"How Long Until The Crown Breaks?"

 18. "Before you try to start anything..." Dawn steps forward, standing right before Nebin's parents, questioning them, she continues saying "tell me why I heard on my way to let myself go that you and your people want to take something of Nokinia that my parents had not offered? What exactly is that that you want to take else than the bronze, linen, and herbs that we promised?"

Getting slightly angry now, Dusk walks up to Dawn to try and calm her down while Sovereign Marlo says to Nebin's parents also, "Dawn is right, that's what we agreed on, what is it that you are not telling me?"

But Suna jumps in and questions Nebin's parents before they can answer, "are you trying to take from us for you own gai? You want more than our resources is that it? Because Lesothia still won't except you and your wayward people?" Pointing to everyone else then back at Nebin and his parents, Marlo, along with some of her maidens, tries to calm her down as well.

"This is all nonsense, we should be allowed to own gold too" Cartector says boldly, "you all agreed to the marriage, and in our custom, it gives us a right to freely explore anything of you and you of us, as we have let Dawn act well with our women warriors in training, garments, food, anything really we also give to you, so why the scene? Why act like you aren't apart of us now?" 

"That was not our agreement that you take gold from us!" Marlo yells.

Then yelling back at him, Hajenee says "we are not taking anything from you that you did not alone, trading is only normal! Your daughter here is just making an assumption that it is for our own gain." Saying this with attitude, she leans towards Dawn, "isn't that right? Nosy one..." 

Dawn replies back to Hajenee's snarky words by saying, "I know what I heard and I now know that it's gold you are trying to take; If you and your people would just admit that this marriage is way more than you claim it to be, I'll shut up..."

Then Nebin turns around, facing everyone, putting his hands up and then down, he turns around towards his parents again as his father starts speaking, "countries giving each other resources as a favor is no new thing, don't act clueless to our plan, after all you have said, maybe it is time for a change huh? Maybe after the Adenians almost destroying our land, maybe we need more, after thought of that! Maybe we need a recovery with something stable like gold?"

"Then why didn't you make that apart of our agreement!" Sovereign Marlo yells, stepping out of his place as if to talk right in Cartectors face.

"Because it should be already given..." He steps forward, "Nebin, don't you understand how all this works too?" He places his hand on Nebin's shoulder saying, "we trade with this marriage, we will make our royalty stronger with you and Dawn's marriage."

Nebin swipes his father's hand away with haste as he says angrily after, "no! You take my future away for your own sake? Our country asking for resources is fine, but my personal life should not be the center of it? And stealing their gold is completely wrong."

"Son-"

"No father, I still wish to marry La-Ki, I love Dawn for who she is." He points to Dawn, then back to his father saying, "but I wish not to marry her, I wish to marry my true love, like you do with mother. Leave their gold, let Dawn stay, let us help ourselves while we still can?"

His father looks back at Hajenee, then seeing everyone else standing around, looking confused, he lifts his eyes back to his son to say, "that is not how this works, don't be selfish with your people, marrying Dawn to help build our country should be no issue, but you take it all to heart." Frowning, Cartector steps back and says softly but with subtle anger, "how weak of you..."

"I'm not weak father, I'm just not going to let any of you stop me from making my life useful for once, instead of us constantly fighting each other over what tribe is best. As Youin, I want peace for our people, and I'm the strong one to admit what I truly want for myself and our people."

"You are still Youin, you don't get the right to make such decisions!" Hajenee objects brashly.

Then running up to Nebin and pushing him, Hajenee faces her son with anger also showing in her eyes, "you don't know what you are talking about, sit back down this instant before you face the same consequences of your sister!"

They all get quiet once hearing this, but Hajenee adds on to her words with, "she was also selfish, very selfish for her people and she paid for it!"

Not sounding any better to Dawn and her family, she budges in on the arguement saying, "what exactly are we talking about now? What happened to Nebin's sister that I don't know as Nebin's wife?"

Hajenee, in an attempt to ignore Dawn, looks right back at Nebin, but Dawn keeps trying to grab her attention before Hajenee finally says to her, "do you want to end up like Nebin's sister too!"

"No, do you?" Dawn counters back angrily.

"Stop!" Marlo yells, "I will not stand for you trying to take our gold, that you will not have, I give you my warrior daughter as wife and all you want is our gold?"

Clearly angry himself, Suna steps in to calm Marlo down by saying, "we need to leave, and we should take Dawn with us...Her staying in these conditions frightens me...After all..." Suna sneaks a look at Dawn, "I think this marriage was a mistake."

"It wouldn't have been if these ruthless and savage Arcillians would have stuck to our agreement..."

Hearing Marlo say this, Cartector steps forward to him saying, "we can work this out many ways, but I'm not giving up the gold that I expect to see..."

Marlo steps right in Cartector's face saying bluntly, "one of us will be dead before the gold of my country enters yours..."

Cartector smirks proudly, "like I have said before, you Nokinians like to take things the hard way..."

Still staring at each other face to face, behind and around them, the people of the village take out their bow and arrows simultaneously, waiting to attack anyone who tries to touch Cartector and Hajenee.

Very few of them don't, but as everybody notices this, Suna says with shock, "we must go!"

Then suddenly as Nebin tries to break up the fight with his father and Marlo, he instead backs up and spots La-Ki amongst everyone in the crowd, she stands there in shock herself, but without hesitation, she walks up to Nebin.

From this, more chaos ensues, all the people start yelling and shouting once Sovereign Marlo and Sovereign Suna make their way to the flyers, along with Dae and Jemastuit and the newborn baby, Niah.

Through all the arguing, the arrows drawn, the fighting ensuing, people drawing their arrows at the guards stopping them from getting closer, and through this, the Nokinians try to make their way out while people are shooting at them.

Nebin tries to stay low with La-Ki, but Dawn looks back at Nebin while trying to calm things down, and seeing behind him arrows coming his way while he shouts to her, "this is not how I necessarily planned it out! But we'll make it through!"

Dawn tries to smile while saying, "I see!" 

But seeing someone come up right behind him, her eyes widen and she shouts "Look out!" But not getting to him in time......Five different arrows hit Nebin right in his back and shoulders while trying to duck down with La-Ki. 

Widing her eyes in utter shock along with her whole family from the flyers trying to take off and most of the people around, Dawn runs up to the falling Youin to grab him before he hits the ground. She manages to hold him up against her, but his bleeding perpetually runs down his body, clearly hard for him to say or react to anything else going on around him.

Cartector and Hajenee stand back, knowing well what just happened as they only show slight remorse for their dying son.

His siblings run to help him out, including the Nokinian family and La-Ki herself who is being pulled back by her family.

Dawn can't help but stare right in the eyes of Nebin's parents, seeing the bow and arrow right in his father's hands, the shock on her face as she looks back at Nebin, surrounded by his remaining siblings and her own family, Dawn can feel herself suddenly blacking out, and coming back into the reality of it all as Nebin tries his best to talk, with him saying so softly "They killed...Her...Too...They...They will try to come for you, run back...Run away when...When you can...And tell La-Ki how...Much I.....I love her..."

With La-Ki screaming for him and then his voice giving out, Nebin starts closing his eyes, from this, they all start to cry as Dawn is the one who tries to keep herself up for him and reply to his words by saying, "you are good to me Nebin...I have got to get you help now, I have to get you healed..." 

Looking around for any medicine man to come out and help, Nebin stops Dawn from panicking by softly touching her shoulder and gently rubbing it, as if to calm her down as his head slowly leans towards the ground, with Dawn lifting his head up enough to look at him, but...By this time, his eyes don't open again.

Tears effortlessly run down her eyes as she looks up to the sky, crying out in silence while still holding onto Nebin. Dawn starting crying so hard that she didn't even notice that Nebin's siblings already took his body from her, and that Dusk started holding on to her.

Dawn starts calming down, filling herself with anger instead of sadness as Cartector and Hajenee make their way to her, with Hajenee pointing her bow and arrow at her saying, "look what you made us do, get up...Warrior!"

Dawn slowly smiles and stands up, shouting to her family, "Leave! Get out of here! Dusk and I will stay!"

And without hesitation, the guards get the Nokinian family out on the flyers and they fly away.

Just then, Dusk gives Dawn her sword and then he takes out his sword, ready to fight just like in their warrior days. "As you say...Youniee..." Dawn counters back at Hajenee.

Together with Dusk, the Arcillian village people yell out and start shooting their bow and arrows again while Dusk and Dawn stay behind and fight against the village, two against about 300 people that attended the dinner.

With the Nokinians gone and Nebin's body taken into a tent by his siblings and La-Ki and her family, Dusk and Dawn charge through the people and slice their way into everybody coming towards them.

In a circle, Dusk and Dawn become surrounded, but Dusk moves off in a way where he can strike everybody that is shooting at them.

Dawn jumps up and down and around with her sword effortlessly slicing anyone in her path view. Shouting at them just like they are her, Dawn starts killing the village off with Dusk to where the ground starts turning red from all the blood.

And out of anger, Dawn slashes and slashes, and Dusk above, helps his sister any way he can as he takes out all the archers hiding in the trees and below.

Eventually both Dusk and Dawn rip through everyone they can, killing the powerful archers that the Arcillians are known as. But a warrior that is filled with anger, becomes the embodiment of death themselves.

Seeing Cartector and Hajenee walk up to the both of them, with their bow and arrow in hand, Hajenee says to Dusk and Dawn while looking around at the bloody scene.

"You warriors did a number on my people...Interesting...But it's time we show you why that will not stop us from ruling both of you out of here."

Drawing her arrow, Cartector does the same, with a more angry stature, he shouts "I myself wil kill the both of you! My power will overcome both of you!"

"So you say..." Dusk goes on to say to Dawn after, "I'll take the mad man." 

She leans towards him and proceeds to say, "and I'll take the mad man's wife."

Running up to the both of them while Cartector and Hajenee shoot their arrows out, Hajenee manages to scrape a part of Dawn's dress sleeve, it now sliding down Dawn's shoulder, none of it proceeds to matter when Dawn takes her bloody sword and starts clashing with Hajenee and her bow.

Meanwhile that is happening, Dusk clashes back and forth with Cartector's arrow, but the mad man becomes ruthless enough to push Dusk down. Dusk rolls over and catches himself, looking up to the man and taking his sword once again, breathing heavy, Dusk takes his stride towards Cartector as Cartector says to him, "you tired! Too much time killing my clan! Huh!!"

Striking Dusk's sword, Dusk gains his strength and leans towards Cartector with his sword, making sure to make Cartector stumble backward and eventually drop his arrow.

While this, Hajenee and Dawn still clash against one another, but turning before Hajenee real quick, Dawn tries to stab her but Hajenee takes Dawn's sword and slices her side just a bit to leave a red mark.

"Aohaaa!" Dawn shouts from the cut, but looking back at Hajenee, Dawn takes her sword and swings for all is worth so that Hajenee drops her arrow. It takes some time for a pro archer to lose her grip, but eventually Hajenee falls back, and trying to regrab her bow, Dawn takes Hajenee's bow and arrow and slices Hajenee's throat with it. 

Letting Hajenee bleed out just a bit, she looks back at her sword and says to Hajenee while kneeling down to her, "pick a weaker nation next time." Saying this, Dawn stabs Hajenee in the gut to where she spits out blood from her mouth before falling over, dead.

Dusk on the other hand manages to push Cartector down, standing over Cartector now, with lots of grunting and holding on, Dusk finally takes his sword and stabs it through Cartector's neck, killing him instantly as the blood just pours out.

Dusk stands up and looks over to Dawn, asking her, "are you okay?"

She nods, "yes, you?"

He lifts his thumb up saying, "feeling refreshed."

With her beautiful green and red dress being covered in blood along with Dusk and his garments being covered with dirt and blood, the both of them make their way back to each other, where they face each other, breathing in and out heavily over the fast paced but very troubling battle that just occured.

Dawn looks all around at the bodies laying around her and Dusk, "look at all this..."

"Looks like you had feelings for Nebin after all." Dusk smiles.

Dawn rolls her eyes before saying, "Everybody else left, they must be making their way towards another clan" She looks back at Dusk, "let's go back home, we need to get in contact with Morlagon again."

From this, the two bloody siblings make their way out on their flyers, from getting Dawn's stuff to collecting their weapons, the two make it out, just in time.