“It won’t work, prince. Absolutely unfeasible. Five thousand men cannot hold a whole border that wide. Won’t matter how many weapons we have if we’re swarmed before we get a chance to deploy them.” 

“You should take a more respectful tone with his grace, you classless cur!” 

“Oh? What tone would that be? A tone that says excuse me, prince, I’d like to work the shaft before rejecting your proposal? I shall leave that to you, my good lady.” 

“You should have been reduced the second you entered Lyssia, woman. I’d have it done myself were I in charge.”

“Let us thank the gods you aren’t yes? Would be a waste of my talents I’d say.” 

Virion let out a long sigh. This was not the first time he had seen this happen in recent days. Around the long table before him were two figures. One a very tall redheaded elven woman dressed in the vestments of a battlemage, her clothes bearing many eagle designs as well that marked her as a retainer of the Royal Family. Lady-Captain Vinia Lasren, head of his royal guard and de facto military commander of the occupation force in Lyssia. Across from her, with her boots up on the table and her hands behind her head, was Adalina. The woman was smirking at the barely restrained anger on Vinia. She did so enjoy pricking at it. 

“Enough. Captain Lasren, we have had enough of these meetings in the past few days to where I’m used to Adalina’s tongue. As for you, Colonel. Captain Lasren is a veteran of a number of campaigns. Please try to treat her as your peer in matters of the military.” Virion said. It was like herding children sometimes. 

The Captain sighed and inclined her head to him. Adalina shrugged and took a drag of the long pipe she tended to bring to these. With his refusal to marry Governess Idriana, Virion had needed to seriously consider the possibility there would be a struggle against a superior enemy to the south. The Duchy could absolutely defeat them. That was what he had learned so far. They could win extremely convincingly as well. 

“Perhaps, your grace, it would be wise to reconsider the Governess’s offer? I understand it stings your pride but. I can protect you from many things, as vast a force as lies to the south I cannot do. We simply do not have the forces even with the Iron Hands. I would also hesitate to suggest drafting our humans. They would as like raise a blade against us after all. Gratitude for liberation only goes so far.” Vinia suggested. 

Virion sighed and leaned back in his chair. He regarded the map before him. There were pieces representing their ramshackle forces on the border and vastly more in the Duchy. Virion was not a tactical genius. In fact he was a terrible player in any games of strategy around. The prince was a man that knew people, understood politics, but he was not a military commander. Not even close. 

His dark slender fingers gripped one of the pieces representing the duchy. The pieces had been used by Albar evidently. A knight was mounted atop a strange reptile creature. Wyverns they were called. Their greatest knights rode atop them and flew down into battle. War machines used by Albar to fight them were still around, but there was a lack of trained people to use them. Supposedly the Grand Duke himself rode atop the back of a dragon, an ancient and vast beast that could breathe fire and melt armor and flesh. 

“I will not marry that woman. She would undo all my work. That would be a move Councilor Idria would just adore to have me removed as a thorn.” In fact he could believe that Idria had planted the idea in Idriana’s head. Her trap was immaculate as ever. It was pity such a truly brilliant woman was so utterly vile on the inside. 

“I’m all for telling noble blue bloods where to stick their plans and marriages, prince, but let me tell you. Duchy Wyverns are no joking matter. The Empire failed to retake the Duchy for many years now because of those wyverns and the dragon of the Grand Duke. Your Grand General could probably defeat them on the field, but we rather lack her and her army. They are able to fly over arrow volleys, hitting them with our weapons is tricky as well. Takes an incredibly good shot to hit something in the air moving fast. Nura weaponry can dominate the ground, but the air is another matter entirely.” Adalina said, her expression schooled into a serious one for once. 

“While I can’t speak to these wyverns, I can speak to numbers. And whatever else people might tell you, numbers win wars.” Vinia said. “You can be the most brilliant general alive, but without the numbers… well. The Black Rose is an example. He could win plenty of battles, but that was because he avoided confronting the main army of the Grand General. The enemy controls the skies so that would be borderline impossible here. As well, the rebels are working with the Duchy.” 

Virion sighed. “Starting to wish Nalista had left the Black Rose here as well, supposedly he was every bit her match after all.” He lamented. “Well, no hope for that.” 

Adalina scratched her chin at length. “There is an alternative, prince.” She suggested. 

Virion lifted a brow. “Oh? I’m about willing to entertain anything at this point.” 

“Glad you say that because I suggest you invite the Grand Duke to speak.” She said. “Now hold a moment, Lady Captain, before you protest allow me to explain. To the Grand Duke, he has likely been working at the bidding of your Councilor yes? How certain are we that the Duke himself is working with your Councilor and that it is not simply those around him?” Adalina asked. “We have convinced ourselves that he is an enemy we cannot negotiate with because you are under the impression that he is the puppet of her correct? Why not speak with him, find out where he stands. See what he might be amenable to. No doubt to him, you are an elven invader. He has no reason to think otherwise after all.”

Virion… had not considered that. At all really. In hindsight it was utterly foolish that he had just written off the whole of the Duchy in such a way. After all, thinking logically, why would the Grand Duke walk into something like this? Especially if he knew there were Elsiran hands working in the background. It would be easy to see that those around him could have been under Idria’s sway. For that would be how she would operate. A subtle influence, not outright control over the Duke. 

“And where would we meet exactly?” He asked carefully. 

“The Grand Duchy itself.” She said simply.

There was a bang of hands upon the table as the captain stood up and pointed at Adalina. “You dare suggest we walk the prince directly into a hostile land? I knew it, you are trying to get him killed! My prince, enough poison has been heeded from this one’s lips. Let me teach her the price of forgetting her place.” She hissed. 

Virion half agreed with Vinia. It was very dangerous. He would be in unfriendly territory with limited forces. Easy to assassinate. It was incredibly dangerous and if the Grand Duke was working with Idria then he was as good as dead. Adalina wasn’t looking at Vinia, her gaze was squarely on him. She was well aware of how her words could be taken, indeed part of him said to do as Vinia suggested. 

“What do you have to lose, prince? Your life? In a month’s time at this rate you might not have that anyway.” The mercenary said. 

Virion considered it for a few more moments before nodding. “A fair point. As we’ve discussed at length there is no path to military victory here. We will send word to the Grand Duke and request a meeting at his leisure.” 

“Your grace! Please, reconsider, or at the least allow a diplomat to go in your stead!” Vinia protested. 

“Nay. It must be me. A diplomat would imply I believe I’m negotiating from a position of strength. I also have a wish to see this man that has a prince of Elsira at his mercy. Also, it is not only my life that would be forfeit should an invasion come in force. I could hardly call myself fit as a leader if I did not accept this risk.” He said. 

There was a very severe frown from Vinia at that, while Adalina had a smirk on her lips and nodded to him. The mercenary had many opportunities to betray him since she had been here. Instead she had proved to be an asset. That said he very much suspected her being here was no accident either, Virion highly doubted she could have simply come here without some nods from higher ups in Nura. So there was always that in the back of his mind. Whatever else she was, she was still technically an agent from another nation. 

Vinia was the first to speak up. “Very well. However, while I am bound to remain here as regent in your stead, you will have a full escort. An *elven* escort. Also.” Her eyes turned to Adalina. “This one is to accompany you as well. I understand you trust her abilities, your grace, but I would prefer you have some insurance that she isn’t sailing us down a river.” 

The Nura Mercenary sighed. “My, so very distrustful, here I thought we were getting on so well, captain. Here I was going to see about painting our nails together. Ah well, truly the mercenary lot in life is to be so unjustly scorned.”

“You suffer so, I’m sure. If you end up anywhere near my nails it will be the size of my fingertip with a brush twice your scale.” Vinia said with a sneer. 

“Promises promises.” The mercenary said. 

To forestall the potential tirade from the Captain, Virion cleared his throat. “Very well, captain. I will consent to your measures. Adalina, I must ask you to accompany me on this outing.” 

The human shrugged. “Expected it the moment I suggested it. Is good to have retainers loyal enough to be paranoid for your sake. Besides, might help your case if you have a human nearby walking free.” 

Virion sat back in his chair and lifted one of the pieces representing the duchy. He rotated it between his fingers and considered how very far he had strayed from Elsiran tradition already. Now he was going to treat with a human nation. It had never happened officially for most of Elsira’s existence. Certainly it had not been by the hand of a member of the royal family. Adalina had a point however, at this point the only thing he had to lose was his life. His life and the lives of those dear to him. There was nothing he wouldn’t try at this point. Not if it was in the name of defending what he had built.