"Next, Minerva and Sheepy, come before me, Winnie. Please hold Inky for them," Sheepy handed Inky to Winnie and became instantly fascinated by her feathers. Minerva and Sheepy bowed to her. "You must both be rewarded as well for saving my life, regardless of any thanks you have given me, it is now my turn to thank you,"
Bree stood up, "I try not to play favorites, and I typically succeed, but as a personal thank you for saving my life, I want you both to know that When he is grown up, Inky will be given a choice, not a command, to serve me however he pleases, and he will be permitted to pick from a selection of predetermined candidates and have two of them serve beneath him and when your child is grown and you are both ready to return to full working status, you will both be leaving your mundane gardening days behind and join under Bella as my new maids," Bree sat down and could hear Minerva and Sheepy both crying. The looks on their faces told Bree that they were delighted with their reward.
"Do not thank me," Bree said simply, "for it is my turn to say it. Thank you, Minerva, Sheepy, and you too, Inky. Do not kneel or bow when you return to the line. Stand with pride, just like my maids, just like Silver, just like honorable warriors who have earned their praise." Minerva and Sheepy picked themselves up and returned to their position in line, standing with pride as they took Inky back.
"And finally, Winnie," Winnie moved at top speed and bowed to Bree. You took charge while I was sleeping and are to be commended for that. As a reward, you may ask anything of me. It does not need to be asked now, but remember: You have one free request to make of me, no strings attached." Winnie thanked Bree and moved back into line.
"Good. Now that I have finished praising those who deserved it, we must move on to business. I will go to King Odren, leader of Irenfell, and make our decree a free nation. Should he attack again, we will declare war and destroy his country," Bree looked among her ranks, "If any are opposed to this, please speak now," Bree could see movement and spoke out about it. "Belin? Speak up now,"
"My lady," Belin said simply, "Odren will attempt to kill you, or he will send the Scarlet Knight to do it for him; she has killed a demon lord, slaughtered hundreds of monsters, and her armor and longsword are covered in so many enchantments it almost impossible to kill her. She's the reason Argit has avoided destroying the Kingdom himself,"
"Well, I've fought Argit and won, and he's the third strongest of the Demon lords," Bree smiled. "I'll happily take on this Scarlet Knight. I have no place in this world if I can't beat her." Bree stood up and took a deep breath.
"Bella," She said, turning to her maid, "Winnie, you as well; what I'm about to say will hurt, but it must be said, should I die, you two are to work together and take my place as leader," The entire room went dead quiet as Bree Spoke, "and should I perish then know that my last command is you go to Demon Lord Argit and form an alliance with him, you may swear to serve under him if you so chose or you two can decided who will take my place as leader," Bree mused for a moment, "Yes...all of you working with him should be enough to take down Irenfell, in the worst case scenario,"
The Room was dead quiet for longer than she liked, and the voice that Spoke up matched that mood in tone, "My lady, please don't say that," Bella pleaded, "Please don't speak of your death as a possibility,"
"I would be a fool to pretend I can't die and not prepare for it," Bree replied, "Now all of you return to your daily activities; if I'm not back by the end of tomorrow, assume to worst," Bree raised her staff before adding "and if this should be the last time I get to see you all, Just know that I love each and every one of you with all my heart and that I would gladly sacrifice myself in an instant if it meant saving even one of you, From Bella to Boris, you are all mine, and I shan't t let any of you go without a fight,"
Bree tapped her staff before her followers could insist one of them accompany her, and she found herself on the brick road that led to the City where she had met her three human friends. She didn't know where the capital was, but she could tell the place before her was not it, or at least hoped it wasn't.
"I can't teleport to a place I've never been before, but I can track people I've met before; tracking spell," She held up her staff and watched as it spun like a compass, locating the only person she knew who lived in the capital "Take me to Jacob Razzor," The blade of her spear pointed her due east. The spell told her that Jacob was several hundred Kilometers away. Bree rocketed across the sky like a shooting star; going at her full speed, she arrived at her destination within minutes. A massive city, easily four times the size of the city from before, was her final destination. The difference in quality was so immense Bree wondered if she was still in the same kingdom.
The previous city had been crumbling and stank of sickness and death; the capital was sparkling clean, and each building looked like it was made from the finest stone and metal. Luscious fields of flowers surrounded the city's border, and the entire capital smelled faintly of honey.
"I bet this city is home only to nobles and people who have or used to have positions of power," Bree could tell that Jacob Razzor was currently in the capital's centerpiece, a magnificently crafted building with a very odd design.
The entire Capital was surrounded by a giant wall with lush fields on three sides. At the farthest east end, there was a lake that looked perfect, most likely a man-made one. In the center of the Lake was a large island with a castle. She thought the lake might be a moat taken to a dramatic extreme. However, she had no place to mock since she had set her home up in the same manner.