The dwarves return to the Deep Council chamber. Following their Lord, the three Masters take their seats at the great wood table. Valerie and Marion stand before them, watched closely by the three red-bearded guards.
- So, Princess, let us begin with introductions. My name is Igion Khardor. In Kharnic, the dwarven tongue, Khardor means Heart of Stone. I am the one who bears the highest rank among my kind. You may call me Lord Igion.
- Darian Thargrim, Master of the Wild. My name stands for Ancient Fury.
- Cornelious Durhald, Princess. It means Strong Guardian. I am the Master of the Fields.
- Baliot Brokdar - Son of the Hammers. Master of the Hammers.
- Princess Valerie Aurum Kryon Bonesses. It's a pleasure to meet you all.
Valerie bows gracefully before the dwarves. None of them return the gesture. Their gazes shift instead to the woman standing beside her. Lord Igion speaks first.
- And who stands beside you, Princess Valerie?
Valerie glances at the person standing with her — nearly a stranger to her eyes."Marion... How should I introduce her!?"
- Mari—
- Marion will do just fine. I've no intention of telling you more.
Cornelious studies her with a calm but curious look.
- An elf, perhaps?
- Half-elf. She means no harm.
Baliot steps forward awkwardly, speaking in her defense. Marion's sharp glare cuts to him, but he only nods gently, uneasy.
- A princess and a forest half-blood... quite an unlikely pair. How did the two of you come to be here?
- You bastards beat us down and chained us in a basement!
Marion's furious eyes lock with Darian's half-hidden ones as she spits the words. Valerie's gaze follows hers — recognizing the dwarf who struck Marion, she tries to cool the rising tension.
- We weren't exactly brought here kindly. I got lost in the forest, and Ma—
- We are running out of time! We must discuss what to do next.
Darian's rough voice slices through her words like a blade, filling the chamber with uneasy silence. Valerie's mind spins."He gave us time..."
After a few moments, Cornelious speaks up.
- I agree. We need to decide. What are we going to do, Lord Igion?
- I must first hear what's in Princess Valerie's mind, Cornelious.
"...time... Why did he give us time...? Something is not right..." Still lost in her thoughts, she doesn't hear Lord Igion's words.
- Please speak, Princess.
Valerie's wild thoughts scatter at the sound of the old Lord's voice.
- Oh—right. I... I know Sir Camillo. He isn't the most trustworthy man. I'm sure he's planning something.
The room grows heavier with her speaking her mind without warning. "Sir Camillo is in charge of this mission... But he was not the only one there". Realizing her last words had made the air tense, Valerie forces herself back to the moment.
- Still... there's hope. If we follow their demands, maybe things will end peacefully.
- You expect us to trust you? A human? There's no way we're releasing our hostages!
- Please, stay calm, Darian. Let's hear her out.
The man seated upon the Forgehall Throne gives Valerie a solemn nod to continue.
- The man with Sir Camillo — I know him too. He's kind-hearted. He only obeys orders when he considers them just, and only resorts to violence when it's truly needed. If their mission is to retrieve the hostages without bloodshed, he'll stop anyone who tries to raise a blade against you.
"Sir Camillo knows that... and so does the King."
- And what if that gilded snake was lying? What if those aren't their orders?
His words strike something in Valerie's mind."The king knows his knights. He wouldn't send him unless this was meant to be a just rescue..."
Cornelious strokes his beard thoughtfully.
- Indeed, Darian's fury carries ancient wisdom this time. What if we compromise? We could release half the hostages now, and the rest once the knights withdraw beyond the river. What say you, my Lord?
- That doesn't sound like a bad plan.
- Are we really releasing them?! They'll strike the moment they're safe and then claim they had to fight to free the rest!
Darian and Cornelious let their animosity take the lead once more. The air fills with their overlapping voices.
- We can't risk a direct assault, Darian. If there's even a small chance this plan could work, we must try. For now, we cooperate — but on our terms.
- And just like that, we're giving away our leverage?! We still need them!
- Not even an hour ago, you said you didn't want the hostages working. Now suddenly, we "need" them?
- That doesn't matter now, Cornelious! He gave us time, we must use it! We can strike while they think we're surrendering. We can't just hand over what's ours—
- Enough! We will not hand over the humans. Something doesn't feel right. The earth itself hasn't been on our side lately.
"Time..."
- But, Lord—
The gentle gaze of Lord Igion hardens in the face of coming hardship. They all know what's at stake. An attack is certain — and any mistake could cost them everything. The knights care little for the lives of simple villagers. They've done worse before, even under this same king. Their only hope now is to uncover the humans' true plan — and fight back.
As the Masters argue, Valerie's heart races.
"He needs time... He gave us time because he needs it. I know what he's planning!!"