The War Room was silent.

Angella third of her name, reigning Queen of Bright Moon (as well as de facto leader of the Princess Alliance) & co-princess of the Moonstone sat alone at the massive circular table. Frosta, Mermista & Perfuma had all returned home on matters of state, while her daughters, Bow, Netossa & Spinnerella as well as General Juliet were all undertaking various efforts to assess the current standing of the Great Rebellion. Even Scorpia had gone, eager to begin her service to the Rebellion she'd fought for so long.

It seemed as if only yesterday, people were speaking of the imminent collapse of the Horde following the loss of Hordak. So many -including Angella- were certain that the whole force would fragment without the man who had seemingly willed it into existence. So certain that talks had begun in earnest about what could be done with the massive amount of land his war machine had occupied. Returning the Runestone Duchies their independence had long been one of the few things the Rebels could universally agree on. Though who would lead them was less than clear.

Prince Peekablue had repeatedly renounced any ancestral claim he had on Green Thatch in shame over his grandfather's debauched rule which had driven his people to the revolt that the Horde had capitalized on. Prince Arkion stood a good chance of even being denied entry to Vargon after the horrors his father had unleashed upon his own subjects. Even if he were to be considered, his status as Prime Minister of Seaworthy created a complicated political situation. Shadow Weaver had single handedly drained Silverglande's ruling class of sorcerers of their magic as well as their lives.

(Angella cursed the fact that she'd felt the need to take such a monster into her home, Micah's home, Her daughters home. She further cursed that the witch had proven utterly useless in discerning her former protege's recent actions.)

Galebreath was in a similar situation to Sliverglade with its ruling class scattered to the four winds. Halfmoon ancestral home of her adopted daughter still existed in underground bunkers. Muddled reports suggested there was still a monarch on the throne albeit a young one.

And all this was before addressing the matter of the Fright Zone proper. Princess Scorpia, the Kingdoms rightful ruler by pre-Horde law, had shown no inclination to rule over the area. She had been the target of far too many wars of conquest to try & claim another Kingdoms land & Plumeria only wished to see its pre-war borders restored meaning the two Runestone Kingdoms that bordered the Fright Zone had no interest in claiming it. Likewise with their Crownless neighbors. Phlax had no interest in expansion while BLackmoor was only prepared to take enough to secure its borders in case of an outbreak of lawlessness. Only Salineas which had never shared a border with the landlocked Fright Zone had demanded territory in the form of a port along the southern border. Historically the port had belonged to Silverglade which meant that the Fright Zone wasn't even going to be the nation that felt the effect the most.

Indeed every nation along the Western coast would suffer far worst damage as Salinean merchants absorbed all the trade in those waters. Angella had never truly approved of the plan but she couldn't offer the Salineans anything to counter the immense profits they stood to gain & they were too important an ally to challenge while the war reged on so she'd begrudgingly accepted their terms. She at least had projects in the works which stood to alleviate the damage somewhat. She owed the Western nations that much.

But Angella hadn't come to the War Room to further torture herself over how to to balance the politics of Etheria after the Horde finally went down in defeat. No, she'd come to torture herself over a different matter entirely.

Over the years the Horde's strategy seemed to be to attack whichever Kingdom they deemed to be the most vulnerable at that particular moment. The Crownless were all but ignored & the Rebellion was treated as something akin to a nuisance. Lord Adora had seemingly changed the Horde's priorities. Now the Runestone Kingdoms -particularly the Princesses- were being avoided at all cost while the Rebels felt the full brunt of the Horde's assault. This, Angella could understand. The Rebels were easily the weaker of the forces arrayed against the Horde. It was the most obvious plan, so obvious Angella couldn't help but wonder why they hadn't tried something similar long ago.

What she couldn't understand was their new tactic regarding the Crownless. Catra & Castasplella's trip to Giant Roost's was supposed to shine light on the matter but if anything had muddied the waters further. The fact that the Horde -who had at one point desecrated the remains of the Halfmoon legend Saz just to break the Duchies will- would feel the compulsion to apologize for a non-lethal incident that occurred over two decades ago staggered belief. And yet that was the information her daughter & sister-in-law had brought back.

Angella cast her gaze over the holomap. It displayed an image of every nation on the continent. Before they'd departed, Bow had arranged it to have special icons over all the nations the Horde's emissary -the woman named Shakra- had visited & had even shown her how to do it. Four such icons hovered over four Crownless nations. Galacia, Octopus Cove, Seaworthy & now, the first icon she'd had to place herself, The Federation of Phlax. Four nations that shared little in common other than their status as Crownless.

She decided to go down the list one at a time starting with Galacia. Why would the Horde care about making peace with Galacia? They were much too far away to have any effect on the fighting & no inclination to even try. Their only natural resource they had in abundance was iron which the Fright Zone produced in sufficient quantity & quality to supply the Horde's war effort. Aside from that, the only thing that truly set Galacia apart was the prestige they'd earned from defeating Snow.

Angella felt a wave of realization wash over her. That was the reason for the Horde's visit. Galacia had the most prestige of any Crownless nation, the kind that meant when they signed the treaty with the Horde everyone had paid attention. And that kind of attention could provide an opportunity to those wise enough to see it. Catra had insisted the move was a diversion but what if it had been meant as a signal? A signal that the new Horde could be reasoned with.

Deciding to follow this line of thought she turned to the Horde Emissary's next journey. The Cove & Seaworthy. Salineas' wayward settlements had joined in their mother country's raids against Horde shipping which this Shakra woman would doubtlessly be looking to stop. Casta wasn't wrong about the esteem Galacia & the Cove felt for each other. Angella could believe that a successful treaty would make the pirates of the Cove listen to what the Horde had to say. Though they must've offered something more tempting to get an agreement. Seaworthy would have been more difficult. They'd never been as passionate about their status as Crownless as their neighbors to the point that many of their citizens readily claimed Mermista as their Princess. They'd even supported Snows during the Galacian War of Independence, though that was more to spite the Cove than anything. Still Seaworthy was as much a city of Greed as the Cove & Angella didn't doubt a deal could be reached. Prime Minister Arkion had just called a special session of their parliament & she had a feeling they were going to be getting a clearer picture regarding Horde/Seaworthy relations soon.

Which brought her to what was easily the most confusing treaty yet. Unlike Galacia, whom had only suffered minor damage, Or two Pirate cities who were actually the aggressors in their interaction with the Horde, Phlax had actually suffered at the hands of the Horde. The Horde had been seriously preparing for a major offensive before the Alliance had mustered enough strength to draw them away. For the Federation to actually agree to a peace treaty after such unwarranted aggression, The Horde must've offered something too tempting to refuse.

Of greater concern still she realized, Phlax was different than all the others on the list so far. Galacia had renown but was so isolated & low on resources it couldn't take advantage of that fact. Phlax was located in the heart of the continent, its borders reaching from the Fright Zone controlled Green Thatch to Snows & everyone in between including Bright Moon. Whereas Seaworthy & the Cove were mere citystates with all the limitations that status brought, Phlax was a nation defined by its potential. Between The Hive's skill at tech, Colonia's status as a grower of crops (not to mention the trove of First Ones tech they were rumored to be sitting on), Phlax itself hosting its own school of magic, Blue Mountains unique stone export that aided in construction & the nation as a whole sitting on a number of trade routes the Federation had the ability to become the most Powerful of the Crownless nations. And the Horde had means at their disposal to aid in several of these areas predominately tech.

She'd have to check her sources in the Federation, as well as ask Netossa to do the same but if Angella was right than the Horde's recent actions weren't simply the desperate acts of a dying power but instead represented a fundamental shift in how the Horde would be operating going forward. She would have word sent to the other members of the Alliance immediately, they had serious matters to discuss.

"Here are the files you requested ma'am" Said the young Crescent Elf placing the requested documents on her desk.

"Thank you Romeo. That will be all for now"

Her assistant departed her office with a crisp salute leaving her alone in her sparsely decorated office. It had been a few days since the Horde contingent had returned from the Federation. Lord Adora had gotten her sister the Spirit Ember securely placed in a special containment area from which her Princess Lord could safely draw on its power. It had seemed to settle the younger woman's emotions considerably. She'd still been quite cheerful though so much so she'd given Shakra a gift. A new walking stick, that could retract into itself for greater storage. It had a steel base & one of the tubes had been reinforced further with wood which would, Lord Adora said, allow the cane to function as a self dense weapon. Her guards would also see an improvement to their gear. Honestly Shakra was flattered by her Lords seeming concern.

With a grin, Shakra turned her attention to the files on her desk. She was contemplating the next stop on her tour of the Crownless nations & had requested the files on the three she'd decided would make the next logical step. She scanned the titles attached to each document. Each nation could be reached by traveling through the Federation & it was determined that her first trip would be alongside the first of Horde experts traveling to Phlax to examine the extent of the aid that would be needed as well as deliver their new Minor Runestone, The Ruby of Knowledge where its healing talents would be put to use aiding Phlax's healers expand their abilities to heal a persons mind as well as their body.

The Twin Kingdoms of Highpoint and Condor: The argument for making peace with the duel-kingdom was clear. They were the primary source of military equipment the Rebellion had in their possession. This was achieved through the Twin Kingdoms using reading its own law in such a insanely permissive manner that their two wild Princesses, Netossa & Spinnerella, were able to claim the equipment as part of what was essentially a government paid retainer. A stipend paid so the government could on occasion ask the Princesses to use their power on their nations behalf. One would think the Princesses sense of duty to their home would make that go beyond the need for payment but still, Shakra couldn't help but be impressed by the sheer nerve of everyone involved to use such a blatantly nonsensical plan. Apparently the move was needed because of an isolationist streak among the nations elite. Getting the stipend annulled would be the ideal result but Shakra would be glad to settle for getting it modified as to not include weapons that could be used against Horde troops. But those same Princesses represented the greatest obstacle. For a Crownless nation to have a single Wild Princess was a massive rise in prestige, two was almost unheard of. The two women were tremendously popular in their homeland, they had even received a state wedding! Worse the two were the closest things the Rebellion had to actual leadership thanks in large part to the supplies they passed around.

Spikeheart: Homeland of the titanic race known as Trolls, located in the Dark Mountains. At a glance, the Trolls actually seemed like a natural ally. Historic prejudice had long kept them out of Etherian politics. No one spoke to them unless they had to & their neighbors had been known to go to great lengths to do so. With all they'd been through, an alliance with the Horde, which prided itself on the equality within its rank, seemed like the obvious route. Unfortunately that same hostility prevented contact. The trolls had faced so few attempts at genuine interaction from outsiders -and much of the outside interaction they did get ended in betrayal- they had outright forbid anyone from entering their lands & likewise had taken no action during the war, although a few had still found their way into the Rebellion. Still there was a good opportunity for trade there & having a race of giants think well of you couldn't hurt. Plus a treaty with such an isolationist power would remove all doubts about the Horde's commitment to peace.

And last but not least....

The Kingdom of Blackmoor: The Kingdom that had proposed forming the Great Rebellion after the liberation of the Runestone Duchies. Which the Princesses had promptly thanked them for by renaming it after themselves. They then watched as those same Princesses retreated after it became clear that the Horde wouldn't fold under their might, retreating back to their palaces while the children of Blackmoor continued to trudge through the swamps that marked their borders to continue the battle. Indeed Shakra could confess a certain admiration for Blackmoor, who had never yielded after all these years & showed no signs of doing so. Alas her admiration wasn't retuned & decades of conflict had left Blackmoor unequaled in the level of disdain it held for the Horde. Thankfully, the sheer lack of respect shown by the Runestone Kingdoms -to the point they overwhelmingly refused to refer to the Kingdom as a Kingdom- combined with their previous abandonment of the fight meant that Blackmoor's disdain if the Runestone Kingdoms almost equaled the vitriol they held towards the Horde. Though as was often the case, Bright Moon proved a frustrating exception, albeit barely. That resentment, combined with Shakra's knowledge of the damage that the Salineas' plans would cause -damage Blackmoor couldn't yet be aware of- gave her a chance, however slim, to strike a deal. She hoped it was enough.

Of course Shakra would visit all these nations in time but for now, she had to choose which to visit first & she chose.....