--- Tolwin

It was late at night when Tolwin could finally enjoy a moment of peace.

He dropped on a stone bench outside one of the houses in Mublas, to catch his breath. Several hours had passed since the end of the battle, announced by war horns, and the defenders had won. According to one of the republican captains that the priest had happened to treat, the enemy had indeed tried out a pincer maneuver, only to be outsmarted by Lowan's strategy. The commander had predicted their intentions well in advance so that the clans had split their forces for nothing, finding part of the Sinen army waiting for them on the western plains. Unable to carry on their original plan, the men of Ekhar had decided to momentarily back up to the river Rien, losing several hundred warriors in the process.

In spite of this, the defenders had paid a heavy price too. Thanks to all the preparations before the battle many soldiers who would have otherwise been doomed were still alive, but there were also a lot of men incapacitated by serious injuries. If the invaders had decided to storm the village as a whole, the outcome of the fight would have probably been much worse.

We left our share of good people on the field today. Let's hope that the morale of the army holds.

Tolwin forced his tired body to stand up, ignoring its complaints, and began looking for Roric. He had lost sight of the boy in the late afternoon, roughly when their lines seemed on the point of breaking, and had never caught up with him since. The defenders had been forced to move the rescue camp to a safer position a mile further from the core of the battle, and due to that chaos the old priest hadn’t really been able to keep his young assistant to his side.

He wandered around the village for quite some time, trying not to disturb any of the sleeping men, until he noticed a figure on the top of the wooden gateway. Far away from the glimmer of any fire or torch Roric just sat there, faintly revealed by the light of the moon. He was staring into space, motionless, as pale as a ghost. Tolwin sighed, reaching the spot directly below him while gathering the right words to raise his spirits, but the shocked child spoke first.

"Tolwin," he said, with a voice devoid of any emotion. "So many have died."

"We did everything we could, my boy," replied the priest. "Saving lives is a terrible ordeal. Much harder than ending them, in my opinion."

"At some point I felt like the fate of a soldier was right in my hands," continued Roric, his eyes widened in a blank expression. "In that moment, I knew I was the only one who could help him, but I didn't know how. It was... A nightmare."

"You did well, Roric. It just wasn't within your strength to-"

"I'm always too weak!" yelled the child. "It's so frustrating. All this time, all the training and I'm still useless, a... A weakling."

He must have felt so lost. It's natural that he wants to let out some steam...

While his young assistant gasped for air, Tolwin addressed him once again.

"No, you aren't useless. Today you have helped us to save many people. You have proven yourself enough."

Roric stared at him in disbelief, from the top of the palisade.

"Do you... Really mean it?"

"It's true that your friends were fighting in the battle," admitted the old man. "But please, you shouldn't feel inferior to them. Remember, even they had to face their personal hell today. Know this truth, and make treasure of it."

He turned away, with the intention of leaving the child alone, but after a few steps he could clearly hear him sobbing. Despite being exhausted, Tolwin decided to stop a bit more. He was really getting attached to that orphan.

"Don't give up," he gently said. "A day will come when you too will possess the power of saving someone. I'm sure of it."

Roric kept crying like a river and his tears dropped from above, getting lost in the darkness, but he nodded between the sighs. The priest waited for a couple of minutes and then took his leave.

Poor boy. How much death has he seen, now? Still, even after this, he wants to walk this path. I'm speechless in front of his determination.

Before falling asleep, Tolwin briefly thought about the dreams of that little mercenary and the many sacrifices that he was still expected to make. He had a long and difficult journey ahead.

***

--- Lowan

On the other side of the table, Leanna wolfed through the food like she was devoid of any human concern. Lowan just watched her, disturbed.

The enemy is still there, on the borders of this land, and she invites me to dinner. Dinner!

Dressed in his finest clothes the commander ate nervously, feeling almost guilty for the ones that hadn't made it back. Since the first moment, the idea of sharing such an intimate moment with his sister had seemed like a complete waste of time to him. The men of Ekhar were routed, it was true, but the threat wasn't over at all.

After leaving a small garrison in Mublas the defenders had returned to Sinen, waiting for their opponent's next move. Commander Charsa, the unpleasant rat who led the soldiers from the castle, was again pushing for a counterattack, probably the most nonsensical action that their forces could have ever thought of.

That stubborn cutthroat! I hate him more with each day.

It definitely wasn't the time to get excited and rush forward without any kind of battle plan. The discussions between the overconfident mercenary and Lowan were getting close to violent at times, and that already angered the commander enough. Moreover, on the way back, Leanna had sent a letter in which she praised him for the nice victory and invited her beloved brother to a private dinner.

Yeah, like I could possibly say no.

The woman plunged her fork into a juicy piece of meat, with a graceful yet resolute movement. From the moment they had sat down, with the exception of the formal etiquette, their verbal exchanges had been basically zero and the fact that they were completely alone in the great hall did a good job in worsening the atmosphere. At first, Lowan thought to check if the wine had a weird smell or color, but then he just stopped worrying about it.

There's no point in getting paranoid. The fact that she has invited me is strange, sure, but even if she wanted to get rid of me, the problem of the war would still remain.

He still wasn't used to trust his sister after all.

"Isn't the food to your taste, brother?"

Leanna was scowling at him from the distance.

"Everything is good, sister," answered the commander, calmly. "What I can't help but wondering about is the purpose of my visit."

"What is wrong with a grateful noblewoman inviting the protector of her castle for a fancy supper?" exclaimed the countess, spinning the wine of her glass. "Or with a devoted sister who wants to show some affection to her little brother?"

Lowan cut a potato in two, replying, "Of all your brave defenders, I seem to be the only one allowed in your presence tonight. And as far as your sisterhood goes, I fail to recall a single time when you asked for my presence so nicely. So cut the flattering and get to the point."

In the past Leanna always used to have a hidden agenda, or so the commander suspected. When they were kids, she tricked him on a daily basis to refine her manipulative skills and their father greatly praised those shady qualities. His attention and expectations, however, were all reserved for this male heir without a single care for how that bias was ruining the relationship among the two siblings. Now that he was sitting in front of the product of the old count's malice, the commander realized how much his sister had to suffer back then.

But the past is the past. We have more important matters that need our attention now.

"You are a smart man indeed, and your curiosity fills me with joy," chuckled the woman. "We aren't that different, you and I."

"I said get to the point, sister."

"Yes, yes. In truth, I wanted to ask you a question. If I may."

She seemed strangely kind. Lowan challenged her gaze without showing any sign of doubt.

"Let's hear it, then."

"Imagine for a moment that there was a way for the people you love so much to be safe," said Leanna. "And live without any fear of the attacks from Ekhar. Forever."

The commander nodded, waving her to go on.

"What would you do to make this real?" asked the countess, putting her elbows on the table and crossing her hands. "How would you proceed?"

"It depends," answered the man, relaxing on his chair. "You can't simply decide that you want peace and sign a treaty with the northern clans. A new king will take the place of the old one, and who knows if he shares the views of his predecessor. The only way to stop them once and for all would be-"

"By conquering them."

Oh, oh. I knew it.

Leanna was finally showing her hand. Whether that was a bluff or not, she didn't like to talk for nothing and had clearly something in mind. Maybe, just maybe, her ambitions were starting to work in a constructive way. Still, Lowan knew far too well that his sister never played all of her cards together, so he would need to fill the blanks on his own. It was probably the right move to let her speak and uncover her plan while she still thought to have him in the palm of her hand.

She is clearly going for it. Why even bringing out the matter of protecting her people if she doesn't want to show some good will? I want to hear more.

For that reason, the commander decided to encourage her.

"Ekhar is a nation, but at the same time it isn't," he stated, playing with a table knife. "We can defend ourselves from a handful of clans, but fighting them at once is a very different matter... When they feel threatened, those people tend to stand together. You would need at least two thirds of all the armies in the Free Kingdoms to accomplish such an insane feat."

Leanna laughed, wiping her delicate hands with a towel. She had taken the bait.

"Oh, brother. Your perspective on war has always been so narrow," she mocked him. "I'm talking about making our enemies the enemies of everyone. I'm talking about persuading others to fight in our place."

"Our?" asked the commander, with a puzzled tone. "So you need me, after all. I thought you were more into ruthless thugs like Charsa."

"He is loyal, but only as long as I pay him," admitted the countess. "Plus, you are the rightful lord of these lands. One that the Senate would listen to. After we drive the invaders back to Ekhar, just ask for their attention and..."

It was as Lowan thought. His sister hadn't changed, she had only become more tactful towards the people she wanted to use. Her idea was to unite the entirety of the Free Kingdoms under one banner, destroying Ekhar for good and gaining even more power in the process. In her vision, they would have conquered their ancient enemies and shared the earnings. All without a care for the many years of war those lands would have suffered.

"Don't you dare to think of something like that, sister," he growled, glaring at her. "Do you know how many soldiers we have lost in the battle? You have never cared once, just like our father. I realized that a long time ago, but I've still chosen to give you a chance. And yet, you want more."

He stood up, menacingly. Leanna bowed her head, like a fearful little girl, but after all the years the commander was well aware that she was just faking it.

"Drop that act, it won't work with me. You would sacrifice this entire region if that helped fulfilling your crazy ambition, wouldn't you?" roared the man. "Well, I'm not here to be a tool. I'm here to protect the people of Sinen, not to carry out any of your plans of conquest. Are we clear?"

The woman tapped her fingers on the table, nervously. Then she raised her gaze, and it was full of spite.

"As you wish, brother," she replied, with a whisper of a voice. "My rule is bound by your will, after all."

And I'm not happy about it.

Lowan could read it in her eyes, as clear as the blue sky. He turned around, and left the castle without further ado. He definitely had other things to take care of in that moment.