Once Una had left her daughters took care of my remaining aches and wounds. Anthis, the younger of the two cast the spell to mend my damaged horn. It wouldn't grow back, there was no spell that could achieve that as far as I knew, but at least the wound was neatly closed without any rank growth or the likes. That was good enough for me. The girl still frowned though. I raised an eyebrow and gestured to prompt her to speak her mind while Vastha, her older sister, carefully massaged the ointment into my bruised flesh.

Finally Anthis spoke up. “You might consider getting a prosthetic for the horn. They are simple enough, just metal caps that match the natural curvature and texture of the horn. Most often they are matched to mirror the other horn. One of our younger brothers is learning the trade of the silversmith. They make some pretty caps at the workshop he is apprenticed to.” She paused briefly. “Some people wear them even although their horns aren't damaged at all, almost like jewelry. You could even get something to match your circlet if you can get your hands on enough Illuminium.”

I had to blink at that. Especially the latter part surprised me a little. “For real? They wear these things although there is no actual need? Aren't they heavy?” I hadn't really thought much about getting something like that either. I wasn't sure about getting such a prosthetic now that it had been suggested either. I especially wasn't sure about getting one made from magical metal. I raised an eyebrow. “Illuminium horn caps? Wouldn't something like that make me even more of a target on a battlefield?”

Vastha laughed at that as she finished with the last of my bruises. “You will be a prime target on any battlefield due to your stature anyway. Even if you were to wear plain armor like everyone else you would stand out due to your stature alone.” She rummaged through the things she had brought and handed me a fresh tunic as she stepped away. “And you need to start thinking about things besides battlefields anyway. This war, no matter how bad it may be, will end eventually. There will be peace again. There will be festivals and reveling. We and our people will grow and prosper again.” She winked at me as made that last comment.

I wasn't quite sure what to make of that thus I took my time while slipping on the tunic they provided for me. It didn't fit quite like my own but that wasn't really surprise. Something else was though. It wasn't just magically cleaned. Or at least that was the conclusion at which I arrived. It even felt and smelled like it had been freshly washed. I took a deep breath, enjoying this little luxury for a moment. Then, as I finally finished securing the garment with a pretty brass fibula, it downed upon me what she might have meant with growing and prospering. I blushed really hard, which in turn prompted the duo to snigger.

Thankfully neither of them insisted on pursuing this line of thought any further. Instead they each grabbed one of my arms to pull me deeper into the tent. “Come on, lets see if uncle Tero really saved us something to eat.”

I couldn't argue with that, especially as my stomach agreed in an all too audible way that prompted even more blushing and giggling. At the same time the situation seemed a little unreal. Hearing them call my brother their uncle reminded me that I was technically their aunt although they were hardly any younger than me. It made me wonder who else I was about to meet.

Without much delay the duo led me towards the spacious central chamber of the tent. There were carpets on the ground, a pleasant surprise although they weren't exactly of the luxurious kind. A number of magical lights provided illumination. Men and women of various ages sat or lay at low tables. Some were busy with paperwork of one kind or another. Others were playing games. Yet more were eating and gossiping. No one raised their voice though and a few were quite obviously injured. The mood was, in general, a pretty light one though. A handful of royal guards kept a watchful eye on everything and everyone while staying in the background.

I didn't have to search for long. Tero partially rose from the table, by which he had been lounging together with another man, to wave us over. My two guides must have noticed as well, as they started heading in his direction, without letting go of me, right away.

Tero chuckled before introducing everyone. He gestured at me and my companions first. “The hero of the day, our sister Keza'zoth and my two most favorite nieces Anthis'amar and Vastha'amar.” Then he gestured at the other man with him. “Our brother Raetho'kael. He commanded our southern detachment during this crisis.” Then he motioned for us to sit with them.

The girls didn't hesitate and plopped themselves down to either side of Tero, who promptly handed them bowls with still steaming food.

I in turn sat down with a little more care and not just because of my bruises. I picked my place so I could face both of my brothers without having to turn too much.

As I made myself comfortable across from them it was Raetho who handed me a bowl of food as well. He bowed his head as he did so. “Please, enjoy your meal.”

I bowed my head in return. “Thank you for having me.” The smile I received in return seemed genuine and friendly and for a little while I focused on the meal, a well seasoned mix of steamed vegetables and meat as well as a generous helping of mashed ashroot. Tero poured everyone some aromatic tea as well.

As we sat there eating I took the chance to take in a little more of Raetho. I had no clue who his mother was, but it probably wasn't the same as mine. Otherwise he obviously came after our father. His was tall and his shoulders were wide. Muscles bulged under skin that displayed more than a few scars. He obviously was a veteran of more than a few battles. And he took stock of me as well. Well, I didn't mind.

I couldn't shake the feeling though, that he was holding back in some way. The same was true for Tero. Finally, when I was halfway through my bowl I decided to ask. “The both of you look like you want to ask me questions.” The statement was a little blunt thus I decided to add a good natured quip. “And it probably will not just be a few.”

Tero laughed. “True. We probably have a thousand and one questions.”

At the same time Raetho nodded sheepishly before speaking up himself. “We should never be afraid to ask questions. They are one of the foundations of our growth, both in knowledge and character.”

I couldn't help but think that he sounded a little like a warrior poet. Was there a tradition of warrior poets at Caer'kael? I had always been under the impression that those were more common in the south along the coast. Finally I looked at our nieces.

It was Vastha who noticed my gaze first. She was the one to speak up as well. “Oh, don't mind us, we are just here for the stories … and the food.” That earned her a round of chuckles.

I focused on Raetho again. “You lead part of the army and want to know if there is a way to do better next time?”

He nodded. “We didn't fare too bad but in the end we only managed to force the enemies facing us from the field when it became obvious that the our father's main host was victorious.” He paused briefly before continuing. “At the same time you and yours utterly tore those enemies facing you apart.”

I could only nod. That was a legitimate point. At the same time I couldn't help but feel relieved. There had been no malice or envy of any kind audible in his voice. I sighed and nodded again. I probably could learn a whole lot from him as well.

Before I could reply though Tero spoke up again. “And I would like to talk with you about that storm you summoned. It was such a marvelous thing!” Our nieces giggled at his excitement. Raetho smiled as well. It might be that Tero had been going on about it for a while already.

I smiled as well. “Well, I hope I can help you at least a little in either regard. As for the storm, I can only share the basic idea with you, the same I did with Kaele, my sister. As for my success on the battle field, I think much of it can be attributed to the advantage granted by the moment of surprise.” I turned my attention towards my warrior brother. “Tero mentioned that you commanded your detachment for a longer time?”

He nodded but did not speak up thus I continued. “All the maneuvering in the gap here might have given the commander you faced time to get a measure of you and your decision making process. At the same time those facing me had to make their decision at a moment's notice without knowing me and the capabilities of my troops at all.”

Raetho nodded gain and poured me a fresh cup of tea after I emptied mine to wet my throat.

I took another sip before speaking again. “The storm put additional pressure on them. At the same time we put on a good show, overstating just how exhausted we were. At the foot of the hills I could keep part of my force hidden under the tree cover as well. Last but not least the force they fielded against mine was a bad match. They had sent their cavalry away to search for me earlier that day and the pike and archer formations they had left were ill suited to deal with siege artillery and my cavalry in turn.”

That of course was only the start of a long evening, as both Raetho and Tero now started asking questions in earnest. They didn't even stop as our father joined us in the tent much later.