Chapter 6

"You are back. That good to see," Said the Queen.

"Yes, and I have some questions for you, if you don't mind answering." I said.

"What are your questions?" Asked the Queen.

"Well, for starters. What can you tell us about the place that I will go to?" I asked.

"Well, let us see what I can say. For starters, you can say that this kingdom and the one that you will go to do not get along with one another." Said the Queen.

"So what you are saying is watch me back." I said.

"Yes, and no. "Yes, it is good to be cautious. No, since yes we are on rocky terms…" Said the Queen.

"You trailed off for a second, your majesty," I said.

" Oh, I did. Sorry about that. The reason we are on rocky terms is, that that nation my brother runs that." Said the Queen.

"Your brother runs the Republic of Merchants?" Asked Iris.

"Yes, He does. He runs that place almost to the ground sometimes." Said the Queen.

"Seems to me he does not know how to run anything." I said.

"That is a guess, and you are right. He is never good with money," Said the Queen.

"Jeez, what the heck is he doing then?" I said.

"Running his nation to the ground is what he is doing. May I know if you noted hear what the Queen was saying?' Asked Iris.

Arc thinks. "So, what do you want me to do when I am there?" I asked.

"Talk with me, brother, see what he thinks. Then come back here." Said the Queen.

"I can do that." I said.

"What do you want to do in the meantime?" Asked Iris.

"Prepare for the trip." I said.

"That is an idea because you head there tomorrow morning." Said the Queen. Arc and Iris leave the throne room.

Later that Day

"What did you think of what the queen told us?" Asked Iris.

"I thought it interested that her brother is the leader of the Republic of Merchants." I said.

"Yes, that was interesting to hear." Said Iris.

"May I know if you found anything interesting?" I asked.

"No, not really." Said Iris.

"I see. Well, it is not good to worry about things if it is not true." I said. "True. Better not worry about it for the moment. That said, do you know what you are going to say?" Asked Iris.

"That is a good question. That I do not know at the moment." I said.

"I see. Well, that makes sense. You are easygoing." Said Iris.

"Yep. Though that said. I need to be strong." I said.

" That makes sense. You are going to talk to a leader of another nation." Said Iris.

"So let us stop talking and get some sleep." I said.

"Ok, night love." Said Iris. "Night." I said.

In the morning

"Looks like Arc already left for the Republic." Said Iris.

Knock Knock.

"Who is it?" Asked Iris.

"It is Grace. May I come in?" Asked Grace.

"Yes, you may come in." Said Iris.

"What is it, Grace? Is something the matter?" Asked Iris.

"Nothing is the matter. Well, that is not one hundred% true." Said Grace.

"Then what is it? "Asked Iris.

"Well, you see the Queen. She is acting weird." Said Grace.

"What is your worry?" Asked Iris.

"That she is going a little baffling." Said Grace.

"Why are you telling me this and not a doctor? Asked Iris.

"We already told the doctor." Said Grace.

"Then what did the doctor say?" Asked Iris.

"He said not to worry." Said Grace.

" Then Do not worry about it." Said Iris.

"But it is my job to worry about the queen." Said Grace.

"Are you her attendant, or are you one of her commanders?" Said Iris.

"I am one of her soldiers." Said Grace.

"I know you are worried about her, but want the doctor to say and watch her?" Said Iris.

" Ok I will watch her." Said Grace.

"How are you feeling now that we talked?" Asked Iris.

"Better. That said, I am going on patrol." Said Grace.

"Good, now if you please excess me I need to get dressed." Said Iris.

"I will leave you to it. If you need anything, get me," Grace said. Grace leaves the room.

"That was weird. She was freaking out, about the queen." Said Iris.

In the courtyard

"Where is everyone?" said the queen. She started mumbling to herself. "Your majesty I have a message for you." Said one attendant.

"Let me see this message." Said the Queen. The attendant handed a letter to the queen.

"Good. It says that Arc is two days away from the Republic. Where my brother is." Said the Queen.

"Is that all ma'am?" Asked the attendant. "Yes, that will be all you can go,"' Said the Queen. The attendant bowed his head and left.

"So Arc is getting closer to where my brother is." Said the Queen. She leaves the courtyard.

On patrol

"What is going on with the Queen." Said Grace.

"Stop right there. You are about to run.."

Crash. Grace falls to the ground.

"Ow, what happened?" Asked Grace.

"I am so Sorry about that. We are moving stuff around right now. Are you ok?" Said, someone.

"Yes I am ok, but what are you doing?" Asked Grace.

"We are setting up our store," Said another person.

"I see. Do you want any help with that?' Asked Grace.

"If you want to you, do not have to." Said the person who stopped her." What is this place called?" Asked Grace.

"Right now, it does not have a name." Said the barkeep.

"I see well you will find a name no problem. Oh, where do you want these?" Said Grace. Pointing to two tables and chairs.

"Thanks, barkeep. What is the best drink you have got? Asked Grace.

"Let me think. How about some hard whiskey?" Said the Bar Keep.

"That would work for me." Said Grace. "Coming right up," Said the Bar Keep.

"I wonder what is Arc doing right now," Said Grace.

"Here is your hard whiskey." Said the Bar Keep.

"Thank you. Is there any news that is of interest?" Asked Grace.

"Let me think. There was a stranger that came in yesterday." Said the Bar Keep.

"What was this stranger like?" Asked Grace.

"Let me think. They wore a dark cloak, and they had an odd way of speaking." Said the Bar Keep.

"I see. That is weird indeed. Were there any words that you could make out?" Asked Grace.

"Not that I could tell. It was like they were speaking in an ancient language." Said the Bar Keep.

"An ancient language. How interesting." Said Grace.

"Bar Keep. Do you have anything to eat as well?" Asked Grace.

"Anything to eat. Let me think. I think so," Said the Bar Keep. The bar keep went back into the kitchen.

"Who was the stranger that came to the bar? I hope the stranger is not an enemy." Said Grace.

Meanwhile, on the road

"So, how is everyone doing?" I asked.

"We are doing ok." Said, Rex.

"Rex, why did you choose to come with me?" I asked.

"Well, you see I am not coming with you." Said, Rex.

"Then why did you come with me?' I asked.

"You see there is someone that I want to meet there." Said, Rex.

"Do I want to know?" I asked.

"No. Well not." Said, Rex.

"We are still two days out." I said.

"Yes, we are. Let us look at a Map to see where we are." Said, Rex. Pulling out a map from his bag and lay it down on the ground.

"We are here, and we need to go here." Said, Rex.

"Looks like if we cut across here it will make it shorter." I said.

"No, it won't. It will add another day to the trip." Said, Rex.

"So, what should we do?" I asked.

"We stay on course. If we do that, we will get there in a day or two." Said, Rex.

"That makes sense. Then we say on the course then." I said.

"Yes, and it is getting late, so see you in the morning." Said, Rex.

"See you in the morning." I said.

The next morning

"That was a night's sleep." I said.

"I guess you had a night's sleep?" Asked Rex.

"Yes, sure did. What smells good?" I asked.

"Breakfast. Ham and Cheese. With a side of vegetables." Said, Rex.

"Is there anything else that I need to know about where we are going?" I said. Looking at what he was doing.

"Well, you see their customs are interesting." Said, Rex.

"What makes them interesting?" I said.

"Well, part of the system that is put in place there is how many women you are married to." Said, Rex.

"I hope I don't need to do that." I said.

"Now you won't have to. It is only for the hierarchy there." Said, Rex.

"So since I am from a place that does not allow that I will be fine?" I asked.

"Yes, that said does not mean that there will be another way that they will try, so watch out." Said, Rex.

"I will. You watch yourself too." I said.

"You do not have to worry about me." Said, Rex.

Could you tell me why is that?" I asked.

"You see even though the nation that I am from did not keep giving resources to them. I did." Said, Rex.

"Wait. That is weird." I said.

Could you tell me why is it weird?" Asked Rex.

"Well, it is like you are giving information to a potential enemy." I said. "I get where you are coming from. That said, they are not the enemy." Said, Rex. "True, but what if they turn on you?" I asked. Handing the plate to Rex.

"They won't. We have an agreement not to turn on one another." Said, Rex. Grabbing the plate that Arc was handed to him.

"I believe you. It is hard right now for me to trust someone." I said. "You trusted me to get your wife back. That has to count for something." Said, Rex.

"I do trust you, Rex. It is just for the moment I don't trust the Republic of Merchants." I said.

"That makes sense. Since you do not know the people or person running the place." Said, Rex. Getting on his horse.

"It is time to ride." Said, Rex.

Back at the Castle

"Grace, do you have anything to report?" asked the Queen.

"Yes, Your Majesty. When I went into town for patrol, I went into a bar that opened up. I Heard from the barkeep that there was a stranger there yesterday." Said Grace.

"What did the bar keep saying about this stranger?" Asked the Queen.

"That the stranger spoke in an ancient language." Said Grace.

"May I know if you caught the stranger's name?" Asked the Queen.

"No, I did not get his name. That said, from how that barkeeper was acting, news will be my guess." Said Grace.

"Do you know what they were wearing?" Asked the Queen.

"From what the barkeeper was telling me. The stranger was wearing all black." Said Grace.

"All black. Well, keep an eye out for this stranger. I worry this is not the last time that we see that stranger." Said the Queen.

"I will take my leave now." Said Grace. Bowing to the Queen as she leaves.

In the courtyard

"What a lovely day to be outside." Said Iris. As she was holding the twins in her arms.

"Iris, good to see you out and about," Said the Queen.

"Your majesty it's good to see you." Said Iris.

Getting up from where she was sitting.

"No, please stay seated. I came here to talk with you." Said the Queen.

" Ok I will. That said, Oh, what are you doing in the courtyard, your majesty?" Asked Iris.

"Oh, not much. Wanted to see how you were doing." Said the Queen.

"I see. I am not doing much at the moment why?" Asked Iris.

"I heard from Grace that a strange person is going around the kingdom right now," Said the Queen.

"I see. That is not good." Said Iris.

"Well, let me worry about that. You stay here and relax. "Said the Queen.

"Ok, I will. I will see you later than." Said Iris. "Yes, see you later." Said the Queen.

Back at her brother's estate

"Ma'am there is someone here to see you," Said one servant.

"Bring them in." Said Grace. The servant bowed his head. Then he opened the door.

"So this is where you were." Said, someone.

"Who are you?" Asked Grace.

"Don't you recognize me?" Asked the person.

"No, sorry, I do not recognize you. Should I?" Asked Grace.

"No, I guess not." Said the person. "Then I will ask you again. Who are you?" Asked Grace.

"I am your mother." Said the person. Looking at the person.

"No, you are not. My mother has been dead for ten years now." Said Grace. "But it is true." Said the supposed mother.

"Leave now." Said Grace. She left back the way she came. Muting to herself.

"I was so close to figuring out how to plant chaos in this kingdom." Said the person under her breath.

"I need to tell Rex and Claire what helped." Said Grace. Grace rang a bell.

"You called for me?" Asked the butler.

"Yes, send these two letters to my brother and sister." Said Grace. Handing the butler the two letters.

"As you wish," Said the butler. Bowing his hand and then leaving.

"Jeez, what an eventful day." Said Grace.

One day out from the Republic of Merchants

"What is the republic like?' I asked.

"The republic is enormous. Also, it is unofficial." Said, Rex.

"I see. That makes sense." I said.

"We will rest here and have lunch. That way, the horse can have a break." Said, Rex.

"Ok. Then let's have lunch." I said.

"Then let us eat." Said, Rex.

"Is there anything else that you want to tell me about where we are going?" I asked.

" Not at the moment." Said, Rex.

"I see. That makes sense. "I said.

"We are getting closer to our destination." Said, Rex.

"That is cool. We still cannot see where the Republic is. I said.

"Yes, we are closer. Though we are still a day out." Said, Rex.

"Well, I am done with my lunch." I said.

"That was quick. What are you going to do now?" Asked Rex.

" Some training will await the rest to finish their lunch." I said.

"That makes sense. You want to keep being in tip-top shape." Said, Rex. Arc went off to do some training.

"I wonder how is everyone in the capital doing right now." Said, Rex.

In the Republic of Merchants

"The envoy from the Kingdom near to us is a day out." Said the secretary. "That good to hear," Said the queen's brother.

"Is there anything that we can do? Asked the secretary.

"At the moment, no, there is not, but I will say something if there is." Said the queen's brother.

"As you wish," Said the secretary. The secretary leaves.

"So the envoy is close." Said the queen's brother.

At the Dwarf Kingdom

"What an interesting human that was had visited." Said Grod.

"Indeed, he was interesting. That said, he had a worried request." Said Rardraeda.

"Stop your yapping and get to work. Said Rok.

"Yes Sir. Grod and Rardraeda said together. They hammered away at swords, shields, and armor.

"Jeez, the boss is a tyrant." Said Grod.

"I agree with that Said Rardraeda.

"What was that?" Said Rok. "Nothing sir." Said Grod.

"Ya, nothing. We are working." Said Rardraeda.

"Good, the last thing that I want right now is slacker." Said Rok.

'Why did we agree to this?" Asked Grod.

"Because it money," Said Rardraeda.

"That makes sense." Said Grod.

Back at the Republic of Merchants

"Prime Minister the emissary from your sister's kingdom is here." Said one of the Guards.

"Bring them in." Said the Prime Minister. The envoy entered the chamber. "Hello, Prime Minister it's good to see you again." Said, Rex.

"Good to see you too Rex." Said the Prime Minister. Turning to Arc.

"And who might you be?" Asked the Prime Minister

"My name is Arc. I was the prince of the Kingdom of Gery, but I am not anymore." I said.

"If I am redundant at the moment. There is something that I need to attend to." Said, Rex. Turning to the door, and leaving.

"So, why did you come to this place?" Asked the Prime Minister.

"I am looking for someone good with numbers. We are stopping the chaos from spreading." I said.

"The only way to do that is with a dragon, and they have not been seen for a while now, soya," Said the Prime Minister.

"Then it is a thing that my true form is a dragon, then." I said. "Are you serious, or are you yacking my chain?" Said the Prime Minister. Looking at the Prime Minister.

" I am dead serious. I am a dragon," I said.

Sitting back in his chair. "So the legend is true. A dragon will repeal the darkness." Said the Prime Minister.

"Yes, it is true. All for it." I said.

"Oh. I am sorry I forgot to say my name. My name is Clay. "Said the Prime minister.

"It is a glee to meet you. I hear some interesting things about you." I said.

"Like what?" Said the Prime Minister.

"Oh. Like the fact that you set up this place." I said.

"Is there anything else that you know?" Asked the Prime Minister.

"You were kicked out of the Kingdom we came from." I said.

" I see, so my sister told you everything," Said the Prime Minister.

"You do not look happy about that." I said.

"No, I do not, but that is not the point. Do you want to discuss what you can here for?" Asked the Prime Minister.

"We are here for a week, so there is still time." I said.

Meanwhile, on the Dark content

"Who was that man that came to rescue that girl?" Asked the witch.

"I went to where that person was last seen and there we nothing special about that place." Said a Vampire.

"Silence, the two of you. You may not talk since both of you failed." Said a mysterious being. As he said that lighting clashed around them. "Do we have a plan?" Asked a Harpe.

"Not at the moment. That said, the Dragon will be a challenge to defeat." Said a mysterious being.

"We could do some reconnaissance to see where he is." Said a titian.

"Yes, and will you will be hard to go covertly?" Said the witch.

"Are you picking on me for my size?" Asked the titan.

"No, what she is saying is to do things covertly. We do not need enormous creatures." Said a vampire.

"Oh, I see. I guess that makes sense then." Said the titan.

"So who are you going to send?" Asked the witch.

"I will send the Harpie." Said the mysterious being.

"As you wish," Said the harpies. The harpies left to do some reconnaissance.

Meanwhile, in the Kingdom of Grey

"That dragon attack was something else," Said one of the Gaurd.

"You said it. That said, why did it attack the castle and not the surrounding areas?" Said another guard.

"In the legend.." Said the first Guard.

"Enough about the legend. You have been talking about that for days now." Said the other guard.

"Less talking more working." Said the Commander.

"Sorry, sir. Won't happen again." Both guards said.

" Better not or you will spend time in the dungeon." Said the Commander. The night watch continued in absolute silence.

A little while later,

"Ow. That hurt." I said. "What did you expect it not to hurt?" Said, Rex. "Sort of. "I said.

" You, of course. This will hurt. It is the strongest metal in the world." Said, Rex. Shaking his head.

"True, but still. Can something like that hurt a dragon?" I asked.

"I sense something big might happen." Said, Rex.

"How so?" I asked.

"You know the dragon that attacked your home?' Asked Rex.

"Yes, I remember. Don't remind me." I said.

" I think it was being controlled being someone. OR something." Said, Rex." Controlled, but how. Dragons are supposed to be hard to control." I said. "Says the person one." Said, Rex.

" That may be true that I am a dragon." I said. Arc trailed off.

"Are you going to finish your sentence?" Asked Rex.

"What is the point?" I asked.

"You are tenacious that easily." Said, Rex.

"Ok. Still, though, we are not getting anywhere doing nothing." I said.

" And that is why we are here. To make sure that we win." Said, Rex.