Three months till D-day
The weeks had passed slowly, and seasons changed. Winter came and went in the lowlands, and the soldiers in the army were grateful for the thick uniforms that had been made for them with the remainder of the treasury money. There had been reports of sickness that had been going around, but the Queen, gracious as she was, made sure that everything that was humanly possible was done for each individual.
The people spoke of her in great reverence and joy. She was truly the best monarch that they could ever have hoped for. In fact, even more so.
Not a single person was left to fend for themselves on the street. The beggars had been given homes, and the economy, which had come close to collapsing, had been restored.
Once the snows had cleared, and the roads in the highlands had thawed enough for people to travel, Sabine, along with a small escort, arrived, just in time to meet Kalin and her entourage as they docked in Bowerstone Industrial.
It was three months before D-day.
Sitting on a now much more comfortable throne, thanks to the ingenious invention called 'the pillow', Milena was ready for the day's proceedings to begin.
Kalin stood before her, ready to argue her case as to why Aurora needed to be protected, and Reaver to the woman's left (or Milena's right, depending on which way you looked at it), more than likely already prepared with some scheme or another.
Avo, how she just wished she could skip all of this and make her decisions without all the foreplay.
"You may speak," she said, allowing them to plead their cases.
Kalin nodded reverently and stepped forwards, "Your majesty, as you know, the threat from the deserts that surround my city had not diminished. The darkness could fall upon us once more at any moment.
"Aurora is part of your kingdom now, and I ask that you grant us protection. Build a desert outpost that can warn my people should the Crawler attack. It shall allow us to leave the city in time, and ensure the survival of your loyal subjects."
Milena nodded to her and turned to Reaver, who had suddenly started laughing.
"A desert outpost? I have never heard such nonsense. What shall we do next? Erect taverns under the sea? Plant crops on mountain peaks? It is a foolhardy suggestion. Why should our valiant soldiers suffer sunstroke and chapped lips in a desert land when they could be protecting the people of this very city?
"Is it really worth risking the lives of all the people outside these walls for a mere alarm system? Of course not. Let us leave the funds where they belong. Right here."
Sighing, the Queen turned her head to Walter as he came to add the 'neutral role', as he always did in these situations.
"The darkness poses a threat to us all," he explained, "but Aurora has already suffered more than its fair share. The final decision rests with you, your majesty."
Of course it did. It always did. Mind you, she had no idea why they kept asking her what her decision would be in regards to her promises. She would have thought that they had realised that she wasn't going to abandon them.
"Kalin, I promised you that I would protect all of my subjects," Milena said, "and I intend to keep that promise. I find it our duty to build this outpost."
Cheers rose from the crowd that had gathered.
"The Queen's decision is final," Walter declared, "A military outpost shall be built in the deserts that surround Aurora."
Kalin smiled, "We shall not forget this gesture," the leader of the Auroran peoples bowed again, "Aurora thanks you."
Reaver, on the other hand, shook his head, but his smile remained, as ever, pasted on his face, "Ah, you are a whimsical monarch, and that is why you are so beloved. Very well, it shall be done. I shall expect my payment tomorrow."
Of course he did.
Giving a signal to her old teacher, Walter called for a short break so that people could leave and entre, ready for the next part of the day's proceedings.
Before she ran out of time, Milena escaped through the side door which connected directly to the war room.
It seemed that today was going to be one of those days where some sort of progress was going to be made.
When the small hamlet of Driftwood had come up, both Ben and Logan had agreed that they didn't have enough men to secure it, so the inhabitants were going to have to be moved to Millfields a few weeks before the attack. The problem now though was where they were going to stay.
"I'm sure the local tenants would be kind enough to let them stay in their homes," Logan had said, "They have plenty of room, and they would be ensuring the safety of dozens of people."
Ben snorted, "Look, even you have to admit that something like that could never happen without quite a lot of persuading. The Nobles think themselves above everyone else, especially those who live in Driftwood. They were forced out of Millfields because of that very reason!"
The Prince cringed, "Yes… I had forgotten about that."
They remained staring at the map for a few moments.
What were they to do?
"I suppose we could ask the people of Driftwood to set up a temporary encampment on the shores of the lake," Ben said, looking at how much space there was around the water's edge, "I don't think the Noble would like that much either, but it's better that asking them to take them into their own homes. At least for them anyway."
Logan nodded, "I agree. I think-"
Suddenly, the door leading to the throne room opened, and Milena stepped through, closing it swiftly behind her.
It took her a moment to realise that they were there, but when she did, she smiled.
"Ben! Logan!" she exclaimed, "Thank Avo you're here. You can take my mind off of all this 'royal court' business."
"Actually, sister," her brother said, "We were about to take a short break. If you'll excuse me…"
And with that, he left the room, leaving them staring after him with baffled looks on their faces.
"Does he hate me or something?" Milena asked, pulling Ben out of his confused stupor.
"No. He might hate me, but not you. Who could ever hate such a beautiful, kind young woman?"
She laughed, slowly making her way towards him, "I could say the same thing about you! All charming and handsome and-"
He silenced her with his lips, stopping more words from tumbling out of her mouth as she relaxed in his arms. The familiar taste of lightning and fireworks electrified him, sending jolts of electricity through his body, making him feel alive.
Eventually, he drew away and grinned, his eyes staring into hers, "You know, if you keep saying things like that, I might just start to believe you like me."
"Perish the thought," she replied before pulling him back into a lip-lock.
During the past few months, the pair had grown braver when it concerned their relationship, openly giving each other kisses on the cheek and the like, but nothing more. It was still too early, at least in Milena's eyes, to show how far their relationship had progressed. Ever the gentleman, Ben had willingly gone along with this. Plus the element of secrecy made it seem that much more exciting and dangerous.
Moments like this were few and far between, but that's what made them special.
Unfortunately, these moments could never last.
A knock came from the door to the throne room, and they separated quickly, just before Walter poked his face in to warn Milena that Sabine and Reaver were ready.
"Of course, Walter," she said, "I'll be right out."
Giving Ben a knowing look, the knight left.
"I'll see you after then?" he asked as she started to make her way to the door, "Same place as always?"
Smiling over her shoulder, she nodded, and then she went through the doors, the Hero Queen of Albion once more.
Sabine, as always, was accompanied by Boulder, one of the biggest men Milena had ever seen, though with a kind and childish heart. He was sat in the corner with Tyson, petting the eager dog. She was quite sure that, if he were able to, Boulder would stay the whole day in that corner.
As it was, there was a choice to be made, and so, she turned to face the two men stood before her.
Well, one was stood, the other was crouched slightly.
"You may speak," she said, nodding to the leader of the Dwellers.
Sabine stepped forwards, "I come here seeking nothing but what was promised me and my people. You pledged to restore our home mountains and our right to dwell in them. We have fulfilled our end of the bargain. We have paid with our very lives to sit you on that throne, now you must fulfil your end.
"Undo the damage your brother did to our land and our agreement shall be satisfied."
Turning to face Reaver, Milena braced herself for his argument, whatever it may be, even though she knew there was no point in doing so.
"Your majesty. This sounds both an unnecessary expense and an impudent demand. What value is there…?"
She could still taste him on her tongue, she realised. That lingering essence that filled her with joy and energy sitting in her mouth. She let Reaver's words fade away as she remembered that moment they had shared just a few minutes before.
If only they could have more moments like that…
Suddenly, she realised that they were all looking at her again, and she blinked herself back into focus.
"…a promise to Sabine, but it's up to you whether you decide to honour it." Walter said, giving her the reigns.
Standing, so that the entire room could see her, Milena addressed the people in the hall, "I will keep the promise that I swore to you, Sabine. The Mistpeak mountains shall be restored to their former glory."
The Dwellers that had gathered shouted their thanks, several dancing together, and the Nobles clapped their approval, seeing once again the generosity of their Queen.
"Mistpeak shall become a protected region, and the Dwellers shall be granted authority over its forests and resources," Walter exclaimed, as though none of them had heard it.
You had to love the guy though. He was trying his hardest.
Sabine smiled up at her, "You are true to your word and your honour. The Dwellers will stand by you till the end."
Reaver just gave her a look and left. It was one of those looks that said "Doesn't matter, I still get paid".
Avo, how she hated that despicable man!
This time, Milena was able to leave through the main door, though she had to wait for everyone else to leave first. As she turned out of the door and towards her bedroom, she glanced out of the window.
The sky was getting darker with each passing minute, and it was already a bright pink.
Turning to find Tyson stood obediently next to her, tongue sticking out and tail wagging, she smiled, "Come on boy, we've got an appointment to keep!"
The sky always looked beautiful at this time of day, but the smog from the city made it look that much more mysterious. It was almost as though the colours were painted on a canvas and hung up in the sky.
Ben sighed, turning around to go back to the front of the grave.
He had been waiting for a few minutes now, though he didn't mind. It allowed him to appreciate the beauty that surrounded him.
Ever since Harold's mother, Madeline, had arrived, there had always been a lot more in the garden to divert his attention. Rose bushes had sprouted in various corners, tulips and rhododendrons plaguing the flower beds in some kind of organised chaos that could only fascinate him.
Unfortunately, not all the flowers were in bloom, but he could imagine what it would look like when it was.
Suddenly, he could hear the familiar bark of the Queen's dog as he ran towards him, pulling him out of his thoughts.
"Hello boy!" he said, kneeling down and rubbing his head, making the dog close its eyes, "Did you miss me?"
"I think he misses everyone who greets him like that."
Ben smiled as Milena came down the path towards him, looking as radiant as always, her hair swaying softly in the breeze.
"So, have you finished everything for today?" he asked as he started to rub Tyson's belly.
"Yep. Just finished transferring all the funds for the army and everything else from the treasury," the Queen replied, "Don't think Hobson's very happy about how much money I've got left though."
Ben laughed, "I don't think he's ever happy with it!"
She giggled, "I swear he told me he started to sleep under the gold at some point!"
"Avo," he stood up, his face distorting into a look of disgust, "And you used it to fund the army? How can I sleep now knowing he touched the stuff with his slimy fingers?" He waved his fingers in front of him.
"I know what you mean," she grinned, but then her face turned solemn, "Speaking of sleep, have you had any more um… dreams, recently?"
The Major sighed. He knew the topic was going to come up at some point, but he'd been hoping it wouldn't have been so early. He nodded, "About six days ago. One of my lieutenants was able to wake me before it got too bad, but they're getting worse."
"Well, I suppose that's all we can expect. When the Crawler… had you, it left its mark, like it did on me," she said, taking a step closer, arms held in front of her chest and a blind fear showing in her eyes, "Since it should be here in a few months, it's only logical that they would be getting worse. It must be getting stronger."
Pulling Milena into his arms, Ben stroked her hair, trying to calm her down. "But so are you!" he exclaimed, "The last time we saw it, it was just you, me and Wally, but this time we've got the entire Albion army and all of your friends! We beat it last time, so how can we lose now?"
He felt her nod into his shoulder.
"Yeah… I guess you're right."
"You guess?"
He heard her musical laugh escape her lips, "I know you're right, Ben." Pulling his lips to meet hers, she smiled, "How could we possibly lose?"
AN - I really enjoyed writing this chapter. In fact, I enjoyed it so much I finished it earlier than I thought I would. Then, with a little convincing from a friend... Hope you enjoy this early chapter guys! I was going to wait another few days, but... well, you know how it goes.
Things are finally starting to happen! If you played the XBox360 game, like I did, you'd know that this was the last stage before the attack happens, so it should only be another chapter or so!
Hope you guys liked this chapter! And, until next time! (No promises as to when that'll be though, as always)