She'd been teaching him how to light things on fire from a distance. It was hard, but she'd told him it would get easier with practice, so he was practicing. It required patience and concentration, so he was in the woods, staring hard at this tree trunk. A wisp of smoke was just rising from the bark and a soft crackle reached his ears.

"What are you doing?" Ackala asked suspiciously from behind him.

An odd thing happened then. T'reth jumped in surprise, his concentration shifting, but not breaking, and as he twisted to glare at his soul brother, the target of his concentration became much easier to heat up. The next thing either of them knew, Ackala's clothes were bursting into flame.

The other man shrieked and fell over, flailing madly. T'reth leapt to his feet, mouth hanging open in horror.

"Ackala!" he called, rushing over with the bucket of water he'd brought along. He tossed it on his brother. Some of the flames died, but not all of them. He froze as the man rolled around on the ground. He had no idea what to do. There was no more water on hand, and he didn't know how to put fires out, Star had only just been teaching him how to start them!

After a moment of shock, he swooped down to help pat flames out, and within a few seconds Ackala was no longer on fire. Unfortunately, it was summer, and dry, and now the forest was.

They sat there a moment, breathing heavily and staring at each other and the burning underbrush, too stunned to do anything but recover. Ackala reached out and shoved him.

"You set me on fire!"

"I didn't mean to!"

"You set the forest on fire!"

"Technically, you did that."

Ackala glared at him for a moment before T'reth's eyes flew wide and he jumped to his feet.

"The forest is on fire!" he yelled, and then ran over to stomp at the quickly growing flames.

Ackala scrambled after him, and for the next few minutes they'd been desperately stomping at flames that didn't want to die.

"We're not winning, T'reth, we need help!" his brother warned him.

"Of course!" he exclaimed, and then turned around and yelled, "Star!"

The flames went out. When he turned back around, the goddess was standing in the blackened underbrush, hands planted on her hips, giving him a severe look. "I'm a creature of power beyond your capability to comprehend, oath-bound to further your cause for freedom, and you're calling on me to put out forest fires that you started?"

T'reth opened his mouth to defend himself, and then closed it, hanging his head in shame. "Yes." He admitted glumly. There was a heavy pause.

And then Star laughed. She laughed long and freely, and she turned and walked away from them still laughing, leaving the two men with their mouths hanging open. They shared a look and blinked at each other, flabbergasted, and when they looked back the immortal was nowhere to be seen, even if her laughter still echoed through the trees.

It was the second time in his life that T'reth thought he might be in love.

~0~

From the moment he'd met her, he'd felt something special about her. That day in the woods he'd mistaken it for romantic love.

That notion had faded quickly over the next few months.

She must have known his struggle to define what he felt about her. She knew when he was thinking about her. She had the power to look into his mind and see every thought, every impulse and idea he had. She knew, of course. But she never seemed to care, or at least never let on if she did. The only thing that changed in her behavior was that she started hanging around camp even more. Not usually with him, though, unless he had some time off and found her. Usually she was with the children. In the same way that she was teaching him to use his own power, she had started an almost regular teaching schedule for them, and they progressed in leaps and bounds under her tutelage. Even some of the children that had been labeled non-magical started showing hidden, and often unusual abilities. T'reth was sometimes jealous of their progress, when he was working on things for months at a time and they were moving on to new topics every week.

She started laughing, too. Not often, but she did laugh on occasion, and she smiled more. His people had been thawing out toward her for a while now, and that seemed to be a tipping point. Once she was acting as human as they did, once she started taking what seemed to be an honest interest in the parents and the warriors, they welcomed her. It made T'reth happy, to see her included. He didn't care what you were or where you were from; being alone as completely as she had been… it couldn't be enjoyable. She had to get lonely sometimes… right?

He was watching her teach some of their magically-inclined adults when he thought that. She looked over at him as soon as he did, but he'd gotten good at telling when he'd said things out loud and when she'd just been listening to his thoughts. Either way, it was no coincidence. He smiled at her, offering either apology or sympathy, depending on her reaction. She smiled back, her distant, mysterious smile that spoke of age and wisdom far beyond his ability to comprehend. But she smiled. That was the important part.

The young man she'd been teaching called her attention back to him and she carefully coached him through the process of the shadow summoning again. Watching her, T'reth finally figured it out. In the same way that Ackala was more than just his bodyguard, Star was more than just his mentor and ally. She was his Guardian. Not just oath-bound—his Spirit Guardian, too. A divine guide and protector.

He loved her, yes, because he trusted her. In a way, he always had. It explained why he'd always been more comfortable working with her than anybody else had been.

"What are you grinning about?" Ackala asked suspiciously. T'reth glanced up at his friend and shrugged.

"Nothing. It's just a great day."

Ackala grunted, not buying it, but moved on anyway. "Supplies just came in."

"Ah, thank you. I'll get right on that."

T'reth started walking away while Ackala stopped to watch the goddess at work for a moment. T'reth gave the larger man a questioning look when he caught up. Ackala frowned in thought before answering.

"You think she'd teach me?" He wondered. T'reth laughed. Hard. On the verge of cackling, actually. Ackala snorted and lengthened his stride, pulling ahead. "Never mind."

T'reth trotted to catch up, calming himself. "No, I think she would! I just also think it would be… entertaining." He grinned widely at the guarded look his brother gave him. "I think you should give it a go. She's a good teacher. Maybe you'll get to like each other a little better."

Ackala gave a noncommittal grunt. "Maybe," he allowed.

~0~

T'reth was there for the first lesson the goddess gave his friend. As expected, they did not disappoint him. He laughed until his sides hurt as they butted heads over and over with Star always the victor. Despite their opposition, Ackala walked away nodding in satisfaction.

"I think that went well." He said while T'reth tried to catch his breath.

The General straightened, slapping the larger man on the back as they headed out to a meeting. "I think you're right, my brother. I think you two are going to get along just fine, now."

Ackala didn't answer, but he was smirking.

~0~

The day Ackala met Lalita, sparks had flown. T'reth had been positive it was only a matter of time before they got married, and he had been right. It took some cajoling before the man got up the nerve to ask Lalita and her family for her hand, but eventually, he had. There had been some confused shuffling of roles as they tried to sort out which version of the ceremony they would have (Lalita came from the southern tribes, Ackala had grown up with Royalists and was more familiar with the plains tradition. Suffice it to say they had very different customs), and who would officiate.

Eventually they settled on having her father officiate and T'reth would just be Ackala's best man. T'reth had thought the ceremony they settled on was actually quite a beautiful twining of the two traditions, and he'd been perfectly happy to stand next to his soul brother and grin as Lalita came sashaying down the aisle and Ackala almost melted into a puddle of adoration.

It wasn't until Lalita's younger brother brought the ring up and presented it to his soon-to-be brother-in-law that T'reth remembered how odd the whole situation leading up to the wedding had been.

The ring was beautiful, silver and gold twined together with perfect, expert workmanship. Such a remarkable piece of jewelry would have gone for 500 runes at least in a Royalist market. They might have had that much money, if they'd combined the savings of the entire Rebel army. So how had they gotten it? Ackala had literally woken up one morning and found it in his shoe.

It was late spring. In this area, it was usually dumping buckets of rain every other day—and it had been. Elsewhere. Just not here, for the last week and a half. Right now, fluffy clouds were drifting past in a brilliantly blue sky and it was a comfortable temperature with only a light breeze to ruffle Lalita's simple, but elegant dress. The simple, elegant dress for which the fabric had appeared from nowhere one morning draped across Lalita's bed.

Spring was Lalita's favorite season. She'd been ecstatic when the weather had worked out so perfectly to allow for an outdoor wedding. She loved the small butterflies that frequented the Southern lands in the spring and fall, and rainbows and fluffy white clouds because they had always been infrequent beauties in her hot climate, blue was her favorite color, and seafood was her favorite food. It was simply another miracle that they'd intercepted and successfully taken a shipment of various high-end seafood in the last week.

T'reth watched the pattern continue as a tiny blue butterfly fluttered past while Ackala and Lalita were saying their vows. The urge to look became too great and T'reth glanced the way the butterfly had come from. The first thing he saw beyond their small clearing was a large, rain-heavy cloud front quickly overtaking them. He frowned a bit and dropped his gaze to the trees. It took a few seconds of searching, but then he saw her.

Star was lounging in a tree on the edge of the clearing, seemingly not paying any attention to the proceedings. But then she waved her hand lazily and a few more blue butterflies appeared out of the tree line and fluttered their way over. T'reth couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. He turned back just as his brother said "I do." Lalita repeated the phrase a few seconds later. Exactly as her father was finalizing the vows, the heavy clouds that had been overtaking them broke open, starting with a quiet drizzle but quickly picking up speed.

"You may kiss the bride!" Lalita's father announced, and then promptly led the retreat back to camp. The rain came in buckets then, and most of the guests scattered, T'reth included, but Ackala ignored the downpour. He grabbed his wife and swung her down into a kiss, making her laugh. T'reth paused once he'd reached the trees and what protection they afforded to look back and smile while the newlyweds danced in the rain for a moment. A cloud break formed and Lalita grabbed her husband's arm to point out the rich double rainbow that appeared. They laughed giddily and kissed again.

T'reth was too busy laughing to appreciate the romance.

"What's got you busting a gut?" a voice asked from above him.

The General calmed himself and leaned against the tree as he caught his breath.

"Nothing, Great One." He replied finally. "It's just impossible to beat this wedding gift." He grinned up at Star and she smiled back a moment before turning to climb further up the tree, disappearing into the young foliage an instant before Ackala called for him to come back to camp with them.

~0~

It had gotten to the point that Ackala was having just as many training sessions with Star in almost as many topics as T'reth was. The goddess and the bodyguard had a combative relationship, for certain, but it was an open one that contrasted sharply with the suspicion and subdued fear Ackala had harbored for years toward the creature. But, some habits he still couldn't fully break, and being overprotective was one of them. He hadn't had the choice to keep his brother away from the strange deity, but his wife was a different story.

T'reth had to admit, Ackala had handled that campaign quite well. Lalita was a rather headstrong woman, and telling her to not do something without a very compelling reason was bound to end with her doing the thing she'd been told not to do. So Ackala never told her to stay away from Star, he just made sure Lalita was never near Star, and quickly relocated her when she was. If Lalita ever caught on, she never said so. Star most certainly caught on, though, and T'reth felt bad for being so amused by Ackala's struggles to keep the two females away from each other as Star slowly upped the ante over the following months.

In the end, the two of them did meet, and it was Lalita that initiated the contact by showing up at a training session. T'reth was waiting his turn while Star taught Ackala a new sword fighting technique and he noticed her first. With some careful timing to avoid drawing attention, he slipped over to the edge of the field where his brother's wife was hovering, respectfully waiting for an opportunity to interrupt. She smiled as he approached and he smiled back.

"He looks like he's doing well." Lalita commented.

"He is. Of course, this is the fifth session in a row they've been learning this particular technique, so he should be."

She laughed. "He's a slow learner at times, my husband."

"Don't I know it," T'reth agreed, chuckling.

"Lalita!" Ackala exclaimed, sounding surprised and a little nervous. The bigger man hurried over and T'reth stepped back, grinning. "What are you doing here, dear?" he asked, subtly trying to keep himself between his wife and the goddess behind him.

"Maybe I came to watch you fight." The woman suggested. "You spend a lot of time over here, after all, and I haven't even had the opportunity to meet your tutor."

"Oddly enough, you haven't." Star agreed before Ackala could say anything. "Strange, isn't it?" she commented, smirking at Ackala.

"Um, yeah. I guess you two have just… never managed to run into each other." Ackala offered weakly, looking rather uncomfortable, much to T'reth's amusement.

"Hmm. I am Star." The goddess introduced herself.

Lalita bobbed her head. "I'm—"

"Pregnant." Star interrupted.

All three humans froze, staring at her. The goddess flashed a smile, sweeping her wings out. "A pleasure to finally meet you, Lalita." She said, almost smugly, and then she whirled, taking off into the sky.

T'reth looked back to his brother and sister in law. Ackala's mouth was hanging open and Lalita was blinking rapidly. The general grinned.

"Are you?" Ackala finally blurted, and then threw a glance around. Luckily, nobody else was in earshot.

"I—I don't know. Maybe?" Lalita stuttered.

T'reth laughed, clapping a hand on Ackala's shoulder. "I'd say it's a pretty safe bet you are. Congratulations, you two."

Lalita gasped and smacked his arm. "T'reth! I'm the one who gets to decide when and how to announce such things, not her! You tell her I'm angry now!"

The general flinched away as she swatted him again, trying to stifle his laughter. "You know I can't stop her!" he complained. "But, hey, I bet she could tell you if it's a boy or a girl, if you asked."

"No!" Lalita protested. "You're not supposed to know! It's supposed to be a surprise and you are happy no matter what the Gods have blessed you with!"

There was a rush of air that T'reth had learned to recognize as the goddess announcing her landing. "It's a boy." Star said blandly.

Lalita gave a sharp cry of outrage, stomping forward and lifting an accusing finger. Ackala tried to step in between the two females, but his wife would have none of it, brushing past him to confront the deity.

"You stop that! The gift is in not knowing as much as in having the child!"

Star only chuckled softly, spreading her wings. "Would you like to know his eye and hair color as well?"

"NO!" The human clapped her hands over her ears. "I'm not listening to anything you say!"

Star laughed again, looking over at an increasingly nervous Ackala. "She's just as easy to rile up as you are."

Ackala glared, fear forgotten as offence took its place. "Just because you know everything doesn't mean you have to share, demon."

A flash of discomfort at the insulting term passed through T'reth, as much as he knew his soul brother used it more now in a teasing manner, but Star only smiled, turning toward T'reth and sweeping her wing and arm out in a guiding gesture.

"Indeed not." She agreed. "T'reth, I believe you are ready to move on in your training."

T'reth perked up, eyes brightening in anticipation. "I am eager to do so, Great One."

"It will require a change in location, however."

The goddess clapped a hand on his arm, and the sunlight seemed to swallow the two of them.

"I can't believe her!" Lalita exclaimed as soon as they were gone. The woman pouted, crossing her arms over her chest.

Ackala sighed and shrugged. "There's not much to do about it now, though. Want to start picking out a name?" he suggested with a grin.

His wife let out a frustrated cry and stormed away, and with a laugh the man came after her, sweeping her up to remind her that they were going to be parents.

It was a joyful day, and he made sure she remembered that, even if she was annoyed that all the surprise had been taken out of it.

~0~

8 months later

When T'reth got back to the Healer's tent almost three hours later, Ackala hadn't seemed to have moved so much as an inch, sitting with his knees drawn up and his head in his hands, almost like a condemned man waiting for judgement. T'reth sat down next to his brother.

"You know she's in the best hands with Middan." He reminded the larger man.

"Yes." Ackala growled quietly.

A scream tore out of the tent and T'reth flinched. Ackala only tensed further, moving to rub gently at his temples. T'reth frowned at the familiar gesture.

"Is your inner ear ringing?" he asked.

"Yes." Ackala almost whispered.

"Have you told the healers?"

"Yes!" the man snapped. "They said they were doing everything they could and kicked me out."

"Okay. I'm sure they are." T'reth assured him, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure it will turn out okay."

The words were barely off his lips before another scream came from the tent and Middan started snapping out orders to his assistants.

Ackala scrambled to his feet, jaw clenched and fear in his eyes as the ringing in his head spiked sharply. He burst through the tent door with T'reth close behind, trying to pull him back. Lalita's mother confronted them, firmly demanding they leave while healers scrambled about. There was blood. Lalita screamed again.

"He is dying!" Ackala bellowed at Middan where he stood over his wife, hands to her swollen belly and eyes closed in deep concentration even as he continued to hand out orders. "Do something!"

"Get him out!" their lead Healer snapped without otherwise acknowledging the distraught second in command.

Ackala snarled, almost running over his mother-in-law as his fear demanded he intervene, despite the fact that he knew nothing that could be of any use here.

A cool wind ruffled the tent, filling it up and expanding it. A calming hand fell on the man's shoulder and he paused, turning on the new obstacle before stopping short at the Goddess's gaze. Her hand fell away as she stepped forward, the healers scattering before her like frightened mice.

"The birth cord is wrapped around his neck." Star said quietly as she stopped next to the laboring woman.

"I'm aware!" Middan snapped, opening his eyes. Fear flickered in his gaze for a moment as he realized who he was talking to, but then it was gone. "I'm doing everything I can to fix that!"

"You are sadly lacking in the skills necessary." The deity said, resting her hands over his. "Let me show you."

Middan gaped, his awe only deepening as he sensed the unborn infant and the birth cord that was strangling him begin to move under an external power. In the matter of a couple seconds, the danger was gone and the child was back into position and safely on his way to being born. Star nodded, handing control of the situation back over to the human, and turned away to gesture Ackala and T'reth back outside the tent. Ackala was gaping as well as the ringing in his head faded completely. Once outside, the female put a hand on his shoulder and smiled softly.

"They'll both be fine." She assured him.

"Thank you," Ackala managed to get out. Star only patted his shoulder before turning away and taking off, gone with only a quiet rush of wind.

Within an hour, Ackala was sitting next to Lalita as she smiled tiredly, cradling their tiny newborn son in his arms with this frozen look of awe and wonder on his face. T'reth tried a few times to get words out of the man, and then gave up with a quiet chuckle and smiled at Lalita and Middan before leaving the tent. It was late afternoon at that point, and T'reth basked in the glow of the sun still peeking through the trees around their camp for a long moment.

"T'reth!" Gree called from a distance. T'reth opened his eyes to see the young man running toward him, looking concerned. He frowned, walking forward to meet him.

"What is it?" he asked calmly.

"There's a messenger!" his third in command gasped out. "East side, from the King!"

"Thank you for telling me." T'reth said, and set off toward the east side of the camp. Gree hurried after him, still catching his breath.

The Royalist messenger was nervously clutching a white flag and a satchel, standing in the middle of a ring of soldiers. He shot a few glances at his horse, who someone else had the reigns to, while the men eyed him up, fingering their weapons. Everyone's attention turned to the general as he strode up, lifting a hand to ease the obvious tension in the group.

"A message, sir, from His Royal Highness!" the slight messenger blurted, almost throwing the satchel at him. "He wishes to meet with you."

A murmur of surprise rippled through the small crowd. T'reth quickly pulled the scroll out of the bag and handed it back to the poor man, skimming through the letter. Indeed, it said the King wanted to meet and talk, maybe even work something out and put an end to the fighting. This could be what they'd been working for!

"Well?" Gree wondered.

T'reth rolled the scroll up and glanced at several men in the group. "We need to assemble the officers, now." He said, and then turned to the messenger. "Please wait here until we reach an agreement. We'll give you a message to take back within the hour."

The man nodded hesitantly. "O-ok."

T'reth pointed a finger at the rest of the group. "Be courteous, he's just a messenger." He warned everyone, and then hurried back toward the healer's tent. He hated to call Ackala away from his wife and newborn, but this was important and he would undoubtedly have an opinion.

~0~

Once his officers were all assembled, though Star didn't turn up while they were gathering, he read the letter out loud to them and asked their opinions.

"It sounds fishy." Ackala stated immediately.

"But it is what we've been trying to make happen." Tik Tuk argued.

"It could be a trap."

"Or it could be those idiot Royalists finally realizing we've got the more powerful weapon on our side."

"Not to mention the people." Marcel added.

"Or it could be a trap to capture or kill T'reth!"

"He agreed to meet us at a place of our choosing with a priest and scribes to formalize an agreement, don't we at least have to try?"

"But what if it is a trap? He could bring a mage, or poison the drinks he'll undoubtedly offer, or any number of other things!"

The other officers just sighed or shook their heads, well acquainted with Ackala's paranoid streak by now. T'reth only listened, and when the argument seemed at a stalling point, he looked to his third. "What do you think, Gree?"

Gree was frowning as he looked over the letter again. "The wording is… very specific, suspiciously so, I think… and it would be the perfect opportunity to ambush you and capture you or kill you. But it is what we want, so… I think you might have to take that risk, in case it's not a trick." Gree looked up, shrugging.

T'reth nodded. "That's what I thought." He agreed quietly. "Anybody else?"

There were several nods around the table, and several unsure expressions or gestures.

"But what if it is a trap?" Ackala demanded.

"It is." Star said. She was suddenly sitting in the seat at the other end of the table, appearing from thin air it seemed, as usual. "The King has no intention of meeting with you, and every intention of capturing you with the hope that cutting off the head will kill this snake."

There were disappointed murmurs around the table. T'reth sighed, rolling up the scroll. "Very well. We'll send a message back—"

"No." Star said. The officers looked to her with surprise. There was a thoughtful look on the goddess' face. "I believe it's time we pressed our point."

"I thought we already were." One of the other men said.

Star shook her head. "Not really. Not to the people truly in charge." She met T'reth's gaze with a slight smirk. "Send a message back telling the King we will meet him in his palace, in the capitol. You and I will go and speak to him, perhaps talk some sense into the man. In the meantime, send your army to Woodworm. If we cannot come to an agreement, we will take Woodworm and march from there to the capitol."

There was stunned silence in the tent for a long moment.

"Why not just take the capitol while you're there?" Gree murmured. His eyes widened when everyone turned their attention to him and he realized he'd spoken aloud.

"Excellent question." Star replied calmly. "I always could have. I didn't because I do not fight your battles for you, only with you. To do more would negate the end result of your victory because it would not be yours, it would be mine. What is gained easily is lost easily." She rose from her seat, ruffling her feathers. "Any objections to my plan of action?"

The officers glanced around, waiting for an objection. Ackala's eyes narrowed. "You'll be sure no harm comes to him?"

"Of course." The goddess promised.

Ackala nodded, sitting back in his seat. "Then it sounds good to me."

Everyone turned to T'reth, who also nodded. "Gree, get the camp ready to move. We'll set out as soon as we get the messenger on his way. Dismissed."

By the time the men stood to leave, Star was gone again.

~0~

Havenfield was almost exactly as he remembered it. The buildings were still whitewashed, glistening in the sun. The high class still walked the swept cobblestone, their string of slaves hovering just behind them. The low class still lurked in the shadows where they wouldn't disgrace the sight of the semi-royalty. The middle class merchants and tradespeople still groveled for a purchase, dancing with the threat of being cast out for annoying the wrong person.

T'reth was just grateful the section of the city they had to pass through wasn't anywhere near his childhood home.

"We're getting too many looks." He murmured. "We're going to get stopped sooner than later."

"No we won't." Star said, pulling her horse up next to his without any visible guiding. "I'm just making sure we get noticed. We don't concern them past ensuring there is a trail of witnesses to our arrival."

T'reth nodded, forcing himself to relax. He hadn't been back here since he was a young man. It felt… very strange. Even stranger to keep riding straight to the palace, where he'd only ever been once, knowing the whole time it was only a trap.

The palace guards stopped them, but as soon as he stated his name they stood aside. A group of soldiers were waiting for them just inside the gate, and they were asked to dismount. Their horses were led away, and they were escorted to the throne room. Apart from the King, the promised priest and scribe, and two guards, the room seemed empty.

"Your Highness," T'reth greeted politely, nodding. The priest leaned down to whisper something in the King's ear and the large man frowned down at them.

"What evil have you brought into my sanctuary, rebel?" He demanded.

"No evil, sir. This is Elain, our lead healer." He lied, gesturing to Star. "You promised two peaceful witnesses, and I brought one of my own. Shall we begin the negotiations?"

The King studied them for a long moment. The priest eyed Star and Star stared fearlessly back. Finally, the King nodded. "Very well. State your delusions."

T'reth smiled pertly and did so.

An hour passed as they argued in circles. Star helped for a while, but once they stopped making progress she disengaged from the conversation, watching the priest and harried scribe instead. He wasn't a priest, though, of course not. She could smell the magic on him, and the malevolent intent. He was T'reth's assassin… at first glance. And if the first glance was all she'd had, perhaps she wouldn't have been ready for it when the sorcerer lifted his hand slightly.

Star waited until the last possible moment, and then lifted her own hand, freezing the sorcerer where he stood, poised to strike his King.

"What is this?" the King demanded when he turned to see what the movement behind him had been.

"You are fortunate I had time to decide that I cared. Had he struck earlier, I likely would not have stopped him." Star said blandly.

"What is the meaning of this?!" the King screeched, rising from his throne. "Release him at once!"

"Speak truthfully, Halfax." Star murmured, and lowered her hand.

The sorcerer fell to the ground, stuttering out the truth of his actions. "I have sought your throne for near two decades, Torphen. I am more powerful than any other man. I deserve the throne, I will be capable of ruling this country—this world—as it should be."

Halfax fell silent, eyes wide in horror. The King stared down at him for a moment, and then turned to T'reth and Star.

"So you have brought your demon with you, rebel." He growled, glaring at them.

"And you disguised a sorcerer as a priest, with the intention of killing me." T'reth shot back. "I would say that makes us even. Would you like to sit down so we can truly start the negotiations?"

"Get out of my palace! Guards!" The King roared.

The throne room doors burst open and soldiers poured in. Star stepped out of her disguise as a simple mortal, spreading her wings wide. She lifted her hand again, and the entire room froze.

"You are a foolish man, Torphen, and it will cost you greatly." The goddess said, and her voice was the wind, her power seeming to brighten the room. "As you nor your successor will listen to any argument and come to no agreement with us, we will end this conflict by force. Ready your troops. Prepare your defenses. You will not prevail."

She placed a hand on T'reth's shoulder, releasing her hold on the room. With a flash of golden light, they were gone.

T'reth found himself outside the palace gate, where their horses were waiting for him, and quickly mounted, tying the other horse's reigns to his saddle. He didn't know where Star was, but he knew better than to worry about it, or about his escape from the city. Nobody spared him more than a glance as he trotted through the streets, as if they couldn't recognize him except to get out of his way.

"The King is dead." Star said once they were almost out of the city, suddenly on the other horse again. She smiled slightly at his questioning look. "Long live the King."

T'reth turned to frown at her, trying to decide if she would take advantage of the sorcerer's attempted treason. Star snorted, lifting her wings. "Of course not. But I'm not going to save him from his own idiocy."

T'reth laughed. "Are you kidding? He didn't even question him?"

Star put the back of one hand to her forehead dramatically. "She made me speak words I did not mean to, my Lord, please forgive me of the demon's curse, etcetera, etcetera." She rolled her eyes.

T'reth chuckled, shaking his head. "Will this Halfax change our plans at all?" He asked.

"No. In fact, he advances them. The palace will be in an uproar for some time. An excellent distraction from our movements, I would say."

T'reth smirked over at her and she smirked back. "I would concur, my good lady." He agreed. "Shall we?"

Star reached over to grab his arm. The world blurred and smeared around them, and they found themselves just outside the city of Woodworm.

"We shall."