"No," Rose blurted. "That doesn't make any sense. It should be someone else. We can't afford to lose you." Myra shot her a glare and she shut up.

"Trust me, Rose," she hissed. Her heir nodded her head in deference. 

"Rose is right," Talia said, shaking her head. "Someone less important should go." Maia nodded fiercely.

"We need you, Myra. I could go. With my lightning—" Myra turned to her, eyes on fire.                                                          

"You're right," she told Talia and Maia, smiling slowly. "Layla should go instead. I am quite sure that Jasper would be able to handle the assassination himself." It was blackmail, and it was cruel but Myra didn't care. Anything—anything at all—was worth it in order to make sure she was there to protect Jasper. Talia's glinting blue eyes seethed with rage and fear.      

"Well, I suppose you would be able to look after yourself if things went wrong. This mission needs to be handled by the best after all."                     "Talia—" Zara whispered frantically. "This is stupid. Myra can't—"     

"Shut up, Zara." The elf snapped. Zara quietened, befuddled.                  

"I think Myra should go." Nala agreed, shooting her one last desperate look. Jasper smiled, oblivious to the war that had just gone on between them.

And so they would risk the war on a single mission, make a stupid and dangerous decision to protect the ones they loved. Myra shook her head, already bone-weary early in the morning. Because they had dared to love too much, to care too much they would risk everything. Even Nala. What fools we are she thought to herself. How were we stupid enough to care about a person more than a people? Nala, Talia, her...they had all sworn the cause above their lives, above their friends, above everything.

Their broken promises might destroy everything.

————————————————

"Are you sure you can break out of those?" Jasper asked nervously as they prepared to enter the capital. Myra only rolled her eyes at him.             

"Jasper, I could break out of these things even if you had been trying to make them work. I've got out of identical ones about ten times this morning."                                                                                                                   "I'm just trying to keep you alive," Jasper sighed. "Like you're trying to do for me." Myra faltered, seeing he was suddenly serious. "I know what you did was a bad move. I know that you're risking so much for me, Myra. I just want to say...thank you. For everything you've done for me."       

"It makes me a fool," she said, shaking her head. "You. Kestra. I'm risking so much right now. And I don't regret it."  She gave him one last hopeful, desperate look. "Please, Jasper, don't do this.We can find another way. There has to be another way." Jasper only shook his head.          

"Don't lie to me, Myra," he said, smiling slightly. "I know this is the only way. I know this is what the rebellion needs." He fixed her with a long look. "I  was a coward before. Never again."                                                             

"I'm coming with you." Myra said firmly. "If you want to do this—any of this—then don't think you're doing it without me by your side."                         "I wouldn't want it any other way," Jasper grinned. "How's Kestra?"  Her face darkened. Kestra wasn't exactly happy about any of this.             

"I don't want to talk about it." She replied, voice steely and cold. Jasper turned away, knowing when to stop.

————————————————

An hour ago

"No," Kestra said sharply. "No. You said you would never leave me. You promised." So many promises they wouldn't keep. So many lies.               

"Kestra, I—" she protested, but the words tripped up on her tongue.      

"You don't need to do this," she protested. "You don't. Someone else could go-" she stopped suddenly, pieces fitting together in her mind. Her gaze turned hard. "You're doing it for him. To keep him safe."                        

"Kestrel—" she began, words still dying on her lips. "Kestrel—"                   

"You're choosing him," she said, shaking her head. "You choose him."  

"Kestra, it isn't like that. I chose both of you. I would do this for you."  A silence draped over them, a heavy, choking cloud. Neither knew what to say next, words and speeches and pleas withering and dying before they could ever be spoken. Kestra sighed at last, looking at her mother with a stormy mix of emotion—anger, fear, hurt, betrayal, love, love, love.                               

"I understand," she said at last. Myra hugged her gratefully. "I know-I know that you're a general and this will always happen. I-I-" whatever she would have said collapsed as she hugged her mother tighter, fiercer. "Please come home." Her pleading, desperate eyes met Myra's and she almost said she wouldn't go then and there. "Please." She could read the unspoken words in the air. Like you didn't last time. Like Viktoria didn't.

"I'll find my way back to you," she promised. This one-this one she wouldn't break. "I'll come home." Kestra managed a weak smile and they broke apart, tears unshed in their eyes and words unspoken on their lips.

————————————————

"We're almost there," Jasper reassured her "Almost...".                           

"These things are heavy." Myra grumbled. "How much longer?"       

"We're almost there," he repeated reassuringly. "Now, when we come into view you have to start acting better." Myra muttered something that may or may not have been an assent. Jasper lifted the sword and held it near her head, the blade wobbling dangerously in his hand. She rolled her eyes.    

"Likewise, Merson. You sure you won't accidentally decapitate me with that thing? I don't want to die from accidental decapitation."               

"Oh, how would you like to die?" Jasper replied sarcastically.                       

"Not from accidental decapitation," she quipped. He muttered something like very funny and tightened his grip on the blade, finally holding it steady. 

They finally came into sight of Azul and Jasper began running. He sprinted across the hills, trying to make it look as though he was fleeing from the valkyries. Myra begrudgingly put on a show of resisting and trying to cry for help through the hastily-and somewhat happily-applied gag that Jasper had struggled with for a few minutes. One of the sentries spotted them as they came closer and an official came down to greet then, grin spreading across his face. Myra gave him a hateful glare, no longer an act.              

"Stage one successful. Try to be more convincing for the next bit," Jasper whispered in her ear. She discreetly stomped on his foot, earning a satisfying yelp.

They were taken through the high walls and layers after layers of security. Myra took it all in, eyes racing through the defences. Talia would be squatting in their minds already, prepared to make use of any information gathered in case they didn't return to tell the tale of it. Jasper refused other guards' attempts to take his prisoner off his hands, insisting that nobody else could be trusted with Myra Isidore. He also insisted that he speak with the conduit at once.

"I escape from the valkyries' own camp after my search party was slaughtered ruthlessly at the hands of the rebels. Somehow, I manage to bring in the undefeated Dragon, the greatest threat to the Empire, with me. And you think I don't merit a visit to the conduit? Pah! I've achieved more in my twenty-two years than you ever will if you live to a hundred. Trust me, once I see the Empress she will be informed of your disrespect. She will flay you alive! She will have you exiled to guard these barbarians for the rest of your days! She will have you hanged! Take me to the conduit this instant." Jasper glared at them menacingly and it was all Myra could do not to laugh at his outrageous and melodramatic speech. Oh, Jasper.    

"Sir, I was only suggesting you recover from your journey and give the conduit some time to prepare for your arrival-" Jasper went red, glowing with anger.                                                       

"How dare you speak to me, you impertinent, inconsequential scum! You are not worthy to lick my shoe. If I hear another word from you I will have you exiled to the Witch Kingdom. Don't you dare speak back to me. Do you have any idea whatsoever who I am, you lowly little—" he stopped, pretending to recover himself. "Take me to the conduit, please. No more questions." The man nodded eagerly, swallowing back an apology when he remembered Jasper's earlier threat. Myra almost snorted. This was turning out to be rather fun after all.

Another guard greeted Jasper, his eyes darting nervously. Clearly he had overheard  the conversation from his post.                                                          

"The conduit will see you now, Sir." He said, opening the door to a vast chamber much like a throne room. Myra's eyes followed Jasper's own gaze to the centre where a familiar face sat, his eyes glinting with malice. Jasper drew in a terrified breath.

The conduit—the person they were sent here to kill—was General Hadlow himself.

Jasper was shaking, trying to remain calm as they stared down Medea's most prized general and the leader of Kallian Miras. Myra stood stock-still.

"Jasper, Jasper, Jasper," Hadlow grinned. "You see, Medea's not quite enough of a fool to tell absolutely no one of your betrayal. So I'm assuming your 'prisoner' is in fact a way to hide your assassination attempt." He shook his head. "And you claimed to hate Myra Isidore's guts." 

Jasper opened his mouth to come up with some convincing lie, but Hadlow held up his hand to silence him, shaking his head and smiling. Hands trembling, Jasper discreetly unlocked Myra's hands. Hadlow called for the guards. 

"Now, don't even try to lie to me, Jasper Merson. I've had enough of your deception. To think I thought you my heir. A true Kallian."                                                                    

"The only true Kallians are the ones that fight back," Jasper replied, buying Myra time to get out of the chains. She manoeuvred her fingers on the looks as quickly as she could. Hadlow laughed.                                             

"And that is what this is? Betraying your kind to the valkyries?"         

"If there's a traitor here, it's not—"  Myra burst out of the chains and pulled out the twin swords hidden in her clothes. Jasper rushed and ducked as a hail of arrows raced for his heart. Black lightning cracked overhead as Hadlow called on Medea's power.

Myra struck again and again, trying to hold back the swarm of guards. Jasper threw himself at the guards now converging on her, frantically waving his sword in an attempt to best them. Myra gave him one last thankful look before she chased after the fleeing Hadlow. Jasper fell back against the growing number of swords against him and dashed after her, corridors and stairwells flashing past his eyes as they pursued the conduit, guards always close behind.

Myra at last cornered the general. Jasper screamed and she caught a flint of black lightning in the window. Hadlow smiled as the darkning lashed towards his enemy. Myra whirled and lunged, faster than she thought possible. Each of her twin blades reached Hadlow's heart and he screamed in agony. Behind her,  Jasper breathed a sigh of relief. She gave him a weak smile, still shaking. Then she returned to Hadlow's body and pulled out her lighter.                                                                              

"Myra, we don't have much time before the guards come—" Jasper warned. "The guards will be on us any second now."                            

"I have to make sure he doesn't come back again," Myra replied. "I'll only be a minute."

Indeed, by the time the guardsmen found the ashes of their general, Myra and Jasper were already rushing into the tunnels to greet their army.