Midnight Council

"Let me out. I want to speak to my father." Auria gritted her teeth. It had been three days since her father locked her up in her room. She had not heard anything about Lyrus ever since as even Silvia and Thenan were not allowed to see her.

"I'm sorry princess but it's the king's orders. But seriously, why Lyrus? That bloke is a bumbling buffoon, always stuttering, always clumsy." Barthos and his friends laughed. Of all the people chosen to guard her, it just had to be these scoundrels. It was as if her father was mocking her for her insolence. She can only hold back her tears as her mind wandered, thinking of what could be happening to Lyrus right now, hoping that the man she loves is still alive.

"Shut your trap. Lyrus defeated you during the squire test then he slew a dragon. You think you still stand a chance against him in combat? Oh please, he'll knock you flat on your back within seconds, just like what I did," Auria snapped back, silencing the arrogant knight and his comrades. A combined look of humiliation and fury was evident on Barthos' face. Appearing to decide against hitting her, Barthos simply bit his lip, his face red with anger.

"You're lucky that you're the princess of Threanas. I would have beat the crap out of you a long time ago." Barthos turned his back and proceeded to walk out of the room together with his friends. Apparently, he had decided that he was already finished with his daily routine of mocking Auria.

"Yeah, go out! Go out while you still have your dignity intact, Barthos the bear!" Auria laughed mockingly. Barthos the bear. That's the nickname Lyrus had given to the golden-haired knight due to his physique. While Auria felt satisfied and happy with managing to snap back and humiliate the knight, the nickname brought tears to her eyes as she remembered once more that somewhere, Lyrus was suffering, suffering because of her disobedience.

"Lyrus, please hold on. I promise, I will rescue you." Auria laid on her bed, closing her eyes tightly, hoping that it will stop the tears from falling.

Blood. Lyrus spat blood once more. It had been three days since he was locked up in the dungeon of the castle with no idea why. Feeling his broken ribs aching again, he can only lie on his side and let the crimson colored floor serve as his mattress and pillow. He clutched the swelling sores on his stomach. It felt like he had been tortured in almost every way imaginable. What did he do? Was it because he used the Dragonslayer without permission by the king? Or was it because…

However, Lyrus thoughts were interrupted when a familiar face entered his cell. It was Lophen. "Well hello there, Lyrus…or should I say Elyse, prince of Crusdea?" Contempt and mockery was present on the thief prince's voice. But how did he know? Lyrus' mind struggled to find an answer as Lophen continued to stare down at him.

A powerful blow to the stomach followed by a spit. Lophen grabbed the poor peasant by the collar and started punching him on the face. "I don't know how you resisted the obedience potion…but…all…I…know…is that…I hate…you!" shouted the prince as he sent punch after punch to Lyrus' bloodied and pulpy face. By the time he was finished with the man, Lyrus' face had become unrecognizable, his both eyes swelling, his nose broken, a tooth had fallen out of his mouth.

"Let's see if that transformation potion of yours still have an effect with you this time." Lophen spat once more at the crouched figure before him whose blood had splattered every inch of the cell. With what's left of his strength, Lyrus looked up to see Lophen leaving and the heavily scarred knight entering his cell.

"Now…let's continue your interrogation, shall we? You still haven't told me or my master how you resisted the obedience potion and where this Edrana is hiding." The scarred man sneered, turning his face into one that looked like a demon. However, it looks like just like him, Lophen had no idea where the apothecary was. Lyrus, clenched his teeth in preparation to being stabbed, slice, waterboarded, and many other hideous methods that he will experience within the next few hours. But he won't talk even if it costs him his life. He will never endanger Edrana, Alea, and the others. Alea. Lyrus' mind can't help but worry about the woman he loves. He just hoped that Lophen won't drag Alea into his situation.

Auria was awakened by a soft tapping sound at her window. Peering outside, she saw Silvia throwing stones at the glass panes of the window. Fortunately, there was no one with her in the room at the time. A plan quickly came into her mind.

"Princess, I'm here to rescue you! Make a rope out of the curtains and bedsheets and climb down while Thenan is distracting the guards. Hurry!" A worried look was written all over Silvia's face. Auria breathed a sigh of relief. Looks like her father had no idea of Thenan and Silvia's involvement in her escapades.

"No, no, no. I can't. But do me a favor. Tell Thenan that Lyrus was taken by the king and Lophen...most likely into the dungeon." A bewildered expression from Silvia met Auria's instructions. She knew that at this point all Silvia cared about is her well being but for her, all she cared about right now was Lyrus.

"Silvia, just trust me, ok? Tell Thenan to ask Freid and the others to help him break Lyrus out. After you've done that then you can come back for me." She stared at Silvia so that the latter may know that she was serious. With a sigh, Silvia nodded in agreement and left only to come back moments later with a wooden stick used by squires for training.

"I'm sorry princes but this was all that I could find. Use this if needed be," and to Auria's surprise, Silvia threw the stick with such force that it reached inside her room. Luckily, Auria was able to duck just in time. The two exchanged glances then laughed at what just happened. Auria then bade her friend goodbye, hoping that Thenan and the others would succeed in their mission.

"Still not talking, huh?" Lyrus woke up and once more saw Lophen talking with the scarred man. How many days had it been? Had it been a month? Lyrus can't think straight anymore with the numerous concussions on his head. He had been passing out repeatedly in the last few hours to the point that he cannot distinguish anymore if he fell asleep or lost consciousness.

"Show me the peasant." It's the king. He cannot be mistaken. Had the king find out about Lophen's deeds?

"Help! Your majesty, I'm here! Please help me!" He shouted with all his might. The king will definitely save one of his subjects.

A cold stare. Lyrus' plea for help was met by a cold stare by King Deanor. Is the king mad? There's no mistaking it. The expression behind the king's eyes was that of rage.

"Silence, peasant. You've humiliated me and sullied my name for so long. I know that you seduced my daughter and I also know that you are Elyse!" The king kicked Lyrus' with such force that the peasant lost consciousness for a few seconds. A feeling of guilt crept up the injured body of Lyrus. He shouldn't have pretended to be a prince. Now, he will be punished for making a fool of the king.

"A knight? You're no knight. To think that you're also the son of Renus…how annoying it is indeed. I've killed numerous knights before you, boy! Your death will be no different to that of the others, to that of my enemies." The king scoffed at the huddled figure of Lyrus while the peasant struggled to remain conscious.

"Tell me where is this Edrana." Edrana? Just what does the king wants with the apothecary? Is he going to punish her too for playing tricks on him? These questions swarmed Lyrus' muddled mind as he was brought up by the dungeon guards before the king.

"I-I'm sorry your majesty…I-I'm really so-sorry…" Lyrus started to cry. It didn't matter anymore if he got exiled for his insolence. Right now, all he wanted was to live. However, his apology was met with a punch from the king himself. The guards then laid him on a sitting position, his back against the wall. Looks like he's about to be executed. The grim thought ran through his mind as the scarred man went towards the king while Lophen stood at the side, still watching him with a sneer while holding a sword.

"Your majesty. It appears that the peasant doesn't really know anything about Edrana's whereabouts. I suggest –" but the scarred man wasn't able to finish his sentence as Lophen suddenly beheaded the man with one swing of the sword he's holding. The man's head rolled and stopped a few inches just before Lyrus, shocking the peasant's mind to wakefulness.

"You see…no amount of transformation spell can completely alter a person's appearance, no matter how powerful the spell or its caster is. But that potion…the potion you are using can. That potion is the perfect tool for espionage." To Lyrus' shock, the scarred man's head and body began to transform as the three mages standing behind the king started to cast a spell. By the time the spell was finished, the corpse before him appeared like a badly mangled duplicate of him.

"Strip him." The guards then roughly stripped Lyrus of all his clothes and with the king's order, dressed his deceased duplicate with his clothing. Cold, naked, bloodied, and bruised. Lyrus couldn't even bother to stand up anymore and can only watch as the mages casted a spell to burn the dead body of the scarred man. He tried to crawl towards the king, to ask for forgiveness, and if not possible, to try to escape. However, Lophen proceeded to assault Lyrus once more, kicking him over and over again before King Deanor.

"So you want to be a prince, huh? Don't worry. Tomorrow, you will die as a prince." Lophen forced a vial containing Edrana's potion into Lyrus' mouth. Within a few seconds, the familiar warmth spread throughout his body. This is his chance. Everytime he changes appearance, his wounds would disappear. Sure, the pain would still be present but as long as there was no physical injury to his body, he would be able to fight. However, Lophen quickly stabbed him in many places all over his body after he transformed.

"Nothing is faster than my dagger, always remember that, peasant." Lophen laughed madly at the sight of him writhing in pain while blood poured . Incapacitated once more, the guards then bound both his hands and feet and with nothing but a mere stare, the king and the others left Lyrus.

"No, no, no!" Auria cried while a badly burnt head which bore resemblance to Lyrus lie on the floor before her. It was already night when her father, together with two guards, visited her, one of the guards carrying a bloodied sack. To her horror, the sack contained a decapitated and burnt head, and while some of the features were turned to ashes, there was no mistake as to the identity of the head. It was Lyrus' head.

It can't be…it just can't be. Auria can only weep as her father knelt down before her. "Tomorrow will be the third trial. Tomorrow you shall choose who you will wed. Your lover is gone. Your potion is gone. There's nothing left for you to do except to obey me."

A loud slap came to Deanor's face. Auria looked at her father with eyes burning with anger. "Obey? I would never obey you!" She's had enough. It didn't matter anymore if her own father kills her for her defiance. She might as well die and go to wherever Lyrus was right now. Deanor's stoic expression changed into pure rage. A second later, Deanor slapped Auria with such force that her lower lip bled.

"You won't obey me? So be it! Lophen!" Out from the shadows, Lophen appeared, carrying a small vial containing a purple liquid. Deanor then motioned for the two castle guards to restrain Auria. Lophen pried open Auria's mouth then poured the concoction down her throat. Auria tasted a bitter and burning sensation travelling from her throat and spreading through her body.

"What you have just drank is Quirun's Obedience potion. Consider yourself privileged that you tasted the true one. Though I still don't understand how the less potent form worked on your lover while the true one did not." Lophen put up a face as if he were thinking deeply, to the annoyance of Auria. This is bad. If she indeed drank the true obedience potion then escape was hopeless.

"Curse you! I cur—" Auria immediately fell into a trance as Lophen snapped his fingers.

"I am Lophen Dantallion the Third, and I swear by the blood of Quirun." The words echoed over and over Auria's mind, producing chime like sounds that seemed to make her stand still and listen in anticipation.

"I command you to never speak unless spoken to by myself or your father. I also command you to obey the instructions of myself or your father. Lastly, I command you to never attempt to escape my clutches or that of your father's." Lophen's orders embedded themselves deep into Auria's consciousness.

Everything felt like a dream when she woke up. Surprised to find that there were no more guards patrolling her room or its surroundings, she started packing her things, preparing to run away. However, as she did so, a cold sensation crept to her body followed by a strong headache. She felt nauseous. She felt sick at the thought of escaping. Realizing that what happened was no dream, all Auria can do was to lie down in her bed and cry herself to sleep.

Snow had started falling once more in Noir. While spring was just a few weeks away, winter had become unnaturally harsh this year, making the people worry that spring might come late. It was almost midnight when the sleet fell, covering every inch of the streets of the capital. However, two figures carrying lanterns continued to traverse the city despite the cold.

"I've called the others. They said they'll follow as soon as the blizzard stopped," Thenan said as he and Freid walked towards a dimly lit cabin. They needed to hurry yet be cautious. The last thing they want right now was the knights alerting the king of late night phantoms roaming the streets of the capital.

"So what is the plan? How do we rescue Lyrus? Princess Auria told me that he would most likely be locked up in the dungeon." Thenan continued to look around as they walk, lowering the hood of his coat to cover his face.

"Dungeon? That sounds bad. Looks like the king found out that he is Elyse," Freid absentmindedly stated as he himself was already shivering from the cold.

"Wait, what? Lyrus is Elyse, the prince of Crusdea?" A look of surprise was evident in Thenan's face. Freid, on the other hand, made an expression similar to that of a robber caught redhanded.

"Elyse, huh. How ironic that he changed his appearance to a prince while Princess Auria decided to live a simple life as Alea." Freid. upon hearing what Thenan said, suddenly slipped on the frozen ground to the shock of Thenan.

"Wha-what now? Princess Auria is Alea?" This time it was Thenan who gave the scarfed knight the look of a robber being caught redhanded.

Standing up, the two chuckled for a moment at the irony of the situation. Still, realizing what must be done, they hurried and entered the dimly lit cabin.

"As what Freid might have told you, the third trial is set for tomorrow. Freid and I went to Wesdirec and sure enough, there were mages from both Threanas and Adrana putting up some sort of enchantment on the old coliseum in preparation for the trial." The light from Erne's lamp flickered as Thenan continued to speak in a hush voice.

"Tomorrow is the perfect time for us. The knights and the others can easily blend with the crowd and we could – "However, Thenan was interrupted when one of their comrades, Karos stood up, the shadow of his body blocking the lamp and darkening the room further.

"But what about Lyrus? From where I came, leaving a comrade is done only in funerals." The heads in the room nodded in agreement, even Erne's. Most of the people inside the dimly lit cabin had known or had been helped by Lyrus at one point in their lives.

"But…what about…the king's knights? Not all have come to our cause." Meiro looked away upon uttering the words. He knew what those words mean. Doubt. Doubt if they will even succeed. Karos sat down and simply stared at the lamp. Even the blacksmith seemed to be unsure of how to approach such question.

"Leave everything to us. Tomorrow, our comrades from the neighboring provinces would also attend the third trial. They will be dressed as commoners and will hide among the spectators. The element of surprise is with us. Just trust our hearts and believe in our cause." Thenan stabbed the wooden table before him with his sword, as if he was hoping that the gesture would dispel the anxieties of everyone present.

"I had also spoken to others. Some nobles have agreed to lend us men and arms for tomorrow." Meiro spoked. To his surprise, his back was patted by Erne.

"Well done lad. We apologize if it was you who need to take your father's place in the Council for the meantime. Castel and I are busy rallying the vendors from the other provinces." Erne said in a sympathetic tone, a tone which seemed to surprise everyone in the room.

"What? We're busy. Castel is the one supposed to travel and gather aid while I organize things here. I'm simply apologizing to his boy for any hardship the arrangement might have caused him." continued Erne with a flustered expression.

"Anyway, Thenan's right. The time is ripe for the rebellion. We cannot let the tyranny of Deanor continue for another cycle of seasons," Erne said, to the surprise of everyone. Tonight, was the first time they heard the merchant speak with such conviction.

"We maybe mere knights, maids, merchants…mere commoners but together we can end all of this. Threanas does not belong to Deanor. It does not belong to the king. It belongs to the people, the people who lives in it and strives everyday to make the kingdom better. It belongs to us." Silvia looked at each and everyone present in the room. She hoped that her speech, simple as it may seem, had the effect of bringing back everyone's resolve.

"Then it is done. Tomorrow we revolt. Tomorrow we rescue Lyrus and Princess Auria. Tomorrow the fate of Threanas shall be decided and we are the ones who will make that decision." Freid stood up and just like Thenan, thrusted his blade on to the table. The lamp in the dimly lit continued to flicker like the light of a faraway star. Thenan, Silvia, Freid, Karos, Meiro, and Erne, the Midnight council has decided.