The War Room, Royal Palace, Saturday
War's End chapter 3
Leda's hair was still short, but had fully grown back, and the redness of her skin had faded a bit more. But it was still sensitive and here and there signs of the burns could still be made out.
Ember hovered, though not literally, nearby. Elves lived long enough that humans often thought them immortal. And dragons lived long enough that to Elves they seemed immortal. She and her brother were still very very young by Dragon standards, but Leda was younger still. So having lost her brother, Ember was now just a little freaked about almost losing the girl she'd come to regard as a sister. So, hovering.
Leander was also present along with one of the generals who was explaining that even at a forced march, it would take time for their army to reach them.
"We didn't send everyone into the field." Leda pointed out.
"That's true your Majesty." he nodded. "But what we have here is only a third of our strength at best. And we can no longer depend on our allies. They have their own problems. If our full strength were here, we would stand a chance. Now, I don't know."
Leda tensed. She knew someone, soon, would suggest the "S" word. Surrender.
A light flickered where no light should be and a portal opened directly in the War Room, close to Leda's throne room. Karla strode through it, looking every inch a Queen. She knew that Leda's subjects (okay, let's be honest, her aristos) sometimes had trouble accepting humans as full equals. And so her first impression was meant to be more a show than anything else. Convince them of her power and authority, while making it very clear she was there to support their Queen.
Which meant decking herself out in something eye-catching and glamorous and wearing as much jewelry as she could get away with without completely violating the boundaries of good taste. Dating a Worthington meant she had plenty of expensive pieces to choose from, at least, and the Sapphire at her throat glowed with an inner power. Personally, Karla thought it was ridiculous to wear a gown to enter into a bloody war-zone, but she could change into something practical later. In a way, this was just like Glacia; violence and death outside didn't mean that appearances didn't count inside. Ridiculous, but you had to play the game.
"Then the first thing we need to focus on is numbers," she said, ignoring the shouts of surprise at her appearance. "Ours, theirs, resources, and equipment. Who has the most accurate and up to date figures and troop movements. I need to be brought up to speed immediately."
Only then did she turn to Leda and give her friend a regal nod. "Your Majesty," she greeted. And then winked. "Kiss kiss."
Oh, silly Elves. And Leda had warned them and everything. She smiled back at her friend.
"Your Majesty, welcome. Thank you for coming, and if I may say so, your timing is impeccable." She made a quick round of introductions. The statuesque Redhead was Ember the Dragon, who was watching Karla with undisguised curiosity. Sure she'd seen two humans before, but it was still a rarity.
"Hello." she smiled wanly. "Leda's told me a lot about you, it's good to finally meet you."
"Leander of course you know."
"Welcome to Alfheim Lady Karla." he greeted her.
"And General Skuld." the General bowed stiffly. Don't take it personally, he did everything stiffly. "My Lady." He had a map of the city and surrounding lands before him with the position of Corwyn's army marked out, and their own forces as well. He turned it so Karla could see.
"Glacia owes you many thanks, Lady Ember," Karla said, giving the dragon another nod. "Leda has been my friend for many years, one of the first I made. Your courage saved her and for that, I am grateful."
A little part of Karla wanted to fangirl at a real dragon, one of the kind that her people had been descended from, but that was probably better another time.
Leander got a smile. "My thanks for your kind welcome, Lord Leander," she replied. "I wish it could have been under better circumstances, but I have only myself to blame for that. Her Majesty has invited me to visit many times."
Karla eyed Skuld for a moment and decided not to reinforce her status as Queen. 'Lady' worked well enough for her and he had immediately did what she asked. "Thank you," she said, turning her attention to the map. She whistled at it. "Well, he certainly planned well, didn't he? Bastard."
But she was here now, that's what was important. And when this was over, Ember would be fascinated to learn that somewhere there were humans descended from Dragons.
"Yes. Yes he did. Many of his past attacks we'd managed to be ready for, thanks to some very sneaky strategies by Queen Leda." Skuld agreed.
"Mini-scrying mirrors." Leda explained to Karla. "On your advice our spies appealed to Corwyn's servants and got them planted all over. I didn't think he'd catch on."
"I'm not sure he did." Skuld said. "But he certainly figured out something was going on, and started taking extra steps with security. After the loss of his son his attacks took us more and more by surprise."
Leda shuddered. One of those attacks had been pretty horrific in her opinion.
"One advantage we still have," the general went on, "Is that Corwyn's most powerful allies are themselves, busy with other matters. There's some nasty creatures in his ranks, but nothing our forces can't handle."
Karla turned from the map long enough to tip a wink Leda's way. "Glad to know some of my ideas came in handy. Don't worry, I came with a bunch more."
After a few more minutes of studying the map, Karla shook her head. "This is bad," she said softly, not that anyone in the room needed to hear that. "And you've taken heavy losses, while the rest of your army--" she touched various places on the map, "--are out of position. If we wait for them to assemble, we're going to face a siege. From what I can tell of your forces, if it comes to that, you've lost."
She looked at Leander. "Am I correct in my assessment, General?"
Leda wasn't sure but she suspected that had been a jibe at Skuld for calling Karla, "Lady" rather than Queen or Majesty.
Leander smiled slightly. "Oh I am no general Your Grace." he said. "I'm merely Leda's Chamberlain. But no, I do not believe you are mistaken."
"You are not." Skuld growled. His Queen vouched for this girl, good enough. But it was still giving him much discomfort having a mortal in their realm. "But I don't believe they will want a lengthy siege. They would not want to give the rest of our forces time to get here."
And that would be why Karla had referred to Leander as General. Because she was petty that way!
"Then I think we have a good place to start laying our plans," she said with a nod. "Do I still have to look all fancy? Or can we all agree I'm here, I'm capable, and I can stop looking like I'm going to a ball in the middle of a bloody war council?"
Seriously, she'd played the stupid game. Can she dress normally now?
Leda laughed. "Oh but you look so pretty in that." She wasn't exactly dressed for battle herself, but her dress was rather simple. She had a change of clothes ready for when she set her plan in action. "Please, make yourself comfortable."
"This is not comfortable," Karla snarked. "I'm just going to assume the charade is over and I can look like a normal person and not have to worry about being dismissed." She gave Skuld a long, hard look at that one. "Sound reasonable?"
Go ahead, Skuld. Karla was a multitasker. She could plan a war and tweak your nose at the same damn time.
Skuld's armor wasn't even polished. "Do I look like I care about your game of dress up Little One?"
"Kids don't make me turn this car around." Leda snickered.
"Now, now, Grandfather, be nice," Karla chided. "I'm not the one with a chip on my shoulder and a need to be forcibly reminded that mortals are people, too." She arched an imperious eyebrow at him. "The enemy is out there, remember? Can we play nicely together or is Mummy going to have to send us to our rooms?"
Unlike Leda, she didn't sound amused. There was too much at stake for dancing around Skuld's sensibilities.
“That sounds like a grand idea." Leda agreed, forestalling any comeback Skuld might have come up with. "I've got another plan as well."
"Great," Karla said, not laughing (really!) at how well Leda had just shut Skuld down. "Then I'm going to change out of this sideshow act and when we get back, we can get down to business and get your kingdom back."
Momoko had made a few phone calls to let people know where she was going to be, then a quick side trip to visit Reno and stock up on some items, since his world had things a non-magic user could use. And Momoko felt a lot better having them on her; her powers had acted weird when she was in Bordertown, and she'd never actually tried fighting in Leda's kingdom.
And it was also for that reason that it was actually Blossom who stepped from the portal into the War Room, in case she wasn't able to actually transform while there.
"Excuse us for intruding, and my apologies for arriving so late." She gave a small bow to the assembly. She knew most everyone in the room, but she wasn't sure if any of them could recognize her while she was transformed.
Of course Leda knew her, but... well, she was wearing the royal crest bracelet gift from Leda, just in case- visible proof of her alliance, if not her identity.
And don't think she missed the fact that Smoke wasn't there.
Eli had followed her through the portal, dazed and trying not to show it. Or was that fear? But now... looking at the group assembled...
It was a bit of both really. Eli had never traveled by portal before. And of course, being the son of the enemy had him worried about his reception.
"Blossom," Leda smiled, hurrying over to them. "Dragonboy, thanks so much for coming." She took Eli's hand. "Especially you Dragonboy. I know this is scary, what I'm asking you to do."
"Dragonboy?" Ember asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I-it's what they, they call me in Bordertown." Eli said softly.
"Leda, everyone. We're here to help." Blossom stated as she set her hand on Eli's shoulder to lend him her support. Leda had specifically asked for him, so no one better complain!
She bowed again to the group and lifted an inch or two off the ground. "I don't know if you can tell, but we met when I was Momoko. This is my other identity, Blossom. My hero identity."
From "Blossom huh." Ember smiled warmly, if sadly. "It suits you."
"Welcome, both of you." Leander said. "I've no doubt your unique talents will be of great help. And we need all the heroes we can get."
Blossom looked directly at Ember, totally hearing the sadness in her voice. Suspecting, since Leda had choked on the name when they'd talked.
She leaned slightly to see if maybe... "Ember? Is, is Smoke on reconnaissance?" Blossom was desperately hoping he was, even though she knew he would never miss a meeting like this.
Ember blinked hard, and looked at Leda. "You didn't tell her?" she asked, her voice hoarse.
"I, I couldn't say it." Leda apologized. "I-"
"Smoke didn't make it." Ember said, almost spitting the words out, as if they hurt.
Blossom was not gonna cry. This was totally not the time or the place for it. Dragons were deeply important to Blossom on many levels, personally and culturally. And in addition, Smoke had treated her... well, he'd been a teasing old uncle, and she'd adored him for it. She floated silently across the room to Ember, then performed saikeirei, a deep bow that she rarely used.
Her back was straight as she held her pose, hands flat on her legs with fingers touching. She focused watering eyes on her feet and somehow managed to keep her voice steady: "I didn't know him nearly well enough to comprehend how much you've lost. It was a honour to know him as little as I did and to have considered him a friend."
Not gonna cry. Not gonna cry.
Ember was not familiar with this particular custom, but she recognized the intention behind it. "Thank you my friend. He thought well of you as well." Her eyes welled again but she managed to hold them back. Momoko was right, this was not the time for the histrionics she wanted to indulge.
Later, when it was all over, there would be hugs and tears. For now, they needed to honour what Smoke had fought for.
Blossom waited a few seconds longer and then slowly rose. She stayed by Ember, but turned back to face the others in the room. "Were there many lost? I didn't take time to get much information once I learned they were only a day or so away. Do we have time to catch me up?"
"Very few civillians were hurt." Leda said, collecting herself. "They were uhm, scared inside before any of this went down." She didn't say just how they were scared inside. That was just a bit too macabre for now. "But we lost the entire council of nobles and their staff."
Blossom took a moment to let that sink in. She'd met some of those people!
She rubbed her forehead, trying to think. "The whole government. That's was bold. He dealt a good blow."
Ember laid a protective hand on Leda's shoulder.
"Not as good as he'd hoped." Leda said softly. "But yes."
She had no intention of revealing just how close it'd been for her. She could still feel the kind touch of the Psychopomp's hand, and see the gentle look in her eyes. I'd welcome the company. she'd said.
Blossom took in the play between Ember and Leda, and putting that together with the wounds Leda was still showing...
"He won't get another chance," she promised. "Let's plan this."
James strode into the room, clad in a mixture of modern Fandom (dark jeans, military sweater and jacket, crossbow, boots) and Midkemian (cloak, gloves, rapier) dress. His clothes and his mood were dark, and he stuck to the shadows with his back to the wall as best he could, as if expecting attack. "Hello, Your Highness," he said.
"Hello Jimmy. Thank you for coming. Wish the circumstances were better, but it's good to see you again." She introduced him to Ember and General Skuld. "And you've met Leander right?"
James nodded and tipped an imaginary hat at each in turn. "I believe I have," he stated.
"So." His eyes swept the group. "What can I do?"
"I'm hoping you can help me sneak into a dreadful and terrifying fortress." Leda said lightly.
He blinked twice. "Give me details, I'll give you results." If she was serious, he was serious.
"Corwyn's hiding in his home like a little bitch while his army does his killing and dying for him." Leda said. "I'd like to pay him a visit."
"I am not overly fond of those types of rulers," James said. Arutha had spoiled the lad's view of royalty: dashing off into battle after battle, walking half a continent for a flower, the siege.
"How many with us?"
Now that all of her friends had arrived, Leda decided it was time to get to the main point of inviting them. And Skuld was looking like he might have an aneurism at all the interruptions. When Karla returned from changing, she got down to it.
"Corwyn is banking everything on this final move." Leda said. "Without Dragonboy, it would have taken a metric shit load of power to instantly transport his entire army here. Now this means that a lot of the magic his army could have used will already be used up. It's possible they're giving us as long as they are to surrender, is so they have time to re-charge. I don't want to give them that time.
"Also, it means that Corwyn himself and his closest mages will be weakened. And vulnerable. So what I propose, is launching a pre-emptive strike on his army before they can regain their full strength. And taking a small force to face Corwyn himself.
"Even if he suspects the possibility of an attack on his home, there is no way he could anticipate human assailants."
Blossom leaned forward. "But he's already met me. And he knows I am at least some kind of human." He'd been pretty nasty about it, too. "He knows I'll fight for you; why would he think I wouldn't?"
"He doesn't know you can enter this realm." Leda said. "As far as anyone but my friends know, the whole 'humans can't cross the border' thing is still true."
Ah! Blossom nodded. "That's a good advantage. At least until he sees us. Are we sure he's not out with the troops?" Blossom totally would be!
General Skuld nodded. "We still have our spy mirrors in his palace. His war room may be clear of them, but his chambers are not. He's there all right."
"Let's just be clear," Karla said softly. "This strike force--are we planning on getting in there and taking him alive for a trial--or are we going to take him out."
She darted a glance at Blossom. An assassination would be much easier and--in its own way--cleaner. But she wasn't so sure the superheroine of justice would agree to that.
"And just what kind of attacks are we willing to unleash on his army? Are they conscripts? Mind-controlled? Or his personal warriors that will follow him till their deaths? The more we know about morale and what they're prepared to face, the better we can marshal our forces against them."
Or, well...play a few of the tricks Karla had up her sleeves. Those tricks were not very nice, though.
"Are they entrenched, or can we make them come to us?"
"Entrenched?" Skuld frowned. "Is that a mortal colloquialism?" The Fae had never invented trench warfare.
"I think it means something similar to if they were just going to wait us out in a siege." Leander said.
Leda herself was silent for a moment, pondering. Something had been at the back of her mind, and what Karla had said about Corwyn's troops brought it closer to the fore. Finally she answered Karla's question. "The officers are probably loyal to him, or motivated by their own petty hopes for conquest and plunder. I believe most of the rank and file are a mix of conscripts and mercenaries."
And as for taking Corwyn alive...Leda was pretty sure that wouldn't be an option.
"So we can match the army, contain it. Move it. But we won't break it without breaking the top. Without a leader, it may collapse. Then we really do need to get through to the top first. Corwyn. Probably a direct immediate surprise attack, you're right, while he thinks you're down."
And yes, while she was going to attempt capture, she was aware that others were not.
Blossom pinched her lip, thinking. "Mercenaries, though. I'm worried about that. What are mercenaries like here? How are they..." she waved her hand. "You know, bound? I mean, if we defeat Corwyn, will they stand down?"
"Also, how's your treasury? Will they come to our side if we beat Corwyn's offer? Can you beat Corwyn's offer?" Karla doubted it, considering he was probably offering them plunder, too, but she had no idea what resources Leda had to throw around.
"As for the army...if we can make them come to us, we'll be better off. Lieutenant, where's that map again?" Karla, be nice. "I need to see some of the terrain around here. If we can make them come to us, we can thin and exhaust their troops before they have a chance to get to ours."
She bit her lip, thoughtful. "Can we get people inside their camps? Like camp followers and hangers-on and the like? I have an idea. Oh, and how many illusionists do you have handy?"
Karla had several ideas.
Skuld sighed inwardly. "The Goblin mercenaries will never break a compact once it's been agreed to." he said. "No hope there. Others, well if you have some way of actually contacting them you could try it."
"Bear in mind," Leander cautioned, "That there are a lot of mercenaries. And we may need much of the treasury for recovery from all this."
"Iranon's said he got people into the camp to work on them." Leda told Karla. Economics wasn't something she could easily puzzle through at the moment. "I think he can help there. And we've got a few illusionists. And Bards. Iranon told me we have a lot of Bards in this city. That will give us a psychological edge."
"Ah, speaking of your friends," Skuld cleared his throat, "Who else would be going on your little jaunt? You're not planning on leading, what am I saying of course you're planning on leading the group yourself."
"Ah General, you know me so well. Do you want me to get into all the reasons or can we skip you trying to talk me out of it and just accept it?"
Skuld sighed with frustration. "Fine. You, your human friends, the Dreamer. Anyone else?"
"No." Leda said.
"I can think of at least two people who will be very unhappy about that." Leander told her. "And one of them can breathe fire."
"Wait." Blossom's first instinct was to blurt out that of course Leda was going along! But then...
"I think that's a good question to discuss, Leda. Karla and I need to be in the surprise attack group - I know Corwyn, but Corwyn also knows me; Karla's totally more of a wildcard." She frowned. "Although, I think you should be there... you're also the Queen. Whether you like it or not, that means something to them. To all of the people."
"Blossom has a good point," Karla said. "And moreso, that can work to our advantage. Your people need to know you're there with them. They're fighting for you, in your name...if you're not there with them, then they're going to lose heart. That's the last thing you can afford, especially if they're already outnumbered."
She looked at the maps again, trying to make Leda's numbers look a little less underwhelming. "Plus, if you're seen out leading the troops, no one will expect you somewhere else a little while later, right? Where's Corwyn's base? Can we get there from here in decent time? Bloody Hell, I wish Raven were here."
Having a teleporter would make logistics a lot easier.
"They're not fighting for me." Leda said vehemently. "They can't be fighting for me. They mustn't. They're fighting for their homes, and their families. Their freedom. I may have wound up being a leader but I am not, and will never be a ruler." She took a deep breath to steady herself.
"And they will see me leading them. That's where Ember comes in and why she can't come with us. I intend to address the people and the army, remind them of their true cause, and do what I can to bolster their spirits. Then Eli will transport us to Corwyn's castle. He can get us there nearly in an instant. And I want Ember to cast a glamour that will make it look like I'm riding her into battle."
"That may be how you see it, Leda, but how long have your people been ruled? It takes a while to get used to the difference, I'm sure. Either way, you're the person with power who's sticking up for them, so they're still going to look to you."
She listened to the rest of the plan and nodded, face losing some of its tension. "Wonderful. That's pretty much along the same lines I was thinking. So that means we have to come up with two different branches of strategies. One for the armies under the command of General Skuld, and then one the group going after Corwyn directly."
Really, if she'd been anyone else, Blossom would have been fascinated at the fact that Leda was trying to get her people to move away from a monarchy, Karla was hoping to reestablish her own monarchy, and Momoko was going to leave behind her country's parliamentary monarchy; and here they all were, fighting an attempt at a dictatorship.
But, being who she was, she simply shook her head at Leda. "People who think they're fighting for their homes don't fight just one person; they'll fight you, too. Karla's right - they don't know about ways to live other than to do what someone in your position tells them. They'll do the same if Corwyn's wearing your crown."
She sighed. "But I agree. It's good that Ember can make an illusion of you. I don't like it, but it's probably best. Karla and I... we have our own personal limits. Also anything we do, it isn't going to be seen as official, no matter, what by someone; we're not supposed to even be here. If you're there, that makes it more proper."
And that the Queen was powerful enough to use magic to appear in two places, wouldn't hurt Leda's credibility either.
Stepping closer to Karla, Blossom looked over the maps as well, hoping to see if she could come up with any useful suggestions. "General? Are the armies using weapons? How exactly does a war happen here? When we fought with Corwyn in Bordertown, it was simply an all-out attack right in the open. They charged, and we countered; totally no strategy except trying to kill win."
Leda knew they were right. But one of the thoughts she'd clung to in this entire war, was the idea that she was never asking them to fight for her. Asking all these people to fight for her own personal vendetta would be abominable. So she'd told herself that it was bigger than her. She reminded herself of the true stakes. Not her own life or power. But what he'd already done to those conquered, and what he would do if he won.
"It depends on the terrain and the situation." Skuld told her. Her pink eyes made him feel more comfortable around her. He could pretend she was just another race of Fae. "For this battle, particularly since it's meant to finish this conflict, it will likely be similar to what you experienced. But not everyone will charge at once. They'll send their weaker, more expendable troops ahead to test and weaken us, holding their stronger units in reserve. They'll probably use their long distance attacks early on as well."
That's totally what she was afraid of...
"We don't have enough strength left to win an all out attack like that." Actually, Leda's team probably had never been at that level. She frowned a moment, then pointed to some odd terrain on the map. "If we can pick where that battle happens, could we lay traps along the way? They're on foot, yes? Maybe we could set up some ambushes?" Blossom may be samurai, but she totally knew ninja techniques worked better in some situations.
She looked to Karla, especially. "Could we even make some changes to the landscape to give our people an advantage? Hills, trees, and trenches? Would magic like that work or even last?"
"I was thinking along those same lines myself," Karla said, beaming at Momoko. "It's why I was asking about illusionists. We could seed the distance between their army and ours with traps and then make the way look like clear, solid ground."
She pointed at a part of the map that looked like it went through a ravine; a textbook area for an ambush. "We might even want then to find a few of our surprises and disarm them. Only a moron would expect a clear path and their scouts will be suspicious if they don't find anything. But we let them clear out a few and they'll get overconfident."
"Even being able to Heal the land, I can't change geographical features," she answered Momoko, "but digging pits and trenches might be done easily enough by soldiers. And with enough time, I can use Black Widow Craft to make things very unpleasant for people walking through the webs." She bit her lip. "How much time do we have?"
"Not enough to make very elaborate traps or trenches." Leda said. "We've got a few days left before their deadline for surrender."
"But I like your ideas for ambushes." Skuld said. "There's a stretch of low hills and sparse forest between their camp and us. Not enough for much cover for setting up traps. Which will make it all the more surprising when they run into them. Our scouts are very good at invisibility glamours." He looked at Karla with, well still a scowl, but it was somehow less stiff. "How much time would you need for this, Widow's Craft of yours?"
"They don't need to be elaborate," Blossom interrupted to add. "Or magic. I can work with some of the foot soldiers about some. The simpler the better, actually, since they'll be expecting magic, right?"
"Can we also set up triplines at various heights through the forest?" Karla asked. "Ankle height, chest-height, even neck-height. Vary them around a bit. Would be possible to flood some of that area as well? Make them slog through it? Marshy ground and undergrowth make for a nasty combination. Marshy ground and downhill even more so."
She called in her supply of spider-silk and tried to estimate the amount of forest available. "It would depend on how elaborate I want my weaving to be," she said. "If I just want them confused and disoriented for a while, I could probably get it done in a few hours, so long as I had a little help with the setup. If I actually want to influence their minds and terrorize them?" If she pushed herself... "A day? Maybe a day and a half? I'd need a while to rest after that, though."
"Now you're totally reading my mind." Blossom nodded at Karla, smiling as she pulled a yo-yo string from her pocket. "Trip wires are totally my specialty. Anything with string, really."
Her fingers moved as she began weaving her string. "Oh, and I brought some potions and things from Reno's world. They have magic there that non-magicians can use? I have some that we think can help you recover faster. Also, I brought lots of extra easy snacks." Duh.
"Ethers?" Karla asked, making grabby hands. "That will make things a lot easier!"
She could do without that pesky resting thing she'd mentioned. Win for everyone!
"Also, Leda, about the people I asked to infiltrate the army...Do we have some? Because beyond prophecy and illusions, the Black Widows are also the caste of poisons." She help her right hand up, extending her snake tooth. "If we can get access to their food supplies I can brew a few things up that will wreak havoc through their lines."
She wouldn't need to make it fatal; a poison that mimicked dysentery would be just as effective. But she wanted to see how the others responded to her bald facts before making any more suggestions.
Blossom snickered and nodded. "Lots of ethers, antidotes and potions! Plus something called 'Mute Mask' that makes it so your opponent can't cast spells for a while- I could only get two of those and he wants them back, if I don't use them."
"Uhm," she thought for a moment. "Oh! Some stuff that turns the enemy into a frog or shrinks them! Those would be awesome for the traps. Or the mercenaries? Do we know where in the army they are?"
"Poison the food, poison the water, and you eliminate a good portion of the army from taking up swords," he said. "Speaking of," he said, turning to Leda, "You've secured your borders and your staff, right?"
"We've been using red brick dust to weed out spies." Leda told Jimmy. "It's a bit of human magic that works wonders here, and no one expects it. So yes, that's secure. The borders and staff I mean."
She’d been primarily standing back and letting Skuld field the ideas. This part was really his show. And she swore, he visibly relaxed when Karla showed her snake tooth. Though perhaps only an Elf, or someone who knew him would have noticed.
"Now don't use all your tricks on this army." he cautioned. "Remember you've got to get into Corwyn's palace and take him down, and that's going to be a nasty business."
He beckoned to one of his lieutenants. "Get that Iranon scoundrel in here. It sounds like he'll best be able to help these girls out." Then he turned back to Momoko and Karla. "If those...what did you call them, Ethers? If they can restore you," he pointed to Karla," to full strength quickly, then I say do whatever you can. A day and a half to set up our defenses is probably all we'll have, and there won't be a lot of time to recuperate before you need to leave."
He then pointed out the best places to try to muddy the ground so to speak. "Our scouts know spells to that effect." he said. "And they'll likely be able to point out the best places for trip wires."
He added fishing line to a list of things to procure.
Karla grinned merrily at him. "Who said these are all our tricks? We have copious sleeves. Or, at least, pockets." She winked at Blossom, still a little giddy at the thought of having access to Ethers. "And I still have the basic web for the spider illusion I made for Jono's haunted theater, so I can incorporate that..."
Calling in a notebook, she began taking notes of the kinds of illusions and traps she could hastily weave and numbering them by how useful they would be against the enemy.
"So, Leda, we're at the point where you have to make a decision," she said, finishing up a sentence so she could look her friend in the eye. "How are we playing this? Are we going to hit Corwyn's army as hard as we can, no holding back? Or are we going to blunt our strength a little?"
The others could chime in with their opinions, but this boiled down to Leda's choice to make.
From Leda's Faerie Pics Iranon arrived at that moment, cheekily entering by climbing in the window. "I heard your men were looking for me." he said to Skuld. "They'll never think to look for me in here."
He winked at Blossom, bowed ironically to Karla, and rubbed his hands together. "Right then, I hear there's some skulduggery to be done."
"Karla, this is Iranon. He'll hopefully be helping you out in setting the traps."
She chewed her bottom lip for a moment. "I'm hoping we can take out Corwyn before his forces can do too much damage. But otherwise, what we're really trying to do here, is hold out long enough for the reinforcements to arrive."
"Reinforcements? Coming from where?" Blossom nodded a greeting at Iranon. "And are we prepared in case the army doesn't stop when Corwyn is defeated?"
"The rest of our army." Skuld said. "What we have here are mostly Home Guard and reserves. Our main forces were out engaging Corwyn's army before it was transported here. We've sent word about what happened and they're on their way. But we can't match the power it takes to instantly transport that many that far."
"If Corwyn's defeat doesn't stop his army, it should at least demoralize it." Leander said. At least, he hoped that's how it would work. "And give our side a moral boost."
"Kiss kiss," Karla said, waving to Iranon.
"So, how are we going to let them all know we've defeated him?" Karla asked. "Remember, you're supposed to be on dragonback, leading that army. Are we going to transport back there, waving Corwyn's--ahh, flag?"
She'd been planning on saying 'head,' but had decided not to, in deference to Blossom.
Momoko totally noticed that Karla wasn't being as vocal about death and other strong war terms, and she didn't like it. Momoko was in this knowing what was possible! It was decades ago, but her culture was totally born from war!
But! Momoko also knew it was possible that the number of deaths could be minimized, and setting out with the intent to kill someone was not the way to do that. And showing mercy was a good quality in a ruler!
Momoko frowned at that, nodding. "This has to be totally planned out, Karla's right. The whole reason we're letting you come along is to make the attack on Corwyn legitimate in the eyes of the people. But then aren't we also showing that you lied and didn't actually fight with the army, the people who thought they were dying with you? That's totally not going to make people happy, and we're back where we started, just with someone else."
Leda desperately hoped that Corwyn would never surrender, so she wouldn't have to choose whether or not to be merciful in this instance. She also felt that she was stuck between a rock and a hard place in regards to what Momoko was saying.
"They can hate me or kick me off the throne or whatever the fuck they decide to do afterwards." Leda said heatedly. Then she took a steadying breath. "The illusion of me on dragonback is more for Corwyn's forces benefit. If they see me here, it will give us that much more the element of surprise when we take the battle to him. If it gives the people here courage enough to resist till reinforcements can get here, so much the better.
"But yeah, the plan is to bring back Corwyn, and show he's been defeated."
Blossom stepped close enough to reach for Leda's hand. "Leda. I totally understand and I agree it's a good idea. I'm just saying we need to make sure how we come back is planned right. You say you don't care what they do, but you have to. If your people are going to fight, fight to their deaths, they have to believe in something that means more to them than their lives."
She sighed. "The people here don't have anything that important. They won't fight on their own; to them, this is just another time of change and it will change again later. That way of thinking, believing that you can't make a difference in who rules you, it's totally the benefit and the downfall of a government like this. In my country, we don't think of the Emperor as a god anymore, but we still have enough belief in him that what he and his family do can rock the whole country. And here is totally nowhere near Japan."
Ah! Were there Japanese faeries? Blossom made a note to ask, later. Talking to them might be a good way to help Leda move her country away from absolute rule.
"Maybe... Maybe we can have a pre-arranged signal, where Ember and your illusion disappear when we are about to show back up? The people don't have to know what happened, just that you were fighting with them and that you won."
"Some kind of dazzling light show?" Karla suggested. "Look, I don't want to...belittle the sacrifices people are going to be making out on the field where they will fight and be injured and die, but war is also about pageantry. It's about heart and morale and when one side loses those, odds are good they'll lose the fight. And after all of this, the last thing you want is to have people so hurt and disillusioned by you that they fall in with the next Corwyn wannabe who can make a pretty speech and knows how to work a crowd."
Did Leda really want to have to deal with another war in a few years' time? Or watch all her grand dreams of independence fall victim to a smooth-talking petty dictator? Karla thought not.
"We also don't want them to start thinking about the possibility of an illusion," she said. "Because if there's an illusion of you on dragonback, what's to stop them from thinking it's an illusion of you holding Corwyn's head in your fist?"
All good points.
Another steadying breath.
"I dearly hope once all this is done I can explain and they'll understand." she said, without much hope. "But as for how to return...my initial idea was to try to appear in between the armies with Corwyn, alive or dead, and kind of, call off the battle. I know it sounds a little naive now. I hadn't thought of the whole, 'well if that was an illusion, maybe this is too' thing. One thing illusions can't do, is have substance. That would be one way."
Blossom nodded slowly. "What if we had a signal and somehow Ember and your illusion gain everyone's attention and then disappear. Like Karla said, with lots of lights and dazzling and stuff! And then you can re-appear with Corwyn captured, and everyone can think that it happened while you disappeared?"
She pinched her lip. "Or, there could be a mini pretend version of a battle between you two in the distance that people can just barely see and then you come marching from that illusion? Something that the people on the battlefield can see and believe in. It would be an awesome rally, too. Well, for our side, I mean. It may even help with the mercenaries to see you defeating their boss." Blossom was not at all sure that the 'hired help' would stop fighting if they weren't made to, though.
"Let's not make it too complicated," Karla cautioned. "Especially not if people know he's not supposed to be there, on the battlefield."
She looked at Leda. "What's more important to you? Credit for Corwyn's defeat, or the heart of your army?"
Leda weighed it. If on the off chance her defeat of Corwyn did not in fact, fatally demoralize his forces, she didn't think she wanted her own side so discouraged.
"I don't so much need credit." she said. "Just proof that he is done. Finished."
"Then here's my idea." Karla spread her hands over the table. "When we teleport back in, you stay behind a sight shield until Ember touches down. I'm not sure how or where we're going to make our entrance--and we really should talk about that, because I'd prefer it not to be on the front lines--but we're going to need to be somewhere visible, right? Once the illusion of you comes to us, then you can do whatever you want with him."
She shrugged. "You might not get the credit for bringing him in, but you'll have him. And hopefully the end of the fighting, too."
The only people who would be able to say otherwise would either be on Leda's side and in the know and Corwyn himself. None of the former would say otherwise and what good would Corwyn gain from saying otherwise.
...Assuming he was alive to bear witness as it was.
Blossom was expert on Heroing and the publicity related to that, but she would totally bow to Karla when it came to Royal matters; Blossom only knew that from the 'peasant' side.
She nodded slowly, thinking it through. "I actually agree. That's a perfect balance. I wasn't worried about credit, just that it wouldn't be legitimate if Corwyn was defeated by outsiders. But I think Karla's idea will take care of that, since this way we'd just be, well, mercenaries."
"There's another possibility." Eli said softly. "If I brought Corwyn to uh, fake you, it might lend weight to your, our, side. As I understand, his halfie son is kind of famous on this side of the border."
“That could work," Karla said, raising a slow eyebrow. "And makes for excellent pageantry. The...halfie?...son bringing the father to justice? That should keep Eli from being used as a rallying point for any or Corwyn's allies, too. It's a firm declaration of just what side he's on."
"The people love a good show," James said with a smirk. "Any weapon we can take away from him aids our side. Any person we can turn to our side shows his lack of support and legitimacy."
Leda nodded. "I like that. Since Eli is the one who'll be bringing us back anyway, it seems the easiest route to take." She knew she was still lying to the people. But she wasn't sure that could be helped.
"All right, very well so." Iranon said, clapping his hands together. "Who's up for setting some traps?"
"I volunteer," James said, stepping forward one pace. He glanced at Leda. "As tribute." He doffed an imaginary hat as he completed a courtly bow at the Queen.
"I'm just in it for a good time," Karla snarked.
Blossom looked between her friends and sighed dramatically before raising her hand and looking over to Iranon. "Sorry. They took all the good lines. Can we pretend I said something totally awesome, too, and go set some traps?"
James laughed. "Well said."
[Cut for length. Preplayed with the wonderful trinity of Momoko, Karla, and James.]
Leda's hair was still short, but had fully grown back, and the redness of her skin had faded a bit more. But it was still sensitive and here and there signs of the burns could still be made out.
Ember hovered, though not literally, nearby. Elves lived long enough that humans often thought them immortal. And dragons lived long enough that to Elves they seemed immortal. She and her brother were still very very young by Dragon standards, but Leda was younger still. So having lost her brother, Ember was now just a little freaked about almost losing the girl she'd come to regard as a sister. So, hovering.
Leander was also present along with one of the generals who was explaining that even at a forced march, it would take time for their army to reach them.
"We didn't send everyone into the field." Leda pointed out.
"That's true your Majesty." he nodded. "But what we have here is only a third of our strength at best. And we can no longer depend on our allies. They have their own problems. If our full strength were here, we would stand a chance. Now, I don't know."
Leda tensed. She knew someone, soon, would suggest the "S" word. Surrender.
A light flickered where no light should be and a portal opened directly in the War Room, close to Leda's throne room. Karla strode through it, looking every inch a Queen. She knew that Leda's subjects (okay, let's be honest, her aristos) sometimes had trouble accepting humans as full equals. And so her first impression was meant to be more a show than anything else. Convince them of her power and authority, while making it very clear she was there to support their Queen.
Which meant decking herself out in something eye-catching and glamorous and wearing as much jewelry as she could get away with without completely violating the boundaries of good taste. Dating a Worthington meant she had plenty of expensive pieces to choose from, at least, and the Sapphire at her throat glowed with an inner power. Personally, Karla thought it was ridiculous to wear a gown to enter into a bloody war-zone, but she could change into something practical later. In a way, this was just like Glacia; violence and death outside didn't mean that appearances didn't count inside. Ridiculous, but you had to play the game.
"Then the first thing we need to focus on is numbers," she said, ignoring the shouts of surprise at her appearance. "Ours, theirs, resources, and equipment. Who has the most accurate and up to date figures and troop movements. I need to be brought up to speed immediately."
Only then did she turn to Leda and give her friend a regal nod. "Your Majesty," she greeted. And then winked. "Kiss kiss."
Oh, silly Elves. And Leda had warned them and everything. She smiled back at her friend.
"Your Majesty, welcome. Thank you for coming, and if I may say so, your timing is impeccable." She made a quick round of introductions. The statuesque Redhead was Ember the Dragon, who was watching Karla with undisguised curiosity. Sure she'd seen two humans before, but it was still a rarity.
"Hello." she smiled wanly. "Leda's told me a lot about you, it's good to finally meet you."
"Leander of course you know."
"Welcome to Alfheim Lady Karla." he greeted her.
"And General Skuld." the General bowed stiffly. Don't take it personally, he did everything stiffly. "My Lady." He had a map of the city and surrounding lands before him with the position of Corwyn's army marked out, and their own forces as well. He turned it so Karla could see.
"Glacia owes you many thanks, Lady Ember," Karla said, giving the dragon another nod. "Leda has been my friend for many years, one of the first I made. Your courage saved her and for that, I am grateful."
A little part of Karla wanted to fangirl at a real dragon, one of the kind that her people had been descended from, but that was probably better another time.
Leander got a smile. "My thanks for your kind welcome, Lord Leander," she replied. "I wish it could have been under better circumstances, but I have only myself to blame for that. Her Majesty has invited me to visit many times."
Karla eyed Skuld for a moment and decided not to reinforce her status as Queen. 'Lady' worked well enough for her and he had immediately did what she asked. "Thank you," she said, turning her attention to the map. She whistled at it. "Well, he certainly planned well, didn't he? Bastard."
But she was here now, that's what was important. And when this was over, Ember would be fascinated to learn that somewhere there were humans descended from Dragons.
"Yes. Yes he did. Many of his past attacks we'd managed to be ready for, thanks to some very sneaky strategies by Queen Leda." Skuld agreed.
"Mini-scrying mirrors." Leda explained to Karla. "On your advice our spies appealed to Corwyn's servants and got them planted all over. I didn't think he'd catch on."
"I'm not sure he did." Skuld said. "But he certainly figured out something was going on, and started taking extra steps with security. After the loss of his son his attacks took us more and more by surprise."
Leda shuddered. One of those attacks had been pretty horrific in her opinion.
"One advantage we still have," the general went on, "Is that Corwyn's most powerful allies are themselves, busy with other matters. There's some nasty creatures in his ranks, but nothing our forces can't handle."
Karla turned from the map long enough to tip a wink Leda's way. "Glad to know some of my ideas came in handy. Don't worry, I came with a bunch more."
After a few more minutes of studying the map, Karla shook her head. "This is bad," she said softly, not that anyone in the room needed to hear that. "And you've taken heavy losses, while the rest of your army--" she touched various places on the map, "--are out of position. If we wait for them to assemble, we're going to face a siege. From what I can tell of your forces, if it comes to that, you've lost."
She looked at Leander. "Am I correct in my assessment, General?"
Leda wasn't sure but she suspected that had been a jibe at Skuld for calling Karla, "Lady" rather than Queen or Majesty.
Leander smiled slightly. "Oh I am no general Your Grace." he said. "I'm merely Leda's Chamberlain. But no, I do not believe you are mistaken."
"You are not." Skuld growled. His Queen vouched for this girl, good enough. But it was still giving him much discomfort having a mortal in their realm. "But I don't believe they will want a lengthy siege. They would not want to give the rest of our forces time to get here."
And that would be why Karla had referred to Leander as General. Because she was petty that way!
"Then I think we have a good place to start laying our plans," she said with a nod. "Do I still have to look all fancy? Or can we all agree I'm here, I'm capable, and I can stop looking like I'm going to a ball in the middle of a bloody war council?"
Seriously, she'd played the stupid game. Can she dress normally now?
Leda laughed. "Oh but you look so pretty in that." She wasn't exactly dressed for battle herself, but her dress was rather simple. She had a change of clothes ready for when she set her plan in action. "Please, make yourself comfortable."
"This is not comfortable," Karla snarked. "I'm just going to assume the charade is over and I can look like a normal person and not have to worry about being dismissed." She gave Skuld a long, hard look at that one. "Sound reasonable?"
Go ahead, Skuld. Karla was a multitasker. She could plan a war and tweak your nose at the same damn time.
Skuld's armor wasn't even polished. "Do I look like I care about your game of dress up Little One?"
"Kids don't make me turn this car around." Leda snickered.
"Now, now, Grandfather, be nice," Karla chided. "I'm not the one with a chip on my shoulder and a need to be forcibly reminded that mortals are people, too." She arched an imperious eyebrow at him. "The enemy is out there, remember? Can we play nicely together or is Mummy going to have to send us to our rooms?"
Unlike Leda, she didn't sound amused. There was too much at stake for dancing around Skuld's sensibilities.
“That sounds like a grand idea." Leda agreed, forestalling any comeback Skuld might have come up with. "I've got another plan as well."
"Great," Karla said, not laughing (really!) at how well Leda had just shut Skuld down. "Then I'm going to change out of this sideshow act and when we get back, we can get down to business and get your kingdom back."
Momoko had made a few phone calls to let people know where she was going to be, then a quick side trip to visit Reno and stock up on some items, since his world had things a non-magic user could use. And Momoko felt a lot better having them on her; her powers had acted weird when she was in Bordertown, and she'd never actually tried fighting in Leda's kingdom.
And it was also for that reason that it was actually Blossom who stepped from the portal into the War Room, in case she wasn't able to actually transform while there.
"Excuse us for intruding, and my apologies for arriving so late." She gave a small bow to the assembly. She knew most everyone in the room, but she wasn't sure if any of them could recognize her while she was transformed.
Of course Leda knew her, but... well, she was wearing the royal crest bracelet gift from Leda, just in case- visible proof of her alliance, if not her identity.
And don't think she missed the fact that Smoke wasn't there.
Eli had followed her through the portal, dazed and trying not to show it. Or was that fear? But now... looking at the group assembled...
It was a bit of both really. Eli had never traveled by portal before. And of course, being the son of the enemy had him worried about his reception.
"Blossom," Leda smiled, hurrying over to them. "Dragonboy, thanks so much for coming." She took Eli's hand. "Especially you Dragonboy. I know this is scary, what I'm asking you to do."
"Dragonboy?" Ember asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I-it's what they, they call me in Bordertown." Eli said softly.
"Leda, everyone. We're here to help." Blossom stated as she set her hand on Eli's shoulder to lend him her support. Leda had specifically asked for him, so no one better complain!
She bowed again to the group and lifted an inch or two off the ground. "I don't know if you can tell, but we met when I was Momoko. This is my other identity, Blossom. My hero identity."
From "Blossom huh." Ember smiled warmly, if sadly. "It suits you."
"Welcome, both of you." Leander said. "I've no doubt your unique talents will be of great help. And we need all the heroes we can get."
Blossom looked directly at Ember, totally hearing the sadness in her voice. Suspecting, since Leda had choked on the name when they'd talked.
She leaned slightly to see if maybe... "Ember? Is, is Smoke on reconnaissance?" Blossom was desperately hoping he was, even though she knew he would never miss a meeting like this.
Ember blinked hard, and looked at Leda. "You didn't tell her?" she asked, her voice hoarse.
"I, I couldn't say it." Leda apologized. "I-"
"Smoke didn't make it." Ember said, almost spitting the words out, as if they hurt.
Blossom was not gonna cry. This was totally not the time or the place for it. Dragons were deeply important to Blossom on many levels, personally and culturally. And in addition, Smoke had treated her... well, he'd been a teasing old uncle, and she'd adored him for it. She floated silently across the room to Ember, then performed saikeirei, a deep bow that she rarely used.
Her back was straight as she held her pose, hands flat on her legs with fingers touching. She focused watering eyes on her feet and somehow managed to keep her voice steady: "I didn't know him nearly well enough to comprehend how much you've lost. It was a honour to know him as little as I did and to have considered him a friend."
Not gonna cry. Not gonna cry.
Ember was not familiar with this particular custom, but she recognized the intention behind it. "Thank you my friend. He thought well of you as well." Her eyes welled again but she managed to hold them back. Momoko was right, this was not the time for the histrionics she wanted to indulge.
Later, when it was all over, there would be hugs and tears. For now, they needed to honour what Smoke had fought for.
Blossom waited a few seconds longer and then slowly rose. She stayed by Ember, but turned back to face the others in the room. "Were there many lost? I didn't take time to get much information once I learned they were only a day or so away. Do we have time to catch me up?"
"Very few civillians were hurt." Leda said, collecting herself. "They were uhm, scared inside before any of this went down." She didn't say just how they were scared inside. That was just a bit too macabre for now. "But we lost the entire council of nobles and their staff."
Blossom took a moment to let that sink in. She'd met some of those people!
She rubbed her forehead, trying to think. "The whole government. That's was bold. He dealt a good blow."
Ember laid a protective hand on Leda's shoulder.
"Not as good as he'd hoped." Leda said softly. "But yes."
She had no intention of revealing just how close it'd been for her. She could still feel the kind touch of the Psychopomp's hand, and see the gentle look in her eyes. I'd welcome the company. she'd said.
Blossom took in the play between Ember and Leda, and putting that together with the wounds Leda was still showing...
"He won't get another chance," she promised. "Let's plan this."
James strode into the room, clad in a mixture of modern Fandom (dark jeans, military sweater and jacket, crossbow, boots) and Midkemian (cloak, gloves, rapier) dress. His clothes and his mood were dark, and he stuck to the shadows with his back to the wall as best he could, as if expecting attack. "Hello, Your Highness," he said.
"Hello Jimmy. Thank you for coming. Wish the circumstances were better, but it's good to see you again." She introduced him to Ember and General Skuld. "And you've met Leander right?"
James nodded and tipped an imaginary hat at each in turn. "I believe I have," he stated.
"So." His eyes swept the group. "What can I do?"
"I'm hoping you can help me sneak into a dreadful and terrifying fortress." Leda said lightly.
He blinked twice. "Give me details, I'll give you results." If she was serious, he was serious.
"Corwyn's hiding in his home like a little bitch while his army does his killing and dying for him." Leda said. "I'd like to pay him a visit."
"I am not overly fond of those types of rulers," James said. Arutha had spoiled the lad's view of royalty: dashing off into battle after battle, walking half a continent for a flower, the siege.
"How many with us?"
Now that all of her friends had arrived, Leda decided it was time to get to the main point of inviting them. And Skuld was looking like he might have an aneurism at all the interruptions. When Karla returned from changing, she got down to it.
"Corwyn is banking everything on this final move." Leda said. "Without Dragonboy, it would have taken a metric shit load of power to instantly transport his entire army here. Now this means that a lot of the magic his army could have used will already be used up. It's possible they're giving us as long as they are to surrender, is so they have time to re-charge. I don't want to give them that time.
"Also, it means that Corwyn himself and his closest mages will be weakened. And vulnerable. So what I propose, is launching a pre-emptive strike on his army before they can regain their full strength. And taking a small force to face Corwyn himself.
"Even if he suspects the possibility of an attack on his home, there is no way he could anticipate human assailants."
Blossom leaned forward. "But he's already met me. And he knows I am at least some kind of human." He'd been pretty nasty about it, too. "He knows I'll fight for you; why would he think I wouldn't?"
"He doesn't know you can enter this realm." Leda said. "As far as anyone but my friends know, the whole 'humans can't cross the border' thing is still true."
Ah! Blossom nodded. "That's a good advantage. At least until he sees us. Are we sure he's not out with the troops?" Blossom totally would be!
General Skuld nodded. "We still have our spy mirrors in his palace. His war room may be clear of them, but his chambers are not. He's there all right."
"Let's just be clear," Karla said softly. "This strike force--are we planning on getting in there and taking him alive for a trial--or are we going to take him out."
She darted a glance at Blossom. An assassination would be much easier and--in its own way--cleaner. But she wasn't so sure the superheroine of justice would agree to that.
"And just what kind of attacks are we willing to unleash on his army? Are they conscripts? Mind-controlled? Or his personal warriors that will follow him till their deaths? The more we know about morale and what they're prepared to face, the better we can marshal our forces against them."
Or, well...play a few of the tricks Karla had up her sleeves. Those tricks were not very nice, though.
"Are they entrenched, or can we make them come to us?"
"Entrenched?" Skuld frowned. "Is that a mortal colloquialism?" The Fae had never invented trench warfare.
"I think it means something similar to if they were just going to wait us out in a siege." Leander said.
Leda herself was silent for a moment, pondering. Something had been at the back of her mind, and what Karla had said about Corwyn's troops brought it closer to the fore. Finally she answered Karla's question. "The officers are probably loyal to him, or motivated by their own petty hopes for conquest and plunder. I believe most of the rank and file are a mix of conscripts and mercenaries."
And as for taking Corwyn alive...Leda was pretty sure that wouldn't be an option.
"So we can match the army, contain it. Move it. But we won't break it without breaking the top. Without a leader, it may collapse. Then we really do need to get through to the top first. Corwyn. Probably a direct immediate surprise attack, you're right, while he thinks you're down."
And yes, while she was going to attempt capture, she was aware that others were not.
Blossom pinched her lip, thinking. "Mercenaries, though. I'm worried about that. What are mercenaries like here? How are they..." she waved her hand. "You know, bound? I mean, if we defeat Corwyn, will they stand down?"
"Also, how's your treasury? Will they come to our side if we beat Corwyn's offer? Can you beat Corwyn's offer?" Karla doubted it, considering he was probably offering them plunder, too, but she had no idea what resources Leda had to throw around.
"As for the army...if we can make them come to us, we'll be better off. Lieutenant, where's that map again?" Karla, be nice. "I need to see some of the terrain around here. If we can make them come to us, we can thin and exhaust their troops before they have a chance to get to ours."
She bit her lip, thoughtful. "Can we get people inside their camps? Like camp followers and hangers-on and the like? I have an idea. Oh, and how many illusionists do you have handy?"
Karla had several ideas.
Skuld sighed inwardly. "The Goblin mercenaries will never break a compact once it's been agreed to." he said. "No hope there. Others, well if you have some way of actually contacting them you could try it."
"Bear in mind," Leander cautioned, "That there are a lot of mercenaries. And we may need much of the treasury for recovery from all this."
"Iranon's said he got people into the camp to work on them." Leda told Karla. Economics wasn't something she could easily puzzle through at the moment. "I think he can help there. And we've got a few illusionists. And Bards. Iranon told me we have a lot of Bards in this city. That will give us a psychological edge."
"Ah, speaking of your friends," Skuld cleared his throat, "Who else would be going on your little jaunt? You're not planning on leading, what am I saying of course you're planning on leading the group yourself."
"Ah General, you know me so well. Do you want me to get into all the reasons or can we skip you trying to talk me out of it and just accept it?"
Skuld sighed with frustration. "Fine. You, your human friends, the Dreamer. Anyone else?"
"No." Leda said.
"I can think of at least two people who will be very unhappy about that." Leander told her. "And one of them can breathe fire."
"Wait." Blossom's first instinct was to blurt out that of course Leda was going along! But then...
"I think that's a good question to discuss, Leda. Karla and I need to be in the surprise attack group - I know Corwyn, but Corwyn also knows me; Karla's totally more of a wildcard." She frowned. "Although, I think you should be there... you're also the Queen. Whether you like it or not, that means something to them. To all of the people."
"Blossom has a good point," Karla said. "And moreso, that can work to our advantage. Your people need to know you're there with them. They're fighting for you, in your name...if you're not there with them, then they're going to lose heart. That's the last thing you can afford, especially if they're already outnumbered."
She looked at the maps again, trying to make Leda's numbers look a little less underwhelming. "Plus, if you're seen out leading the troops, no one will expect you somewhere else a little while later, right? Where's Corwyn's base? Can we get there from here in decent time? Bloody Hell, I wish Raven were here."
Having a teleporter would make logistics a lot easier.
"They're not fighting for me." Leda said vehemently. "They can't be fighting for me. They mustn't. They're fighting for their homes, and their families. Their freedom. I may have wound up being a leader but I am not, and will never be a ruler." She took a deep breath to steady herself.
"And they will see me leading them. That's where Ember comes in and why she can't come with us. I intend to address the people and the army, remind them of their true cause, and do what I can to bolster their spirits. Then Eli will transport us to Corwyn's castle. He can get us there nearly in an instant. And I want Ember to cast a glamour that will make it look like I'm riding her into battle."
"That may be how you see it, Leda, but how long have your people been ruled? It takes a while to get used to the difference, I'm sure. Either way, you're the person with power who's sticking up for them, so they're still going to look to you."
She listened to the rest of the plan and nodded, face losing some of its tension. "Wonderful. That's pretty much along the same lines I was thinking. So that means we have to come up with two different branches of strategies. One for the armies under the command of General Skuld, and then one the group going after Corwyn directly."
Really, if she'd been anyone else, Blossom would have been fascinated at the fact that Leda was trying to get her people to move away from a monarchy, Karla was hoping to reestablish her own monarchy, and Momoko was going to leave behind her country's parliamentary monarchy; and here they all were, fighting an attempt at a dictatorship.
But, being who she was, she simply shook her head at Leda. "People who think they're fighting for their homes don't fight just one person; they'll fight you, too. Karla's right - they don't know about ways to live other than to do what someone in your position tells them. They'll do the same if Corwyn's wearing your crown."
She sighed. "But I agree. It's good that Ember can make an illusion of you. I don't like it, but it's probably best. Karla and I... we have our own personal limits. Also anything we do, it isn't going to be seen as official, no matter, what by someone; we're not supposed to even be here. If you're there, that makes it more proper."
And that the Queen was powerful enough to use magic to appear in two places, wouldn't hurt Leda's credibility either.
Stepping closer to Karla, Blossom looked over the maps as well, hoping to see if she could come up with any useful suggestions. "General? Are the armies using weapons? How exactly does a war happen here? When we fought with Corwyn in Bordertown, it was simply an all-out attack right in the open. They charged, and we countered; totally no strategy except trying to kill win."
Leda knew they were right. But one of the thoughts she'd clung to in this entire war, was the idea that she was never asking them to fight for her. Asking all these people to fight for her own personal vendetta would be abominable. So she'd told herself that it was bigger than her. She reminded herself of the true stakes. Not her own life or power. But what he'd already done to those conquered, and what he would do if he won.
"It depends on the terrain and the situation." Skuld told her. Her pink eyes made him feel more comfortable around her. He could pretend she was just another race of Fae. "For this battle, particularly since it's meant to finish this conflict, it will likely be similar to what you experienced. But not everyone will charge at once. They'll send their weaker, more expendable troops ahead to test and weaken us, holding their stronger units in reserve. They'll probably use their long distance attacks early on as well."
That's totally what she was afraid of...
"We don't have enough strength left to win an all out attack like that." Actually, Leda's team probably had never been at that level. She frowned a moment, then pointed to some odd terrain on the map. "If we can pick where that battle happens, could we lay traps along the way? They're on foot, yes? Maybe we could set up some ambushes?" Blossom may be samurai, but she totally knew ninja techniques worked better in some situations.
She looked to Karla, especially. "Could we even make some changes to the landscape to give our people an advantage? Hills, trees, and trenches? Would magic like that work or even last?"
"I was thinking along those same lines myself," Karla said, beaming at Momoko. "It's why I was asking about illusionists. We could seed the distance between their army and ours with traps and then make the way look like clear, solid ground."
She pointed at a part of the map that looked like it went through a ravine; a textbook area for an ambush. "We might even want then to find a few of our surprises and disarm them. Only a moron would expect a clear path and their scouts will be suspicious if they don't find anything. But we let them clear out a few and they'll get overconfident."
"Even being able to Heal the land, I can't change geographical features," she answered Momoko, "but digging pits and trenches might be done easily enough by soldiers. And with enough time, I can use Black Widow Craft to make things very unpleasant for people walking through the webs." She bit her lip. "How much time do we have?"
"Not enough to make very elaborate traps or trenches." Leda said. "We've got a few days left before their deadline for surrender."
"But I like your ideas for ambushes." Skuld said. "There's a stretch of low hills and sparse forest between their camp and us. Not enough for much cover for setting up traps. Which will make it all the more surprising when they run into them. Our scouts are very good at invisibility glamours." He looked at Karla with, well still a scowl, but it was somehow less stiff. "How much time would you need for this, Widow's Craft of yours?"
"They don't need to be elaborate," Blossom interrupted to add. "Or magic. I can work with some of the foot soldiers about some. The simpler the better, actually, since they'll be expecting magic, right?"
"Can we also set up triplines at various heights through the forest?" Karla asked. "Ankle height, chest-height, even neck-height. Vary them around a bit. Would be possible to flood some of that area as well? Make them slog through it? Marshy ground and undergrowth make for a nasty combination. Marshy ground and downhill even more so."
She called in her supply of spider-silk and tried to estimate the amount of forest available. "It would depend on how elaborate I want my weaving to be," she said. "If I just want them confused and disoriented for a while, I could probably get it done in a few hours, so long as I had a little help with the setup. If I actually want to influence their minds and terrorize them?" If she pushed herself... "A day? Maybe a day and a half? I'd need a while to rest after that, though."
"Now you're totally reading my mind." Blossom nodded at Karla, smiling as she pulled a yo-yo string from her pocket. "Trip wires are totally my specialty. Anything with string, really."
Her fingers moved as she began weaving her string. "Oh, and I brought some potions and things from Reno's world. They have magic there that non-magicians can use? I have some that we think can help you recover faster. Also, I brought lots of extra easy snacks." Duh.
"Ethers?" Karla asked, making grabby hands. "That will make things a lot easier!"
She could do without that pesky resting thing she'd mentioned. Win for everyone!
"Also, Leda, about the people I asked to infiltrate the army...Do we have some? Because beyond prophecy and illusions, the Black Widows are also the caste of poisons." She help her right hand up, extending her snake tooth. "If we can get access to their food supplies I can brew a few things up that will wreak havoc through their lines."
She wouldn't need to make it fatal; a poison that mimicked dysentery would be just as effective. But she wanted to see how the others responded to her bald facts before making any more suggestions.
Blossom snickered and nodded. "Lots of ethers, antidotes and potions! Plus something called 'Mute Mask' that makes it so your opponent can't cast spells for a while- I could only get two of those and he wants them back, if I don't use them."
"Uhm," she thought for a moment. "Oh! Some stuff that turns the enemy into a frog or shrinks them! Those would be awesome for the traps. Or the mercenaries? Do we know where in the army they are?"
"Poison the food, poison the water, and you eliminate a good portion of the army from taking up swords," he said. "Speaking of," he said, turning to Leda, "You've secured your borders and your staff, right?"
"We've been using red brick dust to weed out spies." Leda told Jimmy. "It's a bit of human magic that works wonders here, and no one expects it. So yes, that's secure. The borders and staff I mean."
She’d been primarily standing back and letting Skuld field the ideas. This part was really his show. And she swore, he visibly relaxed when Karla showed her snake tooth. Though perhaps only an Elf, or someone who knew him would have noticed.
"Now don't use all your tricks on this army." he cautioned. "Remember you've got to get into Corwyn's palace and take him down, and that's going to be a nasty business."
He beckoned to one of his lieutenants. "Get that Iranon scoundrel in here. It sounds like he'll best be able to help these girls out." Then he turned back to Momoko and Karla. "If those...what did you call them, Ethers? If they can restore you," he pointed to Karla," to full strength quickly, then I say do whatever you can. A day and a half to set up our defenses is probably all we'll have, and there won't be a lot of time to recuperate before you need to leave."
He then pointed out the best places to try to muddy the ground so to speak. "Our scouts know spells to that effect." he said. "And they'll likely be able to point out the best places for trip wires."
He added fishing line to a list of things to procure.
Karla grinned merrily at him. "Who said these are all our tricks? We have copious sleeves. Or, at least, pockets." She winked at Blossom, still a little giddy at the thought of having access to Ethers. "And I still have the basic web for the spider illusion I made for Jono's haunted theater, so I can incorporate that..."
Calling in a notebook, she began taking notes of the kinds of illusions and traps she could hastily weave and numbering them by how useful they would be against the enemy.
"So, Leda, we're at the point where you have to make a decision," she said, finishing up a sentence so she could look her friend in the eye. "How are we playing this? Are we going to hit Corwyn's army as hard as we can, no holding back? Or are we going to blunt our strength a little?"
The others could chime in with their opinions, but this boiled down to Leda's choice to make.
From Leda's Faerie Pics Iranon arrived at that moment, cheekily entering by climbing in the window. "I heard your men were looking for me." he said to Skuld. "They'll never think to look for me in here."
He winked at Blossom, bowed ironically to Karla, and rubbed his hands together. "Right then, I hear there's some skulduggery to be done."
"Karla, this is Iranon. He'll hopefully be helping you out in setting the traps."
She chewed her bottom lip for a moment. "I'm hoping we can take out Corwyn before his forces can do too much damage. But otherwise, what we're really trying to do here, is hold out long enough for the reinforcements to arrive."
"Reinforcements? Coming from where?" Blossom nodded a greeting at Iranon. "And are we prepared in case the army doesn't stop when Corwyn is defeated?"
"The rest of our army." Skuld said. "What we have here are mostly Home Guard and reserves. Our main forces were out engaging Corwyn's army before it was transported here. We've sent word about what happened and they're on their way. But we can't match the power it takes to instantly transport that many that far."
"If Corwyn's defeat doesn't stop his army, it should at least demoralize it." Leander said. At least, he hoped that's how it would work. "And give our side a moral boost."
"Kiss kiss," Karla said, waving to Iranon.
"So, how are we going to let them all know we've defeated him?" Karla asked. "Remember, you're supposed to be on dragonback, leading that army. Are we going to transport back there, waving Corwyn's--ahh, flag?"
She'd been planning on saying 'head,' but had decided not to, in deference to Blossom.
Momoko totally noticed that Karla wasn't being as vocal about death and other strong war terms, and she didn't like it. Momoko was in this knowing what was possible! It was decades ago, but her culture was totally born from war!
But! Momoko also knew it was possible that the number of deaths could be minimized, and setting out with the intent to kill someone was not the way to do that. And showing mercy was a good quality in a ruler!
Momoko frowned at that, nodding. "This has to be totally planned out, Karla's right. The whole reason we're letting you come along is to make the attack on Corwyn legitimate in the eyes of the people. But then aren't we also showing that you lied and didn't actually fight with the army, the people who thought they were dying with you? That's totally not going to make people happy, and we're back where we started, just with someone else."
Leda desperately hoped that Corwyn would never surrender, so she wouldn't have to choose whether or not to be merciful in this instance. She also felt that she was stuck between a rock and a hard place in regards to what Momoko was saying.
"They can hate me or kick me off the throne or whatever the fuck they decide to do afterwards." Leda said heatedly. Then she took a steadying breath. "The illusion of me on dragonback is more for Corwyn's forces benefit. If they see me here, it will give us that much more the element of surprise when we take the battle to him. If it gives the people here courage enough to resist till reinforcements can get here, so much the better.
"But yeah, the plan is to bring back Corwyn, and show he's been defeated."
Blossom stepped close enough to reach for Leda's hand. "Leda. I totally understand and I agree it's a good idea. I'm just saying we need to make sure how we come back is planned right. You say you don't care what they do, but you have to. If your people are going to fight, fight to their deaths, they have to believe in something that means more to them than their lives."
She sighed. "The people here don't have anything that important. They won't fight on their own; to them, this is just another time of change and it will change again later. That way of thinking, believing that you can't make a difference in who rules you, it's totally the benefit and the downfall of a government like this. In my country, we don't think of the Emperor as a god anymore, but we still have enough belief in him that what he and his family do can rock the whole country. And here is totally nowhere near Japan."
Ah! Were there Japanese faeries? Blossom made a note to ask, later. Talking to them might be a good way to help Leda move her country away from absolute rule.
"Maybe... Maybe we can have a pre-arranged signal, where Ember and your illusion disappear when we are about to show back up? The people don't have to know what happened, just that you were fighting with them and that you won."
"Some kind of dazzling light show?" Karla suggested. "Look, I don't want to...belittle the sacrifices people are going to be making out on the field where they will fight and be injured and die, but war is also about pageantry. It's about heart and morale and when one side loses those, odds are good they'll lose the fight. And after all of this, the last thing you want is to have people so hurt and disillusioned by you that they fall in with the next Corwyn wannabe who can make a pretty speech and knows how to work a crowd."
Did Leda really want to have to deal with another war in a few years' time? Or watch all her grand dreams of independence fall victim to a smooth-talking petty dictator? Karla thought not.
"We also don't want them to start thinking about the possibility of an illusion," she said. "Because if there's an illusion of you on dragonback, what's to stop them from thinking it's an illusion of you holding Corwyn's head in your fist?"
All good points.
Another steadying breath.
"I dearly hope once all this is done I can explain and they'll understand." she said, without much hope. "But as for how to return...my initial idea was to try to appear in between the armies with Corwyn, alive or dead, and kind of, call off the battle. I know it sounds a little naive now. I hadn't thought of the whole, 'well if that was an illusion, maybe this is too' thing. One thing illusions can't do, is have substance. That would be one way."
Blossom nodded slowly. "What if we had a signal and somehow Ember and your illusion gain everyone's attention and then disappear. Like Karla said, with lots of lights and dazzling and stuff! And then you can re-appear with Corwyn captured, and everyone can think that it happened while you disappeared?"
She pinched her lip. "Or, there could be a mini pretend version of a battle between you two in the distance that people can just barely see and then you come marching from that illusion? Something that the people on the battlefield can see and believe in. It would be an awesome rally, too. Well, for our side, I mean. It may even help with the mercenaries to see you defeating their boss." Blossom was not at all sure that the 'hired help' would stop fighting if they weren't made to, though.
"Let's not make it too complicated," Karla cautioned. "Especially not if people know he's not supposed to be there, on the battlefield."
She looked at Leda. "What's more important to you? Credit for Corwyn's defeat, or the heart of your army?"
Leda weighed it. If on the off chance her defeat of Corwyn did not in fact, fatally demoralize his forces, she didn't think she wanted her own side so discouraged.
"I don't so much need credit." she said. "Just proof that he is done. Finished."
"Then here's my idea." Karla spread her hands over the table. "When we teleport back in, you stay behind a sight shield until Ember touches down. I'm not sure how or where we're going to make our entrance--and we really should talk about that, because I'd prefer it not to be on the front lines--but we're going to need to be somewhere visible, right? Once the illusion of you comes to us, then you can do whatever you want with him."
She shrugged. "You might not get the credit for bringing him in, but you'll have him. And hopefully the end of the fighting, too."
The only people who would be able to say otherwise would either be on Leda's side and in the know and Corwyn himself. None of the former would say otherwise and what good would Corwyn gain from saying otherwise.
...Assuming he was alive to bear witness as it was.
Blossom was expert on Heroing and the publicity related to that, but she would totally bow to Karla when it came to Royal matters; Blossom only knew that from the 'peasant' side.
She nodded slowly, thinking it through. "I actually agree. That's a perfect balance. I wasn't worried about credit, just that it wouldn't be legitimate if Corwyn was defeated by outsiders. But I think Karla's idea will take care of that, since this way we'd just be, well, mercenaries."
"There's another possibility." Eli said softly. "If I brought Corwyn to uh, fake you, it might lend weight to your, our, side. As I understand, his halfie son is kind of famous on this side of the border."
“That could work," Karla said, raising a slow eyebrow. "And makes for excellent pageantry. The...halfie?...son bringing the father to justice? That should keep Eli from being used as a rallying point for any or Corwyn's allies, too. It's a firm declaration of just what side he's on."
"The people love a good show," James said with a smirk. "Any weapon we can take away from him aids our side. Any person we can turn to our side shows his lack of support and legitimacy."
Leda nodded. "I like that. Since Eli is the one who'll be bringing us back anyway, it seems the easiest route to take." She knew she was still lying to the people. But she wasn't sure that could be helped.
"All right, very well so." Iranon said, clapping his hands together. "Who's up for setting some traps?"
"I volunteer," James said, stepping forward one pace. He glanced at Leda. "As tribute." He doffed an imaginary hat as he completed a courtly bow at the Queen.
"I'm just in it for a good time," Karla snarked.
Blossom looked between her friends and sighed dramatically before raising her hand and looking over to Iranon. "Sorry. They took all the good lines. Can we pretend I said something totally awesome, too, and go set some traps?"
James laughed. "Well said."
[Cut for length. Preplayed with the wonderful trinity of Momoko, Karla, and James.]