We the Unwanted We the Unwanted

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Richard Kingsman (Training Grounds, Helies)

Walking to the entrance of the training fields Richard was greeted by the training officer. "I came to examine a few of the new recruits. Looking for a possible shield bearer." Richard only took the best men to be shield bearers. They were similar to having a bodyguard on the field. "Show me the most promising recruits you have."

With a quick salute the man started through the field. He knew better than to make recommendations. Richard Kingsman always had a mind of his own and he knew a good soldier when he saw one. After a few moments he was given the signal to resume his duties.

Now alone, Richard swung one leg out in front of the other while he watched. There was a good sturdy looking recruit but, he was standing in a group of other men. If he had his choice of men by appearance it would have been that one. Appearance had very little to do with success. Perhaps as a courtier a handsome man would do better than an ugly one, but this was the Kings Guard. Here the ability of a man was tested and only those made of metal were given honor. That was what Richard was looking for. The warrior born of metal.

One man was still training vigorously. Richard made his way over to where the man was training. The sweat pouring down his face was indication of his effort. "What is your name?"
 
Isolde Bennett (Impregnable Fortress, Geraldis)

Isolde woke in her room, the return to the fortress had been stressful and the woman slept in, an unusual thing for her to do. She pushed herself out of bed and got dressed. The events from the previous days replayed in her mind, again and again, she attempted to shake them, dammit Isolde, it didn't even happen to you. Get a hold of yourself, you are a Guardian. Act like one. The woman drew in a breath and moved over to a bowl of water resting on top of the table in her room, she leaned over the bowl and splashed her face, attempting to regain her composure. Isolde stood and glanced over in the corner where her armor and halberd slept for the night, she moved over to them slowly and ran her hand along the blade of the halberd. "I will do more. I promise." she said aloud, to no one, as she strapped the halberd onto her back and exited her room.

Isolde found herself at the training grounds, as usual, and was greeted by the children in a flurry of excitement. She calmed the children and began with training for the day, it was clear that something had been bothering her the entire time as she appeared absent during the kids' lessons. A couple of the children commented on Isolde's "daydreaming" but continued on with their exercises. After several hours offered a job well done and the group disbanded. She wandered back to the main building and noticed men walking into the meeting hall. Curiously, she followed them and found a few individuals, including Adran, preparing the room. "What is going on in here?" she questioned.
 
Adran Triveron (Impregnable Fortress, Geraldis)

Adran looked over towards the brunette warrior, exhaustion and pain clearly etched all over his face. The chairs had been almost completely arranged by the time she'd arrived. "Claius is calling a meeting. No doubt to discuss our trip to the capital and your intervention when the bandits attacked." He wasn't making much sense, lacking his normal eloquence, but at least he was getting the point across.

"Isolde, could you tell Donovan and Esra that we'll be starting soon? We've almost got everything set up in here." He told her as he returned to setting up the chairs. His mind was in a haze, his posture slouching. He was a far cry from the confident and charismatic doctor who sat across from the king just one week ago. He couldn't work, couldn't think and could hardly eat anymore. There was only one way to describe the shell of Adran and that was broken.
 
Isolde Bennett (Impregnable Fortress, Geraldis)

Isolde studied Adran, he had withered like a flower nearing the end of its life. He had lost his way of speaking and he wore pain on his face, she had always been adept at reading other individuals body language. The woman walked slowly toward Adran and placed a comforting hand on the backside of his shoulder but she didn't speak, she was not a silver tongue like Adran and feared that she wouldn't say the right thing. Isolde squeezed his shoulder lightly before turning and leaving the room to alert Donovan and Esra of the meeting.
 
Andrin Deterius (Andaris, Helies)

Andrin sprinted down the hallway, his armored feet smacking off the tile with a clack. He soon slid to a stop however, panting slightly as he thought of something. Spinning around, he ran back towards the servant's quarters. Nearly colliding with the door, he threw it open and ran inside, his face flushing as a servant in the process of undressing screamed. She threw her clothes over her in a hurry. Andrin mumbled an apology as he turned to regard the dying fire again. The coals had cool down some, but they still glowed with warmth. What was most important was the uniform within was still somewhat recognizable. Snatching the tattered uniform from the fire, he apologized to the woman again before taking off down the hall.

Some of the King's Guard patrolling the area gave the sprinting recruit a questionable glance as he zoomed past. They merely shook their heads however and resumed their duty. Soon Andrin leaped from the stairs into the training compound, heading towards the throne room. He saw Rajiana speaking with Richard Kingsman from the corner of his vision, and he hoped his friend hadn't gotten into trouble with the higher ups. He could not afford to pause and see if he could help however, as Andrin knew the longer it took him to get to the king, the further away Shade would be getting.

Finally he rounded the corner to see the magnificent double doors leading into the throne room. Entering the area quickly, he tried to shut the doors politely but they boomed as they slid close anyways. Shrugging Andrin raced to the center of the room. He noticed that King Rufus was sitting on the throne, conversing quietly with a couple men he had never seen before. Despite the annoyed glance given to him by the superior men, Andrin didn't pause. He kneeled before the throne, bowing his head down as he waited for the King's response.

Rufus glanced to the soldier kneeling before him with a raised brow. "May I help you?" He asked curiously.

Before Andrin could reply, Horus stood from his chair next to the throne, glancing angrily at the man who had just barged into the room. "What is a measly soldier like you barging into the throne room unannounced? Get out of here now, before you're put to the block!"

Andrin glanced up to see the angry man towering before him. Taking a deep breath, he gathered as much confidence as he could muster. "Sir, I bear news regarding the security of the King's Guard."

Horus shook his head in disbelief. He opened his mouth, as if to say something against the King's Guardsman, but a wave from Rufus' hand silenced the fuming general. "Rise, and tell me what you know." Rufus said, leaning forward slightly.

Andrin did as he was told, knees popping in their sockets. He cleared his throat before answering, "Your majesty, I have reason to believe that Captain Shade Bigge of the King's Guard has deserted for some unknown reason." Andrin pulled out the burnt and tattered captain's uniform and laid it on the ground before Rufus. Andrin looked towards Rufus, taking some hope that Rufus hadn't had him killed yet. He continued, saying, "I was following Captain Bigge in an attempt to aid her in something, as it was very apparent she was in distress." Andrin took a step back carefully. "She entered the servant's quarters, and, knowing there was only one way out, I waited for her to conclude any business she had there. After a few minutes, a servant left..." His voice trailed off as Andrin went into a deep concentration. He realized with horror the possible identity of the servant who had left. "A servant left the room, and after a long time of waiting I finally entered myself. All I found was the uniform burning in the fire." Andrin started speaking more excitedly as he put the final pieces of Shade's puzzle together. "She must have left the castle in disguise, though for whatever reason I do not know."

Andrin waited for a response from Rufus, but it was a long moment before the king finally replied. "Thank you for bringing this information to light. You are dismissed." He stated simply, waving his hand towards the door. Andrin bowed low and turned to leave. As the doors closed behind him, he let out a sigh of relief. Either I will be killed in my sleep tonight, or he actually believes me. But he needed to know, no matter what may happen to me. He walked towards the training yard again, moving slowly. He needed something to take off the pressure that had built up inside of him, and smacking a dummy around felt like a good idea to him.
 
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Claius Vondale (Impregnable Fortress, Geraldis)
Claius watched silently as the crowd has assembled around him. If felt so different without Illya next to him; she would always comment about the same miniscule things. Today, Donovan was indeed wearing his collar wrong again.

He clenched his jaws tightly as he remembered yesterday night. He lost a part of himself, a valuable piece, when he found out what happened to his friend. But even when he calmed down, he made a mental note. He would kill the one who killed Illya.

But at the moment, he had to think rationally. The wellbeing of the family preceded is self serving desires, and he had all the time in the world to have his revenge. The peace with the king was imperative for the survival of his people, and now they had the answers to the puzzle pieces that they were examining for centuries.

Crossing his hands before his face, he scanned the faces of the representatives. The expressions were riddled with sorrow, anguish, and loss. Some were hopeful, and others skeptical. His father was among them, glancing at him uncertainly, as if he was asking if they were ready to start. Claius cleared his throat intentionally, and the hall quieted down.

"So, Adran," he said clearly, "what have we with the king?"
 
Adran Triveron (Impregnable Fortress, Geraldis)

Adran stood as Claius addressed him, cleared his throat and made sure his mind was in proper order before turning to speak with the audience. "My friends, we have what I would consider to be a very beneficial partnership in place with the king, but before I relay it to you, I must warn you to absorb my words with uncertainty, for while I believe this alliance would help both us and the land of Luina to prosper, I have reason to doubt whether the king truly desires this alliance."

"The deal we struck was as such. Using the impregnable fortress as our main headquarters and training grounds, the Guardians would spread out into the lands of Jensen and Rollon, acting as a more experienced and efficient version of the King's Guard in those areas, and acting as the Kingdom of Helies' first line of defense against outside invaders. Our exile will be removed and we'll have the right to pass through these lands as we please. The King's guard itself shall congregate in Helies, acting solely as the kingdom's defense force."

He heard murmers of agreement and some of discontent among the audience. He glanced over to General Saxo, but couldn't read his expression. "However, this king has a more subtle demeanor than that of his predecessors, I believe he may try to betray us before this alliance can truly take form, I'll explain all my suspicions to General Vondale at a later time, but for now I ask that we prepare the fortress for a potential siege. If the king wishes to pursue this alliance, we'll blame these preparations on the North Wind Zealots, but if Rufus Andelorn wishes for war, we'll be ready for it." He gave his speech with the same passion he normally had, but his optimistic tones were replaced by a cold and ruthless demeanor, he was tired, he knew the Guardians could see that, but he needed them to believe in his plan. If they were to survive, he needed them at their best.
 
Claius Vondale (Impregnable Fortress, Geraldis)
Claius sat there quietly, unsure with what to think. From the buildup of events, sending the group now showed to be an apparent waste of time. He caught a glimpse of his father, shaking his head in disappointment as the news sank in. They had yet again this dwindling uncertainty-- is the king going to attack? If he is, when? These were questions that his people was looking at him to answer, but he was as conflicted as they were on the issue. Worse off, in fact. Illya, the first person he would turn to, was now dead.

"Lead Claius." She would say. "You have to trust yourself, and then we will follow. If it was a poor decision, the mistake was made by us all."

"We'll do what we said we'd do." Claius said. "However, I'd need to know a bit more of the king himself before properly trusting him." His voice was louder as he gained the confidence. There's no turning back. Our decision is final. "We'll be deploying our troops in the regions the new king has requested. Adran, can you tell us a little more about the king?"

"He's a very intelligent man, highly aware of the treachery that surrounds his court. He tried to make himself as accommodating as possible to us while we were in the capital, and that's what worries me." Adran paused, cautious of his wording. "A man with his intelligence wouldn't simply shower gifts and hospitality on a former enemy."

Claius nodded. "Is there any possibility that he finds us to be valuable assets, so he acted that way?" He knew he was grasping at straws, but he desperately wanted to believe that the king's intentions were genuinely.

He wanted to believe that Illya didn't just die in vain.

"It's absolutely a possibility," Adran replied, which allowed Claius to relax a bit. Adran had a uncanny ability to quickly identify people's characters, and how he was putting it before sounded like that the king was bound to betray them. Adran continued, "but discrimination against us is still strong, so he must be aware that such openness towards us would lead to much hostility towards him within the court."

"I see... However, showing any signs of reluctance to the king could be interpreted as hostility, but we need to remain in caution?" Claius asked "What would you have us do?"

"We explain that this attack on our members has forced us to take extra measures of precaution, and see how the king responds," Adran said.

Claius nodded. This was definitely the safest decision to make, but something troubled him. A nagging voice in his head was whining that it didn't want to, even for a second, stay in the freezing cold of the mountains. Almost greedily, he mumbled, "A message could take a long time for them to receive."

"Which provides us ample opportunity to prepare ourselves." Adran announced confidently. Claius sighed inwardly.

"Very well," he said. "We shall send a messenger to deliver letter to a nearby city. And about the agreement, when do we dispatch our men?"

"That remains to be decided. We'll still need to send scouts into the neighboring regions to find us suitable locations to move our men."

It was Claius's father who spoke. "I get this king is not too trustworthy. Son, wouldn't it be better if we waited?" By his tone and wording, it was obvious that Saxo had changed little about his stance on the matter, despite the outcomes of the peace talks.

"Our people are tired, father." Claius said.

"Should we be relying on this man as well?" Called a voice from a crowd. This was Thomas Warren, a major in their family and an influential one, respected by many. Claius stiffened as he spoke, but decided it was better not to interject. He gestured to Adran. "He's from the capital himself, and he was the only one involved in the communications..."

Adran decided to ignore this, and continued speaking to Claius. "Your father is right, Claius. We should wait until the king has proven his intentions through action." Claius sighed in relief as the thought faded away from the conversation. He turned his focus back to the qualms he had over the plan.

"But I take it that the king is half expecting us to act first? After all, we are the ones asking for favors here."

"I made it clear to him how apprehensive we are to the public's general reception to us. He assured me he would calm the people of their fears before expecting us to venture into potentially hostile territory."

"Very well." Claius said. "I assume, then, we are to wait for his instruction?"

"Correct." Adran replied, nodding. "He wanted to visit the fortress himself, meet the leaders in person. He'd also asked us to send the layout of the fortress to Rollon so they could help make 'modifications' to the fortress. We're not giving him the layout however. Far too risky."

"Quite possibly. We are going to have to ask you to convey that to the king in a suitable manner. As for receiving the king, we will have to be weary of how that goes." He paused, before addressing the entire hall. "I believe that might be everything I intended to cover. Are there any questions?"

"Yes." Thomas said, and Claius groaned quietly to himself. "I have held it off, only due to my respect for the Commander, but now I must bring it up again. How can we believe what you said is the truth? You are nothing like the night before the group departed-- now you almost sound as if we are to wage war with this new king. As if you planned for this all along."

Claius frowned at this. It appeared that some of the men still did not even trust Adran; in fact, it seemed as if they thought that he was the enemy all along. It was true that Adran had not been in the Fortress for all too long, but it has been enough for Claius himself to gain both respect and faith for the man, and he always assumed it had been the same for the others. Claius made a mental note to figure out a way to have Adran gain their trust.

"The answer is simple. This Rufus Andelorn is a very hard to read individual, I cant tell whether he actually wants this alliance or is merely trying to lull us into complacency. So until he proves me wrong, I'm going to assume he's offering one hand while holding a knife in the other. We're going to be prepared for both."

"And this plan of yours? It's splitting our men apart. Generations upon generations of our people have told us, 'a broken army is a dead one'. You are doing exactly that." Thomas said. Claius sighed. He, too, have been worried about this.

"Keeping our army together has been killing us slowly anyway. You all wanted peace, to be able to roam the land without the threat of war hanging over your heads, this was the best solution I could find. If you have a better idea, you're more than welcome to tell the king himself when he arrives."

The heat in the hall was now evident, but Claius didn't want to abruptly end the meeting. There could've been information that was not yet covered.

"Keeping our army together has been killing us slowly anyway. You all wanted peace, to be able to roam the land without the threat of war hanging over your heads, this was the best solution I could find. If you have a better idea, you're more than welcome to tell the king himself when he arrives."

"And so your plans have been so successful?" Thomas retorted. "Last time I checked, it killed off one of our generals." Claius flinched at the mention of Illya.

"If you had paid even the slightest bit of attention, you would know that it was the North Wind Zealots who killed general Illya. It was an event none of us were prepared for."

"Oh? If you didn't have a plan then, all you have to do is tell us. Don't try to shield yourself from the blame then attempt to act as if you're an authority in this family. You know, everything changed once you arrived. We survived the winter, and now this peace thing has gotten everyone hopeful, but it has gotten us nowhere. And here you are, pretending that we will all buy into it." Thomas omitted a deep guttural sound from his throat that resembled a snarl. "I can't tell if you are intentionally trying to be stupid to decieve us or just really are. You don't understand anything. Sure, he can cater us for now, but he can stab us at any time. Maybe a year, maybe two, hell, maybe even a decade. He is always carrying the knife, and you are just simply allowing him to hover behind our back with it raised."

"If you've truly felt this way the entire time, why let me go represent you in the first place?" Adran asked back, angrily. "If you truly believe that I alone could doom this family, why didnt you say something to Claius sooner?! Can you answer me that?!!"

"Claius babies you, you highborn cur." He said, leaning back into his seat. Immediately, the hall erupted into a frenzy of argument. Claius gritted his teeth together. I'm not in the mood to deal with this.

"Enough!" He roared. "We are not going to discuss this further. Resume your schedules, the meeting is adjourned." He got up heatedly, and the others all started exiting the room. He walked over next to Adran.

"Adran, we will talk about this later." Claius said quietly over his shoulder. "Cool down for now, and get comfortable. Hopefully, everything would be how you planned it."

Adran shook his head miserably ."Why did I even try? No one here will ever accept it, Clay."

Claius sighed as he watched Adran leave. He wish he had a proper answer.
 
Adran Triveron (Impregnable Fortress, Geraldis)

After the meeting Adran went straight to the training grounds. He didn’t wish to talk to anyone, he merely wished to train. Unfortunately after a few hours of peace and solitude Claius entered with a tray of food. Sitting on the bench behind him he addressed Adran. "There you are. Didn't expect to see you here. I thought I'd bring you some dinner."

“Thank you.” His response was abrupt, hoping to drive Claius away so he could focus again, alas his superior stuck around. "Normally we train in pairs. You feeling better?" Adran never turned to look at him, just kept his focus squarely on the training dummy as he responded. “No. No I'm not Claius."

"Well, if it's worth anything, there are many who agree with you too. You pick up a lot when you're in the cafeteria. Especially after a meeting like that earlier in the day." Adran scoffed at Claius’ words. “They dont have the gall to say it to my face though?"

"I wish they did, but you have to get used to their type. Illya turned out ok, right?" The man got quiet as he mentioned his childhood friend. Adran’s face only got darker. "I got her killed Claius."
"Don't say that. Thomas wasn't thinking carefully before throwing those insu-“

"I dont give a shit what Thomas thinks of me! I was supposed to be prepared for anything but I wasnt. Because of my idiocy and my weakness, Illya is dead." He paused slightly, trying to regain his composure. "Never again.”

His friend stood up and approached Adran. "You shouldn’t take the burden of everybody. We share our troubles." He held up the tray. "Here, take this. I have something to show you." Holding out the tray of food. "Can it wait? I need to keep practicing."

"That's irrelevant. You'd need your strength to keep training anyways. Eat." With an exasperated sigh, Adran relented and sat with Claius to eat. While eating Claius pulled out a parchment. "Received this from the king shortly after the meeting." Adran took the parchment from Claius and read the content within.

To the inhabitants of the Impregnable Fortress,


I have been told by my men that they have crossed paths with a Guardian envoy returning home from Helies. I can only assume that this was the one that was lead by Sir Adran Triveron. Upon further investigation, I happened upon the news that your returning party has been attacked by an radical association known as the Northwind Zealots.


Naturally I was quite shocked by this; but alas even I don't have complete control over my own civilians. I am disgraced by their actions and thereby deem them traitors to the Crown. Since we are newly forged allies, it is but my duty to aid you in ridding your lands of these criminals.


That being said, I plan on sending my forces to join with yours to scour out and execute the Zealots. I can provide a couple thousand men strong, along with equipment and provisions for your people. Chances are that you would be needing them at some point in time anyways, so for convenience I have decided to send them now.


You have my greatest sympathies, and I am appalled by the actions of these treacherous men. Hopefully, the Kingdom can repay this debt for the lives it's people took in that unholy day.


I await you reply,


Rufus Dulian Andelorn

Adran chuckled coldly after finishing the king’s letter. "Is this supposed to be some kind of jest? How gullible does he think I am?" Claius looked at him genuinely confused. "What do you mean?"
"This is an obvious trap Claius. A couple thousand men strong to help us deal with the Zealots? Too large an army for him to spare wiping out some measly zealots."

"Perhaps. Although the Zealots have attracted a sizable force during the past couple of years. Enough to even kill Illya..." Claius paused, obviously still feeling the pain of her loss. "I still can't believe it myself. Are you sure he is lying to us?"

"What have we done to earn this generosity Claius? I've come to him in good faith and relayed our honest intentions, but we've had no chance to prove that our intentions are genuine. I perceived him to be a highly intelligent and pragmatic man, so either I've misjudged him or this is a lie."

Claius considered the doctor’s words for a moment before nodding. "I see. Well, what do we do about it?" Adran’s response was simple "Prepare for war." His friend looked at him. "And our reply?"

Adran could feel his confidence returning as he laid out his plan. “We'll play the part of thankful acceptance for now, but when the king's army comes, we'll be ready."

Claius nodded again. "Alright. If you can write the letter, I'll get the message back as soon as possible. I'll tell the men our decision." He stood up and began walking away, then stopped and turned back to look at Adran. "It's just our damning luck, eh? We didn't gain anything did we?"

Adran could only shrug. "We gained the war your father wanted, and the people's sympathy for this unprovoked attack. We live through this, we might be heroes once again." At that, Claius smiled grimly, nodded one last time at Adran and left the training grounds.
 
Shade /Claius/Adran: Impregnable fortress

Shade rode hard throughout the day, sleeping the bare minimum through the night trying to get to the fortress as soon as possible before the king's army began their march. She avoided the patrol routes with ease, sticking to the less traveled paths. In her pocket was Illya' s last message. Her constant reminder of why she was betraying her king for the sake of barbarians. Several times she nearly turned around, but then the king' s lies echoed through her mind, renewing her determination. She didn't know what was next. Whether these guardians would execute her or imprison her. Whether she'd end up fighting against her own men or dying on in her sword to retain whatever was left of her honor. She didn't know...all she knew was her previous life was over and the future was bleak.

After four days of hard travel with a conflicted mind, the massive fortress came into view. The horse beneath her was ready to drop from the cruel pace, but at least she'd made it. Shade slowed her horse's pace as she approached the gates. She half expected to be shot as soon as she got close, but perhaps their curiosity of the commoner woman would stay their hands long enough to relay the message she'd given up her life for. The king was a traitor.

Weapons were trained upon her as soon as she was close. From the top of the massive walls a soldier called down to her, "Identify yourself!"
She looked up, "I am Shade Bigge. I have a message from General Illya for Adran Triveron."
"Illya is dead."
"She is...but she wasn't. She survived the ambush and was taken to castle in Helis. I have her signature as proof of my words." Shade held up the sleeve that Illya had torn from her own clothing and drawn on with her own blood.
"I'll consult my superiors. Tell me your name again?"
"Shade Bigge. Adran Triveron will remember me."

The soldier disappears and Shade's horse shifts nervously beneath her as if picking up on her own nervousness. After what feels like hours the gates open and she rides through, dismounting once stopped by the guards. They check her for any weapons, finding none aside from the ones in her horse's satchel. She spots Adran approaching, looking confused. Of course he would be. The last he'd seen her, she was a male Captain in the King's guard and now she looked like a common woman.
"Captain Bigges?" He asks, searching her face.
"I'm not a Captain anymore." She holds out Illya's sleeve and signature. "I have a message from your General Illya, that she gave me before she died in the King's torture chamber. The King will break his treaty and betray you. His forces may very well be on their way right now."
Adran nods. "We'll discuss this with General Claius in private." He turned to the guards. "Let her through, and inform General Claius he's needed!"

The soldiers part out of the way and escort her and Adran through the fortress. Her eyes widened slightly at the massive fortifications of this place. It was larger than any story had ever told, and more incredible than any picture or description. This was the Impregnable Fortress? It was not how she imagined it. All around her women, children and men milled around either training or trading or other activities that was seen in a normal thriving city. She hadn't expected this scene from barbarians. If anything, these people looked normal...nothing like the stories she'd heard. A child runs across the road after a ball and her heart clenched. The king was about to attack this city, with these people in it...using her own people who had families of their own. A war for no reason. A war where children would die because of one king's blood thirst. She hated him all the more for it.

"So, you're female?" Adran asks cautiously, drawing her attention away from the walls.
"Obviously."
"No, I didn't mean it like that. It was just... unexpected."
Shade glanced at him stern as ever. "That was the purpose of my disguise. To destroy expectations."
"Right. Impressive that you managed to deceive them for that long."
"It was not easy, I assure you. But nothing worth doing is."
"We can definitely agree on that."

They reached the meeting room where an older man, clearly an formidable warrior waited. "You needed me, Adran?" He asks, glancing at Shade curiously.
"Yes. Claius, meet Shade Biggs- former Captain of the King's Guard. Shade, meet Claius Vondale- General of the Guardians."
"Alright...Well, we thank the king for sending one of his former officers to speak with us." Claius replied looking at her garments curiously.
"I am not here on the King's behalf. If anything I have, by now, been branded a traitor for what I'm about to tell you." Shade laid Illya's blood stained sleeve on the table. "The attack on your entourage was organized by the king and executed by a number of King's Guards in conjunction with the North Wind Zealots. Your General was captured after the battle and tortured for information on this fortress. She refused to give up any information, however, and so she was executed. Before she was, though, she asked me to pass on this message to you. That the King is going to break your treaty and attack." Shade says seriously.

"She was alive?" Claius asks hollowly. He sunk back into his chair, devastated by the news.
Adran's eyes narrowed. "My suspicions were correct then. How are the preparations for the siege coming along, Claius?"
Claius blinked, seeming to come out of a terrible trance. "I'm sorry?"
"The preparations for the siege. How are they coming along?" Adran repeats.
"Oh, we will reinforce the walls. We also need to find a way to cut off a direct attack. Stones, maybe?"
"Hmm, well we do have an experienced member of the King's Guard with us. We could use your advice, Shade."
Shade shifted awkwardly. To tell of King's guard tactics seemed like a betrayal to the very men she'd served, not that it mattered much at this point. Still, she answered vaguely. "The King's Guard haven't been at war for several decades. I am uncertain of the king's battle plans."
"Hmm. The King's Guard likely hadn't battled in their lives..."
"I doubt that Claius. It's likely you've been involved in skirmishes with bandits and the like. One doesn't reach the rank of Captain without some experience on the field."
"Granted."
Shade's expression darkened. "I brought this information to you because it was the only way I knew to right a grave wrong done to your general and treaty. However...I can not, in good conscience, give you the King's Guard's strategies , strengths and weaknesses. To do so would essentially be to kill my men...my former men, myself." She stands as a soldier, hands behind her back and expression firm.

Claius gave her a cold calculating stare, but Adran looked intrigued. "Then what will you do now that you've been branded a traitor to the crown?"
"I...do not know. Truly, I do not expect to live past this meeting."
"Why don't you fight with us, Shade?" Adran asks. "This will surely not be the only wrong inflicted by the king, and he'll be using your former comrades to do it. Fight with us to help set them free from his tyranny."
"You're asking me to kill my own men...men I have trained and fought beside for years." Her forehead furrowed.
"Unfortunately yes. But do you truly wish to see your comrades fall under the cruel manipulative strings of this puppet master?"
Shade's lips turn up ever so slightly. "Silver-tongue, if you came face to face with a boy you'd trained since a lad...would you be able to slay him...or would you not slay yourself first to keep from committing such a betrayal?"
"Depends on who you're committed to." Clauis interjects. "You have to know who or what you are trying to protect. Then you fight for it mercilessly."
"My loyalty to my people has not changed. Only my loyalty to the king." Shade replied. She knew how naive it sounded...but it was the truth.
"The king is the ultimate person of the people. A monarch who cannot arouse support would never have been able to have done what he has accomplished in the last few weeks." Claius argues.
"He has only gained such support because the people believe he has truely attempted to create a treaty with the guardians." Her fist suddenly curled and hit the table hard. "HE IS THE TRAITOR! He drags innocent boys to their deaths for his blood lust and lies!"
"That's enough both of you!" Adran attempts to end the battle of words.
"Then it's your word against his. Why have you come here!?" Claius demands.

Adran rose from his seat to meet Shade's eyes. "Do you wish to know why it took me twenty years to abandon my father and my duty as a diplomat?"
She looked over at him, trembling with anger at her king, the pain of his betrayal apparent in her eyes and expression.
"It's because I faced the same dilemma you're facing now." Adran says sympathetically. "I felt like I was abandoning my people, leaving them to face the courts oppression alone. But still I did it, because I realized it was more important for me to fight for what I believe in, not for what's expected of me. I never said it would be easy, but as you said, nothing worth doing ever is."
"You can not ask me to kill for a people I'm not certain even I believe in." Shade responds. To her, the guardians were still barbarians and former traitors. A treaty was one thing. A war was another.
"I'm not asking you to kill for us. I'm asking you to fight for your people. I'm asking you to kill a man you're certain you don't believe in." Adran continues, still trying to sway her.
"Killing my own countrymen will not kill him." Shade says lowly.
"But it will eliminate his defenses."
The thought of doing such a thing made her nauseous. She couldn't agree to it, but neither could she agree to fight for her king. She knew she had to choose a side...but right now, her conscience wouldn't allow for either side. Her head lowers as her eyes stare at her whitened fist.
"All paths lead to bloodshed. The only thing we can do is protect ourselves. The fact is that your men are going to come up to our walls one day and attack. All we can do is fight back. General Claius states.
Shade's jaw tightens, clearly conflicted, then Adran speaks again. "You asked me what I would do if I had to face a boy I'd trained as a lad. I would weep for his loss, but if it meant that generations after him could live protecting what is right, I'd cut him down."

Shade took a breath and straightened, resuming her stoic expression. "I cannot give you the answer you want...at least not now. If that means you must execute me then do so. I have completed what I came to do."
"We're not going to execute someone who risked so much to get us this information." Adran shook his head, then looked over at Claius. "Right?"
"Perhaps." Claius muses. "We'll see. But more importantly, what did Illya say?"
"Her exact words were 'Tell them not to trust the King.'"
"That's it?"
"She told me of the ambush and the man whom she'd scarred, which led me to discover that the King's Guards really were involved in the ambush. That led me to confront my Commander and eventually the king. Which is how I discovered the truth and came to relay all that I have told you."

"That's Illya for you." Claius sighs. "Well, what do you expect is going to happen moving forward? You are an outcast and you seem to decline to fight. I'd not usually be against you staying, but at the moment you'd be an extra mouth to feed. And we simply don't have the resources to provide for dead-weight."
"I do not know. As I said, I did not expect to live past this conversation." She glanced between Claius and Adran, thinking for a moment. "If you will not be imprisoning me or executing me...then put me to work with manual labor. I will help you fortify the fortress to the best of my ability."
Claius glanced over at Adran hesitantly who nodded in approval. "We could always use more hands."
"Very well, you may stay for now. I can't guarantee your immediate safety though. Adran would have to do his best to make sure the others don't try anything."
"I'll keep my eyes on her, Clay. Don't worry." Adran replied.
Shade nodded. "And I can defend myself with non-lethal force, with your permission."
"You have my permission. Don't expect yourself to win though. Turning a small assault into a fight could end badly for you. We'll be keeping watch, but our hands are full at the moment." Claius seemed amused at the prospect of her fighting one of the guardians and winning.
She liked to think she was strong enough to handle herself, but it was better if it didn't come to that. She bows to him, respectfully. "I understand. Thankyou...for understanding my position and sparing my life."
"You're welcome." Adran smiles lightly. "Just think on what we've spoken here today. When you find an answer, seek us out and we'll discuss where to go from there."
"Alright. Then I'll have Adran escort you to an open room in the dorms. I'm afraid I have to get back to work." General Claius stands, signaling the end of the meeting.
"Follow me then." Adran gestures to the door, leading her out.
 
Adran / Donovan (Impregnable Fortress, Geraldis)

There was no execution as Donovan had expected. Instead he saw Adran taking the woman to the barracks. His stomach started to boil and he clenched his fists. Of course the silver tongued doctor was going to talk Claius into saving the enemy. He had no guts for what had to be done. Getting up from his place near the fire he began trudging toward the doctor. When Adran was only a short distance from the barracks Donovan caught up with him and hissed, "What are you doing arguing for an enemy to stay in the walls?"

Adran turned and held a steady gaze on the dark little man. "She's not an enemy anymore. She came to warn us about the king's betrayal."

"Yeah and what kind of traitor does that make her? She'll do whatever suits her. You said we can't trust the king and I agreed with you on that. Now you believe that this officer comes to us of her own free will?" Taking in the enemy was pure insanity. A steady fire had begun to build in his eyes.

Still the doctor held his position. It was surprising considering the first time he’d been confronted he wilted and the second time he almost seemed to give in too easily. "As a matter of fact I do."

Donovan had thought that Adran wouldn’t be so gullible. Perhaps he was blinded by the fact that it was a woman. "Then you're an imbecile. She's playing a part and because she likes to talk pretty you've suddenly taken a liking to her. What makes this Kings Guard so damn important?"

"If you've a problem then you can take it up with Claius. I dont have to prove myself to you Donovan, and I've got more important things to worry about then whether you approve of my decisions or not." Still there was no indication that Adran was about to give up his position.

It was rare that Donovan was forced to change his tactics in an argument. Adran had completely changed the game with a smooth and despicable slight trick of the tongue. "I don't care about you. This is about the Gaurdians and your....You keep manipulating things and it’s going to get more people killed. We all know talking to Claius won't do any good cause he always comes around to decide in your favor."

As if to make it worse the doctor continued with a train of thought that couldn’t carry far. More than likely Adran thought he would cut the argument with flaunting his sway over the leader of the Guardians. "Then maybe you should think about why Claius trusts me to make the right call."

"Your ideas only work in theory. I haven't seen a single one turn out yet." Gradually Donovan’s voice dropped from his usual tone to a growl.

Adran turned the argument around again. "And your ideas don't even work in theory, so how the hell are they supposed to work when put to action?"

"I don't have ideas. My job is to protect people like you and kill the enemy. It works just fine. What I want to know is what we have to gain from this Kings Guard. If she is a traitor to her own people then we can't even ransom her. She's no good to us alive. Let me do my job and quit getting in the way." Donovan took the argument as it was. So far he hadn’t been able to deflate this argument as he had those arguments in the past.

"What we have to gain from her is information and experience. If I can convince her to join our cause we'll have access to the King's Guard's battle strategies, strengths and weaknesses, detailed by a woman who's fought alongside them for years."

Finally it seemed he had found the weak point. "Huh!" Donovan snarled. "If she's got any sense of honor we'll have to kill her first. I can respect that and I can respect the dead just as well as I can respect the living."

No matter that Adran was still standing tall, the man always fell apart when it came to his pretend knowledge of soldiering. "What honor is there in defending the army of a tyrant?"

"Honor isn't in the master you serve. For all your knowledge you still have a lot to learn about being a soldier. You find honor in your oaths.” Quickly sending a retort Donovan stared at the doctor. The doctor was becoming increasingly frustrating to talk to. “She made an oath and she wouldn't be any kind of soldier if she broke them no matter the cause."

"I'm not a soldier, I'm a doctor and a diplomat. I joined this family because I want the Guardians to become more than just soldiers. If you can’t agree then you can either fall in line, or disobey your orders. Either way, you quit wasting my time." From the sound in Adran’s voice it was nearing the end and the man had more than enough of the argument.

"More than soldiers?" Donovan shook his head. This time his voice lowered to a softer tone. "You're wasting your time on us. I won't ever be more than this” Glancing behind himself he looked to the others at the fire that he’d left, “Neither will many of the others. Keep on dreaming. Maybe it'll work one day." All of this to see the Guardian’s survive outside of the gates? It was insane. They would never leave the gates. If the king really was not to be trusted then there was nothing more to their lives. Tradition would hold out as it had in the past centuries. All the Guardians would huddle and starve behind the fortress walls winter after winter.

Adran’s voice broke into the quiet. "You think I can transform from a weak diplomat into a soldier, I just need to try harder. I think you need to take your own advice Donovan." Still standing tall the doctor began to walk off with a confident stride.

Opening his mouth Donovan tried to think of something to say. Nothing was coming and he was left with no argument. "Damn you Adran!" Yelling after the man that was walking away Donovan turned and cursed under his breath. What could he do? For once the doctor made sense and all that he was doing had finally come together to make a coherent thought.

**********************************************************************

Donovan had spent most of the night reasoning his way through what Adran said. Perhaps it was a skill that they would need. If by some wild chance they ended up in the villages and around people that weren’t Guardians he would need some sort of skill in dealing with them. Being just a Guardian may not be enough to survive. Learning more than this life wasn’t going to kill him.

Letting out a long breath the little man pushed his blanket off himself. At least the sun was up now. Silently he got up and pushed his bedroll against the wall. Slowly he put one foot in front of the other to avoid making any sound as he walked for the front door. Donovan pushed the door open at a moderate pace. It squeaked regardless of being opened slowly or quickly. Cringing slightly he glanced behind himself. The old man was restless these days. At least he hadn’t woke up this time. Slipping outside Donovan then pushed the door shut before he ran to the doctor’s house.

Standing on the front steps he pounded on the door a few times. “Adran!” His morning voice came out a little more gravely than usual. Donovan cleared his throat and called a little more quietly this time. “Adran I need to ask you something.” Finally the door swung open and he stared at the doctor for a moment. “You made a compelling argument last night." A slight tinge of red crept to Donovan's ears. Now that he understood better it was a little embarrassing to think that he'd been almost entirely monstrous to the doctor. "If you would teach me...please, I want to learn..." Donovan halted momentarily and continued, "I need to be more than a soldier." No matter his own embarrassment Donovan forced himself to maintain eye contact.
 
Brandolf Greycloak(Impregnable Fortress, Geraldis)
The two young men raced away from their training. The snow had stopped falling but the sky remained covered in clouds. They soon saw the others. The others had been ambushed, apparently, and three had died. They soon walked around the fortress, trying to see what the Guardians would do next.
 
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Adran Triveron (Impregnable Fortress, Geraldis)

Adran blinked at the short man who just the other night had been criticizing him again. He'd woken up this morning starting to feel a bit more like his old self after what had been a hellish four days, and now suddenly, in the middle of war preparations, Donovan was asking to be taught how to be more than a soldier? If there was one thing Donovan impressed Adran with, it was his absolutely terrible timing.

"Well Donovan, I'm flattered that you wish to learn from me, but right now there simply isn't time. I've got my hands full with preparing the fortress for a siege, and Claius has asked me to keep an eye on our newest acquisition. I'll tell you what though, if we both make it through this siege alive, I'll teach you everything you wish to learn." With that Adran grabbed his sword and proceeded to start his day. His first order of business was getting Shade settled into her new role among the Guardians.
 
Donovan Blackmoore (Impregnable Fortress, Geraldis)

Momentarily Donovan thought that Adran was going to refuse without any offer to go further. However, his excuse made perfect sense. Donovan frowned slightly. "Yes...The preparations for the siege come first." Timing hadn't quite crossed his mind. Duties did call and Donovan wasn't one to let them pass. Instead he shrugged and turned to go back to the hut. He had a few things to get before heading outside to do a little training and then take over his watch.

The way that he had approached the whole subject was a bit haphazard. Even Donovan had to admit that to himself. Still it was better to say something like that and get it over with before it was too late. If nothing else he hoped that it would smooth things over with the doctor. It was pretty much the same as an apology.
 
Shade Bigges/ Adran Triveron (Impregnable Fortress, Geraldis)

Shade stood before a mirror staring at the hair that lay about her shoulders and the feminine face that stared back. She barely recognized herself. Who was she now? Former captain...traitor...refuge. When her family heard of her betrayal she would be disowned. If the forces of Helis ever found her, she'd be killed. Her only refuge was with barbarians and descendants of traitors, and soon they'd be fighting for their own lives as well. She pulls her hair up in the tight bun she was accustomed to and pulled on the pants and loose shirt she'd requested. She was much more comfortable in a man's garments, but she was painfully aware that she was not a man. Neither was she much of a woman. A knock at the door pulls her out of her thoughts and she opens the door to be greeted by Adran.

"Well, that's certainly more like the Shade I met in Helies." Adran smiles, gesturing to her clothing.
"Hmph. I've become accustomed to this wear. Pants are much more practical than dresses." She steps out and closes the door behind her. "I assume you're here to show me what I'll be doing?"
"Indeed. If you'll follow me please." As they walked the path towards the walls Adran asked, "Have you given more thought to what we discussed yesterday?"
Shade stared straight ahead. "I have, but my answer has not changed. I get sick at the thought of killing my own men." She frowned. "I am not naive enough to believe I will survive this siege without bloodshed in defending myself against them. But there is a difference between defending my own life and defending the guardians.
"I understand." Adran nods. "If you don't mind me asking, what will you do if you survive the siege?"
"If I survive..." Shade shook her head slightly. "I could flee to a remote village...but I know I would not be happy. I could return to the city and try to rally people against the king; but it would undoubtedly result in my death. I could join the guardians but I would never forgive myself for my betrayal of my countrymen. T'would be better to die in battle than face those futures, but neither am I so weak that I'd let my life be taken or take it myself."
"So essentially you have no idea?"
"Essentially." She sighed, her hard expression softening ever so slightly. "I never imagined I would ever end up as traitor to the king."

"Neither did I. The thought of supporting such a corrupt and traitorous system always sickened me, but I thought that if I tried hard enough, I might've been able to change the courts for the better from within."
"Then you gave up on changing the system from within and thought joining barbarians was the better option?" She questioned with some disgust.
"Look around you, Shade." Adran said kindly. "Do you see barbarians here?"
Shade looked around, noting the same things she'd seen upon first entering the walls. Her look of disgust faded, becoming conflicted as she admitted, "No. I see families and a hardened warrior people."
"My mother taught me to always see the good and potential within people, no matter how evil you perceived them. In the courts I discovered that I had to options, hold onto those beliefs and be assassinated by a rival or become corrupted beyond recognition trying to survive that hellish landscape. I chose the third option, I saw the potential in these guardians our people had labeled barbarians, and the good that they could bring about. So I chose to join them."
"What good?" Shade scoffs. "All these people know is war. They've hidden away in this fortress for centuries and don't even participate in trade. At least Helis and its citizens spread across the world, trading, inventing, creating culture with arts, music and academics. They are discovering ways to better the life of the average citizen. The monarchy and system may be corrupt at the moment but at least they are doing something to try and advance culture and learning." She gestured to the children learning to fight in the training grounds, led by another woman guardian. "What do your children know but war and preparing for war?"
"Peace." Adran replied. "I think Claius and I proved as much by sending our envoy to Helies in the first place. The original Guardians were wrong to attack Luina, but Luina was wrong for ostracizing the Guardians from society after having them fight Luina's war for them. They don't participate in trade because they cant go out into Geraldis because of the exile Luina enforced upon them. They cant invent and create culture because they don't have the proper resources and luxuries available to do so, also because of the exile enforced upon them by Luina. If you truly believe the Guardians chose this life, then perhaps you're more naive than I gave you credit for."

Shade's jaw tightened, and her tone dropped to low one she used as a soldier "I am not naive..."
"Then surely you realize that both parties were at fault for their situation, and both have had the opportunity to redeem themselves. The Guardians chose to try and make peace. Luina chose to declare an unprovoked war. So Shade Bigge, you tell me who the true barbarians are."
"It was not Luina who chose this war!" She replied tersely. "It was one man...one King who has deceived them! They do not wish war anymore than the guardians do. If giving my life over to them would prove such and end this war before it began, I would do so without a thought." She took a breath, forcing herself to calm slightly. "But it is not and I am trapped now in an impossible situation."

Adran sighed and adjusted his glasses. "I'm sorry, I did not mean to insult our people. I'm just imploring you to take some time to observe the people within these walls, and reconsider your stance on us. You've an admirable intellect, Shade. I believe you can see the truth in my words." They finally approached the walls and Shade looked up at the battlements and reinforcements already being constructed. "But alas, we'll have to continue this conversation another time." Adran turned towards her. "You'll be helping these men reinforce these walls. Follow their instructions and try your best to ignore their jabs. I learned that lesson years ago."
"They won't be able to say anything worse than the ones I have heard during my time in the barracks." Shade turned to him and held out a hand. "It's always an honor talking to a man such as yourself, Silver-Tongue. Whether or not I agree with you, I can see you're a person of honor and virtue as well. I admire that."
Adran smiled, shaking her hand in return. "Please, just call me Adran. And thank you for your kind words. I understand your apprehension towards fighting your former comrades, and I respect you for it. It shows me you're a person of honor and virtue as well. Let me know if you have any questions."
"I'll be sure too." She nodded. Shade watched him walk away then approached the person who looked like they were in charge. It was going to be a long day of work. Plenty of time for her to consider what had been said, but not enough time to decide what she was going to do.
 
Donovan Blackmoore (Impregnable Fortress, Geraldis)

"We need you down there..." The officer pointed to the ground. "I'll take your watch." Donovan looked at the officer briefly and then nodded. It was only natural that this one would throw his weight around and try to get out of the hard labor. Occasionally there would be a few special guys like that. Not like this was anything new. If he had to take the fun of putting up reinforcements for the wall he might as well find a group of guys he liked to work with. After a few moments he spotted a small number of them working and he grinned.

The sword in it's sheath slapped against Donovan's leg with each step but, it was something he'd grown used to after all these years. "What you need?" One of the men pointed to a good sized rock.

"We were gonna get a mule to move that one but, you could probably do it." A chuckle rose from the men. If the little man wasn't called dwarf he was referred to as mule for various reasons. There was the temperament and then the brute strength that went with it. "Then we need you to move a few barrels for us." While Donovan was busy carrying the rock over to its place two of the other soldiers unloaded one barrel and moved the contents back into the pile. It maybe wasted a few moments but, it would be well worth it in the end.

Donovan grabbed under one end of the mini boulder. It was almost too large for him to wrap his arms around. A large vein along one side of his face became pronounced with the strain of lifting the boulder. "Ugh...You al..most need the mule." Slowly tottering over to the reinforced wall he put it on the pile and took a few moments to stretch his back out. Finally he was comfortable again and he walked back to the pile of additional material. The first barrel was heavy and difficult to turn on it's side. Why they loaded things so heavy and then asked him to do it he didn't know. It would save time if they would just load less and then carry the rest by hand. A frown started to grow on his face when he noticed that the two on this crew were just watching him. "Do something! I'm not here to do it all you lousy rats." Donovan reached for the second barrel and braced himself for the weight. Instead the barrel practically flew to the side and Donovan hit the ground.

Lifting his face out of the dirt he stuck his tongue out and spit a few times. After a moment he brushed some of the mud out of his hair and smeared the mud on his face that he attempted to wipe off. "I just bathed last week."

"Couldn't tell." The men laughed at him and then pointed to the lady dressed like a man. "That's the new recruit." A sneer passed over their faces.

Instantly Donovan's good humor fell from his face and dropped right to the ground. Walking over to where the woman was he peered into her face. She looked familiar but, he couldn't quite place her face. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be locked up in a cell?" Already he was getting irritated. Who let her out and here of all places? She was an ex King's Guard according to the investigations and she could be setting them up for sabotage.
 
Isolde Bennett (Impregnable Fortress, Geraldis)

The days were becoming hazy to Isolde and seemingly blending together. She contemplated the information relayed at the meeting, grimacing at the thought of the civilians attacking Adran as he stood defenseless. Claius had stepped in eventually but it went for too long as it was and now the woman was curious as to how he was feeling. Isolde felt bad for the man, ever since he showed up at the fortress he had to fight for where he was. She quickly shook her head to snap herself out of thought, don't go soft now, Isolde. There is work to be done. Isolde smiled with one-half of her face, picked up her halberd and exited her room.

The woman sat quietly in the cafeteria while eating breakfast, she was an early riser as usual and not many others were awake to join her. She overheard a couple of guardsmen speaking about the woman who had appeared at the gate the day prior and was now being escorted around the fortress by Adran. Seems like I'm the last to know again the woman thought as she continued to eat, now curious as to who the foreigner was. Isolde finished her meal and let a heavy sigh escape her breath, relaxing her shoulders. The people were surely fortifying the walls by now and Isolde would have to ensure that not only the children of the fortress were prepared, but everyone else. In a time of war, her role as training coordinator became increasingly busy and there was no time to relax. She pushed off her seat and exited the cafeteria.

Isolde made her to the training grounds and to her surprise the children had already gathered, practicing their swordplay. As the woman approached the grounds, the children turned and roared with excitement "ISOLDE!" The woman's face smiled once more as she joined her trainees in the ring.
"How did training go while I was gone?" the woman asked, "I imagine you gave the general a run for his money?"
The children began to laugh in unison, "He didn't even know what hit him!"
"I didn't expect any less from you little brats" Isolde responded, "Now then! Let's get to work, shall we!? How many of you do you think it will take to bring me down, HMM!?"
The children's excitement roared again and immediately three of them picked up training swords and advanced toward Isolde. The woman smiled as she easily danced around the children, avoiding their attacks and gently tapping them on the back as she passed through them. Her attention was drawn away from the children and to the foreigner now walking with Adran not far from the grounds. They were headed toward the fortress walls, but why? Isolde was curious about the newcomer and planned to investigate after a few rounds with the kids.

The kids continued their attacks, growing sluggish and tired. Isolde stopped them mid-day, ordering them to take a lunch break and regroup later. The kids rejoiced and ran off toward the cafeteria. She exited the training grounds and walked toward the fortress walls, noticing a group of men working away, Donovan, and the foreigner.
 
Shade/ Donovan/Isolde/Adran (Impregnable Fortress, Geraldis: At the Wall)

Shade looked up as the man she remembered to be the barbaric dwarf from the convey stormed up to her. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be locked up in a cell?" He demanded.
"I'm reinforcing the wall, obviously. " She replied with a tone of annoyance. "Adran's orders."
Donovan glowered at her. "I don't believe it." Part of him wondered if he could just punch her and nobody would know. Instead he growled at her. "Better watch yourself."
"If you have a problem with my placement here, Sir, speak to Adran or your General Claius. Both have approved me to be here." She returned to working on the wall.
"That's where life gets tough. They approve of your placement but, you have to earn it." A few of the men around him nodded in agreement. Donovan continued, "I don't care what they say about you. Once a traitor you're only ever going to be a traitor to your king and to us."
Shade stood upright, looking like she was about to fight. "I haven't agreed to join the Guardians. Only help you reinforce your wall. The king betrayed everyone. Not just the guardians but the citizens of my home and soldiers who will follow him. For righting the wrong he has committed, and warning your people of the betrayal, I gladly carry the brand of traitor.

A fight was exactly what Donovan wanted. He could see her fists start to clench and waited with some anticipation for the first punch. After that he had a free shot at her and he wanted it so badly. Instead she answered with a idiotic statement. "You have even less honor than I thought! You're more than a traitor. You're a coward, because the only thing honorable left to do is kill yourself."
She relaxed fully, her fighting stance replaced with a stoic sadness. "Perhaps...but that is my problem. Not yours. For now, you need all the help you can get to prepare for the coming war." She nodded to the wall.
"I don't need help from your kind." Donovan sneers at her. "You'll be quivering at the feet of your king first chance you get to betray us too."
"If I got close enough to do that...I'd slay him myself." She says lowly.
"Huh!" Grabbing another boulder he shook his head. "Because you want to impress us? There is no room for you here. If it wasn't for the protection of the officers, you wouldn't be standing here flaunting your heroism."

Isolde walked up to the two of them as they argued, "Donovan, I can hear you all the way from the training ground. What's going on here? Who is... this?" She looked at Shade sternly.
"She's a damn traitor!" Donovan glances from Isolde to the woman. "Thinks she's some kind of hero for bringing us a message from Illya."
"A message? From Illya!?" Isolde's gaze hardened, "That means... you're a King's Guard?"
"Former...Captain...now a traitor to the throne. I never claimed to be a hero. That is a title you have put upon me yourself." Shade glanced at Donovan.
"What am I supposed to think if you flit about the camp claiming to have been wronged as we have?" Donovan huffed.
"Think what you will. I'm just here to reinforce the wall."

Isolde's hand clenched into a fist, "King's Guard, the reason we starve behind these walls. You have no right being here, scum."
"She'll eat our food and sleep in our beds and sleep under the same roof." Donovan looked at the King's Guard accusingly. "Just you watch. She betrayed her king for what? There is no honor in her. She would turn on us too. Can't even stomach killing herself for honor's sake."
Shade's jaw clenched tightly. "Your General Illya is the one who asked me to come and warn you of the king's betrayal. I honored her last wish before she died. I am not sorry for my actions. I only regret that both our people must suffer through a war that a blood thirsty king has started."
"Before she died!?" Isolde's voice roared, "You were there... WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER!?" the woman advanced toward Shade.
"I spoke with her." She replied calmly. "After the king's men tortured her, putting her on the verge of death. I spoke with her, and she convinced me of the King's betrayal. Then she asked me to deliver her message. I agreed, and she died. She was the bravest soldier I have ever met."

"She died with your approval!" Donovan lunged for the woman. She backed away, not expecting the violent response, and just managed to sidestep what would have been a painful tackle.
"YOU JUST LET HER DIE!?" Isolde grabbed the collar of Shade's shirt, her spare hand forming a fist.
"WHAT IS GOING HERE?!!!" Adran shouts from the top of the rafters
Donovan slid into the mud and got back up off the ground ready to deliver a kidney punch to the woman. At least Isolde was there to see to it that the shifty King's Guard didn't get away.
"Don't even try to get away, scum! I'm a guardian remember!?" Isolde said while raising her fist to ready a punch only to momentarily stop at Adran's voice, but then continuing regardless.
Shade allowed the strike to hit, knowing if she didn't it would piss the guardian's off even more. It hit her square in the jaw, the taste of iron coated her tongue.

Adran hurriedly began to descend the rafters to rush to her defense, but Donovan was already upon her. He tore Shade out of Isolde's grasp and threw her to the ground delivering a brutal kick to her side. She coughed as the blow knocked the air out of her lungs for a moment then rolled to the side, getting back to her feet and dropping into a defensive fighting stance. She wasn't going to let them kill her. The men around them had begun to cheer, eager to see this king's guard get the beating she deserved.

Adran hits the ground running and charged full speed at Donovan attempting to tackle him. Instinctively Donovan whipped around and elbowed the one tackling him making contact with the intruders chest. Adran took the brunt of the blow, though not stopping his momentum, and collapsed on top of Donovan.
"You better get back down, king's guard!" Isolde spat at Shade, her attention drawing over to Adran running at Donovan and taking a blow. "DONOVAN!" She remarked, turning her attention to the two of them.
At first Donovan reached for the throat of the one that tackled him. Before he tightened his grip he peered into the face above himself. Pushing the doctor off he scrambled to his feet and offered a hand up. "What are you doing here?"
Adran ignored the hand, stood up and threw a left punch at Donovan "What in the hell are you two doing!!"
Ducking wasn't hard to avoid a punch. Donovan came back up and cursed. "What needs to be done! What you don't have a stomach for!"

Shade stood silently to the side with a bleeding lip, holding her side, watching the three guardians tensly while the men around her moaned at the interrupted fight.

"YOU FUCKING BARBARIAN!! YOU CANT GO ONE FUCKING DAY WITHOUT MAKING LIFE HELL FOR SOMEONE CAN YOU!??" Adran screamed at Donovan.
"It's about her being a traitor. She was there when Illya died!" He yelled back.
Isolde moved toward Adran, "STOP! it's enough that we lost our head, you can't lose your head too, diplomat!"
"And you!" Adran spun towards her. "I thought you were smarter than this. How could you let this imbecile provoke you so easily?!"
"Tread lightly, Adran! You did not know Illya as long as we did. How did you expect for some of us to react letting that woman run around here announcing absurd things!" Isolde countered
"What are either of you talking about?"
"Ask her" Isolde announced, pointing toward Shade
Adran turned to Shade. "What are they referring to?"
Donovan glared at Shade silently urging her to speak.

Shade straightened, trying to regain some semblance of pride. "I simply told them what I told you. That Illya sent me with her message for your people before she died in the king's torture chambers. Apparently, honoring your general's final wishes is reason for a beating..."
"That wasn't how you said it to us." Donovan fumed. "She's a liar."
Isolde stared at the woman with harsh eyes, "You spoke with her... and then she died. You allowed it to happen, what I wonder is... at whose hands did she die." Her words were accusing.
"Enough!" Adran called, then looked at Shade. "Were her injuries fatal?"
"Yes." She replied without hesitation.

"Why would you believe her? She's a traitor!" Donovan interjected.
"I SAID ENOUGH DONOVAN!"
"Donovan, don't bother. Adran will look at both sides, as he is trained to do so. There is no point, not now anyway." Isolde scoffed.
Donovan took a deep breath and took a step back to avoid the temptation to punch both the King's Guard and Adran.
"I brought proof." Shade began to say.
"Only the naive will believe your proof, Kings Guard. A Guardian knows better than that..." Isolde looked over at Adran before turning to walk away.
"You believe that and you're no better than the idiots who call us savages, Isolde." Adran calls to her.
Donovan marched out after Isolde. More than likely they would get their beatings if Adran had any say about it. The man would sweet talk his way through things like usual.
"You know better than that, Adran" She announced, her back turned to him now walking in the opposite direction.
"DO I? IF THIS INCIDENT IS ANYTHING TO GO BY, THEN I'VE MISJUDGED YOU ISOLDE!"
The woman didn't respond as she kept on walking away.

"You should not have defended me..." Shade spit a line of blood to the ground then looked at Adran "Not at the expense of your relationship with your people. A traitor like me doesn't need or deserve your defense."
"I'd rather defend a traitor then side with brutes who let their emotions prevent them from seeing the entire story."
"They have a right to be angry." Shade held her ribs. "You should go to them...make peace with them...even if it means locking me up. You can't afford any disunity with war on the horizon."
I'll see if I can make peace with Isolde. First though, you need me to take a look at those injuries."
She waved him off. "I'm fine. Go...I'll wait in my room until things have cooled down." She turned away, walking off to the room assigned to her.
Adran grabbed her by the shoulder. "Afraid I can't turn away a patient in need. And if those wounds are more serious than they appear, you'll be in no shape to defend yourself when the siege comes. Now come along. That's an order."
 
Adran Triveron (Impregnable Fortress, Geraldis)

Adran helped Shade into the infirmary and sat her down on one of the examination tables. From what he saw of the fight, Shade had come away with a split lip and bruised ribs most likely. He’d need to examine the area Donovan kicked more closely to be sure. As he slipped on his gloves he addressed her. "The split lip should be fine, all we need to do is disinfect it. I'm going to need you to lift up your shirt so I can better examine your ribs."

Shade did as he asked with no hint of embarrassment. The bruise was just beneath her bound chest on her right side. "I did not know you were a doctor as well as a diplomat." He smirked slightly as he kneeled down to better examine her ribs. "Spent time visiting all manner of healers in the lower levels of Helies when my father didn’t need me. Does it hurt when I put pressure here?"

As the doctor put pressure on the bruised area shade hissed sharply and pulled away instinctively "Yes..." She grunted. "Good that's normal with bruising. Unfortunately I have to keep pressing to see if you have a broken rib. Hold still please." He asked politely as he delicately continued to apply pressure, feeling for any dip and listening for the grinding of bones against each other.
Shade grit her teeth, but didn't move. "So why not just leave the diplomat life and become a doctor? That would have been the simpler solution.” He sighed inwardly. "I tried. In truth the actual reason I came here was to be a doctor, not a diplomat." Shade chuckled bitterly "I can see how well that turned out."

"Yes truly I was most successful." He said sarcastically as he stood back up. "Good news is nothing feels broken so far. To be sure I'm going to need you to take a couple of deep breaths for me." She did so, wincing slightly "It’s not broken. I've had one or two in my day, and this isn't one of those. Probably just bruised." She lowers her shirt. "Thank you for checking though." She moves to get off the table and leave.

Adran stopped her from leaving. "Hold on. I need to disinfect that split lip. I also need to ask you some questions." The former captain sighed and sat back down "I didn't instigate that fight. I simply answered their questions. They didn't like my answers."

Adran took a mint leaf from the cupboard and began bruising it with his hands "I'm not going to pretend they were justified in their actions, but I'm also not going to pretend that I don’t understand why they were upset. So I need to hear the full story of Illya's death. All the parts you were present for, and everything she said to you."

"I told you what I know, and everything she said." Shade replied stoically. "Your story was far too short to be fully accurate. I need details." Adran countered. "You don't want details, diplomat." She replied lowly. "You know what you need, everything I said was the truth. Details about her suffering would do neither of us any good." "And yet your answer changes depending on who you speak to.” Adran insisted “I want to believe that everything you said to me was truth, but as it stands I need consistency, which means the details have to line up."

"The details have never changed. Simply the way I have relayed them." Shade sighed lightly. "Relent, silver-tongue, before I am forced to tell you something neither of us can come back from. You have trusted me thus far...my story remains the same. I swear I have not lied in the details given."

Adran considered her words as he inspected the mint he’d been bruising, making sure the oils were being properly secreted. "Open your mouth please. I need to rub the mint leaf over the split. It will sting, but will accelerate the healing process." She huffed in response. "I can do it myself. I am a soldier. You don't need to tend to me as a woman." She held out her hand for the mint.
Adran shrugged as he handed her the mint. "As you wish." The process was the same regardless of gender, but this wasn’t the time to discuss that point. As he observed her tending her lip he readdressed his request. "You seem to think that these details will shatter my resolve or forever scar us both in some way. Unfortunately that's a price one must pay sometimes to find justice for the fallen. I need to know."

Once Shade had finished tending to her lip she lowered her hand and looked up at him with a stoic sadness "The king ordered me to execute a prisoner. I was taken to the dungeons and saw general Illya hanging on a rack, suffering from the after math of severe torture. I questioned her...and she convinced me of the king's betrayal. But, i was still under orders by the King. She knew that if I did not fulfill my King's demands, I would not be able to deliver the message of his betrayal." her jaw tightened "I...ended her life and her suffering quickly at her behest."

A long silence passed between the two as Adran absorbed her story. He looked at her with a mixture of pain and acceptance on his face. "You were wise not to admit that you ended her life to anyone but me. Even Claius would want your head if he found out."

"But not you?" She looked at him confused for a moment, then seemed to grasp an understanding. "It was a mercy killing...but one that will haunt me for the rest of my life, however long that may be. I'm sorry that you must now also carry the burden of this truth."

Adran shook his head at Shade’s question, then hung it low in contemplation. "Not me. It might be because I've known Illya the least, or maybe I'm as cold and pragmatic as Rufus Andelorn, but I see the value of her sacrifice. If you hadn’t killed her, she would've died regardless and you executed as a traitor along with her. We wouldn’t have gotten her message, or you."

"The others will not see it that way. Isolde already suspects it." Shade smiled bitterly. "Perhaps I said what I did in the hopes that they would kill me. Donovon was not wrong...I am a coward, with other honorable choice left ahead of me except death."

His fists clenched when she mentioned Donovan’s name. He truly thought Donovan had realized the error of his ways when the man visited him this morning, but it turns out Adran’s first impression was right all along. Donovan represented everything Luina feared about the Guardians, and Adran refused to let Shade entertain that barbarian’s opinion with any semblance of seriousness. "Donovan merely thrives on conflict. He likes to see those he despises suffer, it’s a detestable quality. You've shown incredible bravery to turn your back on the life you believed in, to stay true to your beliefs and bring this message to us. If that's cowardice then we can both be cowards together."

Shade chuckled, then winced at the jarring to her ribs "I meant what I said before, about you mending whatever was broken out there today with your companions. I am not worth the loss of trust between you and your men. A leader must always have the trust of his men." Adran shook his head. "I'm not their leader. Claius is. I'm merely a liaison."

"You're more of leader than you give yourself credit for. Claius would not listen to your opinion so readily if you were not. And Donovan and Isolde would not have backed down so easily if they didn't have a level of respect for you. Even as you led negotiations, the members of your party followed your lead. Trust me, I'm a Captain. Was...a captain. I know a fellow leader when I see it, and you definitely are one here."

Adran stared at her, briefly stunned. He’d spent the last four days having insults thrown at him by his supposed comrades for trying to do what he thought was right, and yet this woman who was supposed to be his enemy had complimented him sincerely twice in one day. "Thank you. I'll try and make peace with Isolde once things have calmed down. Hopefully together we can make Donovan see reason. You're free to go, just be careful with those bruised ribs." Shade nodded. "Always." She slid off the table and left the room, leaving Adran alone with his thoughts. He’d wait until later that night or even tomorrow before seeking Isolde out. There was only one thing he knew for sure. This wasn’t the last he would hear of this confrontation.
 
[Rufus Andelorn] Horus Flicke (Andaris, Helies)
To His Highness King Rufus Andelorn,

The Guardians are most appreciative for this offer of aid you have given us and humbly accept any and all help you can offer us. Before you send your men their is one thing we need to convey to you so your men know what to expect upon reaching the Impregnable Fortress. Naturally after such a devastating event, we're all on high alert. Security over the fortress has increased and we are in the process of reinforcing the walls in case the Zealots try to lay siege upon us.

If these preparations will cause any hindrance to you or your men, we deeply apologize. However in order for our alliance to bear fruit, The Guardians must live to uphold their end of the agreement. With that said, we are also weary of sending our fortress layout by messenger bird. Our fear is that the plans may become intercepted by the zealots and they'll have access to all our strengths and weaknesses. I'm sure you can agree that such information cannot fall into the hands of the enemy.

We thank you for your understanding and assistance and hope to move forward with our alliance as soon as possible.

Your humble subject,
Sir Adran Triveron

Rufus crumpled the paper up and laid it on his desk. His preparations were more than successful, except for one vexing fact. Captain Biggs has completely vanished. Rufus should've had him killed on the spot, but he had set the expectations of loyalty from Horus's men much too high. You can only rely on yourself these days. That's how it's been , and how it will always be.

"Horus." He called. The man immediately took a step forward. "Have you caught the traitor yet?

"No, Your Highness."

"How, then," he began coldly, "do you expect me to carry out my plans?"

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty. We have sent men searching everywhere for him. It's quite possible... It's quite possible that he has already reached the Fortress by now."

Rufus scoffed. So Triveron is now playing his own game. This frutrasted him. A lot. He was tempted to order Horus to execute the guards who were on patrol that day, but he knew there was no point in throwing his own pawns into the fire.

"I'm disappointed, Horus." He said. "I expected great things from your men, not treason. How can I trust anyone else that are under your command? How can I even trust you?"

"Your Majesty," Horus said slowly, "if I may; in battle, you will eventually find yourself in an unexpected defeat. I believe this will be the first of the barriers we will face."

Rufus nodded. "Yes. Yes, you're right. So we will leave no room for mistakes when we attack, correct?"

Horus stiffened. He was yet unaccustomed to being threatened by anyone, but the king was a demon of his own. "No, we won't."

"Excellent." Rufus stood up. "Gather the men and send a letter to the Rollos. We are leaving today."

"So soon?" Horus asked.

"Strike when the enemy is at his weakest. From here, our friends will only be fortifying, which will make our task more difficult. The sooner, the better."

"I understand, You Highness." Horus replied.

"Good."
 
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