If you bought both a physical copy and a digital copy of the Suikoden I and II remaster, if you got Day One Edition of the physical copy but not the digital copy the DLC download won't work for you. It's not working for me, which isn't a total loss because I beat both games on the PS1 and didn't have a Potch safety net at start. But…yeah. Still a bummer.

Still working on the Investigations. The Remaster is proving to be a distraction, LOL. Konami, please please PLEASE remaster III, IV, and V too!

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Yuber poll! Here are the results:

How would you like to see Yuber's humanization subplot resolved?

- Wholly good Yuber (2)

- Wholly evil Yuber

- Middle road Yuber (8)*

Chapter Six: Part Seven

Astraea awoke to the sound of a knock at her door. When she opened her eyes she saw that the room was pitch black. It was the dead of night.

"Your Majesty?" David's voice called from the other side of the door. "I'm sorry to disturb you, but may we speak?"

Astraea kicked back the covers and grabbed her robe. She secured the sash and hurried to the door, pulling it open. David stood there holding a lit candlestick. "Of course, come in David," she said, motioning for him to come inside.

David shook his head. "For propriety's sake I must stay out here, Your Majesty. But I want to discuss something with you about the battle in the few hours."

Astraea left her bedroom and leaned her back against the doorframe. "I'm listening. Did you have an idea that you wanted to bring up to me?"

David smiled softly. "A rather unconventional one."

The Reformation Army vs Prince Brendan Reiser

Royal Army Forces: 1,000

Reformation Army Forces: 800

Victory: Survive for three turns

Failure: Astraea's unit falls

"Your Highness, scouts are reporting that three units have crossed Giant's Passage," Yasmine reported to Brendan. "Astraea Reiser is leading one of the units."

"I knew she would," Brendan said. "And the other units—they are rune units, yes?"

"One of them is, Your Highness."

Brendan nodded. "They probably believe that I would have expected her to be flanked by our siblings, but Sigrun is most likely trying to ambush me from behind with Vahan. Denzel will be within the vicinity because he's always enjoyed being an overprotective big brother. They most likely have utilized that Pixie they brought with them to the meeting, and will try to ambush us the same way they ambushed Vahan and Philomena." He motioned with his hand. "Units A and B. Forward march."

Brendan was not foolish enough to have all 1,000 soldiers under his command be at the ready to engage Astraea's forces. But he was also aware that this battle would be "all or nothing" for Astraea because of her smaller forces and so she would be bringing almost her entire Army to meet him on the battlefield.

That would leave her base of operations with fewer soldiers to defend it…while 600 of Brendan's soldiers moved in on boats to seize the city.

It didn't have to come to this, Astraea. You could have done the right thing and surrendered for the sake of our siblings and the people who fight for you. Only your life would have been lost. Now you all are going to die, and it's because of you.

"If you have been spying on us. Then you know how much I love you, and how much I wanted to have a better relationship with you…and you have never cared."

Astraea's words kept echoing in his mind. Brendan tried to shake them away, but he couldn't. The sadness in her voice…it made a gnawing knot form in the core of his being. A familiar knot that reminded him…that he was a failure.

"Your Highness!"

Brendan snapped to attention and straightened in his saddle as a scout raced to his side. The young man's complexion was translucent as he saluted the Prince. "Your Highness—the rune unit! It's being led by a BISHOP!"

A cold chill swept over Brendan's body. "…What?" he demanded.

"A Harmonian Bishop!" the scout exclaimed, wringing his hands a little. "I recognized the blue uniform f-from textbooks in school! The traitor Astraea Reiser…she has the backing of Harmonia!"

Yasmine quickly looked at Brendan, but Brendan kept the outward appearance of calm. He had heard that a Harmonian Bishop had arrived in Zelant some time ago and had been detained, but the Bishop had escaped into the country and no one had been able to find him. But clearly the Bishop had found his way into Astraea's Army.

First the Bianca Alliance, now the Holy Kingdom. What are you doing, Astraea? Do you think you will the hearts of our people, seeking air from foreign entities?!

"The boats are out of sight." Brendan's assistant from the Intelligence Bureau quickly rode over to them. "What's this I heard about a Harmonian Bishop?"

"There appears to be a Bishop leading an Army unit in Astraea's Army," Brendan said, deliberately making a dull tone.

"Units A and B are still advancing," the Agent said, a look of alarm crossing his face. "We need to halt them, Your Highness!"

"You're correct," Brendan said. "But we will not do a full retreat. There is no cause for alarm. If Astraea has the support of a Harmonian Bishop, then it is certainly not in an official capacity. Were it so, then she would have flaunted the Bishop at the conference yesterday. Just as she flaunted Lord Regulus."

"That makes sense," Yasmine said softly.

"So Astraea Reiser may have the backing of a Bishop, but this is not a formal alliance with Harmonia," the Agent said thoughtfully. "So the Bishop is most likely acting independent of the Holy Kingdom."

"But we must still exercise caution with this battle," Brendan said. "Even if this Bishop is not acting on behalf of Harmonia with his actions, he is still a representative from the Holy Kingdom. If we are not careful with him, we will incur the wrath of Harmonia."

"Excellent point, Your Highness," the Agent said. "Then I propose that we focus our attacks on the Bishop's unit, but only to cripple it. Not destroy it. We should force the Bishop into retreat first and foremost, and that will leave Astraea's unit with that secondary unit."

"I agree," Brendan said. He raised his hand. "Units A and B, halt advance! March towards the unit on the right!"

The Royal Army moved into formation, but Brendan's eyes fell upon the central unit of Astraea's Army. He saw the red dress and fur-lined cloak even from a distance away and he smiled thinly. You're not going to win, Astraea. Sigrun could not defeat Father. I could not defeat Father. You would have never defeated Father. There is only suitable monarch for this country, and it's not you.

Dawa gave her a sideways glance from where she stood behind her. She was fidgeting, and kept scratching at the back of her head. There was no regal presence at all.

"Stop that," Dawa snapped when she scratched at her head for the umpteenth time. "You're supposed to be a Queen! Act like it!"

"I-I'm sorry," came the meek reply. She dipped her head forward.

"Oh my God, you have to stand tall!" Dawa said with exasperation. "Can you not look like you're leading an Army?!"

"Hey," Edge said quietly.

"What?!" Dawa demanded.

"Does it really matter how she looks, given what we're going to be doing?"

"Prince Brendan knows Her Majesty," Dawa said. "If he suspects something, then it will give him time to reformulate his strategy!"

Edge glanced towards the advancing Army. He didn't say anything more, but a voice at his shoulder whispered, "Light."

"Light?" The three turned to glance at the hilt of the Star Dragon Sword.

"The Army that is advancing," the Star Dragon Sword said. "It is too light."

Dawa glanced towards Brendan's forces. She clearly saw the Prince's Army unit, but there were only three other Army units present. "…Right."

"Those two units are advancing towards us," Dios observed.

"They are going to attack us before the Queen's unit," Pilika said, giving Sasarai a sideways glance.

Sasarai smiled softly. "Then I've certainly stood out in my Bishop uniform."

"Then they are deliberately targeting us becuase of your presence?" Dios questioned, his brow furrowing in confusion. But then realization dawned on him. "Ah. I see. A isolation tactic."

"Exactly," Sasarai said. "They see us as an unwanted threat and are going to try and take us out first. Force us into retreat."

"If that's the case, then we can use it to our advantage," Pilika said. "If they seek to force us into retreat to isolate Queen Astraea, then that means they will not be attacking us with the intention of annihilation."

"Yes," Sasarai said. "They will be holding back. So that means that we cannot hold back." He raised his right hand. "Earthquake."

Brendan sucked in a sharp breath when the True Earth Rune's spell struck Unit A. "That's…a powerful spell," he observed. "Significantly more powerful than an Earth Rune spell should be."

"Maybe that's a Mother Earth Rune?" the Agent pondered.

Brendan shook his head. "That level of power reminds me of the power Astraea exerted from her True Wind Rune when she escaped the capital."

Yasmine looked at Brendan with an expression of alarm. "Then—the Bishop has a True Rune, too!"

"We need to pull them back," the Agent said. "Your Highness, we should try drawing the three units towards us instead! It will be risky, but our other units should be reaching their headquarters soon!"

Brendan nodded and raised his hand. "Fall back!"

"They're falling back," Edge observed, watching the two units (one significantly hobbled) retreat back to Brendan's unit.

"Then it's time," Dawa said.

A moment passed. The Army did not advance forward. Dawa scoffed and gave her a nudge. "Call the order to forward march!"

"R-Right!" she squeaked in reply. "F—Forward march!"

"Here they come," Brendan said. "We need to stay out of range of the two runes. It won't be long now before they execute their next move."

Yasmine glanced over her shoulder. "The other traitorous royals will surely be advancing from behind, and the Pixies will make them grow big again."

"Exactly," Brendan said. "And just when they're about to attack us, they will receive word that their headquarters is burning to the ground."

"Ah, Your Highness," the Agent said, his voice uneasy. "W-What if the rebels destroy us first?"

"They won't destroy us," Brendan said. "Astraea wants me as an ally. She won't gain me as an ally if she kills me. They're going to try and corner me and force me to see her side of things. The difference between us is that I am seeking her destruction, and so I will not hold back."

The three units moved closer to Brendan's unit, while Brendan's unit stood their ground, thus finishing their second turn. When the third turn came, they moved even closer. Brendan noticed that Astraea had a…peculiar air about her, but she was still too far away for him to get a good look at her. But he saw that Dawa was with her, along with a young man he didn't recognize. He looked at the third unit—one that he didn't consider due to the presence of the Bishop—and he bristled when he saw Regulus Cairo and his Alliance soldiers advancing.

She greets me with her foreign allies. You are too transparent, Astraea. Too bad for you I can see straight through you.

Brendan's unit did not move for their. Then suddenly there was a shout behind them; "NOW!"

Brendan looked over his shoulder, and he saw three Pixies flying in circles in the air. Just as he expected, three Army units suddenly materialized behind him boxing his four units in. He saw Ferdinand in one, Musashi in the other, and Kerime in the third. Just as he expected, his three siblings ambushed him from behind.

And I am about to strike.

"Surrender now, Brendan Reiser!" Dawa shouted to him.

"That's Prince Brendan Reiser!" Yasmine shouted back to him.

"We're not here to kill you!" Ferdinand shouted. "We want you to join us!"

"That's right!" Kerime shouted.

Brendan's brow furrowed in confusion. Why are the assists speaking on behalf of my siblings?

His eyes scanned the three units behind him. He saw the armor of Sigrun, Denzel, and Vahan, and he saw their blonde and brown hair. But they…did not look right.

It's not them!

Brendan quickly waved his arm. "Attack! These are imposters!"

"Aw, he caught us!" Regulus laughed.

"W-Where are the real royals?!" the Agent demanded.

"It doesn't matter! Attack now!"

All four units charged the false three units at the rear. Dawa looked to her then. "You need to do something!"

"R-Right!" she stammered. "Follow me!"

The three front units charged forward, with Astraea's unit at the front. She broke from the group and sprinted towards Brendan's unit. "Earthquake!" Sasarai shouted, aiming his spell at that unit.

Brendan and his soldiers cried out in pain as the spell consumed them. His horse bucked and threw him and in the chaos he crashed to the ground. "YOUR HIGHNESS!" Yasmine screamed, throwing herself from her own horse and rushing to his side. She was leaning over him when she saw a familiar blur of red. She looked up to the see the Princess—but something wasn't right. She was wearing Astraea's outfit and she had dark brown hair, but her eyes..the eye color was wrong.

And instead of clutching a knout…she was holding a staff.

"Astraea" pushed her right hand towards Yasmine's face. "READY!"

The symbol of the Blinking Rune rose into the air. Light suddenly surrounded Yasmine, and then suddenly she was gone. "NO!" Brendan shrieked, struggling to sit. "What have you done?!"

"Astraea" then thrusted her hand into his face. "READY!"

The same light enveloped Brendan, and then suddenly he was gone as well. It took several moments for Brendan's forces to realize that the Prince and his assist was gone. The battle stopped almost immediately after. "W-WHERE IS HE?!" a soldier shrieked.

"Your Highness!"

"Prince Brendan!"

"They took him!"

"We have to go!"

"Hurry! We have to save the Prince!"

Brendan's personal unit began charging towards Giant's Passage, no doubt looking to rush to the Old Capital in the hopes that he would be there. Even the injured raced to save their prince.

The remaining three hundred soldiers were left standing there gaping after them. The Agent stammered for a few moments before raising his hand. "R-RETREAT!"

The three units took off running north. The six Reformation Army units cheered. Dawa looked to "Astraea" and nodded. "You did good work."

"Astraea" reached up and pulled off her brown wig. Viki shook her black hair out and sighed deeply. "What now?"

"Now you get us back," Musashi said. "The fight isn't over."

In the courtyard of her castle, Astraea stood with Sigrun, Denzel, Vahan, and David waiting. They had their weapons out just in case things went south.

Sure enough, there was a sudden burst of light and Yasmine was kneeling on the ground before them. Brendan's assist blinked in confusion for a moment before her eyes settled upon Astraea. She growled and jumped to her feet, drawing her kilij. "Astraea Reiser! I won't let you get away!"

"Get behind me!" Astraea told David. The strategist complied and the four siblings rushed forward to engage Yasmine. Sigrun, Astraea, and Vahan stood in front and Denzel stood in back behind Astraea. Though Yasmine was alone she was a formidable opponent. It was to be expected of the assist of the eldest heir of House Reiser.

But Yasmine didn't fight alone for long. After one turn there was a burst of light behind her, and Brendan suddenly appeared. The eldest Reiser sibling looked disheveled and winded—like he had been thrown from his horse. But the moment he saw Yasmine in an outnumbered battle with his siblings he drew his claymore and rushed forward. "All of you will pay!" he shouted.

Brendan and Yasmine were an incredible pair in combat. They unsurprisingly had a unite attack, Bound Protector, which involved synchronized blows against multiple opponents. Astraea couldn't remember the last time she fought against Brendan, but his strikes were strong. But she didn't back down. Neither did Sigrun, Denzel, or Vahan.

It wasn't an easy battle, but the four siblings finally bested the pair. Brendan and Yasmine were left on their knees panting. Brendan's claymore was imbedded into the dirt and he was trying to stand with it. Yasmine however moved in front of him to shield him, pointing her kilij towards Astraea. "…You won't win," she said quietly.

"We don't want to fight you, Brendan," Astraea said, her breathing heavy from exertion. She saw three people racing towards them from town and she waved to them. "I want you at my side. I need to show you—"

"You are beaten," Brendan snapped, looking up to glare at her. He was visibly seething. "I had the bare minimum soldiers meet your forces. The rest of my soldiers are going to be here any minute—"

"Oh, you mean the six ships full of soldiers that are en route here to burn this city to the ground?" David asked.

Shocked filled Brendan's face, and his mouth dropped open. "Wha—How—"

"You know us well, Brother," Sigrun said softly. "But we also know you."

Downstream, six boats were sailing up the river towards the Old Capital. "Ready the Rage Runes!" The captain of the first boat shouted. "When we get into range, then—"

there was sudden burst of light, and a loud explosion ripped from the side of the boat. Soldiers screamed and scrambled as a fire broke out. From the second boat, a similar explosion ripped through the side of the boat. Soldiers quickly began to abandon ship.

"W-What's going on?!" the captain of the third boat shrieked.

A loud laugh from above them drew their attention. The soldiers of the four remaining boats looked up to see three Pixies flying above them in wide circles. They were momentarily distracted, but it was enough. The decks of all four ships suddenly became populated with people. Primrose's unit filled the third and fourth ships and Lambert's unit filled the fifth and sixth ships.

"I-It's the traitors!" a Royal Army soldier shrieked.

"We're outnumbered," Zerase said in a cool, uninterested tone.

"Yes," Primrose said. "But we're stronger."

Brendan chuckled, but it was a humorless sound. "I…certainly underestimated you, Astraea."

"You didn't underestimate me, Brendan," Astraea said quietly. "You don't know me as well as you think you do."

Yasmine grabbed Brendan's arm with her free hand, helping him to stand with surprising strength. "Your Highness," she said quietly.

Brendan shook his head and he narrowed his eyes at you. "I'm not going to bend the knee to you, Astraea," he said harshly. "A thirty-two year old man is not going to pass up an opportunity to become the monarch to an eighteen-year-old girl."

"You had your chance and you failed," Denzel said harshly. "You lost Royal Combat, remember Brendan?!"

Yasmine looked away but Brendan pointed his claymore to Denzel. "I'll seize your tongue!"

A body suddenly slammed into Brendan from behind, knocking him to the ground. "Your Majesty, NOW!" Daunte shouted from on top of Brendan.

"GET OFF HIM!" Yasmine shrieked. She raised her kilij, but Nakula forcibly locked her in a full nelson. "Don't you DARE raise a sword to my son!"

Brendan however was bigger and stronger than Daunte. He bucked back, managing to sit up. Vahan and Denzel rushed forward, dogpiling on Brendan and forcing him facedown into the ground. Still the Prince was powerful and the three men rocked on top of him. Sigrun rushed forward and sat on his legs as Astraea dropped to her knees before Brendan's head. Nakula bodily dragged Yasmine over, and forced her hand flat onto's Daunte's shoulder. Astraea's clasped Daunte's outstretched hand while he pressed his other hand against the back of Brendan's head. "I'm ready!" she shouted.

"Rune of Restoration!" Daunte shouted. "Show us the memory of the night Queen Astraea discovered the truth about the Massacre of Innocents!"

It was a memory she hadn't even shown her siblings, but she knew that simply showing the Massacre to her eldest brother wasn't enough. He needed to see—to hear—the King and Albert admit their involvement in the Massacre.

See, Brendan! See and understand!

"I killed THREE OF MY CHILDREN over the belief that they have a True Rune!" King Franz's voice rumbled in the memory. "I was willing to sacrifice Genevieve's last child because of this! Because YOU told me that they had a True Rune! Do you think my children or my people would go to war for me to get me a True Rune, Albert?!"

"No, Your Majesty," Albert replied in the memory. "No…they would not. That is why we did this in the first place to convince them to go to war. That is why we arranged the assassination plot."

The memory was quick, but Astraea knew that it would be enough. When the memory ended and the world came back into focus, Brendan was lying very still on the ground. Yasmine's breathing was unsteady and shaky. When Astraea looked up at her, she saw that Yasmine's face had lost color, and tears had filled her eyes. She looked at Astraea. "…Princess," she whispered. Then she ducked her head, as though in shame.

Daunte, Denzel, Vahan, and Sigrun slowly climbed off Brendan, but he did not move from his facedown position. Nakula let Yasmine go, and she slowly sank to her knees beside her change. "Do you get it now, Brother?" Astraea whispered. "It wasn't me. It was never me. It was always, always them."

Brendan slowly rose onto all fours, his head ducked forward. Yasmine visibly swallowed hard and reached out to touch his flank. "Your Highness," she said.

Brendan moved into a seated position…and snatched his claymore. Astraea gasped in alarm, and their siblings shouted in outrage. "NO!" Denzel shouted.

"Even now you want to fight?!" Sigrun exclaimed. "WHY, Brendan?!"

Brendan lifted his head and met her gaze. "I will kill that bastard myself," he rasped. "But he will die by my hand. Not yours. I cannot support your bid for the throne, Astraea."

"Why not?!" Astraea demanded.

"Because you are too kind to rule this country!" Brendan snapped, slowly rising to his feet. "You do not have what it takes to be Queen! But I—I know I can do it! It has what I have been dreaming of my entire life! You say that I do not know you, but I do! And I know that you never wanted to be Queen!"

"If you had what it took to defeat the King, then you wouldn't have lost!" Vahan snapped. "You already proved that you didn't have what it took, Brendan!"

"Six years," Brendan hissed, his eyes and face darkening. "It has been six years since I lost Royal Combat. I am not that same man now. Now…he cannot hurt me like he did before."

Sigrun gasped in alarm. Astraea stepped forward, opening her arms. "I've led this Army and have gained many allies. I have the backing of many people, and I have the conviction to take down the King. I know I can do it, Brendan."

"I don't believe you," Brendan retorted. "You are still a child, Astraea—"

"I'm a woman," Astraea snapped, her anger flaring. "Just as you were a man when you faced the King six years ago! You have stood against me and sided with the King, and even after knowing the truth you have no faith in me! Even after I outsmarted you, and have shown that I want you by my side, you will not accept me!"

"You know why, Astraea?" Denzel said, his tone sardonic as he stepped forward. "It's because he's jealous."

Brendan's head snapped around. "He talks a big game, but he's not as great as he thinks he is," Denzel continued, his eyes flashing. "He's always acted like he's better than us because he's older, but he's not. If he was, then he wouldn't have lost the first time—"

"I was trying to do right by my child!" Brendan roared.

Astraea stiffened, and her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open in shock. Brendan suddenly collapsed to his knees, his claymore clattering to the grass. He braced his hands against the ground once more and ducked his head forward. "You don't understand," he said quietly. "None of you will ever truly understand. Everything—Everything—that we have gone through. After watching Mother be humiliated again and again and again and AGAIN!" he shouted the word. "I swore that I would never do the same! I swore that my chosen partner would never feel that shame! That my children would never feel that shame! And my child—my child—!" he gripped the grass in his fists and his body shook violently. "I didn't…I didn't want my child to be an illegitimate heir! I wanted my child to be born from a King and not a Prince! I wanted to protect them! But all I did…all I did…" his voice broke off and he began to quietly sob.

Astraea's breathing was labored. She looked at her siblings, and they also wore expressions of shock and horror. "…Where is your child, Brendan?" she asked, her tone quaking.

Brendan didn't respond, only sobbed. Astraea looked at Yasmine then. "…Where—"

"Dead," Yasmine replied, her tone flat and broken. "The child is dead."

Astraea sank down to her knees before Brendan again. She had absolutely no idea what to say. Her hands hovered over her brother's broad shoulders before she finally gave him a hug.

All around them in the courtyard, people started appearing. The assists rushed to their charge's sides. Sigrun began to weep and she pressed her face into Ferdinand's shoulder. Everyone stood in silence as they watched the scene before them.

It was Vahan who broke the silence. "Why did you stand by his side? Even after…" he let his voice trail off.

Brendan's breathing was shaky against Astraea's shoulder. After a few moments he pulled away and scrubbed at his cheeks. "…If I did not turn against him after…then why would you think I would turn against him for you?"

Astraea swallowed hard. "I'm sorry," she said.

Brendan looked up at her. "I'm so sorry," she said, tears burning her eyes. "I-I…I had no idea, Brendan."

"Very few did," Brendan said. "We…made sure of it."

Astraea clasped his hand in hers. "Please, Brendan. Please…stand by my side. I want to fight alongside you. I want you to join me. For the sake of our people. For the sake of our siblings, and the others who were killed in the Massacre of Innocents. And…" her breath hitched. "For your child as well."

Brendan looked at their clasped hands. After a few moments he squeezed her hands gently. Then he pulled away and took off his gauntlets. He picked up his claymore, but not in a threatening gesture. He sliced his left palm open and clenched a fist, blood dripping onto the ground. A silence swept over the area as he stood up, raising his bloody fist. Astraea stood as well.

"Astraea Reiser," Brendan said. "I beg your forgiveness for my lack of faith in you. I did underestimate you, but now…now my mind is clear. And now I know what is the right path for me to take. I, Brendan Reiser, recognize your claim and give you my support. I swear on my blood that I will follow you into battle until I fall, or until you are victorious. From this moment forward…my life is yours."

Joy filled Astraea's body. She quickly gave Brendan a hug. "Yes! Yes, I welcome you!"

"I will follow the Prince as well…Your Majesty," Yasmine said, saluting. "And I give you my support."

"Aw, I was hoping to fight you again," Regulus said, stepping forward.

Brendan glowered at him, but Sasarai raised his hand. "If I may, there is a military force charging to this location to rescue the Prince. We should meet them and tell them that we are allies now."

"Those would be my soldiers," Brendan said. "They will join us."

"What about the soldiers in the boats?" Denzel asked.

"They will surely join us as well," David said. "Once they hear that Prince Brendan joined us."

Astraea looked to Daunte. "Thank you again for your help."

"Brother is amazing," Arin said with pride.

Daunte shrugged. "I'm glad to help."

"Three hundred soldiers have returned."

King Franz slowly opened his eyes. He stood at the window of a room in the western part of Eisenblütig overlooking Blutkrieger. He did not turn around. "Three hundred," he said quietly. "Out of one thousand soldiers?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Albert said, his tone cautious.

King Franz was silent for a long moment before he said, "And Brendan and his little paramour weren't amongst them?"

"…No, Your Majesty," Albert said after a moment. "But our Agent was—"

"Feed him to Bhayankar," King Franz said, his tone turning harsh. He finally glanced over his shoulder at his advisor. "My son—she took my oldest son, Albert!"

"Prince Brendan is reported to not be dead, Your Majesty," Albert said softly. "But…it is reported that he has sworn allegiance to Astraea."

King Franz snapped his teeth and faced the window once more. His throat tightened for a moment, and a sudden surge of pain welled inside his chest. He didn't know if it was because he had lost Brendan, or because of the…other matter.

You took Genevieve from me, Astraea. Now you've taken four of my children. Why do you have such a magnetizing power that your older siblings are swearing fealty to you?! YOU?! What is so special about you?! Why are people siding against me for you?!

He exhaled sharply, and pinched at the bridge of his nose. He had thought about…it, though he hadn't wanted to. But now Brendan was gone. He was losing allies, and Astraea was gaining allies. She was gaining a following. She was becoming a very real threat.

She should have died instead of Genevieve.

Finally, King Franz dropped his hand away from his face. He clasped his hands behind his back. "Albert?" he said finally.

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

King Franz hesitated for only a moment before he spoken again."Get it done."

Recruits: Brendan (28), Yasmine (30)