<div class="floatright"><div align="center"><sup><em>Click to enlarge</em></sup></div>(http://i.imgur.com/Ny6Nuau.jpg)<br/><br/>(http://i.imgur.com/AfboOhO.jpg)<br/><br/>(http://i.imgur.com/6Dpyx5v.jpg)</div><br/><br/>The last morning of the journey found the caravan stopped in rolling hills on roads that looked far more traveled then the rest of the journey had been.  They'd already passed through a few small villiages, farming communities, and trading posts over the last two days.  The growing frequency of civilization spoke that they were getting closer to the capital.  Of course they had never stopped in any of those places, instead hurrying through and only stopping for the night when surrounded by wilderness.  Just like this stop for a late breakfast.<br/><br/>Pellen and Eren may not have noticed Pipa's apparent lack of hunger, but Lady Ansel did.  She pointed at Pipa's plate and in a very firm and commanding tone told the quarter orc,<strong>"You've a long day ahead of you, and I'll not have it said that any contestants were ill treated on my watch.  You'll eat more than pussy this morning if I have to tie you down and force feed you contestant."</strong>Pipa was not used to being spoken too so harshly, and the blunt manner in which the knight brought up the sapphic activities was a bit shocking.  However, at almost that exact moment from far back in the caravan the pitiful cries of the prisoner, still being dragged to an inch of death for days cried out begging for death.  Pipa was reminded exactly how severe this knight's sense of justice could be, and that she might very well do exactly what she threatened.  But there was more to it than that.  Pipa couldn't help but notice that the knight appeared to have lost weight, drastically, and her skin color was off.  When Pipa had first met the knight, the woman had a ruddy almost sunburnt complexion.  But now her skin looked sallow and slack, almost gray in color.  Her cheekbones seemed to stick out painfully and the intensity in her eyes was just this side of frightening.<br/><br/>Without even meaning to, Pipa picked up some of the sweet corn bread that had been made for breakfast and took a bite.  Lady Ansel nodded and turned stomping off down the caravan, leaving Pipa to either finish or dispose of her breakfast if she still wished to not finish.  She knew that if she wasn't going to eat though, she'd better not let Lady Ansel catch her.  It was Eren who whispered Pipa's thoughts,<strong> "Did you see Lady Ansel?  Why did she look so... so..."</strong>Eren whirled her hand in the air and Pipa knew enough about the noblewoman at this point to tell that she was searching for the proper way to phrase it correctly.<br/><br/>Thankfully Pellen was not quite as artful as she supplied,<strong> "Half dead?  I don't know."</strong><br/><br/>It was then that one of the soldiers leaned in and whispered, holding up a ring and tapping it,<strong> "She's been pushing herself since we picked you up Lady d'Canti.  Our rings let us get by with only a few hours sleep every night and only a fraction of the food.  Same with our horse's shoes for them.  But Lady Ansel hasn't slept, not once, since you were entrusted to her care.  Every night she's sat on the top of your coach with a loaded crossbow, in addition to the normal guard shift that the rest of us take.  Almost eight days without sleep, not even magic can stop that from eating a person away."</strong><br/><br/>Eren gasped and whispered,<strong>"Why, why would she do that?  I thought she hand picked you as soldiers, doesn't she trust you?"</strong><br/><br/>The soldier shrugged her shoulders,<strong> "I think she trusts us, but twelve years ago, a coach with a contestant was attacked in the night.  The commander of that caravan had guards posted, but had been asleep in a bedroll, and was the first slain in the attack, arrow or crossbow bolt from the darkness I'm told.  The contestant only survived because Lady Ansel was one of the soldiers on that caravan.  Lady Ansel led a few other soldiers to beat off the attack and get the contestant safely to a farming community, and stayed there till reinforcements could arrive.  Apparently a group of kidnappers had been paid very highly to try to kidnap the young woman who was supposed to compete.  After that year, she was given command of this job, and every year she doesn't sleep one wink as soon as a contestant is in her charge."</strong><br/><br/>The story drove home how dedicated Lady Ansel was to the security of the contestants.  In addition it also reaffirmed exactly how important they were, to the nation, maybe even to the mortal realms all told.  The soldier stood back up, snapping to attention as Lady Ansel began walking back up the caravan train, getting people ready to move again.<br/><br/><hr/><br/>The three women in the coach were not specifically feeling amorous after the breakfast.  Especially since shortly after the caravan began moving again, they started to reach more and more settled farmlands.  Gone now were the dense forests and instead replaced by rolling hillsides and farmland.  They also began to see people standing by the road side cheering, waving the flag of the Tanian Queendom.  The caravan did not slow as it sped past these commoners, but even at the rapid pace they moved at, the three contestants could see the pride and happiness on the faces of those that they passed.<br/><br/>It was only about two hours after their breakfast, well before the noon bell, that the caravan again stopped.  It was in a small wooded glen after passing through a rather large expanse of farmland.  Lady Ansel knocked on the door and gestured to the three contestants,<strong>"Gather what belongings you must have, only what you can carry, and come with me, quickly please."</strong>Her tone brooked no argument, and the three women were thankfully dressed and it took them very little time to gather their belongings.  Eren took the longest as she realized she would have to leave behind most of what she had brought with her.  Several soldiers helped the trio pack what belongings they were taking into simple backpacks, before helping them shoulder the weight.  Then Lady Ansel took the reigns of her horse and the three contestants and moved them to the side of the road.  With a salute to one of her soldiers, the caravan began moving off down the road, leaving the three women behind.<br/><br/><strong>"Safer this way,"</strong>she muttered before gesturing for the young women to follow her.  She led them onto a foot path into the woods, ascending the crest of a hill.  Once the group reached the top of the hill they were able to look out over a cliff face, though Lady Ansel would not let the girls get more than a few feet from the sharp drop.  She gestured at the great tableau that opened up below them and said,<strong>"Tinchea Valley, capital of Tania.  Take a good look contestants, and if luck is on your side maybe you'll see it again in a year."</strong><br/><br/>The three contestants watched as the dark coaches that had been their caravan quickly diminished down the road.  They had a perfect view of the capital and the citizens lining the streets.  Even at this great distance they could hear the quiet roar of the crowd, the sharp blaring of horns, and could see the waving of flags as the caravan approached.  It was quite the spectacle, and kept everyone's attention for many minutes.  But then a soft 'pop' sounded from behind them and the three turned to see a glowing portal, a rent in the very air, opening close by.  From the portal stepped a hard looking woman in chainmail, followed by a rather attractive middle aged woman in traveling leather, and finally a pair that were obviously mages, a man and a woman.<br/><br/>This new group walked to the contestants with purpose.  To Pipa's left, she heard Eren gasp and quickly drop to one knee.  Though Pipa wasn't sure why, and Pellen seemed equally confused.  The woman in the traveling leathers addressed the contestants,<strong> "During the war of Pandora's invasion, Tinea sent almost two hundred and fifty thousand men and women to oppose the goddess of corruption.  Almost none of them made it back home.  This year, we send six."</strong>The woman paused looking over the three contestants,<strong> "I hope you understand what that means to your nation, to the people who live here, and to all of the mortal realms.  I also hope that all three of you, along with the three sisters of yours already sent, make it back here safely."</strong><br/><br/>Eren spoke up, and her voice trembled,<strong>"Thank you my queen, we will do you proud."</strong><br/><br/>The woman in the leathers, Queen Aelma Pipa now realized, shook her head and clucked her tongue,<strong>"Rise contestant, you do not kneel before me."</strong>She reached out and took Eren's hand lifting the girl from her knee,<strong>"It is I, and the rest of your nation who owe you.  All of you."</strong>She concluded taking in Pellen and Pipa as well.<strong>"I wish I had time to get to know you, to express my gratitude, but my wives and husband will be waiting for me at the palace, for we must make a show of 'greeting' the caravan when it arrives."</strong>Then with a nod to the two mages, they began chanting a spell that seemed to slide in one of Pipa's ears, float through her head without a trace and out the other side, leaving a sense of something and yet nothing.  A new portal opened and the Queen stepped aside, gesturing to it,<strong>"Go with the gratitude of your nation contestants."</strong><br/><br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">ooc</div><div class="spoiler_body">I think I'll stop here, give you a chance to respond.  Sorry there might not be a lot, there might be too much.... I'm just not sure.  LOL  If you'd rather me continue, PM me and ill edit this post and keep going.</div></div>