"What news do you bring, Tun, Ponca?" asked Elion, seeing the two enter the main hall with a person in tow. "And who is this woman?"
"My Lords, Ladies," bowed Tun and Ponca once they entered, dragging the woman they had questioned earlier before the remaining members of Blood Denegis in the main hall.
"My Lord, this woman here has information that we found important enough to be brought in front of you to hear it from her directly," said Ponca, "I only request one thing."
"And what is that one thing you speak of?" asked Elion.
"That if you find the information valuable, you spare this woman's life and set her free," Ponca began explaining, "I've made her a promise, you see."
Tun seemed angry at his words, "Stupid idea to begin with. My Lord, I say we kill her after."
"I will be the one to decide that," said Elion, "Now what information do you have for us?"
"Speak," Tun ordered, pulling at the chain the woman had around her wrists.
"My name is Miyanna, fourth commander of the Larva Orbis, of the Iron Line," began the woman.
She was a young lady, not older than twenty years old, decently tall and fairly pretty. With a pair of bronze colored eyes and hair the same color as onyx.
She looked frightened yet dutiful as she spoke.
Straightening her back and making eye contact with Elion, she continued, "Me and a few other commanders have been ordered to lay destruction on your domain and make a diversion."
"Diversion? For what purpose?" Mera asked.
"I do not know who is at the top pulling the strings, or their backing, but the main army will not only deploy men in their rebellion against the Noble Bloods. They've already unleashed Morois upon the domains of the Bloods." Miyanna replied.
"What are you saying?" began Auren, confused, "That the Iron Line has methods of controlling or at least creating Moroi?"
"Not the lower branches of the Iron Line. The top and its backing. I am not high enough to be in contact with such entities. So I cannot say more than this without perhaps being wrong. I am just receiving orders and telling you what I know," she added.
"Are you telling me you released Morois in MY DOMAIN?" yelled Elion.
"Not me, Patriarch of Blood Denegis, believe me," Miyanna kneeled, "but they will use them in their fight against your domain. And the rest after they destroy yours."
"Quite cocky for a woman begging to live," laughed Mera, "what gives you the confidence to say we will not prevail? We have strong allies."
"And they have the numbers. And the backing. Even if you defeat millions, more might come."
"'They' you say? Are you part of the Iron Line no longer?" asked Elion, "Have you relinquished your vows so easily?"
"We have done so already. The moment we've turned our swords towards the people of the Empire, we've already relinquished them," she muttered.
"You all have disgraced the memory of the High Monarch and tarnished the trust he had placed in you all. No matter what you unleash. No matter if we fall. No matter if half of the Noble Bloods fall. You all will still suffer the same fate. Your Vita is tainted. YOU are Tainted. May your blood feed the earth. Take her out of my sight."
"My Lord," began Tun, "What should we do with her?"
"Release her for all I care. Send one to escort her out of this domain," replied Elion.
"Is this wise, my dear?" asked Mera.
"At least, our Domain keeps her promises," said Elion.
"Thank you, My Lord," bowed Ponca.
And with another bow from Tun and Miyanna, they left the main hall.
"My dear," began Auren once the door closed, "how are we to prepare for such a threat?"
"We are not. At least not alone. Soon, some of our allies will arrive. And we will decide then on how to prepare for it," replied Elion, sighing in exhaustion.
"It will all be alright," smiled Mera to the people present, a smile she herself did not believe in, "we've survived worse odds."
It was night when Blanc finally woke up. How late it really was, he did not know.
He only knew the window that showed the outside world was as dark as the room he was in.
Except for a flicker of light in the corner on the other side of the room.
He tried turning properly on the bed he was in and planned to look better at the source of light that flickered in the corner of his vision.
And there she was.
Celine, sitting in a chair. Her sapphire eyes glimmered like the moonlit ocean as she read by the soft glow of a candle.
Oh, how beautiful she looked to him. To his gray eyes.
For a moment, he thought he was dead. He couldn't be alive. How could he be with such a blessing in front of his eyes?
Then he remembered. It was his fiancée. Celine, for whom he jumped to protect.
How proud he was of that act as he watched her read. He didn't disturb her. He kept on looking at her until he remembered the pain.
A groan that escaped his lips made Celine look at him when she noticed he was staring at her.
"My love?" she asked, not sure if he was really awake or just imagining things.
"Do not mind me. I did not wish to disturb you." Blanc offered her a smile through the pain.
As if hearing his voice made it real, she jumped to her feet, letting the book she was reading fall to the ground as she grabbed the candle and went beside him.
"Since when are you awake?" she asked, dragging her hand along his face.
"I'm not sure, I just watched you read for a while," he replied, turning himself back on his back.
"Why?" she asked, confused.
"You were so beautiful while reading so peacefully. It would have been a pity to stop you," he said, watching her eyes as they looked down over him.
"Oh you," said Celine, emotional by his words, before locking lips with him, "I'm so sorry, my dear."
"Why? The wound? That's already an old story, my love. We've talked about it," he replied.
"Not that," she said, shaking her head.
"Has something else happened? Have the enemies attacked? How long have I been asleep?" Blanc panicked, his rested brain, now fully awake, trying to get himself on his feet, but the pain held him back from succeeding.
"Calm down, Blanc. It's not that," she replied, holding his face and looking into his eyes.
Blanc stopped his attempts from trying to get back up, "Then what is it?"
"The Daughter, my love," began Celine, still not sure if she should be the one to tell him. But the words Mera told her yesterday are still at the top of her head. Which gave her the courage enough to speak, "She said you will not be able to fight in the near future."
"Well, sure, one or two days, but, uh… but I'll be fine. You will see," Blanc replied, not accepting the truth.
"No, my love. You will not be able to fight against the Iron Line. The Patriarch has decided you and I both are to stay back with Lune and Kael at the mansions, while the fight is ongoing," explained Celine.
"No…" Blanc whispered, his breath catching.
Celine turned away, her voice cracking. "It's my fault. I'll leave you to rest…" she added, heading towards the exit of the room.
But Blanc caught her hand, "Celine, please!" he began, "Stay. Do not leave me in here alone."
His words made the tears Celine held back since Lune yelled at her come flooding down as she only kept apologizing to him as she pressed her head on his stomach.
He did not ask for any details or why this decision was made in his absence. Things which only a few days ago would have made him rage now felt not as important as the tears Celine was shedding.
Even though it shattered his heart to hear such news, it brought as much regret to him as seeing Celine blame herself for his choice.
"It's fine, my love," he kept on saying as he tried calming her down, offering his left hand to comfort her sorrows.
"How could it be?" Celine asked, once more, not understanding Blanc at all, "How could such a thing be? Was it not important for you to defend your Blood?"
"It was. And it is." Blanc replied.
"Then why are you not angry? Why don't you scream at me? Blame me?" she asked.
"Do you wish I had done that instead?" Blanc asked back.
"No, but if that's how you feel-" she began, but soon got interrupted.
"I do not know what I feel, my love. Sadness that I cannot help? Yes. I do. Anger towards you? No, I do not. Regret that I did what I did? Why would I? I told you then, and I will say it again. I would have done that even if I knew it killed me."
"Why? How?" Celine screamed.
"I fear I love you, Celine. Is that not a good enough reason to do it?"
Celine stopped for a moment. Even her tears stopped leaving her eyes for just the briefest of seconds while she listened to Blanc's words time and time again in her head, before finally replying, "So do I."
Her tears kept for a little while longer after that, her mind barely avoiding the flood of emotions she found herself trying not to drown in since yesterday.
As for Blanc, he kept on watching the ceiling while wiping her tears away with his left hand. Nothing more.
There will be time for him to ask more questions later when Celine has calmed down. Until then, he will ask no more about it.