Chapter twenty four - Attack on Lutece

Calista seated herself at the kitchen table wearing nothing but the simple cloths that would normally be under her durasteel armor. Louise couldn't help but admire her Master's figure and silently started wishing she could look something like that before quickly shaking the thought and seating herself beside Calista. The next thought was just how much of her mind Calista could read, but there was no discernable reaction from the Sith Lord to clue her into anything so she just focused on the scent of the breakfast being prepared for them by the old lady.

Louise turned her attention to the old woman with a bright smile, "That smells delicious. Are you sure you don't need any help preparing anything?"

"Oh no. It's no trouble at all. It's been so long since I've cooked for anyone but myself. I didn't know how much I missed it until all of you started staying here," answered the old lady without diverting her attention from what she was cooking.

Louise yawned loudly while stretching out. The sun wasn't even up yet and thus every part of her body screamed for her to go back to sleep. "Well, if you need anything, please ask me. I'm happy to help."

Calista raised a curious eyebrow at Louise. "Impressive. When I first met you, Siesta had to make your bed and clean up after you. Now you're offering to help with breakfast?"

"What's that suppose to mean? You think I spent so much time with Marteau in the kitchen and learned nothing?"

"When this is all over. I'm putting that to the test. You must prepare me a meal. By yourself. And if it doesn't kill us both. You'll pass the test."

Louise touched her index fingers together and rolled her eyes with a blush on her cheeks, "Well… Marteau lets me stay in the kitchen. But he doesn't actually let me use it. Something about being able to burn water…"

"Then why would you even consider offering to help with something you are incapable of doing?"

"Well Master, do you know how to cook?"

"Well Apprentice…" said Calista while gesturing to the seat opposite her, "Do you see me offering to help with the cooking?"

Louise pulled out her chair and seated herself opposite her master while shaking her head. "No. I suppose I don't. But I still offer because I'd like to help if I can."

"That's a noble sentiment. But ultimately futile. You can't help people do things that you're incapable of doing for yourself."

Louise sighed and lowered her head to avoid Calista's eyes, "Why do I feel like we aren't talking about cooking anymore?"

"I have no idea. To me, the subject seems to be about giving into your emotional desire to be of help even if you are incapable of rendering that assistance."

"So you are talking about the coming battle. You're reminding me to stay out of it because I can't be useful. Is that it?"

"If you consider it from a selfish point of view then yes. Emotions are powerful things Louise. They drive us to do things. Sometimes things we know we can not actually do. But they can drive us to make the attempts regardless. That is all I am saying."

"Are you talking about my mother?"

Calista simply shrugged lightly in response while sipping from a glass or orange juice.

"She's the most powerful mage in the world you know."

"Power and wisdom do not always go hand in hand Louise. Consider the fight she picked with me. How did that benefit her in any way?"

"You probably said something to set her off, she doesn't just pick fights at random. No one does that… Master, you still don't know how things work with her. She's really quite simple. She says, and you do. No ifs, whats or buts. There's just no other way with her."

"The ability to command followers is a useful trait. But does that also mean you can strategize? Consider our enemy. Clearly he can give orders which are followed and he's also a proven strategist. The first thing your mother did when she assumed command was to throw out a perfectly good strategy for winning a war, and instead focused all her efforts on rushing into battle. A good tactic maybe, but a poor strategy."

"So this is like the breakfast thing? Are you saying you could do better?"

"No. I am not saying anything of the kind. I know my abilities, and I know how to use my skills. I know when to lead, and when to follow. I also know whom to follow."

"So you're saying there is someone better, but it's not you?"

"I haven't said anything yet. I'm simply teaching you a lesson about life in the context of what is around us."

"I hate it when you say so much, and yet not say anything at all…"

"Depends on what you choose to take from my words. That is all there is to it."

Louise sighed heavily in response, "Why can't you ever be direct with your words master?"

"Your understanding... more than my words are the problem Louise. How can I teach you to think for yourself if I do not actually encourage you to think about things and find the answers for yourself?"

"Well for the love of all things holy, at least teach me something I can actually understand on an empty stomach and a sleep deprived brain!" snapped Louise.

"Very well…" Calista tapped her chin to ponder for a moment before looking at her hand and curled her lips into a slight hint of a smirk which unnerved Louise and caused her to squirm in her seat slightly, and then Calista spoke in a serious and cold deadpan, "Humans are the only primates who do not have any pigment in the palms of their hands. All other sapient 'humanoid' species do, but you humans do not."

"Seriously? What does that have to do with anything? And is it even true?" asked Louise in confusion. Calista responded by holding out her palm to Louise for her examination. Calista's hand was indeed the same color all around and Louise shook her head in even further confusion. "What does it have to do with anything?" she then asked again while looking at her own palm and suddenly became very conscious of the different skin colors between her palm and the rest of her hand.

"Absolutely nothing. But you did ask for something you can easily understand."

"Yes, and I did get that. Now I know to always be careful what I ask you for."

Calista nodded, "Indeed."

Lutece

Marius stood on the walls of the city with a neutral expression on his face. His arms held neatly behind his back while his eyes slowly moved from the right to the left, carefully supervising the work being done outside the city walls. "The placement of each of these has to be precise. Too close together and they won't spread far enough around, too wide and they won't be nearly as effective. Perfectionism is something I wish I had more time to drill into these conscripts. That's out of the question now though. I'll just have to supervise and ensure everything follows my design," he thought to himself with a stern gaze to the horizon.

A younger man with bright red hair and slightly darker skin stood beside him with his arms folded over his chest while observing the work being done. "I'm only sorry we aren't able to give you any more meaningful assistance your excellency. But I hope that once you see how effective this will be that you will be pleased with it."

Marius kept his hands behind his back and held his gaze on the work outside the walls. "I must admit. Before I met you, I thought I was the one who was too overly fascinated with lethal substances. But you've turned something I consider a hobby into a business. I'm not sure how I feel about that."

"The world is changing. I'm not sure about how I feel about you abolishing the nobility of this country. But, for us to maintain our position at the top, we must not only master our magic, but master technology and innovate. Much like you're doing here with this rather creative application for my creation."

"Don't you mean my creation? It's so like a Zerbst to claim the credit for building something another man invented. I can't help but wonder if that's not the root of your conflict with House Valliere," said Marius.

The young man raised an eyebrow at that statement. "Now, now your excellency. Your discovery was indeed a vital component. But we're the ones with the industry and tools to actually make it possible. That makes us equal partners does it not?"

"Partners yes. The jury is still out on how equal it is thanks to the circumstances surrounding our coming together."

The young redhaired man turned to face Marius, "A discussion for another time and setting. But I heard there's another matter you wanted to discuss with me."

"If you would stop interrupting and listen you'd realize I was getting to that!" snapped an angry Marius.

The young man was taken aback by the sudden change in his demeanor but said nothing while Marius continued speaking. "I've finished going through the reports from the survivors of the central prison and the description of one of the two young ladies who broke in to liberate the Queen and the Duchess Valliere might interest you."

"You have my attention," he replied meekly.

"I am fairly confident that one of them was Karin Valliere's youngest daughter. But the other was your own sister. Kirche."

"Former sister, your excellency. If you recall, she was disowned by our family. I had no idea she ended up in Tristain though. And working with the Valliere family... How distasteful."

"Yes. I'm sure it's utterly distasteful to you Otto. Just keep in mind she's probably still with them and on her way back here as we speak. So after we're finished with the task at hand I'd like you to deal with your wayward sibling. I don't know what she knows, but I don't like loose ends."

"Your excellency, I assure you. If she's coming here, and she gets close to that out there, she, along with the rest of them won't be a problem," replied the young Otto von Zerbst while pointing out to the workers beyond the wall.

"I hope so. I do truly hope so," replied Marius without even looking at the young man.

After a few moments one of Brinvilliers' subordinates gently cleared his throat to get his attention, "Your excellency. The city gates on the north side have been reinforced as per your instructions. But are you certain you don't wish to leave a larger garrison force there?"

"I'm certain. They won't attack there. Not yet at least. They're going to try the direct approach from the south first. When that fails, then they'll start being creative. So make sure that there are messengers on standby at every watch post to report any enemy movements."

The man scratched his head as he looked out across the southern fields outside the walls. "I don't understand the purpose of those things. How are those little glass balls going to stop an army?"

"You don't need to understand. You only need to do exactly what I tell you to do. The slightest deviation from my precise instructions could ruin my entire strategy. Now onto your next task. I want you to send orders to the captain of the Albion battleship. He's to hold position to the north and await instructions. After you've seen to that I want you to handle the logistics around the East gate."

"Yes your excellency. Right away," said the man before moving off to attend his duties.

Otto also turned to start walking away before was stopped by Marius. "One more thing Otto."

"Yes?"

"If for some reason things don't go as planned, let me just warn you not to underestimate your sister. Or her friend. What they accomplished shouldn't have been possible. If you go into a fight expecting to meet a cowering little girl who'll let some pathetic old man beat her with a fire iron-"

"Please don't slander our good name like that your excellency. What happened to her that day was an accident. Don't believe everything you hear."

Marius narrowed his eyes at Otto, "Do I look like an idiot to you? If so. Keep talking. If not, shut up. If you ever interrupt me when I'm speaking again I'll see how good you fly off this wall!"

"Yes. Your excellency. My apologies," said Otto with a humble bowing of his head.

"That's better. Now as I was saying. When you meet her again. Take her seriously or you will die. Do you understand who's telling you this, and why?"

"Yes, your excellency. I will take this matter seriously."

"Good. I did promise the Valliere lands to your family in exchange for your political support… And that old fool you call your father may have promised you a lordship over said lands, but I will not be held responsible if you fail to actually get it due to your own incompetence. Now you may leave."

Luberon

Eponine carefully slid the rolled up document into a container and placed it into the saddlebag of her wind dragon while listening to Julio's instructions. "Once you're back in Romalia, you are to take that directly to His Holiness. Avoid any distractions. Let no one question your business. And above all do-"

"Yes Master. Above all I am to avoid any unnecessary entanglements with potential unfriendlies along the way."

"I do hope you'll actually follow these instructions," said Julio with a half sigh.

"Don't worry about me Master. You have bigger things to worry about," she said while pointing her finger to the hooded Sith Lord and apprentice walking up to them. "Good morning you two."

Louise was stretching her arms with a yawn, "Ugh. Good morning. What are you two doing?"

Eponine bowed her head politely to Louise, "Well, Spoon and I are headed back to Romalia now,"

Callista smirked under her hood at Julio, "And I suppose you won't be putting yourself out of my misery by going with her?"

"No my lady. Surely you don't truly believe you can change this nation's course all by yourself? Like it or not, we are allies now."

"You can show what a good ally you are by getting on your damn dragon and getting as far away from me as it can take you."

"You're nothing if not consistent Lord Zarkot. And Azzurro has a name."

"I'm true to myself. What can I say?"

"Indeed you are. But I'm curious as to what you plan to do here, and more importantly, how."

"That's none of your business. Even if our goals are in line, you are still my enemy."

"Lord Zarkot, I assure you that for the time being, I am quite content to put our little conflict on hold while we deal with the larger conflict around us."

Calista was surprised, but would not allow it to show. "I don't believe that for a moment. Don't think I'm going to let you lure me into a false sense of security while you scheme and plot against me."

"Believe what you must. However my imperative is to keep the peace. Why is it so difficult for you to accept that I am not out to destroy you?"

"Because I don't believe for a moment that you have no intention of trying to turn these people against me."

"What is it with all the young people I am surrounded by now? Always seeking conflict where there is none to be found..."

"Oh there is plenty of conflict to be found here between us Jedi! But I'd rather not waste the fresh orange juice I just had squeezed for me!"

"I'm glad to hear that. It's far too early on such a beautiful day to spend doing laundry."

Eponine pulled Louise aside and walked behind her dragon, out of sight of their bickering masters. "If I didn't know better, I'd assume they were a married couple based on how much they argue! And if you knew how Master Chesare normally talks… Arrrgh…"

Louise sighed, "It's the same with my Master. I suppose they just bring that out in each other since they'd normally start fighting on sight. At least they're trying."

"Whatever. I don't know enough about it all to have an opinion. Anyway, I don't know if I'll be able to come back. So you're coming to visit me in Romalia..." Eponine pulled a folded up piece of paper from her pocket and shoved it into Louise's hand. "This will tell you where to find me. And write to me!"

Louise raised an eyebrow at the Romalian girl, "Do you even understand the concept of personal boundaries?"

"Of course not! Those are just a waste of time. We're best friends already. If I don't hear from you, and you don't come visit me, Spoon and I are going to kidnap you. I'll drag you down to the beach. Romalia in the summer is the best! But not before we stop and buy hats for Spoon. Tristain does have some nice hats I hear..."

"Why do I have a feeling you've actually done that before. Like, I have this mental image of you keeping your friends tied up in a basement somewhere..."

"I read a book like that once! I'll let you read it, you'd love it. The main character looked a lot like you actually. And don't forget to say hi to Darth Barf for me. I'll never forget yesterday as long I live! She was hurling chunks like a Human trebuchet! But before I leave. I just have one more thing I have to do… It's been burning in my heart ever since I first saw your beautiful face..."

Eponine put a hand on Louise cheek with a small smile while Louise froze up nervously. "Eponine… Please. You shouldn't. I'm not-"

"Shh…" she hushed Louise with a finger to her lips. "It's going to be ok."

A few minutes had passed when Eponine was up in the saddle of her wind dragon and coughed to divert her master's attention from the petite Sith Lord.

"Master. Sorry to interrupt. But may I depart now? I know how urgent my task is."

"Of course Padawan. I wish you clear skies and a safe journey. May the Force be with you."

After the dragon ran off and took to the skies the dust took a few moments to clear. Calista and Julio both turned their heads to Louise who stood across from there where the dragon once was. The Jedi raised his eyebrow while the Sith pulled back her hood to reveal a similar expression on her face. Louise simply stood still with a shocked expression on her face which was painted with whiskers and a big "smile" sign on her forehead.

"I… couldn't stop her…" said a stupefied Louise.

The army was marching northwards along a dusty road towards the capital city of Tristain. Louise looked around curiously and allowed her horse to slow down and drift to the left where Eleonore was riding up the lines and pulled up beside her. "I haven't had much of a chance to talk to you for a while. How are you? I heard you met Eponine recently. That must have been fun for you," said a cheerful Louise.

Eleonore turned to stare at Louise with a sour expression. "I'm busy. If you're just looking for idle chat maybe you should go ride with your familiar?"

Louise was taken aback by the look on her big sister's face, particularly the black eye. "Eleonore… Your eye. Who did that that you?!"

"It doesn't matter. The problem's been resolved. That's all you need to know."

"Like hell it is! Someone hit my sister... I wanna know who so I can go hit them!"

Eleonore spoke with anger she could barely suppress, "I said it's been resolved! Stop pestering me about it before I give you a matching one!"

Louise felt her heart sink and frowned at her eldest sister. "But Eleonore… I'm worried about you now."

"Asking about it won't change what happened. In fact it only serves to irritate me further. So just drop it!" she snapped to Louise.

"I'm not going to just drop it, you're my sister damn it! How can you honestly expect me to just drop it?!" answered Louise.

Eleonore clenched her teeth tightly to bite back her initial instinctive answer and after a moment hissed out her chosen response, "Louise… If you don't go away now. I'm going to tie you up and drag you through the troops behind my horse!"

Louise took a sharp breath and just nodded before getting her horse to ride further up the lines to rejoin her group.

Outside Lutece

Karin slowly let her eyes trace the city walls before her, taking careful note of the archers and riflemen lining the walls as well as several visible cannon emplacements. "Fernand?" asked Karin without taking her eyes off the scene.

"Send my scouts out to check the other gates? It's already been done," replied General Gramont.

Karin slowly nodded at the General, "The defense of the south gate seems suspiciously light to me…"

Gramont nodded while eyeing the walls of the city, "You don't need to outnumber the enemy to hold a fortification against an attack. You just need to be clever about it. What we see is what he wants us to see. It's what we don't see that concerns me. Like mages for example. Where are his?"

"Hiding among the rabble no doubt. As soon as we start our attack the enemy mages will show themselves. So have your Mage Knights ready to counter surprise attacks," ordered Karin.

The General scratched his head, "Are you planning to attack the south gate before we've even looked at the others?"

"It doesn't matter where we attack. As soon as we start moving they'll simply reposition the bulk of their defenders."

"I agree. But we could open with a feint and try to catch them out of position?"

Karin shook her head, "We both know he'll never fall for that."

Gramont turned to face Karin with a stern expression on his face, "This is reckless Karin. Our troops haven't even had time to rest from the march. Are you sure it's what you want to do?"

Karin nodded without looking at him, "This is what needs to be done. I can't outthink him, but I have faith in the superior abilities of our forces. We can overpower him."

Gramont sighed, "Dispelling magical traps in the field is going to be difficult. We'll be under fire from archers, riflemen, and cannons. It'll take most of our mages just to defend against that assault meaning the ones checking for traps are going to be under a lot of pressure. And we haven't even accounted for how many mages the enemy have on the wall to add to our problems."

"All the more reason to strike while the iron is hot. They won't be anticipating an all out assault. They're probably expecting us to wait and gather information."

Gramont rolled his eyes while he knew she wasn't looking, "Which by the way, is exactly what we should be doing…"

"We shouldn't spend so much time discussing this, we have work to do. Start preparing the troops for a full frontal assault."

"Karin, what about the fleet? We haven't seen a single ship yet. There's also no sign of the Dragon Knights. I don't like rushing into combat with a fog of war this thick."

"It's like you said. What we see is what he wants us to see. If we want to see more, we have to lure them out and deal with everything as it comes."

"Karin, listen to me. I'll do as you say but I need to warn you that there are only so many times you can ram your head against the wall before you break your skull."

"Fernand the Wall… You should know."

"Karin…"

"Sorry. You're not taking over. He knows you too well. He knows how you rely on your scouts to inform you of what's happening. He'll use that against us here. So we need to be unpredictable."

"Karin…"

"My mind's made up. Now carry out my orders. Or do I have to find someone who will?"

"Karin! Could you please be a dear and pull your head out of your arse? We're not dealing with your favorite charge scenarios. I want that son of an ork's head as much as you do!"

"Like hell you do!"

"She was my friend too. And you know as well as I do that she wouldn't stand us us being blinded by our grief or lust for vengeance... She was always level headed no matter what."

"Has your defeat at the lake truly turned you into such a coward in front of Marius? A spineless worm playing General in his brother's boy toy fantasies? I'm getting tired of this Fernand. Assemble the troops and prepare to attack. Or shall I fetch you a dress while doing it myself?"

"No need for that Karin… If this stunt of yours works, I'll get one from your wardrobe and wear it for you. But if it fails and we survive… Then we'll be having words."

Julio surveyed the walls of the city and then turned to the gathering soldiers and siege equipment being assembled before shaking his head. Agnes was standing beside him and looked at him with curious concern as his demeanor suddenly changed from his neutral confidence to a more sullen and solemn one. "We are going to lose," he said in a low voice to avoid being heard by any of the soldiers.

"Master Julio? What are you talking about?" asked Agnes.

"This attack. The Duchess is throwing everything we have into a full frontal assault. It's not going to work."

Agnes turned back to face the city and glared at it sternly, "We are prepared."

"Prepared to die? Maybe," said Julio while turned to face the city once again as well. "But you are not prepared to lose. Not now. I sense the rush in the air. Even in you. You are worried for your new soldiers, yet you are eager to go into battle."

"Have some confidence in the skill of our soldiers. This is our town. Our home. We will do what we have to."

Julio sighed at Agnes, "That is what worries me."

"I don't understand?"

"Is it not painfully obvious my Lady? We are walking into a well laid trap. We have no detailed information on the enemies we face. To be forewarned is to be forearmed. This assault goes against all military doctri- No… It goes against all common sense."

"Don't you usually need to attack a fortification to break it?"

"Yes you do. However. It's simply the method of attack that has me concerned. We should be digging in and preparing to attack their defenses from range. Conserving our troops for when the wall can be brought down. But simply rushing in and trying to overpower the defenses at the gate?"

"Don't underestimate the magic of some of our mages. Matilda and the Duchess both have some nasty powers that are ideal for this kind of attack," said Agnes with great confidence.

"I hope you're right. But I still foresee defeat. And I don't need the Force to see it either. I'll do what I can, but I doubt even I can do enough to change the outcome."

"I don't understand you at all here. You've gone up against much worse than this. The Inquisition, marauding orcs, ancient monsters, put a stop to a war between two nations who've hated each other for generations, and even took on an Elf!"

"I wish you knew how much stories like that are exaggerated. I've yet to actually meet an Elf."

"Well, I suppose if even you're worried about this… I can take it to the Queen and see what she has to say. I'm sure the Duchess has explained things to her in more detail than she'd give us."

Julio gave Agnes a firm nod, "You are her friend. So perhaps you do stand the best chance of learning more from her and expanding our view of these events so that we might form a more comprehensive opinion of what is to take place."

Tristain Academy of Magic

Tiffania knocked on the door to Montmorency's room at the same time she had every day since she'd been appointed to help care for the sickly student. She waited there for a moment before getting permission to enter and walked it holding the usual breakfast tray.

"Good morning Miss Montmorency," said Tiffania meekly while entering the room and closing the door behind her.

The bedridden girl groaned lightly in frustration, "Just Montmorency. We've been through this..."

"I'm sorry. Montmorency. I just don't want to seem impolite."

Montmorency started slowly trying to force herself to sit up. "Have you ever met you? Impolite isn't a word I think anyone would ever associate with you. Unless they're talking about how you always wear a hat indoors. I suppose that's considered a little faux pas, but not exactly unforgiva-"

She didn't realize it, but as she was forcing herself to sit up her angle shifted in exactly the wrong way so she ended up scooting herself off the bed. Tiffania was quick on her feet with all her natural elven speed and agility, dropping the tray and diving to save the girl from falling head first onto the stone floor.

Tiffania eased Montmorency back into the bed and helped her back into the covers while Montmorency looked at her with a shocked expression. Tiffania wasn't sure what it was that gave her the expression but followed her gaze to see the mess the breakfast tray had made. "Oh no… I'm so sorry. I guess I ruined your breakfast didn't I?"

When she turned back around it was to see Montmorency slack jawed and suddenly sweating profusely with wide eyes. "H...Ha… Hat."

"What about my-?" Tiffania's eyes drifted upwards and she suddenly realized she couldn't see the brim of her hat anymore. She felt her head and realized the hat was gone. "Oh no..."

"You…. You're a….an Elf?"

It was to Tiffania as if the whole world was made of glass and shattered around her. She'd only just arrived and already broke the first rule set for her by the Headmaster. Now here was on track for another bad encounter with a human. The young girl fell to her knees and covered her face with her hands as if it would help her hold back her emotions somehow.

"I'm sorry. The headmaster told me I was told to hide it from all the other students. I… I didn't mean to…"

Montmorency sighed to herself. "Tiffania? Could you come sit up here please?" said Montmorency while patting the bed side.

Tiffania looked up from her hands at Montmorency with her bewildered teary eyes.

"Please? It's not like I can just pull you up here to talk with you properly."

Tiffania slowly nodded before carefully pulling herself up until she was sitting on the side of the bed. However her eyes were anywhere but on Montmorency until they eventually settled on her hat which lay between her and the breakfast tray she dropped.

"I'm sorry for the way I reacted to you Tiffania. I was just really surprised. And yes, I won't lie, more than a little afraid. You might have kept your ears hidden, but you didn't hide your personality. And I still consider you a friend."

"You'd consider me a friend? Even though you know I'm an elf?" asked Tiffania while turning to look back at the girl in the bed.

Montmorency shook her head, "You wouldn't be the first friend I've made who wasn't human. Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me."

"You know other elves?" asked Tiffania with surprise and hope in her voice.

"No. I meant Cali. Calista. Matilda's friend. She's also my good friend."

"Oh. I did know that. But… I suppose I sort of forgot. Not about her being your friend. That I didn't know. I meant about her not being human. For a moment I really thought that maybe you knew another elf and that maybe..." her voice trailed off with disappointment.

"No. Sorry. But Calista's actually half human."

"So am I. My father's human."

"So so your mom's the elf huh? That's interesting. What's their story if I may ask?"

Tiffania shrugged her shoulders and took a deep breath, but it did nothing to calm her trembling. She took a fist full of the blanket as the world started spinning around her. "There isn't really a story to it. At least not one that I was ever told."

Montmorency closed her eyes and mentally kicked herself for the insensitivity, "I get the feeling you don't really want to talk about it. I understand. I'm sorry for prying,"

"Thank you… I'm sorry too. It's just…"

"You don't need to explain. I sort of get it. You're not used to being… Exposed I guess."

"Not really," replied a very meek Tiffania.

"Then let me be a little blunt. I really don't give a damn if you're an elf. You could be a demon for all I care. You seem like a nice person and I want to be friends with you."

"You really mean that?" said Tiffania with tears flowing from her eyes.

Montmorency nodded, "Yes, I do. I'm sorry for how I reacted. But…. I probably don't have to explain the knee jerk reaction. I'm sure you know why better than I do. The difference between me and other people is that I got to know you a little first. So I guess that helps me get past it quicker. Previous experience with a non-human friend, also helps."

"Thank you. Really. Thank you," said a tearful but smiling Tiffania.

Montmorency reached out and put her hand on Tiffania's and held it there until she felt her fist relax and let go of the blanket before speaking again. "So. I guess breakfast is out of the question for now."

"Oh no! I'm so sorry about that, I just… reacted when I saw you-"

"Relax Tiffania. Just breath. I'm not upset. I'm just making conversation."

"I'm sorry…"

"And stop apologizing. Wow, you're really just the opposite of Calista, yet exactly like her in how you overreact to things."

"Overreact?"

"Yeah. It's actually a funny story. It's also about how I ended up in the situation I'm in now. If you want to hear about it?"

Tiffania nodded while turning to sit more properly and give the girl on the bed her full attention.

"Well. Calista got captured by an enemy she was fighting. While she was a prisoner they poisoned her."

"That's terrible!"

"You have no idea. But anyway. While suffering from hemlock poisoning. Calista managed to fight her way through a dozen armed soldiers, and managed to drag herself half way back to our camp on her own before Matilda and Agnes found her. They brought her back to camp and by that point she was very nearly dead. I tried everything I could to cleanse her system of the poison but it was just too late. Princess Henrietta and I tried a couple of line spells to try and cleanse her together but it still didn't work."

"Line spells? What's that?"

"Oh. That's what it's called when two mages combine their magics to form a more powerful spell."

"Ahh. I get it. Alright. So what happened? Obviously she survived."

"Mhmm. She did. Because I refused to give up even when everyone else did. You see. My father once had a contract with a water spirit that lives in Lagdorian Lake. Which is where our family home was. And also where this happened. So, I called out to the spirit and made a pact with her to grant me the power I needed to save Calista. In exchange, I had to promise to get something back that was stolen from her by our enemy."

Tiffania was amazed, "Did you manage to?"

"Not yet. The healing spell took my own life energy to heal Calista and that's how I ended up like this. Too weak to walk, sit up… Or do much of anything."

"Did you know that it would do this to you?"

Montmorency nodded, "I actually thought it might be a lot worse than it was. All I lost was my strength, some bodyweight, oh, and the color in my hair."

"That's so brave of you! You must really care about her a lot."

Montmorency looks up at the ceiling wistfully, "I suppose I do care about her a lot. She was my first real friend. I have a boyfriend yes. But, him and I sort of skipped the friendship phase and went right to the dating part. I don't really have anyone else I'd consider a real friend."

"My big sister always told me that having friends is more important than having a boyfriend. But I never really had the opportunity to make many friends. Or a boyfriend."

"I suppose you're right. I love Guiche. Don't get me wrong. But, he's not really equipped to sit and talk about my feelings with. When I try, or rather, when he tries, he usually ends up getting his foot in his mouth. It's adorable sometimes, but really frustrating at others. Having a friend like Cali when things got really rough was just great."

"So what happened next? Is Calista out trying to get that thing that was stolen back?"

"Yes she is. It was hilarious when I told her about it. She said it was no big deal and that it was just yet another way for her to die an undignified death since her arrival here. The way she said it was something like…"

Montmorency cleared her throat and did her best to mimic Calista's signature Imperial Accent, "First Louise summons me out of my imminent death only to end up in a magical contract with me which will kill me upon her death. Then as if the universe though that was not nearly enough for poor little Calista it decided that I should also be bound to Louise with a Force bond to share all our pain, misery, and indeed death. Then it throws me into the middle of a civil war where I get captured by a stupid Jedi Knight and the poisoned nearly to death. Now if I do not return this stupid ring to that stupid water spirit you and I will share in a horrible death along with Louise. Have I missed anything?"

Tiffania struggled not to laugh at Montmorency's impression of Calista but couldn't hold it in and burst into a giggling fit. "Then what?" asked the elf through her mirth.

"Then I told her that was probably about it. And she just stood up, nodded very firmly, and said she was going to go find a mirror."

"A mirror?" asked Tiffania with a curious eyebrow raised.

"Mhmm. A mirror. When I asked why she said… 'So I can properly kiss my ass goodbye' and I almost died laughing."

This caused the elf to start laughing hysterically enough that she ended up lying down next to Momentrency holding her stomach in pain for the morbid hilarity of it all.

After a few minutes of continuous laughter between the two, Tiffania took a very deep breath so she could speak again. "I'm sure Calista will succeed in her quest. She has my big sister with her, so she can't fail."

"I don't doubt it for a moment. I even gave Calista my ribbon. Something my mother gave me a bit before she died. So I know she'll have good fortune."

"You gave her something so precious to you? I have a ring my mother gave me. I don't remember much about her except that it was the last thing she gave me before she passed away and I went off to live with Matilda and her family. I'd never, ever let someone else wear it," said Tiffania while gently rubbing the ring in her right hand.

"I thought the same way about my ribbon. But I trust Calista. A lot. I suppose that was the only way I had to express it which she'd understand. And I know she did. Did you happen to see if she was still wearing it when you saw her?"

Tiffania nodded, "Yes. She was. In her hair. Tied up in a bow. I got a very good look at it since I was sitting behind her after we left the city."

That brought a big smile to Montmorency's face and she sighed with contentment. "I'm glad… I hope she's doing alright now. Guiche is out there too," she sighed again, but this time with frustration. "I'm so worried about them now. I really hope they're alright."

"They will be. Have faith in them, I just know they'll be alright."

Outside Lutece

Henrietta sat on the floor of her tent with her back propped up against her bed. X2-C3 in front of her projecting holographic recordings of places he and Calista had been, things they had done. Henrietta watched in awe as she was shown the city of Dromund Kaas, the Sith Academy on Korriban, the fleet of Imperial Dreadnoughts. Bit by bit she was being made to understand where this Sith Lord she called a friend came from, and understand some of what she had been through.

X2 explained that the recording she was watching now was the last battle Calista participated in before she was brought to Tristain. Given the context of things she had been shown over the past few days by the astromech, the images filled her with dread.

"Extwo… This is terrible. More people are dying every moment here than the entire population of my country," said Henrietta in a solemn tone.

"Queen = Correct / / Operation casualties = eight-hundred thousand with last available combat data."

"That's terrible… Did Lord Zarkot lose any friends before you were brought here?"

"Negative / / Nightwing Squadron loses = zero at last available data."

"So they probably think she died… That's awful."

Before the conversation could continue it was interrupted by the guard at the front of the tent. "Your majesty. The Captain wishes to speak to you."

"Send her in," answered the young Queen while standing up and smoothing out her clothing to be as presentable as possible. "Sorry Extwo. We'll have to finish this later."

Agnes entered the tent with her usual stiff and dignified posture, every step the disciplined march of a professional soldier. Once she was a few paces from the young Queen she bowed respectfully and addressed the Queen with her most formal tone, "Your Majesty."

Henrietta shook out the thoughts which preoccupied her mind and did her best to muster up a sincere smile, "What can I help you with Agnes?"

"There have been some concerns raised which I feel compelled to bring to your attention," answered the captain in a formal military tone.

Henrietta was taken slightly aback by her friend's voice but supposed it couldn't be helped given the nature of the situation around them. Agnes always did go the extra mile to make sure Henrietta always felt like she was a Princess, and now she's going that extra mile to remind her that she's a Queen. Which, she decided is what caused her to feel a sting in her heart. She wasn't used to her new position, and didn't even want to think about what lead to her ascendence.

Henrietta took a breath to compose herself before speaking in a flat tone, "What kind of concerns?"

"To be perfectly frank your majesty… It's about the Duchess' plan to attack the city. The mood out there is that this is going to fail."

"I have complete confidence in the Duchess' competence to lead us to victory. She knows our enemy. She knows this city. So it stands to reason she knows what she's doing better than we do," answered the young Queen with a confident tone which she hoped would put Agnes at ease.

Unfortunately it seemed to have the opposite effect because Henrietta saw her old friend's face wincing from her words, "What's wrong Agnes?"

Agnes closed her eyes and fought to maintain her composure while speaking through clenched teeth, "This might hurt me more than you, but may I speak freely?"

Henrietta took a deep breath and prepared herself. She had no idea what Agnes was going to say but knew well enough that Agnes' tone indicated this conversation wouldn't at all be pleasant. "Go ahead Agnes."

"Duchess Valliere once saved my life, and the lives of many people I knew. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't be here now in your service. So when I say that I also think this plan of her's is insane, don't take it lightly. I have great respect for her, but I'm not letting it blind me to what's going on here. I know she's your god mother, and your mother's lifelong best friend. But don't let that blind you either. There's too much at stake here, too much that can go wrong to take chances like this."

Henrietta nodded to Agnes and somehow maintained her composure while listening, when she answered it was in a soft but serious voice, "Do you honestly believe she doesn't know that? Her job is to lead this army to victory, not to explain her every action. As a military commander yourself Agnes, you should know that when you give orders you don't need to explain the reasons behind them. You tell your soldiers what to do and they do it. We just have to trust in the Duchess and believe she knows what she's doing."

Agnes noded at the young Queen, "I suppose you just answered what would have been my question. Why attack a heavily fortified and well guarded position head on? She didn't explain that to you either. But if I remember correctly, one of your lessons covered this exact scenario. Personally, your majesty, even in your state of mind, I'd trust you to take personal command of this more than I'd trust the Duchess. I just hope that if the time comes, you can find it within you to have faith in yourself."

"I trust that won't be necessary Agnes. I have faith in her. You should as well."

"Won't be necessary for you to take command of your own army? Or necessary to have faith in yourself?"

"That's not what I meant Agnes…"

"I know what you meant your majesty… Please excuse me now, I must see to arrangements for your security during the battle."

"Agnes? One more thing."

"Yes your majesty?"

"These concerns you bring up. May I ask who's expressed them?"

"Sir Julio."

"I see. Anybody else?"

"Not to me."

"If his concerns become a problem. I trust you'll bring it to my attention. I know you have a great deal of respect for him, but I know you won't allow it to blind you. He's a Romalian. My mother mistrusted them, and since he's been here he hasn't done much to earn our trust. All he's done is strong arm his way into this conflict and I've had to accept him because there's no other choice. But I don't trust him, and neither should you Agnes."

"I could ask you the same question about your friend. What's Zarkot done to earn our trust? See, the difference between us here, is that I'm not trusting anyone. But you're putting all your faith and trust into Duchess Valliere, and keeping the council of some mystery girl with a nature none of us understand. I'm just praying that it doesn't come back to bite us."

"What about your trust in Sir Julio? Just because you've read about him in a book or two means he's worthy of all your adoration? At least Lord Zarkot has proven that she's willing to put her life on the line for us. Sir Julio just switched sides because Brinvilliers was an inconvenience to him. Lord Zarkot earned my trust by coming to me in friendship and honesty from the start. Sir Julio earned your trust through your bed time stories!"

"Nobody does anything without an ulterior motive. Not even me. All I'm saying is that you need to take a good look around you and make informed decisions."

"Are you finished yet Agnes?"

"I haven't even started. But I'll take the hint and return to my duties," said Agnes with a bow.

Lutece
Interim Government Building

"Your excellency! We have a problem!" yelled a young officer as he ran towards Brinvilliers who was presently walking toward the government building surrounded by his advisors.

The older man stopped walking and turned and glared at the officer with a slightly disdainful expression, "What is it? This had better be important."

"It... It is... your excellency…" said the young man while catching his breath.

"Out with it then," he demanded in response.

"There are people gathering in the western side by the river. A demonstration. They want us to surrender to the royal army. It got a bit violent. The troops defending that side need your orders."

"Were there casualties? How bad is it?" asked Marius with a stern tone.

"Some rocks were thrown when the troops asked them to disperse. A few people were beaten in the confusion. The officer in command ordered the troops to pull back and sent me to ask you for instructions."

Marius looked to his military advisor, "Note the officer's name. Promote him. We need men who are not afraid to think for themselves."

"Yes your excellency," answered the advisor.

"Your excellency? What should I tell them when I return?" asked the young officer.

"Pass them my congratulations. Tell the commander there I am pleased with his decision. But remind him that if he acts against the constitution... The courts are not all that busy right now, and we have plenty of rope."

"But the demonstration?"

"That isn't my problem. The people have the right to demonstrate, no matter how stupid they are or how much their demands go against their own interests. Tell the troops to leave them be. But if they become violent again, our soldiers are free to use whatever means are necessary to protect themselves and the city. I hope that is clear?"

"I don't understand though? Why? Shouldn't we force them to disperse?"

"You don't need to understand. You only need to carry out your orders. If understanding is what you require to enjoy life, you've chosen the wrong profession. Now get to it!"

"Yes your excellency. Right away," answered the baffled officer before turning to run back to his post.

"With all due respect your excellency. Shouldn't we order all citizens to remain in their homes until we've defeated the royal army?" asked one of his advisers.

"I have to agree. There could be traitors among the people who'll try to sabotage our efforts to defend the city. We should re-impose martial law," added a high ranking military adviser.

Brinvilliers put a hand on his chin and carefully considered his options, "There are many valid reasons to do exactly that. And I am inclined to agree. However, I am still reluctant. Please send people out to advise the public of the crisis we face and inform that that the government recommends they remain in their homes. Meanwhile, issue orders to our soldiers that they are to arrest and detain any suspicious persons caught near vital military posts."

"But your excellency? That doesn't eliminate the risk! We sh-"

Marius turned to the man and placed a firm hand on his shoulder near his neck and squeezed enough to cause the man some discomfort, "Martial law won't eliminate the risk either! We can't afford to spare the troops it would take to enforce it at this point. So do as I say!"

Outside Lutece

"What are we doing Master? Aren't we supposed to be doing anything important right now?" asked Louise with a frustrated voice.

Calista had her face hidden in her hood and all Louise could see addressing her was the side of her lips. "We are doing something important, in time you will learn to recognize that there is more to winning a war than fighting. But until that time comes, I expect you to follow my lead. I thought I had made that clear to you?"

Louise raised her voice slightly but did her best to be mindful of the level of disrespect while still maintaining some rebelliousness. "The only thing clear to me here is that you've keeping me on a very tight leash ever since we arrived here! Don't you trust me at all?"

"Patience. If you want to be trusted, earn your trust. If you want a longer leash, show me can handle the responsibility. Now I'd like you to wait here while I have a little chat with our Jedi friend."

"And what am I supposed to do while you're doing that?"

"No idea. Just stay in my sight and talk to your sword or something..." answered Calista while walking away towards the man in white who was standing on a hilltop not too far from where they were now.

Derflinger popped out of his scabbard on Louise's back to quickly address Calista before she was gone, "Hey Snowball, don't let loverboy lighten ya up too much ya hear? I'm suppose to be the shiny one!"

"Bugger off you sharpened twig! I'm not in the mood today."

Calista was relieved when she was out of earshot of Derflinger's metallic laughter, but her relief was short lived when she remembered whom she was going to speak to and suddenly felt a sour taste in her mouth.

"Jedi…"

Julio's concentration was shattered by the interruption and turned his head while speaking, "Lady Ag- Oh... Lord Zarkot. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"You've seen the defense your old friend setup. You know the plan to attack it. I came to see if you plan to do anything about it."

"The defences are formidable, but we're not seeing the full picture yet. However, I'm afraid that I'm not exactly in a position to be drawing up battle plans."

"Right now there isn't a plan. It's just a straightforward attack. That might work for the Duchess when it comes to the Duke, but it isn't going to work here."

Julio raised his eyebrow, "Of all analogies, you choose that one?"

"Of all the things to pick out of my sentence, you choose that one?"

Julio sighed and recomposed himself with a more serious tone of voice, "This is going to be a massacre. I suppose in light of that, I might have been looking forward to the distraction our usual repartee brings."

Calista folded her arms over her chest and took a deep breath to force herself to stay calm, "This isn't the time for our usual routine. Do you have any kind of plan to try and salvage the situation?"

"I do have a few ideas about how to mitigate the losses we sustain. What about you? I can't see you sitting idle while this happens."

"Unfortunately, thanks to a certain Jedi, I am being excluded from this battle."

"At least that would make my job easier."

"You sound disappointed…"

"Hardly. I assure you."

"In my experience, Jedi do what you're doing. They sit around and wait for opportunities."

"There's more to it than that, but for simplicity's sake, yes."

"Sith don't exactly do that. We seize opportunities when they are presented to us, but more often than not, we go out and create opportunities."

"Why do I have the feeling that the 'we' you're using in that sentence isn't exclusive to the Sith."

"That's because 'we' are going to create our own opportunity to take action."

"Very interesting. You accuse me of undermining you in one conversation... And then seek my help in another. Are all Sith this way or are you an exception?"

"Damn it. Just for once set aside the fact that I'm a Sith and hear me out!"

"There's that petulance again. I was worried it was gone for good."

Calista groaned in exasperation, "I don't know how you intend to mitigate their losses, but I intend to make arrangements to win the war after this battle is inevitably lost. Just stick to your Jedi training and look for the opportunity I present you when the time is right."

"Very well. But I must warn you Lord Zarkot. I won't take my eye off you. Be mindful of your actions and their consequences."

Calista narrowed her eyes at Julio and swallowed her irritation. There were more important things to do than the usual petty squabbling. She simply nodded before turning back towards Louise and walking away, leaving Julio to his contemplations.

Louise meanwhile followed Calista with her curious eyes, waiting patiently for her master to come close enough to ask without being overheard by the Jedi. "Master? I thought you hated him? So why did you need to talk to him?"

Calista rubbed her brow and felt her eyelid twitching involuntarily. "I already told you Louise. There's more to winning a war than just fighting battles."

The two started walking away from the hill with the city to their backs while Louise gathered her thoughts. "Master. I understand what you mean by what you're saying. But you're not giving me a whole lot to go on with your exact intentions here."

"No. I suppose I'm not… That is a little unfair of me. So I'll explain it to you this way. Do you remember when we first met Matilda? That conversation we had the next day?"

"Yes Master. You said something to the effect of 'former enemies make for more loyal friends' or some such. Is that what you're trying to do with him?"

"Yes and no. Sometimes, you just need to learn how to use enemies. Everyone has their price, and Jedi, for all their virtue are just as subject to pride and arrogance as anyone else. Apply sufficient motivation and create the right circumstances, and you can turn anyone's virtues into vices."

Louise raised an eyebrow at Calista, "So you're manipulating him?"

"That's a rather crude way of saying it. But yes, that is exactly what I am doing."

"I sure hope you don't do anything like that to me…"

Calista curled her lips up into one of those smirks that left Louise feeling uneasy all of a sudden. "If I were, would you even realize it? That's what you should be more worried about."

The preparations were complete, the Royal Army lead by Duchess Karin 'the Heavy Wind' was at last ready to begin the offensive to retake the capital city of Lutece. General Fernand de Gramont found himself working extra hard to make this offensive possible. The tactics required for a successful ground offense simply didn't factor into the equation for his old friend Karin. He had his doubts, he knew this was foolhardy to even attempt but he had been given his orders. So all he could do was try to make this attack as successful as possible by carefully arranging their forces to be as effective as possible.

Gramont carefully rechecked the positions of their forces, he knew their enemies could see their formations clearly so there would be no room to catch the defenders by surprise. Every part of him screamed of the folly of the task before him but he had to ignore it and lead the army the best he could.

The first in would be the heavy cavalry, their mobility would be essential if there was even a chance of getting into striking distance of the defenders. Behind them would be the infantry and mage knights. There wasn't time to build proper siege equipment so magic would be the tool required to breach the gate. It would also be the only meaningful defense against the cannons, archers, and riflemen lining the wall. Everything depended on getting close enough to bring down the gate and getting into the city with this opening attack. He knew it, but he had no idea if it was even possible.

He looked up above him as the airship Dignity slowly circled the area. That would probably be the only way that gate was coming down. Around it were the Manticore Knights tasked to defend it while Karin would personally lead the rest to distract the defenders as much as possible. Looking at it all again, he supposed there was some method to Karin's madness but it didn't reassure him.

Guiche stood beside his father and carefully examined his face, there wasn't a hint of his true thoughts on the situation to be found, and Guiche couldn't help but wonder how formidable his father might be at cards if he could keep such an expression in the face of the overwhelming adversity before them. Looking to his left he saw his three friends beside him; Gimli, Reynald, and Malicorne. Beside them was Kirche with a stern expression on her face that contrasted heavily against the nervous expressions of his three male friends.

He wondered how he might look to them but in doing so realized his own feelings on the matter. Guiche wasn't nervous at all, slightly apprehensive maybe, but nothing he couldn't force himself to overcome. He just felt ready for what was to come. That was the only way he could describe it to himself. The next thing that drew his attention was a dragon's roar which sent a chill down his spine and caused him to look straight up where he saw Tabitha's familiar Sylphid joining the main force of the Manticore Knights. It brought a smile to his face wondering if Tabitha felt proud of herself for being considered worthy of flying alongside Tristain's greatest fighters.

Henrietta stood outside her tent to observe the coming battle with apprehension. Her confidence in Karin was absolute, but she felt a sting in her heart for everyone who would die as a result of this battle. The only thought that gave her any comfort that the knowledge of the absolute victory which would follow once the city had been retaken.

She looked around her and saw her musketeers everywhere. The veteran members closest to her, the new members the furthest out and Agnes standing between the two formations. She trusted her musketeers, but in this setting she wanted nothing more than the comfort of her mother, or a close friend to support her while she felt vulnerable. But she was a Queen now, and in the face of the adversity before her should could not afford to allow her supporters or her enemies to see even a glimpse of weakness from her. Though she was secure in that knowledge, and in her resolve, she still unconsciously placed a hand on top of X2-C3.

When she looked at her hand and realized what she'd done there was an instant where she experienced what she could only describe as a profound understanding. This little machine was Lord Zarkot's only real source of emotional support for a long time. In this fleeting moment she understood what it meant to have to be strong because there was no other choice. Something which had only just become her own reality, but had been Lord Zarkot's for longer than she wanted to imagine

Before her thoughts could go any further she saw the Musketeers to her left move to stop two people from approaching the royal tent and quickly raised her voice to be heard by them, "Stand aside and let them through!"

Agnes turned to protest to Henrietta but when she saw who the commotion was over her expression quickly soured as her eyes fell on Calista Zarkot and Louise Valliere. The Musketeer captain narrowed her eyes and watched carefully as they approached the Queen and began exchanging friendly greetings, Agnes rolled her eyes as she turned her attention back to her duty.

Calista respectfully inclined her head to the young Queen "Your majesty. I'm sorry I haven't come to spend time with you, as much as I wish I could. I've actually come because I need Extwo back now. If we're going to win this war, I'll be needing his assistance."

Henrietta then realized her hand was still on top of the little droid and quickly withdrew it, "I understand Lord Zarkot. But, may I ask what you're planning? We expect this all to over by the end of the day."

"I require Extwo to use his sensors to gather a more complete picture of the enemy defense so we can warn our forces if anything unexpected happens," said a calm Calista.

Henrietta nodded to Calista, "I see. Well, it can't be helped then. But before you take him away, I'd just like to say thank you," she said to the Sith before turning to the Astromech, "And especially to you Extwo. You've been a big comfort to me through all of this. I truly appreciate it and all the wonderful things you've shown me."

The Astromech beeped excitedly and spun around in place, "X2 = Proud to serve. / / Henrietta = Best Queen!"

Calista smiled in amusement at X2 before looking at Henrietta again, "I have a small request to make your majesty. If I may?"

"Anything Lord Zarkot. Just ask," said a nodding Henrietta.

"I'd like you to keep an eye on my apprentice while I work," said Calista and then put a hand on Louise's mouth before she could protest. "And you Apprentice, your task is to take over Extwo's duty to protect the Queen. I am confident you can manage it."

Louise narrowed her eyes at her master while Derflinger popped out of his scabbard to speak, "Whoa... Snowflake... I gotta admit... That, was well played!"

"I have no idea what you are talking about sword… But I should get moving now. There is much to do and not much time to do it, please excuse us," said Calista while bowing to the Queen. She then turned on her heel and started walking towards the city with X2-C3 rolling beside her.

Kirche looked up at the sky from her place in the second rank of Mage Knights behind the infantry and watched as Sylphid flew in formation with the first group of Manticore Knights silently wishing dearly that she could be up there with her friend. But this was the price she paid for volunteering to join this army, there would be orders she didn't feel good about but had to obey anyway. She then turned her attention to the city wall and clenched her wand tightly in her hand. "Soon," she thought to herself with clenched teeth as she set the image of her enemies in her mind. Obstacles to her goal of reuniting with the person she'd fallen for inside the city. Obstacles she would wash away in flames. The redhead took a very deep breath and felt her heart pounding with the rush of fear, anger, and excitement which surged through her body as if they had replaced her blood. The thrill of it all brought a smile to her lips and a gleam in her eye that had her four classmates beside her very fearful of what could possibly be on her mind.

"Do we have to listen to some kind of inspirational speech now? Or will we just be getting to work?" asked Kirche aloud to no one in particular.

"All the best speeches in the world won't change what's on everyone's minds. So no, my dearest most beautiful maiden of flames… I do believe we'll just be getting to work," answered Guich after a moment to muster up his sternest tone of voice.

Kirche turned her grin to Guiche, "Heh… It's been a long time since you last called me that. Stupid trollop."

Guiche chuckled slightly, "Hello pot. It's been a long time since you spent any time with your old friend kettle."

Before the classmates could go on entertaining themselves Guiche's eye caught a glimmer that drew his attention. His father draw his sword wand and began casting a spell before pointing his sword forward and took off charging atop his equine familiar with the rest of the heavy cavalry following closely in formation. Above him the Manticore Knights were in motion and headed towards the wall. Ahead of him the infantry drew their swords and readied their shields in anticipation of their orders to advance.

The young boy watched with bated breath as his father and the cavalry surged forth towards the twenty meter high city wall. One by one the cannons fired, each blast caused his heart to miss a beat. Each explosion of earth around the cavalry caused another nerve to shatter like glass. He looked ahead for any sign of life but the thick smoke and debris obscured his vision leaving him holding his breath for any sign of life from the cavalry that so valiantly spearheaded their attack.

He didn't heard the order to advance. His feet just moved on their own in step with the rest of the mage knights. He hadn't even realized that the infantry ahead of him were already running towards the smoke from the cannon blasts.

When Guiche eventually cross the smoke, his eyes were left stinging and watering, but he was immensely relieved to see his father still leading the charge. Still working his magic to create man sized metal golems and then used a levitation spell to fling them up the wall at the cannon emplacements. As Guiche continued to advance he couldn't help but be in awe of his father's tactical brilliance. The golems might not have been able to last long, but he could keep them going, and the more time the soldiers spent fighting with them, the less time they had to reload and fire those cannons.

But then the cavalry were the first to enter rage of the riflemen. And then the arrows came towards the infantry. Guiche had nothing in his magical arsenal to deflect them but this was where his friend Malicorne and the other ground based Wind Mages had their opportunity to shine.

Malicorne raised his wand and created a gust of wind to deflect as many of the arrows as he could, The other Wind Mages supporting his efforts until most were neutralized. Some would get through and and a few of those hit their intended targets, knocking down the hapless infantry who couldn't position their shields to block the arrows, or just didn't notice them.

"We will breach that gate no matter what it takes! Mage Knights will now focus on dispelling the magical wards on the gate so we can take it down!" yelled the officer in command.

Guiche was shocked by the order. "But if we put all of our attention on the gate, what about the rest of the troops?"

Gimli put a hand on his friend's shoulder and squeezed it tightly, "People are going to die no matter what. But their deaths will be for nothing if we don't bring this gate down and get into the city!"

Matilda ran forward as fast as she could with her wand held tightly in her hand. The lead balls fired from the riflemen were enough punch holes in her leather armor and bruise her skin even with her enhancement spell in effect. The arrows cut enough to draw blood but she ignored it all because she knew none of it could kill her. As long as she was alive to feel pain, that was good enough.

She had only one goal in mind, to get close enough to gate to safely raise her giant golem to start bashing it in. Rifles and arrows were no threat to it, but if she raised it too far out, all the cannons would immediately focus on it. The other major annoyance was the overall battle plan. It really didn't take her ability into account. So not only did she have to get in close on her own to make herself useful. Not only did she have to endure and survive what the defenders had to throw at her. She also had to work against her own allies to position herself to make her move. Under the most ideal circumstances, she might have wanted to be in the cavalry charge with General Gramont. But nothing was ideal about the current situation.

To make matters worse, something seemed very wrong to her. She she looked to her left, and then to her right she noticed that groups of soldiers suddenly started dropping for no apparent reason. At first she assumed they'd been shot by the riflemen manning the wall. But more than a few were simply out of range for muskets. Normally she'd simply ignore it or write it off but then she heard a few screams for her own company which compelled her to stop and look at what was happening more closely.

X2-C3 has his sensor and radar devices extended to gather information about the battle and then suddenly started beeping and chirping loudly in a panicked state.

Calista raised an eyebrow at her Astromech, "Chemical warfare? Are you certain Extwo?"

"X2 = Certain! / / Sensors = Detects high concentration of PH3 / / Levels = Rising rapidly!"

"Phosphine gas? How crude. Casualty projections?"

"Casualty projections = 20%"

"That low? Rather pathetic is it not? But, I suppose we should go warn someone. It's only civil. Come along Extwo, we have what we need here," said Calista in a nonchalant tone as she started walking back towards the main camp.

"Calista = Unconcerned?"

"Is there anything I can do about it?"

"Matilda = In combat."

"She can take care of herself. This will all be for nothing if we lose our nerve now. I already explained what we're doing. So let's stick to the plan."

"X2 = Understands"

The Manticore Knights knew they couldn't get close to the city. The anti-air defenses were far too formidable. Designed to defeat much greater threats than a pack of manticores. But that didn't mean they were useless, or powerless. This was a ground battle. Karin hated that with a burning passion but it couldn't be helped. Until the gate was breached this was the reality of her situation. The most elite fighting force in Tristain was reduced to providing protection for the ground forces. Dispelling enemy spells and providing wind walls to block incoming fire.

With all the attention centered on the south gate, the east and west gates could be used to deploy cavalry. Dozens of riders rushed out to ride around the city and engage the left and right flanks of the royal army. Inexperienced mercenaries made up the majority. Some of them were even foolish enough to ride out of the safe zone provided by the defenders on the wall. It didn't take more than a handful of manticores to swoop in and exterminate them. Air blades rained down upon them, and the few survivors were pounced on by the vicious beasts and met their end by claw, fang, or venomous tail.

There was seemingly no end to these cavalrymen, they came plowing through the infantry, hacking and slashing at anyone who dared get too close to them. They were moving straight for the Mage Knights in an attempt to prevent them from disenchanting the gate. The closer they got the more nervous the Mage Knights became. The more heavily armored infantry tried to block their advance but they could do little against these men and their horses. Through they brought down a few, the rest simply trampled them over and continued their advance completely undaunted. It only took one of the mages to lose her confidence in the soldiers protecting them to take matters into her own hands. She turned her wand from the gate and narrowed her eye at the first suitable target she could see.

"Ignite!"

The magic channeled by the young mage's wand ignited the air around it and continued to spread far beyond what the spell should have been capable of. Soldiers, mages, friends and foes, anything in his vicinity vanished in a raging storm of fire. Thanks to her instincts, she managed to cloak herself in a protective spell which rendered her immune to the fire. But by the time it was over and she had a moment to look around, she was the only one still standing. The ash fell around her like snow.

Matilda continued to look around at the now seriously weakened core of the Royal Army. She couldn't even count how many had just been wiped out for no apparent reason. Her own company were not faring any better. One by one they continued to succumb to illness and fell over. There was no explanation. She couldn't smell anything in the air, or see anything around them that could be the source of this invisible death. She did the only thing she could do and continued forward calling to her soldiers to follow her while she raised her golems and flung them up on top of the wall with her magic. Unlike some other earth mages, her's would be much more effective for much longer. Getting to the gate and raising her giant golem to break it down was the only thing she could do for this battle. So she set her eyes on the goal and continued to run forward.

Using the chaos Brinvilliers had the entire artillery open fire on the Manticore Knights. They were mostly out of range but scoring hits wasn't the goal. The goal was to create more chaos among the enemy ranks.

Marius took a deep breath while he nodded at the archer's captain. "Now"

The captain acknowledged his order and gave the signal to his archers. Then they began to shoot flaming arrows on the attacking royal army. Most of them were pushed away by wind spells from the Manticore Knights who were still minding their duty above all else. But even they couldn't stop them all. The ones that did get through ignited more pockets of gas creating more storms of all consuming fire which left nothing but ash scattering to the wind. But some of those that landed closer to the walls did absolutely nothing.

Karin looked down at the battlefield and saw the fires consuming large groups of her soldiers. Panic and terror began to spread through the ranks but the leadership on the ground seemed to be doing a good enough job of keeping everyone moving forward instead of retreating. She watched the Mage Knights reorganize themselves and resume their work on the gate and then returned to minding her own role in this battle once she was satisfied that the resolve had not yet been broken.

Facing losses before even facing the enemy was just utterly frustrating but it couldn't be helped either. Her second in command, the Count Bertrand de Gausclin flew close enough to her so she could hear him speaking.

"My lady!"

"What is it?!"

"Those arrows are using some powerful fire enchantments. Our losses are mounting. If this continues the situation will be untenable. We've lost almost half the Mage Knights and the infantry losses are incalculable at this time! There's a lot happening down there that we aren't prepared to deal with. We should withdraw!"

"I'm not interested in loses! I'm interested in getting that gate down! Whatever he's using on us, he would not dare to use it inside the city, press harder! Order a few sweeps to land and provide support to the disenchantment effort if you don't think they can do it on their own anymore."

Kirche's spells ignited everything around her. The roaring flames and screams of terror were like music to her ears. But the spell wasn't supposed to do that! The spell was working correctly, so she wasn't pulling a Louise, she was sure of it. It was just the air around her ignited with whatever fire spell she cast. It was not magical, she knew that much. Something else was happening here that she couldn't explain.

She tried it four times and everytime with the same effect. Someone was playing with her and it angered her greatly. She felt weak for some reason, and almosted was forced on her knees as she started coughing and felt a burning sensation in her lungs. Then she was overcome with a crippling pain around her stomach area. The only solution she had was to reach into her bag and take a sip of her elixir. A brief respite from the battle to enjoy the almond flavored liquid. Soon enough she was able to get back on her feet and move to rejoin the Mage Knights.

Tabitha carefully examined the battlefield through the eyes of her Dragon. She saw the lines breaking. Whole squads collapsed for no obvious reason. Others consumed in fire storms. Even the brave officers who tried their best to keep their troops moving forward had to give in to reason and withdraw before losing everyone under their command. Picking up the wounded along the way as often as they could.

Sylphid's eyes locked in on Kirche who, despite her valiant efforts and potent pain medication couldn't get herself moving again. Tabitha quickly inferred that whatever was happening to the soldiers below wasn't simply painful but physically crippling as well. She decided that she'd analyzed enough and commanded her dragon to dive down towards Kirche who lay alone surrounded by charred earth and ash.

If the other members of the sweep she was assigned to protested her leaving them, she couldn't hear it. Nor would she care even if she could have. With her staff held at the ready and the spell precast, Sylphid swooped down and Tabitha levitated Kirche up off the battlefield and set her down in front of her so she could hold onto her while she flew off towards the camp to drop her off before rejoining her sweep. She knew she'd probably be in for at least a serious reprimand, but she didn't care. Kirche was her only priority in this battle.

Matilda clenched her teeth in anger. She had to pull her company out. Or at least what could have been called a company an hour ago. She'd lost more than half her soldiers. Most of what was left were barely standing. And they had only one swift encounter with the enemy cavalry. However, she was proud of how well they conducted themselves in that fight.

But her situation was grave. She had no choice as she turned around and gave the retreat order to her men. Her leather armor was in tatters. It was a mystery to her how she wasn't completely naked yet. She'd stood and fought much worse, but at least in the battle of Saxe-Gotha she could actually fight her enemy. In this battle, the enemy was hiding up on top of a twenty meter wall shooting down at them, and their commander in chief was a reckless maniac who committed her entire army to a suicide run. She had a duty to obey Karin's orders, but she also had a duty to her soldiers. There was nothing to be accomplished here and all the dead will have died for less than nothing if there isn't enough of an army left to sustain the war at the end of the day.

General Gramont considered the battlefield around him and came to the obvious conclusion. Karin might have joked about how much he relies on his scouts to form his strategy and tactics but fighting this battle blind lead to their current situation. They were taking too many losses, and not doing nearly enough damage to justify those losses.

Marius was doing something with air. Some kind of poison was making his soldiers sick. Explosions happened anywhere there were fire mages. The total lack of enemy forces in the field except that raid which he was now certain was designed to instigate those explosions.

It all made some sense now. But figuring it all out would have to wait. Karin's plan failed before it even started. He should never have gone along with her. But he did and he'd have to deal with that later as well. For now, there was only one thing to be done. He had to organize a retreat to minimize losses. He gave the order to the mage knights to stop disenchanting the gate, and instead put all their effort into defending the army from any further attacks. Then he gave his next order, to retreat under the cover being provided.

Karin observed the movements below her with a scowl on her face. There was nothing she could do to change the situation now that Gramont had given the retreat order. She had to swallow that anger and issue an order which took all her knights by surprise.

"Retreat!"

The first battle of Lutece had been lost.

A/N: At this time we would like to officially welcome Dilis and Teira to the team as our test readers. Their input has been invaluable and hopefully you will all see a steady improvement in our story telling as a result of their efforts.