NationStates Jolt Archive

"Well," Si reflected on the fact that the kitsune before him could probably incapacitate him with as much effort as Si himself would swat a fly, and plunged forward anyway, "most of us are not as tall as you." He chuckled, then went on. "Xiscapia, as an Empire and nation, is so huge and varied I could spend all night talking about it and I still wouldn't have covered it all. Basically, most of us are like you and the citizens of Mysan, however there is the subject of the katana sword, which you will note I do not have on my person. Xiscapians are, at their coming-of-age, twenty-one years, presented with a katana, blade forged and sheath made and decorated by their family. May I see your tulwar for a moment? Thank you," he took the sword by the hilt, balancing it carefully.

“The katana sword is a vital part of every Xiscapian. We believe is symbolically contains part of your soul. This they carry with them always, and it if is ever lost, broken or stolen they must either recover their original or forge a new one. Once I leave Mysan, my first duty will be to send a force after my sword. You must never try to take a katana from an Xiscapia, especially a soldier, for they will do much to retrieve it, and most warriors would not think twice about killing someone who stole their sword.”

Si pointed to the hilt of Nysan's weapon. “My binding was green, which indicates that I am a level Three Force user. Most Xiscapians are level One, which is a blood red hilt binding, meaning they can sustain and cultivate life in a small way. Nothing more. Level Two means the user possesses a limited ability beyond that of normal. The Third level is dark green, mine, is a modest amount of true power, giving me abilities beyond that of many others. However, does not due to advertise unduly, so I try not to use them any more than is absolutely necessary."

He gestured to the sword. “My scabbard was green. This means I am a Ambassador, as opposed to one of mere Diplomat or Aide status. There are other colors for different ranks in separate branches of the military, and in a social context the color of the sheath can mean many things, but what I have said is for the Diplomatic Corps section.”

Finally he ran a finger along the shining blade, stopping at the base near the hilt. “If this was a katana, here would the engraved symbol of my clan, the katakana. We do not use our clan names with our normal ones: You would not call me 'Si Katakana.' This is not acceptable. Your clan says only who your ancestors are, nothing more. We are not bound by second, third or other names. Only the Emperor and Empress have last names.”

He handed the tulwar back to Nysan, hilt first. "There is much more to tell, but I would like to know something of Lunasa." he said politely and smiled pleasantly.

"Ah," Nysan nodded in agreement, "Your significance on the sword is admirable and quite similar to my own culture," he took back his curved sword and showed Si the craftsmanship along the blade, a series of intricate patterns cut into the steel without damaging it,
"These symbols," he explained, "Signify my family's line, it shows that I am nobility, the blue hilt here indicates that I am the second son of my family and my golden scabbard shows that I am in the service of the Lunasan People"
He smiled and slid the weapon back into the golden scabbard with ease,

"We are a democratic race, Ambassador," He explained again, smiling, "We are ruled by a Council of Nobles who make the decisions on behalf of the people. We are a modern enough race, just as modern as Mysan but perhaps slightly richer. We believe that honesty is always the best policy" he smiled then looked over at the shy Queen beside Si,

"We also have many, many buildings of extreme beauty, although there are some manners of beauty we have missed" He bowed and kissed Krystic's hand again before moving back into the crowd.

Krystic was blushing furiously as she looked at Si,
"Shall we move on and talk to the Alversians?" She asked,rather flustered and pleased at the attention that had been paid to her.

Si listened to the Lunasan closely, noticing that indeed, both their cultures had similar views on their swords. He bowed again as Nysan left them, thanking him for his time and consideration, noticing Krystic's deep blush.
"Yes, that would be good," he answered her, happy that she had gotten over her worry at her misstep with Doblo. It would be good to encounter some people he was familiar with before moving off once again to experience more of this strange desert-world's culture.

The Alversians were in the centre of a small crowd, mostly other Ambassador's and local Nobility who were anxious to hear of news from the plains. As Doblo was the other other Commander and no one would listen to his boasting, it was to Generals Sharpe and Owens that the burden of news fell,
"...yes," Sharpe was in the middle of saying as the pair reached them, "About 250,000 Infantry we reckon and about 70,000 Cavalry, although it will probably be like all Bandit Armies. One third Veteran troops, One third reliable troops and one third who don't know one end of a gun from the other",
That brought a light chuckle from the listening Guests before Captain Jus cut in with his typical air,

"Surely though, dear Richard, in the field of numbers of footsoldiers and horsemen we shall be outmatched? And I also gather that we have considerably less big cannons and guns than they who hunt our plains for Armies?"

"Yes," It was Owens who interrupted, "But numbers do not always mean victory as we plan to prove" He then caught sight of Krystic and Si at the back of the crowd and he nodded in their direction
"Of course," he said in a louder voice, "Where it not for our Allies here in Mysan, the numbers we would face could truly have been impossible" he raised his hands in applause and the rest of the hall followed, all staring at Krystic with admiration and geniune respect.

Krystic was blushing again but she could not keep a smile from her face at the applause she recieved, only Doblo and his entourage did not clap.

"Ambassador," Owens stretched out a hand in greeting as Krystic was steered to one side by a group of Mysan and Lunasan Nobles who were determined to include her in their arguement about which city was better at polo.

"I'm glad to see you made it out from that debacle" He whispered to Si so the others could not hear, "Truly, I am pleased Mendez's sacrifice was not in vain.

Si bowed low to Owens and took the man's hand, drawing slightly closer and speaking equally quietly, earnest and serious. "Mendez's courage may well have saved all of Mysan, General." he whispered. "When I arrived I believed the Queen," he glanced to Krystic, "to be without a care in the galaxy, but I have learned new things since then. Forgive my presumptuousness, but I think that, if not for my presence at her side, the Queen would not have had the wherewithal to carry on and lead her people to these great victories of the past couple of days." He stepped back a bit, smiling openly now. "Or perhaps my influence brought it on and is a negative factor," he shrugged. "I know not. But things are looking brighter for the Alversian operations here and the people of the Plains, no?"

Owens stared in confusion but nodded,
"The fact is that she fought and her troops have set a benchmark for the rest of the Alliance. That Northern Army would have caused considerable trouble for us. Luckily, the Mysan Army is ready to enter battle for the good of the people" he smiled, talking at normal levels but then he lowered his voice again and the charming smile vanished into a scowl,
"I'm afraid I will have to talk to you in more official surroundings soon" He explained, "Doblo has accussed Mendez of attempting to murder Dromintine Troops and the Emperor has insisted that there should be an enquiry. As the only none-Dromintine, you will need to be a witness" he shook his head and scowled in Doblo's direction.

Biting down on his feelings of rage and an almost instinctive feeling that told him to jump on Doblo and rip his throat out, Si looked at Owens in some puzzlement. "Not that I would pass the chance up, but what is the reasoning for that? How do they expect me to give witness when I was nearly killed in the bandit attack that was Doblo's fault, when the man obviously hates kitsune with a passion? Not to mention it is hardly a state secret that Xiscapia and Alversia are close allies, and I as an Xiscapian Ambassador would be obliged to assist Alversian forces here in any way I could, and such would be to close the investigation as quickly as possible." He cocked his head. "Or is my witness an Alversian decision?"

Now it was Owens turn to look furious,
"Look damnit!" He exploded quietly beside Si, "All of that it is true and it is true thy might not accept my recomendation but I'm the one who has to write to his Widow and tell her her Husband is dead and I'll be cold in my grave long before I let that fat shite spit on his memory without a fight!" He calmed down again, to normal levels and he looked as though he had never exploded,
"Will you return with us to camp?" He asked anxiously, "It would only be for a fortnight at most and we could use your word"

Si withstood Owen's tirade calmly, his tone somewhat icy. Si did not take to being sworn at lightly. "I am as angry about Mendez's death as you are, General. As I believe I said, I will not pass this chance up, I was merely wondering as to the logic behind the choice of me as witness."
"Will you return with us to camp? It would only be for a fortnight at most and we could use your word"
Si bit his lip before answering. Two weeks was quite a while, far more time than he had spent in Mysan. "I would need to consult the Queen." he said tentatively, "but if you need an answer now, I can just go and," he looked over to Krystic, "ask her."

"In that case, Ambassador" There was a sarcastic smile on Owen's lips, "I shall conduct the Tribunal without your evidence and so I shall listen to Doblo's evidence, rule that Mendez was a Criminal who deserved what he got and the mighty Dromintine have saved us a great deal of face by bringing this to our attention. Thanks, Ambassador," Owens moved away, "Thanks a lot"
With that, he disappeared into the crowd.

"I must apologise, Ambassador," It was General Sharpe who now stood behind Si, "Michael can get rather...passionate and this is a severe blow to our own pride and the morale of our troops"

Si sighed and shook his head, watching Owen's retreating back. "I understand General Owen's situation, and as I said before, I feel Doblo should be brought to justice and Mendez posthumously commended for his actions. But the General must," he said this last word empathetically, "understand that I have duties of my own that I have to fulfill. I cannot simply leave the Queen and Mysan, not without her permission. The living take priority over the dead." He smiled grimly. "Tell the General I will leave with him to the Alversian camp as soon as he is ready."
With that Si edged though the crowd to Krystic, bowing to her guests. "Excuse me, pardon my rudeness, I must borrow the Queen for a moment." He gently took her hand and led the Mysan ruler into a relatively secluded corner, looking at her confused expression. "Your Majesty, I must be granted your permission to return to the Alversian camp for a couple of weeks. When my patrol was attacked the Alversian in command was killed because of the actions of General Doblo and his men. I need to go back to serve as witness for the war crimes trial clearing Medenz's name, as the Dromintine Empire has accused him of plotting to murder Dromintine troops, and hopefully there also we can try Doblo and put him away where he belongs."

Krystic looked totally devastated for a few seconds, only a few, then she nodded.
"I understand," the sadness clear in her voice, "You need to help clear the Captain's name. It's okay, I'll be here when you get back" She sighed and nodded to Sharpe who had, again, come up behind Si and tapped him on the shoulder.

"As you have rightly said, Ambassador" He whispered, "if we cannot get an Alversian or an impartial judge and we probably won't, then your opinion will be valued and if not, then it is worthless. I understand that you need to fufill your duties to Mysan and so I think I have a compromise" he smiled at the Queen, "If you were to write down your statement and sign it, then it should have enough council on it's own to be affective" he nodded to a beaming Krystic,
"I hate to pull you away from your duties unneccessarily."

Si nodded. "I'm glad," he said, relieved, "that justice may still be served and I do not have to spend so much time away from K-Mysan," he hurriedly corrected himself, hoping neither had noticed. "I'd like to do this now, so it may be sent there was quickly as possible. Do I merely need to record my own account of the battle, or is there something more?" he inquired to Sharpe.

Luckily, neither Sharpe nor Krystic noticed Si's slip and Sharpe nodded in agreement to Si's answer,
"Just write all you know from the moment you met Mendez to the moment it ended in the Ambush. When you are done that, just sign it and I can have it stand up in court as an indication that Captain Mendez and his Company saved hundreds of lives by their actions" He nodded to Krystic and Si, "When you are finished, I'll be here" He moved off into the crowd.

"Don't go yet," Krystic grabbed his sleeve and begged into his eyes, "The Generals will be here until tomorrow, do it tonight. Please?" She looked at him with her wide, puppy-like eyes.

Si nodded at Sharpe's words and mentally prepared what he was going to write when it was all washed away by a jerk on his sleeve, Krystic's voice and two big, sad eyes staring into his. He drew a sharp intake of breath. "Well," he said, looking at her, "Just let me write the account and give it to the General, and we'll see how things go from there." He smiled. "I doubt they would make me leave tonight, I'll have another night here anyway." Another night of listening helplessly as your nightmares prey on your subconscious mind. he thought in sorrow.

"Okay then" She smiled and, with a deep breath to steady her nerves, she went back into the crowd and had soon disappeared from view. There was no doubt that the ball would be over by the time Si returned, for most of the Attendees were military men and they needed their sleep so close to a battle. Even as Si left, a number of Guests were already heading up to bed, amongst them, the powerful Nysan of Lunasa.

Si gave Nysan a nod goodnight as he sat down in a secluded room to write his account. Remembering the tall dark kitsune's words about honesty he wrote about the events from the time he landed until he was knocked out during the battle exactly as he remembered them. As an Ambassador Si had a good memory, so every word was dutifully noted, every detail written in and all names recorded correctly. By the time he had finished quite some time had passed, and he approached Sharpe in the nearly empty ballroom, the many-paged account folded neatly in his hands.

Krystic was not in the hall and neither was Doblo. Both had retired to bed and Sharpe was amongst the only one's left in the hall. The rest were troops of the Royal Guard talking with the cleaners who were here to sweep the hall clear and take down the decorations to return the hall to it's oringal form.
"Ah, thank you Si" Sharpe took the testament and handed it to one of his Aides, who saluted and scuttled up the stairs to the room and so deposit of it somewhere safe.

"So, Ambassador, I take my leave" He smiled and headed for the stairs, "Are you coming as well, Ambassador?"

Si nodded, but there was something sad in his eyes. "Yes, General, we've all got to get our rest. Tomorrow promises to be a big day for everyone, I think." He bade the Alversian General good night and made his way to his roof, listening quietly for a moment to see if he could hear anything from Krytic's side. It was completely silent, so he supposed that perhaps the evening had quelled her dreams, at least for a little while. Qonn knew such an bright, energetic person needed functions like this to really shine, as he was sure she had. Smiling slightly, Si stripped himself of the white suit and climbed into bed, hoping he could get the thing with the Doblo and clearing Mendez's name over with so he could return sooner to Mysan...and Krystic.

The palace was silent for a few hours, no sign of activity apart from a few sentries still standing and glancing over the walls for sight of the enemy. The normal animals howled and cried in the night, living their lives in it's darkness. There was no one awake in the palace, for the Servants had decided to leave the rest of the cleaning until the morning and gone home.
Si would have been asleep for a few hours before his door creeked slowly and very quietly open. If it were a person in the room, there was no sign of their presence until too late.

The first thing the sleeping Si would feel would be a rough being of material being shoved into his mouth and tied strongly behind his head, gagging him instantly. As his hands instrictively came up to his mouth, another pair wrapped a rope around his wrists and sealed them tight. He was then pulled from his bed and another rope tied to his bound hands and he was lead down the first stairway, where the Guards were sound asleep, drugged.

The two men were Doblo's entourage.

The two men underestimated Si's sensitive hearing, so he was half awake by the time they got around to shoving the gag in his mouth. His eyes opened wide and even as his hands came up he bit down hard, catching a few fingers with his teeth. He heard a muffled curse and a hand hit him across the face so hard he saw black dots dance in front of his vision. Stunned, the Xiscapian was helpless as they dragged him from his bed, naked except for his underwear, and carried him down the stairs. As his vision cleared he began to try to shout, but his kidnappers had done their work well: All he could manage were a few choked-off grunts.

The two men dragged him through the palace, past a series of drugged guards and Servants. They were then in a silent alley at the back of the palace and a cart waited there with another of Doblo's men. He was snoking casually, glancing over his shoulder every now and then at the assortment of items covered by a plastic coating. It was under this coating that Si was thrown after tieing his ankles together.
Underneath the cover, it was found to be completely empty and hollow, a fake cover to make the cart appear full.
A whimper came from the corner of the wagon. It was a very, very frightened Krystic, her own mouth gagged by a length of cloth with her hands was tied firmly behind her back, her ankles tied in front of her. Like Si, she was wearing very little, only a pair of short shorts and a short, thin t-shirt.

Her blue hair fell over her shoulders as she moaned pitiously at Si, struggling with her bonds, eyes wide with fear.

Si wiggled his body around as best he could to get closer to her, trying to bite though his gag. He knew if he could only or shout for help or scream or something Mysan soldiers or citizens would come to their aide, but as it was he could do nothing except grunt and groan. He looked at Krystic, her eyes full of fear, and tried to put some measure of reassurance to her for as much good as it would do. Si remembered his words at the ball:
The Third level is dark green, mine, is a modest amount of true power, giving me abilities beyond that of many others. However, does not due to advertise unduly, so I try not to use them any more than is absolutely necessary...
Now would be a time he had to use them.
Si reached out, not physically, but with the Force, with a tendril of consciousness to touch Krystic's. Souls were like people: Their physical shape and appearance tended to show what life had put them though, except in the case of souls it was impossible to hide. There was no exact way of putting it in words, but Krystic's soul resembled a battered, frayed and slightly torn piece of rope. Here and there there was strength, little strands of silver woven throughout, but in general she was only a few threads away from ripping apart. At the moment these threads twisted and shook violently, and the gleaming green-blue tendril which extended from Si stroked these softly, quieting them, and he saw the terror die from Krystic's eyes. He couldn't burst out of these bonds, or destroy the cart or overpower the guards or even call for help: Si's power wasn't of that nature.
What he could do was comfort a young, frightened girl as they traveled into the unknown, and try to quell his own fears.

They bumped and travelled for a short time before a muttering came from above them. A voice answered then a call came. The sound of a gate opening could be heard and their cart trundled through. Krystic knew they were now out of Mysan, for it was through the main gate they had just departed. They were heading into the desert and Krystic knew what that meant. They were heading for Bandit territory where she would be held up as the Leader of their Enemy, to be paraded and humiliated. That scared her more than anything and yet.

She felt no fear. She knew it was Si, Si was doing something to her and it was comforting to her. This was the most terrifying moment of her life and yet she felt more relaxed than ever. She relaxed in her bonds, shuffled close to Si and put her head on his shoulder, silently enjoying the comfort it gave her.

Si gave a soft sigh as he felt her head rest on his shoulder. He was taking all her fear and bringing it into himself, where he was using the basic emotion to provide his still somewhat fuzzy mind energy to think with. While he could take away Krystic's fear, it would always return when he wasn't doing the process he was now, and he could not sustain it idefinitly. Sooner or later she would have to face the fear.
Those were Doblo's men! Doblo, but what were his motivations? There's a slight chance he's not involved in any of this, but I doubt that. So are we being brought to the Dromintine? I can see why they would abduct me, it would be very bad for them if both there first and second visitors from the stars announced their armed forces as incompetent and curropt, and if they remove me as witness the trial cannot go forward. But why also kidnap Krystic, then? A ransom against Mysan, a bargaining chip for more land or new technology? Now, instead of just having the Alversians looking for them, they'll have the Alversians and the Mysan hunting for them, and possibly other Kingdoms as well. But there is another motivation: Doblo is in leauge with the bandits. I wouldn't be surprised if it were true, the man is a greedy bastard, after all. The only surpising thing would be the fact that the bandits welcomed him in at all, better to use such a man as a plant to feed logistical information to the bandits and kill him when his usefulness wears off then to use him as a Commander or even an inside agent. Well, wherever we're being taken, it can't be good. Somehow we're going to have to get out...but we're only two nearly naked, unarmed kitsune in the middle of the desert surronded by hostiles.
What can we do?

Dawn was starting to creep up on the cart by the time it completed it's journey through the desert. The cart came to a shuddering halt, waking Krystic who had managed to sleep during the travels, her normal cries stiffled by the gag around her soft lips. She jerked every now and then but her bonds restrained her. Then there were voices, and the sound of footsteps. It sounded like they were in the middle of a town for there were women's and children's voices as well as a variety of animals. It was only then that the cover was thrown open and they were in the gentle sunlight of a desert dawn.

They were in a town of some sort, with mud-brick huts arranged in a strange fashion far into the distance. It seemed like this was a town for Bandits as several men with covered faces moved past them, walking their horses through the street. They barely stopped to see who had been captured. There were numerous women and children about, all browned by hours in the unrelenting sun. This was the heart of the northern Bandits, their capital.

And, contrary to Si's words after the battle, it seemed that these 'Bandits' hand indeed possessed families, for many of the houses now bore a black cross burnt into their wooden doors and pictures of men who had obviously not returned from the battle. They were led through the streets, followed by a jeering crowd of children who began to pelt them with horsedung as they walked.

Krystic flinched away from every projectile thrown. She was terrified now and not even Si's efforts through the force were enough to calm her. She moaned even more pitiously through her gag as they were lead towards a hill on which was a platform and an arm used for hanging people, a thin rope noose swung ominiously from the edge of the scaffold. STanding on top of the wooden deck were a human and two Kitsune.

The human nodded to the pair's escort and they dutifully cut the bonds and gags that had restrained the two Kitsune. One of the Kitsune was immediately recognisable, the other was hidden in dark shadow,
"Hello Ambassador," Marxius grinned manevolently at Si, "Long time, no see"

Si spat out the gag, glaring at Marxius with enough venom that if looks could kill the kitsune would be little more than a grease spot pinned on the far wall. "You!" he ignored the thrown bits of debris, staring at the kitsune. Once again he was struck by how much the kitsune looked like the Emperor or, improbably, the Emperor's brother, and wondered if somehow Jame's spirit had transferred itself to Marxius after he was killed, warping him in mind and body. "It's Doblo, isn't it! He's in league with you, isn't he!" Si took a step forward, hand balled into a fist.

Two Guards on either side managed to come forward and block Si from Marxius while the Bandit Commander just grinned and laughed at the accusation,
"Me? With Doblo? You must be kidding!" He was laughing hard now while the other man was looking on with a fake smile plastered across his face, "Doblo is no spy although his men are," Marxius smiled, "Why would I want him to be a spy for me? He does more to help us from where he is. I don't need to recruit him"
His attention now turned to Krystic, who was cowering away from the Kitsune, who was now looking over her with delight,
"He wasn't kidding," The Kitsune said to himself, "She really is a looker, quite a specimen of Kitsune beauty. Sorry!" He twisted to face Si again, "allow me to introduce my two Friends here,"

He pointed at the Human, who was the same man as that which had tried to stop the rout of the Bandit Army in it's battle with the Mysan Army. He was evidently commander of the northern people,
"This is Lord Militon, Chief of these tribes" The man just looked on, Marxius seemed disappointed by the lack of reaction and so introduced the Kitsune who had been standing in the shade,
"This," he said with relish, "Is Duke Monta of..." He was cut off suddenly by Krystic, who was on her feet struggling to get at Marxius through his guards,

"It can't be!" She was calling, "It can't be!"

"It is" Marxius smiled at her with a look of pure evil, "Duke Monta of Mysan, former Regent Ruler and Uncle to our little Queen here"

Duke Monta come from the shadows and, on seeing his grey hair and fur, Krystic fell to the ground and tried to back away, tears of pure terror running down her cheek. However, she was cut off by more Guards and they held her while her Uncle approached her and roughly held her chin so he could see her face,
"Well, well" He said with a manevolent hatred, "How pretty we've become. How's my favourite Niece?"

All Krystic could do was whimper in terror.

Just like he had when he saw Doblo, Si's face twisted into a ugly, animal snarl and a growl that started at the back of his throat slowly came up and made itself heard. "You bastard," he hissed, "I heard what you did to her, you monster! I'll kill you!" He strained against the guards, trying to get at the elder kitsune. "You, and him," he spat on Marxius's boots, "are a disgrace to kitsune kind. Weak, foolish murderers!"

Monta merely looked to see that Si was suitably restrained before turning back to Krystic, who still lay on the ground in front of him. He looked down on her as one would look down at a piece of manure,
"I've been hearing stories, little Krystic" He was kneeling beside her now, whispering into her ear, yet loudly enough for the others to hear, "Stories that you are getting a little too big for your pretty boots" He smirked, "Alversians this...democratic that...what about us Krystic? What about what we achieved?"
Monta's policies have never done anything but bring misery to Mysan's citizens, but he knew he could appeal to her sense of guilt and twist her around his little finger, as he always had done before.

The young Kitsune could not respond, only whimper, staring at his shoes, rather than up into his face. Marxius looked as though he was enjoying the confrontation, Lord Militon wore a neutral expression.
"Come on, Queen Krystic on your feet" Her uncle ordered. Krystic did not move, trying to be defiant by not obeying his order. In anger, he grabbed by the ankle and dragged her towards him before grabbing her under the armpit and lifting her up. Her hands were torn from scraping along the ground and bloody but she was trembling and she was a deathly pale colour.

Monta watched her for a few moments before turning to face Si, there was smug smirk on his face before he suddenly turned back to Krystic and shouting, "BOO!" at her.

The Queen leapt back in fright, expecting pain to accompany the yell but Monta simply smirked and looked away,
"As I told you, my Lord" He said to Marxius with a look of disgust on his face, "Weak and pathetic example of a Kitsune. Never fit to rule this one. Not even fit to clean the Royal toilets." He spat at a Krystic had started crying and shrinking away from him. The spittle landed on her cheek but she did not clean it off and it was washed away by her tears.

It had been previously mentioned about Si's power. It had also been mentioned that he did not use his gifted abilities in an offensive nature, though he knew how to. Words, reason and comfort would overcome, he had thought, anything force could achieve.
But he had never bet on this hot, twisting anger that turned his vision red, making him pant as if he had just run a mile and took over his mind, shattering his safe, comfortable thoughts and mannerisms into a thousand shards of pain and rage...

There was a wet, sickening crack as the arm holding Si from the guard on the left broke, and he stumbled away, screaming. The other man didn't have time to realize what was happening before Si thrust out his arm and his other captor went flying, tumbling helplessly to smash against a wall and fall, lying still. In a single step Si was beside Monta, fist cutting his laughter short and deforming his face into a bulging surprised look as it connected. Blood and more spittle flew from his mouth as he dropped, suckerpunched, a bruise rapidly coloring from blue to deep purple all the way to black on his cheek and around his right eye. Even as Si hit the kitsune with all his strength in his blind fury he could tell it had brought him next to Marxius, who with his sword could slice Si to ribbons...

Si's rampage of distruction had taken out two Guards and knocked Monta to the floor, however, by the time he reach Militon and Marxius, something was wrong. Marxius did not move during the battle, he did not twitch a muscle, nor did he go for a weapon. When Si turned to face him, Marxius cooly launched a boot deep into Si's stomach, it was a perfectly timed attack, just before Si could recover but just after he had turned. More Guards were streaming up either side of the platform to seize Si.

"Do that again, Ambassador," Marxius remarked lightly, straightening one of his cuffs, "And I will not punish you, I will punish her" He pointed at a terrified Krystic who sat on her knees, Monta, with a large and violent bruise on his chin, over the top of her with a blaster aiming directly on top of her head, muzzle nestled between her shining blue hair. She looked at Si with a terrible pleading.

"You won't kill her," Si gasped from his place on all fours on the sand. It was not a challenge, it was a simple statement of fact, and he spoke to Monta alone. "You wouldn't have bothered to kidnap her if you were going to murder her. You've punished," he rose, "her enough," he panted, still staring at Monta and paying Marxius no attention. "Only the weak hit someone who can't fight back. As they say," he bared his teeth, "pick on someone your own size."

"I will do what I want with her and I don't need her for what I need" Monta snarled at Si, "I'm giving this miserable piece of filth a chance to redeem herself." He pointed an accusing finger at Krystic whose head lowered in dejection,
"She'll be thanking me by the end of the week" Monta smiled, then rose a blaster to Si's head, "You, on the other hand, are more than expendable"

"No!" Krystic jumped forward and managed to push her stunned Uncle's hand away, "No, you can't!" She surprised even herself by doing it. Si
was pulled back by a dozen men as Monta, face red with fury spun to face his Niece. In one fluid movement, he had hit her in the cheek with a fully formed punch. It knocked Krystic to the floor instantly where she looked up in both shock and terror, blood was running from her mouth already and a bruise was appearing on the side of her face,
"HOW DARE YOU DEFY ME!" He screamed into her face, the Kitsune's blood mixing with her own tears and Monta's spittle as he roared at her, just an inch from her nose. Her head hung in dejection,
"YOU SELFISH BITCH!! YOU THINK YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH WHAT YOU WANT BECAUSE YOU'RE A QUEEN!?! HA HA! NO CHANCE! AS SOON AS YOU RELISE HOW WORTHLESS A PIECE OF SHIT YOU ARE!!"
Krystic was crying quietly to herself as Monta turned to the restrained Si,
"Who the hell are you?" he asked.

Si had had to keep himself from trying anything as rash as striking the man again, because he knew if he so much as twitched at the wrong time things could go very, very bad. Still he kept up a constant snarl, not struggling, just staring at Monta with loathing. He was everything Si would have imagined such an abusive uncle to be. By the time he got around to speaking to him, Si had calmed down a little. Best not to test their limits again.

"What? Didn't your old pal Marxius tell you about the other person you were abducting? No? Well then," Si gave a sarcastic bow, "Xiscapian Ambassador Si. I'll tell you the same thing I told your shit General, and that's if you don't release us, you won't only have the Kingdoms and Alversia to worry about. The Kitsune Empire is very protective of it's diplomats at the moment, and I don't doubt they'll send force to rescue us once they receive word of our kidnapping. That's assuming the Alversians don't find us first." He growled. "You're making a huge mistake."

"Eh? Who the hell is the Xiscapian Empire?" Monta tured from the crying Krystic for a second to speak with Marxius, "I've never heard of them"

"No one important," The Bandit Kitsune General explained, "If they do send a force, Ambassador Si, then they will have the same troubles as the Alversians with regards to transport" he gave a malicious smile, "And if you think the Dromintine will let a Kitsune Army in it's space? I think you're bluffing, Ambassador" He smiled at him with delight,
"Now, what do you propose we do to your Queen now?" he smirked, "We need to persuade her to hand the throne back to the Duke here"

"My people are not constrained to the same measures the Alversians use," Si hissed to Marxius. "You need no army to stage a rescue operation. At any rate, when the safety of our people is concerned, the Dromintine have no say. The Mysan people will never accept you," he gave Monta a look of pure hatred, "as their new ruler. The other Kingdoms won't stand for it."

"That's true," Monta admitted, "So I have a new plan. I'll just break her into the miserable piece of filth that she is," he turned and spat on the crying Krystic again, "Then she'll be on the throne, but I'll be in charge. First thing? Execute the Army's Officers for attempting a coup and placing my own men in that role. Then purge the city and clear it of opposition. When that happens. Mysan will be mine again. The Army will always listen to Mysan's little sister" he smirked at the Queen, still laying on the ground, a pool of blood running down her chin.

"It'll never work," Si growled. "Are you deaf as well as stupid and ugly? The people would not bow to your rule again. The Alversians would remove you from power, and if they didn't," he bared his teeth, "I'd make sure my people did. We've taken down tyrants before, and we can do so again. Give up your dreams for power." There was no way out. There was too many guards, too many for Si to fight off alone, and in any case they would still be in the middle of enemy territory, in the middle of the desert, without transport, supplies or anything that could be decently called clothes. It looks like he would have to wait, and pray for an opportunity...or a miracle.

"Don't you understand?" Monta smiled, "I wouldn't be on the throne. Yong Krystic here would" He grabbed the young Kitsune by the hair and pulled her forwards, her crying in pain as he did so,
"And there is no way either the Alversians or the Army would remove Krystic, the legal successor from power. If they did, it would be war. There would be no limit to the number of kingdoms that would oppose Alversia and her own numbers are few. No, I think this will work" he laughed and threw Krystic to the ground again.
"Time to put you away" He laughed as the two were brought to a pair of cages. They were tall enough for one to kneel up in but not wide enough for one to stretch out fully. Si was thrown into one and Krystic the other.

"Good night" Monta laughed as he kicked Krystic's cage hard and departed with Marxious and Militon, leaving a few Guards to act as Sentries.

When they were alone, Krystic curled up into a ball in the corner of her cage, back to Si and cried to herself. Her tail was wrapped around her like a shield and her eyes were flat.

Si hunched over in his cage, too tired, depressed and scared to give Krystic any comfort. He hoped he knew well enough that the people of Mysan and the soldiers of Alversia wouldn't tolerate Monta no matter where he sat. Only a fool wouldn't be able to see his rule extending though Krystic. In his heart, though, a black suspicoun was growing that the Mysans wouldn't openly oppose this puppetmaster with his evil reaching though Krystic, that the Alversians were too bogged down in local politics to attempt any kind of operation, and that the hands of the Kitsune Empire were tied in this matter so as not to give a bad name to Alversian influence here. What would it look like, if the Kitsune Empire, a close ally of Alversia, went around removing rulers from power and putting in others? It would seem as if they were playing the planet to their own political ends.

And so they were trapped. Whatever plans Monta and Marxious had would go though because there was no one to stop them, either because they didn't know or couldn't act. Damn the other Kingdoms! Si thought. Everything would be so much easier if they would see reason and stop worrying only for themselves. But because of the politics at play here, the only ones who can help us will put themselves in danger or destroy their own efforts here by doing so.

Lost in thought, uncomfortable and worried, Si got into as best a position as he could. Staring at Krystic's shaking back and listening to her cries he vowed that those responsible would pay, even if there was no way he could initiate this. He couldn't so much as touch her, he had no strength or power left to still her, his words of sense and reason had abaondoned him and all the Xiscapian Ambassador could do was choke down his own tears of sorrow and stare at the Queen helplessly.

It wasn't until the next morning that anyone came near the pair, high up on the mount. Krystic had slept silently for the first time in years, her current woes more than enough to outweigh anything she could dream of. She was living a nightmare. Si would be fine, they would ransom him back to the Alversians, but she would be broken either by Monta or Marxius, she would be broken. That was the plan. It terrified her all the same. Then her people would suffer once more.

The two that came up to them were women, both eldely and both carrying small bundles of food,
"How are you dear?" One of them asked Si kindly. Krystic did not respond but still lay with her back to the pair and Si.

Si looked up, panting, from his cage. He could barely speak for lack of water, and his state of mind after being locked up with only Krystic's sobs and his worries for company was not good.
"Fine..." he rasped, obviously lying, "but...her..." he could only make a halfhearted gesutre to Krystic before his arm dropped and he keeled over on his side. Sweat had long since soaked what little he was wearing into a stinking, damp mass, and the Ambassador was rapidly becoming weak due to malnourishment from virtually no food for the past few days. Certainly he had not sat down to a full meal since the battle to take the ridge.

"Here, Child," One of the women tipped a fiery liquid into Si's mouth, one that would fill him with an energy much like a mild form of adreneline. It would give him the energy to eat and so think but other than that it would give him no extra benefit,
"Here," One of them laid the bundle out for Si, juts outside the bars of the cage so he could reach it. The woman then turned to Krystic where her friend was staring in worriedly at the young Kitsune,
"She won't respond to anyone" The younger Woman said to her friend.

Krystic just stayed curled up, not responding to the calls of either woman. Happy to ignore them. Happy to ignore them all. Her body trembled slightly but, other than that, there was no sign of movement from her.

Si gulped down the drink, happy for any liquid, choking slightly before it was finished. He reached out to the bundle, grabbing it and pulling it closer. Weak, uncoordinated fingers scrabbled as he tried to unwrap it, but as he did so he glanced to where the women were examining Krystic. He turned, tail tucked in and his sides brushing the bars, to akwardly face them. "Can you bring her closer to me?" he asked, voice stronger.

"Yes, hold on" One of the Woman was able to get her hands into the cage and gently push Krystic closer to Si's cage. She did not protest, just flinched violently and maintained her curled up position, trying to protect herself from all the world wanted to hurt her with. She was shivering still from the shock of how badly her life had suddenly become.

"She looks terrible. Poor thing" the Elder woman explained sympathetically.

Si silently reached his hands though the bars of his cage and put them on Krystic. It was as he had feared: What he mentally referred to as the big one had come. She was sinking into a pit of depression she might never climb out of, and combined with the harsh environment they were being exposed to, it could very well kill her. She flinched at his touch as she had with the women, either not recognizing or not caring who it was. He debated with himself for a moment, then whispered to her.

"Krystic. Krystic, look at me. Just turn your head. Can you do that for me?" he asked tenderly.

At first, there seemed to be no reaction from Krystic, she didn't seem to care anymore who touched her or what they did to her. The return of her Uncle and his abusive ways was more than enough to cause that reaction. She didn't care anymore because she could remember what would come next.

However, on hearing Si's voice, her ears perked up slightly and she turned over, slowly, so she was curled up and facing Si, a massive bruise had appeared on her left cheek, speading as far as her jawline and the left eye was red from the damage as well as her crying,
"S...Si?" She whispered uncertainly and in a very weak voice.

Si winced visibly at the nasty crimson mark on the side of her face. If I hadn't punched him, would he still have seen fit to strike her? Si rejected the thought. Sooner or later, Monta would have inevitably hit Krystic, and nothing Si could do could change that. He kept both hands on her side, maintaining contact.

"We can't give up now," he murmured. "We've come so far. We're so close, so close, to unification, you saw the battles, the ball. If you surrendered now all would be lost, we can't afford that. And you can't give in, because..." he paused under the burning sun, sweat rolling off his face, dehydrated and starving, the picture of helplessness. Despite this the kitsune had the inner force of will that made him a candidate for Ambassador, and the strength never left his eyes. Still, now, he choked in what was almost a sob and whispered the end of his sentence, eyes never leaving hers.
"...because I love you, Krystic."

Krystic sat and listened to Si talk to her, try to encourage her, while she ran through the memories of what would happen when her Uncle returned to her side and began his ruthless abuse of her again. Could she stand it? Probably not, she wasn't strong enough then and she knew she wouldn't be strong enough now.

Then her ears perked again at Si's whisper and she lifted her head from the floor of the cage. The two women were gone by this stage, back down into the town, leaving them alone. Krystic uncurled herself and looked back into Si's eyes, crawling as close to him as she could. Her eyes were filled with tenderness but also a terrible, gutwenching fear, She put her hand in his,
"I love you too" She whispered back, squeezing his hand gently. Then her gaze slipped and she let out a sob,

"Why me?" she asked bitterly, "I never wanted to hurt anyone, why me?" and it was true.
For the young Queen hadn't an evil bone in her body. Krystic had only ever wanted what was best for those around her. That meant Si, her Generals and all of her people, all she wanted was for them to be happy, but all it had done was bring misery to her, a torture one woudl leave for a vicious Dictator, not a young Queen trying her best to make everyone happy. Not for the first time, Krystic looked up at the blue sky,
"Qonn," She whispered, tears running down her face, "What have I done to you that we deserve this, that...I...deserve this?" She looked back at Si again and sobbed.

"I don't know," Si whispered fervently. "I don't know why this happens. But we have to hold on, we have to keep living. There's no future in lying around feeling sorry for ourselves, we have to figure out a way to escape. We have to get back to Mysan, and I can only start to plan for that if I have your help." The tears rolled down his face, leaving glistening paths across his dusty cheeks to mark their trails, as he fully felt her emotions with empathy. "Please Krystic. I need you, more than anything in the galaxy."

Krystic looked into Si's eyes again, the eyes that showed just how long and how badly her soul had been tortured. She felt like she was reaching the end of what she could endure. Previously she could endure because she knew no other life. Now, after sampling what it was like to be free. She felt crippled by the sudden return of the order that had nearly destroyed her life.
But when she looked into Si's eyes, she found strength, for once, she found the desire to go on, to fight. She found it in Si, she wanted to be with him and it gave her the desire to live and fight on, although she knew she could, and would probably, be broken eventually. For now, she gave a small nod of her head,
"I'll try to be strong" She whispered to Si, squeezing his hand again.

Just within earshot, two Guards walked past, muttering darkly to each other,
"Never seen anything like it. They're crawling all over the plain like lice..."

"I didn't know the plain's armies had so many horses..."

"And they're getting more ruthless! Did you see Marcus' patrol when it came back? Chased down they were, by some of them there foxpeople. Killed or captured nearly all of them..."

"Can't get a day's ride from here anymore or else you'll be swallowed up..."

With that, they moved out of earshot.

Si held onto Krystic's hand tightly, as if he was afraid she would be blown away from him by the hot desert wind. Still, he distantly heard the words of the guards as they strolled past, sensitive ears picking up their conversation. A look of concentration passed over his face as his brow furrowed. "A days ride from here..." The armies of the plains were out in force then, and relatively close. News must have spread fast, what with the concentration of ambassadors at the Palace, and no doubt it was more than only Mysan and Alversian troops out there. Rescue could be close...but could they ever find this village, here literally in the middle of nowhere?

Si decided he would have to try and alert those searching for them to their location. In doing so he hoped he could possibly avert the horrors that Krystic was placed to go though. However, these were bandits here: They survived, and maybe even prospered, because of their mobility. What if he managed to get a patrol, or even a whole army, to come here, only to find that everyone, him, Krystic and all the bandits, had abandoned town?

To Si, the mud huts and buildings looked more permanent than a simple raiders camp, and he figured perhaps this was a base for their enemy. If faced with a Royal Army force from any of the Kingdoms, or all of them, what would the bandits do? Would they stand their ground and fight, would they flee, would they try to bargain, or would this deteriorate into a massive hostage situation? Furthermore, how could Si make their presence known? He was trapped in a cage without any belongings in the middle of town, still weaker than he had been before when at the Palace.
What could he do?

"Do you hear that, Krystic?" he murmured. "People are looking for us, they're close by. We have to figure out a way of alerting them, before the bandits move and take us with them, or decide we're expendable. Do you know any way of sending out a message from here, to anyone? Think, we need a way to signal."
Si had part of a plan forming in his mind, but he was unsure if he had the range, strength or time to implement it.
OOC: TG.

Kystic squeezed tighter onto Si's hand to show that she had heard him but did not make any other movement. She was curled back into her ball again, quiet, eyes closed to the world, as if trying to gather her strength for what would come. She still had not eaten the food left for her. She knew something else would happen here but she didn't know what. Would her men find her first? Sounded like they were roaming the plains in a horde looking for her but that did not mean they would find her. If this place was like she thought it was, then it was a fortress.

She lay where she was and another group of soldiers passed, looking in as they walked,
"Poor little girl. Ain't right hittin' women just ain't right, like it says in the scriptures"

"That fancy pants General's come all th'way to see us here and he wan's her for summat. Don't know wha'"

"Still ain't right. I dunno why Militon's letting him do this to her..."

With that, they passed out of earshot as well. The Bandit town seemed to be swarming with Soldiers now, all armed with a variety of weapons and all seeming very nervous.

They must be very close... Si thought, noting the increase of bandit soldiers and their tense, apprehensive expressions. Now was the time, he had to act. Reaching out once more, he brushed past Krystic, past the minds of the guards and all the families and bandits in the town, out among the desert. Here and there he found specks of life, animals under the sand and hidden in caves, but no higher souls. At last, on the very edge of his reach, he could sense...someone. It was so far, Si saw the mind as one sees a figure in the fog, a person surely but the exact features and makeup of the soul was indistinct and muddled by distance.

Si stretched like an arm with a prize just brushing the fingertips, weakly coming though to the mind, barely louder than the desert breeze, breaking and fragmenting like a static-filled radio transmission:
Help...us. Close, we're so close. Near...far. Desert...town...desert...please. So close, help...

Krystic held on to Si's hand as he tried to reach out into the desert. If there was someone there, she prayed they would hear him and come as quickly as possible, before her Uncle came back and launched her into the hell that had once been her life. She was to be sadly disappointed.

"Well, well, well, what the hell is this?" Monta sneered as he peered at the two hold hands through their cages. Militon and Marxius were just behind them. They seemed to be having an argument with one another. Snatches of it were possible even as Monta stood over them,

"I'm telling you, Marxius, whatever you have planned, it had better be quick"

"I can't tell you how long it will take to finish our business, Lord Militon, however, I can assure you the rewards will be worth it"

"I'm not risking my women and children!" There was a sense of urgency in Militon's voice now, "And this is a disgraceful act you are carrying out, I would rather die on the battlefield than let this happen..."

"...go on then, release her and see how many Battalions she brings back to your capital then. This will secure your children's futures for generations to come"

That settled the arguement and Militon fell into a reluctant silence, Scowling at the Duke as he sneered down at Si and Krystic.
"Found a little lover, have we?" He laughed and Krystic tightened her grip on Si's hand, "Well, we'll have to sort that out"

With a kick, he hit Krystic's cage hard and sent it tumbling away. Krystic squeeled and tried to hold on to Si's hand but felt herself tumbling away from him. She fell heavily within the cage and just stared up at Monta as he approaced her again. He opened the cage and pulled her out, handing her to three men who brought her towards the scaffold on which men were hung. Krystic was fighting hard and a large crowd of Bandit men, women and children were waiting out of sight to watch the battle.

Si too tried to keep his grasp but as he held on his wrists banged roughly against the hot bars and he lost his grip as Krystics cage went bouncing away. He groaned, reaching out even though she was far beyond him. He watched helplessly as Krystic was torn from her cage and hauled out towards the platform and the hangman's noose swaying ominously in the wind. "Noooo!" He howled. "No! Please no, bring her back, you bastards," he screamed, ramming against the side of his cage and trying to part the bars with his hands, "Don't do it, don't do it! Please," his throat was parched and it was getting hard to speak, "I beg of you, stop. Bring her back, don't do this, let her go, please, take me in her place!" He sagged against the bars, tears running freely now.

Monta laughed at Si's desperate begging and the Mysan Queen was pulled in front of the crowd. The crowd consisted of hundreds of Bandit men, women and Children, all watching curiously at the sight they had been gathered for. They were informed that a great enemy and slaughterer of their people would appear and she would be punished in front of them. As Krystic finally appeared, their jeers and boo's were quickly stifled at the sight of the tearful, bruised Kitsune who was pushed in front of them. Some women put their hands over their mouths in shock while the men just looked on.

Krystic cried out as she was slapped hard across her bruised face and pulled in front of the noose. She muttered something in panic but the rope was simply slipped over her wrists so that they were forced over her head. She knew then what was happening and what was going on. She closed her eyes as Marxius appeared with a delighted Monta and a sombre Militon,
"This Girl is the Queen of Mysan, she is reponsible for the death of thousands of your men. Therefore, she will recieve one lash for every 100 men killed. That makes a hundred overall, plus another 50 for defeating the great people of Mylsa"
The crowd was silent and Marxius backed away with Militon while Monta took up position behind Krystic with a Bandit soldier who stood with the whip. He drew it back and Krystic drew her breath, managing a thought that Si would be able to read,
"I'll be strong"

With that, the whip crashed down onto her back, leaving a long and vicious looking mark on her delicately tanned skin. Her face creased in pain and her mouth opened in a silent scream.

"One!" Monta shouted with the joy one might use for a birthday. The crowd was silent.

Si read Krystic's lips as the first blow came down, and he visibly winced, flinching and recoiling unobserved as if he himself had been struck. Si knew even a rugged, tough man could only sustain thirty lashes with a whip before succumbing. Anymore would kill him, and Krystic, weak, delicate and deprived of food and water as she was, would probably not even make it past twenty. A hundred and fifty lashes would kill her for sure.
"Stop!" he shouted again, aware that Krystic hadn't even cried out on the first blow. "Stop it!"

"Twenty-one!"

The lash seemed to roll off Krystic's back as she bit into her lip to stop herself crying out loud with the terrible pain running through her back.Tears ran down her face but she was determined not to cry out. When she did, Monta would have his victory and she would already be on her way to breaking. She shook her head a few times to clear it as she felt the blood running into her shorts. Her arms were burning from the weight of her body on them but she ignored it. How could all those people out in the crowd watch this?

Another lash came down,
"Twenty-two!" Monta was really in his element and Krystic was whimpering from the pain, her lip now running with blood where she had bitten through it. The whimpering, which she thought was quiet, was loud enough to pass down through the crowd and Monta himself heard it.

He walked forward a few paces and leaned down to Krystic, at eye level with the young Queen,
"Do you concede Mysan's power to me?" he asked mildly.

Every muscle and thought in Krystic's body screamed for her to nod, to stop the pain and misery she was in. She knew all it would take was one nod and she would be free of this torture. But then she knew that Mysan would never be free and that she would never be free. She summoned an image of Si and her people looking on her proudly at her bravery and it gave her the courage she needed,

"No," she managed to croak through a blood filled mouth. Monta looked surprised but nodded and went back to his original position,

"Twenty-Three!"

The crowd watched in total silence. Mothers were holding their hands over their children's eyes while they tried to look away and the Soldiers were shifting uncomfortably. There seemed to be a few mutterings in the crowd, people looking up at the young Kitsune as she was whipped to death.

"Twenty-four!"

On this lash, a cry of total agony came from the Krystic, as the pain became too much for her. She was sobbing bitterly now, her shoulders and back sagging, her head lowered. She was defeated and she knew it, all the images in the world could not change her mind. She had been broken and when Monta asked her again, she would nod. She just wanted the pain to end. But then, from the virtual silence of the crowd, a man cried out,
"Come on, lass! Show them what Kitsune are made of!"

His cry was joined by a dozen voices of encouragement and support and soon the whole amassed people were shouting and roaring their encouragement for Krystic, chanting for her and jeering the man with the whip, who faltered in the face of the crowd's hostility,
"Go on man! Get on with it!" A red faced Monta demanded furiously and whip crashed down again. This time, Krystic did not cry out and her defiance was meet with cheers for her and jeers for the Torturers.

From Si's position, he would be able to see Marxius and Militon standing a little off the platform. Marxius looked gobsmacked at the Crowd's encouragement while Militon wore a small smile on his face.

"You can't break her!" Si yelled to Monta. "Those days are over! Give it up already!" he jeered with the rest of them.
Just hold on, Krystic.
Hold on.
"You don't control her, you don't control these people," he didn't know if the kitsune heard him, but he went on anyway, "you're pathetic. You are the weak one here. You hit children and kill the helpless innocent, you are nothing. Do you hear that!" he screamed. "Nothing! Your own niece is a thousand times greater than you could hope to be, and nothing you ever do will change that!"

The Crowd was getting louder and louder and it seemed like the man with the whip had had enough. Just before the twenty-sixth stroke, he took one look at the damage he had already done to the poor Kitsune and dropped his hand. He had had enough and the crowd roared it's approval of the decision.
"Get out of my way!" Monta screamed and grabbed the whip, throwing the Bandit out of the way and lashong down on Krystic with all the force he could muster. These were not calculated, aimed strokes but furious lashes that landed on all parts of her body. Krystic screamed aloud in pain and the people fell silent in the face of her agony.

"Enough!" It was Militon who now turned to a stunned Marxius and gave a swift bow, "I am not going to stand and watch you abuse this girl any longer! It's over!" With that, he nodded to his Guards and they quickly disarmed the Bandit General. They ran to disarm a furious Monta it took five of them to pull him away from a screaming and sobbing Krystic.

"Qonndamnit!" he roared to the crowd as he was pulled away, "She's killed thousands of your people! She's a murderer!"

"She's nothing of the sort!" A male voice called back, "She's just a young girl!" And the jeering started again.

Krystic was cut from her position and slumped to the ground at the same time as Si was released from his cage. Marxius and Monta were now restrained by a dozen Bandits and a very satisfied Militon.

"Do you know what you've done!" Marxius roared as he fought against his captors, "You've doomed your people! This is the end of your race!"

"If this is the cost of survival," Militon turned to Krystic slumped on the ground, surrounded by women from the crowd who were soothing the sobbing and shaking girl, "Then I would prefer to meet my end on the battlefield. With honour. You have two hours gentlemen" he said coldly, "Then I release my cavalry. Good day"

With that, Monta and Marxius were hauled from the camp and towards a series of waiting horses. The torture was over.

Krystic looked up, her back and lower face a mess of blood,
"Si?" She managed weakly, "Where's Si?" The panic was evident in her voice.

As soon as Si's cage was opened he staggered to his feet, lurching unsteadily. Stiff and weak he stumbled forward, nearly falling to his knees, sheer force of will keeping him upright. As he reached the crowd he realized he was on the wrong side of the platform, the stairs being on the other side, but he couldn't make it over there before collapsing. He slumped against the side of the wood as he tried to pull himself up, and murmured grateful thanks and hands from the crowd buoyed him up onto the lip. Si crawled on all fours the last few feet to where Krystic lay crumpled at the base of the pole she had been tied to, the women around her parting to let him though. Si was vaguely aware of things happening around him, people shouting and quick movements, but they were all inconsequential to him now.

"Krystic," he rasped, next to her. "I'm here, I'm here, just stay still. It's over, they're leaving."

Krystic tried to smile but the pain from making the effort was too much as the smile settled into a grimace of pain. She groaned as another shot of agony stabbed through her bloodied back. It seemed like her whole back was painted in her scarlet blood. Her lower jaw was the same, giving her the appearance of a canivore who had just tucked into some freshly killed meat. Krystic had suffered, physically and mentally,
"I was strong," She whispered to Si, her every word filled with pain, "I tried to be strong" then she gasped aloud again in pain as a few of the women stepped back to permit Militon to see the damage his central allies had done. His face was full of horror and regret at the sight.

Krystic was unbroken, but she had paid a hell of a price for it. She threw her arms around Si and sobbed, her body trembling with the shock and pain of what had happened to her.

"You were strong," Si whispered. "You were strong. Just let it all out." He wanted nothing more than to put his arms around her and kiss Krystic, but he could do neither for fear of aggravating her open wounds in putting her in even more agony. What she needed was disinfectant, painkillers, bandages, food, water and rest. He hoped the town would afford her that. Si ignored Militon, ignored them all. No one mattered except her.

It was then that a number of Bandit women slowly peeled Krystic from Si and escorted her away to be treated for her wounds. She seemed about to protest but simply collapsed in exhaustion. She had had enough for one day to last a lifetime. So she slept while she was brought to a Surgeon to be treated for the injuries Monta had given her.

"Ambassador," Militon spoke slowly, mournfully, "I can only apologise with all my heart at the treatment of the young Queen. I hope you will be able to find a gap between those on the plains and our own people here in the north" He sighed, "We are no longer part of the Confederacy."

Si sat kneeling on the hanging platform, noose above his head, staring after Krystic as she was carefully carried away. Then his head dropped and he didn't appear to have heard what Militon had said. Finally he spoke without looking at the man. "You are no better than them in my eyes. That you allowed this to happen at all is barbaric and dishonorable." He sighed. "They will be back with a vegence. Monta and Marxius won't stand for this, they'll come with their armies and wipe this town from the face of the Plains."

The words of Si seemed to strike through to the very heart of Militon and he lowered his head in shame at the truth of the words spoken from the Xiscapian Ambassador. He gave a deep sigh and nodded,
"I have made a terrible mistake in allying with the Central Tribes, as I know we all have made mistakes in our lifetimes. However, that is no longer important. The Mildun Capital must not be allowed to fall" His men nodded keenly and moved off as if in a hurry.

Militon looked down at Si as women began to close in on him with blankets and food,
"If you wish to leave, you may as soon as the Queen is fit to do so. Tell your Alliance that I shall delay the Confederacy Army as long as I can but they have considerable more troops than I and better quality as well" One could see the truth in his words, "Tell them I request aid but will understand if it does not arrive. I have shamed my Grandfathers with this display" He said this part in disgust at himself, turned and walked away.

Si could only nod tiredly. Whatever their leader, he couldn't let these people die when confronting their former comrades, especially not after their show of bravery and compassion towards Krystic. When the time came he and her would leave, but Si did not intend to go back to Mysan. Not yet, anyway. If the men, and the Queen, were willing he would help these bandits defend their home. To do anything else would be dishonorable.

The Xiscapian let the women surround him with food, water and blankets, wondering where he would be taken to. If it wasn't near Krystic he would demand to be placed near her, he thought fuzzily, head lolling. But by Qonn a bath and a cool drink of water would be nice...

It turned out that they were near to Krystic, in fact, they were in the next room from her. Si was lowered onto a straw mattress while women moved about him, cleaning him, offering him food and water as well as a pair of clothes. It was not brilliant but then they were far from any easy source of water and that had to be factored in.
Then, from the room opposite, a terrible scream ran throughout the house followed by a series of broken sobs, the voice was unmistakably youthful and so filled with pain.

"Poor poor Girl," One of the women explained, restraining Si, "The Doctors here do not have any pain-reducers. So we must treat her wounds with her own bravery as a painkiller" She looked sympathetic but hard. Life was hard for these people.

Si drank as much water as he could get, downing a whole canteen, but rather less food, taking only what would be considered a child's portion, not feeling very hungry at the moment despite his lack of nourishment. He ate only to strengthen himself, donning the new clothes gratefully. At the sound of Krystic's scream he started visibly and would have jumped off the bed and raced to her were it not for the hands holding him back. He struggled for a moment, but in his state it was weak resistance and he laid back, panting. "Can't you..." he gasped, "at least knock her out or something? Hasn't she been though enough?"
It was not that Si was ungrateful, but Krystic had been hurt terribly and needed all the help she could get.

"I'm afraid not" The woman admitted sadly as another scream filled the room before dying away to a few strangled sobs. It would be a while before the screams died down to nothing and those in the room next door could finally relax. One of them pushed Si back into the bed and smiled at him,
"You must rest." She said in a soothing, motherly voice, "You'll have more strength when you awaken" With that, she got up and waited until Si had closed his eyes before leaving quietly with the other women.

OOC: Skip forward a few hours?

OOC: Yeah...

A few hours later and the brief night of the desert had vanished. The morning was pleasantly cool as aways but it would not be long before the sun rose and any sign of moisture would burn up until the night came with the sun's retreat. The large shanty town was already loud with life, as women shouted to each other, children screamed in delight and the men roared military orders or advertised their rather decripet wares. It was a symbol of peace, apart from the columns of troops and guns moving from one end of the town to the other.

The men were typical Tribal Infantry, a variety of weapons and a variety of training. They were not looking forward to facing their old allies but they were still determined to protect their women and children. As such, a series of complicated trenches and bunkers were in the process of being completed as the dawn rose. Even the hangman's platform, where Krystic had given her blood just a dozen hours ago for her people, had been converted into a temporary position to situate a pair of field guns that pointed out into a narrow, gently sloping canyon.

One of the women entered into Si's room, she was an elderly Kitsune, with grey fur, and hair as well as a pale colour to her skin, despite the constand exposure to the sun. She smiled at him as she opened the blinds to the house, allowing the hesitant light to pour in onto the prone figure,
"How are you dear?" She asked kindly as she began to clear up some of the mess around the Ambassador. She looked over at the wall where Krystic's room connected to their own,
"I hope better than her anyway, poor love, crying all night in her sleep. Such agony for so beautiful a creature"

Si squinted in the morning light, shielding his eyes as he rose upright, naked from the waist up. He yawned widely, canines exposed and ears flattened for a moment, before closing and rubbing his eyes. "How is she?" he asked quietly, privately agreeing with her words. There seemed to be no end of kind, aged women in the town like her, quietly sweeping or cooking or tending to children or their husbands and generally getting on with life. He hoped Krystic was better...still, he nightmares evidently hadn't gone away, and though he supposed it could just be her injuries, he doubted it.

"If you are fit enough, you may go in and see her for a while. She's been up since the crack of dawn" The old woman chuckled and indicated to the door between rooms. She continued to brush lazily at the floor, her bushy tail picking up more dust than the rather worn out brush she was using to stab the rubbish from the room.

In the next room, Krystic lay on her side, looking away from the windows and light. Her lower body was wrapped in a great swath of bandages, even through which, the red blood was starting to appear in puddles. Her lip was ruined and covered with a special plaster while her face had been treated by a natural cure, although it was still as visible as ever. It was a sharp cry from the young Queen who had so enchanted a palace during a Grand Ball just 48 hours ago.

"S-Si?" She asked uncertainly, not looking around, "If that you?" Her voice still sounded small, frightened, like she was afraid of something. Everyone could tell what...or who...she was so afraid of.

"Yes," said Si softly, sitting beside her, careful not to touch the wounded kitsune. "Can you not move?" he asked tenderly. He knew she must be hurting terribly, and he wanted to take away at least some of that pain. He reached out once more, brushing against her soul, trying to sooth her conscious even if he could do nothing for her body.
OOC: TG

"Can't even think about moving" Krystic managed a small chuckle before she gulped in pain and had to stop and stare back down at the wall again. She was in horrible pain, not as bad as yesterday admitedly but still bad enough to keep all other thoughts from her mind. All she wanted was for it to be over. She could feel Si calming her again and it was the most heavenly feeling she had ever felt in her life. She enjoyed it, then suddenly her face creased into one of terrible fear,
"My Uncle," She gulped, eyes wide with terror, "Where's my Uncle?"

"Gone," Si murmured. "Militon banished him and Marxious into the desert. You're safe now." He stroked Krystic's soul as a lover would run a finger slowly along soft flesh, gently and with a calming touch. He was amazed at how much stronger she was, how strong she had been as well. He had thought for sure, deep down, that she would break, that she would fall. He suspected he would have, if put in the same situation. But to his surprise and the shock of all else, she had faced her unjust punishment with defiance.
Si was more proud of her than he had ever been for his now shallow and small seeming accomplishments, and he only hoped that she could come out of this her usual, bubbly self. Anything else would just be sad.

"They'll be back" Krystic said with a terrible fear. She had been enjoying Si's gentle massaging of her soul, how easiy he was bale to put her at ease with it. She felt stronger now than she previously had, still confident. She knew she was not a weakling but she was still unsure if she was right to rule,
"They'll be back, and these people will..." She stopped and gulped, listening to the sounds of women and children outside. Then, without warning, she tried to get up. Her back arced instantly and she cried aloud in pain, but she seemed determined to stand for something,
"We have to get back to Mysan," She gasped through the pain. As she tried to take a step forward, her knees gave way and she fell hard to the floor rolling over in agony,
"We have...to get...Army...protect...people" She managed through gritted teeth, tears running down her face now with the pain she was in. It felt like her whole body was on fire.

Si was down on the floor in an instant, putting his arms under Krystic's armpits, careful to avoid the bandages, lifting her up with some effort. "They're still looking for you," he panted, "your people, I felt someone, yesterday. If I can get Militon to send out scouts with me, I might be able to contact a Plains Army who could help."
Privately Si wondered how willing any Army, especially Mysans, would be to defend a turncoat bandit town, especially without Krystic's word to back it up. He would have to say she was too weak to travel and they would have to fight off an invaders while she healed...which was practically true, anyway. But what about long term? Krystic would have to take care of that, to convince her Generals that this was a town worth protecting, despite what had happened.

"No...paper" Krystic moaned, "Get...me...paper" She knew what she had to do. She would have to write down an order, some order, any order. With that then, she could summon a Mysan Army to try and defend the town from Monta and Marxius. She wanted to help protect these people, they had helped her no end and now she wanted to repay these people anyway she could.

She settled back down onto the bed. Tears were leaking down her face as she tried to cope with the pain and do what she needed to do.

"PAPER!" Si turned and shouted thoughout the house. "We need a pen and paper now! Someone get us a pen and paper!"
He looked back down at her. "You'll need to sign your signature and express executive orders. It has to be valid, otherwise they'll never believe me."

Krystic flinched at Si's yelling but took a pen and the paper when it was offered. She scribbled a brief note of her location and how it was a genuine order then signed it as best she could. Her hand was still weak and the signature was nothing more than a scrawl but jopefully it would be enough on it's own.

"There" She sighed, then gently closed her eyes. Even the small amount of energy exerted in the few moments had exhausted her and she drifted back to sleep.

Si nodded, paper clutched in one hand while his other held Krystic's as she fell back into oblivion. He turned and, stopping only to pull on a shirt and take a canteen of water, stepped out the door. It was growing hot, and Si caught a sweating bandit soldier by the arm. "Do you know where I can find Lord Militon?" he asked.

"He'll be in the frontlines Sir," The Bandit Soldier, who could not have been more than seventeen answered, "I'll take you there"
So Si was lead through a complicated trench network, filled with Bandit Soldiers digging into the ground or building strongpoints and bunkers. There were even some pieces of artillery being manhandled into position and, in the centre of it all was Militon. Most of his soldiers were either too young or too old, he seemed to have few prime soldiers,
"You!" Militon called to one of his men, "Check on Sarx and see if his guns are in position yet, you! Bring up more ammunition and draw reserves from the west, we don't need men there, we need them here"
He turned in time to see the Xiscapian approach and offered a deep bow,
"I am delighted to see you up Ambassador," He said with respect, "What can I do for you?"

Si bowed back, though not as low, speaking respectfully. "Greetings, Lord Militon. I have several requests for you. First of all, I need a horse and your permission to exit this town. Queen Krystic has given my executive orders," he lifted the tattered, ink-stained note out of his pocket and showed it to the kitsune, "to contact any and all forces searching for her and bring them here to aid you in the defense of your town. Secondly, do you possess or are you aware of the one who does possess, my katana sword?"

Militon did not even look at the note but nodded grimly,
"Your offer is most welcome, Ambassador, I shall give my own horse, Diomed, he runs like the wind, you shoud have no problems with him. I can detail six riders as your escort. I do not know when Marxius will arrive if he has not already." At Si's second request, he frowned, and gave a nod,
"I am afraid that your katana is in the hands of Marxius himself, a trophy he carries with him everywhere. I am sorry, Ambassador, I know how much it means to you"
He then looked over in time to see that a man was waving to him from the hangman's platform, where the pair of guns was located and dominated the view over the valley in front of the town, now a fortress.
"You must go now," he nodded, "I wish upon you all the blessings of Qonn. May your search be fruitful." He nodded again, then strode off.

Si went as quickly as he could find his way though the throng of men, kitsune and animals, finding Militon's personal stable and his own horse. Taking a pack with a days worth of food and water generously offered as well as a small pistol, he found his escort, a mix of six men and kitsune to ride with him. Bandits, all of them, but Si was not in the position to be choosy, and in any case he was grateful for the guards. He found Diomed to be a huge, beatiful stallion, and the horse gave him no trouble as it pawed against the dirt at the edge of town as Si conferred with his escort.
"We need to find a Plains Army, any of them. If you see them, don't shoot, even if you're shot at. We've only got one chance at this. If we see any other bandits, we need to either sneak past or outrun them. We have neither the time nor power for a battle. Do you understand me?"

The Bandits, armed with a variety of weapons from Alversian rifles to simple bolt rifles, nodded grimly in understanding. They had been told to escort this foreign Kitsune and, unknown to Si, defend him with their lives. It was a simple concept and they were simple soldiers. They had never had any bad feelings towards the plain armies, they were just doing their job.

So the small band rode out the same way Si and Krystic had come in. The cart they had been kidnapped in was now carrying shells to the gun batteries along the ridge while long strings of troops were running from the other defences towards the trench system. It was a scene of chaos and apparent disorder, although the men knew what they were doing.

It did not take long to find a cavalry patrol, a very large collection of men on a variety of horses and carrying a variety of weapons. It was obvious they were only the vanguard for some other force, for other troops were gathered just over the horizon and getting closer. The Patrol were friendly until they got closer, when they were close enough, the banner of the Dromintine Empire was visible and their leader was none other than a sneering Doblo,
"Well, well" He snorted at the Kitsune as he came close, "Found some new friends have we?"

Oh Qonn... Si groaned inwardly. Why, in our hour of need, why him?
"General Doblo," he bowed as far as it was allowed from Diomed. "You are correct. The Queen and I have been rescued by these brave people, but they were condemned for their actions by their bandit brethern and now a great army comes from the Central Plains to crush them at their home. Please, you must rally any troops you can, the Queen is back at the town and she cannot travel. We may have mere minutes."

He dug into his pocket again and thrust out the orders from Krystic, holding them at arms length so the man could read them. Si had little hope, but the Dromintine were the first he had come across, and if he could convince them maybe they could alert other Plains Armies to the situation...

"What? What rubbish is this?" Doblo asked in disbelief, "You come out here with six Bandits and I'm supposed to believe you're still on our side? Still, what can you expect from Kitsune eh? No honour." He stretched out a hand, "Let me see that paper, I know it's a fake. You planned to lure me into an ambush didn't you? But it takes more than that to defeat the great General Doblo. You are under arrest, as are your friends here" Doblo sneered and pointed a pistol at Si, the men behind him did the same, pointing their weapons at Si and his escort,
"I was just waiting to prove you were up to no good, I knew it from the moment I saw you. See, I read characters like that," He clicked his fingers but kept the gun far enough for Si to do nothing, "and I just knew you were trouble and you dared to call me a fool" He laughed aloud. Behind him, a smaller dustcloud was approaching, getting steadily bigger as it came closer.

Si eyed the dustcloud, extremely grateful none of the bandits had tried anything as stupid as leveling any of their own weapons. He silently drew the paper back, hiding it from view as he pushed it into his pocket. "Very well, General." he sighed. "But these are executive orders, signed by the Queen herself. In my captivity I will convince someone else. The Mysan Generals would see that I am telling the truth, and that your grounds for my arrest are nothing more than malicious, racist bigotry. I will not allow you to be the death of the Queen or that town."

"Mysan? We're going nowhere near Mysan! I'm taking you back to the Dromintine Empire and having you tried as a Spy. In our law, your Grace, that's a hanging offence. I'll have you doing the hangman's jig by nightfa..." Doblo was silenced as another group of horsemen drew alongside his own. They were much better armed, much better equipped but just as varied.

It was a mixture of Alversians mounted on horseback and a series of Lunasan Cavalry on huge horses and carrying long lances. At their head was General Sharpe,
"Ambassador? Thank god! We thought you were gone for good" The relief in his voice stunned Doblo, "What are you doing here, with them?"

Si gave Doblo a grin which could have been interpreted as one of relief at the Alversians arriving. "Oh no, General," he spoke to Sharpe, "I am too persistant to lay down so easily. However, your timing is impeccable, seeing as this fool," he virtually spat the word with satisfaction at finally being able to say it, "was about to arrest me for spying. But there is no time to lose!" Once again the paper came out, and he handed it entirely over to Sharpe. "Queen Krystic has been tortured and is unable to travel. The townspeople and local bandits rescued her and banished the Bandit General and the Queen's Uncle, Monta, from their land, but they are coming back with an army. My concern is two-fold: Protection of the town, and protection of the Queen. She is too weak to be evacuated and she refuses to leave the town anyway. As many units of the Plains armies in the area must converge on the town before the enemy army does! If the town falls the Queen will certainly be killed."

Sharpe shot Doblo a look of pure murder then quickly scanned the piece of paper. The signature at the bottom was enough to persuade him that it was the Queen's signature. He pursed his lips at the news that she had been tortured but knew now was not the time to dwell on it. There was a battle to be fought.
Sharpe turned to two of his horsemen and gave a stream of orders. The two riders, one Alversian, one Kitsune nodded in their instructions. One saluted, the other slapped his chest and both were gone,
"There are two Battalions in the area" Sharpe explained, "One Alversian, one Mysan, hopefully, they will get here in time." As he said it, a large column of Cavalry arrived, a combination of Mysan, Alversian and Lunasan cavalry.
"We shall ride ahead and give what support we can. I trust you remember the way?" He asked dryly.

"Sir, I must protest" Doblo interrupted, his face red with fury, "This fox is my prisoner, I must escort him to Dromin..."

"...General Doblo you are relieved of immediate duty, return to camp and await further orders" Sharpe said it coldly and with such presence that even Doblo did not argue but turned in his horse and rode away.

"Prepare for battle!" Sharpe called to his mixed command then turned and smiled at Si,
"Lead the way Ambassador!"

Si was impressed by Sharpe's air of authority, to make a man not even under his command turn away and follow his orders. He nodded his thanks to the Alversian General, gave a second nod to his escort, and slapped his horse on the flank. "Ya! Ya!" he shouted, and Diomed gave a loud whinny and shot away across the sand, Si's escort and Mysan, Alversian and Lunasan calvary trailing behind.
Minutes later...
The force arrived at the town, tearing across the sand and leaving quite a dust cloud behind them. Si hoped no bandit soldier would accidently fire upon them, thinking the enemy attack had finally come. As it was he hoped they were in time: They need to be in place before the bandits attacked, rather than during. However, he could hear no sounds of battle and surmmized that they were not too late.

Sharpe watched as his men quickly dismounted and ran to the tenches at the front of the town. They were calling to each other and shouting orders as they drew their weapons. They jumped into the system and disappeared as they ran towards the frontlines, facing out into the open plains.
Sharpe nodded his thanks at Si, then looked up at the guns on the hangman' platform,
"I think you should go to the Queen," He said in a low voice as one of the guns fired, sending a deep rumble throughout the town. The women were nervous and the men were now calling out that the Bandits had arrived.
The first gun was followed by a series of artillery like great cracks of thunder that rang down the valley.

Si nodded. "Thank you, General," he said breathlessly to Sharpe, turning and running back to where he knew Krystic to be staying. The weight of the pistol under his belt was comforting, but he hoped it wouldn't come to that. If the bandits broke though into the town chances were that the area was lost.
He opened the unbolted door to the house, stepping into her room.

Krystic was awake, and flinching weakly with every thump of the artillery. The battle had been joined and now the booms of explosions rang out throughout the town. The explosions were distant, indicating that it was the Northern Guns that were firing across the valley at an advancing enemy. She turned over to look at Si,
"What's...happening," She managed to sigh, eyes gently closed, shivering delicately.

"I've managed to get some Mysan, Alversian and Lunasan Calvary to come here, but we were almost too late. The enemy army is approaching from the north, if the field guns are anything to go by, and a couple of Battalions of Mysan and Alversian troops are incoming to reinforce soon," he expelled all in one breath. Si put his hands on his knees, bent over, panting and looking at Krystic. He decided not to tell her about meeting Doblo or the Dromintine while he was on the Plains: Such had no bearing on now, and would only serve to worry her.
"How are you feeling?" Si came closer, knelling next to the bed.

"I've been better" She managed a smile amongst the deep rumbles of artillery. Some of the gun sounds were distant as if hitting a target far far away. Krystic was sweating and her breathing was ragged, as if she could not physically keep up one rythm for her breathing.
"How are you?" She asked back, her eyes tender and one of her hands in his.

Then there was loud shrieking noise that suddenly ripped through the air, it seemed to be getting louder and louder until at last, there was a loud explosion. It seemed to make the very ground itself shake and a blinding light filled the room in which the two Kitsune sat. The house next to them had disintergrated in a ball of fire. Throwing shrapnel into the wall of Krystic's house.

It has been lucky that Si had been on his knees other wise he could have been thrown to the floor by the concussion from the blast. As it was he grabbed the edge of the bed to steady himself, hunched over, hearing bits of metal and rock pepper the wall in front of him from the outside. He lifted his heads, ears ringing, and managed. "Damn that was close...Are you okay?" he looked down at her, searching for more injuries than she had already sustained. Si hadn't known the bandits had brought their own artillery, and wondered if this battle would involve pro-longed shelling of both sides before they actually came together to fight.

Krystic smiled gently,
"I'm fine," She replied gently, her voice little more than a whisper, "I'll be okay" She stopped for a moment, then spoke again, looking directly into his eyes, tears of fright running down her own cheeks,
"I'm...I'm sorry...Si" She whispered over the explosions and the rattle of laser fire that indicated that the two sides had at last joined in battle, Krystic seemed to have no interest in that battle outside, just her own with Si,
"I'm sorry that I...I brought you into this..." She sighed, "They wanted...me in this...you were innocent I...I...love...you" She said, then closed her eyes again. This time, her breathing was ragged, but now it was also shallow. Her heartbeat began to become erratic and her complexion paled slightly, blood beginning to gently trickle from her back wounds again.

Outside, no one noticed in the midst of battle, what was happening in one house.

"Krystic?" Si held onto her hand tightly, leaning closer. "Krystic!" He put his head to her chest, left fox ear curling on her bandages as he listened for her heartbeat. It was there, but faint and irregular. He put a hand to the sheets and felt the sticky, hot blood there, fingers colored crimson. "Don't go on me, come on, don't go," he begged, feeling tears spring at the corners of his eyes. He put both hands on her belly, firmly applying force as he frantically reached out with the Force, trying to see where he could lift the pain and heal the wounds. The tendrils recoiled briefly, and then shot forward as the truth hit Si like a sucker punch.
Krystic was dying.
Si noticed, out of the corner of his eyes, someone standing in the doorway. He looked up, terrified a bandit had broken though and was here to kill them, but it was a figure cloaked all in black. He could barely make out the face...
"GO AWAY!" he screamed, picking up some object he never identified and throwing it hard, but the form vanished, as insubstantial as mist. The grinning skull beneath the hood haunted his thoughts as he turned back to tend to Krystic, desperately siphoning lifeforce to keep her alive.

It took only one Bandit to hear Si shouting and throwing something within the house to raise the alarm. The lone sentry who had been tasked as the last line of defence for the Queen, the man who would have to protect her if all failed. Instead, he heard pandamonium inside and glanced in to see what was happening. He was there in time to see a struggling Si and the Queen. The young Bandit was no Doctor but even he knew the Queen of Mysan was in serious trouble.
So he took off to the frontlines, all throughtout the town, the shrieks and blasts of artillery as well as the common sound of rifles mixed into a deafening symphony of noise and death. The young Man bit his lip and dived into the trenches filled with gore and blood, he began to look for one of the Plain's people to help.

From there, it was only a few moments before the door to the house burst open and half a dozen medics flowed into the room. They roughly pushed Si out of the way as they set on the Queen, a combination of Alversians and Mysans worked. Some reached out with the force, others were using more conventional methods. All were calling to each other with reports of her heath.
"Krystic! Krystic! Stay with me now!"

"She's lost a lot of blood"

"Damn Surgeons! Wouldn't know a vein if it hit them in the face..."

"4ml of hypozonal, quickly now!..."

"No effect!..."

"Another 3ml then..."

"Heart rate stablising..."

After a few more minutes, the Queen was pulled back from death's door. But only just. The Chief Medic had just one option,
"She needs a proper hospital Sir," he explained to Si, "like the one's in Mysan. It's only a couple of hours from here and if she stays here, she'll be dead within 12 hours. We have to move her while the perimeter's holding"

As if to prove his point, another shell exploded outside, sending two troopers flying through the air, gore splattering the Medical crew and drenching the room within in crimson blood.

Si ducked at the explosion, blood splattering his face. "We have to make sure we're not followed by any bandits!" he shouted over the roar of battle. "Any delay could by fatal, and if we're captured she's as good as dead! Request permission to ride with her!" He knew it would be incredibly dangerous, especially if they were spotted leaving. As it was Krystic was barely hanging on, and Si intended to take her though to Mysan, even if he had to fight off and outrun the bandits himself.

"Alright!" The Medic had to yell to be heard over the explosions and sounds of battle. The battle was reaching an intensity not heard before across the plains. The neverending boom of heavy artillery mixed with blaster and bayonet battles seemed to go on forever. The Medic sighed at the thought of how many men were dying out in the desert heat. However, that was out there. His concern was here, with the dying Queen of Mysan,

"Krystic!" he said gently to the Kitsune, "Krystic, we're going to move you back to Mysan for treatment okay. I want you to hold on and pay attention to Si, focus everything on Si's voice" He looked at the Ambassador and nodded, indicating that Si would have to talk to Krystic and keep her with them. There were signs that she could hear them, twitches or spasms but she could hear them. If she lost focus for even a second, they may never wake her up again.

At the same time, a pair of Mysan troops arrived with a stretcher and a cart outside. The Queen was quickly loaded into the cart and gently moved off towards the edge of the town, surrounded by burning houses, explosions and bodies. Si was with the Queen along with two Medics while the others ran back to the frontline.

Si shook as they bounced and bumped their way out of the town, the scent of blood, smoke, fear and adrenaline filling his nostrils. The kitsune held Krystic's hand in both of his, not knowing if she could feel him but aware she could hear him. "Krystic, I know you can hear me. You have to hold on, okay? We'll be at Mysan in no time, you'll see. Just focus on me, take hold of my voice. I'm here, I'll always be here, no matter what." He spoke only a little above a whisper, leaning close. "Just concentrate on me. You're safe, we're taking you home."

As the cart headed down through the desert, passing a long column of Mysan Infantry running in the other direction, Krystic stirred slightly, her eyes twitching and her eyes flickering,
"S...Si?" She groaned, looking up weakly at the Kitsune Ambassador, tears were already running down her face, twisting to try and make herself more comfortable but only filling her every movement with pain,
"S...Si," She moaned in terrible pain, "It hurts, oh Qonn, it hurts, please help me" She sobbed in pain, "S...Si, please help me, it hurts"

"Heart rate is destabilising!" One of the Medics called, the others were now working to try and alleviate the terrible pain that she was obviously in.

"I know, I know," a blaster couldn't have pried Si's grip from Krystic's hand. "It'll get better, it'll all be better, I promise. Just stay with me here, stay with me." Si's face was streaked with tears, eyes rimmed with red and sunken. "They're working on it, you'll be alright, I swear."

"It hurts," Krystic cried out weakly, "Make it stop, please make it stop..." She sighed again and closed her eyes, as the Medics drugged her to alleviate the terrible pain she was feeling. They worked hard and it wasn't long before they were in a hospital in Mysan.
The crowds surrounding the Royal Hospital was incredible. They stretched far into the distance and were visible from the corridor in which Si sat while Doctors were working around the clock to try and heal the young Kitsune. Masses of people sang songs of hope or laid flowers along a vast shrine to the young Kitsune. They, like the Ambassador, sat and waited. They were joined by a pale Bywater and a faint looking Lucius.

"Any news from the front?" Si asked Bywater dully from his seat in the waiting room. His thoughts had room for only one thing, Krystic, but the fate of the town and the outcome of the battle might affect her health in some way once she heard. In any case he hoped the town did not fall: From what he had seen the bandits had destroyed much of it already, and Militon's citizens would have a job trying to repair all the damage. Si had sat with his head down, physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted, body screaming for sleep but his emotions denying it as he waited for the doctors to tell him something, anything. He hoped and despaired, loved and lost and generally struggled with what was happening around him, so caught up in it all, intertwined with events he didn't know how he would be able to sustain it for much longer. All he wanted was to be able to rest with the knowledge that Krystic was going to be alright, a chance that grew and lessened with the level of his thoughts.

"They're at breaking point" Bywater answered absentmindedly, "But the 612th Alversian Battalion went in not long ago so, hopefully, they'll be able to hold the perimeter against the Bandits," He too, was waiting for the news that would allow him to sleep tonight. He had grown to like the young Queen as a Leader and now he wanted her to be alright, now more than ever.

It was over an hour before an exhausted Doctor, an old grey Kitsune, emerged from the room,
"We were lucky, Ambassador, that you got her here in time" He said in a grand voice, "Another hour and she would have been beyond our help" He sighed, "She has been stabilised for now, she wants to talk to you but please keep it brief. She had lost a lot of blood."

Inside, Krystic was hook up to a variety of machines, all of which were monitering her condition. Two Nurses stood over her, making sure she was okay. A pale Krystic looked over at Si as he entered the room,
"How have you been?" She asked weakly.

"That doesn't matter right now," said Si, shaking his head. "I'm more concerned about you. You've suffered terrible injuries, both physically and not. I need to know that you'll keep going...keep trying, keep living." He stared at her. "I have to be certain. I don't know how I'll keep living if you give up."

"I'm going nowhere" She smiled again and held his hand, "Thank you," She looked into his eyes with great tenderness, "Thank you for everything. I'm sorry for bringing you into all this. It was me they wanted, not you" There were still tears of pain running down her cheeks but there was some colour there, blood was being transfused by use of three tubes attached into her arms,
"I'm...sorry"

"You're sorry?" Si allowed a small chuckle. "There was no way you could have foreseen this, none of it's your fault. I wouldn't have missed it for all the credits in the galaxy, nothing is worth more than being able to help you in your time of need. No, Krystic, I am sorry for ever having doubted your people. I should have known better. A kitsune is a kitsune, no matter where they're raised or what planet they're on."

"I'm pleased...we could prove ourselves to you..." She sighed, struggling to keep her eyes open now, "...Mysan is strong. Mysan has...has always been strong" She smiled weakly up at Si, "I tried to be strong. I didn't break to him. I tried to be strong" Her eyes were almost shut now and one of the Nurses began to herd Si out of the room,
"Time to let the Queen sleep, Ambassador, we'll inform you when she wakes"

Outside, a worried Bywater and Lucius looked up at Si from their seats,
"Well?" They asked, "How is she?"

"You were strong," whispered Si as he was escorted out of the room. Outside he took a moment to compose himself before looking at the anxious Alversian and kitsune outside in the waiting room. "She's better...she's very pale, and I'm afraid she's lost a lot of blood, but she spoke and generally seems okay. From here she'll probably just need rest and blood infusions, that's what I hope."

"That's good, very good" Bywater and Lucius seemed greatly relieved at the news that Si brought, "The people will have to be told. They've been waiting here for hours to hear some information on the Queen. They need to know 'Mysan's Little Sister' will be okay" With that, Lucius bowed and disappeared.

Bywater was now beside Si and he nodded to him,
"Good news, Ambassador. We appear to have found your sword. Bad news is that it is in the middle of the battle for the town and we need to head there. For General Sharpe has requested your presence."

Si took a deep breath and looked back towards Krystic's room. You didn't have to be an educated man to know what he was thinking about, but he shook his head, more at himself than Bywater's request. Krystic was stable...she'd be okay.
"Alright, when do we move out? Immediately?" Si wasn't sure how much longer he could keep going. At the moment he was keeping himself conscious and upright though sheer force of will, the past day or so having taken a lot out of him, but if needed he could go another half day before needing to rest for about a day. The Ambassador was fit, but he was no soldier.

"Immediately Sir," Bywater confirmed regretably, "The town's defences are perilous at the moment and it seems that the sooner we can get there, the better" He sighed and looked out over the people who had gathered in a crowd outside the hospital to see if the Queen was alright,
"They'll want to know what happened. Eventually." he pointed beyond the crowd where another Mysan Battalion was being assembled for march.
"Let's go"

Si nodded sadly. He wondered how many citizens of the town had been killed, or were now homeless. Indeed, who won the battle had yet to be seen.
"What's happened so far? When we left I heard that the bandits had clashed with our first line of defense. Can you give me a description of the battle in short?" the kitsune enquired of the Alversian as they walked out of the hospital.

"Well," Bywater explained as they mounted horses and trotted at the back of the marching Mysan Unit and left the city, heading towards the town and the battle,
"The Central Bandits attacked in far greater numbers than we expected and they hit the lines with a lot of force. There was a lot of fierce fighting and it seemed like the line was about to break until the Mysan 3rd Battalion reinforced them. However, it was not long before that line started to buckle as well until the Alversian 612th Kitsune Battalion counter-attacked and drove them back. I think there's a lull in the fighting now but it won't be long before they launch another attack. It seems like this Marxius is quite a Commander."

Bywater seemed grudgingly surprised by the fighting qualities of these central Bandits.

"Anyway, apparently, Marxius had led several of the attacks himself and the Kitsune at the front have seen your katana with him"

Si nodded. "I hope Marxius is killed, wounded or captured so the fighting may end and I recover my blade. What is being done for the citizens of the town? Have they been evacuated, are they enlisted to carry arms, ammunition, water, medical supplies and wounded soldiers? Are they hiding in the town? Finally, why has the General requested my presence? What can I do at the battle?" Si asked, full of questions. "I am no warrior."

"As do I" Bywater agreed, "If Marxius dies here and now, the war shall be over and we can bring peace to this planet" He sighed and shook his head as they followed the Mysan Battalion through the plains. Whatever was happening, it was obvious that the defensive line of the Alliance was thin and about to break, unless the General could do something about it.
"The Women and Children have been evacuated, so far as I know. However, there are still some in the medical role or even fighting in the frontline. The Town needs all the defenders it can get."

It was another hour before they reached the town. There did indeed seem to be a lull in the fighting, for the only sounds were the cries of the wounded and the deafening thump of the artillery, Bandit and Mysan. The Mysan Unit broke into various groups and headed into the trenches while Bywater led Si to a house almost untouched by artillery fire. Inside, Bywater saluted the General Sharpe then turned aside for Si,
"Ambassador," He nodded, "welcome back to hell eh?" he gave a small chuckle, "How is the Queen?"

Si bowed. "The Queen is doing much better, thanks to the intervention of you and your men. She has lost a lot of blood but she is stable and speaking now, and I think she is going to be okay." He stepped fully into the barely cooler, slightly dimmer house, eyes adjusting almost instantly. "You requested my presence, General?"

"Yes," Sharpe's expression soured somewhat as he looked over the map in front of him,
"Lord Militon is dead, and I need to know which of General's commanding the enemy Army is General Marxius. The regular Troops have not seen him and you are the only member of the Alliance to see him up close, I need you in the trenches to help identify the Kitsune himself" Sharpe gave a sigh, "I'm sorry, Ambassador, but I need to finish this as soon as possible."

Si looked worried. "I am sure there is little General Marxius would like more than to have me in front of him here. I would like to request an Alversian guard to escort me. This is a battlefield after all, and I doubt we will find the General among the dead, wounded or captured, as good as that would be. As for his physical description," Si hesitated momentarily, "you have seen holos of Emperor Foxfire Rose? Like him, but Marxius's hair is a deep red and his skin is more pale. He's about my height. Really though, General," he shifted his weight from one foot to the other, "with all due respect, this seems rather trivial. No one in the town has seen Marxius?"

"You'll be amongst the men in frontline Ambassador." Sharpe explained, "There will be a Squad of Snipers with you to take him down once he is identifyed. I know this all seems very trivial but Marxius is the glue holding the Bandit Tribes togather. If he dies, then the thought of a unified Bandit Army dies with him. I am not suggesting this for any other reason than to save thousands of lives in the long run" He nodded to Si,
"Good luck Ambassador"

Even as he said it, a series of deep explosions signified that the battle had begun again.

Si felt fear coil in the pit of his stomach, constricting his throat and making tiny beads of sweat pop out on his forehead under his hair. It felt like it hurt to breath, and the resumed sound of battle wasn't helping things at all. He could only nod mutely and step out the door to find the men he would be helping to kill Marxius. Hopefully they would stay away from the front, being snipers, and try to pick the kitsune off from afar-assuming they even saw him.

The Sniping Squad, two Alversians and two Mysan Kitsune, grinned and saluted as Si approached. One of them began to talk but his words were drowned out by the roar of a Mysan Artillery battery behind him. The Alversian's lips moved but there was no sound. Realising his problem, the Alversian grinned again, stopped talking until the echo of the gun had died out, then tried again,
"Ambassador! My name is Sergeant Harper and these are Corporals Lewis, Amelius and Lucius" Each nodded as their name was mentioning, giving comforting smiles as they did so,

"We're expected at the frontlines now, shall I lead the way?" Harper asked, smiling again as more guns now joined in to make all other noises fade away, it sounded like the very apocolypse itself was coming on a cloud of thunder.

"Yes," Si croaked, obviously nervous. He didn't really know why: Maybe in the heat of the battle of the patrol he hadn't had time to get scared. He had been too calm during his kidnapping and too angry during Krystic's abuse to feel fear then. But now he had nothing to rely on except his training. "Lead the way, Sergeant." He bowed slightly.

They ran through a series of intricately dug trenches, all deep enough so only one's head was visible from the floor of desert sand. They all ran parellel to each other, all pointing out to the Bandit Army that threatened their simple home. Most of these trenches were now filled with Bandits, Kitsune and Alversians as men ran to reinforce the front and the wounded were brought back to the fighting. Every now and then, a gun had been dug into a specific pits along the trenches. Some were charred and burning, their pits littered with blackened corpses that once been their crews. Others were stocking up on ammunition, crews sweating but smiliing at the prospect of putting their baby to work. Si would notice that the normally dry sand at the bottom of the trenches ran with darkened blood and they were constantly stepping over the bodies of Alversians, Mysans, Lunasans and Bandits, all staring up behind dull eyes. The stench of death was thick and strong, the flies in abundance as they settled on the dead.

"Here Sir," Harper chose a particularly delipidated piece of trench to set up in, a part that had evidently only just been attacked. Here, the reinforced sides of the trench wall had caved in under the force of an explosion, the bodies were still thick, leaning against the wall or lying on the ground. One could not put his hand on the walls without it being covered in warm, sticky, red blood.

Outside the trenches were a carpet of dead, evidence of Marxius' failed attacks. The Alversian Sergeant, who had been here for years, could not recall the last time he had seen so many bodies littered in so small an area. They had even falled in layers, some three or four deep, the Vultures feasted on their flesh.
"If you see the Bastard, tell us where he is Sir," Harper called as his small command settled amongst the bodies on a wall, checking their scopes and cleaning them carefully.

Si just nodded, disgusted and sickened by the stench of death and rot around him. He found a patch of floor not inhabited by a corpse and looked out over the bodies of the dead enemy into the distant plains, more for a place to look rather than the organic mess below him than any want for watching for Marxius. His sandals and feet were being stained with blood and he took a bandanna out and tied it over his mouth and nose to keep out the smell lest he vomit from it. A questioning hand found his pistol and he held onto it, knowing that if they were attacked directly he might have to use it if the sharpshooters couldn't take out all of the chargers.

It was not long before Marxius' next attack was launched. A loud drum sounded across the plain, echoing eerily amongst the dead, putting the Vultures to flight in panic. It was as if they knew what was about to fall upon the Allies huddled in their trenches, praying that the next bombardment would not be on their section of trench but on some other poor sod who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

It was not long before the first, distant thumps of artillery sounded. They sounded pathetic compared to the Allied Batteries but their effect was no less devastating. As the shells ploughed into the dust, great shudders went through the ground. The shockwaves were enough to knock a man over if he were not ready for them. The sound of flesh and bone disintergrating into explosions was evident even from Si's position. The explosions seemed never ending, the bombardment was continious, as if it would just go on forever.

Then, as soon as it had started, the bombardment was over, and a roar came up from the plains, where a flood of infantry had appeared from nowhere and were now charging up the slope towards the trench system. The outermost wing of the attack would overlap into Si's position.

Si began to pant, sweat rolling down his face, fear filling him. His sweaty hand grasped the pistol and yanked it out, trembling slightly, pointed at the ground. He looked wildly for Marxius but didn't see him among the running bandit soldiers, eyes centering on the men and kitsune making for his position. Si glanced at the snipers, looking back to the advancing horde. Why were they not firing? They needed to fire, now, now, now! His mind howled. They'll be on us in seconds! Si knew he was panicking, breathing lighter and faster, backing away from the edge, but he didn't know what to do. Do I fire or do I wait for them, do I fight or hide? The Xiscapian Ambassador watched the bandits come closer...closer...

The Snipers waited. And waited. And waited. It seemed they had left it too late. For the first Bandits were already stepping into the trench system. The sun gleamed over the Bandit weapons, their wild eyes staring around, looking for something to kill, something to maim. They were about to step into the trench when the gun fired.
It had been remarkably good aim from the crew, who could only have just seen the threat approaching the far end of the trench system, therefore threatening the flank of the Allied Defence System. The lone shell did not explode amongst the men but just in front and above them. The explosion itself would not do the damage, that would be done in the aftermath of the explosion.
Scraps of metal flecked the ground around the Bandit formation, cutting into the Bandit attack with ease, shredding it's right wing into bloody rags. Blood flew into the trench while the rest of the tightly packed Bandits stopped, temporarily stunned by the ferocity of the bombardment. However, even during this relative silence. Relative because the artillery was still thumping and the screech of steel on steel was evident from further down the line, a scream of encouragement came from the Bandit ranks and they surged forward into the trench system, ignoring more shrapnel that churned more bodies to the ground. They were in the system.

And almost immediately torn from it again. The Bandits were suddenly hit in the left flank by a volley from Si's snipers while another force tore into their right. Outnumbered and temporarily outgunned, the Bandits retreated back into the open sights of the guns, where the crew of one big piece was calmly tearing into their ranks.
Si's rescuers were Kitsune, but not Mysan. Unlike the Mysan's distinctly tanned armour, these Kitsune wore a deeper yellow, with the seal of the Alversian Republic on their chests. Their armour was identical to the Alversian's in every way, save for the helmet which was formed to accomodate the fox ears.

"Well, well, well!" Harper yelled over the noise of battle as more of the Kitsune shuffled past taking positions along the trench, "Didn't know the 615th were here as well!"

"First to the battlefield, Sergeant and last off it," The Kitsune, obviously a Captain nodded, his katana, like those of all his men, hung from a belt specifically added for the Kitsune battalions of the Alversian Army, creatures famed for both their bravery and their ferocity.

"Didn't know the Motherland was sending help" The Captain used the Kitsune Army slang for Xiscapia, the traditional home of the Kitsune race, however, many on Alversian chose to enlist with their local units rather than travel all the way to Xiscapia. There were Kitsune Ranks in the APA in the same way there were Alversian Units in the XGA,
"What are you doing here, Ambassador?" The Captain guessed his rank as he was no Soldier yet bore no Katana to tell of his rank, the Captain frowned at that.

Si wondered how the Captain could have known. He wasn't wearing his robes or Xiscapian Diplomatic Corps symbol, and his katana was with Marxius. But maybe the kitsune had heard it from a superior. It didn't matter. He did vaguely remember Bywater saying something about the 615th Battalion being deployed at the battle, but hadn't thought anything of it at the time. He reflected that he should have guessed: The 511th XGA Battalion was made up almost exclusively of Alversians born and raised in the Motherland, known and remarked on for their loyalty and discipline, in the same way the 909th Battalion was made of Korr and legendary for their strength and toughness.
"Playing at spotter for these chaps," Si jerked a thumb over his shoulder to the snipers. "Seeking out General Marxius so we can put an end to the battle. 'pparently I'm the only one who knows what he looking like, so..." He shrugged. Si felt much calmer now: The attack had come, and it hadn't been so bad, despite the fact that he would never forget the sound of metal chewing though flesh and bone or the sight of men being blown apart by explosions.

"Yeah? Have they come to see how a real soldier fights?" The Captain looked over Si's soldier at a grinning Harper. Rivalry amongst Alversian Battalions was rife, with each placing themselves as better than their fellows, the 615th were no different. "Lucky we were here eh? We'll have to deploy along here so you and your little squad are more than welcome to join us and see a demonstration of battle"

Harper laughed as the Captain bowed and ran off to join the rest of his men. The Kitsune were now lined up along the trench, pulling their dead brethern out of the way to give themselves a clear field of fire. The Bandits had been temporarily repelled from the right flank but now they were gathering forces again and the small force of Alversian Kitsune would have to fight against their own kind as well as the humans who wanted nothing more than the blood of their enemies to fill their nostrils, to see their panicked expressions before the sword or spear was driven home. The Kitsune would have to hold the line.

The next attack was as savage as the last, this time with artillery being directed at their position. The shells screamed and whirred overhead, filling the air with high-pitched yells of terror and flecks of mud as explosions tore through the Xiscapians huddled in the exposed trench. Bandit sharpshooters were also active and already, Kitsune were being plucked from the defences of the trench by single bolts. The Kitsune next to Si was hit in the head, a clean shot that left only a sigh of contentment as he died. To the other side of Si, a shell exploded and tossed men high into the air. One of them landed on Si, his guts spilling into the hair of the Ambassador before Harper pulled the ruined body off.

"Sir?" Harper pointed to a body of troops advancing on a run from the Bandit positions, amongst them was a certain Kitsune armed with a certain katana.

"Yes!" Si spat out a mixture of blood, spit, and more solid objects he didn't care to identify, shaking away the gore. He pointed excitedly. "That's him! It's Marxius! Take him!" Shells rained down, blowing dirt, bodies and body parts high into the air, and for a moment Si dropped, prone on the ground from a shockwave among the dead. His clothes were caked with blood and dirt, and he recoiled, rolling in the mud. One of the soldiers helped him up, ducking to avoid fire, and Si looked frantically to locate the enemy General again...

Harper nodded and yelled to his men to target the General. They had all seen him when Si had first pointed and now, about ten feet down the trench from Si, they took aim. Marxius was as good as dead. The three Alversians and three Kitsune all paused to take breath, waiting until their heartbeat was right before squeezing the trigger. They waited for a moment then squeezed their triggers.

But the bolts never reached the Bandit grand commander. As each was about to pull his trigger, a Bandit big gun fired shrapnel into the Allied lines. By bad luck, the whistling and shrieking rounds found their target amongst Harper and his men. All the snipers plus a few more Kitsune vanished in a cloud of red mist before being flung back to lie at the bottom of the trench, joining many many other Kitsune who were being torn apart by the combination of Sharpshooters and Artillery. Their line was stretched thin. It was then that Marxius and his reinforcements drove into the trench system.

The Kitsune of the 615th Battalion fought back hard, preventing the Bandits from spreading through the trenches. Using their katanas as spears, the Kitsune lunged forward, drew blood then lunged forward again, screaming hate at the attackers who screamed back, bodies began to fall on both sides, with lungs pierced, throats cut and eyeballs speared from their sockets. One Kitsune in front of Si was hacked down by a large man with an even larger axe, he looked at the Ambassador like one looked at it's prey then drove forward to get at the Ambassador.

Si stumbled backwards to avoid the blow, yanking the pistol up and firing repeatedly at point-blank range. Rifles were useless here, small arms, bayonets, swords and general hand-to-hand combat was the way to go. The Ambassador cursed his luck, the entire party of snipers having been killed in a matter of seconds and the line now stretched to the breaking point. Now it was more likely that they would lose and be forced to retreat than victory and the death of the General.

As Si fell backwards though, he was swamped by a dozen more Kitsune who surged past him to rejoin the fighting with the Bandits. Sharpe had chosen his flanking Battalion well. The 615th refused to yield and refused to retreat, they drove forward back into the Bandit attackers, forcing them back, however, the Allied lines were still be gutted by the relentless Bandit bombardment.
However, Marxius had vanished into the crowd of troops. They were battling hard, being driven back by the katanas of the Kitsune, who were showing exactly how Kitsune could fight with a katana.
Then suddenly, there were thousands of Mysan Kitsune, swarming over the battlefield, driving the bandits back. The Mysan and Alversian Kitsune drove forward into the Bandit ranks.
Then the Bandits were retreating, driven back from the Allied lines. Then the battle was over. It had began and ended so quickly. The Bandits had been driven back by the Allied troops. General Sharpe had outwitted and defeated General Marxius. The troopers paid the price though, for the trenches and plains were filled with corpses.
"A victory, Ambassador," It was the Kitsune Captain, he was covered in blood, some of which was his own, one of his eyes was gummed shut with blood and his katana was hanging by a lump of string that made up his arm,
"I think the General wishes to see you again"

"A victory," said Si dully, staring over the field of death and the trenches filled with the bodies of defenders. He nudged the body of the dead bandit with his foot, shaking his head, and left. The Xiscapian made his way though the corpses, dropped weapons, craters and blood-soaked sand back into the town, not seeing Marxius among the dead. The Ambassador stepped back into what he supposed was General Sharpe's headquarters. He barely bowed, sinking into a chair, wearing the thousand-yard stare some green soldiers got after particularly fierce combat, gaze fixed on the far wall, apparently not really aware of the General or anyone else. His eyes glazed as his mind struggled to cope with what he had just seen, the slaughter, the man he had killed, the thud of the dead hitting the ground and the screams of the dying, the sound of blade and shrapnel digging though flesh and shattering bone, the smell of ozone from discharged blasters and the stench of burning skin and hair...

"Ambassador," It was a rather tired looking General Sharpe, he was standing with one of the Northern Bandits as well as a Kitsune dressed in a high ranking Uniform from Mysan,
"We have won a victory, although I gather you did not manage to find General Marxius?" His eyebrows raised at the blank stare from Si, he knew it rightly, having seen it a thousand times before.

Si slowly turned his head towards Sharpe, seeming to look right though him. "They're all dead," he said quietly. "Every one of them. Just gone in some red mist...didn't even fire. Never had a chance."

"Damn" Sharpe shook his head slowly and sadly, "A shame, he was a good man, Sergeant Harper. However," he was now looking into Si's eyes, forcing him to pay attention, "He was a Soldier, he knew the risks when he signed up. He was payed to take risks and this time the odds did not favour him."
Sharpe put a hand on the Ambassador's shoulder,
"You should get back to the Queen of Mysan, Ambassador, She is awake, for it was her orders that sent this Battalion to help the defence and finally win the battle for us. She has to be thanked and I can think of no one better than you"

Si looked directly at Sharpe and nodded once, slowly. "She will be pleased," he murmured, a hint of emotion entering his voice. He stood. "I will return to Mysan to spread the good news of the victory. You have done well, General," he smiled, "and so have your men."
Several hours later, Mysan...
Si tied up his horse in front of the hospital, dismounting in front of the people there and walking into the building. He strode towards Krystic's room, thankful he had something pleasant to say for once.

"Yes, a victory" Sharpe's words hid the sadness he felt for what had happened in the small town. Although it didn't look it, there were over 25,000 bodies lying across the town and it's boundaries. Thankfully, more of the attacking Bandits had been killed than his own troops. Marxius was renowned in the area for his tactical ability but he underestimated the speed and the ferocity at which Allied troops would fight. The Mysan Army had given him a particularly bloody nose, as had the 615th, now down to 75% of it's pre-battle strength. Sharpe had faced Marxius and won. Now he would have to do it again, with much, much more on the line.

Mysan

Krystic was sitting up in bed, listening to the cheers as reports came in of the Allied Victory. It was a great result but also a sad one, for over 3,000 Mysan Kitsune had been killed in the attack. It was still a victory though and for that, the people were grateful.
Krystic looked up time to see Si come in. The vicious bruise on the side of her face had began to recede and there was no sign of blood from the bandages wrapped around her back,
"Hi," She smiled, "Where have you been?"

"At the front," Si shook his head and sat down in one of the chairs. "The General wanted me to identify Marxius for his snipers to take him down, but we failed, unfortunately. Still, the battle was won, though at the cost of many lives. I believe the bandits are retreating, but we'll have to keep fighting them until Marxius is dead."

He leaned forward, not aware of how ragged, foul-smelling and bloodied he was. "How are you doing?"

Krystic flinched slightly as the smelly Si came forward. It was not the smell that scared her but the quantity of blood on his robes. It looked like Si had bathed in the blood of another. Was that how bad the battle had been?
"I'm getting better," She said earnestly, "I think I'll be up and about in no time but the Doctor wants me to stay in bed for at least a week," She fell silent for a moment and a long, awkward pause followed,
"Thank you," She said finally, "For helping me in the Bandit Town. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been there"

Si smiled sadly. "Like I said, all the riches in the galaxy couldn't have stopped me from being there to support you. But a lot of it...most of it, even, I think was you. You were the strong one, you pulled yourself though. Nothing I or anyone else could have done could have made a weak person endure that and not break far before the whipping was stopped. I may have influenced it, but it was your own will that ultimately achieved it." He chuckled. "I wish the doctor had prescribed a week of rest for me. I could use it."

"Well," Krystic said in a playful voice, seemingly ignoring what Si had said about her own inner-strength, "I am the Queen after all. If the Doctor does not perscribe you a week's rest then I can" She grinned and giggled, the first time she had done for days. Since the Mysan attack on the Ridge it had been nothing but battle after battle, some for city, some for people, some just for her. All had been victories, some had been more costly than others. Now, in one of her own hospitals, with her own people surrounding her and Si by her side, Krystic again felt safe and happy.

There was a pause as the Young Queen formulated her next words,
"I did it for you," She said in a shy and small voice, "The whipping, I wanted you to be proud of me." She seemed embarressed to admit, "I wanted to show I wasn't weak."

Si grinned at Krystic's words at first. This was the Krystic he knew, not the whimpering terrified girl or the brooding, despairing women. But his grin faded as her next words came to him. "You proved to everyone, including your uncle, that you weren't weak. That's not a question. You made me so proud, up there, because you took the blows not only for yourself but for your people. You were physically refusing to let them come under harsh rule again, probably one of the noblest things I've ever seen. I was proud of you before, I am proud of you now, and I know I will continue to be. You've come a long way from what you were, you just had to find it within yourself."

"Thank you," Krystic seemed pleased with the compliments that Si hade given her. The thought of her people had not crossed her mind at all. It was only Si and his face that she could see, that she was determined to resist the pressure and torture of her uncle, she knew that he would be proud of him. That was why she had not cried out and betrayed her people.
"Did you mean it?" She asked in a nervous voice looking into Si's eyes, "When you said you loved me? Did you really mean it?"

"Of course I did," he reached out to take her hands, then stopped. They were covered in dried blood like most of the rest of him, but he hesitantly went forward and clasped his fingers between hers. "I would never lie to you, especially not about something like this. You're very presence makes me lighter, it's like just being near you allows me to take my load off my shoulders. It's the most wonderful feeling, and I was being entirely honest when I said you're not like the other diplomats or dignitaries I've met. You're so lighthearted despite what's happened it's inspiring, many are more grim when they have suffered far less. I do love you, Krystic, and I hope you feel the same about me."

"I do," Krystic took Si's hands in her own, ignoring the blood dried on his hands. Such a thing did not bother her at a time like this,
"I do love you, ever since you came, I've been nothing but happy. You're my rock Si, I do love you" She came forward gently and kissed Si in the lips.

Si returned the kiss, leaning closer and putting a little of his weight on her left shoulder. He moved his head around to that side, rubbing his cheek against hers, sighing in contentment. Both arms went around her, touching her back with only the lightest of brushes. There were no words for this, nothing he could say, just a time for contact and sensation.

She nuzzled with him, delighting in the sensation. She loved him, she had since she had first laid eyes on him. This what she had dreamed of since she had met the Ambassador, She smiled at him and was about to say something when one of the Nurses bustled into the room. She smiled at the sight of the two together but was insistant anyway,
"I'm sorry Ambassador but the Queen needs her rest now, the Ambassador's and Generals are waiting for you down in the main throne room."

Si exhaled, nuzzling her one last time before pulling himself away. "I understand," he said to the nurse, but he was looking at Krystic when he said it. He smiled and bowed. "Until later, Your Majesty," he allowed himself a grin before being escorted out. In the hall Si straightened his clothes, only now realizing how soiled he was from the battle, wanting only a long bath and a even longer rest. But for now apparently the other Ambassadors and dignitaries were waiting for him. Perhaps they wanted a first-hand account? Si was somewhat surprised they hadn't left, but they must have been confident their forces would recover him and the Queen. Wondering to himself, the Xiscapian Ambassador made his way from the hospital to the Palace and throne room.

In the throne room, where a collection of Officials, most of whom had been at either the ball or the battle that had followed it. General Sharpe sat at the top of the table, with Doblo and Nysan of Lunasa beside him. The Lunasan had a bandage around his shoulder, which was bleeding furiously. The other diplomats from Illondia and elsewhere were gathered, all looking at the gore splattered Ambassador with interest,
"As we were saying Ambassador," It was Sharpe who broke the silence which had preceeded Si's arrival, "We were all enquiring as to the heath of the Queen of Mysan, is she well?" There was an empty seat next to Doblo where evidently Si had been drafed to sit.

"Her Majesty is well," Si informed them, making his way over to the seat by Doblo. He avoided looking at the man, focusing instead on Sharpe and noticing Nysan's wound. He seemed like the type to go straight into battle, and evidently he was okay. "She has recouped from the loss of blood and her injuries have abated in pain and severity somewhat. She is stable and is able to speak again, and I believe from here things can only improve. She has informed me her doctor has prescribed a week of rest until she is full healed."

"That is good news to us all" Sharpe said with a great deal of relief in his voice, "The Queen has proven to be quite popular and all of the Kingdoms," He said this with a quick look at Doblo, who raised his hand dismissively, "And they have commited a significant amount of forces for her rescue. Anyway. We are here for one purpose only. To discuss what needs to be done to end this conflict and quickly, Ambassador,"
Sharpe turned to face Si, as did all the others around the table,
"A wise man once said, know your enemy. You are the only man to have met him. Therefore, we would like to know what you thought of him. As a person and as a Commander?"

"I cannot effectively tell you what I thought of the General as a tactician or strategist," Si answered. "The only example I saw was a plan he told me before he had his soldiers take me into the desert and attempt to execute me. There is a canyon, about a days ride from here, that serves to funnel any approaching forces into a field. The rock walls are high and studded with caves and many nooks and crannies that could easily hide snipers or ambushers. He told me his plan was to draw Alversian forces to this field, where they would march onto the plain that is actually a mine field. The mines would detonate and destroy the ranks, inflicting massive casualties, before a Calvary charge finished off the survivors. He suggested this would end their presence, at least militarily, here, and possibly cause the Kingdoms to lose faith in them. I do not believe this plan would work if the Alversian troops are being coordinated and commander by a competent leader, and I also think he underestimated the will of the individual soldiers, so I did not think much of his military skills. However, I have not fought nor studied his movements on the field of battle, so I cannot say.

As a person, well, I saw even less of him in that regard. He seems to enjoy inflicting pain, and is a manipulating controller. He does not appear to have any regard for life, not that of his enemies nor his comrades or allies. He seemed confident to the point of arrogance, and I believe he is more intelligent than the brute I first thought him. However, I spent so little time with the kitsune that I cannot state my thoughts, delusions, beliefs and perspective can be trusted as anything except cursory."

"Ah yes," Sharpe nodded, "We heard about his great scheme. The Northern Bandits informed us of the plan to blow up the Allied Army and, with their loss, there is no chance of it succeeding. We shall have to pursue them up that narrow vallet of course, but as we know where the mines are, it should not be a problem. Our main problem is in terms of the kitsune himself"

Sharpe sighed, and it was evidence that was some admiration for the Bandit General,
"However, he did handle the attack more than adequately and we were hard pressed to repel them. Now, we have the information we need. I would suggest we retire for a few minutes then return to the vital problem of strategy and how we are going to defeat this menace"
The other leaders nodded and got up from the table while Sharpe approached Si,
"I have good news, Ambassador," He smiled, "The Mysans have built a radio station within the city that can communicate with our ships in space and therefore to Xiscapia. It may be better to make a quick update to your superiors before we have to march on campaign.

Si nodded. "Thank you General, I know the Chief Ambassador has been most concerned about this situation because she cannot receive updates as frequently as she would like. I will contact her before returning here."
Mysan radio station, a few minutes later...
Si dismounted, wishing he had the time for a shower and change to his robes, but the report came first. Besides, the gore soaked into the clothes he wore now might impress the seriousness of the situation on Vanadict. He entered, treading softly, looking around for where he would be able to establish an uplink to the Palace back on Xiscapia.

"Ah Sir," One of the Palace Attendents bowed at the Ambassador, wincing at the sight of blood and gore on the Ambassador.
'He looks like hell itself' The Attendant thought to himself, quietly thanking Qonn that he was in the peaceful palace and not in the Army fighting across the desert,
"You must be looking for the Uplink to the Alversian Warships. Come in, come in" he ushered him into a dark room, where a lone desk and screen sat with several small buttons for various functions,
"In here, Sir, Call me when you are done" The Servant wrinkled his nose again at the stale smell of blood coming from the Ambassador and closed the door.

Si thanked the servant and sat down at the screen, hands flying over the buttons and keys. The uplink established itself to an Alversian vessel in orbit and was then relayed out to Xiscapia. Just over a minutes later Chief Ambassador Vanadict's pale visage appeared on the screen before Si. She looked at what she could see, his head and upper torso, surprised as he bowed low. "Ambassador?" she asked, "what in all the Forgotten Realms is going on?"

Si recounted events from his last report, after the Mysan troops had captured the hill and taken the bandit command post, securing a portal for his last transmission. He told her about the battle preventing the North bandit force from rendezvousing with the Army, of the Ball and the kidnapping of himself and Krystic, their treatment and the events and people of the bandit village, the banishing of Monta and Marxius, Doblo's attempt to arrest him, the bandit attack and the Alversian kitsune reinforcements, and finally the status on the healing of Krystic and what little he knew of when and where the large final battle would occur.

"It sounds to me," said Vanadict finally, "like the unification process is going well. I don't need to tell you to be weary of General Doblo or the Dromintine, not after the kidnapping and your incident with the man. Captain Mendez's name will need to be cleared later, but trust we won't simply forget about it: The events will be on record as you have told them until such a time that they may be needed. Once this is all over General Doblo and his soldiers will need to be brought to justice, or at the very least stripped of their command. But none of that's important now. At the moment your main focus should be on this bandit leader called Marxius and his troops. Once his army is put down and he is killed or captured negotiations will go much smoother. Do all that you can to assist the Kingdoms to locate the General, but the Alversians come first. As always, keep an eye on Her Majesty, things may look good now but the situation can change in the blink of an eye, as you've seen.

At this time you have been declared representative to all of Macronia from the Kitsune Empire. Congratulations, Ambassador." She smiled. "Give my regards and well-wishes to the Queen. Do you have any requests from Xiscapia? We have authorized a Black Guard detachment to your location if you wish it."

Si shook his head. "After the kidnapping that would only make it seem like I did not trust Mysan security. I'm sure they'll be much more careful and alert now, so I need no additional guards or escorts. I will do my best for Mysan, and this station seems to be more or less a permanent, public fixture, so I will be able to contact you if anything important comes up."

Vanadict gave a slight bow. "Carry on, Ambassador. And for Qonn's sake, take a shower and go to the baths. We wouldn't want anyone's first impression of Xiscapia to be a blood-soaked kitsune wearing rags, would we? Keep me informed, you know my line is always open."

Si bowed deep again. "Yes Chief Ambassador, thank you. I will need to return to the Palace now, they are expected me." He cut the link and stepped out of the room, nodding to the attendant. "All done, thanks you very much." The slightest of bows and he was gone, hoof beats pounding away in the direction of the Palace.

The first that Si would run into was Doblo, the overweight Dromintine General who was standing with another group of Dromintine Officers. They were chatting and laughing at something when one of their number noticed the Kitsune approaching. Their laughter quickly fell into silence at the sight of the blood-soaked Ambassador. Most simply nodded their greetings. Doblo was in no mood to be quiet,
"Ah, Ambassador!" he gave a unfriendly smile and waved to his Comrades, "We were just talking about the Kitsune performance at the Bandit Villiage. Sadly, as none of us could be there we cannot really comment on the situation. Care to enlighten us?" he was sneering, "Pick up a weapon did you?"

"I did," said Si mildly, not bowing. "It was a battle, needless death, bloodshed and destruction, just like any other. What of it?"

"Oh, nothing, I just heard a certain unit from Alversia. The...615th? Broke in the battle and fled in terror from Marxius. We heard it was a human unit that forced them back" He smiled slyly, staring at the Ambassador with malice. The other Officers hung back, uncertain of what to say and feeling awkward in the atmosphere of hate in the area,
"So, Ambassador," Doblo asked midly, "Do you believe that Kitsune are capable of sustaining a strong frontline or should they just clean the boots of the proper soldiers?"

"I know kitsune are more than capable of maintaining a steady line of defense." said Si calmly. "Some did so today, you may ask them directly if you like. I know for a fact my people have, we have fought enemies who could crush you in an instant, foes who could roll over your pathetic excuse for an Empire without even realizing it. You could ask any soldier or former soldier in our military, any Alversian who has ever fought alongside us, any opponent who has found cause to war with us, we don't back down. We fight until we are victorious or we die. If by 'proper soldiers' you mean yours, I wonder why you consistently confuse kitsune with those humans that make up your Kingdom, because you describe in detail all I have seen of them. Merely because you are incapable of even fighting in a battle, never mind commanding successfully in one, doesn't mean all others are at your level, General."

"Your people, your people" Doblo repeated in a whimpering voice before laughing out loud, causing his own men to jump back slightly. The General had gone red in the face but, other than this, he showed no sign of having heard Si's comments about Xiscapians or Kitsune in general,
"What, you planning to run Mysan as well? Using your connections eh? I don't blame you. This must be the easiest place in the world to conquer. Just give that little scrap of a Queen a little nudge and she'll bend power to whoever wants it. I know all about her and her uncle, how long did he rule through her? A year and a half? That Runt was never meant for Rule, she was never meant to be Royalty. No strength you see,"
Doblo tapped his forehead, "No inner strength. None of them. Need a human brain, that's what they need. None of this mushy Queenie meanie Nonsense, just give the power to someone who deserves it"

"Another word against her and I will make sure you never insult Her Majesty in my presence again," said Si entirely pleasantly, hands in his pockets, looking nonchalant. He looked around at the other officers, meeting their gazes where he could and seeing others look away or suddenly find the ground of considerable interest. "Do the rest of you buy into this xenophobic nonsense as well? What could possibly urge you to persist in your blind, ignorant lies against kitsune? You see I am trying to appeal to your better nature, when many humans would have snapped by this point and beaten this man you call General into a bloody pulp. How can this be the actions of a lower or inferior being?"

"What? Kitsune? Inferior?" Doblo laughed again, "No, Kitsune, you're worse than that. You're well below Inferior. You don't even deserve a title. You're nothing more than a ragged little speck of dirt on the boot of the great races on this planet. All of you!" He snarled, "Including those big black ones that stroll aroud here like they're someone important. Ha! I see their leader has picked up a shot in the shoulder. Pity it didn't hit him in the head and rid us of another pest. And you're Queen," He inhaled deeply and shook his head, indicating the real hammer blow was about to come,
"She is without a doubt, the most pathetic scrap of life I have ever seen on the face of this planet. Always trembling and shaking, crying when a decision comes, flinching when someone bigger looks at her." He shook his head, "If Kitsune are below Inferior, then she is below even you. I don't know why they made her Queen. If it had been me I would have wrapped a noose around her neck and finished the job then instead of letting the snivelling wreck actually have some power! Ha! What nonsense is that! Ha!"
Doblo laughed, enjoying the small audience of Si and his own Officers, all of whom were still looking at the ground or into the distance.

Si simply sighed and shook his head at the foolish stupidity of this man. Doblo felt something seize him around the neck, though there was nothing there. As he opened his mouth to cry an exclamation a force like an invisible fist clenched, cutting off his air, constricting his throat and causing a pathetic noise like a squawk to admit from the man as he was lifted from his feet a few inches into the air, boots dangling beneath him. Si did not appear to be doing anything as he stepped forward, looking up at the General as he choked and gagged, cool yellow eyes staring into that of the Dromintine's. "You never listen, do you," he shook his head sadly. Black dots were exploding in front of Doblo's eyes. "You could die, right here, right now. But good news for you," he smiled, "I don't think you will."

Doblo dropped to the ground, kicking up sand and dust as he retched, on his fat belly, shaking. Si knelled down beside him. "That was only a taste, the slightest touch. Speak against Krystic again and you may feel the blow of a hammer." The Xiscapian stood, nodding to the suddenly unconscious General, waving to his officers who stumbled over themselves to back away as if Si held a blaster. "Your superior has collapsed in the desert heat, probably due to not enough exercise and too much wine and rich food. I'd suggest you get him to a hospital."

He turned and walked away, leaving them with their inert commander and a dust cloud. He hated to inflict the likes of Doblo upon any kitsune hospital staff, but the man had gone too far. Talks would be easier without him, and this way Si could not be held in the wrong light. He had never so much as laid a hand on the Dromintine, and the officers were all obviously disloyal or disagreeing with Doblo, making them excellent witnesses in that they would only tell the story Si had told them to. No one would believe the man himself: A kitsune with strange powers? Obviously just more his hate-mongering in an effort to blemish and blacken their name furthermore. Si felt bad about it, but there just wasn't anything else he could do in good honor.

There was silence following Si's dealing with Doblo, there was not a sound apart from the retching of the man himself. His men had crowded around him, all trying to help him up, they were muttering something to their injured General, trying to coax him to his feet. There was more silence, then,
"Guards! Guards!"
Just behind Si was another Dromintine Officer, being followed by an Alversian Lieutenant, his sabre glistening in the light as it hung by his side. He stood and watched the Ambassador forlornly as a dozen Mysan Kitsune poured into the hall and surrounded Si,
"You...you saw what he did! He attacked with the force!" Doblo managed to stutter, "attempted murder on a senior Officer! That's a hanging offence, that's a hanging offence!" His men gently dragged him to his feet and looked at Si with a mixture of disgust and pity.
The Alversian Lieutenant, supremely young, approached the Ambassador and sighed,
"Your weapon please, Ambassador" He said helplessly indicating to Si's blaster. The Mysan Kitsune all had weapons trained reluctantly on Si while the Lieutenant seemed unharmed.

Figures, Si thought, I and the Queen herself are kidnapped and there isn't so much as a suspicious look in our direction, but lay out justice on one pompous, arrogant fool and guards swarm from all directions. In a word, typical..."Of course, Lieutenant," said Si smoothly, handing over his pistol to the man butt-first. "However, I will have you know the General revealed to me his intentions to murder the Queen of Mysan. What were your exact words...? Ah yes, 'If it had been me I would have wrapped a noose around her neck.' That is treason, General." Si looked to Doblo. "And I am sure the other Kingdoms will be most displeased to find yet another threat to the safety of Her Majesty, especially within their midst. I have witnesses," he nodded to the Officers, "who heard it with their own ears."

They would never say so, of course, not with Doblo around. But take them away, offer protection, and perhaps they would be convinced. It didn't matter, Doblo needed to be removed from Mysan anyway. The men he brought with him were a threat, something that should have been blatantly obvious after the kidnapping, yet he was still allowed full run of the Palace with all his men and no visible guards or monitors...

Upon the accusation, there was no sign of approval from the Officers who all shook their heads and processed their disgust at such a statement and that Si had launched an unprovoked attack on the General. The young Lieutenant, although he suspected that such words had been stated, was stuck. In normal circumstances, a dozen witnesses against one man were not enough and there was nothing he could do but obey the laws laid down by his Superiors, all he could do was try and dampen the sentence,
"Ambassador Si," He announced, "You are under arrest for assualting a Senior officer of his Imperial Majesty's Dromintine Army. You have the right to remain silent although anything you say may be given in evidence against you" He nodded to a satisfied Doblo then looked back at Si who was now surrounded by the Mysan troops,
"Please escort the Ambassador to the cells please Corporal. We shall convene a military court as soon as possible."

Si shook his head, evidently unworried. "With all due respect, Lieutenant, under whose authority are you arresting me? Yours? The Alversians have no authority here, and even if they did your law states that a suspect is innocent until proven guilty, and these officers are certainly not unbiased witnesses. This is not Dromintine soil either, and I suggest you not forget my diplomatic immunity status as an Ambassador. If you wish to arrest me under Mysan laws then I will go quietly and cooperatively, but the Queen will never stand for this blatant stupidity and ignorance of the law on your part. I suggest you conduct an investigation and allow me to go."

"Sorry, Ambassador but I am attached to the Alversian Army and am acting by Mysan laws which state that any threat or attempt on another's life demand instant detention until the suspect's innocence can be proven before a court of peers," The Lieutenant explained sadly, "As for diplomatic immunity, for reasons you have just explained yourself, regarding the safety of the Queen in the form of her old enemies who, as Ambassador's would have immunity from any harm inflicted upon her, there is no diplomatic immunity within the city walls. I am truly sorry Ambassador but must I add resistance to apprehension as well to your arrest?" He desperately wanted the Ambassador to come quietly for he must not be seen to have favourites, he had to treat this like any other case,
"I am afraid that the Queen must accept her own laws" He sighed.

"Am I resisting arrest, Lieutenant?" Si held his wrists out for the handcuffs to the Corporal designated his escort, cursing this foolish man and his stubborn loyalty to the system. How could he believe and accept the unpopular, kitsune-hating General's words over Si's, the Queen's favorite and official delegate from the Kitsune Empire? "You are making a mistake, mark my words."

Si was determined, and though being irked by rules and regulations surfaced that no one had apparently bothered to tell him, he was slightly pleased. Provoking an assault and speaking high treason would make nice additions to Doblo's other crimes, and if the first were not enough these should at least put the man away for life. He looked at Doblo's triumphant face and simply smiled. The just and righteous always win in the end, General. It would do you good to remember that. Of course, at this stage, perhaps it would do you better to simply enjoy the last life in freedom you have left before you are tried and convicted of your crimes.

The Lieutenant shook his head in sorrow as Si was led towards the cells. He had to take what was said at face value, for it Doblo was arrested against the words of Si and in contrast to what was said by all the other witnesses, then the Alliance would fall apart. The Dromintine would leave the Alliance and the Alversians would be forced completely from the planet. It was not his choice, for he would naturally believe Si anyday over the overweight Doblo, but higher authourity had commanded that he had to obey these rules.

Two hours later, Mysan Palace cells

In the dank and quiet cells beneath the main palace complex, Si was alone, for the palace cells were no longer used permenantly and had been used since Krystic had closed them forever. Now they were used as temporary holding cells for people awaiting trial within the palace. Only the steady dripping of liquid from above the cells was present and a dull light coming from the bulbs in each corner of the cell.
Then, through the quiet, the sound of someone approaching was evident, from the regular splashes in the pulles that indicated footsteps in the hollowed hall,
It was Krystic, her eyes red with tears as she looked through the bars at Si, stretching her hand through to reach his
"They can't do this," She sobbed bitterly, "They can't. I won't let them. I'll withdraw Mysan from the Alliance. I'll declare war on the Dromintine, I'll kill Doblo myself" There was a savagry in her voice that Si would never have heard before, "I'll do anything," She whimpered.

Si reached out, falling on his knees before Krystic, hand outstretched to hers. "Forgive me, I let my anger get the better of me. Don't let the same happen to you, there's nothing the Dromintine would like more. They've gone too far this time, Krystic. Murderers and conspirators shouldn't be allowed to get away with their crimes, no matter their rank, standing or affiliation. All the other Kingdoms detest the Dromintine, don't you think they would understand if Doblo was convicted of his crimes? It's not fair that the Dromintine own the only portal to the sky, they're holding the entire planet back to serve their own selfish stupidity. There must be a way to take it from them, there must!" He nearly screamed the last words, eyes wild, covered in stinking gore and sweat. "They do not see reason, they look out only for themselves. The other Kingdoms must be made to see this, the Alversians cannot go against the Dromintine directly, but they can! If the others fight the Dromintine they can take the portal and it won't matter whether they're in the alliance or not. You must listen to me," he keeled forward, grabbing the hem of her robes though the bars, "this cannot be allowed to continue! They are an obstruction to progress, people are dying because of them! The Dromintine Empire is evil, they are our enemy!" His voice was rasping, Si was clearly unhealthy and near the breaking point. "You and the others must hold a council to decide this...the fate of Mysan and of the world depends on it. What happens now is unchangeable, what is decided now is decided forever."

"I'll do what I can," Krystic nodded at his instructions, crying to see the Kitsune Ambassador in such a state
"I love you," She whispered tearfully through the bars before being dragged off by one of her Aides. For the longest time, she held on to Si, unwilling to break the connection,
"Be strong," she whispered through the bars, "For me"
Then she was gone.

It took only a few hours to set up a court for the trial. The jury consisted of Alversian Officers as well as Officers from the other Kingdoms. The judge was General Decius of Mysan who sat at a table by himself. Doblo and his Officers were on one side, while Si and Nysan, who was acting as his Lawyer, were on the other. Krystic was absent from the trial.

Doblo went first and, with much persuasive wording and the benefit of a dozen witnesses, spoke to the audience and the Jury about the unprovoked attack and Si's hatred of the Dromintine and their achievements. The courtroom sizzled with hatred towards the Dromintine but either they were not aware of it or they managed to ignore it. Then it was the turn of the defence.
Nysan stood up and spoke at length about Si's character, about the unreliability of the Dromintine, but he had very little to go on. There was nothing but Si's word against those of thirteen others, including the Alversian Lieutenant who could not lie under oath. It was a grim trial indeed.
"Ambassador Si," Decius announced sadly at the end of the trial, "is there anything you would like to say before the Jury retires to deliver a verdict?"

"Yes, your Honor. I would like to question, and if failing that at least ask the jury to take into account, the reliability of using loyal Dromintine officers almost exclusively as witnesses. Forgive me, but I do not believe their word can be trusted when it is their superior who is in question, they would have little choice but to show loyalty to him. Secondly I object to the statement that the attack I made on the General was unprovoked. I have no reliable witnesses, so you have no ones word to trust but my own, but I clearly heard the General state his intentions not only to bring undue and quite possibly fatal harm to the Queen of Mysan, but he also accused me of plotting to overthrow the Queen and further antagonized me into action with racist insults designed to anger me." Si bowed. "That is all, you Honor, thank you."

"The Court recognises the Defendant's statement and it will be put on record for further study," Decius nodded to Si but his hands were tied. The Jury left the room for half an hour of discussion and debate. They knew as well as anyone that Si was probably innocent and that he did not deserve what he would suffer. However, there was nothing they could do in the face of the evidence against him. The Ambassador was a victim of politics.
"Your Honour," A Mysan Captain explained, "We find the Victim, Ambassador Si of Xiscapia, guil..."

"Stop the trial!"

Everyone turned to look at the entrance, where an Alversian Colonel had entered. His uniform indicated that he was on the General's staff and he had supreme air of confidence and authourity,
"Commander in Chief of all Allied Forces," The Colonel looked at a stunned Doblo and his consorts, "General Richard Sharpe uses his executive authourity to suspend this trial until the war against the Bandits has been completed. He demand that the Prisoner be treated as a POW of the Mysan Army and thus granted the full freedom of the city..."

"...you can't do that!" Doblo announced in a blind rage, "You cannot overturn justice! He has been found guilty and must be killed!"

"Actually," Decius was smiling, "I did not make the sentence official, did I, head Juror?"

"No Sir," The Kitsune smiled back,

"Excellent, so we shall await the decision of the court upon the completion of our war against the Bandit Army. Case dismissed" Decius banged his gravel and the case was over.

"I'll get you," Doblo whispered to Si as he passed, "You'll swing from a noose before this war is over" As he walked away, the Colonel saluted Si,

"General Sharpe sends his compliments Sir and suggests that you are more careful about who you attack in future, Colonel Barnes by the way" he offered his hand, "Colonel James Barnes"

Si just bowed, having ignored the curious words of Decius as he passed. He would not have thought the kitsune to be his enemy, and his presiding as judge was worrisome at best, warranting in Si's mind a new, unbiased official if he was so determined to have the Xiscapian hung for his alleged crimes.
"I expect you already know who I am, Colonel Barnes, and while I am grateful for your and the General's invention, this entire hearing was a joke. If the law is so broken that a man with multiple offenses against several different parties can press charges warranting execution against an Ambassador who should face a heavy fine at worst and win, the law must be rewritten or the staggeringly large influence and sway held by those who would see me dead eliminated. I am not pleased, Colonel, not pleased at all."

Si made a show of wiping his hand on his stained, heavily soiled clothes. "I have not eaten, drunk or bathed in nearly two days, yet it is seen as acceptable for me to be seen and even expected of me to defend myself in a court of law. Quite frankly, I am disgusted with this state of affairs. If you will excuse me, I am going to take care of my basic needs which have been neglected by both those who saw fit to try me here and my supposed hosts before I pass out. Good day to you." He turned on heel and exited the courtroom.

Si knew it was not the Colonel's fault, he did he deserve the tongue-lashing Si had just given out, but as should have been evident by Si's violent attack on General Doblo, the kitsune was at the end of his rope. He had been attacked repeatedly since he had arrived, been kidnapped twice and nearly killed both times, surrounded by familiar races in a strange land, and was subject to the xenophobic hate of one kingdom who was supposed to be his ally, all while struggling with the pressures of his superiors, his personal attachment to the Queen of Mysan, trying to prevent said Queen from spiraling into a pit of depression and losing all hope, and weaving his way though the complex politics of the Plains with little help and virtually no guidance. He had been mistreated and rescued, only to receive practically the same abuse at the hands of his so-called friends and comrades, and only a last-minute intervention by the same people who had seen fit to punish him for minor, justified crimes had prevented his untimely execution at their hands.

In short, Si was tired, angry, frustrated, weak, confused and rapidly losing hope for a successful alliance and defeat of the bandit enemy with so much infighting. At the moment all he wanted to do was eat, bath and sleep, withdraw from the world for a time and recoup his energies before he knew he would be thrust back out again to work diplomacy once more.

It was not until 24 hours later, when Si had been given a chance to rest, bathe and eat, that Colonel Barnes arrived at his room with General Decius and the tall, powerful Nysan of Lunasa, who had defended Si at the trial with all the energy he could muster,
"Ambassador," Barnes stated at the door, "I must speak with you...we...must speak with you and explain our position," he waited patiently. General Sharpe was not present for he was busy gathering the Allied Army to march on the Bandits. His new second in command would have to explain Si's position on the plains.

"Of course," Si bowed, moving back from the door to allow Barnes and Nysan to enter the room. "Have a seat, please." He himself sat down on the end of his bed, indicating a small table and two chairs in the corner nearby. Si had eaten, bathed, changed and rested, and was once more looking and feeling like his old self. He wore his Ambassadorial robes, starched and clean, without a hair out of place anywhere and practically radiating a sort of soothing calmness. The Xiscapian had found it worth his time to practice his meditation and see matters with a broader, more open mind. Now he felt he was ready again for whatever they had to throw at him.

"Thank you," The two entered the room and sat in the chairs, Barnes seemed to be supremely confident while Nysan was glowering as if he had said more than enough to Barnes to explain his position and the falseness of the trial,
"I must ask Ambassador," Barnes asked once he had settled in the chair and Si was comfortable. Nysan had not been comfortable for days, with his wounded shoulder,
"I must asked, Ambassador," He said again, "What do you think of your trial? I don't just mean the one that was suspended, and for that you have Decius to thank, but the one that will inevitably happen once this war is over?"

"Actually, Colonel, I am unsure if Decius is entirely fit to be judge in my trial. As he passed me going out he swore I will hang before the war ends. Naturally this worries me, it was not enough for the jury and witnesses to be biased, but even the judge would like to execute me? No doubt a entirely new panel of people need to be selected in all areas. Except for you, Nysan," Si nodded his thanks, "you did well, I suspect we only lost because it was rigged to. The result we nearly came to was hugely disproportionate to the crime."

"You misunderstood his words, Ambassador," Barnes explained, "What he meant was that the official decision of the jury would wait until the end of the war, hence giving it time to change. You should thank him, for he has broken Mysan law in that once the Jury has made a decision it must be enforced no matter what stage the trial is at. By suspending the sentence, he risks his own arrest and discharge from the Mysan Army"
Barnes gave a sad nod,
"I understand your disappointment at the trial but you must see the position that the court is in. There are fourteen men, all of whom are supporting the same story against one man. I hasten to point out that General Sharpe himself has awarded four of those Dromintine Officers with Alversian medals for bravery. Their service record is impeccable. You must see the position we are in?" He asked vainly, knowing that Si's life was on the line here.

Si just shook his head. He knew what Decius had said, there was no mistaking what he had said for a threat. Obviously these people were too blind or in denial to see it. "General Decius said, "I'll get you" before that, if he did not threaten me I don't know what a threat is," he explained slowly and patiently. "Furthermore, I don't care what the record of those officers is or what medals they have received from anyone. They are clearly not reliable, they all swore loyalty to Doblo once they entered the service! Of course they would go against me, they are Dromintine defending one of their own. Outside of court, everyone knows I am right and justified, but because of Plains politics and power plays I am going to be killed for a crime that was fully provoked and does not warrant it. This is ridiculous, Colonel, surely you must see it? How can you allow this to continue?"

OOC: Ah Bollocks!! What a typo! I've only noticed that now, it was meant to be Doblo said that!! :eek:

"I'm afraid that that is not the Decius that I know, Ambassador, It is possible that someone beside the General could have spoken as the General did so and you may have confused his words, it was possible in your former state Sir. With regards to your crime, I am truly sorry, but you did attack him and, on Xiscapia, if a Citzen was attacked after provoking the Attacker what would the sentence be? If it was only the two against each other then who would be believed? You see the problem we have Ambassador? There is only one option, you must perform an act of extreme Valour, either on the battlefield or off it to prove your merit beyond doubt, so that even Doblo would not dare challenge it. There is a chance that, once the battle is over and we begin to withdraw, that we can force a 'not guilty' verdict from the Jury but until then" Barnes shrugged, "I'm sorry"

OOC: OH, lol! :rolleyes:
IC:
Si closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. "What I have done is not enough then?" he sighed. "I do not see how, with Doblo's record, his word can be trusted over mine, an honest Ambassador with no previous offenses anywhere. However, I suppose I am forced to accept this parody of the law for now, and I will strive to find a heroic act," he said these last few words with undisguised venom, "to make and clear my name. After my guilt is determined, what of General Doblo? He was scheduled to appear in court for defacing and tarnishing the name of Captain Mendez, but I have heard nothing of it even though I was to testify against him. Will such still stand?"

"I don't know," Barnes had to be honest, "I really don't know. It was a Dromintine Case that was brought before General Owens and now General Sharpe. If they choose to drop it, then they may do so. I don't like it either Ambassador but we must act by local laws and local laws are...if you don't mind me saying so, a little screwed up" Barnes looked at Nysan who nodded,

"If it were up to me, Ambassador," he said in his thick jamaican like accent, "Doblo would already be dead and you a King in his place," He chuckled, "Anyway, who knows how long this war may pan out. Doblo may forget it once something else comes that threatens his ego"

"A flea could threaten his ego," muttered Si. "It is my job to end this war any way I can, and if bringing everyone to peace means I put my life on the line once more, so be it. I will be sure, though, to consult the Queen and see what changes can be made to the law so this never happens again. It is too easy for foreigners or offworlders to become entrapped by Mysans laws when used to the advantage of others. It will bring me great pleasure to be able to testify anywhere against General Doblo, but if the Dromintine drop the case I will press charges against him personally if you Alversians have not beaten me to it.
Anyway, what news comes of the bandits now? Do we know what they might try next?"

"Everything depends on the outcome of the war, Ambassador," Barnes stated sadly, "If the Bandits are victorious, then there will be no time for anything" Upon hearing Si's question, Barnes thought for a moment, trying to bring to mind the discussion he had had with General Sharpe, a brilliant general but a tad cold with those below him.
"Well Sir, if we are lucky, and I suspect we may be, then Marxius is going to make a stand within a few days. We are already marching to confront them and it will not be long before we have to do battle with them again" He seemed nervous but also quietly confident.
"As for the changing of Mysan laws, that is something you will have to take up with the Queen" He smiled and got up,
"Now if you don't mind, myself and the General here," He indicted to Nysan, "Have to catch up to the rest of the Army. Good luck Ambassador," he offered his hand, then left. As he was leaving though, he turned to Si,

"The Queen is in the throne room. She wants your presence as soon as humanly possible" with that, he was gone.

Si shook Barne's hand, bowed to both and nodded in acknowledgement of his words. The kitsune knew, as he walked though the halls to the Throne Room, that the war should be won on the side of the Kingdoms unless either there was a terrible tactical mistake or the bandits had something hidden up their sleeves. Upon reaching the Throne Room and being admitted he bowed deeply to Krystic. "Her Majesty calls?" he asked with a smile.

In the throne room were well over two dozen people, all relating to the Queen and her kidnapping or the battle that had proceeded. Some of them were asking her questions, shouting to make themselves heard over each other, others were just standing and taking photograhs while more were painting the Queen in some noble pose with armour and a sword. Krystic seemed alarmed by all the attention and, despite the best efforts of her aides, they could not control the mass of Press, a mass that soon swallowed Si up.

"Ambassador! Ambassador!" A dozen kitsune shouted at once, "Is it true you are close to the Queen!"

"When are you going to the frontline!"

"Is it true you are engaged to the Queen?"

"When are you to hang for your crimes Ambassador!"

"Did you fight with the Bandits in the trenches!"

"What is your mission here!"

Oh Great Qonn, haven't you punished me enough already?
He did what any sensible kitsune would in such a situation.
"No comment! No comment, no comment..." he shouted back, pushing though the mob as best he could. "Excuse me please, pardon me, thank you, 'scuse me," he regretted that you weren't aloud to hack your way though with a machete like one would foliage in a thick jungle. He finally stumbled out at the other side, still hounded by them, and tried to make his way to Krystic as best he could.

Soon the two Kitsune were together and a terrified Krystic threw her arms around Si for protection, trying to block out the endless shouting and photographers. However, the gesture only drew more questions and more flashes until there was almost a constant blinding light in the room. The questions quickly died down though, for Decius entered with a detachment of Royal Guards and informed the Media that the Queen needed a rest.
The reporters looked on reluctantly as they were politely but firmly sheparded from the room by the Kitsune troops. Soon, only Si, Krystic, Decius and a few Aides were in the room.
Decius nodded to Si,
"Apologies for the trial, Ambassador, but you must have understood my position," He was desperate for an understanding, for he liked the Ambassador and had only taken the case with the hope of getting a lenient sentence.
Krystic was still hugging Si as though her life depended on it.

"Uh, yes, of course," said Si distractedly, attempting to simultaneously comfort Krystic and pry her tight grasp away from his midsection. "I'm afraid," he said quietly into the Queen's ear, "that you may have just inflamed the minds of editors and publishers all over Mysan. I don't suppose anyone knows what the word "tabloid" means?" he asked dryly, dreading what he might see in tomorrow's paper, or worse, hear from others. It took very little to get the imaginations of people in that line of business going, and sometimes, nothing at all.
Unfortunately, Krystic had, just by her one action, given them enough to write a book with.
Si didn't know if he'd ever be able to face his superiors again.

"Tabloids?" Decius shook his head as he turned to leave, "I'm afraid I am not sure what that means although I can garuntee that all of Mysan will know of this by midnight, perhaps even before that." He smiled, "For what it's worth, I think you make an excellent couple" With that, he was gone.

Krystic loosened her grip and sat crosslegged next to Si, she looked at him sadly,
"Have I got you into trouble?" She asked apprehenisvely, afraid that she may have caused some bother with her instinctive action to try and protect herself from the prying attention of the press, she had not experienced that before and hoped she never had to again.

"Maybe," said Si honestly, sitting down beside her and taking both her hands into his. "I had no idea Mysan even had anything that could be defined as the media. This may make...things more difficult, for us. I guess it would have gotten out sooner or later, though," he gave an elaborate shrug. "It really depends on what my superiors on Xiscapia think, and what the papers will say tomorrow about you and I. If they cast either of us in a bad light it will be an annoyance at best, a disaster at worst. Undoubtedly they will interview others...I shudder to think what General Doblo might say."

"I didn't think of that," Krystic seemed sad now and her ears drooped in sorrow, "I didn't mean to get you in trouble" She was still sitting, her hands in Si's,
"I just don't like a lot of noise and so many people trying to talk to me at once. It scares me," She finally admitted, looking at the floor, She was silent for a few moments before she looked up, fresh panic in her voice,
"What will your superiors do? If they hear about this? They won't make you leave will they?" She asked apprehenisively

"They might pull me from this assignment," Si nodded in sorrow. "If I get a bad reputation around here, which is quite possible what with the trial, or if our Alversian allies feel I am impeding their progress or damaging relations, which I may be, I'll be recalled to the Motherland. Look," he said tenderly, "I understand that all that frightened you, made you nervous and anxious. But I have the feeling it will happen again, and probably with more frequency. Indeed, I know that if Xis-Mysan relations are strong you'll probably be invited to the Imperial Palace at some point on Xiscapia, or the Emperor or his wife or one of the higher-ups might come here to meet you. You have to face this, it might not seem like it but this is something most rulers go though. You need to learn how to deal with it, it comes with the job."

Krystic now looked absolutely terrified at the prospect of Si being recalled to Xiscapia, leaving her on her own. She knew she wasn't on her own but, without Si, she would lose not only her emotional pillar, but her love as well. She couldn't cope with that,
"You can't go," She whispered, tears beginning to appear in her eyes, "You can't leave me" She hugged him gently, putting her head into his chest, "I know I shouldn't be scared but all that talk, all those questions. I don't know who to turn to or who to answer and the neverending flashes confuse and disorientate me. I don't know how to act" She shook her head.

"I might not have a choice in the matter," Si put a hand on her head, running his fingers though her hair, easing down her back. "If they do decide to recall me I'll fight it, I'll campaign to get them to let me stay. It all depends, I cannot refuse a direct order, if I do they would probably have the Alversians forcibly remove and deport me. Anytime you call a press conference, or someone's going to interview you, tell me so I can be there and support you. Over time you'll learn how to cope and even excel in such situations. I'll help you, reporters and cameras are nothing to fear."

"If you go," Krystic said quietly, "I don't know what I'll do" It was the truth, Si was her support now and she showed it by hugging him tightly again, like a child would it's mother
"I need to be more confidet in front of them but I can't. It feels like they're all against me, they're all trying to find something wrong with me"

"They're looking for juicy stories, the scoop, as it were. You are the face of the government, so you have to stand strong and back up your statements and actions with a good defense so they can only report good things. I know it's hard, when I return to the Motherland I don't doubt I'll be met by a crowd of reporters, but I'll be here to help you. I promise." he said softly.

"Thank you," She said softly and looked up tenderly into his eyes, she was still breathing heavily but she seemed to have calmed down since the Press had been ushered out. She didn't like them but they were an unneccessary evil. Another one.
"What will they write about us?" she asked, again anxious, "What can they write about us? Will it be bad?"

Si shrugged. "There's no way of knowing until they publish it. They could speak of you in glowing terms, highlight the victories in battle and your courage and compassion, or it could instead focus on things like the trial, your kidnapping, those killed in battle, criticisms from your opponents, and so on. We'll just have to wait and see."

"I hate waiting," Krystic admitted still sitting down, "I hate it because, in my experience, there's usually something bad waiting at the end for you" She gave a small shiver,
"I must have looked so stupid," She said sadly, "Clutching on to you like you were the only thing in the world that could protect me. They were my people and I was scared of them," She sounded ashamed now, "I was actually scared of them."

"A Queen should fear her people; At the end of the day, they're the ones who matter. But you shouldn't be scared of them, they're not going to kill you or try and bring you any harm. It's entirely irrational, and you'll have to learn to overcome it."

"I'm not scared of the normal people, the ones who work and walk up and down the streets and go to the market days and waited outside the hospital to see that I was alright, I'm afraid of the one's who come in here and ask questions. Lots of questions and they want good answers to all of them. If I can't answer instantly, then they assume I don't have an answer at all. My every move is charted and plotted and twisted into something it's not. That's why I'm scared of them"
Krystic had said this in one breath, looking at Si in fear as if expecting some tongue lashing for her stupidity. She knew it was stupid, she couldn't help it.

"Krystic, I know you know that none of them are trying to hurt you. At this stage it's a psychological thing, a almost instinctive reaction, a reflex. No matter what you say, they're going to try to turn it into something it's not. So just say what you know and believe, and ignore everything else. With practise it'll come to you, I'm sure of it." He smiled reassuringly. "Next time I'll be there, and you'll see how easy it is to stand tall and firm against those reporters."

"Thank you," Krystic said again, smiling, "I don't know how to deal with the press, I've never dealt with them before. Now they all want interviews and they all want information on the battles and me. I don't know what to tell them and I don't know who to talk to, who I can trust. I just don't know" She shook her head again in sorrow, for the young Kitsune was lost and needed the guidance that she had never been given before. She needed guidance now.

"You'll be fine. You're a capable, competent leader, I'm sure Mysan will enter a golden age under your rule. You'll come though alright, you have before and you will again" Si pressed closer to her, lips by her ear again. "Trust me."

"I've always trusted you" Krystic smiled and hugged him, this time more warmly, seeking the comfort more than anything. She raised herself to his level and kissed him again, rubbing their cheeks togather immediatly afterwards, enjoying the sensation it gave her,
"I always will trust you" She sighed in pleasure.

Si returned the kiss, smiling in contentment, relishing the pleasure of simply being able to be close to Krystic and, if only for a moment, forgetting his own worries and fears by calming hers. He rubbed his cheek against hers affectionately, not wanting this to end, feeling her pressed close against him though the robes.

They were together for a few moments before Decius entered the room again. He watched the two Kitsune, unseen for a few moments before coughing to make his presence known to the pair.
Krystic broke off when she saw him, blushing slightly at being caught, like a teenager with an illeciate boyfriend,
"Yes, General?" She asked patiently.

"Dinner is served Ma'am," Decius bowed, "The Ambassadors are waiting. Well," he smiled at Si, "All but one"

"Thank you," Si nodded to Decius, not at all abashed. "Shall we, Your Majesty?" he inquired of Krystic, bowing to allow her to lead the way.

Krystic smiled at his confidence, took his hand and headed with him to the Great Hall. it would be a private dinner, no sign of Doblo or his cronies.

"What is on the menu for tonight?" asked Si as they made their way though the halls. Despite his being hosted by the Queen he had actually had little chance to taste Palace food, a meal here and there, when he wasn't busy at a ball or being kidnapped.

"Well," Krystic stopped as they entered the grand dining room to rapturous applause from the other Guests. The Ambassadors from the ball, save for Doblo and the two Alversian Generals were present. Nysan was at the front with Decius and both grinned widely as the blushing Queen settled down to the chair at the head of the table. Si was sat at her right hand side.
Before anyone could talk though, Colonel Barnes stood and raised his glass, nodding at the pair,
"To the Queen and Ambassador!" He announced, a statement that was echoed through the hall as each guest raised his glass in salute. All took a deep drink before the first plates began to arrive, a type of potatoe salad, specially made with Kitsune in mind,
"I don't deserve all this," a red faced Krystic muttered to Si as the Guests heaped more praise upon the pair, it was not just Krystic but Si as well, whom the Generals were congratulating for putting Doblo in his place.

Nobody was more surprised than Si. If anything he had expected to be shunned after the trial, either because those who did so believed he had unjustly assaulted Doblo, or because he had damaged relations with his rashness. Apparently everyone else also knew the man was an arrogant, overbearing fool and either he hadn't damaged relations at all or everyone was happy to ignore that he had. He murmured his thanks and humbly underplayed his actions and statements to the others, taking several large loads of potato salad as it was passed around. "It was nothing, really, just doing my job..." He looked to Krystic. "You do, Your Majesty. I don't, I was not the one who bore over twenty lash marks on my back."

"Your Job!" The Ilondian Ambassador laughed, "Your job was to tie relations with all our nations, not to put a Braggard on his back! Still, cheers!" He laughed and drunk deeply from his cup, most of the guests were tucking in hungrily to the Salad, though Nysan seemed able to pick through it, it seemed his branch of Kitsune were not as keen on potato was the rest of his kind,
Krystic was eating away and glowing with delight at the praise she was recieving, the generals seemed to like her and she liked the attention they were giving her, she did need it after all. Like Si, she downplayed her actions,
"I only did it for Mysan," She said to them, with brought more admirous applause, "I didn't want to let them all down"

"Hear! hear!" Decius shouted from further down the table with his glass high in the air.

"May the Kingdom of Mysan and all her allies grow and prosper in the coming years," Si lifted his glass. "With such a leader at the head, there is no way this Kingdom can fail!" He grinned and drained his cup, licking his chops in satisfaction. Amazing how bad things were a mere day ago, and how bright they are now.

Krystic blushed furiously. Both at the attention she was getting and how happy they were to give her praise. In the past, large gatherings like this had always sought to prove that she was the fault of whatever trouble Mysan faced. Now they thought she was a good queen!
She turned to Si and smiled happily,
"I couldn't have got this far without you," She whispered into his ear, "You are my pillar, my support, I love you" She said it again and brough his head around for a deep kiss. The Guests fell silent through respect not awkwardness.

"You are the light of my life, the reason for waking in the morning, I love you," Si answered, and they kissed long and hard, Si not even noticing how the others went silent around them. He lived for moments like these, he breathed them like oxygen, and every word was true. He wondered how any kitsune could possibly be so happy, how anyone could contain the joy he felt that was true and pure love.
OOC: TG.

Krystic seemed to glow in delight, amazed that her horrible life had turned out so well. She had had no idea what the future had held when she had invited the Alversians to her city and now they had brought her Si, the most delightful Kitsune she had had ever met and the best thing that had ever happened to her. She felt so lucky to have him by her side and, despite the trials and the worries and the horrors she had suffered, she would not have changed places with anyone in the galaxy right now. She was happy to kiss Si and hold him close to her, never to let go.

Si broke away, swallowing hard, looking Krystic in the eye. For a long moment that was all there was, them staring into each other's souls, before Si abruptly dropped down onto one knee, in full view of everyone. The Ambassador was visibly shaking but trying to control it as he looked up to the Queen.
"Krystic," his voice was a whisper but it carried throughout the entire hall, "you're the one. I don't have a ring...but Krystic,"
Time stood still, the intake of breath from some who knew what was fated to come next, her surprised eyes looking down upon him, still not comprehending, the total silence prevailing throughout. Si didn't know if he'd be able to speak the next words, but he did, echoing in the hall, the only sound,
"will you marry me?"

At first, there was silence in the hall as everyone digested the words that the Ambassador had spoken. The Guests slowly twisted to look at Krystic and see her reaction to his proposal. She looked as stunned as her Guests by the proposal and only looked at him for a few more minutes while she tried to wrap her head around the idea. Then she broke into a delighted grin, a small giggle of laughter and tears of joy pricked in the corner of her eyes, she looked down at him and nodded slowly,
"Yes," She managed to choke out in delight, "Yes, I will"

"A Toast!" One of the Ambassadors stood along the table and rose his glass, "To the Marriage of the Ambassador and the Queen!"
The other Guests echoed this announcement then joined in a rapturious applause even louder than when Krystic had arrived initally. They were joined by the servants and the Guards who stood along both sides of the room. The hall was filled with cheers, applause and whistles. Everyone in the room bore a beaming smile on their faces.

No one's grin, except possibly Krystic's, was broader or wider than Si's as he stood to embrace her. This is the happiest moment of my life. This moment is what I can point to and say 'There, that was my high point', the one I'll remember forever. A few days ago I was in danger of dying, Krystic was going to break down and the Mysan Army was facing down a larger, hardened enemy. Now we are united together, the Mysan Army has had victory after victory over the bandits, and things couldn't be better.
I wish it would never end.

The pair embraced and kissed even longer than previously, with the Guest's applause still echoeing throughout the city. It did not take long for the news to spread and soon all of Mysan were celebrating that their Queen was gettig married. They knew what she had gone through for them and anything that made her happy, made them happy.
It was not until after the Dinner, a copious feast with every kind of food imaginable, and the Guests had began to depart for their troops or their beds, that Krystic, still holding Si's hand, smiled at him again whispered into his ear,
"Don't you think you should tell your superiors about this?" She asked happily, "Won't they want to come?"

The evening had passed in a warm glow for Si, every action, every word, every bite of food and breath of air improved by the fact that he, Si, was going to marry Krystic.
"I guess I should," he admitted, rubbing her hand. "I don't know if they, specifically, will come but they certainly will want to send a representative. Qonn, I haven't really thought this though much..." He looked at her, smiling. "I guess I'd better go update them on the situation, then."

"S'okay," She kissed him again, melting as she did so, she was kissing her future husband! "I'll wait for you," She smiled at him, "You have a duty to perform"
She stood in the corridor quite happily, three Guards standing around her and another two with Si.
The Servant in the holoroom seemed more cheerful than usual,
"Congratulations Sir," He announced happily, "Well done. You and the Queen eh? There's a match made in heaven if I ever saw one" He bowed to the Ambassador and gave him the freedom of the room.

Si kissed Krystic goodbye, hurrying out to the transmitter station. Smiling and thanking the servant he set himself up in front of the communicator. In little time Vanadict appeared on the screen. It was impossible to tell what time of day it was: Si knew the Chief Ambassador would wake at midnight, abandon meals and forgo her own relaxation to receive a report from one of her Ambassadors. At the moment she seemed in a somewhat better mood than usual, and Si took this as a good sign.
Still...

As usual, Si told her everything: His assault on Doblo, his treatment thereafter, the trial, the news Nysan and Barnes had brought, the mob of reporters and press that had confronted Krystic, and, of course, his recent proposal. After he finished the red-haired kitsune steepeled her fingers, staring over them into space. She was quiet and still, and Si waited, nervous, watching her intently as she considered what he had told her. Finally Si couldn't stand it any longer.
"Chief Ambassador, I-"

Vanadict held up one long, slender, pale finger, silencing him instantly. "Ambassador, I am having trouble deciding whether you are amazingly far sighted and a master of manipulation, or a rash fool who thinks little for the consequences of his actions. However," she raised her voice ever so slightly, bowing her head slightly, giving Si a warning look as he opened his mouth to protest, "all of those have traits which I can appreciate and even admire. Still, you actions could quite possibly have put our relations and the Alversian operations in great jeopardy. Theme is no excuse for your behavior, a emissary from Xiscapia. One of the worst things is a diplomat who uses force to put his point across.

Nevertheless, there are upsides. It would appear the combination of your trial, the recent battles and the kidnapping of yourself and the Queen has entirely wiped any mistrust and contempt the other Kingdoms had for Mysan. You, Ambassador, have united them, shown them strength though the Queen, shown them a more common foe than the bandits in the Dromintine and secured the Kitsune Empire's relations with Mysan for a long time. I daresay your proposal to the Queen has ensured charitable, fruitful relations between Xiscapia and Mysan in the years to come. Despite you blunders you have done well, Ambassador.

I know I have said this before, but this is a critical moment. All that remains is the engagement and destruction of the rest of the bandit army, but it will not be easy. The Dromintine may be unwilling to hold a trial once they realize how easy it would be to try Doblo for execution, and in any case the press have a lot of power. I realize news of your proposal has probably already spread far, but try to keep it positive. If it comes that the press gives you negative opinions, ignore them and do your best to uphold the Queen until it blows over.

Otherwise, Ambassador, I thoroughly approve of your proposal." Vanadict gave a tiny bow.

"Thank you! Thank you, Chief Ambassador!" cried Si. "I know I've made mistakes before, but I will not fail you now! We will be victorious, I promise you. In the meantime, the Queen awaits my return, so-"

"Ah?" Vanadict cocked her head. "Ambassador, I think you may have forgotten something."
Heart pounding, a sweat breaking out abruptly, Si turned to fully face his superior. "Chief Ambassador?"

"I will assume, of course, that I am invited to your wedding, Ambassador?" a teasing smile crossed Vanadict's face.
Si stared at her for a moment, somewhat paler than was the norm, before a long, slow grin broke out across his face and he nodded his head vigorously. "Of course, of course! I will be sure to send you an RSVP, Chief Ambassador, when the times comes." He bowed deeply.
"See that you do." said Vanadict, still smiling with what could have been a twinkle in her eye, and then she cut the link.

Si rode back to the Palace, ecstatic that the report had gone so well.

Krystic was standing where she had promised Si she would. The three Royal Guards stood next to her and checked every shadow, every gap in the curtains. They were looking for any threats to the Queen and the new King-to-be. They wondered if Si knew that, he would be the new King of Mysan once this was over.
"Well," She offered him another kiss, "How did it go?" She asked, looking tenderly and lovingly into his eyes.

"Worse than I had hoped, better than I had anticipated," said Si with a kiss back. "My superiors have allowed me to stay, and approve of our marriage. She will be coming...to the wedding. When it happens." He smiled. "She seemed pleased, though, that things are going so well."

"They are going well," Krystic admitted, "Apart from me getting kidnapped and whipped, everything is going just fine" She giggled at him, then smiled nervously when he mentioned his Surperiors,
"Really? She's coming here?" She fidgeted, "Is she nice?" Even the young Kitsune realised the immaturity of the question but laughed anyway. How could one feel bad when around Si, her true love.

Si considered this for a moment. "She can be...formal," he admitted. "And she has no time for fools. But I think she will enjoy the occasion, and once you get past her exterior she can be quite warm. I think you'll like her." He smiled reassuringly. "She's not a bad person, you'll see."

"Formal," Krystic repeated the word uncertainly and nervously but gave a determined nod,
"I know I'll like her" She said happily, "As long as she likes me," She blushed slightly and turned towards the bedrooms, brushing her tail along Si's torso,
"Coming?" She asked, "I'm really tired after today. A good day, but tiring"

Si shivered at the touch and looked at the open doorway leading to the bedrooms, nodding hesitantly. The Ambassador was unsure of his exact status, now that Krystic was his fiancee, and wouldn't want to do anything...unseemly. "Indeed, it has been quite the day," he agreed, following her.

Krystic saw his hesitation and frowned at it,
"What is it?" She asked worriedly, "Is there something wrong?" She actually looked quite frightened now, her entire demeanor changing in a heartbeat, from carefree and happy to scared and uncertain.

"Ah," Si paused, feeling the embarrassment rising, stopping dead. "Well...there is, um..." He didn't know if he wanted to continue down the path to the inevitable conclusion, and he could feel the uncharacteristic heat and blush coloring his face. "sleeping arrangements." he mumbled, almost beyond the range of hearing, head bowed. If he had made a mistake, over calculated his worth and status, this would be a nasty fall.

"Oh," It took a few moments for Krystic to understand what Si was talking about, then her face went a deep red as well as she looked at the floor, "Oh! I see what you mean" She was silent for a few minutes, obviously trying to phrase her answer. When she looked up again, there was an element of shyness in her embarressment,
"You can...sleep with me if you want," She said bashfully, "My bed's big enough for two or three even if you want to...come...sleep..." She trailed off, embarressed as well, waiting for a reply.