The skies above Vulstis Keep have never been greyer, and is saying something. Aine cannot tell if it is because she has never yearned to escape the walls of this castle so badly, or if it is because there is truly a storm brewing. Her eyes well with tears of desperation, her jaw clenching in determination. She has never shown this much vulnerability before King Min, but if the past few days have taught her anything, it is that he is much more like the boy she knew from childhood than the evil tyrant Hwang tricked her into believing he is.

  Standing before him, gleaming emeralds staring into dull obsidian, she no longer fears his mask of nonchalance. That obsidian is not a deathly black hole, but instead a cool glass defence for the volcanic lava of suppressed emotions that lies beneath. If they ever erupt to the surface, it would cause mass destruction for everyone. The burden of the Protector of the Past, Aine knows that now. Yet, she threatens to kick-start the eruption. The exceedingly pointy golden crown atop his head now seems like a futile warning attempt to 'stay away or else', but it is all for show.

  "We need to save my father, Yoongi." she pleas, speaking in a way one would to an old friend. A single tear finally escapes her eye and rolls down her cheek.

  The rest of the Council turns to stare at her with bated breath, not believing she has just addressed the King of Vulstis by his first name.

  He takes longer than usual to respond, likely to compose himself, before completely brushing over Aine's term of address.

  "If we interfere, King Jimin will come after Vulstis. He warned me to not become involved." he levels.

  Aine bristles, tears of frustration now cascading down her face, eyes bloodshot. "One of my parents already passed because they became too entangled with Vulstis. I let it happen again. If you won't accompany me, , I will go myself as the Princess of Nocriam. Surely, you could at least do me the kindness of lending me the appropriate armour, weaponry, and a horse?"

  King Min nods at Sir Davys, assuring Aine he will grant her that.

  Aine lets out a half-sob, half-sigh, disappointed that the King of Vulstis is not courageous enough to fight for his father's most loyal advisor and his daughter, before leaving the room. She misses the look of reproach the Dowager Vixen sends her son. She's finally reuniting with her father, yet she could not feel worse about it.

  Aine's feet had unconsciously taken her to the shooting range. Without a second thought, she equips herself with the nearest bow and arrow, as if embracing an old friend after a long time. Wielding a sword is all well and good, but to Aine, there is nothing quite like archery. Whilst continuously walking, she takes aim and shoots at each target. The arrow finds the bullseye every time. The flax fibres of the bowstring feel natural drawn back under her fingertips. She smiles lightly reminiscing over the many blisters she bragged about getting when she was younger, as if they were war trophies.

  "You make this old man proud." someone says from behind her.

  Aine whirls around, not in the mood for tricks or time-wasting, aiming the arrow at where the voice originated from. Sir Davys stares back at her, hands up in mocking surrender.

  She deadpans, dropping the bow.

  "Never sneak up on an archer, you taught me that." she quips. "Am I leaving now?"

  "Seems so." Sir Davys confirms, patting her reassuringly on the shoulder. "Let's get you geared up, hey?"

  "Would be nice." Aine says, looking down at the entirely impractical Vulstis Court Lady's dress she had been forced into.

  ?　 ? 　?　 ? 　?　 ? 　?　 ? 　?　 ? 　?

  Aine opens the door to her room, only to see Braelyn attempting to prepare her armour. She snatches the breastplate out of her hands, sending her a scathing look. She begins stripping off the Vulstis gown, not caring that she stands utterly naked. The sheltered Braelyn is clearly uncomfortable, picking at her nails and fixing her gaze upon the opposite wall.

  Aine dresses in complete silence, fastening the last piece of armour in place. She glances at herself in the mirror, and registers that the armour is tinted black and adorned with gold details. Vulstis colours, but she would not have expected anything else. The pauldrons are feathered in a way that almost gives the armour a feminine touch, making Aine feel like this was made specifically for her. The helmet has two pointed pieces at the top that she originally thought were for decorative and intimidatory purposes, but on second glance they almost resemble fox ears.

  She would say she feels like herself again after days of playing pretend in pretty dresses, but after finding out that Hwang manipulated the whole conflict between Nocriam and Vulstis, the 'Warrior Princess' part of her feels like a lie. Archery is still her favourite pastime- but to use it as a weapon of war?

  "Whyyou here, then?" Aine asks, finally relieving Braelyn from her tense state.

  "I wanted to thank you for standing up to my father like that." she says meekly, not meeting Aine's eyes. It is clear she is used to squashing people under her feet, not thanking them.

  "I did that for Ciar, not you." Aine says blunty, letting her flaming red hair flutter freely down her shoulders as she removes the final pin keeping it in the fancy up-do.

  Braelyn smiles sadly before taking in Aine's appearance. "My word! You look just how the Holy Scriptures describe the Sun God when they went to battle!"

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  "Oh, Then Hwang has something of mine." Aine sneers, thinking of Preacher Nocriam's necklace.

  With that, she strides off to the stables. Sir Davys, Rian, and Sir Conall await her with a familiar black horse.

  "Midnight?" Aine asks, stroking the horse who is currently giving her a judgmental look.

  Midnight was Aine's favourite horse in her childhood. She is a horse with an attitude. Even if you are wearing shoes she does not approve of, Midnight will not let you ride her.

  "In the flesh! I thought I would reacquaint you two." Rian chuckles, patting Midnight. She spits at him.

  "Still the same as ever, hey, girl?" Aine smiles. Midnight continues eating hay, which can only mean she has no objections.

  "Seems like it." Rian rolls his eyes. "Good luck."

  He offers Aine the most beautiful bow and set of arrows she has ever laid her eyes upon. She runs her fingers along the expertly crafted ash wood bend of the bow, taking in the carvings along its surface. It seems to depict the history of Patrinis.

  She embraces Rian. "Thank you."

  "Stay alert, kiddo." Sir Davys playfully punches her shoulder.

  Sir Conall hands her a emerald-encrusted sword. Aine stares at him quizzically.

  "It's the King's sword. If it does come to it, make sure you deal the killing blow to Hwang with this. For Vulstis." Sir Conall informs, but it seems like he has let slip more than he was supposed to.

  Aine says nothing but accepts the sword and sheaths it before mounting Midnight. She looks at all of them solemnly and steals one last glance up at the King's quarters. Then the helmet goes on and she is galloping away from the safety of Vulstis Keep and Skulk Square into the vast woodlands. Leaving behind a storm of conflicting emotions.

  "You know where to go, girl, to Coimeach Pass!"

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  On the approach to Coimeach Pass, Aine had expected to see King Jimin taking the reigns, his Knights of Subsequence controlling the stronghold with an iron grip. What she did not expect to see was her father already tied up, kneeling before the chopping block. With Hwang next to him donning the Nocriam colours, his hair now prim and proper, and her father's crown upon his head. King Jimin stands, observing it, as all the Verectias descendants seem to do, but oddly, with a bewildered look on his face.

  "Now, I hereby sentence this traitor to death." Hwang announces, hanging a hand over Caylus Sampson's head to signal the executioner.

  Aine dives into action, willing Midnight to jump onto the scene. She fires her arrow mid-air, it expertly grazing Hwang's outstretched arm. In this moment, she really does look like a Goddess, perhaps not the Goddess Aine, but more like a Goddess of War. Perhaps Braelyn's compliment was not far from the truth.

  "Ah, looks like Vulstis has arrived!" Hwang says condescendingly, ignoring the gash on his arm.

  King Jimin seems to finally awaken from his stupor, his ice blue cape swishing from side to side with each step he takes. "King Min, I thought I told you there would be trouble if you intervened?"

  For a man so lacking in attractive personality attributes, Aine would wager many ladies say he makes up for it with his looks. Plump lips, platinum blonde hair and a soft-toned voice, that would be enough to make any debutant swoon. Fortunately Aine is here as a daughter fighting for the life of her father, not a marriage-minded miss.

  "Good thing I'm not King Min, then." Aine declares, ripping her helmet off and letting her hair fly free, the very picture of valiance and elegance. She glares at everyone here- they are all, in part, responsible for the situation her father is currently in.

  "Ah! Here is the other traitor, Aine Sampson!" Hwang cackles like an excited child receiving a gift.

  "I have more arrows, Hwang. You have something that belongs to King Min." she warns.

  King Jimin takes note of that last part.

  "Aine, leave here, please! It is not safe, my daughter!" Caylus cries out, his aged face no longer painted with a smile but instead with fear. His shoulder-length hair has been aggressively shaved to the scalp, so-much-so that it has bled, and he dons a shaggy brown sheet of cloth for clothing to shield him from the cold damp of the day.

  Aine dismounts Midnight and rushes to her father's side. "I won't leave you. Never again."

  She burrows into his neck, and he does the same. They thrive in one another's warmth.

  "Aine Sampson, remove yourself from the traitor, in the name of the Gods."

  Aine reluctantly looks up to see Archpreacher Arthmail in all his Holy glory beside Hwang, ready to read the Holy Scriptures.

  "Archpreacher Arthmail?! Have you been threatened?" Aine questions, her face now mirroring King Jimin's.

  "No, the Gods have simply shown me the truth. The late King Jung's son has been restored to us. He is the true heir to Nocriam, King Jung Hoseok. We thought all was lost after he never returned to Nocriam after travelling to the Isle of the Ordained to be educated in the way of the Preachers. As always, the Gods have their wills. You and your father are traitors to Nocriam for taking it from the rightful heir, and shall be divinely punished." Archpreacher Arthmail explains indifferently, as if Aine's father's life is not in the balance.

  Aine glances at Hwang's crass smirk, and now that he is in the white and gold of Nocriam, she spots the uncanny resemblance between him and the Jung portraits at the Hall of Witnesses that used to cause her such unease. Hwang has always been Jung Hoseok.

  "You cannot be in earnest!" Aine begins to protest, but is tackled by a swarm of Nocriam guards.

  And with the flick of King Jung's wrist, the reciting of the Holy Scriptures, and the swing of a sword, Caylus Sampson loses his head. King Jimin and his Knights look displeased-

  Aine does not quite remember much of what she does after that. She remembers screaming until her throat is sore. Crying until there are no tears left. Punching and wrestling off anyone who dares to touch her as she tries to reach her father's body. Everything else is blank.

  "Someone get rid of her, too, the noise is becoming irksome." King Jung commands, sauntering off to his carriage.

  "You wouldn't dare." a deep, monotone voice challenges from the tree line.

  "What ?" King Jung whines.

  "Aine Sampson was a Lady of the Vulstis Court well before she was Princess of Nocriam. Same goes for Caylus Sampson. Since you've reclaimed your title, I'd say you've just killed one person from my Court. Kill another and see how well I take it." King Min appears on his white horse, fully suited up in royal armour with his lashing words as threatening as the snarling fox helmet he wears. He is flanked by Sir Conall and the rest of the Royal Guard, their black armour like ominous shadows against the forest backdrop.

  King Jung looks as though he could not care less about King Min and his threats, however King Jimin's presence makes him think twice.

  " Worthless girl." he spits before retreating sulkily.

  King Min approaches Aine, who is still completely unaware of the world.

  "Aine?"

  "King Min? When did you get here?" Aine croaks.

  "Let's go home." He offers her his hand.

  She glances between the white cloaks of Nocriam, her father's body and King Min's hand. It is the inevitable choice. She accepts it.

  She mounts Midnight, joining the rest of the Vulstis Guard. Before King Min can do the same, King Jimin stops him.

  "I think our kingdoms will be working much closely together in the future."

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  Seems like Vulstis were never the villains Aine thought them to be! Also...surprise! j-hope is finally here...but technically he was always here.

  Thank you for reading!

  -illustrated