"So why don't you tell us?" Jullian taunted, relishing the idea of ruffling Hurricane's feather for once.
"I will. But before everything, I think it's time to tell you guys about the Prophecy. But I won't do that without Emman and Lucy present." Hurricane said while looking at her cousins. She did that for a beat or two, just waiting for any reaction.
There seem to be no disagreements between the council and her cousins, except for the twins, who blatantly showed their disappointed expressions.
Jet and Jullian frowned at the results. It seems that they will have to re-hash this idea with their cousin as soon as she finished recounting history with everyone. 'Oh well, I'm not gonna lose next time...' Jullian thought with a smirk.
After Hurricane accepted responsibility for the re-investigation, Kygo and the rest decided they should leave it for now and focus on more pressing matters like the armada disguised as peace delegates on their way to the vassal kingdoms to do the evil queen's biddings.
After Kygo reminded them about the importance of keeping the identities of the eight a secret, the kids, except for Hurricane, who got called back by Jago to convene about the recent news with the council, and Cyclone, who adamantly stayed with his sister, all went out to vacate the room. Partially eager to hear the story about the Prophecy that led them all here but more curious about why Hurricane and Cyclone reacted that way against the twins.
'I'm pretty sure it's trouble." Aquamarine blurted out while walking a little distance behind the twins. She was walking in line with her sisters, who sported the same look of curiosity on their faces.
They were on their way back to their temporary residence.
"With those two, it's always trouble. Though, I wonder what they did before to make the calamity siblings looked alarmed as if they're dead set on not making those two do this investigation thingy." Mint wondered.
"Jade, how about you? You must know something about this, surely... After all, you were one of the first of the eight to be found." Yellow joined with a question.
Jade looked at her sisters with a frown... they were right. But...
"I was, but those four met first. And I heard they weren't all on good terms when they all met. I was curious about it for a time, too, but I was too scared to ask." She replied.
"Well, I guess we'll know later, huh?" Aqua quipped, a little excited about what was going to happen.
"I guess so," Jade replied with a knowing smile as they walked their way back to their hut, blissfully ignorant of the trouble brewing from the war room that they just left.
---
Back at the war room, Jago paced at the small room back and forth like an agitated predator. Cyclone could almost feel the temperature of the room rise, and it was giving him goosebumps.
Hurricane, who sat down next to her brother, groaned in distress. It seems that the situation is not looking up for them. Cyclone knew King Zarino was faking the enthusiasm during the talk earlier. It couldn't possibly be a good thing to have Uriah's men near the vassal kingdom. Their safety could be jeopardized!
He spared a look at his sister to gauge her reaction. He knew from experience how his sister gets whenever they encounter something that involves the dreadful beast queen. It's like she's out for blood each time Uriah is mentioned. And they need her to focus, most especially now.
Cyclone reached out and held his sister's hand to remind her of his presence and hope to convey his support as her brother. This made Hurricane stare at him with a look of pure determination before she nodded to acknowledge his efforts.
What he did must have worked because now she looked more grounded and focused on the ongoing conversation.
"So, what's the plan?" Seraphina voiced out warily.
"We send delegates to meet them halfway. Let them know that we are ready for whatever it is that they want to do." Kygo replied.
"I demand negotiations to be off the table. We owe that wretched queen nothing, and the alliance has long been stopped the moment she usurped that throne." Gunther, for the first time today, voiced his concerns.
All of them stared at him in shock. If he didn't speak out just now, they wouldn't have noticed his presence during today's meeting. Unlike his usual rough manners and loud voice, he seems unusually quiet today.
They would've noticed his silence earlier had they not been barraged by the news of the threat that was coming their way.
"I for once agree with King Gunther. Since the day she rose to the throne, the alliance and the trade connections between the kingdoms have also been severed. Uriah knew this... I'm sure she's plotting something again." Seraphina supplied with worry.
It was a grave situation for all of them. Both Kygo and Zarino have solemn expressions on their faces. Even Gunther couldn't gloat over the fact that, for once, Seraphina agreed with him. That shit rarely happens.
Years ago, they would have easily won an all-out war with the Central Kingdom when Uriah just rose to the throne. Back then, she had minimal sway over the outlying territory leaders that were loyal to the Emperor. But unfortunately, that wasn't the case before. For instead of a war for the throne, they had to prioritize searching for the prophesied eight before Uriah's men could get to them and kill them.
Those days were nothing short of a rat race.
Besides Hurricane, they have no idea who the other seven are. With only the Prophecy as a guide, they had to scour the rest of Titania to find the other seven. And it took them six long years to finally complete all of them and send them to a safe place called Earth, where Uriah couldn't reach or know about them.
Now, Uriah has finally united the Central Kingdom's nobles under her rule. Some say they were coerced and left with no choice but to bow down to her, while some rejoiced and thrived under her tyranny. Nevertheless, the unity strengthened her hold to power, maximized the number of her army, and with the help of her beasts and dark mages, she became a formidable foe.
Fighting against her now without preparing the eight first could very well lead them all to their doom. They have to play their cards right if they want to win against her. Cyclone thought grimly.
"What is your thought about this, your highness?"Kygo asked of Hurricane.
Hurricane thought for a while before responding.
"We have to take into account that Uriah may have already known of our presence back here in Titania or the fact that, like us, she may have planted spies everywhere and among us."
At that same time, Gunther took a sip of water from his flask, choked, and coughed loudly. This earned him surprised glances from all over the room and a suspicious glare from Seraphina. Although he was proven to not be in cahoots with the Beast Queen when the great fire happened, Seraphina has never really given up on her suspicions about him being a traitor.
Gunther couldn't blame her. After all, that plot was cleverly planned to make it look as if he betrayed them and joined hands with the beast queen. Even if his hands were also coincidentally tied at that moment.
After his coughing fit, he apologized and urged Hurricane to continue.
After making sure that he was okay, Hurricane gave a slight nod, then cleared her throat awkwardly before carrying on with her speech.
"As I said, she could have already known our whereabouts. But even if she doesn't yet, I have a feeling she will have an idea soon enough. One of us may have already slipped and let it be known," She tauntingly said while casting a glance at King Gunther. Gunther gulped visibly.
But instead of dwelling about it, she continued.
"Let us not cry over spilled water. We are fighting against time here, and I sure want to make it last worthwhile. Jullian is right when she said earlier about Uriah not recognizing us now that we have grown up, but that won't be the case for long. I want to exploit this advantage to the maximum. We'll find a way to help you out of this situation and get my cousins to safety before this blows out.
"I agree with you, your highness, but how are we going to achieve this? A fleet is no small number. And we have to consider the fact that they are also your people. And these people may have been misled to believe that you are the villain in all of this." Zarino pleaded.
Unlike his incessant pacing earlier, Cyclone was shocked to see Jago just observing the situation quietly, without interrupting that he almost looked like an intimidating looking statue that just sat beside Hurricane. It was amazing how much trust the guardian had given his sister. Gone was the anxious guardian who seemed to want to pounce at whoever annoys him.
"I understand your plea, King Zarino. Before the next council meeting, I will have Cyclone develop a strategy to defeat them without killing too many people. However, I can't promise that there will be no casualties on both ends. That solely depends on how their party will react when you decline them."
At the mention of his name, Cyclone flinched in surprise and worry. Hurricane's suggestion made his heart thunder loudly as if it would leap out of his mouth any moment. Anxiety filled his being...
"But sister..." He started, but Hurricane only gave an encouraging nod before responding,
"It's okay brother, I believe in you and your ability. But there's something that only we can do that they can't, and it may be the only thing that can win us this war." She said with a smirk filled with a promise of pure mischief.
"And what is that?" He anxiously asked.
"We know how to fight Earth style," she replied with a wink.
While the rest of the council are left confused about what Hurricane meant, Cyclone stared dumbfoundedly at his sister for a beat or two. She was right indeed. Earth has advanced technologies and teachings about war and strategies from their numerous struggle for power. This world may be behind on Earthen technology, but they have the advantage of having superpowers that Earth doesn't have. And combining the two... Cyclone's face broke out with an excited smile- a plethora of ideas and scenarios already playing in his head.
"What do you mean, your highness?" This time, Queen Seraphina couldn't contain her curiosity after seeing the sudden change in Cyclone's expression asked.
"Please leave it up to us for now. We will convene about the strategies we come up with soon. In the meantime, have soldiers and guardians on the lookout for changes in the sea at all times. We can't afford for them to surprise us." Hurricane responded.
Kygo and the rest nodded in response.
"Lastly, King Gunther, I hope you now understand the importance of secrecy in our mission, correct?" Hurricane asked of the dwarven king.
"I only told my two sons and no one else. And I swear that none of them will betray us or even think about it!" He insisted.
"I hope so. For all of our sake, I hope that's the case..." was only Hurricane's reply before excusing herself, Jago, and her brother from the council to join her cousins to resolve their matter regarding the Prophecy that was long due for an explanation.
After the trio left, the rest of the council decided to go about their ways after muttering their goodbyes—all of them with renewed purpose in mind.
King Gunther, crestfallen about what happened during the earlier meeting, walked a little slower than the others. He was thinking about what Hurricane said and the implications of his actions.
Her majesty was right. His disclosing the location of the eight carelessly could be very dangerous, and realizing the implications of his careless actions scared him.
He trusts his sons enough not to betray their cause. But the same couldn't possibly be said about the people around them. Like what Hurricane said, the queen could very well have planted spies amongst them. And it could be anyone...even the people closest to them. Even their families...
He suddenly thought about Darnell's reaction to the return of the eight earlier. A strong feeling of dread filled his being, making him almost want to vomit.
It couldn't be... for all their sakes; he prayed to the Gods his haunch was wrong and that he was only worrying for nothing.
That was what filled his mind as he crossed the portal on his way home.
Author's note:
And that's another chapter done!
Sorry for not posting at all last week. I was feeling under the weather and had to take a short break to regain my health. No worries, I'm okay now tho. :)
If you'd like to be updated with posting updates, give @grubisthebest a follow on IG.
Thanks for your unending support and love.
I pray you all be always safe.
Empressnico