Nerini lay in bed after waking, forcing her mind to start working, trying to pull the energy back into her body after only a few hours of sleep. The sun was bright through the windows and the heat of the day was building, signalling that it was nearly time for her to be up and ready for everything that was to come. 

She lay there, debating not getting up at all, or turning and walking out the door and just leaving, refusing it all and dissapearing. The pull was back with a vengeance, telling her that she could take Cocoa to the docks, getting on a ship and sail away from all of this and towards wherever she felt she needed to go.

There was a knock on the door and one of the cooks opened it after her half-hearted reply, "M'lady. Word was sent that the council is sitting, you'll be called for within an hour or two."

"Thank you. Do you have anything to wake me up?" Nerini sighed a bit, knowing that it was now too late for her to make a run for it. She would have to make a decision.

There was a pause and the woman smiled. "I'll make you a strong cuppa." The door closed again, as the woman went to find some miracle that Nerini hoped would give her enough energy to stand.

Nerini grinned, rolling off the bed and coming to her feet though she stopped and let out a groan of pain as her muscles stiffened angrily. She stretched, wincing as her bruised and raw skin strained with the movement.

Nerini was a little tired of always being sore, even if it was her own decisions that brought it upon her. She looked in the mirror, running her fingers over the scratches and burns on her body and face, prodding the bruising along her legs, arms, waist and throat. "It's a good thing no one expects you to be beautiful. You don't need looks to be useful."

She grinned and went into the bathroom to wash-up quickly, rinsing the smell of the ocean off her skin, pulling on a robe as she walked back into her room. Seeing that the cook had come and gone already, she grabbed the mug filled with a dark black liquid that smelled strong enough to keep her moving for a couple hours. 

Taking a long drink, she revelled in the bitter taste and the warmth as it went down, breathing in the smell. Nerini  closed her eyes in enjoyment, until she was pulled back into the day before she could forget why she was up and moving.

"Rini." Her brother knocked on the door but didn't wait for a response before stepping into the room and wincing as he saw the bruises and burns. "You look like hell."

"I feel worse, I think. I didn't expect to see you here." She offered a careful shrug, waving towards the pot of coffee and extra mug as an offer. Her brother was usually incredibly busy during the day and with the council sitting, she had expected him to be involved in some way.

Kannein shook his head at that, still standing in the door, his expression gentle, almost reminding her of their father for the briefest of moments. "I just wanted to see you before you went in this morning. I had something made for you, it was just finished and I was hoping you would wear it today. For the council."

She watched him, fighting the wave of nostalgia before finally bringing herself back into the present and nodding. "What it is?"

Kannein smiled to her and stepped further into the room, opening the door for a couple servants to follow him in. 

The two of them were carrying a covered stand and a long wooden box respectively as Kanny spoke. "I thought that, seeing as how everyone knew who you were now, you didn't have to stand alone. You could represent our family for once and remember that we all stand beside you and with you. That maybe you would like to be a wolf."

He strode over to the stand and flipped the cover off it, exposing a full set of leather and metal armour in the lighter leather and metal style she preferred over heavy plate. It was beautiful, done in the black and red of their family colours. On the breast plate and cloak was the sigil of a lone wolf, white, with red eyes, standing on a black background that was shaped to look like the mountains from home.

"Kanny." She said softly, moving to stand beside him, letting out a slow breath as she ran her fingers over the artistry. "That's amazing, thank you."

"You'll wear it?" He turned to the box and opened it, exposing matching leather gauntlets, boots, and sheaths for her blades and a red cloak with black slashes on it, the uniform of their family.

She grinned and gave him a careful nudge, nodding as she fought back the emotions that welled in her. "I'd be honored, of course."

"You're a Wolf, little sister. You are as much of one as anyone else. And no matter what happens today, you need to know that we are with you. I am with you. " Kannein said gently, giving her a quick hug, though pulling back in apology as she winced from the contact.

She paused, looking up at him. "Even if I turn them down?"

He smiled ruefully to her. "It would mean you had to wear this all the time, instead of accoutrements of the Alliance. If you accept, this uniform will be mainly for show and unofficial duties."

"Oh, they have their own uniforms, don't they?" She winced at that, rubbing the back of her neck. "I'm sure I could figure out my own thing."

"Well, no. Not yet. But you'll probably be expected to come up with something less obviously allied to the O'Varas." Kannein chuckled at that, winking to her, ducking his head to kiss the top of hers.

She sighed, taking a drink from her mug and mulling it over for a long moment. "We'll see. I don't even know what I'm going to do."

"I trust you. Follow your heart." Kannein smiled to her, kissing her forehead before leaving her alone to think.

***

One councillor shook his head, tapping his finger on a piece of paper, as if to illustrate his point, "I still stand by my thoughts that the behaviour was highly irregular, being offered an honour such as that and asking for time to decide to accept it."

Caelur stood and spoke, keeping his tone imperious, regal. "I think it shows good sense. I believe she sees it as more than an honour and asked for time to consider the responsibilities."

"Easy for us to try and assume that, your highness, but she did not say so. She looked more like she would rather wrestle with sharks than be our Champion." An Islander ambassador said skeptically, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I believe she's done that before" Caelur quipped, offering a humorous shrug, eliciting laughter, breaking the tension of the room and reminding them of just what kind of person Nerini O'Vara was, what feats she was capable of when she needed to be.

Rael cleared her throat at the break the laughter allowed. "I know that myself and the Prince are guests here and though we have representatives already in this Alliance, you have allowed us to sit and weigh in on these matters. So, I seek your patience for only a small moment."

The room went silent, all eyes turning to her as she took a deep breath, settling her thoughts and striding around the table she usually sat at, to stand in the centre of the room. "Prince Caelur is quite correct in his assumptions, I assure you. Lady Nerini values this Alliance and its purposes above any ambition she may have. She had laboured long and thanklessly for years to ensure we saw reason on this matter. For as long as I have known her she has dreamed and worked for this peace. It was her fervent belief in peace that brought me to the bargaining table with Sellexu to begin with."

"And it was her actions and words that convinced myself and the High Lord Shiar to propose to even meet, before our two countries met in battle. A battle that would have made dreams of something like this disappear, possibly forever." Caelur added, standing beside Rael, his expression as regal as hers was.

"And your highnesses, we have already heard of her accomplishments and sacrifices, which lead to the honour being bestowed upon her." The islander drawled, smirking to her, he knew what was coming but he wanted her to draw it out for dramatic effect. He was a politician, if nothing else.

Rael smiled at that, turning to the Speaker, then sweeping her gaze across the room to the rest of the Council. "Humour me a while longer ladies and gentlemen of the council, I pray of you."

She was met with silence, so she smiled and continued. "It may not be common knowledge, but her mother was not from Aupana, Lady Elana was from Cleandria, far to the north past the last border belonging to Sellexu. There is not much known about them, other than the fact that they are frustratingly independent and not always cooperative in the ways of treaties, trades or alliances. But their reason for this, is a need to be unbiased chroniclers of our history. They travel the known and unknown world and collect histories, myths and all sorts of explanations of where we come from and where we are going to. They are warriors also, but only to protect and preserve everything that we could possibly need to know. To protect the memories of our peoples. They are aloof so they can be unbiased."

She let out a slow breath before continuing. "Our land is an array of peoples, of various backgrounds, forgotten heritages and joint purpose. Long ago, there was a call for assistance from the early settlers of this land and a family that sought to guard the whole peninsula from a threat coming from the north. What we know is that two brothers split the territory in alliance, each building vast armies of volunteers from across the seas, united in one single purpose, one goal. To be the vanguard of hope against whatever was coming through the mountains to threaten the rest of the world. These vast peoples and armies are what we see today, inhabiting different regions of Aupana and Sellexu and the Islands. It explains our different heritages and cultures, even in unified nations. And all these people, this entire Alliance had a symbol of strength and hope, that was carried by the brothers and used as a rally of strength for the armies in times of need."

By now the council chamber was quiet, all eyes on her as she took in a slow breath, gathering her thoughts to continue before she lost their attention. "That symbol was a target of the enemy, who sought to fracture the alliance to defeat these defenders. A diamond blue as the bay of the peninsula, brilliant as the moonlight and strong as the mightiest warrior, it was stolen and then lost. That alliance was shaken but was still able to defeat its enemy, though at great cost. Accusations began to fracture close ties and the land was jealously split, brother turned into enemy. Blame was assigned, family was shattered and then all of this faded into history, before finally dropping out of memory and into nearly forgotten myth. Abandoned until we jealously guarded our distrust and hate of one another for no other reason than we had been doing it for centuries."

She met Prince Caelur's eyes, inclining her head before shrugging and pausing for breath once more, to allow the reality of what she was speaking of continue to sink in. "We have overcome most of these misunderstood prejudices in a very short time and built our own Alliance, our own strong council to build upon these ties which are both new and ancient. And I ask you to remember the purpose behind all of this, our shared history from so long ago. Remember the mottos of our prominent families, such as the Sellexun D'Ilnza family words which say. "Pass the torch against the dark." And Aupana's O'vara's words of, "we are the light in the storm," among so many from the dawn breakers and beacons of the islands, to the birds of flame of the Sellexun royal crest and the Wisdom of Hope of my own, this Alliance is forged as a beacon, a lighthouse against whatever darkness may come."

She offered a careful shrug. "And it is because of that purpose, that Lady Nerini believed that any Champion of this Alliance, must return this hope, this strength and give something to the Council, to have a symbol for all our people to rally for. And that is why she asked for a delay. Because she was on her way, with High Lord Shiar, to bring it home."

***

And with those words, Rael, walked back to her seat of honor beside Prince Caelur, shaking with the force of them, reaching for a glass of water as she sat down. She hoped that she had read the situation right, that she had put the facts together correctly. Nerini hadn't explained it but Rael remembered the lessons from Lady O'Vara as a child as well as the night spent watching the cold dark waters of the bay during a lunar eclipse.

"You talk of words and histories from Cleandria, who was so adamant to not have anything to do with this Alliance, refusing to even receive messages from us or visitors or even provide any sort of ambassador to voice their grievances to this peace. Are we to believe that this history, maintained by them, foretelling of some all-encompassing darkness is anything but a fabrication? And even if it wasn't, why should we listen to those who would not listen to us." The islander, ever the lone man out in any debate, addressed her calmly.

She sighed softly, finishing her glass of water before offering a shrug. "Cleandria's motto is 'Without truth, there is only darkness.' There is a reason for their silence, but it is not arrogance, or a lack of support of this initiative."

"Then what?" his resistance was beginning to fade, but he needed to press for more answers. Rael didn't blame him for speaking the doubts of everyone, allowing the whole picture to be shown to the council, pulling the information she hadn't yet shared, even after all these months.

"Cleandria has been destroyed. Their cities are ransacked. The great library has burnt to the ground and no survivors have been found. We have no idea what did it, but they are silent, because they are gone." Rael murmured, her voice quiet, but loud enough to be heard throughout the room. "And whatever did it, didn't do it with blades or soldiers. There were no bodies to be found, but the damage caused, was caused by nothing human."

There was a thunderous silence at her words, an oppressive sadness that almost brought her to tears, as if the news were fresh and not five months from the last report of Nerini's search for her mother. Rael shivered from the fear that thrilled in her heart every time she saw Nerini's lost expression go northwards, towards whatever creatures had destroyed her mother's people.

"And that is why, Lady Nerini believes the Alliance Council needs a Champion that can bring hope, strength and light." Prince Caelur finished gravely, picking up the message where Rael dropped off, glancing at her in askance as the Council murmured to itself.

She offered a smile to him, thankful for his help and he nodded. She would explain more to him later. The time for secrets was disappearing, even if they made very little sense.

The Speaker of the Alliance cleared his throat, suppressing a shudder as he glanced around the grim room. "As I assume, after that, that we are all in agreement, let us call both Lady Nerini and High Lord Shiar in once more."