WE PREVAIL!!

Commander Lyra stood before the assembled forces of the House of Moonlight, her ceremonial armor gleaming in the pre-dawn light. Seven thousand warriors stood in perfect formation, their silver armor catching the light of the fading moons, spears and bows ready. The air was thick with anticipation as she raised her hand, calling for silence.

"Warriors of Moonlight," her voice carried across the gathering without effort, clear and commanding. "For three centuries, we have nurtured the southeastern forests, bound them to our realm not through conquest alone, but through devotion and care. We have walked beneath those ancient boughs as guardians, not merely as rulers."

She paced along the front line, her eyes meeting those of veterans and new recruits alike.

"Today, Thornvale seeks to sever that bond. They claim what is not theirs to claim. They threaten what is not theirs to threaten." Her voice hardened. "They have crossed a line that cannot be uncrossed."

The morning breeze stirred the banners bearing the crescent moon of their house.

"I will not lie to you. The path ahead is fraught with peril. Thornvale's earth-wielders will attempt to turn the very ground against us. Their rangers move like shadows through the trees we once called our own. Their illusionists will conjure phantoms to scatter our ranks."

She drew her sword, its silver blade catching the first light of dawn.

"But we are Moonlight! Water is our lifeblood, air our ally! Like water, we shall flow around obstacles that cannot be broken. Like air, we shall reach what earth cannot shield."

The soldiers straightened, pride evident in their bearing.

"Remember your training. Trust in the Moonstone Formation. When illusions approach, the stones you carry will glow like stars in the night sky, revealing falsehood for what it is. Our water-wielders will turn firm ground to clinging mud beneath our enemies' feet. Our archers will paint the air with truth, revealing what seeks to remain hidden."

Commander Lyra raised her sword higher.

"Look to your left, to your right. See your sisters in arms. Ten millennia of Moonlight's finest warriors live on in your veins. Fight not just for territory, but for every child who sleeps peacefully because of your vigilance, for every elder who remembers when these forests first welcomed us as their stewards."

Her voice dropped to a fierce intensity that somehow carried to the farthest ranks.

"They believe us passive, defensive. They expect us to cower behind our walls. Let us show them the folly of such assumptions. Let us show them why the House of Moonlight has endured while empires have crumbled to dust!"

A ripple of determined nods passed through the assembly.

"Honor guides our blades. Duty strengthens our shields. Courage fills our hearts. We fight not for conquest, but for what is already ours. We fight not for glory, but for justice."

Commander Lyra raised her sword to the rising sun, its silver blade seeming to catch fire with the dawn's light.

"For Moonlight! For our forests! For our future! By moon and water, WE PREVAIL!"

Seven thousand voices took up the cry, a sound like thunder rolling across the assembly grounds.

"BY MOON AND WATER, WE PREVAIL!"

The battle cry echoed across the silver forests as the army of Moonlight prepared to march.

While her forces assembled, Princess Elysia returned to the royal nursery. She found Eren standing at the window, his small form silhouetted against the dawn light, watching with uncanny intensity as the army gathered below.

"You should be asleep, little star," Elysia said softly, closing the door behind her.

Eren turned, his silver eyes filled with an awareness that still unsettled her at times. At eighteen months, no child should comprehend what was unfolding, yet she could see in his gaze that he understood all too well.

"Army," he said simply, pointing toward the window. "War?"

Elysia crossed the room, her ceremonial armor lighter than battle plate but still imposing, the silver filigree catching the light as she moved. She knelt beside Eren, bringing herself to his level.

"Yes," she admitted, seeing no point in deception. "Thornvale has threatened what is ours. We must defend our realm, our people." Her voice softened. "Our family."

Eren's eyes narrowed slightly. "Threatened... me? The prophecy?"

Elysia's breath caught. How did he know about the prophecies? She had been careful never to speak of them in his presence. "No, not about prophecies," she said firmly, though her mind raced with questions. "This is about what rightfully belongs to us—our forests, our borders.Thornvale seeks to take what is not theirs."

She brushed a strand of silver hair from Eren's face, her touch gentle despite the battle gauntlets she wore.

"I must lead our forces, little one. I will return as swiftly as victory allows."

Eren's small hand reached out, touching the royal crest emblazoned on her breastplate. "I want to come."

The declaration, spoken with such clarity and conviction, momentarily robbed Elysia of words. She recovered quickly, shaking her head.

"That is not possible, Eren. The battlefield is no place for a child, prophecy or no." The word slipped out before she could catch herself.

"Not a normal child," Eren said, his voice carrying a weight that belied his infant form. "Can help."

Elysia felt a chill that had nothing to do with the morning air. What manner of consciousness dwelled behind those silver eyes? How did she know of prophecies that were kept secret even from most members of the royal court? What knowledge did this child possess that might indeed turn the tide of battle? For a moment, curiosity warred with protective instinct.

Protective instinct won.

"No, Eren. Whatever abilities you possess, whatever knowledge you carry, you remain physically vulnerable. I would not risk you." Her voice grew firm. "As your mother and your queen, I forbid it."

She expected argument, perhaps even the tantrum typical of a child denied their desire. Instead, Eren simply looked at her with those unsettling eyes that seemed to hold centuries of wisdom.

"You care," he said softly. "For me."

"More than you can know," she whispered, emotion threatening to break through her regal composure. "More than I thought possible."

A knock at the door interrupted the moment. Naia entered, dressed not in her usual flowing gowns but in practical attire suited for extended care of a royal child. Her typical bubbly demeanor was subdued, though she managed a smile for Eren.

"The final preparations are complete, Mother," she said to Elysia. "Lyra asks that you join her at the vanguard within the hour."

Elysia nodded, rising to her full height. "Naia will care for you while I am away," she told Eren. "The palace defenses have been strengthened. You will be safe here."

"Not me I worry about," Eren replied, his gaze returning to the window where thousands of warriors now stood in formation. "You."

The simple declaration touched Elysia deeply. She knelt once more, drawing Eren into a gentle embrace, careful that her armor did not press uncomfortably against his small form.

"I have led our forces for three centuries, little star. This is not my first battle, nor likely my last." She pulled back, meeting his gaze. "But I appreciate your concern. It warms a warrior's heart to know someone awaits their return."

Naia approached, kneeling beside them. "I'll take good care of our little sister, Mother. We'll review star charts and practice water-shaping games. Perhaps we'll even visit the Crystal Gardens if the day proves fair."

Eren's expression remained serious, but he nodded. "Be careful," he told Elysia. "Thornvale... earth-wielders. Ground becomes trap."

Elysia exchanged a startled glance with Naia. How did Eren know such strategic details? She had mentioned nothing of Thornvale's capabilities in his presence.

"We are well prepared," she assured him, deciding not to question the source of his knowledge. "Our water-wielders will turn firm ground to mud beneath our enemies' feet. Earth magic falters when the soil itself becomes unstable."

"Good strategy," Eren nodded approvingly, looking for all the world like a military advisor rather than a toddler. "Return soon."

Elysia rose, her royal mantle settling around her shoulders as she assumed the full bearing of a warrior queen. "Upon my honor as ruler of the House of Moonlight, I shall return victorious. Guard our home well in my absence, daughters."

As she turned to leave, Eren spoke once more, his voice carrying a strange resonance that seemed to fill the chamber.

"Water carves through stone, given time. Patience. Victory comes."

Elysia paused at the door, looking back at this impossible child who spoke with the wisdom of ages. "Indeed it does, little star. Indeed it does."

The door closed behind her, leaving Eren and Naia alone in the royal nursery as dawn broke fully over the silver forests.

Eren returned to the window, watching as the assembled army began its march toward the southeastern territories. His small hands pressed against the crystal pane, frustration evident in the set of his shoulders.

'Not the war I expected to fight in this new life,' he thought, his mind racing with strategies and historical battles from both this world and his former one. 'But perhaps the knowledge of Jake Thompson might yet prove useful to the House of Moonlight, if only I could communicate it fully.'

Naia joined him at the window, her hand gentle on his shoulder. "They'll return soon, little starlight. Mother has never lost a battle."

"Hope you're right," Eren said simply, eyes fixed on the diminishing figures of the army as they vanished into the silver forests. 'Because something tells me this conflict is just the beginning of a much larger storm.'