Long Live The Queen!

The scout seemingly went unnoticed by Sunna, though knowing him he probably knew of every pair of eyes that ever looked near him, Vahla had been watching out of the corner of her eye but ultimately decided that the scout was a non threat, they did make quite a curious group, two royals on good terms and the mystery knight with the holy lance? Who wouldn't be curious?

Sunna seemed to mostly ignore rank among his own people, talking with the common folk and soldiers as often as nobility, he loved and was loved by most of his people, there had been some grumbling among nobles, but the enormous wealth his decisions had brought them stopped any protest.
"Yes... I will admit that while I cannot hope to know father's mind, dragging us all out here must have a hidden agenda... Ahh! The bandits... I had at first thought simply to impress them into surrender with a display of magical fireworks... But perhaps I could send them to Leopold's lands... He has been boasting about how strong his forces are".
 
Shula needed a moment to take in just what her brother was saying: the indirect approach to the problem was unexpected, but sound in its own way. Sunna's magic could overpower anything with the right application, but he couldn't be expected to be everywhere. Coaxing brigands into the paths of Auralian patrols might not merit a mention, given the way Leopold boasted of his standing retinue's prowess, but that ran the risk of the bandits simply returning once they discovered that the deserts were safer for them.

"It's too bad we don't share a border, dear Sunna. Hounding pests across the dunes is a chore, even with magic. The pirates, however...." Shula trailed off, pondering over what she previously thought was an uneventful journey for her brother. "...might call for a larger fleet the next time I visit." A chuckle. "Perhaps the dock watch won't take me for a jester when I announce myself as Ki- Queen on arrival."

Her gaze drifted, eventually meeting Vahla's watchful eye. That the knight captain chose to remain close by after being dismissed for the day should have been less of a surprise: one couldn't account for all the unfamiliar faces afoot, and the close call from a few years prior had apparently yet to leave Vahla's mind. "Father's intent will likely become apparent in due time. I think I'll go for a walk while there's still daylight. Care to join me?"
 
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Sunna chuckled lightly, a genuine smile on his face.
"I am sure your fleets would route the bandits within a few short days, it seems magic alone isn't enough against determined men with uncanny knowledge of my retinue's whereabouts".
The words were innocent but the the meaning was clear, Sunna had a spy, and he either didn't know who or couldn't remove them, a warning for future visits perhaps?
"Worry not sister, I have no doubt that within a few days half the empire will know, our siblings are quite loose lipped, especially when Darrius has too much to drink".

Vahla finally tore her gaze away from her Queen, certain that she was safe with Sunna, and left to look over her knights, they were an odd bunch, as she hadn't had decades to train away their quirks, nore did she particularly want to, they all had unique skills and she was sure at least half of them were at least questioning some part of their identity or sexuality.

"I would be most pleased! I am glad of the excuse to hide from my watchers for a little longer, and your company is quite pleasant".
Sunna declared, the speech was flowery, bit this time nothing was hidden behind the words.
 
~Meanwhile....

Several stablehands and squires attended the knights' steeds, unease evident in the soldiers' campsite activity. Tension, the night before the big clash, though not without some levity. A long-haired knight stopped their gaze into the horizon, his attention caught by a footsoldier in scarcely any armor, with a large sword strapped to his back. "Leofric?" the knight asked, "I didn't know you had a part in this."

"Ah? Well, it's not by my own merit," the swordsman admitted, stopping to stretch, "I'm not even sure how it happened. Just woke up one day, and this guy says he's going to make a man of me. Told him greater men have tried, but it turns out he meant as a warrior?"

The knight shook their head, chuckling. "And then the berries wore off, you sobered up, and showed him a thing or two?"

Leofric shrugged, his face reddened. "Don't remind me. It's been a year since my last berry binge, and this guy's all about how real warriors drown their angst in ale. It's bloody depressing." Without even taking a breath, the swordsman changed subjects. "So you're a knight now? Congrats. I couldn't do it. Too many rules, too many titles to remember. And the way people address you. What's it like, being Ser Wilhelm?"

"Still not accustomed to it. It just feels wrong. The townspeople act like we're heroes when we ride through, romanticizing our deeds. I'm still new here, and I can bet coin on some seedy minstrel trying to work my name into a stanza."

"Why not let him?"

"Come again?"

"Guy's gotta get his coin somehow. Still, I thought knights were supposed to feel honored to be immortalized in song."

"Hah! Who wants to live on forever?"

While the two old friends caught up, another pair of knights were busying themselves elsewhere with their horses, having stripped them of their iron barding for the night: Synnove and Lavian, golden-blonde and strawberry-blonde, green tabard and blue tabard respectively. Some called them the twins, others called them sisters. Whether true or not, even as they busied themselves with the busywork of maintaining their steeds, they appeared less stressed than the others present despite their youth.

"It's strange."

"Mmn?"

"Everything. The Harrockian knights don't even bother to join in our charge, leaving the brunt of these skirmishes to us. The captain's busy being a bodyguard and everyone wants to talk to her, and now these people we're fighting.... They're just letting us pass to their city uncontested."

"Think about it: they're plainsmen. They don't live in the mountains like we do, so this fight is ours. As for the Karunans, do you remember the protests last spring?"

Lavian frowned. "How could I forget, 'nove? What was his majesty thinking?"

"Let the pagans wed who they please, and only interfere if the practice becomes predatory? So when the roads went up here, and we started trading..."

"...Nobody wants to endanger their new families, then? So everyone we've fought out in the field-"

"Is the sort of person who would do everything in their power to prevent the annexation. Some of our own are over here, fighting against us, but more of them are doing our work: teaching them our ways, showing them we can be allies. Persuading them not to die in a war whose victory would ruin them."

"Yet here we are, pressing our values at the point of a spear. Another conquest, another imperial province.... another heir. Say, you don't suppose the next in line for the throne will be born with a tail, do you?"

Synnove stopped brushing upon hearing the question, looking over to her fellow knight. "That... is not likely. Either the purebloods would dedicate their treasury to destroying such an heir, or the imperial mandate will, or either the immortalists or that cult will take it as an invitation."

Seeing Vahla's return from the grand tent, the two knights finished up with their duties before joining the others, the majority of the brigade anxious for any news of the looming siege. Wilhelm stood toward the front: his friend Leofric had apparently moved on.
 
Vahla's lancers, while actually a sizable force, was mostly lower ranked soldiers with a few she trusted more personally, with at least one or two knowing of her previous identity, despite having been ordered to do some extra training on her lance thrusts, one of these knights was currently hanging around another like a love sick puppy.
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"Come on Elias... Train with me! It's so much more fun when we're together... Solo is lonely and boring..."
Marina whined, all but clinging to her fellow Knight, and first crush... It was apparent to seemingly everyone but Elias how she felt, and she was way too awkward to actually say anything...
Sometimes she felt guilt over shirking duties or training when Vahla had given her a place and way to provide for her family... But Elias was like, the hotness, so she couldn't help it.

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"Marina..."
The answering voice was clearly exasperated, Elias thought of Marina as a good friend, one who didn't seem to take her duties very seriously!
"You were ordered by the captain to train your Lance thrusts... I am supposed to be practicing enchanting poultices... Now unless you want me to replace your meat ration with carrots and ignore you again... I'd suggest you go and train".
Elias didn't hate Marina's company, quite the opposite they actually, but they wished she trained more... Marina had great potential but seemed intent on squandering it.

"So cold... Marina whined, preparing to return to training right when Vahla arrived.
"My brave lancers! The enemy have changed in their actions! Where before they harried us in hit and run attacks, now they gather at the gate of the capital, rallied by some new weapon or power, as a result the emperor himself has laid out a new plan to defeat them!"
Vahla quickly went over the new plan with her troops, their role was fairly simple, though they were very much in the firing line of whatever the enemy had.
"We will March at dawn, so I suggest you rest well and have your equipment at it's best, wouldn't want your armour falling off again would you Marina?"
Marina went bright red as her recent mistake was recalled, she'd only recently began wearing armour... And had loosened it for comfort... And no one told her that white cotton undershirts were not very concealing after enough sweat!
 
Synnove, formerly a forester. Has two little siblings and a disabled mother her wages support. Forthright and practical by nature, unconventional personality.

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Ser Wilhelm of the clan Dalziel. Soft-handed, and a little bit nervous. "Rich boy."

View attachment 190755

Lavienne, daughter of a stablehand. Raised in a church, but left to become a soldier. Seeks purpose.

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With the debriefing, Wilhelm's face lie concealed behind his gauntlet, flush with secondhand embarrassment (was that a thing?) over the knight-captain calling attention to the most promising lancer of the troupe. Soldiers from the other sectors of the empire were present, and knowing Captain Vahla pulled no punches even in such company kept the noble youth on eggshells, perhaps even more than the thought of charging into the enemies' line of fire. A quick tap from another soldier in the formation snapped him out of it: this wasn't The Captain's first war, so it stood to reason that it wouldn't be their last.

Synnove's smirk at the mention of Marina's mishap drew a similar, if louder, ribbing from Lavienne, if only to keep Synnove from staring like a creep. She'd the tact to not butt in between Marina and Elias, but sating her curiosity by observing casually couldn't have been much better. Lavienne otherwise kept her attention on the captain and the plan, up until the suggestion of resting and dinner crossed her ear. Then she sighed out in relief: the day's march had been a long one, even if she'd been on a horse for most of it.

_____

After enough sight-seeing with her brother, Shula found herself back in front of the war tent, apparently restless from wandering about the camp: there was only so much one could do when surrounded by soldiers, and even with Sunna about for trading ballads, she ran short of conversation topics rather quickly. Her gaze lingered toward the large tent again, her brow furrowing at the thought of speaking with the noblemen and generals again after they'd all but brushed her off.

"Sunna," she spoke, trepidation in her voice, "I'll see you tomorrow. It's been grand."

Then, she made her way toward the tent, taking the time to adjust her crown. Everyone apart from the guards would have probably left by now, but it still left her wondering: what does one say to one's immortal father, known to everyone else as The Emperor? Does one only approach when summoned? Would he even appreciate a visit, when it didn't pertain to his conquest? After a century of bending nations to his will, he certainly knew how he wanted to spend his time, and he did make it fairly clear that he wanted everyone out when the meeting was dismissed.

Still, she had to know.

Thus, the would-be petty queen stopped at the front of the tent, looking over the soldiers guarding the front.
 
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Having had enough of being made a spectacle to amuse the other knights, Marina decided to walk off after the quick briefing to go practice as she had originally been ordered to, she wasn't too embarrassed, Captain Vahla would never do anything to seriously upset one of her knights, she had just said enough to remind her of why she needed to focus on training and especially practicing with securing her armor, which had in fact fallen partially off once, in front of Elias of course...
Shaking that thought from her head she instead focused on her lance thrusts.

Elias meanwhile had finished their practicing, and was now relaxing with some cool water, several of the mages had discovered a way to chill water and had been practicing it on the army's stores, much to the appreciation of both the common soldiers and the nobility, even if the local climate was fairly cool, marching in armor could work up a real sweat.
While Elias did practice with the blade every morning, they didn't practice as much as the other knights, instead focusing on their medical abilities, they believed that Only Vahla's lancers had a healer as an integral member rather than an outsider.

Speaking of Vahla, the knight captain was attempting to relax by training with her Holy Lance, the faint shine drawing attention with each swing, a mere hint of the divine power contained within the weapon, she was well aware of the questions in the eyes of those who knew what it was, but at this point didn't mind so much.
During training was when she was actually most sociable, and would be the best time to approach her.


Sunna smiled faintly at her, he had more than an inkling of what she had planned, and only wished she had asked him to attend, alas, he understood it may be important for her to face their father alone.
"Ah, I will see you come the morning dear sister... I wish you luck".
He whispered, waling towards his own gaudy tent.

The Emperor's tent had but two guards, they were more for show than anything else, as few assassins could even pass through the thick layers of wards that were woven into the fabric of the tent, with some saying that each individual thread was enchanted... And none could truly threaten the emperor in single combat.
The guards in question were the Imperial Entourage, easily the most elite forces in the entire empire, who would have the honor of acting under the Emperor's direct command in battle, whether that was following him in a charge, or rushing to prop up a collapsing line.
The Soldiers didn't acknowledge her at first, even as the child of their liege she was not enough for them to break their silence.
However, moments after her arrival, her father spoke.
"Let them in".
With those simple words the two guards pulled aside the tent flaps and stepped aside for her.

Within the tent the emperor was for once not poring over charts and maps, instead he sat at his desk with a glass of wine, likely from a bottle significantly older than Shula.
It seemed almost to be a cover for something though... There was the faint thickness in the air of sickness and dark magic, he had recently been working on something it seemed.
"Sindre my child..."
He greeted before the flaps closed, enveloping them in a bubble of Privacy.
"Though, I feel that may not be your true name".
He continued, smiling faintly, an expression that had grown rare in previous years.
"This fits you better than your previous mask I must say, I had wondered why Lady Vahla seemed so comfortable with you".
He knew everything, of course he did, knowing of Vahla was obvious, there was no way he would lose track of such a powerful weapon.
 
A chuckle escaped her, in spite of her intent to show some amount of decorum in the presence of her father. Suddenly, the reason everyone was catching onto her so quickly had made itself clear. "It appears I've overestimated how long that mask would hold," she observed after a moment, somewhat eager to steer the subject away from herself. To speak of her knight-captain, however, still brought with it an awkward air: the two of them were not immediately close, but between Vahla's sudden appearance and ascension from a name none have heard of to a position held by a locally famous knight, and her carrying of one of the royal family's sacred weapons, the knight-captain had a number of colorful rumors circulating between the noble houses.

For a time Shula had wondered how so few people have put the pieces together, up until someone pointed out the relative difficulty most common folk would have finding the same resources and education she was born with.

"She is my closest friend," the queen admitted as her gaze drifted about, "though, I thought you knew about her, and made the decision to have her watch over me based on that." Cue a smirk, if nothing else, then to at least lighten the spirit of her melancholy father. "though, perhaps it was wrong to leave the details unspoken, regarding the origins of this Lady Vahla, and her... Queen Shula." But then, was it right to bother the emperor himself with something so personal? Even if he was the first of the imperial bloodline to be given her name, word would have reached him eventually. Yet, to not have this conversation with her father would have felt wrong in itself.

"Forgive me, Father," Shula added, sensing something akin to entropy underneath the smell of wine, "am I interrupting something?"
 
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That was a strong offer, if the immortal emperor himself endorsed Shula it would be difficult for any nobles to publicly disapprove.
"Oh I am glad she chose to watch over you for sure, and I know your mother would have approved, however I have often found that those who serve by choice are leagues more reliable than those simply following orders".
Her father didn't smirk, but his smile did change just a little, he was usually a happier man when in private with his children, immortal conqueror of empires or not, he was still for the most part a proud father with a sense of humor and deep love for his children, even if he did tend to set them to compete... That was simply a necessary part of finding his successor.
"Shula... The name suits you, you have my approval for what it may matter".

At the different topic his grin vanished, replaced by a sigh and a look of consternation.
"Nothing worth mentioning to the generals... Yet perhaps it is best I allow at least one of my children to know".
He took a moment to consider his next words.
"I have scried the day my power is broken".
He waited a minute to let that sit in.
"At the next twin moon I will be wounded by a great power, and left unable to fight, before then I will need to choose my heir, Sunna is the only other to know, as his scrying is second only to my own".
The twin moons were an event that happened due to an excess of magic congregating every hundred years or so and causing a mirroring of the moon, they had a little under a decade until the next twin moon, a long time to pick an heir, but for someone who was seemingly immortal it was very little time indeed.
 
Advice, in the middle of such an awkward moment? Shula relaxed visibly, not so much in trepidation of having the lesser nobility speak out against her without risking the emperor's ire, but from knowing she wouldn't have to choose between serving the imperial crown and removing her mask. Indeed, the distance kept between everyone in the imperial royal family made opening up to them difficult for Shula, yet just now, when she's able to break down the walls of her own isolation, the emperor speaks of an end to his reign?

She winced visibly at the cruelty of fate.

"That's..."

A lot to take in?
An abrupt moodkiller?
Or, a conversation that needed to be had?

Shula's speech trailed off as quickly as her train of thought did: scrying wasn't a particular focal point of her study, as it tended to ruin the sense of surprise that came with day-to-day life, but her court wizard at least made certain she knew of the connotations of fixed temporal points, and if her father was certain of his reign coming to an end, averting such a catastrophe would be beyond anyone else's ability. To identify the next twin moon as the night, at the very least, gave Shula an idea for Lady Brightlock's next big project.

She sighed, looking for a place to sit down and take it all in.

"What a horrid night to scry such a curse," she mused aloud, suddenly regretting her decision to send Sunna and his cheery demeanor away for the evening, "Though, I suppose knowing the hour is a boon in itself." Even if, weighted against having but a few years to get to know her one surviving parent, its worth would be questionable at best. "Do you believe the three of us could overpower it?"
 
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Her father was well aware of the mood whiplash his admission created, yet he could not stand to just keep hiding it from all of his children, the moment Sunna had confronted him after scrying the day of his fall Vargas decided he must tell his heirs, of course he couldn't do it right away, such a thing required timing, Sunna was of course mature enough to not panic despite his outward persona, Leo... Well he was still not sure how to break it to him, perhaps over drinks? Not that he would take it bad, but Vargas simply did not want to face whatever his no doubt self serving reaction would be.
Darrius would likely be easy to talk to, the man was so nervous in day to day life that most would not pick up on the difference, he was fairly certain Nami would insist on accompanying him and attempting to defeat whichever opponent would strike him down, so he may need to avoid telling her to avoid having her wounded in the same battle.
And finally Shula... He had not known how to speak about it with her, but it seemed in the end the easiest method was to let it slip in casual conversation, a gut feeling that seemed to be correct.

Vargas shook his head slowly in answer to her question.
"Alas, if it was as simple as overpowering fate then we would not be having this conversation, I would simply resolve the problem myself, but as it stands, there is no way either magical or otherwise to change a set point like this, as such I will endeavor to strengthen my empire as much as possible, and ensure it will survive in my absence, I must apologize in advance, I will be looking harder than ever to decide my heir".
He stated, seeming genuinely apologetic.
 
Once the initial shock subsided, the reality of the situation started to show on her face: she couldn't bring herself to fight her father, but for somebody else to reign as emperor? Even among her own family, the most likely heirs brought with them troublesome possibilities, herself included. There could be no envy for the burden of choosing an heir among them, but there yet stood the hope that the next potential heir to be born could be groomed specifically for the task.... were he not a child at the moment of a supposed coronation, and likely to be the target of assassination. Still, just as knowing the hour of one's fall gave her father time to prepare for it, Shula now had a time-frame to prepare for a looming disaster: roughly a decade, to either help smooth out her father's transition of power, or to find a way to spare her people and the soon-to-be-annexed from a catastrophe that might not even occur.

For a brief moment, she almost understood why her brother Darrius kept his distance.

A sigh escaped her. "There is much to be done in advance, father. One cannot claim to know the weight of your crown, but I will do what I can to ease that burden... For a price~" Cue a smirk as she extended a hand. "Well, 'tis more request than ultimatum; anything for you, even if you refuse. But someday? When we aren't storming a castle at dawn? Let's live a little, enjoy a feast, see a play sometime. Scandalize those pompous rumormongers who dared to doubt you in a way they shall never live down~" A giggle escaped her: even bearing the news of her father's impending demise, she thought of entertainment. Well, his entertainment. Surely she didn't have to tell the emperor of the lands to enjoy himself a little bit before his downfall, and perhaps even making a suggestion that she knew how he should spend the time he had left was disrespectful, but her conscience wouldn't let her walk away while her only living parent was planning to work himself to death. "And hey, after we're done here, we can sample the native fruits."

One could interpret Shula's response as a roundabout way of sucking up for the chance to be the next heir, but nothing could be further from the truth: she could scarcely trust herself to rule over her own people right now, let alone the entire imperium. If anything, she had already accepted that one of her brothers would be chosen, with Darrius being the best outcome: a genius knight-tactician who listens to his advisors and will meticulously find any weakness and correct it? That would be the obvious choice for stability.... but would Leopold stand for it? In any case, either the full weight of this news had yet to completely set upon Shula, or she was just being her weird self.
 
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It was indeed a sad truth that despite her father's best efforts, he was simply far too busy with the logistics of running a continent spanning empire to properly raise his own children... And as a result they were all a bunch of dysfunctional misfits to be frank.
Leo was the most functional, but many of his opinions went directly against his father's changes, likely a result of the nobility that he grew up around, who often chaffed at having to do such absurd things as not genocide their neighbors or sell children as brides, even if in recent years the nobility HAD gotten somewhat better after noticing that the loyal ones tended to be gifted land and whatnot.

Unfortunately it seemed the new heir would have a similar lack of a father figure as they grew up, this time due to the emperor's impending death rather than him simply being absent.
Though one important question was when the heir would be conceived, and with who? Of course her father had doubtless already chosen a prospective mother before beginning the invasion.

Most any other noble would have acted outraged at Shula's request, and in the company of other nobles the emperor likely would have had to feign disinterest, but fortunately they were seemingly alone in the tent and he could be honest... And promptly broke out into one of his rare smiles, an honest laugh bellowing forth from the normally restrained man.
"By the gods you are so much like your mother... It seems I have no choice but to accept your ultimatum, I think a grand feast after this war is in order, I am done with conquest, it is time I relaxed and spent my remaining years with my children, I happen to know Sunna has prepared several rather extravagant dresses already, I do hope he wears the Elysian silk though, it works well with his complexion".
Huh, apparently the emperor knew at least a little about fashion, then again he was old enough to have witnessed many fashions being created.
"It will also be a wonderful opportunity for you to meet your baby sister".
The emperor dropped that little bombshell as casually as if he was commenting on the weather... Baby sister... That meant he had not only conceived the child... But they were already born?!
"I am sure the scandal will cause a few nobles to whisper for a few days, but I simply did not expect the Pregnancy to only take six months, with gestation like that is truly amazing that there are so few Rabbit folk outside of this region".
 
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Shula smirked. For all the hushed whispers she'd caught wind of, approaching in private for this conversation seemed the most productive use of her time: fewer outsiders boring holes into her back with their eyes, an excess of interesting information, and an increasing level of comfort in knowing her father as a person, rather than an emperor or a historical figure. Even if he was humoring her, the sound of his laughter was a wonderful one, and the fashion gossip was a surprise.

" 'twould be more unusual if he did not: The Fashion King has a reputation he lives up to, and a few of his designs have found their way abroad. Even his envoys leave a lasting impression when they visit, though I've oft wondered if their presence was his way of sending a message." A chuckle escaped her. "A shame, though. It appears word will spread before I've the chance to upstage him, if that is even possible. But a feast is wonderful news! And I'd love to meet my new baby sister; it's been far too long since I've last seen her. Why isn't she h-"

.....

Baby sister?

Shula blinked a few times. Then she facepalmed, forcing a giggle down.

"Oh, somebody's been sampling the fruit already~" In a moment, everything suddenly made sense: the gathering of not just royals but elite retinues as well, the rushed campaign, the initial efforts to avoid heavy casualties and destruction... His Majesty was a few steps ahead of her, but it seemed nature had outpaced him in this race, and with news of a new sibling, there was sure to be a new aunt as well. Curiosity nudged Shula to prod a little bit. "Curious, that. Perhaps their reason for not venturing outward lies within their capitol, if not in ancient warring. Seems we're in for an eventful season when this all wears down. But, will we be meeting her mother as well?"
 
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Though he did not say it, her father was himself incredibly pleased that Shula had chosen to visit him, not only did he get to meet his daughter before the rest of the nation found out and no doubt began making their own ill informed judgements, (even with his life of mandating tolerance, there was only so much he could do against such deep cultural issues) but he also had a rare chance to simply be a father with one of his children, the role of the unfeeling, perfect ruler of the empire was a difficult burden to bear, especially as at least some of his children had begun to believe the mask to be the truth.
And of course the chance to talk a bit about fashion was even rarer, he liked to think Sunna got at least some of his tastes from him, though Sunna's mother had been fairly extravagant as well, at least before age had taken her, as it had all his other spouses.
"Indeed, for all their tittering and whispers behind their hands, many of the court women in the capital wear designs from Sunna and his people".

Vargas couldn't help but laugh at his daughter's reaction, he himself had been shocked, caught off guard for the first time in decades, his vision of doom notwithstanding of course, that had VERY much come as a shock.
"Indeed, it seems my plans to make this a quick integration came back to haunt me, however I have no regrets, I will simply be able to horrify some of the nobility earlier than planned".
Vargas figured that having a hybrid heir was likely one of the few things he could do to truly foster something good in the area of race relations, even if he was sure that Leo, perhaps his most disappointing child, would likely have some rather vocal complaints.
"Yes, you will indeed be meeting her, Clara Lunae is a lovely woman, and I do hope my children all approve, or at least hide their distaste... She is currently not far from here, in a fortress along with many of the local sympathisers and my own elite guard".
Well that explained why the tent was guarded by mostly normal soldiers, Vargas had assigned his bodyguards to protect his current spouse and youngest child, rather than having them take up the admittedly rather unneeded role of royal protectors, there wasn't a man or woman alive who could threaten the emperor without alerting the entirety of the army that was camped around them, and many assassins had tried and failed to wound him, a few of whom were now in his employ in fact.
 
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And so the evening turned to night and the meeting went on, with a slight recess to gather food, drink, and possibly one of Shula's siblings. The young queen had herself a fun time, and what she assumed to be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to meet with her last living parent, were the news of his retiring not a hint at further opportunities down the road. That said, while victory tomorrow (or at the very least, the lack of a crushing defeat) was assured, Shula's survival was not, even if the plan she'd pulled from thin air for the siege placed her away from the brunt of the fighting: she'd need her sleep if she was going to bring most of her retinue back home intact.

Still, the meeting eased Shula's nerves: the only person who could have stopped her turned out to be supportive, and in the end, that was all that mattered. With her next meeting with Vahla she would be a new woman, born of the resolve necessary to lead her people. Or something. Anything to distract herself from just how woefully unprepared she was for everything scheduled to take place after tomorrow's assault. A grand feast on its own would attract eyes from everywhere, rather than the mere boors of the military, and on top of that she'd be meeting her new... step-mother? And without a proper gift, too.

When the queen reached her tent, all she told the guards posted outside was "No visitors," before vanishing with, setting her crown aside, and bundling up for the night. Dawn's break would certainly bring with it an eventful season.
 
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The morning would come all too soon for many of the soldiers and nobles within the camp, there was time for only a simple, quick breakfast of mostly dried and preserved foods as the army packed up camp and dragged itself into formation, the gathered armies may have been elite, but no one liked waking up early, and coordinating with each other was hardly a simple task, still, less than an hour after the first commander was roused, the army was ready to march, the camp followers would take somewhat longer to follow as they continued packing up and securing supplies, but with the Capital only a short march away, there would be no need for another stop to resupply.

Shula's own forces were among the first to be ready, thanks in part to Vahla's efforts to have everyone prepared before any of the other knight orders, they were representatives of Shula, and she intended to impress! In fact only Leo's knights were faster, as much as she disliked the man, Vahla had to admit his solders were some of the best in the empire, it made it almost flattering that he had tried so hard to recruit her old self as a member of his personal unit, though she couldn't help but feel that he would not be so eager these days...

The march towards the capital was eerily quiet, and despite the exposed position of the majority of the forces, there were no ambushes, no hit and run assaults upon the flanks, not even the many preciously positioned rocks on the hills and cliffs around them were moved, there was no doubt now, they were being allowed to reach the capital, the enemy was drawing the army into a trap, and as the gates came into sight every mage in the army could feel it, the near oppressive sensation of powerful old magic, Shula at least would be able to tell that whatever the source of the magic, it was not stronger than her own father, of course the average mage or soldiers would not know these and there was clearly some apprehension among the ranks.

The army would stop a short while from the gates as Archers were sighted atop the city's walls, these were the only stone walls in this nations, and they bristled with the archers that had caused so many deaths among the gathered armies, quickly shield walls were raised and archers prepared to suppress the enemy walls, the plan was simple enough, the Emperor and Sunna were moving around the side to bring down the walls in a flat part of ground, after which the bulk of the army would flood in, now however it was time for Shula to make the first move, her army was to begin attacking the archers around the gate, to draw as much attention as possible, while Darrius stood by to counter anything that emerged from the gates.
 
The dawn before the storm, Shula would come to call it. She was certainly no stranger to a show of arms, but to do so in such a large and organized fashion was still a foreign concept to the young royal. Her stomach churned, yet while the main body of soldiers busied themselves with packing everything away for the last leg of their excursion, their commander spent her time getting acquainted with the hairbrush. By the time she'd left her tent, she'd been dressed in what armor she could manage her spellcasting in, with her hair tucked into a formal braid to keep it from hindering even her peripheral vision: appearance was still top priority when marching to an assault, for commanding officers, but especially of royalty.

As expected, her knights stood at the ready. The Lance Ritter. How Vahla managed to organize and train such a force, and still find the time to play Bodyguard, mystified Shula. Yet they stood ready, armed and mounted. Looking them in the eyes, Shula hadn't the heart to tell them she'd volunteered them for a dangerous mission, but then again, they weren't the ones to be doing the main volley: they would be cleaning up the mess, when the forces surrounding them chose to engage. For a moment she thought about learning their names, and those of the infantry joining them, but time was a precious resource.

Once the footsoldiers and the mages formed up, Shula mounted her horse and looked over the gathered armies. She'd not seen hide nor hair of her court wizard, or even young Nimit, but she supposed they had their own duties before the big siege as well. For a moment, the fortitude she discovered last night faltered, but only for a moment. When the knights of Harrock and the soldiers of Daichi arrived, the march began properly.

The lack of an initial skirmish on the approach vexed Shula to no end: as all the soldiers of this land gathered to meet at the castle gates, watching the armies approach, their mere observing and not even bothering to spring their defenses left her ill at ease. Then, the realization hit her: the boulders, the troops stationed atop cliffs. They weren't there to soften everyone up, but to hunt down scattered remnants on their panicked retreat. That no extraction plans were discussed for this siege would have worried Shula.... if her father were not taking the field personally. It seemed she'd still had much to learn in the ways of the Battlemage.

Forming up, Shula gave her troops the chance to catch their breath: they'd marched all morning to get here, and The Emperor himself would be satisfied with nothing short of victory, but the troops were clearly uneasy, particularly the mages who could sense something amiss. As the shield walls went up, she dismounted her horse and handed it off to one of the soldiers. A letter was handed off to one of the archers, who attached it to an arrow, and fired it over the walls: The Ultimatum.

How those inside the castle would receive a call for their surrender was a mystery, but the goal was to minimize casualties. Allowing civilians time to escape before the fighting started was the most Shula could do for them.... and it gave her time to assure her own mages that everything was under control, that their objective was mostly to harry their foes. Whatever shape the storm took, the entirety of the empire's elite retinues and vanguards were here to back them up.

If no response came by the time the mages' wards and shields were reinforced, the archers' opening volley would surely rouse one.
 
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Such a large gathering of force was strange for nearly every soldier assembled, with the vast size of the empire and the differing nationalities of the component states, a full scale assembly of armies from every province under one banner had never before happened, of course they had all trained for the possibility of such an event, but no one seriously anticipated it.
It was easy to see the other monarchs across the battlefield, their ornate armours and elite retinues standing out among the common forces, fortunately the attention grabbing power of said equipment was second to it's protective capabilities.

Admittedly Vahla had skipped more than one night of duty early in the training of the elite knights she had assembled, seeing it as her duty to ensure they were at peak combat effectiveness, fortunately after time, they became less reliant on her for training, and she was able to sleep more often.
Shula's other attendants joined her shortly after the march began, Ariya had been coordinating with the rest of the imperial mages, ensuring that no rituals or spells they or herself cast would interfere with each other, and Nimit had been 'borrowed' by Leo, who's own messenger had ran off in the night, she was clearly a little worn out from the demanding Prince's errands, but it wasn't like she could refuse him, still, tired or not she was ready to do her job carrying any messages her lady might have.
"Your father has prepared some simply amazing spell work for this battle, I was not aware siege magic could even contain that many components and remain stable... I would recommend avoiding highly complex spells in this battle".
Magic was a funny thing, each spell component seemed to work on a different wavelength, and it was entirely possible for overly complex or numerous spells to affect similar spells in negative ways, either weakening, twisting or simply blocking them entirely, it made such large gatherings of mages a logistical and planning nightmare, Ariya enjoyed it at least, many mages were quite eccentric, and enough people knew of her that she wasn't treated as a child by her fellow mages, of course generals were a different matter...

That the emperor had not discussed an escape plan was a strange sign, either he was so confident in victory that it was not even thought of a possibility, or it was a sign of the continued slow decline of his mind as he grew older, his magic preserving his body but not mind.
The civilians would hopefully not be treated too poorly, it was imperial policy to avoid killing or looting civilians, and soldiers caught intentionally doing so would be punished, often with hanging or an equivalent, though of course it did still happen, whether due to malice or collateral damage.

The letter went unanswered for several minutes... Before the defenders upon the walls unleashed a volley of arrows, the greater height of the walls and admittedly superior make and material of the defender's bows have enough of a range advantage that soldiers were hit, and the forces began the assault, taking their specified positions as the Imperial retinue attacked a place away from the gate, a hilly region where it was difficult for archers to get accurate shots, especially with the wind whipped up by several of the mages, still though, no forces rode out to fight them, and there were less archers on the walls than expected, there would no doubt be a counter attack, and it soon arrived, the dust in the distance whipping up as the enemy hill soldiers began their attack.
Unfortunately, even that was seemingly a distraction, as soon as the defenders turned to counter the flanking attack, the city's gates began to creak open... There was a momentary cheer as it appeared the battle would not last long after all! And then, the aura hit the assembled forces, far stronger than before as the form of their new enemy appeared, a massive hulking beast, the size of five men easily, with a blade prominently displayed in it's chest.
They had been briefed on this before the attack, one of the nation's two divine weapons, the Holy Blade of Darkness, but it had no record of creating beasts like that!
 
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