About three years have passed since Julia was kidnapped and fled with the elves to the steppe.
Fritz has joined the uprising and tries to find further support for them. He is determined to overthrow the queen and asks Paul and Ingried for help.
Will...
Emmie and Peyo sat in front of him with worried faces. He had summoned them to his office, which he rarely used. Toys lay on the floor. Unlike him, his young daughter liked to use his office as an adventure playground. She was constantly sneaking in.
He sat at his desk and tried to appear as friendly as possible. Behind him hung a simple painting of Paula. She held Loelia in her arms. The picture was made shortly after Loelia's birth. Peyo looked at the picture with interest. Emmie frowned. As was so often the case.
"Do you have any idea why I asked you here?", asked Fritz. It was important to him to know how his two newcomers assessed him and their position in the family. Peyo only looked at him briefly and shook his head.
"To give us our new tasks? Clean? Or looking after the children?", snorted Emmie. Instead of the new clothes she had been given, she wore the uniform of the servants again. Unlike Peyo, the boy tugged restlessly at the hem of his sleeves.
Fritz sighed. He had expected this answer. "No, child. Of course, I'm grateful to both of you if you spend time with my little ones and want to help, but that's not the point."
"What is the point then?" Emmie crossed her arms. "I'm not stupid. I know what I am. A slave, without rights! Do YOU want to tell me something else?"
"Yes. That's exactly what I'd like to change", Fritz said to her provocation. "I'm working to restore the rights of all wolves and elves."
Emmie didn't believe him. "And how? By saying 'please'?" Peyo looked anxiously at her and shook his head cautiously.
"By being part of the rebellion. I will deliver a message soon and offer you to accompany me. It's not far from here, so you don't have to accompany me. You are both free to choose."
"What?", asked Peyo quietly. "The rebellion?"
"He's kidding!", growled Emmie. "He's a prince."
"A prince, yes. But also a rebel. Emmie? How about it? Would you like to accompany me? And make sure I'm not lying?" Fritz raised his eyebrows.
"Gladly!", snorted the wolf girl. "If it's true."
"Emmie!", whispered Peyo warningly. "No. That sounds dangerous!"
"You don't have to accompany us, Peyo," Fritz said quickly. "And, yes. Being part of the rebellion is dangerous. But I want slavery to end. You two are now part of my family. It was never your wish, and I did not ask for it either, but I want to offer you a good home. Paula agrees. This is a home, not a prison. If you want to explore the city, gladly. We are close enough that you can move freely there. Unfortunately, you have to discuss everything else with me. I'll see what I can do."
"I'd rather stay here", Peyo murmured, looking at the painting again. Fritz nodded.
"Emmie? We leave in a few days. And you don't have to wear the uniform of the servants. No."
The girl just snorted.
Lea
There was bad news. Several students had not shown up for class and they were no longer on the property of the academy. They were now thought to have disappeared and their parents had been notified.
The teachers were in turmoil.
This had never happened before in the history of the Academy. A whole group of students! Disappeared within a very short time! This has never happened before. Soldiers searched for the children, but they could not be found.
Lea sat at her desk looking at a pile of unopened letters. There was no doubt that these were the replies of the frightened or even angry parents. Lea still had no strength to read it yet, even if she had to.
Shay brought her a coffee. "You will find the students!", he assured her with a worried smile. "Are you hungry? You haven't eaten anything today."
Lea wasn't sure. Was she hungry? Would the students be found? "And if something happened to them?", she asked.
Shay didn't have an answer to that question either.
Agathe
The carriage stopped at the castle. Agathe and her still-husband were at home. While Friedrich was planning to take a nap, Agathe hurried to the council's deliberation room, where the members were waiting for her. All members except her daughter Cleo. Agathe frowned.
The council members occupied guest rooms in the castle as long as they stayed there. That's how she had ordered it. So, where was her daughter?
"Where's Cleo?"
"Left, already. She didn't want to wait for your return!", her financial advisor replied.
Agathe just snorted and sat down at her place at the head of the table. Satisfied, she put the rope in front of her. "This rope is made by the vampires, I want the ingredients to be analyzed and the rope made. What conclusion did you come to?"
As usual, the Queen skipped the greeting. Her Councillors for Finance, Justice, Health, Military, and Research were already familiar with this. For each area, she had one or two consultants.
The Council informed her that they had not come to an easy solution. The council considered experimenting with magic and developing new weapons. Agathe smiled contentedly and talked about the steel of the vampires. But she wanted quick solutions. No speculation.
After the council meeting, she enjoyed a relaxing bath in the royal bath. In addition to a spacious bathtub, there was also a small swimming pool. Agathe lay in the tub, decorated with jewels and gold, and enjoyed the feeling of warm water.
She thought about Prince Marlon's plan. The naïve boy had no idea what he was getting himself into. If he succeeded, she would marry him. The boy served her his kingdom on a silver platter. After successfully expanding her power and subjugating the centaurs, she would get rid of the stupid boy.
Their joint rule would be short-lived.
She would wrap the boy in an illusion of success.
She remembered the note he had slipped her. Agathe had read it before servants prepared the tub. Marlon had written a terse apology. He apologized for getting too close to Princess Julia once. He had also noted down an address. That's where she should send the poison. Apparently, this was the address of his personal estate.
He would spend a few days there and receive the poison. He asked for haste, as he was expected in the castle.
Agathe rolled her eyes.
The boy was careless.
(c: sasi)
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
