The stand off ends when someone in the crowd shouts that the Phoenix Fighters should be the ones to decide who will rule Shaldani.  Everyone else in the crowd quickly agrees and Darla and Dagllas both call off their men.  Dagllas leaves the party, but somehow, no one really feels like dancing anymore.  The Phoenix Fighters return back to the Phoenix House, confused and intimidated by the decision that they face.

 

Things are complicated the next morning.  Dagllas comes to the Phoenix House and corners Aden in the courtyard.  They discuss the decision facing the Phoenix House and Aden finds himself agreeing with many of Dagllas' points.  Darla did prove utterly worthless in the Ebene attacks, even going so far as to attck the Phoenix House itself once.  Additionally, she has demonstrated a lack of love, not only for her people, but for her family, as evidenced by her treatment of Casey.  While Aden is coming to these conclusions, however, Darla arrives in the House, arguing her side to Adriana.  Adriana readily agrees that a strong, central government is necessary to maintain continuity in the kingdom as it recovers and calls on the help of ther kingdoms to do so.

 

Aden and Adriana come together, each favoring their own point of view.  They agree not to quarrel over the matter.  Instead, they go through the House, asking all of the other Phoenix Fighters what their opinions are.  In the end, the House is evenly divided.  An answer comes to the befuddled Aden and Adriana when Darla's daughter Aislinn arrives in hysterics.  Dagllas has grown tired of waiting and has kidnapped her baby, Eileen.  Quickly, Adriana assembles a team of Philip, Tranns, Insa, and Lucien to go rescue her and they head off to the last known lair of Dagllas and his rebellion.  Along the way, Lucien is quite sharp with Insa, reminded of how she kidnapped Star and took her to the same location once.

 

At the lair, Insa shoots down a scout.  Philip and Tranns question him until he reveals just what odds they're facing with Dagllas.  With this new information, they storm the stronghold and easily overtake Dagllas.  As Eileen is rescued, Dagllas laments that Adriana didn't come to rescue her herself.  That was who he really wanted, in order to ensure his victory against Darla.  With this new information, Adriana is easily able to dismiss all of Dagllas' claims, once Eileen is returned.  She calls a public forum, in which she announces that neither Dagllas nor Darla can rule Shaldani.  Instead, she enstates Aislinn as the new queen, to be guided and assisted by a parliment chosen by the people.  Until such a group can be elected, however, Lucien, Aden, and Adriana are named advisors and Philip is made captain of the guard.