The Noble Queen-A Shadow Slave Fanfic

Noble looked at the two maps. "They could build bridges here and here. Maybe snake along the breastbone here? Does anyone know what all of this looks like firsthand or are we just guessing?"

"That's the thing. We don't know. So if we want to connect things, we should try to take the most direct route. Or at least try. Longer roads like the one you just proposed mean that humans have to conquer more territory and use more precious supplies and energy. Unless I am missing something, it doesn't make sense." Fort rubbed his forehead.

"And that is what has kept you up." Noble filled in the blanks.

"The Clans could have easily coordinated where to put the roads to match, but I think they are intentionally far apart." The ambassador traced one of the lines idly as he spoke. "That's what worries me."

"You have a theory?" Noble knew that look.

It was the same one she had made when telling Fort that she thought the Obel scale was failing.

"It's one I have been trying to disprove." The blond man sighed. "I don't think the plans to go to Godgrave are peaceful ones."

"I mean how can anything be peaceful when a death zone will need to be conquered?" Noble furrowed her brow.

Fort hadn't experienced the wilds of the Dream Realm. For any piece of it to be considered safe, it would take violent battling and bloodshed.

"I am not talking about Nightmare Creatures. I am talking about the Clans themselves."

"Oh..." Noble looked at the pages again with new eyes. "You think they might be preparing to battle again?"

"The Antarctic Campaign is complete, and they didn't settle their differences." Fort frowned. "Didn't Nickel tell you on that rooftop that open war was coming?"

Noble remembered that battle vividly. She hadn't known who she was fighting until the end, and in the darkness of the night, Nic had revealed more than he had intended.

The 'quiet struggle' as he had called it had already erupted into open war once.

"I had hoped that they would forget about their differences after opening the Dream Gates..." Noble knew as soon as the word fell from her mouth that they were wrong.

Both Ki Song and Anvil had together deceived the world about becoming Supreme, but that did not make them friends. Mutual destruction was the motivation for them to keep each other's secret.

"Antarctica and the Dream Gates have changed many things. You have seen from your school alone how many are considering a Trial. Before the Clans had solid militias to war against each other. But soon?"

Noble's eyes opened wide. "Soon they will have armies!"

The more people that were forced into the Dream Realm, the more people would have to take sides when a conflict erupted. Fort would remain loyal to the government, but could the same be said of their unaffiliated neighbors?

Probably not.

"Godgrave is the only thing that separates Song and Valor. What better place to wage war than the border between the two domains?"

"So you think the roads are made for conquering and not connecting." The Master pushed back her hair.

"I want to be wrong." Fort's grip on the pages tightened. "Prove me wrong, please."

Remaining silent, Noble mulled over the possibilities. No matter which way she looked at it, something was very wrong with what both sides had planned.

"Let's say you are right," Noble shifted the subject slightly, "Is there anything you can do about it?"

The ambassador scratched his head. "Once I am sure, I can let the government know, though I suspect Lena will notify them the moment I write to confirm her suspicions."

Fort paused, a look of grim determination passing across his face. Noble smiled.

"You've had an idea."

"Sort of. While I cannot stop the construction, I can delay it. I can find ways to legally divert materials. Your mother is creative enough that I am sure she could do the same. It won't stop a conflict from happening but will make it less convenient." Fort's confidence grew as he spoke.

Noble nodded.

"How long of a delay are we talking? Months? Years? Forever?"

The last one was wishful thinking, but it was worth a shot.

Pulling a blank sheet of paper from the table, Fort began to scribble feverishly with various calculations. Noble took the opportunity to study her husband's face in the lamplight's glow.

The expression he made when he was deep in thought was one of her favorites and the added bonus that he was trying to help humanity was just icing on the cake.

Noble was so lost in the depth of his gaze that she almost missed him set down the writing utensil.

"Two years," he told her. "We can set back construction by two years. Closer to three if I can convince the government to cause an artificial shortage of key supplies."

Fort's smile was weak. He had hoped for longer.

"It's better than nothing. Anything can happen in the next three years. Look how much has changed in the last three."

If someone had told Noble three years ago that she would help found a citadel and move her family to Ravenheart, she would have thought they were insane. Who knew what the future held?

"I'll write my letter to Lena and then think about who I can talk to in the government about this development." Fort nodded resolutely before yawing.

"That sounds good." Noble kissed his cheek before standing. "I will boil some water for tea and bring you some jerky and biscuits for us to snack on."

"I didn't know we had any jerky," Fort had a soft spot for the food, so there was rarely any in the house.

"Didn't I tell you? Rain made it with meat from..." Noble stopped mid-sentence. She glanced at her husband.

"Our girl has been out hunting again, has she?" Fort didn't look up from the page. His emotions had barely spiked.

The Master took that as a good sign to continue.

"She has. Another Dormant Beast this time. Rain trapped it from what I understood. Came back without a scratch on her."

"She is getting smarter and stronger." Fort's voice was filled with…approval? "That's good."

"You must be more tired than I thought," Noble stoked the fire below the stove. "I've never seen you so calm when the subject of Rain's hunts comes up."

Fort chuckled humorlessly.

"What can I say? The threat of a looming war puts things in perspective. We will all need strength and cunning."

Noble knew it was far more than just the war that had brought about the change of heart.

Under the encouragement of his therapist, Fort had been facing issues that he had often ignored. With far more effort than he was willing to admit, the ambassador was learning to find his place in the world again after Noble conquered the second Nightmare. 

His confidence was slowly returning, and with it his ability to understand and support other's choices. 

That wasn't to say Fort was perfect. If Rain had gotten hurt, his reaction would have been much stronger. But with time, perhaps even that response would change as well. 

"You should be telling her that, not me." Noble gathered the food onto a tray as she returned to the living room. 

"Telling her about the war?" Fort furrowed his brow. 

"No, telling her that you are proud of her success. She can't feel your emotions like I can." 

Noble placed down the tray. 

Fort looked at the monster meat his daughter had killed and butchered with her own hands. He picked up a piece.

"I'll tell her," he promised his wife. 

Kissing her husband's cheek, Noble smiled. "You are a good man." 

"I'm trying," Fort admitted. 

"Let's try to do some good together," Noble picked up a biscuit. "I know a thing or two about delay tactics..."