"Everyone knows who you are and the power you possess," Nyella said. "Do you think they don't want to control that power? Especially these vicious men who have already tasted a little of it. Power is a hunger that only grows. Today they fight beside us, but tomorrow, when the Hydra is gone and the enemy no longer binds us together, they will turn their eyes on you. And on what you have."

"As we hope to win this war, begin to prepare yourself for the next to come," she went on. "And sadly, it is those you fight with now that you will end up fighting against."

"I want to disagree with you," Aeron admitted slowly. "I want to with everything in me. But I cannot. You know more of these games than I do, and I feel you may be right. Sometimes the actions of King Rollo make me suspect something is amiss. The way he behaves around me… too lenient, too kind, almost as if he hides another face. It makes me uneasy."

"Still, we must win this war first. This battle will decide everything. If we lose, there is nothing else left to fight for."

"What I need now is to find a way to get my mother out before the end of this war. If I fail, the chance may be lost forever. Even if we defeat the Hydra, do not be surprised if no army stands with me afterward. Victory is no guarantee of loyalty." Nyella said.

Aeron's head turned to her. "Let us hope it does not end that way."

She stared at the far distance. Then, as though remembering something, she said, "You know, he told me I was ready. My father. He said that if we returned from this war, I would take the throne."

Aeron blinked. "Seriously?"

Nyella gave a faint, sad smile. "Yes. It was as if he already knew something was coming. He spoke like a man preparing me for what he would not live to see. He told me I was strong enough to rule Ivarion."

"He knew…" A word slipped out of Aeron's mouth.

Her head snapped toward him. "What did you say?"

Aeron stiffened. "Sorry, that was a mistake."

"No," she said firmly. "Tell me."

Aeron sighed. "It seems your father was ready to meet his end. He spoke to me of my father, and he apologized. Then he said something… something about them meeting soon. At the time I thought little of it. But now, it feels like he had already accepted his fate."

Nyella's eyes clouding. "If he knew, then it is cruel. He should have waited. He should have held on, if only a little longer. But now he has left me in a difficult situation, and I must face what he fled. He put me in a place I was not ready to stand."

She drew a long breath, and for a long while, they said nothing. Then her eyes drifted to Aeron's arm, where the cut was still wrapped, and her face frowned.

"You know the last time I asked you, you told me it was nothing," she said. "And I let it go because we were preparing for war and there was no time to question. But now there is no escaping. Tell me, Aeron. What truly happened to your arm?"

Aeron glanced at his arm, then back at her. "You never give up, do you?"

"No, I don't. Not easily. And you know that," Nyella replied. "So tell me. What happened?"

Aeron sighed. "Coming to think of it… I have not really investigated it."

"Investigated what?" Nyella pressed.

"I was attacked at the armory," Aeron said at last. "Just before the war began. By two assassins. Two highly trained assassins."

"What?" Nyella shouted as her eyes widened.

"They gave me no space," Aeron continued. "Their blades were sharp, their strikes precise. They moved very fast, as skilled as Ser Devic himself. As deadly as the Phoenix Guards."

Nyella stood up immediately. "All these happened to you and you have kept this quiet all this while? Assassins tried to take your life, and you said nothing?"

Aeron nodded slowly. "Yes. And please calm down."

Nyella takes a breath. "Alright, I'm calm. What happened then? How did you survive?"

Aeron looked down, remembering. "There was a lady. A young, beautiful lady. I had never seen her before. She came… and the assassins disappeared at the sight of her. They vanished as if they feared her. I did not ask who she was."

Nyella stared at him. "Did that seem like a joke to you? Aeron, this is your life we are talking about. An attempt was made to kill you, and you did not care to speak of it? You kept it to yourself?"

"Do not misunderstand me," Aeron said. "I was overwhelmed with the war and everything else pressing upon me."

Nyella cut him immediately. "Your life comes first. Whoever tried to harm you is an enemy and is close. And we should already be searching for them, hunting them down."

"I have no clue who it could be," Aeron admitted. "Could it be connected to what you said about the kingdoms? Perhaps one of them wants me dead."

Nyella's eyes drifted past him, suddenly fixed on something far below the castle walls. Her face went still, her lips parting as though she had forgotten to breathe.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Aeron asked as he noticed her silence.

She said nothing, her gaze locked on the distance.

Aeron followed her eyes and saw what she saw. Down at the base of the castle stood Sira who looked like she was hiding. In her arms, she was holding another lady close, as though to shield her.

Aeron couldn't believe it. It was her. The same lady who had saved him at the armory.

Before Aeron could say anything, Nyella's body moved. She ran down from the tower.

"Nyella, wait!" Aeron called, rushing after her. "What's wrong?"

But she did not answer.

"..."

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