Twisted Destiny

Part 19 - Preparation

"But, they ask for one... quite extensive task in return."

Lantana knew there would be a twist like this, but the disappointment that came to her was still immense. Hoping that it wouldn't be too great, so slowly paced out her next words.

"And... what would that task be?"

Gabriel took a deep breath, as if not wanting to upset anyone in the room.

"They ask for complete a alliance, even after this war."

Gabriel stated it as if he was almost balked down by the word, as if it was a horrible thing to ask of. Lantana on the other hand though, didn't see much of a problem. Carefully though, she plotted out her next words.

"I can see that you think this is a terrible thing for them to ask of us. But, surely it cannot be that horrible? The kingdom of Virago has been crumbling for years, even before the conflict with the Gods, so certainly, permanent alliances with other Gods must be a good sign?"

Gabriel took a deep, frustrated breath before quickly snapping back at Lantana.

"This is not a good thing. They are Gods. They view us as mortals. We could easily do something to get them all riled up at us, and then before we know it, we have enemies from both of the celestial forces. And, you have to remember these are the Hell Gods. The Gods of chaos, betrayal, dishonesty. We could get betrayed at any moment, and constantly live in fear."

Lantana's mood dimmed, because Gabriel's words were plausible. At the same time, she still couldn't shake the feeling of delight knowing that they have allies, and the most powerful ones of them all.

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Lantana was able to rest easily that night, after finally finding the answer to the question that had racked her body for the day. Surprisingly, she did feel well rested even with minimal hours of sleep, so when the new day started, she was able to function and complete her tasks easily. Now that they were entering war time though, her schedule was extremely full. Her morning was composed heading down to the castle grounds to help oversee the training along with Gabriel, and the other captains. It was time to start training their army for battle, and many different techniques had to be covered. When Lantana arrived Gabriel begrudgingly had to escort her around, and show her his current training format.

"So, princess." He sneered, facing her. "I have separated the army into multiple groups, each focusing on certain aspects needed in war. I shall supervise them all, but the captains have each been assigned to an individual group, one or more to each. I have them testing endurance, swordsmanship, hand-to-hand combat, interpretation, abrupt actions, aim, and weapon discipline. All vital skills in war, and lacking in one or many of them will lead to their decease. As you can see, certain weapon training applies to certain areas, and others test different skill sets. Questions, princess?"

Lantana had no response, but Gabriel had to continue showing her around. They had to visit just about all the sites he set up, and through it, Lantana could see that Gabriel was thoroughly supervising them all. Usually angrily storming in, and correctly demonstrating a skill, or making snarky remarks, she could see how everybody feared him, and had an unwillingness to mess up. Even through the strict teachings though, she was able to see how it allowed him to be able to train the army, especially when their time was so little. Bring fierce was the only tool that would be able to whip them into shape, for the first war in years. Many of them would be rusty, mortality would be high. But through it all, they would be learning. Even in the training, even in the war. She knew it was hard, she was able to relate to them. Flashbacks from her experiences in trying to join the army played through her head, and she knew not to underestimate the soldiers. They were all stronger than her, were able to stand taller, and had better resistance than cowering in the face of death. She was able to respect them for that, each and every one of them. It was hard. It would be scary. People would die. But, they would die defending their country. They would die, trying to give Virago a chance to live.