((Sielio's, at the moment))

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Everya charged through the palace gates and toward the front doors she threw herself off her steed and raced up the steps.
She ran down the halls until she ran into the King. He looked surprised at her appearance.
"Why aren't you spying?" He barked. Everya glared at him.
"Grenik's army decided to march early. I postioned another spy there with him, he should feed me information very soon about their progress. Fear not, we shall know Grenik's every move. But a battle is going to be soon upon us."
Sielio stared at her wide-eyed and hurried off to his map room.

Everya turned and quickly left the palace, this time on foot, she had to wait for orders from her fellow spy. She walked the outskirts of the palace until she stopped dead. There were 2 people talking nearby. She quickly hid herself and listened.

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"Scouting out the advancing army," Mordev snapped, flicking Rhaeryn a none too amiable look. Dismounting from his horse, he began walking past her towards the castle gatehouse. "I would remind you that it was I who first alerted Sielio of Genrik's position."

[this is getting nowhere]

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The hour flew past with alacrity, perhaps too swiftly for those within the fortified city. Ikrean's formidable army waited in taut apprehension for the fabled legions of Rhiosim.

Before even the first signs of daybreak, they were sighted.

The army of fifteen thousand strong, their swords and armor gleaming under the moonlight, arrayed themselves in full force, completely encircling the city's perimeter. The drums of war columned to the starlit skies.

Within the city, chaos reigned. Messenger boys raced to and fro, relaying messages from the king's council to the officers on the field. One such messenger exploded into Sielio's audience chamber unannounced. "Your Majesty, battle is stalled! Genrik demands to speak with you at the city gates!"

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Sielio spun to look at the messenger. He stood there looking at the messenger with an unexpressioned stare. A couple moments passed as Sielio thought; finally he realized that there was no getting out of a meeting.
"Then a meeting he shall have." he resigned. He nodded to the guards and Everya who had come to join him his chamber. Sielio first put on his battle gear, in case things were to go amiss. The guards and his aunt then followed him down to the court-yard where they mounted war horses.

Everya had changed into battle attire, a black hunting skirt with black leggings, a light tunic and fitted vest, then her armor. She climbed on a black war horse and followed Sielio and two other guards out to the gates for the meeting with Grenik. The short trip seemed to take forever. There was a lot of activity around the palace, soliders were running around and messengers relaying messagers to the appropriate ear. Each step Everya's horse took seemed like and eternity. Her long sword gently tapped her across the leg and her bow string dug painfully into her neck. She ignored those things of course, as she had several other things on her mind.

They reached the front gates and Sielio bekoned for his guards and Everya to stop. He would ride alone to meet Grenik now, unless of course Grenik had guards too; then his would be by his side instantly. Sielio stopped his grey horse and waited for Grenik to make his appearance. He sat tall and proud, despite the anxiety and nervousness he felt. War was finally on them; a very discouraging thought.

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Rhaeryn dashed through the teeming mobs of people, dressed in full battle regalia but for the missing helmet, which let her copper hair fall unchecked over the sober chain mail and leather. She would see this Grenik and not cower inside like a child.

Taking the narrow steps up the side of the city wall two by two, she reached the top as Sielio rode out and wondered with slight apprehension if their foe would woefully outstrip the young king in all that was important in a leader. Keeping herself determinedly visible despite the urge she felt to fade from sight, Rhaeryn grasped the battlement with both hands. If nothing else she would know this enemy when she saw him.

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The drums escalated, then came to an abrupt termination. The front ranks parted, and there was Genrik.

He sat astride an equine monstrosity, an enormous black stallion whose rippling muscles and fierce eyes dwarfed the other horses by long comparison. His ebony armor gleamed under the moonlight. Gauntlets flexing on the reins, he turned so that his hideous helm in the semblance of a skull was turned full upon King Sielio.

"Sielio!" he boomed. "Behold my wrath! What fruit is there in resistance?"

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Sielio eye's hardened with hatred as he surveyed Grenik. "What do you want? We will not surrender if that's what you want."

Everya stiffened, the king was being bold and that could get him into trouble.

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Skipping forward from the interrogation....

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Aivon muttered an oath under his breath as he ran to keep up with Rhaeryn, who he had finally found after a painstaking search. She could be very difficult to find if she didn't want to be.

He was wearing his armor, now--a hauberk of steel covered by a brown surcoat devoid of any device that would tell someone whose side he was on--he didn't care much for Genrik, but then again, he didn't really care much for Sielio, either. He simply cared about Rhaeryn--she would emerge from the coming battle safe, even if that meant he never emerged from it at all.

He adjusted his vambraces, tightening the straps that held them to his arms. It wouldn't be good if they slipped and he got hit there--he had learned to use the sword in a two-handed method, and to lose a hand meant basically having to re-learn the weapon, which would render him almost useless as a bodyguard, for a time, at least.

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Rhaeryn shifted impatiently. Did Sielio possess no tact? There Grenik stood, a formidable pillar of experience, and Sielio practically taunted him. A shiver ran down her spine. This was her sibling. This icily sinister villain was her oldest brother. Her grip on the battlement tightened, fear replaced by hot fury. They would win this battle. They must.

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