The atmosphere in the throne room was cold, as everyone stared down at the kneeling figure in chains.
"Richard de Riciancia, second prince of the Ellurine Alliance. You have been accused of treason." The king's face was sad as he studied the pitiful figure of his son.
Erin, standing on the sidelines, felt sorry for him, although she was unable to muster any sort of sympathy at all for Richard.
After all, he had brought this on himself.
Richard showed no signs of repentance, his back straight, his face proud. "Everything I did I did for the kingdom."
"You allowed enemy troops into our borders, gave them information on our patrol schedules. You poisoned your brother." The king's voice cracked, his breaking heart on display for the court to see. "How was any of that for the kingdom, and not simply for your own selfish gain?"
"The Ellurine Alliance would have been invaded with or without me! I was simply controlling the when and the how!" Richard argued back, his chains clinking as he gestured wildly with his bound hands. "If I cooperated with them, they were going to allow me to remain king, to keep the country independent."
"Foolish child." The queen sighed loudly, rubbing her forehead. "You would have surrendered this nation to its enemies without a fight, and become a puppet king."
"But...!"
"Silence. I've heard enough." The king looked out around the court, reaching over to take his wife's hand, who squeezed it reassuringly.
"Richard, for your crimes against the crown and this nation, you should be put to death."
"..." A delicate silence fell over the throne room. The blood drained slowly from Richard's face. Gerald's hand was in Erin's tightly gripping it, almost to the point of being painful.
"But... I would like to ask a favor of the court." Gerald's father looked tired as he glanced around at the noblemen and women present. "It is difficult for me to order the execution of my own son. I ask that you allow me to lessen his sentence, only sparing his life. He will pay for his crimes, I promise."
Slowly the crowd nodded, bowing towards the king to show their agreement.
"Thank you, friends." He turned back to his son, his face determined.
"Richard de Riciancia. You will be stripped of your title as prince. You will never be able to ascend the throne of this nation. You will be placed under house arrest, where you will spend time each day helping the poor and disadvantaged of this nation. You will never leave the confines of this city." He hesitated and then added. "Your fiancé, Isabelle, although not complicit in your treasonous plans, did also work with these terrorists to harm Prince Gerald, and will be stripped of her title and banished from this nation."
"You can't do this!" Richard shouted, his face red with rage. "I am your most powerful child! I am the future king!"
The king and queen's expressions were cold. "You are no child of mine. Not anymore." He gestured to the guard. "Take him away."
"YOU WILL REGRET THIS! I SWEAR I WILL MAKE YOU ALL REGRET!!!" Richard was dragged out, still shouting and cursing at the room. Once silence had once again fallen, the king cleared his throat and turned to Gerald.
"On a brighter note, Gerald, please step forward."
Giving Erin's hand a tight squeeze before letting go, the prince moved to the center of the room, kneeling before his parents.
"You have done well, both you and your friends, in defending this kingdom."
"It wasn't me." Gerald lifted his head. "It was mostly..." He glanced over at Erin and seeing her expression, paused before continuing. "...It was all of us."
"We know, child." The queen smiled down at her son, her gaze affectionate. "You've made good choices in your friendships."
From the sideline, Frederick snorted with laughter, but everyone ignored him.
"Keeping in mind your accomplishments, as well as the abilities you have demonstrated, you will be given the title of crown prince." The king grinned. "You will have to take up our duties to uphold this nation once we are gone. We believe in you. Do you accept this responsibility?"
Gerald paused, before nodding in agreement. "Yes, father. But may I ask a favor?"
"Of course."
"I would like to return to Sionelle to finish my studies at St. Julienne's Academy. I still have much to learn."
Letting out a chuckle, the king agreed. "Of course, Gerald. Besides..." He glanced over at Erin. "You still have unfinished business in that country... like securing me a daughter in law."
"I'll do my best." Gerald's face was serious but his eyes showed his amusement.
"We're cheering for your success." The queen added, also looking over at Erin.
A sudden chill went down Erin's spine as she glanced around the throne room. Why did she suddenly feel as if everyone in the room was staring at her expectantly? Just how many people are in on this? She wondered idly, keeping a polite smile on her face.
The court was dismissed, so Gerald and Erin stepped forward to say their goodbyes to his family.
"Erin!" Gerald's father stepped forward, pulling her into a large bear hug. "Thank you so much for all you've done! Gerald told me I wasn't allowed to publicize your part in saving my kingdom, but I'll never forget how you've helped me, my family, and my country." He set her down, smiling. " You will always have a home here, if you marry Gerald or no."
Erin felt her eyes burn, and blinked rapidly to clear them. "Thanks."
"Of course, we REALLY want you to marry him." She heard him mutter under his breath.
"Dear, don't pressure her!" The queen smacked him on the arm, before hugging Erin herself. "We are so proud of you and Gerald!" Holding her at arm's length, she smiled. "If you ever need advice, or need me to knock some sense into my son, just send me a communication spell. I will always be here for you."
"Thank you, your majesty."
She winked. "No need to be so formal, dear, you're practically family."
She then turned to Gerald and started talking to him quietly, while his two sisters ran up to say goodbye. Maddie leapt into her arms, burying her small face into Erin's shoulder.
"Do you have to go? I really want to play with you more!"
Erin laughed, hugging the girl tightly. "I'm sorry, but I promise, we'll see each other again and play, okay?"
"And you'll be my sister?"
"...We'll see."
Catherine stepped forward, her face a little sad. "Thank you for everything you've done for us."
"..." Erin silently studied the young woman's face. After seeing the fight in the woods, Catherine had definitely been more wary of her, but now seemed to be at peace with things. Sensing her questioning gaze, Catherine cleared her throat uncomfortably.
"I mean... take care of Gerald. Please?"
"I will." Erin nodded. "I promise."
They finished saying their goodbyes and soon the whole group was boarded on the ship back home.
The five of them stood on the deck, looking out at the rapidly shrinking shore of the Ellurine Alliance.
"Well I for one am glad that's over!" Fredrick leaned against the rail with a sigh. "What a nightmare!"
Olivia chuckled. "It was a little bit more exciting than a simple competition, huh?"
"Which, by the way, I feel they could have done a little bit more ceremony about us winning!" Frederick pulled on his golden medal around his neck with a dissatisfied expression.
"Well, there was the whole treason and invasion thing..." Matthias patted the other boy on the back. "At least we got to see the expressions on the military academy student's faces when they realized they lost to us."
"Yes! I'm teaching you to enjoy other's suffering properly!" Looking happier, he stared out at the shore again. "And on the bright side, the military academy guys got delayed and we don't even have to travel back with them!"
"Yeah, doesn't break my heart to have some distance." Erin agreed.
"..." Finally Gerald let out a sigh. "So it will be back to regular school life after this?"
"I for one will appreciate the peace and quiet." Frederick nodded "Although I'm sure the amount of paperwork waiting for me on my return will be terrible."
Olivia elbowed him lightly with a chuckle. "Oh yeah! You're the student council president! Does this mean you're going to go back to pretending you don't know us?"
"... I have a bad feeling that even if I tried it wouldn't be any use."
"Nope! We'd just track you down and force you to spend time with us!" Gerald laughed. "Might as well go along with it willingly."
"Ugh... fine."
The group laughed, looking forward to the future ahead. Only Erin hung back from the relieved chatter, her eyes staring out at the shore, anxious.
Night had fallen, only Gerald and Erin were left on the deck. They sat side by side, looking up at the stars, holding hands.
"What are you so worried about?" He asked, finally breaking the silence.
Erin turned to stare at him, surprised. "How'd you know...?"
"You're not that hard to read once you get used to it."
"I see..." Erin looked back out at the stars. "I'm worried that this was too easy."
"What?!" Gerald's eyebrows lifted. "Taking on an army was easy?"
"In a way. I mean, if my father was serious about invading the Ellurine Alliance, why wasn't he there for the battle? He also has more elite troops, those were more basic infantry types."
"Maybe that's all he could get Sionelle to agree to send? After all, this was a secret invasion that broke a treaty."
"All the more reason for him to go all out to win." Erin sighed. "Nothing is ever simple with my father. I'm worried that I'm missing something. I just don't know what."
"Maybe you're not missing anything!"
Erin sighed. "I hope you're right."
"Well, even if you are, whatever he is planning, whatever he wants to do to you, I'll be by your side, okay?" Gerald grinned. "We'll face it together, I promise."
Leaning forward, Erin pressed her lips gently against Gerald's and smiled. "I know."
She nestled into his side, as he wrapped his arms around her, staring out at the water.
It seemed impossible how much her life had changed since Gerald had arrived. She had been solely focused on her revenge, unable to look at anyone properly. She avoided all emotions, close relationships, and thought of herself as more of a weapon than a person.
Erin thought about what it had been like to think that she had lost him, the rage and grief that had filled her at that time. But more than that, the strongest emotion had been regret.
Regret that she couldn't stay by his side.
She remembered how much his smile had broken her composure when they first met.
How he defended her when no one else believed in her.
His worried expression whenever she was hurt.
His smile when he told her loved her.
...
Letting out a soft sigh, Erin wrapped her arms around him tightly.
"Gerald?" She spoke with a whisper.
"Hmm?" He stared up at the stars, still hugging her.
"Will you marry me?"
In a dark basement room in a house on the docks of the Ellurine Alliance, General Roderick sat at a small wooden table, staring down at the man in black kneeling before him.
"It was found, buried within the border fort as you predicted, Sir."
He reached out a hand, his tone brooking no discussion. "Give it to me."
A small package was placed into his palm. With an almost reverent expression, he gently unwrapped the cloth, his face coming into sharp relief as a small glowing amulet was revealed. He brushed his fingertips lightly on the brightly shining gem.
"Finally, I have it." His tone was relieved.
"General!" A man in an official uniform stomped down the stairs, interrupting his inspection. With a gentle sigh, Roderick wrapped the artifact up once more, hiding it from view.
"Ambassador, how can I help you?"
"Help me untangle this mess YOU created!" The man's face was tight with rage. "They know that you're behind both the terrorist attacks and the failed invasion! You promised to hide your tracks!"
The general shrugged. "As I did. After all, they suspect but have no proof, correct?"
"But..."
"You only see part of the plan, ambassador." Roderick sighed, looking disappointed. "Of course, it would have been nice to take over the Ellurine Alliance in one fell swoop, as well as take out some of the magical talent from the other countries with some well placed attacks at the competition, but these were always secondary goals, nothing more."
"You... you... I was never made aware of this!" The man sputtered in rage. "What could be more important than an INVASION?!"
Roderick's smile was cold. "This world is much more vast than your small mind can comprehend, Ambassador. So why don't you do your job, and I'll do mine." He turned away.
"But..."
"You are dismissed."
One of the black-cloaked guards escorted the angry man out before he could reply further.
Another, obviously higher ranked guard, stood at attention at the side with a slightly concerned expression. "Sir, even if they were only secondary goals, the plans were well thought out. The Ellurine alliance should not have been able to push back a force of that size with the troops they had available."
"Hmm..." The general had the artifact unwrapped once more, and was studying it closely.
"Sir... We should keep it in mind that they may have more powerful support than we first anticipated." The man swallowed, his throat dry. "The survivors say that the army was defeated by a single person, a young woman. I don't know how accurate that is."
"Oh it's accurate."
"It is?"
"Oh yes." He stroked the glowing gem, his eyes satisfied. "My little girl has grown up magnificently, hasn't she?"
"...Sir?"
The general wasn't listening anymore, his voice a whisper as he spoke to himself. "... Just like her mother."
"..." With a careful nod, the soldier moved back to stand against the wall, knowing that further discussion would be useless.
General Roderick stared down at the powerful artifact in his hands. "Darling, if only you had supported me at that time... I wouldn't have... things would have been different." He sighed quietly. "Now I can only move forward with this plan alone."
His hands paused. "Well... not quite alone."
Slowly, softly, laughter filled the dark basement room.
"Erin... it's time to come home."