Weeks 2 & 3: Personal issues with the five maidens.

Any hopes of getting a good night's sleep after mating with Vessa was dashed, when news of the plight of the five maidens came crashing down on you. From the written reports presented to you by Vessa, the apparent conflict between the "two big muscles" of the five maidens--Cielina the Amazon, and Devona the Frost Knight--was not unexpected. The reports of Dark Elves trying to reach the capital from The Great Wilderness has alerted you to their coming presence, and you had dispatched additional guards to help protect Arin. However, Khalisah's apparent family emergency, and Fiona's abduction at the hands of those in The Goldfields who still have an axe to grind with the Gaelic Clans, have thrown obstacles into your plans. You gather as much detail on the incoming reports as you can, then retreated into the royal study, with only Gilbert by your side. That is when you unroll the note left for you by Khalisah, and begin to read it.

"To King Bryce of Itheria:

By now, you may have heard that a group of my people arrived unscheduled, and so swiftly. Al-Anashab magic allows members of the royal family to quickly find each other, by tracking our magical essences. When I came here to Itheria, my family already knew where I am, because we have courted with each other on-and-off for the last cycle of seasons.

That leaves me with why I have left so suddenly, when some of my people arrived. Some of them may have told you that they are strange beastfolk not normally seen here in Itheria. That is because my brother, Prince Ali, sent them for me. As it was in Phebis two cycles ago, my people have been working hard to keep other legions of Demons away from our homeland. Some of them have managed to break through our front lines, and have made a powerful push towards our capital, Agrabah. Therefore, my family has called me back, to assist in the city's defenses. With luck and prayer to our god, Amun, it is my hope that we will drive them back by month's end, so that I may join you once again in Itheria.

I have left two of our mystics here in your keep, should you find a chance to send some of your troops to assist us. My family knows of your achievements in Phebis, and any knowledge of fighting demons that you can pass down to me and my family will be helpful for us. I hope to return in time to finish the test. Until then, may our gods watch over us.

Sincerely,

Princess Khalisah Al-Nanoon

You managed to get as much sleep as you can overnight, but news of the plight of your five maidens leave you with nightmares. The last nightmare has you seeing visions of a demon lord assaulting the castle, and you and the maidens--wounded and fatiguedd--are busy holding them back in the royal court. In that nightmare, it's a losing battle. Just as the vision of the demon lord striking a final blow at you comes, you wake up in a cold sweat, screaming. Sighing, you take a few deep breaths, seeing that it is a stormy morning, and you can see flashes of lightning through the closed shutters, followed by the sounds of rolling thunder. Nonetheless, you take the time to get a good bath, and then got ready for a busy day. You had gotten the spies and scouts to try and find the location of where the kidnappers have taken Fiona, and the guards on alert for the incoming Dark Elves, even though Arin's staff have told you that Dark Elves are one of the stealthiest beings known in Motania, warning you that they can move fast, silently, and unseen. In fact, they have even left a message for you, given to one of your spies by a mysterious, hooded figure. In the message, the Dark Elves have given you a warning that they would storm the castle, and kill everyone that opposes them, unless you hand Princess Arin over to them, giving you a specific time and place for the handover. You warn everyone that needs to be warned about the news. However, just as you're about to move on to preparing the troops for a rescue mission to retrieve Fiona, you hear a loud argument coming from the training grounds. When you look to see what's going on, you see Cielina and Devona there, out in the heavy rain, arguing over a multitude of things, including you.

"How can you be as cold as the Frostpeaks, Devona," Cielina tells the Frost Knight, "over what happens to the other maidens, including Fiona? Just because Fiona's kind has fought against your kind, and the rest of Itheria, doesn't mean she's a bad woman!"

"So says the Amazon Queen who knows little about what Itheria needs!" Devona replies to Cielina. "You know little about the people around us! How can you understand what works for them, and what does not work for them?"

"I've read about Itheria in these last two cycles, while leading my tribe!" Cielina replies. "You've been courting King Bryce for the last two cycles, and still you're not comfortable tending to the needs of even the common folk! On Thessia Island, everyone is treated like siblings, so I work with them on their issues, like they are my actual brothers and sisters!"

"That, and conceiving a daughter before you married him makes you an unfit woman to be Queen of Itheria, Amazon!" Devona tells her. "Have you read or heard the feedback these people have given the king? Most of them want a homegrown woman to be queen. They....want....me....ME...to be their queen!"

"Yet you continue to struggle with their everyday needs and troubles, Devona!" Cielina replies. "You're more comfortable around other soldiers and military officers, than you are around the common folk! You'd be better off as a military general, than an actual queen!"

"And you would be better off staying on your home island," Devona replies, "than staying up here, and hope you don't freeze into an ice statue. It gets real cold up here in the winter. I hope you don't turn into an ice statue!"

"You'd melt on my home island, Frost Knight!" Cielina replies back.

"Not before I break you into tiny sand grains," Devona tells her, "and spread it all over the marshes and swamplands! Never forget that it was my idea to form the all-women's regiment!"

"Yet you're too tough on the recruits, Devona!" Cielina replies. "Your training regimen may be similar to mine, but Amazon officers do not beat up the recruits because of their incompetency. You never saw me do that to the recruits. You, on the other hand, nearly killed a few of them!"

"Such is the style of Frost Knight training, Amazon!" Devona tells her. "You're too soft on them! If you want to turn those women into the very best that Itheria can offer, then you need to separate the strong from the weak! Besides, many of those women come from The Frostpeaks, my homeland!"

"You need to be more lenient on those that come from The Goldfields and the northern edges of Itheria!" Cielina replies. "They are not as naturally tough as your fellow Frostpeak maidens! You need to work them up slowly, not at the pace of your Frost Knight style!"

You wait for the right time to interrupt them, walking out into the rain, to where the two women are. You can see their rain-soaked clothes clinging to their skins, allowing you to see their hardening nipples through the materials.

"You heard us arguing, didn't you?" Devona asks you. "Which of us is right, m'lord?"

"Both of you are right!" You tell them. "Those women that come from The Frostpeaks are used to the Frost Knight style of training, unlike the rest of the women in the regimen. That is where Cielina is right in that those particular women should be worked at a pace more suitable for them."

"What about the rest of the maidens, your highness?" Cielina asks you. "Aren't you going to try to address their...issues...too?"

"I am working on that." You tell them. "I have the royal spies keeping an eye on the Dark Elves that are after Arin, and others trying to locate where Fiona has been taken to. As for Khalisah, she went home because there are demons at the gates of the Al-Anashab capital, and she is aiding in the city's defense. And before I do all of that, I need you two to resolve your personal conflicts with each other, so that both of you can direct your muscle and aggression, towards those that threaten to hurt the other three maidens!"

"Why do you care about the other maidens, m'lord?" Devona asks you. "You should heed the people's wishes, and marry me!"

"These people want a queen as strong as he is," Cielina tells her, "strong at heart, strong in will, and strong in body. I fit all of that, and I will treat these people like siblings!"

"Ladies, enough!" You tell them. "I would not have brought Fiona, Arin, and Khalisah here, if they and their people would not be of benefit to Itheria. Now, we need to settle any grudges you have with each other, and we're going to do that...now!"

"Now?!" Devona asks you. "How do you propose we do that?"

"Easy, Devona." You look to her, then to Cielina. "You two are going to have a Stoneskin Duel. I'll have Vessa casts Stoneskin spells on you, and the two of you will engage in a one-on-one, hand-to-hand combat. Whoever wears off the other's stoneskin, wins!"

"What will the winner get, your highness?" Cielina asks you.

"Not an extra night in bed with me for the week." You tell them. "How about leading the all-women's regimen on a mission to rescue Fiona?"

"I can lead them on a rescue mission, without this useless duel, m'lord," Devona tells you, "but I would also want that extra night in bed with you, given Khalisah's absence."

"Either one of us can fill in that night that Khalisah would otherwise have." Cielina adds in. "Please, your highness..."

"Fine." You tell them. "But the duel will proceed in the training arena, as soon as I summon Vessa. Winner gets to fill in Khalisah's night, and lead the women's regimen to help rescue Fiona. Either way, I want you two to settle your differences in the best way possible, in that duel."