Aquirya
Chapter 12

The Royal army was standing at attention ready for battle in the fields north of the tunnel start to the underground kingdoms hideout. They stood still just like any army would, waiting for their princess to come. Soon they heard footsteps, more footsteps then a just from one or two people. It sounded like an army was approaching. The Royal army was large enough to take on even the larger kingdoms in Aquirya. However, against Craceeris and whatever she may have as protection, they may need more help. Who would be coming to help them though? They took their place next to the Grazian army and looked at each other along the outer edges of each battalion and nodded.

Niko and Princess Aeyla came down from the castle and met their army. Niko looked around and realized that it wasn’t just their soldiers that were lined up in the ranks. He noticed that the other soldiers were carrying the crescent of Zaga and wearing the Zagans kingdom colors, black and brown. The Zagans were a very powerful warrior kingdom run by the ruthless King Alves. They were not good nor evil, they lived on the southern-most tip of Aquirya, it was a dark kingdom, so many stayed away from it. Mercenaries, warriors for hire, renegades, outcasts, outlaws, and other of the like came from this kingdom. No one had hired them though. They came of their own free will. They came because they felt the same as any other creature or friend of Aquirya, They wanted their world back. Craceeris had attacked their villages, towns, and land too.

“King Alves.” Niko said as he bowed. “You are the last army we thought we’d see here helping the princess and Grazia.” Niko looked back up at the King.

“Don’t be stupid Niko. This is our world also. Craceeris is out to destroy us all. You don’t stand a chance next to Craceeris’s army. We have come to help defeat her and that is all.” King Alves looked at them with a stern look on his face. Niko knew this wasn’t an easy decision for King Alves to have made. “You will be taking her on yourself?” King Alves directed the question at Aeyla.

“You spoke with Zelexko?” Niko said interrupting. Aeyla gave him a look that told him to stand down.

The King turned back to Aeyla, “Yes. He sent a search party to my kingdom. I regret we killed most of them. Questioned the one. Couldn’t be sure they weren’t spies.”

“You did what you had to do.” Aeyla said to him, clearly grieving for her men. “That’s behind us now. We need to end this evil. Thank you for joining us Alves, even if it only is for this. You and Zelexko will be in charge of fighting Craceeris’ armies, and replaceing my sister. Niko, and I will follow Craceeris’s trail. Most likely it leads to Komatiite Island. Thank you again my lord.” She bowed and turned to face Niko and nodded to him.

“You are all here because you choose to follow Princess Aeyla into battle. However you will be fighting without her in front of you this time. You will be going in other directions then we will be going. Warriors you will be going towards Trachyte Volcanos, Craceeris is holding Lady Alierriaes captive somewhere in the area of the volcano island range there. You will not come back without her. Is that understood? Elfkin troops are joining the princess and I somewhere between here and Komatiite Island. They will be following leads on the High King and High Queen.” Niko said addressing the whole army.

The army answered back with a “Yes Sir!”

“Aeyla,” Niko turned to her. “You should address your people.” Niko turned to her.

“I don’t know what to say. Let Zelexko speak to his army. We need to get prepared for our journey also. Are the horses ready? Has everything been packed, food, water…”

Niko interrupted her. “My lady, everything is prepared, you need to stop worrying.” Niko didn’t mean for it to come out in an unsettling tone, but it did.

“Niko!” Aeyla said angrily. “Don’t talk to me that way. We need to leave immediately. Where are the horses?” She seemed agitated not that it wouldn’t be wrong for her to feel that way. Her whole family had been taken, she’d been brought and forced into another world. She had to remember how to fight, how to use her magic, who Niko was to her, and everything else before they set out to replace Craceeris. She remembered who she was, she remembered her parents were gone, her son and his name, Falcoer. She understood she was the acting princess of Grazia and Aquirya. Her parents, she knew, are King and Queen of Grazia but even greater than that, high King and high Queen of all of Aquirya. She remembered only some of what she needed to. Her memory was coming back but still not all of it.

“… We are to fight for Princess Aeyla, Grazia, and Aquirya!” Zelexko was finishing his speech.

“For Princess Aeyla, Grazia, and Aquirya!” Yelled the army back then hooted and hollered, psyching themselves up to fight. They would march to the south. Niko and Aeyla would start their search to the west. They knew Craceeris’s Keep was in a volcano range to the South-west. Niko knew they would have to stop somewhere before they went to the Komatiite Volcanos they had to go to Rigaton Mountain. The mountain of the dragons, they needed a dragons’ help, they needed Attar the dragon once again.

The army had left, they were on their way to where the elves said Alierriaes might be, being held captive. The elves had also told Leo that the armies, guards, and troops keeping watch over the volcanos was an enormous number and they were powerful. Not to mention the water dragons that plagued the volcanos waters. Bandits also still infested the forests on the way to the volcano range they were heading. The few Elfkin troops that scouted the area, would meet them on the way to the Komatiite volcano range.