Queen Hylla…
She felt absolutely livid with her daughter.
Hylla had hoped to keep Hilda’s golden Valkyrie wings a secret for as long as possible. Yet for some unknown reason, her daughter decided that now was the best time to use her wings for a seemingly effortless fight.
Perhaps she did it to show up that upstart Assassin Camilla. The announcer of the match seemed to think so at least.
However, the situation was still a disaster.
With Queen Diana and Princess Sophia dead and Prince Dean Lykos being reduced to a subservient watchdog for King Arobynn Aphstadd, the royal blood line was more or less wiped out. That meant that the platinum wings that had been passed down throughout the royal bloodline would be lost.
The platinum wings were not only absurdly strong, but they were also considered an important symbol of status among royalty.
With Hylla’s position as the queen already on shaky ground, the reveal of Hilda’s wings would further tarnish their image of royalty.
All she could do was clap while struggling to maintain a neutral expression in the face of such humiliation.
As if on cue to worsen her mood, The Orc King’s curiosity shone through as he said, “Esteemed Queen Hylla, if I am not mistaken, it is my knowledge that the royal bloodline of Brunhildt, of which are descended from the Goddess Athena, are blessed with wings of platinum. Unless my eyes failed me, her highness, Princess Hilda is in possession of golden wings given to the most esteemed of Valkyrie commanders and warriors. One would think that for one of royalty, it would be beneath someone of her standing to bear golden and not platinum wings.”
A shiver ran down Hylla’s spine as she heard the voice of the Orc King, so rich and deep, yet frighteningly intelligent, speak the worst fears currently on her mind with such a carefree attitude.
Even worse, the eyes of the other rulers drifted over to them as they listened in on the conversation. The only one who was seemingly disinterested was King Arobynn, the useless fool that he was.
As brutish, rough, and monstrous as the Orcs appear to be, she must constantly remind herself that they possess a very sharp tactical mind to match their ferocious strength. It would be effortless for one such as him to sway the opinions of the other rulers.
She would have to very carefully craft her response for fear that he might completely undermine her position.
She smiled and said, “Why yes, you are quite knowledgeable your majesty. However, the truth is that a Valkyrie royal only attains the platinum wings when they ascend the throne. It is a testament to the power and majesty that comes with being the queen of my kingdom.”
The Orc King’s eyes widened slightly, impressed by her use of words, and replied, “How fascinating. Then perhaps you would be so gracious as to reward us with a demonstration of your own wings?”
A dreaded silence took over the podium as the other rulers waited for her response.
Thankfully, she had just the words to counter to this.
“As entertaining as that might be, I’m afraid I must decline. As you already witness, my daughter’s golden wings cause enough chaos and destruction as it is. The difference in power between gold and platinum Valkyrie wings is a thousand fold. I would not dare show them to you right here and now at the risk of losing your lives.”
The Orc King decided to drop the topic as he said, “You raise a good point. Then perhaps another time. Let us enjoy this next battle then. I’m looking forward to seeing the performance of Raum the Raven.”
“Certainly,” Hylla said with a polite nod, yet sighing gratefully. The best lies were usually mixed with a little bit of truth.
The difference in power between the golden wings and platinum wings was indeed monstrous. If she were able, she would unleash them hear and now, wiping out all the rulers and get rid of any possible threats to her rule.
Unfortunately, her own golden wings were not enough to fight against King Razel, King Rohen, or the Orc King. All three were immensely powerful.
For now, all she could hope to do is wait and see the outcome of this tournament and see what she could gain from it.
Camilla…
She felt incredibly confused.
“You...want to hear my story? For what reason?” she asked as she kept Hilda firmly pinned against the wall. Camilla’s arm dug into her chest as she glared into her eyes for answers but that only seemed to make the situation even more unusual as Hilda let out a sound that either a groan in pain or...or a moan.
She didn’t want to think about it.
“B-Because I...grew up reading about you and...I think you are an admirable person. I read about all of you, all of the Nøkkran and I think you are amazing people,” she said, her face showing no hints of lying.
Camilla shook her head at the strangeness of the situation and decided to ask a different question.
“How did you even find me so quickly? Did you know where I was before hand?”
“I ran into Raum in the hall on the way. She told me where you would be going,” she answered, as if she were describing meeting a famous celebrity in passing to a doting parent.
With no other idea of how to handle the situation, Camilla gritted her teeth in uncertainty before pulling away and sighing.
“Very well...before I tell you my story however, I would like to change out of my suit and into something more comfortable,” she said as she started walking out of the alley.
She then realized that Hilda was still standing where Camilla left her.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you coming with me?”
Hilda blinked as she said, “You don’t want me to wait here?”
Camilla frowned and said, “Of course not. After I get changed, I’m going to a diner where Raum will be waiting for me. You will need to change as well, otherwise it would be a problem if too many people recognized you. So come on.”
Hilda then showed a great smile as she said, “R-right. I’ll come with then.”
Hilda…
This was amazing.
She could finally hear Camilla’s story from her own lips, and better yet, perhaps see something fantastical.
The two of them sneaked around from the ally to avoid anyone seeing the two of them together and made their way into the Inn.
“Okay, so now what?” Hilda asked nervously.
Camilla walked over to a dresser and pulled out a plain blue t-shirt and sweatpants. She then looked Hilda up and down before tossing the bundle of clothes at her.
“Change into that,” she said before she went rummaging for clothes of her own to change into.
Hilda looked down at the clothes in her hands and debated on whether she really wanted to change into something so boring.
She then shook her head and quickly dismissed the thought.
If Camilla was fine with wearing such clothes to stay hidden then what did it matter if she did as well?
Deciding to swallow her pride as a princess, she slowly stripped off the armor and threaded her arms into the shirt.
Strangely, it was more comfortable and breathable than it looked. It felt like something she didn’t have to worry about getting messy or something she had to fight in.
She could just fall back on a comfy bed and take a nap.
As she was putting on the pair of sweatpants, her eyes drifted over to look at Camilla as she took off her suit to reveal that she wore only cloth bandages around her breasts rather than a bra.
Putting that aside, her skin looked a lot softer than Hilda would have imagined. Being as the Nøkkran are all warrior women, Hilda would have thought they would be more muscular. While it was true that Camilla had a decent amount of muscle on her body, it was far more lean and allowed for her to maintain an elegant beauty to match it.
“What are you staring at?” Camilla asked with her eyebrows raised.
“Oh! Uh...I’m just a little surprised by your physique. I thought you would be more muscular but your build is still quite lady like. I feel kind of jealous actually,” Hilda said, to which she scoffed.
“I guess I should consider that as a compliment,” she said as she pulled out a shirt and put it on.
Once the two of them were finished getting dressed, Camilla ended up wearing a grey shirt with white frills on the cuffs of the sleeves and blue jeans with tears at the knees.
“We ready to go then?” she asked and Hilda nodded.
But just before they were about to leave, Hilda then remembered something important.
“Wait! Hold on,” she said, a little louder than she had wanted to.
Camilla turned around abruptly, somewhat startled by Hilda raising her voice so suddenly.
“What? What is it?”
Hilda then pulled her arms behind her waist and looked down nervously as she said, “I...just remembered something important. I...I hope it doesn’t bother you, but I have a favor that I want to ask you.”
She could tell that Camilla was losing patience but was willing to hear her out.
“Yes? Spit it out.”
“Well, since your descended from Queen Diana, then that must mean that you have the platinum wings of royal bloodline right?”
“Well...yes. That’s right.”
“Would it be too much to ask that you show them to me? I would really like to see them...please?”
Hearing her ask for such a favor made Camilla smile and shift her stance as she put her hands on her hips.
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard a princess say ‘please’ before. Although, considering the fact that I’ve already revealed to you who I am (mostly as a threat), I guess it can’t hurt to show you now,” she said.
She then gestured for Hilda to take a few steps back.
“If I didn’t have the magic that I do then I probably wouldn’t be able to show you while indoors given that the energy release from my wings can be quite devastating, but thankfully I can keep it contained pretty well,” she said as she rolled her shoulders before her gorgeous platinum colored wings unfurled themselves before her.
The power and radiant light shining from them was so brilliant that Hilda felt she could stare at them for hours and never get bored.
The incredible metallic luster of each intricate feather was a sight to behold.
“Its...beautiful,” Hilda said softly.
“You may say that now, but when the time comes, I’ll be fighting you next. You might not say that when you end up facing me and I crush you underneath the heel of my boots,” she said as her wings vanished.
Hearing that, Hilda couldn’t help feel somewhat disappointed by what that would mean.
When the two of them ended up at Boggart’s diner, they were met by Raum already waiting for the two of them.
Surprisingly though, rather than women’s clothes, Raum was wearing something more masculine. She was wearing a specially tailored white button up shirt, black pants, black blazer, tie, and dress shoes.
It certainly wasn’t very obvious who she was, but it wasn’t exactly a casual outfit either.
“I see that you have already won your battle then?” Camilla asked as she sat in the booth across from her.
“Of course,” Raum nodded.
Hilda was tempted to sit next to her but decided to respectfully take a seat next to Raum instead.
Camilla eyed her as she decided to sit next Raum rather than her but seemed not to say anything about it further.
“So what is the deal with you sending Hilda to me? Is this another one of those weird destiny things that you keep talking about?” she asked with an annoyed tone.
Deciding to ignore the rudeness of her remarks, Hilda couldn’t help but feel even more excited by the idea that their meeting was ‘destiny’.
“You could say that. When she ran into me in the hall, I couldn’t help but feel that she has a strong connection to you and your goals. I suggest that you take her as an ally as she can provide you with the Ichor Doru spear that you’ve long wanted to reclaim for your family,” he said plainly, to which Camilla stiffened up.
“Why would you say that so openly in front of her?” she hissed.
With wide eyes, Hilda asked, “You want to reclaim Ichor Doru…?”
The two of them then looked in her direction as Raum answered, “Yes, that is her intention. Although asking for it now would have little impact on the current situation. She was hoping to take it from you in battle as a show of strength and power in the face of Queen Hylla as well as revealing her wings to undermine Hylla’s position even further.”
Hearing all of this, she couldn’t help but feel incredibly confused about the situation.
“Wait, wait wait. All of this is...a little too much for me to take in at once. Can you...please start from the beginning? Please tell me the full story about why you want to do all of this. Help me understand,” she asked.
The other two then turned to look at each other before Camilla sighed as she said, “Very well...be prepared though because this is a long story…”
Over the next few hours, Camilla explained the history involved with the Duranell and Brunhildt kingdoms and how the two have been at odds for many years following the golden age period.
She explained how after the Amaskian War, the world entered a long period of many warring kingdoms lasting for three thousand years. During that period of time, there were four kingdoms involved throughout the world that were the most dominant among all others.
Of the four were Duranell, Mordran, Forrosa, and of course, Brunhildt.
Forrosa, even at that point in time, was still the most powerful kingdom in the world and was fairly isolated from most conflicts.
Mordran was an a kingdom on an island much like New Alfheim, separated from the Eleum continent.
Duranell and Brunhildt however, were both the dominant kingdoms across Eleum. It was during the warring period that the two were fighting over land and vassal state which created a long standing rivalry between the two.
However, after that period had ended and the golden age that followed, the need for warriors among Brunhildt waned and the practices that had once been very common throughout their history were abandoned which weakened its people. It made them vulnerable to the monsters that endlessly plagued the world.
The Duranell kingdom however did not weaken during this period and thrived under the guidance of King Vendrick Lykos.
With the threat of the Brunhildt kingdom collapsing due to the weakness of its people, an extreme over-correction happened when Queen Penthesilia took the throne and enacted methods so cruel and inhumane that even King Vendrick was called to act to put a stop to it.
What took place was a war between the two kingdoms that was so long and horrible that it did not end even when King Vendrick and Queen Penthesilia killed each other in battle.
It was known as the First Amazonian Civil War.
Even after the opposing king and queen died, their children afterward continued the war for many generations after until eventually both kingdoms grew weary of that war.
The war ended with none of the issues between them being resolved and resulted in them agreeing to avoid involvement within each other’s border’s completely.
The practices that Queen Penthesilia enacted continued on as tradition and were never truly changed until the time of Queen Diana when she attempted to sow equality among the people. However, the Valkyries and many other women who were raised under such traditions that favored them did not agree with such changes and aimed to remove Diana from power.
Seeing this threat, Queen Diana sent her daughter Princess Sophia to Duranell to live under the care of King Dorian the First and his son Prince Dorian the Second.
By that point, King Dorian was very old and his power was waning as he got older. The Prince was on the path to succeed the throne but was yet to find a someone to marry as his queen.
It was Queen Diana’s plan to have her daughter marry the prince and unite the kingdoms to resolve their long rivalry.
When Hylla learned what was going on, she killed Queen Diana and took her place. Afterward, King Dorian declared war on Brunhildt preemptively and during the war, Moyako and Camilla together form the Nøkkran Assassins as part of the war effort against Brunhildt.
As the war progressed, Duranell called on the aid of Mordran, Forrosa, and New Alfheim to fight them on two fronts.
Despite Brunhildt’s powerful Valkyries and military might, the pressure from all of Duranell’s allies forced Hylla to admit defeat. She then signed a treaty with King Dorian to reform Brunhildt from its cruel treatment of its citizens.
Decades later, Moyako disbanded the Nøkkran. Several decades following that, a wraith outbreak took place, to which Hylla severely mishandled and worsened her position as the new queen even further.
Attempting to take advantage of the situation after the outbreak was over, Prince Dorian and Princess Sophia married to become king and queen after King Dorian the first succumbed to the outbreak and died.
When Hylla caught wind of their attempt to overthrow her, she had them assassinated.
Ever since then, Camilla has been planning to remove Hylla from power and finish what her mother and grandmother had started.
Hilda was shaken by what she heard.
She never knew that her own mother was the reason Camilla’s parents were killed and it scared her that she was capable of that level of cruelty to keep her throne.
“I...I never would have thought…,” Hilda tried to speak but couldn’t seem to form the words.
“The wounds between our kingdoms run very deep, and the more Hylla tries to preserve the cruel history of Queen Penthesilia, the more that Brunhildt will rot until there is nothing left,” Camilla said.
“I...I want to help you any way that I can. Maybe...maybe I can convince Geirolul to join us! She always seemed loyal to Queen Diana, maybe she would be willing to join your cause,” Hilda offered.
“Perhaps...but I wouldn’t be too sure. Geirolul is loyal to the throne. She even served Queen Penthesilia and every queen after her who followed her ideology. I would not put too much faith in her right away,” Raum said.
Camilla nodded in agreement as she said, “The most important step however, is to reclaim Ichor Doru and reveal my wings in a show of strength to further undermine her position even further. Are you willing to agree to such a plan?”
“Truthfully, I wish I could just give you the spear right now as it rightfully belongs to you. However, I understand the importance of what it would mean for you to take it from me during the contest,” she said as she paused for a moment.
She then looked up at Camilla with a determined look and said, “I’ll do it. I’ll help you reclaim the spear. Just...promise me something.”
Camilla raised her eyebrows and asked, “That depends on what you’re asking.”
“When you kill me in the match, please don’t hurt me too much,” she said with a nervous smile.
Hearing that, Camilla laughed and said, “I will make no such promises. After all, it needs to look as real as possible otherwise she might suspect that you have allied with us. However, if you want to avoid suffering for too long, then I suggest that you fight me with all your strength. You will need it.”
“Very well...but I want to ask, what is her role in all this?” Hilda asked while pointing at Raum.
“’Her’?” Camilla echoed as she tilted her head in confusion.
“Huh…?”
It was then that a look of realization flashed over Camilla’s face before she grinned mischievously.
“Oh, I see. Well, its not exactly a guarded secret but I understand if most people aren’t aware of it. You see...the truth about Raum is...”