Finally recognising her father, Lana released Corwin from her embrace.
"Dad?" She mumbled, confused, as she wiped tears from the side of her eyes.
"It looks like I've come at a bad time, sorry Lani. But this is a little too important to wait. You have to leave."
"But he didn't do anything!" Exclaimed Lana. "And how do you even know about it? Cori only just came back now!"
"Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure we're talking about two different things. Trust me; whatever just happened, you need to leave this house and this town right now."
"Hang on Mr Regis, surely you can convince the villages to lay down their pitchforks," interjected Ennis
"If this were a normal situation, I probably could," ceded Aiden. "But it's not the townsfolk this time. Recruiters are coming to Weston. Animar is preparing for war, and they're taking everyone that they can gather. I've just received word from Etton that the recruiters have just finished their testing, and are heading for us as we speak."
At the start, Corwin worried that his grandfather had come because of his fight. But now that he understood it to be for something else he was confused. Why would recruiters bother Aiden so much?
Lana echoed his thoughts.
"And what's the problem with this?" she asked.
"It's not a paper test. They're are testing all men of age, to measure their combat abilities."
With a sharp look in Ennis' direction, he reiterated.
"They're testing everyone using tal stones."
Ennis stiffened at that.
Seeing his understanding, Aiden turned back to leave.
"I'm still not happy with your choice to leave our family for this man, Lani."
"Dad! Why are you still going on about this! And is this really the time-"
Ennis put his hand on his wife's shoulders and squeezed, stopping his wife mid-sentence.
"But, I can respect the courage you had in following your heart. Good luck." he finished as he trudged back the way he came, closing the door as he left.
"What in Arsten's Forge was that? And why do we need to leave?" she turned to her husband.
Ennis took a deep breath. It was clear that he couldn't hide it from his family any longer.
"Your father is right," he sullenly replied. "He knows that I'm going to get caught by the recruiters."
"Is all this to do with why you can't weave? Please, Ennis- If this secret means that we can't stay here, then I need to know."
Then she looked down, to her son in her arm.
"No, we both need to know" she amended.
"Lana, I have to tell you now. But please know this; the only reason why I didn't tell you earlier was not that I didn't trust you, but because then the burden of this secret would fall onto you."
Ennis closed his eyes, knowing what was coming.
"I'm not from the Republic."
Lana couldn't stop herself from recoiling. Corwin hadn't had the same education that she had. He hadn't been brought up him a time of war, where the mere mention of the Alliance could spark grief and hatred. When she had been Cori's age, she'd seen the men return, broken, scarred, and defeated from the war.
And now this man, the man she had wed, now claimed to be one of those monsters.
Ennis winced after seeing his wife's reaction. And even though he had long since made peace with the fact that the enemy wasn't as evil as the tales told, he could understand the fear, hate, and disgust that warred in her eyes.
When he had washed up on the shore and been found by her, he had thought that the rest his days would be nothing but torture at the hands of these savages. But, the girl that had found him, the One-Armed girl who wouldn't have even been able to threaten a child, showed him a side that he'd never thought possible from the Savage Nations.
Corwin now sat in the middle of his parents, looking back and forth between them. He was shocked, of course, but his mum seemed to be more than surprised. More… more scared.
Ennis knew that this wasn't something that his wife could process quickly. However, he had no choice but to rush it.
"If those recruiters force me to use a tal, I'll be found out immediately: I can't use the scores that you can. You two need to leave."
Momentarily recovering herself, Lana caught onto what he had said.
"I still haven't forgiven you for keeping it from me yet- and I'm absolutely not able to accept that my husband is one of the enemy that quickly. But you're coming with us. By the Five, you're not getting away from me that easily!"
Ennis smiled. As torn as his wife obviously was, she was still able to talk him under the table. But she didn't know angry mobs and bullying as he did. His childhood, much like Corwin's, was fraught with bullies of some form or another- however, for a greatly different reason.
"Lana. The townsfolk won't simply give up when they find that we're just missing. All that anger and hate doesn't dissipate that easily. If I'm not there, they will complain to the recruiters that I've fled from the army, that I'm a deserter, or worse. There's just no other way."
Tears sprung to the corners of Lana's eyes. She wanted to refute him, to tell him that he was a defeatist, needlessly self-sacrificing. But looking at his smiling face, she knew that he had made peace with it.
"Well then, I'm not going to leave either." she proclaimed with an air of finality.
Now it was Ennis' turn to feel helpless.
"You can't-" he started, before Lana cut him off.
"No. Don't you dare try to use some bullshit excuse on me. What, you think I'm going to be able to protect our son? You know as well as I do that I'm going to give absolutely no advantages in a combat situation. He's going to be the one that has to protect me!"
She turned and directly addressed her son.
"Corwin Regis-Kane, I love you more than anything else in this world. That is why I'm telling you that you have to leave. If you even try to speak a word of why you should stay, so help me, I will kick your skinny ass right out this door. Now come here and give your mother a hug."
Corwin had absolutely no words for his mother after that rant. He was still trying to process the fact that he had to leave his house, his parents, and everything he had ever known. Still in shock, he let his mother wrap her arm around him, for the second time that day. His mother didn't do hugs; she displayed her affection for him in other ways- ruffling his hair, kissing him on the cheek, etc. Hugs just reminded her of the things she wasn't able to do.
After letting go, she turned her back on him to hide her tears as Ennis embraced him.
"I love you son. Don't ever forget that. You are the reason," he shot a guilty look at Lana, then corrected himself "Actually, one of the two reasons why I'm still here today."
Corwin could hear his father's voice break a little bit.
Ennis released him and stepped back.
"Corwin, I want you to have these."
Ennis unstrung the small cloth pouch that hung from his belt, then dug under his pants to pull out a thigh-scabbard. Emptying the pouch and the scabbard he showed both items to his son.
In his outstretched palms, he held two items; a short double-edged sword, and a small spherical black stone.
Immediately, Corwin zeroed in on the inscription-marred stone.
"Is that a..."
Ennis smiled at his son's astonishment.
"Yes, that's a tal stone. But, it's not an inscription that you have seen before. This inscription grants a harmony ability, instead of actualising an element. That is the weaving of the republic. I suspect, that even though I can't use your scores, perhaps you might be able to. You already know the activation chord from our training."
Gingerly accepting the stone that Ennis placed in his hands, Corwin marvelled at the detailed inscription on the small stone. He broke out of his reverence as his dad started explaining the short sword.
"This is a spatha, standard issue from my country. But it has saved my life more times than I can count. I hope it can save yours as well."
Ennis sheathed the spatha in the leg belt before passing it over to his son.
Corwin accepted the strap with tears starting to form at the corner of his eyes. The realisation that he was likely never going to see his family again was slowly setting in.
Lana came in close and kissed her son on the forehead.
"I'm sorry I don't have anything like what your father gave to you. Just remember, no matter what happens, don't focus your anger on the army or the townsfolk who called them onto us. Live your life better than that being consumed by rage. A life of revenge is hardly better than any life at all."
"Yes, Mum" he choked out through the free-flowing tears.
"No Cori, don't cry. Please, you'll make me cry,"
His mum already had tears flowing down her cheeks, but he didn't have the ability nor inclination to correct her. Wrapping one arm around his mum and the other around his dad, he pulled them both in close.
* * *
None of them knew how long they stayed together like that, quietly sobbing as they tried to forget the imminent future. But eventually, it was Ennis that broke them up.
"Corwin, it's time to go."
Wiping the last of his tears from his eyes name nodded.
Grabbing his waterskin and the few bare essentials that he could carry from his room, he went back to face his parents.
"I'll see you later, Mum. Catch you round, Dad."
Jaw set, but lips quivering, he walked out into the now dark forest, knife strapped to his leg, a few coins in his pocket, and a spherical black stone in a pouch on his waist.
Looking back at his house one last time, he steeled his resolve and ran off into the darkness that enveloped him.
* * *
It was midway through the 3rd day that Corwin left when Lana and Ennis heard footsteps approaching their home.
Unsure of what to expect, Ennis grabbed a knife from the kitchen and kept it hidden in his backhand as he went to open the door.
Upon opening the door, the image of a portly, but well-dressed man, greeted them.
The man did not even try to hide his disgust when he saw who it was that answered the door.
"Is miss Reagan here?" he asked with all the politeness of a man talking to a slug under his foot.
Joining him at the door, Lata wrapped her arm around her husband. Immediately recognising the man, she smirked- it was Dalton's father.
Dalton's father put on a forced smile when he saw Lana's arm around Ennis. He started to introduce himself.
"Hello, Miss Reagan. My name is George, and I'm-"
Lana cut him off.
"What do you want?" she asked him bluntly.
"I thought I'd do you neighbourly favour," smirked the man."I was sure that you'd like to know that recruiters are in town. They're mandating that all men and boys of working age are to come down and receive testing."
"Oh?" remarked Lana, feigning surprise.
George was surprised at her nonchalance- but continued, mistaking it as a lack of understanding.
"Miss Regan, unless this foreigner has rubbed off on you in an incredibly profound way, I don't think there's a way for you to misunderstand what this means for you. You need to send your … husband… and child down to the town centre now."
Lana nearly grabbed the kitchen knife from her husband when the postulating man in front of her made a comment about foreigners. But she forced herself to remain calm.
"I haven't seen Corwin in a while now- have you, Ennis?"
Ennis shook his head with a smile.
"Perhaps he's out playing with his friends? I heard that he really enjoyed catching up with your son recently- perhaps we should schedule a family get together soon?"
Previously unsure as to whether they simply didn't understand or were purposefully misunderstanding, George could now see that they were clearly taunting him and his family.
Dropping his faux cheery demeanour, he ground his teeth in anger.
"Oh I think our sons will be seeing a lot more of each other, don't you worry. I hear everyone grows pretty close to each other in the army. I think I'll look forward to seeing his testing score in the town centre today.
"Sadly I don't think I'll be able to witness the testing at all. You see, my husband and I have developed this horrible medical condition that prevents us from leaving this household. Terribly sorry, you'll have to relay that to the army if they ask. Wouldn't want anyone else catching it."
Surprised that the couple would dare mock him and the army, George spluttered as he searched for words.
Deciding that there was nothing snappy he could say to their grinning faces he turned back to the town.
"They'll come for you, mark my words. In fact, I will personally make sure they come to test your savage of husband and your foreigner child!" he spat, as he walked back the way he came.
Ennis smiled at his wife. It was nice to be on the spectating side of his wife's sharp wit for once.
Together, they went back inside their house.