Not As it Seems

Chapter 17: Operation Save Iola

After waking up the next morning, everyone had a quick breakfast and then immediately gathered around the table again to think of a plan for defeating Theros.
"We have three main goals," Duke Gaspard started, "free the teachers and students, defeat the army, and arrest Mary and Richard."
"We'll need an army of our own," his oldest son stated.
"Our options are few... I think it's safe to assume we won't be able to count on foreign help. Anyone who would help us risks the lives of their nobles and royals. The only army nearby is the army we have stationed on the border with Divinia," Queen Alice explained.
"Forgive me, but I'm not very familiar with the border of Divinia and Falmar... Is it an army stationed across the whole border?" Levi inquired.
"The border with Divinia consists entirely of a mountain range that ranges from the ocean until the border between Magnos and Aurion. There is one small opening in this mountain. We have a fortress city there, surrounded by more fortresses to protect the border. It's nearly impossible to cross for an enemy army. The army stationed there consists of some of our finest tacticians and soldiers. They're perfect for our mission. King Richard is yet to blackmail us, despite having kidnapped Lady Eleanor quite some time ago, so it should be safe to march the army into Divinia. In addition..." King Robert opened his bag and grabbed a tome out of it. It immediately glowed blue. "Considering the circumstances, I have made an exception and taken Fenflame, Falmar's national treasury, from its resting place."
"But wouldn't marching an army into Divinia and battling against Theros enact the wrath of Saint Divinia?" professor Abigail wondered.
"I'm sure that if we pray together, the Saint will spare us this once," Edith answered, "and I'm sure both Queen Madelyn and Archbishop Hayes will do the same."
"Then that is that, we will leave immediately, so we can end this as soon as possible," King Robert said as he and his wife stood up. Laura went with them outside and waved as their carriage rode away from the house. They were both so brave, willing to do anything to save their country, no, the entire continent... Laura hoped she could be like them someday.

"What do we do now?" Anna wondered once Laura had rejoined the others.
"We wait here until King Robert and Queen Alice finish their mission," Duke Gaspard answered.
"What?! We can't just sit around here and do nothing!" Glen exclaimed.
"You are doing something, and that is staying out of the claws of King Richard, which prevents him from getting a stronger foothold in your countries. You and Felix are the only nobles from Aurion that attend Royale High, so he has no leverage over Aurion. I would like to keep it that way. Besides, going to Royale High would be suicide. Only you, Felix, and Prince Levi are armed. And you are just children..."
"We might be children, but we do have quite a few tricks up our sleeve. For one, my father does not know that Margaret, Bayard, and myself have sided with you. We can freely order the troops around and escort the others. And if anyone asks where we were, I can just say that I was away to fetch Anna, as Magnos is Theros' ally," Elizabeth argued.
"We still have no idea where the students and teachers are being kept..."
"I do," Astrid responded, "they're likely being held in the dungeon under the greenhouse. It's a relic from before Divinia was founded and has never been used since then. Few know it even exists. It's only accessible through a secret entrance activated by a lever behind a thick layer of vines that hide it."
"It would be the only place on school grounds I would not have access to, so Princess Astrid must be right," professor Abigail added.
"I can escort you there," Margaret offered, "the soldiers will listen to me."
"I'll come along too," Levi said.
"Me too. Especially since..." Glen grabbed his bag and grabbed his bow out.
Laura immediately recognized it. "Glen, please tell me you didn't steal that!"
"Of course not. Dad gave it to me since he thought I'd need it more than him. This is the bow of Quintain, Aurion's national treasure, and perfect for use against soldiers from Theros."
"If you go to free the students, Bayard, do you want to help me arrest Mary?" Felix asked.
"Gladly."
"Can I come with you too?" Laura questioned.
Felix nodded, "I don't see why not."
"Then Anna and I will distract my father. Right, Anna?"
"You can count on me, Lizzie!"
"It seems you are decided, then," Duke Gaspard sighed, "I will stay here with Sister Edith and professor Abigail to protect Princess Emma and Alexander."

Everyone rushed to pack whatever they needed to bring with them. For Felix and Levi, it was their swords, and for Glen that was his bow. Laura only took a small flask of perfume with her. Maybe she could use it to blind someone, she had no idea. She was more occupied with the task at hand. If it wasn't for Bayard, the thought of being with Felix made her race. Actually, it made her heart race, in spite of Bayard. Felix was attracting her like a magnet, and Laura feared she was turning into a lunatic. Or worse, like her parents. She didn't know where she'd gotten the guts from to suggest going along with him, because she wouldn't contribute much. She wasn't armed like Felix or had authority like Bayard. Perhaps Laura was a bit like her parents after all...

Within a matter of minutes, the painful moment of departure arrived. The five who would stay behind went outside with Laura and the others to wave them goodbye.
"Please stay safe, Felix!" Alexander pleaded.
"I've already lost a wife, don't make me lose a son," Duke Gaspard added.
"I promise I won't die. You have my word," Felix reassured.
Emma tightly hugged Astrid. "Good luck!"
"Thank you. Don't cause too much trouble here," she giggled.
"Professor Abigail, thank you so much for your help. Without you, we wouldn't be here right now," Anna said.
"I did nothing but my duty to the Saint, the Queen, and the Church. I wish Mary would have done the same."
"And now we must follow our duty of praying that the Saint does not unleash her wrath upon us all," Edith added. Laura hoped their prayers would be enough. A raging saint was about the last thing they needed...
"All of you, please do not under any circumstances allow your lives to be at stake. We value peace on the continent, but we value your lives even more. If things get too dangerous, return here and wait for Queen Madelyn to arrive," professor Abigail warned.
"We promise," Laura swore. Everyone else repeated after. After that, it was time to leave. The two groups waved at each other for as long as they could, and immediately felt the burden of what was to come as the carriages disappeared out of the vision of those who stayed behind.

The carriages took Laura and the others until Earth. They would have to get to Royale High on foot to avoid making too much of a grand entrance. As Laura looked at the Falmar embassy in the distance, she wondered how long it would take for her parents and their army to arrive. She hoped they would make it in time. In stark contrast to the usual busy and lively city squares, Earth was now empty and quiet. Everyone was hiding in their homes, afraid that the Theros army was about to take the city. The merchants had fled into the inns or returned to their ships in Diamond Beach. The church bells did not ring either, and besides the carriages that had brought the group to Earth, there were no other carriages riding around. Even the animals seemed to be in hiding... When the group approached Royale High, Laura took a deep breath. It was time.