Without a word, she stood up. All noise died down. Conversations halted. Heads turned to her, waiting. Um... "Heirs and thrones only, please," Xanthy had to set her tone to be loud but not rude. What came out was a voice she didn't recognize. It carried authority—something she was used to not having.

Slowly, the soldiers and workers shuffled away. Most muttered to themselves about pending work to be done. Airese walked up to Xanthy and laid a hand on her shoulder. "You sure you won't need us?" her mother asked.

Xanthy shook her head and squeezed her mother's hand. "It'll be fine," she said mostly to herself rather than to her mother. "I promise."

Airese didn't speak, no doubt knowing everything Xanthy wasn't saying. "Alright," she patted Xanthy lightly on the shoulder and exhaled. "We'll be in the command tent, beating the heck out of Eldan in karavag."

Xanthy had to smile at that. She watched her parents, her aunt, and their friends file out of the mess of benches and isolated bonfires and disappear to their tents. Silence.

"Um," Xanthy started. "I gathered you all today to hear a proposition of mine."

Proposition of mine? Who in Queen's stockings says that?

The air seemed to have turned into butter with her chest constricting as it tried taking in air and failed. She exhaled and rubbed her hands together to quell the shaking. "I-I have the privilege to know what the Heiress and the Sovereign are truly planning," she said. "Some of you might not know it while some already have an idea but I wish to find a common ground with you all."

Nobody spoke. All stared at her with expectant gazes. Reeca, from her perch beside Kennen (when had she gotten there? In fact, when had the heirs gotten closer?), sighed and scratched at her temples absently. Her legs were crossed. It was a picture of disinterest but Xanthy couldn't be bothered.

"Our enemies are planning to enter Parkane," Xanthy continued. She expected a few oh's around but the heirs remained quiet. Even June beside her was staring at his boots, with eyebrows drawn together. "Before you tell me that it's all a myth, well...rest assured that it's not. The Heiress and the Sovereign are planning to enter the Arbotro's dwelling and they can't do that without the thrones."

Xanthy took a deep breath and started pacing. "That's why I gathered you all here and your thrones as well," she tried her best to not look at any of her audience's eyes even though she was sure theirs were already following her as she moved. "The Heiress and the Sovereign were planning to use the Virtakios to meld the thrones into a single entity to easily unlock Arbotro's gates."

A few scuffles ensued. Ariden started talking to Jonadrin about the existence of the Arbotro from the myths. The other heirs gave each other dubious looks before shrugging. Xanthy blew a breath and continued. "I figured, since the Heiress and the Sovereign are going to do it eventually," she said. "Then why not us first?"

Silence.

"Why don't we create a single entity out of all the thrones and use it to lock Parkane, for all eternity?" Xanthy spread her hands. No one reacted. Sweat beaded on her forehead and her heart wouldn't stop ramming against her ribs. "As the Virtakios, I know I could do it. What do you say?"

"What about the souls connected to these thrones?" Seravel asked.

Xanthy turned to the fire sprite. "The Sovereign planned for me to temporarily shoulder all the souls as I meld the thrones and bring them all back when I finish," she said. "I know it sounds sketchy and all, but I can do it."

More uncomfortable silence. Elred raised a hand.

"Yes, Elred?" Xanthy called.

Elred smacked her lips as she thought. "In case we succeed with that throne-melding thing, where will you hide it?" her eyes narrowed. "What's to stop the Heiress and the Sovereign from simply plucking it out of your grip and running off with it?"

Xanthy gulped. Convincing the heirs was harder than she thought. "We do it during battle, of course," she said. "I'll be hiding when I do it. I just need all of your approval to do it."

Ariden scratched the back of his ear as he leaned forward. "I don't know, Xanthy..." he shook his head. "Isn't this all too...risky? I mean, I came with you to fight in the war. Giving up the diamond was the worst thing I could have done should we fail."

"We won't fail," Xanthy clenched her jaw. "I'll make sure of it."

"Not that I'm doubting you or anything," Kymalin piped up. "But what makes you think the Sovereign or the Heiress will stop after you lock Parkane with this plan? Won't they just pack up and spend another thousand years looking for a different way to get to the tree? Have you thought about that?"

Mutters ensued when Xanthy failed to come up with an appropriate answer at the first beat. Queen's breeches. "T-then we need to deal with them in this battle," Xanthy hated how her tone became shaky. June's hand crept up and squeezed hers. She reached up and began twisting her hair around her finger. "We will need to win, of course."

"With what men?" Reeca said, her tone flat and disengaged. "With what magic? In case you haven't noticed, we don't have the luxury around magic like we used to. We need the thrones to at least help with that."

Xanthy pursed her lips. "Let's vote, shall we?'' She brought her hands together. "After all, you guys have every say in this."

Canelis raised an arm. "I vote we do it," she glanced at the sword in her lap. "I don't mind. We will deal with the consequences later."

That's one.

"I'll say no," June raised his hand then cocked his head to one side. "Sorry, Xanthy."

Xanthy nodded. "I understand," she said even though she would have to grill June about it later.

Kennen smiled. "Yes, I'd like to do it," his features were the epitome of calm under pressure. "It'd be nice to do something offensive for once. It's a good plan, too. Beat the enemies out of their own game."

That's two.

"It's a yes," Elred raised her hand. "It's nice to always be one step ahead. At least, this time, we got a plan."

Three.

Nyxis raised a finger. "Yes," he said. "Not because you're my friend but because I trust you'd make the right decision this time."

Xanthy might have teared up a little with that. That's four.

Then, Seravel cleared his throat. "I will vote for no. I would like to be responsible for my own throne. I think I can protect it on my own."

Xanthy tried not to appear disappointed as she spied Ariden raising his hand. "Will have to vote no, as well," the earth sprite sighed and laid his palms in the air. "Look, I admire you for breaking me out of house arrest. I will help you in the war for that. But this? I don't know if I could give up something so valuable for something without that much assurance. No offense."

"None taken," Xanthy said, trying to hold back tears. That's already three oppositions.

Cyrdel raised a finger. Xanthy's confidence dropped to her knees at the look on his face. "I will vote no," his tone was not that bitter but it carried enough edge aimed at Xanthy. "I believe we could use our thrones in the upcoming battle to be able to win."

"I appreciate you agreeing to help my brother," Kymalin said. "But I don't want to cross the High Priestess regarding the throne. So, no for me."

That's five no's already. Come on...

"I-it's a yes," Nelnifa muttered. Xanthy almost didn't hear it due to the sound of her pounding heart loud in her ears. Good. Tied now.

"No," Reeca said. Of course. No surprise there.

"And no, as well," Jonadrin followed. "Sorry, Xanthy. I just can't give up my throne."

"April?" Xanthy called.

"Go to hell," spat the Air Sprite. "Where'd you even get the Crown?"

"Like I'm telling you," Xanthy rolled her eyes and snapped. Okay, that's three more no's.

All eyes fell towards Rutoria. The oldest of the heirs and probably the wisest. She's an oracle, for the gods' sake. She knew what she was doing. Moreover, this vote could sway all the opposition to Xanthy's side.

Please be a yes. Please be a yes.

Rutoria raised a finger and looked at Xanthy. "Hmm..." she said. Everyone seemingly held their breaths. "No."

The word bore down on Xanthy like a thousand graspelis. This couldn't be happening...

"Are we done?" Reeca pushed herself up to her feet. "We've got early planning to do tomorrow if we want to brief everyone on the upcoming battle."

All the other heirs nodded their agreement. Canelis cast a guarded look at April who was still tied to the tree. "I will keep an eye on the prisoner," she volunteered. Nobody argued.

Xanthy's world spun. There's just no way...

She fell back to her seat beside June. Tears stung her eyes and her lips quivered not from the cold. June took her hand and didn't speak. Xanthy didn't need him to. She knew enough. Her plan wasn't good at all or the heirs were too divided to agree.

You know that it's neither of those, the Arbotro said in Xanthy's mind, unknown to everyone around her. Reeca barely spared Xanthy a glance before heading off to gods-knew-where. Nyxis took one look at Xanthy and smiled encouragingly. It did nothing to lift her mood.

Yeah, what is it, then, if you're so wise? Xanthy thought back.

If the presence in her mind had a face, it probably pursed its lips. There are things they wanted to protect, the Arbotro said. There are things they didn't want to lose. They fear. They doubt. It's not your fault that they don't see the bigger picture. Although, that plan of yours may be good, but it lacks something.

Which is?

Heart, the Arbotro said. You think of it as your duty and not as something you truly believed in.

Maybe, Xanthy sighed in her mind. She probably did it out loud too. Maybe. So what do we do now?

The Arbotro smacked its imaginary lips. We fight, it couldn't have been in a grimmer tone. For our lives.

Xanthy blinked and a single tear slipped past her eyelashes. Fighting for her life, yet again. Since when did she never?