Astra

"What do you mean the East Side has fallen? This is preposterous! After all the iron and steel I provided for the weapons I expected better."

"Metal is the least of our concern right now, Oakley. A little more and we will lose the first major battle!"

"But it's only been two weeks. Our troops should still be holding up."

I glanced towards my father, a little concerned. His eyes were glazed over and he was staring at something on the wall.

"Well obviously not Stren's men, since-"

"Silence!"

Everyone stopped their bickering to stare at my father in shock. He slammed his hand on the table before squeezing his eyes shut, as if he was in pain.

"What does it matter if we win or lose this war?"

"Father, please!" I exclaimed, before lowering my voice when all eyes turned to me, "Now is not the time."

I returned my attention back to the stunned men and cleared my throat.

"It seems that the Western troops are still holding up well. I believe that the best plan of action right now is for them to try to recover any survivors on the East Side."

"In other terms, retreat," General Stren said, his level gaze on me.

"Yes." I looked around the War Room at the men that only believed in the old way of war and smiled grimly. There was no way they would agree to my proposal so easily, but if we wanted to at least recover some of Stren's men....

"With all due respect, Princess, pulling back my forces would mean leaving the majority of our farmland in danger," General Bane countered, an arrogant leer on his face.

If there was one man that I could kick out of this room, it would be him. However, Bane had been the General of the West Side since before I was born and had already earned the trust of all the other generals. It made that near impossible, even for me.

I opened my mouth, about to answer, before someone else cut in.

"What of our magic users? Are they not doing anything even after all the Xealite we provided them?" Duke Oakley spat out, his fists clenched on the table.

"Now, no jumping to conclusions," Crence said, coming to my aid, "reports say that our mages are indeed contributing to the war effort, but Vereande's Shadowmasters are too strong."

"Pray, tell me why this old man is here." Oakley sneered, lip curled back in disdain.

I felt anger boil up inside me, no one--and I meant no one--insulted Crence. "This 'old man' has brought Rowana to victory countless times in the War of Derende. I will not tolerate any disrespect towards him."

I glared at Duke Oakley, daring him to challenge me. He scowled but said nothing more, choosing instead to cross his arms like a petulant child.

Bane tapped the table with the tips of his fingers, a distasteful frown spreading over his face. "Those damned shadow users--should have murdered them all when we had the chance."

A silence descended over the room and I could feel tension thick in the air. The decades old decision to leave shadow users undisturbed was still a controversial subject.

"It's thanks to attitudes like that which chased away so many them to Veraende," Stren muttered under his breath, loud enough for me to hear.

I sighed. This meeting was going nowhere. I glanced towards the map on the table again, considering our options.

"We could split up Bane's western troops and send some of them to the East side. If there are any survivors, they must be saved," I suggested, a sudden thought entering my head.

Crence nodded thoughtfully, picking up one of the three blue pieces on the large map and moving it towards the east. "But to make it in time, they would have to cross through the Zeclen Forest--which is unadvisable for large groups."

I cleared my throat, grabbing the attention of everyone, "Our Fire Mages can clear a path through the forest, and then we could send Bane's men through."

"But that would not work. The last of the Xealite crystals have just been delivered to the Mages on site and the mines are empty."

The hope I felt rising in my chest was quickly quenched and I settled back in my seat.

"There has to be somewhere else to get more crystals..." I murmured, not meaning to speak aloud.

"Your Highness, if I may," Crence said, standing up and walking towards the shelf on the right side of the room. I followed his gaze, a little bewildered when he brought out an old worn scroll and unfurled it across the table.

"It is said that there is an old Kingdom hidden deep within mountain ranges, where all born there are able to do magic without aid. The soil there is rich, and Xealite Crystals are mined in abundance..."

"Of course! We could send some troops over there to request assistance-"

"But all of the soldiers are busy with the battle! They cannot possibly go on a whimsical fairy journey into the wild ranges!" Bane cried in outrage, his face reddening in anger.

I frowned at the interruption, glancing up at my father for approval, but he was staring at the wall again. A glimmer of tears sparkled in his eyes and I sucked in a sharp breath.

He must be thinking about Mother again.

Shaking the stray thoughts from my mind, I focused back onto the conversation. I had to be strong, for my father, for Aster and for my country. It would be disastrous if I were to collapse under the stress of war.

"Fine, then we'll send someone else."

"And who, may I ask, would that be?" Bane questioned, leer back on his lips.

The corner of my mouth quirked up and looked him in the eye.

"Me."

There was a shocked silence before chaos erupted, "P-princess-"

"Your Highness!"

"You can't possibly be thinking of-"

"-is the most outrageous idea I have ever heard from you!"

I simply smiled and watched as they argued between themselves. Stren, I noticed, also sat back and watched, a grim look on his face. The loss of his troops must have taken a huge toll on him.

"Gentlemen!" At the sound of my voice, they brought their attention back to me, "I will take Crence and a few of my personal guards and will be back as soon as possible. Does anyone have any complaints?"

I gazed around the room, meeting their eyes. The men were all silent, having nothing left to say. Bane's face took on a pinkish hue but he too had nothing left to counter me.

Only one last person.

"Father?"

I glanced up at him, hoping that he would give a sign that he had been listening, that he still cared for me, for what I did... I was going off into almost uncharted wilderness, but he showed no signs of disapproval or objection.

Nothing.

He only sat there at the head of the table with a sad smile on his face, staring at everything, yet nothing at all. Fighting back the sudden hot rush of tears that threatened to spill, I cleared my throat.

"Then it is final."

Dear Sage,

Due to a variety of reasons-

I shook my head, scrunching up the parchment and tossing it in the bin. I grabbed another piece, tapping the quill on my chin in thought.

Sage,

I will be gone for awhile--unsure for how long, exactly, but I just wanted to let you know because I did not want you to miss me...

I wrinkled my nose--that sounded much too pretentious. He may be a long-time friend, but I needed to sound a little less... desperate. I picked up my quill for the third time, wracking my brain for the right words.

Sage-

I will be away for some time, but do not worry I am perfectly fine. Just some family troubles.

-Eve

Nodding to myself, I folded the piece of parchment twice and grabbed my cloak from where it was beside me.

"Lyra?" I called out and a young maid appeared at my door.

"Yes, Your Highness?" She curtsied daintily, head bowed low.

"I have to go out for a bit... tell anyone who comes to my chambers that I am resting and will not be disturbed." I ducked behind a tapestry, opening the hidden door that lay behind.

I poked my head out again as a sudden thought occurred to me.

"Can you send someone to the Raven Post? Ask Henry if he has any birds that can send a message to... a place in the Crestarian mountain ranges." I frowned, would there be a bird that knew the way?

"What sort of message, your Highness?"

"That the Crown Princess of Rowana will be making an urgent visit to their Kingdom to discuss war." I called, already disappearing down the stairs before I heard the echo of her reply.

I fumbled in the darkness for the flint and torch that I kept in the tunnel especially for sneaking out. The torch lit up with a soft hiss and I quickly stepped through the musky tunnel, reaching for the wall at the other side.

Sliding my hand up the moss-covered stone, I found the small knob and pushed it, stepping back as the sound of stone on stone echoed through the tunnel. The wall moved to the side and I stepped through, pushing through the thick foliage of a hedge in the castle gardens.

Glancing around furtively, I picked up my skirts and slipped out of the small gate meant for the Royal Gardener and out into the town. I pulled my cloak tighter, casting a shadow on my face and slowed my pace.

I slipped through the crowd, heading towards the river that I visited once a week. With a look backwards, I edged towards the old bridge that had been put out of use once the newer, bigger one had been built. I crept under the wide arch of the bridge and dislodged one of the bricks on the underside.

Placing the folded piece of parchment inside, I wedged the brick back in, letting a small corner of the paper peep through. I turned to the river, admiring how the sunlight sparkled over the water's surface, remembering the first time we had discovered this place.

"It's our secret place, just in case we ever need to leave messages to each other." Sage grabbed the edge of a loose brick and wriggled it out of its place. He stuck his hand into the gap and winked mischievously at me.

"And if we want to tell each other that there is a message, so we don't have to check all the time," he said, placing the brick gently on the ground and grabbing a rock. He scratched a small heart at the bottom right of the curved wall and grinned with satisfaction. "We can do this."

I laughed, covering my mouth with my hand. "What a smart little boy you are!"

Sage smiled softly, his gaze on me, and I felt my heart thump rapidly in my ears...

My chest clenched painfully as his moss-green eyes flashed through my mind. As much as I hated to admit it to myself, I did miss him.

I could only hope that we would have a chance to meet again.

a.n. 

Hey, it's Hime and we just wanted to thank you for reading this story! The real part starts now and we're pretty excited for it. What do you guys think about the new developments? We'd love to hear your thoughts! ^^

- Emme