(Author's Note - I'm experimenting a bit with publishing by smaller chunks, since that seems to be the pattern on this site as new chapters are the only way to get visibility. If you'd like to see the full chapter at once, please either wait a day or check out this chapter on my blog.)

Kaede stared in awe at the dense patch of fog that engulfed the center of the stone circle. One armiger after another emerged from its shimmering, otherworldly haze, which concealed the distortions in space that bent the very fabric of reality itself.

Her own journey through had been surreal, to say the least. It was as though gravity had turned horizontal the moment she had stepped into the fog, forcing her to 'fall' through a twilight forest at breakneck speeds. There she had flown, her twists and turns guided by powers beyond her control as countless ethereal trees rushed past in blurs.

Then, before her queasy stomach could expel its contents, she had soared into another fog and decelerated into reality. In the span of less than a minute, her physical existence had leaped across the country, emerging just outside the gates of a small, fortified town.

Had it not been for Pascal pulling her aside, the dazed Samaran who had materialized from the haze would have stood there, dumbfounded, until the next person collided with her.

It was only after all twelve of Sylviane's armigers came through that the Princess followed. Then, moments after Sylviane strode out from the haze, the shimmering fog lost its otherworldly sparkle and began to fade. The light mist that had engulfed their surroundings also dispersed. It revealed their position on top of a small mound just outside a town's open gates.

Kaede felt a sense of validation as she saw two guards clad in mail armor and tabards with Lotharin livery. They gazed upon the new arrivals with dumbfounded faces as though they had trouble picking up their jaws off the ground.

Clearly I'm not the only one who finds this totally abnormal, the familiar thought.

It was a reminder that even though the nobility of Hyperion used magic in their daily lives, the more esoteric sorceries continued to seem like 'miracles' in the eyes of common peasants.

However this also left Kaede with a worrying thought: did this mean that Hyperion was unlikely to ever shed its Medieval social hierarchy?

After all, it was impossible to establish even the illusion of equality when the gap between those who have magic and those who didn't was impossible to cross.

"Sir Robert," Sylviane called out which snapped Kaede out of her thoughts. "Take us the remainder of the way please."

"Yes, Your Highness," the young armiger who stood next to Kaede replied. At the same time, the phoenix Hauteclaire left his perch on the Princess' shoulder and flew over to land on Sir Robert's.

"Everyone, link hands and form a circle." The wayfarer armiger then beckoned before reaching out to Kaede with an open hand. His expression beamed as befitting of a chivalric knight.

Sir Robert was a handsome young man with a boyishly cute face and a brilliant, infectious smile. He was a bit short for a Lotharin male. However his figure was lean and athletic. His eyes were a vivid green. And the chocolate-brown hair framing his smooth cheeks was just long enough to look elegant without being too feminine.

Kaede couldn't help but smile back as she took his white-gloved hand. His grasp of her fingers was both gentle and firm in equal measure. It was as though the young man practiced being a gentleman.

The Princess sure chose a pretty boy for her retinue, the white-haired girl amused herself.

Looking around, Kaede realized that all of Sylviane armigers were young, fit, and at least a quartile above average in looks. It certainly felt like the Princess took advantage of her position to make sure she was surrounded by treats for her eyes.

The Samaran girl then winced as she felt Pascal roughly clutch her other hand. His expression was scowling but not at her. It quickly dawned upon Kaede that Pascal's absentminded gaze was in deep thought, likely over his impending meeting with Weichsel's King. He remained worried even as Sylviane moved to his other side and took his hand.

"Don't fret. You'll grow wrinkles," the Princess smiled as their eyes met. "Diplomacy is my arena, remember?"

"Never thought there would be a day when you would be reassuring me." Pascal replied before a smirk came to his lips. "Still, I am happy for your concern."

For a moment Sylviane looked taken aback as a furious blush spread across her cheeks.

"Why would I be concerned?" She turned away. "Worrying just doesn't suit you, that's all."

Pascal chuckled to himself before his expression turned serious once more.

"Father always told me that despite King Leopold's attitude, his political acumen should never be underestimated. No offense to your charms or powers of persuasion, Sylv, but I anticipate this trip will require a concerted effort from the both of us. And I intend to play my part to its full extent."

"I'm sure we'll persuade King Leopold to send reinforcements as early as possible." Sylviane nodded back.

Yet even as she did so, Kaede could see the shadow of doubt creeping in her wisteria gaze. The Princess was nowhere as confident as she wanted to appear, which was made more obvious as Sylviane silently mouthed three words as she turned away:

'We have to.'

In the meantime, Sylviane's armigers had finished forming the circle. Fifteen individuals had their hands linked in a tight ring as Sir Robert began to channel his magic with Hauteclaire's aid. Ebbs of blue and green mana poured out of them and formed a tree-like magical array beneath his feet. A thick 'trunk' sprouted out to the middle of their circle between reaching out with tendril-like mana strands that wrapped around each and every individual forming the ring.

"<I thought mages couldn't share mana since different sources repel each other,>" Kaede puzzled over telepathy as she saw the two different mana colors interweave. "<Are phoenixes special in this regard?>"

"<Phoenixes are natural metamages -- rare spellcasters whose mana have limited transfusive properties.>" Pascal stated.

Kaede refrained from more questions as she watched the air between them distort. Her body stiffened as it felt like ice was growing across her tingling skin. The space within the circle twisted as though it was being drawn into a whirlpool. The initial manifestations of a teleport spell were taking shape, and Kaede shut her eyes tight as she did not want to see its disorienting visual effects.

Here we go again, she thought with distaste just before her body felt like it spontaneously evaporated.

 

------ * * * ------

 

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Nordkreuz."

Kaede heard Pascal's ringing voice before she slowly opened her eyes. It had taken them five jumps before arriving at last. Over two-hundred kilopaces of travel by teleportation had left Kaede feeling as though her entire body was now a foreign entity. She felt like a literal airhead with her head floating like a balloon above the rest of a detached body.

These alien sensations were exactly why she hated teleportation as a medium of travel, even with all of its efficiency.

Meanwhile, Kaede felt a sweaty palm part from her right hand. Sir Robert was breathing hard as he staggered over to a short stone wall and almost collapsed against it.

"Sir Robert?" Sylviane strode over to him with concern.

The young armiger tried to stand back up, but the Princess placed a hand on his narrow shoulder and pressed him to sit back down.

"Take a few minutes to rest." She insisted. "You must be exhausted after making five consecutive teleportation jumps for such a large group."

The phoenix Hauteclair, who flew back to Sylviane's shoulder but stayed close enough to engulf Sir Robert in his soothing heat aura, chirped as though in agreement.

"Thank you, Your Highness," the wayfarer armiger nodded with an appreciative smile.

It's no wonder the people close to the Princess are so fiercely loyal to her, Kaede reflected as her lips formed a smile. She couldn't help hope that, perhaps in time, Sylviane would also treat her that way, and not simply as a nuisance who latched onto her fiancé.

In the meantime, the familiar looked around as she took in the scenery. The hewn-stone, circular platform they arrived at had an inscribed-stone in the center, which was likely the city's main teleportation beacon. A short wooden bridge connected the platform's island to a small gatehouse in the city's walls.

So this is Cross Lake, the most strategic location in the north, Kaede thought.

She had forgotten how many times she stared at a map, marvelling over just how important Pascal's home and fiefdom was in the geopolitics of the continent. The lake was only mildly shaped like a bent cross, but it was the junction point between three important rivers: North Lotharingie, South Lotharingie, and Albis. Because of this, whomever controlled Cross Lake could dominate transportation and trade across the continent's north. It was why the city of Nordkreuz had been built here, upon a peninsula that jutted out into the center of the lake.

It also helped that Nordkreuz was built upon a convergence point in the ley lines -- a geographical magical phenomenon that Kaede didn't understand but was critical to the siting of cities and fortifications in this world. They were the only replenishable source of magical power apart from living mages. As such, defensive wards and industrial equipment like arcane forges were often attuned to draw energy directly from the ley lines. This in turn made Nordkreuz not only important in trade and military strategy, but also in the development of industry.

It's no wonder why Pascal's father wanted to use Nordkreuz to tie Weichsel and Rhin-Lotharingie together in an alliance, Kaede thought back to her prior conclusion. Without a peaceful settlement, Nordkreuz would become a thorn in the relationship between Weichsel and Rhin-Lotharingie that the Holy Imperium could exploit, just like how the United States took advantage of the Sino-Soviet Split to win the Cold War.

As Kaede turned away from the lake and looked upon the city's imposing stone walls, she noticed that Pascal was talking to a young Weichsen lieutenant who had crossed the bridge.

"He has been reassigned? Who is in command of this city's garrison now then?" Pascal asked.

"Brigadier-General Bernard von Konopacki, Your Grace," the redheaded junior officer replied, which instantly brought a scowl to Pascal's countenance. "Though with His Majesty and the other generals in the city, the Brigadier doesn't have much room to exercise leadership."

"Which other high-ranking commanders are in the city right now?" The landgrave inquired next.

"Chief-of-Staff General Wiktor von Falkenhausen and General of Cavalry Sir Neithard von Manteuffel are both here with the King. Three other brigadiers of the army are also encamped outside the city. In addition, four Knight Phantom commanders are cycling in and out of the city in their raids against the Skagen Peninsula. Lastly, Colonel Sir Erwin von Hammerstein is here to train the new Phantom Grenadiers."

"Phantom Grenadiers?" Pascal raised an eyebrow.

"They're a new formation that the King established with the late Marshal," the officer explained. "Air cavalry, organized in the same manner as the Knights Phantom, except most of them are yeomen who have yet to receive the Knight's Cross."

"Then the bulk of Weichsel's elite forces have already been gathered here?"

"Yes, Your Grace," the officer answered. "Colonel Albrecht von Bittenfeld of the Black Lancers is expected to arrive tonight."

That's all five of the Weichsel's elite Knight Phantom units. Kaede realized. No country would ever divest itself of all its best troops just to aid an ally. The fact King Leopold concentrated his elite forces here meant he had military operations of his own planned.

"Thank you. Please inform the King of our arrival and arrange an escort to my residence. That is all." Pascal concluded before exchanging a military salute with the young officer, who strode back across the wooden bridge and returned to his post.

"<What's wrong?>" Kaede asked as her master's scowl persisted while he remained in deep thought.

For a second Pascal didn't answer. He took a runestone out of his pockets and activated it. Then:

"<Brigadier Bernard, one of General Manteuffel's protégés, was given command of the city's garrison.>" Pascal explained with a worried frown. "<Nordkreuz has always been in the control of my father's faction. It makes sense for the local lord to have a garrison commander whom he could work with. I do not understand why the King would pass this position to someone from the conservatives, unless General Manteuffel has already won the contest and is slated to become the next Marshal.>"

Kaede knew that this was one of the key differences between the two countries. Weichsel's feudal divisions were administrative only, with each lord serving effectively as a governor who carried out the King's will. Crown laws dictated everything from the range of acceptable tax percentiles to how many soldiers each lord must raise. Traders and artisans received royal seals to operate through the national guilds, while officers fell under the command of the General Staff and swore allegiance to the King.

Nobles didn't even have any right to command the soldiers they raised unless they also served as army officers. All of this solidified Weichsel as a unitary state with an absolute monarch.

However, before the Samaran girl could respond, it was Sylviane's voice that rang across her mind:

"<Isn't Manteuffel against the Weichsel-Lotharin Alliance?>"

Kaede almost jumped. Hearing a voice she didn't expect inside her head was definitely not pleasant.

Who else is in my head now...?

"<That is correct.>" Pascal answered.

"<Then I hope we haven't arrived too late,>" the Princess added with concern. "<If King Leopold had indeed chosen him as the next Marshal, then it means the King is also shifting his stance on foreign policy.>"

"<How can you be sure of that?>" Pascal raised an eyebrow.

"<Because...>"

For a moment Sylviane struggled to come up with a simple explanation. It was then when Kaede had a moment of inspiration and jumped in:

"<Because war is the continuation of politics by other means,>" she quoted Clausewitz, the famous Prussian military theorist back on Earth.

"<Exactly,>" the Princess gave her a surprised, but appreciative nod. "<A wise king will not chose a man who disagree with his foreign policy to lead his armies.>"

It was a reminder that the boundaries between political and military affairs were inseparable, at least for those who rose to a certain ranking.

"<Kaede have you dealt with the nobility back in your world?>" Sylviane asked next as her eyes were full of curiosity.

"<There aren't really any 'nobles' in my world, Your Highness, just plenty of politicians,>" the Samaran girl replied. "<But I am fairly well learned on geopolitics and international relations.>"

"<Though she mostly talks to books and prays to flying pasta,>" Pascal lightened the mood slightly with a casual joke. "<There are only the three of us in this, Kaede,>" he noted after her formal address.

"<I didn't even notice you set this network up,>" Kaede remarked, unhappily. "<Aren't Telepathy spells suppose to give a 'ring' inside the head?>"

"<That is because I tied our familiar bond to the Telepathy connection I made with Sylv,>" Pascal explained. "<Joining individual links is the basis to forming telepathic networks. Sylviane also tends to run one with her armigers. You can tell when they exchange silent glances at times.>"

No wonder why they rarely talk, Kaede thought. They're all chatting away on smartphones inside their heads.

"<Still, the lieutenant called Manteuffel 'General of Cavalry', so it does not appear he has secured the Marshal's position yet.>" Pascal took the conversation back on topic. "<With father's chief-of-staff General Wiktor here to back us up, we may still have an opportunity.>"

"<I sincerely hope so,>" Sylviane replied as she exchanged a nod with Sir Robert. The wayfarer armiger had stood back up as a sign that he was ready to walk again.

"Blaze Ignition," the Princess whispered in a quiet yet commanding tone. Her phoenix Hauteclaire expanded his wings with a cry before transforming into a halo of blue-white flames, which then merged into Sylviane's body.

Flame-feathered wings sprouted from slits on her back armor while white-blue embers cored by traces of gold began to drift from her body. Sylviane's usual wisteria eyes grew alight in bright cerulean, meanwhile her dark-purple hair began to burn with an electric blue hue. Even the waist-hugging steel cuirass, skirting, and lightweight spaulders that covered her battledress emanated blue flames across their surface, as though they were freshly hammered by a sacred blacksmith.

The entire ensemble reminded Kaede of a fire burning on pure oxygen. It formed a stark contrast between radiating presence -- which the normal Sylviane rather lacked -- and the cool gentleness of her composed countenance.

"The Black Dragon awaits us." The Princess declared to her armigers. "Form up and show them the pride of Rhin-Lotharingie!"

"Yes, Your Highness!"

As Sylviane strode ahead to lead, her twelve Oriflamme Armigers fanned out behind her to form the wings of a chevron. They all wore uniforms of white and aqua on bright-cerulean, which included an enchanted cape that now billowed flames of golden-white to match her burning embers.

It was clear that Sylviane intended to awe the residents of Nordkreuz. She would ensure that every citizen who saw her would spread the news that the Cerulean Princess had arrived to aid their Kingdom against the coming Northmen.