Evelina spoke with great passion and seriousness. "Good day, I am Evelina. I am a half warlock and half werewolf. I have been nominated by my pack and also by the healer coven to speak on behalf of all of us. The healer coven and my pack have agreed that time is precious and we do not wish to take so much time from this meeting that could determine your destiny. We have also agreed that whatever you decide we would respect and would not abandon you in any way. We would share our links and resources with you no matter what to overcome your challenges following this vote. I am now going to begin my defence of the fighting option."

Evelina cleared her throat and carried on: "Dante is not an enemy that you could easily beat in battle. He is one you can resist. You have to fight. If you surrender you would be condemning the next generation of Alaskans to kneeling to the noble Arkansans. Your human citizens would be begging for mercy of death once the Arkansan protocols are forced on you. I am an Arkansan and my great great grandparents were serving Ronas the Great with pride and joy and ....."

"Objection" one of the elders, Hillaria interrupted "You might be a spy amongst us. If you are a descendent of Rons's army then you are most likely to be a noble. Tell us good reasons why you left your comfortable home."

Evelina laughed bitterly "you ask why I left my home territory behind to become an outlow. What forced me to give up my birth right to become a commander in Dante's army? My family has a high status. That is true. I am a noble. In the mansion I grew up there were 100 servants at my family's disposal. Why did I leave my home?To answer this question, I feel that I should share some personal accounts." Evelina was now showing small signs of emotion. This was as emotional as she could get. Months of fugitive life had taught her to never show emotion.

Evelina took a deep breath and carried on; "The horrors I witnessed in my childhood were unimaginable. I had to memorise the Ronas protocols one by one from a young age. As a noble it was shameful if a child did not know the protocols. I was taken to evening gatherings at the Ronas palace. It was the most horrific experiences of my life. The servants were either humans or weaker citizens. If they even looked at a noble in the eye, they were executed immediately by being sent to the fighter headquarters to be used for target practice. That was a horrible death sentence that I was forced to witness first hand. During my schooling alongside nobles, we were forced to practice spells and potions on the same group of people who were sentenced to death. They were going to be used until they lost their lives. My schooling was spent learning the arts of torment and assassination. For field trips, the took us to the dungeons to see for ourselves what becomes of enemies of Arksnsas and expected us to be proud of being citizens of such a well protected state against rebels."

If any one paid attention closely they could notice she was shaking mostly due to rage, not fear "You ask why I left. In addition to the horrors I mentioned, I also had personal reasons to become an outlow. I was more valuable if I stayed undercover in Arksnsas and aided freedom fighters from time to time. That is true. But I also had some personal reasons to leave which I do not feel ready to share. As I said I have seen too many horrors back then. Some of which were committed by my family members."

"What I am happy to share is about what I hated most all these years that made my exile much easier whenever I thought about it. What I hated most was the indifference or even acceptance of such brutality by the Arkansans. The ancestors of the noble Arkansans were good people like you. But the sphere of time brought them into one place at Ronas's service. He brainwashed them until they lost their hearts. They did as asked and felt honoured too. Now their descendants are as misguided and cold hearted as them. Do you really think once Dante gets ahold of you, there would be a different destiny. I assure you, that your children may even turn out to live in a much worse situation."

"Objection, it was another elder Aticus who interrupted this time;" but you are painting a too negative picture just to ensure people vote for fighting. Why don't you mention the kindness of the Ronas to those who surrender. They don't kill those who show submission. In fact they reward them too. We want our offspring to live. Is that too much to ask?"

Evelina was talking in a steady but serious tone; "I shared the details because I felt that you needed to know what could become of you even if you surrender. They may even spare you servitude. They may classify some of you in a safe high class level like how I was. They may even recruit some of you to serve as enforcers if you pass the loyalty assessments. Dante may spare your lives but he won't spare Alaska. He is going to destroy your home land and generate hell. Your playgrounds would be converted to fighting training facilities. Your natinal parks would become boot camps to learn Dante's protocols. This building where you are sitting would most likely be the court room to condemn anyone showing empathy to the weak to the dungeons. Your schools will be split up into two categories; nobles and middle class. The ones Dante classifies as weak don't even get schooling. And ....."

"Objection", yet another elder, Adonis spoke "but that is impossible. I spoke to the leader of the central territory not so long ago. He said Dante proposes for territories to agree to become part of Arkansas and accept to respond to his demands as a higher power. It does not mention transforming their homes into whatever you described. He wants to rule all North America. He doesn't want to destroy it. In my view his true aim is to have access to our resources. The Arkansans are well known to be interested in extracting secrets from magical artefacts and enchanted stones. We have plenty of it, so do the rest of the territories. What you are suggesting is none sense. No territory in their right mind could live that way. If that becomes the case then people would object, there would be an uproar. You said it yourself, the Arkansans are happy with this dark way of living so that is why the Ronas rule has lasted so long. We are Alaskans. We are independent and would stay this way. We can solve any unreasonable demands with negotiations and diplomacy. We won't break the peace. Don't even try it."

"I apologise for the interruption" it was Donavan now "I have to say Adonis, what Evelina's described is hardly a small fraction of the changes that you would be forced to implement. Dante wants to rule you but not by your laws. When you surrender, the Ronas enforcers would be all over your land within hours if not minutes. They are doing the same to the central territory. As for that coward leader, he fears for his life. He wouldn't dare tell you the realities in case he may influence your decisions in responding to Dante. There are fresh reports from rebels and freedom fighters from the west coast who have spread the news of the suffering and pain happening in the central Territory. They are not just rumours. Trust me, they would oversee the transition Evelina described and more. If you really think all you have to do is sign a treaty and Dante would leave you be, you are gravely mistaken. Also I would like to clarify one thing. You said, Dante is after obtaining resources. You are right. But not all resources are stones and potions. Trust me when I say, you are a resource too."

"Donavan. What do you mean? Why do you call him a resource? He is an elder. We must address them respectfully." It was a fellow member of council of guardians, Claudious who spoke in his firm voice.

Prudence stood up and spoke before Donavan could reply "Claudious, he addressed him in this manner because Adonis is a resource. A very powerful resource. We all are resources to Dante or better yet possessions. Our names are on a wanted list or wish list. I am certain of it." She took a breath and spoke slowly as thought each word cost her dearly. "Not many of you may know this but I used to be married to a highly ranked enforcer called Marcus."

"You don't have to share this with them. It's not your obligation. I know how personal this is to you. Don't do this." It was an elder, Hillaria who happened to be her close friend who whispered softly to her.

"It is all right Hillaria. My life with Marcus caused me to be forced into isolation and fear. There were very few bright spots in our marriage. One was my son Dylan who I had to give up to him when I got divorced and another was the secrets Marcus shared with me about his line of work. Those secrets helped save many lives later on when I escaped with my other son Donavan with the aid of freedom fighters who I gladly worked with briefly." Prudence took a deep breath. "one of those secret missions that Marcus shared with me included information on his proud moments in capturing the Ronas wish list. The Ronas descendants each had a separate list of powerful beings gathered by spies. They sent enforcers as bounty hunters to hunt them down to bring them to Arksnsas. Luckily, the Sphere of time is missing to slow down their search and also we live in Alaska, a land that has enough powerful beings to resist any enforcers coming to collect. Otherwise, believe me when I tell you we would all be either in dungeons or undergoing the conversion process that is a very painful way of losing your hopes and beliefs. Dante also has inherited the list of suspected powerful potential noble class families around North America from his ancestors and most likely had added his own targets. His power quest is not going to be complete unless he acquires every name that he desires. Make no mistake. There would be no freedom after Surrender. So I leave you to decide."

Evelina voiced her last words; "Now, finally I would give you my word that I would fight alongside you if you vote to fight Dante's demands. Even though my initial intentions was to return to Arksnsan borders, now I believe the key battle is here in Alaska. If you fall, others would fall too. You are North America's biggest hope for resistance." Evelina, then briefly turned towards where the healers were sitting and spoke; "Also the healers have asked me to let you know that they would fight against Dante with all their power alongside you too. The Healers even have a plan to get those who do not want to take part in fighting to safety in neutral territories. Now I leave you to Decide. The faith of Alaska is in your hands. Remember, Your choice really is to either fight or to become who you fear the most. " Evelina's sat down suddenly even though the crowed kept on looking at her expectantly, She remained silent.

Avita stood up and spoke;" now if there is no more input. The voting may begin"

As the elders and guardians waved their hands, Voting results appeared above the crowed in clear smoke writing;

The council of guardians had voted unanimously;

Donavan (Fighting)

Cyrus (Fighting)

Claudius (Fighting)

Clemencia (Fighting)

Aliona (Fighting)'

Flavia (absent on vacation)

The elders had voted in an almost predictable way, almost.

Adonis, (Surrender)

Aticus, (Surrender)

Hillaria, (Surrender)

Avita, (Surrender)

Prudence (Fighting)

Marius (absent on vacation)

There was a reason the council of guardians were who they were. They were fierce fighters who were sworn to protect their people in hours of need. It was no surprise for them to vote unanimously for a fight. But elders were people of peace and kept to their basic principles to use diplomacy to achieve great things for their land. As the elders saw the results, they all stared wide eyed at Prudence. They had to respect the vote. Even the smallest objections by any elder or guardian council member was going to be condemned as an insult to the democratic procedures that Alaska provided for its people. Only, the citizens of Alaska who were not participants in voting were allowed to object by submitting signatures to the justice department after the vote. However, the cheers heard from the crowed confirmed people's content at the outcome. That was it. The elders knew the pain and suffering the could fall up on them soon. There was no time to waste.

Avita stood up and suddenly the whole Arena went silent. She waved her hand and thousands of white spheres appeared above the Arena. Those spheres contained her image and as she spoke, her message was recorded by each one" People of Alaska, The elders and the council of guardians have now voted. The vote is 6 to 4 in favour of refusing the potential offers of signing agreemenrs to surrender our land to Arkansas. This would mean declaration of war by the Arkansans. Therefore, my fellow Alaskans I am sorry to say that Alaska would be fighting the Ronas army very soon. A long battle with great sacrifices and captives would be inevitable. Any Alaskan citizen who has objections to this vote is allowed to submit their signature for the petition to re-cast the votes to the department of justice within the next hour."

"For now, based on this vote, I would like to remind you that Alaska is now officially a war zone. This would of course mean that every citizen must follow the orders sent by the council of guardians and the elders very closely. From this moment, a range of safety instructions and defence commands would be issued to different areas depending on whether you are a civilian or a fighter. But fear not my fellow citizens. We have strategies and resources in place to ensure the effective defence of our borders. We also now have the means to get help from the healer coven to secure the transfer of those who wish to leave Alaska to reside in neutral territories. So I am pleading for no citizen to act alone out of panic and leave through the borders. Any unauthorised attempt to leave Alaska from now on would be indeed treated as an act of treason. Farewell to all."