Chapter 5: Short Fuse's

Three weeks after the incident in the dungeon…

The warmth of a nearby fire lantern enveloped Titanium as he looked down from the balcony-like area that was in the throne room. He wasn't up there with many other people, just a hand full. None seemed to notice or care about the young Warden as he leaned against the refined wooden railing, not that he minded anyway. Shifting a bit, one of Titanium's hands wandered down to his still healing stomach wound, bringing him back to when he left the dungeon. He wasn't expecting to be found by the Warlord of the Iron Legion herself, but then again, if he wanted to hide, he shouldn't have went running to the nearest crowd he saw.

But after seeing what he saw, he couldn't really find fault in his actions.

After the commotion THAT caused, Titanium had been trying to live normally. Every day, he young Warden would get up and act like nothing was wrong. Of course Tatsumaki wouldn't fall for it, her and his closest friends could tell that something was wrong, but no matter what they did, Titanium would never tell them what happened. Naturally, many that knew him began to worry about the young Warden.

Deciding not to dwell on the past any longer, Titanium glanced down to the bottom floor. Through the dim light the lanterns cast, he could clearly make out various faces. There were plenty he knew, but there were others he didn't. All the people below murmured and whispered to one another, chattering quietly like mice would in the dark. At his throne sat Honor, his hand gently rubbing his chin as if he was in deep thought. With him was Reborn, who stood at his right side. The Royal Guard Commander eyed the gathered crowd of warriors from under his helmet, almost as if he expected them to draw their weapons in rebellion. Cain, Aqua, and Kingdom all also stood somewhere near the Warlord. Each of them were also looking at the crowd with various expressions.

Over the past few weeks, the Walled City had seen many changes. The citizen's rejoiced, for the previously destroyed outer city was nearly rebuilt. Ties with the Iron Legion had been strengthened due to the aid and support the Lord Warden had sent, though some trouble had been brewing between the two legions as well. For the most part, they were nothing more then petty squabbles between the legionnaires of each legion and were thus dealt with easily.

What wasn't being dealt with so easily however, were the many riots that were raging in the ranks of the Templar Legion. The attack devastated the outer city of course, but it also devastated the image of the Templars. An upcoming legion that was originally thought to be nothing but successful nearly was destroyed. The Templars no longer held the same name they used to, and while they desperately needed it, receiving help from the Iron Legion destroyed their pride further. Too many legionnaires had been killed during the siege, leading for the defenses of the city to now be undermanned. Not to mention all the burials and funerals that were still taking place. All this naturally had a negative impact on most.

Someone lost someone they cared about; be it a father, mother, brother, sister, or just a really good friend. Someone just lost a bit of their world, and now all that negative emotion was being thrown at the higher-ups.

Blaming commanders for sending them to die, ridiculing the tactics that were used, condemning those who ran, these were the things higher ranked Templars had to deal with. None of this however, compared to the flak Haymaker caught on a daily basis. Regardless of her title as a Noble for the legion, She was still a Viking and all the commotion that Draven and Valencia had started all those weeks ago hadn't helped her situation either. Some legionnaires agreed with Draven and Valencia, and thought that Haymaker should be punished for the role her home clan played in the siege, and hailed them as hero's for trying to "Deal out judgement". Now it was practically common place to see a few Knights protesting their imprisonment, as well as the other Knights that had agreed back in the mess hall.

Honor had called as many warriors into the throne room so he could publicly discuss changes and events with them, it would all finally be addressed.

"Looks like someone could use a nap, or are you just bored like the rest of us?" said a feminine voice behind Titanium, who had began to nod off. Startled, the young Warden mentally cursed his inability to fall asleep for the past few days. Turning around, Titanium witnessed the one talking to him step out of the shadows, a Peacekeeper. "It is pretty boring waiting around for our King to begin."

Recognizing the voice, Titanium gave a small smile. "Lance! Quid suus 'iens tibi omnia?"

Lance quickly took a spot next to the Warden, removing her hood and helmet while leaning on the railing just as he was. "Im 'bonum, postulantes gratiam." The Peacekeeper then looked down at everyone on the lower levels. "I can see that things aren't going so well here at home though..."

"You can say that again..." Sighed the young Warden as he closed his eyes, his lack of energy showing. "After the siege, everything just took a turn for the worst..." For a few moments, the two Knights stood in silence. Basking in the warmth of the nearby lantern. Titanium felt like he could have finally fell asleep right then and there, but the young Warden started to feel uncomfortable.

After trying to ignore it, the young Warden begrudgingly decided to open his eyes. Titanium glanced around tiredly before finding the source of his discomfort. His eyes locked with Lance's, who currently had her head tilted to the side while looking at him. The Peacekeeper stared at him for a moment longer before worry crossed her face.

"Even the way you look at me seems off Warden, did something happen? You look like you've seen a demon..." Titanium's eyes went wide.

"De...mon?.." croaked the young Warden as his mind went blank. Slowly but surely, the young Warden found himself reliving the nightmare that had been plaguing him. He found himself back in the dungeon, sitting on the cold stone floor in fear, staring up through the small window on a door, right at the hopeless face of Valencia as the shadowy monster behind him closed in.

"Titanium!" came a hushed yell from the young Wardens side, followed by a sharp pain to his left cheek. Lance's face now showed more worry then before as she watched Titanium slowly look back at her.

"Did you just...hit me?" asked Titanium, lifting his gauntlet to feel his cheek. "Yes! From what it looked like, you needed me to!" exclaimed Lance in a still hushed tone, trying not to draw attention to them. "Warden you were shaking! And you had this scared look on your face!"

"...Nihil suus. Nolite in sublime tolli." dismissed the young Warden as he turned his head back to the lower level, still rubbing his cheek. "This is DEFINATLY something. Are you sure about this Titanium?" asked Lance.

"Certus! Besides, it looks like they are about to begin. It would be rude to ignore our King wouldn't it?" said Titanium before turning back to Lance, the small smile he first greeted her with on his face. "Quia non respicit quamquam deo gratias!"

"Cain wasn't the only one asked by Tatsumaki to watch over you ya know. If your sure..." Said Lance, rolling her eyes and leaving it at that. While Titanium was still young and a bit hard headed, Lance could tell that the young Warden knew how to handle himself...mostly. He WAS a Warden after all, endurance is one thing they are trained in. However that didn't stop her from worrying.

Titanium had been petrified for a good two minutes at the mention of "Demon". At first she though he was just joking with her, but she realized he wasn't kidding when she had to slap him in order for him to snap out of it. Lance had seen a lot of things in her service as a Peacekeeper, and that lost and afraid look the young Warden had was one of them. As unfortunate as it was, she couldn't think of what to do besides hope that Titanium was ok. Warriors aren't normally afraid, and when they are, they do very well in not showing it. The poor souls she saw with that face though? They'd had to have seen something truly terrifying in order to put them in that state, that she knew.

So what happened? She could only wonder.

…

…

"The Queen isn't going to be able to make it my liege, she says that she'll be overseeing the final repairs of the outer city." said Unbreakable as he whispered to Honor. The golden Warden hummed in understanding before dismissing the Royal Guard, who proceeded to don his helmet and walk down the stairs and out of the throne room. Honor then looked at the crowd of warriors before him.

"Brothers and sisters of the Templar legion! I want to thank you all for coming here today, for I know you all have things you need to attend to!" Began the Warlord, his voice bringing everyone's attention to himself.

"First of all things that will be said here, I would like to personally thank you all for your efforts against the Warborn horde that came to our precious city! We taught those villains a lesson they'll never forget!"

With those last few words, the throne room erupted into sounds of joy. Honor smiled as he watched his followers cheer and celebrate before finally putting up a hand to signal for their silence.

"After crushing the enemy still inside of our home, scouts reported that the Iron legion was outside the city, fighting and effectively destroying Warborn reinforcements and siege equipment." Honor then looked up to the balcony like area on his right, where the Lord Warden was standing with a few Iron legionnaires. "If it weren't for the support you lent us, we all very well might be a fleeting thought of the past. The Templar legion is grateful for your help."

Once again, the throne room went up in cheers and applause. The Iron Legion Warlord simply smiled and waved to everyone below, as well as those around her. When the noise died down, Honor Continued.

"While our home WAS saved however, our loses were far greater then our gains." said the golden Warden, his voice growing somber. "Many good men and women perished defending what they considered their home, defending those they swore to protect, and even then we still couldn't save everyone..."

…

…

The overall mood went sour as soon as not being able to save everyone was mentioned. Titanium felt a ping of regret as he remembered the siege once more, all the people he couldn't save. Taking his focus away from the speech, Titanium once again checked his surroundings. The young Warden noticed Paragon beside him, staring down at the King as he talked. Almost on que, the copper Warden looked up and at Titanium, who had smiled at him with a friendly grin. Paragon, rather then flash a smile back, gave and annoyed look and turned his attention back to Honor.

Titanium frowned in confusion. Apparently he wasn't the only one who had been acting weird during the last few weeks. Paragon had apparently had a change of view towards Haymakers situation. At first he defended her, but now he was starting to take the side of the rioting Templars. He became nearly unapproachable to everyone he used to talk to, the only people that could get a conversation out of him where the legionnaires who were damn near rebelling.

Knowing he couldn't really do anything about it, Titanium sighed and looked back to his King, noticing that the mood had gotten bright once more.

…

…

"But as they now lay dead, we can not allow their sacrifice to be in vain! Our fallen gave everything they had in order for us to prosper! We OWE it to them to protect this stronghold no matter the cost!" Yelled Honor as the room cheered. "And once the defense of our home is insured, we will march out and avenge all of our fallen! None of the Warborn will be safe until we find the ones that are responsible and give those heathens what they deserve!"

The throne erupted into a flurry of applause, battle cries, and cheers. Honor watched the moral in the room soar to new heights. Honor look over to see Aqua looking back at him. The dark Knight gave a nod of approval, signaling for him to continue on. The King nodded back before taking a deep breath.

Now comes the hard part.

"Unfortunately, none of this can be done until we are all on one accord." Quickly, the room went from shouts of joy to confused murmurs. It was at this time where Cain stepped forward on Honors left side.

"To start things off, the riots and protests have to stop! The Grand Council and High Commanders have enough to deal with already, and the infighting isn't helping! If you truly want change then be productive about it!"

"And just what do you mean by that?" Chimed a Warden in the crowd. Nothing could be heard but the shuffling of feet as the crowd moved out of the way to reveal Bloodshed. The Warden continued talking as he walked out of the crowd and in front of them. "You'll have to be a lot more specific then that sir, what you've said is pretty vague..."

Cain narrowed his eyes down at Bloodshed. "I'm sure you'd know brother, since you instigate these things..." To this, Bloodshed shrugged his shoulders. "If I see something that isn't right, I'll fight against it! Its not my fault so many agree with me."

After the siege, Bloodshed had been hailed as a hero by his fellow legionnaires. He was skilled with his blade and was more than capable of commanding forces. He would have made a great commander, if not for him taking sides with Draven after the mess hall incident.

"Whether or not people agree with you isn't the problem here brother," Stated Honor, his full attention now on the riot leader. "What matters is that we are all united in our future endeavors. We cant hunt down the Warborn responsible for this attack, AND deal with infighting."

"Prorsus! That's why we all need to forget this stupid idea that Haymaker isn't responsible!" Said Bloodshed, abandoning his cool demeaner entirely.

Once again, the crowd murmured and whispered amongst themselves. Titanium sighed tiredly at this as he once again put his head down on the railing. Normally, he'd jump to his friends' defense, however the Warden found himself to be too tired to say anything. He kept his silence as he focused back on his liege.

Honor gave an annoyed sigh. "Why would Haymaker, a loyal member and Noble of our legion, be responsible for this?"

"She's. A. Viking!" Spelled out Bloodshed, his gauntleted hands moving on each emphasis. "And her clan was present in the attack! Why are you sitting there and acting like this isn't a problem?!" Bloodshed then looked behind him, anger in his eyes. "She should have been hanged along with the Warborn! Yet she's here, standing among us, acting like a friend when she's really a foe!"

Bloodsheds glare pierced through the crowd, making a few Knights side-step out of the way. What this revealed was Haymaker, standing with one hand on her waist and an unamused expression on her face.

"You DO know that pointing out the obvious isn't helping your case right? Everyone knows that I'm a Viking, and over the past few weeks, everyone now knows that my home clan was fighting during the siege, and is currently locked down in the dungeon. You repeating this does nothing for your argument."

"I'll tell you what DOES do something for my argument..." Sneered the riot leader as he unsheathed his longsword and pointed its tip at her. "Your head on a pike!"

…

…

As the argument below escalated, the Iron legionnaires watched uneasily. A Conqueror made his way through the crowd, the skull tied to his helmet making a few take second glances. Once the Conqueror got to the balcony, he saw the Lord Warden. Walking up, the Conqueror leaned into her ear and whispered.

"It might be for the best to leave Warden, Honor looks like he's got a lot of things to sort out. We shouldn't be in the middle of all this." The Iron Legion Warlord shook her head lightly as her focus remained on Honor.

"This is the perfect opportunity to see how our ally handles bad situations at home. It would be foolish in the long run if we just left, besides, I thought you hated being careful, Stone?"

Stone scoffed as he too returned his gaze back down. "Of course! The first time I met you was me making a suicidal attack on invading Vikings back at Harrowgate! If you're sure about this Warden, we'll stay put."

The Lord Warden nodded at what her longtime companion said. Both of the warriors let silence come between them, full attention on what was going on below.

…

…

"Alright fine, answer me this my liege!" Said Bloodshed, sheathing his sword after his little argument with the Berserker, who had basically mocked him the entire time. "Why are Draven and Valencia in the dungeon and she's not?! If they are going to be trialed for what they've done, she needs to be trialed too! And speaking of Draven and Valencia, their trials better be fair!"

"And for what reason? None of you have shown proof that she had anything to do with this. You, Draven, Valencia, and all the rest of your rioting supporters have done nothing more then waste my time." Groaned the golden Warden before he sat up straight, looking Bloodshed in his eyes. "And who are you to be making demands? I'll decide if their trials are fair or not. Speaking of, their trials have already been complete. Valencia has been sentenced to death and Draven will be banished."

Bloodsheds jaw dropped. "W-WHAT?!"

The room, again, went into murmurs and gasps. Titanium felt a cold sweat break out on his face at the mention of Valencia being sentenced to death, Lance putting a supporting hand on the young Wardens back when she noticed him began to shake lightly and his eyes dilate. Haymaker couldn't help the smirk that had plastered itself onto her face once she heard the news, which sent Bloodshed over the edge when he noticed.

"You fool!" Yelled the Warden in rage. "So what they said is true huh?! You ARE an idiot! How could you kill a Knight before killing a Viking?! Quid autem mali est infernum?!"

"Valencia had committed many crimes against us prior to what happened in the mess hall, one of which is not following orders." Said Honor plainly. "Not only did he disobey a direct order from our Seneschal, he got his people killed because of it. As you all saw, he expressed NO shame. I decided that death was a suitable punishment."

"And our King was not the one that killed him, I did." Said Reborn. "Is that a problem?"

"Is that a problem? Is that a problem?! Of course its a problem, don't fuck with me!" Snapped Bloodshed as he unsheathed his sword, pointing it at Honor. "I should take your head off in retribution! He may have committed crimes, but at least he isn't some Viking lover, unlike that novice Titanium! At least he knew who our enemy was!"

At that moment, time stopped. Everyone held their breath as Cain, Aqua, and Reborn unsheathed their swords as well, levelling them at Bloodshed. Due to this standoff, no one seemed to notice a very audible "Who the FUCK is he calling novice?!" that came from a now angry Titanium whos energy came back to him once he heard the insult, save for Lance who attempted in vain to calm the young Warden down.

"I'd advise that you put that blade away Knightsman..." Warned Reborn. "Not many live after taking up arms against the King..."

Bloodshed snorted before pointing his sword at the Royal Guard Commander. "And what? What will you do, hmm? All I have to do to deal with you is take one of this old fools bones and throw it at you! You'll go running after it like the dog you are!"

"You've just sealed your fate!-" Growled Reborn, an all too familiar glow underneath his helmet appearing for just a second, but before he could do anything, Honor held a hand out in front of him.

"Wait brother, don't want you to get involved in this one." Honor then whispered. "There are too many witnesses..." Both of the Knights held a silent conversation with each other before Reborn finally relented. Honor turned back to Bloodshed.

"I'm assuming you want my head on a pike along with Haymaker's?"

"Yours, hers, the Queens, your lapdogs, Titaniums, and anyone else who doesn't see the truth!" Confirmed Bloodshed. Honor stared blankly at the Warden below him before shrugging. "Well then, that settles it. Kingdom!"

Kingdom, who had been minding his own business, quickly snapped to attention. "What? Who called?"

Honor let his head slide into his hand out of boredom. "Along with all the other duties we talked about, you are now the Royal Executioner. I'll let you put two and two together..." At this, the Lawbringer looked around before his eyes eventually fell on Bloodshed.

"Oh ok, yeah I've got this." Said the Lawbringer casually as he strolled down the staircase, hefting his poleaxe onto his shoulder. Cain and Aqua put their swords away as the crowd dispersed to make room for the inevitable.

The riot leader eyed Kingdom as he made his way down the stairs. "Royal Executioner huh? What a fancy title..." Once the Lawbringer reached the end of the staircase, Bloodshed quickly rushed him, aiming a slash at his legs. "You've lost your mind if you think that I'm going to fall here!"

Kingdom blocked the attack with ease, following up with a shove that knocked the Warden back. "Oh? A sneak attack?" Said Kingdom mockingly. "I didn't even see it coming!"

Bloodshed growled annoyingly as he and the Lawbringer stared each other down. The both warriors rushed forward suddenly and their weapons met in a power struggle. The two pushed against one another before breaking the lock and beginning to trade blows, each attack either glancing off their armor or being blocked and dodged.

The Warden winced and grit his teeth as he narrowly avoided a heavy swing that Kingdom threw, the poleaxe scraping against the armor on his shoulder. Thinking quickly, the riot leader charged into Kingdoms side, attempting to bring his sword down on his head afterward.

The Lawbringer skillfully parried the attack and countered with another shove, knocking Bloodshed back again. "I didn't see that coming either! Not bad!"

"Shut up!" Yelled the Warden angrily, letting his rage take over as he began to swing wildly at the Royal Executioner. Kingdom smirked to himself as he effortlessly blocked all the attacks, making smart comments whenever he got the chance. This continued on for a while before a voice ring out in the room.

"Kingdom! People have things to do! Take this seriously!" Ordered the golden Warden.

Once these words hit Kingdoms ears, the Lawbringer sighed. "I was hoping to get him to yield through this..." Kingdom then took off his helmet, showing a serious face that no one usually sees. "If you submit now Bloodshed, I can convince our liege to have mercy..."

"Never!" Yelled Bloodshed. "Now die!" The rage filled Warden charged at Kingdom again, quickly closing the distance between them. Kingdom sucked his teeth before throwing his helmet directly at the riot leader, upon connection, filled the room with a metallic crash as the Warden went stumbling backwards while swearing.

"Stultus!" Insulted the Royal executioner as he came forward. Bloodshed barely had time to dodge the spike that nearly stabbed him in the neck, and then another jab aimed for his chest. Kingdom kept the Warden moving, making him clumsily move about trying to avoid blows that would certainly kill him.

Eventually, the Warden could no longer dodge, and started blocking. Each blow fell heavily on the Warden's blade as he was forced to take steps back. With one final swing, Bloodsheds sword could take no more, and the blade broke in two. Staring dumbfounded at his ruined sword, Bloodshed felt the smaller side of the axe stab into his stomach and be yanked out as quickly as it came. The Warden fell to his hands and knees while coughing up blood.

A quick jab from the bottom of Kingdoms poleaxe hit the riot leader in such a way that his helmet went flying off. The Royal Executioner walked away from the Warden to retrieve his helmet that he had thrown at him, to which Honor took the opportunity to speak with the downed Warden.

"The offer still stands brother, submit and I will consider having mercy."

Bloodshed, hissing in pain, got up to where he was sitting on his knees. The wounded Warden spat out blood before looking at the Warlord with fury burning in his eyes.

"Et non vobbis subiciuntur…" Snarled the riot leader, causing Honor to sigh. "Then you have chosen death...May you find peace in the afterlife..."

The wounded Warden tried to will himself up, but ultimately couldn't. He fell back down on his knees just in time for Kingdom to return, helmet on and sharpening the axe of his weapon. Looking and getting a nod from Honor, Kingdom knocked the Warden forward so he'd be on his hands as well. With a yell of power, Kingdom brought his sharpened weapon down on the Wardens neck, taking his head off completely.

As the body slumped the floor, nothing could be heard. The room was deathly silent. Everyone had varying emotions, from Haymaker who was gleeful, to a maid who fainted. Titanium himself gulped before turning to where Paragon was. He expected to see the copper Warden distraught, after all, him and Bloodshed were good friends. When the Warden looked however, he saw no one there. That's when the young Wardens heart sank...he knew where he went.

"DAMN YOU!" Came a loud voice from the crowd, with the body it associated with pushing its way past everyone and making a beeline towards Kingdom. It was Paragon.

No one had seen the copper Warden leave the balcony, but everyone knew his intention. A few brave souls tried to stop him, either being thrown off or not being fast enough to catch him. As Paragon neared Kingdom, the Lawbringer steadied himself to withstand whatever the Warden threw at him.

But just as the copper Warden got within striking distance, he jumped to the side, avoiding Kingdom entirely.

The Royal Executioner looked behind him in confusion as Paragon kept running, but soon realized just where the Warden was going.

"Honor! He's going for you!" Yelled the Lawbringer. Honor said nothing as he watched the Warden come up the stairs, longsword aimed at the golden Wardens heart.

Everyone gasped at the sound of the blade striking something, even Paragons face was wide-eyed, even though his reason to be shocked was different. Honor had lifted up his gauntlet, allowing Paragons blade to scrape against it and stab into the throne.

"How did yo-URK?!" Questioned Paragon until something connected with his chest, sending him tumbling down the staircase. Honor had kicked the Warden down, his leg still straightened out until he finally lowered it and looked down at the copper Warden with distain.

"Two did not have to die today, but I see you wish to join your friend. May you find peace as well brother..."

Paragon weakly stood up facing the crowd, disoriented from the fall. Before he could gain his baring's, Paragon found himself facing the celling with a sword sticking through with chest.

Only the people beside Honor saw Reborn walk down the stairs, leaving his shield beside the King and clenching his sword with one hand on the blade and another on the hilt. Once he got down behind the dazed Warden, the Royal Guard Commander swung upwards into Paragons back, his armor doing nothing to protect against the blow. Reborn now had the Warden hoisted up into the air, and held him there for a few seconds until finally dropping him.

Paragon and Bloodsheds bodies both now lay out on the floor. Pools of their blood stained the already red carpet as everyone looked on at Honor with fear.

"I will not tolerate things like this any longer!" Yelled Honor, his voice echoing throughout the room. "Any violence against another member of this legion will NOT be forgiven! If some of you truly have problems with the way things are being run, use your heads! I will gladly talk to you and we can discuss it like rational human-beings!" Honors eyes briefly became dark before turning into a hard gaze.

"I do not wish to harm my own subjects, but if threats are made against me or the ones I hold dear? Et filiorum illius non miserebor…You are all dismissed!"

…

…

"I thought I told you to stay out of it?" Asked Honor, briefly turning away from the huge table he sat at to look at Reborn, who was standing behind him.

"My apologies my liege, I couldn't help myself." Came the simple reply of Reborn, to which the King decided to just leave at that.

The two Knight's were in a large room, one similar to a war-room, yet much bigger. In many spaced out chairs, different figures sat, all discussing various topics with one another. About half of these figures were important to the Templar legion, coming from different places in Ashfeld just to be here for this meeting, for this was no ordinary meeting...

This was the Grand Council, and a meeting was called so everyone could discuss what to do after the siege had happened.

Along with leaders of the Templars, the Iron Legion also had leaders present. One such was Holden Cross, the Lord Warden's second. Cross had his brows furrowed as he looked down at the large map on the table.

"The Vikings couldn't have come from the Ice Coast, we have a few outposts and a stronghold there and they reported no movement." Cain, who also was looking at the map, pointed to one section. "And it would have been suicide if they had come from Ilkaya's Barrier, every mercenary and legion in Ashfeld would have noticed them."

"Well we have to find out where they came from!" Said a Warden beside Cain, a nearby candle reflecting the cross embossing on her helmet. "Not only for the pride of the Templar Legion, but for Ashfeld itself! They'll be sure to hit more strongholds and castles if we don't stop them!"

"We'll find the path they took Commander Rose," Reassured Aqua with a sigh, running a hand through his hair. "There's no need to work yourself up."

The Iron Legion Warlord nodded at Aqua's statement before looking at Honor. "Honor, how are you after what happened?"

"I'm fine, thank you for asking." Said Honor, The Lord Warden smiling as she returned her gaze to the map. "Its no problem, I've had to do the same a few times."

"Oh yes, you should she her when she's angry!" Said a Peacekeeper from the Iron Legion. "A she-demon I tell you! Very scary!" The Lord Warden gave the Peacekeeper a dirty look. "They don't need to know the details Commander Nicasius."

Reborn snorted at the statement of the Iron Legion Warden being a demon, though no one noticed. On the other hand, Victoria, who had been sitting in her chair quietly looking at one section of the map, confusingly spoke up. "Darling, what about Sow Mesa? It has a road that leads right through The Fold. The Warborn might have been able to find their way to us from there."

Honor looked to that part of the map and began stroking his bearded chin. "Likely, though I thought the Iron legion had Strongholds and outposts there as well..."

All eyes went to the Iron legion Knights, who looked at each other having a silent conversation. Stone, who had also been quiet, took his feet off the table and looked hard at the territory brought into question.

"We did...until Commander Elner rebelled."

The Templars all looked at the Iron Legion leaders like they were crazy. "Rebelled? Someone managed to get that far?" Asked Cain, surprise in his voice.

"This is THE Lady Elner we're talking about." Said Commander Nicasius, looking down at the territory with a pensive expression. "She's good in politics and very skilled as a Warden."

"When she decided to go turn-coat, she managed to get the whole garrison in the area to turn with her." Said Holden. "She's been going toe-to-toe with our soldiers ever since. She doesn't think of anyone but herself, so I wouldn't be surprised if she just let the Warborn past."

"We'll have to have a talk with this 'Lady Elner'. God bless her soul if she IS the reason my city was attacked..." Growled Victoria, already thinking up many ways of torture. Honor had his head in one of his hands again, this time in annoyance. Though that annoyance mostly came from the Iron Legion not being able to put down a rebellion to the point where the rebels controlled an entire territory, it also came at the thought that said rebels got his home attacked by Vikings!

"If you like my liege, I can travel out in advance and have a talk with this woman before you get there." Asked the Royal Guard Commander. Honor waved dismissively. "Do whatever you feel is necessary Reborn."

"As you wish my liege." Came Reborn's reply before he exited the room. Everyone watched the Black prior leave and looked at Honor, Aqua speaking in a concerned tone. "He isn't actually going to go...Is he?"

"Of course not." Said Honor. "Reborn knows when I'm joking. Now in other news, Seneschal, I have a job for you to do once this meeting is concluded."

Leaning in, Aqua listened to Honors request and smiled. "It would be my pleasure! Everyone probably needs something to uplift their spirts after what happened in the throne room, I'll go get on that right now!"

As the dark Knight walked out the door, the meeting continued as planned. The two Legions continued discussing about how they'd go about dealing with Lady Elner, IF she truly was at the heart of this attack on the Walled city.

…

…

"So! How was the crusading against the Samurai? I heard they've finally made a move!" Asked Titanium as he took a bite of his bread.

After the meeting in the throne room, the young Warden, along with many others, went into the mess hall to grab supper. Commander Rose, the High Commander that controlled a Fortress named Archdale Keep, had returned to the Walled City with supplies all the way from Valle Dei. Titanium was currently talking to two Black Priors who were from her garrison, helmets off ad feasting on what food they were given.

The first Black Prior smiled as he recalled fighting against the Samurai. "They aren't all that intimating. We cut through them every time! Those fools never learned how to counter a Cavalry charge!"

The other Black Prior laughed. "Says Overturn, the one who lost his horse entirely! They never stood a chance true, but they came close at Bella Road!"

Just then, Haymaker sat down beside Titanium, interested in the tale. "Oh? Do tell! Also hi hubby!" The Berserker quickly hugged Titanium before he was able to go anywhere, as was her mission ever since she found him after the Lord Warden did.

She noticed the way he was acting, how could she sit back and let her hubby sit and suffer alone? He may never talk about what happened, but she'll damn sure try to make him smile every day!

Overturn looked at the Berserker and the currently squished Warden with a raised eye brow, a sly smile slowly forming on his face. "Hey Prometheus, see what I see?" The other Black Prior now known as Prometheus had the same sly grin forming. "Oh I see it clearly."

Titanium rolled his eyes, he was use to this by now. "We're not dating, don't even think about it."

"~Yet~" Added in Haymaker. Making both Black Priors laugh and Titanium squirm, much to her enjoyment. "Before you know it, We'll be married just like Caesar and Gryphus!"

"Speaking of," Started Titanium. "When is their big day?" Haymaker loosened her grip a bit as her thought. "I think it's sometime next week. Both of them are running around trying to get ready."

Prometheus smiled. "I'll have to give them my congratulations when I run into them, those two are adorable." Overturn nodded. "Indeed! About time Caesar finally asked that girl to marry him! He'd been talking about her for the longest since the last time I was here!"

The doors to the mess hall suddenly kicked open with a bang. Everyone looked in confusion, only to see Seneschal Aqua with a big smile on his face.

"Alright my friends, it's time to reward you all for your efforts! Who's ready for a promotion?!"

Cavalry Overturn. Armor: Erzebet's Valor helm, Clever Bishop chest, Vicious Balaur arms. Kite shield and sword: Ihrinwe blade, Dies Irae hilt and shield. Ornament: Storr Medallion. Material: Gold. Color scheme: Knight Attack. Customizations: Paisley 1 embossing and cross paint pattern on all armor pieces and shield. Knights Templar emblem on back.

Crusader Prometheus. Armor: Erzebet's Valor helm, Vicious Balaur chest and arms. Kite shield and sword: Kerena blade, Aesalon hilt and shield. Ornament: None. Material: White Iron. Color scheme: All white, customizations aren't visible.

Ranks will be updated next chapter

Annnnnd boom! Another chapter out for this story!

I'm glad I was able to get this thing rolling again, you guys love this story, so who am I to not continue it?!

I will say this though, I MAY or MAY NOT take (Another long time) to write and finish my other story, The Daimyo's Verdict. I don't plan on it to be long, so with luck I'll be able to update and publish it quickly, so be on the look out just in case!

Anyways, leave a review telling me your thoughts! I do read them!

Til next time!