Jale's tent was large but not flamboyant or excessive in comfort. It had three separate compartments, an entrance to block the cold, one for sleeping, and one for commanding his men or eating his meals. No matter its size and lack of creature comforts, it would have to do for tonight's gathering of three parties now that the wind was ripping through the camp and the snow quickly gathering on the ground.

The atmosphere was tolerable. Prince Rathner, Menelt and Jale had taken up position at the top of the table as was custom in the Keglar Kingdom. Each party's accompanying men had taken residence further down the table and remained quiet and respectable.

Trent, Heole and Brelen, accompanied Jale in the tent. Both Trent and Heole were childhood friends of Jale's. They were extremes in character. Heole was a man of few words but built like a bear where Trent was tall and beanlike and could hold a friendly conversation with even the toughest and stoutest of men. They were also diligent and devoted to their jobs.

A quiet young boy of about twelve also stood behind Brelen looking somewhat uncomfortable with being tasked the duty of helping such important men. The young lad, Jale didn't know too well apart from the fact that he was called Ladet and cousin to his commander in chief, Brelen. What Jale did remember was that he showed much promise and skill in using the bow.

Menelt was accompanied by one other clan member, Weldlan, similar in age and with an appearance that hinted he was just as capable as Menelt to drop a man with one sling of his axe. Prince Rathner was accompanied by a man named Galton. Probably ten years older than the Prince who Jale got the impression, had been sent along on the Emperor's command and not the Prince's due to the fact that the talk between them was minimal and with very little inkling of friendship.

Silence filled the tent currently, Netle had prepared a feast and nothing spurred a man's appetite than after a long journey and a long day in the cold. The smell of the fresh, warm meat stew with winter vegetables flavored by the herbs from the surrounding forest, permeated every corner of Jale's tent. The men ate heartily, some already on their second serving. The ale was also plentiful with cups refilled briskly by Ladet and another young soldier who had also been asked to help for the night.

It was a surprise when Menelt broke the silence first. He had taken another large gulp out of his cup and held it high above the table. "True to your word, Prince Jale. I see you have managed to attain more of your kingdom's ale."

"I will have to give you the recipe," Jale said with a smile. "And please, Jale is fine."

"You never fail to please a man," Menelt said.

Jale caught Trent's smirk further down the table and ignored it.

Prince Rathner added. "I have to agree. The Talbecans prefer wine but this is just as satisfying."

"I have never been to Talbec to try," Jale said.

"Me neither," Menelt added.

Prince Rathner leaned forward. "If I had known, I would have brought some as gifts."

"It's fine. Gifts are not necessary," Jale informed him. "The cloaks are a practicality. I fear they will be of little use when you return to Dalenia."

"Nevertheless," Prince Rathner said. "I would be more than happy to introduce you to my father's empire one day in return for this wonderful hospitality. It is truly a wonderful place where you can really indulge."

"You are too kind," Jale responded. He swallowed a mouthful of ale before continuing, "I think we should explain how we have been managing the pass before your arrival."

Prince Rathner leaned back, arms folding over his chest, a knowing smile on his face. It wasn't a complete challenge just yet; he was willing to listen to what Jale and Menelt had to say, but Jale was sure the Prince would be sharing his ideas and disagreements as well.

"We have established lookouts for my men along the pass' entrance," Jale started. "Menelt's men know the rockface on each side of the pass very well and are capable of climbing and moving across it in daylight with extreme ease. We have rotating shifts every four hours due to the cold. I don't want any of my men to be too idle that the cold sets in."

Prince Rathner nodded and Jale took it as him agreeing with what he had heard so far.

"We have hunters go out in the early morning to hunt for meat," Jale continued. "The forest is abundant with rabbits and squirrels, but we only stay within the boundaries set out by Menelt's men."

Prince Rathner's eyes rose suspiciously and the man at his side, Galton, shifted in his seat. Prince Rathner reached for his cup and took a long gulp. He replaced it on the table only to play with it idly in his fingers. Jale guessed he was deep in thought determining what he wanted to suggest.

Before either could speak further, Menelt stood up.

"You two can negotiate with each other on how you want to manage the pass," he stated.

Galton rose to his feet as well, his hand going cautiously to the hilt at his side.

It was not missed by Menelt, unperturbed he spoke on. "My men will be situated in places you will not be able to reach, and we will be able to give information you would not be able to discover on the pass without us." He turned to Jale. "I will debrief you at dawn every day as usual."

Before Jale could respond, Galton began hurriedly talking in Talbecan to the Prince. His voice was firm and authoritative, and Jale could understand every word. He decided then and there to save future predicaments and to try and put this edgy man at ease.

"There is no need for concern, Galton," Jale spoke in Talbecan. He gestured to Menelt. "This is Menelt's home turf. His men can move over the mountain rock faster than any of us, and they have already taught me their calls for raising alarm. They are rough men but trustworthy."

Menelt glared at the insult to his honor, and Weldlan said something in his own tongue under his breath. Galton frowned and Jale sighed. Thank goodness his second in command was not there tonight.

"So, you do speak Talbecan," Prince Rathner smiled, attempting to break the tense standoff. "Good to know."

"I thought you might appreciate that," Jale responded but still slightly tense as Galton and Menelt glared at each other. "Galton, Menelt's men are excellent lookouts on the mountain. What we need to remember is that there won't be the random stragglers or the desperately sick trying to escape along the pass. If anyone does try to cross it now, they would be one hundred percent dangerous. They will be healthy, strong and desperate. Thugs and lawless men and women who would have nothing to lose. They would fight to their death just like the man we killed the other day. We all need to be on the same side."

Galton appeared to take stock of his actions and relaxed his stance. "I am sure Menelt and his men are more than capable," Galton stated finally, making eye contact with Jale.

Galton ignored Menelt's disgusted snort and lowered back down to his seat. Menelt and Weldlan however, rose from their seats and walked with even strides to the entrance of the tent. Not wanting the relationship between their parties to sour, Jale gave a single wave to Trent. There was no need for words, Trent quickly followed after Menelt to determine what damage had been done.

Jale placed both his hands on the table continuing to take control of the situation. "My men will take patrol tonight. I think it is best if we continue this conversation tomorrow. I feel that maybe conversations will flow much easily after a good sleep," he suggested kindly.

Prince Rathner narrowed his eyes, but a faint hint of a smile began to tug at his lips. "I am in agreement on sleeping on what you have told us so far. We can discuss this further on the morrow."

Prince Rathner rose to his feet and held out his hand, a very unTalbecan thing to do. "My father warned me of past concerns with the Keglar Kingdom, but I feel that this will be a beneficial agreement and a positive collaboration to protect the pass. Here's hoping that all our men do well in the southern borders where they will be much busier than we will be."

Jale rose to his feet as well and placed his hand in Prince Rathner's to confirm the shake. "We can ride tomorrow morning so I can show you the perimeters of our location. For now, let's enjoy the rest of our meal."

>>

"Well, that went well," Heole laughed.

Jale snorted at Hoele's comment. He sighed and leaned back in his chair suddenly feeling exhausted, the day's events catching up with him.

"I'm glad you can see the humor," Brelen stated, leaning back in his seat.

"Galton seemed to be a bit up tight," Trent added.

"Hmm," Jale agreed. "I get the impression he's been ordered along to watch over the Prince, to keep him in line so to speak."

Heole and Trent laughed, and Jale was once again pleased that his two best friends had been granted permission to join him. Brelen was also the perfect addition to his inner circle at this camp.

Trent placed another round of ale on the table for the three men. "What do you think of Prince Rathner?" he asked Jale.

Jale drummed his fingers on the table, thinking of his response. He had no fear of sharing his honest and personal opinions with them, they had all been through thick and thin together. Jale had trusted them with his life on more than one occasion.

"It's too early to say," Jale started. "At first glance, he appears friendly enough. Although, I also suspect he may be as spoilt as I had originally thought."

"Handsome though," Hoele winked.

"I am more than happy with my latest acquaintance down in the town," Jale responded. "But yes, the Prince is certainly easy on the eye."

"Speaking of such things," Trent leaned in conspiratorially. "It's been about five days. Maybe we can head back to the town for a visit."

Jale laughed. "Worried that your pretty girls might be forgetting you already."

Hoele choked on a mouthful of ale, and Trent leaned back, looking smug. "What can I say? A man has needs."

Their conversation was cut short with one of Jale's servants coming to the table.

"Excuse me, Jale," he said with a bow. "Uleron is at the entrance and would like to join you."

They all shared a knowing look, but Jale nodded. "Let him through."

A quiet fell over the group, Uleron was not going to be a welcome member to their party. True to their suspicions, Uleron entered the tent, gruff and angry.

"How did the meal go?" he asked.

"It was fine," Jale said calmly. "Everyone was tired but discussions will continue on the morrow. The Prince seems quite amicable."

"Hmph," Uleron made a noise in disagreement. "To be on the safe side, I've added extra men tonight to monitor our camp. You never know. Never can trust a Talbecan."

"I'm sure it will be fine," Jale replied, keeping his tone neutral. Uleron would feed on anything he could. If Jale replied with disdain to his words, he would answer in strong rebuke. If Jale replied with scepticism or anger, Uleron would answer in anger. Sometimes it was as if anger was the only word that Uleron knew.

"Just saying, I'm here to protect you and the rest of the Keglar Kingdom," Uleron continued. "If any of those disgusting men try anything, I'll get my squadron to take them down."

"There'll be no need to that," Jale said firmly. "And if you can't follow orders, I'm sure I can send you off to another camp on the Brandeen border that will need protecting."

Uleron clamped his mouth shut. He might respond to everything with anger, but he wasn't stupid. He wasn't stupid to know that looking after this camp was the safest place to be right now. Other camps would have hundreds of people trying to flee the Brandeen Kingdom every day. The chances of getting sick and dying therefore would be much higher.

"Whatever you say, sir," Uleron responded stiffly. "I'll take my leave. Good night to you all."

Once he had left, Brelen leaned forward with a serious expression on his face. "I think it would be wise to keep this Galton fellow and Uleron away from each other. I can see that going sour very quickly."

Jale and his two friends agreed unanimously. "That's the last thing we need," Trent stated.

"I knew Uleron was going to be trouble," Hoele added. "Having someone like Galton is not going to help either."

"Brelen, make sure the rotations are organized so they have minimal chance of crossing paths," Jale ordered, and Brelen nodded that he would.

That was enough for one evening. Jale smiled to himself. "I wouldn't mind heading down to the town as well. Maybe we can invite the Prince to join us." He looked at his friends in turn.

Trent nodded. "True. Having a good woman or man to attend to your needs is certainly one way to keep everyone happy and in good spirits."