--- Elise

It was a day like any in Cassidia, yet the palace seemed to have been thrown into utter turmoil.

Servants and messengers were running all around since that very morning, and the security had also been tightened. Elise hadn't been informed of what was going on yet, but she suspected that it was nothing good. A man came, summoning her to a private council organized by her father, and the girl decided to join in at once.

What's going on? Such stir could only be caused by... No, I don't even want to think about it. It's so unlikely.

Yet, as she approached the designated room, she saw that the faces of the people on the way were at least as confused as hers. The young princess did her best to stay patient and wait for the King himself to explain the situation.

She entered a meeting hall with a huge table in the center, its wooden surface sculpted into a faithful representation of the Kingdom and the lands surrounding it. Before going separate ways, Lady Annette told her that place was supposed to be called a war room.

War... I have heard this word many times since I came here, but it always referred to events so distant in the past that nobody could be bothered with them now. The only impending threat would be that necromancer... Was he found? Did he show himself again?

"Elise," said King Sebastian, when he noticed her. "Sorry for the sudden call, but I thought you would want to be here in person."

"Good morning, Father. It doesn't trouble me in the slightest, still... What happened?"

"Sit here. Once the people I've gathered are all here, I'll give everyone a quick recap."

Nodding, the girl obeyed. In total, when the door was closed shut, the room counted twelve people. There were her uncle Darius, of course, Cremont and another general she didn't remember the name of, many counselors including Lord Locke, her lady-in-waiting's old man. Even the head of the Order of the Light in Cassidia, the high priest, had hurried there.

"Gentlemen, thanks for coming with such a short notice," began Elise's father. "We've received an important report from Lyngard, which I'd like to share with you all."

Lyngard. It's the fortress where our lineage originated. What happened there?

"A paladin by the name of Kandros, who was investigating the necromancer who invaded the feast in Norburg some time ago, made an unexpected discovery. Our enemy has been using a web of contacts, mainly criminals without any importance, to organize his movements across the Kingdom. From the information Kandros was able to dig out, we concluded that this is how he managed to infiltrate Lord Isaac's villa and even a high-profile banquet. As we speak, the guards have been doubled to avoid anyone suspicious entering the upper sector, but it's safe to assume that this time the objective isn't Cassidia."

"Your Majesty," General Cremont stepped in. "If I remember correctly, the enemy stated his intention of killing you and conquer these lands. How would he do it without besieging the capital, now that he's revealed himself so carelessly?"

A good question.

Many of the people showed to agree with the words of the general. The high priest, however, remained silent and motionless. The girl had never seen him before, not even when she had been introduced to the court, but she doubted that man hadn't the authority to attend a similar occasion.

Maybe he wasn't even in the city. Everyone has his own business, after all.

"The necromancer, Rickhart, seems to have a plan and that begins from the West," replied the King.

Darius scratched his beard. "From the West... That would mean Lyngard? It can't be his goal. Those lands are too difficult to invade. And he would require and army to do so."

His words were followed by a discomforting silence. High-spirited as he was, Cremont was the first to break it.

"Your Majesty... He didn't make a deal with the Barbarians, right?"

"What?" asked one of the counselors. "How?"

"The Barbarians? Our ancient enemy?" Lord Locke joined in. "No way, they barely agree with each other. It's been since the times of Lynn that a full-scale attack-"

Sebastian stopped their arguing. "Yet, the paladin reported that this has in fact occurred. Rickhart has been seen with a chief near the fords of the Sibrin less than a week ago. And there's more, he used his magic to convince them to lend their help against us. We have reliable information on the matter."

"What do you mean?" inquired the King's brother. "Usually, the Holy City deals with necromancers before they become too big of a threat. He can't have grown powerful enough to force the Barbarians to cooperate."

"That has nothing to do with forcing them. He brought them to his side by bringing their dead ancestors back to life."

The high priest stood up, with an enraged expression. "Sacrilege! The undead aren't alive!"

"Everyone with the right amount of knowledge would know it," replied Elise's father. "But the tribes of the West don't, and that's more than enough for Rickhart. They could have crossed the river unnoticed, if not for that paladin and his thorough search. We were lucky that he was there. I'm grateful to him and to the Order."

"Father," said the princess, "Did he tell us how many enemies are coming?"

Many heads turned in her direction. Her question must have made more sense than she initially thought.

"Your Highness," Cremont stepped in, with a grave tone. "The Barbarians are incredible foes but they have been beaten in the past. Without any doubt the army will be able to withstand their advance, and-"

"I'm talking about those... The undead. I only know little about them, but they seem dangerous enough. How many can a necromancer bring along?"

After sitting back down and getting a hold of himself, the head of the Order shook his head.

"A couple dozens at most. Necromancers need sacrifices in order to animate corpses and keep them that way. I can't say how many Barbarians are willing to give their lives, but not even a master could use all the corpses in the ancient mounds. You don't have to worry, I'll just ask for a couple of experts from Balinar and they will deal with this problem.

No... Rickhart didn't give me the vibe of someone who can dealt with this easily. He said he is going to conquer the entire Kingdom, so he has something else in mind. Something he can achieve on his own, without the help of the Barbarians.

"Yeah," went on Elise. "But if what Roric said in Norburg is true, by the time their roads met Rickhart's powers were already those of a master. Either that, or he's found a new way to use his magic. I'm not an expert, high priest, but even I can see that there's something wrong in how that man is acting. What will we do if he reveals to be stronger than we believe?"

This enemy is dangerous, I know this much...

"Listen, Your Highness," the old man rebuked, "We all know you are studying... Military tactics and other stuff, but I don't think you should meddle with things you clearly don't understand."

"Really? Then, I don't think a geezer-"

"Elise," Sebastian reprimanded her. "Please, stay put. There's no need to act like this."

The girl gave him a glare, but apologized to the priest and went silent.

We have to protect the people of Cassidia no matter what. That should be our first priority. If it was for me, I'd send every soldier I have and crush Rickhart and the Barbarians like insects before they can do any harm to my kingdom.

In the end, the war council decided that for now it was too soon to mobilize the entire army like Elise would have wanted. General Cremont was assigned to lead a contingent of three thousand men, around a quarter of what Cassidia had at its immediate disposal, to Lyngard and station there until further notice. The idea that Rickhart was even going to besiege the city had been quickly discarded.

The girl wasn't sure that her father had made the right choice, though.

This isn't right. He's basically allowing an enemy to make his move, like... Like he's a normal opponent. I'm aware that he values peace and doesn't want another war, but at this point war is on our doorstep. We need to suffocate our enemies, before they can even enter our lands.

Moreover, there was also the topic of the sacrifices. People like Rickhart weren't known to affiliate with any faction and conduct military campaigns, and from what the high priest said they had a pressing need to constantly find lives to consume in order to maintain their undead. One of the counselors had guessed that maybe they were planning to sack the villages, but those lands weren't populated as densely as those around the capital. Without knowing their numbers, there was simply no way to guess what was going to happen.

The girl found herself thinking about tactics and strategy a lot after the meeting.

Why do I have this feeling of wrongness? If only I could be there in person-

Still, she could. She surely could. Elise turned back on her heels and began looking for the King. There was something she wanted to ask, and she already had the right excuse to make it work in her favor.

***

"Joining Cremont? No, that's out of question."

"Come on, Father!" Elise complained. "There will be three thousand soldiers with me, plus those who are already in Lyngard. How could this be of any danger for me? I'm learning from the General, as well as-"

"Do you even know what you are asking?" her uncle stepped in. "This is no game. War is a serious matter!"

"I'm fully aware."

I'm not losing this. Not when the person who can give me this right is him.

King Sebastian groaned. The war meeting had left him clearly stressed. He wasn't ready to hear about her daughter's will to travel to a far away city and be exposed in that way when there were enemies around. And yet, something in his eyes told that he still hadn't excluded the possibility. Elise didn't want to use his feelings as a lever, but the desire to show how capable she had become was simply too strong. That, and her will to protect the people of Cassidia.

"Let's say for a moment that I agree," said the King, "Why do you want to go this much?"

Darius yelled, "Brother! Are you considering-"

"Please. Let her speak. I need to understand her feelings in order to decide."

"Thank you, Father," went on the princess. "In truth, this has a lot to do with the discussion we made some time ago. The one about the responsibilities behind my role, and the means to boost our popularity and power as the royal family."

"And how could your presence in Lyngard achieve all of this?"

"Think about it. I have never visited the city, and it's a crucial part of my heritage. These are difficult times, and the locals will be pleased to welcome the help of their king, especially if the person bringing it is his daughter."

Sebastian's eyes were studying Elise. He was probably trying to establish if she was ready for a feat he deemed too much for her.

The girl pressed on. "The soldiers will be happy if I'm there. Our enemy could even see that we are confident and hesitate. That could mess up his agreement with the Barbarians, or his control over the undead, or..."

She stopped, realizing that her father had started laughing.

I... That's not the kind of reaction I was expecting. Did I say something funny?

"No, no..." he said. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do it. It's just... Sometimes you remind me a little too much of... Of me."

"That's a yes, then?"

"Hold your horses, Princess," Darius gave her a stern look. "Brother, I am against it. Elise is too young. She shouldn't move from here until the threat is over."

"I know," replied his brother. "Yet, seeing how excited she is, how about we give her a chance? The counselors assured that the main danger are just some Barbarians... They don't have siege weapons. If things get nasty, we can send the rest of the army and repel them. And this Rickhart... I think he's underestimating us."

"No!" exclaimed Elise's uncle. "What if that fiend has a way to breach Lyngard's gates?"

Not if I have something to say about it.

The King exchanged a glance with Darius, then he looked at the girl and talked.

"Fine, but I'll give Cremont strict orders. You won't be near any battle, if there is one. You can get some experience without putting yourself into danger. Stay in the city. Are we clear?"

"Sure!" replied the princess, thrilled by his answer. "I'll be careful, I promise!"

Yes! Now I can finally help the Kingdom for real! I can't wait!

The last thing Elise caught, before leaving the hall, was her uncle's stare. She thought he would have been displeased, having lost the argument, but that expression wasn't that of a beaten man.

Those were concerned eyes.