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“Never!”

“We cannot abandon our castle!”

The Count, his son, and the other commanders had all spoken as one, crying out that retreat was impossible.

“It would be folly to continue facing such casualties until we are all dead. There is nothing to be gained by our destruction.” Ehrim had calmly laid out the disadvantages of holding the walls, stressing the need for retreat and regrouping.

“It is not about victory, or defeat.” Vincent ran his hand over the map. “Do you know why we Balahards had built our fortress in this desolate place? This is the only pass that the monsters can use to march south out of the Blade’s Edge Mountains.”

Ehrim tried to respond, but Vincent spoke on. “If the monsters pass beyond this castle, they can go anywhere. No one knows whether they will head southwest or southeast. They might even march directly south. If we retreat, where the hell do we retreat towards?” Vincent ran his finger to the south of Winter Castle. Six provinces bordered the lands of Balahard. All of them had armed forces to meager to face the Warlord’s army. If Winter Castle fell, hell would soon be unleashed upon some of these provinces.

“Why do you persist in your folly!? The reinforcements who are yet to arrive do not know what dire straits we face!” Shouted Maximilian. It was the first time I had heard such strong emotions flow from him. “I have forgotten what this winter is. I have forgotten the harshness of this season.”

It was the people of Balahard, who had protected their holdings for many generations, who now faced obliteration. “Have you ever…” Maximilian started to ask but trailed off.

“Did Your Majesty not bring us a legion to aid us this time? Two, in fact,” the Count said with a laugh. The commanders of the reinforcements shut their mouths at this, not daring to speak. They had realized how lonely the men of Winter Castle had truly been in their centuries-long guardianship of the north. In this barren, forgotten land, these men had been fighting an eternal war. In all probability, this was not the first great crisis these soldiers had faced.

“Damn it! Damn it all!” Maximilian swore, looking so different than before. The previously calm and meek Prince could no longer reign in his true feelings. As for me, I had seen so much death that it had made me more uncaring and callous than before. The battlefield was not likely to let a moral and hale Prince maintain a healthy mind.

“Still your mind,” I told my brother as I grasped his shoulder.

“Brother…” His kind eyes bore into me, and I saw a mix of grief and self-confidence within them.

“I have no intention of surrendering the castle at present,” the Count said as he glanced at Vincent.

“Yet if we prolong this siege, many more soldiers will lose their lives upon our walls. We ride out at dawn,” Vincent stated, placing his finger on the largest enemy banner on the map. “We ride to slay the Warlord,” he added as he toppled that banner with his hand. “If we cut the head off this snake, it can no longer poison us.”

Ehrim Kiringer frowned at this. “The enemy has at least seven remaining corps outside the walls. At least three of those must be broken through to reach the Warlord. Is that possible?”

“I will lead the vanguard and open the way,” my Uncle said, and his commanders eagerly lent their aid to him.

“The Black Lancers are with you, my Lord,” Quéon almost roared.

“We hundred knights of Balahard as well.”

“All of the Balahard Heavy Infantry Corps shall join your charge!”

Count Bale Balahard accepted some of these offers at aid and rejected others.

“I shall participate as well,” Maximilian said as he raised his hand.

“No, you’re out. It is best if only one of Leonberger’s blood participates. If I were to be the cause of both of your deaths…”

“Hey, Uncle, just remember to leave me my spot,” I added, yet he ignored me. He knew that even if he had forbidden me, I would still have joined him.

“Those who remain should hold the walls and prepare for the worst eventuality.” As Bale Balahard spoke these words, the atmosphere in the conference room became very grim indeed. It was only then that many of those gathered realized what it truly meant to charge at the Warlord. It was certain that, even if the charge failed, a full-scale retreat was not an option. To retreat would be to become complicit in the genocide of the neighboring provinces. Maximilian and his officers looked toward me as if asking whether they were truly to remain behind. I just shrugged, and with that, the meeting came to an end. One by one, the commanders left the hall.

“Adrian,” my Uncle called to me as I was about to leave. “Whatever happens, think about surviving above all else.” I blinked, never having expected to hear such words from him. Complicated feelings flowed through me, then.

“You also take care of yourself, Uncle. When we fought the Night Slayer…”

“The defense of Winter Castle is the fate of the Balahards to bear, not yours,” he stated in no unclear terms as he met my eyes.

“I know, Uncle. Rest well and we shall see one another on the morrow.”

I left the hall as swiftly as I could. Once outside, I slapped my hands over my cheeks, trying to clear my thoughts. My mind flashed crazily with them. Now was not the time to be overtaken by emotions. I found Antoine, captain of the Silver Foxes, as he left the hall as well.

“Your Majesty.” He had already decided to entrust his fate to my hands. His decision was solely based on his desire for the coveted Muhunshi poems.

“Antoine, hear me well and with care,” I said as he straightened his posture. I laid out some of my plans to him, then. Upon hearing my words, his eyes had widened, and his face had become expressionless.

“What, lost for words, mercenary?”

“No, but… Then, Your Majesty…” After quite some time, he could only roll his eyes in frustration.

“Don’t worry about maintaining a conservative comportment. Go to her. Her name is Arwen Kirgayen. I had left money with her to pay you, just in case.”

“If you say so,” he said without question, saving me the time to explain things further to him. As I made to leave, he grabbed my arm.

“Your Majesty.”

“What?”

“Good luck.” I waved my hand roughly at him, the stern expression on my face never wavering. I still had a lot to do.

“Your Majesty, please know that I will always be there for you.” I was now speaking with Ehrim Kiringer, and his response to my various plans and orders had been much the same as Antoine’s. “If my name is upon it, it will not work. Whether you use Maximilian’s name or my Uncle’s, just make sure it gets done.”

“I will do whatever is necessary, Your Majesty.”

I laughed in joy at his trustworthy answer then turned around as to leave him. He called after me. “Your Majesty!” I glanced back at him. “If… When you return from this mission, the Wire Knights shall stand behind you, no matter what.”

“Is that so?” I gave him a casual wave and left the barracks. After that, I spoke to a great many people, including Nicollo and Vincent. There were words with my brother, Maximilian, as well.

“I shall continue to record everything diligently, to ensure that Your Majesty’s efforts are not in vain and that your legend shall echo through the ages.”

“I am not dead yet, dear Nicollo.”

“Ah yes, that is correct. A knight may fall upon the field of battle, yet his will and spirit never truly die.”

As we spoke, his quill scratched my every word upon his parchment. Even if he verbally called bullshit to my statements, he recorded them perfectly all the while. I knew that the records left by this old scholar would be of great aid to future generations.

“We Balahards will never abandon our castle.”

“Remember, if you keep the knights in the rear, it shall not be easy to tear through the lines of Goblins and Orcs. One needs officers in the van, only then can true damage be dealt.”

Vincent constantly contested my words while I patiently tried to persuade him. Eventually, he conceded that he would consider my advice if worst came to worst. Even if he was not fully pleased with my strategies, I had to leave things as they were. It was probably for the best.

“Why did you not tell us these things in the conference?”

“I don’t want to fire blindly and in so doing snuff out candles that have not yet lit the bonfire.”

“You yourself act as a great signal fire for the men, Your Majesty.”

I could not help but laugh heartily at Vincent’s words.

“Your Majesty, you shall charge at the Warlord with two-hundred blades behind you.”

He continued, saying that he wished for me to come back alive and that I should bear a banner in triumph upon my return. My heart was warmed at the sincerity of his words. Before I left him, I stated that I would make sure to comply with his request.

As I made my way through the castle halls, I caught sight of a familiar woman as she stared at me from afar. I approached her.

“Arwen.”

“Your Majesty,” she said with a stern and determined expression. At her unspoken words, I immediately hit her with an unwavering rejection.

“No. We still have a lot of work that has to be done.”

She groaned at my words, yet I pressed on.

“It is because of you that I can go to perilous places at will. Do you wish for me to take my troubled heart and charge into that horde of Orcs? Is that truly your wish, Arwen?”

“No, Your Majesty.” The horror that my words had invoked in her sullied her young features. As I studied her, I thought that my decision might have been very cruel to her.

However, I knew that there was no other way. I only had two true knights in my service, and one of them was a fickle maniac. In the end, I could trust only Arwen with my future.

“Heed my request, Arwen.” She closed her eyes at my words, yet her lips supplied me with the answer that I sought. “Yes… Yes! I will do it.”

I left her then, yet paused a few meters away from her. “That being said, even if I were to die, I would never allow you to die, dear Arwen. Never think that all of this had been a useless endeavor.”

I went to my rooms, passing many dour and silent men. I now had one last important task ahead of me, which was to get some much-needed sleep. As I settled into my room, a guest entered.

It was Maximilian.

“Brother.” I frowned upon seeing him. “It was my attention to rest, Maximilian.”

He regarded me for a while, almost with sorrow in his eyes. “Please return safely from the charge,” he finally said. I could not count upon my fingers the number of people who had asked this of me on that single day. “If you return safely-”

“I’ll be back alive, brother. If you have anything else to say, wait for me to return. We shall speak then.”

He nodded his understanding. “That would be for the best. I know you will survive and return to us.” He bowed deeply to me as he stood. “Then, have a peaceful night, Adrian,” he bade me as he left.

“Really, they all act as if I’m already dead,” I muttered as I shook my head. It was then that a strange sensation crept into my spine. Upon realizing that I had felt it before, I frowned deeply. “If you are here, stop spying on me. Show yourself.”

The Elder High Elf’s messenger popped through the window. I had sensed its presence correctly. Ah, it had taken the form of an owl again.

“I have been waiting for some time, as to order my thoughts,” Sigrun’s voice entered my head telepathically.

“Hm. That must be hard for you,” I said, not showing the slightest surprise at her sudden presence. “I had in fact called to you some time ago, yet I see you always like to be fashionably early.”

I spoke half-truths, yet I had truly been expecting her messenger.