Mended Hero

Chapter 22

The meeting space that the rebellion had chosen was a wide hall with several chairs forming a circle. All but 3 of the chairs were occupied by different men and women, each with a slave by their side. The eldest of the group smiles as they enter and stands to greet them. The slave man by her side stayed in his kneeling position. Eclipse couldn't tell what race he was but the emerald colored gems at the corner of his eyes makes her curious. Jianna seems to notice as she smiles.

"The gems are magic, created by the mate bonds." She explains. "Nicona is my slave mate so she has gems and this woman is my grandmother, Evony. Her slave mate is Kion."

Eclipse shakes the older woman's hand. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Eclipse and this is my mate Anna."

"It's very nice to meet the two of you. Thankyou so much for coming." Evony smiles as she motions for them to sit.

Eclipse sits in one chair while Anna sits in one that's close to her and Jianna sits acrossed from them.

"Now... I understand my granddaughter has explained our situation to you?"

"Yes... however I wanted to hear it from the others... do you all feel the same way about the king?" Eclipse sits back, listening to the heart rates of every person as a chorus of "yes" fills the air.

"The king has gone too far. His slaves are weak and even dieing from his lack of care and consideration. He drains their energy and refuses to feed them properly." The man beside Jianna shakes his head as his slave places a comforting hand on his arm.

Eclipse looks around, noticing the relaxed slaves and how comfortable they were near their masters. Even the ones being pet or caressed by their masters, weren't showing any sign of discomfort. In fact, they were leaning closer to their masters and providing comfort to them. These people truly cared about the ones they protected. Eclipse closes her eyes as she thinks, letting the people around her discuss the situation. She can feel Anna's gaze on her as she waited for a response.

"Please master Eclipse... he has to be stopped." Eclipse looks at the slave who is begging for her help.

"Of course I'll help." She smiles as she stands. "I understand how you all feel now and I agree. But if I'm going to help then I have to think of your people as well as my own. A war between our worlds will invite bloodshed and may turn your people against you."

Jianna looks around at the worried faces and sighs. "What do you suggest we do then? The king refuses to step down..."

"A one on one battle with the king. Choose a conqueror who you trust. Winner chooses the punishment for the loser." The people around her look at each other in shock as Jianna thinks.

"Will you give us moment?" Evony asks as Eclipse nods and walks out of the room with Anna.

"That's not what I expected you to suggest." Anna looks at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Like I said, if we go to war then innocent lives will be lost. Soldiers who agree with the rebellion will be forced to fight for a cause that they hate. Families will blame both the rebellion and the Urandians for it. This is the best way to stop him." Eclipse sighs.

"But we said we'd help."

"I did..." Eclipse smirks a bit but before they can say more, the door opens back up.

Eclipse winks at Anna as they walk back into the room. Anna sits as Eclipse moves to the middle of the circle.

"We agree with your point." Evony smiles as she leans forward. "However we don't have anyone who is skilled enough to fight. Therefore, we would like to request for you to be our representative. We have all heard about how you are one of the most skilled fighters Urandia has, and while it may all be rumors.. we want your help."