"Thank you for your patronage, sir!" the merchant chirped as Lucian walked away, a new cloak in his hand and a bag of gold closing at his side.
He made his way back to the inn, stopping to appreciate well crafted structures, his father would make him do the same as a child to show him how far they've come as a species.
Lucian opened the door to his inn room, Amira was there.
Without a word, she walked up to him and leaned in close, pressing her face to his chest. Her nose traced slowly up and down his torso as she breathed him in, her crimson eyes flicked up at him.
"What are you doing?" Lucian asked, standing perfectly still, unsettled by her strange demeanor.
"Checking to see if you met a…" She hesitated, then forced a light laugh. "Food. Just smelling for food, haha."
Satisfied, she spun on her heel and plopped onto the edge of the bed.
"So," she said with a small smile, "get what you went out for?"
Lucian tossed the bags of gold beside her. They landed with a crunch, one of the flaps opening enough for a few coins to spill out.
"Getting rid of one more thing that might get you noticed by whoever you're hiding from."
Amira smirked, tilting her head in teasing disbelief. "Are you sure you did that for me…" She rose and walked toward him slowly again. "Or did you do it for yourself?" She leaned in close to his ear and whispered "You know, since you like running from your responsibilities and all."
Lucian raised a brow. "I don't run from anything. Not even an entire army." He said taking a step away from her.
Amira burst out laughing, clutching her stomach.
"What's so funny?" he demanded, thinking she mocked him.
"Oh I believe you!" she said between laughs. "But you're already breaking one of my two rules."
Lucian's face colored. "I- I haven't looked at you that way at all recently, so I don't know what you're talking about." His jaw tightened, voice stiff with denial.
"Not that." Amira giggled, making a mocking face. "You were brooding."
Lucian rolled his eyes, exhaling sharply. "I'm going to sleep. We have a long ride to the border tomorrow."
He moved the sack of gold to the table, pulled back the tightly tucked sheets, and fluffed his pillow…
And froze.
'There's only one bed. That infuriating woman! I told her to get a room with two.'
Amira stood with her hands clasped behind her back, batting her eyes innocently, her expression screaming guilty.
Clicking his tongue, Lucian snatched a pillow and blanket, laying them out on the floor. He had slept in far worse places during his time in the military. Still, he couldn't shake the thought that Amira had arranged this on purpose.
She giggled as she watched. "You don't have to sleep on the floor, you know," she teased.
"Goodnight," he said firmly.
Her smile lingered as she watched him drift off slowly. After she was sure he was asleep she bit her finger playfully, whispering to herself, "Recently, huh…" recalling his flustered denial. The thought of what might be going through his mind when he thought of her warmed her cheeks and quickened her heartbeat.
Before the new emotion could overwhelm her, she pinched herself and crouched beside him. Brushing a loose strand of hair back, she leaned close to his ear and whispered softly:
"Goodnight… Lucian."
***
"General, our scouts have returned." The man's voice hesitated. "There was no demon army at the northeastern border. The city bailiffs all reported the same thing, stating they had not seen nor received any warnings from their border patrol parties about an approaching army from the demon kingdom."
Lucian sat at the end of the war table, surrounded by his legion commanders. They all wore black plated armor and black legionary style helmets with black plumes varying in style. Inside the tent, behind each commander, was their first captain standing at ease. All of them now stared at Lucian, waiting for orders as he fiddled with his red plume, the only one like it.
"Vanessa. As our lead strategist, what do you think?" Lucian asked, never taking his eyes off his helmet.
Directly to his left sat a rather beautiful, fit woman who filled out her armor nicely. She pulled off her helmet, her long black hair cascading down to her shoulders. Her bright blue eyes glanced over the map on the war table.
"So we put our march on hold, turn around and marched back toward the border, all because the king said there were reports of a demon invasion in the east? That we must first unite in order to properly deal with the immediate threat that has just magically appeared at our borders? Then, after we deal with that threat, we can talk about negotiating better laws and a better standard of living for our citizens and the other species who wish to live here in peace…?"
"Bullshit." She huffed.
"Now that we get here, there is no threat, and we're days away from the capital, giving the king enough time to formulate a plan of some kind to abolish our rebellion!" She laughed like a hardy man and slammed a knife into the table. "I told you all before we left that this was going to happen.
She locked over at Lucian "I told you that piece of shit king was lying, Edric!" Her face was red with anger.
"What was he supposed to do, Vanessa?" An older man who sat directly to the right of Lucian spoke out, taking off his helmet as well. His beard was peppered black and grey, and his blue eyes were dull and weary with age. He was in his late forties, but his physique matched that of a twenty year old in his prime. "If there was even the slightest chance that our people, the very ones we're rebelling for, could be attacked by a foreign army, then it was the right thing to do. Even if it was a lie or a trick to temporarily get rid of us," he said gently.
"Butt out of this, Duclaine. If it wasn't for you, we'd still be in the capital right now, and a small defense force would be here in our place." Vanessa snapped back. "Now we might as well have forfeited catching the capital by surprise, and damn near any chance we had of winning this fucking rebellion."
"I'm sure you'd feel differently if you had family in one of those border cities like some of us do," Duclaine remarked.
Vanessa balled her fists, and her voice got deep and angry. "How dare you," she said through gritted teeth.
"Every single one of us has something staked in this rebellion. It's not right of you to say something like that, Duclaine," another commander chimed in.
Others began speaking their thoughts as well, and before long the entire war tent was yelling and cussing at one another.
Lucian simply stared into the reflection on his helm, his impossibly glacial azure blue eyes were piercing back at him.
Flashbacks of his conversation with the king, before it was interrupted by the scout who warned of an invasion, replayed in his head over and over.
"When I won the holy war and returned…" Lucian began.
Everyone quieted down and sat back in their seats, focusing on him once again.
"I half expected to be treated like a hero. Hell I spent four years of my life fighting that war, and yet when I returned to my country my very own people looked at me with disdain. They gathered in the streets at my return, but they did not cheer nor celebrate. No, instead they muttered under their breath about how they wished it was their son or daughter who returned instead of me."
Lucian set his helmet down and leaned back in his chair. "Instead it was my fellow nobles who treated me with a grand ceremony and a thunderous applause. Only they weren't the nobles I knew when I left. No, now they were much rounder, their pockets deeper, and each one stunk of corruption. So, like any good citizen would who had the strength to do so, and to keep a promise I made to my dying mother…" he raised his left hand and drifted it across the room. "I gathered you all in hopes to make a difference." He looked into the eyes of everyone at the table. They all stared back at him with their perpetual blue eyes. "And yet…" His gaze fell. "During my negotiations with the king, although brief, I've come to realize. That maybe the people don't want our help. That maybe they're okay with being treated the way they are. That maybe…" he paused "maybe there isn't a point to any of this."
"Edric… what are you saying?" Vanessa asked.
"The king," Lucian paused, his voice heavy "he brought in random citizens from all walks of life during our negotiations and asked them rather strange questions. The first person he brought in was a farmer who was a little on in his years, and he asked him:
*If I made you a lord tomorrow and gave you land, would you accept?*
The farmer responded by saying yes. And the king went on:
*And would you divide your new land equally among the families who worked it?*
He didn't even hesitate before saying no. No, it wasn't until the king asked his next question that the farmer hesitated.
*And if they armed themselves and demanded their share?*
To which the farmer said… he'd punish them all and have them hanged." Lucian paused recalling the interaction.
"A few more interviews went on in the exact same manner. The questions got stranger, but the answers all remained similar. So I accused him of planting these people…" Lucian swallowed and licked his top lip slowly. "And he laughed in my face." His voice rose slightly as he searched everyone's face at the table. "He told me to look out the window and pick anyone I wanted, and he'd bring them in to interview. So I stared outside for a moment and picked the most honest looking person I could find. The king had his men bring her up, and he asked for her profession. She was a younger lady, roughly the same age as me, and she wore ragged clothes, but her face seemed innocent and pure.
*I'm a servant, your majesty,* she said. And the king didn't even hesitate or think about what he was going to ask before saying it, as if it was the first thing that came to his mind.
*Do you believe one man should be forced to serve another?* the king asked her.
*No, your majesty,* she answered.
The king, again without thought, asked his next question: *If I gave you twenty servants tonight, would you refuse them?*
The woman lowered her eyes, and in that moment I felt my commitment begin to falter. *No, your majesty,* she answered."
Lucian took a deep breath and let it out as a sigh.
"General, what does this have to do with—"
Lucian raised his hand, cutting him off.
"The king turned toward me and looked me in my eyes before asking his final question:
*Would you free them?* he asked her. Never even looking back to see her reaction.
Her voice was pitifully quiet, but I heard her loud and clear.
*I would treat them kindly,* she responded."
Lucian tapped his knee and made eye contact with Vanessa.
"After she was dismissed the king stood and turned his back to me. His shoulders were high and proud, and I could tell he was smiling ear to ear by the way his voice changed. The last thing he said to me was:
*You see, Edric, any person out there would climb over the corpses of half the population if it meant they could rule the other half. These people do not hate the hierarchy. They merely hate being at the bottom of it.*"
Everyone was quiet, contemplating his words and his conversation with the king.
A few moments went by before Vanessa decided to speak. "Edric," she said, voice flat, "did all that fighting make you stupid? Do I need to beat some sense into you like I did when we were kids?" she asked, her face shifting to dumbfoundedness. "Take a look outside. If the people truly feel that way, then do you think ten thousand men would have answered our call? Every single person out there was ready to die for you… and your cause, including me just three days ago when we were stationed outside the capital waiting for your return." Her angry face started to show again. "So how about you grow a fucking pair of balls and show them the respect they deserve!" she demanded with a huff.
After taking a few seconds to calm down, her voice returned to normal. "The General Bloodthrone I know would never lack conviction when it comes to doing the right thing."
Everyone around the table grunted in agreement, banging their fists on the table.
Her voice went softer. "The General Bloodthrone I know…" she whispered "would stand up for a poor girl who was accused of a crime that he knew she did not commit. Even when it cost him his honor."
Lucian stared at her for a moment. He opened his mouth to say something, but the tent flap flipped open and a scout rushed in, slightly bowing. "General! We've been surrou-"
Lucian's eyes slowly opened, and he found himself staring at the ceiling of the inn.
He groaned as he tried to sit up, his back hurting from the wooden floorboards.
"Another dream?" Amira asked. Her back was turned toward him and her silver hair reflected the moonlight brilliantly in the dark.
"Just getting some water," Lucian responded coldly, his mood soured from the memory he had to rewitness.
"If you want to talk about it, I don't mind listening. I can't sleep anyways," Amira said, rolling over, her eyes finding his.
Lucian took a long drink from the water pitcher before finding his spot back on the floor. "Goodnight, Amira," he said as he pulled the blanket over himself once again.
A moment of silence crept about for a few seconds. "Maybe another time," Lucian added softly.
A small smile spread across Amira's face. "Goodnight, Lucian."
***
The next morning, Lucian awoke to the sound of floorboards creaking and bare feet padding across the room. From under the bed's edge, he caught sight of Amira moving about.
For a fleeting moment his eyes lingered on her toes curling against the wood whenever she paused, her cute feet dancing across the floorboards. He caught himself, shook the thought away, and yawned.
"Oh good, you're up!" she said brightly. "I already packed everything, so we can hit the road whenever you're ready."
Lucian scratched the back of his head as he sat up, his spine stiff from the floor.
'We don't even have luggage. What exactly did she pack?'
Lucian grabbed breakfast downstairs and brought it up to the room. He had a simple warm meal. Amira, on the other hand, ate enough food to feed four, all on his coin, of course. Afterward they mounted their horses and rode toward the northern border.
The ride lasted until early noon. Amira entertained herself, and Lucian, reluctantly, with jokes. She sung little songs, and pointed out oddly shaped clouds and giggled her whole way to the border.
"That's an awfully long line," she muttered, exhausted, as they reached the queue of travelers waiting to leave Atheria.
"I wonder why so many people are leaving the country," Lucian said quietly.
Amira tapped her chin. "If I had to guess… with the Ashen Dawn gone, people don't trust the crown to protect them anymore. Their only choice is to flee or wait around to get invaded."
Lucian gave her a long look, surprised at the insight.
She caught it and smiled innocently. "What? There's not much to do when you live alone in the woods. Any bit of information I get, I hold onto."
Lucian turned his gaze back to the long line of carriages, his chest heavy. He wanted to help these people, but he had already tried once, and they had scorned him for it.
"Regardless, it's not like No Man's Land can offer them any better protection," Lucian added. "They must be heading to the Wildkin kingdom."
"The land of the Beastman?" Amira snorted. "Are they even smart enough to form their own government much less protect someone?" she asked, half expecting an answer.
"You'd be surprised at how far they've come in the last twenty years. Apparently there's a new king in charge who's done wonders for their economy and standard of living." Lucian sighed. "I heard they've even abolished slavery and will let any species in, as long as they don't have an outstanding criminal record."
Amira gave him a confused look.
At last, it was their turn. They rode to the guards in dark blue uniforms, each with a sword at his hip. Two manned the gate itself, one perched in the watchtower above, and two more checked travelers' IDs and baggage.
"Identification and reason for leaving," one droned, voice flat from repetition.
Lucian waited for Amira to answer.
She didn't.
"Hello? Don't make me repeat myself!" the guard barked, his partner's hand drifting to his sword.
Lucian sighed.
'She's not going to speak, is she?'
"We were robbed on the way here," he said smoothly, pointing at their bare horses. "They took our papers and most of our belongings."
It was a lie, but a believable one. Lucian couldn't show his ID for obvious reasons, and Amira's had supposedly burned with her house.
The guard crossed his arms. "Without identification, we can't let you pass. No way to verify you lived here before. If you leave, we can't let you back in."
Lucian slipped a handful of gold from his pouch. "That's fine. We don't plan on coming back."
Amira raised her brow. 'We? What does he mean by we?'
The guard eyed the bribe, then pocketed it quickly. The one next to him went to say something but was quickly met with a sharp look.
"You're lucky you're not the only one who's asked this of me today," the guard murmured.
He waved to the tower, and the massive gate began to open with a groan, dust rising as the gears clanked and the doors split apart.
"Be careful out there," the guard added, and though his words were rote, there was a faint trace of worry beneath them. "It's a lawless land filled with merciless Soulbeasts. Most who leave never return, and the few who do tell stories of the horrors they saw. Just stick to the main roads and you should make it to the Wildkin kingdom alive, at least."
'When did I say anything about going there?' Lucian thought to himself.
"Thanks," Lucian said, spurring his horse forward. Amira followed close behind.
The gate rumbled shut behind them. Lucian felt as though every memory he'd made in this land, his family, his brothers, and his old self, was closing with it.
'Goodbye. May we meet again, if fate allows it.'
High atop the wall, a guard's eyes narrowed on Lucian. "Hey, I know that guy." Memories of boot camp, where Lucian had been his instructor, flashed in his mind.
"He really is alive. I knew he wouldn't die so easily!" He laughed in disbelief "Wait! Commander Duclaine needs to know about this, immediately!" he said, rushing down the stairs.