Ruena wished she could say she was surprised when she made it to her new room and found a certain masked individual already waiting there for her. He clearly had a lot invested into this battle, so he may even try to incapacitate her in some way. The warlord did not move when she entered, but she remained on guard. She could at least see what he wanted before she took any drastic actions.
“Isn’t this a bit soon for our third meeting?” she asked.
“There is something I must say to you,” he replied, as calm and confident as ever, “You must win this fight.”
That was not what Ruena had expected to hear. “I was under the impression you would be on the other side,” she told him, “Why the change of tune?”
“You must know the state of Florfana. How Cats, and especially protectors, are being treated. You might have even caught on to the hostage situation,” he explained, watching her reactions closely, “Should you lose, Alodan and Altea will no longer be able to protect them. The king intends to sell regular Cats to the Warlord Territories in bulk and lie about their status as protectors. That is something I cannot afford. There are already too many mouths to feed there with all the criminals they throw over the border.”
It was a surprisingly logical reason, and one Ruena could respect. That being said, she needed to know more about the situation with Marx. “What about my opponent? The hostages won’t be safe if he loses to me.”
“If you lose, they are better off dead than dealing with the fate that awaits them,” the warlord revealed, “Consider their loss as a mercy and fight without concern.”
“Mercy,” Ruena muttered, “You sound just like Storm. Not that it matters. The hostages will not die, and I will also not lose. The only rules I must follow are that I must fight alone and that I cannot kill my opponent. Beyond that, I will use any means necessary to win.”
The warlord was silent for a moment. “When I first saw your golden eyes I mistook you for a protector,” he said, suddenly changing the topic, “Now I see you are something more special than that. It makes sense why the Black Wolf went to such lengths to prevent any chances of your death. In case we ever have the chance to meet again, I will introduce myself.”
Something about the way he said that put Ruena on edge. Was there some special significance to learning a warlord’s name that she did not know about? Her instincts were warning her that allowing him to continue was a bad idea.
“There is no need,” Ruena told him, “Meeting a warlord outside of his territories three times is more than enough. Since I never intend to visit, I doubt we will ever meet again.”
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“That may be true, but the way I see it I stand to benefit if someone from the outside knows who I am,” he pressed, “My name is Sabre, a new warlord who intends to end the endless war and unite the remnants to create a new nation. When that day comes, I hope you will remember me.”
Those were big aspirations, not that Ruena could talk. Was that why Densooth had allowed his presence when he was usually such a stickler for following the rules? If there was a prophecy about this guy, he might allow such a dangerous man to walk Althaedor freely. It was annoying how well she knew Densooth in times like these.
“I am Ruena Alodan, the heir of Alodan and future Weaponsmaster,” she introduced in return to be polite, “Though you probably already know all of that.”
Those were big aspirations, not that Ruena could talk. Was that why Densooth had allowed his presence when he was usually such a stickler for following the rules? If there was a prophecy about this guy, he might allow such a dangerous man to walk Althaedor freely. It was annoying how well she knew Densooth in times like these.
“I am Ruena Alodan, the heir of Alodan and future Weaponsmaster,” she introduced in return to be polite, “Though you probably already know all of that.”...
Sabre observed her for a moment. "You are still confident you will win even after meeting Marx face to face?" he asked, "Surely you should know any protector I choose will be incredibly strong."
"I have no choice but to win," Ruena replied, "Even you have told me this. Are you suddenly doubting I can pull it off?"
"No. The Black Wolf will interfere even if you fail," Sabre replied, "I was only wondering if you had a plan."
Ruena smiled. Had this whole conversation been a trick to gain her trust to get inside information? Whether it was or not, she had no intention of falling for it. "I do, but none that I will speak out loud," she told him. Naturally, the majority of her plans were ridiculous. Like the fact she had acquired some catnip as a last resort, even though Taiga had proven Cats only thought it smelled kind of nice.
"In that case I can only wish you good luck," Sabre told her, "Strength and skill can only take you so far in a battle like this."
Once Sabre left, Ruena met back up with the others. Soral was still out taking care of important business, but Bastion, Storm, and Blade were still there. Bastion looked far more grim after seeing the state of Florfana with his own eyes. Since he was the founder of Alodan, he must hold the Cats more dear than anyone. This wasn't just a simple test to fulfill her dreams. This battle would decide the fate and freedom of an entire race. That was even more reason Ruena could not afford to lose.
She could only hope that Soral would be able to pull off his role in things without too much trouble. Even if it was Soral, rescuing unknown hostages with almost no clues to go off of would not be an easy task. Even if he found them, would they willingly follow a stranger who was clearly a foreigner to Florfana? Ruena also had to consider how she might possibly prove to Marx that his family was safe.
These problems and more made it difficult for Ruena to properly rest, but she forced herself to do so anyway. She could not allow something as foolish as lack of sleep to be what cost her everything.
