Libertatis Imperium (Gate)

[charclone]

In the Imperial Palace, in an ill-used section Pina had once explored when young, there was a tapestry. It was an ancient thing, showing the effort the founders of the Empire had gone to, to fight off a brood of fire dragons.

The sky was shown to be burning, men broiled alive in their armour, desperately fighting, and dying, to slay the winged beasts.

It was obvious why it was not displayed prominently. Her father had told her it had been made as both an insult, and accurate record. His grandfather had ordered it restored to serve as a reminder, to never be blinded by the glory of the empire' success. Their ancestors were nearly destroyed by these ancient foes, succeeding only due to Emroy lending his strength.

The scene before her, as she abandoned the barricade to look over the wall, reminded her of it.

Green things she could find few words to describe, none she felt accurate enough, swept over the battlefield outside the walls in the dark. Larger versions of the firearms used by the major's soldiers roared, some from the noses of the flyers, like a unicorn's horn, others from the sides.

Strange projectiles sprayed fire, hurtling themselves towards the enemy to explode with such fury and with such speed that it made mages seem hopelessly obsolete.

Explosions and fire painted the night sky red, just as in the tapestry.

As the fury moved away from the walls, soldiers began to climb out of the flying things, moving swiftly, and slaying any of the bandits that did not throw down their arms, or were not already dead or wounded.

The foe, once seemingly formidable, had broke in but a moment.

She stood on the battlements and watched these 'NATO' people move. It was swift and disciplined. She didn't understand any of the language shouted, or the reason for the music being played, but understood the discipline. She found it gave a sense of normalcy, for all their strangeness. They were soldiers, and there were somethings that did not change.

She forced herself to relax and wore a mask of calm.

Whatever political goals 'NATO' bore, she needed to keep a steady hand, and clear head. She was Praetor Peregrinus, sent to determine their intentions and goals, as well as buy time for the Empire.

She gave encouraging nods to the militia and her knights as she descended the wall. Rushing up to gawk at the… flyers and their magic had been unseemly. Best to mask that, as others were likely as surprised as she had been.

She paused as she reached the bottom of the stairs, a voice singing, poorly, reached her ears.

"Then the winged hussars arrived, coming down the mountainside, then the winged hussars arrived, coming down they turned the tide."

She realised after a moment that it was Richard, translating the lyrics of the song being played by the reinforcements.

He was not well suited to singing.

"Cannonballs are coming down from the sky, Janissaries are you ready to die? We will seek our vengeance eye for an eye, you'll be stopped upon the steps of our gate, on this field you're only facing our hate, but back home the sultan's sealing your fate."

She waited from him to finished before approaching.

"They've got the song on repeat, unfortunately, but its about a siege, against the city of Vienna. The siege was broken by the winged hussars, a military unit from the kingdom of Poland, also known as the polish hussars. Not that they are hussars, or Polish." Richard laughed. "Those are Americans, I believe, airborne infantry."

Pina frowned.

So, Poland was a kingdom that held meaning to 'NATO', important enough for them to remember its victories. But who were the Americans and Canadians then? How did 'NATO' factor in? Was it the Empire they served, and the Americans and Canadians were people that were part of the empire?

She shook her head. No sense making guesses now.

"Sir Richard." She greeted as she resumed walking, this time towards him. The militia not part of the efforts to handle the wounded had gathered around him and parted to let her close. "May I speak with you?"

He paused in thought, briefly.

He sat on part of the barricade, smashed by the enemy mage. Tara, the white haired Warrior Bunny sat next to him, cleaning her spear.

He nodded and took off his helmet. After a moment's realization, Pina removed her own.

"Sure. What about?"

"That speech you made…" Pina frowned as she was interrupted when the militia around them started chatting. Pina kept her face calm, refusing to show either annoyance or irritation. She was not surprised that he had earned respect among the militia. "… I was hoping to ask you about it."

Richard's eyes flickered nervously.

"I, uh, made it up. Adapted random snippets of other speeches, and well, I just said what came to mind." He shrugged in his black plate. "Not the first time I've done that, done a bit of one the spot speeches for the tournaments and festivals. One I frequented each year had two teams form, and fight, with the captain of each team making a speech. Speech matters almost as much as the fight itself in scoring."

Pina felt a hot flash of anger that she quickly smothered. Of course, Richard would have more effect with his speeches if he had more experience.

"That being said, I haven't had much, if any, experience with prepared speeches." He admitted after a moment. "Figured anger would be the easiest emotion of use, so I flamed it."

Pina nodded her head.

"May I ask… have you fought in battles before?" Richard looked Pina in the eye.

Tara placed her hand on Richard's back, a look of concern etched on her face, though Pina missed it.

Pina flushed in embarrassment, breaking her mask of calm.

"…ah, nothing like this. A handful of times while riding around the capital, we chased on the odd bandit troop, but… no."

Richard nodded without breaking his gaze and took a deep breath.

Mentally Pina berated her herself and forced herself to restore the mask.

'Curse him for seeing through it.' She mentally moved the political danger he represented up several notes.

"Neither have I. One real fight, the assault on Alnus." He shook his head. "Don't remember most of it. Took a blow to the head and just saw red."

Pina's thoughts halted.

"I… I see…"

"Did damn well for only being your second fight." One of the militia soldiers leapt in. "Didn't waste anything on fancy manoeuvres, just in and driving them back."

A small cheer went up.

Pina mentally cursed him again. She saw what he was doing, and he had cornered her quite effectively, whether what he saw was true or not.

Her eyes flickered to Tara.

After a moment's hesitation, Pina decided it was better to not risk antagonising the Warrior Bunny.

That left her with but one option.

"Well, thank you for answering my question. I'd best be off seeing to my knights, and if your people need any assistance."

It was several moments after Pina left that a thought struck Richard.

'Shit. She was fishing for information, and she left so quickly… maybe talking to the young woman that grew up in a viper pit of politics isn't a safe idea…'

 

[charclone]

Richard handed the pistol in its holster back to Edgar.

"Glad I never had to fire that." He joked as he began to strip off his armour, wincing as bruises he didn't remember receiving were touched.

Tara stepped into help him.

"Part of me wishes you had, and had stayed back." Edgar admitted with a laugh. "Your mother would kill me if she could, when she finds out about this."

"Does his mother… disapprove of fighting?" Tara cocked her head in Edgars direction, before placing the upper arm armour on the table, alongside the pieces of Richard's suit of plate already removed. Her own armour, being far simpler, already lay next to it.

The room in the Formal Palace they had been given for their use was already full of the rest of Richard's entourage, removing their armour, and looking to its maintenance. The recently arrived NATO troops making camp outside of the city, for now, with a temporary headquarters being placed in another wing of the Palace, with an appropriate guard.

"Yeah. I wouldn't call her a pacifist, she doesn't start fights, she hates violence, but she would certainly end them." Richard laughed. "And I doubt she will get pissed, not at you anyway."

Edgar grunted. He paused briefly, noting Richard's hands were shaking.

"You alright?"

Richard shook his head.

"Ah, just the adrenaline drop, and lack of sleep." Richard punctuated his statement with a yawn.

"Your sure?" Major Johnston crossed his arms.

Tara started laughing. It started as a low giggle, and grew into full guffaws.

Slowly, she got them under control. After several moments to calm her breathing, she apologised.

"Sorry, it… it just struck me how different our cultures are." She tossed a part of Richard's armour onto the table. "My people… we would generally be celebrating once a battle was won. We… generally see value, in those that can kill. But you people don't, do they?"

Edgar shook his head.

"We see value in it, but… its not natural or healthy, to be able to easily take a person's life." He winced. "Leaves scars. Part of military training is being able to do it, but also to know when not too."

Tara nodded.

"With… how powerful your weapons are, I can understand." She crossed her arms. "That's part of why most mages aren't warriors, they aren't trained to be, they grow up learning books and knowledge, not how to kill, and no one wants a mage that will blow up a house at the drop of a hat."

The trio stood in silence for a moment, disrupted only by the clatter of armour as the other warriors worked.

"Right, well. I'd best report to the General. He's probably going to want to talk to you Richard, later. Won't be anything intensive, just a couple questions. Meantime, get some rest." Major Johnston waved as he left.

Richard and Tara finished removing the plate armour.

"Ick." Richard made a face of disgust as he found his shirt, bearing the iconography of the Stargate: SG-1 TV show, soaked in his sweat. "At least I have a change of clothes."

"You smelled far worse during our escape." Tara poked him in the shoulder.

"Ah, pardon the interruption." Richard and Tara's heads' swivelled toward the door. Countess Myui stood there, a maid by her side. "I must apologise for not offering the Palace's baths for your use. It would not be proper to insult a hero of the city."

Richard blinked in surprise. The eleven-year-old countess' smiling face made him hesitate. Before he could refuse, or protest her calling him a hero, Tara interjected.

"That is very generous of you, your grace. Thank you."

"As I said, it would not be proper to insult a hero of the city." Myui's grin grew. "I must say, your Saderan is remarkably good."

"Thank you, my mother thought it important that I could speak more than just my people's language."

Richard used the moment to collect his thoughts. He cleared his throat.

"Thank you, your grace, we appreciate it." He placed his hand on Tara's shoulder. "However, I must protest at being called a hero. My own participation was lesser than many of your own troops."

"Yet, your people saved the city, and your presence saved a gate from falling. What else would I call such a person but a hero?" Myui raised her chin and met Richard's embarrassed gaze. "Rest assured, the heroes of the militia will also be suitable rewarded. Your humility does you credit."

Richard squeaked as Tara rapped her arm around his shoulders, and brought him into a half-hug.

Myui stifled a giggle.

Richard noted something.

"I note that you have not mentioned Pina."

Myui's smiled lessened.

"The Empire is the cause of the problem. If my father had not been forced to vassalize himself, even if it kept the city free, he would not have been forced to march past the Gate."




Elsewhere in Italica, near the wall.

"So, to recap, you went out, by yourself, to attack the enemy."

"Correct."

"You saw both enemy mages, and after killing one, you noticed the other was a demi-human and a slave, and decided to spare her, since she was not a willing combatant."

"That is correct."

"You then carried her back into the city, dodging the rockets from the heli, scaring the airborne putting down nearby, leapt over the wall while carrying her, and sat on her until I saw free."

"The soldier's reactions were rather amusing."

The US Marine officer sighed.

Rory reminded him far too much of his own Marines. It scared him, far more than the idea of a demigod. The mental image of having to be responsible for a marine, even just one, made him die a little on the inside.

"Right, miss…"

The demi-human, with green feathers and bird feet stared at him, not understanding.

"Your name, please?" He repeated, making sure to carefully pronounce the Saderan words.

She flinched.

"Oh, ah… Myuute."

The officer scratched it down.

"Alright, with me please. Let's get you processed and get you clothed."

He sighed. She was not the only slave the NATO forces had discovered among the noble's camps, and he knew it was going to be a long day.

 

[charclone]

Richard would be lying if he said that he didn't enjoy the idea of using the Formal Palace baths. He had expected something akin to the Roman Baths, and while they were very similar, there were also differences.

The Formal Baths were underground, relying on underground springs. Airways hidden by the wall façade provided ventilation. Despite the underground location, candles and windows provided ample light, and the waters had been scented. Richard would have enjoyed them greatly, if not for two things.

The first was the memory that many surviving Roman Baths suffered from the use of lead pipes, and water contamination.

The other was the fact that mixed bathing was apparently in fashion. Or at the very least, no one was going to stop Tara from bathing with him.

He did not resent her presence, the problem was that he was not sure how to progress. He had found no time to discuss the topic of relationships with her, in the chaos following the battle.

The fact that Tara was both as nude as the days she was born, and intent on sticking to his side, made it difficult to concentrate on the topic well enough to discuss it.

Tara, for her part, was enjoying the heat of the baths. The baths set up for the refugees were private, a luxury to her people, and were always warm, but they were small, and it was hard to soak like this in them.

She knew Richard was uncomfortable about something, and knew his culture was different from hers. She had no doubt it would create difficulties, but she was confidence they could overcome them. She was less certain that he would tell her what was bothering him anytime soon, as Richard was quick to explain most problems, but when it came to a small number of specific topics, he tended to avoid them.

She snickered at the memory of a group of Miritta worshippers had asked to set up a temple in the town.

"Something funny?" Richard asked her, a strange quality in his voice she had associated with embarrassment. He was certainly blushing quite heavily.

"Just remembering the time you had to talk to those Miritta worshippers that tried to set up a temple." His blush redoubled. "Interesting that your people have laws around prostitution. But was sticking the medical corps on them necessary?"

"Told too by the General. STDs are a serious concern, and their beliefs run into complications with our laws, so it was far outside my jurisdiction."

Tara hummed in response, leaning on his shoulder.

She felt Richard relax as he talked. They lapsed into silence for several moments.

Richard cleared his throat.

"Ah, Tara…"

A knock sounded from the entrance of the baths.

"Good day, Lord Richard." Both Tara and Richard looked at the new arrival.

Dressed in the black dress and white smock of the Formal maids, the Warrior Bunny had long locks of brown hair, and stood slightly taller than either Tara or Richard. Richard also noted her ears were notably larger than Tara's, a fact he filed away to investigate later.

In her hands, she held a basket of cloth.

"To dry yourselves once you are finished." She said, smiling, as she placed them down. Her ear flickered towards the entrance, and her smile dropped into a scowl. "I would like answered however."

Tara wracked her memory. Something about the newcomer tickled something in her own memory.

"An answer to what?" Richard had tensed up when she had entered, and more so when her face changed.

"Nothing from you, Sir Richard. From your… companion." Her tone was bitter in its reply. "How did you survive?"

Tara remembered her.

"Delilah, from the Red Currents Clan. You fought in most of the battles during the war."

"Yes. I also remember our queen, your sister, betraying us."

Tara's face fell.

"All I know, is that she vanished, a few hours before the last assault." She glared at Delilah, biting back the remarks about her clanmates, and others, reckless charge into Imperial lines that broke their formation. "And she was only my half-sister, I am not pureblood. As for how I survived, I don't know. I took a blow to the head during the fighting, and woke up a slave."

Delilah glared.

"Yet, here you stand, free."

"Pot meet Kettle." Richard snorted. He blinked. "Did I say that in Saderan or English?"

"Saderan." Delilah was at least trying to be civil towards Richard, Tara noted. "What exactly do you mean by that?"

"You are also free, are you not? Besides, Tara was only freed when I made my escape with her. More than a few of us owe her as much as each other for our freedom."

Delilah took several breaths.

"Know this. If I ever get the chance, I will kill Tyuule." Without giving either of them a chance to respond, Delilah spun on her heal and walked out of baths.

Silence reigned for several heartbeats.

"Okay… that just happened." Richard blinked.

Tara sighed.

"She's far from the only one with that mentality. Tyuule… rumour has it that she sold herself to avoid destruction and sold us out as well." Tara took a deep breath. Whatever flower had been used to scent the waters was helping her relax a little at least. "I… she was young to her position, not the youngest queen we had had, but… she was not the most popular either. There were rumours she had arranged for the last queen to be assassinated, and for her to be voted in. Garbage, since she had been chosen to be the successor by the last queen a decade before, but…"

"People will make excuses to fit their biases." Richard sighed. "So… that's why you never mentioned her being your sister."

"Yeah. And the main issue with the Warrior Bunnies at Alnus is we have no leader, no one that is a pureblood, and this eligible to be made queen." Tara lowered herself so that the waters were at her neck. "The clan elders from each clan would gather, and elect the queen, or the current queen would select either a relative to be voted on by the clan leaders, or another pureblood. As long as they were pureblood, they could be made queen, but… Zorzal murdered all the purebloods."

"Are there even enough elders left to elect a queen?" Richard placed his hand on hers. "I only remember, what, three that are old at Alnus?"

"Eh, Elder is more a title or position than a signifier of age. It… doesn't translate well to Saderan, I think in English it would be both 'Wise' and 'Learned'. They aren't the priests, though some clans did have their priests also be elders." Tara leaned against Richard again and closed her eyes. "But, no, I don't think there are enough left. Not enough clans, not enough elders, not enough of… anything. Even if there was, and I was pureblooded, I wouldn't want to be queen. Too much politics. You're better at that stuff than me."

"What gives you that impression?" Richard looked at her.

"You volunteered to work as a go between for the freed slaves and NATO." She let her ears relax and lay on Richard's head and shoulders. "The conditions improved a great deal when that happened."

Richard snorted.

"Most of my work was acting as a translator, and providing NATO and the charities involved a list of what was needed."

"Nevertheless, once you got involved, things improved, and you still were meeting with generals and other important people. That also cemented the idea that you were some sort of noble in people's minds."

 

[charclone]

The number of meetings in the two days after the battle seemed to exceed the number before, in Tara's eyes. Some made sense, such as who got the prisoners and loot from the field and camps.

The meeting to determine what constituted humane treatment for the prisoners the Italican's received was odd, as those were all former militia. The ones that were still reliable, despite being pressed into the enemy's service would be reinstated, and the traitors would be executed, so treating them well was either treating one's own soldiers fairly or wasting food on living corpses.

Tara understood the morality of it, as Richard explained it to her, but it still seamed irresponsible to waste the food, especially as Alnus would be purchasing food from Italica for some time, as long as it met certain sanitary conditions.

In the end, the executions would be done the day after the morrow, cutting down on the food wasted on them, and keeping NATO happy by not 'mistreating' prisoners.

The rest of the prisoners, constituting the mercenaries and house troops but barring the two sisters, were separated into combatants and non-combatants. The former would be shipped off to the prisons, to wait for release with the survivors of the initial Saderan attack on Canada. The latter would simply be released.

The two sisters, on the other hand, had their fates in young Myui's hands. What that fate would be, the countess had yet to say.

For his part, Richard was largely a silent observer to the negotiations, conducted by a US Army Colonel, and Major Johnston.

His only act of note during the negotiations was formally delivering Count Formal's remains, having been identified by one of his officers who survived the attack, brought the day after by helicopter, along with what was left of the late count's forces.

Tara wasn't entirely pleased with the countess crying onto Richard's shirt, but she was hardly going to berate the girl for weeping at the loss of her father.

Officially, the remains of the count were that of an enemy combatant, but his troops were classified as 'refugees' who had been caught up in the fighting. Unofficially, as it had been explained to Richard, and later herself, they were using it as a fig leaf to win goodwill and release the count's surviving forces.

Pina seemed baffled that Richard was not leading the negotiations, something Tara enjoyed seeing.

Leaving yet another meeting, this one about determining the borders of Italica, and how far into it NATO would be allowed to move (no permanent garrison in the city, or on its land, but NATO forces had military access otherwise), Tara groaned.

"I understand why you need to be there," She grumbled to Richard. "But why am I needed?"

"You saying you don't like to spend time with me?" Tara thwacked Richard's shoulder. "Ow! That hurt."

"That part I don't mind, but why me?"

Richard rubbed the back of his head.

"Ah… word might have gotten around about you being related to a Queen…" Tara stared blankly at him for several moments. "Pina seems to be under the impression you also have political standing, and I was asked by some American Officer if you had been insulted by not being treated as royalty."

Slowly, the white-haired Warrior Bunny blinked.

"…what was that English word the Americans loved so much that seems appropriate… oh, right. FUCK!" She slumped and rubbed her forehead and sighed. "How likely is it that I get dragged into politics?"

Richard shrugged.

"Seems to have already happened…"

Tara groaned.

"Hey, at least its Lelei that has to translate." Richard laughed and drew Tara into a hug.

The sound of a person giving a polite cough drew their attention.

A Formal maid stood off to one side, escorting Myui who giggled at the scene.

"Ah, I hope I'm not interrupting, Sir Richard, Lady Tara." She smiled. Tara recognised the pain she was hiding beneath it. She still mourned. "But I was hoping to… ask you for advice, Sir Richard."

"Of course. How can I help?" Richard asked.

Myui winced, and her previous cheer evaporated.

"I… I don't know what to do with my sisters. I… should execute them, according to precedent. My advisors say the same, but… they are family. I…" Myui glanced around and led them to a side chamber before continuing. "I don't know what to do with them. We were distant, and with my father gone… I had hoped he could make the decision, but he is gone…"

Tara frowned.

If Tyuule had truly betrayed them, and it fell to her to decide what to do with her… would she be able to order her execution? Tara felt sick to her stomach at the idea and could come up with no clear answer.

Neither could Richard, it would seem.

"I'm sorry, but… I'm not sure either. They married out of your family, correct?" His voice was strained.

"Yes. Though, their marriage agreements, if annulled, would mean they default back to House Formal, which was their plan, and then remarry, taking Italica into the empire." The maid explained for her liege through a veil that covered her lower face.

Richard frowned.

"Well… could they be changed then? Make the marriages default to another house, as a condition for their release and ransom?" He held his hands. "Would that keep them from being able to inherit Italica?"

Myui frowned.

"I don't know."

"I'm not trying to say that's the best option, just understand what the options are." Richard explained. "I… am honestly unsure of what the best option would be. Would sending them back gain you anything, or would it be continued risk? Would their husbands want them back? Would the empire bar the ransom? In all honesty, I have little political experience. You likely have more than I, despite being younger. Tara, your thoughts?"

Tara winced and shook her head.

"My mind went straight to what if my… if Tyuule had truly betrayed us, our people, and if I had to choose if she lived or died. I… I don't know what I would choose."

The maid blinked.

"Delilah has been spreading those rumours again, despite what I… uh, learned, isn't she?" The maid blinked, then bowed. "My apologies, I spoke out of turn."

"No, no. What have you learned?" Myui asked, glad for the change in subject.

"That those rumours are lies spread by Zorzal, even as he brags that she offered to be his slave if he spared her people, and instead took her and conquered them anyway." The maid shifted and smoothed imaginary wrinkles in her dress. "Well, he brags to, uh, officials and people of high status, anyway, which is how I learned it, during one of the late count's… missions for me."

Richard blinked as she lifted the veil.

"Illithids. Of course." He pinched his nose. "Just to calm my nerves, can you read minds and mentally dominate people, or is that fiction?"

"Fiction. Ah, I can read a person's mind when I eat their aura, like a medusa can, though I can read more than just emotions, absorbing recent memories." She shrugged, letting the veil cover the tendrils she had in the place of a jaw. "I don't eat actual brains either… is Illithid what your people call mine?"

"No, from fiction. Bunch of telepathic brain eaters." Richard sighed.

Tara frowned.

"Do… you have any proof?"

"Why not ask Porphyrogenita Pina?" Myui blinked. "Zorzal was her brother."

Richard wanted to facepalm at forgetting that fact. Tara actually did.

 

[charclone]

Pina Co Lada, born in the purple of the Empire, and Praetor Peregrinus and Envoy of the Empire of Sadera paced furiously across the floor. Her aid, Hamilton Uno Ror, and her teacher and friend, Grey Co Aldo, looked on in worry.

"Your highness…" Grey started.

"Don't, please Grey." Pina snapped and sighed. "My apologies for that outburst of petulance, but father… the emperor sent me to Italica with instructions to try and open a dialogue with these… NATO. Instead, I have not only made foes of two noble houses, but I have been outwitted and outmanoeuvred by Sir Richard. Worse, there are rumours circulating that his… aide, shall we say, is Tyuule's sister."

Hamilton flinched. She had heard the rumour and rushed it to Pina's attention without gaining any more information.

"Hamilton, you did nothing wrong, informing me was the correct choice." Pina gave the younger woman a look before sighing and rubbing her temples. "My knights finally get a chance to prove themselves, and instead are shown up. I, myself, am faced with the fact that I… am a poor leader. An unbloodied knight did better at bolstering the militia's morale, such that they did not even flinch in the face of an enemy charge. On top of all that, the Empire is facing a foe that make us look like amateurs. What hope of victory do barbarians using crude wooden clubs have against a mounted knight in armour? None, the same as us."

Grey and Hamilton shared a look as Pina vented.

"Now, I somehow need to convince them not to destroy the empire, despite the fact that they have every advantage, and could easily do so before winter comes." Pina threw her hands in the air as she shouted. "And I wouldn't be surprised if winter wasn't going t slow them down either!"

"Your highness, are you finished?" Grey asked, his normally jolly face set with an ill-fitting frown. "Yes, they could easily crush us. The questions are, why haven't they and what do they want. Your highness, forgive me if I am speaking above my station, but we know so little about these people."

Pina sighed.

"Yes, your right Grey." She collapsed into a nearby seat. "My apologies, its just… I feel like I have already made too many errors. Seeing how swiftly they moved forces, and destroyed their foes… I can understand how they so easily crushed our forces."

"What I don't understand is why is Richard being side lined." Hamilton said. She blinked as both Grey and Pina stared at her. "Ah, forgive me…"

"No, no, you are correct Lady Hamilton." Pina frowned. "He is being side lined, yet he had been chosen to lead the initial expedition… the… 'Colonel' seemed annoyed with his presence, but the Major despite being lower ranked seemed to have no issue with him."

Pina blinked.

"He's like Zorzal."

Grey cocked his head.

"Your Highness? I'm sorry, but aside from both being blonde and having White haired Warrior Bunnies… I don't see it."

"Politically. When my brother started looking for a way to prove himself, he was sent with a legion to what was then our most stable border, he then took advantage of the opportunity to increase his own renown. The Gate appeared close to an important area, and likewise seeing his chance for renown, Richard likely jumped on it. The reinforcements likely are people he has no influence with, possibly even under a political rival, it would explain the differences in uniforms."

Grey hummed as he considered Pina's theory.

"It would make some sense… and there does seem to be some minor antagonism between the two forces…" Grey shook his head. "But there was talk of them being 'Americans' and 'Canadians'."

Pina winced.

"Different kingdoms then? Or regions?" She shook her head. "I forgot about that. Alright. So, we need to know more… I hesitate to simply ask him, he has already outmanoeuvred me once before… but I cannot be intimidated. I suppose I could…"

Pina froze as a knock sounded at the door. An Order of the Red Rose Knight stuck her head in.

"Pardon the interruption, but Sir Richard is outside, asking for an audience. He and Lady Tara would like to inquire about… ah… Tyuule." The knight winced as everyone's faced fell. "Shall I refuse him entry?"

"No! Ah, no. But… let him know I would… like to ask him a few questions, as well." Pina said.

The knight bowed and left. Moments later, she led Richard and Tara in.

"Good day, Sir Richard." Pina said, a polite smile plaster to her face. "May I ask what sort of questions you intend to ask?"

Richard did his best to mask his nervousness.

"We've heard two stories about Tyuule. I'd like to know which is true." Tara said, making no attempt to hide her antagonism, the bitterness in her voice visible to all.

"I see…" Pina's mind raced. Was Richard looking to further lure the Warrior Bunnies to his side, or was this charity? Was he looking to undermine the Empire's reputation… no, Zorzal had already done that with the Warrior Bunnies. They had no love for the Empire. Truth then, for now. "In the interests of goodwill… my brother… brags about how he broke his word to Tyuule. She offered herself as his slave, if he spared her people… he accepted, then ordered his soldiers in anyway."

A multitude of emotions flickered across Tara's face. After a moment, she deflated, looking exhausted. Richard offered a supportive arm.

"Now, if you don't mind me asking… I know very little about what happened in the initial invasion. I understand that it was destroyed but…" Pina glanced at Hamilton out of the corner of her eye, considering what to ask. "…but I have not heard how you were involved, Sir Richard."

Richard blinked, paled, and swallowed.

"There was a… gathering, of people who maintained old traditions. Competitions, a festival, a market, it was many things, sponsored by several groups who did similar things early, and this year they decided to be a bit grander and pool their resources." Richard licked his lips. "I had participated in a duelling competition. Just as it ended…"

Richard trailed off, memories of that day flooding his mind.

"A dragon flew overhead. Then there were screams, shouts, I… don't remember much. I remember seeing my opponent wounded by arrows, and others wounded by horsemen. Orcs, I now know them as butchered another group. I remember seeing people loading into a transport. Then… I remember fighting someone, killing them, then being swarmed by soldiers." He gave a shacky sigh. "Its far from an interesting tale. After that, well, you've probably heard about the rebellion at Alnus I participated in."

Pina mentally reeled.

"You… were there for a competition?"

"Yes." Richard blinked. "I'm not military, if that was your assumption. Hell, Canada hasn't officially been at war since… what, Korea? Sixty years ago?"

"Don't sell yourself short." Tara poked Richard. "You are being awarded the… what was it called?"

"Most Excellent Order of the British Empire."

Pina blinked and mentally cursed.

"What is the British Empire? Not your nation I take it?"

"Ah, no, though the Monarch is the same. Canada is a Dominion of the British Empire, as well as a sovereign nation, as part of the Commonwealth of Nations. It was released from the Empire. As for the British Empire, it was the largest Empire on Earth." Richard shook his head. "The UK, as it's called now days, is still so large that the sun doesn't set on it, though the Irish claim that it's be cause God doesn't trust the English in the dark."

"I see… so, you were offered this award…" Hamilton started.

"Yes… though I was offered the Order of Canada first… I had personal reasons for refusing it." Richard shook his head. "I… would rather not go into them."

"Ah, of course." Pina said slowly. "May I ask…"

She paused, considering her words, trying to parse the information given. Mentally, she saluted Richard. He gave her what she wanted, and told her more… but left out so many details it left her confused.

"May I ask how Tyuule, my sister, is?" Tara interjected, taking advantage of the pause.

Pina winced.

"I… am afraid I cannot say." Pina winced at her words. Best to end this now, before her mask crumbles completely. "If that is all?"

Richard glanced at Tara, who was lost in her own thoughts.

"I believe so. Good day, your highness."

"And to you, Sir Richard."

 

[charclone]

"You want to talk about it?" Tara blinked in surprise, shaken out of her thoughts. Her green orbs stared at Richard's pale blue for several seconds, before what he said processed.

"… not much to talk about." She muttered. "You know what I know."

"Meant more your thoughts on it. They seem to be eating at you." He joked, rubbing her back.

They had retreated to the room lent to Richard in the Formal Palace, located well away from the wing occupied by the Rose Knights. Tara's was across the hall.

She sighed and leaned against him.

"I just… don't know what to do. She isn't going to be accepted as queen anymore, so that doesn't solve that issue, as much as I wish it did." She took a deep breath. "Then there is the question of what is going to happen to her, and what is being done to her. I… I'd rather not let my mind wander there. The Imperials… don't usually treat prisoners well, not ones that have no value."

Richard frowned and pondered for a moment.

"Well, I brought my laptop. How about we watch something to distract you?"

"Please."

"Okay, one moment." Richard pulled the computer from his backpack and paused. "Okay, I thought I packed more than just two movies… let's see… oh, that's where Zulu went… how about Looney Toons? Classic comedy shorts."

Tara frowned.

"What's Zulu?"

Richard winced.

"So, in short, its about a time when the British Empire held off an assault by locals, called the Battle of Rorke's Drift, only having a hundred soldiers, while outnumbered by a significant margin. Reason I don't want to watch it, is because its… a bit to like the current situation. The whole Anglo-Zulu war is also a complicated topic. The Zulu force wasn't supposed to attack Rorke's Drift, since it was supposed to just be the Zulu defending themselves."

"But the commander instead chose glory over sense." Tara snorted.

"Eh, more to it than that. There had been conflicts and disagreements. Plus, the Zulu weren't treated well by the British. It was in the Eighteen-sixties, so the early form of cartridge loading rifles were in use, and the Zulu used spears and hide shields." Richard shrugged. "There is also the matter of colonialism, which NATO has been accused of, and I can't define it well enough at the moment to explain it properly."

Tara shrugged.

"Fine." She paused, her ear twitching. "Huh, sounds like Edgar."

Before Richard could ask, there was a knock at the door. He gave Tara a look as he moved to answer it, which she just responded to with a grin.

"Richard. I heard you were going to talk to Pina?" Edgar asked as soon as the door was open. "Can I ask you to do something for me when you do?"

"We already did. Talk to her, that is." Richard winced. "Why?"

Major Johnston sighed.

"Alright, I'll be the one to do it. Aerial recon spotted what we are pretty sure her reinforcements." He rubbed the back of his head. "We were hoping that we could have her meet them part way, so there wasn't a misunderstanding."

Richard snorted.

"How far away are they?" Tara asked from where she sat on the bed.

"About…" Edgar did some mental math. "Eh, call it three quarters a day's ride? We'd meet them with a couple Hummers."

"And I'm assuming you want me there for appearances?" Richard groaned. "That's why you want me to ask? Alright, fine."

Edgar grinned.

"Oh, don't be like that. Not every day one gets to ride with a princess."

Richard glanced at Tara and snorted.

She gave him a glare.




Pina swallowed in nervousness as she looked at the growling… thing. They were to meet with her knights that were still on their way.

She knew it was NATO demonstrating their ability to surpass and outmanoeuvre the Empire, despite their claims about wanting to avoid unnecessary conflict. Her forces breaking the truce would only benefit them, after all, with all their advantages.

Still, Pina found the 'Hummer' the Canadians were using to be strange. The idea of a horseless carriage was not that strange, as she had heard stories of similar devices from Rondel, though those tended to be more cautionary tales, with the enchanted wagons disappearing into the night, or never stopping until the wheels broke.

Its constant growling was… unsettling.

As was the speed that they claimed it could reach. They claimed it could reach the same distance a horse would take over a road in a full day, in less than two hours over rougher terrain.

She caught sight of Tara. She was watching her, seemingly amused at her discomfort.

Pina could accept that she had been outmanoeuvred earlier, but she would lot allow herself to be mocked.

Throwing caution to the wind, she moved inside the vehicle. She blinked, realising she had been outmanoeuvred again. In the other seat, Richard dozed, dressed in his armour.

Pina frowned and settled in as best she could.

She would not let her trepidation towards this new form of transport show.

 

[charclone]

The machine came to a stop.

Pina forced herself to relax. The roads condition had been worse than she thought, making the fast trip worse. The speed the 'hummers' were capable of certainly didn't improve things. She remained sitting, keeping herself calm.

Richard somehow slept through part of it, a fact that further irritated Pina.

She saw out the front window, made of some strange form of glass, her knight's approach, with Bozes in the lead. She grit her teeth upon seeing the flash of unsheathed steel in the blonde's hand. It would be just her luck for that hothead to start something, wouldn't it.

Pina glanced at the door, wondering how to open it. She blinked in surprise when it opened without touching it, revealing Sir Richard holding it open.

"Your highness."

Pina schooled her features and got out of the vehicle.

So focused on not showing any weakness to Richard, she missed the shape in the treeline.

Richard made a strange grunt, as something struck metal, and hurtled over her head. Pina gave an undignified squawk as Richard suddenly stepped forwards as she was only half out of the vehicle, and pushed her back in, closing the door.

There was the sound of the otherworlders weapons firing for a few seconds, before shouting in Saderan and the otherworlder's language was audible even through the metal hull of the 'hummer'. After a moment, she saw through the window several NATO soldiers plunge into the treeline, along with Bozes on horseback. A fact that made Pina wince.

Moments later, the door on the opposite side of the vehicle opened, as Richard pulled himself in.

"My apologies your highness," There was an odd quality to his voice. He was breathing hard and seemed shaken. "for the rough treatment, but when I saw the crossbow bolt after I felt it glance off my shoulder, I figured better safe than sorry."

In Pina's mind, she firmly believed he had done it to put her in his debt, even for a minor thing, or simple goodwill.

"Your knight, the blond one, went off in pursuit of whoever shot at us." He continued. He said something to the driver in the foreign tongue and received a laughing reply. "She said we should just wait for the area to be secured, and that they caught the shooters already. Mercenary that must have escaped the fighting."

Pina wanted to protest that what NATO had done was hardly fighting, but she instead chose to remain silent on the matter. She crossed her arms and settled in to wait.

Half an hour later, Bozes, Panache, and her knights were kneeled before her.

"We are relieved to see you well, your highness." Panache took the lead, after giving Bozes a glare. "But… who are these people?"

"These are the otherworlders the emperor sent us to negotiate with." Pina stated the obvious. "Now, I see the banner of the Yellow, but where is the Blue?"

"Vifita took the Blue to render aid to a settlement nearby. There was smoke, and the scouts had reported bandits." Bozes not so much reported as she did announce. "They should rendezvous with us at Italica."

Pina sighed as she heard Richard translate to a NATO soldier. A moment later she heard him speak.

"Major Johnston reports that reinforcements are already on route, along with some relief supplies." He said.

Bozes scowled but was halted from saying anything by Pina. It was a minor breach of protocol if they had been in even the least bit formal setting. But this was the field, where Grey had pounded into their heads that protocol fell second to convenience. Every second counted on the battlefield. A lesson Bozes, and others, tended to forget.

Pina couldn't blame them, as many acted like that out of loyalty to her, though she would still quietly reprimand her at a later date.

"Thank you, Sir Richard, and please convey my thanks to the leader of the reinforcements." Pina said over her shoulder. "Bozes, please select one of your Yellow Rose Knights to act as a messenger, to avoid any breaches of the temporary truce we have just signed."

The blond with drill style hair blinked, paled, and nodded, shouting order to one of her best riders.

"Now, Sir Richard, I believe we should return to Italica, lest there are any more bandits." She said. The implication being that she did not trust the soldiers to protect her. It could also be taken that she resented being pushed as she had been, though that would be a bit of a stretch.

"Very well your highness." Pina frowned as he didn't react to the insult. Further cementing the idea in her mind that he was a dangerous political foe.

"You mentioned you were to receive an award." She said, once they were once again moving in the vehicles, at a slower pace so that the Yellow Rose Knights could keep up. "Would it be possible for myself and a few of my knights to… bear witness to the ceremony?"

Richard cocked his head.

"I… don't know. It would require flight over the Atlantic Ocean, which would cross several international borders, so likely there would need to be a dialogue between governments, and an agreement to permit you into Canada in the first place, though since you intend to negotiate on behalf of your father, such things are probably already in motion." He paused. "Though considering the timeline, I'm unsure of the time remaining being sufficient. We are leaving Italica tomorrow, that is, myself, Tara, and my guards."

"Well," Pina processed what he had said. Flight over an ocean? Surely it couldn't be that big of one. "I… hope the opportunity becomes available."

 

[charclone]

Tara tried to crush the niggling feeling in her gut, and the urge to check the clock. They were useful devices, but the temptation to know the exact amount of time Richard was late was great.

They had arrived back at Alnus yesterday, with Pina to follow a few days later. Tara didn't know the details of the agreement, but she knew that Richard had agreed to arrange for Countess Myui to get a computer and some video games.

This morning Tara had asked to meet with Richard, to talk the about the details of her accompanying him to Earth for the ceremony. Her attendance had already been accounted for, but Tara found she was nervous.

She had only been to a small portion of it, in Canada, but the idea of travelling across a great portion of it made her uneasy, partly because she knew there was a great deal about how it was done that she simple didn't know.

But Richard was late.

She blinked when she heard the chair across from where she was sitting in the Alnus Tavern creak, as someone sat in it.

Hannah placed her elbows on the table and rest her chin on her laced fingers.

"Running away and leaving me to deal with all the clans and tribes bickering?" Hannah grinned. "How cruel."

Tara raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, don't give me that look." Hannah rolled her eyes. Then her grin became lecherous. "So, finally got with him, huh? How is he in bed?"

"Haven't gone that far." Tara bluntly stated. "Are you here to mock, tease, drag me into politics, or just alleviate boredom?"

Hannah frowned.

"… their customs are so… prudish, aren't they?" She sighed. "Fine. Mostly to satisfy my curiosity, and to let you know. Word got around of who your sister is. Between you working with NATO, being part of the delegation to Italica, and to Earth, and your… heritage, there is a new political faction forming. Don't be surprised when they ask you to be queen."

Tara froze.

"I… I'm not… I can't… I…" She sputtered, mind reeling. "I'm not pure-blooded!"

"No, but you were related to Tyuule, are educated, have NATO's apparent support, have 'Lord' Richard's support, and are already politically relevant. That's enough. Apparently." Hannah frowned. "Do you believe what Pina apparently told you? About Tyuule and Zorzal being an oathbreaker?"

"Zorzal… doesn't surprise me. I knew Tyuule, though. She could be… very cold and calculating at times. Would she have sold her own skin for us? I… don't know." Tara sighed. "Pina might have been lying. Tyuule… I was trained from a young age to be a Royal Guard and a warrior, so I never spend much time with her outside of my duties. When we were kids… she never did anything like that, but nor did she offer herself for others."

Hannah leaned back in her chair.

"Honestly, part of me wishes the Imperia Princess was lying. The rest of me… doesn't care. We lost, no matter what Tyuule did. But… NATO is kicking the Empire's ass. You are here. I trust you and Richard, while Tyuule is an unknown." Hannah snorted. "Just, if you decide to launch a coup, let me know, cause I want in, and I know a few people who deserve to get purged."

"Don't joke about that, please." Tara laid her head on the tabletop.

"What, the purge, coup, or you being the queen?"

"I am not, ever, going to be queen. A coup would piss off NATO, probably, and the purge… okay, fine, some of the idiots want us to stab NATO in the back. They are going to be… dealt with, one way or another, by us, NATO, or their own stupidity." Tara groaned as she lifted head back up. Her eyes widened slightly, and she grinned.

"Richard!"

"Sorry about being late. Had to handle some paperwork so a butterbar Lt. would get reassigned for dumping all his work on me while I was gone." He said as he walked over. He glanced between Tara and Hanna. "So, what's up?"

"Just letting Tara know that there is a faction wanting her as Queen growing in strength." Hannah smirked as she got up to leave. "You two have fun!"

Richard sat in Hannah had vacated.

"So…" He prompted.

Tara shifted nervously.

"Alright, so… guess I'll start." Richard said after a moment, seeing Tara's nervousness. "I… have no idea how to handle relationships, let alone romantic ones. Hell, most of my friends are either people I met in the same hobby, or people my dad introduced me to before he died."

Tara blinked in shock.

"You made a countess your friend, matched wits with an Imperial Princess, and earned the adoration of a city." She stated. "You call that not being able to handle relationships?"

"I was playing it all by ear. I'm surprised you didn't hear my heart thundering in fear a couple times." Richard joked, then paused and winced. "Sorry, no insult intended."

Tara simply responded by flexing her ears.

After a moment of silence, they broke into giggles.

"Its fine." Tara waved his apology off. "But seriously, you are better than you think. Now… well, what do your people do when… is courting the right word for it?"

"I think dating is the correct term. Yes, English words having many different words, dependant on context, is confusing at times." Richard shrugged. "I… well, its… so, from what little I know, dating would be things like this, just spending time together. It could also be private things, like watching a movie together, or at a theatre. Romantic dinners, which we could do while in Canada or England."

"How does that differ from normal?" Tara asked.

Richard threw his arms wide in a shrug.

"So, uh, what was it you wanted to talk about when you asked me to meet?" Richard asked.

"…two things. One… what was with your deferral to your… parliament? When Myui offered you a title and land in Italica, just before we left?" Tara was stalling, she knew, but the idea of travelling a strange land was still eating at her.

"Oh, right, so. In short, Canada passed a law that forbid any foreign titles or awards being granted to Canadian citizens without the consent of Parliament. Partly because they wanted to elevate the Order of Canada and other domestic awards, when compared to the British Empire's awards, when we were still tied to it."

"I see." Tara chewed on her lip. "Okay, the other thing is… how do we travel? Isn't Canada massive?"

"Yup. As for travel, well, we will be flying from the Toronto airport, to a place in the United States, Washington, I think, before we head to London in the United Kingdom."

"Wait, flying?" Tara blinked.

"You know those jets the Americans have been flying? Image a massive version, like a flying ship." Richard grinned. "I know you aren't afraid of heights. Vel giving you a lift on Thoos is way more dangerous."

"Its not that its just… can they really fly so far? And… how noisy is it?"

"Fairly noisy, but I think we can get some earplugs." Richard shrugged. "As for distance, well, yeah, hell, there are single trip flights, but those are expensive, and while NATO was kind enough to cover our tickets for this flight, as first class, I think they might protest for anything more expensive without reason."

Tara tilted her head.

"How expensive can flights get?"

 

[charclone]

Pina was, on one hand, annoyed that she would not be able to observe Richard's knighting ceremony. Besides the political aspects, she was curious as to the differences between the knights of Richard's people, and the knights of Sadera.

On the other hand, Richard had made a mistake. He would be completely uninvolved with any of the negotiations, and from what she had observed, he was not flush with political allies. If he had political enemies, she had also seen no evidence of them, but she hardly expected to seem them as part of the counter invasion.

A week after Richard left Italica, Pina set out for Alnus. Her Order of the Knights of the Red Rose with her. The Yellow and Blue Roses would remain in Italica, as a show of support to the new Countess, as well as to hunt down any bandits in the area. She would collect them on her way back to Sadera.

After a few days of travel, though NATO controlled lands, they had arrived at Alnus.

The travel had shown Pina several things. The first that NATO was very effective at destroying bandits, and policing roads. Another was that they were very swift and mobile, with their horseless carriage machines. The third was that they relied on long lines of supplies. Some strange machine that rode metal lines carried a vast train of massive carts, and even vehicles, to NATO bases. The speed and consistency of the machines suggested a great deal of supplies being moved. Something that thoroughly debunked the theory that they were willing to negotiate due to a supply issue.

They were stockpiling supplies at their 'FOBs'. To Pina and her knights, it appeared that they either intended to use the negotiations as a ruse, or didn't expect the Empire to abide by them. Pina couldn't honestly fault them if the latter was their logic, as Zorzal had certainly tarnished the Empire's word, especially since NATO were sheltering a potential claimant to the Warrior Bunny Kingdom throne.

The fortress that had been established on Alnus was shocking in its simplicity. Strange barricades filled with dirt, small stone walls, bundles of strange wire, all working in strange conjunction with the otherworlder's weapons and soldiers to protect their foothold on Falmart.

Despite its simplicity, it displayed capabilities that left Pina's knights slack jawed.

Pina had heard the noise before, but seeing the strange flying thing take off from a strangely paved road was a new experience.

Pina fought with her mount as it reared back in surprise from the unexpected and loud noise as the machine roared down the runway, and into the air. Her knights likewise found themselves struggling with their startled mounts.

The soldiers guarding a checkpoint chuckled at the sight.

Eventually, she and her knights were able to get the horses under control and were waved through the checkpoint. The welcoming party they found was smaller than what Pina had expected, only two dozen people mostly in the dress of NATO soldiers, like the ones that had been at Italica, though there was also an unexpectedly familiar face.

"Welcome, your highness!" King Duran, the wolf of Elbe greeted her. "I see your father has not lost his sanity or wisdom!"

"Thank you, your majesty." Pina took in King Duran's appearance. She had only seen him as a vassal visiting his liege before, dressed in the Saderan fashion. Here, he dressed in the style of his homeland. A tunic and jacket looked strange to Pina's eyes, used as she was to seeing him dressed in a toga. They were dyed elaborately, making her feel underdressed, even in her polished armour. Strikingly, however, was the prosthetic arm and leg. The leg was fashioned from strange materials and bore little resemblance to a human leg, probably fashioned by the otherworlders. The arm however was a simple thing, of wood and iron.

Duran followed her gaze.

"A wound from when we assisted the legions your father sent to our border, against NATO." He grinned. "The prosthetic was suggested by a scholar, I believe you met him, a Sir Richard. It is based on the arm of a knight from his world, by the name of Götz von Berlichingen, I even got a quote from him inscribed on it."

He shifted the arm, to show the silver writing on the forearm, in a tongue Pina couldn't read. It covered only his forearm, and she could see flesh beneath parts of it, so he had only lost his hand. A small mercy at least. King Duran had always been kind to her, even teaching her a few Elban sword techniques.

"I might be a prisoner here, but I would be remis in my duties if I didn't at least offer to assist you. I will be acting as a translator, your highness." King Duran informed her. He turned and said something to a man dressed in a strange dark coat, with a rounded hat. Decorations covered the left breast; several were clearly accolades of some sort. The man said something in response. "Your highness, allow me to introduce the commander of the NATO forces, General Samuel Jameson, of the United States Army."

Pina gave a slight bow in greeting to the general.

"Your majesty… might I have a moment to ask you a few things about this NATO?" She said as she rose. "There are a few things that are… unclear to me, that I feel must be clarified before we negotiate."

Duran's grin only grew.

"Of course, your highness." He turned and said something to the General, who chuckled, and gave a reply. "He said it would be poor form to not let you rest after a long journey. Housing has been prepared. Since you have some questions, I will show them to you. Your knights will be barracked nearby."

 

[charclone]

It was much smaller than Pina expected. Hardly a palace, but then, it was in a military camp. For being what it was, the building given to her was remarkably luxurious. Running water, lights that were bright and could be controlled by a switch of some sort, even beds that were rival for her own in the Jade Palace.

"Small, but quite nice, aren't they?" King Duran commented from a stuffed seat as Pina walked downstairs, having divested her armour in her new room. "They say most of it is powered by 'electricity', some sort of bottled lightning. I am just glad that these domiciles don't leak and are quite warm at night."

He leaned forwards on the 'couch', motioning Pina towards another stuffed seat.

"Now, what did you want to ask me?"

Pina glanced at Hamilton, shoot her a glare as she saw her aide reach towards the 'light switch'. She then sighed and collected her thoughts.

"What is NATO? And how do the 'Americans', 'Canadians', 'Polish', and others fit in?" She asked plainly.

Duran laughed.

"I know of Americans and Canadians, and a group called the British, but not of these… Polish. As for how they fit into NATO… well, you remember how some barbarian peoples will unite their armies?"

"Yes. But why call it NATO? Is that the name of the nation that formed from such a unity?"

Duran snorted at Pina question.

"I don't know how it started, but no. It's a united army, and a defensive alliance, composed of a large number of nations, with the rule that an attack on one is an attack on all." His grin grew savage. "Your father charged straight into the dragon's nest."

He leaned back.

"As for the rest… well, the Americans seem to have the largest army, while the Canadians are from the nation the Gate appeared in. Sir Richard is one of them. They used to be part of the British Empire, who has been sending troops recently. Apparently, the Americans also used to be part of it, until they rebelled. It's now treated as a joke amongst some of the troops I asked, being so far in the past."

Pina's hands curled into fists.

"How large are these… kingdoms?"

"Canada is large, but mostly wilderness. On the rest, I don't know." Duran shrugged. "I suspect you will have better luck finding that out soon."

He pulled papers and some form of writing utensils, setting them on the low table between them.

"Here, you will probably need to start learning their language."




"You got everything packed?" Richard asked Tara as he saw her approach where he waited.

"Yes." She nodded. "So, what are we waiting on?"

"A car to take us to the airport, according to the CAF officer that gave me the tickets and schedule." Richard blinked. "That a new outfit?"

Tara grinned.

Gone were her normal mix of Warrior Bunny clothing, mixed with Terran outfits given by the military when they helped the other refugees.

Replacing her fur skirt was a pair of jeans, topped by a familiar shirt.

"You found another one of those Star Wars shirts?" Richard frowned. "Wait, isn't that my sweater?"

Tara's grin grew larger.

"Maaaaybe. I heard it was common for lovers to share these."

Richard opened his mouth. Closed it. Tilted his head to the side in thought, then he shrugged.

"Eh, you'll probably want it, considering Canada even in late summer is colder than here."

Tara gave him an exaggerated pout.

She started to say something more, when a car horn drowned out her words. It stopped in front of them, and the driver window rolled down.

"So, lovebirds. Off to see the king?" Corporal David grinned at them from the car. "Hop in! Best to show up an hour early for flights."

"These are much comfier than the 'Hummers'." Tara noted, after storing her luggage in the trunk and sitting next to Richard in the rear seats. "How common are these vehicles?"

Richard grinned.

"Hey, corporal! You planned for the traffic; I assume?"

"What do you think kid? Its Toronto. I'd be deep in shit if I didn't."

"Traffic?" Tara gave Richard a confused look at the unfamiliar word.

The Corporal slowly accelerated, driving towards the Gate and Earth.

Ignoring Tara's question for the moment, Richard watched as first Alnus town moved past, then the road between the base and the town, and then the checkpoints. He raised an eyebrow as they drove past a group of Pina's knights, unloading supply wagons into their temporary barracks.

"Huh, Pina must be here already."




"Oh. Traffic." She winced as the horns blared. She glanced around the car, seeing nothing but an immense, slow moving deluge of vehicles. Noisy and fowl smelling vehicles. Tara had seen streets similarly congested, but that was in the middle of a city, during a battle between armies. Here, it was simply people travelling. In her mind, she was sure that there were more vehicles here than people in the Saderan Capital.

"Yup. Traffic." Richard laughed, and, noting the slow pace of the traffic, settled in to take a nap.

Tara blinked at him, then, deciding that it was probably a better idea than wating for the congestion of vehicles to move any faster, she leaned against him, to join him in sleep.

Its not like she could see anything but concrete buildings, which she had seen before, the raised roads, or more vehicles.

 

[charclone]

"I can authorise a temporary ceasefire, your highness, but further negotiations would require meetings with high levels of the NATO governments and officials." The 'American' general said, with King Duran acting as translator. "The Canadian government has approved a meeting and tour of part of the country, though the details are still being debated."

"I see." Pina said. "Still, I am glad your people are willing to negotiate."

"We're more surprised that your people are only trying to negotiate now." The general, a Samuel Jameson, explained. "From what we know, the Roman Empire, which your people seem to be related to, was more likely to establish trading posts first in frontier regions, to gather information, rather than outright attack blindly."

Pina winced.

"Internal disagreements." Was all she said. Internally, she cursed her half-brothers. Zorzal had pressed for the military invasion, something her other half-brother Diabo, protested. In the end, the result was Zorzal would 'graciously permit others the honour of carrying out the duty' with his backing, while they both financed it, as well as more than a few prominent members of the senate. The infighting had turned it from a potential exploratory mission, to a race to see which faction would be more successful and reap greater political rewards.

With the unexpected outcome, Saderan politics had become unpredictable, as families lost power and prestige, while those that had invested nothing rose. It was part of her father's reasoning for sending her in the first place.

"Hmm." The general hummed at her non-answer. "Well, in any case, for the sake of the negotiations, I believe a basic breakdown of Earth would be warranted."

He reached behind his desk, pulling out a folded map.

It was unlike any map Pina had seen. Where most Saderan maps had Sadera at the centre, much like how other kingdoms placed themselves at their map's centres, this one seemed to have its centre in the ocean, and being strangely warped and rounded. It took Pina a moment to realize, with no small amount of dread, that it was a complete map of 'Earth'.

"This part here is Canada, the Gate being about here. The States are just to the south." The general pointed out on the map. "The relevant political entities to NATO are Canada, the US, Britain, sorry, the UK, located here, Germany here in Europe, Ireland here, next to the UK…"

Pina felt a pit of dread settle in her stomach as more and more, remarkably large, nations were pointed out on the map as being part of NATO. Part of her wondered about the areas not part of NATO, but she set it aside to be looked into later.

"Pardon me, but…" She frowned, noting the apparent small size of Britain. "As I understand it, Sir Richard is being awarded a medal from Britain? And his nation was once part of that Empire?"

"Richard? Yeah. Probably in the air, around here." The general circled part of the massive ocean between two continents. Pina quietly hoped that he would be swallowed by it. "The British… well if I remember a comment from the kid, their overseas territories are still so large the sun doesn't set on their holdings. But yeah, they used to rule here, Australia, here, South Africa, New Zealand, India… it was a massive colonial empire, largest Empire in human history. Empire is disbanded, replaced by the Commonwealth of Nations and NATO."

The general coughed.

"Anyway, getting off topic. Most NATO nations are quite happy to see the conflict end, so long as justice is served. How will need to be determined on negotiations." He explained. "Now, your Empire operates on a gold economy, yes?"

"That's correct, though most coins are bronze and silver. The senate is unwilling to surrender land, but we have a great deal of natural wealth, and trade with other nations." Pina explained. "We are also unwilling to surrender any of our people as tribute."

"That's fine. I wanted to ask about the gold because of the prisoners we took. We are willing to release a number as a gesture of goodwill, mostly peasant levies and low ranked soldiers, to keep banditry from growing, and keep your people from starving."

Pina saw through the tactic. An empire lacking in leaders, but having plenty of manpower would be more tempted to ransom the officers using taxes raised from labour. Not to mention it would win them support with the lower classes. Unfortunately, she didn't have many tools with which to counter.

"May I instead suggest several higher-ranking people? Ideally, family members of senators." It would put them in her debt, and she could leverage that to keep the senate from trying to restart the war. If they had seen the same thing she had at Italica, well, she doubter any of the prisoners would be willing to support a renewed war.

"Well, what about a mix of both?"

Pina settled in to negotiate.

 

[charclone]

Tara appreciated earplugs. They were uncomfortable, awkward with her rabbit ears, and could not be easily reused (how was there that much earwax in anyone's ears?) but they made the rumble of the engines bearable.

"So, in short, we are hurtling through the air… propelled by explosions?" She stared at Richard in the seat next to her with a look of horror.

"No, no." Richard shook his head with a laugh. "That would be a rocket. Like how a dragon pushes air down with its wings and angles them to push against the air to move forwards, the aircraft uses the expanding air from the engines to push itself forwards, and the shape of its wings to push the air downwards beneath the wing, and the air pushes upwards against it, pushing the craft up."

Tara blinked at the explanation.

"But it still uses explosions to ignite the air?"

"No, it burns the jet fuel, as an intense fire, rather than an explosion." Richard shook his head. "Guns and rockets use controlled explosions."

"Well… that isn't really any more comforting." Tara sighed. She looked around the 'first class' cabin. "Is it normally this empty?"

"First class? I have no idea." Richard glanced around. Out of the twenty seats, only another three were occupied. "I know airlines usually like to fill seats as best they can, partly because of the cost of fuel. But this is a little odd. Air travel picked up a lot since a flue went around a couple of years ago, but I guess it hasn't gotten completely back up."

"Flu? Oh, right, the medics were immunizing refugees as they arrived still." She hummed. "Must be less stressful, knowing you can immunize people against plagues and the like."

Richard opened his mouth. Paused. And then closed it, deciding to change the subject.

"So, are there any significant cultural ties to your people's style of fighting?"

"With what?" Tara looked at him. "Our blades? Not really. I think some clans have their own styles they don't teach anyone else, but outside of that, no. The Royal Guard had some rules about who was allowed to be taught how we fought, but those were abolished a while ago after we realized it was… ill-suited for fighting Saderan Legionaries.

She grinned.

"Are you asking me to teach you?"

Richard nodded.

"I'd also like to try my hand at forging one of your people's blades. It's been a while since I have worked any metal, and I want to stay in practice." He blinked in surprise when she grabbed his hand. "Is there some significance to that?"

"Old legends, stories, about couples doing things like that. We don't turn away others that come to us, because of our mating practices, which also means we would bring in other people's style of fighting." She explained. "I'll tell you some of the stories once we land. But, yes, as a result of us taking in others, we learned new things. The first smith was an elf, for example, and he taught our ancestors how to work metal."

"Hmm." Richard hummed. "Well, I think we have a day after we land to get ready for the ceremony, so we should have the time… though, I bet the eggheads back at Alnus will get annoyed with us if we don't record the stories for them."

Tara blinked.

"Do… we have anything to record it on? Or are you going to write them down?"

"Laptop has a microphone, and I have recording software." Richard answered with a shrug. He yawned. "It's getting late. It's an overnight flight, and we are getting there early in the morning, so I am getting some sleep."

"That's a good idea." Tara answered as she yawned in mimicry of Richard's. The seats were comfy and could be adjusted, a fact that Tara took advantage of as she leaned back in it.

Richard noted, as he laid back in his seat, that she wasn't letting go of his hand.

As he slowly drifted off to sleep, Richard went through the expected schedule. He would be receiving the medal at a ceremony two days after landing, giving them time to rest, and prepare. Tara would need some formal clothing, and he needed to make sure his suit hadn't been ruined in his luggage.

After that, they had a week before the return flight open to them. Richard wasn't sure what to do there. Maybe a tour of London? He mentally shrugged. They had time to plan, and he was happy to spend some time with Tara regardless.

Then, once they had returned… he planned on seeing a few things in Canada before heading back to the Gate. He hadn't spoken to his mother in some time, since he had been released from the hospital after escaping, and introducing Tara to her seemed like a good idea.

 

[charclone]

The ruler of the elven city state had welcomed them, when their ragged band of refugees appeared. He ordered the gates opened, and food prepared, while he held audience with the leaders of the survivors.

The woman, now demigod, was slightly embarrassed by how people were treating her. If rumours were to be believed, she had driven the attackers away single handily, slew their champion, took their weapon as her own, and was elevated to demigodhood in recognition for her deeds.

The ruler was surprised to learn that it was far from the truth, but had been polite about it.

"We will of course render aid to our brothers and sisters from the forests." He said, once the audience was over. "But I am alarmed, honoured one, that the Huntress-Queen chose you over her people."

"She… believes her people have grown lazy, and believes that my actions against them will force them react." She admitted. "I… fear what she will ask of me."

"My uncle was a brave warrior, and when he was chosen by the god of order, he admitted to my father much the same. My uncle was a free spirited person, but perhaps that is on purpose, that people so different from the gods are chosen, to make them grow, and adapt… but my uncle instead has grown… darker in his moods, for all that they remain jovial." The aged elf sighed.

The woman was surprised at seeing such an old elf, that his hair turned grey. She dimly recalled her own grandmother, who likewise had grey hair. It made her wonder just how old this elf was, and how much longer it would be until his uncle would ascend to godhood.

"Would you assist me in protecting my city?" He asked her. "I understand you have a ward. She would be cared for and educated. I believe she has a natural inclination to magic. She would be taught to harness that talent."

"She is my friend, not my ward. Her mother yet lives, though she was wounded. We grew up together, though I grew up much faster." The demigod explained, suddenly quite cautious wither her words, and conscious of who she was speaking with. "But I would appreciate her being looked after."

"Then it shall be done." He waved his hand. "But… now the question is how shall it be done? I have many warriors, but they are scattered. Whenever we try to amass to catch the raiders, they scatter."

The demigod froze, as she heard a whisper.

"I… I would suggest going after their villages. They strike at ours, but are not your rangers just as skilled woodsmen?" She paused to pick her lips. "An eye for an eye is the law, is it not?"

"It is…. It is indeed. Yes, this will do. For now. I shall have a warrior instruct you in our style of fighting, so you are familiar with it. At least your lifespan is no longer an issue." He laughed. "But… I believe there is more than must be done. I shall write some letter to a friend of mine, and we shall make more plans once I have a response."

With that, he dismissed her.

She found herself wandering the city, the spear she had won still in her hand.

It was far larger than any place she had been to before. It was massive, houses built off each other, and tucked tight, with winding streets, surrounded by a massive wall.

There were so many different people as well. Not just elves, though they were the majority, but also strange beast men, some with the heads of wolves. Others covered in scales, and horned heads.

Whispers followed her as she wandered the city.

People gasped at the sight of a demigod, and at one that looked as strange as her.

People looked at her equally with fear and admiration, for the rumours that had spread.

People looked at her with hope. She had won against the long-eared foe that was taking the lives of their friends, and neighbours. She was a symbol.

She eventually found her way to where her friend and mother were being housed.

"Your back!" She barely felt the impact as she was hugged around the waist, a head buried in her stomach. "Mom is out, trading for food."

She kneeled to look at her friend in the eyes.

"I met with the king. He is going to help…" She paused. "How would you like to be a mage?"

"Are you going to be fighting again?"

"Probably."

"Then… I want to be with you." The young elf frowned. "But… if I was a mage, I could help you more…"

"Well, it will be a while until I need to fight again, but until then, you will have time to study. If you do well enough, and your mother agrees, then I might take you with me."

The young elf's eyes glittered as she grinned and nodded.

'I doubt her mother would permit it, and besides, I doubt she will be skilled enough by then.' The demigod thought.

 

[charclone]

"Thank you, for agreeing to assist me." Pina greeted. "You said you had information for me?"

Lelei, apprentice to the archmage Cato, nodded, as she was shown in. She placed a bundle of papers on the 'coffee' table.

"You are offering to pay me, and NATO has had less need for my translation skills recently." She explained. "In addition, the scholars of NATO are focused on other matters, and so they are not paying me for my magic."

Pina blinked.

"It is highly improper not to refer to her highness with the proper respect."

She sighed. Bozes had arrived earlier that day, with a small honour guard, carrying messages.

"I am not an imperial citizen, nor am I hired as a retainer." Lelei explained, her face impassive, unflinching in the face of Bozes' tirade. "I am of the Rurudo nomads, who are independent, and I am applying to become a US citizen."

Pina blinked as Bozes stared in bewilderment.

"When you say US citizen, do you mean citizenship of their capitol, or major city?" The Saderan princess asked.

"No. They define citizens as members of their entire nation. This is the case for nearly all the nations of the other world. In fact, it is part of their laws regarding international travel." Lelei explained, her face never betraying any emotion.

"How… many citizens does the 'US' have?" Pina asked, dread creeping into her tone. Such a level of organisation seemed implausible, but if they had succeeded, then either their spy networks were very good, or the bureaucracy was so ironclad, the Empire would have a very difficult time using any.

"At present, the US has a population of approximately three hundred, thirty million." Bozes gave a laugh of disbelief, while Pina felt her jaw drop. "They constitute the largest population of NATO, which totals nine hundred, fifty million."

Pina found herself sitting down. She didn't remember sitting down.

Bozes started calling for Hamilton, who was better with numbers.

Pina struggled to understand. The Empire could barely match the US' population, if one included all the vassals, colonies, and the various barbarian tribes around the colonies, and if the person counting used the highest estimates. Theoretically.

She knew the number was probably inflated, but she had hired Lelei because of her teacher's recommendation, and because as a mage, Lelei was also a scholar. If the numbers were inflated, then Pina doubted they were inflated by more than a couple million, and was probably due to Lelei's own miscalculations.

If the US alone could match the Empire… Pina shook her head. There were other ways to match a stronger foe. The US likely had enemies, even within NATO. No alliance was perfect. But that was a thought for the future, for now, Pina needed to understand things that could benefit the negotiations, and how much danger the Empire was in.

"How large is the military? And where is most of it deployed?"

"I don't know for sure. I know NATO has a total of five million troops, between all nations, but I do not know where they are deployed, or what reserve forces they had. You asked me for general population information, and that is what I have provided." The blue haired girl tonelessly explained. "I have included economic information, and a general overview of what they use to trade, such as vehicles and money, as well as the estimated value that passes between the US and Canada."

Pina frowned and began thumbing through the files. She flinched, reading several economic numbers. She was not gifted in the areas of trade, but she understood how hard it could be to maintain an estate, or several, let alone a nation with armies and fleets.

"Hamilton… are these numbers correct?" She handed one set off to her aide.

"My lady, this… this has to be faked!" Bozes shouted. "A population so large… where would they put all the people? How would they feed them?"

"We will operate on the assumption the information Lelei was accessing is at least partially accurate. We do not have any other option." Pina stated firmly. "I have no doubt NATO has altered information, given they provided it to her, but they couldn't risk altering it too much, or it would be obvious when we visit."

"They did not provide the information." Lelei corrected. "I accessed the Internet."

Pina blinked.

"What?"

"It is a method of communication, like their radios, that lets 'computers', devices used for a number of tasks, including administration and accounting, communicate and share information between them and archives where information is stored." Lelei shrugged. "One of the scholars gifted me a 'laptop', a form of portable computer, and I was given access to the civilian internet, which connects to their internet on the other side of the gate. It is worldwide, and I have access to many libraries and archives, such as one called Wikipedia, and a 'search engine', a tool for sifting through these archives, called 'Google'."

Pina blinked.

"They really let you have access to something so… powerful?" She froze. "Wait, how common are computers with internet access?"

"Very. From what I understand almost every household has at least one computer, most have several devices comparable to computers."

There was a thump as Bozes failed to catch Hamilton, who fainted.

---

"Who the hell let the blue haired mage have a computer, let alone internet access!?" The Intelligence officer in charge of the team monitoring Princess Pina's entourage screamed at his people. "I want to know a week ago!"

 

[charclone]

They had been assigned one room.

There was probably a Lt. back at Alnus, that had set it all up, and thought themselves funny or clever, especially since the small budget Richard had been given for the trip included enough room for another hotel room, 'in case of emergency'.

Tara had shut down the idea of using that room in the budget, and had pointed out that her culture had no taboos about people sharing beds when needed. Richard had regreted admitting to being touched starved the first night in London.

"So, that was… unique." Tara said, as they returned from the award ceremony.

Richard hummed, and inspected the medal in his hand. The white stripe noted it as of the civilian division. What left Richard dumbstruck was the rank. He had expected to be awarded Member of the Order of the British Empire, the lowest rank. Instead, he was awarded the rank of Knight Commander. Unlike the lower ranks, Knight Commander, along with the higher rank of Knight Grand Cross, conferred upon its recipient a knighthood.

Richard dreaded when the people in Alnus learned that he was now officially a knight. It had been at first a misconception, then an annoying injoke among the Long Patrol. Now it was apparently official.

"Richard?" Tara said.

He started.

"Sorry, lost in thought." He apologised, returning the award to its box. "You were saying?"

"I asked you what the King said to you, it seemed to make you… exasperated?"

"Oh. Uh, so… in English… well, British myth, there was a king and a magic sword. Long story short, the king was mortally wounded, and his sword thrown back into the lake it came from, though the king didn't die. There was a prophecy that King Arthur would return, as he was taken to a place called Avalon to be healed." Richard explained, sitting on the bed. "His Majesty just joked that he would like it if I informed King Arthur to warn His Majesty ahead of his return, so he has enough time to pack his bags, should I find King Arthur in Falmart."

Tara laughed.

"It wasn't that funny." Richard groused. "I'm worried I might stumble across a magic sword and some idiot will try and proclaim me King of England. It wouldn't work, but as Einstein said, 'There are only two things that are infinite: Human stupidity, and the universe, and I'm not sure about the latter.'"

Tara sat next to him, continuing to laugh for several moments. Finally, she caught her breath. Breathing heavily, she leaned against him.

"Its… its just, hoo…" She exhaled, to keep herself from breaking into laughter again. "My people have a similar myth, with our first queen, that she would return one day to lead us out of our darkest time. My spear, and the spears of the Royal Guard, are styled after her famed weapon."

Richard snorted.

"Okay, yeah, the similarity is funny." He chuckled and leaned against Tara. "So, want to watch a movie? We have Wi-Fi, and I made sure to bring a bunch more movies, including Star Wars."

"Hmm… I'm still curious about Zulu." Tara said. "But Star Wars is apparently a major thing here…"

"Or we could watch some of the movies made of Shakespeare's plays." Richard suggested. "This is England, and he was an English playwright. His plays are still performed to this day, and he had an influence on media long after he died."

"You are just uncomfortable with watching Zulu, aren't you?" Tara accused, teasingly.

"Yeah, kinda. Bunch of protestors I saw on our way to the ceremony, they were making a number of comparisons to the Colonial era." Richard admitted.

"Better NATO than the Saderan Empire." Tara stated, shrugging. "Besides, if NATO doesn't take power there, other people will try."

I know, I know, it's just…" Richard sighed. "The movie is good and treats both sides with respect. But…"

"I want to watch it, but it doesn't have to be today." Tara explained. "I also want to watch it with you, so I don't mind waiting. Now, which Shakespeare play do you suggest?"

Richard blinked, then snorted.

"I'm not in the mood for Romeo and Juliet, though there was a good modern interpretation of it, but maybe Macbeth?" Richard said. "A tale of treachery, treason, murder, with a touch of comedy, a tale of tragedy of political ambition."

"Well…" Tara hummed. "Okay. Sure."

Neither of them moved.

"Maybe the version with Patrick Stewart?" Richard suggested.

"Well, one of us will need to move to put it on. At least the hotel has a TV."

Both stayed still.

"Or we could just stay here, and rest."

Richard snorted and got up to put the movie on. Tara gave him a look.

They sent the rest of the day watching movies. Richard pushing his few worries to the side, while Tara made herself relax, her own worries about her people's future lurking in the back of her mind, waiting.

 

[charclone]

Pina had mastered several languages already.

She could speak fluent Elbish, several Elven languages, and the Warrior Bunnies tongue, in addition to the common trade language. She could write in half of those with a skill that had earned her acknowledgement from King Duran.

Yet this 'English' was driving her mad.

It contradicted itself in several places, used symbols that could change their sounds, and had many different spellings for words. Some words were pronounced the same but were spelt differently and had completely different meanings.

That it bore a resemblance to ancient Saderan meant she was not completely floundering, as Bozes and several other knights were, but she was still frustrated. Worse, Lelei's services had been required by the otherworlders, and they had outbid her.

Or at least Pina assumed they had outbid her, she was rather limited in funds at the moment, after all. The idea that they could have simply asked the young mage to stop assisting Pina was preposterous, and she had seen no indication that the young woman was under any sort of compulsion or threat. Her master was still working for 'NATO' after all.

Ultimately, it meant Pina had been briefly cut off from using the internet.

Earlier today, however, an officer had delivered a gift on behalf of the General. A 'laptop' like what Lelei had. The officer had even helped teach her a little about how to set it up and get it running.

She suspected a trap, but she was unfamiliar enough with the device, and desperate enough for the information, that she couldn't refuse it.

"What did you do Hamilton?" She stared in disbelief at her aide, who had a much better grasp of written English, and was thus the one to work the device.

"I moved the 'mouse' over this symbol here and pressed this button twice." The brown-haired young woman explained. "This is a 'search engine'. I then typed in the question to the 'search bar'."

Pina blinked in disbelief.

"And the machine just displayed the answer?"

"Yes… um. Princess? It says that NATO has three point three million soldiers." Hamilton frowned and typed in another question. "And that NATO is composed of thirty members… and many nations are looking to join."

Pina cursed under her breath.

The pieces fell into place. Either the information was false, and all set up to fool her, or, if Lelei was telling the truth, then they had done no trickery because they had not needed to. The truth alone was enough, in their minds, to underscore how beaten the Empire was, without needing to fight.

Pina thought it over.

"Princess?" Hamilton began. She stopped when Pina held up her hand.

"I believe… that we must make every effort to both convince my father and the senate that a war with NATO will not be winnable in our lifetimes." Pina stated. "In addition, we must be careful to ensure that NATO maintains its disinterest in conquest."

---

"I hate how the general is playing fast and loose with opsec, but at least it's worked out this time." The intelligence officer shook his head. He had protested giving the Imperials a laptop with internet access, even if it had been bugged with spyware, and had a dozen backdoors set up.

He sighed as he read over the transcript of the Rose Knight's leadership's meeting that had happened later.

The Imperials had put together a plan that they thought might convince NATO not to continue aggressive action. It was barebones, and overly optimistic in the officer's opinion, not to mention made far too many assumptions, but for a bunch of young girls whose idea of a spy probably involved the medieval equivalent of James Bond, it was noteworthy.

He attached it to his report to the general.

Lelei had been left alone, aside from getting the scientists to put together some tests, and getting her to help with translating for the merchants arriving from Italica with the purchased foodstuffs, to keep her too busy to help the Imperials anymore.

The officer sighed as he pulled up the next report.

It was an analyst's interpretation of a sermon, given by one of the local religious figures.

"I miss when my job involved guessing what the Russkis or Chinese were up to." He rubbed his eyes. "Now, I need to guess what 'gods' are doing, make sense of the fact that the whole sermon looks to be aimed at the fact that the damn priest knew we were spying on them, despite it being through an electronic bug several blocks away, and deal with requests from eggheads looking to study the local religions."

 

[charclone]

The streets of London were busy.

To Tara, it was nearly overwhelming. Even the cities in the Saderan Empire did not contain so many people, and there were apparently even bigger cities on Earth. Yet, despite the population, London smelled better. The exhaust from the vehicles was unpleasant, but far more appealing than the smell of urine, excrement, and who-knows-what-else.

It was also clearly an old city, with many different styles and obvious signs of reconstruction. She could believe it was older than Sadera, being once a Roman camp.

She and Richard had toured the city for most of their time here, visiting several sights. HMS Belfast had been befuddling to her, as a somehow metal ship was floating. She had enjoyed the shop that sold books on the history of the British Empire and peoples, alongside other paraphernalia, purchasing several books, ranging from some of Shakespeare's works, to Kipling's poetry, to 'Asterix' comics that Richard had recommended. The image of a short, moustached man punching a Roman soldier had certainly sparked her interest.

But Richard, on the last day they would have to look around the city, had suddenly looked like he wanted to hit himself. He changed their plans for the day, ending with them looking at a statue by the Thames river.

It was the image of a woman, with two younger women, riding a chariot pulled by two horses. The statue was set upon a stone plinth and cast in black bronze. The woman bore a crown and spear, raising both arms.

"Regions Caesar Never Knew/ Thy Posterity Shall Sway." Richard read off the plinth. "From a poem. 'Boadicea, an ode.' About a rebel queen who rebelled against the romans, after her daughters were raped, and her husbands property taken despite the will he left."

"The full poem reads," Richard pulled a book from his backpack, and thumbed to a bookmarked page. "When the British warrior queen/Bleeding from the Roman rods/Sought, with an indignant mien/Counsel of her country's gods…"

Tara raised an eyebrow as he read the poem. It partly reminded her of when poetry would be read to Tyuule, before the war, and before that, their mother. But she also wondered why Richard was reciting poetry to her. It was hardly of the romantic sort, and from what she knew, his people didn't use poetry for romance.

"Its… an interested poem, but…" She shook her head. "I see the similarities between my people's situation and this Queen Boadicea, but I'm not seeing your point, Richard, sorry."

Richard sighed, and motioned to a nearby bench beneath the statue, as cars moved past.

"The point was two-fold." He explained as he sat down. "So, first, I remember that you were stressed about the whole situation. I hoped that this might give you some sort of inspiration. The other part was how the poem was used. It was created as part of the British tying the history of the Isles to its own legitimacy."

Tara blinked. This was a side to Richard she hadn't seen. She knew he had a sharp mind, but… this was the political arena he was talking about, an area he had seemed scared to compete in back in Italica.

"I'm hoping you can use the myth of the British Empire, which tied itself to these myths, and surpassed the Romans at either of their heights, seriously, it was thirty-six million square kilometres large, so large and widespread that the sun never, and still does not, set on it, compared to the Romans rough five-point-nine million." He sighed and shook his head. "Your people are… dependant on NATO for now, but at the same time, they have no morale, no real drive to fix their own problem, right?"

"That… sums up the problem nicely." Tara sighed as she sat down. A few people gave her ears a glance, but their escort, an office on loan from the British that had also acted as a tour guide for some places, dissuaded anyone from getting too close. "But… how will a poem, and a long dead queen, help with that?"

Richard sighed once more and rubbed his eyes.

"The 'ancestors' of the British lost against the Romans, but they are still here, and the Roman Empire is gone, and on top of that, they surpassed them." He looked at Tara. "Your people lost, but…"

Tara's eyed widened.

"…but what if think we can do the same!?" She wanted to slap herself. A warrior that thought themselves beaten would lose, against one that thought they had already won. "That would boost our morale. Our drive to do things. Who cares if we don't have a solution now, if we are willing to look for one!"

She kissed Richard, who stiffened in surprise. Several passers-by whistled.

Tara ignored them, grabbing Richard's hand.

"Come on, I want to see what else we can use." She grinned. "That's why you encouraged me to buy a bunch of books. Hah! They want someone to be queen, and solve their problems for them, well, who needs that, when I can make them solve their own problems!"

Richard stumbled as she pulled him along.

"Won't be that easy." He said, catching up. "And they are still used to a monarchy, after all."

"As long as it doesn't need to be me, its fine." She grinned at him, as the officer with them signalled for a taxi. "Besides, what's the worst that could happen?"

Richard cringed.

 

[charclone]

It was late.

Normally, Pina would be burning oil in a lamp, or several candles, for light. Instead, the wonders of the other world permitted her to write late into the night, as if it were as bright as day.

But that was part of the problem she faced.

'NATO' had many advantages. It had crushed several legions with those advantages, and worse, Pina had learned, through the internet, that it was not even on a war footing. The idea of maintaining an army in peacetime was not foreign to her, as someone needed to patrol and maintain the roads, but the idea of having an army simply to have a trained core on the off chance there was a war, not even located at the borders, boggled the mind. Were the Saderan Empire to leverage the same percentage of its population, it would still be crushed, even if one ignored the expense, social and political issues, and the fact that NATO dwarfed the Saderan Empire in size.

Thus, as the appointed Praetor Peregrinus, it fell to her to inform her father, the Emperor, and the senate of what threat they faced.

But she found herself without the words to convey it in a way that would be believed.

She had written letters to her father already, carrying some basic information, enough that she believed he would at least understand the sheer scale of their foe. She had also requested his input on any specific prisoners he wanted to be released, based on the list she had been given. Its length was alarming, as the ransom for so many nobles and patricians would easily bankrupt most of the empire.

She paused and reread what she had already scrawled. Hamilton would rewrite the formal letters later, but Pina wanted to put them in her own words. She scowled and tossed the paper to the side.

Leaning back, she exhaled and stared at the ceiling.

"I don't have any friends in the Senate." She muttered. "Diabo does, but that doesn't help. He was as invested as Zorzal was, so it would cost him greatly to be seen backing out and supporting peace."

She chewed her lip in thought.

"Zorzal is an idiot. He would probably call me a coward and pursue a suicidal war." She leaned forwards, placing her forehead on the desk. "And he has enough friends that he might be able to swing the senate's vote."

She groaned, seeing no options.

A knock sounded at the door.

"Enter." Pina called, sitting straight, and facing the door.

"Your highness." Hamilton greeted her as she entered, yawning. "It's getting late."

"I know Hamilton, but…" Pina surprised herself by yawning. "But I need to find a way to convince the senate, or at least have a basic plan to present my father, to avoid a war with NATO."

Hamilton frowned.

"You highness, have you considered that part of the problem might be lack of sleep?"

Pina blinked. Then she snorted.

"Perhaps you are correct, Hamilton." She yawned again. "Thank you. Goodnight, Hamilton."

"Goodnight, your highness."

Pina waited for the door to close before standing.

It was only after she had finished preparing for sleep, as she began to lay down in her bed, that an idea occurred to her.

She leapt up, and wanted to hit herself, as the solution, or at least part of a solution, was rather obvious in hindsight.

---

"Would you be willing to write to your families, and convey, no, stress, why a war with NATO should be avoided?" Pina asked her assembled senior knights the next morning. "You are the daughters of nobles and patricians. You have seen what I have. My brother Zorzal is an idiot that will destroy the Empire, and Diabo was too invested in the initial invasion to easily withdraw his support. We must do what we can to save the Empire."

"Your highness…" Vifita E Caty said. "We swore to follow you. We can't guarantee our families will, but… we will try."

Panache Fure Kalgi nodded. A brief look of doubt flickered over her face, that vanished as quickly as it came.

Bozes Co Palesti placed her fist over her heart in a salute.

"I can guarantee the support of my family." She said. "My mother lost her younger brother on the other side. The news that he still lives alone would be enough for her to convince my father."

Similar vows of support soon followed.

"Do you intend to become your father's heir?" Panache asked. It was a question Pina had expected to arise.

"No. That is in the hands of the Senate, but I have no ambitions to rule, so long as Zorzal does not lead us into a ruinous war." Pina stated.

"And what of Diabo?" Panache asked. She flinched as Pina frowned at her.

Panache's former… acquaintance with Diabo was not well known, but nor was it hidden. People liked to gossip, especially when a prince was seeing a young lady.

Pina shook her head.

"Diabo has the sense, once he sees the situation, to recognise that we cannot afford a war." She explained. "Once he has the opportunity, I believe he will support us in ending the war."

Panache nodded.

"To peace, and the Empire!" Someone shouted in the back, and the cry was taken up.

Pina hoped the optimism was well placed.

 

[charclone]

"Okay, just stopping here briefly to pick up a package," Richard said, as he led Tara into the entrance of the building. "A package I ordered that was supposed to be sent to Alnus, through the military, but it got delivered here instead."

Tara blinked as he turned away from the elevator and stairs, and instead faced a wall of boxes with keyholes.

"So, you live in this building?"

Richard used a key to open the mailbox with his apartment number on it, pulling out a pair of small flat boxes.

"Yeah." He tucked them under his arm. "So, these are a pair of books. I already have 'The Art of War', but I got a pair to be given as gifts, and I ordered 'The 48 Laws of Power' and 'The Art of Seduction'."

Tara gave him an enticing look at the title of the second book.

"It's about manipulating people in general. I figured you would find those two useful, given your… troubles." Richard blushed as Tara grinned. "But yes, I live here. Small apartment, not much to see."

"Then it shouldn't take too long." Tara grinned.

Richard rolled his eyes.

"Alright, come on."

The apartment on the second floor, as Richard had described, was small, Tara noted, as he showed her in. An empty armour stand in the single-bedroom apartment betrayed where his armour normally stayed. Strange plastic figures and bricks shaped like a castle dominated a small table, and a large computer on a desk sat in the living room.

But it was the bookshelves and the sword that hung above them, that caught Tara's attention.

"That… is a lot of books." She noted.

"Mostly related to my… former work at the local museum, and stuff that I needed for my papers in school. Plus, some stories." Richard admitted, blushing lightly still. "That sword above them is my favourite work, though I remade it a couple of times, getting it better each time. It's for show only. No good in a fight."

"What about your first sword?" Tara asked. "Was that your… flamberge?"

Richard laughed, sitting on the small couch.

"No, no. That was the… uh, I don't remember how many I made by that point." He shrugged, then rolled up his sleeve. "See this scar?"

It ran from just above his wrist and ended three-quarters the length of his forearm.

"First blade I screwed up, badly. The thing exploded when I tried to cool it." He rolled his sleeve back down. "Fortunately, I followed my teacher's instructions and was well protected, so that was the only injury I received. Could have been way worse."

Tara winced. She knew enough of maintaining weapons to know the sort of damage a shattering blade could do, especially one that was still hot.

"Here." He stood and took the blade down from its place on the wall. He pulled the dark leather sheath off. "Go ahead and take it. Just be careful about the balance, I'm not kidding about it being for show only."

Tara gently lifted it with both hands.

It was made of steel, but well-polished. Its hilt was bound in the same dark leather as the sheath, with a glass ruby decorating its circular pommel. It was long enough that Tara could see it being used with one hand or both. But what intrigued her was the letters written down the blade's length.

"I am that is?"

"It's from a poem and riddle." Richard shook his head. "So is the design of the sword. Ratdeath, also known as the Sword of Martin the Warrior, from the Redwall series. Loved it since I was a kid."

"Do you have the book here?" Tara asked, gently handing it back. He wasn't kidding about the poor balance; the blade was far too heavy, and any strike with it would be thrown off, probably taking the wielder's balance with them.

"Yeah, here." Richard resheathed the blade and returned it to its place on the wall. "Let me see… a here. Redwall. The first book written in the series."

He paused and removed a second book from the shelf.

"And here is Machiavelli's 'The Prince'. I forgot I had my father's copy." Richard stared at it for a moment. "Sorry, here. 'The Prince' is also something you might find useful."

Tara frowned as she took the books.

"Do you… mind if I ask what happened to your father?" She said, tentatively and gently.

Richard sighed.

"My father… he was a lawyer but had an interest in history. It's where I got my interest in history. Well, one day, he set out for work, I was… twelve, going on thirteen. I had just been introduced to some of his friends, also interested in history." Richard gave a sad sigh as he sat down on the couch again. "He dropped me off at an event with Major Johnston, who was a Lt. back then. While I was off being taught the basics of how to wield a sword, what armour was like, and what the medieval festivals were like… he was hit by a drunk driver, in the middle of the afternoon. T-boned his small car with a big heavy pickup."

Richard swallowed, his throat dry.

"Killed him. After that… my sister and I... we drifted apart. She was close to him, wanting to be a lawyer for a while until she got into fashion, and his death was so sudden. I don't remember when, but… we started fighting, a lot. My mother's health declined, and… well. I ended up having to look after her, while my younger sister went off to work for some famous fashion company. Put myself through school." Richard shook his head. "Sorry, not… easy to talk about this without starting to rant about my sister."

Tara sat next to him, rubbing his shoulder.

They stayed there for several moments before Richard shook his head.

"Anyway, I was going to take you to see my mom, and our driver is still waiting in the parking lot." He said, standing. "Probably a bit rude to keep either of them waiting."

"Do you hate her?" Tara asked as he locked the door as they left. "Your sister, I mean."

Richard paused.

"I… I don't know. It feels like she left, ran away, after dad died, at the first chance she could." He admitted. "Plus, she… well, she makes a lot of money and seemed intent on rubbing it in my face that she did. I… started blocking her emails after a while. Haven't talked to her in years."

He froze, standing rigid.

"What's wrong?" Tara tensed.

"We forgot the books in the apartment."

Tara blinked, realising that, yes, she had put the book he had handed to her down, and that he didn't have the packages in his hands anymore.

She snickered as he turned and dashed back down the hallway.

 

[charclone]

Leaving the books in the car, the two entered the building where Richard's mother was.

It took Tara a moment to recognise what type of building it was, as it seemed friendlier than the sterile hospital, but this was a place of healing none-the-less. Tara watched people, generally older people, sat and walked around. Many were assisted by staff, as they met with friends, or watched television.

A few stared at them as they passed by, stopping briefly at the front desk.

Richard led her down a hallway, stopping before a room. Inside, a woman lay on a bed. A heart monitor beeping softly beside it.

Tara blinked.

Richard's mother looked thing, and fragile, her features gaunt, but Tara could see the similarities. The same blond hair, the same shaped chin. Softly pronounced cheekbones. The same dark blonde hair.

The woman's eyes flicked open as they entered the room. She paused the audio book and pulled the earplugs from her ear with slow motions.

"Well, I was wondering if you'd visit!" She grinned. "Ah, my dashing knight. Your father would be proud."

She waved them over, laughing.

"Come, don't just stand there. Give your mother a hug!"

Tara stayed near the door as Richard gently embraced his mother.

"So, you got to become a real knight, eh?" Richard's mother said. She looked at Tara. "And you must be Tara. I hear you've been keeping him out of trouble. Come over here, I won't bite. Couldn't even if I wanted to, arthritis hurts too much."

"Yes, I've Tara-I'm Tara, a pleasure to meet you." Tara said, as she approached the bed.

Richard's mother peered at her. It took Tara a moment to realise she was partially blind.

"Well, aren't you pretty. How'd my son earn your attention?" She asked, making Tara blink is surprise and blush. "Ah, my apologies. I'm Catherine, a pleasure to meet you as well. So, how did you meet me son?"

"Ah, he didn't tell you?" Tara glanced at Richard.

"Remember, when I phoned from the hospital? About being captured and escaping?" He said to his mother.

"Right, right." Catherine nodded, offering Tara her hand. "So, you're the one that helped him escape? Then it seems I owe you my thanks for saving my son."

Tara blinked as she took the offered hand.

Despite her frail appearance, and the faint strain Tara could hear in her breathing, Catherine has a strong grip. Tara could feel the strength still in the woman's frail body.

She met Catherine's gaze, and Richard's mother grinned.

"So, what have you been up to?" Catherine asked the two of them.

"Well, I've been doing administration at Alnus, looking after the militia, making sure there were minimal problems between NATO and the locals there. Oh, and helping translate stuff." Richard explained. "Tara has been having troubles with her people, since she is apparently the sister of a queen."

Tara shot Richard a glare. He grinned back at her.

"Oh? So, not only did you get knighted, you rescued a princess?"

"Two, technically." Tara said. "We helped each other, but he also helped the princess of the Saderan Empire protect a town."

"Oh, really?" Catherine grinned at her son. "Well, aren't you popular with the ladies."

Richard gave Tara a look. She just smirked back at him.

"Now, I might be bed ridden, but maybe I can provide some help?" Catherine offered. "What sort of trouble are you having with your people?"

"They… can't agree with each other on what to do." Tara explained. "We were thinking of using Britain as an example and inspiration, to try and coerce them to work together."

Richard's mother winced.

"I'm not very good with politics, and that sounds like politics, sorry."

"That's fine, mom. We weren't expecting you to be able to help anyway…" Richard trailed off. "You'r on your meds, aren't you?"

"Yup! Not the good stuff, but its enough to keep the pain down." Catherine settled into the bed. "So, what's it like? The other side of the Gate? The news is always showing so little of it."

"Media black out inside the base." Richard shrugged. "Someone made a snide joke about the SCP foundation, and suddenly the NATO High Command was all paranoid about images letting things travel between the two worlds. Paranoia, of course, but that was the decision made. Magic is real, though."

"Really? Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, or something else?"

"Closer to Lord of the Rings, kinda. Saw a mage create a crater with magic, roughly on par with an artillery shell, but he was apparently one of the best there is, and it was about his limit. But most of the magic seems to be more subtle. Low level D&D, I'd say." Philip shrugged.

Tara gave him a confused look.

"How about you Tara?" Catherine asked. "What about what you think of Earth?"

"Its… strange." Tara said, crossing her arms as she thought about it. "There is so much that is new, like cars, television, the history of this world. So many cultures that fight each other, while others work together. Your history is so well studied, and easy to access."

Tara shook her head.

"Its… a lot. But there are many things similar, like the stories. Movies are similar to plays, so I can see how they came about even if I don't understand the technology." Tara grinned. "It's a little overwhelming, to be honest, but Richard has been very helpful."

"Well, I'm glad to hear he is doing you well." Catherine smiled at both of them. "So, when can I expect grandkids?"

Richard groaned.

"Of course, you go for the stereotypical parent joke." He moaned.

Tara laughed as he blushed.

"Hey, my fart jokes aren't as funny anymore, not with this thing pulling crap from my gut. Now, the jokes are just foul." Catherine gestured to a machine hooked to her beneath the blankets. She explained to Tara, "This wasting disease left me with no bladder control."

"Alright, alright, I'll stop teasing." Catherine relented when Richard gave her a look. "So, its been too long since we actually had a chat, and I don't get to see you often enough. So, really, how have you been?"

---

"Your mother is strong." Tara said as they got in the car an hour later. "It was… obvious she was in pain, but she hid it with a smile."

"Yeah, she was always tough. My dad met her through a mutual acquaintance. Idiot was a friend of my father at the time, in college. He tried to hit on her at a party, things escalated, and she physically tossed him out the front door." Richard snorted. "My father came by to see what sort of Art student had thrown one of his friends, who was a big guy and a sports player, physically out the door. They ended up chatting, and things picked up from there in a much more friendly fashion."

Tara laughed as the car began to pull out of the parking lot.

"He wasn't intimidated?"

"No, apparently not." Richard grinned. "What's funny is he was actually an adrenaline junky but was satisfied doing things safely. My mother, however, was not. Street racing, ballerina dancing, art. She wasn't an adrenaline junky, but man she lived a crazy life. But stick her behind a wheel outside a race, and she drove so slowly and carefully. Part of the reason she ended up like that, is because of how tough she was on herself."

"Well, I wish you had mentioned it earlier." Tara stretched and leaned against him. "I enjoyed talking with your mother, and I can't wait to talk to her again."

"Note to self; hide the photo albums." Richard said bluntly.

Tara laughed.