The message reached Solmere before the sun set.
And by morning—
The entire United Kingdoms knew.
An attack was coming.
Not one.
Not two.
Five.
Five coordinated strikes.
Five cities.
Five chances to erase everything they had built.
The response was immediate.
In three days—
An emergency council would be held.
In person.
No projections.
No intermediaries.
No delays.
Everyone would attend.
Three Days Later
The chamber was full.
Seventy seats.
Seventy voices.
Seventy different agendas.
Kings.
Mayors.
Merchants.
Generals.
Spies.
And at the center of it all—
The long table of the United Kingdoms.
Jax wasn't there when the summons first went out.
He was working.
Traveling through the gate network—
Introducing Lexi to the empire he had built.
Not all at once.
Not blindly.
Carefully.
Deliberately.
"Not every business is a fit for everyone," he had told her.
And he meant it.
Some places—
She struggled.
Restaurants.
Food supply chains.
Kitchen operations.
She didn't connect with them.
Didn't understand the flow.
And Jax noticed.
But others?
She thrived.
Organization.
Logistics.
Trade structures.
Scaling operations.
Within minutes, she was making recommendations.
Clean.
Efficient.
Transformational.
Jax had smiled quietly to himself.
"…Yeah."
She was going to be dangerous.
In the best way.
The Summons
When they returned to Solmere—
They weren't alone.
A line of carriers waited at the gate.
Recognizable.
Uniformed.
Important.
Messengers of the powerful.
Jax took one look—
And sighed.
"…That's not good."
The Council
The chamber was already alive when they entered.
Voices overlapping.
Arguments forming.
Tension thick.
Jax entered with:
Llandra at his side
Lexi just behind
Two very different roles.
Llandra—
His strategist.
His second.
The one who challenged him.
Balanced him.
Lexi—
Observing.
Learning.
Listening for the threads others missed.
Jax took his seat.
And before anything else—
He spoke.
"I'd like to submit a motion."
The room quieted.
"To formally admit the Fairy Kingdom of Kensington into the United Kingdoms."
Murmurs spread.
Llandra's father leaned forward.
King Aelrion Valenwood.
Ancient.
Sharp.
And far more amused than he let on.
"And who," Aelrion asked calmly, "would represent this kingdom?"
Jax didn't hesitate.
"I would."
A pause.
Then—
Aelrion smirked.
"…And what authority do you have to make that claim?"
The room leaned in slightly.
Jax didn't smile.
Didn't play it up.
"Because recently—"
He met the King's eyes.
"I was named King of the Fairies."
The room broke.
Laughter.
Murmurs.
A few raised brows.
Aelrion leaned back, clearly enjoying himself.
"…You don't exactly look like a fairy."
More laughter.
Jax shrugged.
"I get that a lot."
Even Llandra exhaled slightly.
Aelrion raised a hand.
"I second the motion."
The vote followed quickly.
Passed.
The Fairy Kingdom was now part of the United Kingdoms.
But that didn't stop the jokes.
"…So which part of you is mistaken for a fairy?" someone muttered nearby.
Lexi stiffened.
Llandra's eyes narrowed.
Jax didn't even react.
"…Careful," he said calmly. "You might cause me to defend my reputation, and I'm not sure if this large room will be big enough."
That got a louder laugh.
Lexi and Llandra smirked at the joke too. And even looked around the large room and nodded in agreement as if to say, he might be right, adding to the joke.
Tension broke—
For a moment. Even Jax smiled.
Then Reality Hit
The report was read.
Five targets.
One month.
Total annihilation orders.
The room changed instantly.
Panic.
Many wanted to share their plans.
"We need to evacuate the cities."
"We don't have time."
"Then we sacrifice a few and counterattack."
"That's insane!"
"We meet them head-on—show strength!"
"We don't have enough forces!"
Voices rose.
Overlapped.
Clashed.
"Abandoning cities isn't feasible!"
"We can't let them die!"
"We can't defend five locations!"
The room spiraled.
Until—
"This is YOUR fault."
Silence.
All eyes turned.
Benedict.
Merchant.
Former power.
Now fading.
"If you hadn't pushed for independence—none of this would be happening."
Murmurs followed.
Mixed.
Then—
A new voice cut through.
"I disagree."
All eyes turned again.
The Mayor of Frostveil stood.
Old.
Steady.
Certain.
"I have lived eighty years."
"And I have never seen prosperity like this."
He gestured outward.
"Solmere was nothing. A dirt-road gutter town"
"Now look at it."
His voice strengthened.
"Our people are fed."
"They are safe."
"They have hope."
He looked directly at Benedict.
"And that is exactly why we fight. Because we are free of their tyranny."
That landed.
Hard.
The room shifted.
Memories surfaced.
Before Jax.
After Jax.
No one wanted to go back.
Voices rose again—
This time against the man who blamed Jax.
"Then go back to the Empire if you miss it so much."
"Funny how you found your voice after losing your power."
Jax stood.
"Enough."
Calm.
Firm.
He didn't defend himself.
He defended the man who blamed him for their current situation.
"Everyone is allowed to speak....But we don'tlose controlof this room."
That surprised people.
Even Benedict.
But the leaders—
They saw it.
That was Jax.
Even when blamed—
He gave space.
The Turning Point
King Aelrion leaned forward.
"What do you suggest, Jax?"
The room stilled.
All seventy voices—
Waiting.
Jax looked around.
Too many people.
Too many ears.
Too many unknowns.
This wasn't the place.
"We don't plan this here. Not like this."
Confusion.
"We form a War Council."
Murmurs.
"Small."
"Controlled."
"Secure."
That made sense.
Aelrion nodded slowly.
Then spoke.
"I nominate Jax Darquebane…"
He paused.
Then corrected himself.
"…King Darquebane…"
A subtle shift.
A deliberate one.
"…to lead it."
That carried weight.
"I will join him."
"And my Chief Strategist as well."
Heads nodded.
Voices agreed.
Names were suggested.
Rejected.
Refined.
Jax spoke again.
"I want Llandra."
No debate.
Accepted immediately.
Lexi remained silent.
This wasn't her battlefield.
But she was watching.
Learning.
In the end—
Eighteen names remained.
Eighteen leaders.
Eighteen minds—
Tasked with stopping an empire.
Jax looked around the smaller group.
This was different.
Focused.
Sharp.
Real.
And the weight of it settled on him.
He didn't want this.
Didn't ask for it.
Didn't enjoy it.
Which is exactly why—
He was the right one to lead it.
Closing Line
War wasn't coming.
It was already here.
And this time—
The United Kingdoms would not be reacting.
They would be ready.