Chapter 55: The Dragon’s Choice
"The Coalition army will reach the walls in six hours, Your Majesty. Their dragons are already circling."
Arthur’s eyes snapped open, instantly alert despite the warmth of the two bodies pressed against him. Isolde stirred on his left, her blonde hair spilled across his chest. Urzara remained dead to the world on his right, one muscled green arm thrown possessively across his waist.
The messenger—one of Lily’s network—stood at the foot of the bed, politely averting her eyes from the tangle of naked limbs. "Commander Hawklight needs you in the war room immediately."
"Six hours?" Arthur sat up, his mind already racing through defensive possibilities. "The scouts said two days."
"That’s what he needs to explain, Your Majesty."
The bells started then—deep, resonant tones that hadn’t been heard in Lyranth for a generation. Invasion bells. The sound jolted both queens awake.
"What—" Urzara’s hand went instinctively for an axe that wasn’t there.
"Company’s early," Arthur said, already moving. He pulled on clothes with practiced efficiency, his supernatural speed making him a blur. "Isolde, we need the nobles locked down. No panic, no fleeing. Urzara, your berserkers—"
"Will be ready," the orc queen finished, rolling out of bed with warrior’s grace. Despite the situation, Arthur couldn’t help but appreciate the view as she stretched, her enhanced physique a work of lethal art.
"Save it for after we win," Isolde said dryly, though her own gaze lingered on both her bedmates. "We have an empire to defend."
Five minutes later, Arthur strode into the war room to find organized chaos. Hawklight stood over the tactical map, moving pieces with grim efficiency. Elliott was there, fully armored, along with several senior officers. And in the corner, wearing an elegant dress that seemed wildly inappropriate for the situation, stood Lady Elisa Parquet.