Voyage of War

Chapter 19

Alphira sat on the moist soil woth her leggs crossed under her.
"Most unfortunate they caught on to you." A flat nosed darwf steps un to her.
"Most unfortunate for them." Alphira muses without opening an eye to acknowledge the dwarf.
"How so Mistress?"
"Those fools would have had a better chance with me inside to spy on and learn my plans."
Alphira opened her eyes and got up stretching her legs.
"Ready your men we attack at dawn."
The dwarf scuttled off and Alphira was left staring up at the star speckled sky.
"They'll rue the day they left us stranded atop that mountain. All of them and their ancestors."

                      *   *   *

Ced stood infront of the throne shuffeling from one foot to the other. When he had been summoned Princess Sybil insisted that she accompany him and he was quite grateful of her, with her by his side he felt courageous. Prince Cayman on the other hand tagged along uninvited and unwanted, suspectedly to boast in his brothers embarrassments.

King Casimir strolled into the throne room with his plush velvet robes billowing behind him, not at all in a hurry. He leisurely seated himself atop the throne and glared at Ced.
"How dare you." King Casimir whispers in a menacing voice.
"Pardon."
"How dare you! Giving orders to dismiss my quests in MY castle!" King Casimir shouts.
"I acted on resonably sound warnings."
"I am King. I rule this castle and this kingdom and when I step down Cayman will take over in my place."
"If we don't act Cayman will not Have a Kingdom to rule."
"We will not take rash actions because of the stories of an outsider."
"I for one have trusted my life to that outsider."
"Yes, but I'm a King. I have to think of my people. You! You are a PIRATE. An outlaw so concern yourself with pillaging."
"But I was also a Prince once and am still in blood."
"You were disowned. Stripped of any and every connection to us. You are no longer in line for the throne and no longer an heir to this Kingdom."
"And what if Cayman desides to join us? His wife-to-be has in fact taken our side." Ced takes a daring step forwards and is now standing halfway up the stairs to the throne, making him eye level with King Casimir.
Before Prince Cayman can interject Princess Sybil holds him back and the argument continues.
"Then I'll disown him to and simply... live... forever!" King Casimir exclaims.
Princess Sybil gives an extremely unladylike snort at this statement and Ced must use every ounce of self control to not burst out with laughter at his brother and fathers expressions. Unfortunately King Casimir has now turned his full attention to Princess Sybil.
"And you! Let's set one thing straight. You're not a warrior. You're a bride-to-be, a maiden and you better start acting like one. You owe your entire Kingdom's safety to me."
King Casimir sits with a smug smile, looking down at Princess Sybil's shocked expression.
Ced saw a muscle twitch in Princess Sybil's temple and saw a look of defiance in her eyes. The same look when he first met her, she was at the mercy of pirates but she walked across the deck of the ship like she owned it. Ced steped back as Princess Sybil hitched up her skirt and marched up the steps two at a time, so she stood right in front of King Casimir, who's smug smile had faded away.
"We haven't had word of your troops or my mother since the day those ships left and if I found out anyone kept information from me concerning it they'll be very sorry. I have agreed to marry your excuse for a son in return for assistance, I'll keep my word and you'll just have to accept a warrior as a daughter-in-law because you're not going to get anything other than that." Princess Sybil practically flew off of the podium and stormed out of the room leaving behind a stunned King Casimir, smug Ced and worried Prince Cayman.

Ced finally found Princess Sybil in the kitchens recieving the clothes that she had worn the day they had arrived as well as his two swords, from a young butler. It isn't untill Ced gets closer that he recognizes the butler as Zack.
"I haven't seen you since we arrived." Ced observes.
"I told him to take our weapons and sent him to learn the layout and conditions of the city."
Ced gives her a questioning look.
"Resa would never have left the twins, I barely trust Captain and Drakar won't leave my side. I'm the future Queen of this city I'd like to know in what state the poeple are."
"I've descovered some useful hidden passageways and secrets that no map can show you." Zack pipes up excitedly.
"We have to move fast." Princess Sybil says this as if Ced should know what she has planned.
"Summon the head of the royal guard to the study," Princess Sybil orders a young maid who nods,"Zack you'll be needed here," Princess Sybil walks with meaning so Ced and Zack has to jogg to keep up,"You don't mind me using your swords?" She asks Ced.
Ced shakes his head,"No, consider them yours, I find that a regular sword fits me better."
Princess Sybil stops and beams up at Ced caressing the swords hilts.

The head of the royal guard steps cautiously into the study, eyeing Princess Sybil dressed in her black dress, with the swords crossed over her back.
"Close the door behind you."
The man does as he is told.
"May I ask why I'm here?"
"I need help." Princess Sybil cuts right to the chase.
"I'm here to serve."
"Good. We will soon be attacked and I'm not going to stand by waiting for the enemy to storm in before taking action. I need you to gather as many men willing to fight for their kingdom as fast as you can."
"I... I don't know. I'll first have to consult with the King." The man wrings his hands together.
"There'll be no need for that."
"I... I must insist." The man steps around nervously.
Princess Sybil sighs," Let me be honest, the King does not approve and neither does he believe the Kingdom to be under any threat."
"In that case I must object and am under obligation to inform the King of this."
"You will not do anything of the sort." Princess Sybil snaps.
"You're behaviour seems troublesome and to be the biggest threat of them all."
"We're not here to discuss my behaviuor. You will do as I say."
"On the contrary I think I sould leave." He inches to the door, but Zack blocks his way.
At that moment Ced catches Princess Sybil's plan.
"No. Not here."
The man turns and puts the point of his sword on Zack's chest.
"Sybil you can't do this."
"On the contrary I can."
The man eyes the two as if they had lost their minds. Princess gives the slightest of nods to Zack.
"Zack don't do this."
This turns the man's attention back to a transforming Zack. The sword drops to the floor and the man makes a dash for the corner farthest away from Zack.
"Zack calm yourself." Ced steps in between the man and Zack.
"I am calm." Zack huffs out in his raspy voice.
"Then how?"
"Captain gave me some advice and I had some free time since getting here." Zack pushes up his shoulders in an attempted shrug.
Ced shackes his head to clear it.
"You pushed me and now we have to do things the hard way." Princess Sybil adresses the cowering man.
"What is that... thing?"
"That's not important. What is ,is the fact that you'll do as I say otherwise you'll find out just how bloodthirsty that THING is."
Both Princess Sybil and Ced kniews that this threat is virtually empty, that Zack would never intentionally attack someone without a really good reason and Princess Sybil would never make Zack do anything against his will.
"Sybil you can't..." Ced protests too aware of the consequence if this plan goes awry.
"I can and I will!" Princess Sybil snaps causing Ced to take a step back.
"You'll do as I asked. I want everything ready before dawn."
"But that isn't enough..."
"You'll have to hurry then. We can't have dozens of men marching through the gates in the middle of the day." Princess Sybil waves at Zack to move away from the door, that bursts open to reveal a livid Prince Cayman. The man slips past him and hurries along the hallway.
"Hours. I've been looking for you two for hours." Prince Cayman waves his hands dramatically in the air barely noticing Zack standing a few feet to his right.
"How dare you!" Cayman steps dangerously close to Princess Sybil who keeps her stoney expression in place.
"You'll soon learn your place..." Cayman lifts his hand to strike Princess Sybil, but it is caught by a clawed hand. Only then does he notice Zack. Cayman shrinks away from the beast hovering over him.
"You will not harm my Princess." Zack speaks down on Prince Cayman.

Taking advantage of the distraction Ced pulls Princess Sybil into an embrace.
"You can't save every kingdom you come into contact with."
"I was born in Aevan, I owe it to them to save them and I'll soon be the Queen of Casima, with that privilege comes a curtain obligation."
Ced pulls away from the embrace to look into Princess Sybil's eyes.
"True, but when fighting the monsters you must take caution from becoming one to. This is not you."
"I'm just tired of depending on others to come up with the plans and depending on others to give permission to conduct these plans."
"I know but if you allow yourself a bit more time you can come up with a better plan than blackmail and threats."
"I don't have time. Alphira can attack at any time." Princess Sybil says with worry and adds in a softer voice,"And soon I'll be married and I'll have to do as I'm told."
Ced chuckles and pulls her against his chest.
"When have you ever done as you're told?"
Ced wishes that they could stay in that position forever, but life must go on and their moment gets interrupted far to soon for Ced's liking.
"I think I'll have my bride back now." Prince Cayman demands.
Ced knows by instinct that Zack has turned human again otherwise Prince Cayman wouldn't have interrupted.
Princess Sybil pulls away.
"I'll find Drakar. Ced go find Captain and Zack go find Resa, tell her to leave the twins in a save place and to put on the clothes she arrived in. We'll all meet up here again." Princess Sybil orders seemingly back to her usual calm demeanour.
"You'll..." Prince Cayman starts to object but gets cut off by Princess Sybil.
"Not now Cayman. I have awar to prepare for."
Ced walks out of the room barely concealing his smug smile, thinkimg that Princess Sybil is unnecessarily worried about married live. It'll take someone with a strong personality to match hers and not get walked over. A personality like his.