//------------------------------// // Chapter 11 // Story: Tribunal // by Carnifaxy //------------------------------// The airships waited until day break before making the final approach to the Black Iron Fortress. A marvel of modern siege craft and architecture, it was impenetrable from the ground given the long, winding paths up the mountains. Approaching from above without the authority to do so wasn't easy either, most of the castle closed off save the occasional balcony situated in the main keep. Getting there without being noticed would be impossible however, as Lord Nikola ensured there was never a cloud in the sky for his guards to keep an eye out. What defenses could be seen were difficult to point out, but the dozen or so griffon guards along the top of one of the corner towers with crossbows were evidence enough that there was plenty to try and protect the lair of the lord if push came to shove. The airships would be easy targets if the order to attack came. Two guards were waving flags to direct the airships to land over at the carefully hidden mooring rigs. As the airships pulled in Slaar noticed right away that they were situated in such a manner that more griffons could fire bolts at them. That more guards did appear, fully armed and aiming at them, only proved the idea. Gilda puffed out her feathers and adjusted the iron crown on her head. She gathered up her courage before she squawked at the guards. “I am Queen Ermengild Roc of the Goldenclaw Aerie and I have come to meet with Lord Nikola of the Black Iron Mountains!” The guards were quiet for a moment before their commander, an nondescript griffon with a tabard over his metal breastplate compared to the other guards just having plates, motioned for the others to stand down. “We recognize you, Queen Ermengilda. Only yourself, Prince Slaar, and Princess Luna may step inside the castle. The rest of your guards and servants must remain on your airships.” “Hold on now, I go nowhere without my court mage!” Slaar said, putting an arm around Vincent. “Surely you could handle four of us just as easily as if it were just three! Your are Lord Nikola's personal house guard after all, the best in all of Griffdonia!” The commander preened a little at the praise, even as he eyed the human wizard warily. “We can ask Lord Nikola, but I can assure no promises.” “Very well, that is acceptable.” Slaar and Gilda dressed in the finest they could. Not just her iron crown but also a cape of red velvet trimmed with fox fur and rings on all of her fingers. Slaar had dressed in fine silks from the distant lands of Neighpon, his own golden regalia situated comfortably on his person. Even Princess Luna was reunited with her crown, peytral, and shoes. Together the three of them were escorted through the halls of the griffon fortress. Gilda tried to be brave, any faltering would seriously hamper her standing. Luna kept her eyes forward while Slaar looked around in curiosity, noting the various trophies hanging on the walls. His eyes narrowed at how many there were, and how varied. The group walked in silence as they were led to the main hall and saw Lord Nikola sitting upon his throne, paying them no mind as he discussed something with his seneschal. “Those mercenaries want to be paid per pony they're out of their Roc-damned minds. Those mongrels wouldn't know what a good price for their work is worth after spending so much time among the zebras frolicking in the fucking mud thinking they're warriors. You tell them the contracts is for a set period of time, they won't get a copper more you hear!” The seneschal nodded. “Of course my lord, of course. Oh, it seems the guests have arrived.” The older griffons sneered at the three before he bowed out to leave. Lord Nikola snorted out as he leaned forward in his seat and eyed Gilda with sheer contempt. “You look like you still need to be in the nest. What makes a cub like you think you can be queen of Griffdonia? You might as well abdicate to me right now.” He said with a dismissive snort. Nikola snapped his talons. “Hand over the crown then. I've no time for foolish hens that don't know their place.” His sheer audacity caught them all off guard as the large griffon sat there waiting, as if he actually expected Gilda to hand the crown over. She puffed out her feathers again and looked Nikola right in the eye. “No.” “No? Stupid hen, no griffon has been able to usurp my rule here since I took control of the Black Iron Mountains save for Agathon, and you are no Agathon. Yet you come here, with his fool and his murderer, to do what? Intimidate me?” Nikola got off of his throne and approached them, showing just how much bigger he was than Gilda. From Slaar's reckoning, he was truly monstrous in size. He wondered if Chrysalis had run away, or perhaps Nikola had slain her. Such a beast of a griffon would be difficult for even a changeling queen to try to get a handle of. Gilda didn't move, she kept looking up at Nikola. Gold met red and didn't shy away. She couldn't show weakness, not in front of Nikola himself. “In that case, hen, I must challenge you for the throne of Griffdonia. Single combat, no calling for champions. Prove your worth, as little as it is. Perhaps I shall toss you to my guards afterwards. They've never had an ex-queen before.” There was no cruel smile, no mocking tone. Lord Nikola looked deathly serious as he spoke to Gilda so brazenly. “Where and when?” She asked, her hackles raised. “Tomorrow at noon in the peaks.. If you want food I hope you brought some with you. I do not deal with freeloaders.” Luna cleared her throat. “So your stores are so poor that you cannot accommodate for guests? That is a bad sign for a hunter.” Nikola glowered. “I will not allow a murderer to speak of me in a such a manner!” The night princess didn't let up. “The Black Iron Mountains are known for their prodigious wealth, was that a lie perhaps, to make yourself seem more important? Honestly, lacking even food to feed guests. Challenge or no, the queen of Griffdonia is here under your roof and your disregard for Agathon's heir will certainly make the other lords not look kindly upon you. Forsaking the ancient laws of the flock that the Roc had given unto your kind... Shameful.” The large griffon's wings flared out and he let out a terrible screech at Luna, who remained unperturbed. “To Tartarus with the Roc and his laws!” Nikola shouted out. Gilder interjected. “So you're forsaking the foundations of our laws? Are you claiming that you're rebelling against Griffdonia in front of its currently lawful monarch and one of her allies, nullifying your own challenge to claim the throne, opening yourself to be treated as a rebel and not a lord?” His countenance didn't change, still full of contempt and fury, but he took a step back. “You miserable fools. As soon as that crown is upon my head I shall seen you executed for murdering Agathon. Commander! Take the three to a room. They want hospitality then we shall give them some.” True to his word the room they had to share was small even for one occupant. And he refused to let them go back to the airships for anything at all, saying that the moment they stepped on board his hospitality would be over and they would have to leave. It was not an ideal situation for any of them, but from all of Agathon's stories of Nikola the old griffon was supremely unpleasant for everyone. There was a small fireplace, and a bed big enough for one griffon. No dressers, nowhere to hang anything up. A small window was all that was in the wall to look outside. “I really hate that bird.” Slaar said as he staked his claim of floor and leaned on the wall. “If you had asked, Gilda, I would have just swooped down and crushed him in my claws.” “Oh gee thanks for telling me that now.” The griffon said with a roll of her eyes. “And what happened to that stupid bug anyways, didn't you tell her to come here?” As soon as she said that there was a knock on the door before a pretty griffon with green eyes sauntered in with plates of food for them all. She gave them all a big grin as she closed the door behind her, then her mood instantly dropped along with his disguise. “I can't believe I listened to you.” Chrysalis hissed at Slaar, even as she gave him food first. “Nikola is nothing but contempt and base urges. I can sustain myself off of him, but it's nothing like feeding from a human or a pony.” Slaar took notice of the wounds on Chrysalis' exoskeleton and he grimaced. “Oh gods you've been sleeping with him.” Gilda started to fake gag as she took her plate while Luna watched on with amusement. “How else am I supposed to harvest love from a damned monster like him?” The changeling snarled. “Feeding love from others is easy, but I can't hypnotize him. His mind is like the iron he mines.” Chrysalis blinked as she turned and noticed that Gilda was right behind her. Her horn started to spark green right as the griffon grappled onto her, talons digging into chitin. “Hey, get off of me! Slaar!” Her hoof came up, smacking Gilda in the face only for the feathered queen to snap her beak at the leg and got her upper beak through one of the holes and started to bite down hard. Chrysalis yowled in pain and her horn flared once more, only for Luna to saunter over and give the changeling a kick to the head to daze her. The changeling's magic sputtered off and she groaned from the blow. Gilda pulled her beak from Chrysalis' leg and growled. “Why did you kill my father?” Slaar felt his throat go dry as he watched. For her part, the changeling queen blinked to refocus her vision and saw Luna and Gilda over her and she took a moment to process the question. “T-to spark a war with Equestria. But, he wasn't supposed to die!” She claimed, only to get a backhand from Gilda. “It's true!” Talons wrapped around Chrysalis' throat and Gilda squeezed down hard. “And who benefits?” Gilda snarled out. Choking as she was made it hard for the changeling to answer, so Luna gently touched Gilda's arm for the griffon to ease up a little. “Who doesn't benefit?” Chrysalis wheezed out. “My changelings would be able to infiltrate and harvest love more readily. Griffons would love to have another go at Equestria's military might!” Her eyes went to Slaar. “And it helps bring humanity back to the forefront, to rub their faiths in the faces of the princesses even after you abandoned them to die!” She gave Luna a wicked smile, showing off her fangs. That just earned her another hoof to the face. “So it seems we have the culprit of Agathon's murder, and she readily confessed to it. What is your punishment for her, your highness?” Luna asked, keeping her eyes on the bug on the ground. Gilda's talons sank into Chrysalis' neck, causing green blood to dribble out. Her whole body trembled as the changeling gasped and wheezed, limbs trying to flail about to escape. She held that position for several long moments before letting go and backing away, looking at the blood on her hands. “I-I can't do it.” She said in a small voice. “I want to kill you. I want to make you suffer.” “Killing is hard, the first time.” Slaar said as he knelt down beside Chrysalis to check the wounds. “Killing prey for food should make it easier. Why, you could just snap her neck and be done with it yes? What of you, Princess Luna? Do you pass judgment on her for the murder of Agathon, for her attempted conquest of Equestria?” Luna looked up to see Slaar staring right at her and she frowned. “Celestia did not want her executed. Myself, I do not particularly care either way, to be honest. I know little of Cadance and her husband other than their close connection to Twilight Sparkle. Kill Chrysalis, or let her live.” Chrysalis hissed and bit Slaar's hand, sinking her fangs in enough to draw blood. He growled out as he pulled his hand from her mouth and bled onto the floor. The changeling didn't say a thing, her eyes roiling with anger and dribbles of red running down her cheek. He clenched his hand into a fist before he roughly pulled Chrysalis back up onto her hooves. “Just, go. Go back to your damnable hive. Go back to your people.” The changeling flicked her mane as she kept her eyes on Slaar. “I want to see how Queen Gilda's fight with Nikola ends. I am, curious.” She gave another grin. “I truly wish I could help, but I suppose you're all tired with me interfering, so I'm content to watch for now.” Chrysalis could feel the mix of negative emotions in the room, and despite it normally being bitter and disgusting she could still savor it coming from them. Then her eyes widened as she saw Slaar raise his leg, ready to kick her. She managed to jump to the side as his foot came down where she had been standing and with the force of an earth pony he cracked the floor. For a moment he could see fear in the changeling's eyes and instantly he felt remorse for trying to crush her. Chrysalis slipped back, donning her griffon guise before she rushed out of the room panting in fear. “Was that truly necessary, Prince Slaar?” Luna asked as she poked at the small crater in the floor. Without answering Slaar walked back to his food, sat down. As he ate he looked absolutely miserable, shoveling the food in to try and distract himself. “I need wine. Preferably lots of it.” The changeling queen had fled some distance and a few halls down before ducking inside some other empty room. Chrysalis stamped her hooves on the ground, brewing in anger. “That miserable, ungrateful whelp!” She hissed and snarled. “How much of this is his fault?! My hive wouldn't be starving if he didn't keep us from feeding on humans, I never should have taken up that offer for this Tribunal business!” She jabbed her horn into the bed repeatedly, imagining that it was his stupid, smug face. And then in her anger she saw the flash of a little blue dragon, eyes full of tears. Her face contorted in in a mix of disgust, anger, and sorrow. “Damn you Alms. Damn you to Tartarus.” The morning came, Slaar and Luna waking up on the hard floor while Gilda was already worrying over every little detail she could. The pony princess walked up to the griffon and whispered softly to her while Slaar stood up. “Lord Nikola will be the greatest challenge you shall face.” Luna said softly. “He will be relentless and ferocious. You must keep to heart what will happen to you should you fail.” Gilda's feathers fluffed out as she walked out, nodding glumly at the pony's words. Even with all the other lords having pledged allegiance that would all come crashing down like an avalanche should Nikola defeat her. Can defeat her. Will defeat her. The sound of the door opening up took her out of her dark thoughts and she watched as Chrysalis in her griffon guise place down three plates of food for the three of them. Her green eyes trailed across the griffon, pony, and disguised dragon before she looked to the ground as she scooted backwards. “Good luck to you today, Queen Gilda.” She looked out into the hallway for a brief moment. “Lord Nikola's age has been catching up with him. His joints get achy if a storm draws too close. I don't know if that can help you very much, but it's why he keeps the skies around here clear all the time.” She closed the door on the way out, leaving them all to eat in silence and contemplate. Time passed as they ate their breakfast in silence until they all finished. As soon as breakfast was put away Gilda got up and made sure she was presentable and took in a deep breath. “It's not yet noon, but we should get this started. I want to be out of here.” “Of course, Queen Gilda. We're behind you all the way.” Slaar said. The three of them walked out and made their way to the land entrance of the fortress, feeling the cold wind whip through the halls. The guards paid them no mind as they walked right up to the barred door. The guard commander made his presence known as he walked over and motioned for the door to be opened. “You're all early. Milord was not expecting such, but he is pleasantly surprised. He said 'that damn hen wants to be humiliated this early? Fine!'” He cleared his throat. “Do you know your way to the Roc Peak? It's that mountain there. You know the legends, Queen Gilda. Good luck to you, and may the Roc bless your hunt.” The griffon watched in curiosity as the guard commander walked away only to see Luna and Slaar going outside. “What is the legend?” Luna asked as she looked upon the peak in the distance. Her eyes narrowed as the glare of sunlight reflected off of the snow. Even from the harsh light she could see the peak looked like something had gouged chunks from it, and not from wind and weather. “That when the Roc swept down from the heavens it was that peak that he first rested on. He saw that the area was harsh and unforgiving, and perfect for his children, we griffons, to claim as ours. But we needed hot blood and raw flesh to feed on, and he looked out to the west, to the Fangs and past them, where soft little ponies ran around. He led his children to learn to hunt prey, until the day came where the other old ones gathered together to shackle the Roc and teach his children humility. Since then, eating another creature that can speak is punished by shackling the offender at the peak of a mountain until they die.” Luna hmmed as she raised a wing to shield her eyes from the sunlight, surprising Slaar in that she was unbound. “Do you know the other old ones, Queen Gilda, Prince Slaar?” “Should we? It was so long ago, few can remember those days I wager.” Slaar said with a shrug as the rough terrain made it difficult for him to walk as a man. “I only know of the Roc, Minos, and Faust. Those were the biggest ones from legends.” Gilda admitted as she jumped into the air to hover. “Yes. The Roc, progenitor of the griffons. The great bull Minos who fathered the minotaurs. Lady Faust, the first alicorn. Despite what some may think, she is not my mother though I will admit she had a role in my birth. There were many others. The six great dragons, all fallen to my sister and I. Triton, who spawned the seaponies only to rest in the Great Abyss and never rise again. There are some even I do not recall fully however. Some creatures like the changelings do not have an old one, as far as we know. As it is, their queens have been rather reticent on their origins.” A shadow passed over them, making them look up to see Nikola heading for the Roc's Peak. Gilda's gaze followed him as he made it to the peak and stopped on it. The large griffon let out a cry that echoed across the mountaintops, a challenge issued to the queen. As the wind whipped Gilda undid the clasp of her cloak and let it dance through the air as she took off to the mountain, her eyes focused on Nikola. The gusts of wind across the mountainous terrain were strong, any weaker flier would have been tossed about. It was still a struggle for Gilda to acclimate to them and it made her trepidation only grow. She felt her wings get caught in a gust and had to tuck them in fast, losing altitude as she awkwardly managed to land on the other side of the Roc's Peak. Her and Nikola made eye contact and flared their wings out. Her heart was beating hard in her chest. They both took in deep breaths, to initiate the challenge with the traditional cry for battle. The power of the Roc's Cry could be hard for one to control. As Gilda let loose the power deep in her chest welled up and exploded, overpowering Nikola's own call. Snow rippled across the caps from the force of the Cry, dislodging enough little chunks for several avalanches to begin falling. The unintentional force disorientated Gilda, and shocked Nikola. He watched as the chunks of snow and ice fell, growing larger and larger. His ears hurt as well, but he couldn't let her know that. As Gilda recovered from using the Cry her eyes widened as Nikola flapped right at her. The battle for the crown had begun. She ducked around the side of the peak as he came to her, his talons scraping across stones and ice. With his size he needed to take more time to slow down and turn, giving Gilda the time to bolt down the mountain, grabbing up a fistful of snow. It was soft and powdery, which made her grimace as she tried to pack it in. She saw his shadow come over her and she quickly corkscrewed to gain speed then angled up her right wing to bank left. The ball of snow was brought up under one of her arms to help heat it up. Nikola was still close behind her, the mammoth of a griffon reaching out with his hands to try and grab onto her. Her tail just flitted out of reach when she banked left. He had to shift his weight enough to follow her, his eyes narrowed. A strong gust of wind blew across them, knocking Gilda off course while Nikola had better control. The gust was a blessing for her, taking her further away from him. With an irritated noise he tucked his wings in enough to slow to change his angle of chase. “You have to fight me!” He shouted as he kept up his pace after her. She was flying faster than he was, but he had the years and experience on his side. When she flipped around to fly upside down he furrowed his brow in confusion. When the snowball slammed into his beak and snow covered his eyes he squawked in rage. His wings pumped and with surprising speed he zipped right up to Gilda, talons flashing. She let out her own squawk of pain, her head twisting at the last second. Hot blood soaked over her left eye as she grimaced and kicked upwards, both feet connecting with Nikola's stomach. He let out a sharp noise as the air was driven out of his lungs and he barrel rolled, claws grasping at the mountain to stall his flight and to catch his breath. She swooped on in return like a proper bird of prey, her talons extended and her left eye shut. Her angle was sharp and she was fast. Nikola took a deep breath and slashed upwards at Gilda's descent. She had taken in a deep breath on the way down, and just before impact she spread her wings out wide to come to a sudden stop. The Cry was just as ear-splitting as before and Nikola could only endure the pain echoing through his skull. But Gilda was stopped and close to him. His legs kicked off of the mountain and he slashed at her again, talons slicing across her chest. Gilda cried out in pain and kicked him again, her claws extending out of her foot as she cut across Nikola's belly. His voice got caught in his throat as he felt the pain blossom across his gut. He fell backwards away from her, grabbing at his stomach and seeing that she had cut his belly but didn't rip it open. The old lord blinked and glowered at the hen as she backed away to another mountain, her flying haphazard from the pain in her face and chest. He chased after her soon after, eyes narrowed in rage. Just as he came up to her she turned around, tossing a huge sheet of snow and ice onto him. Nikola squawked out in confusion and cried in anger as the snow weighed him down. He saw she started to run down the mountain and he shook as much snow off as he could before he took off after her. Gilda flew down in a straight line, tossing up snow behind her. Keeping after her wasn't hard, but maneuvering with a bleeding belly was difficult and more snow hit against him. He took a handful of snow to press against his wounds to ice the pain enough to pick up speed after her. They flew down, down the mountain side and right to the tree line. The trees were densely packed together, making it difficult for a griffon as large as Nikola to dive through them as well as Gilda could. She dove into the forest and he had to slow down and circle above, his red eyes narrowing. His wings began to itch as he could feel the snow and ice start to melt into his furs, making him fluff them out in irritation. Keen hunter eyes saw a lot of movement in the forest. Something riled up the animals, no doubt to distract him. There was a low rumble and he kept his eyes on the forest below. It was up to Gilda to come to him, he was no fool. He kept circling around slowly and tried to figure out what she was trying to do. Slowly a mist began to fill the forest and he began to hover in place as he watched before he let out a guffaw. “She's making clouds? Stupid hen, what could clouds possibly help her with?” He snorted out in derision. His wings began to pump hard, displacing air to try and disperse the mist. From his height it would seem almost impossible, but his size made up for it. The mist began to lessen until Gilda came rocketing out of the forest right underneath of Nikola. Her beak opened up wide and she let out another Cry right at him, the flow of the air being disrupted by the shockwave of her voice. Nikola gaped in surprise and as the Cry hit his wings his flying was hampered, the large griffon struggling to maintain his position until he came down. His aim was true however, and he made sure to come down right on top of Gilda. She let out a trill of terror as his larger bulk collided with her, pulling them both down into the mist filled forest. Branches snapped beneath the pair and they both landed hard, Nikola on top of her. They both groaned in pain, and Nikola winced and hissed as he felt her talons and claws cutting into him. He pulled off, for the first time in a long time feeling woozy. Adrenaline and blood loss mixed together to make a potent feeling of dizziness. Gilda groaned in pain, one of her wings crushed from the fall after hitting several branches and having Nikola on top of her. Her back was sore, but she could still move her legs. Stumbling up onto all fours she took in a deep breath and focused. The pain shooting through her spine from her wing was intense. The mist around them was weak, and so she took in another deep breath. The mist came in closer around them, growing thicker. With only one working wing she had trouble turning the mist into a proper fog, but soon enough it had grown thick enough to make it hard for either her or Nikola to see. With his own wounds it was already difficult for Nikola to keep his eyes focused, but now as the air grew dense with moisture he could feel an almost forgotten sensation begin in his joints. With another screech from the queen, the fog rumbled around them and sparks flew. A clap of thunder and a bolt of lightning, the sizzling energy hitting the tree next to Nikola and charring the wood, weakening the trunk and making it tilt. Gilda came charging out of the fog and Nikola swiped at her, missing by inches. As she ran around his side he turned, giving another swipe and slashing at the charred trunk. The wood groaned, then snapped and despite the haze he knew enough to dive out of the way. Blinking in the growing darkness of the fog he took in a deep breath. He could feel his fur begin to stand up on end as another crackle of lightning came shooting through the fog. It went past him, but close enough to singe feathers and fur. His joints began to ache more as the humidity of the fog seeped into him. Panting he grabbed onto a tree and began to climb up it, to try and get out of the fog and into open air. As soon as he broke the fog bank he felt the same sensation of electricity and cried out as the bolt of energy shot right into his spine and passed into the tree. Shaken up and feeling like he was on fire, Nikola dropped into the fog with a crash. The fog slowly dissipated as Gilda limped over to the fallen griffon, her right wing drooping from the breaks. Her breathing was hard and ragged as she looked on her fallen foe. “Do... you... yield?” He looked at her with one eye, beak agape and breathing harshly but not speaking. Pain and tiredness filled Gilda as she took another step to him. His hand shot out, grabbing at her wrist and rolling to throw Gilda into the nearest tree. She let out a cry of surprise that turned into a sharp squeal of pain as she landed on her already broken wing. “N-never. You stupid hen.” Nikola hissed as he unsteadily got onto his feet, glowering at her. “You have been, impressive. But it is time to put you in your place.” She winced as he got closer, struggling to breath. She couldn't do another Cry with her being so unfocused, in such pain. And then his hand wrapped around her throat and began to squeeze. Gilda grasped at his hand, trying to pry his fingers off from her neck. Spots formed in her eyes as blood was constricted from her head. He pulled her off of the tree and slammed her down hard against it and there was a crack as one of the upper branches snapped off. Nikola tried to throw her aside to move out of the way, but it came down too fast. The branch nicked at Gilda's other wing and arm but the bulk of it landed firmly onto Nikola's arm and there was another crack, this time of his arm being bent in a way it shouldn't be. He screeched in pain as his arm went limp. Without thinking he yanked it from underneath the branch and snarled in pain, forced to keep his left arm at his side. The wound was awful enough that he could feel blood pour out of it and he looked on Gilda with a burning anger that could not be easily satiated. Nikola approached her, his breath coming out hot and heavy as he looked down at the beaten and broken hen before him. She was breathing hard and fast and he let out a vicious snarl as he raised his good arm up, flashing his talons. He swung down, intent on ending this. Gilda looked up at him, her chest puffed full of air. She let out the Roc's Cry. Various griffons circled high over the forest they had seen their lord disappear into and had hear the final Cry. Slaar and Luna also watched from above, the prince and princess hovering in the air as they watched and waited patiently to see the end. “Look, there they are!” A griffon called out. Sure Queen Gilda was coming out of the dense cluster of trees, dragging the still form of Lord Nikola out into the open. There were squawks of surprise from the griffons as they rapidly descended, some congratulating Gilda for her victory, others trying to make sense of Lord Nikola's defeat. Slaar couldn't resist but let out a roar of delight at the sight of Gilda's unexpected victory. Luna was much more subdued with just a smile and the two flew down to join her. Gilda was in bad shape, bloodied and bruised with a broken wing. Nikola had several deep scratches and a broken arm, and burst eardrums. Both were worried over by griffons, well prepared with medicines and salves. While Nikola lay there insensate his arm was put back into order and splinted, and Gilda's wing was treated likewise which elicited an angry hiss from the pain. She watched as the dragon and alicorn approached her and then bowed to her. “Hail, Queen Gilda of Griffdonia!” Slaar said. “Hail, Queen of Gold and Black Iron!” Luna said. The griffons, even those attending Nikola, cried out. “Hail, Queen Ermengilda Roc!” She couldn't do much else but look at the ground with a weary smile. Then she collapsed.