Iztris noticed someone coming up to them, and Alyson and Jacob were both prepared for whatever it could be. They waited outside for the person, and as they came into view she noticed that Iztris tensed a bit. It was enough for Alyson and Jacob to know who it was, and the other person spoke first.

“About what I figured,” they mused. “I won’t bother too much with small talk, but…one side or another will have to die. Let’s all do our best to make it quick, all right?” They received no reply, sighing a bit. “Well, I tried. I guess my mediation skills are just…lacking. Or maybe I’m not quite sure what mediation is anymore. Either way…there’s no point to delay this. Come on!”

They—Elsyn—were the first to move, taking a single step forward. Alyson took a step forward to counter it, and Jacob and Iztris both took a few steps back. Elsyn seemed to be following Iztris, heading in his direction—Alyson moved to prevent her from doing anything and going to far, since she was scared to know what would happen if Iztris wasn’t there to let the gods see.

Jacob eventually moved to an area a bit farther away, and while Alyson struggled with Elsyn he was around somewhere close. Iztris, staying in a place where he could see them but no where that he could get hurt, still seemed to be Elsyn’s target.

When Elsyn pushed forward, Alyson countered their blow with one of her own. The servant god did wear some kind of protection—actual armor, from the looks of it, put over her form—so it was still difficult for Alyson to actually land a hit that could kill them. It would take a few tries before she could even try to break the armor. In their few moments of fighting, an arrow flew past them as Jacob tried to hit Elsyn. The servant god barely noticed, still trying to get Alyson out of the war.

The blows were weak, but the blade was sharp—it was enough to leave behind cuts, but they weren’t so bad that Alyson couldn’t fight. Given enough time, she figured Elsyn could do some actual damage, but she wanted to believe they could fight her before then. Jacob let another arrow flow, managing to get in between Elsyn’s armor. The servant god didn’t do so much as wince, although her expression did change a bit.

It took a few minutes after their initial engagement before Elsyn lunged behind Alyson, catching her off guard. It took a few seconds before Alyson realized and caught up again, thrusting her own sword into the armor on Elsyn’s back. The sword actually managed to cut into it, which seemed to surprise Elsyn. The servant turned back towards Alyson and attacked her again, but Alyson was able to dodge. She heard Jacob moving somewhere behind her, and Elsyn seemed to notice it as well.

The two fought again, exchanging blows without a word. Elsyn switched sides constantly, wearing an annoyed expression, likely just so it was harder for Jacob to make use of the small hole in her armor. It was practical, but annoying. When Alyson could spare a moment to look, she saw Iztris trying his best to stay away and out of side; even if it would take a bit of effort, Elsyn’s sword was long enough to cut through a person completely. Alyson couldn’t blame him.

They were able to gain an advantage when Alyson managed to catch Elsyn off guard with her attack. Elsyn stumbled back for a moment, and Alyson was able to make another few cuts in their armor; Elsyn moved away before Alyson could thrust her sword into the fabric hiding underneath. The servant god responded by trying to cut the length of Alyson’s arm; it wasn’t enough to do more than leave something like a paper cut, but it did hurt. She winced, and Elsyn took another step back and tried again.

Elsyn was more cautious now that they had several exposed points—they didn’t try any attacks that they might have earlier, and they turned even more often. At one point, Iztris moved a bit closer; Jacob let loose an arrow that hit Elsyn’s hand, causing them to drop their sword and curse. Iztris came from behind Elsyn, grabbing their hands.

“Dammit, Iztris!” Elsyn said, looking towards him. They tried to struggle, but Iztris’s grip was firm. He took a few steps to one side, causing Elsyn to taunt him. “Why don’t you stand behind me? You’re not still scared of death, are you?”

Alyson quickly gathered her bearings while Elsyn was distracted and Iztris replied calmly. “Someone has to take your place. May we speak again some other day.”

From behind Elsyn, Jacob let loose another arrow; from in front, Alyson thrust her sword through the gap in the armor, right where a human’s heart would be. Both attacks hit, and Elsyn grew still. As Jacob moved closer to join the other two, Elsyn’s body just…disappeared. There weren’t even ashes—just rings that they had been wearing, which fell into Iztris’s hands. The only physical thing on them, Alyson imagined.

“Is that it?” Jacob asked.

Iztris put the rings in one hand and closed his fist around them before looking up at the other two and nodded. “Yes. It’s early enough in the morning—we can start heading back to the capital. We just have to be cautious on our way back; your jobs are done, at least. I can speak with the gods once you two are home.”

Both of them nodded, and they started their way back home.

——

They got back to the capital in a little more than a month, thanks to a few early snows making it inconvenient for travel. The king and queen were glad to see them back as always. As Iztris said, he left again shortly after they got back to the capital; like he mentioned to Elsyn, he returned with a different servant’s outfit and explained that he was to be Elsyn’s replacement. From what Alyson gathered, he went to Relan first to bury the rings Elsyn left behind—the last remnants of Elsyn’s mortal family—and then went to Letrela to try to work out their internal issues and locate his brothers’ families.

All of the time from Elsyn’s declaration against mortals and that day in late autumn was called ‘Humanity’s Silent War’ by the time new history books came out when Alyson became queen a few years later. It lasted for centuries, but people didn’t notice it had occurred—even when the casualties were higher and some people found it hard to return to life as per usual, a majority of the population read about it and wondered what it was.

Alyson was just glad it was over. It was concerning at times, but…ultimately, she came to terms with it. She was satisfied with what they were able to do.