Everything was a misty haze to the the fire mage as she hung there in a sort of limbo quietly contemplating. She had taken a moment to admire the moons as they alighned delighting in what they were about to do. The spell that Fifth had devised would leave the gods slack jawed in shoock, but none more so than her own queen. A fitting thought considering Piramay's own past. This would help her administer some payback for the imprisonment of her former lord.

She recalled vividly weaving her hands tracing out the patterns of the spell while speaking the words of magic to give the spell life. The eruption of power had not been unexpected but the heights to which it grew towards the zenith of the spell had been, at least in her mind. She had assisted in many rituals in her life but none bore power like this. Fifth had truly outdone himself with this discovert.

As the souls begin to add fuel to the perverbial fire she remembered wanting to gasp. The magical torrent was constantly threatening to tear them both to pieces but the placement of their staffs kept the energies at bay. As the spell grew however she remembered feeling that even those would be in danger of giving away until a shield drawn fromt eh souls was errected. The sensation of being on the brink of death vanished replaced only by the feeling of absolute undeluted power.

The sensation was so remarkable that it felt as if her very soul had shivered in delight. As power shot out to create the towers she remembered her breath coming up short. Soon though she had began to worry about how the expulsion of power was going to effect her immediatly. Her seals had been left undone at Fifth's request and now worry began to grow in the depth's of her mind as a familiar warmth began to spread rapidly over her body.

In that moment she knew she would be brought to the brink of death and she could only wonder if she would be able to keep herself from falling. As the spell drew to its end exhaustion like she had never known assaulted her conciusness and the world went black leaving her were she now was.

everything was a misty haze...

Fifth opened his eyes to see Piramay as the spell was concluding. He grit his teeth, he knew she was the right mage for this, he knew it in his gut from the beginning when the plan was originally hatched, and now, she had fulfilled the purpose for which she was chosen. He smiled with satisfaction and delight as the towers emerged from the depths of Krynn’s core and he fell to his knees only milliseconds after Piramay collapsed. He reached across to her, his fingertips just barely touching the back of her hand and he spoke the final word, “ReschACKV!”

The soulwell exploded, the last 100 souls, the reserve of energy that was needed to contain the entire area and protect them as they descended into the magical coma which they both knew was coming. He whispered into her mind as they both began to fade from view and their bodies were moved to their respected towers…, “sleep mighty Phoenix, sleep….. we will be reunited soon…. Sle……”

The area was blanketed in shadow that whirled with flame. Everywhere the black of death absorbed anything that came close and devoured it like a hungry beast. The shielding exploded into existence and the towers became encased in a blanket of protection. Deep within the Tower of Dim Fifth lay on a massive bed sheeted in black. He wrapped himself in the rest that would last for three months. His body barely showed any signs of life. Outside the walls of the tower the landscape was a torrent of swirling activity. Between the three towers and the apex above where the hole in the sky had torn open lightening, flame and shadow shot in random displays of power. A ward of fear also pulsed into view that would fill anyone approached with nightmares of such horror they would be repelled and flee. The area outside the warding and towers was still lush and green, but the presence of evil was obvious, the perverted and twisted ambient magic that was now flowing from the sky fracture pulsed and bathed the whole landscape in its sensation of twisted evil.

Aeolis made himself a shield and support for Ceri all at the same time. As the citizens of Silvanost began to react to the horror of what was happening in their world, many of them began to run and seek their beloved family members. While Ceri was no push over by any means, her petite and obviously weakened frame would not withstand the onslaught of panic that began to arise.

Shouting commands at the guards who stood around, he ordered them to return order to the crazed people. Immediately his guards snapped out of their stupor and began to calm the Elves and help them on their way through the city. He then ordered extra guards and patrols throughout the city to insure the citizens of Silvanost were protected to the best of his ability.

As he began moving through the city with Ceri, he practically carried her without making it seem that way. He was concerned about her knowing the affect this anomaly was having upon her was worse for her than it was for him.

”I do not know who has caused this to happen but something tells me this is far more dangerous than the Dark Queen herself. This….evil….is more perverse than even SHE is.”

When she suggested they seek out the Knights again, Aeolis gave her a hard look and sighed heavily. When he reached his quarters once more, he ushered he inside and closed the door, helping her sit in a comfortable chair before he sat across from her. Leaning forward, he rested his elbows on his knees and furrowed his brows deeply as he looked into her own gaze.

”The Knights are frustrating. I know I need not tell you this but at times, they are so politically embroiled they cannot see the true dangers that exist right before their very noses for fear of stepping out of line in the political pecking order.”

He looked down at the floor and sighed heavily before he ran his hands through his hair and sat back. When he looked back at her he nodded.

”But I agree. Perhaps NOW they will see what we have been trying to tell them all along. There are some in the Orders who understand what we are trying to do. Maybe we can convince them they need to step up and voice their concerns to somehow make the more…stubborn….members of their Order take a stand. I fear if they do not….”

He shook his head and didn’t finish the sentence. There was no need to. They both knew what the ultimate outcome would be.

”I still have my bag packed from our last outing. I will gather it up now. Do you need to retrieve anything from your residence before we head out again?”

He let the slightest of smiles ease over his features then.

”I have learned to keep my things packed and ready to go at a moments notice for I never know when you will appear and request I accompany you on another outing.”

She was thankful for his assistance, but he was being a little TOO supportive at times. She let it go, understanding the nature of men. Finally they made it back to his residence and she was able to sit, though by this point the sensations were subsiding and she was able to think again.

“I understand Aeolis, the Knights are plagued with some corruption and infighting, but there is still honor in their ranks, more than even we care to see. I think if we seek out Trystan and his two fellows we can get their full allegiance in this situation, especially since the Knights do seek to fight the evils of this world, despite the politics. Sometimes it is the horrors that unite, it’s unfortunate, but it’s reality.

She leaned back and sighed heavily as she nodded her head, “Yes, they will listen to us, but at what cost…” She turned and looked back at Aeolis, watching him and her thin, mischievous smile appeared when he mentioned keeping his bag packed. The playful lilt returned to her voice and she spoke, “Don’t flatter yourself Aeolis, Captain of the Guard, there are plenty of men that would spring at the chance for an outing with me.” She winked and giggled as he gave her THAT look and she sank into the comfy chair and waited for him to gather what he needed.

When he returned she stood and gestured to the door, “Well my lord, I suppose we trek forth yet again on a bold venture to save the world.” She winked slightly and her ability to make light of any situation filled the room with a hint of cheer. She followed him out the door and then turned to him, “There is no need to walk or ride dear friend, now that I know where we are going…” She laughed as he began to bring up his hand to protest, Aeolis so did hate transporting magically, and she couldn’t help but do it to him every chance she got. Reaching and toughing the tip of his nose they shot like a canon into the air, leaving their stomachs behind and landed almost instantly on the outskirts of Heartlund, that last place they had met with the Knights of Solamnia.

Just as the protest was coming from Aeolis’ mouth, Ceri transported them to Heartlund and he instantly felt the change in the air. His eyes cast skyward and what he saw made his eyes grow wide and he whispered softly.

”By the Gods….”

The sky had been torn open, at least from what it looked like to him, and shadows and flame danced about like fairies in the night. All around him he felt a sinister evil and knew this was much larger than the Dark Queen. As he began to process everything he looked around and saw what appeared to be three towering spires that reached into the sky and this is where the whole in the sky existed. While they weren’t all that close together, he could tell they were definitely related to what was happening. But….who put them there and for what purpose? Other than the obvious, of course.

All around them panic and chaos resounded and it seemed as if the world around them was coming to an end. Immediately Aeolis started looking around to see if there was a familiar face in the panicked crowd he could flag down. Refusing to leave Ceri’s side, he finally recognized Trystan and called out to the man.

”Trystan! What in the name of the Gods has happened here?”

What ever the man was about to tell them wasn’t going to be good. Of that, Aeolis was certain. Even as he glanced down at Ceri and saw the look on her face and in the depths of her eyes.

Ceridwyn’s feet hit the ground and her eyes took in the horror of what had happened, and what had caused this sickening feeling. She stood in disgusted awe of the three towers in front of them, they were a ways off but they were menacing and abominable even from this distance. Instinctually she reached and touched Aeolis’ arm and though she didn’t say a word he would feel her every emotion. Any playfulness and making the best of the bad was gone, there was not a single shred of hope in her anymore, simply a sensation of, ‘how in the hell do we respond to this?’

She turned and watched as people were gathering, screaming, pointing, panicking… it was absolute Chaos and she immediately went into damage control, assisting as she could, trying to calm the crazed and strengthen the disheartened. Aeolis would see this new side of her, the calm in the storm, the quiet in the chaos. She moved with the speed and grace of a practiced magician and her words calmed all she spoke to almost instantly. Burying her own fear and concern she tended to those who needed it and her compassion as well as her care poured from her like cool springs on a hot day. She was knelt beside a mother and child when she heard Aeolis yell a name she recognized. She brushed some hair from the young mothers forehead and whispered words into her ear as she stood and ran back to Aeolis side. Trystan, the young Knight whom they had been working with rode up to them on his mount with a female Knight close behind who she didn’t recognize. His young face seemed etched with new lines of age and duty, and she could not help but notice that he was now wearing the tabard or a Knight of the Sword rather than Crown. She bowed her head respectfully as he made eye contact with her and she spoke, echoing Aeolis’ concern, “Yes, Trystan, what news?”



Trystan looked down at the two of them and though the place was a whirlwind of chaos he smiled and dismounted, bowing respectfully, “Friends.” He reached an arm to Aeolis and shoke the Elf’s hand and then took Ceridwyn’s hand and gently kissed the back of it stoically, “We don’t know as of yet, but the Knights have been dispatched to get some order established, then we will create a set of watch points. The few Knights that have attempted to get close have either been thrown off the backs of their horses as the beasts panicked or fled in horror themselves. Obviously the magic is incredibly powerful and the fear experienced thus far when one ventures too close has been described as ‘worse than dragon fear.’ This is my aid, Lady Kellan, Captain of the Crown. She returned from a dispatch to Nordmaar just in time to walk into this mess.” He turned and looked at her with a trusting eye. “She was my squire before she earned the rank of Postulant, and she is rising through the ranks rapidly. She can be trusted with whatever we need to discuss, she has been assigned to me until this madness is straightened out.”

Ceridwyn smiled and nodded respectfully to Kellan, “It is a pleasure to meet you Kellan, any friend of Trystan’s is worthy of our trust.” She turned back to Trystan, “Is there any theory or evidence as to what caused the appearance of the towers?”

Trystan shoke his head sadly, “No my lady, as I mentioned, anyone that has attempted to get close has been met with such intense fear they temporarily go mad. I think it doesn’t need stated however that whatever it is has ill intent.”

He was right in that regard, the sight of the towers was so horrific that there was no question about the doers intent, these tower were designed and placed with a purpose of evil in mind.

Aeolis watched Ceri in this capacity and couldn’t help but wonder if there was no end to her abilities in all things. When Trystan came riding up and dismounted followed by another rider, Aeolis glanced at the other rider but focused his attention on Trystan for the moment. Clasping forearms with the Knight, he saw past the warm smile to the concern the Knight had in his steady gaze. Aeolis liked Tystan. He didn’t care much for the political game but he played it enough to advance his rankings. When Aeolis saw the Knight had advanced to the next level of Order, he smiled and congratulated the man.

”Congratulations, Sir Knight. It is good to see you have made your way into the Order of the Sword. I am very glad for you. You deserve it, my friend.”

As Aeolis heard the Knight introduce Kellan, his aide, he finally looked beyond the man to see the female who stood behind him a pace. When she stepped forward to make a formal greeting, Aeolis blinked then looked to Trystan then back to Kellan.

”Yes. As Ceri has said, we trust Tyrstan’s word. It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Kellan.”




Kellan easily dismounted from her steed and stood just behind Trystan as he spoke to the Elves. Shed seen them many times before and knew they were trying to get the Knights to aid in battling the Dark Queen. While she and Trystan agreed with their thinking, trying to get through the red tape of the political aspect of the Orders was nearly impossible. Perhaps now, though…..

When Trystan introduced her to the others, Kellan stepped forward and bowed her head respectfully to Ceridwyn and Aeolis. She stood rather tall for a woman, reaching almost six feet. Her hair was a light blond color that looked like corn silk but it reached only to her shoulders. Large, light brown eyes seemed to shimmer when she looked at things. She was slim but obvious she was female. Not only because her armor was made for a woman but because she had delicate features for her tall size. Even her hands looked delicate for the profession she was in. Reaching forward, she clasped Aeolis’ forearm in the same manner as Trystan had. She smiled warmly.

[I”]It’s a pleasure to meet both of you. Sir Trystan has spoken very highly of you.”[/i]

She stepped back and listened to Trystan talk to Ceridwyn and Aeolis letting them know what they had discovered so far. She nodded in agreement to what Trystan stated about the ill intent and she added her own comment.

”We can’t help but think this has something to do with the missing Knights we’ve been searching for over the past few weeks. How, we’re not sure, but there’s no such thing as coincidence.”

Ceridwyn looked at Aeolis and then to Kellan, “Missing Knights?” Her face suddenly went blank and she turned, walking away from them a moment. She bowed her head and was obviously doing something. After a moment she returned, her face grave and solemn, “The Knights you are seeking are dead Lady Kellan. We only found out yesterday. The whole of Northkeep is destroyed. Apparently the whole town was conquered many weeks ago but a powerful cloaking spell was placed over the entire area. I am actually surprised that you don’t know of this by now but, the entire detachment of Solamic Knights in that region are dead, save a few. Sir Rausley, a Knight of the Sword reported to one of the Council Members just yesterday this news. As I said, I only just found out myself.”

She looked at Trystan and Kellan, knowing that Northkeep would have significance for them, it was a major staging area for the Knights of Solamnia, and as such it’s sacking would not be an easy pill to swallow. “I …. I’m sorry to have to be the one to tell you.”



Trystan’s face went pale and he looked at Kellan and spoke with baffled curiosity as Ceridwyn delivered the news, “The whole detachement? How is that even possible? There were over 400 Knights around Northkeep! What force on Krynn could possibly wipe them all out?” Ceridwyn’s face went even paler than normal, it was obvious that she didn’t know, but the expression she gave was clear, it was NOT the Dark Queen’s forces. “We don’t know Trystan, as I said, we just received this information. Whoever did it hid their actions from the outside world, the warding just lifted yesterday so that we could discover the truth.” She turned and looked at the three towers again, her eyes narrowing on the sight of them, “But somehow I am starting to think that all this is connected…”

”By the Gods….”

Kellan’s voice was barely audible when she spoke. Her face went pale and she felt her knees buckle hearing this news. Forcing herself to remain standing, she listened to what Ceridwyn said and kept a stoic, unreadable look upon her face. But her eyes did well up and she swallowed hard several times to keep from letting the tears fall. She had friends in Nothkeep, just like the others did. But she also had a brother there as well and to know he was….dead….brought a profound sense of loss to her. Taking several deep breaths and blinking a few times, she regained control of her composure and clamped down upon her emotions. Her time to grieve would come later. Right now, they had to figure out what was happening around them.

Exchanging glances with Trystan, she knew the news as troubling to him as well. Now, more than ever, she was glad she had squired under Trystan. He taught her everything she knew about being a Knight thus far. Even when he wasn’t instructing her one on one she learned from him. Like now. While the news was nothing less than devastating, he remained focus on the matter at hand. The loss of Northkeep was a strategic nightmare now. But the loss of life was even more tragic. And they had to break the news to the others still. Things always got worse before they got better. And right now, they were pretty bad. Nodding in agreement with Ceridwyn, she finally found the strength to speak without sounding too emotional.

”What ever we’re about to deal with is something none of us have ever had to deal with before. It goes without saying we had best prepare for the worst but hope for the best. And yes, Lady Ceridwyn….I agree. This is somehow all connected. That is for definite."



Aeolis blinked when Ceridwyn delivered the news of Northkeep. All the Knights were gone? His own thoughts mirrored Trystan’s words. What ever they were dealing with here was an evil far worse than that of the Dark Queen’s. He wouldn’t doubt that even SHE was surprised by these turn of events. Furrowing her brows and hardening his facial expressions, he looked to Ceri, Trystan and Kellan.

”I would say it is time for us to come together and try to figure out what is happening and how to combat it. I refuse to believe there is no way for us to do so but I am not so naïve to think it will be an easy task either. Now, more than ever, Krynn needs all of us to put our differences aside. And it needs to begin here. With us.”

Ceridwyn could see the emotional tidal wave that came over Kellan, being a woman she could sense there was something deeper than just sadness. Of course she could not read the young Knight’s mind, but she could speak to her empathically, even though Kellan would not be able to respond in the same manner. She sent a soothing missive to Kellan’s mind, ~ ‘Rest easy Lady Kellan, I know not what grieves you but you must have lost something of significance at Northkeep, that is obvious by your facial expression. Sometime, when we are alone, we can discuss it.’ ~ She noted the strange expression on Kellan’s face when her voice entered the young Knight’s mind and when Kellan turned to look at her Ceridwyn only smiled reassuringly. It was a smile that would not give away to the others that she was communicating with Kellan privately.

Ceridwyn turned and smiled proudly as Aeolis spoke, how far he had come in so little time. Nine months ago he might very well have been the one arguing in the Speaker of the Stars hall that it was best to leave the humans to themselves and concentrate on protecting the Elven lands. Now however, here he was, standing in human territory, drawing a line in the sand and standing up for the good of the planet and not just his people. She reached and touched his arm, a shot of energy left her unintentionally as she did so and she withdrew slightly, blushing at this faux pas and break in her demeanor. She looked at him apologetically when he turned in surprise and she smiled in embarrassment.



Trystan’s face sunk and he turned to look at Kellan when the news was delivered. He knew her older brother, he had been granted the Knight of the Rose rank only 10 months ago. He stayed silent regarding that matter, noting that she was welling up and barely keeping herself together, understandably. He tried to smile reassuringly, but he too was feeling the deep emotional lose of so many comrades and friends. “You are right Aeolis, Now is the time to fully commit to one another. We breached the gap three months ago, and together Elves and Humans beat the Dark Queen’s forces from these lands. I can speak for the commanders, I assure you they will not allow this evil to remain without our best efforts to fight it!”

He extended his arm to Aeolis, his face like stone, “We fight, and we die if necessary to rid Krynn of this evil!”

Lady Rose Fairwind of the Solomnic order spared a moment to look at the condition of the men with her. There were all battered and bruised and most of all tired from their recent ordeals. She knew of only a handful of their order had managed to survive the attempts to retake the Northern Keep. She quietly cursed the fool of the sword who had completely disregarded her orders to pull back sooner. Not only had they lost the force stationed at the keep but now also a second force in the fool hardy attempt at revenge.

She could only sigh and shake her head muttering to herself "Such is the fate of fools who abandon the path of justice for the path of vengence..."

A young knight of the crown had approached and saluted "Is everything all right Lady Fairwind?"

Looking up Rose saught composure as she drew herself up in her saddle and nodded. Morale was shattered and she knew it was her job to keep what was left in tact. She chided herself mentally for her lapse.

"I am fine... I was simply lost in thought..." She loooked at him with a smile recognizing him as one of the few men she had sent out to scout things out since the trembler hours beforehand. "Now I assume you have something to report..."

"Yes m'lady... there appears to be a small contingent of knights not far to the north east. They have their hands full trying to calm the populace."

Rose simply nodded her head in response. "Well get the men ready then. We move out to lend our aid as well." She did not envy whoever was in charge of this mess. She knew the area northeast and half the panic was probably due to teh accursed towers and the wave of sickness. She knew deep in the depths of her being that this was the work of those two mages.

As the commander of the force sent to retake the keep she had held back on saw the destruction wrought by the paiir fromt he battlements of the keep. She had ordered a withdrawl but was defied by one of the sword who questioned her devotion for not seeking to stamp out the evil or seek vengence for the fallen. A commander had to make hard choices and she knew the fight was a lost cause but the loss of the commander of the sword had made many of the order unreasonable. She brushed the thoughts aside as the handful of knights with her assembled and lined up behind her on their horses.

With a gentle nudge she urged her mount forward heading North East to lend aid as any good knight was honor bound to do. With a quick consultation witht he young scout she knew it would only be a couple hours at the most before they would arrive.

The hours went by in seconds. Trystan was exhausted and it was still only mid day, but he continued to aid in whatever ways he could to calm the populace. It was not his manner to use force, and several times he had to pull lower ranking, less experienced Knights off their duties to give them a chance to calm themselves down before they snapped. He turned to assist a young woman and her child when he noticed Kellan, a good ways off, tending to the needs of another family. He could not help but smile as he watched her speaking gently to a small child, rubbing the hair off the young boys face and kiss his forehead. She had been an obedient squire, enthusiastic and willing to do every order she was given without complaint.

Ceridwyn walked up and placed a gentle hand on Trystan’s shoulder. He turned and nodded to the white robed mage with a grin, “Good to see you Ceridwyn, may I assist you?” She shoke her head gently and looked at him with her deeply brown eyes, “No Sir Trystan, in fact I was about to ask you the same thing, but could not help notice that you were getting all the comfort you need looking at you protégé over there.” She smiled and he leaned back slightly, “No, no Ms. Ceridwyn, it’s not like that at all, she was my squire and I was with her through all her deeds that showed she was honorable and worthy of the Knighthood.” Ceridwyn merely smiled and nodded, “Of course.”

Trystan swallowed hard and leaned forward, about to speak but Ceridwyn pressed the tips of her fingers against his lips and shoke her head again, “Worry not good Sir, your secret is safe with me.” Trystan only half smiled and looked back at Kellan, she happened a glance his way and he smiled with a nod, and then looked back to Ceridwyn just in time for his cheeks to flush. She smiled and nodded, “I know Trystan, I know.” With a laugh Trystan took half a step back and then something caught his attention on the rise behind them. A small contingency of Knights, rode on exhausted horses slowly appeared and Trystan yelled to his men, “KNIGHTS! WATER! FOOD!, LADY ROSE RETURNS!”

The Knights all turned and looked, cheering as they scrambled ignited with new energy at the site of the Commander. Trystan turned and looked at Ceridwyn, “I beg your pardon Ms. Ceridwyn, I must…” Ceridwyn shoke her head with a laugh and spoke, cutting him off mid-sentence, “GO for the sake of the land Trystan go to your Commander!” She playfully shoved him and he smiled, turning and ascending the hill that separated him from the crowd and his former battalion commander.


Ceridwyn turned to Aeolis and gave him an exhausted smile, “Well Aeolis, is appears that someone has just arrived that will lift the spirits of these people. I don’t know her but the Knights are all excited to see her, perhaps this is the exact uniter we were hoping for, yes?” She looked up into Aeolis’ gaze with her soft brown eyes and stepped towards him, taking his hands in her own, “It is good to see you so changed Aeolis, truly.”

Work. It’s all Kellan focused on right now. What happened to Liam was pushed aside knowing she would have time to grieve for her brother when the time was right. Until then, there were people who needed her and she had an honor and code to live up to. Tirelessly she talked in a soothing tone to the citizens of Heartlund trying her hardest to keep from using harsh words or using force. On the occasion she had to resort to raising her voice but other than that, people tended to listen and adhere to what she was telling them.

Her body ached but she refused to recognize the exhaustion she was holding at bay. While there were people she had sworn to protect who needed her, she would work until she fell until she was sure every last citizen was taken care of if that was what was required of her.

The children seemed to need the most from her and Kellan was more than happy to aid them. Their parents were doing their best to hold it together but the children sensed their parents fear and in turn their own grew rapidly. A kind smile, a tussle of hair and a warm embrace seemed to do the trick each time. Of course the children felt much better knowing they were able to help when she gave them small tasks to do. Of course the end result was the fact they were calmed and with their mind focused on the task at hand it didn’t have the chance to think about what may be happening around them.

Kellan had just taken care of making sure the child she was currently dealing with was good to go when she glanced over towards Trystan. The white robed Elf was standing near him and when he smiled and nodded to Kellan, she responded in kind. Standing and stretching her back, she had just started walking towards him when she saw the same thing Trystan saw. At first she thought it was trouble on the Horizon because of how slow the horses were moving but when Trystan yelled it was Lady Rose returning, Kellen felt her tired, aching body find a sudden burst of energy knowing their commander had returned.

A Trystan began to make his way towards the arriving band of Knights, Kellen felt a twinge of disappointment but she quickly pushed that aside. She would have the chance to talk to him later. Perhaps he would be able to help her understand how to deal with Liam’s demise. Until then, she had to get water and food for her returning Knight brethren. As she passed by Ceridwyn and Aeolis she gave them both a tired but warm smile and nod.

”Perhaps now, good friends, we’ll be able to work on the common goal we all long for.”

Moving past them she made her way to the water caskets and began filling several watering buckets with ladles then handing them to waiting Knights to be passed around to the arriving caravan.




Aeolis had busied himself, like Ceridwyn, aiding the citizens of Heartlund the best he could. Unfortunately, his skills were more tactical in nature so he left the compassionate part of things to Ceri. He had just walked over to join her as she was talking to Trystan when he saw Trystan’s eyes glance to the distance. Turning he narrowed his gaze to see the arriving band of Knights. Hearing Ceri’s voice, he turned to glance at her and nodded nervously.

”Yes. I hope she is the one who can help unite us one and all. If not…”

He left the sentence hang. When Ceri praised him for his change, he looked down at the way her hands had gently clasped his own and shifted his weight before he glanced back up and held her own gaze.

”It is not as easy as you may think, Ceri. I still find myself wondering why I am even bothering with these people if they choose not to try and come together for the common good of the world. But then I remember what we are working for and I cannot help but think if I do not at least try, then who am I to judge another for acting the same way?”

He shook his head and let out a tired sigh.

”It is a battle I fight each day and only at the end of the day, before I close my eyes, can I look back on the day past and find solace in my actions. One day at a time, Ceri. One day at a time. It is all I can do for now.”

Ceridwyn leaned in and pushed herself up on her tip toes. She brought her cheek up against Aeolis’ and gently pressed her lips against his cheek sideways. “Without trying to sound condescending Aeolis, I am proud of you.”

She withdrew and smiled warmly, brushing her fingers down his forearm as she turned to look towards the Knights on the hill. She smiled and spoke nodding her head, “I agree, I hope she is the one that can bring some unity to the chaos.”

Grasping Aeolis’ hand she gripped it tightly and began walking towards the crest of the hill, half dragging him at first until his pace caught up with hers. She felt a warmth in her gut, the tingling between her hand and his. It felt so comfortable and yet she knew it was so wrong to even begin walking down this road with Aeolis. She bit her lip and felt the stirring in her heart. She had refused to let herself get to this place ever again, with any man, yet here she was, walking beside a man she had truly grown to care for, perhaps even love…. Yes, love. She realized at that moment she loved him. Logically in her mind it made perfect sense, they had been together almost exclusively for 6 months. They had been in several situations where they had to rely solely on one another, truly that had become one another’s helper, and completer. Yet, she had already broken her life vow to herself, to not allow herself into another relationship, not after what happened last time.

She unconsciously released his hand as they arrived at the crest of the hill and she approached Lady Rose, the more formal side of her coming out as she approached one of Lady Rose’s rank, “Good day Lady, I am Ceridwyn, Head of the Order of White Robed Wizards. It is a pleasure to see Knights that have worked so hard all day to the brink of exhaustion suddenly come to life at your showing, truly you have filled those who have dedicated themselves to the service this day a fresh breath of new air.” She bowed her head respectfully.

"I do not wish to cause any more panic to these people. While are bretheren have been working hard to quell the worries we need not add more to the fire. If anyone wishes to know anything about our task then refer them to me. You are free to speak of things when outside of the public eye only. If I hear so much of an utterence f the battle I will see to do punishment myself." She held her knights with a glare before motioning to continue into the city.

Rose hated taking such a hard stance but looking upon the towers in the distance and seeing the faces of the citizenry she had no choice but to lay down the order. The looks on the facfes of her knights told her they understood. Not out of fear of her order but because they knew she was right. Rose was not known for laying down orders with a heavy penalty for disobediance and as a result no one questioned her motives when she did.

The call signaling their arrival rang out and Rose wished to whince. Every knight within her line of sight looked up. She drew herself up tall head up and full of confidence as was expected of her. She could see the half spirited faces light up as they saw her and while it made her smile slightly it pained her heart that she had brought more troubling news. Still her path was set and her resolve was absolute. She would not allow her spirit to be crushed by doubt or regrets.

She could only shake her head as Trystan and Kellen gained ground ahead of the other knights to meet her. As knights came to her with water and and what not she defered to her knights first. There were only about a dozen and a half men with her. Several were her command staff but the most obvious fact about the little group was that other than the four knights designated as the Lady's guard there was not a single Sword among them.

Rose was dismounting when Ceridwyn approached and she greeted the elf with a warm yet tired smile. She was obviously exhausted but Ceridwyn would see the strong will of a leader forcing her to move onward with her duties. She bowed saluting out of respect to the mage.

"It would be my pleasure to meet with you Lady Ceridwyn. I am Commander Rose Fairwind a Commander Knight of the Rose Order. I am glad to see that their spirits were lifted though I truly wish that I could do more."

Seeing that all her accompanying knights had been taken care of she finally took a waterskin and quenched her parched throat. Wiping her lips she inclineed her head. "You will pardon my lack of decorum dear lady it has been a very long and tough journey..."