"You're sending troops to Lythos!?"

"Are you questioning me, Ivy?" her father snapped.

"No, no, of course not."

"The Corrupted have already been released across Elyos. The other nations will be in disarray. Now is the time to strike, while we have the element of surprise."

"I only meant…" Ivy said softly. "Will those rings not be the most heavily guarded?"

"Don't talk of things you know nothing about. No one has attacked Lythos in a thousand years. They are complacent. There is only an honor guard to protect the castle. As for the magical defenses, Zephia will take care of it."

"But… the Divine Dragon…"

"Lady Veyle will be leading this mission. Lumera will be no match for her."

Ivy wanted to protest, but it would change nothing. What would her father say if he discovered that she secretly worshipped the Divine Dragon? She wouldn't put anything past him now. Ever since the Fell Dragon had been released, the king had become obsessed with the Emblem Rings. He took the Lady of the Plains with him wherever he went, sometimes summoning her to stare at her silent figure. If they succeeded in collecting all the rings, would he go back to the man he had been before?

It didn't matter that Ivy disapproved of the mission. The ships sailed out from Givre Port loaded with Elusian soldiers and Corrupted. Abyme would be leading them under Lady Veyle's command. Elusian boots would soon desecrate the holy land of Lythos. Blood would be spilt and the rings would be stolen. But surely the Divine Dragon wouldn't allow it. She would become a shining white dragon and defend the rings. Of course, Ivy wasn't rooting for the defeat of her countrymen. The Divine Dragon was merciful. She would send them back, and everyone would learn their lesson and stop this foolishness about stealing the rings.

You don't have the luxury of that kind of childish nonsense.

There were no good outcomes. All Ivy could do was wring her hands and wait for the raiders to return.

They returned quicker than Ivy expected. Once again, she was summoned to Destinea Cathedral. Though there were fewer of the Corrupted, the atmosphere of the place felt even worse. Any light that shone through the arched windows seemed to get sucked up by the swirling blackness in the nave.

Ivy took her place by her father's side, although she wasn't sure if he even noticed her. Hortensia stood to his left. She had brought the people that she called her retainers with her. There hadn't seemed to be a good time to ask the king to swear them in. Ivy vaguely remembered seeing Goldmary and Rosado around the academy. If they provided Hortensia with moral support, then Ivy was happy to have them here. She had brought her own retainers, of course. Anything to make it feel less like the Elusian royal family were being ordered around in their own home.

Lady Veyle entered with the Four Hounds behind her. She approached the umbral sphere and held up a bag.

"Father, I have secured six of the Emblem Rings for you."

The darkness molded itself into its humanoid shape.

"Good. You have proven useful to me."

Lady Veyle preened as if this was the most extravagant praise.

"Now, give me the rings."

Lady Veyle opened the bag and the six rings floated out. From what Ivy could tell, each was a different size and style. Six ghostly red figures emerged from the rings. Six legendary heroes. They were as still and silent as the Lady of the Plains.

One by one they returned to their rings. Then the rings returned to the bag.

"I have awakened them. Use their power to acquire the rest of the rings," said the Fell Dragon.

"Yes, Father, but there's one more thing you should know." Veyle grinned. "The Divine Dragon is dead. I killed her."

Ivy's heart stumbled in her chest. That couldn't be true. She must be lying.

The Fell Dragon paused and turned his shadowy head from side to side.

"Lumera. Her influence on this world dissipates. You have done well, my child, though her power had been waning over these last thousand years."

It had still been enough to keep you locked up!

But was it true then? Was the Divine Dragon really dead? He seemed so certain about it…

They kept talking, but Ivy didn't hear. All the hope had drained out of her, leaving her empty and very, very afraid.

The Fell Dragon had retreated back into his spherical form, but Princess Ivy had not moved. She seemed to be lost in thought. As there was nothing Zelkov could do about that, he allowed his attention to be captured by the whispered argument between the two dragon women.

"...Lost the draconic time crystal?"

"Don't you dare lecture me, Zephia. If the thing is… is defective, then that's your fault!"

"My lady, It's an extremely powerful relic. If you use it too frequently in a short span it overcharges and phases in and out of time."

"I told you not to lecture me. I don't need it."

"It seemed rather important in your defeat of Lumera," the horned one said with a hint of annoyance.

"She's dead now, thanks to me. There's no one else to stand in our way."

The small dragon left in a huff. The horned one looked irritated. Their interpersonal drama was uninteresting to Zelkov, but he made a mental note of the powerful magical relic.

He turned his attention back to Princess Ivy, who was clasping and unclasping her hands while staring into space. The rest of the royal family had already left. Should he try to talk to her? This sort of situation was far outside of his expertise. Fortunately, Kagetsu took the decision out of his hands.

"Princess Ivy. Are you alright?"

"What? Oh. Yes. This is such… momentous news. I believe I need to lie down."

She walked back to the castle with Zelkov and Kagetsu trailing behind. They followed her all the way to her door, which she shut in their faces. The key clicked in the lock.

Kagetsu turned to Zelkov. "What should we do?"

"It is… We should…" He raked his hand through his hair. "Judging by the fact that she locked us out, it would appear that Princess Ivy wants some time to herself."

"But what if she needs our aid? What if there is some kind of emergency, and we cannot reach her?"

"I possess a key."

"Oh. That… makes sense."

Kagetsu had, of course, noticed the large amount of keys that Zelkov kept in his coat, as well as the one around his neck. When he had asked about it, Zelkov had said that he collected them and refused to speak any more on the subject.

They both stared at the door.

"And now?" Kagetsu asked.

"... perhaps it would be best if we stayed close. In case Princess Ivy has need of us."

"Yes."

The minutes ticked by with no sound from within. Kagetsu checked his sword. He scuffed his foot on the carpet. He tugged on the hair that fell to the side of his face.

"Should we not check on her? She seemed quite disturbed by the news of the Divine Dragon's death."

"Barely half an hour has passed."

"Oh." There was silence. "In Pale Sands, we worship the Dragons of the East. They have much wisdom."

Zelkov did not reply.

"Should she not be pleased about the defeat of the Divine Dragon? Do not Elusians worship the Fell Dragon?"

"Not all. Perhaps Princess Ivy is one of these exceptions."

"And what about you?"

Zelkov glanced at him and then away. "I do not place my faith in any deities. There is only la terre, la mer, et le ciel."

"This is not familiar to me."

He sighed. "The land, the sea, and the sky. It was the belief of my people that the land protects you, the sea provides for you, and the sky guides you."

"Fascinating! But when you say "my people"... Are you not Elusian?"

"I am. And I am not. I was born here, but my people are Les Gens de la Mer."

"Forgive me, but it is not a name I have heard."

"In common parlance, you would say the 'Sea Folk,' but it is unsurprising you have not heard it."

Zelkov paused for long enough that Kagetsu thought he was done with the conversation, but then he continued.

"Are you familiar with the geography of Elyos?"

"I have studied many maps."

"So you are aware that there is a land bridge between Brodia and Elusia."

Kagetsu nodded.

"It is a rocky, inhospitable place, but a group of people once called it their home. They fished in the sea and pulled their boats onto shore when it stormed. But this land was strategically important. It was claimed by Brodia, then Elusia. Back and forth for years and years until its people were scattered to the four winds. It is only a graveyard now."

"How tragic…"

"It is the nature of war… My parents fled to the Black Wood in the interior of Elusia before I was born. My mother was a skilled physician and my father found success as a merchant. We were very lucky… until we were not."

Zelkov's attention had turned somewhere inward. He was silent for some time.

"Thank you for entrusting me with that knowledge," said Kagetsu.

Zelkov's eyes snapped into focus. He crossed his arms and turned his head away.

"My ancestry is plain to all those who see me. Yet another reason for them to disdain my presence."

"What do you mean?"

"Elusia is not welcoming to outsiders. Have you not noticed this?"

"Everyone has been very fr— Eh, well, hmm… Some have been very friendly."

"And were most of those women?"

"Perhaps, now that you mention it… What does that have to do with it?"

Zelkov rolled his eyes and refused to be drawn back into conversation. Kagetsu pondered all that he had said. Pondering was not his strong suit, however.

"Are you sure we should not check on Princess Ivy?"

"...It is past time for her to eat dinner. Perhaps we could bring her a meal."

"Excellent!" Kagetsu set off for the kitchens with a spring in his step.

The kitchen was in a state of chaos as usual. Dinner service for the nobility had just ended, and it would soon be time for the servants to take their evening meal. The heat, the shouting, the rush of people — Kagetsu's attention was pulled from one thing to another. Zelkov cut through it all like a phantom. Kagetsu went after him. He bumped into considerably more people, but he caught a stack of bowls before they could shatter on the flagstones.

The cook gave Kagetsu a scathing glance. He had been run out of the kitchen before in the pursuit of between-meal snacks.

"Is this allowed?" Kagetsu asked as he followed Zelkov into the larder.

"The cook and I have an arrangement. She gives me free use of the kitchen, then later I will wash all the dishes."

"All of them?"

"My work sustains me."

"Why do you not just serve Princess Ivy some of what was already made?"

"She does not care for boiled cod."

"I enjoy boiled cod." This did not receive an answer. "She told you this?"

"Of course not. I merely observed that she turns her nose up at it."

"So you will make her something else?"

"Yes."

Kagetsu asked questions that largely went ignored as Zelkov minced onions and pork then fried it in a pan. He procured a dough made of potatoes from somewhere and folded the meat and onions into hand-sized rolls, then put it in an oven.

The two of them stood in a corner while the soup that would be dinner for the servants and guards was taken to the dining hall. It did not look appetizing.

"Possibly would there be enough of that —" Kagetsu pointed toward the oven "— to feed us as well?"

"We are her retainers. We do not share meals with the princess."

Kagetsu's stomach growled. He could not help it; there were too many enticing smells in the kitchen. Zelkov huffed and then walked away. Just as Kagetsu was about to follow, he returned with a dish and spoon.

"Here."

"The cod boil!" Kagetsu took the offered plate and dug into the gelatinous, rehydrated fish. "My friend is so thoughtful!"

Zelkov made some indeterminate grunt and then busied himself with pulling the rolls out of the oven.

Kagetsu scraped his plate clean and put it in the washtub where, he supposed, Zelkov would clean it later. He picked up the tray with the rolls on it.

"I will carry this to Princess Ivy! It is the least I can do since you did all the work of preparing it."

After about the eighth staircase, he was starting to reevaluate his decision, but they finally arrived at Princess Ivy's door. There was no response to a knock. Zelkov pulled a key from his coat and let the two of them in.

Ivy lay on the sofa staring at the ceiling. The sun had set, leaving the room dark, but it didn't matter. Did anything matter? The Divine Dragon was dead. There was no hope for Elyos. No hope for her.

Underneath this numb despair was a profound grief for a childhood fantasy. There would be no woman with a kind face and soothing voice to tuck her into bed. A little girl somewhere deep inside was crying.

She heard a knock on the door but ignored it. Maybe they would go away. But then a key clicked in the lock and the door opened.

"Princess Ivy, why do you lie here in the dark?"

"Why do you care?" she asked without energy.

"Your welfare is my responsibility."

"We have brought you dinner!"

A candle flared to life. Ivy blinked at the sudden light which revealed Zelkov with his arms crossed and Kagetsu holding a tray.

"I am not hungry," she said, but the smell that wafted to her piqued the interest of her stomach.

"Zelkov made it for you. He said you did not like cod boil."

Zelkov narrowed his eyes at Kagetsu.

"Oh." Ivy sat up.

Did he know that meat-filled potato rolls were one of her favorites, or was it a lucky guess? It would be rude not to try it, wouldn't it? After he went to the effort of making it for her…

She picked up one of the rolls and bit into it. The pastry was light and airy. The spices were perfect. Just the right amount of moisture to the filling. She finished it off with bites that were not as dainty and princess-like as she would have wished.

She dusted the crumbs off her lap. "Thank you."

"I hope that it proves fortifying." Zelkov bowed and turned to leave.

Ivy picked up another roll and noticed Kagetsu eyeing them. There were more than she could eat by herself. Or more than she should eat anyway.

"Please, have one."

"How kind of you!" Kagetsu grabbed one and demolished half of it in one bite.

"You too, Zelkov."

"I could not possibly."

Zelkov grabbed Kagetsu by the collar before he could take another roll. Kagetsu waved cheerily while being hauled away.

"Rest well, Princess Ivy. We will be here to greet you in the morning!"

She sat there a while longer, absently chewing on another roll. There were too many emotions tangled up inside her to try to parse out. There was a timid knock on the door that was probably Tansy, but she didn't answer and no one barged in.

Eventually, Ivy got off the sofa and readied herself for bed. She needed to rest. Her retainers would be there in the morning.

With the Divine Dragon dead, the plan to invade the rest of Elyos went into motion. Lady Veyle and Zephia led an army to Firene backed by Rodine and Nelucce. Rodine was competent as a fighter, but had little leadership experience. Nelucce was weasely and sycophantic. Most of Elusia's best generals lay six feet under the ground. But Firene was a soft country, made soft by centuries of peace. It was a given that they would fall easily. That was the thought of the king and his councilors anyway.

They sent troops to Solm as well, but the true focus was on Brodia. This would be Elusia's long awaited revenge. Their finishing blow. If this offensive failed, there would scarcely be an able-bodied soldier left in Elusia. But the king and his councilors had no doubts it would succeed. They had the blessing of the Fell Dragon after all.

Zelkov was grim as he escorted Princess Ivy. She had recovered from whatever melancholy had overtaken her — or at least she was acting her usual self. She was calm and composed as she answered King Hyacinth's summons.

He was loath to admit that he had been waiting for his own particular summons from her, but one had not come. Perhaps her mind was elsewhere… or perhaps he had fallen from her favor.

He forced that superfluous nonsense from his head as Princess Ivy curtsied before her father. He and Kagetsu performed a low bow. Princess Hortensia bounded in, accompanied by her "retainers." King Hyacinth's face was strangely taut as he regarded them. His eyes stared.

"My daughters. My lovely daughters. My own flesh and blood."

The king had forced the Ring of the Lady of the Plains onto his finger. A red weal was visible as he twisted it over and over.

"We have received a missive from Zephia," he continued. "She warns us that Lumera had a child and this Divine Dragon is now hunting for the Emblem Rings as well. They allied with the Firenese to abscond with three of the rings and are now fleeing towards the Brodian border."

Did anyone else notice how Princess Ivy's head snapped up at the mention of the new Divine Dragon? Her hands gripped her skirt, then loosened finger by finger.

"This is your opportunity, my daughters. Hortensia, you will cut off this dragon at the Grand Crossing and seize their rings. Ivy, you will lead the advance against Brodia Castle. Draw them out. Confiscate their ring. I will follow with the main bulk of the army, and we will raze that accursed place to the ground. But Morion…" King Hyacinth's mouth twisted into a grin. "He must be kept alive."

"What?" Princess Hortensia exclaimed.

"Lord Sombron is not at his full strength. He needs the power of all twelve Emblem Rings. But in the meantime, he can sustain himself through an ancient ritual — a ritual that happens to require sovereign blood."

"So you mean to offer up King Morion as a sacrifice to empower the Fell Dragon?" Princess Ivy did not quite hide the disgust in her voice well enough.

"Have you forgotten how that barbarian and his war have bled our kingdom dry? It is now his turn. Poetic justice, is it not?"

Neither princess said anything. Zelkov shocked himself by stepping forward and kneeling before the king.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty, but your daughters are not generals. They have never led troops into battle. This is far too dangerous a mission."

King Hyacinth exploded with rage. "Who are you to question my orders? Still your tongue before I silence it for good!"

Princess Ivy cleared her throat sharply, and Zelkov retreated.

"We are grateful that you have trusted us with this responsibility. We will not fail you, Father," she said quickly.

"We'll make you proud," Princess Hortensia added.

"Yes, yes. Trust. You are the only ones I can trust with the rings. My daughters will be loyal to me. Here." He thrust out his hand. "I am entrusting to each of you one of the sacred rings. Lord Sombron has awakened the Emblems within. Use their power to fulfill your missions. Failure will not be tolerated."

Both princesses accepted an Emblem Ring from the king.

"Go now. Do your duty. Get me those rings."

"We will, Father! Don't you worry!" Princess Hortensia said with conviction.

She was bouncing with eagerness. Princess Ivy, on the other hand, held the ring with the stillness of a frozen river. What currents lurked underneath? They both curtsied to the king, then turned to leave.

"Oh, and Ivy? I am giving you your mother's battle armor to wear for the offensive."

"Mother's armor? Please, no—" Princess Ivy's mouth shut at the look on the king's face. "Yes, Father."

She hurried out of the throne room, not bothering to check if Zelkov and Kagetsu were behind her. It was a given that they were.

Once out the door, she rounded on him and hissed, "Zelkov! How could you embarrass me like that in front of the king? I do not need him to know that you see me as weak and incapable."

He bowed. "I can only ask that you forgive my lapse of judgment."

Why had he felt the need to open his mouth like that? It was far from his place. It would be extremely difficult to ensure the princess's safety on a battlefield, though.

"You cause me a lot of headaches for someone who's so perfect all the time." She sighed. "Come. We need to prepare."

What did she mean by that?

After days of being confined aboard a ship, Kagetsu was unable to contain his energy. They were preparing for battle. He would be fighting many opponents. He shifted from one foot to the other in the snow and stretched to loosen his shoulders.

Zelkov stood beside him in his usual posture, arms folded and feet planted. Belladonna rustled her wings. She was saddled and ready, awaiting her rider.

A familiar tingly sensation overtook Kagetsu's brain. A vision danced before his eyes.

"Aha! I have seen the future."

Zelkov looked at him with interest. "Any extra knowledge before a battle is helpful."

"My powers have observed… that it will snow."

Zelkov glanced at the thick grey clouds overhead. "Astounding."

Kagetsu was about to reply when Princess Ivy emerged from her tent. She was clutching a large tome to her chest, and her cheeks were quite red.

"Princess Ivy, this is your battle armor?" asked Kagetsu. "It does not seem very… protective."

There was a large amount of exposed skin. And then the spikes on her boots and wrists and throat were strange. And then the… hat?

"It was my mother's. And despite her… questionable taste, she was a very powerful mage. There is magic woven into every fiber. It is charmed to deflect attacks of all kinds."

"Ah, is that how she lost her life? In battle?" Kagetsu slapped himself on the forehead. "Forgive me, Princess Ivy. That is not an appropriate question, especially at such a time as this."

"No, it doesn't matter." Princess Ivy shook her head and picked at the fabric of her dress. "My mother was an ambitious woman from an old noble family that had fallen out of prominence. She graduated top of her class from the Academy. With her talent and beauty, marriage offers flooded in, but she had her sights set on one man."

"The king," said Kagetsu.

"Yes. But this was before my father… replaced his brother. Tensions between them were high, and the court divided. My mother decided to take a gamble. She backed my father.

"Whatever else you could say about her, she did not lack courage. She was ready to go to war for him. She made this armor when she was hardly older than I am now. But thank the Dragon, it never came to violence. My uncle went into exile, and Mother's gamble payed off. She became queen."

Princess Ivy was rambling now, but if she required a distraction from the coming battle, Kagetsu was happy to oblige. Besides, he was curious. No one liked to talk about Queen Hedera, and he was always eager to learn about his friends' histories.

"What happened next?"

"She was considerably younger than Father, but she had a difficult time conceiving. It was… clear the problem was not on his end, which — I believe — made her feel that her position was unstable. She did everything in her power to push his mistresses out of the court.

"But even after I was finally born, she was not happy. She would not rest until my claim to the throne was guaranteed. Poor Hortensia was an obstacle to this, but that is another story."

Princess Ivy waved her hand airily, then continued. "She was always very concerned with her appearance. She aged while the king's mistresses did not. This led her to dabble in some questionable magic. And in the end, it was an ill-advised spell that proved her downfall."

"I see. Most unfortunate."

"Yes…"

There was a pause. He put his hand to his chin.

"Could armor not be placed overtop?"

Princess Ivy frowned at him. "Kagetsu, do you not have mages in Pale Sands?"

"Oh, we have many sages learned in the art of magic. I am not one of them."

"Clearly. Metal conducts magic. If one were to wear armor while casting spells, the results could be… disastrous."

"Huh. Fascinating."

There was another long pause. Why did it take so long for armies to prepare for battle? He scuffed his foot in the snow.

"May I hold your tome?" he asked.

He had seen it glow and float in her hands as she practiced her magic before. Would it do the same for him? With a nonplussed expression she passed him the large book. He was surprised that her thin arms did not strain at its weight.

"It is not glowing."

"Of course not. You aren't channeling magic into it."

He stared at it very hard, but nothing happened.

"Are you… trying to do magic?" she asked.

"Yes?"

She took the tome back. "Channeling magic takes extreme focus and discipline. You are collecting the anima and then using the spell inscribed in the tome to transmute it into a shape — the 'shape' in this case being Bolganone — by layering a nexus…"

I am quite hungry. I should have packed a snack.

"...elemental magic requires this stacking — or weaving as I tend to think of it — unlike, for example, healing…"

How my stomach yearns for onigiri!

"...flows in a helix pattern facilitated by the use of staves…"

I have just enough supplies in my pack for one last batch.

"...due to the extreme amounts of magic involved in healing, a metallic staff is necessary, although this results in the degradation of the staff with multiple usages…"

But then I will have no more, and who knows when I will be able to find rice and pickled plums in this cold and unforgiving land?

"...requires delicacy and precise control to avoid injuring yourself as well as the person you are trying to heal. I personally can only admit to being a competent healer. Hortensia is a prodigy as she…"

Besides, there is no time to make them now. I must content myself with dried fish.

"So you see, Kagetsu, magic is —"

Whatever Princess Ivy had been saying was cut off by the arrival of a messenger.

"The troops are ready to march on Brodia. They await your command."

Her jaw tightened. "Yes. Thank you."

She went to her wyvern's side. Belladonna stooped so that her rider could vault into the saddle. Princess Ivy settled herself then addressed them all.

"Begin your march. I will go to Castle Brodia and demand their surrender. Be at the ready for my return."

Any reply was whipped away by the sweep of Belladonna's wings. With one great leap she was up in the air and away, a lone silhouette flying towards the enemy stronghold.

Is anyone actually reading this story? If not I'll probably stop posting