-Children of Maar-

Andrej and his sister Nadia glared at the Imperial officer that arrived earlier than expected, interrupting their bath. Though not a proper bath, it could loosely be described as one.

Knight-Lieutenant Alexander Tori was assaulted by a wet sponge and harsh words—ones he had never heard before.

With a straight face he delivered what he'd come to say, "You've got five minutes, so wrap things up and get dressed."

He gently tossed the sponge back into the room and closed the door.

The two slum-born children had an inherent distrust of anyone wearing a uniform, let alone if it was red-in-color.

To them, Vanixians were akin to the old tales of swamp witches and wicked creatures of the night.

Andrej spoke softly to his sister, "Almost done, Nadia. Just need to dry you off."

He patted her dry with the towel provided by the soldiers. It was a better quality cloth than he'd ever handled, and his mind raced with thoughts on how he might steal it away when nobody noticed.

Nadia remained silent, with hardly any expression.

She would show a slight smile when Andrej was in the room, but would retreat into herself otherwise.

A medical officer had told Andrej this was a 'normal' behavior for a child after experiencing something she had called 'traumatic'.

Andrej didn't understand the word, and he knew this wasn't normal for Nadia, but he didn't know what else to do but pretend to trust the Reds.

He squeezed his sister's hands after helping her get dressed.

"Just stay near me and let me do the talking. I'll keep you safe, no matter what. Monsters, demons, or the Crimson Queen, I won't let anything hurt you, Nadia."

He swore to himself he'd never let their witch queen's vampiric blade drink his sister's blood, even if he had to sacrifice himself.

There was a fundamental misunderstanding that had occurred between Andrej and the knights who had saved them from the void-beasts.

Stories meant to be depictions of heroism and glory were taken the wrong way by Andrej, who took them too literally.

It was now a fact in his mind that the woman leading the Vanixian army was a witch who tore down the walls of the city with a single powerful magick spell and wielded a blood-sucking blade that housed the soul of an ancient vampire.

Knight-Lieutenant Tori knocked on the door, pausing before opening it this time.

"If you're decent, it is time."

Andrej pulled the door open and glared at the armored knight.

Nadia was hidden behind her brother, gripping his shirt tightly with her hand.

"Come on then, Her Divinity is expecting you."

There was an unspoken rule on the backstreets of Axio: Always be wary of women or children who look healthy when everyone around them struggles, especially if they appear to be in charge.

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The meaning for a warning like that was simple; if provoked or harassed, you'd learn real quick how they could maintain such an appearance in an unfair world filled with criminals.

Andrej knew this rule well.

He'd lived it firsthand, seeing friends or relatives disappear overnight after looking the wrong way at someone powerful.

Power had a way of showing even when it wasn't flaunted—and the two women looming over him and his sister were powerful.

One looked to be straight out of ancient mythos, a Valkyrie of Domination, clad in crimson armor completely drenched in the blood of the conquered. Her sky-blue hair reinforced an image of her otherworldly status.

The other was… much more.

She was a queen. An apex predator—the alpha looming high above her pack. And though he had never been one to believe in religious dogma or a higher power; To him, she appeared truly as a God.

Andrej's eyes flitted over the blood-red-haired woman for only an instant, but that single moment was all it took to know a fear greater than he'd ever known.

He fought the urge to faint. His whole body was frozen in place, and his sight locked in a gaze shared with this terrifying entity.

Her violet eyes shifted as motes of silver swirled within her irises.

The woman held Andrej's stare.

"Just the two?"

Her voice stilled the air as if they'd entered the eye of a storm.

Not a single knight in the room moved an inch. They were like the suits of armor decorating the halls of ancient kings Andrej had seen illustrated in a pawnshop book.

Knight-Lieutenant Tori nodded, then glanced down at the children.

"Yes, Your Divinity. There was a third, an older one, barely an adult, but he succumbed to his injuries on site."

Airis Vanixi, Empress of the Vanixian Empire—or, rather, Ruin, the ego currently piloting for the unconscious Airis, sighed heavily.

"Common story, it seems. If only they listened when we told the Maarins to stay put. Useless deaths in a futile attempt for impossible merit."

Ruin turned her attention to an officer near the rear of the room.

"And yours?"

The man saluted, "None worthy of your presence, Your Divinity!"

Narrowing her eyes, Ruin wasn't sure what the officer meant. She glanced at the two children.

Ikuye's eyes also drifted to Andrej, who shrank back under the weight of their gaze.

What, and these two are?

Rude thoughts showed clearly on both Ruin and Ikuye's faces.

"Whatever the case," Ruin shifted in her seat, her posture appearing more intimidating, "Spare the children. I believe in the judgment of my officers. The adult soldiers will be considered prisoners of war for the time being. Let their fates be decided after the Maarin representatives plead their case."

Ikuye eyed Ruin with a suspicious look, but remained silent.

"Oh," Ruin continued facing Knight-Lieutenant Tori, "Find someplace the kids can be useful. Don't just lock them in a room somewhere."

"And if they aren't fit for any available positions?"

Ruin looked coldly at Andrej and Nadia.

"Then I suppose they had better make themselves fit."

Ruin flitted up from her chair, departing without sparing a look at anyone else.

Andrej and Nadia both flinched as the stock-still knights all saluted, metal gauntlets ringing on steel breastplates.

The ranking officer, decorated in a black and crimson set of armor, bowed reverently as Ruin passed through the doors, "Ita'vo gloria, Your Divinity."

Andrej squeezed his hands tightly, finding the smallest bit of strength to turn his head just enough to see the entryway.

The Empress had been stopped just past the door by a smaller woman with bright-red hair. She was poking at the Empress' chest with an annoyed look on her face.

Andrej had a keen sense of hearing and could just make out the tail end of the conversation.

"If they found the strength to pull through, they should be commended in some way."

Ruin was on the defensive, but Hailey didn't hold any punches.

"They're children!" She spat, raising her voice, "They shouldn't have had to be strong. They should have been protected."

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