The days following the battle were busy ones for Roland. He worked tirelessly to rebuild the town, to heal the wounded, and to prepare for the next attack.
One morning, a group of travelers arrived at the gates of Border Town. They were led by a woman with long black hair and a scar across her face.
"We are looking for Prince Roland," the woman said to the guards at the gate.
The guards looked at the travelers, their eyes filled with suspicion. "What do you want with him?"
"We have come to join him," the woman said. "We are sorceresses, and we have heard he protects people like us."
The guards looked at each other, then one of them ran to get Roland.
Roland arrived at the gate a few minutes later. He looked at the travelers, his eyes filled with curiosity.
"You are sorceresses?" Roland asked.
The woman nodded. "Yes, my lord. My name is Nightingale. I have the ability to heal wounds."
She pointed to a woman with long blonde hair. "This is Wendy. She can control the wind."
She pointed to a woman with short brown hair. "This is Irene. She can control water."
She pointed to a woman with red hair. "This is Scroll. She can read minds."
Roland smiled. "Welcome to Border Town. You are all welcome here."
Nightingale smiled. "Thank you, my lord. We have been hiding from the Church for years. We heard you protect sorceresses, and we wanted to join you."
Roland nodded. "I will protect you. You will be safe here."
The sorceresses cheered, their voices filled with joy.
Roland took the sorceresses to the castle, where he introduced them to Anna and the other sorceresses who had already joined him.
"We have a lot of work to do," Roland said. "The Church will return, and we need to be ready."
Nightingale nodded. "We will help you, my lord. We will use our powers to protect the town."
Roland smiled. "I know you will."
Over the next few weeks, the sorceresses worked tirelessly to help the people of Border Town. Nightingale healed the wounded, Wendy used her powers to bring water to the fields, Irene used her powers to fish in the river, and Scroll used her powers to find out what the Church was planning.
The people of Border Town began to see sorceresses in a new light. They were not monsters—they were protectors, helpers, friends.
Roland also began to train the sorceresses to fight. He taught them how to use their powers in battle, how to create defensive spells, and how to work together as a team.
"You are a powerful force," Roland said to the sorceresses one day. "Together, you can defeat the Church."
The sorceresses nodded, their eyes filled with determination.
Roland knew the Church would return, but he was ready. He had a powerful army, a group of loyal sorceresses, and the support of the people of Border Town.
One evening, Scroll came to Roland with important news.
"My lord, I have been reading the minds of the Church's soldiers," Scroll said. "They are planning to attack again in a month. They are going to bring a larger army, and they are going to use a new weapon—a magical cannon that can destroy walls with a single shot."
Roland nodded, his eyes filled with determination. "We will be ready."
He turned to look at the map of the kingdom on the wall. He knew he needed to build a better defense, to create new weapons, and to train his soldiers harder.
"We have a lot of work to do," Roland said. "But together, we will win."