Hi readers. Today it's Valentine's day, so in the heart of this loving day I give you the next chapter of Battle Princess.

Ah, we're coming closer and closer to the end. I hadn't actually made plans for what happens in this chapter, considering I planned the last one from the very beginning. It's not very long, actually the three next chapters are rather short, but I like the... no, I won't go ruining the story, you'll have to read it all by yourself. So have fun!

Scotland's monarch

The preparation for the harvest was efficient. The people heeded the queen's warning more willingly than she had hoped for. She realized her people had much more faith in her than any other people to their monarch thorough history.

The harvest didn't give much, but at least it gave more than it would have done if they had started when they usually did. They would have had nothing. The queen made sure Solomon had the castle's food supplies well filled and rationed thorough the long winter. If the people ran out of food during winter she told them they could get a share from her supplies, but only if they really needed them. She made sure everyone understood they could only have one share a month for every village and town, the size of the share would depend on the amount of people living in the area. Some… almost half of the governors were grunting about the early harvest discussion and work, but the queen wouldn't bend, and the people were heeding her and not their governors. It had long since proved to be the right thing. Scotland's queen was always right in the end.

During the days, that became shorter by every sunset, arms and hands worked, filled the barns with as much as the harvest gave, for humans and animals alike. Confused birds came to the white castle and asked what was going on, why the cold was coming so quickly, and Yuniko told them about the cold north coming south. The birds agreed to spread the news and so even the wild animals started to prepare for winter.

They days passed quickly and the castle seemed wrapped in a golden light. The past and future was working hard alongside the present to keep the Vampire Lord away from the humans. They all knew they were starting to become hungry. They had felt more than one vampire attack the barrier, but not being able to enter.

Kyoko and Ryouko trained with Joey and the new soldiers that was soon to be organized and sent to the villages. The queen felt it was asking too much to ask her people to gather as much as they could. If she failed it would also make them an easier catch for the vampires.

Adam trained with and yelled at his soldiers from early morning to late night. The in-training soldiers slept heavily at night and rose with Malin's call when the first sunlight coloured the eastern sky in grey and gold.

"How far is it from East to West?" Yuniko asked one morning when she, accompanied by Honda, went to the dining room for breakfast. The entire council was having breakfast with their queen since Mr. Hem's betrayal had been uncovered. They wanted to make sure something like it did not happen again. It gave them a chance to be openly suspicious about each other, something they had always been more or less.

"Pardon?"

Yuniko laughed softly. "I asked myself really, but maybe you can answer instead; How far is it from East to West?"

Honda only stared at her along with Malin. None of them understood.

"The former king used to say so on days he felt frustrated," Honda suddenly remembered.

"You have never heard the story about the priest and parish clerk?"

Honda shook his head in denial.

"Well, I can not tell you here, but the king asked the parish clerk, who had dressed like the priest, three questions, and one of them was the one I asked."

"And the answer, Milady?" Malin spoke up.

"One day's march."

"Why one day?" Honda asked confused. "You can take one step from east to west, or travel from the east horizon to the west."

Yuniko sighed with a smile. "The king asked for an explanation as well, and the parish clerk told him that the sun goes up in East, and goes down in West, and it takes for it one day's march."

"That was clever," Malin said as she thought about it. "But why did you ask it now?"

"To go from East to West it takes the sun one day's march. Father used the question on days he thought was long. Now I am using it to say the days are too short. It is late August and already the days are short. I was simply wishing for the sun to slow its striding march across the sky."

Honda and Malin looked at their queen and friend. Yuniko seemed older by the day. Her body seemed stiff even if she moved with more grace than any other around. Her back was probably hurting from tensing so much and there were much less determination in her strides. Her face showed no trace of wrinkles, but her blue eyes were not as brilliant and her smile not as eager as it used to. The wrinkle in her forehead never really eased, not even when she slept. Malin thought her friend looked even more troubled and worked out when sleeping than working during the days.

"Will Milady be alright?"

Yuniko smiled warmly. "I will be just fine, dear. I have you all to look after me."

Honda frowned behind his queen's back. He was worried sick about her, which was obvious from the dark circles under his eyes. Yuniko did her best to calm them all, keep them occupied with familiar chores and subjects. It worked during the days and as long as she was around and gave her orders, but at night the worry came back full force, robbing many of their sleep.

Yuniko and her company entered the already occupied dining room. She was usually last to enter ever since the event with Mr. Hem. She knew most of them had sleeping troubles and therefore rose early, and she was worried about their health. It was not good for them to loose so much sleep, especially not when the darkness drew closer on them. It was still dark outside. Yuniko could almost feel their eyes in her back. They were just waiting for her to make her move, or for the night they would be able to invade her kingdom, and the world with it.

'How far is it from East to West?' Yuniko asked herself again silently.

Ryouko's dreams were hunted by dark shadows. Blue eyes were nearing from above, red eyed beings were surrounding her on the ground, and a single green eye stared hungrily at her from a tower. White fangs, stained with red blood, glinted in the light of the thin crescent moon. New moon would be in three days.

Ryouko tried to flee, to run, hide, but there was nowhere she could escape those hungry beings lusting for her blood. She closed her eyes tightly and hid her face in her hands. She would die!

But suddenly a pair of strong, safe arms surrounded her and lifted her up into the sky. The body she found herself pushed against was warm so she hid in the flat chest as the chilly night air soared around them.

"You do not have to be afraid, Ryouko."

The girl's brown eyes looked up into her father's smiling face. He looked different from when she had met him in her room that night. He had no fangs, his hair seemed softer, as his eyes, and his ears were round. "Father?"

"Can you see her?" Aku's face turned away from hers and looked towards the ground. When the young girl followed his gaze she noticed the queen on the ground. She stood like a guardian at the top of the great wall with her sword drawn. She, the wall and the castle behind was completely surrounded by a barrier of golden light.

"She does everything she can. She will never let you be harmed."

"That is right," said a voice from beside them and Ryouko turned to meet the face of a young boy with tanned skin, white hair and warm brown eyes. "Mother will always protect us."

"They all will," another voice spoke from her other side. A teenage boy with very pale skin, snow white hair and the same brown eyes Ryouko was used to see staring back at her from a mirror. "Yugi always cared more for his friends than himself. And now there are three of them."

The Kyoko who almost tip-toed out of her room that morning was sharp-eyed, straight and proud. The down-to-earth and realistic child seemed to have grown up over night. People who saw and recognized her frowned in confusion at her new stance and forgot to greet her.

"Good morning, young Kyoko," Yuniko greeted her when she entered the dining room to join the people already gathered there. She did not seem faced by her sudden pride and confidence. "I see you slept well tonight?" It was a statement just as much as a question.

"I did, thank you, your majesty," Kyoko curtsied and bowed her head. She seemed to have gained a little more grace as well.

"I wish to talk to you and your sister later. You have both slept in this morning, so please take a seat."

Kyoko was halfway through her breakfast of boiled eggs, newly baked bread and porridge with honey when Ryouko suddenly dashed into the room. As soon as those brown eyes landed on Yuniko she ran straight into her arms, holding onto her tightly. Most councilmen tensed at the sudden intimately, but Yuniko returning the embrace relaxed them. But suddenly Ryouko jumped back from the queen's embrace and glared fiercely at her.

"How can you be so stupid?" she almost yelled.

Yuniko raised her eyebrows in a confused and amused expression. Malin was shocked to say at least. Ryouko looked like she very much wanted to slap the queen with all her might.

"I love," Yuniko answered as the confusion eased from her face and left her smiling in amusement. "Love and stupidity goes hand in hand most of the time."

Ryouko gritted her teeth and shook in what seemed to be complete rage, but Yuniko laid a calming hand on her head. "I know I am stupid, and I know you love me dearly. But this time I will stay as stupid as God, who loves mankind so deeply he keeps guiding us to this very day, no matter what we do to each other and the Earth."

Kyoko stood up, grace and pride still obvious in her movements. "Her majesty is stupid," she said, gaining many wild eyed stares. "But we all love her because of it."

"Shut your mouths right this instant!" Sir Rolf yelled. "You have no right to accuse our queen for stupidity!"

"But we have, Sir," Kyoko said, eyes straight and determined. "It was stupid to give Ken another chance. It was stupid to accept late Lord Thomas's offer to join forces through marriage. It was stupid to let Ken go and forgive him. It is stupid to refuse the soldiers to prepare for war."

Yuniko's eyes narrowed and the glee cleared from her face. Kyoko swallowed silently. "All those things were and are stupid, but more than anything it proves her majesty's great mercy. It was merciful to give Ken another chance, it was merciful to leave him and let him try figure out the depth of his treachery, and it was mercy that forgave him. If Scotland goes to war," she swallowed again and continued with softer voice, "then people will die, families lose their sons, bloodlines be broken… for humans can not fight vampires."

Kaio's grieving, pained eyes looked out of Kyoko's, memories flashing by in them.

"True," Yuniko said softly. "I have said so before. I am glad someone finally understands my words the way they were meant." She glanced at Malin, who watched in confused silence. But her purple eyes belonged to one who was starting to understand. She shook her head.

"We all knew the outcome of this war a long time ago."

Adam and the council tried harder than ever to convince the queen to prepare the soldiers, but Yuniko refused to move and inch in the matter. It was like their words just slipped past as they threw them her way. Her "Give me a good reason" question was answered by; "To protect you", which the queen responded to with an expecting "And..?" But since they had no other reason the argument ended with another win for Yuniko. Because the only other argument they had had turned out useless because the queen were almost obsessive and desperate to protect the people, and the soldiers were people. Just like the council's members, the servants, even the villains, thieves and criminals were people. They were given names, but they were still people. Yuniko had that speech once, and the matter was never again brought up, in or out of her presence.

Ryouko, Kyoko and Joey continued to train with the soldiers, which were now sorted out into groups of about a dozen men practicing in fighting together. Scotland's monarch left nothing to chance. The groups were set and complaints or disagreements were brought immediately to the queen. After the first two there had been no more. Why? Because the queen was more final than the soldiers were displeased. The groups were sent out at the beginning of September and left only Yuniko's most trusted and stubborn men by her side. Some of them simply refused to leave her and the White castle.

Malin stayed by her queen's side throughout the days and shared her bed during the nights, mostly to make sure Yuniko wouldn't disappear. The blue-eyed ruler understood and let her be, keeping her worried and scared nurse close to her.

The queen wasn't the only one sharing her bed. The servants crowded in their rooms more than usual to keep each other warm through the steadily colder nights. It was Ryouko who after three nights of sharing her bed with Kyoko and still being cold at last asked her half-sister to sleep in her room.

"You are welcome. Malin is doing so too," the queen had replied to Ryouko's discreet wish.

Joey had a bed in the barracks, but with the cold creeping in on them he too shared a bed with his fellow soldiers.

But not everyone in Scotland was able to do so. The falling temperature had a harvest of victims; old men and women, newborn children, homeless, poor people with no fat to keep warmth in. As the days passed and September reached its middle days the reports about people frozen to death came with shorter and shorter phrases.

"They are coming, and quickly," the queen almost growled as she paced back and forth in the meeting room, as much to think clearly as to keep warm. The cold was seeping in through the walls and the sparkling fire was only barely keeping the room warm. Yuniko was dressed in a white dress with a beautifully yellow wool scarf covering her neck and shoulders.

The council said nothing. They were one man short, the eldest of them having fallen victim for the cold. The nights were as cold as midwinter already. What wouldn't they be in a month?

Malin stood with Joey under his winter cloak. She had a slight fever and Yuniko was worried sick about her. Malin wasn't the only one. The servants of the castle were always moving and some of them had to go out once in a while. The constant change of temperature was more than their bodies could handle and led to fevers and colds.

With a sudden growl Yuniko swirled around. "Gather the soldiers and noblemen in the throne room. I have made my decision. This war must come to an end."

The throne room. So many memories this room held. This was where Malin's family had faced the king and prince and been judged, here Lord Thomas had proposed to Yuniko, in here Lennart Martinsson had made the queen laugh, in here Ken had been judged and forgiven. In this room Scotland's monarch and patron saint was about to change history.

"My people," the queen started where she stood above all heads like so many times before. Her eyes were clear and serious and her face calm. "I have an announcement to make. I believe you all know Scotland is protected as long as I sit on the throne." Heads bopped up and down silently affirmative. "Still, from this position I can only protect. From here I can not defend you."

Malin looked up at her queen. She had been staring at the floor, wrapped in Joey's warm cloak, trying hard to concentrate. At the bottom of the stairs the soldiers also looked up. They were all dreading what was to come next.

"You are right," the queen answered their disbelieving gazes. "In order to defend the kingdom I have to step down from the throne."

Shocked gasps and mumbles went through people in the room and the servants eavesdropping outside. The queen raised a hand before the protests started.

"Have no fear, my people. I will not abandon the kingdom or you. I am well aware Scotland needs a strong monarch." Yuniko looked down into Joey's honey eyes. "Come here, Jonathan Edwardson."

Very hesitantly and with his stomach sinking in dread Joey slowly stepped up the stairs and kneeled in front of his queen.

"Two years ago you and your brothers with servants were caught in the woods as horse thieves." Joey had to stop himself from looking up at her puzzled. He wondered where she was heading, but dreaded the end of her speech. "Your father was no honourable man, and he was punished for his folly to use his sons to steal. Though, since your older brother took the place of your father your name has been cleared."

Outside the servants were whispering, all wondering why the queen had suddenly changed subject. Inside the throne room the people were silent, but they were wondering the same thing. Mokuba stood with Ryouko and Kyoko in the side door and frowned in puzzlement along with Ryouko, but Kyoko's eyes were slowly filling with recognition.

"Is she serious?" Kyoko breathed.

"What?" Ryouko turned to her younger half sister.

"Jonathan Edwardson, you too have proved you are an honourable man. You are loyal, strong and determined, though also a little hot-headed."

Sweat was forming on Joey's forehead as he slowly started to realize exactly what the queen was about to do. 'Please God, no,' he prayed.

"It is therefore, to prove my devotion and faith in you," Yuniko raised her hands to the crown sitting on her head and removed it, "that I give the throne of Scotland" the crown fell and landed on Joey's head "to you."