Vanguards Of Aetheria II: The Solace Rune

Chapter 9: Her Majesty

                                   2 Hours Later

Cal, Elijah, and Keith were still riding westbound. They were well on their way towards Vilentria, and was around an hour and a half away.

"We're soon to come up on Vilentria, so I recommend that we go over the plan." Said Keith.

"Sure." Replied Cal.

"So essentially, we just play along with her until the right time comes." Cal explained.

"And then what?" Asked Keith.

"We attack." Replied Cal.

"It's risky. But by the time we meet with this Stellaria person, there'll be no going back. It's either we get captured or killed." Explained Elijah.

"It's a risk I'm willing to take, and I'm sure as hell you guys are in the same boat as me." Replied Keith.

"Right." Said Cal.

"What if our weapons get confiscated? I'm pretty sure that's going to happen." Asked Keith.

"We don't need weapons to kick some ass." Replied Cal.

"That's the spirit." Said Elijah.

They continued to ride, confident in their ability to deal with this situation. Whether that be by killing Stellaria, or convincing her to not try and use the rune for evil. As they kept riding, the trio eventually saw what appeared to be a barricade up ahead. There were two pikes with flags attached to them, and there seemed to be some people hanging around it.

The flag's colours were a sandy brown, and a green leaf insignia with green vines coming out of it. The people who were around the barricade wore armbands with the same symbol as the flag on them.

"There's some sort of blockade up ahead." Said Cal.

"Let's approach calmly. I've never seen that flag before, so who knows if they're friendly." Replied Elijah.

They rode their horses towards the blockade, looking as calm as possible. As they grew closer, the people  acknowledged their presence. They turned towards them and stood in front of the blockade, holding pikes and shields.

"Halt." One of the guards said.

The trio stopped their horses.

"Greetings, guys." Said Cal.

"For what purpose are you heading in the direction of Vilentria?" One of the guards asked.

"We're supposed to have an arranged meeting with someone named Stellaria Solacien." Said Cal.

"Her majesty wants to have a meeting with scoundrels like you three? You're going to need to come up with a better story than that." Said one of the guards

"Do you have any proof?" Another guard asked.

Cal took the letter from the giant snake out of his satchel and handed it to one of the guards.

"I'll be damned..." The guard said.

"We apologize for the inconvenience, you three. You're free to pass." The guard said as he handed the letter back to Cal.

"Thanks." Cal nodded as he responded.

The trio then rode through the blockade, and began the final stretch to Vilentria.

—————————————————————————
They kept riding for an hour and a half until they finally came up on Vilentria. It was a large town with a large cathedral in the centre. The same flags from the barricade they past earlier were plastered all around the town. As they rode through the entrance, guards gave them dirty looks.