“So? How is it that you keep finding yourself in these situations?” Lilian asked her fiancée as she stepped passed their half collapsed door into their room.

“I was honestly just thinking that myself just now.” Anna replied humbly as she opened her eyes to look at Lilian as she entered the room.

Whom to Anna’s surprise, looked surprisingly calm to find their door busted in, with her mate on the floor, next to another woman in close proximity to her.

“I Guess, I should start explaining, huh?” Anna framed it as a question to gage Lilian temperament of the situation.

Lilian nodded her head while raising a single hand towards Anna in a “you have the floor” gesture.

“Yes, please. Explain why you are on the floor? with this paladin hovering over you, checking your body for some supposed marks?”

               

Okay yeah, she’s pissed. Anna concluded. It is surprising to see her this calm though, all things considered; I would almost have thought she might have flipped her lid.

“Almost like, five minutes after you left. That Archbishop guy from before, when we first met you mom, came to your room looking for you.”

“Archbishop Zurich.” Loren supplied helpfully as she stood from her kelt position next to Anna.

“Right, him.” Anna affirmed as she reached for a proffered hand from Loren to help her stand up. She then looked back towards Lilian to finish her explanation.

“After I told him you were gone, He told me that I would do instead. Then basically gave me orders to let him inside the room. After that, he asked a bunch of weird questions about how the state of affairs were regarding the clans, who you were as a person, if there was a shaman within our group.”

“So he was digging for information on us? Why?” Lilian wondered aloud.

“That is the thing! I got a weird almost familiar feeling from him when he first started talking to me, so I played along and answered him with fake answers.”

          

“That was incredibly dangerous miss Gardener!” Loren chided. “If he, at any point, discovered you were deceiving him. There would have been no telling what he moght have done to you.”

“Oh! I think I do,” Anna informed her while wrapping her arms around herself as she shivered at the thought.. “After he did discover I was not under his influence, he threatened to kill me!”

“”WHAT?!”” Both Lilian and Loren shouted.

“I’ll kill that old man!” Lilian threatened aloud as she started to turn around.

“Woah there!” Anna called out to Lilian, running past to step in-front of her. “While I agree that we need to take him down. There’s more you need to hear first!” She made a gesture towards the bed. “Sit so we can discuss it first.”

“What is there to discuss!” Lilian shouted. “He threatened you! Harmed you! I am going to go kill him!”

        

Anna groaned at her mate’s one track mind.

        

“Lilian… while I like the fact that you want revenge for me because of what he’s done and find it exciting. I have more things to say; also, this isn’t just some guard that came to our room and harmed me, or your sister from yesterday that pulled a prank.”

“Ah! That reminds me! Going to have to slap that bitch when I see her next!” Lilian ranted,

Anna looked at Lilian with a exhaust playful expression.

“I think the bruising and strangling you gave her yesterday, more than makes up for it; I bet she flinches at the mere sight of you, next time you two meet.” Anna placated with a smile.

“Miss Gardener is right.” Loren added. “It would not be wise to go and attack the Archbishop directly; also miss Gardener, didn’t you just say he was a demon? Do you truly mean that?”

        

“A Demon?!” Lilian shouted in surprise looking towards Anna with concern.

        

“*SIGH* Like I was saying… let’s discuss what I know, BEFORE we go and do anything rash.” Anna gestured to the chair at the table and towards the bed.

“Loren, pull a chair over and sit next to the bed; Lilian, let’s sit on the bed while I explain things.” She then leaned over into her mate’s chest. “I’m—… I’m actually not doing as okay as I’m pretending to be… I’m actually really scared right now… He almost killed both Loren and myself just a minute ago.”

    

“What?!” This time, it was Loren who exclaimed in shock a loud. “Just then?!”

But Lilian did as her fiancé told her. Guiding them gently over towards the bed while Loren went and grabbed a chair and followed them towards the side of their bed.

“Let me explain everything from the beginning; along with my thoughts on it. Loren, if there is anything that doesn’t make sense, please just try to follow along and keep up. There is some stuff you’ll not understand, do in part, to what happened in the wetlands.”

              

At Loren nod, Anna began to explain everything to them.

              

“So, as soon as he started talking with me and asking to be let inside, I knew something was wrong.”

“Why is that?” Lilian asked.

“If I had to put it into words? It was because he reminded me of my ex.”

“Your ex? What is an ex?” Lilian asked in confusion.

               

“An ex is a former lover.” Loren supplied helpfully once again.

               

“Right, I told you about her; the one that abused me.”

“Oh!… her… I hope she is rotting on your planet with all those demons.” Lilian said with seething anger.

“Wait?! A planet of… Demons?!” Loren asked in shock and confusion.

“Okay, TL:DR. I am from a planet called Earth. I’m not originally from Rayala. I was blessed by my planet and am subsequently, what you might call a shaman on your world. Powers of which, has apparently ran in my family or something like that; My planet was over run by demons, which is why my planet mother sent me here. Get all that Loren?” Anna explained to Loren in Cliff note form: the latter of whom, now looked as throughly flummoxed as Anna had earlier at the sight of the Archbishop.

“Yeah, that is just… a lot to take in.” Loren spoke in an overwhelmed manner. “A human shaman… another planet; it being inhabited by demons… this is going to take me a while to come to grips with things.”

        

Anna huffed with a playful smirk.

       

“Well, keep up,” Anna told her.” I have a lot more to tell you and Lilian, so please try and keep up: anyways, As I was saying. To me, it just felt like his pompous way of acting, along with the way he was saying things and ordering me was suspicious; plus he gave me a very bad feeling on top of that. So rather than argue and fight him with what he was saying, I played along: which thankfully got me some information from him.” She told them.

“Loren was right, Anna,” Lilian chided with a stern expression. “that was incredibly stupid and foolhardy!”

Anna shrugged.

“You’re right.” She said as she leaned more into Lilian’s side. “I was scared for a minute there…… I just thought that I would be able to take him… all things considered; I just thought he was an old man.”

“The doctrine of the Light teaches us: “Do not be deceived by the appearance of things: but to judge those by their intentions and actions.”

“Yeah… you’re right; both of you.” Anna said morosely. “I was pretty stupid…… I’m sorry!” Anna cried in a strained voice.

Lilian smiled with a sad sympathetic smile towards her distraught lover. She also leaned into Anna’s side, while snaking an arm around her waist; pulling Anna closer to her.

“I am just glad you are okay.” She whispered to Anna.

                 

        

“By the Light, you two have a cute relationship with each other…” Said their present company in absentmindedly awe at their relationship.

         

Lilian and Anna remembered themselves at that moment, that they weren’t alone.

While they didn’t separate from one another, they did both look away from each other in embarrassment.

“*AHEM* Sorry, where was I?” Anna asks.

“Explaining how you knew how the Archbishop was familiar to you.” Lilian reminded her with a gentle smile.

“Right that!” Anna smiled back at Lilian as thanks. “Okay, anyways, as I was saying: His demeanor reminded me a lot of my previous girlfriend. So that instantly put me on guard. So I decided to just follow what he was saying. Which turned out to be the right call, if I say so. Because he then started talking like I wasn’t there and let a few things slip.” Anna explained.

“Of the questions he had asked, two stood out the most to me. Which was when he asked me of the current state of the clans of the Mokra’Torcs and about Lilian’s temperament; which I told him lies on both of these things: I first told him that half of the clans had already gone back to their own territories.”

Lilian nodded her head at this.

“Smart move on your part,” Lilian commented. “Now he will be unsure of what is happening there.”

“Yeah… but it doesn’t matter,” Anna groused hopelessly. “I was caught faking being under his control. So he must have realized that I was lying about everything; he also probably figured out I just told him the opposite of everything I said.”

“Ah! But he doesn’t know that.” Loren inserted. “So now, at the very least, he has even less information than he did before.”

“How do you figure?” Anna questioned.

“Because now he either has to believe you. Think you were lying. Or any number of other possibilities: because before, he may have thought that the orcs were still gearing up for an assault, or that they had pulled back. Now even his conjectures have been set askew.” Lilian elaborated.

Loren nodded her head along with what Lilian had suggested.

“I agree with your assessment.” Loren concurred with Lilian while nodding her head, before looking back at Anna. “So even though you failed to trick him completely. At the very least, you were able to mislead him down a false path of insecurity.”

“I suppose.” Anna agreed reluctantly as she felt sorry for herself. But she shook off her melancholy with a quick shake of her head before continuing. “Anyways, as I was saying, the important part of this is what he said after I told him that. He said: that it was a “pity, because it sets the plans back by a few months.” Which I think implies that he knew about the orc infighting, or had been counting on it somehow.”

          

“But that can’t be right” Loren interjected. “Why would Archbishop Zurich want the orcs to invade or to in-fight with each other? He has nothing to gain from it?”

“Look, I realize he is a head figure and all. But does that really not include him? And is it really so strange, to think that a man in his position wouldn’t hide their intentions at some point: whether they’re intentions are good or evil.” Anna pointed out.

“I wasn’t questioning that.” Loren said in agreement with Anna’s suggestion. “What I mean is, it just doesn’t make sense for him to want to do that, or have any part in it: He shares and advocates the Queen’s message on making peace with orcs and trolls.” She pointed out.

“Orcs and trolls?!” Anna questions in surprise.

“Aaaahhhhh……” Lilian drew out a long low eureka epiphany at what Loren had just said. “Mother has been supplying the trolls with things to help them resettle in their old lands.” Lilian elaborated.

“Come again?!” Anna asked questioningly towards Lilian in disbelief, at how much she understood what was being suggested.

              

“You know that for certain?” Loren questions towards Lilian. “What I had heard was just rumors that the Queen was still negotiating with the nobles on taking incentives to make negotiations with the trolls to make contact for peace negotiations.” Loren posed to Lilian.

Lilian shrugged.

“When I was at the troll settlement last. Their new town was inside an old human’s forward outpost from the war two hundred years ago. They looked pretty well off and had supplies that, I was sure pretty sure they couldn’t have gotten on their own; it looked more like a thriving town, then just a bunch of refugees.”

“I see… the Queen must be supplying them with back door deals from behind the nobles backs in order to help felicitate negotiations.” Loren pointed out.

               

“Look!” Anna said to the two other pondering women in the room with her. They turned back to Anna after her shout. “We have gotten a little side-tracked just now.” She lamented. “Trolls and the Queen aside. The Archbishop should be our main focus at the moment.”

Lilian and Loren nodded their heads in silent agreement to each other, before turning back to Anna.

Anna smiled to herself, as she saw that they were back on track again.

“Alright, so the next part he asked: he asked about you, Lilian.”

“Right,” Lilian commented as Anna said this. “You said he had asked about my temperament; what did you tell him?”

        

Anna shrugged casually. Hoping to take the sting of what she was about to say out of her words.

“I just told him you were hot-blooded, set in your ways, easily influenced by the elders of the other clans, and not experienced as a leader.”

Lilian winced as she heard this.

“Ouch.” Lilian quipped.

Anna rolled her eyes and pushed Lilian’s shoulder with her hand.

“I didn’t mean a word of it!” She assured Lilian. “Maybe you are easily influenced by me, but other than that. I don’t think you are any of those things; save for being actually inexperienced at being a leader: because, you know, you’ve never done it until recently.”

Lilian shrugged back at her love’s assessment.

“That is fair I suppose.” Lilian relented.

           

“So? Did he say anything about this?” Loren asked, as she saw that the conversation might get side tracked by the love birds once again.

“Yeah… he did…” Anna said ominously.

“He said that was wonderful, and he hoped you proved more easily to manipulate than any of the previous warchiefs.”

                          

                         

                                  

And for once, the two sat there in stunned silence.

                        

“Yeah, like I said. It’s that bad; this is also why I was positive about him, at the very least, knowing about the orcs movements at that point in our conversation.”

                                       

Loren was the first of the two to recover from the shock.

“But how did you find out he was a demon? As you so claim.” She asked skeptically.

“Ah!” Anna exclaimed. “Right! That… well, as I already said before, I am a shaman. And his next question also lead him into revealing himself, accidentally.” Anna took a shaky breath before she continued.

“His next question was whether or not we had a shaman within our group… I told him none of the Mokra’Torc traveling with us were shamans.” Anna shrugged. “It was the most honest answer I gave him.”

“Ah! If since her asked about that. It must have been important for him to know.”

“Yeah… He said that, if there were a shaman, it might reveal his identity.” Anna closed her eyes to fight against the image she was remembering.

She felt a comforting hand reach over and touch the small of her back.

Anna looked up and over towards her girlfriend with a thankful smile on her face. Lilian was looking back at her with a concerned smile on her own.

          

Anna the grew serious as she turned back so she was looking at both Loren and Lilian.

“So after hearing this, I thought of it as valuable insight. So I looked at him with more scrutiny…” Anna hugged her arms around herself again, as she shivered at the memory of the Archbishop.

“What I saw was horrific: to put things into context. Spirits of people tend to just be a hazy version of their previous selves, that are like a semi-transparent blue fog or smoke.” Anna describe what she saw to them.

“As for the elemental spirits. It’s less clear, but it is more like shapes, features and outlines are revealed to me. Along with a color associated to their element.”

        

Anna closed her eyes again as she recalled the images of the monster behind the Archbishop.

         

“But that… thing… He had no defined shape. What I saw was a swirl of darkness. It was as terrifying as staring into a deep dark black void.”

“His eyes of golden fire stared back at me from that darkness… He had several strands of black inky appendages; in fact, most of his coloring was black like a void, mixed with golden green fire.”

            

The two warriors looked towards each others.

Lilian nodded at Loren.

“You are the Paladin here; are you not the trained with the Light to fight against such fiends? What does your teaching tell you about this? Anything on testing or exorcising a demon from a person?”

Loren scoffed in mock offense at Lilian suggestion.

“That is a gross over stereotype of what Paladins are responsible for handling.” But she immediately shrugged her shoulders. “But yes, there is a few things to do here. But it is honestly beyond my capacity and capabilities to handle.”

Loren held up a hand to forestall a question she knew they would ask.

“The reason being is. Because of the Archbishop Zurich’s position. In addition to being a close personal friend of the Queen. He is also the second most important person, in the order for the establishment of the Paladins; the first most, being the Queen herself.” Loren explain before continuing. “Also as it stands, I am only an initiate. So at most, all I am allowed to do is follow orders or do tasks assigned to me. I do not have any sort of authority or rank to start any sort of inquisitions of my own authority. And certainly none against a man of his potion; additionally, I have also only been blessed with the light recently; I only just finished my required training to become an initiate. I don’t have the skills or knowledge to exorcise a demon from a person: that takes years of training.” Loren explained.

            

“But it’s not an exorcism!” Anna asserted. “He himself is a demon, the Archbishop you know is just a disguise!”

      

“Are you for certain?” Loren questions with a skeptical look.

“Positive,” Anna told Loren with a convinced nod of her head. “and while you might not have the authority to make claims for an inquisition. We have the next best thing on our side,” Anna point towards Lilian next to her.

           

Lilian looked at Anna in surprise.

       

“Me?!” Lilian says in surprise.

                        

Anna rolls her eyes.

“Who else do we have? Your the daughter of the Queen herself!” Anna points out. “You’re mother will definitely believe you.” Anna said assuredly.

          

“I am not so sure.” Loren doubted.

“Why is that?” Anna questioned.

“If Lilian brings this up to her majesty. It might put her in a tight political position: people will question her majesty about showing favoritism to her daughter, and subsequently, the orcs as well. Most nobles are currently against the reformation of orcs and trolls becoming acknowledged as humanoids. If you two were to accuse the Archbishop, the nobles might use this as an excuse to incite rebellion.”

“Would they truly go so far?” Lilian asked in concern. “Isn’t my mother a popular leader? Is her position that tentative?”

“They might; feelings of hatred for orcs and trolls run deep and strong within the older generations. Even within the common folk that don’t know any better: which is mostly stemmed from the facts and stories of the past wars three-hundred years ago.”

“Well, that doesn’t matter anyways.” Anna announced. “Because I wasn’t planning on that being the deciding factor that sways her majesty.” Anna told the two.

“What did you have in mind?” Lilian asked her fiancée.

          

Anna jerked a thumb towards Loren.

“We have Loren here as a witness for us to use as a means to help convince the Queen: but we also have you as Warchief, to help lay down the authority of the consequences of what has happened.”

“You mean to threaten the kingdom with this incident?!” Loren cries out in shock.

“Not literally, but as a bluff.” Anna explains in a placating manner. “Look,” She says to Loren to calm her down. “if we just use Lilian’s position as warchief, I feel that will be playing right into the Archbishop’s plans; he obviously wants some sort of conflict to happen.”

“So what are you proposing?”

“It’s simple! All we have to do is!—“

                                              

                                                

————————————————

                                     

                              

The three found themselves walking down the hall after taking the stairs near Lilian’s room, heading towards the royal dining hall.

“So,” Anna began asking. “I didn’t see anyone waiting for us outside our room.” She pointed out. “Did you not find anyone?”

Lilian scratched the back of her head in embarrassment.

“Actually, I found the dinning hall first before I found anyone to lead us. So I ran back here to come get you…”

“Oh?” Anna questions.

“Yeah…” Lilian says in an embarrassed tone. “It was awkward to find the place. See my mother, her attendants, my men, all waiting to eat for us to show up…… and then have to apologize and leave, because I had to come back and get you…”

“Oh no!” Anna laughed with a smirk, at the thought of her mate having to say she was sorry to a large room of people sitting in place waiting for them.

         

Lilian scratched the back of her neck again as she thought about the situation in embarrassment.

“Yeah…” She groaned morosely. “I wish I had found someone… It was just so awkward to have to back out of the room after everyone saw me.”

Anna leaned into Lilian’s side as she heard his.

“Poor baby.” She murmured to her mate as she spoke in a placating tone.

“Do not patronize me, woman…” Lilian groused, which only earned her a giggle from Anna at her irreverent attitude.

        

“By the Gods, you two make an adorable couple…” Loren commented as she travel with them and watched them from behind.

Anna looked back with a smirk towards Loren.

“Jealous?” She asked playfully.

But to her surprise. Loren nodded her head.

“Actually, Yes. I very much am.” Loren told Anna.

“Oh?” Anna asked questioningly.

“Yes… it—… It was like you had said, after we met in the halls again yesterday.” Loren pointed out. “I have not been… an extremely honest person, despite my role as a paladin.” Loren told her. “But watching you two with your openness with each other, and your words from yesterday…… I feel very convicted of my behavior of what I’ve done and haven’t done:” She told Anna. “I feel I need to do the right thing, in regards to my lover.”

Anna looked at her with sympathy.

“Won’t that hurt your position within the order, or whatever? I can’t imagine that a holy order like the Paladins, no offense, is going to take to you being a lesbian kindly.”

“……If by lesbian; you mean backwards in love, then yes…” Loren answered based on the context clues of what Anna had said.

Loren shook her head with a chuckle.

“If I wasn’t convinced that you weren’t who you say you were. The strange way you speak, along with them terms you use, certainly give credit and raise to the fact that you are certainly not from our world.”

“Yes,” Lilian comment in a lamenting tone at Loren’s words. “It does take some time to get used to.” Lilian said with a smile down at Anna next to her. “But her casual way of speaking and her thoughts on matters really do make life more easier to just accept things as they are, rather than fight against what she says.”

Anna stared up at Lilian, with a gobsmacked expression.

“Are you saying that I’m difficult?!” Anna questioned with playful indignation.

       

Lilian chuckled as she playfully pulled Anna to her side.

“Always,” She told her. Which earned her a scoff and a shove from Anna. Which just made Lilian chuckle more. “In all honesty. I find your way of thinking naive at times; but I’ve come to realize, that it is mostly due to the fact that you’ve held your values and views from your previous world:” She smiled down at the scowling Anna.

“But rather than thinking that your ways are wrong or juvenile. I find them refreshing and enlightening, with how differently you view things and how you see the world and how things should be:” Lilian let out a contented sigh before speaking again. “It is… refreshing, to take in your way of thinking and the methods of your ways… they are more straightforward ways of thinking. Rather than doing things for traditions sake.” She looked at Anna with a loving expression; whom was looking up at Lilian with an adoring expression of her own. “I’ve come to truly value your mind and different ways of doing things, Anna. And I—… I’ve realized recently, that I’ve not been the best of mates in showing you this, or saying it… I’m sorry.”

Anna gave her a reassuring smile and reached up and kissed her mate’s cheek.

“I love you, Lili. Thanks for saying that. What you just said means the world to me.”

Lilian chuckled at her mate’s easy acceptance.

“And thank you, my Ashu’Rágé. For being there for me.”

        

Loren felt as if a mage had casted an invisibility spell upon her, as she watched these two flirt and speak, as though she wasn’t there.

I really need to speak with Michelle later… Loren thought to herself.

           

After a bit more walking, they found themselves in front of the door, which had two guards stationed in front of it.

“Well, here is the dinning hall.” Lilian announced as she looked back at Anna and their companion.

Anna nodded her head in resolution.

“Okay,” She said nervously. “Let’s go make a political incident.”

“Ugh…” Loren groaned at Anna’s words. “This is going to end terribly…”