Sorry this is up late. I had to rewrite a portion of this chapter on the app because my browser crashed while I was writing and I hadn't saved for a while, thus losing a lot of work.

Chapter One: Part Thirteen

The sudden jolt of power that shook his body snapped him out of a deep slumber. He shouted as he sat up, panting harshly. He was sweating; his nightshirt clung to his skin. For a moment he didn't know where he was. But as he blinked and the room came in to focus, he remembered. He was on a ship, sailing north to return to the Northern Continent.

He noticed then the yellow glow coming from his right hand. He looked down, staring at the power in silence, before he remembered the power that had awoken him. The familiarity of the power…and he realized what it meant.

"He's alive…?"

He kicked the covers off him and fled his cabin, running for the stairs to the deck. He thought he heard shouts behind him but he ignored it for the moment. The night air was crisp and he saw nothing but darkness on all sides, but he hurried to the western side of the ship and stood at the rail. He couldn't see anything but he could—feel it. He knew that power, and it had come from the west.

"The True Wind Rune," he whispered, his hazel eyes wide. "That was the True Wind Rune. I just know it." He raised his right hand and looked down at it. It was no longer glowing. "Then that means…he survived?"

"Are you all right, Bishop Sasarai?"

He dropped his hand and straightened his posture. Internally his emotions were chaotic but he kept the outward appearance of calm as he turned around. A man and a woman stood before him, wearing expressions of worry. The man was tall with a broad nose, dark eyes, and short dark blonde hair that was always under a black cap. The woman had brown eyes which always held a degree of melancholy, and her shoulder-length brown hair was disheveled. Sasarai found himself relaxing when he saw them. They were the only two people he could really trust.

I need to report back. But that power…

Sasarai looked over his shoulder back at the darkness of the open sea. "That is the west, isn't it?"

"It is," the woman spoke, her voice serene. "The Western Continent, Bishop."

Sasarai turned back to look at them. In that moment he made a decision. He looked to the man. "Dios."

Dios straightened his posture. Then he looked to the woman. "Pilika."

Pilika straightened as well. "Awake the Captain," Sasarai said. "Before we go home, we're heading west."

Neither Dios nor Pilika questioned his order. They both nodded and hurried off. Sasarai looked towards the west once more. "I'm coming…Brother," he said quietly.

Astraea opened her eyes, and then blinked rapidly. She was surrounded by darkness but it felt like she was lying down. It felt like she was laying in a bed. …Wh…What's going on? Did I dream all of that? Elation filled her body and she laughed breathlessly. I…Yes! It was all just a bad dream!

"The fire's still going."

Astraea blinked again, and she realized that she was in a small bedroom. She sat up, but then immediately became dizzy and nearly toppled out of bed. Hands caught her shoulders and held her steady. "Easy, Astraea."

Astraea blinked, and she recognized Sigrun's face. Her eldest sister had a look of worry. "Are you all right?" she asked, her tone low and gentle. "You don't look injured, but how do you feel?"

Astraea looked around the bedroom. Denzel and Musashi were standing at the window and Ferdinand was leaning against the opposite wall with his arms folded over his chest. "W…What happened?" she whispered.

Denzel glanced at her and smiled. "You saved us, Little Sister. That's what happened."

"What?"

"Is the Eisenblütig still on fire?" a new voice asked from the door.

"The Eisenblütig is on fire?!" Astraea exclaimed. But then the voice registered to her and her head whipped around to look at the door. "You—!"

"Are you all right, Princess?" a woman entered the room. She was in her early forties with long pale blue hair tied in a braided ponytail at the top of her head. Her eyes were gentle, and she wore a long fur-lined blue trench coat over a blue tunic and pants. "It was quite a shock," the woman said. "One minute I'm readying myself to respond to the Call to Action Bell, and the next I have three royals and two assists in my backyard."

"Cisne," Astraea breathed, staring with shock at her dance instructor. She watched the older woman sit down at a desk in the corner. "How—What happened?"

"I was hoping you could tell me," Cisne said. "Part of the Eisenblütig collapsed and then all five of you appeared out of thin air. Then just a little while ago I heard shouts that the lot of you were traitors. Nothing seems to make sense at the moment, but since I've known all of you for a long time I felt it was important to hear you out and not immediately call the guards."

"We appreciate that greatly, Cisne," Sigrun said, sitting beside Astraea in bed. "What happened was that Astraea uncovered something…disturbing this evening."

"The Massacre of Innocents," Astraea said, her throat tightening. "Papa, he…" her voice trailed off painfully.

Denzel quickly took over and explained everything to Cisne. He brow rose but her expression otherwise did not move. "His Majesty the King arranged the Massacre. A massacre where you were a victim, Princess Astraea. Am I understanding that correctly?"

Astraea nodded.

"Well," Cisne said after a moment. "That makes a lot more sense than what everyone else has been saying."

"T-That I'm a traitor," Astraea murmured. She looked between Sigrun and Denzel. "What happened? I-I remember the True Wind Rune unleashing a spell, but after that…"

"We were surrounded on all sides," Denzel said, turning to face her. "Five of us against dozen of soldiers. We're pretty skilled, but even I knew that we didn't stand a chance. But then your rune unleashed a wind spell, and it caused the entire roof of the Great Hall to collapse."

"It fell upon all of us," Sigrun said. "We don't know the injury or casualty count, but people in the streets were saying dozens were injured."

"D-Did I kill our siblings?" Astraea asked fearfully. "Did I kill Papa…?"

"Not from what I heard," Cisne said. "If His Majesty was killed then they would be ringing the Call to Action Bell incessantly. And I haven't heard anything about the other princes or princess being slain.

Astraea didn't hear the Call to Action Bell. She looked around the room again. "How did we get here?"

Denzel shrugged. "After the spell unleashed we were suddenly taken by a wind gust, and as Cisne said we were suddenly in her backyard. You saved us, Astraea."

Astraea leaned forward, her elbows on her thighs and she covered her eyes with her hands. "…You both tried to save me," she whispered.

"Of course we did," Sigrun said, her tone incredulous. "You're our baby sister, Astraea! Of course we would defend you!"

"But Brendan…and Kion and Vahan and Philomena, they—"

"They're morons," Denzel rasped. He left the window and knelt down on the floor in front of her. "You didn't think I'd raise a weapon against you, would I? Do you have any idea what I went through when I thought you died, Astraea? Believing my little sister was murdered and I wasn't able to protect you?"

Astraea lifted her head. "Denzel, you don't need to—"

"When you came back," Denzel gently interjected. "I made a promise to myself that I wasn't going to let anything happen to you again. I intend to keep that promise, Astraea. What kind of big brother would I be if I couldn't protect my little sister?"

Astraea burst into tears. She couldn't help herself. She threw her arms around Denzel's shoulders and hugged him tightly. "T—Thank you!" she wheezed. "Thank you for believing in me!" She looked around the room at Ferdinand and Musashi. "Thank you both, too!"

"Any ally of the Prince is an ally of mine," Musashi simply said. "And any enemy of the Prince is an enemy of mine."

"I have known you for a decade, Princess Astraea," Ferdinand said. "I feel that I know your true character. And I trust Princess Sigrun's judgment in having faith in you."

"And I do have faith in you," Sigrun said, rubbing Astraea's back. "We know that you are right in this, Astraea. I know that you had grown to love Milo, Barrett, and Ritta. I know that you would have never done anything to hurt them."

"Yeah," Denzel murmured.

"There is also the matter that the gauntlet found at the Massacre was not a Bianca Alliance gauntlet," Musashi said bluntly.

"What?!" Astraea and Sigrun exclaimed, looking at Musashi in shock.

"I examined the gauntlet found on the island and a gauntlet I brought back from the recent war battle," Musashi said. "On first glance they looked the same, but when I exmained them closely I found 5 distinct differences. Armorers naturally have their own style of craftsmanship, but technique with design is regional. That is why armor within a country can be identical between different armorers. But the differences I saw in the gauntlets were related to technique and not craftsmanship. And since one gauntlet came from an assassin, and the other came from an active duty soldier, I concluded that the gauntlet from the assassins was not an Alliance army-issued piece of armor."

"And the finish polish on the gauntlets," Ferdiand added, his tone low. "I mentioned before that they smelled differently from each other. Last I checked, armies generally do not use imported finishes on their armor."

Astraea looked between her siblings again. "So...you both knew then that Father…" she let her voice trail off.

"Even without the evidence I still would have sided with you," Denzel said.

"B-But why did neither of you say anything when Father and Sir Albert accused me of treason?" Astraea asked.

Denzel gave a huge wince and rubbed at his nape awkwardly. "Truthfully? I froze. Even with Musashi's assessment that the Bianca Alliance may not have been involved in the Massacre, I never even thought about the prospect that His Majesty was involved. But after you lodged your accusation, everything just moved so quickly, and…" he shook his head and gave her a pained look. "I'm sorry, Astraea. I'm truly sorry."

"I'm sorry, too," Sigrun said quietly. "Ferdinand brought his concerns to me, and I tried to initially dismiss them. I-I believe I may have been in denial over what was going on, but when you told what you had overheard then I knew everything was true. But then Brendan drew his claymore, and—" she sighed quietly. "I'm a big sister to you both, but Brendan is my big brother. He's always looked out for me, and when I failed my—" tears abruptly stung her eyes and she looked away. She took a moment to compose herself before she continued. "When…Father defeated me in Royal Combat," she continued. "It was very humiliating and humbling for me. But Brendan helped me out greatly. He had also been defeated by Father, and he gave me a great amount of support. I have always looked up to him. I thought we would always fight side by side. But…"

Astraea's throat tightened and the air grew hot again. The weight of everything was pressing upon her again. "I'm so—"

"Don't you DARE apologize," Sigrun said sharply, cupping her cheeks in her hands. "Don't ever apologize for doing the right thing, Astraea! I am sad for Brendan, but he chose to side with Father even after everything! That was his choice and it was the WRONG choice! Standing by you however is the right choice! I wouldn't change it for anything in the world!"

"That's right," Denzel said firmly. "We're not wrong, they are. We need to stand for what's right, and defending you is right, Astraea. It's right because you're innocent, and we know that you had nothing to do with the Massacre of Innocents."

"I believe so, too, Your Highness," Cisne said softly. "I have known you for a long time, and I consider myself a good judge of character."

Astraea shook her head, feeling the tears well up in her eyes. She covered her face. "Th—Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"But regardless of your innocence, Your Highness," Cisne said. "A portion of the Eisenblütig was destroyed and citizens of Blutkrieger and the Royal Guard are searching the streets for you. This city is not safe for you. You need to flee."

Astraea nodded and wiped at her eyes with her sleeve. Sigrun pressed a handkerchief into her hands. "We need to go," Astraea said. She looked between her siblings. "Potsfurt. Dawa can help us!"

But both Sigrun and Denzel shook their heads. "They'd expect us to go to Potsfurt, Astraea," Denzel said. "His Majesty has probably deployed forces to meet with Dawa as we speak."

"B-But Dawa won't turn against me!" Astraea protested. "She was my assist! She'd believe me!"

"Of course she would," Sigrun said. "But regardless, Father will send forces there to monitor Potsfurt for our arrival. They would ambush us before we got close to Dawa."

"Then where should we go?"

"Let's start with someone that we know we can rally to our side," Sigrun said. "Let's head to Triona first."

"O-Oh, Sarka!" Astraea exclaimed, grabbing Sigrun's hands. "She'll help us! Once we tell her the truth of what happened to Milo, she'll definitely help us!"

Suddenly there was a thunderous knock downstairs, coming from the front door. "Lady Cisne!" an unfamiliar voice boomed from outside. "We need you to open your residence to us!"

"I have a cottage, not residence," Cisne muttered, shaking her head. She looked at the royals. "There's an awning beneath that window. I'll stall the soldiers while you make your escape."

"Thank you, Cisne," Astraea said. She stood from the bed and hurried over to her teacher to give her a hug. "I won't forget this, I promise!"

"The real challenge for you will be getting out of Blutkrieger," Cisne said. The pounding started again and she frowned in annoyance. "I can only promise a maximum of two minutes. Use that time to hurry up and escape." She pointed to two chests along the wall next to the bed. "There's 10,000 Potch in the left chest and an escape talisman in the right chest. The latter won't help you get out of the city but take it anyway."

"Thank you, Cisne," Sigrun said as both Musashi and Ferdinand hurriedly took the contents from both chests.

"Two minutes," Cisne said. "Use it wisely." Then she left the room, closing the door behind her.

Denzel quickly locked the door and Sigrun and Astraea opened the window. There was indeed a black awning just below their window. The city was noisy and alive in the dead of night as though it were the daytime. Beneath their window they saw a small mob storm past, holding torches and muttering amongst themselves. They glanced at the nearby windows and saw no one else looking outside.

"I'll go first," Ferdinand said when he reached the window. The kobold warrior carefully slid down the wall and settled upon the awning. The fabric dipped precariously under his weight but did not tear. "Princess," he said, motioning to Sigrun.

Sigrun climbed out next and settled upon the awning with Ferdinand. They both held their arms out to Astraea, and she jumped when she felt two pairs of hands on her arms. She noticed then that Denzel and Musashi were on either side of her, and they lifted her out the window. Both lowered her into Sigrun and Ferdinand's waiting arms, and she joined them on the awning.

Denzel was next and was lowered by Musashi. Astraea felt the awning begin dipping dangerously from their weight. "Guys—"

Musashi did not slide down to them. The ninja jumped from the window onto the windowsill of the opposite house. He landed on the windowsill on his tiptoes and then casually did a backflip off the ledge. He landed on the top of a lamppost, which he promptly snuffed out before tucking his body into a roll and flipping off the lamppost. He landed gracefully on the ground without bending his knees.

"Someday my movements will be as smooth as that," Denzel said with a grin.

"I'm not light enough to pull that off," Ferdinand mumbled.

The four were able to climb off of the awning before it collapsed, but unfortunately it made significant noise. At that moment the window opposite of them opened, and a man's face emerged. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open in shock. Both Musashi and Ferdinand reached for their weapons but Astraea motioned for them to stop.

The man looked stunned, but he said nothing. Did not shout for the guards or vocalized that they were there. He slowly closed his mouth and retreated back into his home. He closed the window and snapped the curtains shut.

Sigrun let out a short breath. "Not everyone is looking for us," she said.

"It's good that not everyone believes the word that is going around," Denzel said.

"We need to move," Musashi said. No sooner did he say that then a group of soldiers rounded the corner. "There they are!" one shouted, and the six charged at them.

The five snapped into a standard battle formation, with Ferdinand, Sigrun, and Musashi in the front row and Sigrun and Denzel in the back row. With their party Astraea was able to see that they had three unite attacks to utilize; Royal Family E with herself, Sigrun, and Denzel; Heavy Protector with Ferdinand and Sigrun; and Swift Protector with Denzel and Musashi. Royal Family E struck all enemies while Heavy and Swift Protector struck one enemy at a time. They did not fight to kill but to incapacitate, as these were just soldiers following orders.

But Astraea was nonetheless glad that she had rung the Call to Action Bell, as they were armed and ready even before the explosive confrontation.

"We're in the Posh District," Denzel observed. "We're too far from the main gate!"

"We'll need to head for the east exit," Sigrun said. "Triona is to the east anyway."

Now that she was outside, Astraea could see the fires that everyone was talking about coming from the Eisenblütig. As it was situated on a hill overlooking the capital, the night sky turned orange from the fire. The Magnificat structure looked…deformed from her vantage point. Even given what had happened, Astraea couldn't help but feel horror. I…did that?

"Would you have rather have stayed and died?" a voice whispered across her mind. The sound startled her and she jumped violently. She rubbed at her temple with her right hand, knowing where the voice was coming from. Why haven't you said anything to me before now? she thought to the True Wind Rune. The Rune had no further response.

"Your Highnesses," Ferdinand said. "If we linger we risk capture. We need to go."

"Right," Sigrun said. "We'll stick to the alleyways and get out of the city. Ready?"

Astraea looked around herself one last time. She had already said goodbye to Blutkrieger when she left on what she had thought was a journey to Harmonia. This departure definitely felt more…final.

I don't know what I will do…but we can't stay here.

"Hey," Denzel said, smiling as he took her hand. "Trust your big brother and sister. We'll get you out of this."

Astraea forced a smile and nodded. "Let's get out of here."

The fires in the Eisenblütig were not put out until dawn. There were no fatalities but over twenty soldiers were injured. Of the royal siblings, Kion had the worst injury with a broken arm. Even with Kindness Drops and Healing Wind it would still take time for it to heal. And as he was right-handed—and it was his right arm that was broken—it was clear that he would not be able to fight at the moment.

But Kion still joined his siblings in King Franz's office for a private meeting, his arm in a sling. The four who sided with the king stood in front of his desk with their assists standing behind them. King Franz sat at his desk with Albert standing behind him at his right, as he always did.

"How is your arm, Kion?" King Franz asked.

"Fine, Your Majesty," Kion said. "It's not the first time it's broken, and it won't be the last."

King Franz narrowed his eyes. "Your charge sustained an injury while you are uninjured, Gwenette. You have failed in your duty."

"Please forgive me, Your Majesty," Gwenette said, moving forward to stand at Kion's side and bowing deeply. "I accept full responsibility for my failure."

"As you should," King Franz said. "You are still young, and are not yet an elite mage of the Magic Guild. Perhaps you should return to Honigmilch to finishing your training, and someone more suited can—"

"With all due respect, Your Majesty," Kion politely interjected, stepping forward. "The debris that fell on me would have been much larger had Gwenette not blown it to pieces with her Fire Rune. My whole body would have been crushed and not just my arm. No matter my broken bone, she still saved my life. I could not ask for a better assist than Gwenette."

An uncomfortable silence followed his words. King Franz's brow furrowed, and he seemed to let the silence stretch for a long period.

"If it would suit His Majesty," Albert said. "Prince Kion is not able to go into battle at this time until his arm heals. I would suggest that his forces remain here in Blutkrieger to help maintain order in the city and oversee the reconstruction efforts for the Great Hall. This would also give Gwenette ample opportunity to redeem herself as an assist."

"Done," King Franz said, nodding in agreement. "Kion, you will do as Albert suggests and assist in overseeing the city while you recover."

"But Your Majesty—" Kion protested.

"And if you come to any further harm," King Franz pressed on. "Then your assist WILL be replaced. They are expendable. You are not."

Gwenette flinched at his words and Kerime and Aravine shifted in shock. Only Yasmine remained unmoved, but her frown deepened just a little.

"Your Majesty," Vahan said, stepping forward. "I beg that you not speak of my assist that way."

"Your assist is your guiding hand and your meat shield," King Franz said.

"He is my brother!" Vahan blurted out sharply. He quickly recovered himself and ducked his head. "…Your Majesty," he added belatedly.

"He is your brother, and he is also a tool for you to use."

"Father," Philomena said, stepping forward and wringing her hands a little. She had a look of pain in her eyes. "Father, please. Aravine and Kerime…they are your children, too. Please don't talk about them like that."

King Franz looked at her for a long moment, but as she was the king's favorite child they all knew that he would not speak against her or admonish her. Then he looked away and at Brendan. "I'm deploying you to Potsfurt in place of Kion, Brendan. Astraea will surely seek her assist out, so you will go there to detain Dawa and keep a look out for Astraea."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Brendan said, giving a sharp salute.

King Franz slowly rose from his desk chair, his eyes on his eldest child. "I commend you for defending both this family and me from a traitor," he said. There was pride in his tone; pride as both a king and as a father. "You have done well in your service, Brendan."

Brendan was taken aback, and for a moment he felt elation at the rare praise. "T…Thank you, Your Majesty."

"I'm glad to finally see you leave past grudges in the past," King Franz added bluntly.

And just as quickly the elation faded inside of Brendan. Yasmine's calm veneer briefly broke and she stirred ever so slightly. "…Of course, Your Majesty," Brendan said after a moment.

King Franz shifted his gaze to Vahan and Philomena. "I'm putting you two together as a single cohesive unit. You will visit the other cities to inform the lords and ladies of what has happened, and to encourage conscription. Head to Niebieska Brama first. That is a town still reeling from the Massacre of Innocents. They will listen to you both easily."

Vahan and Philomena exchanged a glance. They were closer in age to each other than to their other siblings, but they were not particularly close as brother and sister. The battle against the Alliance warship had been the first time they had fought together on the battlefield. But they were united by having a half-sibling as an assist, and the love they had for their half-siblings. And they knew that they needed to work together for the good of their country.

"I'm ready, Your Majesty," Vahan said, looking at his father.

"As am I," Philomena said.

"Then you all have your orders," King Franz said. "You are my four remaining heirs. Sigrun and Denzel have turned their backs on us. And Astraea has committed treason. It will be difficult, but for the sake of this country you must set aside familial feelings towards them. They are our enemies, and should we meet them on the battlefield they will not show hesitation to slaying you. So you must not show hesitation in slaying them. Understood?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," everyone chorused, saluting.

"You are dismissed," Albert said as the king sat back down. "I encourage you all to get rest for now. Tomorrow will be a very busy day."

The royal siblings and their assists took their leave. Gwenette lingered briefly. "I—"

"You are being given one last chance, Gwenette," King Franz said. "Do not disappoint me again."

Gwenette swallowed thickly and bowed. "I won't, Your Majesty."

"Since Prince Kion is to remain here in Blutkrieger," Albert said. "You are also to remain here. One thing I may suggest for you to redeem yourself is to show your might as a warrior."

Gwenette straightened and looked at Albert in confusion. "'Show my might'?"

Albert smiled. "The royal siblings proved themselves by facing down Bhayankar. Prince Kion himself spent seventy-two minutes in the Crypt. Why don't you do the same?"

"If she is eaten, then nothing of value will be lost," King Franz rasped when she left.

"If it is active, then she will stand no chance," Albert agreed. "But if it is not, then she may last as long as Prince Kion."

King Franz shook his head and rubbed a hand over his face. "You were right. I was careless."

"Princess Astraea is not one for eavesdropping, so we had no way of knowing she would do so tonight, Your Majesty," Albert reassured him. "I personally am disappointed in myself for creating such a terrible cover to discredit her. I did not expect it to work—when I had to throw the idea together on the fly—but luckily only four people did not believe us."

King Franz slapped the palm of his hand against the surface of the desk. "Two True Runes," he fumed quietly. "They were both just within reach but I could not seize them!"

"You were lucky that you did not get the first," Albert gently reminded him. "But yes…the True Wind Rune was an unaffordable loss."

"You worked with the last wielder of the True Wind Rune, did you not?"

"I did, Your Majesty, and he was a master of the rune. Truthfully, there is nothing for you to worry about regarding the princess."

"How so?"

Albert smiled again. "Because the last person who wielded the rune was born to wield it. The Princess will never obtain that level of greatness…which will make it easier for us to get the True Rune once she dies."

"You do not need to do this," Kion said.

Gwenette shook her head at him. "You spent seventy-two minutes in the Crypt as a boy, Your Highness. I, as an adult woman, can spend seventy-two minutes in there."

"I'll go with you—"

"You had no one with you when you went down there, Your Highness," Gwenette reminded him. "I can do it alone as well."

"But—"

"You are also injured. Bhayankar will smell your injury and will surely attack you."

Kion exhaled sharply, but he had no further arguments. He glared at the guards guarding the door to the Crypt. "If you hear her crying for help, you'd better get down there," he snapped.

"Y-Yes, Your Highness," the guards squeaked, snapping to attention.

Gwenette forced a smile at him. "I'll see you in seventy-two minutes, Your Highness."

Kion nearly bit through his bottom lip as she passed through the door to the Crypt. He saw her descending the stairs before the door was closed behind her. "Seventy-two minutes," he said. "Not a moment more. Understood?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

Kion turned away, gingerly touching his broken arm. Damn you, Astraea. Then he stormed off.

The Great Hall was a mess. Debris of varying sizes was strewn all over the place. Blood was still fresh on the floor. Philomena looked out over the destruction, frowning deeply. Astraea…

"Is there anything I can do for you, Your Highness?" Aravine asked, stepping forward.

Philomena laughed softly, and two tears rolled down each cheek. She quickly wiped them away. "Right now?" she asked. "Right now, I could really use a hug."

Aravine moved closer and slid her arms around her half-sister's shoulders. Philomena rested her forehead on her shoulder, closing her eyes as more tears leaked out. "I just…can't believe she did this," she murmured softly.

"Neither can I, Your Highness." Aravine stroked her hair comfortingly.

It was awful that after she had thought Astraea had died and then came back, and after Philomena tried to mend their relationship, that it would be revealed that Astraea was a traitor. That she was somehow behind the Massacre of Innocents. Astraea had denied it, but both their father and Albert had said she had done it.

Was it all a lie, Astraea?

Brendan was sitting on the edge of his bed, his head ducked low. He was still in his armor. Yasmine lingered at the door for a moment before walking into his room. She sat down on the floor before him and met his gaze. "Please tell me," she said. "What I can do to help you."

Brendan's hands slowly clenched into fists against his thighs. After a moment he spoke. "…I have failed as an older brother."

Yasmine said nothing. "I am supposed to guide my siblings and protect them," Brendan said. "They are my competition for the crown, but fundamentally I am still responsible for them. Sigrun…Denzel…Astraea…they are now my enemies." He clenched his jaw.

Yasmine contemplated her next words carefully before she spoke. "What's done is done," she said. "You have made a commitment to His Majesty and not your siblings. His Majesty will expect you to see this through. You will need to lead soldiers into battle, and I will follow you."

Brendan relaxed his jaw. He ducked his head further. "Six years," he said quietly.

A hard lump formed in Yasmine's throat but she maintained the outward appearance of calm. "I know, Your Highness."

They sat in silence for a long time. When Brendan finally lifted his head, his face was calm. "We'll be marching early tomorrow. You should retire."

Yasmine managed a glimmer of a smile. "I will go to bed once you do, Your Highness."

Vahan knew they would be awake, especially after the chaos that had happened earlier. He stormed into the war room with Kerime and saw it filled with people. It looked like a hurricane had blown through the room with all the papers strewn about. Every member of the Intelligence Bureau was in the war room, and they all snapped to attention. "Prince Vahan!" they chorused, saluting.

"You," Vahan said sharply, jabbing his finger towards Elly. "Come with me now."

Elly looked confused, but quickly rose from her seat. "Of course, Your Highness."

Vahan left the room, Kerime and Elly followed behind him. Kerime closed the door shut behind him and Vahan rounded upon Elly. "What the hell is going on?!" he snapped.

Elly sputtered, clearly shocked at his outburst. "You failed to detect the Massacre of Innocents and now THIS?!" Vahan gestured angrily with his arm. "You failed to detect that Astraea was a traitor?! How did none of you see this coming?!"

"Your Highness," Elly said, raising her hands. "I do not have an explanation for how—"

"Father and Sir Albert said they had evidence of Astraea's treason!" Vahan interjected. "I want to see it! Make it available for me!"

"Your Highness, we don't even have access to that!" Elly exclaimed.

Vahan blinked in shock. "What?"

"The first I've heard of Princess Astraea's treason was when Lord Albert and His Majesty the King announced it before the attack!" Elly said. "I was not privy to that information at all! I'm STILL not privy to that information!"

Vahan's brow furrowed in confusion. He looked at Kerime, who looked just as confused as he did, and then back at Elly. "A-Are you saying that no one in the Intelligence Bureau has access to the report about Astraea's treason?"

"No one, Your Highness," Elly said. "I swear on my life! We just had an emergency meeting and none of us know where that intel came from! A-And when we tried to speak to Lord Albert about getting a copy of the report, we were denied!"

Vahan's mouth hung open briefly and he clicked it shut. He looked around them and saw no one else around. He looked back at Elly. "That's all," he said. "If I have any other questions I'll look for you again."

"As of right now I have no information, Your Highness," Elly said quietly. She saluted and then slipped back into the war room.

"Your Highness?" Kerime said softly.

Vahan rubbed his chin and turned away. "An assassination on a royal and a royal committing treason," he murmured. "I can't imagine any infractions that are more serious than this."

"…Neither can I," Kerime admitted.

Vahan looked at him again. "Father and Sir Albert have information that shows that Astraea is a traitor…but they kept it to themselves?"

The city looked like it was in chaos. She knew that more chaos would be coming.

"Hmm," she hummed to herself, pushing her white hood off her head. She was standing on a cliffside several kilometers away from Blutkrieger. At least the city was no longer burning.

That boy asked for my help for a price. I'm not inclined to help anyone with ties to Harmonia…but I had my own agenda. I just know though that his plans have gone awry.

Windy smiled sinisterly to herself. "The True Wind Rune found a new wielder," she mused aloud. "I wonder if she will come in response?"

With a flicker of energy she teleported away.

End of Chapter One