”How is it?” Eilian asked, knowing Dee’s senses were superior to her own.

“I can sense a group of fairly powerful beings inside, but in general there are fewer people than I would think.” Dee replied.

The pair was high in the clouds with Eilian riding on Dee’s dragon form. They were above the place where Eilian’s parents lived before Noyala became the queen. It was relatively close to the old capital of the Unseelie, though still on the outskirts of the city. The two were not sure if the parents still lived here, which is why they took a very careful approach. They had already noted that a large portion of the Winter Court forces was slowly moving to leave the forest, though their destination was something of a mystery.

“Well, only one way to find out.” Eilian decided and suddenly leaped off Dee’s back to slowly descend towards the ground. She was good enough as a mage that the fall held no danger to her.

Dee considered her possibilities for a second. Landing in the courtyard as a dragon was sure to draw attention from a long distance away. It was also possible that Noyala, now known as Artenia, knew enough about Dee’s background to recognize that form once the information got to her. The same applied if she appeared in her normal form. While Artenia had not seen the form, the tails and the wings were a bit of an obvious hint. She finally decided to just go with hiding her tails, wings, extra arms, and halo. That way she looked mostly like an elf. She also left her hair open to hide her ears and kept her hood up.

Despite Eilian gaining a bit of a head start, the two landed almost simultaneously. Dee didn’t bother hiding her presence or her power in order to deter anyone from getting any ideas. It didn’t take long for the guards to notice their entry, as they had landed in the front courtyard. At first, the relatively limited number of guards were ready for battle, but they turned rather agitated once they saw Eilian. Finally one of the senior guards approached them, someone that Eilian recognized.

“Eilian darling, you gave us a real fright. For a moment we thought your sister finally decided to come and take matters into her hands.” The guard greeted with a relieved smile.

“Kharis, it’s good to see you.” Eilian replied with a smile. “How are my parents?”

“Alive. For what it’s worth. The queen has pressured us quite a bit, but they are still alive. Come, let me take you to them. They will be…well, I’m not sure if they will be glad to see you, but relieved at least.” Kharis replied a bit hesitantly.

Eilian had warned Dee that her parents might not be happy to see them, considering the situation. Their relationship had been relatively warm, though not very close. Eilian’s current presence, on the other hand, might be a little problematic. “You go ahead first. I’ll take care of a few rats.” Dee suddenly said as she sensed several spies in the vicinity making a beeline towards the city. One of them had been among the guards that had seen their landing.

“Right. We expect the word about your presence will soon reach your sister’s ears.” The guard commented. They were aware that there were spies present, though they didn’t know about the one among the guards. That said, it hardly came as a surprise.

“Not if I can help it.” Dee replied and vanished in a flash of light.

“Who exactly…?” The guard questioned Eilian, leaving most of the question to hang in the air, not sure how to phrase it.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m quite confident she will deal with the rats. It shouldn’t take too long either.” Eilian replied and proved to be right. The two had not even reach Eilian’s parents yet before the shadows suddenly rose up from the floor, revealing Dee’s returning form.

“That was faster than I expected.” Eilian commented, as even she was surprised at the speed.

“They were shockingly weak.” Dee replied with a shrug. The spies didn’t manage to offer any resistance. It also helped that the holy magic she had recently learned was quite effective at dealing with those much weaker than her. She could deal with several people with very little fanfare or notice.

Kharis sighed. “We’re not really worth proper spies anymore. I’m fairly sure most of them weren’t even connected to the Queen. Your parents will explain.”

The meeting between Eilian and her parents was at the same time warm and a little strained. It was clear they were happy to see Eilian alive and well, but were troubled by her presence here. Apparently, the great houses of the Winter Court had seen them as a threat since their daughter had taken the throne in what could almost be called a coup. The great houses thought that the family of the new queen would be a large new player in the game and started taking measures. Their assumptions weren’t entirely unfounded, as the new queen’s parents had assumed the same thing. The relationship with their second daughter was far from happy, as they had even tried to have her killed, but blood relations often ran deeper than short-term feuds. They had been quite mistaken.

What the other houses soon realized was that the new queen was making no effort to protect her family, and her silence was a tacit permission to go after them. The house Eilian and Artenia had come from wasn’t exactly large either since it didn’t have the deep roots that usually develop over hundreds and thousands of years of rule, alliances, and cross-marriage to other houses. That said, both of the parents were generals and rather good at their job. That’s where the new queen’s policies to move the Winter Court out of the forest came in.

Neither the great forest of today nor the places suitable for the Sidhe of the Winter Court could be called safe. The two generals were sent to deal with all the most dangerous missions, which resulted in two things. Firstly they were always in battle or preparing for one, and battles were never safe. Many of their subordinates lost their lives in the battles and were not replaced with fresh forces. Secondly, they were rarely at home making new connections or stopping their reserve forces from being poached. Many of their old subordinates were hired by the other houses, and some even met untimely ends. The soldiers were for the most part rather loyal, but they could see the writing on the wall. Loyalty was one thing; blind loyalty unto death was something entirely different. Many of them took the lucrative way out, which was why the current number of people at the mansion was so low.

“I suppose it’s not going to be much use to ask them for the blacksmiths we came for?” Dee asked Eilian as the explanation had finished.

“Blacksmiths?” Eilian’s mother asked curiously. They had noted Dee’s presence and strength, though they could not connect her with the person who killed the Tree of Life.

“Yes mother, the community that took me in sent us to acquire the services of the Sidhe master-smiths. I knew you used to employ several of the more experienced ones, which is partly why we are here.” Eilian elaborated.

“Can your new community pay for such services?” Eilian’s father asked a little skeptically. “The famed smiths of the Sidhe don’t come cheap, especially since they dislike working with sub-par materials.”

Dee barked a small laugh. “Yeah, I think a second circle community can afford the expense. Besides, I think materials like Elementium should pique the interest of even the most stubborn smiths.”

“Second circle!” “Elementium!” Both of the generals blurted in surprise, though for different reasons.

“How did you manage to become a part of a second circle community with access to Elementium mines?” The father asked eagerly. “I’m actually a very accomplished smith myself.” He hastened to point out. In fact, his previous path in life before military had been smithing.

“You’ve done well for yourself. How did you manage that?” The mother asked in turn, not giving the chance to answer the previous question.

“I have to thank Dee here actually.” Eilian pointed at the woman by her side. “She took me along when sister took the throne. She’s part of the Five Winds Alliance, who recently became the 68th ranked community. I get to paint all I want!”

The mother’s eyes narrowed a bit. “That’s odd. The rumors, spread by your sister no doubt, claimed that you ran away with your ally, the being who killed the corrupted Tree of Life. Naturally, the rumors kind of forgot to mention the corrupted part most of the time.”

“That’s pretty close all things considered.” Dee said to Eilian, feigning a conspiratorial tone.

“Well, they did get the alliance part wrong. They forgot to mention that you were allied with my sister dearest, and she actually sent you to kill me. But you offered me a way out instead.” Eilian replied, mimicking Dee’s tone.

“So you…?!” The mother asked with a shocked expression. “There’s a bounty on your head! On Eilian’s too, but much smaller.”

“Oh, that reminds me. I’ll need to go and get that bounty rescinded. It’s kind of bothersome at times. It’s not a threat anymore, but some people might make an error in their judgement and try anyway.” Dee muttered mostly to herself.

“Father, the smiths?” Eilian said, dropping the act and bringing the subject back to the original point.

“Well, we actually have good connections to the smiths still. They are the only people the great houses don’t dare to piss off and can’t kill. Their skills are too valuable for us Sidhe. Too much would be lost if they died. The smiths don’t’ really concern themselves with politics and consider me one of them.” The father said, hedging his words just a bit. “What exactly do you have in mind?”

Dee explained the plan for recruiting the best smiths and enchanters from several sources, and what the mission would be. “Humm, I suspect many of the smiths might join just to improve their skill at the craft. I certainly would. The chance to learn further from the master-smiths of other races by working together is very enticing. Also, we don’t get to work with materials like that very often. It won’t be exactly free, but I think I can get the cooperation of many smiths with the information you provided.”

“Dear, are you sure we have the time for you to play with hammers and anvils?” The mother asked with her voice filled with doubt.

“Well, I would need to bring a group of bodyguards of course. Like you and some of the still loyal people for example. Once the job is done, we might forget to return, and find some other place to settle down. I’m sure we can find a place that has a use for a master-smith and some Sidhe elite warriors. Honey, there’s no point in us staying here anymore. We’re only facing a slow death. We had a good try at gaining power, but we failed. This is a good way out. I’m sure the Five Winds will be happy to provide us with some funds to start over somewhere else in return for my connections.” The father started the slow process of changing his wife’s mind. He would eventually succeed.

“I think that worked fairly well, don’t you?” Eilian asked with a chipper voice, as the two watched the parents argue.

Eilian also knew that the Five Winds would not be taking her parents in, mostly because they were aware of the less savory things the two had done in order to gain power. She didn’t feel too bad about it. While she wanted to see that they were alright, she had no desire to return to the way things used to be. She now had freedom and friends among the Five Winds. Her parents would only mess things up for her.

“I have to agree. If your father comes through, then we won’t need your sister’s help to provide us with any smiths. I only need to get the bounty removed now. I also need to have a proper meeting with her. To say goodbye if for no other reason.” Dee’s tone got a little wistful towards the end. Eilian gave Dee’s hand a little squeeze of encouragement. She knew Dee and her sister had been relatively close.

“About that.” Eilian’s mother suddenly interjected. “If you’re serious, then I have an idea for how you could get relatively close, fairly easily. The queen is throwing a masked ball in four days. It’s something in a long line to keep the noble houses happy so that they would not object to her plans to move outside the forest. Most of our military has already moved to the new location and the craftsmen have started the slow process of building new cities. The old noble families are less happy about leaving their old estates and places of power behind.”

“That actually gives me an idea.” Dee mumbled, remembering that the Five Winds had used certain spells to move their cities and buildings into the second circle. Maybe she had something to barter with if it turned out to be more difficult to get the bounty rescinded.

---------

“Are you sure it’s a good idea for you to come along as well?” Dee asked for the third time. “Despite the mask, you still look like your sister and will draw attention.”

“Don’t worry about it. I might not be able to defeat you in a fight, but I’m still an immortal as well. I can take care of myself if it comes to that. Besides, I want to see my sister. I have a few things to say as well.” Eilian’s answer had remained the same every time Dee asked.

The two were wearing elaborate carnival masks and beautiful dresses as they approached the royal palace. More precisely, Eilian was wearing a dress, while Dee had gone in a slightly different direction. As soon as she knew for sure that Eilian was coming along, she knew there was little chance they would avoid drawing attention, so she decided to just go with it instead. Her dress was made from Umbra’s powers, and it looked like she was wearing darkness itself. Not a black dress, but a shadow that seemed to be absorbing all the light in the vicinity. It also looked a little indecent as it gave the impression she wasn’t actually wearing any clothes, just that her body could not be seen. She was also rather blatantly displaying a pair of black wings and a halo above her head, drawing the attention of everyone as a Fallen Angel. Her form was somewhat similar to the one she had used once with Noyala, and at least the queen would recognize her immediately. She would get the message.

“Still, that dress of yours is rather impressive.” Eilian commented. “Not as impressive as the cat panties beneath, but still.” Her tone was half mocking, half stifling laughter.

“Standard issue for the scouts of the Radiant Sun.” Dee mechanically replied with the same excuse she had used before. She just didn’t want to admit she liked the silly little things. She still hadn’t entirely gotten over the fact that she didn’t have fur covering the important places anymore, and preferred clothes that got in the way as little as possible. Also, the little cat ears were kind of adorable.

“I seriously doubt that. Besides, you haven’t been a scout for a long time.” Eilian laughed. “Isn’t it about time to get something new?”

“Shut it painter girl.” Dee shot back a little defensively, knowing Eilian had got the upper hand in this exchange. She knew better than to change clothes in the same room as Eilian in the future.

Luckily for Dee, the two didn’t get the chance to talk further as they came to the large doors of the palace where the invitations were checked. The events in the royal palace were of course invitation only. Dee had been working on the guards slowly and in secret while they approached. With a final push, she managed to enter their minds as the guards wanted to check their invitations. Dee only showed a blank piece of paper that seemed to satisfy the guards and the whole event seemed to vanish from the memory of the guards immediately.

“I wasn’t sure that was going to work.” Eilian said a little excited. Her parents had suggested the masked party, but of course didn’t have invitations. Dee had promised to take care of it. Entering the minds of people so much weaker than her was rather simple, even if she wanted to be subtle about it. Inserting a small suggestion and removing the short term memory of the last ten seconds was also much easier than trying to wipe away some old and embedded memories. This still wasn’t Dee’s forte, and her immortality had not changed that even if it made things easier.

Once inside, the duo spent some idle time sampling the foods and drinks while mingling with some curious people and exchanging vacuous gossip, most of which they invented on the spot. They were only waiting for the queen to make her entrance, and of course the monarch would be among the last to arrive just so she could make a proper entrance.

The duo didn’t have to wait too long, as they too had timed their arrival well. Not by accident, as Dee could monitor the whole palace through the shadows. As the queen made her entrance, the members of the court naturally kneeled on one knee or curtsied low to show their allegiance, although some only bent the bare minimum to fulfill the demands of etiquette. Aside from the guards standing by the sides of the room and the queen herself, only two people remained standing. Those two people were naturally Dee and Eilian. Dee would not bow down to anyone, and Eilian certainly wouldn’t do so for her sister.

The queen’s eyes narrowed in recognition. Despite the masks, she easily recognized her sister, and Dee’s message was pretty clear. The actions, or lack thereof, of the two caused some commotion among the nobility, who were starting to rise to their feet in protest. “Stay!” Dee barked an order with a voice that sounded more like the deep and beastly voice of a dragon than a humanoid. Simultaneously she spread her Domain over the whole ballroom and for once used the more dominating aspect of her power. Anyone trying to rise suddenly felt their knees hitting the ground once again.

“Well, I suppose we’re doing it this way then.” Eilian commented. The duo had not been sure how they were going to make their approach, but it seemed like they were going to do it the most blatant way possible. Eilian removed her mask with one hand. “Good to see you again sister dearest.” She said, her clear voice carrying to everyone’s ears.

“Eilian. Dee. It’s been some time.” Artenia replied simply. She was mostly paying attention to how much Dee’s strength had grown. Previously she would have been a fair match to Dee once she regained her full power from the curse, but now it seemed Dee had once again passed her.