Amelia and Ophelia: The Former Grand Duchess and Saintess.

As the two months passed, the day had finally arrived to announce the ambitions of the growing nation. On a cold and breezy morning, with the clouds in the sky blocking out the sun but allowing enough sunlight to pour through and light up the place, the dual monarchs stood on a balcony of their palace Raven's Rock before a large crowd that stretched on across the entire city, with people packing the streets, sitting or standing on the rooftops or even hovering in the sky, all eyes were on the dual monarchs and the message they were going to give today. 

The dual monarchs were dressed in fine and flowing black dresses with Ophelia's dress having a black overcoat that made her look sharp while Amelia's dress had a black shawl that had red and gold accents that snugly wrapped around her, 

"Seems that the day has finally arrived" Amelia remarked as she looked out at the crowd standing before the palace 

"Yep, a whole year of preparation for this one moment...I like to believe that we are ready" Ophelia stated as she did the same 

"Oh we are, both of us made sure of it. With the rapid foundation you laid, there was almost nothing stopping us from getting to this point. That head of yours full of ideas is a blessing" The blonde empress said as she looked at her beloved and cupped her cheeks 

"I thank you, but I failed to hear what you contributed, are you selling yourself short again dear?" 

"Hehehe, you know me too well...If I must note something, I could say the establishment of the Adventurer's Guild is one purely from my own thoughts" 

"Indeed it is love, and do you know how helpful the guild you set us has been for us?" Ophelia said as she gave her wife a heartfelt smile

"I can only imagine" Amelia replied as she gave her own smile, moving in closer for a kiss

{!}

But before the dual monarchs could do so, the door behind them opened up and a familiar pair of head maids walked out to greet them 

"I hope we are not interrupting anything Your Majesties, but I would like to report that the broadcasting system is ready all across the empire. Everyone is waiting" Percy said as she bowed her head, hiding a small grin she had inside 

"I see, thank you Percy. Impeccable timing as always" The raven-haired empress remarked as she looked over at her 

"Thank you for the compliment Your Majesty, I truly try to be as punctual as a head maid need be" The kitsune head maid replied with a cheeky smirk and a bow 

"The Imperial Council is also ready and assembled as ordered Your Majesties. They are awaiting the speech that is to come soon" Mercy added as she looked at Amelia 

"Thank you Mercy, is there anything else left for us to be concerned or notified with?" 

"Nothing else Your Majesties" The dragonkin head maid replied with a bow 

"Alright, then I guess we shall get started" 

.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Stepping forward and activating the magic crystal mic before them, the dual monarchs looked out to the crowd before them as the cold wind returned to normal and the snow gently fell down. They saw the faces of men, women, children and the elderly all eagerly waiting for their address, all of them laser-focused on the announcement that was to be made today about the future of the empire and the continent as a whole, they even saw some of the magic camera crews all aiming their gear up at them, they wanted the entire empire to hear this message and hear it they shall. The duo then shared a glance and a nod as they took a deep breath and then spoke

<A/N: Will be labeling it as A or O during the speech for better flow>

[Citizens of the Empire] - O 

[For an entire year, we have been preparing for this one singular moment. A moment that will be solidified in the history of this continent on this side of the world. One that shall define us for eons to come] - O

[That moment revolves around our duty as free men and women, creations who were created equally by our Gods above and below, to eradicate oppression and bring peace and freedom to those who are suffering under the heel of those who wish to exploit those less fortunate. That world has now called for us to fulfill that duty] - A

[Citizens of the Empire. Far, far south of our borders are people who are suffering, suffering due to constant petty squabbles with one another due to their leaders being unable to come to an understanding with one another, but that is not all, for they too suffer under the actions of a bigger evil that has plagued this continent ever since we arrived, an evil known as Slavery] - A

The crowd before them was silent, but the dual monarchs could see a simmering rage hiding beneath the surface. The people of the empire had been informed of the slaver state known as the Dukedom of Abernath in the press releases a few months earlier, but hearing the dual monarchs tell them about it, it felt different, it felt as if it lighted a fire in their hearts, a fire fueled by rage and hatred towards the slavers. 

[This evil, this stain of the continent, must and shall be wiped away by the fires of our retribution. We all know that these slavers have tried in the past to capture our people during the months before the proclamation of our empire, and each time we have been able to eliminate them and have inflicted so many losses that they have decided not to approach the north anymore] - O

[This has allowed us to grow in size and strength and now we have the upper hand, we have the strength to not only unite this continent under our banner, to save those people living under the iron grip of petty warlords posing as tribal leaders, but we also have the strength to banish those slavers, those godless heathens from our lands for good!] - O 

[So rise citizens of the Empire! Rise to fulfill your duty! The people who are suffering have called for aid and the Halkare Empire shall answer! Our nation has been blessed by the Goddess Histy and the God Harcun! Proving that our cause is right and just! We shall unite this continent under our banner and bring forth an age of prosperity and equality for all. We shall reign in those warring tribes and then together we shall free the continent from those slavers, for that is our duty, that is our cause!] - A

[When future generations look back on this day, they shall see us not as conquerors but liberators! They shall see that our cause was righteous and for the betterment of all who were created by our Gods!] - A

[[So hear our orders citizens of the Empire!]] - A&O 

[[March south! March with your heads held high and your spirits in the air! March to bring freedom to those who are less fortunate! March to fulfill the duty you were charged with! March for not only your glory but the glory of the Empire! For together we shall march for a brighter future!]] - A&O 

The crowd before them and across the empire, from individual homes to town and village squares or even in city centers, the people cheered loudly with thunderous applause as they repeated the words "March! March! March!" in unison as they raised a fist into the air with each word. The slow winter air was picking up as well and many eyes turned to the rooftops of the buildings near the palace and the palace itself as poles were suddenly erected and the flag of the empire was raised high, accompanied by their cheering. 

{!}

Suddenly, the skies above and the ground below began projecting a golden light and a purple light respectively. The crowd and the people watching went silent as a woman of unmatched beauty with a golden aura and a demon of unmatched handsomeness with a purple aura appeared from their respective areas and both figures were floating right in front of the dual monarchs, turning to them with a pair of smiles on their faces. The dual monarchs bowed their heads towards the divine beings and were quickly followed by those present in the crowd, with the sight of such an event never before seen in the lives of anyone before. 

"Hahaha! It seems that the day of days is here! I will make it short for all our sakes. I, Harcun, God of the Demons and the God of Destruction, hereby bless you all in your endeavor to unite this continent!"  Harcun bellowed with a hearty laugh 

"And I, Histy, Goddess of Creation, herby bless you all in the same endeavor! Go forth and bring down the fury of the heavens and hell! And do not forget, that we have chosen your monarchs, Amelia Rothild Erstad and Ophelia Erstad as our chosen of this world, so listen well and be faithful to them! Now go citizens of Halkare! Bring forth a new dawn for a new and united continent!" Histy added 

The declarations of their Gods sent shockwaves throughout the empire as the crowds watching everything unfold let loose and roared and cheered, shouting praises to their creators and to the dual monarchs chosen by the Gods themselves. The fire in the hearts of everyone was now burning even brighter and continued on once the dual monarchs left the balcony and the Gods disappeared from view, it was now solidified and witnessed by all, that indeed, the Gods truly were on their side of this endeavor, but each of them knew, that they still needed to do the work as they were taught in these last six months that the Gods couldn't do all the work. 

"That went better than expected, I couldn't believe that the Goddess Histy and Harcun would show up, they just solidified our position" Ophelia remarked as they were now back inside the palace

"Right? Who would have guessed they would come, I thought they were both too busy with their jobs and such" Amelia nodded in agreement 

"Well whatever the case, we now have given our stance and our intention to our people. There is no turning back now" Ophelia stated as the two of them locked arm and arm with one another 

"Indeed. Whatever happens, we face it together. Nothing more and nothing less" 

"You said it, now let's go check on the troops" 

"Righto" 

.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

A few minutes later, Amelia and Ophelia teleported into the command room of Fort Conqueror on the southern border, the main command center of the entire operation. They teleported in a corner of the room facing the center, seeing a bunch of military officers and Marshal Belle overlooking a large table with a map and figurine of the entire continent before standing at attention once the dual monarchs came into view.

"Marshal Belle...are the troops ready?" Ophelia asked as she and her beloved stood before the commander of the military 

"Yes, Your Majesties! The entire army group is awaiting the order to begin the operation" Belle answered as she looked at both of them 

"Good to hear, Marshal. Your new position suits you" Amelia added with a small smile and a nod 

"Indeed. A former Varangian turned Marshal, an upgrade worth giving" Ophelia chimed in with her own nod of approval

"Thank you for your kind words Your Majesties, me and my staff are working hard to ensure everything goes smoothly" 

"As expected of your job Belle, so, what is the situation?" The raven-haired empress asked 

"If you would kindly approach the table and look over the map" Marshal Belle replied as she nodded and gestured to the table behind her, with the dual monarchs moving past and then standing on the opposite side of the table 

"Now, directly south of us within the 5 to 10 miles in range, there are about a dozen or so tribes out of the 32 mapped in this area just before 'The Crossing', we collaborated with the Adventurers Guild and have made an entire Adventurer's Corp of volunteering Adventuring Parties that are acting as our representatives for us while we march southward to meet them" 

"I read from a report that all of these 32 tribes wish to join us unconditionally, is that report correct?" Amelia asked the Marshal

"Yes, those reports were correct Your Majesty. Further scouting parties sent by me and other Adventurer Parties have all confirmed that these 32 tribes within this section of the operation wish to join us without condition and are waiting for our arrival in force to finally swear their loyalty and join the empire" Belle answered with a straight face 

"Hmm, it seems the efforts of your Adventurer's Guild have brought forth more fruit than we expected my dear" The raven-haired empress stated with a smile on her face

"I know right? It really was a good idea" The blonde empress remarked with a proud smile 

{!}

Just then, an officer knocked on the door and entered the room, he bowed and saluted the dual monarchs when he locked eyes with them and then turned to the Marshal and nodded his head, making Belle nod in reply and then turn her gaze back to her monarchs. 

"Seems that our officers are chomping at the bit to get this show on the road Your Majesties. Your orders?" Belle asked with a smile 

"Well, My beloved, what are the orders?" Ophelia asked as she turned to her wife, both of them sharing a smile 

"The order is simple. Begin the March" Amelia ordered as she locked eyes with the Marshal 

"Understood Your Majesties. Order to all armies! Begin the March!" 

"By your command!" The staff in the room replied as they proceeded to their stations 

Once the orders began transmitting from the fort, the armies in their designated waiting areas immediately began to act on their orders. Columns of soldiers wearing grey, thick, and jagged plate armor marched behind contingents of the Black Guard in front of them, the proud flag of the empire was swaying in the wind as they were attached to standards with a golden double-headed dragon sitting atop the staff. The winter wind blew hard but the soldiers showed no sign or reaction to it as they continued forward, the rhythmic thumping of their boots trudging through the snowy path before them acting as an impromptu marching beat. The different sizes and races were apparent as well as the soldiers marched forward, with lamias slithering, arachnia soldiers making more tracks than others, centaurs escorting carriages drawn by their less intelligent cousins of horses, and demonkin and dragonkin soldiers in the sky flying alongside Wyvers, the full military might of the empire was present here and now and was flexing its muscles, showing off strong far the young empire had grown in such a short time.

The dual monarchs had moved from the command room to one of the ramparts of the fort and the two of them saw their soldiers march off to their duties, they would be joining them soon though as the dual monarchs were not going to sit idly by as their forces embarked on a campaign for continental unification, they wanted to be in the thick of it just like them. They did not need to worry about more domestic affairs since their cadre of advisors had already given tasks before this event in order to keep the place running while they were away, with the entire governmental system loyal to them as well as the population in the same position of loyalty, there was no threat of usurping or even a coup and the few who were in favor of trying to seize power were disgruntled and resentful former demonkin nobles and were swiftly dealt with via execution on Amma by Toria. 

"So, this is where it shall begin" Ophelia commented as she looked upon the columns marching off

"Indeed...our peaceful life is soon to come afterwards right? When all is said and done?" Amelia asked as she leaned on her beloved and clenched her hand tighter 

"Of course, I would never promise that to you if I could not give it. It will be a long while though, so can you wait for that?" Ophelia asked as she turned to her beloved 

"If it ends with you Ophie, I am willing and ready to wait for an eternity" Amelia answered as she turned to her wife and planted a kiss on her lips, before pulling back and seeing those eyes hold a deep sense of love and affection for her 

"Then I guess we should get started then" 

A/N: And so it begins. The march southward has commenced and it is one that I am hoping to finish by the end of the year, a lot of writing to be done hehehe. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and if you got any questions or comments, leave em below for me. School has started yes but I have been able to manage writing this and school so far, so will update you all if things are getting too hectic and I need a break. For now, I hope you all look forward to the rest of the volume and as always, Stay Safe and Enjoy Your Day!

P.S: I normally would not ask for this but if you guys are able, a small donation would be appreciated since current financial circumstances are a bit tight, it does not have to be much, a dollar is fine and I am grateful for it and if you can't then that is also fine and I am still grateful for the support, I am not forcing yall, if you can then maybe consider but if you can't then it's not a problem. Anyways, thank you for reading!