Amelia and Ophelia: The Former Grand Duchess and Saintess.

By the end of the day, the armies of the Empire had reached their first checkpoint in the zone before The Crossing. With them traversing 25 miles by the time it was around 9 in the evening when the marching columns had reached pre-marked locations where they began to set up camp for the night. The first day of the march had been a resounding success as the dual monarchs had met over 10 different tribes in the span of hours of each other. How one would ask? Well, Ophelia had used a <Doppelganger> spell that created copies of the two of them that would march with the other columns, once there was a tribe in site, they would take the place of the doppelgangers marching with the column, and once they finished the negotiations, they would continue marching with the column before switching to the next pair that encountered another tribe. They were now with the 4th Army on the western side of the advance, and the two of them were in a larger tent set up near the command tent on the northernmost side of the camp. The dual monarchs were dressed in snug-fitting and thick winter sleeping blouses that were of a cream color and both of them laid down next to one another on the transformable bed inside the tent, their eyes looking up to the tent ceiling which had magic crystals sown in between the fabrics to allow the duo to see the night sky outside without the dangers of them being exposed in the first place. 

"It's been one hell of a day no Ophie?" Amelia asked as she held onto her beloved tightly 

"Indeed it has been...I am amazed I will not lie, meeting new tribes and seeing their culture truly has been a very fun process, it even reminds me back when I was in the other world...albeit, a lot less violent" Ophelia answered as she looked down at her beloved 

"What was your old world like Ophie?" Amelia asked as she snuggled by her beloved's side 

"Hmmm...well first off it wasn't as magical I will tell you that much. The world I came from had no magic whatsoever and even these different races didn't exist unless they were in fantasy books...and worst of all, there was just so much conflict over such petty things...it is not a world I would have wanted us to live in if I was ever given the chance to go back" Ophelia answered her as she looked down at her 

"Anything else?" 

"Well, we did have an abundance of technology, millennia more advanced than the magic technology I have seen so far. Hell, my former job was as a researcher for technology and I had a master's degree in city planning, nation-building, and several other government-related courses...all of it wasted as I was ordered to assist in researching weapons" 

"Masters Degree?" Amelia asked 

"Uhh...think of it as a mage learning the highest level of spells, that is the same thing more or less" 

"Ah I see...I guess whatever knowledge you had is now being put to good use right?' 

"Yes, it is...although Histy and Harcun have made it clear as to how much they want me to bring about technological advancements. By the end of our life darling, I promise you, this empire will be a shining jewel that no other nation can match, believe me on that" 

"I do Ophie. But I must ask, when they told me you could use any spell as long as you could think it, were there limitations?" 

"There were when they briefed me on my abilities. Although I have the option to, I am encouraged to only use it sparingly as according to them, each time I have to use a spell that could break the world, I must pay the price through a portion of my life being sacrificed, and while they had granted me semi-immortality, it does not meant they could take it away" Ophelia added as she stroked her beloved's hair 

"Like what spells?" 

"Hmmm, chronomancy for one. I can go back in time yes, but I cannot interfere with what happened and must allow events to play out as they are, I can however, interact with them by using magic to record them or even speak to these people but not reveal anything about the future" 

"Otherwise there will be consequences, like your visions before?" Amelia asked

Ophelia nodded as she gave her a small wry smile before embracing her even tighter and closer, the two of them could feel the heat the other gave off and Amelia felt that the time was right for something she wanted to do for a long time. She made her move and pinned her beloved to the bed, straddling her and looking down at Ophelia who gave her a vulnerable expression, she gave a heartwarming smile as she went down and lightly kissed and sucked on her beloved's neck before moving upward and doing the same to her cheeks, forehead and then her luscious lips, with both of them locking in for a deep and long wet kiss. Once Amelia pulled away, she moved her hands and began feeling her wife's body, her soft hands moving under the blouse she was wearing, feeling her soft and plump skin. She lightly squeezed her beloved's large breasts before cupping the sides of her torso and then her hips before squeezing Ophelia's plump behind. All the while the raven-haired empress moaned in ecstasy from her wife's touch. 

"I love you Ophie, no matter what, I will always love you, even if you become a tyrant and rip my heart out" Amelia stated as she bent down on her lover 

"And I love you too Amelia...although I do not believe I will become a tyrant for as long as you are with me, I will do my best to make you happy" Ophelia replied as her face flushed with red 

"I know you will, now, I am feeling a bit peckish, and I would like some cute food to eat" The blonde empress stated with a seductive smile and licked her lips bending down and then biting on her beloved's neck before sucking on it and making her moan. 

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As the month carried on, the dual monarchs of the empire met tribe after tribe after tribe on their march southwards. The tribes ranged from other elven tribes that lived in dense forests to Sirens who were awaiting them on the snowy beach to greet them. They even met other tribes such as a centaur tribe called the 'Horde' who loved to run in packs across the plains they inhabited, or a dragonkin tribe calling themselves the 'Bright Claws' who called themselves as such since their claws and limbs when they go into their dragon form, said limbs glow with a noticeable white light that shines brighter in the day. These different clans all greeted them with open arms and praise, with some of them even having the cheekiness to try and propose to one or even both of the dual monarchs, something that was met with both of them sending them to the <Shadow Zone> that was connected to Ophelia. Overall, the march southward had been a success so far as besides meeting and integrating these tribes that flocked to their banner, roads, and infrastructure were built to bring these places up to their standards, there were even tribes that had already burgeoning infrastructure like the underground dwarven city in the mountain range of Akabhar midway through the march that belonged to a dwarven tribe calling themselves the 'Graniteers' who had managed to build a massive underground network of cities and tunnels under their mountains, the city was Granite and it was equal to if not larger than the dwarven city of Vandohr back in the empire. 

With all of these advances and the lack of fighting thanks to the adventurers suppressing the dungeons and clearing them before the army column ever got there, they were making good time and soon they were approaching the end of the first phase of the march.

Currently, the dual monarchs had arrived at a massive cave overlooking a route that led into a valley of trees just past the ridge and further into the valley before them was the final stretch of the march as there was a wide river that they could see from here and that river was the main demarcation line that separated the Crossing from the second sector of the march which was called the 'Great River' due to its size. And now, standing in front of the dual monarchs as they stood before the cave was a lamia and an arachnia tribe leader. 

"We greet you Your Majesties" Both tribal leaders greeted with a bow 

"Hello there, and your names are?" Amelia asked as she gave them a nod 

"I am Chief Sharri of the Woven Arachnia tribe Your Majesty" The arachnia replied, her top half was consistent with that of a typical elven woman, curves and all and dressed in green and silver-colored tribal robes. The flowing blonde hair cascading down her back ended right at the part where the lower half of her body was jet black, with a large abdomen hanging from behind, and brown and green armor plates and strips of clothing covering the abdomen and the legs altogether. 

"And I am Chief Addozia of the Silver Shades" The silvery lamia then answered with a small smile. Addozia was unlike the usual lamias that the dual monarchs had encountered so far, unlike the rest, Addozia had a fully silver tail and scales, with her flowing silver hair and even her eyes being silver, coupled with her fair skin hidden underneath the silver tribal robes she was wearing, she was akin more to a ghost than an actual living being. 

"I see, how lovely to meet you both, but I must ask. Are your tribes sharing the insides of the cave?" Ophelia asked with a curious expression 

"Yes we are Your Majesty, we had to since there is a growing danger across the river" Addozia answered her with a slightly worried expression 

"Oh? Can you tell us more?" The blonde empress asked with a small smile 

"Of course, please follow us in" Sharri stated as she led the way into the cave. 

Following behind the lamia and the arachnia, the dual monarchs walked through a well-lit tunnel that was smoother than normal which suggested that it was purposefully smoothed by the inhabitants of the cave, and after a few minutes of following them, they arrived at the mouth of a massive chamber that opened up before them. The sides of the cave were lined with huts and shacks that had silver lamias and arachnids looking similarly to Sharri walking along them, there were some with rudimentary leather armor, others wearing small metal armor while most were not wearing armor at all, the few guards that were there all turned their gazes to the entrance and soon everyone did. 

"Everyone, this is our new leader!" The two of them stated as she gestured to the two women behind them 

{!} 

The room then went silent as everyone took in the sight of their new leaders, with many of them having sparkling eyes as they saw Amelia smiling at them, while also silently gulping down some fear when they switched their gazes over to Ophelia who was looking at them with an unreadable expression. 

"Hello everyone! I am Amelia Erstad, the first of the two Empresses of the Halkare Empire!" Amelia announced as she looked at them all, her flash piercing their hearts and sending a wave of relief and even calm through them 

"And I am Empress Ophelia Erstad, the second of the Empresses of the Halkare Empire" Ophelia added as she and her beloved began walking down into the chamber, with her flashing a small smile that sent a wave of allure and curiosity through those looking at her 

"Righto! Make way for them everyone, we have plenty to discuss" Addozia stated as she quickly slithered in front of the duo and escorted them to the largest building in the cave, a large tent at the other end of the chamber, passing by the many curious gazes of the lamias and the arachnia tribals 

Inside the massive tent, the dual monarchs were seated around a large roundtable in the center of the tent, with both Sharri and Addozia sitting opposite to them and bringing out some meat and water for the dual monarchs to chow down on. 

"Right, we will discuss the matters of both of your clan's integration later, for now. Tell us what you know of the threat across the river?" Ophelia asked as she took a sip of water and a bite of meat on the plate before her 

"Of course. Sharri here and tell you more than I could since her tribe used to live by the Great River" Addozia said as she looked at her arachnia counterpart 

"Ahem. A few months ago, there was a series of reports from my tribal villages across the Great River, reported about our gatherers finding more and more tribal villages destroyed, with some raised to the ground while others were left bloody messes. We did not know who was doing them at first until two months ago when a hunting group led by me finally met them in a chance encounter. They were in the process of burning a clan village of centuars we usually traded with and the people doing the burning and killing were groups of kitsunes and elves, all of them wearing similar uniforms that were colored crimson and silver, they were all working together and I barely made it out alive with my hunting party" The arachnia tribal leader stated as she looked at the dual monarchs across the table, her arms slightly shaking as she recounted those moments. 

"Hmmm, two clans working together? In that section of the continent?" Amelia remarked as she raised her eyebrow 

"Indeed. And it seems we are not alone in our ambitions to unite the continent, this is an unfortunate annoyance" Ophelia added as she placed her arms onto the table and her eyes narrowed

"Did you get the name of their clan?" Amelia asked 

"They called themselves the Hinterland Confederacy" 

"I see, an interesting name" Ophelia remarked as she looked at them

"What do you plan to do with them?" Sharri asked 

"If they plan to fight us, we will fight and crush them. If not, then we shall see. But enough about them, for now, let's discuss your integration into the empire" Ophelia answered them

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After spending about another hour and a half, the dual monarchs were standing on a rocky outcrop that overlooked the forested valley below. Their eyes fixed on the other side of the Great River before them. 

"So the H.I.S.S. reports were accurate" Amelia said as she glanced at her beloved 

"Indeed they are...the statements of the two were truthful and now it seems we have encountered our first proper opponent in a sense" Ophelia commented as she nodded her head 

"You doubted Percy's reports?" 

"No not really, more of I wished to see them firsthand, I know Percy will double-check or even triple-check facts before they are presented to us, so I wanted to just see how it felt on the other side I guess" 

"I see...still Ophie, how are we going to deal with this?" Amelia asked as she turned to her

"We can do it two ways, either the easy way of just me and you walking up across the river and then turn everything living there to the past tense, or we let our army do its job. The report Percy gave us said that the entire region just across that river is the territory of the Confederacy, and our army needs a baptism of fire, a proper baptism of fire" Ophelia answered as she looked back at her 

"Oh...I guess we should let our army do their job...but still, a nation built by murderous elves and kitsunes, I did not see this coming" The blonde empress remarked as she crossed her arms

"True, I did not expect it either, I thought it would be wolf beastkin or even dragonkin but this is just as surprising to me as it is for you" The raven-haired empress nodded in agreement 

"The question now is, will they make the first move or will we?" Amelia asked as her gaze turned back to the Great River

"They will as the report said, they plan to march northward, so we will let them. We have already reached the end of our destination for now. So why continue forward when our enemy can come to us?" Ophelia remarked as a small smile graced her lips as she turned her gaze to the column of soldiers marching past them and down into the forested valley. 

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Across the Great River, a scouting party of Elves and Kitsunes perched high up in the trees were looking at what looked to be smoke coming from several campfires from the other side of the river. The leader of the scouting party was a male kitsune by the name of Anoto Hiroshi, a kitsune who supports the great cause of his clan and their newly formed nation with the goal of total kitsune and elven domination against the other unworthy clans. He himself had been part of their earlier campaigns a few months ago, wiping out clan after clan of beastkin, centaurs and even other elven and kitsune clans that refused to bend the knee to their mighty nation. But now, there was something to be wary of as while the majority of the forces of the Confederacy were busy cleaning and conquering towards the south, there was still a massive contingent stationed here to begin pushing northward. 

"Hmmm...interesting" He mused as he leaped from his perch high on the tree and landed on the ground with a graceful pose before dashing away, leaving his party mates watching the smoke on the other side

He arrived at the local outpost where he was to report his findings if there were any. Seeing that there was only a few kitsunes guarding the place and only one tribal officer in the tent, his kitsune tail waving back and forth as he paced the place and kept his eyes looking over at a map of the region, with numerous X marks scattered about the map. The tribal officer was muttering to himself and was completely lost in thought as when he glanced up and saw Anoto standing there, he jerked back in surprise as he did not even hear or register his presence. 

"Ahem, do you have something for me Anoto?" The tribal officer asked 

"We have smoke coming from what I assume to be clan villages on the other side of the river" Anoto replied 

"Hmm...more smoke now? After we have been here for weeks already? It seems that those arachnia bastards are preparing something for us" The tribal officer remarked as he looked back down at the map

"Should I send a party across the river?" Anoto asked 

"No need. The last report we had was about the arachnia tribals moving northward correct? Looks like they came back with more friends than before. All the better for us as the more we can kill now, the less we will have to encounter later" 

"I see, then what are your orders?" 

"Simply stay and watch. The attack northward will be coming soon. And when it does those pitiful bastards will see what the art of combat is truly like" The tribal officer replied as he looked back up with a smile on his face, a smile Anoto then followed 

"I understand, thank you. Glory to the High Chief" Anoto stated as he bowed his head and left

"Glory to the High Chief" The tribal officer returned before gazing back down at the map 

A/N: Hello! I am back! Sorry for the delays, academia is becoming a thing again and I am finding less time to work on this series but I am determined and focused to finish it and the other stories I am making! Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and it seems that the first roadblock for our intrepid MCs on their march south has finally reared its head. I hope you guys will enjoy the rest of the chapters to follow and I am happy to hear and answer any questions u guys have for me in the comments or even if they aren't questions then just reactions. Anyways, as always Stay Safe and Enjoy Your Day!