The Chronicles of New Havens

In the capital, Elizabeth woke up, and the first thing she saw was an unfamiliar ceiling. Blinking her eyes, she adjusted her sight as her head gradually caught up. Ceiling? She was supposed to be in a tent, was she not? She bolted upright, and immediately regretted it. Her wounds reopened, sending a fresh surge of pain through her body. Elizabeth braced for the pain, but surprisingly there was not as much as she expected. When she looked at her body more closely, she realized that most of her bandages were gone. The deep cut across her chest had also reduced to a thin, hardly visible, scar. Her body was almost fully healed! She panicked. How long was she asleep for? And what happened during that time? What about the battle? Questions raced through her mind. More importantly, was this enemy territory? The girl was about to charge out the room, when the door opened. Elizabeth clenched her fists. Depending on who it was, she might have to fight. Her muscles tensed up. However, her expression blossomed into shock the joy. It was her aunt, Commander Christina Kalmar!

"Elizabeth?"

The girl jumped up and hugged her. "It's me, Auntie Christina."

"I can see that," the woman chuckled. "It's good to see you again."

"Me too."

Emotions and tears poured out, as they remained in a tight embrace. Elizabeth thought that if she let go, her aunt might drift away and disappear. Only after a long time did she realize this was not a sweet dream, but reality. Her aunt was really alive! She could not believe it.

Christina patted her on the head, and said, "You shouldn't be moving yet. The wounds Protector Avin healed aren't fully closed."

"Protector Avin?" Elizabeth was stunned.

"It's a long story. Let me explain…"

"You were captured?"

"That's right. When Xu and his group attacked the command tent, we thought we were goners. But the next time we woke up, we were in a cell in Yongtein. I don't know if they wanted to interrogate or torture us, but they left us there for an entire day before we were rescued. That was when I learned the battle was already over."

"I'm just glad you're okay."

"What about you? I could tell you went through a lot yourself." She looked at Elizabeth sadly. Judging from the severity of her wounds, and how most of the people she departed with died… It was obvious her experiences were that much more painful.

"It's nothing." Elizabeth tried to wave it off with a smile, but deep inside, she felt the opposite. Sir Winstin died, along with many of the guards and Ten Dawns accompanying her. Although her friends survived, everyone else was… gone. It was a somber realization. This battle, and by extension this war, had robbed everyone of so many things, including her family on New Havens. She could not remain stoic.

Christina hugged her. "Take your time. It's okay. I'm not going anywhere."

"I missed you." Elizabeth returned the hug.

"Silly girl. We spoke two days ago."

"I guess you're right." She giggled. "I'm fine now. Thank you."

"You can thank Protector Avin for that. Originally, your wounds were very severe, and the physicians didn't think you would make a full recovery. In fact, there was a high risk of infection, given how messy and chaotic everything was. You could have died. Fortunately, Protector Avin and the Sword King arrived when they did and helped."

"That's what I wanted to ask about. Why are they here?"

"I'm not sure about the Sword King, but I heard Protector Avin made a deal with the Zino Kingdom. After that, he and the Conquestian were supposed to arrive several days ago, prior to our siege on Yongtein, but due to a surprise storm, their fleet was delayed."

"Is that so…" She was suspicious because of how convenient it was. Did they plan to do this? To arrive exactly when the kingdom needed help the most? "Where are they now?" she asked, as she walked to the window where a vast view of Yongtein awaited her. Soldiers rushed through the streets, while fires raged on. The people were still fighting back. It was not over yet.

"Protector Avin should be resting in a mansion nearby. As for the Sword King… Nobody has seen him since yesterday's battle."

Elizabeth sighed. "I'm not surprised. He does whatever he wants. What about my friends? Are they okay?"

Christina smiled. "You don't have to worry about that. They're-"

"Elizabeth!" The door slammed open, as Shirley rushed up and hugged her, like what she did to her aunt before. "You're finally awake!" Shirley tearfully cried. "When you kept sleeping, we thought that maybe…"

"Sorry for worrying you."

"You're not hurt anywhere, are you? Shouldn't you be resting?"

"I'm fine!" she chuckled.

"Are you sure?"

"You shouldn't push yourself, Elizabeth," Benedict said, off to the side. He and Freon snuck in when she was not looking.

"My uncle didn't heal your wounds directly. He only accelerated your body's natural healing speed. You should still be careful," Freon added.

"I'll keep that in mind." She felt warm inside. "What about you three? Are you okay?"

"I'm still confused about why my uncle is here but… yes, my body is fine. My Core will need to rest more though."

"Shirley and I are the same. My master treated us, so we should be okay."

Elizabeth felt like crying. "I'm glad… really glad to see everyone again. During that battle, I… lost all hope. I thought we were going to die… It's my fault. If I hadn't forced everyone into fighting, if I hadn't dragged everyone there… then you wouldn't have to suffer like this. I'm sorry! It's all my fault!"

"What are you saying?" Shirley was shocked. "It wasn't your fault! You don't need to apologize."

"But…"

"It was our decision to go. Not yours nor anyone else's," Freon stated.

"Besides, we survived, didn't we? We can stand, talk, and laugh. That's all that matters in the end," Benedict said.

"But Sir Winstin and the others…"

"Losing and dying is a natural part of battle, much like winning and living. If you hadn't fought as hard as you did… If you hadn't done as much as you could, then General Petra would've never had the chance to defend the rear flank. Many more people would have died. We should count ourselves lucky that we're alive at all, much less in Yongtein right now," Christina said. "That's why you don't have to apologize. You did nothing wrong. We should be thanking you instead."

Benedict, Shirley, and Freon nodded their heads, because what she said was true. Without Elizabeth's help in the final battle, they would have died by Sentinel Mao's hand. Elizabeth helped many more people than she realized. In response though, the girl gave an awkward smile. She knew they were trying to comfort her, but it was impossible to rid herself of guilt. Had she been smarter… had she been stronger… then things might have ended differently. However, because she was not smarter, not stronger… that a thousand deaths weighed on her shoulders. Sir Winstin, Sir Logan, Sir Alexander, Lady Ellie, Lady Alice… Ten Dawn Iris, Ten Dawn Lorth, Ten Dawn Rosemary… and countless more. She would never forget their sacrifices. That was her punishment. Exhaling, she regained her composure. For now, she had more important things to deal with.

"Tell me about the situation in Yongtein."

Christina turned serious and began explaining. Since yesterday, the Alzar Kingdom had control of the Imperial Court, the Imperial Palace, and half of the Emperor's City. Today, they were going to try and seize the other half. As for the Inner City, and the much larger Outer City, they lacked the manpower and resources to secure either. That was unsurprising. The Inner and Outer Cities encompassed a vast area and had a combined population in the millions. The kingdom had few soldiers to spare, so it was foolish to try. As a result, the Inner and Outer Cities fell into total disarray. Normally, the city guard and the local government would have been responsible for public safety and order; however, most of the city guard died, while the local government fled. That left no one in charge. Fear, anger, and anxiety boiled over, prompting everyone to lash out. Whether it was theft, arson, or even murder, crime was rapidly rising. The kingdom needed to do something soon, or it would deteriorate beyond saving. Although the Siege on Yongtein just ended, another battle loomed on the horizon. No one could rest yet!