Eight figures are moving towards a castle. Three are flying, two are running, another two are riding horses, and the final one is swimming. They arrive at the castle at approximately the same time and a stableboy appears to take the horses.
“Greetings,” one of the people said. This is Lady Ellira, the ruler of the Elves. She was one of the people on horseback.
“Hello to you too,” Lady Dalila, the ruler of the Dwarfs, said. She was the other one on horseback. Well, ponyback to be true.
The unicorn shifts, its form vanishing in a flash of silver light. When the light fades, Lord Urva is standing in the unicorn’s place. He is the ruler of the Unicorns.
The cockatrice shifts its form as well. “Show off,” Lord Cazz said. He is the leader of the Cockatri.
“Shut it,” Urva said.
“Oh, so we’re fighting now?” Lady Phee, the leader of the Phoenixes, said, after shifting her form.
“Calm down Phee,” Lord Dalik, ruler of the dragons, said, changing his form as well.
Phee rolled her eyes, but stayed quiet.
The griffin stood stoically, a blank expression on its face.
“Lord Garone,” Cazz said, “If you would shift to your human form.”
After a flash of golden light, Lord Garone, the leader of the Griffins, stood, hands behind his back. He bowed stiffly to the others, then proceeded to ignore them.
“Please don’t fight!” Lady Maji, leader of the Mermaids, said, flipping her tail, “I really don’t like it!”
They stopped arguing. All of them love her. She’s like the little sister on la cour de l’attrape-rêves , the court of the dreamcatcher.
Before la cour members could say anything more, the castle doors burst open, and out came King Firon and Queen Umera Oren, the monarchs of the Fae.
“Thank you all for gathering here on such short notice,” Firon said, “Come inside. We need to talk.”
*~*~*~*
Inside the Grand Hall, not to be confused with the Great Hall, la cour gathered around a central table. A map of the kingdom of Ila was spread across it. It was the most detailed map in all of Ila.
“Emperor Jalkar plans to attack Oren Castle,” Umera said, getting straight to the point, “We have assembled all of you here to tell you that, as well as start planning for war. We must–”
“How do you know this?” Urva asked, cutting the Fae off.
“We have a spy on the inside,” Firon said, “Perhaps you remember him. He is Von Immi, Xaiden’s old second in command. He joined the Jaculus Rebellion as soon as he heard of his demotion. He took the risk of swimming across the Drippling Ocean, knowing that he could encounter one of the Mermaid soldiers, just so he could come and warn us.”
“I shall let my people know not to attack him,” Maji said, “We can’t have a dead spy. That would do us no good.”
Dalila laughed, “And that is true! But that is useful information. You’re lucky that I’m on your side.” She winked at them, and everyone grew somber, remembering the previous war, the Ila Civil War. It was every race for itself. The Dwarfs had won, but at the cost of nearly every race having their population depleted to almost half the size of what it was before.
But that was before la cour had been created. Now, the races were united, all of them against the Jaculus, the winged serpents, and their leader, Emperor Xaiden.
“Now that you all know, we must start making plans, training our soldiers to fight alongside one another,” Firon said.
“Aye,” Garone said, sweeping his hand across the map, “Both Dalila and my soldiers will by fighting together.”
“Well obviously. Both your races live in the Sural-Fal Mountains,” Cazz said, rolling his eyes. Garone glared at him.
“It’s the same for Phee and I,” Dalik said.
“That’s a good thing,” Umera reminded, “Our armies will need all the help they can get to fend off Xaiden’s forces.”
“Then let’s stop tarrying and make some plans!” Maji said excitedly.
As la cour gathered around the table, a soldier burst into the room.
“Your Majesties!” she cried, “The Jaculus are attacking! Everyone is disorganized! No one knows what to do!”
Firon strode briskly over to the soldier, “Tell my daughters to stay with their brother. They can’t get hurt.”
She nodded and ran back into the castle, where distant sounds of clashing swords could be heard.
“I guess we don’t get to plan then,” Ellira said, “But we can fight.”
“And we’ll win!” Dalila said, drawing her poleaxe.
“We shall prevail!” Firon shouted, thrusting his rapier into the air.
La cour cheered, raising their weapons as well.
*~*~*~*
“We need to hold the outposts,” Umera told la cour as they ran out of the hall, “There are four of them. Firon, Ellira, and I will take one, Urva, Dalila, and Maji, you take one, Phee and Dalik, you take one, Garone and Cazz, you can take the last.”
La cour nodded, and then they split, each group heading to a different part of the castle.
As Firon, Umera, and Ellira came to the first outpost, they could hear the captain saying, “There’s too many of them! Soldiers! Retreat!”
“Stand your ground!” Ellira commanded, using her wind magic to keep the soldiers in the room.
“Ah! Your Majesties! Thank you for coming to our aid!” the captain said.
“Of course. We can’t let the castle fall,” Firon said gravely.
The Jaculus captain chuckled, “That you will fail at altesse . Emperor Xaiden shall win, and you will be killed.”
Firon narrowed his eyes, then leaped forward and stabbed the Jaculus in the arm, knocking him over.
Ellira used the wind to her advantage, blowing the Jaculus soldiers away from Umera, whose eyes were closed and muttering under her breath.
Without warning, green thorny roots crashed in through the windows. They wrapped around the Jaculus and dragged them outside, pulling them into the ground.
Firon finished off the captain with a quick stab.
“That was simple,” Ellira said.
Umera slumped on the ground, “Speak for yourself. I haven’t summoned that many roots in years.”
“Lets just hope that the others have it this easy,” Firon said, “Captain, you and your soldiers hold this position. We can’t let the castle fall.”
*~*~*~*
“Follow me!” Dalila said, running towards the west wing of the castle, “I know a shortcut.”
“We’re going the wrong way!” Urva yelled, attempting to grab the Dwarf but missing.
“And how do you know? This isn’t your castle,” Maji said.
“You forget that the Dwarfs designed all the castles,” Dalila grinned.
Urva rolled his eyes, “Of course.”
Dalila led them halfway down the corridor, ignoring all the Fae and Jaculus soldiers fighting. She skidded to a halt in front of a statue and smacked it twice with her poleaxe. It slid aside to reveal a secret hallway. The trio sprinted down the passage, weaving through the twists and turns. Two minutes later, they arrived at the exit. Dalila opened the doorway, poked her head out, and scanned the hall.
“All clear,” she said, then dashed out, Urva and Maji hot on her heels.
When they burst into the outpost, the Fae captain cried, “Oh, thank Zalora! We were about to retreat!”
“Well don’t,” someone that wasn't on la cour said, “I’m here, so you won’t have to worry.”
Dalila, Urva, and Maji turned around to see a person standing behind them.
“Um, who are you?” Maji asked.
“I’m Radmir,” he said, “and I really don’t want to be here !” he shouted at the ceiling.
La cour blinked at him.
Radmir shook his head, “Nevermind. Let's go kick some Jaculus butt!” Then he raced into the outpost, slashing at the Jaculus soldiers.
Maji and Dalila looked at each other, shrugged, and joined Raddie in the fray. Urva rolled his eyes and straightened his coat before joining in.
They dispatched the Jaculi quickly, overwhelming them with their battle prowess.
“Watch the outpost,” Urva commanded the captain.
“Yessir,” the captain said, saluting, “We’ll hold our ground.”
“I hope the others are okay,” Maji worried.
Radmir smirked, “Oh, they’re fine. Unless she did something…” He trailed off muttering to himself.
The three members on la cour looked at him in confusion and concern.
*~*~*~*
Cazz sighed, “Let’s get this over with.”
Garone nodded, and the duo began fighting their way towards one of the remaining two outposts. Fae and Jaculus soldiers crowded the halls, making it near impossible to navigate.
Garone narrowed his eyes, “We can’t get through. The fighting’s too thick.”
“I can deal with that,” Cazz said. He shifted to his Cockatrice form and let out an ear splitting screech.
The fighting halted as everyone stared at the Cockatrice. “Let us through,” Garone said menacingly, “Or you will get eaten.”
All the soldiers scrambled out of the way to make room for them. La cour members raced through the now open pathway, and Cazz kicked a few Jaculi just because.
As the duo rounded the corner to the outpost, Garone shifted into his Griffin form. The Fae soldiers had barricaded the door to the outpost, trapping the Jaculi outside.
Cazz and Garone barreled into them, knocking most of them over. Without anywhere to run, the Jaculi were forced to fight. They stood no chance against the members of la cour .
In under a minute, the Jaculus soldiers were dispatched, and Garone and Cazz transformed back into their human forms.
“Hold the outpost,” Garone told the Fae captain, “You let it fall, I will hunt you down myself”
“Y-yessir!” she said, hastily bowing and saluting.
Cazz slumped against the wall and slid to the ground. Garone and the Fae hurried over.
“Are you hurt?” he asked, showing some worry for once.
“No, I-” Cazz cut off with a groan, “Ugh, yes, I am. As if it’s not clear to see.”
“Don’t be snarky,” Garone ordered. He turned to the captain, “Do you have a healer in your regiment?”
“Yes, I do. Keola! Get over here!” she yelled. The Fae in question looked up from what he was doing and came over at the captain’s command.
“Yes captain?” Keola asked.
The captain gestured towards Cazz.
Keola gasped, “Oh dear!” He knelt down beside the lord. “Where does it hurt?
“Everywhere,” Cazz groaned.
“That doesn’t help me.”
“Left leg, below the knee.”
Keola examined the injury, then reached into his satchel and pulled out a vial filled with a red liquid. “Drink this.”
Cazz took the vial and downed it in one gulp. The wound closed up almost instantly, and Cazz was back on his feet.
“You need to rest,” Garone complained.
“I’ll be fine,” Cazz said, “Can I have some more of that red potion?”
“Of course.” Keola grabbed a few more vials and handed them to the Cockatrice. Cazz nodded his thanks.
“I will stay here for some time,” Cazz agreed to Garone, “and help defend the outpost.”
*~*~*~*
Phee blasted the Jacluli with an explosion of flames, charring them beyond recognition. Likewise, Dalik wielded his claymore with skill, weaving through the battle and cutting down any who opposed him. Several minutes later, the final outpost was cleared of the Jaculus soldiers. The Fae captain reported to the la cour members.
“All the outposts have been secured,” he said, “but two more have fallen. I received a message from King Firon telling you both to head to one of them. He, along with Queen Umera and Lady Ellira will meet you there.”
“Thank you. We will head there right away,” Dalik said.
Phee got up in the captain's face, “Hold the outpost or I swear to Allaech that you will regret everything you have ever done.”
“Y-y-yes Lady Phee,” the captain said, cowering.
Dalik sighed, “Let’s go Phee.”
The duo left the outpost and started towards one of the fallen ones. They killed as many Jaculus soldiers as they could along the way. At an intersection in the hall, they met up with Firon, Umera and Ellira.
“Two outposts have fallen,” Firon said gravely.
“We know,” Phee said.
“I’ve sent everyone else to one of them. We need to get going,” Umera said. A Fae messenger ran up to the group.
“ La cour ! I have received a report that someone has already arrived at the fallen outpost!” he exclaimed, “They're holding off the hoard, but you must hurry!”
Firon nodded determinedly, “Of course. Return to the battle. We must turn the tide in our favor.”
The messenger saluted as la cour started running in the direction of the outpost. Five minutes later, they arrived to the last Jaculus soldier being cut down. The person turned towards la cour .
“Letta!” Umera gasped, “I told you to stay with Fapiath!”
“I left him with Lancelot and the others. He’ll be fine,” Princess Letta responded.
“Where’s Halthera?” Firon asked.
“She’s at the other fallen outpost. But I assume that they’ve gotten it back.”
As if on cue, yet another soldier ran up to la cour and the princess, “All the outposts have been taken back,” he said, “And the Jaculus general has called back their soldiers. The halls are clear, but the general wants to meet with the entirety of la cour .”
“Then we shall meet them, and see what he has to say,” said Umera.
“Hold the outpost!” Ellira shouted, “Stay on your guard! We don’t know if all of the soldiers have retreated.”
*~*~*~*
Firon, Umera, Ellira, Dalik, Phee, and Letta met up with the rest of la cour and Halthera, Letta’s younger sister, in front of the throne room.
“This is it,” Maji realized, “The war has started.”
Cazz rolled his eyes, “You’re just realizing that now?” Maji nodded. “Well, is anyone hurt? I have some red potions that heal you.” Halthera, Ellira, and Urva all accepted one.
Firon then turned on his daughters, “We told you two to stay with Fapiath! Why did you disobey me?”
“Fapiath said that he would be fine with Lancelot and his brothers!” Halthera shot back.
“Why were they there?” Dalik asked, “They’re some of my best soldiers. They should’ve been fighting here.”
“They were helping us watch over Fapiath, minus General Warrick,” said Letta.
“Still,” Dalik protested, “Where are they now?”
“With Fapiath.”
Dalila stepped between them, “We need to focus on the task at hand.” She waved her hand at the door.
“Agreed,” Garone said, and la cour , along with the two princesses, stepped into the room.
The general of the Jaculus army was lounging on Firon’s throne. “Greetings,” they said as la cour came in.
“Jalkar. I didn’t know you had been the one promoted,” Firon said.
“Well I was.”
“Why did you want to meet us?”
“I have an offer. I don’t think it wise to refuse,” Jalkar smiled wickedly as a pair of Jaculus soldiers brought out a struggling Fae.
“Fapiath!” Letta and Umera cried.
“Let him go!” yelled Halthera, brandishing her sword.
Jalkar chuckled, “I will… after we negotiate your surrender.”
“Don’t do it father!” Fapiath screamed, “Don’t do it!”
Firon was glaring at Jalkar, as if already plotting their murder, “Release my son. Then we’ll talk about surrender.”
Jalkar sighed and waved his hand. The doors behind la cour boomed shut, and Jaculus soldiers filled the room. The soldiers holding Fapiath let go and shoved him towards la cour .
Umera grabbed her son and held him close.
“You have him. Now can we negotiate?” asked Jalkar boredly.
All of la cour has scowles of their faces.
We can’t surrender , Ellira transmitted to the others, but we can at least escape. There’s a window behind the throne. We’ll flee through there .
Firon nodded, and Jalkar smiled.
“Let’s get this over with,” they said. They hopped down from the throne.
Wait for it… Ellira transmitted. Jalkar began walking around them. When they were directly behind la cour , Ellira transmitted, Now!
La cour rushed forwards, surprising Jalkar and the Jaculus soldiers. Dalik, now in his Dragon form, crashed through the window, shattering the glass and escaping the reach of the soldiers. The others followed suit, one after the other. Maji, Dalila, Urva, and Ellira were being held by those on la cour that could fly.
“You’re not getting away!” Jalkar yelled, “Archers! Fire at will!” Arrows began raining down on la cour , but most of them were already at the outer wall. The royal Fae, however, had a duty that they couldn’t ignore.
Instead of going towards the window, the royal Faes veered towards a door at the side of the room. They rushed through and closed the door behind them. The door glowed with white light for a moment, then fell dim.
“No!” Jalkar roared. They transformed into their Jaculus form and bashed into the door, using all of their strength. Jalkar switched back. “Help me!” they yelled. The Jaculus soldiers ran to help their general open the door, but to no avail.
The Jaculi had taken over the Casten Oren, but all of la cour had escaped, and the royal Faes were trapped in another world.