A/N: Sorry about that long wait. I've had the chapter done for a long time to be honest. There was actually no reason not to upload it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Neopets the Darkest Faerie

Chapter 21

It took four more days to complete and refine the battle plan. Tor and Roberta would wake in the morning and meet in the Library. One of them would always be there when the other walked in, working out a few kinks. One the second day the Guildmaster of Market Town sent the names of those fighting from Market Town. A similar note came from Bogshot. On the third day a messenger from Meridell arrived at the castle with a list of names of those who would participate in battle from Meridell, Cogham, and the farms. By the fourth day Tor and Roberta were able to create several battle groups with those names.

By that evening Roberta had practically mastered Smoke Step. She barely had to think about doing it and they had discovered that she could ravel as far as Bogshot in the blink of an eye. Tor was well on his way to that point too, and with a few more days put aside for training, he would have it. That skill would give them a great advantage for the final battle, and not just in taking down the Assassin.

The next morning Tor would leave once again to take a copy of the plans to Meridell.

Tor tilted back the chair he was sitting in. Out the window he could see that darkness was falling fast and he sighed. It was growing tiresome to be traveling back and forth like he was, never resting for more than a few hours. His days had been filled with constant training or planning since he had gotten back from his visit to the farms when they discovered what had befallen Shadowglen. He looked out the window and sighed once again before letting his chair fall flat. He walked out of his chambers and down the hall a little ways.

"You mustn't push yourself so hard, Roberta!" a voice that was familiar to Tor carried on around the corner.

"I'm fine, Donna!" Roberta shot back in an agitated voice that let Tor recognize that Roberta and Princess Donna must have been arguing for a while at this point. He slowed his pace and stopped before he rounded the corner. Tor leaned against the wall in the shadows and pricked his ears up to listen.

"I don't think you are! What point is there to stressing yourself out like this? You train day in and day out. For the past few days if you weren't training you were planning for this wretched battle with Sir Tormund. You've barely slept these past weeks and you haven't been off the castle grounds since the day you returned!"

"I've slept plenty, I have been out of the castle many times, and even if what you just said was true, it's none of your concern anyway!" Tor winced, feeling sorry for King Hagan's daughter. He never wanted to be at the receiving end of Roberta's anger. And if she found out that he was listening in, then he would be.

"Don't tell me what to be concerned about!" Princess Donna hissed. "I'm your cousin, practically your sister. I can clearly see that something is wrong."

"Apparently your vision is more blurred than I thought."

Donna made a noise of aggravation and disgust. "Ugh! I have half a mind to ask your father to speak with you."

Once again, Tor winced for Donna's sake. One never brought up Roberta's parents in front of her. Tor barely knew to story of what happened with that, and even then the telling was short and clipped. Roberta's mother, Alice had died when Roberta was six. Her father had sent her to live with King Hagan while he ran off. What happened in those next ten years, Roberta didn't know. She had no clue why her father would start up a conspiracy against King Hagan, nor did she care. Or so she said.

"Don't you dare bring up that traitor!" It was rare to hear that sort of anger in her voice. It could send King Skarl into shivers of fear. "Your father should have put him deeper into the castle's dungeons!" There was a short pause and then, "Tor, get out here!"

The knight froze. He looked around for anything that might have given him away and noticed his shadow from one of the candles behind him. It was in clear view of anybody walking down the hallway. Roberta called his name again, more sharply and Tor's shoulder's sagged with defeat. There would be no escaping the wrath. He sheepishly stepped out of his hiding place and walked up to the two acaras, avoiding eye contact. He bowed once to Donna. "Princess."

"Sir Tormund." Her voice sounded much calmer than it had moments before and Tor looked up, feeling a little more confident. And then he saw Roberta's burning eyes and he gulped.

"Roberta. I uh… I didn't mean to…"

"Forget it, Tor. How much did you hear?"

Tor rubbed the back of his head. "From 'you mustn't push yourself so hard.'"

"And what's your opinion?"

Tor's eyes widened a fraction. "Me? I didn't hear the entire conversation so I don't really know what—"

"Do you think I have reason to be concerned?" Donna cut him off quickly.

Tor looked back and forth between the two. Roberta trained as much as he did and got about as much sleep as he did too. Which was hardly any. It was hard to sleep when they could only think about what would happen in just a few days. She had been rather silent too, the past few days, with a constant, thoughtful and worried expression. Tor turned to the sorceress who was waiting for his answer, arms folded over her chest. "You have been acting different lately and you know it. What's the point of being so secretive?"

"I'm not being secretive!"

The knight rolled his eyes and crossed his own arms. "And you're stubborn." He looked around, feeling eyes on them and noticed a few servants peeking around the same corner that he had been hiding behind. They immediately darted away and Tor turned back to Roberta. "Talk to me, Roberta. You know you can."

"There is nothing to talk about," she insisted stubbornly.

Tor glanced over at the princess and rolled his eyes. He lightly grabbed Roberta by the shoulder and began to lead her away. "Be back in a bit!" he called over his shoulder to Donna as he rounded the corner, scattering the group of servants lurking there. He turned into his room and shut the door behind them. "What's going on?"

Roberta groaned and clapped her hands over her eyes as she fell back onto his bed. "Nothing is going on! How many times do I need to say it?"

"Only until you decide you speak up." Tor sat down in the same chair that he had been tipping in before and lit the single candle on his desk. He looked over at Roberta, still sprawled on his bed with her hands over her eyes. "And I can wait."

"You're leaving tomorrow, remember. Right now you should be packing."

"I've got time. Besides, I wouldn't mind staying in Brightvale a while longer." He waited for an answer, but one never came and he sighed. "So… this about the battle, right? You're scared."

Roberta sat up and glared at him. "Of course I'm scared! This is nothing like fighting the Darkest Faerie, Tor."

"I'm aware of that. And I'm scared too. But why couldn't you just say that before instead of arguing with us? Everybody feels the same way. You can feel the fear in the air wherever you go." Tor said grimly.

"Exactly! We're supposed to be the ones that aren't afraid of anything. We're Heroes of Neopia. Defenders of the Kingdoms. We've accomplished so many things, defeated so many monsters. And now we're afraid to fight."

Despite the serious situation, Tor chuckled. He felt as though they had switched places. Roberta would normally be the calm one. "And you called Donna blind."

"I'm sorry?"

Tor moved from the chair to the bed and sat down next to her. "Being scared is no big deal. It's normal. Do you think that if I weren't scared I would be outside training long before the sun came up and long after it went down? And out of anyone, you probably have the least to be worried about. You could beat the Assassin with your hands tied behind your back."

Roberta rolled her eyes. "I highly doubt that. I'm not good enough yet. He's had over a hundred more years than I've had."

"Then he's probably getting rusty in his old age. You have Seradar, the royal sorcerer training you! There are very few more powerful than him!"

Roberta only shrugged. "Maybe."

"How many times have you told me that everything would be fine? That there was no way we could lose. That we're an unbeatable team." Tor said. Roberta looked up at him and Tor gave her a small smile. "Why don't you believe that now? It's not like I was a child needing to be reassured. It was the truth. We won't lose."

Maybe it was the conviction in his voice that brought Roberta back to her senses, or maybe just the words themselves. But she finally nodded and a tiny smile played at her lips. "You might be right, Tor."

"Might?" Tor questioned, pretending to be offended. "I believe that I'm completely right."

"I think that's pushing it."

Tor laughed and shook his head. His face grew serious again as he looked over at the acara sorceress. "Do you feel better now though?"

Roberta smiled at him. She nodded slowly. "Much. Thanks Tor."

He shrugged. If you ever need somebody to talk to, Meridell isn't all too far away on a uni."

"I'll keep that in mind." She slid off the edge of the bed and Tor stood up with her. Roberta turned and wrapped her arms around his back in a quick hug. She pulled back before Tor could even think of returning it. "Get some rest, Tor. You'll be leaving early."

Tor frowned. He hadn't been lying earlier when he had joked about staying in Brightvale a little longer. Though the fear of battle had set in throughout the city and you could constantly see the neopets glancing warily around, there was still something peaceful about being there. And he always missed it after he left. "Yeah. Yeah, I guess I should sleep some." If I can. He smiled watched Roberta walk over to his door, murmuring a quiet goodnight. She opened the door and jumped back as Princess Donna fell into the room, stumbling before she caught herself.

"DONNA!" Roberta shouted, glaring harshly at her cousin. Donna looked sheepishly back, but did not even cringe at the expression on Roberta's face. "You were spying!"

"I was not!" the princess denied and Tor couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the blatant lie. "I was merely…"

"Spying," Roberta finished, her hand slowly inching toward her wand. Donna noticed and quickly looked at Tor, mouthing a silent 'Thank you' before turning and running. It wasn't very princess-like, and more childish than he had ever seen Donna be. Roberta sighed in agitation and stormed away, wand in hand.

….

Tor walked between his uni and Roberta along the streets that led to the city's gate. They walked slowly, taking their time and prolonging the walk subconsciously, even stopping to talk to everyone they ran into so that Tor could say goodbye. He was given many gifts from the shopkeepers who seemed to have been aware that he was leaving and were standing at the entrances to their shops in wait.

When they reached the gates, both guards bowed deeply. "Milady, Sir Knight."

Tor and Roberta merely nodded to them and continued walking down the road a little ways, stopping in a familiar spot. Tor stared at a single pine tree on his left. This was where they had first encountered the Assassin. He turned to Roberta and from the pensive expression on her face as she gently ran her fingers through the uni's mane, he knew that the same thing was running through her mind.

"Do you think he knows what's happening?"

Tor let his gaze rake through the tree lines, trying to catch a glimpse of anything out of the ordinary, until he let it rest on Roberta's face. She was looking away from him, into the forest to the right. "I'm sure he does. In fact, I would bet every last neopoint I own on it."

"Me too," she whispered, letting her hand fall to her side. The uni grunted softly and she continued stroking it. Tor doubted she even realized what she was doing. Like Fauna, Roberta had that special love for all creatures. Even the miamice that Tor still saw as pests even if he wouldn't dare hurt one purposely. She looked up at Tor, her expression somber. "I've said this before, but I'll continue to say it because I don't think that you're getting it completely. I want you to be careful. No unnecessary risks, no stupid, heroic decisions. I want to see you when we get to the meeting place, completely whole."

Tor nodded, for once not trying to crack a joke to ease the situation. "The same goes for you, even though I know that you won't do something stupid like I probably will. If you see the Assassin, fight with everything you have and send a messenger to me. I'll be there as soon as possible."

"You had better do the same, Tor." She hugged him tightly and Tor returned it immediately before she could step away. This could very well be the last time that he would see her. "Good luck, Tor." She lowered her arms and stepped away.

"You too. And I will see you after the battle." He pulled himself up onto his steed and gave Roberta and the walls of Brightvale one last fleeting looked before he dug his heels into the uni's sides and rode away.

…

"Welcome back, Sir Tormund," Guardsman Korbin greeted him as he dismounted the uni. It flew off to the courtyard stables where Tor knew a servant would unload his gear and take it to his room.

"Korbin. Has anything happened since I've been gone?" he asked while the guard opened the castle doors.

"All has been quiet. Unnaturally quiet."

Tor thought back to his conversation with Roberta hours before about the Assassin. Perhaps he was preparing for a battle too. Tor suppressed a shudder as he walked inside, immediately confronted with Master Torak. Tor bowed his head to the Hero. "The plans are ready. I must speak to the King to discuss them."

Torakor nodded his massive head. "The other knights should hear this too."

"I'll send the squires to gather them. We'll meet in the throne room."

It was mere minutes before Tor stood in the King's Throne Room beside King Skarl himself. A copy of the plans were spread out on a table before him, the other knights gathered around to see, along with a long scroll of the names of the neopets in the battle.

"Now, everyone will be split into groups. One group from Meridell will travel out to Shadowglen Woods along with the farmers. In this group will be myself and from the farms, Hubert Ellis, Arnie, Turk and Bruce Witherson, and Jamie and Aryanna Crowley. With us will be Sir Ignatius, Sir Luthor, Sir Aldwin, and then Pat from the pub, Dumpus, and Guardsman Korbin. Once in Shadowglen we'll split up into two groups and begin the attack from the East and West sides of Shadowglen and meet in the center."

"It says here that Addison is at the age of 64," Ebard said. "Should he be fighting? And you're allowing women into battle?"

Tor looked at the other lupe with a frown. Who was he to question the decisions that he and Roberta had worked for days to make. "Women are allowed to fight if they wish, and out at the farms we see plant creatures several times a year. Everybody knows how to fight them from the age of twelve. As for Addison, you did not allow me to finish." Tor pointed to the area where his farm would be, his finger making a line into Shadowglen directly. "Right here there is a tunnel that leads straight into Shadowglen. This is the path that Addison will take. It comes out to a high area where you can see the entirety of the glen. Addison may be old, but he is the best bowman I have ever seen and he could still swing a sword if need be."

He sent Ebard a last pointed look before pointing to Cogham. "At the same time, a second group consisting of Sir Ebard, Sir Grayson, Sir Lawrence, Squire Dawson, Vonkar, Rognus the smithy, and Inga the armorer will be led to the Cogham steppes by Master Torak. There you will meet up with the villagers. All of them over the age of sixteen will be fighting, women included. As backup, Sir Cadmere, Squire Zachariah, Guardsman Laertes, Tristan, and Gamzan will go up onto the top most cliffs and watch out for Ixies. Those of this group are the best with bows. They will take out the Ixi Archers and make a break for the other ground group to move through to fight the Spearmen."

"Whoever on the list I did not name will stay here in Meridell to guard the city. Should worst come to worst, they may attack here or Brightvale or Market Town. I want it to be made known that nobody is to engage the Assassin in battle.

"And if he attacks one of us first?" Lawrence asked. "You can't just expect me to run away."

Tor looked to his friend. "The Assassin will not attack anybody other that Roberta and I." He refused to say anymore on that matter and turned once again to the map, waving his hand over Bogshot Swamp, Brightvale, and Market Town. "At the same time that this is all going on, a small group of Brightvale's villagers will be in Bogshot, helping to fight off the monsters there. Not many are needed there. This group will only consist of 5 neopets from Brightvale. Another thirty-six will meet up with fifty more from Market Town."

"So many?" Grayson questioned. Tor gave him an annoyed look at the stupid question.

"The numbers that the werelupes have are far greater than that even. You were at the attack on Brightvale during the celebration. The amount of werelupes when we got there isn't even half of what there really is. And we were all nearly overwhelmed then, even if we were caught off guard. Anyway, Roberta and Master Caradoc will lead two separate patrols and sweep down from either ends of the beach until they meet at the den. Then their groups will go separate ways in the caverns, Roberta's going to the upper level and Mater Caradoc will take his group to the lower levels."

"It's going to be hard to fight in the tunnels," Master Torak pointed out. "There won't be much room to swing a sword, especially when it gets to the point where everyone will be pushed together."

Tor nodded in agreement. ""That's why they won't be doing much fighting in the tunnels. They are merely going to lure the pack out onto the beach where a third group will be waiting to join in. And everybody in these groups should already be doing training that will help them fight in close quarters." Tor turned back to the map and pointed to a circle drawn in the center. "This here is the lake near the cross roads where each party will meet once their battle has been finished. I was told that all fighters will have access to unis. Here there will be healers waiting to tend to any wounded. There will also be healers at each of the battles to take care of any serious injuries. They'll be out of the way of the battle but close enough to give care to anyone who needs it.

"It would be best to strike before the sun rises," Tor continued. "We'll try to catch the enemy off guard. I was thinking that everybody should be in place by five am. It will be another hour and a half before the sun rises, and the enemy will still be sleeping. Roberta and I decided to begin the attack five days from now. King Hagan agreed, as did Guildmaster Marl." He looked at King Skarl questioningly. The skeith had his eyes narrowed in a thoughtful expression. Still he gave the impression that he was angry. Until a ruthless grin appeared on his face.

"I like it. Torak, make sure that all who need to know are aware of these plans."

"Yes Sire."

"Disperse!"

The knight bowed deeply and exited the Throne Room. Tor went straight for the doors of the castle, intending to get a few things done before he retired for the day. But before he knew it, Grayson was at his side and looking eager to talk.

"Great job with those plans Tor!" the green lupe grinned. "You've got more tactic than I thought!"

Tor couldn't help but grin as he and Grayson walked out of the castle. The sun was starting to get low in the sky, but there was still plenty of daylight left. "Thanks, Grayson."

"No problem. Where are you going anyway?"

"I've got to gather some things that I need to prepare. Potions, healing supplies, neggs, motes, whatever I might need."

"Oh." Grayson looked thoughtful for a few moments. "I wasn't aware that you could get neggs in Meridell. I thought you had to go to Illusen' glade since they're not really sought after here. You don't see many magic users here, maybe two if that."

Tor smirked. "Looks like you've still got a lot to learn about this place. And you've been here for how long exactly?" Tor chuckled. "You're right that neggs aren't popular here. But there are still ways to get them. I know that Kauvara tends to buy them from the glade since many neggs do have magical properties. Some strengthen your magical core directly, little by little. If you ask nicely, she'll sell you a few from her own supply. And they're pretty top notch. I've had better though. Or Gamon over at his little curio shop. He always has a good variety. And I'll let you in on a little secret." Tor looked around quickly and leaned slightly over to Grayson. "The thieves like them a bit too."

Grayson gaped. A knight, associating with thieves. Thieves who constantly wreaked havoc for the castle's guards and knights. Tor would have thought it impossible at one point too. But they had a bit of an understanding now. "You're kidding!"

"Not a bit. Like I said, you've got much to learn about this place."

"I've lived here longer than you!"

"And I'm away from the castle way more than you so I've had the chance to pick these things up before you." Tor pushed open the apothecary's door and the potion fumes assaulted the lupes' noses. "How are you doing today, Angus?" Tor asked as they entered the shop. A cauldron was bubbling in the center of the shop and Tor refrained from looking in it.

"What can I do you for?" Angus asked. He wiped his claws on a handkerchief and walked behind the counter, back into shopkeeper mode.

"Alright, I'm going to need two Meerca speed potions, two power potions, and another weaker energy restorer."

"Sure thing. Would tomorrow be good?"

Tor nodded. "Yes, what's the cost?"

"Well, the two Meerca speeds are a thousand together. The powers restoratives are one fifty a piece and the last in only fifty. So that's 1,350 in total. Just come by with it when you get your order. Anything for you Grayson?"

"Not today. I haven't thought about what I need yet."

Angus turned serious and Tor felt the air suddenly turn a little colder. "You had better get to it." He murmured. "There isn't much time left."