Queen Matilde set us to continue our quest to stamp out the remaining Orphean Cult leaders. We had all the information extracted from Count Damien. News of the downfall of his House was already circulating. So time was not something we had a lot of, if we were going to take down the others. He had already been executed, according to the official records. Rumor spread that he'd committed suicide. A rumor started by the Queen's spies in order to not reveal we'd found a way to break the cult members.
“So we have a rather small list of confederates from the Count. Where should we start? Which contact is the most likely to net us the leader of the organization?” Kiera said.
“That priestess is a rather famous and active priestess. She travels quite a bit. I am fairly confident, she's the link we need. The leader is probably somewhere in the Church. Everyone else on this list seems more likely to be subservient to the Count,” I said.
“Yes, that does seem to be the most likely case,” Kiera said.
“You've taught the Court mages the technique to clear the traps in the brains of cultists, and to remove the poison teeth, Dee?” Kanae asked.
“Yes, and tested them all with some of our prisoners,” I said.
“Then, it's time to go hunting for a certain priestess,” Fergus said.
Pinning down the priestess wasn't hard, but getting access to her was. After several weeks of chasing after her, without looking like we were chasing after her, we finally succeeded.
“Salutations, Priestess Margaret Mac Murchada. It's a pleasure to meet you. The fame of your good works has spread over the whole queendom, if not the world. I am Deirdre Ní Qin, a knight in service to the Queen,”
“Greetings and Salutations, Princess Deirdre, your fame is surely equally spread. To what do I owe the honor of your visit?” Priestess Margaret replied.
Stasis! Extracia! Uncast!
“I am here to arrest you for treason against the Crown,” I said.
Her attendants, having not noticed my spellcasting attacked us. But they were no match for us.
“Leave no traces. Kiera, cast yourself a glamoury to mimic her aide. It will be suspicious if we leave with just the priestess,” I said.
“I'm ready,” Kiera said.
“Ningyoo,” I cast, and controlled the priestess’ motion to our waiting carriage.
“What was that spell, Dee,” Aoi asked.
“I'm glad you asked. A very useful spell for you to learn. It’s the puppeteer spell. You can take over a person's motions with it, or control a golem. In combination with other spells you can even evoke speech, and make someone say something without their consent. Naturally, there are good and bad uses to the spell. So it's rarely taught in schools. It's hard to find in most grimoires as well. It's not a banned spell, but it's a nearly banned spell. Be careful when, where, and why you use it. Some uses are clearly criminal,” I said.
“Well, aren’t you a font of illicit knowledge,” Rosie said, and laughed.
“Indeed. Never want to be on Dee's bad side,” Kanae said.
“For sure,” Fergus agreed, and the rest of our party were shaking their heads and chuckling.
“She's a bad Ragdoll,” Kanae said musically.
“The Queen of Ragdolls,” Kiera said, and those who knew my story all cracked up. Kanae explained it to the others.
We extracted many names of Orphean Cult members from the Priestess. The leader of the cult was Bishop Oliver Mac Asmodea, the half-elven.
“Well that is a huge surprise!” Queen Matilde said.
“How do you propose we capture the Bishop?” I asked.
“Yes, this will not be an easy task. His entire household is likely involved. He resides in Saint Brigid's Shrine Monastery. It is a virtual fortress. Getting in with a squad is easy. Getting out with an army is hard. Spellwork is infused all over to prevent teleportation kidnapping. The shrine itself is an ancient artifact.” Princess Celestine said.
“Wait! The shrine! It's dedicated to Saint Brigid. Not the Goddess? Saint Brigid the White Dragon princess who shunned the crown. That Saint Brigid?”
“Why, now that you mention it. Yes. Yes, it is her shrine. Why?” Matilde said.
“I am the White Queen! If we can get the Bishop into the shrine I may be able to teleport to my royal chambers in the ruins of the White Queendom,” I said.
“Oh, my Goddess! That's brilliant!” Celes said.
“Brilliant but doesn't solve our issue. We will still have to deal with all his personnel,” Matilde said.
“Hmm, right. Simply spiriting him away doesn't destroy his network. We need a way to draw them out,” Kiera said.
“The only way to lure him out is with a dragon's hoard. He's greedier than even the greediest dragon. No offense intended,” Celes said.
“A Dragon's Hoard. A Dragon's Hoard! That's the answer! The Red Queen has tasked me to rebuild the White Queendom! We can announce your majesty ordering the reclamation of the ruins and expanding the useful lands of the Queendom. You can announce our successful mission there, sans certain details. I can bring many of the dragonkin scattered over the queendom to help in rebuilding. The city will need to be blessed, and some of the ancient treasure donated to the Church. The Church will certainly want to have a monastery there!” I said.
“A very interesting proposal. Yes, if the Bishop could get his hands on such a hoard he would certainly not leave it to any of his lesser folk to deal with. It will take time to lay the groundwork. You must show you have a means in and out, and sufficient protection to hold on to it,” Matilde said.
“Let's do it!” Celes said.
“Hestia, I summon the dragonkin. Tell no one I am the White Queen. I am just the Red Princess,” I said.
“As you wish, my Queen,” Hestia said.
“We're off then, my Queen. To spin our web,” I said.
In a week we had five hundred dragonkin, along with the household of the fifth princess, Celestine. In addition, we had a tribe of dwarven craftspeople, and the House of my husband Fergus. We even planned our wedding to occur in the White Palace, before the start of the Academic year. The Queen had decided we needed to attend the graduate levels of the Academy. But that is a story for another time. We also brought with us some artisans from the Marquise Ériu.
Lastly, the Baroness Yuuki Ó Fagan whose lands bordered on the wasteland of the ruins was also going to aid in the restoration of the lands. Yuuki had no heir, and her House was likely to end with her, unless she finally accepted the fact only an adoption would save her legacy. Much of Noble society ridiculed her behind her back as Yuuki the Barren Baroness. A likely result of a terrible illness in her youth.
So we began the trek south. I flew in my full dragon form leading the five hundred dragonkin. We were a beautiful and fearsome sight in a rainbow of colors. Every dragon color was present, and some that were not a known dragon color. But one color was missing. Not a single white dragonkin was among them. Our three carriages, flew below us. The rest of our caravan traveled in a more leisurely fashion with a more traditional guard. We had hired members from several top ranking guilds from all over the queendom.
Every dragonkin we've chosen have long been vetted to be completely faithful to you, our Queen, Vulcana said, as we flew south.
I expected no less from you, my sisters. You have never failed to exceed my hopes and desires. We will need an inner circle for the Palace itself. Have you chosen them yet? They will discover I am now the White Queen. We must be even more careful with them, I said.
It is done. Some of them have royal blood, and have known the heartbreak of betrayal, Hestia said.
Are not all dragonkin from noble and royal houses? I asked.
Nay, my Queen. Most dragonkin are from more common dragons. But the numbers with noble and royal ancestry is not so small either, Kamara said.
I will suffer no ill-treatment regardless of standing, or purity. We are all equal in the eyes of the Goddess, I said.
That is why you are so fanatically adored. There is not one here among us who would not die a thousand deaths for you, my Queen.
It is my hope that is never something I must ask of any of you, I said.
It is a vain hope, my Queen, Enya said.
I know, but let me have my dreams at least, I said.
We had arrived before the sunstar had dropped low into the sky. The carriages rode up to the Northern Gate, while we circled above. Once the carriages were in place we began to land. I approached the gate with my guard behind me, and opened the gate, and in we went. Enya and Kamara waited for the last dragonkin to enter and closed the gate. They fell in at the end of our train. We didn't stop until we reached the Noble quarter. I took to the air so I could face our caravan, and spoke,
“Welcome, to the Noble Quarter of Shin Shirochi, the New White City. In this quarter, and the one outside this one, we will begin to rebuild this ancient landmark. As you might expect there are many priceless artifacts within. The Royal quarter will also need to be reclaimed. For now, we will focus on this quarter only. First we must scour this quarter and make sure there are currently no looters in this quarter. For that reason we have closed the gate. We have provisions for everyone, and more will be arriving soon.
Once we have determined there are no looters in this quarter we must then go to the next outer quarter and make sure there are no looters there. In this manner we will verify there are no looters in any respective part of the city. When last we were here, there were no signs of looting in the Noble Quarter, since the Fall. The other sections of the city do have traces of infrequent looting.
Once the city is cleared of looters we can begin to clean up the ruins. You will all be allowed a portion of heirlooms you discover. At first, we will set that portion at one tenth of what you find. We will then collect each person's finds in a separate storage. When all is done, we will revisit the apportionment and negotiate what the majority feels is a just distribution reward. My council and I have the final say on whether that is truly a just distribution for you, the future of this city, and the lands. In the meantime, please do not loot anything,” I said.
“Where are we to live in the meantime, my Queen?” came a voice from the crowd.
“We will all find places to live here in the Noble Quarters, temporarily. Then we will build a ruling council with an equal number for each class, so every class has an equal voice. I know it is not a perfect choice. Perhaps the council will come up with a better choice. It's a start, and I have much to learn. Once the Council is in place we can decide the best way to choose permanent homes. However, I still think we will probably need to put royals in the Royal sector, Nobles in the Nobles sector and commoners in the next levels. We are building a new city, in effect, and can decide how we want it to be, together,” I said.
Cheers rose up from the crowd. Although, I'm not sure what I said was cheer worthy. We then set up some kitchen and dinning facilities, carefully removing the treasures in the buildings we allocated for the kitchens and dining halls. Then we had our first rambunctious meal in the city. With roughly a thousand people we were able to quickly circle the entire quarter and determine there were indeed no looters. The Houses of Celestine and Fergus helped us break down the thousand into groups. Some were already in groups, which made the job go faster.
We then spread out over the city taking up temporary residence. Some treasures were collected and stored. Then we slept in relative comfort and ease for the night. The next day we began scouring the outer quarters. It took us five days to clear the entire city and set up a ruling council. It was a temporary council, and a real election would be planned in the future to set up a permanent Ruling Council. The rest of our expedition arrived at that point. Kiera, Kanae, and I had built a containment building around the empty space we had used to gain initial access to the ruins. So that method would no longer work, without someone noticing an invasion attempt. We had also made the empty spot switchable, so we could control it for escape, or entry. What proper royal family didn't have a secret passage, or two?
“I'm sure you are all wondering why we have called you here today. This is our first full gathering of the people who have come here to rebuild this city and the former realm of the White Dragons. Thanks to the hard work of the dragonkin, and volunteers, who have chosen to assist us and become citizens of this territory, we have gathered up all the ancient artifacts and raw materials of this place. As is expected, there was looting of the city when it fell, and some done over the long years. However, the city was mostly intact, even given that history. The remains of some recent and not so recent bodies has revealed that not all the looters lived to enjoy the spoils they came for. All of the protective spells have been removed within the city. Save for those places which are now the storage and treasuries. A great deal of wealth has been recovered.
The first settlers have been rewarded with a handsome amount of those recovered treasures. Those assisting us in rebuilding the city will be similarly well rewarded. But we are not looking to only rebuild a city and territory of Dragons, or dragonkin. We are seeking settlers as well. We are building a ruling council and want representatives of all the races who will call this place home. If there are those among you who wish to not only rebuild, but to make it your home. Please choose three among your race to be a part of this ruling council. If a race feels there is a need for more than three to represent their race fully, now is the best time to open debate on the subject,” I said.
“My queen, I am Tsuchiya Ruri, a member of the Earth dragonkin clan. Among the dragonkin settlers there are Earth, Green Water, Blue, Lightning, Red, and Black dragonkin clans. Would it not be best to say each race should have seven representatives? That way each clan could have one member on the Council. While dragonkin are not prone to war with each other, we do not all see things in the exact same way, and we often have some minor conflicting goals and desires,” said Ruri, a lapis-lazuli-blue-skinned dragonkin.
“Earth clan? How can you be Earth clan, you are blue!?” Darby said.
The dragonkin all burst out in laughter. Earth dragons were truly an amazingly diverse clan of many colors. People often thought only dragons of shades of brown and yellow were earth dragons. But they were the only clan composed of nearly every color.
“Darby, Earth dragons come in virtually every color. They are the only clan that isn't a single color. Any color you can find in the ground, the stones, the gems, the rocks, is a color that Earth dragonkin can be. Save only the color white,” I said.
“My queen, that's not entirely correct. There are a few rare black-and-white-marble dragonkin in existence. Although they have been hunted nearly to extinction,” Ruri said.
“I was not aware, there were yet any surviving members of that family. They need to be found and brought under our protection. But we will discuss that later,” I said.
Among the dwarves who came to help rebuild many wanted to become citizens. Members of the noble houses that came to help also chose to become citizens. The discussion went on for hours, and we wound up bringing food, and staff, who made us all a lunch buffet.
We concluded in the late afternoon with a full ruling council of fifty-six composed of humans, dwarves, elves, and dragonkin. It wasn't a perfectly harmonious distribution. There were not seven human, elf, or dwarven clans represented. But we had even numbers represented by race. We called it a day, and had accomplished our first goal. On the following day, the first real Council began.
“I now call the Council to it's first order of business. We need to establish how to manage the existing properties, and the finances of the territory. The land outside the city is scarred, and needs to be restored to health. History states it was once a fertile land. I will be putting together a crew to restore the lands. It will take some time to do. First there are a few small farm areas within the city proper. So we will show you what is possible. I hope you don't mind if I pick a few of my own favorite crops first,” I said. Which brought out widespread laughter.
In the end the Council decided to take possession of all the land. Some of that land was immediately transferred to the Dargon Queendom, with Queen Matilde as the nominative owner. This was to reflect the investment the Queen had made, which financed this expedition. Property was appraised, and some of the wealthier clans bought up some of the property right away. The dragonkin who had begun choosing permanent homes entered sale contracts. Those who chose to be settlers began choosing residences as well, with similar sale contracts.
A few enterprising individuals began the process of opening an Inn and a Pub. In the interim temporary homes were made available to everyone. The military members began working on restoring the various barracks and guard stations, with help of course. Over the next several weeks the city and surrounding land were sufficiently rebuilt to request the Bishop come and Bless the territory. We had repelled a few attempted incursions by the rogues and would be looters. By the time the Bishop took the bait, and his caravan made its way to the city, we had a steady influx of interested settlers and merchants.
The speed of which such influx came was surprising. A great many of those migrating were turned away. Several of the Ducal houses sent settlers of quality and investors, seeing the great potential and a potential new market. Even the Bishop had sent many of his operatives in on the sly. We had been building our web for some time. By the time he arrived with a core of his cult, we had a presence in both the city and his sanctuary. Then we sprang the trap.
Stasis! Extracia! Uncast!
“Salutations, your Reverence. You and your filthy band of Orphean Cultists are under arrest for treason, murder, and conspiracy, and whatever other charges we uncover. As we speak your stronghold is being captured by the Realm’s finest knights. Your reign of terror is over. Take them away to the prison they are not worthy of defiling,” I said.
The glare of hatred rising in the Bishop's eyes said everything. I reached in to his mind, but could not stay long. His list of atrocities was too long. I was going to be nauseous, but couldn't show that here. I turned and walked away. It was both anti-climatic and unsatisfying. After regaining my composure I reported to Celestine all that I could stomach to retrieve from his corrupt mind.
“There is more, much more, that he has done. Much of it will not be traceable to him or his cult. I retrieved what I could stomach. If he was ever a true follower of the faith, that part of him is long gone,” I said.
“It is alright Dee, we already have all we need to convict him. You have done a great service to the realm removing this menace,” Celes said.
We didn't lose a single person in taking the Bishop and his minions in the city, but several were killed in taking down his staff at the shrine. A honeycomb of tunnels were found underneath, and another unholy temple. It would likely be months before that underground was fully explored and cleansed.
“Well perhaps now we have seen the last of the Orphean Cult,” Darby said.
“It is not over. There are remnants all over still. We have cut off the head, but it is like a hydra. A new head will grow. We need to be vigilant, and take them down whenever we can. As long as there are malcontents, there will be a new growth. However, we have done great damage to the cult now. Let us hope we don't become neglectful and complacent. It was that complacency that allowed it to grow to such an extent,” I said.
“Truer, or wiser, words have rarely been spoken. My mother has devoted a department within the Guard to hunt down these fanatics, and other such menaces. It has been a costly lesson for the realm,” Celes said.
We continued our reconstruction. A few days after teleporting the Bishop and his top aides to the Prison in the capital my squad received a summons from the King. Before we left, I took the opportunity to enter the Royal palace of the White Queen with my guard, Celes, and a select few. We entered the throne room, and I walked towards the throne. I took out my sceptre, and ascended the steps of the throne. I turned around and transformed to my battle form.
“Welcome my friends to Shin Hakuryuu no Joookoku,” I said as I sat down on the throne.
“I am the White Queen, as recognized by the Ancient Mother and the Red Queen. The rebirth of the White Dragons will come soon. What you see and have heard is a state secret. Speak to no one of this yet. All will be revealed in the fullness of time,” I said.
So let it be written! So let it be done. I, the Queen command it!
All hail the Queen! We hear and obey! Said every dragonkin present, having all knelt to the ground upon seeing me take the throne.
“All hail the Queen. We hear and obey,” said the others present. Even Celes bowed and said so.
I rose, turning back, and stored the sceptre.
“Now, I am due in the capital of the Dargon Queendom. I leave this place in your capable hands. You have all done well, but this is only the beginning,” I said.
“Yes, my Queen. Today is a day I only ever hoped to live to see. It is a wonderful day,” Hestia said, a tear in her eyes.
I should catch that tear in a bottle. Dragon tears were almost as useful as Phoenix tears. Someday, I'd like to obtain some mermaid tears. It's said to be nearly impossible to do. I love a good challenge.
My Isekai friends, and Fergus and his menagerie, headed for Shambyl, the capital, in two of our carriages. Celestine remained behind to handle the task of creating her side of a teleportation circle connecting the two cities. The circles were to have an eight-person limit. Enough for a diplomatic entourage only. They were to be placed within a guard station of appropriate decorum.
Having arrived in the city, we completed the teleportation circles and Celes and her guard materialized. We then headed for the court, where Celes left us to wait on the King.
“I don't recall ever meeting the King. Why did the King summon us?” Darby said.
“We saw him when we've been presented before in the throne room. I don't recall ever being introduced to his majesty. Rupert de Brucia, is his name if I recall. He's a Half-elven, and the Queen married him in her youth at the end of the Elven War. I've heard it was shocking to both sides, and no one was very pleased. The elves were particularly mad that she didn't marry a full elf instead. Even today it is a sore spot for many humans and elves,” I said.
“Why did she do it? Was it political?” Kanae asked.
“Oh, Goddesses, no! She fell hard for him, from what tales tell. She has her share of political marriages. Celes is their love child. Have you never noticed her ears? The first and second princesses are both to different human husbands of the Queen,” I said.
“Queen Matilde has more than one husband!?” Kiera interjected.
“What queen has only one husband? Of course she has more than one,” I said.
“Um, well, you, my dear. Have only one husband,” Fergus said.
“Not sure that is technically true. My second wedding is coming up fast. Queen Matilde has already chosen my next mate, and set the date,” I said.
“WHAT!?” Kanae said.
“When did all this take place? I've heard nothing about this!” Aoi said.
“Nor I. Should I not have been told?” Fergus said.
“Nor I!” Kanae said.
“It happened right before we left for the New White City. I had no reason to mention it before,” I said.
“When is the Wedding supposed to be?”
“The Saturday after my birthday during the next school year.”
“What do you mean during the next school year?” Kiera asked.
“We're all going to the graduate school of the Academy for the full two years. Even our friend the Marquise Ériu will be attending,”
At which point our conversation ended, as we were called to enter the throne room, where we knelt before the Queen and King, and a hall filled with royalty and the nobility.
“Well met valiant knights of the realm. We, King Rupert III, have summoned you here to recognize the invaluable service you have all selflessly performed for the realm. For your undaunting courage in the face of impossible odds. For your steadfast resolve, and your inescapable acumen. For these reasons we hereby promote Lieutenant Deirdre Ní Qin to Captain, Sergeant Fergus Mac Finnegan to Second Lieutenant, and the remaining knights to Knights Extraordinaire. We hereby induct you all into our nation's highest honor The Order of the Mystic Orchid,” said the king.
The audience gave a standing ovation. After which the ceremony dissolved into a tea party, with many nobles gushing over us, and some trying to gain favor, seeing the rising star before them. I yearned to escape, but knew it was a futile hope. It all ended after several hours of social torture. We returned to our barracks, and I dragged Fergus into my quarters.
“Have you forgotten, I told you, as a dragon, I mate for life?” I said.
“I remember, my Love. What's wrong?” Fergus said.
“You now have but two choices,” I said.
“Two choices?” Fergus asked nervously.
“One, you can mate with me now, or,” I said.
“Or?” Fergus asked, even more nervously.
“Or, I will mate with you, now” I said, loosening and pulling down his pants.
“I think, I'll take option two, but reserve my right to take option one, later,” Fergus said, smiling.
“You have chosen, wisely,” I said, as I tossed him into my bed.