General Genesis of White Hall House walked into the War Room, near the Seasonal Throne Room. The War Room was the largest room in the entire castle. It had to be, Genesis mused as he glanced at the room, instantly reading it as tense. He wanted to sigh, already. He joined the rest of the advisers at the extremely large table at the center of the room, sitting at one of the chairs for the Military Generals.

  His father should have been there, sitting on the far side of the table where the White Hall House Chair sat empty. One of his younger brothers would have been sitting there since the Lord of the White Hall House was away. However, the only White Hall Male was himself. He sighed. He didn’t want to have the weight of two positions on his shoulders. He lend back against the high back chair and mused over the fact he could have asked Valentina to join him at the Round Table as the White Hall House Proxy.

  She did a good job by acting his proxy during the Funeral Parade. She even surprised him by saving Little Luke. Hell, she somehow managed to perused his brothers into staying the night in the Armstrong Suite.

  He heard the footfalls as the various Knights who earned the right to sit at the large Round Table claimed their seats. He knew some of the Knights were Legacy Knights. Their forefathers had earned the right to sit at the table during King Arthur Pendragon’s time and had managed to passed down the Rights to the Table through father to son. Some of the original bloodlines had trickled out of existence over the centuries and had been replaced by new blood.

  His eyes darted over the large map of the Kingdom of Camelot, showing the entire kingdom, going from the edge of the Sea over to the Border where Camelot met the edge of Mercy and Frank on the East. On the North right corner Edge of the Kingdom, Roma was consider natural land, often being used as a way for the various Rulers to meet with each other to discuss various issues that come up, discuss treaties of all kinds, and discuss the possible war alliance against other countries on the far side of the seas.

  The Former High Queen Belladonna sat in the chair, usually reserved for the King, at the left side of the Round Table. She stared at the Table with critical, tired look. Her normal perfect hair was falling about her head, strands of black hair curled out of the up-do she had her servants style for the Funeral.

  Her dark, bloodshot eyes darted over the table, looking at the edges of the Kingdom bordering the Kingdoms of Mercy and Frank before her eyes darted back to the Heart of the Kingdom. Her lips were pulled into a frown. In the firelight, it appeared her dress was a bit loser then she normally wore her dresses. The red head General felt something heavy land in his stomach.

  Prince Arthur, sitting on the right hand side of the King’s Chair, tried to hid the fact he was yawning. He had bags under his eyes, pale in the firelight, and his eyes were blood shot. The top three buttons of his formal shirt was unbutton, revealing the Prince’s collarbone.

  It didn’t take a genius to know the Queen and the Prince came straight from the Queen’s Tower and hadn’t been able to take a nap to recover from the emotional strain of the day. Genesis felt sorry for the Prince and the Former High Queen. They had been through a lot over the last few days and now, they had to plan for a possible war with two kingdoms, united against them.

  High Queen Kalliope sat in her chair with her arms on the table and her head laying on top of her arms. It didn’t take a genius to know she was trying to catch some sleep when she could. No one knew how long this meeting was going to take. While they did hope it was short due to the fact they couldn’t really do anything without a King’s permission, they were prepared to stay there well through the night.

  The General turned his attention away from the members of Ruling Family and settled it on the Head of the Knights’, Lord Jack. Lord Jack tapped on the wooden arm of the chair. His eyes weren’t bloodshot, but they give the appearance he didn’t get enough sleep with the size of the bags under his eyes.

  He had the time to change out of his ceremonial formal uniform, now wearing a simple tan tunic with the strings undone. His eyes darted over the Round Table, thinking about possible routes the enemy could take, battlefields they could use to their advantage, and what kind of men Camelot would need to fill the war positions.

  General Bartholomew, sitting on Genesis’ right, didn’t look tired as he lend forward, a elbow on the edge of the Table. His eyes didn’t have the bloodshot appearance, indicating he had managed to take a nap after the Parade. Genesis shifted in his chair as the thought of how lucky his brother in arms was to get the time to take a nap. Bartholomew had changed mostly out of his formal General uniform into a simple cream tunic, kept the same pants he had wore with his formal uniform, and switched out his formal jacket to his everyday duster.

  General Honor, on Genesis’ left, managed to do the same as Bartholomew did. That caused the red head to scrawl at his friends. He moved his gaze onward. There was an empty chair on the other side of Honor. Merlin, whenever he arrived, would be sitting there.

  Sitting next to the empty chair for the Battle Mage, Lady Morgana picked at her nails with a barely concealed worried look. She had been able to change out of her formal funeral dress and into a simple dark gray dress. The hair style she had chosen for the day was gone, allowing her black hair to fall over her shoulders and down her torso. The edges curled.

  “Where is Merlin,” Belladonna growled, breaking the silence.

  “He is finishing up in the Chamber of the Holy Sword, I bet,” Morgana answered, “He did ask to meet us at 8, not immediately when he heard the news.”

  Belladonna glared at the Black Mage, but she didn’t say anything. They all knew what Merlin was doing. Supervising the only way they knew of to avoid going to War with the other Kingdoms on the island and possible the nearby countries across the ocean, on the Mainland.

  Beside Morgana, the Master of Strategy lend forward. He placed an elbow on the edge of the table. His gaze focus on the map. Genesis could smell the smoke, hear the gears moving, and knew the Master of Strategy was trying to figure out what was the best path for the Forces of Camelot take.

  Genesis heard the door open behind him. He glanced over his shoulder and spotted the door shutting silently. He frowned as something moved in the shadows of the room. He watched the figure as it strolled to the table, sticking close to the walls until it reached the open seat next to the Master of Strategy and claimed it.

  “Evening,” the newcomer purred. The Master of Strategy jumped. His eyes widened with surprise. The Strategy Master turned in his seat and sent the newcomer a glare.

  “Spy-Master!” The Master of Strategy growled, “Next time, make some noise before you seat down.”

  “Why?” The Spy Master of Camelot asked, innocently, “It’s so much fun sneaking up on you.” The Strategy Master glared at the Mater of the Spy Network. Genesis lowered his gaze to the map and held a chuckle. From the corner of his eye, Honor smirked in amusement and Bartholomew’s eyes glittered with the same emotion. “However, did you know that we have a team of The Hidden Bark Ninja in town, for the last two days?” Genesis blinked. “No?” The Spy Master went on, “Apparently, they are searching for your sister, General Genesis, from what my little birdies have been able to gather. One could take a guess that they were hired by Lady Freya of the White Hall House to bring her back to the Estate and discuss a possible marriage arrangement while the poor woman goes through the Lady mannerism training.”

  Expressionlessly, Genesis directed his gaze at the Spy Master. He knew the Spy network of Camelot was vast. Whoever the current spy master was, he had connections in every house that was a member of the Court. The General knew the benefits of doing that, but it did breed mistrust of servants. To his knowledge, there wasn’t any spies among the servants of the White Hall Estate or at least there wasn’t while he was growing up there. Perhaps, things had changed since he left the Estate and new servants were brought in, who didn’t like the White Hall Family for a number of reasons.

  “So, my grandmother managed to find someone for my sister to marry,” Genesis drawled, “I don’t know if I should sorry for the poor bastard or for my sister.”

  “I already feel sorry for the poor bastard,” Honor commented, “If your sister is anything like you, Gen, he will have his hands full.”

  “That’s assuming she doesn’t end up killing the poor bastard in the first place,” Bartholomew added.

  Genesis looked at Honor then at Bartholomew, saying, “I am not that bad.”

  There was a snort mixed with a cough from behind the red headed General. He turned in his chair and glared at Reno.

  “You mean there is another White Hall sister, roaming around the castle?” Belladonna asked, “Uncounted for.”

  “Good possibility, my queen,” the Spy Master answered.

  Belladonna slumped in her chair and sent a glare at Genesis. He blinked innocently at her. “Great,” the warrior queen said, “Just great.”

  Genesis pouted, “Gosh, you make it sound like I’m go around and cause trouble when it is really my younger brothers doing that.”

  “They had to learn it from someone,” Morgana added her two cents into the conversation. “I must say you White Hall boys really make the days here in Camelot interesting. I can’t wait to see what kind of mischief your sister causes while she is here.”

  “I don’t,” Belladonna grumbled.

  Morgana ignored the Warrior Queen as she reached for a goblet, continuing, “Most of your family, General, have causes the Ruling Family all kinds of headaches over the number of years since the White Hall Family joined the Court, but the warriors your family managed to create have one thing in common. It seemed to be passed down through the generations.”

  “And what is that, my lady,” Genesis asked, curiously. He didn’t have many chances to talk to the Lady Morgana through his years at Camelot. It did come as a surprise. Usually, he was too busy to have a conversation with her.

  “That creative, ruthless, thirst for destruction,” Morgana gave him a smirk, “It usually shows itself on the battlefield.” She brought the goblet up to her lips before she took a long drink from it. She shallowed before she went on, “Perhaps, that is why my brother, Arthur, favored your house so much while he was still alive. Also, maybe that is way he had talked about desiring a bride from your house….”

  The War Room door burst opened and Merlin hurried into the room with one of the scribes and the Master of Coin hot on his heels. Genesis tore his gaze away from the Black mage. He half wondered what she meant by her statement of King Arthur I favoring the White Hall Family when he was still alive.

  He remembered the various historian lessons he took while growing up at the White Hall Estate and none of them suggested that the First King of Camelot showed any favoritism toward the House of White Hall. Unless the she-mage had suggested a reason why there had been so many man in the White Hall Family managed to be promoted to high ranked positions in the Military and granted Knighthood. Of course, there was a family legend that one of the White Hall Daughters was rumored to be promised to a Pendragon Son, but that, to Genesis’ knowledge, never happened.

  “I am sorry for running late,” Merlin announced as he strolled to his place beside Morgana. The Court Scribe swept past the War Table to the small desk in the corner of the room and sat what he held down onto the table. Scrolls rolled about the desk’s surface. An ink well clattered on the wood. A dozen quills could be heard pit pattering on the wood before they settled.

  The Master of Coin claimed the seat between the Spy Master and the Prince. He set a leather bound book on the edge of the table and flipped it open to a page.

  “Now, that we all are here,” Merlin started, “As you read in my letter, the Kingdoms of Franks and Mercy are having a political marriage and plan to move against us within the month.” The Battle Mage glanced around the table. “It goes without saying, we will want to meet them outside the castle to prevent the causalities. Where do you think we should meet them?”

  Genesis nodded, absentmindedly. He turned his gaze to the map, lending forward. He placed his elbow on the edge of the table and held his chin between his index and thumb. There were a lot of different possible battle fields they could chose.

  “Before we get started on any battle plans,” Lord Jack spoke up, “How did the Choosing go? Were you able to find the Chosen King?”

  Feeling a flash of hope go through him, Genesis blinked and looked up at Lord Jack before he directed his gaze over to the Battle Mage. Merlin slumped in his chair. A loud tired sigh echoed through the room. Any hope Genesis felt evaporated when he heard that. The Fiery General’s shoulders slumped.

  “No,” Merlin replied, “I will be announcing a public choosing tonight. The public will no doubt hear it in the morning, considering how late it is getting.”

  “When will it started,” Morgana asked.

  “At noon,” Merlin stated, “It will give the men enough time to gather in the Court yard and line up.” He rubbed his face. “It will be something else we will be planning tonight.”

  “I think we need to go ahead and plan for that,” Lord Jack suggested, “This way we have an idea of what to do when the Next King is chosen. As of right now, we have plenty of time to go over our battle plans before the Kingdoms of Mercy and Frank start marching on Camelot’s territory.”

  Belladonna muttered something, but it was too low for Genesis to hear. It was no doubt something negative since she was didn’t approve of the Choosing Ceremony. Apparently, she still thought that Arthur could and would be Chosen by the Holy Sword.

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  “We will have to also tighten security around Camelot during the Ceremony,” Honor spoke up. Genesis nodded in agreement. It was something he didn’t think of right away. The group discussed their plans for when the Holy Sword chose the next King and the battle plans with what knowledge they had.

  The bell tower rang out the hour as Genesis left the War Room. He rolled his shoulders as he mentally counted the bell tolls. 10 o’clock. Surprised, he thought they would have took a lot longer then 2 hours. On the other hand, he mused as he walked toward the White Hall Wing of the Castle, they didn’t have much to go on. The Masters of Spy and Strategy were waiting on their sources to bring back more information on the actions of the enemy. Genesis had no doubt he will be back in that room at least dozen more times over the next week, discussing what the Masters were able to find out.

  He sighed, stopping on the edge of the Courtyard. He felt a sense of something looming on the horizon. He realized it could be a danger since the Holy Sword had not been able to find a worthy man to take over as King. He shifted, uneasy. He blinked. He looked down at the stone walkway. He placed his hands on his hips. He shook his head to order to clear it. He glanced back up at the starry sky. He just had to hope that the Holy Sword managed to find a worthy man to take over ruling Camelot. Genesis took a deep breath and started on his way to the White Hall Wing. He didn’t want to experience another era of a Kingless Kingdom.

  In the distance, he heard the town criers spreading the word about the public choosing. He wondered what would happen when the sun rose in the morning.

  The White Hall Wing

  Remus closed his bag and glanced around the room. He didn’t know how long he would be gone this time. The last couple times he went on a scouting mission, he was able to get it done within a few days. This time, Remus didn’t know how long he would be gone. He would be heading to the secret village hidden in the Dead End Forest to discuss the reason why there was a team of Ninja sent after his cousin, Genesis’ sister, The Missing White Hall Sister. He remembered what the letter had said, but he wanted to make sure he understood it, fully.

  Maybe there had been letters exchanged on who would be marrying into the Hidden Bark Village in order to renew the White Bark Treaty. If Valentina had been chosen, he didn’t know if he should feel sorry for her or for the Village. From the recent interactions, he got the feeling she wouldn’t be too pleased over an arranged married so soon after getting out a relationship. He sighed.

  There was a knock on the door. He half turned to it and hollered, “It’s open!”

  Remus wasn’t surprised when he spotted Genesis walking through the suit door. He was expecting the General to show up before he left, anyway. Just not this soon after the War Room Meeting. He thought it would have lasted nearly all night.

  “I’m surprised the War Meeting didn’t last long,” Remus started as a way of greeting.

  “You are not the only one,” Genesis admitted, “I thought it would last a good portion of the night.” There was a pause, “Has Valentina and Rosemary went to bed, yet?”

  “Yeah,” Remus nodded. He turned to face the General. “Rosemary went to bed, nearly a hour ago. I already checked on her. Valentina was in the process of tucking the boys into the spare beds in her suite when I checked on her. She didn’t allow her maid to do it, surprisingly, saying she wanted to do it herself,” Genesis’ expression transformed into a look of surprise. “I was surprised, too, but somehow she managed to get the eldest boy -Ichigo?” His red head cousin nodded. “Ichigo promise to keep his word and stay the night to make sure none of the boys got sick.” Remus sat on the edge of the bed, continued, “I’m sure she went to bed afterwards.”

  “I’ll check on her before I head to bed, as well,” Genesis said, “I guessing you are getting ready to leave.”

  “Yup,” Remus gave him a wolfish grin, “Perhaps I can drag it out and charge you more.” Genesis glared at him causing him to laugh, softly. “It shouldn’t take me long to get the information you desire, cousin, no more then a week, at worst a fortnight.” Genesis nodded in understanding. Remus sighed and stood up before he reached out for his pack. He tossed the strap over his shoulder and walked over to Genesis. “Watch after our ladies while I’m gone.”

  “I always do,” Genesis stated. The tone he used was full of promise. Remus nodded. He knew the General would. He approached Genesis and they shared a hug before he walked to the hallway with Genesis following him.

  Once in the hallway, Remus went left, walking past the Armstrong Suite. That was where Genesis stopped and disappeared into the Armstrong Suite without a sound. Remus, however, went on, walking through the silent, darkness halls of the Castle. He reached the stables and went to one of the horses that Rosemary had brought with her the day they had arrived in Camelot. He saddled up the horse and led the creature into the Courtyard. He tied his pack behind the saddled before he climbed onto the horse’s back. He grabbed the reins and soft kick to the animal’s side. The horse moved forward, heading to the Southern edge of town.

  Remus passed by dozens of Knights and guardsmen patrolling the empty streets. Majority of the townspeople already retired to their homes and the Pleasure Ladies walked through the town, looking for a lonely soul to keep company.

  In the Armstrong Family Suit, Tina sighed as she laid out the items she had packed in her travel bag over her bedspread. It had been nearly a hour since she had put the boys to bed and dismissed Kagome for the night. Putting the boys to bed was an experience. She rubbed at her chest. She glanced upward as her eyes filled with tears. She wanted to be a mother, already. She let out a shaky breath. She closed her eyes, allowing several tears to escape.

  Whenever she had brought the subject with her ex, he brushed her off, saying they were young and had their whole lives ahead of them. He also stated that she had other worries to take care of first, like the course work she had been assigned to finished. In the end, she stopped bringing the subject up and buried the topic deep in her heart. Just like the many other topics he had brushed off or made an excuse not to talk about.

  She didn’t expect the urge to be a mother would raise up while she tucked the youngest boys into bed. Now, she didn’t know if she would be granted the chance to have kids. Right now, she had to heal from her heartbreak and slowly take the time to find the right partner for her and possible a good father for her unborn children. A few more tears trailed down her cheeks. She lifted a hand and wiped away the tears. Maybe in the future, she would be a mother. After all, the future wasn’t set in stone. She turned her focus onto the items she had laid out on her bed.

  Someone had went through her travel bag and took the clothes down to the laundry, washed them, and brought them back. Tina admitted to herself she wasn’t expecting that. However, she did leave her travel bag out and Kagome might have took it down to the wash room or whatever the laundry room was called in this Kingdom. She mentally went through the list of items she had brought with her and compared it to the items in front of her. All of it was there. She thought someone would get curious enough and take one of the items. It wasn’t the case.

  “So,” a voice rang out causing Tina to jump. She jerked her head up and looked to the open bedroom door to see her cousin- older brother, Genesis, standing in the doorway, “When are you planning to leave?”

  “The day after tomorrow,” Tina confessed, “I’m planning on going home.”

  “Where is home?” Genesis stepped in the bedroom and headed over to one of the plush chairs by the crackling fire. He sat down and straighten out his legs.

  “Far, far away,” Tina smirked in amusement, “It almost seems like it is on another planet.” Genesis raised an eyebrow at her. An amused smirked played on her lips. She knew the reference went over the General’s head, but it was nice to make it.

  She cleared her throat before she continued, “I don’t know if I will go straight home, yet or not.” She turned her attention to the bed and started to roll up one of her pairs of jeans before she packed them away. “I want to see the Kingdom before I do, I think.” She repeated the process with a second pair. “It will help me, to heal.” She voiced, “I recently went through a bad experience and I want to experience something good without hurting someone else.”

  She blinked, “Well, hurt someone else emotional.” She corrected herself as she shoved the rolled up pair of jeans in the bag and wiggled it down to the bottom of the bag. “Maybe see some things that Lord Godric spoke up.” She smiled in excitement. “I won’t mind seeing a creature that breaths fire, or summons ice spikes, or another magical based attack.”

  She looked up at Genesis and he stared at her, just watching her as she spoke. “I don’t have those kind of creatures back home unless I travel to find a secret pathway between the worlds.” She turned her gaze to a folded shirt and started to roll it up.

  “You are from the Outside World,” Genesis stated, firmly. He brought his legs up into a bending position and lend forward, placing his elbows on his knees. He laced his fingers together.

  Tina paused. She set the shirt down and straightened. She stared at Genesis with guarded expression. He stared back with the same expression. She replied, “Yes, I am.” There was silence in the room as she waited for Genesis to say something else.

  “It does explain a lot,” he said after a minute, resting his back against the back of the chair, “The way you act, how you didn’t know how the Court was run, and how bold you are with everyone including the Ruling Family.” He sighed. His eyes darted back and forth. “How long have you in Avalon?”

  “Avalon?” Tina raised an eyebrow at the name. She knew it was the mythical place that once upon a time ago, in another story, the Lady Morgana took King Arthur to heal and eventually it become his final resting place. She frowned, thinking about a similar conversation she had with the Head Cook, Sanji, the other night. She didn’t remembered if he had given a name to this world where Camelot resided in or not.

  “Avalon is this world,” Genesis waved his hand. There was note of excitement in his voice. “I’m sure the outside world - the one you are from - is called Earth, right?”

  Tina thought about that statement before she repeated a part of, “The one I’m from is called Earth? You mean there are other worlds connected to Avalon!?”

  Genesis nodded. Eyes widened in shock, Tina turned and sat on the edge of the bed. There are other worlds connected to this one. That blew her mind. She knew the Spirit World connected the Human and the Demon Worlds, but she wondered if it would also act as the Entry point to the afterlife. A sense of adventure bloomed in her stomach.

  “I think I will be staying in Avalon for a bit longer then I thought I would.” She started to rumble, before she stood up and twisted on her heel, with a giggle, “I would have to let mom and grandma know what was going on so they didn’t have to worry. Plus, Tasha would probably want to come with me since it was summer vacation.” She stopped and shifted from side to side.

  She glanced at the red head general, sitting rigidly. “Mom probably won’t like it since it would mean Natasha would have to start her training early and I would be in charge of it. On the other hand, it would explain the Ninja. I thought those guys came from Japan and from the way Ralph and his team were dressed, they might be have been from the early 20th century, but I don’t know. That would required more study and the fact I would have to go with them to their village then I would be dragged to the Estate to meet Freya, for whatever reason she had to hired them to kidnap me, in the first place.” She hummed. “Perhaps, after words, I could head home and explain things with mom then take Natasha with me when I come back. Oh, the possibilities!”

  She grinned widely enough to cause her cheeks to hurt. “I can’t wait to start exploring this world. I don’t know if mom and grandma would like to make it a family trip. Mom always complained that we haven’t took one and she wanted to visit a few places she had while growing up. I know she had said she wanted to share those places with her kids. Of course, Aunt Nami would probably want to come along. Perhaps, I should call her when I get home and explain what happened.”

  She paused and thought about it. “Perhaps, not. She will rip me a new one for what happened and summon me to the compound for some more hellish training with the Detectives.” She glanced down at the stone floor. “I won’t mind seeing them again, but not while I’m supposed to be going back through training with Aunt Nami. They would get a laugh out of it for bit before they would get roped into training me.” She sighed. She let out a giggle. “Maybe I can finally start healing from the heartbreak.”

  Genesis got to his feet in one fluid movement that took Tina by surprise. She stopped talking and stared at him. His eyes flashed with hurt and anger. He opened and shut his mouth. A fist curled tightly and opened. The fire flared behind him, outlining his figure. He shook his head before he stormed out of the room. She watched him go, blinking.

  There was door slamming shut. She jumped in surprise. Genesis had left. Apparently, from the sound of how hard the door slamming shut behind and the way he was acting, he was upset about something. She briefly wondered if it was something she had said. She sat on the edge of the bed. She frowned as she mentally review the conversation then something hard settled in her stomach as a mental red flag went up. She had blown her cover story apart.

  “Oh, shit,” she breathed. She glanced at the doorway. Her shoulder slumped and she slowly got back to her feet. She finished packing her bag. She noticed Remus didn’t give her back the scroll Ralph had given her. She sighed. There was nothing she could do about that.

  The Edge of the Dead End Forest

  Ralph glared at Waya before he huffed and turned his gaze back to the glowing windows of the Castle. He couldn’t blame Waya for acting out like he did. He, too, was getting tired of this retrieval mission. Hopefully, they would be able to charge more the White Hall Family more with all the trouble Tina had caused them. It should have been a simple mission. He was starting to think that there was nothing simple when it came to the White Hall family or their vassal houses. He sighed. He briefly remembered the few missions involving the Family. His first mission with the White Hall Family was around the New Years after he had graduated

  “I wish Kikyo would hurry up,” Abasi grumbled from his spot several branches above Ralph. “I want to get this mission over with already.”

  The leader of the team agreed. They had been waiting on her since sunset. She had gone undercover as one of the Maids for the Castle. According to her report, a few hours before, she had managed to be assigned to their target. So far, Tina had been unaware of Kikyo being so close to her. Ralph knew it would be her down fall.

  "I’m sorry, Ralph,” Kikyo began as she landed on a nearby branch. Her legs bent until she found her balance then she slowly stood. “I couldn’t get away any sooner then I did. Our target just went to bed.”

  Ralph’s eyes ran over Kikyo and noticed she was still dressed as a maid. It was his first time seeing the Clan Heiress wearing a dress. He knew better then to comment about the black dress with a white apron.

  “Nice outfit,” Waya commented. It didn’t mean the rest of Ralph’s teammates had the same instinct. Ralph sighed.

  Kikyo’s eyes narrowed in a glare and her arm flew out to the side. A whistling sound cut through the air. Waya lend to the left, dodging a kunai. The throwing knife landed in the side of the tree where Waya’s head use to be. Waya smirked at Kikyo.

  “Enough.” Ralph barked, narrowing his eyes at Waya who put on an innocent look, “Report.” He turned to Kikyo.

  “Valentina is planning to stay another day then is planning to leave the following morning,” Kikyo said, “She’s using a cover story, claiming to be Lady Nami’s granddaughter instead of niece. So far, it is working.” Kikyo giggled before she explained, “Valentina is causing a stir at Camelot’s Court. There are some ladies who would prefer her to be gone already while some lords are plotting ways to ensnare her in possible marriage contracts.”

  “Of course she is,” Ralph sighed. That could make kidnapping Tina difficult. They would have Knights and Lords on their tail the moment it got out who kidnap Tina.

  “I pity the man she ends up marrying,” Waya laughed, “That marriage life would be something to see.”

  “I wonder if she would kill a simple man,” Abasi said before he snorted, “Of course, she would. She may need a strong will man to put her in her place.”

  Ralph turned to look at his male teammates, adding, “You do realize there is a treaty deadline coming up and the Bark Village needs to renew it with the White Hall House through any means necessary, right.” Both men froze. “It may mean a marriage contract.”

  “Well,” Abasi started, “That explains a lot.” Waya nodded in agreement. “I had been wondering why the major families have been in uproar for the past couple months. They have been trying to figure out the best candidates they have to name for a marriage contract.”

  “I thought you would have known that,” Waya commented, looking up at Abasi, “considering family ties.” Waya shifted uncomfortable and added, “Ralph reminded me of it this afternoon.”

  “I had heard about the treaty and the deadline,” Abasi said, “But I didn’t know it was this close.”

  “I heard on the way out here,” Kikyo spoke up, “They will be having a public choosing starting tomorrow at noon.”

  “Shit,” Ralph breathed.

  “You mean they haven’t been able to find a worthy person to be chosen by the Holy Sword?” Abasi asked, shocked coloring his voice.

  “It would explain why Arthur announced he wouldn’t be taking over the throne a few days ago,” Waya stated.

  Ralph nodded, “It would mean also tighten security.”

  “Fucking lovely,” Waya stated, “What is the plan?”

  Ralph glanced between his teammates before he turned his gaze to the teammate’s resident strategy, “Abasi, what are your thoughts?”

  Abasi hummed and brought his legs in crossed legged position on the branch. He closed his eyes and slipped into a mediative state, thinking. The rest of the team settled down on their branches, knowing he will think through several plans they could use and waited.

  Ralph turned his gaze toward Camelot. A gentle wind played with the strands of his hair. His gut tightened. There was something brewing within the walls of Camelot. He knew it had to deal with Tina. He had to find what was that was before he would be forced to deal with it on the fly.

  https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B08MBFS53L . The Paperback is available for purchase: . The Hardcover edition is now available through Amazon and Barnes and Noble. If you want an autographic copy of the book, please check out the link to my etsy shop where you can get an autographed copy with a bookmark and crocheted bookcover.

  https://ko-fi.com/valeries26

  https://www.amazon.com/stores/V.L.-Souders/author/B08QJQ7KGJ

  https://www.etsy.com/shop/Vals3C