The shield

King Albert sat on his throne, one hand resting on the arm of his chair, the other supporting his chin as he stared out of the window at the distant sky. They had already received word of the invasion coming from the east, though the kingdom that was launching the invasion was unknown. Land, sea, or air, they had no information of the invasion other than the fact that it was coming. 

That news had arrived roughly a month and a half prior, and despite the numerous attempts, no more information had been gathered. Albert had sent spies into every kingdom he could reach in a reasonable time to poke around, but nothing had come of it. They were so unproductive, that had the news not come from such a reliable source, he would have begun to doubt that it was true. It nagged at the back of his mind at all hours. He had a committment to ensure the safety and livelihoods of his people, but he could not afford to burn resources on rumors and unsupported reports. But something so drastic... He could not simply let it go. 

His advisor was in agreement. "Your highness," Fredrick called out as he entered the room. "Have you received any word on the invasion?"

Albert turned away from the window to look at the older gentleman as he approached. He had known Fredrick since he was a young boy, when the man had served as a knight in his father's army. In that time, he had witnessed a lot, and had become a skilled and practiced tactician. When he retired from the field, after having suffered a crippling blow to his spine, he offered his knowledge to the king in the position of advisor, and when Albert had taken over, he gladly reinstated the man. "I assure, Fredrick," the king replied, "that if I had received any new word, you would be the first to hear about it. In fact, there is a good chance you would be the one to tell me about it, rather than the other way around."

Fredrick smiled, knowing the truth of the king's words, and rested against the side of the throne. "Watching the skies again, my liege?"

"I fear that possibility more than any other," Albert replied. "Can you imagine if Dragon riders were the ones to strike? How would we retaliate?"

Fredrick hummed in response. "There is the shield, sire."

Albert waved his hand. "Of course, Fredrick, I remember the shield. Not even dragons would be able to pass by it. But that can only stop them. It would do little towards fighting back against them."

"Would fighting back be a necessity?"

"It depends on their intentions and who they are. Which we continue to know nothing about."

"That is the biggest problem, really, isn't it?"

Albert sighed. "Yes. Yes it is."