Everett's eye catches mine, and his face fills with obvious contempt. The lust he always had for me was truly always a lust for my kingdom and my power. He planned to get me and my father killed professionally as soon as I married him. We lock gazes, and have a staredown for a few moments. Those yellow eyes of his are surely strange. They still look familiar to me, somehow. He breaks the lock and speaks.
"You are an ingrateful little wench. Why can you not just take what you are given and be satisfied with it?" he spits.
Keeping a balanced acrimony, I speak back evenly. "Oh, is that so? In that case, I should just take the plans for my post-marital assassination with a happy heart and thanks on my lips?"
He fails in keeping his stoic demeanor, his face shocked. "How did you know about that?" I love how he doesn't even deny it.
Like hooey if I'm ever going to tell him. "I know things, I have friends. You're not the only one with-" I decide to throw in a few words that my tutor taught me. "Nefarious clandestine hobbies." I fold my arms in satisfaction.
"When this is over, you'll regret ever saying no to me," he threatens.
I snort. "Yes, I'm so sure. I've never regretted it for even a second. The only thing I'm regretting right now is your existence." I know it's bad, and I know that it was a rude remark. I could have come up with something much better, but I'm stalling for time. If I even attempt to clash with Everett's forces before Sene gets here with my father and his army, it'll be "bye-bye, princess." I hear a loud clank of chainmail and metal boots upon tough ground, and I almost scream with relief. Sene flies above me, in her human form but with her wings sticking out of her back. She explained to me earlier how she can keep herself between morphs, but that it can be very painful.

Sene looks like an avenging angel, and when she speaks she strikes fear in everyone. "GO NO FURTHER!" she bellows, her turquoise eyes filled with an opalescent fire. "THIS IS THE LAND OF THE KINGS! YOU ARE A TRESSPASSER! YOU WILL BE KILLED!" I have never seen Sene look so terrifying as she does now. Her face is thin and emaciated in appearance, and the shadows of the trees, and of the sun beginning to set are making her look dark and threatening. This is the first time that I've actually thought she could do serious harm. Now I don't want to be on her bad side.

Everett laughs, his horrible sound not unlike metal being scraped on metal. "You think that we are fooled by that, Seneria? I have seen you begging like a dog at my feet to spare creatures. You think that you scare me? You are wrong! Men, attack!" His humungous army tromps forwards in a wave, swords up. With a clank, I lift my own sword and point it forwards. But something he said confuses me. How does he know all of these things about her? There's something floating around in my head, a missing puzzle piece, but I can't quite put my finger on it. But right now, I'm too busy worrying about the dragons. They're soaring across the sky in waves, shooting acidic flames. I leap up and land safely on Maye's back. I knew she was heading up from behind me. She lifts her head and roars. When she roars, everyone stops for a moment and stares as she shoots a torrent of deep orange fire. I look out at the ground below me, and then leap from Maye's back. I've figured out what the thin webs under my arms do. I spreadeagle myself, wind flapping through my little 'wings'. I let out a happy whoop, angling down so that I land behind a group of fighters.

The group of fighters is actually three Green warriors against one single Drulario girl. Her tall, willowy body is wrapped in deep green armor that looks like bands of fabric. She's scratching and slapping and trying to defend herself using a long, emerald-green rapier. But it's obvious that she's faltering and that her defense is weakening. One of the Green lunge at her with his broadsword, and he cuts her soundly on the arm. Instead of blood, a thin trickle of clear tree sap flows out of the wound. The same Green goes at her again, and she screams in pure terror. I leap onto the back of one of the Green soldiers, climb to his shoulders, and bean him over the head with the hilt of my sword. He crumples to the dirt, and I leap from his back and land in front of the Drulario girl. I hold the tip of my sword in my gauntletted hand and use it like a shield. Rather than stabbing any of the attackers, I whack them with the flat of my blade and hammer with my hilt. As soon as the other two are down, I reach to help the girl up.
"Are you alright?" I ask, stooping in the dust. She nods weakly, tries to smile, and then collapses in my arms. "Medic!" I call. A tall man in white runs over and checks her pulse. The clear sap dripping from her wound is all over her arm and running down her chest. The man shakes his head, and reaches to lift her up and take her to some place where the dead will be kept until we can bury them properly. But something amazing happens, all of a sudden.

The sap stops running. A gentle warmth spreads through her chest, and then the front of her armor tears a little to reveal a tiny little sprout of a tree. Right before my eyes, the sprout grows and her body shrinks. By the time around ten minutes has passed, there is no longer a body, just a tall, strong tree in a patch of fresh earth. I wipe a few tears from the corner of my eye, and then stand. I whistle, and Maye soars under me and pulls me onto her back so fast I scream. She doesn't even ask me a question, just wraps the thickest part of her tail around me, like an embrace. I feel heat on my face, and think I'm blushing. But the heat grows hotter, until I look up and see two massive black dragons, blowing flame towards us. Maye whispers, "Hold on tight." And then she divebombs them with a massive fireball, and then screams, "EAT THIS, SUCKERS!" I snicker.

We don't even land. Maye just lowers her tail so that I can leap down safely, and then flies off again. My mother runs up to me, eyes wild and a little scared.
"Thank God, Lorelei. I was so worried!"
"It's safe, Mother. How's the battle?"
She sighs. "Not well. We've lost many, and even more are wounded. Everett sure plays dirty."
I can't hep it, I scoff. "You're just realizing this now, Mother? He's locked me in an oubligy-thingy, trapped me in a tiny room, forcefed me love potion, and tried to make me marry him against my will. So yes, he plays dirty."
I swing my sword up and hit away an oncoming sword. Without even thinking, I slash-slash and then stab my attacker, and they crumple to the ground. I stop what I'm doing, drop to my knees, and look at them. It was a Green warrior, his eyes glittering with rage. Blood is dripping from a new ragged hole in his armor, and it's all over my sword. I instantly feel awful, as though I'm going to be sick, and put my head between my knees. Even though I know that I cannot pretend that this poor man's death was not my doing, I run in the opposite direction until I can no longer even see my mother or the man.