"I know we covered almost everything with Saint Kai yesterday, Lady Seishan," Fort folded his hands. "But I was hoping you might have the answers to the questions that were raised."
The princess's polite smile never wavered. "Questions? Ah, you mean your concerns about how the government is going to function in Ravenheart while we are on our little excursion?"
"We have requested help to maintain supply lines between citadels. We asked the citadels directly, but none of them have people that they can spare because all of their strength is here."
Fort motioned to a group of traders in dark blue knit caps as he continued.
"I was speaking with the leader of that caravan over there before things got started, and he said that they lost three of their wagons to Nightmare Creature scavengers. He said they were fortunate to escape with their lives."
Seishan glanced at the leader in question and then averted her gaze. "That is most unfortunate, but hardly cause for concern. My sisters and I and so many other Awakened have worked to clear out the nests and make the corridors clear of the worst abominations. A little loss is lamentable but expected."
"So there's nothing you will do?" Fort could not believe his ears.
"We have done what we can. Until things get untenable again, we believe maintaining the status quo is ideal." Seishan nodded slowly.
Noble could feel the other lady's emotions. She was about as happy to deliver the information as Fort was to receive it.
"And what about the protection of the city itself? We do not have enough government Awakened to protect all of Ravenheart in your absence." Fort pressed.
"The walls have been well built. They will not be breached by most things, human or otherwise." Seishan tilted her chin toward the battlement and the massive gate. "Should uninvited humans try to come in, the Queen has the means so that forces can be here to engage with minimal delay."
"How should we notify you of an attack?" Fort didn't want to leave anything to chance.
"There will be no need. Mother will know." Seishan gave him a meaningful look.
Perhaps Ki Song planned to leave behind a few Pilgrims to be her eyes and ears. But if that were the case, why hadn't Seishan said so?
"Do not worry." The Princess smiled at them. "The Queen will never let those knights of Bastion get this far. It is simply impossible."
"If I may, My Lady," Fort used every bit of his self-control to keep his voice from rising. "What about non-human adversaries that come to the city?"
"Should that happen before we return and you do not have enough government officials to handle it, then you must resort to the same tactics as we do in the waking world—ask for the assistance of the citizens nearby." Seishan's beautiful mouth twisted upward, "and how lucky for you, Ambassador, that the citizen closest to you is a Master and renowned fighter!"
Noble had seen the comment coming before it was made, but somehow it still made her flinch.
"I appreciate your confidence," the floating Saint forced a smile. "But what if those other brave citizens and I are not enough in the face of an overwhelming force?"
The grey-skinned woman eyed her evenly. "Then I suppose you will all die…"
"Lady Seishan!" Fort's outcry caused Noble to lay a hand on his arm.
Child of Promise could feel the emotional undercurrent of the princess. Noble frowned.
"You don't mean that, my Lady."
"Too perceptive, Master Noble." Seishan once again lingered on the word Master too long.
"What is the plan, then?" Noble asked calmly.
The Princess's smile faltered. "If the city comes under attack by monsters, then the city will need to be evacuated."
"If the monsters are outside the walls, won't that just be ushering the masses into their clutches? Or if you mean evacuating mundane people into the waking world, then that will send all of us into our First Nightmare!" Fort was strangely more at ease with the second option than the first.
Seishan shook her head. "I meant you will have to evacuate them across the ice bridge to the palace. That is the only place I can guarantee their safety. Mother has resources that will protect the people."
"T-the ice bridge?!" Fort had an even harder time believing that than either of the alternatives. "Mundane humans will freeze before they ever make it across, and the palace is just as untenable!"
The Ambassador had never visited the palace for that reason. Even his first official meeting in the Dream Realm had to be attended by Noble.
"For the bridge, that is only partially true. While some will freeze to death, the bulk can make it across by dressing warmly and huddling together. As for the palace, the Queen will make it so that her people can stay there while she repels the abominations. Her Will can overcome even the cold of the Jade Palace." Seishan shivered slightly, though whether it was at the thought of her adoptive mother's power or how frigid the palace could be, Noble wasn't sure.
What she did know was that she didn't like the sound of things.
"So everyone will have to abandon their homes in the hopes that they won't be the unlucky person on the bridge to freeze solid?"
"That is about the size of it. However, that is just how life is. And it's better than everyone dying at the hands of abominations." Seishan adjusted her gown. "Anyway, this is all hypothetical. The Song Domain will return victorious very soon, and all the questions will be for naught."
"For naught," Fort repeated, his feelings on this interaction echoing Seishan's final words.
"If there is nothing else, I will be on my way…" The grey-skinned woman stepped back to leave.
"Lady Seishan," Noble took a deep breath. "Don't die."
The lady raised an eyebrow at her. "Now you sound like Saint Kai. Do you have some special power like he does to make it so?"
Noble shook her head. "No, that is not one of my abilities."
Unlike Kai, Child of Promise could not speak things into becoming true. However, she did have an attribute that made people safer, and it activated as she wished the Princess well.
"I do want you to be safe. All of you." Noble's eyes swirled.
As if feeling the ethereal connection, Seishan's expression changed, relaxing slightly. "Thank you, Master Noble. Give my sister my regards when you see them."
"Which one?" Noble tilted her head.
The princess's smile became genuine. "All of them. Always."
The wave of love hit Noble, but she did not fight it. If anything, she found it refreshing. Seishan cared as deeply for her adopted sisters as if they were her own flesh and blood.
Despite their differences in the current situation, Noble respected her for it.
The princess bowed.
"You two take care of yourselves as well. There will be a lot that needs to be done when this is all over. Be ready."
"We will do our best." Fort gave a short nod.
The princess joined the Awakened and exited the city among a group of her handmaidens.
'Are you alright?' Noble stole a glance at her husband. 'You responded surprisingly calmly at the end there.'
Fort sighed.
'I'm angry, but not at Seishan. She was just the messenger. Ki Song and Anvil of Valor are the ones to blame, and I can't exactly vent my frustration on them, can I?'
'That would be unwise.' Noble had no desire to see her husband squashed like a bug by a Supreme.
'It's nothing new. We've been fighting against them almost since they first made their grand appearance. I don't know why I should be surprised.'
'It would have been nice for them to step up instead of leaving everything in the government's hands.' Noble nodded.
'The selfish ambition of the Sovereigns knows no bounds,' Fort watched the victims of their choices as they continued to exit the gate. 'They are taking all these good people, including our daughter, and leaving so many others defenseless. It's infuriating.'
Noble couldn't disagree. She felt much the same. Humanity hadn't learned from past mistakes and was once again pitted against itself. It was simply unacceptable, yet here they were, at the dawn of another war.
Noble sighed.
'What will you do now?'
Fort straightened his shoulders. 'The same thing I've been doing. Trying to hold two worlds together while they seem determined to fall apart.'
'To be fair, the waking world is actively being consumed by this one, so I'm not sure if that makes your job easier or harder.' Noble allowed a small smile.
'One world to protect sounds easier in theory but harder in practice. Not that I can travel to the other one even if I wanted to.' Fort shook his head and replaced his cap on it.
'That's why you have Teddy. She can deliver all the messages you need for you.' Noble nudged her husband. 'And you have me too. I'll be your secretary any day.'
Fort smiled. 'Then I am the most blessed among men. I shall never complain again.'
'Complain all you like. We are in this together.' Child of Promise tucked her hand into the crook of her husband's elbow.
'Together: the best place to be in this or any other world.' Fort felt his spirit lift slightly.
'Agreed.' Noble leaned her head on her husband's shoulder.
They stood like that for a long time, watching the parade as the silence stretched between them.
Hundreds of warriors moved slowly down the street with wagons and Creatures enthralled by Beastmaster. It was a spectacle unlike anything the citadel had ever seen. The enormity of the supplies leaving with them alone took over half an hour to pass by. Yet somehow the crowd's exuberance never wavered.
Even when Seishan was speaking about death and evacuation, the crowd cheered on around them like no one could hear the morbid words.
Maybe they couldn't. Maybe Seishan's confident declarations were because she knew that she was speaking to an audience of two.
It made some sense. More sense than the war, at least.
At last, the final group left the city with a flourish. The crowd flooded around the gate and waved through it, but Noble and Fort remained off to one side.
The city was left emptied of some of its most valuable resources and a prime
target for an attack on multiple fronts.
And that was only the beginning of the problems…