Chapter 1 (part 3)

Standing around a wooden table were many different men, all familiar faces, that drew to attention as the queen drew near. The slender, silver-headed General stepped forward from the rest. His hair reached down to touch his shoulders. His face was pitted with scars from years of loyal service to the crown, and his pale blue eyes stood out against his sun-darkened skin.

"Your Majesty, I can't tell you how much of a relief it is to see you alive."

"Yes. What is this nonsense of my being dead?"

"It is a lie of the enemy. I'm afraid they've spread it all throughout the kingdom."

"And our enemy? Who are they? What nation do they hail from?"

"We do not know. They have not been seen marching under any nation's banner."

"Do we know what the total damage is?"

Mavic became silent.

"I will have you tell me." They walked over to the table, which displayed a map of Ellizea.

"They have seized much of the northern part. In fact, the only places that do not live under their occupation are these few villages on the southern outskirts. The armada has set sail with minimal casualties, they await your orders. I am currently drawing all the soldiers that I can down to the south and we are in the process of creating a counter attack upon them. I've also sent our best spies into the capital."

"How did we miss them?"

"It was they who created these disturbances here in the south which drew me and many of my men away from the capital. I'm sorry I did not see it sooner."

Cecealye shook her head. "What is important now is that we try with all our might to regain our kingdom."

"You're absolutely right. We cannot dwell on things we cannot change."

Stepping up beside her Ean leaned close down by her ear. "You need to get some rest."

"No, I will be fine. I'm going to stay here."

"You are no good to your kingdom half dead and exhausted."

"No one else has rested, so why do you expect me to?"

"I beg you, my queen."

She stood there for a second staring at him. "As you wish." She turned and was led to the building right next to that one.

Before she knew it she had cleaned up, was in different clothes, and eating. After a couple of bites, she sat her fork down. 'Who would do this, and for what reason? What, are they cowards that they do not even give me the dignity of knowing who my enemy is? Shall I be hunted like a dog by the unknown?' The thought disgusted her and she suddenly lost her appetite. Hearing a knock at the door, she summoned the person to come in.

Stepping inside, Ean gently shut the door behind him. "How are you holding up?"

"I must hold up. This is no time for a moment of weakness."

"For two minutes, stop acting like you have to be strong."

"Every minute I waste is one more minute that-"

"That what? You think you're going to save the kingdom overnight! Start thinking straight. There is not one person here that loves Ellizea any less than you, but even the most valiant must find rest."

She huffed as she walked to the other side of the room in anger. He was the only one who could cut her off without being reprimanded. There wasn't another person in the world who could get away with that but that never changed her dislike for the action.

Ean's voice softened. "I didn't come in here to fight with you, I came to see how you were doing." Her back still faced toward him, he quietly approached her and gripped her shoulders.

She slowly turned around and looked up into his blue eyes. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to yell at you. I just… everything is still spinning and I can't seem to get control."

"I know… I know. Please lie down and get some sleep, for me."

"All right."

He sat beside her bed until he was certain she was asleep then quietly got up and left. He turned to the guards posted in front of her building.   

"Her Majesty is asleep; see to it that no one disturbs her. The only people allowed into this building are the General and me. Is that understood."                       

"Perfectly, sir."

He then proceeded to join Orckle and Supreany in a different building.

Orckle's eyes rose as he entered "How is she?"

"Asleep. Look you guys, I thank you for seeing us this far but I do not ask you to follow us any further."

"I would like to stay and help in any manner possible. Perhaps I might have some knowledge that would be some use to her Highness," Orckle stated.

"Thank you. We gladly accept your assistance," Ean said.

"I figured I might as well stick around myself," Supreany smiled. "You never know when you might need a resourceful thief. Besides, it isn't like I have anywhere pressing to be."

Ean smiled. "Thank you. Well, you all better get some rest; the battle is far from over."

Waking up the next day, Cecealye freshened up and walked to the building where Mavic and his men had been planning. As the door swung open she could see that everyone was in there: Ean, Orckle, and even Supreany, off in a corner. They all turned to greet her. She could sense something was up by the look on Ean's face and braced herself for whatever was about to come.

"I trust you slept well," Mavic greeted her.

"Indeed I did. What is the latest news?"

"I'm afraid it isn't much different than last night." Her head lowered slightly. "Your Highness, we have been discussing something that I wish to propose to you."

She lifted her head. 'Here it comes.'

"We all think you should leave the country."

She was taken back; how could they ask her to do something like that? Furthermore, how could they expect her to follow through? Everyone in the room could tell she was not going to have anything good to say about that.

Her eyes narrowed. "Excuse me. Are you telling me to flee without any kind of fight? Am I so much of a coward that I would leave my kingdom when it needs me the most? What am I to do, and where do you expect me to go? The mountains? In the forest? Across the sea? I will not and you will remember your place! Do not be so eager to be so bold. It may cost you more than you're willing to give." Her words were sharp and pierced their ears. She stepped forward.

"Now, I will give you till noon tomorrow to have some kind of rough plan of how we're going to extinguish the pests in my kingdom." She stormed from the building back to her own and slammed the door behind her.

The silver-headed man turned to Ean. "That did not go well at all; you were completely right."

"Yes, but I do agree with you. She needs to leave the country. You should have told her what you found out."

"Indeed, but I don't know how."

Ean dared not go to her. In truth, he was not interested in being yelled at. So he went to bed that night without saying goodnight. If she wanted him she knew where to find him. But contrary to everyone else's belief, she was visited that night. Wrapped in his black robes, Orckle approached the building which the queen was in and stepped inside. The guards never even saw him. He slipped into the room she was in. Starring out the window, she didn't even know he was there.

"Isn't it strange how fast the world can turn upside down?"

Cecealye nearly jumped out of her skin as she turned to see Orckle sitting in a chair helping himself to a cup of tea.

"How did you get in here? With all due respect, you need to leave."

He snickered. "Do you want me to leave before or after I tell you how I got in here? Don't bother yelling for the guards. It would be pointless."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you want to know the reason they want you to leave the country?" Orckle continued.

She stood there in silence. She was astonished to find she did not know what to say.

"They're afraid for your life, and they should be. For, the people who came here and wrought havoc on your nation are here for one reason, to see you dead, and they will stop at nothing. They will raze every village to the ground and slaughter all the innocent that stand relatively in the way. If I've judged you right, I would guess that you are not willing to risk the well-being of your nation by continuing to stay here."

"How could you know all of this?" Her voice had almost dropped to a whisper.

"Don't ask how I know, just trust that it is true. You are the last of the royal bloodline. Tell me, Queen of Ellizea, what is a kingdom without its ruler?"

"And what is a ruler without a kingdom." She gritted her teeth.

"Someone who can get stronger and return to fight a new day when they are able to beat them. They're not after your nation; they're after you. And wherever you go, they will follow." He paused for a moment. "Sleep on it and make your decision in the morning." He rose from the chair and silently departed, leaving her alone to think.

That night was a long night, spent pacing back and forth until, finally, she stopped and sat down on her bed. 'What am I doing? This decision is too big for me to make it on my own.' She went to the window, her hands gripping the sill.

"Oh, Theos." She took a deep breath. "Whatever it is you want me to do... I will do it. I don't understand why all of this is happening. Have I not tried to serve you diligently?" She dropped her head, tears forming in her eyes. "But then again, I can't see the whole picture. Give me the faith I need; I want to believe you're still there." In the end, little sleep was obtained for the young queen.

It was about noon the next day when Cecealye emerged from her current residence. Upon her entering the building of operations, the room was struck with silence.

"Before you say anything, I've got something to say." Everyone stared at her in suspense. She glanced over at Orckle. "I've thought about your proposal, and I may not like it but you might be right. However, before I agree to it, I would like you to explain to me how you think it's going to work." Everyone's eyes began shifting from one person to another.

Supreany stood up and paced over to the center of the room. "Not that my opinion matters, but that's easy. Go in disguise as a commoner. No one will be the wiser." They all looked at her in disbelief. "Look, just put her in some grungier clothes, let down her hair and make it a little messy, like mine, and change her name. It doesn't have to be drastic. It could be something like … CC, short for Cecealye. Believe me, little stuff like that goes a long way."

"I think you're right." Mavic looked at the girl in a way he would look at a soldier who had just done a very good job. "Let's try it and see how it looks."

The end product was a simple working disguise. She had the top of her long, dark hair pulled back and held in place with a few small throwing knives, leaving the rest of it to fall in layers down to her chest. She wore a long sleeved, fitted, darkly-tanned ankapello hide jacket with a slightly darker pair of pants and a somewhat frilly linen shirt underneath.

Under that, where no one could see, she also wore a very light in weight, finely-crafted mail. She also had dark sturdy boots and a belt to go with them accompanied by a rather beautiful dagger. On her person, out of sight, she kept a ring with her seal on it. She decided she would carry a bow as well, complete with a quiver of arrows.

With some hesitation, Cecealye, now also known as CC, agreed to leave in disguise with Ean, Orckle, and Supreany, to set out on a journey to find out who was behind the attack of Ellizea.