They moved silently. They turned, one direction, then another, but every path told the same story. Movement in the distance. Steel catching faint light. Voices carried by the wind, low but constant. There was no open road, no forgotten trail, no gap wide enough to slip through without being seen.
Drexo's jaw tightened as his eyes traced the edges of the forest again, slower this time, more deliberate, as if staring long enough might change what was already there.
It did not.
"They have sealed everything," Theon murmured, crouching slightly as another group of soldiers passed not too far off, their footsteps heavy against the earth. He waited until the sound faded before straightening again.
Drexo exhaled through his nose, controlled, measured.
"We wait," Theon added after a moment, his voice low but firm. "Nightfall will give us something. Not much, but enough to try."
Drexo did not argue.
He gave a small nod, barely noticeable, and shifted back into the cover of the trees. The shadows there felt thicker, safer in a fragile way, like they could hold them just long enough if they did not move too soon.
So they stayed. Time stretched. Not in minutes, not in anything that could be counted easily, but in breaths and silence and the distant movement of men who were not looking for them directly, but would not hesitate if they found them. Drexo remained still, but his mind did not. It moved in sharp, restless turns, circling everything he had just been told, every word Theon had spoken, every image that came with it whether he wanted it or not.
He said nothing. Neither did Theon.
Meanwhile, far from the forest and the tightening net around Dragon City, Hills Ford stood quiet under a sky that had not yet learned what had happened.
The raven arrived without warning, cutting through the air with a sharp cry before settling against the stone with a restless flutter of wings. Its presence drew attention quickly, the small movement enough to pull a guard closer, then another, until the message was taken and passed inward without delay.
Helen received it.
She did not linger. The seal alone was enough to tell her where it had come from, and something in the weight of it, in the way the parchment felt in her hand, made her steps quicken without thought.
She walked straight to Maria's chambers. The knock came firm, not loud, but urgent enough to break through whatever silence sat behind the door.
Inside, Maria did not move at once. She lay on her bed, staring at nothing in particular, her thoughts tangled somewhere between anger and something softer she refused to name. Drexo's absence lingered in the room like something unfinished, something that had been cut too quickly.
"Come in," she said finally, her voice low, lacking its usual strength.
The door opened with a soft click. Helen stepped in, her expression already tightened with something she had not yet spoken.
"We have received a raven," she said, holding the note slightly forward. "From your brother."
That was enough. Maria pushed herself up immediately, her brows drawing together as she reached for the parchment. Her fingers brushed against it quickly, almost impatiently, before she unfolded it and began to read.
The room went still. Her eyes moved across the words once.
Then again. And something in her face changed. It did not happen all at once. It started small, a slight tightening around her eyes, a faint shift in her lips, then it spread, deeper, sharper, until whatever calm she had been holding onto broke completely.
She stood. The movement was sudden, almost abrupt, the note still clutched tightly in her hand.
Helen took a step closer. "What is wrong, my lady?"
Maria did not answer immediately. She moved instead, crossing the room in quick strides, heading straight for her wardrobe. Her hands did not hesitate as she reached inside, pulling out pieces of armor one after the other, her movements efficient, practiced.
"Prepare the army," she said, her voice steadier now, but colder. "We are heading to Dragon City immediately."
Helen froze. The words did not settle easily. "What is going on?" she asked, confusion clear in her tone.
Maria paused just long enough to glance back. "My brother," she said, each word controlled, "and Robert, they have rebelled against the crown."
The silence that followed pressed in quickly.
"The king is dead," she added. "And so are Prince Dereek and Prince Domion."
Helen did not move.
The weight of it hit her all at once, leaving her standing there, caught between disbelief and the reality written plainly on Maria's face.
"If they have succeeded," she began slowly, trying to piece it together, "then why are we heading to Dragon City?"
Maria was already fastening the last pieces of her armor into place, her fingers moving with sharp precision.
"They have declared Prince Drexo wanted," she said without turning. "There is a bounty on his head."
She paused then, just for a second.
"And I will not allow that."
Helen exhaled, the sound heavier than she intended. "Because you secretly love him." The words landed without warning.
Maria froze. It was not subtle. Her entire body stilled, as if something had struck her from the inside. She turned slowly, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"Who told you that?" she asked.
Helen met her gaze without hesitation. "I saw him," she said simply. "When he left your chambers this morning."
She shifted her shoulders slightly, as if settling into the truth of it.
"That is when it made sense." The room felt smaller suddenly.
Maria looked at her for a long moment, saying nothing, then turned away again, her jaw tightening.
"Now you know," she said, her voice quieter but no less firm. "We have to secure him. I cannot afford to see him die."
Helen stepped closer. "Can you even hear yourself?" she asked, her tone sharpening. "You are planning to rescue your brother's greatest enemy."
Maria turned sharply. "Drexo is no enemy," she snapped. "He has done nothing wrong."
Her voice rose, not loud, but strong enough to carry the conviction behind it. "And I will not stand by while my brother kills an innocent man."
Helen reached out, grabbing her arm, forcing her to face her fully.
"Your brother is the Warden of the North," she said, her grip firm. "His word is law. His will is ours to follow."
Her eyes searched Maria's face. "Turning against him is treason."
Maria's jaw clenched. "Losing Drexo," she replied, her voice dropping slightly, "is treason against my heart."
She held Helen's gaze. "And I will not live with that." For a second, Helen said nothing. Then she laughed.
It came out sudden, almost disbelieving, her head shaking slightly as if she did not recognize the person standing in front of her.
"You are our commander," she said, her voice edged with something between disbelief and frustration. "The one who taught us loyalty. The one who taught us duty."
She paused, letting the words settle.
"And now!" she continued, her expression tightening, "you have broken your oath to your fiancé, and you want to stand against your own blood."
Maria went still.
For the first time, the weight of those words reached her fully. It showed, just briefly, in the way her eyes shifted, in the way her shoulders lowered a fraction.
"What else can I do?" she asked, quieter now. "I do not want to support the enemy."
She hesitated. "I just want to save him."
Helen shook her head.
"If you go through with this," she said, her tone steady again, "you will not only betray your brother, you will drag every one of us with you."
The words hung there, heavy and undeniable. Maria's body tensed. For a moment, it seemed like she might stop, like the weight of it might pull her back. But then another image pushed through, stronger, sharper, refusing to be ignored.
Drexo. Captured. Hunted. Killed.
Her expression hardened again. "Then I will do it alone." The words came without hesitation.
Helen fell silent. She watched her for a long second, something shifting behind her eyes.
"You know I cannot let you do that," she said finally, her voice softer now. "We were nothing before you found us."
She took a step closer. "We are family."
Maria did not respond. She moved past her instead, her steps quick, purposeful, heading straight out of the room and toward the training grounds.
The air outside felt different.
Sharper.
The sound of steel against steel rang out as the girls trained, their movements precise, their focus unbroken until Maria's presence cut through it.
They stopped. One by one, then all at once.
Maria stepped forward, her gaze moving across them, taking them in. "I have a request," she said.
The words alone were enough to silence whatever remained of the training.
They listened.
"I need to rescue Drexo Dragarian," she continued, her voice clear, steady despite everything. "He has been declared an enemy of the realm by my brother."
She paused. "It is treason," she added, not hiding it, not softening it.
Her eyes moved across their faces, watching, measuring. "If none of you will follow me, I will go alone."
The hesitation came immediately. It showed in their eyes, in the slight shifts of their stance, in the way no one moved forward.
Maria took a breath.
"I am not asking you to fight against your country," she said, her voice lowering slightly. "I am asking you to help me save an innocent man."
She paused again. "Who is with me?"
Silence.
It stretched long enough to feel heavy. Then, Helen stepped forward. She dropped to one knee without hesitation.
"I am with you," she said, her voice firm despite everything she had said before. "I swore to follow you."
She lowered her head slightly. "Even when you are wrong."
She lifted her gaze again. "And you are wrong now." A faint breath left her. "But I will die with you."
The moment shifted. One by one, the others followed.
Knees hit the ground in quiet succession, a unified movement that carried more weight than any words could.
"We vow to follow you," they said together. "No matter what."
Maria exhaled slowly. Not relief. Not entirely, but something else. "Then it is settled," she said. Her voice steadied again. "We leave for Dragon City immediately."
The formation broke. They moved quickly, without hesitation now, grabbing weapons, securing armor, preparing for something they all understood might not end well.
Steel was drawn. Straps tightened. Boots struck against stone as they moved toward the ships waiting at the edge of the water.
No one spoke. There was nothing left to say.