“S,

  I have motioned for a meeting of the lower branches in light of your suggestion. It will occur tomorrow as of the day you receive this letter. There will be no delays. Pray her past mistakes do not tarnish her future. That is all.

  Blessed by the stars.”

  - Letter On Desk Of Senior Inquisitor Serilda, Mare’s Berth Temporary Offices, “Proposal Update”

  “Bonjour, Monsieur Arnaud. Ils sont les invites?” A chevalier asked.

  He was clad from head to toe in blues, golds and blacks. From helmet, to tabard, to even his armored skirt. The one thing that separated him from the other chevaliers accompanying him were the small winged flaps on his helmet. A sign of rank, another captain?

  Arnold smiled, obviously relieved at the friendly welcome. He casually saluted the chevalier before turning towards Sophie and the others.

  “Everyone. Welcome to Monte Del Trisse. This is Praetorian Evrad, a chevalier under Anna's command. We’ll be in good hands.”

  “Indeed.” The knight bobbed his head in agreement. Holding out an outstretched hand, he bowed and gestured for them to proceed, “My men will see you to la chateau. Though I must warn you, we are in the middle of… euhh, des negociations delicates.”

  “Already?” Arnold glanced at him in alarm, “Shit.” He clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction, “Knew we were forgetting something.”

  “Arnold?” Mila asked.

  “We’ll walk and talk. Lead on, Evrad. We’ll be a few paces behind.”

  “D’accord. Allons-y.” The chevalier ordered the other troopers.

  The small squad of soldiers around them trudged forward, ready to escort them to their destination. Clearing the way of the crowd of curious peasants who came to gawk at the large gathering of foreigners and dark elf.

  They had arrived in Monte Del Trisse scarcely less than two hours ago. Approached by royal riders, they seemed to recognize Arnold’s party and showed no signs of hostility as they helped the group drop off excess baggage at a nearby inn, La Souris Royale. Without giving them any time to truly get settled down, their escort had informed them that they had to be ready within minutes to head to the castle. As the soldier had put it, ‘delay unacceptable’.

  Their frenzy of activity did not go unnoticed and was what elicited the crowd that came to look at them. It probably didn’t help that Sophie had needed to stretch and joined Raylani in unwinding after their extended wagon ride. The two elves being immediately noticeable to any who walked by.

  Thankfully, the detachment of chevaliers kept a respectful distance between them and the crowd. And it wasn’t long after when the others came out of the inn and join the little posse on their way to the castle.

  “So. I’m sorry I forgot about this because, obviously, wasn’t really important where we were at the time.” Arnold explained, now leading the group alongside the chevalier officer.

  “Ah.” Philippe clicked his tongue, the look of surprise on the inquisitor’s face making Mila scowl.

  “Fucking hells. You both forgot. Just great.” She snarled.

  “Sorry. Really. It’s just that there’s been a diplomatic summit scheduled sometime this week. Wasn’t important at the time since I was more worried about getting through the kingdom.” Arnold apologized.

  “Summit?” Philippe asked with a hint of surprise, "I heard it was only a meeting."

  “Aye. About the truce the three nations signed. Apparently since everyone’s gearing up for another big scuffle, they’re looking to see if they can stop that. Annalise’s grounds was about as neutral as they come. Full diplomatic complement.”

  “One last chance to back down.” Mila mumbled grumpily.

  “That’s about the gist of it. Though, if you’ll take my advice, do be careful mentioning things.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “She currently favors the kingdom, family ties, or so I’ve been informed. But also well… the rebellion and everything.”

  “Ah.” Both inquisitors uttered at the same time.

  Mila caught Sophie’s inquiring gaze and nodded.

  “The peasant rebellion took her family. Most of it.” Mila informed her.

  Sophie nodded quietly. Anna had already lost so much before they had met. She only hoped that this truce within Gratia meant that the princess still held some semblance of kindness within her. The same that she had shown Sophie back when they first met.

  “Means be on your best behavior. And based on what I’ve heard, that means no drinks for Sophie.” Arnold joked.

  Sophie snarled at him as Elaria and a few others snickered. It was a friendly snicker, but Sophie was still on guard.

  “Kidding, of course. What I mean is that the diplomatic delegations are likely going to be around. Which means whatever plans we had are going to have a little less wiggle room.” Arnold chuckled.

  “Plans?” Sophie arched an eyebrow.

  “Hah. Correction, you plans. Just don’t you lot make too much trouble.” He sighed.

  “We’ll try not to.” Mila answered before Sophie could, “We just need to ask a few questions, huh.”

  The inquisitor frowned. Something seemed to be bothering her. But whatever it was, she kept to herself. She traded a glance with Sophie, just shaking her head to tell Sophie to ignore her.

  “Anything else we should be aware of now that your memories are returning?” Philippe snarkily asked Arnold, the junior inquisitor’s voice immediately catching Sophie’s attention.

  Compared to Mila’s scowls, growls, and snarls, she found Philippe to be a fair bit more expressive. Though ironically, he was also far more careful with his word and emotions. Thus it made it that much more noticeable to her when his snarky tone gave her a glimpse of his uncertainty. That made her worried, for it was much the same as Mila urging her to ignore her consternation. They’re both anxious about something, what do they have planned?

  It bothered her all the more when she recalled how the two had created their own plans without Sophie’s knowledge the day before. In fact, without anyone else’s participation. She stopped herself from raising a question, already expecting that they would try to evade answering. Considering that they were members of the inquisition and have their own agenda, she just hoped that it wouldn’t put her and the others at risk.

  She snuck a glance at the large orc behind them. Marduk had proven himself reliable and certainly Mila seemed to trust him almost implicitly. That only worried Sophie all the more even if it erased any doubts she had about his skill and capabilities. He had also helped her, after all. But he was also perhaps the one she had the least confidence in engaging in a fight, without even considering the slim chances for a victory. The one who would play the biggest factor should the church’s plans come into conflict with her own.

  That brought up another line of thought within her mind. Though when it came to the combat potential of her own party, Sophie found herself pausing. Her own ability to recover from potentially fatal wounds were obviously a huge boon in terms of increasing her tactical options in combat. Yet she had little ideas about how the rest of current party would fare in battle. Mila was, the only known quantity having fought side by side more than enough times. Lucinia too, in that Sophie was almost a hundred percent certain the princess would not be able to hold her ground against much of anything.

  Raylani and Elaria however, were both complete unknowns in her eyes. Raylani was a proper elf, unlike Sophie herself. The dark elf still had youthful features and clearly didn’t look out of place within the Academy that was dominated by primarily younger members of nobility. Though from the few times she’d shared tidbits of herself or from Elaria’s recounting, the dark elf was likely far older than she looked. Whereas Elaria’s unknown came mostly from the fact that she was similar to Sophie, a child of the Nothingness. Furthermore, now that she was thinking about it, she’d never seen her sister fight before. But given Raylani’s almost reverence for the bard’s plethora of skills, she must be formidable indeed.

  Catching herself in this line of thinking, she snapped herself out of it. Questioning her comrades at this stage was pointless. While she trusted her immediate party, her doubts about the church and Arnold still lingered. But there was little she could do to assuage her worries. The only path left to her was forwards.

  They briskly crossed the rest of the attached castle town, Arnold explaining a little more about the potential challenges they might face in trying to meet with the princess given the ongoing negotiations. Chevalier Evrad was at least unlike his counterpart of the capitaine in the kingdom. He dutifully kept the road clear with his men and ensured a security cordon was established around the party. Though Sophie did notice how they seemed to be actively trying to keep the party away from interacting with the common folk. Whether this was under orders or simply procedure for the Gratians, she did not know. She did find it odd however, but knew better than to question it right now.

  Then they were there, the beating giant that loomed over Monte Del Trisse, the castle of House Montroi and court of the mad princess. Ancient but battered thick stone walls cast a dark shadow over the approach. The sunlight above only occasionally piercing through little gaps surrounded by scaffolding, the remnants of a siege not too long ago. Covering some of the gaps were massive banners hosting the sigils and colors of House Montroi amongst others, even more than the ones they’d seen on the approach towards the town.

  Hundreds more soldiers and man at arms stood ready nearby. High atop venerable guard towers and behind fresh barricades, the soldiers watched their approach with interest. Behind each formation however, Sophie could see them. Figures clad head to toe in scratched and rusted armors, others wearing suits so pristine that one might’ve found them hanging on the walls of an armorsmith, freshly forged. But the one thing that united them was the uneasiness they made her feel. Full face covering helmets that hide their flesh, cloaks that wrapped around their armor and an eerie glow from where their eyes should’ve been. Around them, the faint aura of dense, compressed mana. The signs of the undead.

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  Undead knights and chevaliers stood side by side like clockwork machines or a display at a museum. Stiff and unmoving until orders or something else prompted them to move. Like statues, they cared not where the party stood. But she could feel their malignant gazes settling upon them, they were watching.

  She wasn’t the only one shifting uneasily the closer they got. Ahead of her, both Mila and Marduk seemed even more wary than she was. Both already having drawn their weapons and gripped them with a ferocity that even she didn’t expect to find from simply being in the presence of the undead. Thankfully, Sir Evrad didn’t seem to care, and his nonchalance and presence likely helped deter any misunderstandings from such a hostile gesture. For neither the undead or the royal guard moved an inch, only maintaining their silent observation of the approaching guests.

  Everyone else was tense as well, only Elaria seemed to be in high spirits, completely oblivious to the mood in the group.

  “Attention! Nous avons des invites pour la princesse!” Evrad’s gruff but regal voice announced to the castle gates that towered over him.

  Two undead knights marched a little closer towards the group, Mila and Marduk instantly on the alert and tensing up, ready to leap into action. Uncertain but unwilling to abandon her friend, Sophie’s hand lingered over the hilt of her blade. She would not draw it, but she would be ready.

  After a moment’s silence, a loud crack and clank were heard as massive gears began turning. A heavy creak soon followed and the castle gates began to swing open. Behind it, the groan of metal as a portcullis was also behind raised. All the while, the two undead knights remained nearby, their vacant gazes resting not upon the party. But on her.

  She tensed up and slowed her pace. She was unsure if they were examining her or trying to intimidate her. However, she kept her head held high and met their gaze.

  “Merci.” Evrad called out to the gate guards before gesturing for Arnold and the others to go ahead of him.

  Taking the invitation, the party entered onto to castle grounds, Sophie’s gaze never leaving the undead knights until they disappeared behind the closing gates. Sighing in relief from their disappearance, she turned her attention to the far more pleasant flowerbeds and lively decor that brightened up the castle courtyard.

  A plethora of buildings dotted the grounds from a smithy, to a few residences, to even a small fenced of plot of farmland. On the far side lay the guard barracks and a hastily constructed building where workers constantly flowed in and out. Past the barracks was the keep itself. A wholly unremarkable structure if not for the countless sigils and icons etched into the stonework. Alongside that, the almost elaborately designed dimensions of the building did distinguish it as being different from the other blocky buildings within the grounds.

  Scattered across the castle courtyard, defenders of all colors and banners occupied the majority of it. Two camps mainly concentrated around two separate buildings within the castle grounds dedicated to housing soldiers and diplomats from both the Kingdom and Republic. A few remaining soldiers caught a glimpse of the party, their interests piqued by how scraggly the adventurers looked in comparison to the orderly chevaliers.

  But no one had the time to contemplate the situation much as the doors to the keep swung open. From within, a half dozen chevaliers wearing the colors of House Montroi flanked four strange looking soldiers. Only upon glancing at their heads did Sophie’s eyes widen.

  Wearing thick heavy plates of unknown design painted with a deep unsettling black. They all wore enclosed helmets that completely obscured their faces, though notably, they were also of a different design than the other undead riders that had been guarding the castle outside. What alarmed Sophie however, were the juts on their helmets from which well groomed plumes rested. The image crossed her mind almost instantly. The same armor and style that the warrior she had fought in Saclia wore. The plumes in which Capitaine Fontaine had ranted about and which she vaguely remembered seeing back in Saclia too.

  Ah, fuck, She held her breath, it’s them.

  Evrad halted the party’s advance, motioning clearly to await for orders from the keep’s soldiers. Arnold too, appeared more deferential to the new arrivals, as did the other members of Runebound. Mila and Marduk were both visibly uneasy at the sudden arrival of even more undead, with only Philippe remaining relatively muted in his reactions to everything going on.

  “We have guests, messieurs.” Evrad informed the guards of the obvious.

  One of the undead warriors made a strange gesture, only the clanking of his gauntlets and joints letting out any noticeable noise. Somehow Evrad managed to interpret it, the chevalier then promptly bowing and doing a heel turn.

  The praetorian wordlessly performed a series of gestures to his squad. The other chevaliers that had escorted the party up now moving in two lines to reform ahead of them. The knights from the keep moved past the four undead and in front of their chevalier comrades. The two groups then performed a quick passage of arms before returning to their respective formations. With the ritual done, Evrad turned to his men once more.

  “Allons-y.” He barked.

  Offering one last respectful bow towards the party, he and his chevaliers then dispersed back towards the castle gates. In their place, the soldiers from the keep now moved forward to take their places on the flanks of the party. Only then did the four accursed soldiers move to take up positions in front of Arnold and the others. Yet still, they did not speak or utter a sound.

  “Gentlemen.” Arnold smiled at them, garnering no response whatsoever. Undeterred , he continued, “I return from my mission to report I have success brought my collegues Sophie Kastiane and Elaria Kastiane along.” He bowed deeply.

  The soldiers did not give any hint of acknowledgement.

  After a few more tense moments did the keep doors swing open again to break the tension.

  Emerging from within, another two of the plumed warriors made their presence known. But instead of the featureless black painted armor. These two wore modernized scaled plate armor, yet somehow still appeared as ancient as the others. Their armors were also painted a dark grey with red and blue stripes across them. Strange symbols and carvings were also etched onto the surface of the plate, some even glowing ever so slightly. Only when they drew closer did Sophie feel a knot twist in her stomach. They practically towered over most of the normal chevaliers and even the undead knights.

  The two grey ones took in the situation before them when the more senior one; or so Sophie assumed based on his addition of a cape, turned to the other and whispered something. The less senior grey one saluted and scrambled back inside the keep. The officer then marched up to the black ones, who remained motionless. Without even turning, they parted aside to allow him through, the officer now standing directly in front of the party, wiating.

  The often playful rogue immediately dropped to his knee and dipped his head in respect.

  “Here they are, Sir Lyran.” He spoke without a trace of humor, "As the princess commands."

  Runebound followed along with a bow of their own. Only the Lily Knights and the church folks remained standing. The massive soldier did not move at first, only uttering a guttural incomprehensible grunt. Almost instantly, the four undead warriors moved aside, giving Lyran direct access to stare down Sophie.

  She swallowed her saliva and gulped. From the soldier’s posture, she could tell that it was ready to strike her down at any moment. In fact, the undead was only angling itself towards her and no one else, its presence slowly overwhelming her own and making her take a solitary step backwards. Her leg now planted into the ground, bracing for an attack.

  Before it could completely overwhelm her, Lyran turned towards Runebound.

  “Well done.” It rasped, the ancient voice deep and scratchy, almost distorted and grating to the human ear.

  “Thank you, my lord.” Arnold replied. A lord, a man then.

  A metallic creaking of the helmet meant his attention was back on the rest of them.

  “Kastiane…?” Lyran growled, scanning the crowd.

  Sophie timidly nodded.

  “Hmmm.” He huffed before leaning down towards her, his shadow swallowing her completely, “My lady awaits. Come." He commanded.

  Without expecting an answer he turned and began clanking his way back towards the keep. Moving in sync, the four undead warriors did the same. But the party remained still as uncertainty reigned. Seeing this, Arnold hurriedly urged them along and they cautiously followed the warriors. Alongside them, the chevaliers now moved to their rear, forming a semi-circle to prevent them from leaving. Guess we don’t have much of a choice now.

  Stepping inside with little fanfare, she found herself within a modest looking entryway. Cabinetry, weapons and arms, banners and sigils alike decorated the room. All of which seemed to be weathered and worn, leaving the ones that replaced missing decor even more obvious with their lack of scratches and dents. Quite sparse designs for a castle.

  Two rows of royal guards stood on the sides of the entrance. Their presence seemingly blended with the statues on display, making her even more aware of just how deeply in hostile territory they were.

  They were able to relax a little when Sir Lyran led them to a separate wing of the keep. One in which only four royal guardsmen stood guard whilst a plethora of staff ran to and fro the corridor they were in. Two of the guards currently stood on the sides of a set of double doors. What Sophie presumed was to be their destination and meeting point.

  “Diplomatic meeting.” Lyran’s low growl startled her, “Wait here.”

  There were no questions to his order, no snide looks or remarks when he made his way through the doorway. They opened to reveal a conference room full of people, all animatedly trying to discuss something when their attention turned to the soldier who just barged in. Then the royal guards quickly shut the door and with a loud clack, it was closed once more.

  The party just quietly waited, most of them unsure of what to do and just tried to ignore the growing tension at drawing closer to meeting Annalise. They all had their reasons for being here, however different.

  “What do you think is going to happen?” Lucinia’s question broke the silence.

  Almost everyone turned towards her and she recoiled a little.

  “Didn’t realize I was asking something so controversial?” She quickly hissed and held up her hands.

  Arnold was the first to respond with a snicker and a smile.

  “What?” The girl demanded.

  “Nothing.” He chuckled, “And if I were to guess… I’d say Lyran would’ve made his presence known, waited for the last person to finish speaking. And have just been able to tell her and that she storms out and we can expect some chaos in about-”

  As if on cue, the door swung open from within. Standing in the doorway with a manic frenzy in her eyes was someone Sophie recognised. From head to toe down to even her missing leg, she still looked like Anna no matter how differently she dressed. Except there was no kindness or gentleness in her eyes, merely a deep longing hunger that now manifested in the form of an ominous glare.

  To her horror, from behind the princess emerged another face that she knew. Though this one was a little fuzzier in her memory and certainly far less familiar. The barmaid from back in Melton they had briefly met. Their eyes met and Sophie felt a chill run down her spine. The barmaid was much like the other members of Runebound. They could certainly act and feel on their own without influence. But there was something hollow and unnatural that she couldn’t quite understand why. The same unease that the other girl now elicited from her. So Mila was telling the whole truth before. Anna really did all those things… she shuddered.

  The barmaid tapped Anna on the shoulder and the hunger in the princess’s eyes seemed to momentarily flicker. Replaced by a more calculating passiveness that searched the assembled group for answers only to find none. Instead of greeting them however, Anna looked slightly to her right, her gaze lingering on the wall as she frowned.

  “Seneschal Alain, see that the two parties are well cared for and that deliberations can resume tomorrow.” Anna called out into the room she left.

  “Preposterous!”

  “We were in the middle of discussion!”

  A few voices cried out from within.

  An older looking gentleman stepped up to the princess and bowed, “As you command, your highness.”

  “My colleagues are correct! Why the sudden halting?”

  Another voice complained.

  Anna’s eyes grew momentarily unfocused, the princess blinking as she tried to comprehend something unknowable. She then forcefully shook her head and turned towards the room. A burning rage overtaking her.

  “Honored guests, important matters have arisen that demand my immediate attention. Should that be an issue and a consensus must be made at once, you may consider my seneschal to be my proxy and include him in matters or direct your complaints to him. Otherwise, I must insist that I have to adjourn for the day. That is all.” She declared.

  With a snap of her fingers, the royal guards closed the door just as another flurry of complaints began emerging.

  Anna stared back at the party once more, a pained scowl now crossing her face. After another moment, the girl took a deep breath and seemed to calm down a little. She finally mustered up enough control to smile. Though Sophie could tell that it was not one born of friendliness.

  There were no greetings, no acknowledgements as her gaze swept over them. Merely a single command, much like the soldier's.

  "Follow me." Anna barked and abruptly began walking away, her attendant hurriedly moving to support.

  Then Sophie saw it. A tiny glint in the ranger’s eyes as she turned. Something was staring back at her. Something that wasn't the Anna she knew.