When Brontes woke up in the morning, he could feel that something wasn't exactly right. He couldn't place it but it was a feeling that ran with him as he put his silver hair up into a short ponytail and put on his black and gold armour before leaving the room for the small mess hall. Everything about the headquarters was on the small side, making it easy to defend but the biggest reason for its small size was because they had to be frugal. They were a small group, at least the ones who lived in the headquarters comprised a small group, but not a lot of people in Fraedia had gold and that included them. Not a lot of gold trickled down to commoners, especially for people like them – they were an independent militia, one that swore to defend the people so the nobles weren't fond of them anywya. He had a private bedroom that people insisted on but it was only big enough for a cot, a desk, and a single chair. Other than that, they had two rooms full of bunk beds for everybody else to split up.

The mess hall was already full of people. Brontes realized he slept in and he was left to wonder why nobody bothered to wake him up. It wasn't as though he was ill or was in desperately need of sleep.

"Hey, Brontes!" Iza called out with a wave. Iza was one of the best at taking out the bandits in and around Valburn and it showed. Her skin was covered in scars, scars that she wore proudly, and she had toned arms and legs, which she gained thanks to her use of a poleaxe. She had her purple hair tied up into a loose bun, and her armour consisted mostly of leather. "Come sit with us!"

He nodded, collecting his breakfast for the day and sitting down next to her. He knew the faces of everybody who joined him in the fight against the corruption in Fraedia. At Iza's table, there were three other people. There was Brion, a swordsman who was recently freed from an underground gladiatorial ring, so while he wasn't part of the militia for long, he already showed a lot of promise. Beside him was a girl named Laurel, who liked to shoot arrows soldiers into the right eye as a calling card, although why she liked to do that was beyond Brontes. Finally, there was Yuren, somebody who originally worked for a noblewoman but he turned tides and now served as the militia's shield.

It took a long time for Brontes to be able to trust him.

There was another table of people. Marin was a shy mage who didn't socialize a lot but he could whip up a tornado and deal some serious damage. Hadrien was a paladin but he was also one of the oldest in the group, and Brontes often found himself seeking advice from him. They had an ursurine on the team named Tora, and while he was relatively young for an usurine, he was still powerful. Finally, their resident healer and caretaker was a women with greying hair that was tied into a bun named Ana. She was constantly on them about their health but Brontes knew that she cared and just wanted to see something change in Fraedia in her lifetime. She didn't leave their headquarters.

However, the only person missing was Kalen, a young man who made it his life's goal to dig up any sort of dirt that they could use against their enemies. Brontes didn't know much about Kalen himself – he kept himself covered in green and brown clothes and a large cloak. Brontes never saw Kalen without them, and it covered his body so well that Brontes only knew he was male simply because Kalen told him so. Nobody could really prove it one way or another anyway, so they just took his word for it. It wasn't surprising that he was gone but Brontes was concerned that he might have gotten in over his head every time he left.

But this group only made up the core of his independent militia. There were several others, strewn all about Valburn. They lived on their own, or with their families, and they fought when needed. If they saw injustice, it was their job to deal to jump in. It was important to him that citizens learned how to defend themselves and for citizens to stand up for each other. That was the kind of militia he wanted. If he needed them, Kalen could gather them within hours, pretty quickly all things considered.

But just as Brontes was about to ask about the man, Kalen all but crashed through the door. "You guys! You are not going to believe this but it looks like there are bandits inside the palace gates! I only saw them go in and out but all of the soldiers are gone and the place is completely trashed! They did a pretty good job. I wish it was us."

Brontes perked up immediately, though he was careful about letting it show. "You are sure about this?" he asked. Kalen wasn't ever wrong but he didn't want to jump to conclusions prematurely. If there were bandits inside of the palace, then that held serious implications. They had to be sure.

"Of course I am! Well, I'm not sure if those people were bandits, or if they were even Fraedian, but the soldiers are gone! We've never had a chance like this before!"

"That's true but we can't afford to rush into something like this. The palace is well guarded, so if they were strong enough to took down all of the soldiers, then we too have to be extra careful. Fraedia has nobody else. If we're not here to defend the people, then nobody else will," Brontes said simply as he shoved some food into his mouth. "For now, we need to collect more information."

"Awh, you don't trust me?" Kalen asked.

"It's not that I don't trust you. It's just that we can't afford to be wrong," Brontes answered again. Although, it was all too tempting to just march in there and destroy the crown, breaking centuries of oppression and corruption in one swell swoop. He wanted to clean the floor with somebody for everything the people went through. It was a shame that they didn't take down the royal family themselves but even with the royal family gone, the fighting wasn't done yet. The royal families in Fraeida just weren't stable – it wasn't the first time somebody went in and killed them all, it was just the first time it wasn't a noble who did it.

"Hypothetically, let's say we do end up getting the crown," Hadrien said from across the room. "What do you plan on doing instead?"

"We need a system that allows the citizens to have a voice," he answered. He actually gave it plenty of thought before, when he was in bed at night and he couldn't sleep. "But of course, we still need a select group of people that the people can trust to run things – the average citizen wouldn't know how to make a country functional. It's has to be a balance of the people being able to choose representatives to wield the power the citizens would lend them but at the same time, we can't have those people run off with that sort of power or else we'll be back to this. We would have to cycle people through, make them stay long enough to make a difference but kick them out before they could cause irreversible damage."

"Relax, relax, don't get do stressed about something that won't happen for a while," Ana mumbled, getting up from her seat and shuffling to the oven. Hadrien merely offered a nod in his direction before going back to his meal. "Get to the castle first. Then we'll talk. In the mean time, would any of you like some tea?"

"You would be on those people in charge, right?" Brion asked. "Because honestly, you're the only person I can see doing a good job like that. If you can run this group, then you can help run a country too."

"Of course I'd be part of it. I'm going to do whatever is possible to help Fraedia. Right now, my job is running a private militia but I have bigger goals." Brontes was quickly realizing that he wasn't eating very much. He spent more time talking, thinking, and pushing his food rather than just eating it. He wasn't that hungry, he supposed. Waking up with a sense of something being off and then hearing Kalen's news just made his appetite disappear. He wanted to get up and do something, maybe accompany Kalen to the castle in order to see for himself what condition it was in. Still, he forced food into his mouth. Nobody wasted food in Fraedia.

Maybe, if he did go out, he should bring Iza and Hadrien too. No, maybe he should just go alone – a group might be a bad idea. After all, he just needed information and he didn't intend getting into a fight, at least not at the castle. He needed to know if there was a brand new opportunity for him. Brontes got up once he cleared his plate and downed his cup of water, alarming everybody in the room.

Ana raised an eyebrow. "Brontes?"

"I'm getting my sword and shield. I'm going out alone for a while."

"Alone...?"

"I need to clear my head. I'll be back soon enough."

Brontes hated how Valburn was set up. The palace was almost in the middle of the city, serving as a constant reminder of how sad their lives were when constantly had something to compare their lives to. You could stand on on the purple dragon and see right into the gates and up the main doors to the palace. It was fenced off, with pretty gardens and slaves constantly buzzing around to tend to them. It was the type of scenery that was a world away from the type of scenery in the rest of Valburn, where houses were in various states of disrepair and it was mostly weeds that grew in the spaces between roads. People tried to plant small vegetable gardens but in Valbun, they usually ended up getting ruined one way or another.

If anything happened around the palace, it was hard for the citizens to miss it, which made the entire thing more intriguing if he was only hearing about it because of Kalen. Likewise, it was hard for the royal family and all of their soldiers to miss anything that happened around the palace. The roads, made of stone, were often covered in the blood of somebody, whether it be from bandits, mercenaries, or innocent people. The soldiers posted outside of the fenced palace often watched the fights occurring just outside of the palace with a snicker, poking each other in the side and pointing. Unless somebody brought the fight to the palace gates, they did nothing.

Brontes didn't attack them but he satisfied himself with the knowledge that someday, he'd wipe their smirks off their faces. With his sword. He just wanted to mass a bigger army, one truly worthy of taking them on, one made of the rage of the people. If he was the only one fighting, it would have been a different story – he would have gone to kill as many of them as he could, even if it was a lost cause. He was happy to delay the fight because it wasn't his fight alone. Besides, as he said earlier, he could sabotage the efforts he already made. It could easily go awry without him.

He scowled when he realized that their fight had been taken. The gates were smashed, blood still smeared down the outside of the fence, on the gates, and on the palace walls. He couldn't see the bandits that Kalen spoke of but he did see somebody just standing outside of the castle from his position on the purple dragon mosaic on the floor. The dragon itself had seen countless deaths and was host to many slave auctions. The figure wore black robes, with an icy blue trim, and silver mask that covered their face, certainly not the colours of any sort of nobility he knew of. They were writing something down.

They noticed him though, setting down whatever they were writing to the side before getting up. They strode to the gate with a staff at their side, not going beyond the gates but they didn't have to go beyond to send a shiver down Brontes' spine, a reaction to powerful magic, he figured. They had to be a particularly powerful mage to elicit such a reaction.

"Can I help you?" a male's voice asked. Somehow, they made that sound particularly condescending.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Veiser," he answered simply. "I'm from Zahan, if that's your next question. I take it you are just a mercenary, so I can't disclose much information to you. "

"Zahan, huh?" Brontes mumbled, mostly to himself. "I don't need to know much. I just need to know if you have any plans on actually doing something good for this place if you're going to occupy it."

"I see," Veiser answered. "Fraedia has a rocky history full of corruption and most of the population sits in poverty, as far as I can recall. We do have plans, plans that involve more than just Fraedia I figure, but I'm just a lowly mage. I don't have much authority over our plans but I believe that once we're done with this place, then whoever is left can fight over it. I personally have no investment in what happens here. We're here to do a job and once its done, we're gone, so we're not going to fix this country's problems for you."

Brontes could tell by Veiser's tone that he was no longer welcomed. He made it sound downright threatening. He knew better than to provoke mages. While they were frail in appearance, Marin looked like he would blow away in the breeze sometimes, but they could tear people apart with their magic. This guy may not even need a tome if his staff was of any indication, a small peek into the power that Brontes' instincts warned him against. His mind felt differently though, his interest piqued.

"What of the royal family then?"

"You look intelligent. Take a guess."

Veiser took one more glance at him before backing up, his staff in hand and pointed at the gate. He whispered something under his breath and there was a shine of light, one that forced Brontes to look away for a second. When his eyes settled on the gate, he could see a translucent barrier surrounding it, and while it hardly looked solid, more like just wisps of light, he could actually press his hand against it.

"Meanwhile, that should keep anybody I don't like out of the palace," he whispered. "Have a good day!" He waved his staff like a twisted greeting before bounding away, returning to his previous activity.

Brontes growled but he knew his sword was nothing against a magical barrier like that. He wasn't even sure if Marin could do anything against it. He hoped that Veiser was just misguided more than anything else, maybe he could help them out if he didn't actually care for Fraedia all that much. Perhaps he could accomplish his goals for Zahan and somehow leave them with some sort advantage for him when they left. The rational part of his mind told him to forget about it.

Veiser wasn't interested in talk anymore, that he much he knew, so he walked away too, back to the headquarters. He needed to think more, so he was taking the long way back. Zahan was out of reach at the moment, so they were really at a standstill. The best they could do was gather more people, maybe even find somebody who could get rid of the barrier, and make sure that the people who needed their help had it. It sucked to be unable to move forward. It took two years to build up the forces he had and he no idea how long it would take for Zahan to leave.

Every time he walked outside, he was reminded of the sorry state that Fraedia was in and why he fought so hard. Slums were expected in a big city like Valburn but the entire place felt like a slum. Everybody, including people in his militia, walked around with a weapon of some sort, the poor carrying wooden clubs of some sort, just because they needed that to feel safe, even with his militia present. They just needed to feel like they had some sort of control over their lives for once. That was just the problem that the free people encountered too.

The slaves were a different story. They weren't even treated like people, more like objects or animals. The king and the nobles freely and publicly endorsed the use of slaves, often setting up auctions of their own in public spaces or celebrating a good trade over wine. That was worse than hogging the soldiers. At least strong people could fill in for the soldiers, his militia was proof of that, but it was hard to stop the slave trade without being in charge of the country. To get rid of the slave traders wouldn't exactly be helpful – it would leave hundreds without a place to go, vulnerable to people who would to take the opportunity to become new slave traders. Slavery had to be outlawed before they could help everybody escape it.

If Zahan wasn't going to help the people, then he wasn't going to wait around until they were done using Fraedia. He just needed to find a way to bolster his numbers even further, gather an army to rival even that of Zahan's.

He could do it.

She had secret hiding places throughout the palace – it was designed that way, for her to still be involved and in the know but out of sight and out of mind. She wanted to know what was going on at all times, so she often sat in during the grand meeting that the councillors had with the two kings. Or rather, as it was, a king and a queen, the wife of the king who took ill but hopefully, he would get better soon. Of course, only the royal families knew she was still around and that she even still existed, and they also knew that she would be listening, from her hiding place near the back of the room. Thankfully, she had sensitive hearing.

The room was filled with people. At the front, sat King Anen, who was by all means still very young – only eighteen, she believed. His skin was chocolate coloured, much like nearly everybody else in the room, including hers. His dark hair was tied back, with braids running through his ponytail. He dressed rather plainly, with a cropped, silk top and baggy, flowing pants but he made up for it in the amount of jewels he wore and the permanent pattern of intricate swirls going half way down his arms in black ink.

Beside him was Queen Nehi. Her dark hair rolled to the middle of her back, with a couple of braids running through it as well, only the ends were capped with golden beads. She wore a shoulder-less dress that was the colour of sand and aside from details sewn into the trims, it was relatively plain for Nehi. She also wore little jewellery, wearing only bracelets and earrings. Nehi was with child though, so she scaled back in terms of her fashion, as she used to wear a lot more before. She was quite a bit older than Anen, her husband being the older of the two kings.

The two councils sat on opposite sides of the room in rows of chairs that faced each other, separated by a large gap and a gold rail. The councils were mostly civil, they rarely broke out in ridiculous fights but there was still a clear preference in how the nobility would rather do things versus how the commoners would like things done. The council of the common people sat on the right side, on the side of Nehi.

"If the spies' reports are correct, then Zahan has broken the twenty year promise set up by our previous kings by taking a military force to The Barren. Our reports state that Zahan has already infiltrated Adoss and killed King Jarid. They may also be in Fraedia was we speak. We are here to come up with possible actions to take before the councils deliberate," Anen began.

Somebody on Anen's raised her hand and the two royals nodded in her direction, so she stood up. "Are we to assume that Zahan poses any threat to us? They may not be able to get a whole army through the desert." With that, she sat down.

"They have wyverns. Even if they can't get their land army through the desert, their wyverns are impressive," Nehi answered. "We have a fair amount of highly skilled archers and the few mages we do have are at the top of their class but it's best to assume that they will try to invade us too."

"There is no reason to believe that they wouldn't," Anen mumbled. While Nehi looked nervous, Anen looked bored. He was young but this was far from his first meeting. "Our reports may even be behind. If they are indeed in Fraedia already, then Vedia is likely their next target. Next?"

There was a raised hand on Nehi's side. Approved, he stood up. "I say we ally with Vedia. We do not have a lot of mounts in Silcyia but it is a different case in Vedia. My father spent quite some time in Vedia so I know this to be true. I believe we should go after them before they come after us. With our ground units and their air units, we cannot lose." There was a murmur as he sat down.

The two royals let this go on for a while, with Nehi looking to Anen for guidance. He whispered something into her ear before raising his hand, calling for silence.

"Next, please."

The next person with approval stood up. "I say we hold our ground for the time being and wait for more information. Adoss was a surprise attack. Vedia and Fraedia may hold them up a while so we should at least try to find why they would break the twenty year promise. The more we know, the better of a decision we can make. We shouldn't be brash. In the mean time, perhaps we should make sure that our army is prepared to move and that they are pushed even further."

Again, more murmuring until Anen raised his hand again. A commoner stood up when silence came, without the approval of the royals. What a bold character, she thought. He looked young too, young yet fierce. He reminded her of somebody she knew once, somebody from long ago but unlike that person she knew, Anen had better morals. He actually cared for his people. Neither Nehi or Anen said anything, so he took the chance he had to speak.

"Why can't we do both? Nearly everybody in the country knows how to wield a weapon. Have some people fighting against Zahan with Vedia and everybody else can wait here in case Zahan advances here. Their forces should be weaker by the time they get here." He sat down quickly.

"Does anybody else have anything to say? No? Then the councils are dismissed to deliberate. We should meet again in three days time." Anen waved his hand. Everybody filed out of the room quickly, leaving the two royals alone in the room before long. When she was sure that everybody was gone, she stood up and approached them, adjusting her cloak as she got up. Anen let out a heavy sigh. "These meetings are a drag. It takes so long for any sort of decision to be made. You think the two of us could just make a decision and move on."

"It's to balance power, you know this," she mumbled in response.

"I am a little curious though," Nehi muttered, putting a hand to her swollen belly. She didn't know how far along Nehi was but she was far along enough that it was obvious, there was no doubt about it. Neither one of the royal families were particularly starved for heirs but she got excited about nonetheless. The spares were always turned into powerful warriors. "Why are the two councils really necessary? Is everybody afraid that we will become like Fraedia? Our people are too strong for something like that to happen, aren't they? They wouldn't stand for corruption or slavery and they would certainly fight back if something like that was to happen."

"One person with too much power is never a good thing. That's why we bother with all of these counter balances, even though it takes so long for everybody to come to a final decision. Besides, in a state of emergency, the two royals are allowed to make a decision on their own, without the need of the two councils."

"That might be soon," Anen muttered. "You know, when Zahan actually comes knocking on our door."

"Or not," she answered simply. "Adoss and Fraedia have always been pushovers when it came to their armies but Zahan might find their match in Vedia. They would have to completely change the way they fight in order to accommodate a lack of land. They may have a powerful wyvern riders on their side but they can't depend their wyverns along to go against their navy and their pegasi. There is also the matter of Vedia's Serpent."

"Is she like you?" Anen asked. "You said you were there when The Barren first became toxic."

"That is true," she admitted. She was one of the few who truly knew what happened but she agreed, a long time ago, that she wouldn't speak the full truth of it. She could tell the royal family that she was there but even then, she was probably skirting along some unspoken rule. "Ianthe is indeed a manakete but she was born here, unlike me. Haelin's her home so she'll defend it tooth and nail. She also feels that she's personally responsible for the safety of Vedia."

"I'd like know one more thing," Anen mumbled. "Isn't there a hint you can give us regarding why Zahan would go from wanting the fertile land of The Barren to wanting war? Surely, they would just been satisfied with settling their people there and then fighting off anybody who disagreed. Their conquering of Adoss was unnecessary and they're still going. Can't you tell us why? Isn't that important?"

"Do you know that what the first oracle said about The Barren?" she mumbled. "I would take her words more literally if I was you. In the mean time, I'd like some rest. I'll be back here, in three days time. Good night, Nehi and Anen."

With that, she bowed her head and walked away. She couldn't let herself talk anymore. It might have been a promise that no longer applied anymore, considering the fact that most of the people who made it are dead but it was still important to her. After all, she was the only who still believed in it and held on to it, not the only one who knew about it. She knew that Ianthe's father, Iphis, filled in the blanks in her knowledge, and she figured that Ianthe herself would have a loose tongue if she found somebody interesting. Ianthe was could be rather chatty.

Maybe it was stupid to keep her promise but it was all she knew, keeping that promise for centuries. She was going to hold on it, at least for a bit longer.

I take a long time and this chapter is short! Basically, I had three midterms, all back-to-back, so I had a hard time justifying fanfic writing when I had so much to study. There was a death in the family, so I didn't exactly feel like editing or writing for a bit.

I tried adding more to the end but nothing seems to fit, so I figured you guys could handle having fewer words than usual.