"Ha! Under your protection?" Alvin laughed, "Disregarding how nonexistent your influence became after the Iron Line and that bastard king ravaged your Domain, am I to assume that all they have done to my Domain has been done under your orders?"
"No," Blanc shook his head, "That was their own choosing."
Alvin blinked a few times, confused. "Answer me this, since when are they under your protection?"
Blanc shrugged as if the words that were about to leave his mouth had been uttered by normal people, "Since now."
Not only Alvin but also Allegra and the rest of the Metamorphs, captured or otherwise, stared in disbelief. After all, the man in front of them came in as if out of thin air and began spouting nonsense.
"My Lady," Alvin said, turning his head towards Celine, "Are you willingly following this fool? If not, I can make quick work of him and send you back towards the Domain of Blood Maroux."
Celine's eyes widened, and for the swiftest of moments, rage appeared in her eyes, but she controlled herself, putting a smile on her face, wiping away the rage as if it had never been there.
"Lord Certa, are you asking if the father of my unborn child is the man I chose for myself?" Celine asked, her smile not matching the words that left her lips.
"T-that is indeed what I am asking," Alvin nodded, looking towards Celine's stomach for the briefest of moments.
"I would suggest you return to the conversation you had with our husband, Lord Alvin," Celine advised casually, "It's tasteless to ask such a question in the situation we are all in."
"I will overlook the disrespect this time," Blanc said, taking a step forward, "For there are far more important matters to attend to."
"Indeed," Alvin coughed, "Which begs the question, what madness overtook you to try and defend murderers and marauders who have pillaged my Domain for weeks? Is it spite because of our shared history?"
"Banish the thought, Lord Alvin," Blanc shook his head, "I came to barter for their release. You see, one of the ones kneeling beside you, the one with wings on his back? Yeah, well, he and I have somewhat of a feud, and I want it solved before the Vita takes him."
"That's it?" Alvin asked, not believing his ears.
Blanc nodded, "That's it."
"Then why not barter for only his release?" Alvin continued.
"What I came to barter with is far more valuable for you than any of the fools on the ground or tied behind you in the forest," Blanc replied, taking another step forward.
"Oh, I doubt that," Alvin said, placing the tip of his sword on Heru's nape, "Shall we try and find out?"
"I suggest you don't," Blanc sighed, stopping the next step he was about to take, "As proof, witness, and right, I request the presence of a Daughter."
Alvin clicked his tongue, removing the sword from Heru's skin and turning towards one of the soldiers near him before whispering something in his ear.
The soldier nodded before whistling.
A command that brought a black horse out of the forest the next second.
"Let him pass, and you might get what you want," Alvin sighed, turning with his back towards Blanc, and started walking into the wetlands forest. "Though I am unsure whether it is worth it, you have successfully made me interested."
And with that, he was gone, ready to take a break.
The Noble Blood battlefield consisted of many words and breaks in between, after all.
"How was it?" Blanc asked, turning to face his wives and siblings once Alvin was beyond the range of hearing their conversation.
"Wonderfully done," Celine smiled, placing a hand on her husband's cheek, "With a Daughter here, he won't be able to act out of place."
"My thoughts exactly," Blanc nodded just as Miyanna hugged him from the side.
"Can't we just leave? Go back the way we came from? We barely got here, and I'm already annoyed at that man. Can't I just kill him?" Miyanna muttered quietly, digging her chin deep into his chest.
"It's too late for leaving or killing, my love," Blanc chuckled, well aware she would not have been able to touch Alvin, not to mention actually killing him.
"Um," the Spirit Bear man muttered, not seeing an opening to interrupt their moment.
But Allegra had no such issue, "Blanc."
"Ah, Allegra, good afternoon," Blanc smiled, turning to look at her, "How is your shoulder?"
"Weird moment to ask such a question," Allegra replied, her crystal white eyes studying the pair of three, "What is this all about? How are we under your protection? And who are you?"
"Too many questions to be answered at this moment," Celine giggled, responding in Blanc's stead, "All we can say right now is that we have the means to help you all get out of this situation, and decided to do it. Is that a satisfying answer?"
"Far from it," the Spirit Bear replied, his eyes cold, "What are your aims here, humans?"
"Oh," Blanc muttered, "Who is this gentleman? He looks like you, Allegra."
"He is Georn, my father," Allegra replied flatly.
"A pleasure to meet you," Blanc said, putting his hand forward, "Your daughter and I are acquaintances."
Georn slapped Blanc's hand away. "I see your games, human. Stop them while you can."
"We haven't received an answer. What is your aim?" Another man with black fur on his hands asked.
"And what feud do you have with my son?" an older Eagle woman asked. "I am Leilani, Heru's mother."
"Well, I managed to beat your little Heru to a pulp a few weeks ago," Blanc shrugged, turning towards Heru and waving at him.
Which made Heru click his tongue, turning his sight towards the ground.
"You are the bastard," Leilani muttered, dashing forward.
"That won't be wise, Madame," Blanc replied, turning to face her, just as five swords were pointed at different points of her body.
"I never killed a person," the small Lune stared into Leilani's eyes, "But for attacking my brother, I won't mind you being the first."
"We are here to help you, believe it or not," Blanc sighed, sheathing his sword.
"And as Sir Georn figured," Celine continued, removing her sword from Leilani's skin, "There is a price we expect, of course, there is. But I assure you, it will be cheaper than what it will cost you to have hundreds killed if you deny our help."
"Are you certain we cannot manage on our own, Celine?" Allegra asked, her voice kinder than all the others combined.
"You have invaded the Domain of a Noble Blood without apparent reason and killed without caring who it was that you were killing," Celine began, "I am surprised the man has the patience not to kill everyone present here. So yes, I am beyond certain, Allegra."