Early Morning

Trumpets sounded off as the different battalions were called to be awakened. Sergeants shouted at soldiers to tidy their tents and prepare for morning grub. Horses, heavy in armour, trotted on the grass still moist from morning dew, stumping it into mud. Blacksmiths working tirelessly to finish last minute repairs. DEBUG_HERO noticed the look of awe in his companions' eyes, they were familiar with combat, but strangers to war. There were hundreds of tens, housing thousands of men and women, more than a population of an average town, all gathered for one purpose and it is pitched battle and the reclamation of the capital.

"It's weird seeing them all together like this" Eleara remarked at the group of elves from the Durvani confederation speaking to a group of her own people. While DEBUG_HERO and Eleara worried about the Ashani meeting their cousins from the confederacy, with how the Ashani viewed themselves as master of all elves, the exchanges so far have been cordial, much to their surprise. They didn't know how would the Ashani react to Tamari half-elves being equals in the confederacy, or how would the Matriarchy's Tamari battle thralls would react to free half-elves, but it seem this topic has been agreed to be put to the side for now, which gave DEBUG_HERO hope for the coalition of armies he had gathered.

"Don't get your hopes too high, let's not forget the battlethralls are being kept docile by conditioning and life essence manipulation" Anara, the mage, chimed in, floating next to them. She stopped being too covert about her abilities, as though asking to be seen, something that made DEBUG_HERO worried even more than her rhetoric against the elven kingdom or other mages. Eleara ignored the mage's remark.

"I do hope this alliance lasts" DEBUG_HERO said, "We've had centuries of struggle between the different people of the continent, if this manages to bring the Ashani and Durvani closer, with KINGDOM_TITLE _in the middle to facilitate trade and relations, this will bring centuries of prosperity instead". _Eleara nodded in agreement.

"That also depends if you knock the elf up with your baby" The mage snarkily remarked again, which prompted angry looks from the entire party, "You've met her sisters, some of them are even bigger assholes than me, just stating facts", Anara added, "_Face it, only Eleara as queen will uphold any such peace, the rest of her royal sisters are either too much of a bitches or really buy into that stupid Ashani superiority garbage" _She continued, "You can't get a marriage alliance with the elves like you can with the human realms, because that will end your royal bloodline since your children will be sterile, and that is your number one religious tenant, the oath to keep your bloodline on the throne, which by the way was just a brilliant move by your ancestors to use religion to keep themselves in power, did I ever mention that?", instead of have anyone debate her she simply received annoyed looks from everyone. Anara was a valuable member of the team, but had a tendency to get an antagonistic view of the world to the group's more often than not. "Oh give me a break, you all have been through enough with me to know to stop with that naive bullshit with me, anyway, your only option is to give her a baby that will grow up to be a strong Tamari warrior that will win his or her mommy the crown and then be discarded because they will be Tamari half-elf filth in the Ashani Matriarchy, fuck you people are annoying", rolling her eyes as she flew further towards the great tent in the center of the military camp.

"_You have stopped reacting to her antagonations" _Barred the hulking brawler remarked to Eleara, whose face turned to all shades of red, "That is advancement from what it used to be, that is very good" he continued with a slight chuckle, as the one usually being the physical wall to separate the elf and mage, DEBUG_HERO somewhat understood why the brawler saw how this exchange ended in a positive light, Eleara on the other hand shot him an angered look as well.

"_Come babe, she's just really bad at expressing her opinions without every breathing person wanting to knock her teeth out, forget about it" _Sara said, moving towards the elven archer with a comforting gesture, "But you know that when shit happens she got your back".

"It's not that she's wrong that annoys me, she's absolutely right, I just don't need the constant challenge to the way I was brought up and the constant saying that my way of life is illegitimate or immoral by her standards" Eleara answered in a surprisingly calm and rational tone, "That's simply how my society works, and how things are, if she doesn't want to she can simply not come to my kingdom".

"You are aware that if you are queen, you will be in a position to change that, should you desire" Barred mentioned, which didn't receive a response.

They all continued silently towards the main tent at the center, and as they approached they saw DEBUG_HERO's father, the king of KINGDOM_TITLE, alongside Eleara's mother, the Queen of the Ashani matriarchy, and the general from the Durvani confederation with their respective crown-guards receiving last minute briefings and overview of the battle grounds by their generals as the rest of the camp was stirring awake and ready.

The hour is nigh.