They had been gathered in the council room for hours when another rider was announced, carrying an urgent message from king Darius. The man had barely finished speaking when a second rider arrived. This time, he came from the North, from the fort where Iason was stationed. When he noticed Vara he bowed at her respectfully. "My lady," he said, "do not fear. Your husband is well. He sends word ahead. Two more riders are coming. We have prisoners, Your Majesty, Your Highness."

"Prisoners?" Vara blinked. She listened as the soldier explained how they had captured a Balor scout and the suspected messenger from Vertalis, only the rider had come from farther South of the province. He carried a saddlebag with gold and a message.

Torcan walked over to the large table and studied the map of Zeir. The South road. It was in line with what they had heard regarding this so-called engagement between his brother and lady Giulia Atoli. Her father's home was in the South of Vertalis. In combination with the message Darius' rider had given them, things did not bode well. "Your Majesty," Torcan said pleadingly.

King Marcos nodded. "Yes, I know." He took a deep breath and turned to Cyrus. "What do you think?"

Cyrus narrowed his eyes and joined Torcan at the table. He, too, studied the map carefully. "I think the time for sitting idle is over. If we don't act now we'll be too late." He looked at Torcan. "Where is this meeting point king Darius mentioned?"

Torcan moved his finger to a spot just North of Salvire. "There. We need to beware of Izem though. A large army like that will be noticed. We don't want to be caught in between. Nor do we want him to tip off our enemies."

Cyrus shook his head. "We can travel by Boncini and cross the border there. We'll meet king Darius' troops at the meeting point."

"Cyrus," Vara spoke up, "if you take that route, you'll need to be careful of lord Atoli too. He'll see us march. If he is indeed a conspirator, he'll send a message out. We could be caught in between either way."

King Marcos frowned in thought. "We have enough to take Atoli in custody for questioning. We'll place him under house arrest for the time being. Him and his entire household. I will send a few men ahead." He looked at his son. "I'll leave you in charge of the army. I need to stay her and see to our prisoners. Perhaps they'll divulge some more information. Stregare has a large army as well. I'll send word to them to join you in Tirèze."

Cyrus nodded grimly. He did not want to leave, especially now that Ariane was with child, but he knew there was no other way. "I'll rally the troops," he said, "we'll leave at dawn." He turned to Torcan. "I'm assuming you'll ride with us? There's no point in returning to Tirzé first. You'll lose days."

Torcan gave a firm nod and turned to the messenger Darius had sent. "Carry a message home of our plans."

The messenger gave a stiff nod. Torcan knew it was because the man despised him and did not want to take orders from him, but he would do as he was told. In the end, he was representing the king. Personal preferences had no place in a war.

"Vara," Cyrus said, "you should travel to Boncini with us. I'll make sure both you and Chloe are returned home safely."

Vara nodded gravely. The upcoming conflict would be all deciding and she was afraid. Afraid for her loved ones. Her mind drifted towards Iason who was at the border still.

Cyrus seemed to realize where her thoughts were going and he pressed her shoulder reassuringly. "We will send word towards Iason once we are closer to the border. Perhaps he can aid us from his side. They are still holding the fort. We are at the advantage now. And with king Elon lending aid from the other side, we are sure to be victorious."

Reckless words. They both knew it, but neither dared to admit the truth that there was no way to predict the outcome of this battle. People would die. Some of them would be loved ones. Not everyone would come back. And those that did would never be the same.

"Father," Lucius spoke in a small voice. He might not understand everything that was going on, but he understood the danger of war. And he understood his father was going to ride into that danger and might not return.

Cyrus walked up to the boy and placed a hand on his son's head. "Take care of your mother. You need to be strong. Your father is going to defeat some enemies."

Lucius' lip trembled, but he would not cry. He wasn't a baby. With a determined look he bit his lip and gave a stiff nod. He would be brave.

"Do your best in your lessons," Cyrus told him sternly. He kissed his wife's cheek. "I'll be back before you know it."

Ariane nodded palely. She didn't want him to go. She wanted to beg him to stay. She wanted him here with her. But she couldn't get the words past his lips and he would only scold her if she spoke them out loud.

She looked down when Lucius took her hand. The boy looked up at his mother with a solemn look on his face. She needed to be strong for him. She needed to believe her husband would come home safely.

"Prepare to depart," king Marcos instructed, "I will have instructions ready before you leave to give to Iason and Octavius. We cannot lose this battle."

Cyrus nodded. "It will be done."

...

"Must you go yourself?" Elora sked with a pained expression. She watched as Darius put on his armor. It hadn't been that long since he last rode out and the thought of him leaving again was almost unbearable. This wasn't just a simple inspection of the troops. This was a full out war, a direct confrontation. She feared what might happen to him.

Darius momentarily paused his actions and took her face between his hands. "It is the only way to secure the land. We need to put a stop to this. I need to go myself and instruct my men. And I need to be thee to prevent Izem from interfering."

Of course she knew all that. It didn't make things any easier. "Please promise you'll be careful," she pleaded.

Darius sighed. "I will do what I have to in order to ensure our children will grow up safely. Stay withing the palace grounds. Keep Mehr close to you. I don't know how long I'll be away, but be patient. I will come back to you."

He had already assembled the army. Most of his men would ride out with him towards the border, but he needed some to stay behind to guard the city.

They would use the main road to travel up and cross into the mountains a few miles South of Salvire. That way Darius hoped to have the element of surprise and cut off his uncle. Once they were stationed at the meeting point he would send a squadron to take Izem into custody. He'd be placed under house arrest for the time being. He didn't want to risk the man escaping enroute to Tirzé.

"I need to go," Darius stated firmly, "should anything go wrong, listen to Mehr. He knows the escape routes. In that case, take the children and go. I will find you."

It was the worst case scenario, but he needed to take anything into account.

Elora shivered involuntarily. She knew escaping the city was a last resort, but the thought alone made her blood run cold. If it would come to that, it would mean Darius had fallen. It was a horrifying thought.

"Elora," Darius urged.

Elora nodded. "I will," she promised, "just come home."

"Help me with these clasps," Darius said tiredly. Dwelling on what might or might not happen wouldn't do anyone any good. He needed to focus on the task ahead.

Elora quietly fastened the rest of his armor and then it was time for him to go. And she wondered if she would ever see him again.

...

As always with such a large party departing, the morning was busy and chaotic. Soldiers were everywhere. Horses were being saddled, carts with supplies and tents were being loaded.

In between all that chaos, commanders were giving out orders, and final inspections were being made.

Vara watched it all solemnly. She hadn't much to pack. All she could do was wait until everyone was ready to ride out. She would ride alongside Cyrus with the Royal guard until they were close to Boncini. Once there, a small escort would accompany her back home and the rest of the troops would cross the border to meet up with king Darius. After seeing her home safely, the men would join Cyrus again.

Her eyes found Cyrus in the crowd, discussing something with Torcan and Iolaus. Iolaus had returned urgently from his city home where he had gone to when first arriving in Auros. He had hoped to spend a few more days with his wife Ophelia, before duty would call him again.

Ophelia had come to see him off and now walked up to Vara. "Oh, Vee!" she sighed, "what's going to happen now? I don't like it that Iolaus will be fighting at the border! He'll be at the heart of things. What if he gets hurt?"

Vara hugged her closely. There wasn't much she could do to comfort her friend. She didn't like it any better, but this battle had been inevitable. "He is a good fighter, Ophi," she said, "you need to believe he will come home."

Ophelia broke free from the embrace and took Vara's hands. Her face had gone pale. "I know," she said, "but I can't help but be scared." She turned her gaze to her husband who was fixing his saddlebags.

"Yes," Vara said softly, "me too."

From the corner of her eyes she saw Ariane standing on the front steps of the palace. Ariane had a thick woolen cloak wrapped around her, but was still shivering. Lucius stood next to his mother. He appeared to be calm, but there was a nervous expression on his face. "Keep an eye on her a little," Vara asked her friend.

Ophelia followed her gaze and then looked at Vara curiously. "On lady Ariane? Why?"

Vara bit her lip and sighed. "Cyrus told me she is with child." It wasn't that she was worried about Ariane perse, the two women had never really learned to get along all that well, but this was Cyrus' child Ariane was carrying, and Cyrus had longed for another child. She didn't want to jeopardize that.

Ophelia nodded in understanding. She looked at Vara with sympathy. Vara had wanted a child for so long. It must seem so unfair. Yet Vara still found concern for Ariane's well-being. "I'll visit her as oft as I can," Ophelia promised, "I'll bring Arkmene. I'm sure she'll enjoy that." Arkmene was Ophelia and Iolaus' daughter of almost two. Ophelia sighed. "And who will keep an eye on you, Vee? Iason is also at the border, is he not?"

Vara let out a heavy sigh and smiled at her friend sadly. "I'll be fine." She wanted to be home for when there'd be news from the front.

Ahead of them, Iolaus broke free from the soldiers and made his way over to say goodbye to his wife. Vara pressed Ophelia's arm gently and excused herself to give them some privacy. Carefully she made her way towards Torcan. "Are you all ready?" she asked.

He turned to her and smiled sadly. Even though this day had been long coming, no one had been looking forward to it. "As ready as can be," he answered her. He took a deep breath and looked at her seriously. "I want to apologize, lady Vara," he said, "for the grief my father has caused you and your household." He swallowed thicky. "I can't believe... I did not think he..." He looked away in shame. He had been afraid to bring it up before, but now that they were going to the frontlines, not knowing what might happen or if they would ever see each other again, he needed to get it off his chest.

Vara gently placed a hand on his arm and shook her head. "Don't blame yourself, Torcan. The fault is not yours. We are none of us responsible for the actions of others. Please. Don't feel burdened." She hated seeing him like this.

He inclined his head. "You are too kind."

"No," Vara said, "I mean it. You have a good heart, Torcan. This is not your fault. Don't ride into battle with a heavy heart. Come back alive."

He let out a sigh and nodded.

"Vara."

Cyrus approached then and looked from one to the other cautiously. Torcan quietly bowed. "Your Highness."

Cyrus eyed him a moment longer before turning to Vara. "We are ready to depart. Do you have everything you need?"

"Yes," she nodded, "I'm ready." She smiled at Torcan one last time and followed Cyrus. Her horse stood ready for her next to his.

Beside it stood a nervous Chloe. The girl was eyeing the horse warily. She hadn't learned to ride and now she would have let it carry her for the next day or two. Because she couldn't ride, it had been decided she would share the horse with Vara. Also, the horses that were available were reserved for the soldiers.

Vara smiled at her encouragingly and mounted the horse effortlessly. She held out a hand to Chloe. "Ready to go home?"

Chloe nodded and sighed with longing. She had missed Boncini. She missed Lykander and Phoebe.

With a determined look she grasped Vara's hand and clumsily climbed behind Vara in the saddle.

All around them soldiers mounted their own animals. The royal guard gathered around them and then they were off.

...

Mikos paced his room with a frustrated expression. He hadn't had the opportunity yet to send out a message to the king, and his father kept him short. Mikos wondered if the man suspected anything and was afraid to take risks at the moment. Being reckless would get him nowhere and most likely only make matters worse. He just wished there was something he could do in the meantime. Right now he felt useless.

On the bright side, it seemed his father also hadn't received word yet from his allies. What it meant, Mikos could only guess, but he hoped the messages were somehow intercepted. Perhaps his initial warning to king Darius had been received after all and had led to developments.

Maybe Zeir had found out who was behind things on their side of the border. Maybe things would be resolved soon.

It would certainly allow him to breathe easier.

He leaned out of the window and took a few deep breaths. A slightly cooler breeze drifted in from the mountains. Here, in the far North of Tirèze, the temperature was more bearable, depending on the direction of the wind. It helped clear his head, if only a little.

Patient. He needed to be patient. If he remained calm and kept his eyes and ears open, opportunity would present itself.

And he needed to be ready.

A/N A new chapter, and hopefully the next will be out soon too. Don't forget to check out my story Cracks while you wait :)