A makeshift, rag-tag team of rebels the Militia was not. It was like its own village, spread out over a beautiful emerald green field. The grassy expanse spread for at least a mile before cutting off abruptly at a cliff's edge, opening up to brilliant blue sky. A castle, white marble and shining in the sun, stretched toward the sky along the far ledge.

"Green - it's all green," Noelle said, wonder alight in her eyes. "We haven't seen anything like this in months."

Mygel grinned, nodding. "We, uh, cheated a bit. See, winter and snow slows us down, so, we sort of got rid of it."

"Got rid of winter?" Roman asked, blinking. "How?"

"One of the Guardians here has a knack for heat. She just warms up the plains anytime snow tries to fall. Turns into rain - keeps things fresh and green." 

"There are other Guardians here?" Phoenix asked, turning to face Mygel. "How many?"

Mygel shrugged. "Not many. Handful at best. Why? You never met one?"

Phoenix opened her mouth to reply, but Finny cut over her.

"Why are we just standing here in the doorway? We need to get your mother and her men to Helena. Move, girl, move."

"Right." Mygel did a little jump and spun around to face them all. "Few rules as we come in: don't pick fights, don't blab, and don't question Helena's decisions. You're too green to be comin' in here and sassin' about. You'll earn your place, whether at the bottom or the top, over time. Now, Helena's been waiting for you. She's not going to be happy when she hears Canya got you first."

"Well I'm not going to be happy if she's feeling superior today," Finny snapped back, hands stacked on hips. Mygel paled, nodding once.

"Let's go, then."

Mygel marched them right through the center of the green field, passing smitheries, tailors, armories, and even merchant stands with fresh fruit.

"We trade, here," Mygel said, gesturing to a stand set up for selling beautiful brightly colored dresses. "You can't get somethin' for nothin', and the stands'll take money to use when they're buying material from the outside, but for the most part we make trades."

Phoenix glanced over at Noelle, who watched everything with the same wide-eyed wonder she'd had when she first left Treywick. It was strange to think she'd only been out in the world for months, not years. 

"Over there's the training field." Mygel pointed to the only area not covered in grass. A massive circle of hard packed dirt housed several men and women sparring in hand-to-hand combat. "Different groups train through the day: swordsman, archers, fisticuffs, and special gifts are the main focuses, but we're always looking for new methods of combat."

Phoenix watched as a woman took a hard left hook to the jaw, crashing down into the dirt. Maverick sidled up beside her, nudging her with his elbow.

"Looks like we've found where we'll be." He winked at her and she grinned.

"All dad's lessons finally paying off."

"Why is there a castle here?" Trey's quiet question drew a beatific grin from Mygel.

"This is the northern castle - one the Tremaines have used for centuries on summer holiday. They'd come up here to enjoy the ocean breeze."

"Isn't this kind of a dangerous place to put the Militia, then?" Abigail asked, face scrunching in disbelief.

"Well they don't know it's here, do they?" Mygel practically bounced with excitement as she relayed the tale. "It was lost to them during the great quake nearly a century ago. Those hilly mountains there used to be wide enough to let a whole procession through. When they closed up, the royals just left it be."

"They didn't bother finding a Guardian or an Ancient with the ability to reopen the mountain?" Abigail retorted, brow arched.

"Nope. They just built another castle down on the eastern shore. It's a beauty, if you're ever in Uro to see it."

Abigail cut a frown to Phoenix, who shrugged. It did seem like a poor plan to hide in the royals' own home, but if they'd not been bothered thus far...

"Mind this edge now, it drops off and no one is going to survive that fall." Mygel pointed to the now uncomfortably close cliffside, and Phoenix stepped closer to peer over.

The grass ended in a rocky crag, which cut off into open air. Below, the ocean lapped at a pebbled beach, at least a hundred feet down. Phoenix sucked in a breath, lifting her gaze to stare out into the vast expanse of water.

"I've never seen anything like it," Mav breathed beside her. "It's amazing."

For a moment, no one said anything, the land-locked natives taking in the sight of the sea. Finally, Mygel cleared her throat.

"Yeah, yeah, it's gorgeous. You'll have time to look later. Come on, now. Get a move on."

They traipsed after Mygel as she closed the distance to the castle entrance. Phoenix craned her neck as she stared up at the topmost turrets. The entire castle basked in the midday sunlight, welcoming them forward.

"How strange," Abigail muttered, peering up at it. "I wonder why they did that."

"Did what?" Phoenix asked, drawing her attention back down to the entry doors.

"This castle is all marble. The Osha castle is obsidian." 

"Maybe it's because this is the summer castle," Noelle suggested from Abigail's other side. "White marble won't absorb the heat the way obsidian will. In the winter, you want the castle to take in as much warmth as it can on its own, but in the summer you don't."

Abigail turned her full attention to Noelle. "Why do you know the strangest facts?"

"I spent my entire life reading." Noelle bit down on her lip, but failed to stop a grin. "Both in my father's library and the forbidden books below our home. But this," she gestured to the castle, "wasn't forbidden. Just science geology." 

They passed through the entry into a great hall with vaulted ceilings and arching windows to allow light in. Above them, a second floor could be seen with a railing, almost like a bridge above them. A woman rested her forearms against the rail, watching them. 

"Helena!" Mygel called up to the woman. "They've arrived!"

The woman dipped her head in acknowledgement and disappeared off to the left.

"We'll wait here. She'll come meet us." Mygel clasped her hands in front of her, waiting respectfully.

"The way they talk about this Helena," Maverick whispered to Phoenix from behind, "you'd think she was the heir to the throne."

Phoenix shrugged. "For all we know, she could be---oh, nope. Definitely not." 

Helena appeared in the hallway, the epitome of elegance and grace.

And age.

Helena was a woman who appeared to be in her sixties or seventies, with shocking white hair cascading down over her shoulder in a braid. Her piercing blue eyes crinkled at the edges in a smile, but Phoenix couldn't help feeling the woman searched their intentions as she took each of them in.

Though nowhere near as pruned as Finny had been as an old woman, Helena's mouth, hands, and eyes were lined with wrinkles. Unlike Finny, Helena's seemed to fill her with even more grace and beauty. 

"Finny, I'm so glad you've returned." Helena held her hands out and Finny grudgingly accepted the embrace. Helena's eyes roved over them over Finny's shoulder. "And I'm guessing you had some trouble? Canya, what have you done now?"

"She attacked us and killed a woman we rescued from the Army," Finny replied, pulling away from Helena and sweeping a few stray strands of salt and pepper hair back toward its bun. "She went after a little boy and we killed a few of her men."

Helena's attention flickered to Trey, who shifted behind Abigail. "My sincerest apologies. Canya is...unwell. I'm afraid her experiences have made her a tad violent." Helena turned and gestured to a few men standing nearby, waiting for her orders. "Take them to the dungeons for now. We'll have a conversation later."

The men obeyed, removing Canya and her men from their charge and marching them away. Helena lowered her voice, lips pursed in earnest.

"She watched her husband be tortured before the Army killed him. Then they tortured her, but she escaped. She's struggled since then." Helena put a hand on Mygel's arm. "We do what we can for her, but her episodes are..."

"More aggravating than tongue can tell," Mygel finished with a wry grin. "But she's Mother, so it is what it is."

"Now," Helena assessed the lot of them with her hands clasped before her, eyes falling and pausing on Roman. Her mouth split into a warm and welcoming smile. "Roman Treck, my how you've grown."

Roman dropped his chin, a slight blush creeping into his cheeks. "Hello, Lady Helena."

"Oh Lady tish tosh. Come here." Helena reached out and pulled him into a hug. "I miss your mother every day."

"As do I."

Phoenix whirled around to the others to gauge their reactions. Noelle's mouth dropped open, her brows furrowed in surprised annoyance. Maverick let out  huff of air and Youlden contemplated his gloves.

"You know her?" 

Looks like Roman's secrets might be finally coming out! Did you just LOVE the Militia landscape? I do, it's one of my faves.

What do you think of Helena? of Mygel and Canya's story? How do you think the others are going to react when they hear what Roman has to say? WHAT do you think Roman has to say?

Speak now in the comments and I'll see you Monday!