Disclaimer: I do not own Log Horizon nor Sword Art Online. I do not earn anything off of this, and I don't post to any other sites. Please do not copy this to another site.

Previously

"Hello, Lord Shiroe of Akihabara," the darkly clothed figure said smoothly, his voice taking on an almost haunting quality, "My Queen sends her regards." For a moment it was quiet, and then dark cloth rustled as he straightened, "I have been waiting for you."

"My name is Kirito," Grey eyes flashed dangerously, "and we have much to discuss."

Shiroe stared back, unflinching. "Indeed," he murmured calmly, calculatingly. "We do."

Chapter 10

A Queen's Shadow

Silence weighed heavy over the small group as they settled into a secure, private room in the guild house. Akatsuki shuffled nervously as she glanced between the two figures in front of her, but said nothing.

Good, Shiroe thought quietly, One mistaken word right now would be disastrous.

He crossed his fingers lightly and leaned forward, glasses flashing as he examined the boy across from him. In any normal situation, Shiroe would have said that the other looked like any other adventurer that had been out in the field for a while. A little rugged, a little worn and road weary, but nothing to be cautious of . . .

". . . My Queen sends her regards."

Shiroe's fingers whitened under the pressure as he clenched his hands lightly.

But these were not normal circumstances.

Like all of the other Adventurers, Shiroe had his own run-ins with strange, disorienting changes that came with living as a new race inside of the game. He didn't have to deal with suddenly having a new tail or ears or whiskers, of course, but there were . . . other things.

He liked to call them whispers. Little things that would tell him what the weather was going to be like in a few hours, or the soft buzz in the air right before a battle. It was so small, and it had felt so natural that he hadn't noticed it at first. It was only after one of his guildmates asked him how he knew what he did and he just . . . couldn't explain.

It had been distracting, and honestly a little terrifying. How could something be there but not and he hadn't even noticed it?

It was only later that he found out that it was his own magic. As a half-alv enchanter, he was especially sensitive to the land around him, as well as the things that lived in it. People, creatures, monsters, plants, everything had its own 'signature', so to say. It took a while to get used to, of course, but after a while the whispers became a part of who he was, incorporating perfectly into his fighting style.

It was usually so quiet that he hardly noticed it, nowadays. And that was exactly the problem.

Grey eyes, full of challenge and something darker, glared back at him from beneath a shadowed hood . . .

Recognition, fear, curiosity, danger . . . the very air crackled around them as their magic intertwined.

Shiroe had only felt something similar on a few rare occasions, and it was always while meeting with a fellow half-alv. None of them had been able to explain it, but it had always calmed down after a few moments as they introduced themselves and the other recognized him as Shiroe of Akihabara.

Lord of Akihabara, rightful ruler of this land, protector of this people, my people . . .

Except . . .

'I will not back down,' grey eyes said, and shadowy magic twisted in defiance, 'You are not My Lord.'

This half-alv was different.

". . . my Queen . . ."

He was already Pledged to another.

"So," Shiroe began carefully, "You said that your name was Kirito?"

The half-alv dipped his head lightly, "Indeed, Lord Shiroe. That is what I am called."

Shiroe narrowed his eyes, "And you said that you were sent by your Queen?"

There was a split second of hesitation. Shiroe made note of it.

Kirito himself sat straight in the cushioned chair, more like he was facing off against a forgin delegation in their own land. He might as well be, if what Shiroe was thinking was right.

"If I may be frank, Lord Shiroe," Kirito winced, "We did not know what to expect when we came here. Honestly," their eyes met once again, "It was a shock to find another Alf so far from Alfheim."

Shiroe's fingers tightened, locked together under his chin and hidden from sight. Alf? Not Alv? A slip of the tongue, maybe? Or a different accent?

Or . . . something else. Something that made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end from the pure mana dancing in the air.

Shiroe breathed, settling his nerves and forcefully pushing back his uncertainty. "We were not expecting visitors from . . . Alfheim, either. Excuse me, but I don't think I have heard of this province before. Could you point it out on a map?" Shiroe nodded calmly from Akatsuki, who was watching the proceedings from the corner. She hesitated for a moment, no doubt reluctant to leave her lord alone with a possibly dangerous stranger, before nodding sharply and vanishing.

Since the beginning, Theldelsia had borne remarkable similarities to the Elder Tales game that the Adventurers had all been pulled from. Sure, there were some differences. Usually little things, but most of the problems came from the cultural differences that they had suddenly been faced with. The People of the Land were just as much alive here as anywhere else. After the initial shock Shiroe was able to get that point across to the other Adventurers in Akihabara.

The places, dungeons, and general map, though? That hadn't really changed much. Sure, there were new areas being discovered all of the time, but they were typically hidden dungeons, only frequented by Adventurers. Whole hidden societies popping up? After almost a year into the game? Shiroe might have expected Kirito to be another Adventurer by the way that he was dressed and acted but . . .

Something doesn't really feel right about this.

Kirito winced slightly as he spoke, "I really doubt you would have our island on a map, Lord Shiroe," he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, breaking the ambassador expression that he had been wearing since the moment that Shiroe had locked eyes with him, "It is a rather . . . new development."

Honestly, it was clear that Kirito wasn't ambassador material. The young man had little tact, and twisting everything that he said back on him would be way too easy. So, why had a Queen, if he was to be believed, sent him to Akihabara?

Unless . . . it wasn't an ambassador mission.

Eyes narrowed, Shiroe tilted his head slightly and examined his guest once again. Plain, dark clothing, no real distinguishing features, and several hidden and not so hidden weapons scattered on his person.

Assassin?

No. Not quite.

Scout.

They came from an island, he said. If there can be dungeons hidden under mountains in the new update that pulled us in, why not entire islands popping up on the ocean for us to find? If what I am thinking is right . . . there might be an entire nation out there that has been completely cut off from us for generations. Long enough that they lost the knowledge of the mainland. Long enough that we don't have it on our maps, or in our history. Long enough for the dialect to change . . .

He glanced at the other's ears.

Long enough ago that they avoided the extinction of the Alv's.

If Kirito had been an ambassador, he would have had an entourage with him, both as a show of power in a forgin land and as protection. If he was an ambassador, he would have gone straight to the capital, to the King of the People of the Land, not to Akihabara.

But he didn't have anyone with him. Kirito was alone. So, that meant either an assassin, or a scout. And it all hinged on if his people already knew about Theldesia already or not.

But if they had already known about it, why only show themselves now? Months after the shift? And if Kirito were truly an assassin, why would he reveal himself to Shiroe?

"It was a shock to find another Alf so far from Alfheim . . ."

Oh. Well, that might be a problem.

Shiroe shifted slightly and let some of the wrinkles in his outer robe smooth down as Akatsuki reappeared and rolled out a map in front of them. Her eyes wearily watched their guest while she moved back to her corner. She was being unusually quiet, so Shiroe flicked a small 'you ok' sign in her direction. She shifted and twisted her fingers slightly with a flick of her eyes: 'ok - nervous - watch carefully.'

Shiroe smiled slightly and turned his attention back to Kirito. He could always count on Akatsuki to watch his back.

"I am guessing that by new development," Shiroe sighed, "You mean that someone stumbled on your island unexpectedly."

Kirito startled. "How did you . . ." he started and then clamped down, watching Shiroe warily.

Shiroe withheld a groan, "Please at least tell me if I am going to have to file a 'missing at sea' report in order to avoid a war."

"Oh," Kirito relaxed slightly, "No one is dead, though one of the guards might be a little spooked," he winced, "Granted, if they had cut down any more trees there might have been a problem. The Cait Sith are not fond of intruders on their land."

"Cait Sith?" Shiroe asked and lifted one brow, unfamiliar with the term. It did sound familiar, but more like a distant memory he couldn't quite find the origin of.

Shrugging, Kirito chuckled slightly, "One of the nine factions of humans landed on their hunting grounds first. We got the report a few hours later." His eyes flashed, "Honestly, if Asuna wasn't so calm about it and sent me out to . . . observe the situation first, well, war might be a nicer way to put it."

Kirito tucked his arms carefully into his sleeves, his smile suddenly sharp and dangerous, "Up until a few months ago, the nine factions were at war," he tilted his head slightly, "General Eugene of the Salamanders has been known to wipe out whole armies in a single night. He would have had no problem with . . . getting rid of any witnesses."

Shiroe stiffened at the implied threat. If they had proven a threat, you wouldn't have seen us coming.

Clearing his throat, Shiroe reassessed what he had learned. Kirito had definitely said that humans had landed on their shores. The clear distinction meant that, while they knew what a human was, wherever they were from there were none.

So, they didn't know about us before the ship landed.

They were also, as was hinted, a very war oriented people. Obviously, something had happened to change that. Kirito had mentioned that they used to be at war, not that they were currently at war. But that still left the trigger happy former military members who might jump at any chance to blow off some steam.

It was a miracle that the ship made it back at all, basically.

Breathe, Shiroe. Breathe.

"In the rankings of power, as of a few months ago, I defeated General Eugene in single combat. In under five minutes."

Urk.

Shiroe's gaze snapped back up to Kirito's own calculating grey eyes. For a moment, they were hard as ice, the eyes of someone who had never and would never back down from what he believed was right.

Breathing calmly, face never revealing his true thoughts, Shiroe replied, "Thank you for not killing any of the cew of the ship. I would also like to apologize for any offence that they might have caused for trespassing, be they under my jurisdiction or not," he paused, "May I inquire as to why you visited Akihabara and Theldesia as a whole, then?"

Kirito tilted his head slightly and glanced down at the map in front of them for the first time. For just a moment, grey eyes widened in recognition and surprise before quickly fading back to normal. "My Queen was curious, and wanted to know where the people in the ship had come from, so she sent me. We honestly had no idea what to expect," he eyed Shiroe carefully, "The fact that there are Alfs here changes a lot of things, honestly."

Shiroe nodded, "I am not surprised," he hesitated, "There . . . are not as many of us as there once were."

Kirito frowned, but didn't push it, seeming to turn the statement over in his mind a few times.

"Before," Shiroe brought up casually, "You mention that there was someone named Asuna that calmed everyone down. Is she one of the Queen's advisors?"

"Oh," Kirito chuckled, "No, no. Actually," his smile softened, "Asuna is my wife."

Shiroe frowned. Wife? Wait . . . how old is he?

"And she isn't an advisor to the Queen," Kirito tilted his head back, "Asuna is the Queen."

Shiroe froze.

"Up until a few months ago, the nine factions were at war . . ."

". . . as of a few months ago, I defeated General Eugene in single combat . . ."

"Asuna is my wife . . ."

"She is the Queen."

All of the pieces clicked together. It was the perfect flag. A hidden, timed quest that the developers would have thrown in there just for fun. An isolated nation, probably one that had been at war for centuries, recently having undergone a governmental upheaval, had been visited by one of Theldesia's ships in a time of political upheaval. The Queen wouldn't have sent just anyone out to check for the possibility of invasion from an unknown source. She would have sent someone that she knew she could trust, someone she knew would come back no matter the odds stacked against him. Someone who wouldn't betray her for power . . .

Shiroe felt like banging his head against the table and cursing.

He wasn't speaking to an ambassador, an assassin, or a scout. He wasn't even speaking to a fellow Adventurer.

He was speaking to a King.

Oh, by the great Alvs, Shiroe groaned. What in the world have I gotten myself into?

0~o~0

"This way, My Lady! Hurry!" her guide whispered as they darted through the still burning streets of the Spriggan capital.

Above them, the sky almost glowed a dark red from the smoke drifting through the air. A stained moon floated in and out behind the ominous clouds as they hurriedly crossed an open courtyard.

Asuna tugged her hood lower over her face to make sure that it was properly hidden. Her auburn hair was unusual, even among the other fairies, and would make her stand out against this dark landscape. She deftly hopped over crumbling stone and fallen rubble as the shadows flickered around them. Her eyes darted around, one hand hovering over her sword as they ran.

Any shadow could hide a Spriggan. It's what made their race so dangerous.

From the corner of her eye she saw a shadow shift, and another hooded figure drift between the rubble at the edge of the courtyard like shade. Their eyes met, briefly, and Asuna's grip on her weapon tightened.

A hand on her arm made her startle as her eyes snapped to her guide, who shook their head and tugged her back toward one of the side alleyways. "Don't mind them. They won't do anything so long as we stick together."

Asuna glanced back, but the cloaked figure was gone.

I don't have a good feeling about this.

She breathed and loosened her grip of the rapier as she turned back to follow her guide. "How much farther until we reach Lady Morgana?"

"Not much longer." They paused at an open area as the guide examined the area and then turned them down another side alleyway instead of passing through. What they saw, Asuna didn't know, but as she turned her back to the open street she felt a shiver run down her spine.

After a few more twists and turns, the guide stopped in front of what looked like a plain wall. They nudged gently at a few of the bricks and a faint outline lit up the cracks between an invisible door. The door was pushed open quietly, and Asuna was ushered down the stairs as it closed behind them and sealed back off.

The deeper they went, the more twitchy Asuna became.

I can't see the sky, I can't escape.

They ignored several branching paths, and took so many twists and turns that Asuna knew there was no way she would make it back out again without help. She swallowed nervously.

"I had no idea that there were so many tunnels under Sprigvane," she spoke quietly to her guide.

The other shook their head, "Not many do. We don't like to tell our secrets to outsiders."

"Oh," Asuna stumbled slightly, "I . . . I see."

If we weren't in this situation, you would have never found out, basically.

Her guide was a little on the short side, and Asuna had yet to see their face or any distinguishing features. But they had the codes that Lady Morgana had provided and proof of identity so she really didn't have any choice but to follow.

"We are here."

Asuna was pulled out of her musings as they came to a stop in front of a closed door, one of the few that they'd passed on their journey through the tunnels. The guide opened the door and then stepped to the side. "I will wait for you here, My Lady."

Asuna felt a shiver go down her spine as the cold air from the open door drifted past her, and nodded at the guide. She took a moment to center herself before stepping through the door.

The other side was what looked like a war room, and in the center a giant table was set up with a group of Spriggans surrounding it. At her entrance, they all looked up and Asuna found herself frozen under the gaze of dozens of grey eyes.

"Ah, thank goodness you are here," the Spriggan at the head table sighed, shoulders sagging. Asuna vaguely recognized her from the signing of the treaty; the Lady Morgana herself. Morgana fell into a shallow bow as she spoke, "I welcome you, My Queen, though I am sorry to say that it is in such circumstances."

Asuna breathed and straightened her spine. Right now, she couldn't be Asuna Yuuki, wife of Kirito. Right now she had to be Asuna, the Fairy Queen. Asuna, the Lightning Flash, former Vice Captain of the Knights of the Blood Oath.

"I noticed," her voice was smooth, with a hint of a threat, "Would anyone care to explain why your capital is on fire?"

Morgana glanced down at the table with a frown, as did several of her advisors.

"I am sorry, My Lady," Morgana sighed, and then glanced back up again. This time Asuna could see the dark circles under her eyes. "But the letter I sent you was a little outdated."

"There's been a bit of a . . . situation."

0~o~0

I had this written months ago . . . but family members getting into wrecks, world pandemics, and starting a webtoon tend to complicate things. I hope that everyone is staying safe out there!

So, update on my situation. I have had writers block on my stories for a while, and I ended up starting a webtoon instead. Would anyone be interested in looking into it? I am considering posting the name here if enough people want to check it out. I haven't published it yet (I am still working on the second chapter and it needs three before I can publish), but I should have it up and running within the week.

(Updated: 4/7/2020)