knights recoiled. Ludwig unleashed a Thunderbolt at the departing Natu. The electricity cut through the air towards its target, then suddenly arched backward, zipping towards the red tip of Duke Antonio's tail. As the electricity struck, the Ampharos's tail tip shined as bright red as can be. Duke Antonio winced as the excess electricity frazzled his tail's yellow and black stripes.
Ludwig directed his growl at Duke Antonio, but Duke Antonio simply bowed in return. "My lord, it would be a stain on your honor to shoot the messenger."
With a scoff, Ludwig turned his attention to his army at large. "Commence the assault on Rentoshire!" Ludwig screamed. "Bring me my cousin!"
Helena's team hung around a back corner of the Solardian army under the bask of Drought. Darrell and the supply crew stood on standby with a few empty wagons. Helena, Chadwyck, and Lily fired Solar Beams at an uninhabited section of the wall while Max and Terry kept guard with Light Screen and Substitute, although it was hardly necessary; not a single attack had flown their way. Only a small peasant force guarded Rentoshire's walls, commanded by just a handful of noble knights. The Solardian army charged or flew straight up to the walls with little resistance.
"This is boring!" Chadwyck complained, flexing his wings irritably. "Being a coward sucks!"
"Too bad!" Helena snapped.
The invading Solardian knights dispatched the guards and toppled the walls with ease. As the walls fell to rubble, Chadwyck could see the Lunish knights already scampering into the town, leaving their peasants out to dry. "Look at 'em run!" he laughed. "I want in on the crushin'!"
Helena huffed. "We have our own more important objective-"
"Bet you can't beat me to those runaway losers," Chadwyck wagered, nudging Lily with a wing before soaring off.
"Sure I can!" Lily declared, rocketing towards the fallen walls with a bright green trail in her wake. She zipped past Chadwyck, much to his dismay, and leaped over a pile of rubble, entering the town of Rentoshire. However, as Lily left Helena's sun behind to chase the fleeing knights further into the town, her Chlorophyll started wearing off. She pushed herself further, but exhaustion started kicking in.
When Chadwyck caught up to Lily, she leaped onto his back. "Maybe we should've stayed with Helena," Lily said.
"Nah, you gotta do what you want to do every once in a while!" Chadwyck laughed. He dived at a lagging knight and blanketed them with Flamethrower.
Chadwyck and Lily, along with many Solardian knights, pursued the fleeing Lunish knights to the center of Rentoshire. They soon came upon a wide river flowing through the town. On an island in the middle of the river stood a fortified castle. Long metal needles at the tops of the towers pierced the sky above, and more poles protruded out of the stone walls parallel to the pristine river below.
"The castle would look much prettier without those metal poles," Lily remarked.
"Never seen anything like it. Do they expect us to fly into those poles and stab ourselves? Ha!" Chadwyck laughed.
A group of fresh Lunish knights stood at the drawbridge leading to the island, fighting off the Solardians as their allies retreated across the bridge. The Solardians on the ground rushed towards the bridge, hoping to bust their way into the castle. The Solardian fliers at the front of the assault dived towards the bridge to clear a path. Suddenly, an intense crackling buzzed across the airspace. Electricity danced up one of the castle's metal poles, coming from electric types stationed at the base. The electricity gathered at the pole tip and then turned into a colossal bolt zipping towards a Solardian Braviary in the blink of an eye. Lunish knights across the castle roof started charging electricity into multiple other poles and zapping the Solardian fliers, sending all the airborne invaders plummeting into the river.
Chadwyck's eyes bulged, and his jaw dropped. "Oh, hell no!" he roared, freezing his wings and throwing his lower body and tail forward to cease his onward flight.
"Ah!" Lily cried as she slipped off Chadwyck's back from the abrupt motion. She used Aerial Ace to send wind to her paws, slowing her fall, and landed on the ground with a wince. Chadwyck flapped his way down moments after.
"What's the matter?" Lily asked.
"No way am I flying into that electricity!" Chadwyck exclaimed.
More bolts of electricity fired from the tips of the needles straight at any pokémon flying toward the castle. The Lunish defenders also used the needles facing outward over the river to strike the Solardians near the bridge. Once all the Lunish knights retreated over the drawbridge, they raised it to prevent anyone else from crossing into the castle. The Solardian army poured into the town and surrounded the island castle on both sides of the river, but no one dared to attempt to fly over. The Lunish defenders sent several zaps from the needles into the river as a warning sign for what would happen to any water type who attempted to swim across.
Lily and Chadwyck (on foot) slinked away from the castle perimeter to regroup with their team. They quickly ran into a familiar Torracat. "Terry!" Lily called out, dashing towards him. The Torracat beamed and gave an excited little hop. "Oh, you're a substitute," Lily giggled. The substitute nodded its head up and down, then gestured in a direction. Lily and Chadwyck followed the substitute through the town; it took them to a large estate near the walls where they had entered. When they turned around a corner, they saw the whole supply crew present with their covered wagons.
"Lily!" Terry called, rushing over and giving her a hug. "Are you alright?"
"Never better!" Lily chimed, nuzzling his soft whiskers. "Chadwyck got spooked, though."
"Did not!" Chadwyck snapped.
"What alarmed you, my friend?" asked Max, patting Chadwyck's leg with his paw.
Chadwyck crossed his arms and turned his snout away pointedly. "What are all them wagons doing here?" he asked, noticing them.
Helena answered, "We're going to fill them up with stuff from the noble estates and sell it all to make up for food-"
"It's looting time?" Chadwyck exclaimed, standing up straight, his eyes lighting up. "Oh, hell yeah!" Chadwyck charged into the estate with his tail swishing, the fire at the tip roaring brighter. He punched the estate's door off its hinges… even though it was already ajar.
Helena cringed and leaped after the mercenary. "Orderly, Chadwyck! Orderly!" she hollered after him.
"But last time you let me do whatever… Gah!" Chadwyck grunted as Helena bit his arm.
"There goes our agent of destruction," Terry snickered, following them into the estate. Lily giggled and followed him.
"Last time?" Max mumbled to himself, trailing behind. "I thought we all fainted at Skarmburg…"
Helena's army of suppliers looted estates for a couple of hours unimpeded but strangely didn't encounter much of value. Then Duchess Madelyn and some knights came by and demanded Helena to come with them. The Mienshao brought Helena to the west bank of the river across from Luneland's royal castle. The drawbridges leading to the castle's island stood raised, and Lunish knights filled the ramparts looking outward. The Solardian army crowded along both river banks, glaring up and across the water.
Duchess Madelyn ushered Helena to a meeting with the king and other dukes. "I located and summoned the princess," she announced.
"Where have you been, cousin?" King Ludwig demanded with a glare.
"Dealing with some stuff on the outskirts of Rentoshire," Helena brushed off. "What is going on here?"
"The whole of King Leinwig's army has taken up a defensive position within Kolink Castle," Duke Kendrick reported. "Our initial assault failed-"
"Because you did not make yourself present!" Ludwig seethed at Helena, slamming his paw in front of her.
Helena withdrew a step. "The assault failed? Even with our numbers?"
"Princess Helena's attendance would have mattered not against their defenses, Your Majesty," Duke Percival dismissed.
Helena glanced across the water. "What defenses?" she asked.
"Rentoshire has a lot of electric types. They can channel electric attacks through those long metal needles," Duke Kendrick explained. "Attacking the castle by air is a fool's errand."
"Nor can we swim across the water with the ever-present threat of lightning. Those cowards have cut off every means of assault," Duchess Madelyn complained.
"What about our ground-types?" Helena asked.
"We do not do well in the water, as you well know," said Duke Kendrick. "The only pokémon capable of crossing safely are water/ground types like Duke Qasimir. He and a few others swam across the sea of electricity and broke off three needles before being forced to retreat with grave injuries. To our utter dismay, the Lunelanders unveiled three brand-new needles with nary a pause."
"So this is where all of Skarmburg's steel went…" Helena remarked.
"Duke Qasimir's regiment is recovering now; it will be a few days before they can attempt another strike," Duke Kendrick said. "Until then, we must surround the castle in hopes of starving them out."
Helena shivered, then clenched her small claws against the mud. Not again...
The Solardian army established their camps in a tight perimeter around Kolink Castle and rested from the battle, feasting on their plentiful supplies. Later in the day, they learned from captured Lunish peasants what preparation the nobles of Rentoshire had made. The noble families had emptied their estates of all valuables. Noblewomen and children had fled to allied estates in neighboring provinces, taking what valuables they could with them. The knights preemptively harvested all the fields around Rentoshire and stashed all the grain and remaining valuables in Kolink Castle.
King Ludwig demanded another meeting with all his dukes that night; Dukes Ulysses and Qasimir were brought into the king's tent by their knights in stretchers. "We are this close to my cousin. I can feel his mane in between my claws," Ludwig growled. "There shall be no turning back now."
Duke Ulysses struggled to lift his head off his pillow. "We do not give a damn about your family issues," the Unfezant spat.
"But you do adore riches," Ludwig responded, "and Kolink Castle holds it all. Decades of royal coffers and legions of families' wealth are all across those banks for the taking. All of our efforts thus far have led us here. There is no turning back." The Luxray paced around the tent, directing his gleaming golden eyes at every duke and duchess. "I spoke with all of our best strategists. There are some unconvential tactics we can attempt to try and break through the defenses."
"And if all those measures fail?" Duke Kendrick questioned.
"Then we shall starve my cousin out until he begs for nourishment," Ludwig declared.
"Oh great. Another harrowing siege?" Duchess Madelyn complained.
"Yes. Furthermore, we must be prepared for a counter attack from the rest of Luneland's elite who remain loyal to my wretched cousin. We must strengthen our numbers. You all must muster more knights."
"I am unable to supply food for any more than our current army," Helena immediately said.
"You must," Duke Percival demanded. "Supplying our army is the deal you agreed to."
Helena glared at the Pyroar. "There is simply not enough food to go around," she insisted. Some other dukes started adding complaints, so Helena threw around more excuses.
"Silence!" King Ludwig hollered, stomping his paw. "Each province must provide the food for their additional forces. Helena, you must continue to supply your current levels, and in addition, you must bring an equivalent army of new soldiers."
Helena narrowed her eyes but soon nodded. "Fine with me."
"No, this is an outrage!" Duke Ulysses squawked.
"Grumbling will not net you any poké. You must assemble the needed knights and supplies at once!" Ludwig ordered.
"Your Majesty… how do you expect me to usher more of my knights to the siege when I am in such a state?" Duke Qasimir asked from his stretcher. "No one who is not already here will depart the comfort of their estate for a grueling siege."
"I expected as much from your subjects," Ludwig scoffed. "That is why I have a proposal." He produced a scroll and unrolled it. "We shall split half of the total plunder within Kolink Castle evenly across all combatants present. That will provide an incentive for knights across Solardie to join the siege. Those who have been present since the beginning shall rightfully be entitled to twice the amount of later arrivals. The other half of the plunder shall be divided amongst all you dukes in a fashion proportional to your final share of the army. The only caveat is that Antonio's share will only be count as half since he joined our army late."
The dukes shared some dumbfounded glances amongst themselves. "You devised this scheme yourself, Your Majesty?" Duke Percival asked.
"Yes, with some input from our top strategists," said Ludwig.
The Pyroar narrowed his eyes. "I see." You bypassed us to speak with our subordinates.
"The members of my supply crew must be eligible for the reward, not just combatants," Helena spoke up.
"Hmm, yes, they shall be," Ludwig declared. "As shall all helpers each province brings to support the army."
The dukes raised heavy complaints about their cuts potentially getting diluted. Duke Qasimir held a hand to his head. "I require a few days to deliberate the matter with my subjects," he said.
"There is no time to wait," Ludwig stated. "We must gather our additional troops now. I require a Universalis vote on the matter immediately!"
"Very well, Your Majesty. If this is the necessary step to prevail in our siege, then I approve," Duchess Madelyn decided.
"I disapprove," Duke Brennan spoke up from the corner. "I say we cut our losses and depart Luneland."
"Pah! Do not speak such folly!" Duke Ulysses screeched before eliciting a sharp gasp, collapsing back into his stretcher. "I will bring in as many knights as it takes to secure those riches," he groaned.
"Another vote in favor," King Ludwig said. "The rest of you, make your decision."
Forcing his dukes to compete with each other to bring in the most reinforcements, Helena thought. Ludwig really did consult and heed the word of our strategists. How… competent. She shook her head. Well, as long as my crew gets credit, that's more than what I'm in a position to ask for. "I also approve of the new reward structure," Helena announced.
"I will oppose the measure until you remove the clause that we must source our own food," Duke Percival said. Helena's ear twitched in irritation, but she resisted the urge to turn around and scowl at the Pyroar.
King Ludwig turned to Duke Antonio. "You approve, right, Antonio?"
The Ampharos bowed deeply. "I cannot approve, Your Majesty."
Ludwig frowned. "I can remove the stipulation that you will only receive half your share," he offered.
"What?! If you renege on your word so easily, then I will rescind my vote at once!" Duke Ulysses hollered.
"That will not be necessary, Your Majesty," said Duke Antonio.
"Oh, so you will approve of the terms as they stand?"
"No… I will not, Your Majesty."
"Why not?!" Ludwig demanded.
Duke Antonio bowed. "I do not feel it is an appropriate action to take."
King Ludwig withheld a growl and whipped towards Duke Qasimir's stretcher. "We need an answer, Qasimir."
The beleaguered Quagsire sighed, closing his eyes. "I believe we should not burden our subjects any further. Make do with and be grateful for the large and competent army already in attendance."
"Nonsense!" Duke Ulysses exclaimed from the adjacent stretcher.
"You cannot allow a single blow to deter you," Duchess Madelyn scoffed.
The tent spiked in intensity as all eyes rounded on Duke Kendrick. The Krookodile ignored all the pressure and stared at the ground, mulling over his decision for over a minute. "Luneland will retaliate. This is the most viable way to muster the forces to ensure the siege's completion," he finally decided.
"Excellent," Ludwig sneered. "With my tie-breaking vote, the majority has ruled in favor of my reward structure. Send messengers to inform all of your subjects at once."
Helena breathed a quiet sigh of relief. One crisis averted.
As the dukes dispersed, Duke Percival growled under his breath. How did this happen? He found himself glaring at King Ludwig's back. I gave him a kingdom and a queen, and that brat put me in the minority!
The following day, Helena explained the new lucrative rewards to Darrell's crew and asked a portion of them to stick around Rentoshire as her "army" while the rest departed for food shipments (while also taking their scarce loot home). She instructed all her returning troops to recruit more pokémon from Kyukonais to the cause.
The Solardian army attempted some longshot tactics to break Kolink Castle's electrifying defenses, such as flying in while carrying ground types and pokémon with Lightningrod or building mud bridges. However, anything that attempted to overcome the long-ranged electricity lacked the strength to stand up to the defenders. Some Solardians tried scoping out the river upstream to find a way to drain it, but it was deemed impossible due to frequent rain.
Meanwhile, Helena subtly organized her band of pokémon from Kyukonais and allies from Denryushire at the town's perimeter. "As we now know, we won't find many things of value in these abandoned mansions," Helena told her forces. "Most of the riches are stored in the castle. Some would say that makes these buildings worthless, but I have a plan. With all of your expertise, we can strip these buildings down, piece by piece, into simple building supplies and sell them to fund our food shipments."
Her crew saluted and got to work, spreading out across the immediate area with wagons in tow. "Hey, Helena…" Lily mumbled.
Helena saw the Leafeon staring at her forepaws. "What's the matter?" Helena asked.
"I've just been thinking about how much goes into building a house," Lily sighed. "It doesn't feel right to destroy one."
Helena wrapped a tail across her friend's shoulders. "We're not destroying anything, just deconstructing it. The wood and bricks and glass will be reused to build nice houses for deserving pokémon in Kyukonais."
"But what's going to happen to the owners once they come back and see their house is missing? I don't think we should do it."
"They have the means to rebuild. Anyone with a mansion this big inside the city walls got here for a reason, and probably not a good one, judging by the poor countryside outside these walls. Maybe they'll end up with a smaller house later. It's the price to pay for waging war."
"Hmm…" Lily mumbled, her ears drooping.
A cold rainstorm swept across Rentoshire, soaking up camp tents and draining morale. When it wasn't raining, the sky was mostly cloudy, a discouraging contrast to the warm sun the Solardians were used to. Still, the army maintained their positions surrounding Kolink Castle, preventing anything from going in or out until surrender. The rain hampered Helena's deconstruction operations, but she continued to encourage her crew, always leading the effort. Anything to stave off the need for more loans.
Darrell returned to Rentoshire with a fresh crew of volunteers from Kyukonais. Helena thanked every one of them individually, learned of their skills, and put them to work.
Lily took a break from dragging wooden planks around to talk to Darrell. "Welcome back."
"Hey, Lily!" Darrell grinned. "I got some news for ya. Jonquil finally asked out the Delcatty at Quest for Chesto!"
Lily instantly perked up. "Finally!" she cheered.
"Also, your parents took in a nice little family from Denryushire to help them get used to Kyukonais."
"Oh, great! Now I really want to go home and see them and our new friends soon."
"Hopefully not much longer," Darrell chuckled. He leaned back and smiled. "A lot of families are helping out as much as they can. It's nice to see."
Helena donned the Darmanitan's infectious grin. "That's wonderful," she said. "I was… kind of afraid of directing so many more pokémon to Kyukonais all at once, especially with the food prices rising."
"Oh, don't worry one bit," Darrell smiled. "We all know what it was like before, so we're giving the newcomers all we can. Everyone was very welcoming."
"Excellent."
"I shouldn't pass over the bad news, though. Laura said your debt is starting to run out of control. She thinks you need to quickly reduce your food purchasing…"
"She told you that?" Helena whispered with a grimace.
"Yeah. Here's her report with the numbers," Darrell said, passing Helena an imprison-sealed envelope from his wagon.
Helena melted the seal with her paw and glanced over the report. "Ugh… I can't reduce the food supplied to the army, and I don't want to stop supporting Denryushire yet…"
"Kyukonais citizens may have you covered," Darrell said. "They're donating food for the pokémon still in Denryushire after getting to know the ones who arrived. It's enough to fill many wagons for sure."
"Oh, perfect. Let them know that I also appreciate each and every donation," said Helena. "Can you be in charge of limiting my purchases from Miloa according to how many we have in donations? We could really use the savings."
"Will do!" Darrell agreed.
"Also, do you think you can get more pokémon to come to the siege? The more pokémon from Kyukonais, the more loot from the castle we can bring home."
"I'll try. That's the message I gave."
"Thanks, Darrell, you're the best," Helena praised. "And… you stopped by Denryushire on the way here to deliver food, right?"
"Yup! It was pretty cool. They're experimenting with growing all kinds of new food in Denryushire, and it's going well. You must be glad to hear that they won't have to rely on us for much longer," Darrell chuckled.
"How is Windie doing?" Helena asked.
"Windie? I didn't run into him."
"Darn, alright," Helena sighed. "I hope he's not having run-ins with the nobles of Denryushire. Still wish he came with us… Anyway. Let's get back to work, Lily. Thanks, Darrell."
"You got it, Helena!" Darrell saluted.
As they began their way to the deconstruction site, Helena glanced to the south, staring at the horizon. Lily looked at Helena and giggled. "Do you like Windie?" the Leafeon asked.
Helena flinched. "Huh? Uh…" she stammered, cheeks going pink.
Lily grinned, adding a spring to her step. "You two would be perfect together!"
"Do you think he really feels the same way?" Helena half mumbled.
"Of course!" Lily chirped. "He was looking forward to meeting you the moment me and Terry mentioned you! And he's only gotten happier ever since!"
A soft smile rose upon Helena's muzzle. So his charms aren't an act for just any noble lady. He really means it!
"What do you like about Windie?" Lily pressed.
"He's so caring," Helena immediately answered. "He's goofy in a cute sort of way; you know what I mean? He was so fun to be around. And charming. So charming…" Helena gushed, slowing down to glance across the southern horizon again.
"Aww!" Lily gushed, hopping up and down.
"But enough about all that," Helena grunted, shaking her head and resuming her stride. "We need to get back to work."
Lily faced the wooden wall of the third floor of some estate, admiring the woodworking. With a sigh, she raised her paw and extended her Leaf Blade. Such a perfectly balanced build, as Conrad and Remy would say… Lily lamented. It looks no different from some of the houses I helped build. She closed her eyes as her blade approached the wall, then realized that wasn't a good idea at all. Good thing she reopened them because she almost cut a pillar that held up the roof instead of the planks that made up the wall.
"Yikes!" the Leafeon exclaimed, hopping back and retracting her Leaf Blade. She bit her lip, her heart starting to race. Why did Helena have to trust her with such an important job that she didn't want to do?
"Deconstruction, not destruction," Lily mumbled to herself. She approached the wall again, but when she raised her paw, it shook too much. She didn't bother with another Leaf Blade before setting it back down. After a few deep breaths, Lily left to go find Terry. Unfortunately, her favorite Torracat was working near Helena, so Lily stopped behind a corner, trying to figure out what to do.
Her ears perked, and the next moment, she dashed away from the deconstruction site and through the damp streets until she found Darrell and the supply crew. "Darrell," Lily panted, nearly slipping.
"Hey, Lily." Darrell frowned. "What's the matter?"
"Oh, uh… well. I needed to get away from that house we were tearing apart… after all the houses we built, it just feels too wrong."
"Ah, I understand. You're not the first one who mentioned that to me," said Darrell. "Some of my employees told me the same thing."
Lily's ears perked. "Really? That makes me feel better. I thought I was the only one."
"Well, no one's gonna complain too loudly," a Grumpig said. "Gotta follow Helena's orders!"
Lily looked around the supply crew, seeing other members agreeing. "You guys would do anything Helena asked you to do?" she asked.
"Of course. Helena knows best."
"We wouldn't be here if we didn't believe in her."
"She pays our salaries, you know."
Lily forced a smile. Maybe I'm complaining about nothing? Maybe I shouldn't bother. But… Lily's ears flopped. Something still feels icky…
"Something still bothering you, Lily?" Darrell asked.
After a quick glance around, Lily leaned in and whispered, "Is it just me, or has Helena been a bit harsh lately? N-not harsh to me, I mean more like… in her plans. Her plans don't… feel right…?"
"Ah," Darrell nodded. He and Lily strolled out of earshot of the others. "She's under a lot of financial pressure," Darrell said. "A constant, crushing feeling in the background reminding her that everything could collapse. I went through something like that when I was growing my construction company, and actually, Helena was the one who coached me to understand and cope with my finances." He frowned, his flame brows shortening. "Whatever money problems she's in must be really serious to affect her."
"Yikes… I'm glad I don't have to deal with all that… all thanks to Helena," Lily smiled. "Okay, now I definitely have to ask you."
"Ask me what?"
"When you pass through Denryushire on the way back, I need you to convince Windie to come here."
"Hmm? Why's that?"
Lily cracked a grin. "Because Helena has a huge crush on him!" she whispered. "He would cheer her up so much."
"Oh really? That'd be fun to see," Darrell chuckled.
"And more importantly… I think Windie would help keep Helena in a good place."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, we're tearing down other pokémon's houses for money," Lily stated. "I get it, we need food for the army, and these houses belong to evil pokémon. But what if Helena's money problems get worse and she orders even worse destruction? Terry, Max and I can't always convince Helena otherwise… but maybe Windie can. And even if not… I'm sure he can cheer her up more than we can. So can you get him over here?"
"Hmm, I guess that makes sense," said Darrell. "But I haven't talked to Windie much. Maybe you should come with us to Denryushire and convince him to come."
"Me?"
"Yeah! I'm sure you can convince Windie. Besides, you don't want to tear down houses any longer, right? It's the perfect excuse!"
"I don't know… Helena got a little annoyed the last time I complained about tearing down houses," Lily said with a guilty look. "And what if there's a battle?"
"Well, think about it. You have until tomorrow morning before we set off for Miloa," said Darrell.
Another rainstorm swept through Rentoshire that night, soaking the Solardian encampments surrounding Kolink Castle. The Solardians had no other choice besides camping out in the rain lest they risk allowing supplies into the besieged castle. However, as long as Lily had Terry to snuggle with, she didn't mind the pitter-patter of the rain against their tent. She was content and carefree, yet there was an itch that gnawed at her, forcing her to imagine what it was like to live under pressure from others every day.
"Hey Terry, do you ever worry about Helena?" Lily whispered.
"Hmm?" Terry mumbled. "Well, I used to worry that she was doing too much work, but you know how she is! As long as we help out where we can, I'm sure that's good enough for her."
"Darrell said Helena's running out of money."
"Well, that's an understatement," Terry snickered. "She already ran out long ago. She's been borrowing money this whole time and has to pay it back... eventually."
Lily grimaced and held Terry tighter. "I'm scared that with all that stress, Helena might do something mean. Or destructive."
Terry gently stroked Lily's back. "Don't worry. I trust she'll keep her wits as long as possible. We just need to keep her spirits high."
"My hiding and complaining haven't been helping," Lily sighed. "But I just can't tear down someone else's hard work any longer… so I thought of a different way to cheer Helena up. But maybe it's stupid…" she mumbled.
"Don't leave me hanging," Terry chuckled with a nudge to her shoulder. "What is it?"
"Helena has a huge crush on Windie, so I want to bring him here to cheer her up."
Terry's ears perked, and his flame bell chimed to life. The light of the bell displayed Terry's ear-to-ear grin. "That would be perfect! He would be perfect for her!" Terry whispered excitedly into Lily's ear.
Lily smiled, relaxing a bit. "You think so?"
"I know so! Helena would love having Windie around. She wanted him to join the team, remember? Ooh, and Windie would do so much to encourage Helena to keep things nice no matter how bad it gets!"
"Exactly what I was thinking!" Lily cheered.
"You have the perfect plan," Terry praised, holding her close and grinning.
Lily felt a wave of warmth, knowing she wasn't alone. "Should I go with Darrell's crew to Denryushire tomorrow, then?"
"Yeah, go for it, love," Terry encouraged with a hug. "I'll cover for you and keep Helena company until you're back."
"Okay, I'll go to Denryushire, find Windie, and… somehow convince him to come and hang out with Helena."
"Pfft, no problem at all! You've seen how much he likes Helena," Terry smirked.
"But what if he can't come? He couldn't come with us last time because he had to take care of Denryushire, whatever that means," Lily recalled.
"Ah, yeah, I forgot." Terry rested his head next to Lily, thinking. "Why don't you tell him to bring an army with him here? We could use their help to win the siege, and they can bring tons of treasure back to Denryushire to help repair and grow the province!"
"Ooh, perfect! I knew I could count on you, love," said Lily, nuzzling Terry's cheek.
Terry closed his eyes and nuzzled back. "You'll be back in no time, promise?"
"Promise," Lily whispered, curling her tail around him.
A/N 2/14/23: Happy Valentine's Day! Hope you enjoyed the little bits of fluff, and you can bet there'll be more coming soon!
Kolink Castle is inspired by Île de la Cité in Paris, an island in the middle of the Seine River. Some believe that ancient Paris was centered around a fort on the island and past rulers ruled France from a castle on the island (they may just be claims without evidence, though). Yeah, yeah, Luneland is supposed to be English, not French, but you know what? Take some heavy rain as compensation. XD
And now to address the Copperajah in the room... why the four-month absence? What can I say, I discovered a neat game called Factorio and got addicted. XD I also got re-addicted to Europa Universalis IV (the game this story is vaguely inspired by). Funnily enough, when the one-year anniversary of Nine Tales of Liberty was around the corner, only then did I suddenly continue working on this chapter, hoping to finish it in time. Clearly, that didn't work out. XD Instead of cranking something out, I've spent some time rereading the whole story I've written so far to get back into the groove. I am quite happy with how this chapter turned out and excited to flesh out my plans for the upcoming chapters on paper (well, keyboard). I'd love to hear what details in the story have most caught your attention so far!