Eira said nothing in response to the words of Dardanos as he spoke to her once more. She was well aware of the weapons he possessed. Her statement had not been meant to imply that he held no power but fear in a general sense, but rather that at this time, in this place, it was his only weapon. Still, clarifying her meaning was pointless, so she left the words unspoken. Although her memories surrounding her mother's death were still locked away somewhere in the recesses of her mind, he was responsible for her death, that much she knew, so she knew all too well what happened to those that stood up to him, but that would not deter her. She did not fear him, not because she didn't know of the power he held, she knew quite well and she respected that power, but she did not fear death nor darkness, so she had no reason to fear the embodiment of either.<br/><br/><span style="color: #40BFFF">"I may not be the first, but I will be the last."</span>she responded with a cold, simple voice. Of this truth she was certain, for she had no heir to cede her power to. If she failed, if she died, the line of the snow queens died with her. What she didn't yet know was that this would not be the only consequence of her death at his hands. His next words were meaningless to her. Regardless of how he viewed her companions, they were strong and they would soon be united. She didn't need to argue this point, there was no reason to and her words were unlikely to sway him, nor was such a thing necessary. If he chose to underestimate them, that was his choice, and it would be his downfall.<br/><br/><span style="color: #40BFFF">"You should not so easily write off your opponents, Dardanos. It's terrible form, and never a wise choice."</span>Her voice remained cold, yet it was almost oddly soft all at once.<span style="color: #40BFFF">"What is to become of our destiny is yet to be seen. You are not the only one who has grown more powerful, and before the end you will know this."</span>With those words the exchange ended as he turned to walk out of the room and she returned her attention to the other rulers in the room as they spoke.<br/><br/>She briefly turned her attention to Cardonis when he addressed her.<span style="color: #40BFFF">"While I appreciate your concern, and I realize it is your job to protect me, I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. Dardanos cannot kill me, not yet. I am immortal, after all, and he does not yet possess the weapon capable of killing me."</span><span style="font-style: italic">Just as I do not yet possess the weapon to kill him,</span>she thought to herself before continuing aloud,<span style="color: #40BFFF">"Rest assured, I will do nothing to put myself in mortal danger."</span>She finished, although there was a sort of irony to the idea. After this she returned to her seat, taking it before addressing the others.<br/><br/><span style="color: #40BFFF">"Eirwen will, of course, stand against Dardanos and provide whatever aid we can to the other kingdoms. We appreciate whatever aid, resources, or manpower you are capable of providing."</span>She looked around the room at the other rulers, her eyes resting on the prince of Tora when he spoke.<span style="color: #40BFFF">"Of course. I do not ask that you send your men on a suicide mission. There will be bloodshed and there will be death, but there is no reason to hasten such things unnecessarily. Besides, we will need all the resources we can get if we are to protect our kingdoms and win this war. Wasting resources by being hasty is never a wise choice. It is better to bring in fresh, adequately trained troops when they are needed than to throw untrained men into battle prematurely."</span>The young queen spoke thoughtfully.<br/><br/><span style="color: #40BFFF">"This will not be an easy war. We must come up with a plan, use our resources wisely, and we will have to take advantage of whatever strategic advantages we may have. Eirwen borders Ciardah, so we will set up a defense and provide whatever reconnaissance information we can. Beyond this we will provide you with whatever enchanted crystalline weaponry we can spare."</span>She looked around at the other rulers and paused for a moment before making one final statement before allowing the others to have the floor once more.<span style="color: #40BFFF">"I do not ask that you give up more than you can spare at the expense of your people, only that you contribute what you can spare so that we may all stand able and ready to fight. We must all work together and unite to fight this enemy if we are to survive. Despite what he says or what he believes, we will not lie down and let this world fall to darkness, and we will not be easily trodden under his feet. We may not be the great rulers of old, but that doesn't mean we are not great, nor does it mean that we will be defeated. This is our world and we will protect it, no matter the cost."</span>With those words she fell silent so that others could speak their minds.