Veiled Chaos

Slipping into the queen's chambers, Sera had to press a hand to her mouth to stifle a laugh. Apparently her plan had gone so well that Haedria was adamant in keeping Elysia in her bed, even while she was asleep. Sera motioned for Elysia to stay quiet while she removed her swords and anything else that would make noise, and crept closer to her sleeping sister. Looking at Haedria and the peaceful expression on her face, Sera felt only contentment. Haedria was happy, and that made her happy. Flexing her fingers slightly, Sera set to work gently untangling her sister from the slave girl. Once Haedria no longer had Elysia pinned down, Sera drew the blankets up over her sister's naked form and stepped back, listening to Haedria's even, gentle breathing.

Elysia pulled herself from the bed and graciously bowed to Sera for the assistance, silently grabbing Haedria's garb from the floor she folded it into a neat square and place it on the bed. Grabbing her own garb she began to redress herself, all in total silence. When she had finished she turned and curtsied the Princess and walked into the hall with a smile on her face.

Sera leaned over and kissed Haedria lightly on the forehead. She smiled as the gentle touch caused the corners of the queen's mouth to quirk up in a smile. The princess retrieved her swords and edged out of the queen's chambers. She shut the doors grinning. "So. How did it go?" she asked Elysia.

Elysia turned to the Princess with an intrigued look on her face her brow slightly raised, "It went extremely well Mi'lady. The Queen was extremely satisfied calling me excellent after we had concluded, I had figured as such as she had been steadily screaming my name louder and louder, I hope we did not disturb anyone." A blush spread steadily across Elysia's face as she spoke her eyes lit in delight at the whole affair, "You're not hungry for details are you Mi'lady?" she asked the Princess sweetly her arms contracting into her bosom, staring into Sera's eyes.

Sera tried very hard, her very best even, to hold eye contact with those brilliant blue eyes, all while knowing their owner managed to get the queen to scream in ecstasy. Sera blushed and looked away, also trying not to stare at the barely clothed bosom in front of her. "I....I'm afraid I havent the time for details, nor for a demonstration. I mean, n-not that I dont already know what what you're capable of-" she shut her mouth before she could get any more awkward. "I um....I have matters to attend to. I suppose you could roam the castle if you wish, or rest after such vigorous activities."

Long bronze arms reached around the Princess in embrace pulling her close. Bronze hand held sera's chin and turned her head to look at the slightly sad and concerned eyes of Elysia. "Mi'lady, Sera what is wrong, tell me, what is wrong?" Pulling Sera into embrace, "Please" The quiet voice chimed.

Sighing, Sera returned the embrace. "War, I'm afraid." she muttered into Elysia's hair. "I feel as if I've removed the burden from Haedria only to put it on myself. I've to inspect the army, the equipment. Later I ride out to negotiate with Hamilcar. And before that, I have to instruct Kerza to have his apprentice have the hounds ready." Sera pulled back slightly and cupped the slave girl's cheek, gently rubbing with her thumb. "Soon I'll ride into battle. I'll leave Haedria here, in the castle, and in your care. Will you take care of her for me?"

Elysia gave a sympathetic look to Sera, "So much work for one women even if it is one was wonderful as yourself, do the councillors do nothing but talk in this kingdom? Do they have no duties? Should the war minister not be tending to the war matters?" Sighing lightly she gave Sera a tight and strong hug, "I will take excellent care of the Queen Sera." Elysia said softly as she leaned down and planted a kiss on Sera's forehead. "I wish you great glory Mi'lady Knight."

"The councilors are all pathetic, spineless, idiots." Sera said with a laugh. Her eyes lit up as she smiled. "I know you will take care of Haedria. And thank you." she pulled the slave girl into a deep, passionate kiss, before letting go and heading for Kerza's kennels. As she walked away, she mused out loud where that captain One-Eye was. She could use his help.

Elysia stood lonely in the hallway the figure of Sera becoming smaller in the distance. A dark grim smiled spread across the slave girl's face, sharp pointed hunting teeth gnashed in glee as Sera left and the clear crystal eyes became dark and murky. "Your Welcome, Mi'lady." The soothing chimes cracked and corroded being a dark pit of voice. A clouded black mist swept through the halls quietly weaving and avoiding the eyes of the castle turning every which way into a quiet and unassuming location.

One-Eye made his way to the Castle gate.

When the princess opened the door to the kennels, she was assaulted with the thick smell of blood and wet dog. The near hundred hounds of the castle bayed and barked when she entered. A large number of them approached the bars of their cages with wagging tails. Sera smiled and stooped to greet a few of the hounds. They were beasts of blood and war, so much like their princess.
"Princess Sera! A pleasure and a surprise." Kerza said from the stool he was sitting on, in the corner. He hastily stood and bowed before the princess.
"Kerza, I've a favor to ask you. How soon can the hounds be readied for war?" Sera asked gravely.
"How many of the hounds?"
"All of them. All that are fit to fight."
"All?" Kerza looked long and hard at the dogs. They were a large breed, with thickly muscled bodies, quick legs, and sharp teeth. "Roughly an hour, slightly more." with a whistle, the lanky man called out a short, young boy. His eyes looked like those of the broken, soulless men of the castle guard. He had seen a lot in his short existence. Kerza set the boy to work fitting collars on all the dogs to get them ready for transport within the hour. He handed over the bone sword and dagger, and the princess promised to be back to help him craft a scythe and shield.

With new weapons in hand and a plan in motion, Sera walked to the barracks, passing by the castle's main gate. It was there she recognized an old friend: the guard with one eye. Suddenly excited, the princess ran up to the one-eyed guard and greeted him.
"My apologies, but I never did hear your name." she said.

"Lately everyone seems content to call me Captain One-Eye," He gave an amused chuckle and then bowed before the Princess, "Your Majesty" he said with deep respect He was curious, the Princess ran towards him, and with excitement it was so strange had he left such a strong impression on the girl in just one ride?

"Captain One-Eye then." Sera said, bowing her head. Her face fell. "I am on my way to inspect the army. There is war coming, One-Eye, and I am unfortunately not as well versed in the arts of war as i previously thought. Would you assist me and advise me as we inspect the troops?" she asked. Unlike Haedria, Sera asked instead of command. Most of the time.

Standing at attention One-Eye smiled, "I'd be honoured to give you any assistance you need your majesty. Let us inspect the troops and see if they are fit for battle. You will fill me in on the details of this war and the battlefield I suspect?" He looked at her knowingly.

"Of course. It simply wouldnt be right to withhold details when asking for feedback and opinion." Sera said. She led the way down the road from the castle to the barracks that lay within the outer castle walls. "Theoleas the Great, as he calls himself, has decided to wage war upon Sagna. His reason doesnt matter to me. Any and all who threaten this kingdom, my homeland, will fall to the sword." her tone was neutral, as if stating the most obvious fact. "Scouts have reported that his main army will arrive on Sagnian land within the week, perhaps two week's time. I've set Captain Tultrin to the task of setting fortifications above the Fire Plains where the enemy are most likely to make landfall. He is also to prepare siege machines to destroy their boats and rain down blood." she smiled slightly, really enjoying the idea of striking fear into the hearts of the enemy with what Sagna is known for.
"For now, I will lead a contingent of barbarians and all the castle hounds to attack a portion of Theoleas's men that hide behind the forest like cowards." she explained. They stopped at a well kept building. The officer's quarters. Sera didnt knock, she simply opened the door. There was a second of stunned silence as a few guardsmen stared at the woman in their doorway, before noticing the flaming red hair, twin swords, and commanding aura. There was a stammering of "Your Majesty" as the guards all but fell over themselves to bow before the princess.
"Where is Captain Tultrin?"

The guardsmen stood at attention half a dozen of them stammering over one another before one grave guard stepped forward, "Your Majesty," he began albeit nervously, "The Captain is gathering men for the inspection. currently he is in his office awaiting the gathered troops."

They were heading to see Tultrin? That was the man who had jealously attempted to upstage One-Eye, and allowed for him to slip away unnoticed. Really he should be thanking this man for his incompetence, but One-Eye would be reserved, he usually was anyway. His head turned to the Princess he muttered, "Well at least one soldier can speak straight." In a sarcastic tone. "In regards to the war, how are our numbers? Sagna is on the smaller side if I may be politely blunt."

Sera sighed heavily and left for Tultrin's office. "Sagna isnt a large kingdom. There are bigger, there will always be bigger kingdoms. With more land and more troops. Last report had our army numbering at least three thousand. To combat Theoleas's greater numbers, we will have to rely on guile and the advantage of this being our own land." she explained. Captain Tultrin's office was not far from the building they first entered. This time, Sera knocked on the door. "Captain Tultrin?" she called.

The door opened hastily as Tultrin's body appeared behind it, his filled with momentary shock, and turned into a look of begrudging acceptance. "Ah your majesty," he began, he turned, "Captain" He said barely containing his spit, and snack. "Please come inside your Majesty." He waved the pair inwards leaving the door open, "What can I do to serve you your highness?" On his desk was a miraculously small plate of funnel cake and a large set of scrolls containing details of the army, and a copy of what he had requested from the smiths, A few maps of the surrounding area, and a letter that smelt of fresh ink. A newly opened inkwell sat on his best and a quill placed diagonally across the mostly blank letter. "I was just writing a letter to be sent to our border forces, to be on the lookout for enemy movement from the woods." He wiped his moustache of cake crumbs and straightened his outfit.

One-Eye's blind eye moved like lightning observing in secret the room noting everything. The table, the papers, the man and decor. Even the Princess' reaction. However, he stayed silent in this matter attempting to gain all the information he could. A war was an opportunity and he had to make the most of it. If their numbers were that small then they surely were not utilizing most of the surrounding peasant population, it really was a bustling area from what he had seen, plenty of people to raise into an army. Better yet giving them arms and extensive military training would be ground work for a peasant revolt.

When she saw the state of the good Captain and the progress of his work, Sera's jaw set and her eyes burned with inner flame. Quickly drawing her sword, she leveled the blade at Captain Tultrin's bushy mustache. "I told you to gather the fucking troops." she hissed through clenched teeth in an eerie imitation of the queen. "Not eat cake, not write letters." she twisted the blade ever so closely to the captain's face. "Now, good captain. Where are then men?"

Tultrin's eyes went wide as the Princess' sword levelled with his face, " The the men are o-on there way Princess a-an." A pair of fingers gently grabbed the Princess' blade and Tultrin looked even more shocked and confused. One-Eye stood beside the princess with his Index and Middle finger upon her blade, "Your Majesty, if I may intervene. Most of our forces are on the northern border in anticipation of a Barbarian betrayal yes? If so they are unaware of Theoleas' war, if such is the case they are ill positioned and looking in the wrong direction." His eye held a calm expression to it, the dull green keeping his eye on the Princess. "Also your highness," One-eye's head turned to look out the office window, below in the grounds a few hundred men were gathering in formations having their gear sharpened and armour mended, more men were trickling in as time passed.

When One-Eye touched her sword, Sera's expression turned to one of rage and insult. No one dares interrupt the princess when she's threatening people! Yet he was right. The northern troops were still watching the barbarians instead of the sea. They would have to be recalled. But Tultrin was just so slow and disgusting that the very sight of him sets her blood boiling. Slowly she lowered her sword and turned to the window.
"Well fucking finally." she muttered and left, leaving Captain Tultrin with a few whiskers from his mustache missing.

As Sera left the office, Kerza and the royal houndmaster came down from the castle with a hundred man-eating hounds in tow.

One eye turned and left with the Princess leaving a ruffled Tultrin looking very confused. As the pair walked down the stones steps to greet Kerza One-Eye's gazed turned harsh he glared at the hounds mouth curled into a frown, he hated animals like dogs that had heightened senses. They could tell he was strange especially if he had only bee in the world for such a short time. Silently he hoped that the world had had enough time to treat him like it's own. Turning to the Princess he muttered. "Your Majesty, if we are so outnumbered perhaps we should resort to drastic measures, We could pressed the peasants into a reasonably sized fighting force given some time and resources." He spoke to the Princess, but his eyes never left the dogs.

Sera knelt down and happily beckoned to the hounds. A few of them got loose from Kerza's grip and ran to the princess, wagging their tails and burying her underneath their bulk. Flung to the ground from the force of half a dozen large dogs greeting her, Sera laughed and rolled as her bloodthirsty pets showered her with wet dog kisses.
"You're a sharp one arent you." she said, still giggling as she waved the dogs off of her and got to her feet. "It's true we dont have a sizable enough force, and your idea with the peasants is promising." she turned to the captain and stared into his one good eye. "Can I trust you to rally a militia out of the townsfolk to protect the town and the castle in case the fortifications at the Fire Plains are breached?"
A couple hounds sniffed the one-eyes guardsman curiously. His scent was strange, but it mixed with the scent of blood and that of their masters, the queen and princess.

One-Eye looked down at the hounds cautious for an assault, they smelt something strange certainly in him. The Princess spoke up creating a worthy distraction for him. "Yes Your Majesty I shall make my way to the town immediately." He bowed before her and turned to leave, he did not like hounds. Making his way out he whistled loudly and Yuley the horse rushed over from the stables, knocking down several stable hands. Mounting her quickly he rode off whispering a quiet thank you to the horse.

"Good dogs, good dogs." Sera crooned. One-Eye ran off pretty quickly. Perhaps he was scared of dogs. With a shrug, she shooed the dogs back, telling them to run back to Kerza. The intelligent hounds did so, bounding up to their keeper with the bloody apron.
"Please excuse their behavior. It's been a while since the mutts have gotten fresh air, princess." Kerza said with a bow.
"They can get all the air and meat they want soon." Sera said with a wicked smile. Kerza noted the flame in the princess's eyes and her hands which rested on the hilts of her swords.
"Where will the houndsmaster bring them?" Kerza asked.
"To the edge of town, not far from the barbarian camp. Once I am done here, I will join my pets." Sera stooped to vigorously rub the belly of a large beige hound. It thumped its stumpy tail in delight.
"Captain Tultrin! Have the men form ranks." she called.