"You don't have to do this?" Arlie looked over at Valda as they made their way to the rock face.

Valda had regained much of her strength, despite the long training sessions with Arlie and various meetings with the high Fae. But that still didn't mean Arlie was happy about where they were going.

"We leave for Lania tomorrow, I need to see them before that."

Arlie clamped her lips shut, swallowing her disapproval. Deep down, she knew Valda needed to see them to gain closure. Still, the equinox was in three days' time and there was still so much that needed doing before they were ready to go.

"Arlie, it will be okay."

She looked over at Valda, seeing the girl anew. Her wiry hair was braided close to her head and fell down her back, to stay out of her way during training. Her walk was confident and her head high.

Gone was the nervous girl Arlie had escorted into the stronghold a month ago. In her place was a warrior. A queen in the making.

Arlie nodded her head but kept glancing at Valda from the corner of her eye. She occasionally caught Carrick's eyes where he stood on Valda's other side. When he caught her looking he smiled and she quickly pulled her head away, thankful the scrap of material hid her blush.

She cursed her racing heart that had everything to do with the Prince and nothing to do with their destination. She'd always had a crush on him, but had thought her silly daydream was something she'd grown out of. It had been a nasty surprise to find that their recent training sessions seemed to have revived it; if it had ever disappeared in the first place.

His soft lingering hands as he passed her water and the way he tracked her movements when he thought no one was looking made her daydreams blossom, but she was always quick to shut them down. Putting it down to her imagination.

As far as she knew, the Prince still believed her to be a man, and she was reluctant to reveal herself to him. Although she'd shared her secret with Valda and the others, it felt too personal to tell Carrick.

"Through here." Arlie pointed, mentally shaking her thoughts away.

They passed two guards who bowed, continuing down until they came to a covered pen. Sheer mountainside surrounded three sides and wooden poles provided a glimpse into the cells. A wooden roof hung above them providing the only form of shelter.

Valda shuddered at the cold, bundling her hands into her pockets.

"And what do we owe for this royal visit?" The General sneered.

Lord Tristan looked up to briefly glare at them before his face fell into bleakness.

Carrick's hand went to his sword, but Valda pressed a hand to his shoulder. Their eyes met, and an understanding passed between them. He took a deep breath and relaxed his hands, putting them behind his back, his face a mask of indifference.

"Come to gloat, Princess?" The General spat at their feet.

Arlie had to give it to Valda. The girl didn't even flinch.

Valda looked over at the men in front of them. Their clothes were unkempt, but at least it was warm. The cell was barely furnished; just two cots and a shelf. Still, it was only a temporary holding place until things were decided.

"No. I came to ask you why you did it?"

The General hit the wooden bars with force, his arms reaching out to grab her but they were too far away. His expression was lethal, the white's of his eyes stained with red from all the night's of sleep he'd lost. For all his bravado, Valda could see his fear. He worried about what his future would be, or the lack of one.

"Why I did it?" He stepped back when it became apparent he could do nothing with his hands. "I did it because I have been loyal to Lania my entire life. Devoted everything I have. And what do I have to show for it!"

"You had the people's respect," Carrick gritted out, but the General just laughed.

"Respect? You're a fool, just like your father."

Carrick gripped his hands tightly, refusing to jump at the General's bait.

"You wanted more than just respect, you wanted glory, riches." Valda spoke coldly.

"I wanted what I deserved."

"And you will get what you deserve. The people shall decide your sentence, General. I hope for your sake they are more lenient than you were." Valda's voice was colder than ice. The men's fates were out of her hands. Once Lania was free, their sentence would be decided.

She turned away from them, Arlie and Carrick trailing after her. Her last image was of Lord Tristan's miserable expression, as he realised he'd chosen the wrong side, and the General's temper as he threw himself against the poles.

"You heard enough?" Valda turned to look at Arlie.

"He has admitted to his crimes. Now we leave it in the hands of the collective."

Valda tried not to think of what would happen. The man deserved everything that happened to him but she would rather see him banished than killed, but it would not be her decision to make.

When they arrived back at the manor; it was a bustle of activity. Another war council gathered outside, where a large canvas had been stretched to accommodate their new arrivals.

Nandrin and Gadair were resting close by, blowing smoke out their noses to entertain the younger dragons and some of the Fae children, who had grown brave enough to approach. Kadtius and the other giant clan leaders were under the canvas, playfully arguing in their own language.

She looked towards the unfamiliar faces. Gamjee and his tribe of trolls had arrived just one day after the messengers left. If Valda had thought the giants unusual, it was nothing compared to the trolls.

Their skin was a deep shade of purple though since they usually covered it with dirt it was hard to tell. Small horns grew from their heads with only fine black bristles for hair.

She'd been told that a troll's horns were a sign of their age. Every inch equalled half a century. She tried not to think about it too much, taking in Gamjee's rather sizable horns.

The most surprising was the fairy princess who had arrived three days ago. Valda had been expecting something similar to the human's stories, but Dusk was anything but girly and covered in glitter.

She was as tall as Valda, with half her blonde head shaved whilst the other side fell to below her shoulders. Her eyes were a challenging grey that Valda often got lost in. It was like looking into an oncoming storm, beautiful and terrifying all at the same time.

She watched as Dusk tossed a dagger in her hand, lounging back in her chair. Valda had originally worried over the girl's delicate wings, but she should have known the humans had that detail wrong as well.

Whilst they looked delicate, Dusk had reassured her they were durable, made for complex sky maneuvers.

"Princess." Kadtius inclined his head as she stepped up to the table, the others coming to attention.

"Kadtius," she acknowledged, then to the rest, "are we ready?"

Various people stepped up to the table looking down at the map laid out. Lania's castle and the surrounding lands were their focus point.

"So we're in agreement. Most of our forces will gather here, with Prince Carrick and Princess Mauve leading," she pointed to the edges of the castle, "whilst a small team infiltrates through the dungeons."

"Who will be in the infiltrator teams? I'm guessing you'd like some of my men?" Gamjee's voice sounded gravelly, like rocks sliding down a mountain.

Valda nodded her head. Trolls lived mostly underground, meaning their eyesight was perfect for finding their way in dark spaces.

"We will require two of your men to lead the party. The rest will be a mixture of Fae and Fairy."

"Rakash and Kelraz, are my best and will not disappoint Princess." Gamjee offered, already scribbling down notes using a dirty fingernail.

"And do you have a specific team that will accompany you into the castle?" Dusk sat forward, putting her dagger flat, her stormy eyes locked on Valda.

No one questioned that Valda would be the one to enter the castle. Somehow, despite the better trained warriors present, it was Valda who was expected to face Lorcan.

It was starting to be all she thought about, no matter how much Mauve tried to reassure her.

Valda tried not to get caught in Dusk's eyes. "Myself, Lord Tevin, hopefully yourself and a few of your kin, Arlie and half of his team-"

"What?" Carrick interrupted her, but he only had eyes for Arlie.

"Carrick?" She began, but he completely ignored her.

"I thought you were leading the charge on the castle?" He asked Arlie, his voice now completely devoid of emotion.

"Niamh and Boyd will lead the charge, myself and Tad will be with Valda," Arlie explained, confused at why Carrick had interrupted the meeting.

Without waiting for anything else, Carrick stormed off. Arlie caught a glance of his face and her heart plummeted. She didn't think about her next actions, she just went after him, not caring at the staring eyes following her. Something was wrong with Carrick and she wasn't going to let him go through it alone.

Valda looked around the table, noting the looks of surprise and feeling her own.

"Perhaps the Prince and Arlie need a few moments. This meeting can be rescheduled, yes?" Dusk didn't wait for an answer but stood and began talking with her second in command.

"If you'll excuse me." Valda sent a quick apologetic look at everyone present, her eyes lingering on Mauve and Tevin before she bustled after Carrick and Arlie.

She followed the sound of their footsteps and when they stopped, the sound of their voices.

Pushing the door open, she watched as Carrick paced in front of a stationary Arlie.

"Carrick, what's gotten into you?" Arlie asked, bewildered.

Carrick stopped pacing long enough to glare at her. "I thought you were going to be a member of my team, helping storm the castle." His hand roughly ran over his head showing his agitation.

"No, with you leading the attack, I need to be with Valda for protection."

"Then swap with me," Carrick begged, stepping towards her.

But Arlie was already shaking her head. "If the plan fails, you need to get away. Lania can't lose all of its leaders in one go." That had been their reasoning in the first place, and she couldn't understand how Carrick would just forget all their careful planning.

"So nothing I can do will change your mind? You're going into that castle with Valda." His eyes were big, hoping she would contradict him, but she only nodded.

"Carrick, it's my duty."

He laughed bitterly. "You are the most frustrating woman I've ever met."

Valda froze, watching them, knowing that the argument was private and yet neither of them acknowledged her.

Arlie's mouth hung open. "You knew? You knew my secret?"

Carrick's harsh expression dropped as he came closer to her. "Did you not expect me to recognise your name? Or your beautiful brown eyes? Or the velvet sound of your voice." He carefully removed the material covering her face. "I knew it was you the moment I saw. The knights would be so proud of what you've done."

Completing forgetting herself, Arlie threw her hands around him. In the seconds it took for her to realise what she'd done, she felt his arms wrap around her.

"This feels better than all those years you pretended to ignore me." Carrick chuckled as she playfully punched his shoulder.

"Don't think too much about it, Prince." Arlie smiled at him, noticing how his eyes twinkled back at her.

"Never, my little Knight."

Valda eased herself out of the room, a smile lighting her face and her heart lighter.

"So the two lovebirds finally worked it out, huh?"

The sound of Dusk's voice behind her made her jump.

"You knew?"

Dusk regarded her with an unreadable expression before she nodded slowly. "Of course."

Not knowing what else to say, Valda began moving, giving her cousin and Arlie a few minutes by themselves.

"Wait up. I was wondering if we could talk?"

Valda skidded to a stop. Seeing the mischievous twinkle in Dusk's eyes set her heart racing. She nodded her head.

"Perfect." Dusk linked her arm with Valda's and practically dragged her out of the manor.