CHAPTER 497: OPTIMAL PLANS

There was much that needed spelling and discussing before jumping into the mouth of the dragon.

Indeed, after the departure of Ayyura and Remus, the individual parties of the group pitched in, each with their own idea so as to craft the most optimal of plans.

Throughout the entire conversation however, there was one point that all of them agreed upon and refused to concede. Well, all of them except Arabella who was adamant on surrendering herself to the royal army instead of sneaking into the castle.

"But why? We are all going so why should you go through the main doors alone?" Ada kept on crossing and then unfolding her arms while frantically pacing back and forth as her eyes stuck to Arabella’s figure.

"If the prince truly wants the silver warrior’s blood, then he won’t really harm him," said Cynric, "Well, not to the point of killing him at least," he quickly added.

"They are right, darling," Morgana continued on swirling Allegra’s blood in her flask then sprinkling some ingredients into it here and there, "There is no point in giving yourself up. Besides, I dread to even imagine what you will suffer at their hands now after everything that happened. You won’t come out of it scot-free no matter what the outcome is,"

The crunching of damp grass beneath Ada’s feet somehow managed to drown their voices despite it being gentle and as quiet as a murmur.

In Arabella’s mind the script was flipped and that sweet sound pushed the rest to the backdrop.

Their words stung too much because they were true. Especially Morgana’s. There was only imagining what the prince would put her through as a punishment for her disobedience and the humiliation he, null doubt, felt she subjected him to.

"It’s because of your brother, isn’t it?" the calm in Edgar’s tone would have been chilling, had it not been for the warmth and softness of his timbre.

All eyes fell on him. Arabella’s too even though she said and did nothing but stare back at him.

True, that was. The young woman wasn’t going there simply to retrieve her husband. After all, her initial goal was building a plan to set Arthur free from Cedric’s clutches but with Silas added to that equation, things had only gotten more and more convoluted.

"I know that Silas will be kept alive. At least for the time being," she faced her horse and caressed from the forehead to his muzzle repeatedly while speaking, "But my brother does not get the same courtesy. I was given an ultimatum and a window of time to act. With Silas at the prince’s mercy, it will only reinforce Cedric’s feeling that he no longer has any need to keep Arthur,"

"Yes, but-" with teary eyes, Ada started but got cut off.

"Cedric will expect us, me, to react, and if we remain silent for too long. He is going to get suspicious. So, we cannot stick together, and you will probably have to wait before making your entrance to the castle,"

"I do not like the sound of that," Floriel, who remained on Arabella’s shoulder, whispered.

"Nobody does," Morgana grumbled, "So, here is what I propose," she took a deep breath in, "Simple glamour spells for all of us except for Arabella, of course,"

"But with simple glamour spells only our scent shifts. Our voices will stay the same," the fairy squeaked.

"If Lauden is by the prince’s side then that won’t do. He knows the sound of my voice, the sound of Alpha Cynric’s voice and that of Ada as well, I am sure," said Allegra

The moon was right above... As if watching over them, closely following and overseeing each and every step.

Arabella’s eyes wouldn’t leave the bright celestial body that hovered high in the sky. Perhaps for the comfort it brought or perhaps in reminiscence of the short-lived freedom she had earned the past three months.

So much had shifted in those three months that her life, that she, herself wouldn’t have recognized the old Arabella had the opportunity to face her presented itself.

And yet... More change was to come.

"Does a glamour spell encompass species shifting?" she asked, her eyes still on the moon.

"It does," said Morgana, "What’s the idea?"

"Can you change yourself and the rest into birds?" Arabella finally looked at the witch.

"Yes, but unfortunately, a glamour can only do so much for size. Some big birds we are going to be!" her eyes flashed wider for a second.

"Fairy dust can fix that," Floriel chimed in.

"But will you be able to fly?"

"Eventually, but I have rarely shifted into a creature with wings and the few times I did, getting the hang of it required some practice,"

After a few seconds of consideration, Arabella looked between all of their faces, "I will be the only one that won’t shapeshift. I will cross the border as I am so my presence can be reported to the prince. There is a high chance I will be seized and escorted straight to the castle,"

"But-" Ada tried again, her nails threatening to go under her teeth, but Arabella stopped her once more.

"Please, Ada," after silencing her, the young woman continued, "Hopefully, my brother will still be alive by then, but if not then I will rely solely on you to get us out in the end. While I am there, depending on the condition I will be kept in, I will try to gather as much intel as I possibly can from within, but in the meantime, you will get used to your wings and then shift to a human appearance after crossing the border,"

"You make it sound so simple," Allegra wouldn’t meet anyone’s eyes.

"On paper, I suppose," Floriel crossed her arms.

"In any case, after crossing, what you should know most is that in the castle they regularly recruit soldiers for training before dispatching them. If the system hasn’t changed, they do so on a biweekly basis," Arabella mainly turned to the men in the group, "Then there is the maid hiring schedule which is weekly, but I am sure you can guess that not all the women that get into the castle end up as maids, so if you do disguise yourselves as such, make sure to pick an appearance that does not attract the eye or that isn’t too appealing. They also train nurses to care for the female body in the castle since they still refuse to let male doctors treat female patients. Nurses too are assessed on a biweekly basis but do make sure your appearance isn’t too appealing either if you choose that route,"