"So you're saying that a massive living sky ship demon thing from ancient elven legends is alive, and coming to kill all life on Halkeginia?"
Siesta looked up from where she stood in the center of the Tristanian assembly hall and nodded to the noble who had asked her the question. "Well, yes."
"And you are saying that uncovering this, corpse, was Lady Montmorency's expedition's goal?" another noble asked, his tone full of spite.
Siesta nodded again. "Yes. I don't believe any one on the expedition had done anything to it to awaken it however."
"What you believe does not matter, plebeian!" another noble yelled loudly. "Do you really think that we could believe such a fantastical story? How do we know you haven't been brainwashed by those supposed elven refugee's outside to invade us, huh!"
Hearing this statement the entire assembly nearly exploded as people tried to voice their concerns. The noise was nearly defeating, and the entire situation was grinding on Siesta's willpower.
It had taken almost a week for her and the elven refugee's from Marisun to get to the elven capitol, and within a day they had sent out three mid class sky ships to take back Marisun. Two days later only one returned as a nearly un-flyable wreck. The abandonment of the elven capitol came two days later. Siesta had been surprised how fast the elves could work, and within a day the capitol, and all its nearby surrounding towns had been evacuated, and were heading toward Tristania.
Which brought her back to the situation at hand. The elven refugees were waiting on almost two dozen massive sky ships along the mountains, just at the edge of the Halkeginian border; waiting for confirmation of being allowed to land. She had volunteered to go with the elven elder of Marisun, and the elven high leader, to explain the situation to the queen, but it was not going as planned.
"The girl speaks truth, why can you not see that?" The elven elder suddenly asked from his position a few steps behind Siesta, causing the entire assembly to become silent with hatred.
The assembly quietened as General Gramont stood up from his chair and looked down at Siesta and the two elves. "Many of us find it difficult because we do not know the full breadth of elven nature magic. I am not saying you did, but you could have killed everyone on the expedition and brainwashed this girl, turning her into your pawn for invasion. Without a more reliable amount of proof, we can take nothing you say as truth."
"We have no reason to lie." The elven elder stated calmly. "What forces we have brought with us are all that we have. Likely thousands that could not evacuate are l being killed and slaughtered by the Nightscreamer as we speak. A united front is the only chance for survival for all of us, please see that!"
"And what? Allow you to see all of our military might to sabotage us!" A noble cried in anger, his dislike for the elves clearly showing through.
The assembly nearly exploded with voices again as nobles began bickering and screaming to be heard. Siesta let out a small sigh. This was getting them nowhere, what they needed was a voice of reason!
Luckily, Siesta got what she hoped for. The queen rapped her wand upon the podium as she stood up to speak, and the assembly hall became silent. "Siesta of Tarbes. Do you swear on the Founder's name that what you speak is absolutely true in the strictest sense?"
Siesta nodded. "I do."
"You swear that what these elves say is true as well?"
"Yes, I do."
The queen smiled softly as she nodded to herself "Then I shall believe what you say,… however."
"Y-yes?"
"You have only given us the most basic explanation of what happened, so I would ask you to tell us everything that transpired, in extreme detail."
Siesta swallowed hard as she looked up to the queen and nodded. "Alright, um, this may be a bit, hard to handle, but I'll do my best."
And so she told them, everything. The start of the expedition, Maria's disappearance, the landing, the corpse, the disappearances, the corpse's reawakening, the silver mist, the escape with the elves, everything. She explained exactly the wounds on the elves, Mr. Colbert and Lady Montmorency, she explained how horrid the silver mist was and how monstrous the troll-like creature looked, and she told them in explicit detail just how powerful the Nightscreamer was. As she spoke, an air of nervousness, horror and disbelief began filling the room until she finished, leaving every noble with looks of horror and fear in their eyes.
The queen nodded as she looked down at Siesta, staring into her eyes, and looking upon her feelings that they showed her. Determination, horror, and sadness were prominent, but so was a desire for vengeance. "I shall believe you."
Siesta's heart nearly fluttered upon hearing the queen's words. She was being trusted.
"However, I would like to ask if anyone here has anything to ask. If you do, then do so now."
"I have something to add!" came a female voice, causing the entire assembly to look toward its owner. Almost directly beside the queens podium, sat the Vallière family, with its one daughter, Cattleya standing with her arm raised. The Vallière family had been strangely quiet for the entire assembly thus far, strange simply because everyone expected them to speak against the plebeian; especially as their third daughter had been on the expedition.
"And what do you have to add, Lady Cattleya?" The queen asked calmly, giving the floor to Cattleya.
Cattleya nodded and looked about the assembly, making sure she had everyone's attention. "I had sent my familiar, Hanes, to follow the expedition sky ship. It returned to me just last night with shocking news. Proof that what the young maid here says, and information on what leads the Nightscreamer's will."
The assembly hall let out almost constant gasps of shock and confusion for a matter of seconds before Cattleya spoke up again, causing every one to quiet.
"The creature that leads it is a humanoid creature similar to the purple troll-like creature Siesta described. My familiar watched it kill Lady Montmorency as well as Mr. Colbert, along with two elves that were nearby. It obviously has something against both humans and elves, and from what Hanes has shown me, is coming; just as Siesta has explained."
The assembly was dead quiet. Not a single family would ever think that, with the Vallière family's history that any of them would lie about such a thing, and that meant only one thing. It was the truth.
The queen tapped her wand as she slowly exhaled and took a deep breath, an act that every noble recognized; she had made her decision and decided upon a course of action. "We shall believe what you say, due to the proof you and Lady Cattleya have brought forward. More information will have to be acquired, as well as the other countries must be informed of this crisis." The queen started her gaze then drifting to the elves behind Siesta. "You may land your ships on the plains north of the city, and we will have crews and forces assist you in rearming, resupplying and providing food and drink. I would like you both to return to the castle tonight to speak to me and my strategist about tactical information. That will be all, for now at least."
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"It's good you did not speak of all that your familiar found." Karin said to Cattleya as the entire Vallière family stepped into their coach.
"How could I? Telling everyone that Louise had turned into some kind of monster and was killing people, betraying all of Halkeginia. How could I say that!?" Cattleya asked a hint of worry and sadness in her voice.
Eleonore sat down beside her sister and put a hand on her shoulder. "We'll confront her. We'll find out what's really going on here."
Cattleya nodded as her father grunted before speaking. "Yes, and if she really has betrayed all of Halkeginia, we will deal with her ourselves, lest the Vallière name be stained. Though I'll take no pleasure in it if it comes to such a thing."
Karin nodded solemnly as she closed the door to the coach and signalled its driver to go. They would likely need to return to the capitol in a matter of days, but she was just happy to have time to prepare; to prepare to do the worst if it came to it.
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The elven elder walked out of the assembly hall and looked out at the capitol of Tristania from atop its stairs. The city was well organized for a human city, and was well kept up. For a smaller Halkeginian country he had thought it would be worse, but was happy to be wrong. As he looked out he noticed a familiar form sitting on the steps below him, and stepped down to join them. "Is something wrong, girl?"
Siesta turned her head as the elven elder sit down beside her, a look of honest worry for her spread across his face. Siesta wiped her eyes and shook her head. "N-not really, the assembly believed us after all, so there's a chance now." Siesta said, occasionally sniffing so as to not have her nose run.
"Then why are you crying?"
Siesta was quiet for a moment before looking directly at the elder. "Because I was told by the musketeer captain that 'while it is good I brought this info to the crown, my presence is no longer needed'. She said she'd have a carriage for me to go home on by the end of the day."
"Is that not a good thing for you?"
"Normally it would be, but I want to fight! I told her that but she just looked at me and said it was impossible. All because I'm just a lowly maid!"
The elven elder looked at siesta for a good minute as small droplets of rain began to fall from the constantly darkening sky. "War is violent, and many people will likely not survive."
"I don't care!" Siesta screamed. "I have to avenge Montmorency! She was the only noble I could ever call a friend."
"Is vengeance you're only reason to fight, girl?"
" . . . . If I fight, then others might live, I ran like a coward as people I knew died behind me. I'll fight for them, and for all those that couldn't and can't!"
The elder looked at Siesta and smiled as the rain picked up, drenching them both in a matter of seconds. "Alright then, let's go."
Siesta looked up to the elder, confused by his words. "Go where?"
"Our sky ships are landing north of the city. I'll argue that you're staying with us, and I'll have our best weapons master train you in combat. I figure we've got at least two weeks before the Nightscreamer get here if it keeps up with the speed we saw. We'll have you ready to fight by then."
"Th-thank you!" siesta said as she stood up and bowed to the elven elder.
"Don't thank me just yet. The training will be harsh, and if you aren't serious you could hurt yourself severely, but let us talk of that once we are out of the rain. There will be much to do."
